"Oh, yes, I think you'll enjoy my taste." With a matched wink, there was almost a whisper like a secret being shared between them. Well, Nobu didn't want to mortify the old lady as they entered the restaurant. He couldn't resist quipping back, wondering how dear Kysaly would take the comment. He liked seeing the raw, candid moments coming from them. He invited it, and as long as he made them feel welcome then they'd stay.

The way they operated was vastly different from each other. Nobu meticulously put on a suit of armor he desperately needed a crafter to upgrade, even if it was just for the sake of convenience. Kysaly operated seemingly solely within their residence, not that he knew that exactly. He would, destiny called for it. "I'm impressed with your Japanese, don't let anybody treat you like a foreigner. They'll fawn over you, they'll isolate you. If anybody does that, let me know."

In a not very subtle offer, Nobu would 'take care' of anybody that harmed Kysaly's well-being. Maybe it was a silly way at expressing his toughness, but it was one thing he was good for. Seeing barista blush, their complimentary water would arrive. Nobu would pour the pitcher himself and wait for the old lady to disappear into the back. "Oh, you've been on my mind, Kys. I would be a fool to not return that kiss." Playfully blowing a kiss their way, he would take a sip from his water.

They might need plenty of hydration tonight. "I thankfully have a rather nice apartment paid off from when I was a corporate zombie. So whatever business I get into won't be too close to home. I'd suggest once you blow up, you do the same!" Tapping the table with his fingers, he found himself unable to pull his gaze from Kysaly's beautiful eyes. "What's something you want to experience in Japan? A golden item on your list just waiting for the golden ticket?"

The questions were tame, but he wondered how the conversation would evolve. There was one in particular that he wanted to ask out of curiosity, but it would open a can of worms that he wasn't ready for. 'Oh what's your quirk?' 'Oh it's this! What about you?' 'Oh, you know, lightning. Just like that vigilante! But, totally not him!'. An obviously poor path. Eventually, their soju would come and they could really loosen up.

Kysaly

In Nobu's lifetime, too many people were unsure of what they wanted to do. People had dreams, aspirations that they spent years working on but they didn't spend that same time knowing how to lock someone down. Now, he wasn't ashamed to enjoy the romance and spectacle of getting together with someone and riding the storm. Eventually, those storm clouds would clear and there would be another storm to ride.

The boldness that was rewarded by Kysaly was what made it easy to randomly show up and offer to take them to dinner. They could have dinner, talk, and let the tension rise without real pay-off because Nobu was used to that. He wouldn't run away if he actually really liked the cafe owner, he just took the present for what it was. When Kysaly mentioned not getting kissed back, Nobu crossed his arms and smirked devilishly.

"It's not that I don't want to kiss you. It's pacing." Turning around and grazing the counter behind him, there was static that danced between its surface and his fingertips. A heat that they may learn in time, just differently. "With proper pacing, the tension will heat us up. The electricity will turn to fire." Turning back around and clutching the counter, he watched Kysaly finish up.

"I won't be shy. I want you to make me coffee in the morning. Anyways, dinner time." Walking towards the exit and eventually take the sweet Kysaly's hand. Pulling it in and kissing the back of their hand, he would weave his fingers in their's and lead the way. Not far from the cafe was a restaurant that he frequented, one that had a simple menu with complex ingredients. Poke and soju.

Enjoying the walk there, Nobu wouldn't rush. He'd let their waltz go for as long as what felt natural. It was only a five minute walk at most, but he wanted Kysaly to feel welcome in his company. "You'll like this place, they keep it easy. Do you drink at all, Kys?" The intent wasn't to wine and dine, though he hadn't lied about not being shy.

Kysaly

The begging, the pleading. It was disgusting coming from the deranged little demon such as Rui. It drew him in closer, as it made him wanted to finish her off even more. As he destroyed the alleyway and left behind char, the explosive might of his lightning would ignite a fire that quickly spread along the walls of this dark corridor. As she crawled and attempted to hide poorly, yelling back out to him before trying to get the police's help, Raiden laughed.

Lightning coursed up his arms, color scintillating against the dark metal. Despite being a killer, she wanted to turn to the authorities in an act of desperation. As the force of firing his blue lightning for the first time in a long time had built up so much heat, he could feel that he couldn't let out a real onslaught like he could in his youth. Still, he wouldn't rest until he tried to incinerate her.

"Prime Minister. Vulnerable Citizen. What act comes next? Are you truly that afraid when you enjoy blood as you do? It's fun when you can draw it from others..." Charging up, the beacon on his chest would shine radiantly. Finding her attempting to climb a building, smoke would curl through the branch off the alley and roll against Raiden's armor. "The only draw you've known has been the bloodletting of your assassinations. No, we will not call it draw you imbecile."

Venomous in his words, he knew he had her with one more good bolt. She was using herself as a hope, which was interesting. Futile, as he simply needed to aim high before she could zoom away. "It's not so fun when death is at the door, is it!? Dying isn't so great, is it Mummy!? I will smite you for your crimes. Die." Erupting from his chest was another blue bolt, lightning so mighty that it would sunder the building.

He would be too close, unfortunately, as it would recoil and bury him into the ground. Out of touch with power versus discipline, this would severely injure him at the same time that he would engulf the area in light and shake it with thunder and the might of his bolt. Like a roaring dragon, he would try to engulf Mummy. To her fortune, he would not aim directly for her and would bury himself so hard that she'd have ample time to escape.

Frying the nearby electrical systems and spreading the fire, there would be the sound of evacuating people and incoming sirens. This was bad. That meant heroes. "Blasted Mummy..."

Rui Matsui

Attraction was dangerous. It made eyes turn into gemstones, the colors of a person's appearance turn to mana and put the viewer in a trance. The volatility was exciting, meeting so briefly and having such momentum was rare. Most people, reasonably, didn't like such an intrusive level of flirting. Nobu saw Kysaly react, so he leaned. The more they reacted, the more he leaned. Now he couldn't stop thinking about being inches away once more. Maybe even closer.

Slowly walking further in as Kysaly cleaned frantically, Nobu would just 'mhm' in response before being behind the counter and resting against the wall, chest showing like he was exposing midriff. He saw the draw Kysaly wore, appreciating its warm style. Fidgeting with his lighter, he was tempted to step out for a smoke but wanted to smell good. Using a light, quality scent he procured from a friend in the fashion business, he would hope it would tickle Kysaly's nose and make them anticipate the next steps.

"You look good, Kys. I can't wait to stare at you all night." Would they spend more than an hour or two together? How long could Kysaly stand Nobu? The real test of their connection will come from emotional attraction, the physical was easy. As to not fail at being a gentleman AND their personal incubus, he drifted forward and came close to Kysaly. "I'm making you close up, need help?" Hand on the table and leaning over their shoulder, he asked gently.

Softly. Sensual.

Kysaly

The heat of battle was sorely missed. Releasing his quirk in full-force was a pressure uncapped unlike any other. The more this deranged Mummy spoke, the sweeter it felt. To bleach the streets of Japan would mean to eradicate beings like her. Ones that truly reveled in their evil and savored the blood drawn from it. As the blue lightning would swell from Nobu's body during the time it took for him to summon it, Mummy cowered.

She ran down the narrow passage. She ran and begged and pleaded. Swearing he said things he had never said, it didn't need words for it to be understood that she needed to be put down. Yet, there was one problem. Nobu had powerful control over the potency of his quirk, but he was just coming back to the game. Despite the killing intent being there, he might not strike her as precisely as he needed to.

Still, it would hopefully send the message that was necessary. He wouldn't have the energy to chase her down fully, but he enjoyed watching her squirm and cry. As the bright flash would beam through every opening and the glass would shatter, this torrential bolt of lightning would tear through the alley and attempt to engulf her. The heat was so intense that it scorched all that Nobu breathed his lightning upon.

Many in the area would feel the concussion of nearby thunder. Not that it would injure them, but a sign that they were dangerously close to a storm. It was for their sake, but cutting a deep ravine into the alley wouldn't be telling of that very well. As concrete collapsed and mix dust with smoke, Nobu would stand there with heavy breathing. Static would dance along the surface of his Hoshiguard and he would wonder if she made it out alive.

Winded, he knew that he couldn't hunt her and use his quirk recklessly. It was either strike the fear of god in her or more patiently fight her to the death. "I will find your corpse, Mummy. I will find it and I will burn it if you're not already ash." A grim threat, one that Nobu was unsure how possible it was.

Rui Matsui

Networking was always such a bore. People were often hard to navigate and overstimulating, but the aging vigilante wanted to make his presence known. So here he was, dressed up and feeling sexy. Well, until someone decided to ruin his night by telling him he had bad taste. If he were younger, there would be particularly nasty quips about how he has more taste and style than the hairs on the fellow vigilante's body.

The outfit was handmade by a friend and took an elaborate amount of time to put on. How dare he? Nobu knew not to care much about it, it was just someone trying to express dominance. Deliciously, everyone seemed to have the opposite of ideal reactions to the man and Nobu ate it up. Nodding at Weaver, he would give a brief thanks before enjoying soju in a more tasteful manner. Portioned, controlled, comfortably paced.

With the pleasantries of Kokoro, he sipped the soju and gave a friendly chuckle. "Certainly, when is a vampire not?" While he initially shrugged off Hymn, he almost spoke up when he was being particularly creepy, had the others not shut it down already. There was no need to fight, so he collected some soju and offered them around. "Why don't we take a drink in the name of being free from corporations as supposed vigilantes?"

Everyone would get down to that, he imagined. People HATE corporations. Nobu certainly did. When Ruri offered to exchange numbers to all but Hymn, he lifted his soju in celebration. "I'm always looking for work to thwart some villainy. I can bring the thunder." They'd likely write him off as just another random freelancing vigilante. He purposely kept himself from being social and just existed around the party.

Be friendly, gravitate towards the right people and the opportunities would reveal themselves.

Kysaly had humored Nobu well enough to have their hospitality held in high regard. Most of the time, a customer wouldn't dare absorb the time of a business owner who surely had other responsibilities. It was commendable that he was humored for this long, even agreeing with each other on not being blind hero-worshippers. The extent of their agreement mostly ended there, but it left plenty of surprises for the future.

"It's true, but I can't help but appreciate the people who don't lie through their teeth. I had enough of that life." As Kysaly showed him honesty, he would show the same to them. He was honest about the cookies, the coffee, their looks and his beliefs in heroes. Even a brief glimpse into his history, which didn't really raise questions related to that. There was just respect, plain and simple.

"Well, Kys, if you don't mind that nickname by the way, I do want to court you." Leaning forward and crossing his arms, he would let his natural lurch bring his face across the table without forcing its reach. "I do need a place I can get a nice, hot cup of coffee on the regular." He knew what he was doing, but this time he was lying by omitting the fact that usually he explored around a bit.

Kysaly had their own charm about them, however, as it kept Nobu here for this long. Normally he would lose interest and move on about his day. There was still more to learn about the cafe owner. "Jokes aside, I usually quietly try places. You're attractive with a sweetness that's understated but appreciated. Really opened me up with that customer service cocktail." Winking at Kysaly, he would begin to rise from his seat.

Standing over Kysaly unintentionally, adjusting his tie and replacing his dark-shaded glasses onto his face, he might've appeared very imposing. "I hope you didn't mind the company, Kys."

Kysaly