[Takeo Hoga]

[attr="class","shinigami"]

Holding on tight

Takeo nodded as Battery Boy answered his orders, using the full potential of his quirk to swell up to a massive size. The enormous figure loomed over the purple man’s body as they moved it, quelling any stray sparks or threats of explosion until they had it safely inside the tunnel.

Shorty and Ishtar worked together to clog the entrances, the latter forming an enormous, stopper-like structure while the former added support through her planks.

And then the vision hit. For a moment, Takeo wasn’t able to decipher reality from fiction, eyes widening as he let out a blood curdling scream. Soon enough, however, reality returned to the forefront. They had done it- they’d stopped the explosion and saved hundreds, maybe even thousands of people.

Takeo knew that no small amount of death had occurred from the initial explosion. He knew his comrades were hurt and needed medical attention. He knew that monster had escaped in some fashion, a terrifying villain that may rear his head up at any time.

Despite all of that, in this moment, he felt a joy like no other. He’d experienced years of quietly and easily coasting through life, no achievement of his having any meaning beyond his inherent abilities. For almost two decades, life had been binary- he was good at something, or he wasn’t. Something was easy or impossible.

Here and now, however, he had pushed everything he’d been given, everything he’d trained for, and plunged headfirst towards death.

And he’d won. They’d won. That immense sense of gratitude, of pride, swelled in his heart- and he couldn’t help but let out a joyous fit of laughter. ”Let’s…fucking…GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” he veritably screamed, a big, toothy grin on his face.

After a couple minutes of sheer joy, his demeanor started to melt away as he came back to his senses. As he already knew, there was still a lot to do. Hurt comrades, injured civilians, reporting what occurred to the proper authorities, and facing the consequences of his actions back at UAU.

Now that Shorty was more or less awake, he gently propped her up against the wall of a nearby shop before sitting down next to her.

”You were great out there.” He said, locking eyes with her before turning to everyone present.

”All of you were. We only survived because we all worked together.”

His eyes turned to Ishtar next. She had indeed been every bit as powerful as the rumors and the news outlets said. Even still, she’d fought by their side and worked with him to help people. Even if she had her own agenda, that fact still stood.

”You and Battery Boy should probably get out of here before the heroes show up. If you don’t want us to say anything, then we didn’t see either of you as far as I’m concerned” he offered, putting his hand up in an ‘OK’ gesture.

@tagsomeonehere

tag

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TL;DR

- Nods at Battery Boy, happy that him and Ishtar are going along with the plan

- Has a brief moment of horror thinking that the vision is real, let's out a bloodcurdling scream

- As soon as it's over, gets overwhelmed with joy and starts laughing

- Quickly pulls himself together, knowing that his reaction is a bit calloused considering the loss of life

- Thanks everyone and says they only pulled through because they worked together

- Respects Ishtar, says she and Yukine should probably run before the heroes arrives. Offers not to say anything about their presence if they'd prefer it

[Yukine Kobayashi]

Yukine couldn’t hear Ishtar’s cry over the dull roar of his own quirk and the villain’s… couldn’t see anything but the entombed violet glow that he now embraced, at least until he closed his luminous eyes against it. His body shuddered against the whips of purple that spiraled out, rocked by pain as he fought to contain them.

The power was too great– it rended Yukine from the inside out, patches of purple tearing through the black until it was no more. It was like a sun burning through fog from within. He didn’t even think to scream as his electric body was doused in pain hot and sizzling, which dulled to a throbbing numbness before fading into nothing. Yukine compressed inwards against is undoing and then sank into oblivion once again.

Yet, somehow, he opened his eyes, staring at the pebbles that comprised the concrete.

He... was still here?

Where was the villain?

The dome receded, Yukine once again rearranging himself into distinct head and limbs, shrinking as he released the energy he had borrowed back into the grid of the city.

His eyes searched the crater below it, then inspected his spectral hands. He hadn’t been alive to begin with, not in the conventional sense– not anymore– but he was glad to not be entirely dead. The realization bewildered him.

The ghost furled and unfurled its fingers. As he shrank, his tether grew shorter, and so the ghost bobbed like an old balloon towards the place where the meter had been blown from its wall, to the wires that he currently clung to. When he was about the size of a small child, he sank to the ground, sitting atop the tail that currently bound him. The energy that crowned his head– his “hair”, so to speak– whipped in an unseen wind. He continued to study his hands.

The dark-haired hero cheered jubilantly, ecstatic that they had triumphed and survived. The ghost huffed, a surge of static rolling off of it. He’d lost his body, the one that Jackie had given him. It had been a spare piece of machinery, and… god knew how long it would take for her to build another. Until then…

The dark-haired hero was busy giving a speech, lauding their teamwork as the source of their success.

Truth be, Yukine was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he’d only really helped because of Ishtar. She was a friend of Jackie’s, and Jackie would probably be sad if anything bad happened to her.

”You and Battery Boy should probably get out of here before the heroes show up. If you don’t want us to say anything, then we didn’t see either of you as far as I’m concerned.”

“Why would I need to get out of here, hn?” the ghost said petulantly, an agitated crackle rolling off of it, “All I did was help!”

Yukine did not fully grasp the situation, truth be– though Ishtar had mentioned multiple times that she was not only a villain, but the Queen of them, the specter had not heard a single one of such proclamations. Or, if he had, he’d plumb forgotten so. And he... he was guilty by association, despite his innocence. Yukine, unaware of all of this, thought that the dark-haired hero was seeming mighty ungrateful for the help that he and Ishtar had offered– and thus Yukine felt completely justified in the vitriol with which he spoke.

The ghost turned his attention towards the pale-haired woman, bobbling a bit higher. When he spoke, the venom in his tone had faded, laying bare the true emotions underneath.

“Ishtar-” Yukine quavered, “I can’t- I can’t leave without a body. That’s why- that’s why Jackie gave me the suit… I was trapped in my old home… and she found me…”

Had he tear-ducts, he may have cried. His voice sounded like he was going to. He couldn't leave, even if it was in his best interest to do so. If Ishtar left, he was going to be truly alone again. And this time, he would be truly trapped– for though the circuitry of his house was a small, familiar scope, he would never be able to navigate the city’s power grid. He would really, truly be a lost soul. And everyone would forget about him again.

This realization flooded Yukine with despair so great that the fact Ishtar had been the one to put him in this situation in the first place seemed of little consequence.

“You should go…” Yukine murmured, his voice little more than a buzz, “I’ll… figure something out.”

tl, dr:

• Yukine meets his "end" quietly, thinking that the explosion ripped his form apart.
• Bewildered when he isn't dead.
• Powers down.
• Annoyed that Takeo is shooing them off, but also scared because he's trapped without his robotic exo-suit.
• Tells Ishtar she should go, and that he'll "figure it out".

[Sonya Chernovna]

Even if i become Ishtar stood in near stasis, her eyes cast forward, the lenses clicking as her brain tried to catch up with the moment. The moment she died, but didn't. She watched as all of the advanced engineering that kept her body moving finally failed for the first time since she'd been given the ability to walk. She watched herself fall to the ground like a ragdoll, her head turned, the glow of her eyes gone, her limbs splayed about. Then what followed...  A flash of blinding white light, an eruption of power as her body went critical. The energy of the blast wrenching all control from her. One moment her body hit the ground, the next, thousands died anyway. Not from electrical hellfire, but from atomic rot.  A pale wasteland. The vision ended so fast she felt herself stumble forward, her presets catching her and keeping her upright. Her mechanical organs preventing her from throwing up. She had no tear ducts to weep from. Even her own trembling was reduced to a minimum. She couldn't let any of it out. None of it. She couldn't show weakness, even if she tried. Her heart broke a bit more as her hands fell to her sides, twitching, as the reality of their victory sank back in. She took a shaky breath through her respirator when the boy screamed for joy, throwing his hands up in the air. Her heart rate eased and she shook her head, a small laugh breaking through the surface. She snorted at him and chuckled, "Silly boy," She said with a sigh and put her hand in her pocket, turning away to see that May was still alive, if unconscious. If she doted too much, there might be some suspicion. She'd have to keep her distance. And where was the wood girl? Her quirk was fascinat- She stopped when the young man turned to look at them, speaking from the heart. She held his gaze for several seconds, "I will remember your words..." She trailed off as her connection to the ASTA network finally caught back up, "Stranglehold."  She held her head high, her raspy, death rattle like voice carrying a bit. She turned her back to him, "You have one extra wish from me, young man. Use it well," She said aloud and started walking, "Everyone gets one, but you get two, how lucky."  She stopped abruptly as Yukine's irrtitable crackling voice shot back at the young man, "It's fine Yukine. I'm not one of the good guys, and they think you're with me," Ishtar said gently, stopping when Yukine's ghostly form bobbled towards her and she finally heard the trepidation in his voice. Her heart broke in an instant, her hand going to her respirator.  She looked down at him, what could she do for- oh. Well she supposed that was an option. She lowered herself to the ground and smiled with her eyes, canting her head to the right. She held her hand out and said in a low voice, "I'm pretty my body will work just fine." She said, raising a single finger to her mask to suggest he keep this a secret between them. "Hop in, dearie. I'll never abandon you." After discretely absorbing Yukine into the electronics that suffused her entire body, it took a second to get used to having a co-pilot. It hurt a bit, but that wasn't for the young one to know. No. All he needed to know was that he was safe. Ishtar took one glance back at the young heroes she'd worked with, it was funny, as Sonya, she showered them with whatever they needed and helped them with every ounce of her strength. As Ishtar, she was supposed to be their enemy. But in this one moment. She supposed she could let it go. She darted away, activating her ENKI phone and calling for the nearest transport. It was time for the White Queen to disappear once again. "Don't forget... I'm always watching, dear heroes... Till the day you face me." the devil himself tagged words notes

made by eden @ gs and thq

[Yue "Bun" Tuzi]

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

The Moon Rabbit!

For just a fleeting moment...

...there was hope.

Only for a moment, as she fought against her fever and all she could do was try her damndest to keep those planks up as long as she could, that's when that light flooded the area. A weak, second wind kicked in as an adrenaline rush overtook her...but it wasn't enough to keep fighting to her dying breath.

No.

It was only enough to lift her head and be powerless all over again as she watched everyone around her get ripped asunder, torn apart like flesh ridden dolls. Feeling her eyes widen as her heart raced, there wasn't enough time to cry out as she felt herself ripping apart while burning alive.

``...is this how Nelly felt?``

The last thought that echoed through her head with the weight of regret heavy on her heart that was no more in a matter of seconds...

...there was no peace for someone like her.

Then there was laughter.

What...

It sounded familiar...but...but didn't they all die?

Fluttering her eyes open, it...everything...what? It felt so real but this scene before her wasn't--was it a dream? A hallucination? Confusion was painted upon the tired woman's face as she saw that familiar faces of all sorts were still there, slowly reaching up to wipe the sweat from her fibrous fur...she took in a few breaths while trying to figure things out. Looking up towards the guy who emerged as a leader among a queen, she let out a scoff with a slight smile as he celebrated their victory.

God..it was still a real pain to move, but at least it was a little easier than before.

As she got help to lean against the wall, seated nicely enough so that she could rest her legs a bit more, then noticed the black haired boy take a seat beside her. Blinking a few times as their gaze became locked for a moment, "You, too..." Those two words were nothing short of sincere, even if she still planned to weasel a lil extra money out of him by selling stuff...it was no doubt that he did his best out there.

Bobbing her head a couple of times, silently agreeing with that sentiment since they really were a solid team. Nothing would have been as successful without their combine efforts and cooperation, all of them contributed in important ways...at least that's how she felt. Though she couldn't help but wince at his next set of words...insinuating that the electrical fella was some kinda villain or something. Before she could say anything in defense, even maybe make an offer to take the guy who lost his body to her house through her phone or something, he seemed to be standing up for himself just fine.

A singular, squeaked out "...bweep," escaped her again, part of her felt like she was at a sudden loss for words over all the distress he seemed to be going through. Honestly, she wasn't that good at comforting people...like...at all, but this Ishtar lady seemed to have his back and he wasn't so alone. No, she made damn sure he wouldn't be abandoned...and that was enough to keep her offer tucked away to stay with her mom or even at her place off campus. Though she'd definitely be looking into this Ishtar, Queen of Villains woman later...

...who also seemed gracious with a sense of gratitude in her own way.

Everyone gets one wish.

...no amount of wishes could bring Nelly back, that was an unrealistic desire. All she could do was maybe settle on more shallow things that made the world go round that could secure a roof over her head. Maybe she'd use it, maybe she wouldn't...but Ishtar's actions proved through all of this that she wasn't just your typical villain and put her own life on the line with the rest of them. If there was anything she learned throughout her life, it's that nothing was black and white, there weren't clear cut descriptors of right and wrong out there. Even if she was a villain, the city as a whole meant something deeper to her.

If they were all pawns in her eyes within the grand scheme of things, at least she cared.

...something they had in common, perhaps.

Who knew if she'd ever cross that woman's path again, if the wish was nothing more than an offer that would never have some sort of follow up...but one thing was certain.

"Hey Ishtar, Battery Boy!" Using the wall behind her, she shimmied on up to her feet shakily, but carefully as the ever ticking clock counted down the time closer to their departure. Once she was at her feet, she gave them a bow, showing that she had respect for them and what they did if they so much as shot a glance her way.

"Thank you!"

Whatever side they were on, they deserved respect in this moment, that's how she felt as she called out those pair of words to the duo. Standing upright, she rest the back of her head against the wall, she looked back towards where the man once stood as her smile faltered ever so slightly. Either he was dead or disappeared...but...the former was most likely. Whatever drove him to such a shitty demise must have been awful, but part of her hoped it was painless...especially if he was a victim of circumstance. Maybe that guy was a pawn...she was...pretty sure they'd never get closure on that front.

Looking around, she noticed the mess of short, powder pink locks of the archer and let out a soft sigh as she shared one last glance towards the villainous queen keeping Battery Boy safe. Another deep breath and exhaling gently, she pushed herself off the wall and started shuffling towards the archer...but took a moment to stop, "..by the way, you can call me Bun. We uh...didn't have much time for introductions or anything cause ya know...the whole death and destruction thing goin' on." Looking over her shoulder for a moment, weakly waving her hand, she offered a lil shrug then carried on her shuffling towards the archer. Plopping down next to her and checking for her pulse...

...the feeling of her heart beat through the pads of her fingers, she couldn't help but mutter, "Hey, I know you probably can't hear me, but thanks for everything..." Even if that little shred of gratitude rest quietly in the cozy void, it didn't matter. All that mattered was making sure she at least said it out loud.

Life's short, unpredictable and crazy...especially in the life of a blossoming hero.

There was a chance that she'd never see some of these folks again and she wanted to at the very least let them know somehow that their efforts mattered. Plus...she had enough regret in her life not letting Nelly know how much she mattered before she passed away, this was the least she could do to kind of make up for that.

Of course, she'd stick around to make sure the archer girl got the medical attention needed to see another day and help where she could after getting enough rest.

TLDR TIME!

Thank yous are issued to folks, including a bow to Ishtar and Yukine.

Bun finally offers a nickname that isn't shorty to Takeo.

THEN she checked May's pulse and thanked her too C:

Opted to stick around, make sure May got the medical attention she may have needed and stuck around to help where she could after getting some rest.

---> Thanks bunches to y'all for the delightful event experience, Matsu, Takeo Hoga, Yukine Kobayashi, Sonya Chernovna & May Twenty-First! Cheers! UwU

[Matsu]

Rewards have been given! Thanks for coming, everyone!