[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

Miroru's knock was polite but insistent, the sort of rapping that communicated quite clearly that whoever was outside knew very well that their quarry was within, and had no intention of taking no for an answer- and all the same presented it in a polite manner. For propriety.

"Thea? I know this is short notice, but I picked up a couple bentos- I've got one that's vegetarian, just in case. I can eat that one if it's not your speed, but I'm gonna find someplace shady on the grounds and eat lunch, and I figured you might have fun coming with!" She chirped through the door. "I've got a comfy blanket to sit on, and a couple drinks, too, so all I need now is a friend! You're not too busy for friendship, now, are you~?" She snarked slyly, clearly remembering their conversation on the topic at the demonstrations! 

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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[Thea]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]間違い

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]The floor quickly became Thea's favorite place to spend her idle hours. She lay there, motionless, for hours on end. It was only on rare occasions that she left her room. Mainly it was for food. On even rarer occasions, it was for companionship. Despite her deep desire for solitude, something about this place compelled her to at least pretend to be social. It was an itch at the back of her mind like a fundamental change had transpired in her the moment she arrived at UAU, like everything before that wasn't even real, and the world only took form last Thursday. She would have laughed at the whole idea if she had any sense of when or where she was. [break][break]

Her eyes opened. She heard a light knocking that echoed onto countless memories until she was afraid the door might burst open from the force of it all. Of course, it didn't. Thea knew that, but it didn't stop her from somehow believing it, even if only for a moment. She turned towards the door, the portcullis that divided her cell from the world outside. She blinked listlessly, waiting for her mind to process the world in the now. She wasn't going to force it. Only one person had ever knocked on her door before, and she knew this wasn't Zenkai's knock simply by how unrattled the door was and the fact that it was still there.[break][break]

"Gross, who even does the whole vegetarian thing." She got up from the floor, looking around the mess she called a room and realizing how bad a first impression it would make. Thea shrugged before reaching into a pile she presumed was clean and throwing on a grey tanktop red lettering that read 'kia ora' with a middle finger after it. "Don't make me regret being nice." She said coldly before opening the door.[break][break]

Despite now being in the present as much as she could bring herself to tolerate, her eyes carried that same distant vacant gaze. Thea was sure Miroru was used to it by now. "Can't trust you to find a good spot. I've got one; follow me." She wandered off, assuming the fox would follow.[break][break]

Thea refused to entertain any of the patches of grass that were clearly designated for sitting. To do that would be to follow the rules, and even this small act of defiance felt necessary for her mental health. Instead, she trekked to near the edge of the training grounds. A small space not meant for travel where the plants grew more freely than places cared for by the landscaper's watchful eye. "Here's good," She said, pressing her hand into the thick grass. [break][break]

As they arranged the blanket, Thea looked toward Miroru. "We should just split the two boxes. No one should have to suffer a full vegi meal. That's some real villain shit." She smirked as if the joke was somehow clever.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

"Listen, I don't know, for all I know, you could get slapped with the last hours of your meal's life if you pick up a cheeseburger," Miroru quipped. "I try to be considerate is all. Besides, I figure if I tease a little bit about things, you won't ever have room to wonder if the only reason we still hang out is that I forgot something. So. How about I let you poke holes in my solitary social confinement strategy- and you let me poke a little fun back~" Miroru was proving resilient to a lot of the gruffness and innate barbs- if one had to guess, she had a much higher tolerance for rudeness than she did actual malice.

"Well excuuuuuse me for only having access to the contents of one mind~" Miroru teased back quietly as her idea of "a good spot" was dismissed. "I shall put my trust in the Thea-cracy. Lead on!" The fox did, in fact, follow.

Miroru got to work setting out the blanket, the drinks, and the bentos, and nodded at the proposal. "That works for me. Honestly, it's not even that bad. Tempura veggies are pretty stellar, even if they'd be better with some seafood inside. Vegetarian dishes can hit pretty hard when they're focused on taste and not the presentation of being healthy. Like, you ever been to Poblano? Their burritos absolutely SLAP even if it's just fajita veggies and guacamole."

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey

[Thea]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]間違い

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]It was rare that she received any consideration. Or at least it had been before she arrived at UAU. Before she met the half dozen or so people that had decided to make the worst possible decision and attempt to befriend Thea. Miroru was probably the worst offender. In another life, Thea imagined she probably hated the fox simply for behaving the way she did. Somehow Miroru had risen to the esteemed rank of acquaintance. Which was odd when you considered Thea had snuck her into a few parties and that this was far from their first time hanging out.[break][break]

She plopped unceremoniously onto the Blanket and layed on her back. One hand was over the edge of the cloth as she ran her fingers through the grass.[break][break]

"I haven't been, but I know what it's like. Their stuff's amazing." It was her standard answer at this point. She didn't go places as much as she remembered them. "There's this, like, bakery not far from there called 'pan de la pan.' It's amazing." That one she'd at least walked by once.[break][break]

"Ugh, just veggies and guac. Gosh, you must have no taste. Limited to just that... One. Little. Mind." She jabbed back, making sure Miroru didn't get too comfortable in the conversation. "You should go to Milan or Cuba. So much cooler than Japan. Maybe even get some class while you're out there." She turned to look at the fox girl and punctuated her statement with a smirk.[break][break]

Thea sat up, taking a tuft of grass with her as she rose. She eyed the fistful of green before gently blowing it off her hand and watching as the blades reached the ground.[break][break]

"Ya know bugs have memories?" She turned her head back towards Miroru. "They, like, just live their little lives none the wiser about anything, and then like, they just die." Her tone was lighter than usual, like she was sharing some fun trivia that only she could access, not an existential comment on a bug's life. "Anyway, we won't have to worry about ants now."[break][break]

Reaching into the bag, Thea pulled out the drinks and placed them next to the bento before pulling disposable chopsticks out and handing a pair to Miroru. Purposefully she held them between her index and middle fingers to reduce potential contact with her palm. Once taken, Thea would separate her own before and then run them across each other. It was bad manners, and she knew it. It's why she did it.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullinfo"]In the Garden

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

"Oooh. I'll have to check them out. What do you want me to bring you from there?" Miroru asked as she diligently started to use her own chopsticks to divide the penalty box between the two of them so nobody had to suffer overmuch. "Hey, hey, I didn't say that's my order. I just said that veggies CAN be tasty if someone makes'em right. Just, there's vegetarians cuz that's culture and all their food is baller anyway, and then there's vegetarians who think they're better than you, and their food tends to suck. The former has several thousand years of culinary innovation advantages. Indian food, for instance? Amazing, meat or not."

The comment to get some class made Miroru burst into a snorting giggle. "I'm a fistfighting, egg-stealing, chicken-nomming scoundrel. I'm pretty sure class runs off me like water off a duck's back end." She chuckled again, then looked up at the sky. "I'd like to travel sometime. Maybe I'll make enough heroing to do a little traveling."

The bug talk made Miroru focus up and tilt her head quizzically, the fluffy ears drooping to the side. "They do?" She thinks about that a bit. "... not so different from people, though, is it. Just- the details are different. None the wiser... that feels like it describes lots... of..."

Miroru trailed off, staring at empty space, abruptly looking puzzled, lifting her hand to apparently touch... nothing. "... again?" Her attention drifted at that rude AF rubbing, and rolled her eyes, murmuring, "As expected of the Thea-cracy~ are there any rules you don't hate enough to break out of spite?"

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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[Thea]

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[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"Flan, I haven't had flan in," She paused to consider how long it had been since she'd actually physically had Flan, "too long." She realized she'd never had it at all. A lone train of thought started cataloging what experiences she'd enjoyed only through memory. Quickly the tally crept up and became a sobering realization. "Yeah, I hope I make enough to go travel too." She'd seen the world but only ever been to two countries.[break][break]

Seeing Miroru reach out into space caught Thea's attention. She replayed the moment a few times to make sure she'd got everything. As much as she hated to admit it, staring off into space and being weird was a niche market she cornered with pride. Unlike Thea's episodes, the fox snapped out of hers quickly.[break][break]

"I don't hate every rule. I mean, I hate every rule ever placed on me but, like, I have my own rules, ya know." There was a small list of rules she did follow. Or, more specifically, she tried to follow them. It's hard to follow any sort of rigid guidelines when your whole worldview ebbs and flows like the tide. "I don't hurt animals. That's one!" She said as she skewered a meatball from Miroru's box. "Always look both ways before crossing the road." An awkward laugh lept from her throat. She was already low on rules she was willing to talk about. "It's just a lot of stuff about how not to touch people and what I can and can't do after I do," she thought between blinks.[break][break]

"Besides, rules are your thing, you egg-stealing scoundrel." It was hard for Thea to imagine Miroru stealing eggs or anything for that matter. The whole idea of her as anything other than heroic was preposterous at best. The mentat was somewhat jelous of that. Despite making it all the way to UAU, she still felt like she walked a fine line. There was something inside that compelled her to do horrible things to people. "If I followed them, then who'd be left to lead you astray?" She pulled the meatball off the chopsticks with her teeth. [break][break]

"You ever think about what it would be like?" Her eyes trailed to the side. She couldn't look Miroru in the eye and ask it. "What, like, going vigi would be like." She said. "What being a villain would feel like?" She thought in tandem. Her mind replayed the last few weeks. She'd already been in altercations involving the police once she even went on patrol. In all cases, she walked the darker side of grey. Torture, the removal of free will, avoiding the police. None of these were accidents. She chose her action; she wanted to do them. "The Thea-cracy demands an answer, or else." She pointed her palm at Miroru in a faux taunt. [break][break]

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[attr="class","skullinfo"]Music

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

"Ooooh. I like flan a lot. Especially when it's done with that caramel topping? Or... bottoming? I think it's actually in the bottom of the pan when it's cooking..?" Miroru tried to remember, but it'd been a while, and she couldn't quite recall. "Well, we'll just have to be big time heroes and make that good money so you can show me around the classiest of places."

Miroru tuned back in after her space cadet moment, and squeaked as one of her meatballs disappeared. "Heyyyy!" She retaliated by snatching a wedge of tempura sweet potato off Thea's box and nomming it immediately. "Feef," she mumbled through a full mouth.

"Those are good rules. I think I have a lot of rules," Miroru murmured, though she didn't go into detail right then. "So yeah, I guess they are my thing."

She snorted a touch at the bit about leading her astray. "What, to some parties? That's not astray. That's a detour to a fun evening."

That question, though, held her focus. She glanced over at Thea as she asked, and then considered her own answer. When Thea "threatened" her, Miroru hesitated a moment, then concocted her own response by reaching out

and

making

contact

---

She'd played it out in her head.
How easy it'd be to steal from a downed power line and do what her father, her brothers, did. But not to some would-be thief or a robber.
To the shit heroes making the world a worse place.
To the ones preying on the downtrodden to improve their reputation, of all things.
To the ones breaking backs when a simple knockout would have done just fine.
How it'd feel to direct lighting into liars.
To drop the sun on brutalizers.
To turn some fraction of the hell these bastards dealt out back on them.
It was less than they deserved.

---

Her hand pulled back, and she looked to the sky quietly. "It's not fair that nobody holds them accountable. They get praised for their effectiveness. Held up as gold standards."

A long quiet moment. "They're fucking monsters. So yeah. I've thought about it. But if I do it that way, then I just give everyone an excuse to throw out my truth as the ramblings of a criminal.

Because criminals can't possibly have anything to offer society, right?"

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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[Thea]

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[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"What the fuck, Miroru!" Thea snapped at her companion while pressing both hands against her stomach to be sure no point of contact was available. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Concern mixed with anger in equal measure. Not in all her life had anyone willingly subject themselves to her quirk. The notion of it was so alien to her that she hadn't even registered it happening until it was too late. [break][break]

Her mind raced. While she clearly received Miroru's thoughts, there was no telling what traveled back the other way, if anything at all. She was worried about that but more worried about any potential damage she may have done to the Fox's mind. "Please, don't do that again. I can't just turn this off and in the wrong circumstances..." Her voice faded. [break][break]

Awkward silence lingered. "They are monsters. Sometimes it takes an even greater monster to beat them." She paused, knowing full well the implications of what she said. "You remember the origins of hero law, right? How 90% of heroes were considered villains or vigilantes overnight. The system rewards monsters for being monsters. Sometimes justice only exists outside the law..." The glanced around to make sure no one had overheard them. [break][break]

She felt a tightness in her chest. The people around her were all so bound up in their own truths that even when the answer was clear, they couldn't look past their own morality. She held no such reservation. It's not that she didn't want to be good. It's that she saw the value of standing on the other side of the law. [break][break]

"People who were going to believe you will believe you still, people who weren't... Well, fuck them."[break][break]

Experience told her she'd already said too much. Instead of continuing, she tried to bring the conversation back to lighter moods and shallower waters. "Nah, If we ever make it big, I'm taking you to the Caribbean. Fix up those tan lines with some real sun." Something told her that's not the path their lives would take. She felt a void encroach in the space between them. The same one that separated her from Farrin, and Zenkai, and everyone else in this godforsaken school. "They're too good. They're just all too good." She thought as she looked down at her share of the meal and shoveled it into her mouth to stop herself from saying anything else.[break][break]

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

"Oh, so what," Miroru teased back gently, "It's only okay to ambush people with that when it's your idea?" Hearing Thea express concern and worry, though, the humor faded away, and Miroru nodded soberly, clearly taking Thea's response for what it was. "... I didn't think about that. I'd figured... I trust you not to hurt me, and thought it'd just be a good way to make sure you didn't have to wonder about my sincerity. I didn't at all mean to worry you. I'll offer, instead, going forward. Promise. I'm sorry."

Miroru looked back towards the sky and nodded slowly. "Well. If that IS how it turns out. Then all the more reason I need to shine like a star. If they've used their heroic standing to insulate them from consequences... then if nothing else works, I'll use that same insulation to be the one to deal out what they've got coming. Leave them reeling in the realization that nobody's going to avenge them. That they'll just have to live with whatever consequence they've earned."

The redhead ended up blinking as Thea talked about taking her to the Carribean, her face lighting up like a rocket when Thea spoke of filling in her tan lines.

As Thea crammed the rest of her bento into her mouth, Miroru took her revenge, just as the last bite was finished off, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Thea before flopping backwards, keeping her supported so she didn't feel the reflex to support herself. "My tan lines, huh~? And just howwww do you know I have tan lines~? I thought you were rifling through my loneliness and family issues, not my last swimsuit fitting~" The idea was intensely embarrassing- but mitigated by the idea that Thea might have gone fishing for the memories. Either she had, and that meant Thea thought she was at least a little attractive- or she hadn't, and it was a very slick counter-feint!

Normally, it'd be a risky move to initiate contact with someone like that- but she'd felt an echo in Thea. That gulf, that echo of distance forcing separation. Miroru wasn't the only isolated one at this picnic. And while she couldn't help Thea with all the things that made her feel so utterly alone... She could be someone that knew about her quirk and still trusted Thea enough to be physically close. How Thea chose to take it was up to her, as was how often she let herself indulge in that luxury- but Miroru had quickly gathered that Thea, due to everything, was very much a "show, don't tell" sort of girl.

So she showed Thea she trusted her and wanted to be there for her instead of saying it out loud.

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]"New rule: Don't taunt Miroru with quirk." The mentat learned her lesson and would not make the same mistake again. It was better this way for both of them. It didn't matter how much she trusted Thea. Thea did not trust herself. [break][break]

She wanted to respond to the fox's naive response. There was no way that would work out. Reaching for the top when those already there are gunning for you. It would be inevitably painful when those dreams crashed down on her with the weight of her efforts behind them. Thea wasn't sure she wanted to be there when that happened. She pondered a response as she swallowed the last bite of her meal and arms wrapped themselves around her. [break][break]

Her senses expanded, and as she fell forward, time dilated, expanding as her mind stretched to absorb the rush of unexpected stimuli. The fall felt like forever, yet she couldn't bring herself to think while she had the time. "I just, I mean," she stumbled over her words as her mind operated at speeds well above what her body could handle. She hadn't exactly looked for those memories. Everyone's memories carried a sort of metadata to them. Proprioception, fragmented thought, sense of self. Things we don't know we're doing or perceiving. That's not to say she didn't peek or put two and two together. Memory was inherently a messy thing. [break][break]

"Did she just."

"Didn't we just tell her not to touch us."

"We made her blush."

"Is that what you're worried about, she's accusing us of stealing more memories."

"It's just a hug."

"You know she's joking."

"She's warm"

"We could always find out."

"It's never just a hug."

"Do we even have to answer?"

"Why would she do this"

[break][break]

She focused her mind, and the hydras head receded one by one. She didn't know what to do or how to respond. The minds within her offered no help as their cacophony grew silent. She found herself wholly in the present, unsure if she wanted to leave or stay. Fortunately for Thea, what felt like an eternity in her mind was only a few seconds outside. She realized that she left a witticism unanswered, and despite her heart racing, she had a reputation to keep.[break][break]

"I mean, can you blame me~" She almost whispered her response as she moved to lean on her side and exit the redhead's embrace. She couldn't quite figure out what Miroru's reason for such brazen trust was. Most people kept her at arm's length, but this girl was steadfast about being in arm's reach and harms way. [break][break]

"You shouldn't trust me that much. Like, I appreciate it, but." She paused, wondering how you tell someone you will inevitably hurt them. How even the people closest to Thea eventually grew distant no matter how fiercely loyal she was. "I'm sure you'll make it to the top someday. I just hope you don't get hurt on the way." "I don't want to be the one that hurts you."[break][break]

The void grew, fed by emotion. Even though Thea berated Miroru for opting to be alone, her hypocrisy in this was palpable. She didn't want to be alone. She had to be. It was better that way. For everyone.[break][break]

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[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

Miroru resisted the urge to giggle at the flustered stammering as the two flumped back onto the blanket, letting Thea squirm free when she tried. She wasn't trapping her, after all. She moved to lean, too, without getting up, peering through her bangs at Thea. Her ears flopped off-kilter as well, with gravity pulling them towards the ground. Her cheeks took on a softer blush, and she considered a moment, before admitting- "... no, I can't blame you, I don't think. I, um... probably would have done the same."

Miroru listened to her warning, but shook her head. "Thea, you have... all sorts of memories, right? Take a look at them. How often do the thoughts you have access to accidentally hurt others? I'd bet... it's all the time. There's so many ways to hurt someone without meaning to. You hold yourself to a brutal standard because... I think... your accidents can hurt a whole lot more than feelings. But in the end... being close to everyone is dangerous. I'm just..." It took a moment to consider the answer. "... treating you how I'd want to be treated."

She let the response hang a moment. "You know what I could do if I got angry enough. You're not running from me, even though I could just... delete anyone I wanted to on a sunny day. But you know I wouldn't just blast you off the face of the planet without some absurdly good reason, the same as I know you wouldn't mess with my head unless you had some absurdly good reason."

Another moment passed. "So... let's make it fair? We'll trust each other not to needlessly delete the other's existence, and neither of us has to be as isolated as we think we do.

Deal?" Miroru lifted her arm, offering Thea a place under it if she wanted. It wasn't part of the deal, though, and there wasn't any impression that declining the contact would damage the deal presented.

I can pay no price too great for justice.

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[Thea]

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[attr="class","skulltitle"]間違い

[attr="class","skulloverlap"]How do we forgive ourselves for all the things we did not become?

[attr="class","skullbody"]Somehow, Miroru's admission that she'd have done the same thing gave Thea a sense of reassurance she'd long since abandoned. It was easy to slip up and reveal details you didn't explicitly take, doubly so when trying to avoid mentioning things like the scars that ran Miroru's forearms. But the redhead was unphased, or at least took it in what Thea found to be an interesting stride.[break][break]

"Of course you would," she threw half as a jab, half as an acknowledgment. She smirked to drive the point home. [break][break]

If her pupils could dilate, they'd betray the thought in her head. Fortunately for the mentat, her eyes remained uncanny spheres as she took in every detail of the moment. This wasn't anything out of the usual; it was simply how her mind operated. What was unusual was the lack of background memories playing in her mind. There was no other distraction as she sat wholly in the here and now, engrossed by company and conversation.[break][break]

"I have to hold myself to this standard. If you get the intrusive thought to vaporize me, nothing happens unless you choose to do it. If I get the intrusive thought to erase your mind," her hand balled into a loose fist, "It just happens if my hand's in the wrong place." It was the great distinguisher between their world. Miroru was the good samaritan, the intentional act of good that happened to people. Thea was the ill intent who set upon a traveler, all for being on a road they should not have been on.[break][break]

She wanted to leave. She wanted to let the void between them expand and envelop everything that was and would be between them. It was the golden path as she saw it, the only way things end well. If not for her, then for everyone unfortunate enough to be in her wake. Unfortunately, Thea was no martyr. She was selfish.[break][break]

The mentat accepted the offering, taking a place under Miroru's arm. She tucked her arms up to her chest and made sure her hands stayed out of harms way. She could never hold someone, but at least she could be held. "You know you're gonna regret this someday, right Mimi." Her voice was low and carried with it the weight of resignation. Thea tried to warn her. Whatever happened now, Miroru knew the stakes. [break][break]

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[attr="class","skullinfo"]Mimi

[attr="class","skullcredits"]TAIKO!

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[Miroru]

Rokuhane Miroru

Department of Heroes Freshman

Prism, the Spectrum Hero

Thea | ### | notes

Miroru shifted to help Thea find a proper place against her, using her own free arm to drape across Thea's belly, shifting her sleeve to cover her entire arm in case Thea wanted to relax her pose. "Yeah, of course I would. I know you don't think about your appearance much, but that doesn't make it not lovely anyhow," Miroru reassured.

"I get it. No trigger, no safety, just a lit match, a marker and whiteout in a world of paper people. It's not that I don't get what how much you hold yourself accountable to protect everyone around from the worst you could do, especially on accident, but." Miroru thinks for a few moments, then gently tightens her arm to pull Thea against herself, leaning her face down to rest against Thea's hair for a moment.

"I think it's even more important you know you're not alone, because of that. Left isolated, you'd... want those connections. Resent not having them, or maybe reach for them without meaning to. But if you at least don't have to grope blindly for connections or desperately avoid them despite yourself... it might get easier."

A moment of quiet. "And if not, I still like this. And I'm happy we're sharing it."

Her low tone left Miroru nuzzling closer. Was her lips brushing Thea's scalp deliberate? Hard to tell. "I might regret some things that happen because of it. In fact, I'm sure we both will at some point. But regretting this, on its own, in its entirety?"

A slow shake of her head. "I will not regret you."

I can pay no price too great for justice.

Template by: Monkey