[Hiro]

His travels across the country had been an adventure and a half for him, now that he was getting more northern and the weather was getting colder he was questioning whether or not he should’ve stayed on that sunny island he had waken up on a different person.

He still had no clue who he had been, and in many ways he had embraced being Hiro instead. It didn’t matter much if he couldn’t remember, and not knowing hadn’t stopped him from enjoying life.

Every new thing he ate was a new sensation, some would probably call that a luxury all on its own.

And with every yen he earned helping people out, he was one sensation further as every bit of money went to snacks, rather than the logical things than paying for room and board, the idea of using it towards finding more permanent station somewhere never crossed his mind.

Gorging himself on some sweet snacks, he smiled and nodded at an old lady who probably saw him as a deadbeat… Which wasn’t the furthest from the truth, but as Hiro was about to turn the corner he heard the lady call out, turning around just in time to see a trio of actual deadbeats running off with her purse.

Putting the final biscuit into his mouth, he’d get himself onto the roof quickly as he followed their path to safety, making sure to keep himself out of sight until the point they finally reached an alleyway and started rifling through their ill-gotten gains.

"Don’t you deadbeats know better than to steal from sweet innocent old ladies?" he’d call out, standing tall over the petty crooks who thought they had gotten away with it.

The crooks looked up like a cat that had just gotten caught in the act, they spread out and took a few steps back only to realize they had walked into a dead end.

"Deadbeat? Look whose talking, tracksuit guy. If you think we’re going to share, you got another thing coming!”

"I’m not a deadbeat, I’m here to protect kind old ladies from crooks like you three!” he answered in annoyance as he finished his cookie and jumped down, sword in hand.

The crooks would look at the sword and almost start laughing at the sight of how poor it seemed to look. "Ok, kid. What are you going to do with that piece of crap? Run off, before we have to hurt you!” the crook said, showing off his ever-growing steel fingernails, shimmering sharply in the fading sun peeking into they alley.

Rolling his eyes, Hiro raised his sword and placed it onto his shoulder, before gesturing them to try their best.

Unsurprisingly, they didn’t need a second invitation to attack him after he offered it. But they hadn’t expected a master swordsman to be in front of them, as he casually blocked their attacks.

A metal pipe clanged into his sword, but with a finesse he twisted the crook’s wrist and forced him to drop it, hitting him with an elbow and kicking him in the butt.

The second one came at him with monsterous power, trying to swing a dumpster at him with ill intent. But with some deft steps Hiro not just side stepped, but leapt onto the side of the nearest building and launched himself to tackle him off his feet and hit him on the noggin’ to keep him down.

That left the last one with the steel fingernails, now grown to the length of knives that could all pierce him. But Hiro wouldn’t even think twice as he used the blunt of his sword to go onto the defense, letting him think he was back first to a wall and make him swing wildly… When that happened, he’d slide underneath him, taking out his legs and pointing the blade at his neck.

"I think you three should know better than be crooks, don’t you agree?” Hiro suggested as he picked up the old lady’s handbag and made sure that everything was still in place.

If he was lucky the old lady was still around and he could give it back. But his attention switched to a new person walking into the alleyway, but he made sure to keep his sword pointed at the lead crook.

But the crook’s reaction wasn’t one he expected...

”Help, this guy robbed an old lady and is now trying to kill us!” the crook shrieked in the most respectable mortal terror he could muster.

---

@open | An ally, or maybe mistaken identity?

[Ghouligan]

Japan’s greatest accomplishment is the walkability of its cities. With paved pathways and alleyways like veins, getting where you need to go on foot alone is easy. But with the proliferation of quirks, unregulated power at people’s fingertips — despite how desperately the government tried to limit it — still prompted the most opportunistic bottomfeeders to harass the most vulnerable parts of society.

There’s a commotion in the alleyway. There’s always a commotion in the alleyway. A man’s voice pleads for help. A big, bad wolf looks to feast on Little Old Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs, a gluttonous meal befitting a monster. Apparently, the biscuit wasn’t enough.

Stepping into the fray is something less than human. They have everything you might expect of a man: two arms, two legs, and a head, but they’re different. There isn’t skin on their body, only an undulating black umbra, expanding and retracting to the rhythm of an unsung heartbeat. Black wisps emanate from their body. And behind their mask, you can see they don’t have eyes, only an imprint of where they should be.

There’s a metal pipe on the ground, a misplaced dumpster, and a man’s blade at another’s neck. These men were anything but harmless, yet they were still disposed of. A few thoughts come across Ghouligan’s as he drops three pool balls levitate before him. Lifting his cue stick, he prepares himself for the confrontation.

“I can’t be sure who is and who isn’t a threat,” For all Ghouligan knew, the elderly woman could have been responsible for the altercation. He’s not one to judge on appearances — not when it’s a matter of life and death. “But this is everyone’s chance to put a life of crime behind them.”

Half the time, people run. Even if they return to their old ways, criminals deserve a second chance. The other half chose to die where they stood. What’s the saying? You can lead a sinner to Church, but you can’t make them pray.

“Let’s start by returning everything to their rightful owner.”

---

Hiro

[Hiro]

"You won’t hear a no from me, stranger!" Hiro answered the young man who had joined the scene.

They seemed to have found a way to look more scraggly and rough than Hiro did, but the level handed commentary made him feel like he could trust them more than the crooks trying to act like Hiro was the villain.

Pulling back his sword, he changed his focus towards the newcomer, raising the bag and tossing it at him, figuring that it would show that Hiro was not a criminal trying to steal a bag from a kindly old lady.

"Now you three stay p-” his words would stifle as his lapse in concentration brought forth the third man with his razor sharp nails.

He’d dodge just in time, but the opening gave all three of them the chance to get up and try to flee the scene. Even if that meant having to go through the newcomer standing inbetween them and safety.

---

Ghouligan |

[Ghouligan]

The bag never made it to Ghouligan. It flew through the air, slowing until it gradually halted. Much like the will-o-wisps, it floated through unknown machinations of the world — the silhouette of a man never laid his hands on it.

It wasn’t a lack of trust. Ghouligan saw the action for what it was: compliance. It wasn’t a distraction, nor were there bombs laced within the seams of the fabric. If there were any ill-intent, then he couldn’t make sense of it. When juxtaposed with desperation — three men outing themselves as criminals — Ghouligan knew who to target.

But there was still the matter of punishment.

These three sought safety. They would likely return to their old ways if he let them be. Ghouligan operated outside the system but acknowledged its efficacy. There were many ways it could be improved, all of which were beyond him, but it was vital for society to function. His role, here, was not to be the arbiter of all good and evil within the country. He was here to clean up the messes the system couldn’t.

The cue stick slams against the pool balls. They ricochet off the alley walls and slam into each of their shins, cracking them. They all collapse onto the ground, even if it’s for a moment. Their gait will be hindered by their newfound limp. And while it’d eventually heal, it’d make outrunning any pursuers an impossibility.

“You aren’t leaving yet.” He turned to the old woman and his ally. “Do both of you have everything?”

---

Hiro

[Hiro]

Watching the mysterious stranger take out the crooks made it pretty clear to Hiro that they had done this kind of things many times before, a calculated level of control over their actions and taking them out in a way that made sure that they would probably awake having learned their lesson in bruises.

It immediately gave Hiro a slight feeling of kinship, two experts identifying each other on their abilities without ever needing to tell one another about it.

"Yeah, I got everything including my sword.” Hiro smiled as he twirled the blunt piece of metal between his fingers.

A trick he had known without understanding its origin, yet another mystery from the past that he had simply taken at face value.

The criminals, despite getting tossed around plenty by the stranger, would limp off like wounded animals. Hiro wanted to stop them, but also wondered what he’d do if he did so.

They couldn’t exactly take them to the police, who’d arrest them as quickly as they did the crooks for using their abilities without license. A system that Hiro really didn’t like, because it prevented him from doing good.

The old lady bowed her head in gratitude as she took her bag and clutched it tightly, undoubtedly feeling slightly intimidated by the two of them having so freely used their abilities.

Once the lady had left, Hiro would turn to face the other. "That were some awesome skills you showed just then...” Hiro said, raising his hand in a greeting. "I’m Hiro, by the way.”

---

Ghouligan |

[Ghouligan]

The criminals lay on the ground, licking their wounds. For now, they’d concoct a plan. At least, that’s what they’d tell themselves as they wrestled with the fear in their hearts — death or prison. There was a fork in the road and little leeway to create their own path. Life wasn’t a series of words crafted by a higher being. They weren’t characters in a novel. And if they were, they wouldn’t have been the focus. They were infinitesimally small. The longer they stared at the umbral husk, the smaller they felt.

“You can go.” Ghouligan shooed off the woman. There was important business to attend to. If this man was a hero, then Ghouligan might have to fight out of here, too, “You’re safe now.”

It was best if she wasn’t caught in the middle of it.

“Ghouligan.” Antoine introduced himself. A story had been recently published about his murders at a bank. Even for those who tacitly approved of vigilante work, turning a blind eye when they saw someone save another without a license, most drew a line at murder. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were immediately hostile. “What’s your name, hero?”

---

Hiro

[Hiro]

Ghouligan was an interesting name, Hiro thought to himself, barely noticing the shift in the man’s body language after he had shared his own name.

Definitely didn’t sound like a name that a hero would use, but what did he know, but whatever it was it didn’t matter because they had done the right thing and for a simple person like Hiro that made him okay in his book.

"Hiro..." he answered the second time Ghouligan asked for his name. "I. Am. Hiro." he’d reiterate with a smile.

Maybe there was a language barrier at play, they definitely didn’t seem like someone that would kid around much.

"Sooo… You don’t by any chance feel like getting something to eat? Because I am honestly starving." he’d propose, although he’d avoid the fact that he was dead broke right now.

Somewhat selfishly, he had hoped the old lady would’ve gotten him some sort of reward. But that plan had been thrown out of the window.

---

Ghouligan |

[Ghouligan]

“Oh, Hiro..” If Ghouligan weren’t a husk of umbral force instead of a person, he would’ve blushed. And if he weren’t too tan to blush, he might have blushed. It was an embarrassing mistake, but Antoine was no stranger to mistakes. He rolled with the punches and pushed forward.

“No time,” Truth of the matter was that he had places to be. There were limits to when he could operate. Between keeping his identity a secret, working his job, and protecting those he cared about – even if they were few and far between, he couldn’t dilly-dally. Not like this. Not unless he made time for it.

But he could make time for it later. Maybe.

“We can meet in a few days, but let me get one thing clear,” It was necessary to clarify all the information, even if it was Antoine’s misunderstanding. “You’re Hiro. And you’re not a hero. But you like to help people when you can?”

With this confirmation, he’d have all he would need to investigate this man further. If the network was expanding, he’d also have to run by some of the other members, too. Maybe an initiation of sorts. This was all so new to him.

---

Hiro

[Hiro]

He didn’t particularly get the confusion from Ghouligan, nor was he particularly bright today to make assumptions, whether they were loud or internalized.

"Wait, you don’t have time to eat? Must be a pretty miserable existence." he questioned, completely oblivious to his actual intention to not linger around waiting for police to question them.

But there hadn’t been a police patrol that Hiro hadn’t been able to simply run away from. He had noticed that cop cars struggled going up the side of a building, or anywhere that wasn’t a paved road.

As Ghouligan continued to ask about the very specific details of who Hiro was, he wondered himself if that guy was not as bright himself. "Yeah, sounds about right.” he’d confirm in a dry tone.

Although that first part about meeting, well, that sounded a little too forward for him. "Also I appreciate the interest, but I think we know each other too little to “meet” up...” he’d say, awkwardly scratching his neck with the faintest blush on his cheek.

He wasn’t being flippant… mostly… But he needed to clear that up if it was anywhere up in it.

"I know I am pretty irresistible, but I am not into… Well, I must admit I don’t know what I am into.” he’d blurt out, just another thing that amnesia conveniently had left blank.

---

Ghouligan |

[Ghouligan]

If Ghouligan could blink, he would. Hell, he feels like he is despite the lack of eyelids. There aren’t any electrical signals or pulses to make their way to his brain — which is also nonexistent (and he’s not the only one, apparently) — but he can still feel the thoughts take shape. His mind is still stunned like he was sucker punched by a flashbang of stupidity. They must be joking.

Hiro immediately follows up with an even dumber comment. He would think them a jester if it weren’t for the obvious blush on his cheeks. They were sincerely flattered, even if they rejected the notion in words no more simplified than ‘stranger danger.’

“Well, you’re into helping people,” Let’s just course correct, shall we? For the love of the gods, don’t let this guy derail you. “And I know a few others like you. We’ll get to know each other a bit more. And if all goes well, I’ll introduce you to them.”

Sirens.

Always, sirens.

“That’s our cue.” Ghouligan climbed up the wall — the flat surfaces in particular. “Don’t talk to the cops. They’re trouble.”

With that, he’d depart. Over the next few days, he’d contact Hiro. But for now, he’d deal with the oncoming migraine direct exposure with an idiot tends to cause. Well-intentioned, but still an idiot. For now.

How do you not know what you’re not into?

There’s more to him…

---

Hiro

[Sol]

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[attr="class","likedotitle2"]Approved

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Ghouligan got rejected, that has to sting 💔 but at least the crooks have been taken care of! Good job you two!

Ghouligan - 24,250 EXP + 7,500 = 31,750 EXP
Hiro - 3,750 EXP + 7,500 = 11,250 EXP

PHARAOH LEAP.

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