[Darius Ficsit]

The UAU Sports Festival was one of the biggest events of the year—especially for a fledgling company like Ficsit with stock in both regular support gear AND now energy drinks and bars. Darius would've preferred to be watching the main events from his TV at home, but setting up on the official grounds was close enough. The FICSIT vendor had about two lots to themselves, showing off some of their quality gear replicas and a tasting section for the edible stuff.

Darius was, officially, there because he was the face of the Tokyo branch and needed to be present for at least some of the festival in person. Building the brand and all that. He didn't really mind the work—showing off to awed passerby and curious Heroes in training was fun, he just wanted to have a full unmitigated viewing experience of the entire festival at home! 

A quick check of his watch. There should be another wave of students coming through soon, Darius moving to restock the edibles with fresh stuff from the coolers and touch up any smudges or grime the equipment gathered from being handled by so many people. Hey, if he was gonna do a job, he was gonna do it right!

*Vendor Volunteers prompt!

[Iora Caringal]

Now this was exciting! The Sports Festival was in full swing, and everyone taking part in the challenges was giving their all. Success in them spelt sponsorships and a growing interest from the public, surely spring boarding them ever faster into becoming a hero of renown.

Iora... had not entered those challenges. She might not participate at all honestly- finding herself too early in the curriculum to compete against the more experienced students. Going in when she barely learned anything would surely be her downfall. Having such a public blunder simply wouldn't do when she was just starting out.

So the freshman wandered through the stalls set up for the event instead. With the festival being so popular, many businesses came out to sell their wares, from snacks to souvenirs to even support gear. It made sense; with students learning the ropes, suiting up was part of their growth.

Even Iora thought it'd be good for her to get something. Granted she didn't know what she would need yet. But that's the thing with the displays- maybe something will click with her if she saw enough of them.

But so far though, none were clicking. Maybe she really was over head when it came to all the gadgets. Iora raised her hand to wave at the man in charge of the stall. "Excuse me, sorry for being a bother." If she got his attention, she'd press her fingertips together, sheepish. "I'm a new student at UAU. Is there anything you'd recommend for someone just starting out?"

Darius Ficsit

[Darius Ficsit]

Right on time. Or course the new wave weren't the active competitors—they were competing. Students filtering through who dropped out or hadn't participated in the ongoing events for one reason or another. From what Darius heard, a lot of freshmen got stage fright from being mixed in with upperclassmen boasting years of experience at Japan's finest school. Hell, he couldn't blame 'em. If he were a student... well, he'd enter, but have no honest hope of actually winning much. 

As a few of the latest Heroes in training scoped out the stalls, his attention wandered to a peculiar one. What a funky mutation! Darius put on a grin and walked over. "Only thing you'd be bothering is my boredom. Good riddance to him, I say!" The planty lady asked for some recommendations, with an emphasis that she was new. "Aside from the budget being lower for new students—Ficsit offers discounts for UAU folk, by the by—I wouldn't really say there's ever a piece of gear better suited for a seasoned vet over a trainee. Some people operate just fine with premade options or gear with minor modifications, but if you ask me? The best equipment is something custom built. Made with you and your Quirk and your abilities and habits in mind."

He'd pick up a small pistol-gripped object, brandishing it. "Classic low-level grappling hook. Popular, effective, cheap. Does it's job well! Though just by lookin' at ya—pardon the assumption—I can't picture you swinging from rooftop to rooftop with this thing. Though... We have a LOT of displays here for you UAU students to mess with. How about you give me a general rundown of your Quirk and fighting style or weak areas to see what can be enhanced or patched?"

[Iora Caringal]

Iora smiled at the man's enthusiasm, thankful he didn't show any other reaction to her appearance- at least outwardly. Even after years of experiencing it she wasn't fully used to the awkward looks in her direction. "I'm sure boredom's not that much of a nuisance," she replied with a giggle. "Good to hear about the discount though!" She had the shop she was working at, and while the pay was fine it wasn't exorbitant or anything. She'd still need to save if she wanted to buy anything complex.

And speaking of complex, she nodded at his explanation. "That makes sense, especially with Quirks as all-encompassing as mine." She patted her face for good measure before she continued. "At the same time, generic could help find your footing when you're unsure of where you want to excel I think." The pink student fit squarely in that box right now, unknowing of where her skills truly lie.

Swinging around was definitely not one of them though. Iora laughed at his assumption with the grappling hook, waving her hands at the thing. "Oh no, I couldn't! I'm not nearly agile enough for that." Having the ability to relocate quickly would be useful but she could already imagine herself slamming into walls with the gadget more often than not.

Iora moved back a bit to show the brunette the extent of her mutation. "My Quirk is the roots- I can grow them to block and grab things with." She extended one to wave at the man with it to demonstrate. "I can't move from my spot when I'm controlling them so I rely on my reach to keep others away."

Darius Ficsit