[Lawbringer]

Strapping in his combat boots, Max smiled a little as that familiar sense of comfort washed over him. The process of getting ready for a patrol, the little minutiae that went into making sure that everything was just right, and an outfit that was optimally designed to fit him and him only.

It was basically like stepping into pajamas, they simply ‘fit’ and were perfectly snug and protective to the point that he trusted the creators of his combat gear implicitly that it would simply do its job perfectly when it was needed, whilst never having to notice it was there.

Finally it was the headgear which initialized itself with a basic diagnostic routine, presenting a few practice targets around him which were followed by dry shots from his rifle, to ensure that it was responding exactly right.

Like every time he did this, it just worked, craftsmanship perfected and refined.

“Onna, you ready?” He’d call out at who would be his patrol partner today.

Patrols with first time combinations were always an adventure on their own, whilst he tried to stay stoic, it did fill him with a genuine sense of excitement. Sure, he appreciated like no other the finer points of implicative communication that could only come from hundreds of combined patrols, but new comrades presented ways to self-improve, to shave-away that complacency and go back to the basics.

Besides, he wanted to see what their partner was all about, someone who by reputation was a hero that they would enjoy working with, someone who cared about keeping things on the straight and narrow and didn’t see their abilities and commission as an excuse to do whatever the hell they felt like.

On top of that, they were fellow faculty, it was doubly the chance to learn to work with a new hero, as well as gauging one of their U.A. colleagues.

Tag: Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

"I am." Her back was straight and her arms crossed behind her, feet just far enough apart that she looked like the very picture of confidence. Were it not for her size and the lack of tension in her expression she might have even looked intimidating. Unlike Max her prep took far less long, the necklace she was wearing having switched her into her hero costume with not a hair out of place. Mai always made sure that all of her equipment, costume and combat scarves alike, were fully checked over and ready to go at any moment. The necklace was the single most expensive item she owned and without it being part of a sponsorship deal back in her youth she'd likely never have thought to get it. Even so she couldn't help but admit that despite the extravagant luxury it presented its convenience made it more than worth it. "Are you familiar with the route? I have yet to patrol this specific area." While she oft patrolled all around Tokyo wherever it was needed the majority of her patrols took place in Edogawa. Traditionalist though she may be Mai was always open to widening her horizons, in certain aspects of course, and was more than happy to create connections with colleagues for the sake of public safety. Their unity was their greatest strength over the scourge of villainy and to neglect it would be the height of foolishness. If heroes had been better connected before… Channeling a bit of cold through the pores inside her nose Mai took a deep breath, the chilled air coursing through her lungs and bringing clarity with it that expelled her darker thoughts before they could spiral. There was no point in repeating that same train of thought over and over. They simply had to learn from it and be better in the future. Mai's fist clenched. That was all they could do. “How are you finding Tokyo so far, Lawbringer?” WORDS 339 TAGS Lawbringer NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Lawbringer]

Max let out a gruff little laugh at his partner being ready much faster than he would’ve been, the merits of equipment with quick readymade outfits, made him feel like an even older man for needing to take all the time to get himself fully set up.

“Nope.” he’d answer dryly, but tapped on his head unit. “But the unit has the route programmed into it, and all extra info we might need.” he’d say confidently.

He wasn’t the only one with expensive equipment, but his own gear choices had always been focused on pure practicality. With his quirk as it was, he could do patrols in a tank top if he wanted to.

The armour was partially aesthetics, and not making it too easy on criminals.

“Besides, it’s a pretty relaxed route from what I heard.” he’d add with stoic confidence.

This patrol was more so about learning his new colleagues.

“It’s different, but I am getting used to it.” he’d reply, at least his Japanese already being good enough albeit with a noticeable French accent. “I’ve been in big places, but Tokyo’s a different beast, yeah?” he’d continue, quickly falling into the ease of aimless banter.

It would make the patrol go by a whole lot quicker, and he had so much experience with the simple intricacies of meeting new people, it was basically a second nature.

Tag: Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

"Convenient," Mai responded with an approving nod. Her own quirk made the use of visors in combat difficult but had that not been the case she would likely have inquired into where he'd gotten it. She doubted she would use the function often, much preferring to keep her mind sharp by memorizing routes in their entirety, but it would be most convenient for when she was called in to replace someone on short notice. The mapping application on her phone sufficed for her present needs but she was well aware it left her with an opening each time she checked, not to mention keeping one of her hands occupied while doing so. "Then shall we?" Heading along their route Mai made sure to keep an eye on the surroundings regardless. Relaxed though it may be a single lapse of caution could be all it takes to make an irreversible mistake. Only through constant diligence could they safeguard Tokyo. "I shall have to take your word for it," Mai admitted with a partially tilted nod. "I must admit I have not ranged far from Tokyo. An oversight and a gap in my experiences but the city has kept me too busy to branch out. Is there a big difference in required skillsets?" WORDS 220 TAGS Lawbringer NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Lawbringer]

“I know, right?” Max answered right back with a heavy dose of confidence.

Sure, relying too much on equipment was a cardinal sin as far as hero work was concerned. But he wasn’t the type of hero that misunderstood their weaknesses, and rather would prefer to help augment his abilities to make himself as useful as possible. Personalized headgear to help him keep an understanding of his surroundings had been something that had been at the tippy top of the list, and something he had gone through a lot of effort to acquire.

[|]

As they were walking, expectedly the first conversation piece where the usual shop talks. Stuff to get to know the other better on a professional level, rather than awkward and/or weird anecdotes about past experiences.

“The biggest difference is the distances, really.” he remarked as he had his visor up to not come across too intimidating to people. “In a city, the beat is smaller, more people on a smaller area dynamic.” he explained casually, his earpiece chittering directions.

“Rural patrols, though, there’s less heroes to go around and people are spread out. So our patrol area becomes wider, although at least there tend to be less trouble… Or different kinds of it.” he’d say.

In a way, the rural patrols were kind of meditative in nature, but he tried to not treat them overly differently. He just had to extend his service to people differently, people had different issues, but they still appreciated help equally.

“Any reason you’ve stuck around Tokyo?” he wondered as he wouldn’t think it weird if there was no deep reason behind it.

Tag: Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

A small smile crested Mai's features at Lawbringer's confident reply. The joking exuberance was almost endearing in a way. "A sight to assist with sore eyes?" Mai joked back in an even tone. She immediately regretted doing so. Oh kami, that was a horrible pun. There went her reputation. Luckily she had a job to do, it was much easier to focus on that then any possible gaffes she might have committed. Falling into a familiar routine Yuki Onna scanned the area as they went. She nodded along with Lawbringer's explanation and carefully considered his points. Certainly, the population density meant there was more chance of trouble here. In a matter of speaking she imagined it as the difference between a skirmish and a war. In a skirmish both sides were close to each other, their paths overlapping at the regular due to their sheer proximity and constant vigilance being a requirement to ensure the other side did not catch one off guard at an inopportune moment. War on the other hand had a much, much wider scope. Long stretches of painful dull waiting interspersed with brief moments of adrenaline raising conflict before there might once more be a long period of time where said adrenaline had no outlet. Though the city held more danger Mai much preferred it. Calmer though the alternative might be Mai would go stir crazy navigating through long stretches of safety when her expertise could make a difference elsewhere. She certainly didn't envy him even as she greatly respected his perseverance and patience. "I suppose the easy answer would be that it is my home," Mai responded before taking a moment to think. It wouldn't be an incorrect answer either. Mai was not ashamed to admit that safeguarding her home and people was what drove her. Not incorrect, no, but incomplete. "A strong foundation is needed to build anything grand. I strive to keep my home safe so others can reach higher. The Shirayuki clan has a long history of maintaining and upholding ideals and traditions to carry them towards the future. I am taking up the torch that so many of my ancestors before me have carried. It is a duty I carry out with pride." It showed in her eyes when she turned her head to face Lawbringer. The gleam of conviction backed by the unswayed fortitude of confidence, weighed against the weight of the world on one's shoulders. One could almost imagine faces similar to hers but not quite the same taking on a similar expression, one passed down from parent to child generation after generation, their roles similar yet different. With her attention split between heroics and the Shirayuki Dojo Mai lacked the single-minded focus towards a single task the majority of her lineage possessed but the underlying character trait was still there, simply applied to a grander theatre. As Yuki Onna scanned the surroundings a chill breeze waved browning leaves across the street. The seasons were changing. Past gave way to future and what was no longer needed was cast off until only that which had strong roots and the stability necessary to prosper remained. Whether Mai's endeavors were amongst them remained to be seen. "I do intend to eventually range out, perhaps check out some places overseas for a while before returning with a newfound perspective." She paused for a moment. "It... it will not be for quite a while. Tokyo is restless as of late. There is something stirring in the shadows and I cannot in good conscience take a break much less head elsewhere until it is resolved." Mai remained silent for a while after that, her thoughts occupied by worries for the future. In those moments she looked a decade older and even smaller than her short stature normally was.  "You arrived at a great time. Tokyo needs more heroes. It heartens me to know we have one more to count on. Do you expect to be staying for long?" WORDS 675 TAGS Lawbringer NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ

[Lawbringer]

Even if Mai had made something of an awkward joke, Max was possibly lucky to not understand it fully, the powers of subtlety being lost in translation for someone who hadn’t learned enough Japanese yet to understand finer details and subtleties.

“Fascinating…” Max remarked softly as Mai spoke of her upbringing and her reasons of being.

In the time he’d been in Tokyo, he’d hear a lot of heroes and would-be heroes talk about family traditions and trying to uphold them, it clearly was something that was different to his own. Perhaps because of the way his father had been, he had felt little in emulating that man.

But even then, it definitely felt unique to Japan for anybody, especially heroes, to feel so beholden to family ideals. But he neither thought it was inherently good or bad, just more reason to do things the same or differently than who came before.

“It’s interesting you say that, I’ve not been here long enough to notice something, but at least my instincts aren’t messed up.” he’d answer her worries about the state of the city, the restlessness.

An outsider like him could easily mistake it as the general pulse of a city, since every place had their own ways of existing. Some cities were constantly busy, even when they had no reason to be, some places seemed like they were devoid of human interaction whilst others you couldn’t go two blocks without something happening.

“As for me, I’m staying for as long as people want me around. It has worked for me in the past, don’t think there’s a reason for me to change that approach now.” he’d say with a swiftness and confidence that would hopefully bury the question as to why anybody wouldn’t want him around in the first place.

Glancing around, he’d nod at someone tending to their yard as they continued down their path.

“Anything specific I need to look out for?” he’d ask, tracking back to his partner’s earlier worries.

Tag: Shirayuki Mai

[Shirayuki Mai]

Turning her head away as if she were scanning the area Mai channeled a bit of her quirk through her cheeks to stop them from flushing at Lawbringer's compliment. That had been highly unexpected. She had heard that the French tended to be more open with their feelings but experiencing it for herself was entirely different from second hand knowledge. His thoughts on the city were relieving in a way. Compared to her Max likely had a better idea of how cities usually were. While she herself was certainly more familiar with Tokyo she didn't have the frame of reference to compare the current feel of the city to that of others. Certainly, she'd been to Saitama and even Yokohama but her forays outside of the Kanto region were far and few in between. Only through this conversation now was she coming to the realization that she lacked an outside perspective. "Excellent." Mai accidentally replied in the same fashion as his earlier response. "With the ongoing increased workload that may be quite a while." She'd interpreted his statement on staying 'as long as people wanted him around' charitably. Fitting into foreign cultures could be quite rough, yes, if his words carried any other meaning than dealing with that which the local Pros were too occupied to take on until they got a handle on it Mai deemed that to be the most likely one. She could only hope Lawbringer adjusted before he ruffled feathers. Tokyo could use all the help it could get. At his next question Mai got a distant look in her eyes. "It shames me to admit but for the most worrisome incidents as of late there was little warning. Only frantic stretches of having to react to what came our way followed by fruitless attempts to get answers." The thought burned and giving it voice made her jaw tighten and a pit form in her stomach. Letting out a long breath through her nose that was almost a sigh Mai continued. "For the smaller ones it is often the crowd that gives it away. As I'm sure you're aware, whether or not people realize anything is off intuition oft subconsciously warns them. As a result changes in body language of the people near someone that is up to something tend to create a motion akin to ripples in a pond when it comes to crowd behavior. This is especially true here. As citizens of Japan we always attempt to ensure smooth proceedings, acting according to predictable, agreed upon norms so that everyone knows what to expect. Familiarizing oneself with how large groups of people act in certain areas as a result and then picking up on anomalies in this expected behavior can assist one in acting to stop or even prevent crime with seemingly preternatural speed." It was part of what made the adjustment to working in Japan so difficult for foreigners, especially ones such a Pro Heroes that were expected to act fast and correctly. Ignorance to the ways everyone carried themselves could easily cause confusion when one attempted to assist in a way outside of what the panicked mind could predict, something that made it far more likely for something to go wrong. Mai had oft pondered that it was for this reason that Pro Hero culture had taken a bigger hold in Japan than in other countries, for a departure from the norm as big as violent attacks and quirk-related calamities required something similarly divergent from it so as to not cause an uncanny dissonance. A clear separation between the normal and the 'other' was required for the sake of clarity. Flashy outfits and outspoken personas, neither of which would be accepted in the normal flow of society, suited that perfectly. Anything less would be a half-measure. It was the exact reason Mai carried herself as larger than life whenever she was out in the field regardless of her small stature. The people needed a beacon of hope whenever despair risked setting in and Mai was content to do her part in providing it. WORDS 692 TAGS Lawbringer NOTES ---

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS & THQ