[Takanashi Misaki]

346 words Samaritan Training Outfit

The Sports Festival was a great place to make connections and Misaki hadn't hesitated for a even a second to sign up to a bunch of events. She'd saved some spots for her besties of course but for the majority of the games Misaki went by herself to meet new people. After all, this competition here may last minutes but the people they could team up with might just be their colleagues for the rest of their lifetime.

"Yahallo! My name's Takanashi Misaki or Soundwave if you'd prefer. I'm a second year. It's nice to meet you!" Misaki said with one hand on her hip and her other extended for a handshake. She'd memorized the class rosters beforehand of course so she already knew who Michael was but Misaki had found that you could tell a lot about a person by the way they introduced themselves. 

"What do you say, do we go for one or all three flags?" She asked with a wink and a mischievous smile right as the final seconds of the countdown before the starting signal ticked away. 

The first obstacle seemed easy enough at a glance but a great way to filter out those who couldn't cooperate. A large square board held up by a rotating beam in the center making it so they'd have to match their paces not to flip it over followed by two such beams by themselves running parallel to each other, the start of each aligned with a corner of the board, and finally another square board. All of it was suspended over a pool of water with but a single ladder out of it. One that led right back to their starting platform.

If one of them outsped the other at any time they were both getting soaked. Idly Misaki wondered how a team of three was supposed to clear this challenge but she supposed each one was tailored to the numbers on the team. 

"Hmm, do you know any marching songs for us to keep pace?"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Come Together

Michael had been signed up for many of the events, activities and student run booths. While some of them Michael had been requested to participate in he had signed up or volunteered for most of them, especially the competitions. He didn't really like the competitive side to it, especially when things like the Armor Wars event from a few months ago had proved dangerous, but he saw most of them were pretty much just games. Fun with balloons, races, and the one he was participating in today: Capture the Flag.

Michael had been looking forward to this event because he innocently believed that there wasn't going to be much cause for violence. It would let him capitalize on speed, reach and avoidance, three factors that he focused in to keep out of conflict. And all the more fun, he was a part of a team, a cooperative game of capture the flag sounded like a perfect opportunity to make some new friends.

Michael was thrilled that his teammate seemed to be as friendly and outgoing as he was. "Hi, Takanashi-senpai! I'm Michael! I've been going by Samaritan lately, but these are just some games, so Michael is fine." Michael was embarrassed by the idea of being called by his hero name when he wasn't doing anything heroic. He was happy to call her by her hero name, but Michael was still struggling with feeling like a hero after some less than ideal interactions with mentors that felt his pacifistic manners were going to hinder more than help him. He was still trying to disprove them but he felt he had to train much more before he could prove a hero to himself.

Soundwave's energy was intoxicating, such a bright and bubbly personality all projecting such confidence. She seemed exactly the demeanor for a hero that Michael wanted to be. A brave and sure face that was ready to stand up to any challenge and make everyone else feel safe. Michael was exceptionally envious of her smile. It was something that he likely would never be able to pull of, but he hoped to some day be seen in such an inspiring light. "Let's focus in on one flag for now. If we try to snatch up all of them, it only makes it more likely to antagonize the other teams. We can win this without needing to create conflict." Michael said emphatically, his own friendly nature spurred on by her confidence.

Their first obstacle seemed rather easy to slip up at. So when Misaki suggested a marching song, Michael knew she was on the right track. The only problem was, Michael couldn't think of any off the top of his head at that moment. He for some reason could only think of Beatles songs, likely thanks to his father's influence. Still enough of them had easy enough to follow beats... so...

"Do you know Come Together by the Beatles?" Michael asked as they got into position. To help establish the beat, he went ahead and started to sing the first line. "Here come old flat-top, he come grooving up slowly, he got ju-ju eyeball, he one holy roller, he got hair down to his knee, got to be a joker, he just do what he please." The funky old English band song had a steady 4/4 time signature. Michael didn't think to be embarrassed about his odd choice for a marching tune, he couldn't think of more obvious songs at the moment and the steady cadence of it would do the job.

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Michael is happy to meet Misaki, inspired by her bright and confident nature. Michael starts to sing "Come Together" by the Beatles for their marching song.

[Takanashi Misaki]

370 words Samaritan training outfit

"Okey-dokey Michael! You can call me Misaki too," Soundwave responded with a friendly smile. Reading body language was incredibly important in her line of work so despite his featureless visage Misaki could tell that he was being entirely genuine.

"Aww, but it'd light such a fire under them if we swiped all three," Misaki laughed. "I jest, I jest. Being greedy's never a good thing. I don't think we'd be able to provide a good challenge to everyone else at the same time."

Her profession gave her plenty of time to practice her quirk while working but there was far more to combat than just quirk usage. Even within her own friend group she was falling behind in spars. She was confident of holding her own against several of the other students she'd spotted in this event provided it was a one on one but multiple at the same time? Confidence was one thing, arrogance another.

"I'll take the right, you take the left. If your quirk doesn't alter your weight I'll stick a bit closer to the center to account for the difference, if it does we'll do it the other way around," she added while checking out the track ahead at the same time, all the while without making it look like she wasn't losing focus on the conversation for even a second. 

"Oh, a real classic! I haven't heard that one in cages."

Nodding while closing her eyes Misaki snapped her fingers along with the beat until she got it in her head. Humming in tune to the first line when she opened her eyes she got into position and set off.

Used as she was to matching people's pace from her job as an idol they crossed the board with ease and as they reached the two rotating beams Misaki added her voice into the mix.

"He wear no shoeshine, he got toe-jam football, he got monkey finger, he shoot coca-cola, he say, "I know you, you know me", one thing I can tell you is you got to be free."

Making sure to match the timing of Michael's own jump she landed deftly onto the rotating beam, her pace kept steady to ensure smooth cooperation but ready to slow down or speed up at any moment should it be necessary. 

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Over Me

Michael was moved by not just Soundwave's social skills but by her leadership. She had found such a flawless balance between warm friendliness and practical tactician. There wasn't a sense of selfishness when she suggested going for all three flags, it was a game. A game with a goal and a tangible strategy to win. It wasn't out of malice or winning so that others didn't, it was winning because they were capable and going all out was just that much more fun to it. It pushed them to be their best and drove others to do the same. Even though Michael didn't want to make this competition confrontational, he could feel the infective joy that Misaki brought to the challenge.

As she instructed Michael to go left, Michael nodded firmly in confirmation. "Roger." Michael stated, almost having said 'right' which would have been confusing. "I can make myself lighter, but I can't really make myself much heavier than I am. How much do you weigh?" Michael could feel a spiritual smack to the back of his balloon head as the words left him. He could feel the idea of his mother scolding him for asking woman her weight, even though it was essentially hero work. "I-I mean so I can adjust my weight to match yours. I can inflate myself with some helium to equalize it."

Michael felt better about his earlier embarrassment when Misaki recognized the old English pop-funk song. Michael had inflated himself slightly, changing his internal gases to helium to correct his weight to match hers. The aerodynamics took a hot second to calibrate as they started, luckily because the tune was familiar enough to him, Michael kept in step and sang it out aptly to keep their beat. As Soundwave joined in with his song, the two moved in fluid synchronicity. Misaki matched Michael's timing and Michael matched Misaki's weight. They moved through the obstacle with such smooth synchronized motion, the audience began to get into it too. By the end of the second verse, the whole crowd sang out with them,

"Come together! Right Now! OVER ME!"

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Michael and Misaki get into a groove together. Michael matches Misaki's weight, Misaki matches Michael's timing, and it all comes together.

[Takanashi Misaki]

522 words Samaritan Training outfit

"Ehhhh~~~ Michael, you can't just ask a girl her weight like that," Misaki tittered with mock shock, entirely with wide eyes, a slight lean back and both arms coming up to cover herself. His clarification made her gasp dramatically and cover her mouth. "I-inflate? You think you need to swell further to m-match m-me?" The crinkles around her eyes and shaking of her shoulders combined with her difficulty speaking through barely suppressed laughter made it clear she was just messing around. 

"Aaaaaaah~" Misaki sighed dramatically. "I needed that, but anyway, back to the task at hand." She continued with a wink. Briefly looking Michael up and down she hummed in thought.

"I think if you offset about a third of your weight we'll match."

It was a generous and slightly inaccurate estimate but a girl could have her secrets. Besides, so long as she stuck just a bit closer to the center than him it should be fine. If there was one thing Misaki had full confidence in it was selling an act convincingly. They'd be fine. 

"Come together! Right Now! OVER ME!"

Misaki sang along as loud as she could. She was no stranger to the roar of the crowd but it never ceased to energize her and push her to give more and more. Phonic energy built by the time they reached the end of the second board and reached the next challenge. As she continued singing Misaki smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

"He bag production, he got waaalrus gumboot, he got, Ono sideboard. He one, spiiinal cracker. He got feet; down below his knees. Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease."

The second obstacle was another one that was once more simple but required teamwork to pass. A large grid of comprised of tiles that were a meter and a half on each side laid before them, every single one indistinguishable from the others. The trick laid in that they were very much not the same. Whereas half were normal the other half lacked supports and were designed to fall away the moment anyone stepped close to the center of them. Right where they'd have difficulty catching themselves unless they had a teammate to rely on.

Staying near the edges wasn't a solution either since several of the rigged tiles were next to each other. No, that solution simply meant no amount of teammates would be able to bail you out. 

The reason for Misaki's smug expression was simple however. The moment they'd stepped onto the first tile she'd let her quirk loose and gotten a full picture of which tiles were safe and which weren't. Keeping the song going to occasionally double check she excitedly waved her hand over her head to catch Michael's attention and beckoned him to follow with another broad gesture. So long as her message came across completing this challenge would be a cinch. 

That only left one more obstacle before they reached the flags. The question was, would it go as smoothly as what they'd gotten through so far?

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Together Over

Michael's face felt hot as his already red balloon head blushed all the more from his embarrassment. Not catching that she was teasing him, Michael panicked in concern that he had offended her with his poorly framed statements. "W-with helium! It would make me lighter! You probably don't weigh more than I do. I mean- definitely! You definitely don't-!" But then Michael finally noticed her suppressed laughter and the tension poured off his shoulders. "And... you're messing with me..." Michael sighed in relief to have not insulted his teammate before they even got a chance to compete together.

Michael took in her consideration of his size and regulated his gas and equalized their weights as best he could from eyeballing this. It'd be easier to adjust from here, so it was good enough. And this proved as effective as he and Misaki breezed through the first challenge with the crowd chanting along with their song.

The second change of crossing the panels without falling through a collapsing tile proved even easier for the pair. Coupled with Misaki being able to literally sound out the weak tiles, Michael increased his helium levels and just bounded across the tiles as if they were all safe. Still he kept up with Misaki to assure she made it across without issue, all the while singing along with her and the crowd.

"He roller-coaster, he got early warnin'
He got muddy water, he one mojo filter,"

As the made it pass the tiles there was an immediate drop. It wasn't a full 90 degrees but there was a sharp slope, and what more it was coated in some kind of grease that made sliding down the slope all but assured. It swooped down and curled up to a ramp for leaping over an actual gap. It would be difficult to keep footing but that would be the only way for them to jump at the end of the ramp for the platform across the gap.

Michael could likely just float the rest of the way over as he was still full enough of helium from the tiles that this wasn't a challenge to just drift over. However her needed to get Misaki across as well. She likely could put it off on her own but to assure she made it over the gap, Michael propelled himself over the gap and held his arms out to catch and swing her across should she need it. Singing strongly with the song to give her the count down for her to jump to:

"He say, 'One and one and one is three'!"

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: They keep the groove going, Michael barely floats over the tiles, keeping close with Misaki. As the third challenge is a greased slope, Michael floats over the gap it ramps over to give Misaki the timing for the jump and to catch/swing her should she need it.

[Takanashi Misaki]

388 words Samaritan TRAINING OUTFIT

Ho~ How convenient. That thought went through Misaki's mind as she watched Michael seem to almost flutter over the tiles. How nice it must be to be able to float like that. Alas, no amount of dieting would ever get her to that level. Maybe she could see about getting some gear to help with it but Misaki doubted that Masao could make anything that would 'cut her weight' in a way she like. Only experience kept her voice even as she pushed down a laugh at that thought.

Catching on to Michael's strategy for the third obstacle when he propelled himself forward Misaki didn't hesitate to leap forward and onto the downward slope.

Bending her knees as she landed and maintaining a pose as if she were skateboarding she glided down so smoothly she made it look easy. In reality it wasn't nearly as simple and her voice nearly hitched several times when she almost fell over. Years and years of acting had taught her to hide such blunders though. When she finally reached the top of the ramp she leapt off with full force, a boost from her quirk and an arm extended to grab Michael's while her singing reached a crescendo.

"Got to be good-lookin', 'cause he's so hard to see!"

Taking his hand with a smile and a confident look in her eyes she let loose.

"Come Together, Right Now!"

The momentum and their efforts combined slung her across the gap, her back arching back for just a moment as her voice went as loud as it could go.

"OVER ME!!!"

Misaki's chest heaved as she landed, her lungs sucking in air and sweat on her brow. The exertion didn't diminish the wide smile on her face in the slightest. Looking back at Michael she raised her thumb with one arm and pointed at the center with her other.

"Let's get a flag, quickly!"

They weren't the first to get here but luckily there were still two flags left. All they had to do now was to get back with one of them. Misaki has a hunch that they needed to be fast. Delaying long enough that they had to fight their competitors while climbing, well, that'd be a slippery slope in more ways than one.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Follow the Bouncing Ball

It was remarkable, like something out of some kind sports drama. Their musical syncopation had worked in their favor. They made it past their obstacles and even had the crowd chanting along with them. Clearing over that finally hurdle, the pair landed on the other side of the gap from the greased ramp. Now they just needed to get to the top of the hill and get one of the remaining flags.

It was genuinely impressive that one of the flags had already been claimed. Michael had assumed they had made great time, and yet they were already in the running for second place. He'd love to meet the people that made it their first, perhaps they would have great advice he could use in the future for similar struggles.

That in mind it was up to him and Misaki to get to the other flags, fast. So Michael had an idea. "Quick, hop onto my back." Michael said to his partner, kneeling down for her to easily ascend. He knew he wouldn't be able to float them up there very quickly, but he had another idea in mind. With his rubbery body, he could bounce them up the side of the slope.

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Making it past the obstacles, they had just one more to go. To be fast and get to the flags quickly, Michael suggested Misaki get on his back so he could bounce their way up.

[Takanashi Misaki]

164 words Samaritan outfit & notes

"What a gentleman!" Misaki feigned swooning while making her way over. She wasn't entirely sure what he was planning but they'd gotten this far by trusting each other, just a bit more couldn't hurt. Besides, even if she wasn't sure she had a hunch. It'd all depend on whether his quirk worked the way she suspected it did however. Misaki wasn't going to make assumptions like that without knowing for sure. She'd found that it was much easier to accept mistakes and change track if one hadn't solidified their ideas in their mind and accepted them as fact. 

Putting a hand on each of his shoulders she leaned forward to allow him to take her weight, either putting her feet on his hands or placing them snug around his middle depending on what he offered. With a teasing smirk she leaned in and whispered roughly where his ear would be.

"I'm not too heavy, am I~"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Up and Away

Michael felt embarrassed again by Misaki's teasing nature, he was not use to that kind of jokes done at his expense. He knew it was just playful banter but Michael wasn't a romantic, or at least didn't feel wired that way. But he was grateful once again that if there was any flushing to his cheeks, his red balloon head covered that up.

With Misaki positioned on his back, Michael kept a good grip on her legs as his rubbery body might get difficult to hold onto as he made his move."You're good, just hold on tight." Michael said in response to her asking if she weighed too much, shivering with goosebumps from the closeness of her whisper.

Michael put all of his focus on the slippery slope ahead of them. As he began to bounce in place and building up momentum, he calculated out the distance for spaces that looked solid enough to spring off of. Once he had a path in mind, he checked for some back ups near his first few jumps, just in case.

"HERE WE GO!" Michael shouted out and like a bouncy ball, sprung up from the ground level and began ascending the slope side towards the flags.

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Michael doesn't handle flirtatious teasing well but shakes it off to bounce up a calculated path for the slope.

[Takanashi Misaki]

564 words Samaritan outfit & notes

Misaki just smirked at his reply, something he had no way of seeing what with her being behind him. Once the ascent began she made sure to shift her weight along with Michael's leaps, taking care to jostle him as little as possible and add to his momentum where she could. The moment they made it to the top she let go and hopped off. The flags were in reach but they didn't have much of a lead despite their smooth cooperation. Three other teams were nearing the apex as well and Misaki wasn't gonna be fooled by the slightly darker shadow near the flags. They needed to do a quick in-and-out before this turned into a grand melee.

"I've got a plan." Facing Michael with a confident expression she continued. "Getting back down this slope and up the other while being chased won't work. I'll go grab the flag, can you get ready to rocket us back across the gap once I'm back?" 

The ramp they'd gone down and the slope they'd had to climb were roughly on the same level. Misaki reckoned it'd be much, much easier to make it horizontally than repeat both processes the other way. Unless Michael could somehow absorb the impact for both of them if they jumped down and use the rebound to leap all the way up but Misaki wasn't gonna ask that of him while there were other possible options. Besides, she really couldn't afford to break a leg right now. That'd put a major damper on her plans for the next few weeks.

Assuming she got confirmation or an alternative suggestion Misaki would give a nod and set off with a confident smile. Humming a tune to keep her quirk ready for action she made her way to the flag. The three stands holding the respective flags were set atop a neat pyramid with a flat top about a meter and a half high surrounded by four pillars with the UAU logo on them. Pretending she was only looking at the goal she channeled her quirk through her feet, spreading it through the ground. She only narrowly managed to stop a smug smile from showing at having her suspicions confirmed.

When she reached the base of the pyramid a figure appeared from the shadows not unlike upside down footage of someone diving into a pool of water. Excessively long black hair streamed behind the figure and obscured one of her eyes,  her sharp nails reaching out to claw at Misaki before the goal was reached. With an expression like the cat that ate the canary Misaki did a half turn and tilted backwards.

"MiiIISAAA-"

"Hi there, bye there."

Trailing her fingertips along the side of the woman's hand Misaki grasped her opponent's wrist and guided her along past her as if they were dancing a waltz. The second she let go her opponent stumbled several steps further, the pool of shadow snapping back into a more normal shade once her hair was no longer connected to it. Without further ado Misaki raced up the pyramid and grabbed a flag, leapt so she could kick off the side of one of the pillars and go right over the black-haired woman before landing in a roll. With flag in hand she raced back to Michael. 

"Let's go! Quick!"

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Stretch and Shoot

Misaki and Michael reached the top with relative ease with her cooperation. Shifting her weight to and fro definitely cut down on their time getting up there as it added to every bounce that much more. Misaki hopped off Michael's back, not allowing their slight lead to make her get cocky, she was already planning ahead. She was going to grab the flag but it was going to be up to Michael to get them down. Michael gave her verbal confirmation and immediately began assessing his task. She was clearly right that they couldn't just bound their way down back how they came up. When she suggested that they'd need to rocket away, this gave Michael an idea.

He wasn't able to expel gas out of himself in a way that would jettison them away, but he had another method in mind. While Misaki went for the flag, Michael prepared himself for their departure. Gripping onto the edge of the platform they stood on on, Michael began walking himself back, stretching his arms as he pulled further and further away from the edge. He gritted his teeth as he held himself as far back as he could here, ready to sling shot the two of them back across the gap down below.

Michael was unaware of what Misaki had to overcome to get the flag all that mattered was that she was running back to him with the flag in hand. "Jump on and hold tight!" Michael shouted back. The second he felt her arms, or legs, or whatever wrap around him, he kicked up his shoes and he and Misaki were rapidly pulled towards his hands gripping the edge. They shot off like a rubber band, hurdling through the air towards the ramp they had came from.

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Michael gets them to the top and prepares to sling shot them when Misaki gets the flag

[Takanashi Misaki]

233 words Samaritan outfit & notes

Misaki's eyes gleamed when she noticed what Michael had gotten up to. That was just what they needed. Instinctively she ducked her head and watched as a blunted spike of shadowy hair passed through the place her head had been moments before. That was close, if she hadn't known her opponent's tendencies she would've been in trouble there. 

Twirling the flag behind her like a baton Misaki did her best to delay the woman's next attack by adding an unexpected element into the mix. 

What would happen if the flag was destroyed?

She didn't know and she was quite sure Aqua Umbrae didn't either. Trying to think before acting was bound to slow her actions just long enough for Misaki to reach Michael.

"I'm here!" She shouted a moment before she made impact to give a slight bit of advance warning. The flag fluttered behind her as she put a hand on his shoulder, wrapped his legs around his torso and then shifted that same arm to hold tight as well. "Now!"

Any hesitation would result in their defeat. Misaki had no illusions about that. A hand reached out from the shadow of the waving flag, nearly making contact with the flagpole. Just as its fingertips would have brushed against it they were off, the long-haired woman expelled from the shadows as they abruptly vanished.

”

by Pinn @ THQ

[Samaritan]

Michael Faraday

Not Wanting their Escape to Go to his Head

The moment Misaki gave the call, Michael lifted feet and was slingshot forward, launching the young would-be heroes into the air the flag fluttering behind them like a sail. Michael and Misaki flew through the air and away from the peak where their other competitors remained. Michael flung them towards the other slope but he was judging the distance as best he could, with the momentum they had, they were making good distance, but not enough for height.

Michael shouted out, "We're going down too fast. We need to do something to push us up the rest of the way! Michael normally would just resort to inflating up as a helium balloon but with how she was holding onto him, the only part he could feasibly inflate would be his head and that much gas expanding one part of his body put significant strain on it. It would be a last resort if they had nothing else, but he trusted in his teammate perhaps having a less risky idea.

Notes & Tags:Takanashi Misaki ,

TLDR: Michael launches them towards their goal, but they are losing altitude. If Misaki has a way to push them that little bit higher and further go ahead, otherwise Michael can inflate his head to float them the rest of the way.

[Takanashi Misaki]

328 words Samaritan outfit & notes

Maybe that dessert had been a mistake after all. Nah, it was probably the weight of the flagpole. Regardless of which was the truth Misaki knew what she'd choose to believe. This wasn't ideal. Racking her brain for what to do her eyes scanned the area to figure something out. As she cast a glance back Misaki gulped. Darn, Umbrae sure held a grudge.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Misaki had no idea whether it'd work but without the vibrational force of her phonic energy the slope should be less smooth.

"Catch me when I come back up!" Misaki yelled and rolled off Michael before she could lose her courage. They were pretty close to the target but this could make or break things. If they lost their lead they'd be swarmed. In free fall like a skydiver without a parachute both of Misaki's hands gripped the top of the flagpole before she jammed it down as hard as she could.

The side of the slope cracked under the impact, shards of material flying as the bottom of the pole wedged itself a quarter of an inch in. It would have to be enough. Leveraging her weight Misaki swung forward causing the pole to bend and bend until...

All at once the kinetic energy was unleashed, the flagpole straightening once more to catapult her up like a true pole vaulter. Well, she made sure to take said pole with her unlike a real one but that was beside the point. The important part was that the upwards momentum she'd generated should be enough to get them all the way up to the tiles. From there it'd be smooth sailing. She still remembered which were safe to walk on and they'd conquered the first challenge with ease before, there was no reason she couldn't do so again. Just a bit more and they'd be home free.

"Here I come, catch!"

”

by Pinn @ THQ