"Copy that," Mai replied curtly while checking the cameras. Junsuina's Mjolnir had broken a large part of the patrol's impromptu cover and nearly hit the man with the infrared quirk, the sudden source of light having made him instinctively squint and fail to dodge in time. Only his companion's quick shove had prevented him from being hit by more than a glancing blow. Seeing said companion drag him to the side while erecting short obstructions between them and Team A, Mai stopped paying attention to them and focused on the rest of the scene. 

Just before the search lights could go up Elijah managed to get to the guard, blinding him and causing him to refrain from firing the ice shards in favor of trying to clear his eyes. It'd likely take him a while. From the guard post it was clear to see that several groups of reinforcements had averted course to head Junsuina's way creating exploitable gaps in the perimeter.

A dozen meters away on the order side of the fence one such group was directly in between Emilia and the door as both hero student and hostage takers alike ran towards each other on a collision course. Spotting the approaching foe the foremost member of the group -a guy with bat wings for ears, sharp teeth and a padded iron pipe in his hand- pointed at her. Immediately his two accomplices, a woman that seemed to shimmer like an oil spill and a man that had jagged spikes protruding from his arms, looked her way as well and continued on in a much more guarded manner.

Another group came in from the side, closer to the guard post. One of them pulled a tightly ball of vines out of the ground that were so tightly bound it seemed like they'd burst open violently the moment they impacted anything. The second person with him stretched out his earlobe as far as his arm could reach creating an improvised sling. Should they be left to act uninterrupted Emilia might face a nasty surprise.

Mai hummed to herself. It seemed the situation had gotten rather chaotic. Even so it wasn't anything beyond what the students could take. That meant it was time to activate one of the additional variables. Making sure the mic connected to Team A's earbuds was off Mai pressed the push-to-talk button on another.

"Ghosthound. You're up."

"Finally!"

"Remember. This is a training exercise," Mai made sure to emphasize. Static answered her. Team A however would receive a far clearer indication as to his presence. A loud howl resounded from behind the group shortly before a blindingly white werewolf barreled towards Junsuina, threatening to bowl her over and sweep past to the rest of the team should he fail to be stopped. 

---

TL;DR: Junsuina and Elijah respectively put the patrol and guard post out of action clearing the way for Emilia to rush straight ahead. While the majority of the reinforcements are funneling towards Junsuina's distraction two groups risk intercepting Emilia before she manages to reach the door. The first coming from the direction of the door and on a collision course with her and the second setting up a sneak attack from near the guard post. As if the situation couldn't get any worse a werewolf transformation quirk user attacks from behind, threatening to catch the group in a pincer attack and sweep them all away.

Tags: Elijah,Emilia Hall,junsuina

"That's heartening to hear," Mai replied with a smile. "Indeed. The Hero Association appears to have extended invites to an incredibly large amount of heroes and agencies." Even Mai herself was surprised by the turnout and she'd been part of organizing the gathering. "It is fortunate so many answered the call. Recent events have caused quite some waves and need to be addressed if we are to have any luck ensuring Tokyo's safety," Mai continued in an even voice that made it clear at least part of those lines had been rehearsed in advance. Certainly not every agency -not even every big agency- had sent a representative but it was nevertheless rare to have so many pro heroes in one place.

Her mouth went dry. Not only was there a rather large quantity present but the quality was there too. A great many of them were her senior by quite a few years. Yet of everyone present she'd be the one holding the speech. Mai gulped as she waved back at Kazashi while heading over to resolve the problem at a certain nearby table. She cast a look around on the way over. Over on the other side of the hall she spotted Spark Ranger standing near a table, his horse-like legs not allowing him to sit -an oversight she hadn't even considered before now- without specialized seating, engaged in casual conversation with Capsule and Ember Phoenix. Closer yet were Willful Wisp and Electric Heart laughing at a remark made by Highlighter, one that didn't seem to amuse Ra over at the next table nearly as much.

Mai's heart thumped in her ears as she walked, so loud she was almost worried everyone else could hear it too. Channeling her quirk through the inside of her nose she took a deep breath and let the chill air coursing through her lungs calm her. She had work to do, there was no time to panic. That could come when everything was over.

------

Tags: Kazashi McCoy,Penny ✾,lonewolf 

"The-" Mai began before cutting herself off once more. It appeared their argument wasn't quite over yet. She made sure to keep a genial smile on her face no matter the fact that it became more strained the more they talked. "Thank you for your concern, Lone Wolf. I'll be all right." 

She truly did appreciate the spirit of his offer. The practicality of it however made it a less than enticing prospect. For all that she valued her colleague and understood his methods were at times necessary to produce results she wasn't entirely convinced his talents extended to diplomacy. "Perhaps a story for later," Mai replied tactfully. "Should you wish to mingle do go ahead. That's what this gathering is for." Briefly making eye contact with each of them she made sure they knew she was talking to both of them when she continued. 

"Our caterers have a wide variety of drinks available ranging from local specialties to international beverages. If you flag one they can provide you with a paper menu. Alternatively you could use one of the codes at the center of the table to view a digital version on your phone, miss... I'm sorry, I don't think I've caught your name. I'm Shirayuki Mai or Yuki Onna in professional circles, it's a pleasure to meet you."

------

Tags: Kazashi McCoy lonewolf Penny ✾

"Of course, Kazashi. I intend to take a short break the moment all of this is over," Mai replied with a warm smile. Once everyone went home she'd just finish up the day's paperwork before going for a leisurely jog along her usual patrol route. "Hey there Zenji, hey there Yuzuki." She added while leaning down -far less than she'd have liked- to come face to face with them, almost cooing when she continued talking to them. "You two are adorable. Yes you are."

Accepting the hug Mai reciprocated before sending the trio along, pointing them towards one of the tables close to the banquet table. It wouldn't do to make Kazashi and her children have to move too far each time after all. Spotting one of her colleagues she gave a quick wave to Lone Wolf before the next guest demanded her attention. She'd try to pass by him later when she had a moment. For now she could only hope the American-style barbeque she made sure to include in the banquet was enough to excuse her discourtesy. 

Nerves were starting to get to her. In her head she went over the short speech she'd be giving soon once more, the worry that she'd forget parts of it increasing with every passing minute. Several guests later there was finally a lull in arrivals and she found a moment to do more than give more than a short greeting to her friends.

"How are you enjoying the gathering, Kazashi?" She began, only managing to get a bit of conversation in before a slight disturbance caught her attention. "Sorry, one moment. I'll be right back."

Walking over to the nearby table that Lone Wolf and Penny were at she put on a genial smile.

"Is there a problem?"

------

Tags: Kazashi McCoy lonewolf Penny ✾

"I see," Mai nodded in reply. She had thought the jokes of American food always trying to be bigger were just that but clearly there was some truth to it. It was quite interesting to see the differences. She froze for a moment when she realized she'd called it Yakiniku. Wasn't there another name for the American version? Barbeque? She was aware that it had gained more and more popularity in recent years so it really wasn't a mistake she should've made. "I- I am much more used to Yakiniku than Barbeque so I brought some meats and vegetables traditionally used in Japan for v- variety."

Variety could never hurt after all, Mai justified to herself. Taking another sip of her soft drink her face almost scrunched when the prickles caught her off guard once more. She nearly jumped when Sadako addressed her.

"Ah, I have not." Mai answered before frowning. Should she have? In this day and age where everything was getting more and more interconnected she could certainly see the benefits. Wait. Was it expected that someone of their profession gained more multicultural experience? Did she miss the memo due to her more traditional upbringing? Perhaps she should find some time to go on a trip...

"Are there any destinations you would recommend, Sadako-sensei?"

------

Tags: lonewolf Sadako Gotoh

[attr="class","likedo"]

Mai stopped herself from blanching as she took another sip of her soda, not at all used to the way the bubbles within the carbonated drink fizzled. Unfortunately she hadn't spotted a kettle during the quick glance she gave the surroundings and looking around any more would give her the appearance of some naive tourist, something she very much would prefer to avoid. So soda it was. Even if she wasn't sure whether it'd be a good match for the Yakiniku. It was only when she was halfway through the can that she remembered she brought sake for exactly that reason.

"Ho~ I've never seen these types of cuts used for Yakiniku. Are these common in America?" Mai asked innocently while unloading her grocery bag so she didn't forget anything else. Bottles of sake, Yakiniku sauce and various thin cuts of meat joined an assortment of pre-cut vegetables before she neatly folded the bag back up and put it in her pocket. It'd been a while since she'd had charcoal Yakiniku so she couldn't help but look forward to it. Another sip of her soda reminded her that this one might be quite different than the ones she was used to but Mai had never shied away from new experiences.

------

Tags: lonewolf