[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ The rain pittered down from the gutters that hung low above the alley, a damp place where the light could yet enter. Darkened clouds hung over Tokyo in their dreary indifference to the world below, as the world below basked in its apathy towards the beings inhabiting it; and in it, in a desolate alley where the world cared not to peer in, the vigilante Grinta worked. Lied against the wall, with blood dripping from their nose, was a man whose hood had been ripped from his jacket and left near the edge of conscious and unconsciousness. The provocateur stood above them, with their darkened cloak stained in specks of the beaten's blood, staring down at them from behind their indifferent smile. "'on't pass out on me," she'd command, thrusting a foot against the man's chest; Air escaped from his lungs as a grisly sight of blood-stained coughs. He gasped for air as he dipped his head low, crossing his arms over his chest, as he hid from the unfeeling rain and the vicious fiend that stood above him. This vicious fiend wouldn't comply, however; instead, with a hand gripped around the bottom of his chin, she forced his head against the wall with a thud. "The V-Crescent 'esign; the 'ell shou do with it?" The man groaned in agony, trying to pull her hand from his face, but the vigilante's grip remained tight against his skin, piercing against his flesh with refusal to give. His feet, perhaps in an attempt to flee, slipped against the slickened concrete beneath him, yet made little advancement in escape; Grinta's hold on him left little possibility for any such tactics. "Give it to me, or tell me where it is. It will make our live' much easier." The quirk merged into the back of her cloak — Pundit, the source of Grinta's endless frustration — piped up from the otherwise muted conversation. "Boss, sure ya wanna do it 'ere? Not gonna like, hold 'em from a roof till he spills?" "We don't aim to kill; we get back the plan, we go. Nothing more." "But we could do that with my idea?" "We're not dan'ling a man from a roof." Jackie took no pride in the dirtier side of her work — none. It was filthy work, both literally and morally, but in the world she resided, it bore results. No matter the amount of blood that stained her hands, no matter how much blood spilled out into the world, she would take to the greater world that still only resided in her mind. "Please." She begged for the man, the one whom she'd bruised and battered, for him to give up on his futile resistance. "I don't want to 'urt shou anymore than I 'ave to. ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 476 words ※ Bloodied and beaten by the vigilante! What shall come?

[attr="class","ache"]

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[Freja Helt]

''S-Stop!'' Freja jumped out, brandishing her bat. There was still quite a bit of distance between her and the villain Jackie, but with how intimidated Freja was she might as well have been standing right next to her. Her hair and clothes were already wet from the rain, using one hand she brushed some stray hair out of her face.

Holy crap this was insane, why was she getting herself involved? Every time Freja went into town to have a look around, she always bumped into crazy situations like this. A villain blatantly beating and torturing a civilian in the middle of the street? Granted, they weren't exactly in the Tokyo city center, but the fact that Jackie still did this, with seemingly no shame or remorse... It was enough to send chills down her spine. ''Let him go.'' She angled the bat slightly. Rather than keep it upright, she had the tip pointing right at Jackie, just in case she needed to unleash the trigger on her weapon's concealed grappling hook attachment.

''I've already called the police, if you let him go now I'll tell them you were cooperating.'' It was a bluff, Freja wasn't nearly composed enough to call the police before she jumped into action. The truth was she had come across this ghastly scene and had entered herself into it before she had a chance to think it over. Anything to keep this villain from beating on the innocent guy, even if that meant Freja was going to get beat herself.

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ Though Freja's pleas of mercy strove from deep within the core of heroism, her words fell silent on the rainy scene before her — and, of the one who's terror they quaked before, there came only a stare. A morose, fluorescent stare. The vigilante's masked face glared down the alley, with the unflinching gaze of its Xs centering themselves upon the freshman. "Is that... a civi'ian?" "Dunno; why're they pointin' their bat like that? Last I checked, ya don't hold a bat like a goddamn katana." "They're definitely not a villain, and I don't ima'ine she's like me..." "And what kinda authority she got over cops for 'cooperation' to mean somethin'?" The two beings, although inhabiting the same mind, thought individually. Even if they knew the other's thoughts — the fundamental principle for their mental conversations — they often took different mental paths, coming to different understandings at different times. At this moment, however, the two came to a united realization of what stumbled before them, "A UAU student." Though they reached the same conclusion, neither mirrored the reaction of the other. "Wait, cops're on the way?" "Criosho 'asn't said anything about police chatter, but it's not impossible." "And you're betting on?... Jackie?" But the quirk already knew the answer. No, Pundit had been with Jackie long enough to know more than just her response; it knew what would come along with it. "I'm gonna be real; we're not fuckin' playin' yer games today!" "Shour the one alwash telling me to make time for myself." "Yeah, healthy activity! Not yer shit'a gettin' us into trouble! You tryin' to get UA to personally hunt us down?! Huh?!" "Look. Pundit, this girl is clearly being hasty — I don't think she has any expe'ience! At least not against an a'tual villain, shes? I can't just leave her like that." "No, no, yer not playin' the pity card!" "It's not pi'y! It's just what I 'ave to do!" "It's what you WANT to do!" The vigilante finally rose from her silence, her cloaked visage still looming over the still-lying man against the wall. Though Freja held the greater stature, the one whose figure imposed over the alley was not her — it was Grinta, and she knew it. The terror of beating another into a bloodied pulp was not so easily forgotten, and Grinta wouldn't allow it to be. "I'm pléing villain, oké, Pundit?" "Yer playin' idiot is what yer doin'." Grinta pulled the coat from her shoulders, dropping it off to her left and away from Freja. Pundit, who still resided in the cloak's back, lifted it from off the ground, with the cloak floating independent of the vigilante's figure. Grinta dressed as she normally did with a minor distinction; when the weather grew cold — typically during the winter, but also when rainy days such as this came — she'd don a black, skintight suit beneath her garments. She'd considered making it standard, especially as it benefitted her civilian identity, but found it too chafing for any time beyond those reasons. "Take 'im to a roof and look for secret pockets in 'is clothes. I know 'e 'as the design." "Just don't do anythin' even stupider than gettin' us into this mess." The cloak attempted to fly to the roof of the building that made half the alley's path. Grinta, on the other hand, chose to step away from the wall. Indeed, as she combed a hand through the hair she previously hid beneath a hood, she claimed a position in the middle of the alleyway. She did not approach Freja, though. "Shou ever hold a bat before?" For the first time since the student's entrance had Grinta spoken to her, amusement tainting the cadence of her voice. "Can't sé I've seen a batter do what shou're doing; diffe'ent sport?" The Argentine chuckled to herself. Though she couldn't fully gauge the state of her opponent, she felt undoubtedly dominant in the way she presented herself. To further demonstrate this air about her, Grinta lifted her left hand with a palm to the sky — her index pointed towards Freja. "How a'out this." As she began to speak again, more of Pundit's form took shape, with two embedding themselves into her red bracers; one on her arm at the side of the elbow, and the other at the back of her thigh. "I'll give shou the first move. Can charge me — hell, throw shour bat at me if shou choose — and I'll only respond. Shou better ma'e it count, though; I'm not the most pa'ient." ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 765 words ※ Better make it count.

[attr="class","ache"]

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[Freja Helt]

Oh no, oh shit the villain was turning their attention on Freja now. This was really happening, she was going to have a stand-off with this person. She tightened the grip on her bat. If she let go of her weapon it would mean certain death for sure. Freja watched closely as Jackie pulled the coat off their back. Were they concealing some type of weapon too? If this villain was a good shot with a gun, this 'fight' would almost certainly be over in seconds. She felt her arms jolt up as something seemed to fly upwards. A quirk? A weapon? It wasn't coming for her either way, so she swiftly turned her attention back to Jackie.

This alleyway was a little more narrow than Freja would have liked, not to mention the distance between them. Because she had tried to get the villain's attention first, doing any kind of sneak attack now was practically impossible. She blinked her eyes when the villain finally spoke to her, what kind of accent was that? It completely threw her off. ''W-What's it matter if I have?'' The way Jackie sounded not at all bothered, maybe even more amused than anything terrified her. Was she going to be beaten like that man was too? ''J-Just come with me quietly! I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to.''

Make it count? Chills ran up her spine as Jackie activated her quirk by lifting her arm, or was she even doing that? Freja could feel it already, she was freaking out, overthinking, seeing things that possibly weren't there. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath. The best course of action was going to be the most unpredictable.

Aiming the tip of her bat towards Jackie's head, Freja pressed the trigger and activated the mechanism that fired a grappling hook right towards the villain's head. Normally a tool for scaling walls, Freja had gotten the grappling hook added to her gear bat because it also gave her some kind of ranged offense. If she was lucky, maybe she could have the hook smack Jackie's head just right and knock her out with one attack. Who knows, maybe she was weakened from beating up people earlier too?

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ As was to be expected from the odd brandishing of her weapon, a projectile soared true through the dampened scene, with its mark centered directly at the luminescent gaze staring back. Had the student closed the gap even by a few feet, Grinta was sure that the hook would have found its mark; but in their mutually understood duel, the vigilante wouldn't simply allow her opponent to fight as she so wished. As though pulled by an unknown force, her left arm — the one wrapped in a bracer — tugged at her whole body, pulling the Argentine just enough away from the shot's path. Though, in the hook's haste, it managed to scrape along the edge of the target's mask, leaving the vigilante's glowing smile scarred; Grinta swore a loose hair had been pulled from her mane in the process. "Whe'e would I be without shou?" She thought, hiding a grin behind her mask. "Dead in'a ditch." "Pro'ably not, but I appre'iate the thought." Though she lacked the agility and reaction times necessary to manage such maneuvers on her own, Grinta had long since devised methods capable of overcoming her present failings; namely, for occasions such as this, the conditioning of her quirk and the artificial intelligence present in her machines offered unto her a trifecta. By combining the bizarre nature of her quirk with the perception of her machine, an unorthodox style of combat was born. And, as the archetype of her system, the vigilante appointed herself the spear, the final part of her triad. "Sheah, now-" "I know yer game well enough to know what ya want." By the same means as her narrow dodge, Grinta pushed off of the pavement, sailing through the rain with her body floating off the ground. Held aloft by her quirk, the vigilante soared towards Freja at her maximum velocity; in mere moments, she attempted to take this battle to her preferred distance — too close for comfort. Twisting her body with the aid of her quirk, the vigilante tried to swing her outside foot — her left leg — inwards with a corkscrew, aiming to slam the bat down from the student's hands onto the soaked terrain below. An intentionally flashy maneuver — one Grinta would prefer to see as "an act of intimidation" — meant to more clearly swing this situation into her favor. "Scary toy shou got the'e; shou make it shourself?" In the same movement as her twist, the vigilante attempted to thrust her off-foot into Freja's stomach; though, if the student was perceptive, they would find that the force behind this strike subdued by comparison to the prior blow. Without a clue as to her target's physical parameters, the vigilante chose to hold back. She couldn't go and assume the meek girl's strength to be similar to her own, after all. "Got any more up shour sleeve?" ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 474 words ※ A Three-Pronged Beast Soars!

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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[Freja Helt]

Her inexperience with BBB, her new weapon, was still readily apparent by the fact that she had released the hook early. Maybe it was just that, inexperience, or maybe it was a combination of her inexperience and Jackie's unmistakably intimidating presence. Sure, her attack scraped her mask, but that was nowhere near good enough considering what she was facing right now. A cold, dead chill ran down her spine as Jackie approached, barely making a sound. Freja would be expecting footsteps, sprinting, not... Floating. Floating like a specter, hands coated in the blood of her last victim as she came straight for Freja, ready to drag her down to hell.

She thought she had a good grip on her bat, but Jackie proved otherwise as the bat was slammed down onto the ground. The fear on Freja's face was probably a lot more palpable at this distance. ''I-I'' She only managed to stammer out for a second before the kick connected. Much less powerful than she had expected, Freja did pick up on that. However, between the shock of it all and the very real fear that was pumping adrenaline through her veins, it was still enough to make her stumble and fall. ''..I didn't make it.'' She panted, glaring up at Jackie defiantly as she tried to let her anger win in place of her fear. She was gauging her speed versus this villain's and whether she might be able to get away, or get ahold of her bat again. ''Yeah, this...'' She threw her hands up, as if she was about to conjure up some kind of cool anime beam attack, ''Sacred flame!'' But it was a fluke, as just as soon she threw herself towards her bat, trying to grab it and get back onto her feet again. It was an incredibly immature distraction, but hesitating was going to cost her her life, so there was no point in not at least giving it a try.

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ U.A., as an institution, was surely renowned for its turnout of heroes above all competitors. Those granted the privilege of walking its halls, of dying themselves in its colors — whether through merit or by privilege — were sure to become heroes whom the world would acknowledge. But, at the start of their journeys, the immutable stakes of their occupation made themselves unknown. Though they may encounter minor crooks and minor villains of minor consequence, the greater misery of their existence had yet sunk into their innocent flesh. Grinta would ensure, regardless of appearance, that this girl knew the full extent of her commitment. She would tell her — no, she would demonstrate to her — the hell that awaited past the finish line of her little school. "Real shame that is," she'd mock. "If shou did, I could give shou props for something. As is, shou and shour toy are completely out of sync." More than lacking synchronicity, Grinta found her opponent's current state lacking the necessary pieces to bridge the gap, as well as a framework necessary to ensure success. If this bat was her means of seizing victory, then her actions could only lead in one direction. And if that was the case, the vigilante was sure others more final than she would take advantage. "Yer cruel." "I wouldn't call my'elf that." "What would ya call yerself?" "I'd call my'elf 'rough-around-the-e'ges.' That's the sashing, shes?" "'Gree ta disagree." Grinta remained unflinching to Freja's feint, instead attempting to stomp Freja's hand against the pavement as she dove for her precious weapon. It wasn't impossible that the younger woman held some sort of quirk, let alone a dangerous one, but the circumstances regarding the notion indicated otherwise; if Freja was capable of something — a "Sacred Flame," or whatever the hell she was on about — would she not have employed it to begin with in the window she was freely given before? She doubted the effective use of a harpoon over a quirk. And if she did choose to conceal it, why would she be walking around with a bat, a weapon best applied using both hands? It would be wildly inefficient at best. "Come on, really? I didn't think I came off 'tupid or pathe'ic enough for that idea to make sense to shou." Leaning down to Freja's level, the vigilante attempted to place her stare right before Freja's eyes, forcing her to look upon her reflection in the monster's mask. "Shou calling me pathe'ic?" She further leaned forward, resting no more than an inch away from Freja's face. In their closeness, the saturated glow of neon green fell upon the student's features, casting deep shadows upon their figure. "Because I think shou see eshactly what's pathe'ic right now, and I assu'e shou it's not me." ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 464 words ※ What do you see?

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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[Freja Helt]

''I don't want your props for anything. You don't know anything about me.'' As if getting beaten and toyed around with by a villain wasn't bad enough, now she was getting lectured too?? Was this some kind of elaborate setup done by UAU? Was she seconds away from being told she was actually on hidden camera or something? Why else would Grinta be talking like this and not simply bashing her head into the nearest wall? What did she stand to gain? Entertainment? Well, in any case, to Freja none of this was fun, it was all about survival. About somehow getting the hell away from this monster who could float faster than she could run.

She was a bit disheartened to find her feint didn't work, but she wasn't about to let it ruin her move completely. Maybe it was still surprising enough that she could grab the bat before Grinta would notice. Unfortunately, seconds later her hand was being stomped into the pavement, Freja writhing and crying out in pain as the gap between her and her weapon felt wider and wider. Pushing back tears, she felt her whole body freeze up when the 'villain' leaned down to stare right into her eyes. ''I-I never said that!'' All she could think about was getting her hand back, scooping up her bat and running home. Far away from here, forget all this ever happened. Grinta was terrifying. Freja might have had a little bit of fighting spirit at the beginning, but it was deteriorating fast under her influence. The way she looked at her, intimidated her, it was the same way they all looked back at someone like Freja. She was scared for her life, but it pissed her off too. Quirked people always acting like they were superior just for being born with good luck.

''W-What do you know? You have it easy, you have powers, you do whatever the hell you want..'' She was panting, wondering if there was anything she could do to free herself. ''Egomaniacs like you- they're the most pathetic of all.'' If having a strong quirk meant she would turn out like someone like Grinta, she would rather not have one at all. Freja's flawed view and hypocrisy was absolutely lost on her, as always, she just assumed everyone had it easier than her and Grinta had if nothing, absolutely succeeded it convincing Freja that her quirk was a lot stronger and scarier than it actually was. Freja would suddenly jolt into action, trying to flail her way through Grinta and towards her bat, but it was just that. Desperate flailing from someone who was barely stronger than your average civilian.

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ Yet to ease her grasp from the girl's hand, the vigilante kept herself at Freja's height, refusing to simply let her break away. No, in the vigilante's efforts, she'd finally bore witness to the moment she'd so delicately engineered. The initial dread of her presence, a demonstration of ability, the sheer terror of failure, and now the desperate, seething hatred of a wounded beast — as Grinta saw it, the most pivotal moment; one where, regardless of emotion or temperance, Freja's brain would not soon forget her next words. There was no doubt — in the Argentine's mind, anyway — that she held the full attention of her opponent. The younger woman could struggle, she could even get out of this grip in time, but what came afterward? Did she believe the situation would become anything more than what it had already been? Even if all hope had vanished for retrieving her weapon, did she figure herself capable of escaping the villain she perceived? What was the choice to be had? As Grinta would posit it, she would have to listen. "Shes; like ma'y, I 'ave a gift. I did not earn this gift, nor did anyone teach it to me. It's something unique to me, embedded in my ve'y bio'ogy, that I cannot change." Pulling her face just a few inches away from the student, Grinta fixated her gaze squarely on her face. "And there will be many more who, like me, possess such abili'ies. When the day comes that shou face such individuals, people even less merciful than myself, will shou bitch and moan about shour weakness then? Hm? Will shou bemoan shour misfortune while shou watch shour collea'ues surpass shou at e'ery turn because shou 'weren't born spe'ial enough'?" Rising up from her position near the concrete — though she continued to press her foot down upon Freja's hand — she further spoke. "Shou've gotten this far, I concede that. It's impressive that shou 'aven't died since 'tepping on this path, too." The vigilante had known her share of days where, though she lived to tell the tale, she'd not expected the next day to come, days that seemed to be the last she'd ever known. "But when the time comes to pro'ect a life against a real threat, what will shou do?" Slowly, Grinta raised her foot from the student's hand, placing it back beside her other. She still positioned herself ahead of the bat, if for the sake of staying between the weapon and its wielder, but she let her posture loosen. Once again returning to the ground — this time in a squat — she'd place her arms between her legs before angling them forward. The gash from the student's hook still remained visible in the pittering rain. "Shou can't do anything as shou are right now, can shou?" ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 468 words ※ notes here, please keep it short.

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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[Freja Helt]

Freja kept thinking back to that man earlier. How Grinta no hesitation had been beating the shit out of him. Had he tried to fight her like Freja had? Or was he simply just a victim the 'villain' had picked out and if so, what was this villain going to do to her for daring to challenge her? Externally she was trying to appear tough and angry, but it was clear that Freja was lashing out, scared, desperate and just trying to survive what she perceived to be a dire situation. Maybe the biggest mistake of her life was challenging Grinta.

''Wh-What?'' She was expecting to have her head kicked in by now, but that wasn't what was happening at all. No, this woman was actually making sense. Was she sparing her to teach her a lesson? ''B-But I..'' She couldn't even form a proper response. Bad luck or good luck, it didn't matter what kind you had been cursed by. At the end of the day Freja could cry as much as she wanted about her life, but it wasn't going to make any criminals spare her. She winced as she still felt the foot on her hand, although she had stopped trying to force it free, as that only hurt more. ''I-I'll protect it I'll protect it!'' She exclaimed, compelled by the pain in her hand and a desire to get the hell out of this predicament.

As soon as she lifted her foot Freja quickly withdrew her hand, holding it close to her chest. Wielding her bat with a hurt hand like this wasn't going to be very viable. Sure, she could still hold and swing it in one hand, but she would be notably weaker, and that wasn't what she needed when facing an enemy stronger than her. Never mind swinging the bat, could she even get past Grinta? ''T-That's not true.. I can.'' She panted, holding back tears as her hand still hurt like hell. In an attempt at throwing a curveball, she looked up into Grinta's eyes for the first time in a while. ''..What's your name?''

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ The vigilante, in the completely blank stare of her mask, looked upon the student in silence. The light patter of rain continued to fall — now more prominent in the two's ears as their dialogue fell silent — with the neon glow radiating from Grinta's mask being the sole source of illumination; her stare of two crossed eyes, as well as her wicked grin, bore down into the girl, as though the question itself wasn't deserving of her attention. And, given the circumstance, Grinta would normally consider this answer to suffice. Diluting attention away from her point and tracing it back to herself, while clever as a "get-back" of sorts, wasn't what the Argentine sought; no, from someone such as Freja, who was saddled with the expectations of a hero — and the resulting responsibilities associated with such duties — fearing such questions wasn't what Grinta wanted to instill. Of course, she was under no obligation to instill anything into Freja, let alone teach her from a perspective borne of her own shortcomings as an agent of change. Still, when presented with an opportunity such as this, the vigilante couldn't simply avert her gaze. Perhaps it was petty, idiotic even, but to not take it upon herself would defy everything she'd held of value, as well as a slight upon the core of what she believed true heroism to be. And so it was that Grinta leaned forward a tad, still placing her weight in her arms, before she lifted her wrapped hand to meet Freja's gaze. "Don't do that," she'd reply, attempting to flick the girl between the eyes. "Don't try to get cle'er with me, under'tand? Shour garbage language is 'till a pain in the ass for me to use, and I'm not trying to play mind games. No more than I 'ave to, anyway." She didn't consider her own roundabout tactics to be mind games, however illogical that might be; at the very least, it soothered her conscience. "Be'ide'," she'd continue, "shou've alrea'y deci'ed who I am, shes? Shou don't actually want to know who I am, what I did to that other guy, or why I'm doing any of this." With 'any of this,' of course, left vague in relation to the many things she'd done in this alley alone. "Did shou leave shour ima'ina'ion in the womb? Eh?" Grinta let out a sigh. With droplets still sliding down her mask, the vigilante turned her gaze toward the clouded sky, perhaps basking in it for a moment. She couldn't have been much older than the student — she refused to believe any age below 30 was "old" — but were heroes not taught to look beyond the scene before then? Surely, even if they didn't care for motive, creativity would be imperative for their work, right? "But," she'd start, returning her focus to Freja, "shou can call me Grinta. Satisfied?" ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 478 words ※ Name's Grinta.

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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[Freja Helt]

The patter of rain around them would be calming to Freja on any other day. Here, it only served to accentuate the silence, making Grinta all the more intimidating when she just looked back at her and didn't say a word. Her life was entirely dependent on whether this villain would let her live or not and that was a scary thought. No, Grinta wasn't a villain, was she? There was no way she could be, if she was truly a villain wouldn't she just have taken Freja out without saying a word? She had more than proven she could, but instead she was humoring her, at least for now. ''..Do what?'' She asked, before letting out an ''ow!'' as the space between her eyes were flicked.

Rubbing the spot where she was flicked she looked back at Grinta, focusing hard to make sure she caught every word she said. It wasn't her fault her accent was so hard to understand! Calling Freja out on just attacking her based on presumptions, she couldn't really make a comeback there, she was right, she had just assumed she was a villain. ''N-No! But what you're doing here is still illegal.'' She winced a bit, still holding her damaged hand close. ''Grinta.'' Not a name she had heard before. Definitely not her real one either, but that didn't matter. ''I'm Freja.'' She moved for the first time in a while, adjusting her position to sit on her knees. ''I have no delusions about being able to beat you now.'' It was time for her final gambit. ''But if you give me a month, I can definitely surpass you.'' She was trying to sound tough, but her voice was wavering. Still, an offer for a much more satisfying rematch one day, maybe that would satisfy the vigilante?

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ The vigilante, still basking in their imposing visage, fixed her gaze upon the student again without so much as a breath let out in response. She hoped it would become clear that, when she stared with such a listless reticence, she was otherwise unamused by the notions presented; she figured the disconcerting sound of silence from someone such as herself — especially in a setting such as this — would suffice as its own form of response: A clearly unamused response. To put it simply, Grinta couldn't care less whether or not the student could "surpass" her as a combatant. Grinta long since understood that, when compared to those who pursued heroics as a form of occupation, she would never fully match up to their abilities. Most of them were blessed with quirks that could outdo her entire repertoire by their lonesome — that much was the nature of things. It was this disparity that divided the general populace, made up of people like Grinta, and the god-like wonders of modern heroes and villains. It was an unavoidable aspect of this world; some would be born with more than others, and there was no amount of grit or determination that could alter this reality. The vigilante had long since accepted this, understanding that she would never match up to many of the heroes and villains she stood apart from — to her, they were unattainable deities that could just as easily turn her to ash as they could impossibly save her. The simple truth of the matter was that, regardless of effort or persistence, Grinta would never be able to stand up on that stage, nor would she be granted the luxury of being revered as someone who worked for the betterment of others. But that was no reason for her to cower or acquiesce. "Why the 'ell would I care if shou can beat me in a fight?" She thought about flicking Freja again, but she didn't want to wrestle her hand away just to exact her point. Besides, she might have flickered too hard if Freja chose to focus on brawling alone. "Girlie, I'm not a figh'er; I'm a tinkerer. I make things that 'elp me and my allies. The fact that shou, as a 'tudent of the best 'ero 'chool in this country — the world, even — are lo'ing to a random oppo'ent on the 'treet is embarrassing enough. But to lose to me? If I were shou, I'd crawl into bed for a week and cry." "But I'm not shou, and shou clearly don't have time like that to waste." Harsh as she might sound, Grinta had a point to be made. Though she enjoyed the sharing of her perspective — unsurprisingly, she wasn't often granted the opportunity to speak to heroes and hero students — it was not meant to belittle Freja. Well, not solely belittle her, at least. "I'm trying to get it through that thick skull of shour's–" Against her better judgment, she'd repeatedly try to jab her finger into Freja's forehead– "that shou need to fi'ure out something where shou have the advantage. No matter how far shou train, there will alwashs be someone as 'trong as shou, and they'll likely have a quirk that compli'ents their abilities. Do shou undertand? Shou will always be a 'tep short if shou continue as shou are now." ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 556 words ※ Thick skull, thick skull.

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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[Freja Helt]

That... Was not the response Freja was expecting. Holy crap she was bad at reading this woman! Wasn't she the type that loved to fight others? To be met with a challenger that could match her in battle? Was that really presumptuous of Freja? Oh my god, how was the violent vigilante making her feel bad with nothing but cold silence and a few choice words. ''W-Well, uh..'' Just like that her confidence crumbled in a matter of seconds. ''..I'd be able to challenge you again, and give you more of a challenge.'' Yeah, this pitch was starting to sound terrible even to herself.

''H-Hey! It's not like you're weak!'' She protested, her loss to Grinta was totally a valid one, even if fighting wasn't her main field of expertise. So, she was a tinkerer? That thing Freja saw flying upwards, her coat or whatever it was, was that something Grinta had tinkered herself? Also, what was this about crawling into bed and crying? Freja didn't cry that easily!! The nerve.. She closed her eyes as her forehead was jabbed, flinching and preparing for another flick that never came. ''Easy for you to say, you actually have a quirk. People with quirks naturally have something they gravitate towards, something they're really good at. That's why I'm saying I'll train and I'll beat you.. It'll be proof that I'm improving.'' She grumbled. She didn't even want to have a discussion, she had hoped her proposal would suffice and Grinta would let her leave. As much as she talked back, the hero student was still scared of the vigilante. ''...Why were you beating those guys up?'' A question Freja should have asked long ago.

Jackie Maradona

[Jackie Maradona]

[attr="class","susurrus"]

[attr="class","jikan"] [attr="class","hiraeth"]私は世界を変えたい

[attr="class","achee"] [attr="class","castleonthehill"] ❝ Grinta would have otherwise offered, again, the same silence at Freja's proposal, but in the dripping air of this night, even the vigilante could hear the sound of an epiphany. Perhaps it was faint — maybe seeming like it had never been there at all — but the notion of a challenge now fell away. At long last, Grinta's words finally found their mark, and now the student was ready to not just hear her. Though, that wallowing voice had still yet to be drowned. There was truth in Freja's plight, that much Grinta was certain — she had, by this point, figured her to be properly quirkless — but to justify that as a lack of all possibilities? No, the vigilante shook her head at the notion, swaying the gaze of her mask and its illuminating sight. She was lucky enough to have something, a place of thought, that she could pursue as her path. Though this thorny path she walk gouged her soles, and though the ash in its air tore through her lungs, it was still one she walked regardless. Where this road broke away from the beaten into the darkness, consuming men in their embrace, Grinta aimed to ignite a light along her steps; though the thorns might still sting, and though the ash would be no more clear of the wind, there would be hope. But there was something that Freja did hold over the vigilante; she had no carved path for her. There was nothing to guide her in any specific direction, no road laid out for her to start from. But, in this expanse of void, there was a new opportunity that inevitably presented itself if one cared to find it — the chance to build out one's own path. "I'm not a benchmark to beat, 'tupid — shou won't gain anything by bea'ing me in a fight. Shou might become 'trong physi'ally, but ju't being 'trong like that won't save,'top, or 'elp everyone; there are only so many things shou can do with shour body. Like shou said, there will be things shour opponents gravitate toward' — they won't just be their quirks, they will be even more. Shou don't 'ave the room to complain about a missing path when shou don't even 'ave a quirk to make up for it. If shou want to have a chance, shou need to choose something, anything to work from." Even more so than by terms of physicality, Grinta was not one to be aspired towards — even if it was with the intention to surpass her. Even now, despite the years she'd dedicated herself to this role, she still felt weak. She couldn't bring about the change she wanted to see, and some nights, she wondered if she would ever be capable of making that little girl's dream. Though she continued this unending marathon, continuing to stab her feet again and again in this dogged pursuit, she never seemed any closer than when she started. But, standing here before someone at the beginning of their change, the scale of her efforts thus seemed evident. Though those thoughts had once haunted her — and even now still resurfaced time and again — their voices had been muted with a voice of her own. In that darkness, where the soot plagues one's lungs and makes it hard to speak, there is nothing more meaningful than being able to hear the sounds of yourself again. "Shou know... I don't have the re'ources shou 'ave, either." She'd lean away, though still kept her eyes fixed on the girl. "Shour a 'tudent at UA, shes? Shou go to an in'titu'e with many things shou can learn? Many of those things are more than just training a quirk, no?" "Becau'e I 'ave to do things like thi' to get by. I 'ave to make sha'y deals and beat unscrupu'ous contacts who try to wea'el out of our deals. But shou have options all at shour fingertips, ones ready for shou to pick them — so why are shou conti'uing to 'ide be'ind that same eshcuse?" ✉ tag -- Freja Helt ✎ 675 words ※ Reason or Excuse?

[attr="class","ache"]

MADE BY MIZO

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