[Kokoro]

Back at it again in Tokyo! For being gone for five years a lot of things look just the way she left them, and she had been basking in the nostalgia ever since she stepped off the plane. Of course she couldn't just mess around, she actually had a reason for coming back and since she was her own boss that meant she had to figure out when she was working and when she was relaxing too.

She collapsed on her hotel room bed with a sigh, savoring the silence for a brief moment. Where would be the best place to start looking? Tokyo was a big place after all and who knew what kind of adventures she could pursue? No matter what her choice was, taking one look at herself in the mirror made it clear she should shower and get into her fancy set of clothes, since she tended to make the best impression when she wasn't wearing her travel fit and backpack combo.

Now that she was dressed up to socialize all she had to do was find her next lead. She stood on the street corner of the hotel she was staying at for a moment and just looked at people passing by, trying to determine who would be not only interesting to talk to, but someone that was actually likely to tolerate her company and not just brush her off. Some big city folk tended to be busy after all and she would rather not disturb the grumpy types.

Then she noticed a guy that stood out from the others. ''Hey you! I like your shirt, where did you get it?'' She approached him with a smile, genuine curiosity in her eyes because despite the fact that she had ulterior motives, she was still very excited at the prospect of meeting a new person.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

There were only two major cases that Mark was working on at this particular time. One was a personal case that had a trail colder than his father's corpse. The other, thankfully, had a few leads he could track down. Funnily enough, had to do with a bank robbery he helped stifle not long ago. It was not a high priority for him, just a few things to track here and there. Paper trail, mostly. He was walking back to his car, his jacket back at his apartment as it was hotter than usual out. He'd be wearing a standard shirt with blue jeans, The Carry strapped to his right hip; if something were to go sideways, he was sure he wouldn't need anything more potent than that.

He was about a block from the Caddy when an attractive lady stepped into his path, causing him to abruptly stop. Okay, maybe he saw her before she stepped in his way. His wandering eye was a tad problematic and got him into a lot of trouble back home, but his work for the day had concluded and he didn't mind talking with the locals if they were this cute. "Oh, this thing?" he says, accent unhideable as he tugged on the front of it briefly. "Some thrift store over in the States. Some shmuck bought it and pawned it off practically brand new. Was too nice to just leave on some rack in the middle of nowhere." He gave her one of his Winning Smiles^TM, his eyes flicking over her to better take her in. "Yer all dressed up. Got a hot date this evening?"

Kokoro

[Kokoro]

He was a lot taller than her, not that she wasn't used to looking up at most people. She nodded when he asked to confirm, immediately taking note of the accent. Her intuition had served her well once again! ''From the States? I thought it looked familiar! What a find you got yourself there.'' She mused, refusing to elaborate. She was feeling good about this guy. First of all, he had actually engaged in the conversation and was smiling back at her. Both fantastic signs that it was going well, but then what he asked next all but confirmed it. ''No,'' She shook her head gently. ''Actually, I'm new in town. My name is Kokoro.'' She technically wasn't lying since she hadn't been to Tokyo in years, it just wasn't her first time being new in town.

She couldn't believe her luck that he brought up a date, or maybe her makeup skills and her fashion sense was just a lot better than she thought? ''Or... Well... That depends on what your answer is.'' She smiled, it was a bit cheeky, but she couldn't resist asking him given the segue. ''Would you like to go out with me?'' Was she being a bit forward? Perhaps, but dancing around it didn't do her any good either. Besides, he was the one who had even brought up the topic of dates in the first place. ''If you aren't busy later, that is.'' Given how suddenly she had sprung the question on him she still offered him an out. As of right now they were nothing but strangers after all and despite being a criminal it wasn't in her best interests to toy with a stranger for no reason.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

The lady was a little odd, he'd give her that. It was rare that a random passerby would engage in conversation like this, and even rarer for one to be so forward. It was jarring enough that it threw him off his rhythm for a moment, though he immediately let out a laugh. "That was almost smooth. Shoulda said something like, 'Yeah, with you!'" It was something he couldn't help but poke at, but such a proposition wasn't something he was against. He looked over at his watch, trying to think what he needed to do that evening. Which...wasn't a lot, if he were being honest, apart from catching some drinks.

"Turns out, was just thinking how nice it would be to have a nice evening with a pretty lady. I'd love to, Miss Kokoro. In fact, there's an eatery not far from here we can check out if you're game to go now." There was a brief pause as he pretended to forget something. "Ah, right, where's my manners? Ya can call me Mark, most people do outside of work." There was something about her that Mark figured she'd enjoy that spontaneous suggestion, which made her even more curious. Out of towner? More than likely. The big city was like a magnet, always pulling people in from the country side. That had to be the most likely scenario...she didn't appear to be that much older than him, but these were questions for later.

Kokoro

[Kokoro]

She blinked her eyes at him, then burst into a gentle, carefree laughter. ''Whoops, you're right! My game's completely off.'' She didn't take any offense to the teasing. If anything she found it amusing that he had been so quick witted to think of that, and from the looks of things it didn't end up affecting his answer either.

''Oh my! Well aren't we both in luck then?'' She held her hand up to her face, both to accentuate the 'oh my', but also to hide part of a faint blush. ''Here I was approaching you because I wanted a conversation with a handsome man.'' And here she was expecting to be doing a majority of the casual flirting. She couldn't believe her luck meeting such a friendly face on her first try. Now she just had to hope he wasn't a cop or private investigator, but what were the odds of that anyway? ''I'd be happy to, Mark, from the States I presume? What work brought you to this side of the world?'' With a name like that and an accent like his it was clear he either wasn't from Japan, or he spoke a dialect she wasn't familiar with. ''We can also switch to English if you prefer.'' She said in perfect English, granted her accent was also pretty noticeable while speaking another language.

Assuming he would start leading them to the eatery she followed by his side. ''I'm curious, what's your impression of the food here, Mark?'' She put in an active effort to say his name the English way.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

As he took point down the street he tilted his head at the change of language. If he was being honest, if it weren't for Dante he'd probably be losing his English skills. Either this lady was one of those that really liked studying other cultures, or she traveled a lot. "<It'd definitely help me keep up. My crash course on the language has created a misunderstanding here or there.>" If he were being honest it was a nice change of pace. And, compared to most other women he's encountered here she was a lot more receptive to his flirting.

He'd nod along though, making eye contact as he'd continue. "<Oklahoma, specifically. Or as specific as one can get. I've been all over the Midwest and some of the West Coast. A case brought me out here, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that.>" A smirk crossed his lips as he shrugged a little, knowing that particular case was as cold as the North Pole. "<Spend more time teaching, anyways.>"

The food question did make him think a little as they approached the eatery, one of the local barbeque places. "<I miss barbeque. The kind that's here is good, but I miss the brisket and pulled pork that you might find in a place in the middle of nowhere after you've been driving for five hours to make it to the next city. There's just somethin' about it that make it special to me. But then again, I've barely been out of Tokyo these past twoish years.>" He'd hold the door open for her, letting her in first before following. "<You in Tokyo for a short bit, or for the long haul?>"

Kokoro

[Kokoro]

An American that was losing the grasp on his English because his work forced him to use so much Japanese? What an intriguing problem human cultures could create. She empathized with him too, seeing as she had been losing her grasp on Japanese. Nevertheless, she was happy to continue in English. “<Really? Even if English is your first language?>”

All over the Midwest, it sounded like he was well-traveled too. “<A case? Your work sounds important, Mark-kun, are you more of a career-minded person?>” Between teaching and a case he sounded like he had his hands full. Whatever the case was about, she really wanted to know.

“<American barbecue is something else, they don’t make it here the same way they do in the States.>” That she could agree on. The worst part about traveling so much was she would miss a lot of amazing cuisine whenever she moved onto the next country. She bowed her head gracefully as he held the door open for her. “<Two years in Tokyo, is that how long you’ve been staying here?>”

The eatery looked cozy, not too busy for a good conversation. “<It depends, but I have a feeling it will be for the long haul. I was following a lead in China until now, but it turned out it wasn’t who I was looking for.>” She smiled up at him as they went to go find their seats. “<Tell me more about this case.>”

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

China? That was interesting. He had a lot of questions about that, but he could save them for later. If he didn't know any better, this lady was almost as well-traveled as he was. "<So far, yeah. This particular case I can't get into, but know that it's been a struggle.>" Maybe that'd be enough to satisfy her for now. Sean was still out there, and with the trail as cold as it was...

Mark would pull out a chair for Kokoro, indicating for her to sit. "<Short version, I'm an instructor for UAU. While there are a lot of international kids, everyone in some way, shape, or form need to know Japanese. Besides, I've found it's just one good way to exercise the tongue.~>" He'd throw in a wink in the process before pushing her in, taking a seat opposite of her. "<A lead, huh? I can't imagine that being easy, and it's something I can sympathize with. Especially with a place as big as China.>" A pause. "<That does suggest you found where the trail ended there, at least. Even if it was a dead end.>" That was the problem when tracking particulars down. You think you're onto something, but in all the time and effort to follow things up, spend sleepless nights attempting to extrapolate, only for it to end in failure. Did make him wonder what she was looking for exactly.

The waitress would come by, and Mark would order himself some water; something to keep himself hydrated for an extended conversation.

Kokoro

[Kokoro]

''<I can't imagine it's easy work.>'' Maybe they had that in common. After all, her goal of finding the person, or quirk she needed to was very much like trying to track down someone who was good at hiding their tracks. Of course there was also the chance that the person she was looking for had never existed in the first place. Was there a limit to such phenomenon as quirks? She wasn't all too interested in pressing him any further on his case, after all she understood the struggle. What she was much more interested in now was his quirk. Did he have one and what was it like? It would be a hilarious twist of fate if it just so happened to be time manipulation.

''<UAU? That hero school?>'' She smiled, giggling at his joke. Gentleman, outgoing, it made total sense for this guy to be involved in the hero business, but he was more subtle than the heroes on TV. ''<I didn't realize I was going on a date with a celebrity.>'' She teased. It wasn't meant as an insult or anything, but he really did just look like another citizen. Maybe his face had been all over Japan and the news, but she hadn't exactly been brushing up on her hero history since she tended to avoid heroes when she could anyway. Heroes were people trying to make a positive difference in the world, which was all she needed to know. Oftentimes it was the villains, or even other vigilantes that were far bigger obstacles to her. ''<Yeah,>'' She glanced down at the menu in front of her, about to pick it up with her hand when she stopped and looked over at him. ''<You could say I'm looking for someone.>'' Who that someone was, that was her little secret. ''<I had a lead that suggested they were in a village in the countryside.>'' She shrugged casually, clearly not hung up on the false lead. Even talking about it didn't change her laidback demeanor. When the waitress came by, Kokoro got herself a nice cup of tea, since it was often much harder to get warm drinks on the road.

''<What subjects do you teach?>'' She paused, her smile broadening with her curiosity. ''<What subjects do they even learn in hero school?>'' It wasn't every day she could sit down with someone working in the hero industry, much less so a school. In fact, she didn't recall meeting many heroes in her past, at least not in this type of situation. In that way, Mark was a first. Hopefully their date wasn't going to end abruptly or violently.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

Celebrity, huh? Mark never considered himself one of those. He's seen the kind of publicity that other heroes have, the same kind that the kids he taught want, and all it can do is stress him out. Sure, he'd be on a gravy train, but what good did it do to sell one's soul for the world? Besides, he wasn't flashy. Most he could do is maybe a few marksman tests, or twirl his gun around. Buuuut, there was no need to correct her, at least for now. Something he liked was letting people think whatever it was they were going to think. If it was dangerous then he'd interfere, but this was relatively harmless.

He shrugged, grinning a little. "<Most women don't. I don't like telegraphing that sort of thing, they're always in it for one thing or another. In the States, at least. Can't tell you how scary it is to wake up in the middle of the night handcuffed to your own bed!>" This was a half-truth regarding his own experiences, but he had heard of some wild encounters stopping by different agencies back home. "<College is college,>" he says, thinking a little. "<They still require all the basics like any institution. Math, science, full nine yards. Only difference is the hero department is more intensive on laws and has mock exercises for students. I specialize in urban tracking and situational awareness, and as such have a reputation among the student body.>" An unflattering one at that, but he didn't care.

"<So what exactly do you do for work? I take it you're some kind of private investigator?>" It was an upfront question, but he had to know. Her level of travel made him think her skillset aligned almost with his own...one that investigated and tracked people down. Hell, maybe she was a bounty hunter. That'd be interesting in a few different ways.

Kokoro,

[Kokoro]

''<I can only imagine!>'' She chuckled at his example, but then addressed the first part of his sentence with a laidback smile. ''Aren't we all in it for one thing or another?'' She kept looking at Mark as she put a hand over the top of her tea cup to feel how hot it was and whether it was safe to take a sip yet. ''<I'm not saying I'll be handcuffing you to your bed, but this date is mutually beneficial wouldn't you say?>'' She picked her cup up with one hand at first, then held it in both, cupping it from below. ''<Like I wouldn't be in company this good if we hadn't started talking back there.>'' She smiled, but it was hidden behind the cup as she took a small sip before putting it back down. ''<I love a good conversation. That's the thing I'm in it for.>'' It was both a lie, but also the truth, which probably made her less suspicious. She did love a good conversation and talked to tons of different people on her journey, but it wasn't the only reason she approached Mark. Maybe some might consider it sinister, but what she was really looking for was information and connections. ''<I see. I never went to college>.'' She half-chuckled as she took another sip.

''<Your subject sounds important, maybe I could learn a thing or two from you. Tokyo is a big city after all.>'' Understatement of the year. She had been in and out of Beijing recently, but spent a lot of time on the road and in smaller towns too so she was still getting used to the bustle of Tokyo. ''<Nothing that formal.>'' She smiled, waving her hand casually. ''<I'm a traveler. I work for the people I meet as I travel around the world.>'' Both legal and illegal work, not that she was going to tell him about the latter.

''<Hey, what's your quirk? Is that a top secret question? ~>'' She teased with a little grin. Who knew, maybe just maybe his quirk might be time related.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

Mark didn't exactly have a one-track mind, but he certainly had his motivations for agreeing to this date. As he sipped his water and listened to her he found himself dissecting her words more thoroughly than he anticipated. He had to admit, he was enamored. Unfortunately, she had walked into a trap; he knew she was after something. She might enjoy conversations, but she was actively looking for something. Someone. The question was, who or what?

"<Well, I won't deny that I have something to gain here,>" he says, glancing at the waitress came back by to collect their order. Once food was settled he returned his gaze to Kokoro, a smirk on his face. "<I can let you take your guesses on that later, though.>" Another small sip before he set his glass down. "<Cain't say I put too much bearing on college myself. I graduated high school, never pursued anything more. Most academic types frustrate me, don't have any real knowledge of of the field. Think that's why I like UA much as I do, almost every teacher is either active in the field or retired from it.>" He couldn't help but grin after, enjoying the back and forth. "<And I'd be more than willing to show you a few things.~>"

Between her traveler statement and her question, he felt he was getting into the weeds of what she was really about. 'Traveler' wasn't exactly a specific job, and it made him suspicious. It could mean anything. Which lead into his dilemma: did he tell her his quirk? Most of the time he kept it to himself, just telling people he was quirkless. However, on a few different levels he felt like if he did that she'd loose interest. "<It's...hard to describe,>" he says, thinking. If he could potentially string her along, maybe she'd let something slip.

Kokoro

[Kokoro]

''<How mysterious.~>'' She grinned, resting her chin in her hands as she kicked her legs back and forth casually under the table. What was he hoping to get out of their date? She didn't have a good read on him, guys like him could be full of mysteries. Not only did it sound like he had worked many jobs and in different places, but he was a hero to top it off. Heroes as far as she was aware were masters at misdirection and hiding things. ''<I'll take my guesses later, then.>'' She affirmed.

''<I see. I wrongfully mistook you for the academic type.>'' She chuckled, keeping her hands on the tea cup just to hold something warm. When he confirmed he could teach her a few things she celebrated by raising her fist slightly. ''<Lucky me.>'' She was excited, but her tone stayed just as laidback as it usually was and she hardly raised the tone of her voice from how she normally spoke. ''<So it's one of those types of quirks, huh?>'' She had met more than her fair share of strange and hard to explain quirks along the way, but she wasn't deterred from pressing him on it. Heck, he could probably lie and get away with it because she wasn't exactly an expert at telling when someone was lying, especially not a stranger. ''<If you want, I can tell you what mine does simply.>'' She took a sip, then put her cup back down. ''<My quirk helps me jump a little higher.>'' She raised her hand up from the table, as if she was measuring the distance it helped her jump. It wasn't much, it wasn't even the full truth of her quirk, but it was enough that it made sense as an answer. ''<Nothing too flashy, but there's a reason I didn't try to become a hero.>'' She offered with a smile.

lonewolf

[lonewolf]

He tilted his head a little, smiling in response. "<Hey, jumping good is nothing to scoff at. Who knows if you are stuck in a life-or-death basketball game and everything hinges on what you can do?>" Mark was proof that you didn't need a powerful quirk to be a hero, and the same could be said about his father. While most kids in UAU had potent quirks in some way or another, there were those that also relied more on their wits and what gear they could get their grubby mits on. It was why he tested them as hard as he did; power means nothing if you couldn't use it effectively.

"<Best way to describe it is I'm a seer. I have no real control over it, but I can sometimes see events I'm involved in.>" This in particular was not a total lie. He was fairly good at prediction when he needed to be, but all he could really do was see into the past. Even then it wasn't all that far back. "<Gets me with that deja vu feeling whenever I experience it. Not exactly the most helpful thing in the world, especially when you're staring down the barrel of a gun.>"

Kokoro,

[Kokoro]

''<Like some kind of shonen character?>'' She laughed, finding the thought of a life-or-death basketball game amusing. ''<I'd probably have to work out in that case, using my quirk is exhausting.>'' What analogy could she use to make it easier to understand? ''<Think of it like this, if you had to start sprinting and use your muscles intensively every time you used your quirk, you wouldn't use it very often would you? Not if you can pull a muscle or tire yourself out early.>'' She wasn't sad about or anything, just explaining it in a logical way. ''<Nothing like those other quirks you see or read about. Making working constructs? How do they do it?>'' She shrugged casually, grinning up at him.

''<A seer?>'' She showed that same, carefree and relaxed excitement again. ''<Now that you mention it.>'' She offered a chuckle, humoring their unfortunate quirk situations. ''<We have that in common.>'' She couldn't stop thinking about it. A seer, how cool was that? It was risky as all hell, but she had to know more. ''<Hey, can you try it on me?>'' She extended her hand. ''<Maybe we'll be involved in something together.>'' She added with a cheeky smile. No hard feelings whether he did use his quirk or not, but she had to try him. There was always the slim chance that he might find out something important, her next clue, a missing link... Anything she could use to her advantage.

lonewolf