[Yanai Hebiru]

The Gorgon Watches

It had not taken long for the tower in Toshima to be identified as having some form of involvement in the mass sleep event and subsequent quirk changes. Deciding on what to do about it was taking far longer however and even now as some people were beginning to wake up and speak about fantastical dream worlds an official decision had yet to make it through the layers of bureaucracy. Hebiru had no intention of waiting for it. The ongoing disaster was a tragedy but it had brought something to Hebiru she hadn't felt this intensely for ages. 

Hope.

For that matter, it had brought a lot of feelings she hadn't felt this intensely for ages. More than a quarter of a century to be precise. Her face twisted at the mere thought and tears prickled in her eyes. With her quirk gone her emotions were no longer suppressed. It was what she'd been working towards all this time. Joy, despair, anger, sadness, fear and elation in equal measure. The things that made people what they were. Unused to them as she was however Hebiru had yet to learn to control them. The overwhelming magnitude of the situation they had found themselves in certainly did not help either.

Millions of people across Tokyo were affected and as a pro hero Hebiru could not idly stand by. Any other time their plight would have taken full priority. Today emotion won out over logic and The Gorgon had deployed to Toshima, her goal clear. The tower. 

There was no guarantee that this change would last. She had to collect as many findings about the tower while it was active as she could. Every piece of data gathered could assist her in permanently ridding her of the abhorrent quirk she'd been cursed with all her life. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of it returning.

When she'd arrived Hebiru had found that she'd been far from the only one to head for the tower. Just like the others she hadn't reached it yet however, for the main road leading towards it was blocked off by a solitary figure. A masked swordsman holding an oversized odachi.



Solemnly the swordsman stood with his back to the masses, his sight locked on the tower all the while. Behind him a furrow was carved into the ground. Since she'd gotten here Hebiru had seen people try to step past that literal line in the sand three times. Each had gone just as badly as the last. When she saw the motley crew that had banded together for the next push she doubted four would be the magic number.

"Recall. Damage control," The Gorgon panted out while rushing away from her current patients to her future ones. Managing one's breathing during a straining activity was difficult at the best of time but for one unused to having lungs it was twice as hard. Thrice with her new quirk added into the mix. 

As the first of the assailants stepped over the line sword left sheath and sliced towards him. Filling her lungs with as much air as she could Hebiru exhaled to form a shield out of Solid Air. Partway through a coughing fit overtook her rendering the barrier far smaller than she would have liked. Sword met flesh before catching on the edge of the shield, cutting a deep furrow into the civilian's side and a small crack into the Air before the strike was stopped. Without any further hesitation Hebiru pulled the man away and dragged him towards the improvised triage station that had been set up meters away. Her jaw clenched. Every fool she and Iphi had to pull to safety made it that much harder to make progress. Hebiru didn't know how much she had left in her before she'd snap.

---

Tag: Iphigenia Pavlina

[Iphigenia Pavlina]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]im calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]

Yanai Hebiru

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You would think that losing High Spec would make Iphi less of a workaholic than usual, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Since escaping that Dream were she had her breakdown she felt more and more guilty that she almost got the others killed in the process. There was too much chaos in Tokyo to hunt down Lonewolf and Kei to make sure they were okay and yet she had taken the time to search for the two most important people in her life already: Sadako and Aella. Through what was left of the system she was able to determine and speak with Sadako who was off doing what she could to help, nothing she couldn't handle, she was just relieved she was ultimately okay. Aella was on campus which had been locked down so at least she wouldn't have to witness all of this madness.
[break][break]
When she exited the dream, Iphi had ended up in the exact spot she last remembered before falling asleep. Except now the lights were out and she could hear sirens and general chaos. The smell of burning buildings and gunshots firing in the distance made her realize that there were likely hundreds if not thousands that were choosing to take advantage of the situation, and with people like her being one of the handful that could bring order to this chaotic situation she was about to work A LOT of overtime.
[break][break]
She would flex her hands just to come to the realization that Black Whip was still hers for the time being. Whether she was more concerned that it was still with her or not had yet to be seen. It was then she received a proximity alert from another hero...The Gorgon? She usually wasn't the type to ask for help.
[break][break]
Hours Later
[break][break]
"On it. In this situation, you'd think they'd act with a little more self-preservation in mind." Her Black Whip would extend grabbing another handful of people before they crossed the line as she swung back towards the makeshift triage area. She would gesture towards the opposite direction to send those on their way "I know you're dealing with a lot right now trust me," she would have the energy snap back towards her hand "But we'll eventually need to get in there ourselves and deal with this. I have no idea who or what currently has our quirks, but it wouldn't be too crazy to think that if the person who has it dies, then we're stuck like this." She would stare off into space for a moment, wondering if she even truly thought that was a bad thing before she would shake herself out of the stupor and focus on the task at hand. "Regardless of how we may personally feel, it's for the greater good."

[attr="class","boxo-notes"]ADD YOUR SHORT NOTES HERE

KAY

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[Yanai Hebiru]

The Gorgon Watches

"Indeed," Hebiru attempted to reply calmly. It came out as an exasperated hiss. It was said that a person was smart but people were dumb panicky animals. In this situation Hebiru couldn't agree more. When the man whose deep wound she'd just applied sealant spray to tried to push himself upright she pushed him back down with just a little too much force, her hand leaving a red imprint on his shoulder and his back hitting the tarp below with a light thud. Hebiru flinched. She hadn't grown quite used to having muscles yet.

"Sir. Your treatment only serves to stop the bleeding if you stay still. You need to lay still and wait for an ambulance or you will bleed out and die. Do you understand?"

Seeing his face pale and hearing his mumbled reply Hebiru felt a mix of pity, guilt and satisfaction. The latter due to him finally listening. Her head snapped towards Recall when her colleague continued talking. She sucked in a sharp breath, unable to keep the joy off her face at the thought.

"Perhaps," Hebiru responded while doing her best to keep her tone even. She failed to keep the sheer excitement out of her voice. It had to be tempered and quickly. If this was temporary she could not afford to be thought of as a lunatic lest her goal remained forever out of reach due to a lack of support. "But it is too early to draw a conclusion. For all we know it may simply mean our current quirks cannot return and are retained on top of the previous ones should they return."

Fear and disgust marred her voice at the last thought, a shiver running through her. Stepping away from the patient and closer to Iphi she lowered her voice and continued

"A lab I once raided was performing illegal research along the same lines," she had to pause speaking to retch, covering her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from hurling. Another new concept, for a stomach or esophagus were not things she'd had for a great many years. Despite the pain and discomfort Hebiru couldn't help but feel ecstatic. It was all so intense. "None of the test subjects were able to be saved by the time I got there. Only a few were still alive."

She left what happened to them unspoken. It did not take High Spec to realize. 

"Despite their recklessness they are not entirely incorrect," Hebiru exclaimed with narrowed eyes while biting her lip. Unbeknownst to herself her fists had clenched and her arms were trembling. "The results of the latter hypothesis could be catastrophic. A yet more worrying possibility is that whoever is responsible is somehow gathering said quirks inside the tower for some purpose. A seemingly impossible concept but so was the switching of quirks mere days ago."

Checking her phone she realized no one else had answered her aid request yet. Her foot tapped impatiently as she clicked her tongue. She could feel the tension in the crowd, for once being in tune with their emotions. Another push was coming up. Hebiru swore under her breath.

"Recall. Round five," The Gorgon sighed in exasperation. The sigh cut off halfway. She'd need her breath for what was going to happen next. If only she had long enough to get the crowd to keep their distance for just a while so she could focus...

As always the immediate issues required her attention and kept her from addressing that which needed to be fixed. Her teeth grit. Hebiru was very close to snapping on the next person that tried her.

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Tag: Iphigenia Pavlina

[Iphigenia Pavlina]

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[attr="class","lyr1"]Can you hear me

[attr="class","lyr2"]right now

[attr="class","lyr3"]?

[attr="class","lyr4"]I got your number

[attr="class","lyr5"]&

[attr="class","lyr6"]im calling

[attr="class","lyr2"]you out

[attr="class","skep-tag"]

[attr="class","skep-tago"]

Yanai Hebiru

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Iphi definitely noticed Hebiru's new emotions. While she didn't have an extensive history with her as she did with Sadako, Mai, and Kazashi, she had gotten to know her professionally and in enough detail to notice even the subtle shifts in demeanor. High Spec may have been gone but the vestiges remained, and Iphi was in a unique position. She could recognize her own emotions which in turn made her extra sensitive to others. If Sadako was around she would have been thrilled...hopefully she was okay wherever she was.

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"I suppose that's one answer." She rubbed her fingers together briefly fidgeting at the idea of even bringing up this, but ultimately she gave into her intrusive thoughts "The problem starts IF quirks are applied on top of our existing ones. There have been some studies...I can't really remember the full details but getting a second quirk without the body to handle it can result in some really bad stuff."
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Listening to Hebiru's story, she could see the difference in her mannerisms and against her usual instincts she opted for comfort. Placing a hand on her back and giving her a gentle pat, if she was her normal self, this definitely wouldn't have happened, and with Hebiru being so clinical, she wouldn't have needed it. New territory requires innovation. If you could call comforting a friend innovation, that is.
[break][break]
"I have a better idea." Iphi would think back to the frustration she felt when she thought she lost Sadako and used that feeling to empower blackwhip. By extending it outwards, she would pull rubble from the surrounding area, the sword-wielding defender having done a fantastic job of giving her enough to make a decently sized wall. "Survival of the fittest. Anyone who can make it over that probably won't get too injured fighting." Uh oh, her recklessness was showing. She would lean back and stretch, pulling in the excess of Blackwhip "That includes us. I know you're going to want to keep treating patients but as long as they're stabilized we need to put a stop to this...madness."
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[attr="class","boxo-notes"]ADD YOUR SHORT NOTES HERE

KAY

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[Yanai Hebiru]

The Gorgon Watches

With a curled lip Hebiru nodded her agreement. She'd seen the results of some of said studies first hand. Bile rose in her throat once more at the memory. The sensation was getting less palatable by the minute.

Her shoulders tensed and she froze like a deer in the headlights at the pat on the back, her eyes going wide and turning Iphi's way. An uncomfortable tightness settled in her chest and she couldn't help but notice her own adjusted heart rate. Was this what warmth felt like?

Any other day Hebiru would have taken longer to consider the plan or even shot it down entirely. The wall was sufficient to block off the main road after all, there was no particular need to take this avenue of approach when they could simply circle around and find another way to the tower. Today she simply nodded along and went with it, her mind still struggling to make sense of things. Taking a deep breath she raised her voice to address the crowd, unaware she was standing just a little straighter than before.

"Everyone! Listen up! Pro Heroes are on the scene, do not be afraid!" Hebiru shouted before sucking in air. "Unless you have combat experience and mastery over your current quirk stay-" Another sharp intake of breath interrupted her speech. "-behind the wall. The situation will be resolved as soon as possible!"

It was by no means a speech to be remembered through the ages but Hebiru wasn't exactly the most practiced orator. Taking a few steps closer to the wall she put her hood up to make it less noticeable that she was gasping for breath with her mouth wide open. Shouting took a lot more air than she'd been expecting.

"I'll, haah, go first, Iphi. My shield can stand up to at least one strike. I will draw his attention."

Forming several small platforms out of air in mid-air Hebiru made her way up to the top of the wall. The solitary swordsman had made no move since the wall had gone up, their back simply facing it as they stared at the tower. Hebiru couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking. Did the swordsman know something they didn't? Were they part of whichever group did all of this? Was their presence here unrelated to them and were they simply trying to stop what would happen if they interfered with the tower's operations?

So many questions and no answers. No matter what people asked the swordsman had not said a word. Asking any further would be meaningless. Instead she took a moment to calm her breathing before inhaling deeply and using her quirk. A rectangular platform formed in front of her at an incline, creating a way down from the wall. Jumping was too risky, if she landed wrong and twisted an ankle the battle -and she herself- might end in a single strike. So far the swordsman had yet to react. She took a step. Still no reaction. The next would take her over the line. 

Taking a deep breath she crossed the Rubicon.

Immediately the massive sword left its sheath and was swung at her neck. Having anticipated it Hebiru was faster, her barrier growing quick enough that the blow bounced off the edge. Another slash came not a second later, this one aimed to bisect her at the middle. The second had been enough for the barrier to grow enough to cover her all the way to her knees. From one direction. Something the swordsman noticed as they moved to flank her while Hebiru gasped for breath. With some luck it had been enough of a distraction for Iphigenia to act.

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Tag: Iphigenia Pavlina