[CHIRP ♪♪]

Okay.

You’re a villain now, Chirp.

Put on the mask — cause you can do that again — and make sure to only do bad enough things. You can steal from crooks. Which makes this okay. The heroes know you’re just playing the part. And it doesn’t hurt to hurt the bad guys, as a bad guy, right? They beef all the time. And more importantly, they’ve got a lot of shit.

Chirp dug through the scraps of the laboratory. If he were going to live this life, a life without the support of hero infrastructure — not direct support, anyway — then he’d need to defend himself. He could fight, yeah, but he wasn’t all that strong or fast or anything. With the number of monsters out there, ranging from shapechanging giants to ravenous fishmen, he’d need something non-lethal, but also lethal. Something that’ll save his ass when it needs saving. Which is always.

“I think that’ll be enough voltage.” He says to himself. As far as he knows, he’s alone. He’s been tailing these peeps since Ouros. And they’re pretty regimented in how they operate. As long as he’s done within the hour, he’s safe.

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

Raiding locations tied to Sovereign Technologies was more than a pastime for Kioko. Every break-in, every theft, every destruction of property was a small taste of revenge. A drip-feed to fuel vengeful addiction—and it was time for another hit.

There was an obvious pattern to their warehouses and laboratories being ransacked. Kioko was smart though. No evidence was left behind and her alibis on those nights were solid. Blood money paid for innocence just as easily as it did anything else on the black market. Unfortunately, her uncle was smart too. He had begun hiding the company’s interests by working with other organizations or divesting into shells.

As if that would stop her.

Or anyone else that just happened to need their own fix for one reason or another. Kioko watched an intruder through the facility’s security system. She had fed a closed-loop of static footage into the recorder while commandeering the live feed through her own laptop moments before the other thief had arrived. There would be no digital trace for either of them. Kismet for the other, and possible blackmail material for her. One never knew when they might need evidence of another’s crimes.

Intercoms in the room Chirp rummaged in flickered to life bringing. Kioko’s cold voice followed, made metallic by the tinny aspect of the speakers. “My, my. You are quite far from home, little bird. Perhaps you should fly away before something bad happens.” A warning. Kioko didn’t want to have to fight with some two-bit scavenger for the parts she needed for her own work. Though she wouldn’t mind someone else taking the fall for the theft of said parts.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

A voice.

No, worse. A disembodied voice.

As far as he knew, his intel on this laboratory was fairly accurate. There were only a few oversights that Iphi promptly corrected when she reviewed the files. But criminals were fickle. It wouldn’t surprise him if people were under new management. The turnover rate was cuh-razy.

But the disembodied voice wasn’t working for them. Whether newly in charge or a bodyguard, they would have opted to stop him from scavenging every little gizmo he could tinker with. Gabriel would’ve expected alarms. Maybe a dramatic, villainous speech. Instead, he got… a warning?

“You know we’re safer in numbers.” Gabriel’s measuring something now. It’s unclear what, but as he makes room on a countertop, his work ethic is far more deliberate than his cheerful, carefree attitude suggests.

“We’ve only got an hour, y’know.” He wobbles his head back and forth, literally rocking an idea in his head. “But that is a whole hour. Think of all the unsupervised trouble we could get into.”

If he were actually trouble, he might be able to stall to create the sleeve. Between Iphi’s most recent design and his work on Elijah’s prosthetic, he’d built an internal model of what this should look like and how it should function — it's just a matter of time.

He turns to the camera with a peace sign, one of the lenses closing to simulate a wink.

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

Curiouser and curiouser.

The bird was more beak than bite. But had he chirped out his offer to the right person? Inquisitiveness had always been a weakness of Kioko’s rivaling that of Achilles—along with her penchant for associating with charismatic fools like Sebastian or soft-hearted fools like Renjirou.

Kioko was neither a fool nor soft-hearted. She would allow her curiosity to lead her into a potential fray, yes, but she was not unarmed. Then again, was she ever really?

Wraith wrapped in black and masked by quicksilver slipped into the room like the silent shadow she was. Once more her voice interrupted Chirp’s work, this time live and in person. “You seem remarkably certain of your information.” Long-legged steps punctuated by the sharp echoes of stiletto heels were taken with a deliberate slowness that brought Kioko closer to Chirp. Claw-capped fingertips dragged across a tabletop with the telltale grating of metal on metal. Deep grooves were left behind. She had not relied on her own strength to leave her mark, but that of the mercury which formed the claws.

“You are either well informed or a confident idiot.”

She half-turned to keep the man in sight even as she began to search the room for the parts she needed for her current project or wanted for potential future endeavors. “If it is the latter and you get in my way, you will not live to regret it,” she added almost casually. As if it was an afterthought. It wasn’t. She wasn’t there to play games with a petty thief. Not that anyone rivaled Kioko’s levels of pettiness.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

The gauntlet’s ready, but the tricky part will be using the same internal structures Iphi used — combining both aspects of her cannon and her curtain. He’d attempt to use a sequence of finger movements in order to activate the gauntlet. Then, he’d need to create alternatives to delineate between varying degrees of severity. Just in case he needs something more than a stun gun.

“Let’s just slide it on and,” A piercing, metal screech makes him jump in place. “Okay, ow. That was unnece—” He turns around and sees tall, pale, and curvacious make her appearance.

“Wow, you sound hotter in person.” Based on her curves and ridiculously long legs, she must be underneath that getup of hers. Unfortunately, he has no intention of really making a move — that’s too much ass for him. He knows his limits. “Think of all the unsupervised trouble we could get into.”

Again, he winks. Adds a little finger gun and the tip of his gauntlet sparks.

“Oh shit,” An unintended sequence. Without thinking, he turns back around and gets to work. The scientific process and all that jazz. “I’mma need to know what you’re after so I don’t get in your way.” He says. “At least tell me what to avoid.”

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

Deviant flirtation rolled off Kioko with enough impact to only elicit a roll of serpentine eyes from behind her mask. Even the conjured sparks came not from chemistry between them, but a potential misstep from altered attention in his workflow. That or he was just really bad at what he did.

An idiot in one regard, at least.

The consensus did nothing to lower her guard as she navigated around the room. Her gaze shifted from circumstantial conspirator to odds and ends plucked up seemingly at random. Anyone that knew anything about the woman behind Meliora knew there was nothing arbitrary about her actions. Each and every piece had a place. As to what that place was…

A slithering noise came from the hallway Kioko had been down only moments before. She paid no mind to it as she examined a microprocessor she had just pried free from a computer. “Now where is the fun in that,” she asked in turn, meeting his questioning probe for details with a query of her own. Information was Kioko’s most valuable currency. That it was also a weakness gave her all the more reason to reveal nothing of her hand.

“Besides,” she added. “I would not want to distract you from your own work. It seems you are struggling enough as it is.” Kioko often sauntered her way across the low road. Today was no exception, but none was lower than the silver serpent undulating through the doorway and toward Kioko. While her aforementioned guard remained intact, she had deemed him low enough of a threat to summon the mercurial golem into the room. It had been given the shape prior to her own entrance to carry items she had brought with her. Including the laptop she had taken over the security system with. Each article was embedded on its wide back. Other than the laptop, the rest were pieces of her latest project, broken down so that it would be difficult to figure out their end form without more information.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

“The fun is in getting to know each other,” Gabriel didn’t look up from the sleeve. Unlike his Iphi, he was a lot more expressive which meant that he’d use muscles in combinations without thinking about it. She had used a series of movements to activate her device, and while he tried to replicate it, his range far surpassed her stoic nature.

“What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? Social security number?” He continued, refiguring the gestures needed to activate the device. Then, he’d change the sequencing to establish which sequencing referred to which output, and…

“Yeah, turns out I’m just too good with my hands.” Yet again, coated in incessant flirtation meant to disarm and undercut himself — a tactic he often saw success with. Even if people didn’t find him irresistible (annoying), they shoved him into the ‘harmless’ box where he could work the rest of his magic.

Something enters the room.

Chirp turns around and pulls out his gun, aiming at the serpent. He tracks it as it slides over to Kioko harmlessly, but not before attempting to shoot it before it makes contact.

Click.

“Oh, I’m out of ammo.” By this point, he understands it’s hers, but still seeks to capture an image of it while she is in the frame. Whatever she was hiding from him, he could check later. Now, it was about probing the right question. “Cute pet. Where’d you steal it?”

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

“What a shame. I’m certain lots of men struggle getting their shots off though. So don’t feel too bad,” Kioko drawled from across the room. She tossed the microprocessor to the snake. The golem absorbed it into the amalgamation of tech. In regards to the question of its origin, dark painted lips simply twisted into a smug smile before they parted to say, “Sorry. I don’t hiss and tell.”

She, of course, had not stolen the snake. It had been conjured from her own body before she had stepped foot into the current room along with the claws adorning her hand. Even now its moves were not the independent actions of a sentient being, but mindful manipulations on her part. Chirp didn’t need to know that. Kioko was secretive at the best of times. This certainly wasn’t one of those times and while he had yet to be hostile toward her, he had by no means confirmed he was friend and not foe. Which meant no secrets for him. At least not ones willingly given.

Kioko’s attention shifted back to collecting more materials. She opted for less high tech samples now. Metals, mostly. They too were offered to her familiar before Kioko paused in her search. It was her turn to offer a question, but this one stemmed from need and not curiosity. “Any ceramics on your end?” He might as well make himself useful to her quest if he was going to be there.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Typical.

Gabe didn’t need to be a detective to see she was keeping her distance. Both physically, emotionally, — spiritually, even. Whatever that means. Instead of wasting time and cluttering her mind with meaningless banter, he’d redirect his efforts.

Gathering the equipment into a small crate, he slides it over to her. If she wanted distance, he’d comply. Especially, with how he intended to pierce through whatever veil she was concocting.

“That was everything useful leftover,” He showed off his hand. No spark this time. “Finally got the hang of this. Thinking of trying out on some of their equipment when you’re done.”

Warning aside, he’d put what mattered most. Conversation. After all, who the hell was she and what did she want with this place? They both shared an enemy but he had never heard of her.

“What’s your name?” Gabe tilts his head and gives a tiny peace sign, playing up his cutesy factor to the multiple of irony. “I’m Chirp.” He looked at the pet. “A shame snakes and birds don’t mix, unless…”

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

“Meliora.”

The moniker was known far and wide across Japan's underground. A black market tech specialist. Given most of the requests she received, arms dealer was nearly as apt a descriptor. Even that name carried enigmatic airs. Meliora worked not just for Villains, but Vigilantes too. Odder still, she had been known to turn down deadlier designs no matter the price tag attached. Outside of that, little was known about her personal doings beyond the gaze of the law. Were Chirp to turn his own eyes upon her misdeeds in the secret way that he could, he’d find her focus singular, targeted solely against those that had wronged her through family, company, and criminal organization. The general populace was safe from one such as she, provided they stayed out of her way. Which fit with the warning previously offered to Chirp.

She rummaged through the offering presented to her. Few pieces were deemed sufficient enough for her purposes. Her eyes flickered between evaluation of parts and pretender, though she knew not that Chirp was the latter. His cheeky attitude and penchant for birds as claimed by mask and alias might not have made her less wary, but they didn’t make her temporarily more amenable for conversation as she worked.

“Worry not, little bird. My prey isn’t avian in nature.”

The snake ventured closer to Kioko as if to confirm an absence of hostility toward Chirp. Though it remained as a barrier between the two if the feeling wasn’t mutual. It also had the honor of passing the box of remaining supplies back over to the man once Kioko was done parsing through it.

“All yours. Test away.”

Her attention did not wander from Chirp this time. Curiosity underlined by competition demanded she witness his creation. So she folded her arms beneath her chest and waited for whatever trial he had planned.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

“Oh my god, Meliora’s hot?” It may have looked like flirting. It may have sounded like flirting, but someone as experienced as Kioko would be able to tell when someone was interested versus filling the air. Gabriel spoke for its own sake, to keep himself entertained, but whatever interest he may have had originally had waned — yes, Meliora was hot but too guarded for him. With her resume, he was sure anything he’d uncover would put him off. Such was the way with criminals. Still, he was undercover… so if he had to cross a few lines to keep his identity a secret… it’s not like he was looking for love.

The snake returned the box and Gabriel fought back the instinct to pet it — by literally using his other hand to restrain the more curious of the two. Instead, he redirected himself to the box. He grabbed some of the supplies in there in one hand and did a series of intricate movements — three shapes — with his hands to activate the first, nonlethal setting.

He tossed a small device in the air. It had a simple design, akin to a calculator, but provided the perfect example of how destructive this arm could be. Until it landed, the gauntlet seemed unchanged. The hand motions hadn’t done anything physically. Not to the naked eye, at least. Then, when the little device landed, sparks flew launching up into the air.

Now, a test of dexterity. Aiming to catch it, he did another series of motions to activate the most lethal setting. While the device had shorted, it was still in one piece. But upon landing for the second time it flew into the ceiling as a charred, black piece of machinery, lodged itself, and caused the sensors to go haywire.

Sprinklers…

“To think,” His mask winks. “I didn’t even touch you yet.”

The implications.

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

“It shows,” came the retort from a completely dry Kioko. The benefits of being a genius and understanding technology. From witnessing to predicting, her eyes and mind worked fast at unraveling the situation at hand. Both what the tech’s function was and the result of application. The snake had shifted at the last second, turning its tail into an umbrella for Kioko before the sprinklers could do Chirp’s dirty work for him.

“It also seems you can only make sparks with yourself.”

All the better. Electricity set Kioko on edge, and not in the fun way. A decision was made for her in the wake of such a reminder. She had collected enough components for not one, not two, but three different design ideas. They were sheltered from the rain within her golem, much like herself, but it was time to put them to work for her.

Chirp was lucky that Kioko didn’t decide to utilize him as a test subject. She needed living guinea pigs, yes, but she’d rather trial and error her way through prototype testing on people that genuinely deserved misery. Chirp had yet to show Kioko he fell into that category. Maybe she would just wait out the rest of the hour to both see if Chirp had been telling the truth and to have more suitable test subjects. Surely she could rig mercury fulminate explosives in that amount of time. Kioko smiled at the thought. The act bared a set of vicious fangs. It was not a kind expression.

“Perhaps you should leave if you’re done here.”

The advice, on the other hand, was kind given what she had in mind. Little hints of the Hero she had once been set to be. Though that path was long behind her now.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

“Look at you,” As if he’d be deterred by an amorphous, mercurial snake. Shooting finger guns her way — sparkless, mind you — He finishes. “Brought your own protection.”

As he spun himself around, taking in the mess he made, he knew his calculations were off. Not with his newfound sleeve, but with the hosts’ projected arrival. An alarm like this likely triggered some kind of sensor on their behalf, putting both of the parties at risk. With that snake of hers, and the reputation to boot, Meloria shouldn’t have much to worry about. But Chirp did.

“Shame,” He shrugged. “I wanted a sneak peek of what you were working on, but time’s up.” Not quite. He still had some time once he looked at the photograph later, but he needed to leave immediately. She would not show her hand with him here.

“They’re gonna be back any minute now. Sorry,” He winks. “But it was great meeting you. Here’s to never seeing each other again, right?” Gabriel steps halfway through the door, hanging his head back to give his final adieu. “If we do, hope we can parallel play again. Don’t get much of that anymore!”

---

Kushiki Kioko

[Kushiki Kioko]

I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP

It was remarkable how many people Kioko had met in her lifetime that thrived so heavily off banter and getting in the last word that they’d risk their own lives by delaying a getaway just to tease or taunt. At least this one seemed particularly good-natured compared to some of the others she had encountered. For this he received an eye roll rather than verbal retaliation or physical hostility. It wasn’t as if Kioko could afford to waste time either. She had put too much stock of her own in Chirp’s estimate of return. There was work to be done and quickly.

Chirp’s departure left Kioko free to raid a cabinet that had once been behind him hosting an array of chemicals. Two were procured from the shelves: nitric acid and ethanol. Combined with her own mercury and a few of the parts acquired earlier to form casing and trigger mechanisms, mercury fulminate bombs were a thing of ease to create. It was a good thing too as Kioko needed to find her exit soon.

One of the devices was planted in the wake of her path to extraction. The rest were secured within what remained of her serpentine familiar. Those, along with Kioko herself, slithered out of a window further down the corridor outside the room—and well away from the explosion where she and Chirp had once been. A final act to both distract and deter any would be pursuers and destroy any physical evidence of their misdeeds that evening beyond the detonation. Given that she had already taken care of their digital tracks, it was unlikely anyone would ever be able to fully pinpoint that she had specifically been there. Except for Chirp and his all-too-knowing Quirk that she might have killed him for using on her had she known.

Notes & Tags: CHIRP ♪♪ | Fin.

[Fanthes]

[nospaces]

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✨MISSION SUCCESS!✨

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✓ What a fun dynamic these two have! Great job you two!! [break][break]

+ 5.000 EXP!

[break]
Chirp - 2.750 // 7.750[break]
Kioko - 20.000 // 25.000

---

Tag: Kushiki Kioko, CHIRP ♪♪

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