[the emporium it is!! ochako's hat is adorable, and while sora was busy browsing on his own he grins when he sees her and makes his way over to see what she's found.]
You think so? [but there's no argument before he puts it on, letting the tassel-things hang freely while he strikes a pose.] How's it look?
[wow?? rude?? he's not actually mad but he places his hands on his hips and leans forward to peer at her.]
Are you sure? That doesn't look like the face of somebody who thinks so. [honestly it probably doesn't even really fit over his hair which is half the problem but alas.]
It's not that big! [it's still spiky and he knows it, but his hands are now coming up to flatten his hair while still wearing the goat hat.] How do you know the hat's not too small? Maybe you should try it instead.
[and because he can't stick to one topic at a time, he gives her a curious look.] Kirishima's a friend of yours?
[ that's fine, though, she'll just come up and pluck the hat off sora's hair, drop her fox hat there instead, and plop the goat one on her head. ]
See? It fits me just fine!
[ tease tease ]
And yeah, he's one of my classmates. He does his hair up every day so it's big and spiky - kind of like yours, but less... [ she does this little gesture with her hands at the side of her head.... it's not as wide, maybe? ] He probably goes through a ton of hair gel for it, too, though I bet you need more for all that, huh?
Hm, I don't know. I don't really have the money for it if they charge us for stuff later.
[ she's just a poor girl from a poor family... one who isn't afraid to just step right up and stick her hands in his hair, apparently? because she's totally doing that. ]
Wow, it is soft! So, what, is this your quirk or something? Spiky hair?
Oh, I checked the cash register. I don't think they're charging anything at all because it was empty. [why were you in the cash register, sora. but! he doesn't mind that she's petting his hair and he grins widely.]
See? It's just kind of like this. But what's a quirk?
Why were you in the cash register? [ is ochako the only good child here, dang. ] I think I'll check with one of the leaders first before I just take anything.
[ a hero can't just be out there breaking rules, etc etc. best to check, just in case. ]
You know, a quirk? [ after a moment, she takes a step back and holds both of her hands up with palms facing sora, fingers splayed. he might notice the little pads on each of her fingertips, not unlike a cat's little beans. ] Your... hm, special ability, I guess? Mine's Zero Gravity. It's not working here, but it's different than a physical quirk since I have to activate it first.
We had to check! We thought maybe if there was money that meant someone was here before us. [he would probably not take it, he's a good boy.
but he leans in a little closer to look at her toebeans. handbeans? but his eyes widen a little because it's kind of cool to see a physical change like that.]
Our powers aren't called quirks, but yours sounds really cool. You can make everything float?
she wiggles her fingers, feeling kind of sheepish at the compliment but standing a little straighter nonetheless. ]
Yep! If I can touch it, I can make it float - but it does have a weight limit. I think I'm up to around three or four tonnes before I start feeling nauseous? I've still got a long way to go.
So you have powers, but they're not quirks, huh? What kind of powers, then?
You must've trained a lot to get to that level though. I don't think I could ever do something like that. [very impressive!! but he looks excited and nods.]
We've learned all kinds of stuff. Fire spells, ice spells, wind, healing, thunder...[hmmmm.] And flying! There's other stuff, too, but each Keyblade's different.
There's no making it as pro-hero without training. I wouldn't even have made it into my school without working hard!
[ that said
that is a LOT of qu- powers? that's so much, and the shock is clear on her face. ]
That many...? That's amazing! I've never heard of someone with such a wide variety of abilities! Even Todoroki-kun only has two. You'll have to show me once we've got our abilities back!
Oh, but what's a keyblade? Is it like a key that's also a knife? Like - a pocket knife kind of thing?
Definitely! I hope that's soon. [he misses his powers? give them back.] The Keyblade's way bigger than that. Like...[he stretches how his arms to try and show how big it is.] Like a sword, but bigger. It's a really important weapon where I'm from, but only a few people can use them.
[but he's as curious as she is shocked because he hasn't met anybody besides hajime that calls themselves a hero of any kind.] You guys have a whole school for training? And everybody has a quirk?
Me too. Hearing them talk about how the nova might affect our memories too was a little worrying, but if we can help, it'll be worth it.
[ a sword, huh. she tilts her head as she tries to imagine it. ]
I've never heard of anything like it before. What makes it so special? Is it like a quirk that only works for you?
[ a familiar subject makes her light up, though! this, she knows, and can talk about for hours. maybe not as extensively as deku-kun, but all the same! ]
Yeah, there are hero schools everywhere - and I go to UA, the top school in the country! It's just like regular high school, only with specialized classes and training. All our quirks are different, but that's what our classes are meant for. The teachers are really good at giving us personalized suggestions and stuff so we can keep improving.
[ hm... she touches her chin thoughtfully. ]
You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever met someone my own age who doesn't have a quirk. Being quirkless isn't as common as it used to be.
Right. [it's nice knowing there are more people who believe in helping. it's for that reason, not to mention her general demeanor, that sora feels at ease around her and has no problem explaining as best as he can.]
It's not really something that only works for me, but it only works for a few of us who have really strong hearts. [it sounds. so dumb. to say out loud. but it's also true and he doesn't seem embarrassed about it.] It's something that helps us fight back against the darkness.
[as she goes on to describe UA though, his eyes widen bit by bit. sora doesn't even really like school, but the idea of a hero school is way different than normal education. there's a lot that a person could learn from other heroes.]
So it's something almost everybody has. Can you learn someone else's quirk? Or have more than one? If you're all learning together that sounds like a good way to master new skills.
[ it does sound pretty odd, but maybe it's like how not everyone has the heart to be a hero? ]
That's cool, though! Our quirks are biological, so it's not something we can just share or learn from someone else. The most we can do is maybe borrow some techniques someone uses and tweak them to suit our own quirks, though it doesn't always work out well.
So, what's the darkness? Is it like the League of Villains?
[ she thinks it's a name or a title or something, it's fine. ]
That's right. [he does not explain any further, assuming that ochako somehow understands exactly what he means.]
Even if you can't borrow someone's quirk, learning other techniques and making them your own's a great idea. Like team attacks! And if you find someone whose quirk works really well with yours you could probably figure out all kinds of cool tricks.
[but ah. hello darkness, his old friend.] It's not quite like that. It's like...everything has light and darkness in it. Every world, every heart. And sometimes Darkness becomes so strong it threatens to destroy the Light. That's what we do. We make sure that doesn't happen. [more or less. it's complicated, but that should be simple enough.]
Yeah, exactly! Part of being a hero is knowing you can't do everything on your own, and coordinating with other heroes to get the job done. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end!
[ she listens patiently, a thoughtful frown on her face. ]
I... think I get it. It does sound a little like fighting villains, like how All Might was called the pillar of hope? But more... [ hm, how to say it ] ...abstract? I guess there isn't really a hero or a villain inside everyone's heart, but there's always potential for either.
[ so... maybe she understands, in a broad sense? though it's hard to imagine actually fighting what causes people to become villains... assuming ochako got that right? her head hurts. ]
It still sounds like what you do is pretty similar to hero work in our world. So I guess you're kind of a hero too, huh, Sora-kun?
[there's an enthused nod because yes! she gets it!] That's it! I could never do anything with the help of my friends. We work better together.
And that's right, too. [less enthusiastic, but it's more understanding and thoughtful.] There are some hearts that don't have any darkness at all. But some people can learn to control the darkness in their hearts. Both are pretty powerful.
But if a person loses their heart to the darkness completely they become a Heartless. Um. A monster? [he's learning that people don't understand what he's saying most of the time.] We're definitely heroes. We've helped save a ton of worlds and fought a bunch of monsters.
I know what you mean. We all have to learn to stand on our own as heroes, but I always feel a little stronger when I'm with my classmates.
[ hm. but the monster thing is... well, it's kind of new. these "heartless" that sora knows can't be the same as the monsters that ochako's seen, though. ]
...Oh. That sounds... [ she hesitates. there isn't really a word to describe it, is there? so she shakes her head. ] Can you still help them if they lose their hearts to darkness like that? Or are they just... gone forever?
[glad they're both firmly in camp "my friends are my power."]
Some of them. If their hearts were strong to begin with, it's possible. And in some cases if a person's Heartless and their Nobody both are destroyed, they'll become a whole person again. But a lot of them aren't like that.
I see. [ sort of. still, she nods, and carefully sets her hat back on the counter. ] Sounds like it must be a hard job, huh? Knowing they were people once, and not being able to help most of them... At least with villains, we can talk to them after they're arrested, and try to rehabilitate them.
Yeah...well, there are people we have to fight, too. People who use other Heartless and Nobodies to do their fighting, but I guess you could call them villains. Most of the time they don't like to listen, but sometimes we can convince them things can be different.
[there's a smile then.] Looks like we both have hard jobs, actually.
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You think so? [but there's no argument before he puts it on, letting the tassel-things hang freely while he strikes a pose.] How's it look?
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You look... ahaha, it looks good!
[ it looks ridiculous and does not at all go with his hair and ochako is really bad at hiding her laughter. ]
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Are you sure? That doesn't look like the face of somebody who thinks so. [honestly it probably doesn't even really fit over his hair which is half the problem but alas.]
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It barely even fits over your hair! It's even spikier than Kirishima-kun's!
[ how much gel does that take!! ]
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[and because he can't stick to one topic at a time, he gives her a curious look.] Kirishima's a friend of yours?
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[ that's fine, though, she'll just come up and pluck the hat off sora's hair, drop her fox hat there instead, and plop the goat one on her head. ]
See? It fits me just fine!
[ tease tease ]
And yeah, he's one of my classmates. He does his hair up every day so it's big and spiky - kind of like yours, but less... [ she does this little gesture with her hands at the side of her head.... it's not as wide, maybe? ] He probably goes through a ton of hair gel for it, too, though I bet you need more for all that, huh?
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Maybe hats just aren't my style most of the time. [but the goat one's cute anyway.] You should keep both! They look better on you anyway.
[he tilts his head at the question though.] That sounds like a lot of work, but I don't gel my hair. See? [go ahead. touch it.]
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[ she's just a poor girl from a poor family... one who isn't afraid to just step right up and stick her hands in his hair, apparently? because she's totally doing that. ]
Wow, it is soft! So, what, is this your quirk or something? Spiky hair?
[ there are stranger quirks out there lmao ]
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See? It's just kind of like this. But what's a quirk?
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[ a hero can't just be out there breaking rules, etc etc. best to check, just in case. ]
You know, a quirk? [ after a moment, she takes a step back and holds both of her hands up with palms facing sora, fingers splayed. he might notice the little pads on each of her fingertips, not unlike a cat's little beans. ] Your... hm, special ability, I guess? Mine's Zero Gravity. It's not working here, but it's different than a physical quirk since I have to activate it first.
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but he leans in a little closer to look at her toebeans. handbeans? but his eyes widen a little because it's kind of cool to see a physical change like that.]
Our powers aren't called quirks, but yours sounds really cool. You can make everything float?
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[ you're off the hook... for now.
she wiggles her fingers, feeling kind of sheepish at the compliment but standing a little straighter nonetheless. ]
Yep! If I can touch it, I can make it float - but it does have a weight limit. I think I'm up to around three or four tonnes before I start feeling nauseous? I've still got a long way to go.
So you have powers, but they're not quirks, huh? What kind of powers, then?
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We've learned all kinds of stuff. Fire spells, ice spells, wind, healing, thunder...[hmmmm.] And flying! There's other stuff, too, but each Keyblade's different.
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[ that said
that is a LOT of qu- powers? that's so much, and the shock is clear on her face. ]
That many...? That's amazing! I've never heard of someone with such a wide variety of abilities! Even Todoroki-kun only has two. You'll have to show me once we've got our abilities back!
Oh, but what's a keyblade? Is it like a key that's also a knife? Like - a pocket knife kind of thing?
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[but he's as curious as she is shocked because he hasn't met anybody besides hajime that calls themselves a hero of any kind.] You guys have a whole school for training? And everybody has a quirk?
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[ a sword, huh. she tilts her head as she tries to imagine it. ]
I've never heard of anything like it before. What makes it so special? Is it like a quirk that only works for you?
[ a familiar subject makes her light up, though! this, she knows, and can talk about for hours. maybe not as extensively as deku-kun, but all the same! ]
Yeah, there are hero schools everywhere - and I go to UA, the top school in the country! It's just like regular high school, only with specialized classes and training. All our quirks are different, but that's what our classes are meant for. The teachers are really good at giving us personalized suggestions and stuff so we can keep improving.
[ hm... she touches her chin thoughtfully. ]
You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever met someone my own age who doesn't have a quirk. Being quirkless isn't as common as it used to be.
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It's not really something that only works for me, but it only works for a few of us who have really strong hearts. [it sounds. so dumb. to say out loud. but it's also true and he doesn't seem embarrassed about it.] It's something that helps us fight back against the darkness.
[as she goes on to describe UA though, his eyes widen bit by bit. sora doesn't even really like school, but the idea of a hero school is way different than normal education. there's a lot that a person could learn from other heroes.]
So it's something almost everybody has. Can you learn someone else's quirk? Or have more than one? If you're all learning together that sounds like a good way to master new skills.
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[ it does sound pretty odd, but maybe it's like how not everyone has the heart to be a hero? ]
That's cool, though! Our quirks are biological, so it's not something we can just share or learn from someone else. The most we can do is maybe borrow some techniques someone uses and tweak them to suit our own quirks, though it doesn't always work out well.
So, what's the darkness? Is it like the League of Villains?
[ she thinks it's a name or a title or something, it's fine. ]
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Even if you can't borrow someone's quirk, learning other techniques and making them your own's a great idea. Like team attacks! And if you find someone whose quirk works really well with yours you could probably figure out all kinds of cool tricks.
[but ah. hello darkness, his old friend.] It's not quite like that. It's like...everything has light and darkness in it. Every world, every heart. And sometimes Darkness becomes so strong it threatens to destroy the Light. That's what we do. We make sure that doesn't happen. [more or less. it's complicated, but that should be simple enough.]
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[ she listens patiently, a thoughtful frown on her face. ]
I... think I get it. It does sound a little like fighting villains, like how All Might was called the pillar of hope? But more... [ hm, how to say it ] ...abstract? I guess there isn't really a hero or a villain inside everyone's heart, but there's always potential for either.
[ so... maybe she understands, in a broad sense? though it's hard to imagine actually fighting what causes people to become villains... assuming ochako got that right? her head hurts. ]
It still sounds like what you do is pretty similar to hero work in our world. So I guess you're kind of a hero too, huh, Sora-kun?
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And that's right, too. [less enthusiastic, but it's more understanding and thoughtful.] There are some hearts that don't have any darkness at all. But some people can learn to control the darkness in their hearts. Both are pretty powerful.
But if a person loses their heart to the darkness completely they become a Heartless. Um. A monster? [he's learning that people don't understand what he's saying most of the time.] We're definitely heroes. We've helped save a ton of worlds and fought a bunch of monsters.
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[ hm. but the monster thing is... well, it's kind of new. these "heartless" that sora knows can't be the same as the monsters that ochako's seen, though. ]
...Oh. That sounds... [ she hesitates. there isn't really a word to describe it, is there? so she shakes her head. ] Can you still help them if they lose their hearts to darkness like that? Or are they just... gone forever?
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Some of them. If their hearts were strong to begin with, it's possible. And in some cases if a person's Heartless and their Nobody both are destroyed, they'll become a whole person again. But a lot of them aren't like that.
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friendship ]
I see. [ sort of. still, she nods, and carefully sets her hat back on the counter. ] Sounds like it must be a hard job, huh? Knowing they were people once, and not being able to help most of them... At least with villains, we can talk to them after they're arrested, and try to rehabilitate them.
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[there's a smile then.] Looks like we both have hard jobs, actually.
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