Mai refrained from looking too closely as he recovered. She knew far better than to risk chafing any potential pride by insisting on bearing witness to this particular moment of weakness. That was not what Samaritan needed right now. Feeling the heat infuse her own numbed palms through the hot pack in her hands Mai simply closed her eyes and went through breathing exercises until he called out to her. Opening them once more she faced him as she thought his question through. Perhaps a more psychologically savvy hero would have fed him the words he needed most right now but Mai wasn't confident she could give them without botching the whole thing. No, she'd always just acted in the way she felt was right and kept going. She'd simply reply with her honest opinion on what she'd have done, unfiltered and brash as it may be. Mai knew she wasn't perfect and that her view wasn't the only right one. There was no point putting thoughts into his head. She'd share hers and let him draw his own conclusions.

"I would neutralize the threat as quickly as possible. Injuries can be recovered from, death cannot. A villain that would do something like this needs to be stopped and if possible provided help by trained and licensed medical professionals, not words thrown at them by us in the heat of the moment. Ensuring the safety of everyone involved must be our top priority."

The words were spoken from the heart with a fervor that bordered on the zealous. No one person could do everything. No one person should have to. It was why she'd founded an agency and turned her attention to attempting to coordinate even when her talents laid in martial arts. She could make a difference out in the field and many times she had. More important was that there were a great many others that could do so too if given the chance but if half were in the wrong place at the wrong time the difference made would be far too small, even if Mai herself did everything she could. The slogan of her newfound program was a mantra she oft repeated to herself. 'Always remember. You never fight alone.'

"Professionals are each trained and educated for specific purposes and heroes are taught combat for a reason. Sometimes one must be cruel to be kind. Were there no need for direct conflict there would be no need for heroes and field personnel would be trained in a wildly different way. To take up the mantle of heroism is to acknowledge that some people have to be stopped by force, both for their own good and for that of everyone else. For just as cruelty to an enemy is kindness to an ally so can kindness to an enemy be cruelty to an ally. There is an old saying that the road to hell is paved in good intentions. I have seen far too many incidents where optimistic judgments have led to tragedy."

She didn't elaborate on what that constituted. Both because she was sure he could imagine what she meant and because she had no interest in picking at old wounds more than she needed to. Mai couldn't afford to focus on herself here. It was just a hunch but Michael's behavior felt extreme, even for a hero. 

"Should you wish to talk more on it or anything else I will be here for it. Counselor Gotoh, ah, I mean Gleipnir too is available no matter what the subject is. There is no shame in seeking advice, assistance or help. Always remember. You never fight alone."

Mai truly hoped she was wrong but the more she saw of him the more his actions nagged at something in the back of her head. Survivor's guilt drove people to unhealthy extents and her concerns were growing. In between the injuries he'd incurred in the Hostage Rescue Simulation and how hard he'd pushed his body now it'd be downright negligent of her not to pay attention. Her heart ached at the thought. She truly hoped she was wrong but if she wasn't -or even if she was- he had to know she was willing to be there for him. So she met his gaze, hoping she was looking in the right place, and spoke with her eyes the intent words could obfuscate. There were others beside him more than willing to share any burden.

---

Tag:Samaritan

"Overconfidence is a flimsy shield.”

One that would get him killed. Mai knew well -it could even be said she knew better than most- that it was impossible for a single person to shoulder everything. Much as she'd love to do the same she had experienced firsthand where that led. The failure to do more than react to individual attacks during Babel. Her inability to secure civilians in time to reinforce the group facing one of the main threats during The Elementalist's terrorist attack leading to the tower rising in Toshima. The subsequent calamity that was coming to be known as Dream World or The Nightmare as a result. Not a single one of those could have been stopped by someone shouldering everything. As much as the very idea grated her to her core she had to acknowledge the facts for willful ignorance would lead to more casualties.

That was why she was here today. Why she'd founded an agency. The reason she advocated for a program to put more heroes in the field and to improve coordination between already existing ones. So too was it why she could not afford to let up on him here today. She had learned the hard way that she could not shoulder everything alone. It was a lesson that had cost innocent lives. Deaths that rational or not she still blamed herself for every night. Michael did not have to learn the same way as her. No matter how hard she had to be on him here today she'd do everything she could to internalize that lesson in him before such a bad habit could take root.

"We're in agreement then. Turn away and leave to fight another day. I will gladly walk you all the way out," Mai responded in her best impression of a villainous voice even as her posture shifted to intercept him and the bomb unceasingly ticked away behind her. She knew of course that he wouldn't take the offer. Not if this situation had been real and most certainly not in a simulation. So long as he thought to try words in a situation where he was simply talking to a wall however it was her duty as an instructor to show him why it would not work. Perhaps in the field he might observe a success once in a blue moon with such a method, yet one had to live through many days to see such a sight and but one mistake could be enough to shut one's eyes forever. Her jaw clenched as faces flashed through her mind's eye. She wished Mei were still here to learn that lesson in a kinder way, yet the girl had been robbed of the chance far too long before her time.

For a moment she saw her visage reflected on Michael's featureless face. It was good her gaze did not need to stay there. Footwork was the most important part of any martial art. She'd explained it to her students time and time again. Mai did not need to see his expression to tell what he was intending for focusing on the opponent's face was far from the only way to tell what they were doing. The legs were where motions began, quirk or no quirk. It was simply an instinct ingrained in humanity through millennia upon millennia of experience.

When Michael launched himself past her Mai did not foolishly attempt to get in between him and his goal, no, she simply swerved and struck at him in passing. Aiming quick strikes at his joints while channeling her quirk into them to hinder his mobility as much as possible she sought to harry his future moves instead of stopping his attempts here and now. 

The chain tightly wrapped around the bomb and the mannequin clinked as Michael slammed into them and tried to create a gap. The resounding clang echoed throughout the room overshadowing the steady ticking entirely for a moment. But a moment was all it was, for the test of time required far more than one instance of giving it one's all to be withstood. 

"So you have chosen death," Yuki Onna stated in a tone that was both mournful and soft. As if it were not a villainous boast, one-liner or threat. Nor even a promise. Simply a remorseful statement of fact by one who could already see how it would end. Even Mai herself was surprised by how cold and empty her words had sounded.

"Explain to me, Samaritan," she spoke as she walked towards him and his objective. "With your back turned to your enemy and your efforts on a task that requires your full attention, how do you intend to accomplish anything?"

Once she reached him she'd place the palms of her hands on his back and begin to channel the cold of her quirk to numb him ever further unless he managed to avoid her or force her to abort the action. All the while she listened for his reply without letting up, her mind set on continuing her actions. 

---

TL;DR: Mai refrains from stopping Michael in favor of hitting his joints in passing to channel the cold from her quirk into them and limit his mobility. Once he reaches his target she walks over to him while asking what he intends to do now that he has an enemy at his back and a task that requires his full attention in front. While listening for his answer she attempts to put her palms on his back and further channel her quirk to numb him until he can no longer fight.

Tag:Samaritan

“Reason only works with the reasonable. I do not intend to be reasonable today,” Yuki Onna fired back with a cold look in her eyes. "You do not have the power to bargain here. Nor the time."

Naive. That was all Mai could say about it. She too wished for a world were words were enough, deterrents stopped all crime and everyone could live in peace. Michael seemed to understand that villains were people just like them, each with their own goals, reasons and motivations. What he failed to grasp however was that just as it made it possible to get through to them with words it made it just as likely that you'd make the situation worse. In the field you could only see a small part of your opponent, the one short interaction you'd have with them far from enough to understand their life. It was impossible to know what they'd been through and because of that it was almost as impossible to be sure of what would get them to stand down and what would get them to escalate or lose it.

There was a time and place for everything and as much as Mai loathed using force unless necessary talking a villain through their problems could not happen unless they were fully secured and could not endanger the safety of themselves or those around them. Anything less was no different from willful ignorance that did far more harm than it did good.

"I am willing to die for my beliefs and take everyone here with me," Mai continued in her best impression of a villainous voice. "Can you say the same?"

---

Tag: Samaritan

[attr="class","likedo"]

[attr="class","likedo"]

The more Player One talked the more confused Mai got. Modern day slang was always so difficult to understand. Every time she'd finally learned what it meant the youth had already moved on to the next version. It was wonderful to see their adaptability but incredibly frustrating to witness their casual disregard for the history of their language. Putting the thought aside she returned to going along with his suggestion to 'play ball'. No, wait. Was it play golf these days? She'd have to remember that.

"I can certainly lend a- Watch out!" Mai shouted as she saw the tentacle coming for him far too fast for her to intercept in time. She swore under her breath when he went down. She couldn't cover both him and her armored colleague which left but one option. As she charged into the fray Yuki Onna called back over her shoulder. "Are you alright? Leave this one to me and get to safety!"

With four limbs against eight it would not be the easiest fight but as a pro hero she could not back down. Not while innocents were at risk. Raining a flurry of blows down on the lashing tentacles she channeled her quirk to chill and try to freeze them while she fought her way towards the beast. Each parry, block or strike would stun it just a bit more. Whether it would be enough for her efforts to pay off only time could tell.

---

Tag: Taro Yamada

Had it not been for the fact that she'd already been zig zagging as the shots were fired and that Farrin's focus was split Mai would likely have been hit dead on. As it was the first shot missed, the second shot grazed her and only the third hit her in full. Even as he'd pointed his arm her way Mai had realized she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Instead she'd done the next best thing and threw her blunted sword at him with as much force as she could manage.

"Backstab!" Mai shouted right before going down, announcing her sneak attack with the audacity of a true villain. Added onto it was the fact that the sword had been thrown so it'd spin horizontally resulting in a slashing attack should it hit, not a stab. Lying after all was the domain of villains. 

Years of practice had ingrained certain movements and made them instinctive. There was a chance that with her usual gear and the intent to win at all costs she'd have been able to avoid the third bullet but as this was an exercise she'd brought neither. Instead her instincts resorted to damage control. Even as she'd been throwing the sword her body had angled itself so she'd take minimal damage from her incoming introduction to the floor. With a thud the Blazing Djinn went down at the same time as Sadako. Unlike Sadako the muscles in her jaw were still clenching up a bit too much to offer any words or an acknowledgement but her thoughts were along the same lines.

---

Too many tags:
Sadako Gotoh,junsuina,lonewolf,Muruyama Kenta,𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲,Ryota Hada,Farrin,Shirayuki Mai,Kazashi McCoy,Iphigenia Pavlina