floatsaway | IC Inbox

[He listens carefully feeling his heart absolutely ache for her. How it must have felt for her is different from how it felt for him. He can't erase those feelings she's having and he knows that. He can't just save her from them and it makes him feel strange.]

I know... Uraraka-san.

[It was awful dark magic that was meant to hurt them. To get under their weakest link and take advantage of it. That's why Izuku had been scared that maybe he was more like the clone than he wanted to admit. He only felt that way because it got to him too. And he is sure it was the same for Katsuki too. Feeling that heavy dread in his stomach, knowing that this is all one big What If...?]

But you know... I'd never treat you like that. I'd never try to own you. Ever. And I know now that the doppelganger wasn't anything like me. No matter how hard it tried to copy what I might do or say... It was worse than a villain. Worse than Toga. It was that kind of dark magic that's just...a nightmare.

[He swallows.]

I think it's okay to be scared of that, be worried about it...

[Disappearing... Ochako shivers a bit, her hands tightening on the fabric of her shirt, by her chest. Is it really that bad in other places? Are petty crimes like this really punishable by death? Imprisonment in Tartarus is...not exactly a great thing, but the inmates there are still tended to for the duration of their lives - they're held, fed, and even given medical treatment as needed. It may be solitary confinement from the world, so...in a sense they are disappearing, but. Those sort of villains are the worst of the worst. Most of them have amassed a headcount well into dozens, sometimes hundreds...

It's a raw subject, not well defined...hah, certainly not in the scope of Ochako's society - what makes a Hero? And what makes a Villain?]

I don't agree with that sort of punishment. I feel like it's right to punish a crime, so the criminal can learn what they've done is wrong, and maybe some crimes are so unforgivable that the person does need to never show their face again... [All For One...the league of Villains...] But I don't like the idea of killing. I...learned recently that sometimes it's the right choice, the only one, but I don't like it. I don't want to ever have to do that.

[She's not mentally and emotionally prepared for it as she is now. Ochako takes a deep breath as they approach the front of the stall, putting on her best smile to lighten the mood and not be a downer when she orders. Nah, she doesn't want to dwell on this. What's done is done, right? It's fine. Don't think about it too much.]

A-Anyway, what are you having? I might get two!

[For the right price, the law would be willing to overlook things like that. Also, for small towns and villages that the ruling class might overlook just made their own rules to keep the peace... or 'peace'.]

That's a good thing, y'know. Killing someone should be a last resort.

[Looking at what the stall has to offer, Zidane's able to smile easier than Ochako can. It's a normal discussion for him.]

I might go for this meat and potatoes one.

We have prisons to hold powerful villains, yeah.

[Whether or not they are 'good' is really in the eye of the beholder. The villains detained in Tartarus - the maximum security prison that holds the deadliest villains in Japan - most definitely isn't seen as good or favorable by those who would call themselves villains. Hell, even the smaller prisons and jails throughout the country aren't exactly a haven for the criminal underbelly. Ochako isn't so dense, and brainwashed by her society, to not understand this basic fact of life. What is 'good and bad' isn't as simple as one may think.]

I don't know what it means to be shinobi, just what it means to be a hero...and I think those two are very different, yeah. If heroes killed so easily...I don't think people would consider them heroes. It's like I said - murder is still a crime where I'm from, and it doesn't matter how you try to justify it. I was taught it shouldn't even be considered as an option, and to always try to do nonlethal damage to a villain, but...villains don't think like that. They strike to kill. And the worst of the worst will never change how they think or act. They don't want a hero to save them, after all. To them...we are the villains.

[Ochako sighs. Rubs her face. The more Homura talked about how she killed, the more Ochako's head throbbed. She's right, it sounded like the more she did it, the easier it became, and that's...scary. It's scary, and it's very uncomfortable for Ochako, especially talking about killing her comrades. Ochako's stomach lurches, and she had to swallow hard, squeezing her eyes shut. Killing so easily like that, even for friends and allies...what value did a human life have, at that point?]

...I'm glad you did. This sort of thing I don't really like to talk about. I couldn't do what you do, ever, I...I-I know I wouldn't be strong enough. Maybe it's naïve of me, but that's just the sort of person I am.

True. Some shinobi in my world would look down at you for it. I sure as hell won't though.

[She pushed off the wall a bit, leaning forward, eyes filled with more energy. It's true that shinobi from her world would probably reject heroes for the most part.

However, she and her friends weren't normal. Then again, nothing of what she explained was normal.]

You're taking a path that's more difficult, and you're clearly set on it. You will be challenged and tested constantly. Probably already have been too with how you talk. [And with how much Homura blabbed on about killing so casually.]

I don't think it's naive, not when you are aware of all of this, and with how adamant you are with no killing. If we all took the easy way out, I imagine we wouldn't be doing these trials at all.

[She smiled, for the first time since coming up here. All this reminded her of the first time she and Asuka met, both still finding their true path of being a shinobi.]

That level of strength and resolve is worthy more of respect than anything. Especially when you aren't yelling like a certain blonde I met.

[Indeed it would, or it would hire top guns to snuff out problematic individuals before they made it big into the world. It is a fact of life - there is no black and white, only shades of grey. Ochako, however, is too young, too new, to have experienced this just yet. The evils of the world itself...she is not yet at the point in time where the image of a perfect, Hero society is burned away by the ugly truth.]

Mm. [Ochako's lips turn up at the corners in agreement and appreciation. It's nice to know someone isn't going to call her stupid, or naive, or try to change her mind on things she values like that. This boy's...definitely got a good heart.] I think I'll get that one, too!! And a pumpkin and maple one for dessert later!

You can go first. [Since they're up next!]

[He might change her mind on a few things, but wanting to preserve certain morals? No way. However, with it being their turn next, he shakes his head.]

Absolutely not. It's ladies first~ I can wait. [Chivalry is still definitely a thing where he's from. And no, not only to knights.]

[It was a being of dark magic, of evil, worse than perhaps a villain, because it preyed on Ochako's weakness. It took advantage of the love in her heart, for her friends and family, for people around her, and twisted it to try and hurt her. Time and time again, that abundance of love she has for people just gets...turned on its head. It gets used against her, and she's sick of it. Ochako is sick of it because it feels like her love is only on the surface. That it's fake. What...does she really know about the people she 'loves'? Other than the basics? Can she really call that caring about them, if she only knows someone based on what she sees? Their traits as Heroes...

Admiration. Respect.

If she took away the faces of people, wouldn't they just be the same as strangers then?

It's that which has really gotten Ochako flustered and upset. Thanking about herself and how she sees people. Sees Izuku and even Bakugou. Two people she considers her close friends, and yet she either couldn't tell them apart, or refused to. It just makes her feel disgusting.]

I know you wouldn't. And I know it wasn't. But...Deku-kun, what do we really even know about each other? You're my best friend, o-or at least I-I...think so. [She takes a deep breath in, and leans her cheek on her crossed arms, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.] But I barely know anything about you other than what I learned from school, or from watching you at school.

That's what's scariest to me. That...th-that I don't r-really...know any of you at all. You, or Bakugou-kun, or...o-or really the rest, even.

[Oh! Well, if he insists... Ochako blinks and smiles a bit as she nods her head forward in thanks and makes her order known to the staff, who punch it into the register and go to pick up the pre-made and hot pasties, waiting for payment before they hand over the food. Ochako will tug out her little wallet and fish through it, nodding her head for Zidane to order as well, since they're together.

...She might also be subtly trying to hear the cost of his order to attempt to pay for his, ohoho. Two can play this game, good sir.]

[That might be tricky since, now that he's at the front and looking, does he want his first choice? Some of the others do look really good. If she wants her pastries while he picks, she'd have to pay, buuut... hm...]

[Ah, he makes a choice and had his payment ready. She'd have to be quick!]

[And here is where Ochako might falter a bit. She's always been a bit, erm...financially savvy, so Ochako's going through her coin purse to make sure she has enough funds in there for both of them (because she only carries a set amount ON her at all times, to use up for the week. It helps her budget), counting the coins and bills and removing just enough. Her mental math is on point however, so the amount she does take out is...enough to cover for four pastries, in case Zidane decides to get two, like herself.

She might not be quick enough to do all this before he orders and pays, though, as good as she is at bargaining.]

[She outta be caaareful - otherwise, she might find him pulling out his own money and paying for her order and his.]

[... Oh wait, he does.]

[Sniped!! And there's nothing she can do about it because Zidane's already being handed the receipt.]

Ah!! H-Hey, I was going to pay for it!

Beat ya to it! You can cover next time... if I don't pay first then.

[He grins, but then holds up her order.]

I...

[She thinks it's that way? Izuku is quiet for a moment as he swallows that.]

... But, we've been through a lot together, Uraraka-san.

[He shuffles on his side.]

I guess I- I've never had a lot of friends before coming to U.A. You were the first person to really talk to me there, too. If I were to look at it, I'd said we're best friends.

[Even if there are a few things that Izuku does keep from her because he's thinking of her own safety. Ah, with great power come great responsibility.]

You've always been there for me and have supported me through a lot of rough spots. I think... feeling the way you are now about that doppelganger has to prove some of that? How much you've cared...

[And maybe Izuku needs to try a little harder himself...]

Edited 2021-07-15 02:29 (UTC)

Mmmh...no fair.

[Why do people pull this sort of thing? Her friends sometimes do, too, and it's really kind of...irksome sometimes. Not because she doesn't appreciate it - she really does!! - but Ochako can indeed pay for things herself!! Especially now, where she's not as totally dirt poor as she used to be. She actually has savings, a stable and decent way to make money, and doesn't have to forward her wages to help her parents get out of debt!]

Let me pay you back. [Because she can, darn it! For once, Ochako actually can do that!! And she wants to!]

[Yeah, those aren't things he knows. It's why he tilts his head at her offer.]

Uh, why? You know you don't have to...

[He did it in a friendly gesture... also he might've stolen ships as one of his first quests here and kidnapped the captain.]

I'm sure people look down on me for it.

[Not just shinobi. People from all over that come here from other worlds. The first few weeks Ochao came to Avalon, there was a raid on a campsite and...so many people were just killing the raiders left and right. Ochako was among the very few who never struck to kill, just to disarm and knock unconscious. Hell, she tried very hard to keep other people from killing, if she could! It just...didn't sit right with her at all. They were just looters, thieves, pillagers and raiders. No one really died unless they engaged or fought back, or were seen as a 'threat'. It didn't...f-feel right to kill them. Whatever. It's not like Ochako's not used to being looked down on for who she is.]

You're right. I'm only in my first year at my Hero Academy and already...so much has happened that my class has been involved with. I-I... [No. She's not exactly ready to admit she held a dying man in her arms. Or the many other things like the USJ, the training camp fiasco, Kamino...] It's been a lot, and I know that's just how it is being a Hero. Maybe I wasn't really prepared for it then, sort of, I...I-I don't really know. But I can't hesitate. I can't let difficult things stop me, and I won't. I'm not the only one who could suffer for it, after all.

[Heroes save people. If for whatever reason, she flinches, someone could die. Someone who can't protect themselves like she or Homura could. An innocent person, who just wants to live their lives happily. If Ochako can't face that what she does is hard, and that she will have to risk her life and limb, literally, then she has no business pursuing this sort of future.]

...I know sometimes there won't be an option. I'm learning that, and deep in my heart I know I may have to, someday, but...I just can't right now. If I can avoid it, I will. It's how I was taught, and I just don't think I can change how I think. Maybe at some point, when I'm older, but--...eh?

[Ochako pauses, looking at the trapdoor by their feet that people can use to come up and ring the bell of the belfry tower. It's glowing, softly at first, but then brighter, slowly until the trapdoor isn't so much a trapdoor anymore, but a sort of opening of bright light. Ochako blinks, then her eyes sort of widen a little, as she looks around and the, well...everything around her and Homura starts to get hazy, blurred...like it were starting to fade.

Seems it's time to go now. The trial was completed, after all...though whether or not they passed will be left to time.]

[She may not have been ready to admit it, but Homura could feel something similar to death. Narrowing it down was impossible of course; no mind reading magic with her in either world. Though given as Ochako kept on talking about potentially taking that next step and the struggles with it, it wasn't hard to guess a few things.

Not that there was much time to dwell anyway, with the exit coming right for them. As the light made itself known, Homura rose back up, doing a quick stretch before walking to the super heroine. Homura didn't have every answer available. Time was indeed an expected answer. Though given the situation and her own upbringing, it was one Homura couldn't quite abide by.]

Time can help, though given this world and the state of everything, we might not have much of it. Which is why I want to offer my help.

[She extends her hand with a confident smirk.]

Not to teach you how to kill of course. If you are adamant on staying on this path, then I want to aid in your training to do so. After all, the stronger you become, in both mind and body, the easier it should be to avoid killing, right?

[Her solutions were simple, but they did still get results.]

You chose and are committed to this path. Even as things grow harder, you will be challenged. I can't stop such a day from coming. There will always be death in one form or another, and no one person can solve every problem in the world. But I can help you prepare for such a day, and to make them as few as possible.

W-well!! Because it feels weird letting someone I don't re-really know pay for me...

[Yes, it's a kind and sincere gesture, and she does appreciate it, but it's still rather odd. Ochako sighs a bit, it's really...not that much. Maybe she's overreacting, but money is just a touchy subject with her. Always has been, regardless of the amount. It's just always a loaded conversation when it's brought up around her.]

But if it's really fine, I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Thank you, I really do appreciate your kindness. [And, to show that, she will bow deeply at the waist.]

[Is she wrong? Ochako goes quiet, wondering if what she said wasn't the right thing to say. Yeah, they have been through a lot, and she knows Izuku's personality and his heroics, his kind heart and personable attitude. His cute and goofy, heh...quirkiness and nerdy tendencies. She knows all of that, has seen it and become charmed to it all - everything about him is just so sweet and endearing in its own way - but it still weirdly feels like it's not...enough. Would she have not been fooled if she knew more about him? It feels worse with Bakugou, too, because there she just took a guess and prayed. Like diffusing a bomb - picking a wire and hoping it was the right one.

It's painful because it makes her feel like a bad friend. That she should have been able to tell the real from the fake, especially since she's been so carefully watching all her friends grow, because she's just to enraptured by their determination, their strengths, and desire to reach their goals. Bakugou and Deku especially, just...have that aura that pushes everyone else forward alongside them, too. Like a beacon that shines on everyone in the class, it's hard to take her eyes off them. So, knowing all that...still having to guess--]

Mmh...thank you, Deku-kun. I... [Don't really feel that way, right now.] I still think i need to do better, though. Those dumb things really...really made me feel like I'm not a good friend at all. I don't like feeling that way, or putting you all on the line based on a...a guess. Or...something else. [The frailty of her foolish heart.] I'm sorry. I-I'll do better. I promise.

[I have to.]

Oh... huh...

[True, they had just met today, but they'd also been through an ordeal and he thought it would be a nice gesture...]

Well, if you wanna think of it as anything, then it's to a job well done saving a guy today! Even though it was a crime, and probably a trial thing. Next time to have to break someone out, I'll pay again, haha!

[It's true that Izuku tends to keep a lot about himself to himself. He easily jumps to telling people he's fine or that he's doing his best because it stops people from really worrying about him. He wants to be strong enough that people don't have to worry about him. And maybe in a way that keeps Izuku's real thoughts and feelings away from his friends...

Just be like All Might, right? Smile! And be there for others. No matter what.

But maybe in doing all that he's somehow pushed her away. He thinks he needs to do better too. Doesn't he?]

N-no, Uraraka-san... I don't think you need to say sorry. I- Maybe I could do better too. You shouldn't have had to feel like you didn't know me when that doppelganger got to you... So, maybe I need to be more honest. So you don't have to feel that way again.

Good morning, Uraraka-san.

Do you like babies?

[WHY IS THIS SUCH A LOADED QUESTION???]

....

Before I answer that, I need context, Todoroki-kun.

IC Inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Text; un: shoto

no subject