[CHIRP ♪♪]

Think. Gabriel didn’t think he’d get this far. Flirting was fun but also a defense mechanism. It was the way he coped when the world proved too troublesome. And in an attempt to hide this glaring flaw of his, he adopted it in his day-to-day. Unfortunately, he was a handsome, charismatic bastard. Whenever he flirted, he ran the risk of catching someone’s interest — it was only by dialing up the annoying to eleven that he could avoid romantic pursuit. Where to take her?

Either he needs to crank it up to twelve or he might have to give it up altogether. Unlike normal, social convention Retsu saw life as hers to take. Gabriel was already on her territory and promised a good time. Who's to say he wouldn’t meet his end if he failed to deliver?

“I know so many places,” Gabe said, charm intact. “But this is your territory, right? Why don’t you show me your favorite spot to grab a bite? Maybe somewhere private? With a booth?”

Gabriel thrived under pressure but only under certain types of pressure. If he was good at anything other than talking and stalling, then he might have made it as a vigilante. Instead, he was here. With her. Regretting everything.

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Retsu let out a snort. Empty flattery already and they hadn't even gotten to the entrée yet. Not that 'entrée' was the word she thought of ofcourse, that was a bit too pretentious for her, but the meaning was the same. She supposed it was to hide his embarrassment yet maybe not. Given the sheer amount of demands he threw onto the request she wasn't entirely sure he had shame.

"Ah ken think of one. The food is just ta die for." Retsu replied with a bit of extra emphasis on the last part, showing him exactly how far his -as she perceived it- attempt to gain control of the conversation got him. Waving him ahead with the barrel of her gun she gave short directions to a nearby Teppanyaki restaurant. The kind that cooked your food atop an iron griddle right at the table. 

Retsu had found it a very useful prop for negotiations. 

The moment they walked in Retsu was greeted with familiarity. A small hand gesture later they were led to a relatively private booth, the chef momentarily arriving to turn on the griddle before leaving to fetch his ingredients. Retsu snapped her fingers as he left and received an acknowledging nod and a half-bow back. Resting her elbow on the table like she owned the place she looked Chirp dead in the eye.

"So. Twenty questions, aye? Ah'll be nice and give ya the first one. Piece a' advice? Make it count."

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Retsu sure had a way with words. A vulgar, unrefined way. The type of way that let Gabriel know they were two, diametrically opposed forces in the universe, forced to collide time and time again until one overtook the other. It seemed the universe favored her direct, violent responses, considering how it armed her against him. All he had were his wits and his quips by him. A fake gun capable of taking pictures, too, but that’d only escalate an already awful situation.

Gabriel couldn’t help but find the theatrics of it all exhilarating. It was as if he was in a film himself — the star for once, instead of the director. Except he could change the course of the film with every action of his.

The two are seated. And he’s prompted. A single thought comes to mind, the key to understanding the core of the monster.

“What is it you want most in this world?”

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Unlike her opinion of Chirp her eyebrow definitely went up at the question. Of all the things he could ask, that was what he went with? Retsu was tempted to just shoot him and be done with this whole charade. Clearly he was taking her lightly. Then again it wasn't like she had much else to do today, she might as well play along if only to kill some time. Her fingers tapped the table as she took a moment to think about it. What was it that she wanted most? There were plenty of things that came to mind but something deep inside told her none of them were the right answer. That they were all just shattered pieces of something broken seeking to be whole. To be whole? What a stupid thought. There was no way that was even close to anything she wished for. 

"Power ah guess. The ability ta get everyone that so much as thinks a' lookin' down on me a closed casket." 

The corners of her lips curled up at the thought. Society was rotten and it was direly in need of the kind of cure one would give to a tree with a similar problem. She'd be doing some pruning before long, that was for sure. All those self-righteous heroes that thought they were all that, the conniving backstabbers that sought to harm her and even the pathetic low lives that dared to underestimate her. If Retsu had a say they'd all fear her before long.

"Mah turn then." She asked nonchalantly, making sure to keep Chirp in the corner of her eye as she checked some of the utensils. "How'd ya end up here anyway?"

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Step one: complete.

It was easy to get criminals talking. Especially the ultraviolent ones. And Retsu prompted his next question, a natural flowing extension to get answers that might lead to more and more details about who she really was and why the way she was, too. It didn’t hurt that he had no intention of leaving this conversation at only twenty questions. He’d only ask twenty, yes, but with his quirk, he was going to learn about all of her dirty, little secrets.

“I came to Japan to be a detective,” He said. “They caught me on some old vigilante charges and I escaped. Like hell, I’m getting arrested for that when heroes break laws at their own leisure and get a paid vacation.” He’s lying. He’s including some of the truth, things that could be traced back to his name, and fabricating this new story. “I’m looking to get revenge on a serial killer who tried and failed to kill me when I was a kid. And no one’s going to stop me. ”

Should be good enough. Hopefully.

It’s not entirely false, either. He just doesn’t plan to kill him in return. The implication is there, but it’s an implication in an attempt to make his criminality more legitimate.

“Why would someone look down on you?”

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

"Hoo~ A prison break, ey?" Retsu chuckled. Of all the things that wasn't quite the answer she'd been expecting. It certainly made things far more interesting. If he was telling the truth of course. She'd definitely be making some inquiries once they were done here. Still, she couldn't say she disagreed in the slightest with his assessment of hero society. His goal seemed interesting too. Almost too interesting in fact. Retsu was fairly certain it was bait to waste the rest of her questions on but for now she'd play along. All the more ammo for later when it was proven false.

"Ah, that? Ain't exactly a secret ah dun' got a quirk," she almost hissed, a surge of anger rising unbidden when she said it out loud. Her eye twitched enough it chafed on her eyepatch, the irritation agitating her left eye and aggravating her temper further. Society wasn't exactly the friendliest to those who lacked things others took for granted. "Naht ta mention, well, self-righteous fooks always need some'un ta look down on and ah just 'appen ta be on the right side o' the law fer that. Dere's more but ah'm sure ya'll get ta learn it firsthand now that y'r on the run. Ah won't bore ya with it."

That the vast majority of her problems were either her own fault or actively of her own making wasn't something she was gonna acknowledge; Or even realize for that matter. Besides, she'd be getting rid of everyone that looked down on her before long anyway. Introspection was for people that couldn't blow up all of their problems.

"Mah turn again. Y'r really tryna tell me ya won against a serial killer when ya were a kid? How'd ya manage that?"

Trap or no trap she'd find out soon. Either he'd slip up before long or her question would get a rather telling reaction. She grinned sardonically. Maybe she wouldn't even need to have him investigated further.

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Not exactly a prison break, considering he never made it to prison, but the details weren’t important. If pressed further, he’d clarify he’d broken out before getting to the jail cell he was supposed to stay in before his trial. That wasn’t exactly true either, because he did make it to his jail cell but… there was enough wiggle room to keep it coherent.

No quirk. Chirp thought to himself. Resentful. Overcompensating…

He didn’t need to be a therapist to understand the core of Retsu’s being. They were trying to prove themselves in a world that left them behind. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to prove because Retsu wasn’t worth much to begin with. She was shortsighted, hyperviolent, and an overall detriment to society. Even in a world without quirks, it’d be better off without her.

“If I won, I wouldn’t be looking for him,” She’s not smart either. “He killed one of us before the heroes got there, but they weren’t able to get him.” He says. “I vaguely understand his pattern, but I’m missing a piece. Every time I trace his first step, he’s already gone before I get there.”

Shit. Sharing too much.

“You got a boyfriend?” He was wasting a question with levity, but he needed to regain his footing. His tone shifted, too. The implication clear. “You seem pretty stressed. Would be nice to have someone help with that.”

He knew she wouldn’t bite. But he had no idea if that’d push her over the edge and have her shoot.

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

"Oh ah know. Just wanted ta hear ya say it," Retsu fired back with a mean snort. Her fingers tapped on the table as a plan came together. Fraud or not she may have just found a way to make use of him. Provided he was telling the truth of course.

She burst out laughing at his next words. This man truly had no shame did he? It actually took her a moment to collect herself once more.

"Aah, ah haven't laughed lahk that in a while," she replied while shaking her head, faint snickers still leaving her lips as she rubbed a tear out of the corner of her eye. "Kent say ah 'ave, no. Ah dun' got time fer shite lahk that. Dun' exactly plan ta settle down either until this rotten fookin' city's gotten what's comin' ta it."

She practically spat the last sentence, her mood swinging faster than a saloon door. As a child she might've once had dreams of a cozy house with a garden and a few cats but those dreams were long gone. She'd seen far too much to still be so naive as to be satisfied with something like that. Just before she was about to ask her next question their chef arrived and began to arrange the ingredients, the first cuts of meat already beginning to sizzle on the griddle. Retsu paid the man no mind, staring straight into Chirp's eyes with an emotionless expression. Her words came out cold, like the devil himself making an offer anyone could tell would be a bad idea to accept. 

"How far would you be willing ta go ta find 'im?"

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Sadistic, too. Anything for a hit. But that addiction is gonna bite her in the ass one day. Especially, since she didn’t have the foresight to catch Chirp for what he was — unless there was a brain hidden, somewhere beneath her affinity for violence.

“No time? Now that’s bullshit.” He’s quick to put the pressure on. If she wants to play games, he’ll give her games. “We’re sitting here on a date, having a romantic time.” He’s completely misframing what this is. You don’t normally point a gun at your date. Let alone call that romantic. “And settling down’s for chumps. Maybe you need someone who doesn’t plan on settling down, either.”

At this point, he’s more into the idea of finding any ounce of her that might be interested in romance in an attempt to exploit that for his own benefit. But by the looks of it, it might be commitment issues. Or a broken heart. Whatever bastard thought her worth the trouble would quickly find themselves on a flight out of the country. Break up with a girl like her and you’re dead. Better to run off without a word.

“I don’t know.” Unfortunately, the truth. If there’s a reason he toyed around with vigilantism, it was because he never knew how far he could go. He may not have the skill to succeed on his own, but if someone presented him the opportunity… could he pull the trigger?”

There’s a chef, but he’s not embarrassed to be himself. Retsu seems like a regular. Anyone would look sane next to this unhinged war goddess.

“Who’s the most important person in your life?”

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

"No time," Retsu confirmed. "Ya only got so much a' it 'fore somethin' gets ya. Ah ain't wastin' mine." With her elbow resting on the table she leaned towards Chirp with a smile. "Piece a' advice? Dun' waste y'rs with pointless rambling. The time ah'm willin' ta play nice moite just run out."

She looked away from him as she finished, leaning back once more to allow a passing waiter to put down her first plate. There wasn't much on it and it was just meat but the restaurant knew better than to keep her waiting. Unlike some people. A mote of annoyance rose in her chest as she cast a brief glance past the waiter. Refraining from scoffing she instead ordered a drink and turned her attention back to the conversation.

Her brow went up. He didn't know? For something that was likely to be a big part of his motivation that was a lousy answer. She curled up her nose. The flowery scent of his flattery had the distinct smell of bullshit hidden beneath it. 

"Ya don't know?" She sneered. "Fooker nearly killed ya and what, y'r willing ta let 'im run free? You've got issues, dude."

Done being the very picture of self-awareness she tore into one of her skewers like it'd insulted her ancestors. Polishing it off in no time her full attention was on Chirp once more when his next question came.

It hit her like a freight train.

What surprised her most was the instant realization, there so quick she had no time to prepare nor stop the hurt from showing in her eyes. The answer was obvious. A few faces flashed through her mind but none quite fit the bill. Her teeth ground together, the hurt morphing into a cold kind of anger.

"Well, given that you didn't answer mah last one either let's move on ta the next one." Her expression made it very clear as to what would happen if he called her out on it. "Time ta speed things up a bit and go with two at a time. How'd ya get caught and what'd ya do?"

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

“You’re so sexy when you’re angry.” Playing with fire. Poking the bear. Choose your favorite idiom; it doesn’t matter. Gabriel knows backing down is ceding power, and he can’t afford to lose what little he has. It’s the only thing keeping him alive.

“People don’t know how far they’ll go until they’re pushed there.” He says. “What I want now might not be the same when I see him again — maybe I’ll have a change of heart. Maybe I won’t.”

Gabriel won’t kill.

He’s been in a few life-or-death situations and has never considered it. But he always had the heroes to run back to. He only had one foot in as a vigilante. There was always a safety net to turn to if things didn’t work out, and he ran back as soon as he realized he wasn’t cut out for the world as it was.

“If I answered any other way, it would’ve been a lie.” Gabe shrugged. “Hands were tied.” He tilts his head. “Or they could be…”

Sprinkle it in.

Fortunately, he didn’t need her answer. Thankfully, his quirk would give him what he was really looking for — insight into the inner machinations of her mind. If she were keeping secrets then that rough exterior of hers wasn’t the unfiltered persona he thought it was.

“I was working as a detective. They found out about my past vigilante work and arrested me at my job. Chose until things were a bit more lax to make my break — never made it to the cell. Now, they’re chasing me and I’m just trying to survive while I… well, you know the rest.”

“Who was the first person you killed?” A malicious smile crosses his face. “And what would your parents think?”

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Retsu's face flushed at his completely unexpected comment -in anger, of course- and she nearly choked on her food. "Lahk ah said, issues." She added in a tone that was more flabbergasted than it was angry. Unfortunately for Chirp Retsu had a similar idea on the concept of backing down.

"Ain't been pushed that far yet, huh?" She muttered offhandedly with a gleam in her eye, just loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough for it to be clear he wasn't expected to answer. His next words gave her an idea. She wondered how he'd react if his hands were tied; If he was forced into a situation where all choices he had to make were bad but not making one would be even worse. As she finished off her skewer she put the thought aside to hear his question. Cold anger was the result.

"Mister detective decided the best place ta hide 'is secrets was around a bunch a' people whose jobs are ta figure those out?" Retsu asked rhetorically with a mocking sneer on her face. "Wazz that called again? Refuge in audacity? Tsk, tsk tsk. That shite only works until people got some tahm ta think." She added with a sardonic shake of her head. The dude had so many issues he may as well be a weekly magazine and was clearly so dumb it couldn't be anything other than a gossip rag.

Her anger smoldered even more at his next questions, bubbling under the surface and demanding release. She refused to oblige it. Punching him in the face would be satisfactory for sure but it wouldn't be nearly enough. No, she'd make sure he got what was coming to him eventually but not yet. For now she'd make sure she got everything she wanted out of this and then some. The sooner the better. He was getting on her nerves more and more by the second. Which reminded her.

"Da fook is taking so long?!" She shouted at the chef.

"Y-your order is underway, ma'am."

Clicking her tongue she hugged before looking back at Chirp and answering.

"Funny you ask," she snickered. "It was a private detective. Prick was asking far too many questions 'bout the gang ah was runnin' with at the tahm for 'is own good. Fer all 'is curiosity 'e lacked the paranoia ta think the letter given ta 'im bah a twelve-year old tellin' 'im it 'ad an anonymous tip would 'ave anthrax in it instead."

It was a lie of course. Sure, that was something that had happened but she'd been fourteen at the time and it hadn't been her first kill. 

"As fer mah parents? They'd think whatever ah'd fookin' want 'em too," she spat. Her tone had grown so cold that had it had physical form she wouldn't have needed ice cubes in her beer to keep it chilled and so bitter it'd have doubled the taste. There were layers to her last reply that she hadn't intended to let out nor was interested in thinking about.

"So, how's bein' a criminal feel?" Retsu taunted back. "And d'ya intend ta make any proper use of y'r new status other than givin' a fookin' sob story when anyone asks?"

 ------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

“That’s at least five questions.” Gabriel included questions that weren’t directed to him, nor intended to be questions but elaborations of a previous point. Rhetorical or otherwise, he was growing tired of the conversation. At this point, they were rooted in their ways and beliefs, and he was reaching the limit of his quirk through one viewing. It was time to put the cards on the table.

“You got the sob story because we’re on a cute little date,” His eyes drift to the firearm. “And because of that gun of yours. Which leads me to my final question…”

“Being a criminal feels like being a detective — bureaucracy everywhere. To get anything done, you need to make a deal.” Necessary preamble, if wordy. “I’m cashing in all of my chips.” Gabe pantomimes in kind. “I make shit. So, what do I have to make you leave with my life? A better gun? A new eye? A robot boyfriend?”

---

Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

"Haaaaaah?!" Retsu replied eloquently to the pedantic little shit. Five? He knew damn well what she meant. Unbeknownst to either of them she agreed with him on one very important matter. This conversation was over. She got the sob story because they were on a 'cute little date'?! She wouldn't take that. Wouldn't let him act like he pitied her of all things.

He was right about one thing though, just not in the way he meant. It'd be his final question in more ways than one. Because of 'that gun of hers'. With near-unblinking focus she looked and listened, keeping track of both his body language and expression just in case he was going to try something before he finished speaking his last words. He didn't attack her. Not physically at least.

When it came to the mental aspect he picked the absolute worst possible things he could have said to her. Mocking the things she's spilled blood,sweat and tears to make with her own hands. Her equipment. Her weapons against an uncaring world.

The next question was even worse. A new eye. The implication she should carve a piece of her away and replace it with something that worked more like how it did for others. That it would be some kind of favor for her to be rid of an unfavorable part of herself and have it replaced by cold, unfeeling steel. It pissed her off. The pain the ocular organ sent through her whenever light hit it was what fueled her rage and led to her determination to strike back for what the world had taken from her. Her damaged eye. Her vision to create a better world.

The third example he picked was simultaneously less bad and in a way she didn't quite realize almost worst. Retsu had never had more than a passing interest in dating. Her projects had always taken priority for her, oft to the point where everything else fell to the wayside. That wasn't to say she had no interest in socializing however. The amount of time she spent in pubs and bars was more than enough to make that clear. It just so happened that the more time she spent around anyone the more likely it was that the results would be cataclysmic. Her teeth grit. Even if it'd been the case in the past having such a reminder thrown in her face that a fake would be more suited to her because her personality didn't match what society expected just reaffirmed her beliefs once more. She had to keep fighting. Her ego. Her refusal to bend to the world's will.

That was three strikes in one.

She could practically feel in slow motion how the signal transmitted from her brain to her arm, jolts of electricity transmitting through her nervous system to set in motion the maneuver that would blow his brains all over the walls of their booth. 

"Yahallo! Sorry I'm late, traffic was craaaazy."

Retsu whirled around with her pistol aimed straight at the source of the voice. The man's arms were already raised in surrender when she did, the smug smirk on his face revealing exactly how afraid he was. His yellow eyes seemed to take in both of them without a care in the world, caramel skin crinkling around his eyes in amusement as he did. A rectangular packet stuck haphazardly out of an inside pocket of his wide collared red open jacket. One he wore no shirt beneath leaving his muscular physique on display. Retsu scowled at him, the gesture saying more than a thousand words. The only reply he gave was a shake of his head that sent the long dreadlocks of his half shaved haircut swinging from side to side.

She supposed it was for the better. Every time he spoke she wanted to punch him in the face just a little bit more.

"Get fooked, bastard."

"Come now, you couldn't expect me to interrupt this startlingly... intellectual conversation," he replied with a humorous timbre while placing the package on the table, a small box no bigger than the one a phone usually came in. Which, coincidentally, was exactly what was inside it. That and a ring matching the one around one of the man's fingers.

"I'll be off then, enjoy your... well, whatever this is. Gotta go, need to beat the rush if I'm to get home in time for my series," he said with a knowing smile before starting to step away. On the second step the air in front of him shimmered and he vanished as if he'd walked through an invisible door. If the teleporter wasn't so damned useful Retsu would've mailed him a pipe bomb long ago.

Putting the thought aside she turned back to the more relevant conversation, only realizing moments later that the annoyance of having to deal with the smug teleporter had drained her of most of her anger. Just enough in fact that she caught on to what she thought Chirp was trying. The prick was attempting to unbalance her for an advantage in their conversation. She looked at him with a self-satisfied look, as if she were the cat that ate the canary.

"Well then ah guess a deal moite be better than a game," she replied to Gabriel, picking up the conversation once more as if the interruption hadn't happened. Leaning forward almost conspiratorially as she sat back down she Retsu continued. "How are you with pyrokinetics?"

------

Tags: CHIRP ♪♪

[CHIRP ♪♪]

Gabriel was no stranger to pyrotechnics. As a practical effects purist, it was one of the first fields he tackled. While CGI had gotten to a point where it was indistinguishable from reality, you couldn’t replicate the qualia of the event — the actors responding to something real and life-threatening in front of them. Still, there was a pit in his stomach. He knew he had to save his own life for the sake of a greater cause but to directly put people in harm’s way? No, not exactly. A gun or some bombs were deadlier than anything he could replicate with fire alone.

His mind flashed a few ideas. What would Retsu want with pyrotechnics? She didn’t seem the type to care for dramatic entrances. He was broaching the limits of his knowledge as he fabricated complex ideas that would align with her tastes.

“What…” The answer was so simple. It wasn’t an oversight made by professionals alone. Gabriel needed to be dumber. “You want, like, a flamethrower knife or something?”

Gabriel braced himself for whatever her damned request was.

---

Bakiri Retsu