[enma]

A lot of emotion surged through Enma as the first night using his license was coming about. He had been working towards this next leap of faith for years, yet all he ever was used to was certainty. Something about it made him uncharacteristically nervous, clamming up his hands as he got ready for the night. He didn't have a proper disguise because he hadn't been able to decide on anything truly suitable. The name Helsing hadn't been defined.

Yet, he still signed up with Tranquil Soul Agency for his first patrol. Enma was a student of great efficiency and decent academics. He knew what it meant to be a hero and what they wanted out of a hero. Not everything he agreed with, but where he would shine is if a patrol went awry. Unfortunately, this meant being watch. What are they going to think of me? Will I have what it takes? This insecurity was sickening.

Taking time to meditate as per Papa Arashi's teachings, this insecurity was washed way and replaced by resolve. The patrol was the first of many and he really could do good. It wasn't for show, they weren't some villain bots to crush. Enma was leaving UA Grounds and was going to be working directly with Tranquil Soul Agency's lead, Yuki Onna. The Numbing Hero. Tonight, the young Arashi was going out as Helsing.

Meeting up in Shinjuku, they were going to patrol a rather dangerous area of Tokyo. Something was bound to happen, and as the worry would disappear...thrill would take its place. This didn't show in Enma's cold expression directly, but his steel nerves came through sharper. Improvising a uniform that covered most of his features including his face, the X scar on his head was the most prominent feature. He preferred to carry Raiju, but had a holster of sorts that would hold the katana on his side if need be.

Awaiting the arrival of the professional hero, Enma looked over the neon gradient that illuminated the night. In a rather well-hidden rendezvous spot atop a medium-sized building, they weren't standing atop any crown jewels of Shinjuku's building. It even started raining.

(Disguise)

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

The area of Shinjuku today's patrol was meant to cover wasn't the shortest but the area should be relatively safe. Ever since the villain Bakuretsu had been ousted from her base a set of patrols had been set up as early warning systems in case another villain made a move to happen to take it over or she returned. As months came and went it seemed ever less likely but the area had been the safest it'd been in decades since the patrols were established so the routes had been added onto a permanent rotation. 

"Greetings. I assume introductions are unnecessary but let us go through them regardlessly. I am Shirayuki Mai, also known as the Numbing Hero Yuki Onna. For the duration of this patrol you may refer to me as Yuki Onna. A pleasure to formally make your acquaintance."

By the time she'd finished talking Mai had reached the edge of the roof, her back straight and arms crossed behind it as she scanned the streets below. The drizzle wasn't helping with visibility but it was nowhere near the point of being a hindrance. Satisfied with what she saw she turned around and gestured for Enma to follow as they made their way down to street level. Partially through their descent Mai added a question into the mix. "Do you have any combat experience out in the field so far?" Her tone stayed even to ensure she did not sound judgmental. It was an honest question after all, one that might become quite important.

Stepping onto the city streets Mai made sure Enma was comfortable with their surroundings before setting off at a steady pace. "Keep an eye on the alleyways. Shinjuku has trouble where you least expect it."

---

Tag: enma

[enma]

Meeting with Yuki Onna made Enma reasonably anxious, but his steel nerves helped him hide it well. It took some time, but he wanted to be punctual, which ended up making him much earlier than he needed to be. While not aware of the upcoming route entirely, the journey was in her hands. Her reputation revolved around the sheer chill she left behind, making him wonder if she was just as cold in personality. Eventually, she'd arrive and introduce herself. Holding Raiju tightly, he nodded at her with his crimson eyes shining in the moonlight.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Yuki Onna-sama. I know that this is a formality, but I am Arashi Enma. I aspire to go by Helsing, so for the patrol I will be so." In almost militant fashion, he stood and bowed towards his superior. Following at a controlled pace, he aligned Raiju to the best of his ability with his arm. Keeping his thumb and index around the tsuba, he kept the katana secure while keeping it somewhat discreetly against himself.

Observing the area around them, Enma pierced his gaze through the drizzle and into the populace that still bustled this late into the evening. People were ending their shifts at work, taking care of what errands they could. Tokyo was operating at all hours, which meant criminals could exist at all times. When she asked if he had field combat experience, it made him think about his training. He didn't necessarily have field experience, but Papa Arashi was quite brutal in his teachings.

"No, but I am well-trained. There was a lot of practical application lessons in what I was taught. I could use a lot of polishing, though." Once the pace picked up, they would need to be sharp about how they observed alleyways. Something was bound to happen in them, but so far it was a peaceful patrol. There was still a ways to go. "Yuki Onna-sama, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a hero?"

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

"A pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Helsing," Mai replied while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Days where it rained always made Mai a bit more cautious. On one hand it made her quirk more potent, the moisture freezing far more easily atop a person and hindering their movement far more than a simple chill could. On the other it cooled herself down too and gave her a far lower limit before she succumbed to hypothermia.  Days such as these were ones were she had to pick her battles carefully, for every choice she made caused a ripple not unlike the ones in the puddles she was walking through, ripples that lasted just slightly longer than they normally would. Over the years she had learned to adapt to the differences of course but the caution never faded. "An excellent attitude to have," she responded with a curt nod. Training was wonderful to prepare someone for being out in the field but it was impossible to truly account for the myriad factors involved in true combat. "I do not mind. It has been four years since I founded my agency. She’d done so immediately after graduating. The preparations had all been finished beforehand and the moment she officially had her license she’d submitted the paperwork. Several internships with specific agencies, extra courses and inquiries with established pros had made it so that she was fully prepared by then. Yet despite all the hard work she put in she had no intention of forgetting that it was her ancestral Dojo where she founded her agency, not a building she financed herself, and that she certainly leaned heavily on their reputation to ensure smooth sailing and a quick rise in the beginning. Regardless of her intentions and the produced results Mai always kept in mind that her success was far from just the result of her own efforts. "Since then we have widened our reach greatly. To prevent succumbing to delusions of grandeur I purposefully limited our scope to just Edogawa for the first year while we got settled, making use of the time to get to know and cooperate with other local agencies to further our efficiency. I would highly recommend establishing connections with your fellows while at UAU. They are likely to be the next generation of Pro Heroes alongside yourself after all." To her great shame Mai had neglected socializing to focus on training and preparing to set up her agency, a choice she regretted to this day. It had certainly benefited her skills but she couldn’t help but wonder how much faster she’d have been able to implement certain measures or at the very least test them at a larger scale had she had more allies to rely on from the beginning. "But I digress. This program is intended to assist with exactly that and more. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask." WORDS 505 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

To hear it for the first time was jarring. Enma had chosen Helsing out of appreciation for Abraham Van Helsing and his favorite novel, Dracula. He wasn't much of a media-consumer, but did find an appreciation for novels. This included western fiction, and so the name was chosen. A homage to a long-dead author and to the values that Enma sees villains as no more than the vampiric foes that Helsing vanquished.

Tension was felt in every step as the wet clap of each step was felt buy Enma's hyper-awareness. As she was explaining her history of the agency, he pieced together the gaps and nodded and verbally signaled he was listening. It was fascinating to think he could be where she is in just a short amount of time. Soon, Enma could be operating as Helsing and staking the vampiric criminals of Japan. Maybe metaphorically, maybe literally.

"That's clever, expansion can be toxic to a growing business or operation. My father attempted to expand his store when the financials did not align. It did not end well." Recalling a tough time where his father had a rather harsh failure in a second location in Kyoto rather than focusing on Tokyo, he sighed as he remembered how mean a man who was normally jolly had been. "He recovered, thankfully."

When the hero had mentioned establishing more connections, he knew it to be true. He begrudgingly began meeting people, with one in particular having been the most pleasant surprise in Masao. She was working on something new that he could call his own, though he hadn't broken the news to Papa Arashi. "I am not a social person, my place is in being reliable. I'd rather be utilized than pose with false niceties."

He didn't say it rudely, but he was honest. Enma respected the professionalism of Yuki Onna, so he figured he could be direct. The environment he'll never thrive in is the false, bubbly, corporate glow of most agencies or workplaces. It's why he hated working for his father.

As they crossed a corner store, there was an old lady that seemed to struggle with her bags and had a bit of a noticeable curve to her back. Without hesitation, he put his sword over his shoulder and approached. At first, the old lady was terrified. Assertive and without wasting time, he introduced himself. "Hero-in-training Helsing at your service. No need to fear, let me help you across the street."

Warmth, but no sweetness to his tone. He would help the old lady get her umbrella out and walked her across the street. She simply needed help getting herself on the straight and narrow and holding the bags in a way that would let her drop them once inside her place, a set-up for a quick walk home. Moving back towards Yuki Onna, Enma's natural intensity was more apparent with the palpable social anxiety he possessed.

"The night has been quiet. Shinjuku is not normally peaceful, I hear."

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

"I know not how much overlap there is between business and heroics," Mai lied, she'd seen time and time again how many heroes employed business strategies more than morals, "but I certainly agree that the conditions surrounding an expansion are as important as the specifics themselves. Even the best laid plans do not work in a vacuum." It was why Mai wanted to make sure students got plenty of field experience. Planning and training in a safe environment certainly helped but no strategy worked without considering all the factors at hand.  "I am glad to hear that."  The most important and hardest thing to learn from any failure was the ability to bounce back from it. It was one that was impossible to truly master but incredibly important to become good at, lest one fall apart at the first hurdle to stand in their way. "A sentiment I can agree with and one I too harbored in my youth," Mai responded with a sentimental smile. "I cannot say whether it is the right path or the wrong one. All I can advise is to continue working on social skills in addition to martial skills. It is impossible to be good at something instantly. The longer you wait the longer it will take." In that, Mai was truly speaking from experience. Motivations were varied and even the heroes that cared for naught but their own fame could contribute greatly to the safety of the public. Scorning their ways to protect some intangible purity of their profession was no different from squandering resources and making innocents pay the price. It was a lesson that had taken Mai far too long to realize and even to this day she mostly refrained from associating with their ilk. For as much as she'd like to be a paragon of justice she could not quite see past her biases just yet. Perhaps one day. She doubted it. Seeing Helsing head over to assist, Mai hung back and observed for now, ready to support if need be. When he returned she simply greeted him with an acknowledging nod and continued on their patrol, only a brief glance cast back at the old lady in passing. There was narry but a patter on her umbrella, the worst of the rain seemingly having passed. Mai and Enma themselves were not as lucky. Their patrol seemed to take them in the same direction as the clouds' passing, the cold rain seeping into their clothes.  "A common misconception. While Shinjuku certainly has the highest crime numbers within Tokyo the ward is vast, a great many patrols pass peacefully, this is not out of the norm." Even so Mai couldn't help but feel like there was truth to his words. She couldn't quite put her finger on the why but something felt subtly off, like her reflection in the window, the water streaming down the glass slightly messing with her silhouette. It was likely just her imagination. Hopefully.  Checking the next alley they passed Mai spotted nought but the usual, a group of people in their late teens to mid twenties smoking. They cast a brief glance and a few glares at the pair before moving deeper into the alley. Rude, certainly, but nothing to be worried about. Yet the feeling still stayed.  "In the field logic and intuition must be balanced. Tell me, Helsing. What are they telling you right now?" WORDS 581 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

The young swordsman was taught by his grandfather to be keen and sharp with not only his eyes, but his mind. Awareness wasn't simply the ability to see the arrows from an enemy's bow, but also the arrows pointing towards greater truths. A philosophical teacher as well as harsh, it meant Enma wasn't naive when it came to the way things worked. The world had its good and bad outside of established roles like heroes versus villains.

The saying 'never meet your heroes' was true for a reason. That's why he wanted to be his own, not bound by social obligation and focused on pure dutiful action. It wasn't realistic, just like it wasn't realistic for Yuki Onna to go too wide with her agency. It just made sense, and so he wouldn't question her despite her being the person who should know the overlap most. It was her agency, but she didn't want business to be the face of it.

"I think the oath of a hero should always involve the duty we accept when becoming one. Not every hero has to fight the world's worst, but they need to provide morale." Enma wanted to be honest with the person who was taking him on a practice run. He wasn't shy about the militant-adjacent approach he had to what a hero should do. "I understand where my harshness lies, so I respect all heroes who take such a dangerous role in society. As long as it's for the good of the people."

She would press the matter of being social, which Enma couldn't help but begrudgingly agree to. He knew he couldn't go without allies and connections, he just had his line. Someone

As they walked through the rain, the night would darken and the precipitation would thicken. So would the suspense as a few young smokers would dip into an alley in response to seeing the two heroes. "Suspicious, but non-threatening. It's bold to go into the alleys of Shinjuku, but with nobody around and it raining...they likely are moving out from it." Enma tried to contain his suspicion, so he would remain alert.

But if they didn't see something, they simply needed to watch their back. There was still something he couldn't shake. "Something is triggering my senses, but my intuition is failing me here." He looked at her to see what her face was saying. An uncanny feeling was never good.

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

Mai replied with nought but a nod. There was no more that needed to be said. Closing her eyes for a moment Mai felt the rain wash over her and let it center her, reopening her eyes once more to view the world in colors that were just one shade lighter. Their efforts weren't wasted. Tokyo had a future.  She agreed with his assessment on the loitering civilians as well. To some extent. Shinjuku's back alleys could be harsh at times and for many law enforcement could be relied on even less than the criminal underbelly. For sifting through grime meant one's hands inevitably got dirty and asking for help was dangerous when a close look could backfire on you and endanger your future.  It was an explanation that didn't sit well with her but she hadn't been able to refute it no matter where she looked. Mai did as much as she could to ensure ways to get help and get out of such situations were open but even the most well-intentioned actions could not escape preconceived notions. For when one had been cheated one too many times trickery and treachery were all they could see. The feeling of paranoia was almost like the persisting drizzle. Present, accounted for to some degree but never one that should be the determining factor in one's plans. It was a feeling that should be discarded if there was no evidence lest biases wormed their way in and colored perception, for while it was a natural feeling the law must be blind. In all but the most unusual situations, ones where there was nought but instinct to rely on, it was something that should not be lent any weight. This was one of these rare cases.  Mai first spotted it in the reflection of a window. A translucent shimmer in the air that droplets crashed upon. When she turned around she noticed she was alone. Just her and the figure, one that seemed to be made of flowing water and had a multitude of spikes with the appearance of water from a pressure washer sticking out of it at various angles. When Enma looked Mai in the face he too would not find the Pro Hero he thought he was talking to. Instead he would find a similar figure there, except instead of spikes it had eight wriggling watery appendages appearing from its back. One shot forward, aiming for the hollow between his arm and chest to circle around and wrap around his torso. What would happen if it succeeded none could say. WORDS 441 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

The quiet wasn't unwelcome. Enma knew to talk when it was necessary, but he liked to be able to recede socially and focus on the prowl. A night crawl along Shinjuku for any do-baddies that would need to be relieved of their ill profession. Yuki Onna was the kind of hero that he found himself drawn to, a person he could just work efficiently before. There wasn't much for her to operate off of, but he wondered what her impression of him was so far.

Did she respect the intuition he displayed? His approach was to be as honest of a patrolman as he could be. Help those in need, stop those who endanger the path. In that sense, he was nervous. Distracting himself, he started deeply analyzing his surroundings. Light pollution acted as a thick mask between the mortal world and the stars in the sky, something that made him miss the countryside. The rain thickened and droplets coagulated on windows.

Coagulated? The viscosity was strange. That was when an apparition formed from the drenching rain and attempted to entangle him with its monstrous appendage. It was time for action, and the demonic look on Enma's face would come purely from those crimson eyes. To Masao, they were sweet roses. To those targeted by Helsing's fury, it was a glimpse into the fires of the abyss. With as much strength as he could muster, he would lunge the sheathed Raiju into the apparition.

Hoping they would erupt and the water would scatter, he anticipated them to be creations of another. Breaking the surface tension of an elemental seemed the logical step. Until something dawned on him: the positioning of the elemental and suddenly missing hero.

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

No illusion was perfect. Poke it enough and no matter how well constructed it looked at first cracks will show. There are simply too many variables for any one person to account for, even with a quirk. The longer any fight kept going the more disadvantaged its user became. The question then was whether their opponent could last long enough for them to be able to figure the trick out and more importantly take advantage of that knowledge. In the heat of battle where seconds shaped years actions were oft far faster than thoughts. It was the training that came before that shaped those, for good or bad. Mai always advocated for non-lethal means of combat for exactly that reason. The moment she'd spotted the water elemental Mai had flung a scarf its way. If it were truly comprised of the chilling rainwater surrounding them then her scarf would solidify just the slightest bit quicker once she channeled her quirk into it. It was a difference that would be almost imperceptible, the tactile feedback indiscernible to any but her, but she'd know. That minute detail would tell her more than a thousand words could.  Unfortunately she had to abort the maneuver partway through when one of the pressure jets turned her way. Channeling her quirk through the scarf in a brief blast to solidify it and arrest its momentum the scarf went from flowing to solid and flowing again with another flick of her wrist. This time the end of the scarf was aimed so it'd intersect with the jet partway through to verify its sharpness. Mai's eyes widened a fraction when the scarf dragged along instead of being severed. That settled it then. Not that she hadn't had her suspicions before but something was definitely off. Making a judgement call Mai decided to shoulder the risk and raised her left arm to block while her feet left the ground. From experience she knew that quirks that could fool the senses like this tended to have one of three restrictions. They either had a small area of effect and taking her distance from Helsing would allow one of them to snap out of it, they required persistent application meaning that getting out of the rain would go a long way to getting out of this mess or they only lasted a short time, in which case taking a distance and staying on the move was once more a valid solution. Mai did not know whether it was the best call to make but in the heat of battle 'the best' rarely existed. One could only go with the ones they believed to be correct and follow them to their conclusion, any hesitation would only make matters worse.  The strike carried her further than she'd expected and a few more steps back once her feet were once more on solid ground put even more distance between them. Now it remained to be seen whether her hunch was correct, not to mention whether Enma would catch on. If he decided to chase her this might just become a bit more complicated. WORDS 530 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

Illusions worked best on those of addled, muddied minds. There was something within Enma that wanted to be let free in the face of conflict, but he wouldn't realize the harm he may bring Yuki Onna by doing so. The rainy night was the perfect mask for someone who's quirk could use it against them. Vile, as manipulating two heroes into fighting could potentially be very bad for those looking onward. Enma wouldn't immediately grasp this, as he took a safety step backwards.

Eventually, the elemental mask would ripple and disrupt as space was created between the two originally unwitting heroes. His eyes widened as he felt like he peered through the water and saw the professional hero. Feeling wet all over, the weight of his clothes clinging to his skin, there was an induced sense of claustrophobia. How could things be so distorted so quickly? If the distance let them see who they really were, then that means the scope of the illusory effects was fragile.

Unsure if she could hear him properly, he called out regardless. It was going to alert their assailant, but Enma was confident that if they were one to resort to tricks...they certainly couldn't outrun the swordsman forever. "Yuki Onna!? I think we're under some wicked spell!" Rotating frantically and keeping a strong stance, he would stay away from any water elementals unless they tried attacking him.

Now, he would need to be on the defensive and only return attacks to ward off anybody who thought of him as monster. Thankfully, there weren't bystanders at the time of them entering this part of Shinjuku. "Did I hit you? Are you okay?" Feeling bad about the strength behind his blow, he hoped he hadn't fractured any bones. They needed to figure out how to evade this quirk and discover their enemy. Fast.

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

With her lengthy experience in martial arts Mai was no stranger to taking a hit and combined with the intent to channel the momentum instead of attempting to counter it the Pro Hero escaped Helsing's strike with little more than a bruise. For a moment she could’ve sworn the impact knocked the illusion loose causing the image of Helsing to briefly be overlaid with the elemental as she was sent flying, like a single stuttered frame in an old video tape, there and gone in the blink of an eye. With no time to waste she continued taking a distance immediately upon landing. Vaguely Mai got the impression of muffled sounds like thunder roiling far into the distance but she put it out of mind immediately. There was no point dwelling on new info, Mai simply made note of it and kept it in mind until she had the required context to figure out what it might mean. Within seconds she spotted an overhang in front of a store and got beneath it to stay out of the rain, carefully peering out into the surroundings when she did. One possible way out of the illusion was secured as no more rain fell on top of her to possibly reinforce the illusion and another was likewise just a matter of time. That left but one that had yet to be covered. Distance. The illusion that was covering Enma had followed. It was unfortunate but she could not expect perfection from the student without any communication. Except… The speed by which the illusion approached her did not match his stride nor the speed with which he'd struck at her. Keeping her guard up she repeated her earlier maneuver of attempting to wrap the elemental in a scarf. It passed through as if nought were there. For Enma the scene would look very different, for to his eyes the illusion that covered Mai would not have gotten closer nor further. No, where it had landed after his strike was where it laid. At the same time four more elemental figures just like the first had risen from the puddles on the ground. Three of them surrounded Enma while staying two meters away to remain out of his range, their watery appendages raised to strike at any weak point he might show while the last of the four slowly approached the fallen illusion. It too raised a limb, the point sharpening into a clear replica of a sword tip aimed right at the fallen form's chest. Much like the one struck by Mai all four would be shown to be entirely void should they be attacked, strikes passing through without providing any resistance whatsoever and leaving naught but a ripple. Further away from either of them, roughly halfway between Enma and Mai's current location, a far subtler phenomenon showed itself. Ripples in the puddles like footsteps with no visible source, the disturbances barely noticeable amidst the patterning rain. WORDS 506 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

Not hearing her voice, Helsing became concerned with the illusion cast around him. She shouldn't have vanished entirely and the watery apparitions were too unnatural for the collection of water required to make them. It led the student to deduce that he needed to be especially wary of any strikes he would deal. As he became surrounded, the sheathed Raiju would repel defensively and simply pass through nothingness.

With no resistance meant that there must have been an attempt at exhausting his reflexes. Trying to weave through apparition after apparition, they would keep appearing. It seemed as if there was no way to detect a weakness in the illusion, as he already attempted to move from his original location. Where is this damned criminal? If the illusion means making these water ghosts...then the illusion must still be related to the rain.

How does one combat rain when it covers such a wide area? Taking a moment to himself, there would be a splash on the ground. Then another. Pressing with his thumb, Helsing would draw and slash with Raiju along the ground while activating his quirk very briefly to create a wave of dirt and debris. If this person was invisible or removed from the swordsman's vision by whatever quirk they have, then hopefully it would expose them. They may not be visible, but the dirt from broken concrete might counter such a trick.

Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

The assailant remained invisible but there was a noticeable person shaped gap in the wave of dirt and debris. A muffled "Ugh, it's all over me! I hate mud!" rang out as they began to complain, their distorted voice making it sound like they were underwater. "Aww… Why couldn’t you two just be good little murderous dogs of the law and take each other out like you do to us?" Mai too noticed the oddity visible -or perhaps invisble would be a better description- within the thrown up dirt. It could be another ruse but she used non-lethal tactics for exactly that reason. While her scarf still whipped through the empty space without meeting resistance just as it happened when she struck the elemental this time there was a different kind of feedback. More ripples in the puddles. These were more visible than the ones before and kicked up far more droplets. The assailant had clearly rushed to dodge in response to both her own efforts and those of Enma. For a second or two a haze appeared in the air, roughly half a meter taller than the average person and just as much wider. The height decreased to slightly below average but the width stayed the same as the wobbly androgynous voice rang out once more. "The hard way it is. I really don’t like that. Getting blood out of these clothes is so difficult. This is on you for getting them dirty already, that made the choice between fight or flight much easier." The haze vanished, leaving nothing but air in its place once more. On closer look one could see the same area that had been hazy was suspiciously clear of falling rain, yet this too was somewhat obscured by the rain falling in all directions around the transparent figure. Should Enma approach he’d have nought but his instincts to rely on to respond to the figure’s attack, one that would strike the moment he got with six feet of them and if it hit would strike his sternum like the tip of a sheathed sword with enough force to knock the breath out of his lungs. WORDS 375 TAGS enma NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[enma]

The voice of their unseen foe was as grating as the situation. They were attacking Yuki Onna, professional hero and Helsing, provisional hero-in-training. Was this planned? Did they thwart some sort of criminal act? They were going to find out, but the focus for Helsing was going to be keeping either one of them from being killed. As they were taunted, something in the swordsman tensed. Murderous dogs that normally just kill the villains?

Well, that was what they deserved for the reckless murder and destruction of innocent bystanders. With a precise blade, death would only come to the evil that plot and plunder the public. How dare they play victim? "I'm going to give you one chance. Stop this madness, let us take you in. Otherwise, I cannot promise tomorrow for you." A show of lethal force invited a return of the same kind of force.

Yuki Onna might instruct him not to, she might tell him only to attack nonlethally. That wasn't why he waited. The patience was so that Helsing could take in all the details, study his foe. Now that he could see the gap between the rain, it became about peering through the rain drops. Watch for any layering, watch for any apparitions and alterations to the area. Keep a distance, take a breath.

If a moment was taken to understand the situation, Helsing would use his hyper-awareness to follow the movements. He also needed to make sure to create something that would stick. If they could only create false details, then the mud and possibly Yuki Onna's quirk would come in handy. "Yuki Onna-senpai. I can take it, use your quirk." He heard of the sheer cold she could produce, which would be perfect for frost to form on the clothes of their villain.

As long as it kept raining and the frost kept forming, it would give him the clear image he needed to attack.

Shirayuki Mai