CONSTANT ❛ LOVE ❜ AND attention are what she thrives on as a young child, and she giggles and laughs and gives people the hugs she thinks they deserve. her mother presents her with the most beautiful dresses and she slathers makeup on her face while singing to herself in the mirror.
it’s a simple life.
ii.
she adores her siblings. with their mother busy with work, she latches onto them with earnest, desperate to play with them. it’s how she keeps herself occupied at such a young age.
she knows hana’s dolls are dolls before she’s told, and she knows that she has a connection to them, but she doesn’t do anything with it at first. she just stares. she stares at them, and stares and stares until she decides to try something.
she flicks her finger.
the doll moves.
iii.
one doll crashes into two others, and she giggles.
❝ you won’t be able to defeat me, you heathens !! ❞ she cries as the two dolls skid across the floor. she doesn’t bother to check if they’re alright.
❝ hyerin ?? what are you playing ?? ❞
a wide grin spreads across her face, eyes lighting up. ❝ mama !! i’m playing hero !! see !! this doll looks like me and she’s the hero !! isn’t that -- ❞
she stops.
❝ mama ?? ❞
iv.
she huddles beneath her covers. it’s dark. she doesn’t dare close her eyes because all she’ll see are those images, those videos of heroes falling from those more powerful than them.
all she sees is blood, blood, blood blood bloodbloodblood.
is this what being a hero means ??
her fingernails dig into the doll she holds, the one that looks too much like her for comfort now, the one she saw as a hero.
with a sob, she throws it across the room.
v.
she’s withdrawn. she’s quiet. her dolls become her torture victims.
this is how she’s supposed to be. she has to be in order to please her mother. she has to be in order to succeed. she has to be in order to survive.
this is her destiny.
vi.
a photograph is placed in front of her. she doesn’t recognise its subject, and she looks at her mother quizzically.
❝ this is honey. they’re the perfect person for you to work with. ❞
she bites back a retort, a yell that she doesn’t need someone to work with, that she’s perfectly fine on her own, but keeps quiet. all she does is turn up her nose.
she doesn’t need a partner. she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
vii.
whatever she’s expecting, it isn’t this.
meek, head down, stuttering -- this isn’t the way of a villain. she’s about to say so herself when the father of her new partner says something. it isn’t just his words, but his tone and his posture. his facial expressions.
her mother pokes her back to prod her and she’s reminded of similar situations where she wasn’t just an onlooker.
she extends her hand. ❝ i’m helix. ❞
viii.
zaire doesn’t like her new best friend ( as she’s so dubbed them ). she doesn’t understand why. he pushes them out of the way and is generally more bitter lately.
what did she do wrong ??
this is the question that plagues her for a while, but it is soon replaced with anger and frustration, and she decides that two can play at that game.
ix.
❝ helix, can you do this for me ?? ❞
❝ helix, go grab honey and go on this mission. ❞
❝ helix, i need you to steal these things for me. ❞
she moves out before she turns eighteen. she refuses to bend to anyone else’s whims, to anyone else’s ideas of what she should be like.
x.
her dolls are coloured crimson. they all sag at the same time as she drops her hold over them, leaving her the only sentient being in the room. every other human is no longer breathing.
she feels numb.
xi.
her visits to her family home become less and less, and she forces her guilt towards hana’s situation down because there is no place in her life for regrets.
( that small part of her mind seems to think otherwise. )
xii.
she does what the league wants, but it’s on her own terms. a villain will never be tied down to the will of others, not completely, as even she knows they are all human regardless.
she knows dolls. she feels them in her very soul. they’re predictable.
people are not.
she is no longer her mother’s puppet, and she feels free.
xiii.
when she cleans out her dusty and rusty house, she drops everything by the dumpster outside and heads back inside without a second thought.
on the very top of the pile is a worn doll that looks just like her. its cape is ripped and its button eyes are devoid of any shine they may have had upon its creation.
there is no place in this world for childhood fantasies.
❝ ✦ ◜ IT HAD TAKEN everything in li wei’s power not to start crying when jaesung had told her that she could go to the ball with him, but it took even more power for her not to sobbing now that jaesung was standing right in front of her, looking as handsome as ever. this was already a night the small girl had only ever dreamed of, but not one that she would have ever expected to come true.
she just barely noticed how his eyes widened, but she failed to think anything much of it. she just smiled and twisted one of her curls around her finger. she hoped she looked alright. jaesung looked as handsome as she could have ever imagined, he always did, and so she hoped that she looked alright, too.
at his words, a light pink blush came to her lips and she puffed out her cheeks, as if trying to stop herself from reddening too much. ❝ thank you very much, sungie-pie, ❞ she giggled softly, looking down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at him. ❝ oh, sungie, you didn’t have to get me anything !! ❞ still, she let out a small gasp at the sight of the flower clip. ❝ sungie, i love it !! it’s perfect !! ❞ she took the clip from his hand and carefully clipped it into her hair. ❝ it’s the bestest gift i have ever received !! thank you, thank you, sungie-pie !! ❞ and she meant it, with all of her heart. then, she pouted. ❝ oh, but i didn’t get you anything, dearest sungie, i’m oh, so sorry !! ❞ ◞
JAESUNG HAD WANTED to go with li wei to the ball because she was the person in class he felt the most comfortable around. granted, he could have gone alone, but he also hadn’t wanted to be some sort of third wheel, loitering around all the other people at the ball. that was what he assumed his reasoning was, anyway. that, and the fact that it had just felt right.
he also knew that he didn’t have to get her anything. knowing her, she would have been fine with just going to the ball and having a good time, but he’d wanted to get her something. he wasn’t the easiest person to talk to, even he knew that, and it was the least he could do to pay her back for putting up with him. besides, what was the point of having family money if he didn’t use it once in a while ??
❝ you’re welcome. ❞ he watched as li wei clipped his gift into her hair. ❝ maybe i didn’t have to, but i wanted to, ❞ he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. ❝ i don’t know if i’d say it’s that good, but... i’m glad you like it -- ❞ he shook his head, a subtle movement. ❝ i didn’t expect you to. i don’t need anything. ❞
❝ ✦ ◜ THE ONLY REASON seona had gone to the ball in the first place was because her father had heard that alexander was going, so she had to go too. he had thrown the stolen gown at her and told her to go seek out whatever the other league members on their mission failed to. thus, while she had a habit of throwing tantrums and defying most people, she obeyed her father with complete and utter ease, not even throwing a snarky comment his way. she knew better than to disobey her father, after all.
so, her plan was to be grumpy all night until she actually had to do what her father had instructed her to do, and if annoying alexander came in hand with her being grumpy, so be it.
❝ shut the fuck up, you jizz-guzzler !! i’m not too short for the dress, the dress is just too long for me !! ❞ she grumped, punching his arm lightly. ❝ yeah, well all of these people are sissies. they’re spoiled brats who do nothing but this all the time !! of course they want to wear these dumb things !! it’s all they know how to do !! ❞ ◞
ALEXANDER WAS ACTUALLY relieved that seona was coming with him. it was strange to go to a ball when you were alone, and he was glad for the company, even if it was his bratty younger cousin. what he wasn’t fond of was the way she’d been convinced to come -- via her father. he may have been his uncle, but that didn’t mean he had to like him. far from it, actually. he would gladly take all of seona’s sass if it meant she kept herself safe.
always amused by her creative insults, alexander just laughed. ❝ that’s the same thing, you know. the dress is a perfectly normal-sized dress. you’re just tiny. ❞ and it wasn’t as though they could go to a tailor and get it fixed. they were villains, and the dress was stolen. he scanned the crowd yet again, paying more attention to their actual clothes and how they carried themselves. they were definitely fancier than he was, but he’d expected that. they were decent members of society.
aside from the other villains hiding amongst the crowd, of course.
❝ they might be spoiled brats, but i’d rather be in their position, thank you very much, ❞ he said, then grinned. ❝ maybe i’d be able to afford an off-switch for you. ❞
❝ ✦ ◜ HONEY BRIEFLY CONTEMPLATED between going to find the other villains that were at the ball on the mission or simply leaving the way they entered and fleeing back home, telling their father that he was right and that they shouldn’t have gone to the ball at all.
the crack in their cheek chipped a bit more and cracked even further as they anxiously scratched at it, and, despite their usual dread of it, the needle that their father so often stuck into their arm sounded almost welcoming, almost comforting. and they had just made the decision to rush back to the base and to their father when they heard a familiar voice speak from behind them.
they jumped a bit at the sudden voice before spinning around, and they couldn’t even get one word in before helix dropped the bag at their feet. they stared at the bag for a moment, silently contemplating whether they should argue that they should really go home, since their papa wanted them home and all, before realising that they weren’t allowed to argue. so, without uttering so much as a sound, the doll-like boy picked up the bag and hugged it close to them as they scurried off to the bathroom ( which took them a few minutes to find, but they found it eventually ) to go get changed.
honey had never seen a suit so nice, let alone been told to wear one. it was mostly black, with gold, tree-branch-like embellishments subtly adorning the surface. it was trimmed with a bit of pretty gold lace, and the cuffs of the sleeves were of the same lace, soft and frilly against their hands.
once they were dressed, they went to steal a quick look in the mirror and, as they slid the black, lace-embellished mask onto their face and let it rest on the bridge of their nose as they tied the gold ribbon around their head, they swallowed hard; they couldn’t even recognise themself. the only thing telling them that it was still them was their silver hair and the crack in their cheek, and they smiled. they somewhat liked that the sudden lack of familiarisation, liked the feeling of not feeling quite like honey.
after that, though, they quickly rushed back to helix, struggling to find her amidst the crowd for a moment before finally spotting her, right where she had been when they had left. ❝ d-do i … do i-i — ❞ again, they scratched anxiously at their cracked cheek, little bits of porcelain chipping off into their hand. ❝ … do i fit in ?? do – do i fit in okay now ?? ❞ ◞
HELIX WAITED UNTIL honey had scampered into the bathroom to frown, just in case they thought it was directed at them. it wasn’t, not really -- she was just worried. honey was more of a quiet person to begin with, but they usually spoke to her, so she was concerned that they hadn’t said anything to her before going to get changed. still, they had the whole night ahead of them to figure any crazy shit out.
she was very aware that honey’s father probably wanted them to stay at home, as though they were nothing more than a mere toy, and the thought had her balling her fists. a day never went by where she doesn’t want to punch him in his bastard face, it seemed, but she didn’t think that was a bad thing. it motivated her.
she felt honey before she saw them. it was part of her quirk to recognise and sense where dolls were, as if they were part of her and she was part of them. honey was becoming more and more like them every day, and she forced her scowl away at the thought. it was why she was often paired with them -- she could control whoever they turned into a doll. what she didn’t want was for them to become the doll. that seemed to be inevitable, though, and that fear was only proven right when she saw the porcelain on their fingers. she refused to react, though. she didn’t want them asking questions.
❝ much better, ❞ she said, and she meant it. they looked far better than when they arrived, though that wasn’t their fault. once again forcing her thoughts of their father from her mind, she continued. ❝ you look way better than a good half of the people here. ❞ she gestured to the others around them, none of them paying much attention. ❝ now, let’s go. i feel like dancing. ❞
❝ ✦ ◜ AS SOON AS taesuk heard the shouting and the laughing, he spun around, knowing exactly who it was that such a ruckus was coming from. a smile broke out on his face at the sight of the twins and he let out a laugh of his own. ❝ that’s the point !! everyone would be utterly disappointed in me if i wasn’t shimmering, ❞ he said with a dramatic sigh, and then a smile. ❝ no, no soojungie, yet. not as far as i’ve seen anyone — maybe she already came in and i just didn’t see her. ❞
he looked toward the entrance again, watching as dozens of people entered and walked down the staircase. everyone looked enchanting tonight and everyone seemed happy — this was the kind of environment he liked to be in.
distracting with watching everyone enter, he almost didn’t recognized soojung amongst the crowd, not until zihao yelled out her name and she waved in their direction. instantly, as if on instinct, his eyes widened and his lips fell apart in absolute and complete awe. his heart beat a little bit faster and he suddenly felt just a bit nervous. he couldn’t even bring himself to wave back, all he could do was stare. ◞
❝ ✦ ◜ ❝ SOOJUNGIE !! ❞ YAOZU CALLED out, a bright smile upon his lips. ❝ you look fantastic !! stunning !! i love your dress — did anyone help you pick it ?? oh, look !! you and taesukie are matching !! ❞ soojung hadn’t even reached them yet and the smile upon the twin’s face had already turned just a tad bit mischievous. ◞
ZIHAO WATCHED ALONG with the others as soojung descended down the staircase. anyone on the outside watching may have thought she was walking slowly for the sake of dramatics, or that they were just imagining it because she was so beautiful that it was as if she was in a movie, but he knew better than that -- she was terrified of stumbling over her own two feet.
his gaze switched to taesuk and his smile became a smirk. of course, he’d known how taesuk would react. soojung could have worn a potato sack and he would have thought that she was the most beautiful being in the world. he snorted softly, then quietly said to his brother, ❝ you think we should go over and pick his jaw up from the floor ?? ❞
SOOJUNG WISHED SHE could say she was looking at her friends equally, but that simply wasn’t the case. she desperately hoped her mask hid the way she continued searching beneath taesuk’s, hoping to see what he thought of her outfit. she felt a bit foolish for wishing for something that was so trivial in the long run, but she couldn’t help it. hopefully she was making an impression.
at yaozu’s comments, she rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. ❝ hmm, i wonder, ❞ she said, poking him in the shoulder as she left the last step. when he pointed out that she and taesuk were matching, she couldn’t help but wonder if the twins had known the entire time. she wouldn’t put it past them. ❝ i, uh -- i guess we do, huh ?? ❞
DASOM CLAWED AT the bricks beside her, uneven nails scraping against the rough surface and ruining a chalk drawing that she barely even noticed. unable to find purchase, she sunk to her knees and leaned forward, retching, but nothing came out. you couldn’t empty your stomach if there was nothing inside in the first place.
through the haziness that was her mind, she’d come to the conclusion that while the multiple quirks clashing within her bloodstream were what was tearing her apart, it was also what was keeping her alive. she didn’t need to eat or drink as much thanks to a few select quirks she’d had to absorb during her time at the police station ( though who knew why, because they weren’t dangerous quirks in the first place ), but there was still only so much she could take.
she’d had several moments of weakness after running away from home, times where she wondered whether she should have left at all. being trapped inside either her house or the police station had been torture, but at least she was fed and had a roof over her head. was it really that worth it to just leave ??
and then she would double over as several quirks within her attempted to gain precedence over the other and she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle anything more.
she leaned against the chalk drawing and, with shaky hands, took out a small notebook and pen that she’d been keeping in her jacket pocket since she’d left home. it had been completely unused until then. she’d wanted to use it to document what happened to her, though she wasn’t entirely sure why she felt the need to. perhaps because no one had listened to her when she spoke, so her only option was to write.
the further someone read, the more disjointed her writing became, and this new entry would be the worst yet. still, pen touched paper and she began to write.
❛ i don’t know how much longer i’ll be able to keep this up. i can feel my strength fading with every step i take. my health has never been the best due to the reasons i documented at the very beginning of this book, but now it’s declining fast. at least if i’ll die, dad and the others can’t use me as a quirk holding facility anymore. maybe the quirks will die with me. that’d be for the best, i think. ❜
her hand hovered above the next line, but her eyes began to droop and her grip on the pen loosened. the notebook dropped on her chest and the pen rolled to the side as she lost consciousness.
WITH MOST OF epsilon’s elite at the saturn christmas ball, illumia had taken the opportunity to do some stealing. it was for the greater good of the skull bois, of course, as she would never partake in anything illegal otherwise. she was just doing what she had to do to survive.
she’d just raided the fridge of some random rich guy’s apartment ( she knew from experience that his security sucked ) and was bringing her spoils back to base when she spotted something below. this part of town she was in was known for being quiet save for criminal activities, and so she was used to seeing a few scuffles as she passed by, but this was different. when she saw unconscious people on the ground, they were usually covered in blood, having been attacked by someone, but the person she saw below didn’t have any visible wounds.
deciding the food could wait a few more minutes, illumia flew down to the person’s side -- a girl close to her age, it looked like. she was definitely unconscious, and no amount of poking and prodding seemed to stir her, but she was still breathing. that was a relief.
she was about to try waking the girl again when she spotted the notebook lying across her chest, and she scooped it up in one hand, reading the page it was open on. it wasn’t long before her eyes widened and she hastily manoeuvred her hand to get to the front page. nausea began building in her stomach as she realised what this girl -- dasom was her name -- had gone through. what she was still going through.
❝ what the fuck, ❞ she whispered, though there was no one around who could answer her.
there was no question about it now. shoving the notebook into her bag of goodies, she hoisted the straps over her shoulder and leaned over, taking dasom in her arms. carrying her princess-style, she fluttered her wings and rose into the air, heading for home.
PIXELIS USUALLY REVELLED in the weightlessness of her body as she travelled through the wires, letting herself be carried to her destination, but she had to remain alert for this one. saturn was known for having top-notch security and she didn’t want to injure herself by bumping into a firewall, even if she’d removed as many of the precautions as she could before entering cyberspace.
the principal’s computer was the furthest in the long line of saturn’s technological destinations, which she assumed was on purpose. of course he would have the most protection on his own device. he probably thought he was important or something. tragic, really, because he was the last person she was here for.
she knew the computer was powered down when she landed in complete darkness, and she closed her eyes as she tapped into her power. turning the computer on was like flicking a light switch when one got the hang of it, and soon she was facing the principal’s desktop background -- a picture of him and his daughter.
fang hadn’t been able to give her much information the last time she spoke to him. all he knew was how the student portals were set up, not the staff ones, and he wasn’t about to ask in case he raised suspicions. she could respect that. instead, she’d had him tell her what he knew and made assumptions based on that. a quick scan of the desktop shortcuts proved her right. close to the top of the screen, in the third column, was a notebook icon with saturn’s logo. it was labelled ❛ student files ❜.
she jumped on the closest desktop icon ( seriously, who still used internet explorer in this day and age ?? or whatever the damn thing was called now ) and continued to do just that, moving higher and higher until she was standing on top of the notebook icon. she tapped the icon twice with her foot and bent her legs, bracing herself to land on the task-bar as the student files opened for her.
squinting at the bright light, she found herself in the centre of a circle of doors, six of them, all with a different hero’s face printed on them. the homeroom teachers. one for each year.
she knew she should probably start with the first years and make the climb to the sixth years, but if she was doing this, she was going to do this her way, and so she strode over to cecily alton’s class. as far as she was concerned, this was the most interesting group of students. this door brought her to a room similar to the one she’d just left, only there were far more doors.
while she didn’t need fang’s profile, it was a good starting point. she could judge the amount of helpful information more effectively that way. it didn’t take long for her to find his, either, squished in between ridley vidraru ( she wasn’t touching his or his sister’s with a ten foot pole, not that she wanted to in the first place ) and that one kidnapped girl.
walking through this door brought her to an interface in the middle of a white room, decorated only by photographs of fang throughout his time at saturn. the interface displayed his full name, his birthday, his ( fake ) family, all the basic things a school would need to know. clicking on the other tabs brought her to his academic progress and athletic progress respectively, mostly comments made by his teacher. while helpful, she felt that there was something missing.
she closed her eyes. the computer’s coding thrummed through her veins, like it had a heartbeat and it was matching with hers. when she concentrated hard enough, it was part of her, and she could tell where all the hidden nooks and crannies were.
and in this device ?? there were plenty.
she reached out, palms facing forward, and she spread her arms outwards. when she opened her eyes, things had changed. the room was now dark with a single light shining on the interface, which now had a new tab simply labelled ❛ notes ❜. one look at these told her that these weren’t written by cecily alton or any of his other teachers.
❛ fang’s quirk is passive. it’s useless for combat as he has to close his eyes to use it, so he can’t use it when he’s trying to move. disappointing, but he has his uses. should anything happen, he can be called to my side and used as the radar he is to prevent enemies from harming me.
❛ as stated in his files, he keeps to himself and falls somewhere in the middle of the class, a more normal student compared to some of the others there. he’s unnoticed, but this doesn’t seem to bother him. where is his drive ?? he has the opportunity to come here under my tutelage and he’s wasting it on normal. ❜
if she wasn’t scowling so hard, pixelis would have scoffed. this man’s sense of entitlement was like nothing she’d ever seen.
❛ liability level: low. his parents have never been seen, as they are always away on business and, according to staff, are rather flippant about their son’s progress. they can be easily subdued. ❜
nothing was outright stated, but pixelis considered herself an expert in finding hidden things. was this man really ranking his students on whether their families would care if something happened to them ??
copying the data to show fang later, she returned the folder to its original state, once again blinded by the white walls. after making sure she hadn’t left any trace of her involvement, she headed out the door.
with the hefty amount of students, she didn’t have enough time to check everyone’s files before the ball ended, and even then, she just skimmed the principal’s notes to see if there was anything useful before sending it back to her own computer. she could have done this from the comfort of her own home, but there was a higher chance of her leaving traces of her hack, and she needed to be as stealthy as possible.
there seemed to be patterns forming within the information, too. with one of her top priorities being the collection of intel on the children of professional heroes, she noticed that all of their liability levels were marked as ❛ very high ❜. choi jaesung, noh areum, kwon haneul, and anyone like them was automatically considered more important because of their parents’ fame, and while pixelis wanted to call the man out ( not because she cared, but because catching people in the middle of their bullshit was one of her favourite past times ), she knew it would be hypocritical. the league thought the same, didn’t they ??
any of the students who had placed in the top three at any of their sport festivals were automatically ranked ❛ medium ❜ or higher, depending on their social status, parental involvement, and abilities. they had proven themselves enough for the principal to give a damn, at least.
no matter who the student was, however, the principal always had some pretentious opinion of them. they were either too aggressive or too passive, too friendly or too distant, too reliant on natural talent or too focused on training their quirk. there was always something wrong with them, and it was always phrased in a way that made mister bang sound better than everyone around him.
it wasn’t long before pixelis was desperate to leave, sick of being in the mind of this man who didn’t give a damn about the children in his care ( sure, she despised the heroes in training herself, but she wasn’t supposed to care about them -- that was the biggest difference ), and once she’d gathered the information on the last student, she leapt towards the ❛ x ❜ button.
facing the desktop picture of bang and his daughter yet again, pixelis was tempted to spit in his face. that was impossible in her virus form, but it was fine.
karma would come around for him soon enough.
she selected ❛ shutdown ❜ from the start menu before disappearing into the maze of wires once more.
❝ ✦ ◜ YUMI HAD SPENT the entire afternoon trying to convince herself to not start crying when she saw how beautiful yejin looked, because she knew yejin would look beautiful. of course she would. yejin always looked beautiful. and the tiny girl thought she was prepared, thought she had had gotten all of her potential tears out and was ready to see her friend ( her date ?? ) look absolutely ethereal.
boy, was she wrong.
when the door swung open, yumi’s eyes instantly widened and her lips instantly fell apart. she was absolutely captivated by yejin’s beauty. part of her was thankful that the other girl was still here for her to pick up, otherwise this moment may not have happened. another part of her, however, thought that maybe she wouldn’t have made such a fool of herself like this if they had met at the ball ( or maybe she would have made even more of a fool of herself, who knows ).
❝ i – you … i – you look … i — you’re beautiful, ❞ she spluttered for a few moments before blurting it out, instantly turning bright red with embarrassment. instantly, she held out the bunch of flowers and the charm bracelet toward yejin — it only had one charm so far; a sun charm — and tried to hide her blushing face with her pigtails. ◞
YEJIN WOULDN’T ADMIT that she’d put in a little more effort for yumi’s benefit, not even to herself, but she couldn’t stop the way her cheeks flushed at the staring. she kept her expression neutral and hoped yumi was too busy in her own mind to notice.
this wasn’t the first time someone stared at her for how she looked, but it was the first time she’d actually cared about it.
❝ thank you. ❞ at least she was able to keep her voice even. yumi’s words weren’t what she expected. she’d thought she’d come out with ❛ you look beautiful ❜ not ❛ you are beautiful ❜. it was a slight difference, barely noticeable to most, but yejin tended to keep track of things like this. you could look like anything, but you couldn’t necessarily be anything.
when the flowers and bracelet were thrust her way, her first reaction was one of guilt. she hadn’t thought to bring anything for yumi. still, she took her gifts and, once again, said, ❝ thank you. ❞ she slipped on the charm bracelet, admiring the sun charm. ❝ i didn’t get anything for you, though... i should have. let me just put these in a vase. ❞ she gestured to the flowers with her free hand.
❝ ✦ ◜ HEAVEN KNEW THAT there were quite a few fangirls who would have been far more than willing to attend the ball with him. some of them had practically thrown themselves at him, trying to get him to take the hint and ask them. there was only one girl that he wanted to go to the ball with, though — there was only one person that he would go to the ball with. everyone knew who that was, so not even he was sure why people had even bothered with trying to get him to ask them.
the day before the ball he had been pestered endlessly by sima about what he had ‘ forgotten to do ‘ regarding the ball. of course, he had no idea what she had been talking about. he hadn’t forgotten to do anything. he had a pretty suit, his favourite barista, and a beautiful corsage and gift for her — he was set. sima was delusional.
now, on his way to pick up his favourite barista, he had been entirely prepared for her to look absolutely stunning. april always looked stunning, after all. when the door actually opened, however, he suddenly realised that he hadn’t been prepared at all to take in just how beautifully stunning april actually was.
he simply stared at her for a moment, eyes slightly wide and lips parted in a fit of complete and utter awe. he couldn’t bring himself to speak, couldn’t even think about speaking. he briefly thought that he was going to have a seizure right then and there. thankfully, he snapped himself back into reality before anything of the sort happened.
❝ i – i, uh … i — the ball ?? unless you look that … that — ❞ beautiful. ❝ — nice for another event entirely, but i … we’re going, right ?? ❞ a stupid question, really, but it was all he could really manage to splutter out, giving her one more look over before letting his gaze fall down to the items in his hands. ❝ oh, right. for you. ❞ he offered the corsage to her first, still holding the small jewelry box in hand. ◞
ONCE SHE WAS able to get over her surprise, april took in heaven’s appearance. he was handsome every time she saw him ( even when he came to her for help with an injury, though she would never tell him that, just in case it encouraged him to fight even more ), but there was something about him in a suit that made him just that bit more attractive. the suit itself was lovely, too, though that was to be expected from heaven. he had money to spare.
of course, she hadn’t expected to see him up close at the ball, let alone beforehand. she’d been under the assumption that he must have found someone else to go with, or that he’d simply decided that going with someone was a waste of time. the latter seemed the most obvious option of the two. either that, or she just didn’t want to imagine someone else on his arm.
as he stared at her, she simply stood there, attempting to suppress her smile and ducking her head to hide her reddening face. she tucked a strand of curled hair behind her ear and hoped the effort she took to get ready -- which was probably more excessive than she’d initially hoped for -- was paying off. she didn’t want to be imagining the awe on his face.
he explained himself, and in turn, her expression become one of puzzlement. it took a few moments before it dawned on her and she had to hide her giggles behind her hand. she didn’t know what she expected of the night, but it wasn’t this.
❝ heaven... did you forget to ask me to the ball ?? ❞ she asked slowly, a grin slowly making its way onto her face, barely visible beneath her fingers. she only removed her hand when he offered her the corsage. she took a moment to admire it, and she wondered if she was even worthy of something so pretty, though she was sure heaven would say otherwise. ❝ thank you, it’s beautiful. ❞
FIVE DAYS. FIVE days he’s been wandering the alleyways, hiding from incoming danger in dumpsters and working his quirk to his limits.
he’s only four years old. a four year old should never have to use their quirk in order to survive.
ii.
❝ i know you’re there. i’m not going to hurt you. ❞
he steps out from behind the dumpster. at the tender age of four, he’s ready to forfeit his life.
❝ where are your parents ?? ❞
❝ ...gone. ❞ along with the false promises they gave him.
❝ do you have a name ?? ❞
❝ fang. ❞
iii.
he’s given food. he’s given clothes. he’s given toys.
he has a home.
his parents become a distant memory, overwritten by warm beds and books to read and hugs to wake up to.
this is where he belongs.
iv.
a crash from outside.
❝ what’s going on ?? ❞ he asks his designated nanny.
( at least he thinks that’s what she is. her role in his life has never been specified and something stops him from asking. )
❝ it doesn’t matter, ❞ is what he’s told.
he stares at the door longer than necessary before he’s pulled away.
v.
he’s nine when he’s officially told, but he already knows.
❝ we’re the league of villains. you know that, yes ?? and we’ve taken care of you. we expect you to repay us. understand ?? ❞
❝ yes. ❞
he thinks he knows what he’s getting himself into. he thinks he can handle it.
vi.
❝ we have a new job for you. a long-term one. ❞
he’s fourteen. petty crimes have become his daily life, his quirk a valuable asset in determining the enemy’s position. they’ve never sent him away for longer than necessary, and so this comes as a surprise.
he raises an eyebrow.
❝ you’re going to become a hero. ❞
vii.
his first thought: ❛ i’m not cut out for this. ❜
he distracts himself by analysing his fellow exam-takers, memorising their faces for future reference.
( choi jaesung, son of pro hero midas, the second ranked hero, seolhyun’s brother. )
his breaths are uneven.
( zhou li wei, victim of the gilman-smith kidnapping case. )
his hands are shaking.
( remus herron, the last surviving member of the herron family, believed to be cursed. )
a buzzer sounds, and he leaps.
viii.
a ripping sound, a tear in the envelope, and one wide-eyed boy.
❝ i got in. ❞
❝ of course you did. failure isn’t an option. ❞
ix.
the twins are in his class.
he can identify them before hearing their names, and he suddenly feels nauseous as the weight of this mission finally hits him, leaving him winded.
( in their voices he hears luca, which is absurd and quite clearly a figment of his imagination, but it haunts him in the coming weeks. )
x.
he’s normal. he makes friends. he has parents who worry about him.
he pretends, he pretends, he pretends.
...
these people are innocent. they did nothing wrong.
they want to protect the world when all he’s doing is destroying it.
xi.
his visits to base become less frequent as the months pass. he claims that his classes are harder, that he needs to seem like a hero, that he needs to be the perfect wolf in sheep’s clothing.
he doesn’t want to be around these heroes, he doesn’t want to be one of them, he doesn’t want their validation.
he repeats these words like a mantra to his reflection, as if they’ll come true.
xii.
his smiles are wide and his laughter is genuine.
this isn’t how a wolf should be feeling. a wolf should be cunning, should be waiting for the perfect opportunity to obtain what it wants, devouring it like fresh meat.
a wolf shouldn’t be questioning his allegiance.
xiii.
he isn’t a wolf.
he isn’t a sheep.
all he does is exists. he isn’t anything. he has shed one skin, only to find he isn’t qualified enough to wear the other.
THERE WASN’T MUCH cullen could do other than keep a firm hold on daiyu’s arm and hope they didn’t become too overloaded with the thoughts of everyone in the room. the boss had warned them both that there would be plenty of attendees, but he hadn’t been prepared for just how many. he couldn’t imagine how overloaded daiyu must have been.
to their benefit, they seemed to be doing just fine. their silvery mask, the one with that shimmery purple look to match their dress, obscured their eyes, so passersby wouldn’t realise they would sometimes close in concentration. cullen wasn’t sure how their quirk worked exactly, just that it was considered one of the boss’s most prized weapons.
cullen himself didn’t have any real reason to be there. he was useless unless he was sleeping, and so all he was really doing was accompanying daiyu.
❝ you’re wrong. ❞ daiyu’s voice tended to be both soft and toneless at the same time, as if they had never learned how to properly communicate, or they just hadn’t done so often enough to become accustomed to it. ❝ you’re here to ensure i don’t faint among all these people, and to keep a look out for the people i should be listening to. ❞
thoughts of gratitude swam around his head, and he was sure daiyu heard it, because they continued moving forward, saying no more on the matter. ❝ is there anywhere i should be heading in particular ?? ❞
cullen turned his head this way and that, searching for anything or anyone he thought worthy of their attention, but it was difficult when everyone’s faces were hidden. it all depended on the sort of intel the boss wanted, too. he hadn’t specified what he wanted, simply ordering him to come back with ❛ something useful to use against someone important. ❜ he’d been in a mood when they’d been called to his study, and so his instructions were fuelled by impatience.
❝ he was rather vague, wasn’t he ?? ❞ daiyu said, and cullen spotted the movement of their eyes opening beneath their mask. ❝ i say we gravitate towards heroes or officials. they would have the most -- ❞
when they stopped mid-sentence, cullen leaned closer, as if doing so would allow him to hear what they did. of course, it was no use. he would just have to wait for them to finish.
❛ WHY IS DAD being so difficult ?? he’s so hard to read. ❜
it was an innocent enough thought on its own, but to daiyu, anytime someone thought about reading a person, their attention was caught. perhaps it was because searching for a quirk similar to their mind reading was something they’d done from a young age, but they realised they were on the right track when the feminine voice continued.
❛ i know being the principal of the most important school in the city is hard, but i’m right here, he doesn’t have to deal with it alone. and he should be out here enjoying the party, not schmoozing to mr chailangka. hasn’t he done that enough ?? i wonder why he wanted to have this ball in the first place... ❜
daiyu opened their eyes, aware that cullen was waiting for a response, but first they searched the area. they zeroed in on a girl standing right beside the stairs to the stage, brown hair in an up-do adorned with flowers that matched the embroidery on her light pink, long-sleeved dress. she was staring at the stage with an expression hidden by the vine-themed mask she wore.
❝ it’s her, the one over there with the flowers, ❞ they said to cullen, giving a subtle nod in the girl’s direction. it would be too risky to point. ❝ the principal’s daughter, it seems. she doesn’t trust her father. ❞
cullen’s reaction was predictable -- a look of pure surprise. of course he wouldn’t be able to understand such a thing when he was such a trusting person himself. it would be the end of him one day, daiyu was certain.
❝ why not ?? ❞ the confusion was evident, and daiyu held in a sigh.
❝ she’s questioning his motives for the hosting the event. i was assuming he wanted to show off his achievements by having all the training heroes here, but now i don’t think that’s the case, ❞ they said. ❝ if the principal reveals himself at some point, then i think it’d be worth it to search his mind, but apparently he’s speaking to the hotel owners. ❞
cullen’s eyes flickered towards the daughter again, having the sense to not stare as to not arouse suspicion. daiyu didn’t need to read his thoughts to know what he was thinking -- how could she not trust her father ?? it was the type of naive thing he would think after being raised to completely trust their captors.
( because that was all they were and that was all they would be to daiyu, but cullen was too blind to see that. )
they were about to delve into the daughter’s mind again when she moved away and a large group of students walked by, their thoughts all clashing with each other and causing daiyu to stumble back. cullen caught them before they could go too far.
❝ come on, let’s go sit down, ❞ he said in a small voice, gently pulling them towards the edge of the room where wooden benches were attached to the walls. ❝ i’ll get you some water. ❞
AS IT TURNED out, the water was on a table separate from everything else, away from the punch, though the reason for that was unclear to cullen. he felt bad about leaving daiyu alone, but he had promised them water, and he was going to fulfill his promise.
the table was mostly deserted save for some older men off to the side, and cullen was willing to grab his cup and return to daiyu had something not gained his attention.
❝ she’s still missing ?? what are you doing ?? ❞
❝ she’s probably using all the quirks she has at her disposal to hide herself from us, but we will find her. she’s weak and she knows it. we all do. ❞
it was the two men. their tones were venomous, and cullen instinctively grabbed another cup to fill, wanting to have an excuse to stay longer. he swayed to the music the dj was playing to make it seem as if he was listening to the music and the music alone.
❝ i would’ve thought you would’ve found her by now. she is your daughter. don’t you know where she goes when she’s upset ?? ❞
a pause. then, ❝ she was never allowed outside our home or the station. her job was too valuable to just let her run loose. ❞
his words hit too close to home for cullen. whoever they were talking about seemed to be like him, but at least the father seemed to be trying to find her. he must have cared about her well-being enough if he wanted her back, surely.
( perhaps he was justifying the behaviour. perhaps he was justifying someone else’s behaviour. )
❝ we’ll lose one of our most valuable assets if you don’t find her. you realise that, right ?? ❞
❝ of course, sir. ❞
❝ and if we do find her and she doesn’t comply, you know what needs to happen, don’t you ?? i need you to be aware of this, officer roh. if dasom doesn’t come back with us, she’ll be a liability. and if anyone like that damn thief gets their hands on this information... ❞
cullen’s swaying stopped for the briefest moment as he attempted to process what he was hearing. he didn’t know who dasom was, just that she was officer roh’s daughter who ran away and may become a liability, but if she was that important, then surely, they wouldn’t harm her. and then there was this business about a thief that he didn’t understand.
he sighed and stared out towards the dancefloor, sipping from his cup of water. it was times like these he wished he had daiyu’s quirk.
❝ i understand, ❞ officer roh said, shaking cullen out of his thoughts. he wished he could see his face. ❝ do what you must. ❞
footsteps faded away behind him, and he quickly filled his cup to the brim before taking it and daiyu’s back the way he came.
DAIYU WAS A patient person, a trait they’d been forced to attain after so many years in confinement, and so cullen taking longer than usual didn’t bother them. he would never do so on purpose. he was too nice for that.
they were wondering whether they should wander over to the buffet table and grab some snacks when an annoying voice pierced through their skull and they winced.
❛ i forgot how damn exhausting watching out for them can be. i guess there’s a reason no one else wants to do it. ❜
the voice belonged to a girl a few metres away in a black and gold dress. she swirled a glass of wine, her posture oozing confidence, and daiyu initially thought she was a socialite taking her wealthy status for granted. then she kept thinking.
❛ still, i’d rather they be here with me then holed up in the league’s base with their dad. piece of shit. ❜
❛ the league ❜ ?? if this was the league daiyu thought it was, this was very interesting indeed.
❛ taking honey anywhere is just begging for them to spill all our secrets, and we can’t tell who’s a hero and who isn’t around here. fuck, what are we getting ourselves into ?? where the fuck is traitor boy, maybe he can help me. ❜
the girl took a rather aggressive sip of wine, and daiyu was surprised she didn’t spill it over her dress. she turned around so most of her back was to them, and she wouldn’t be able to catch them if they stared right at her, but they still didn’t take the chance.
❛ wait, fuck -- where have they gone ?! i leave to get a much-needed drink for two seconds and this is what happens. honey, get back here !! where the fuck -- ❜
the girl slammed her glass on the table and stormed through the crowd, her thoughts -- just swears at this point -- fading out of earshot.
this was when cullen decided to return, a glass of water for each of them, and daiyu took theirs with a nod of their head.
❝ ✦ ◜ YAOZU HAD SOMEHOW managed to get separated from zihao, taesuk, and soojung, and his natural instinct was to try to find his twin brother. how hard could it be ?? they looked exactly the same. turns out, it could be a lot harder than he initially thought, what with the sea of people blocking his view from finding even taesuk, who was as sparkly and obvious as ever. what he found instead was a flowery boy, stuffing his face with what might have been the biggest cupcake he had ever seen.
❝ don’t choke, handsome, ❞ he called out, breathing out a light laugh, ❝ not sure how well a death at the ball would go over with our dear principal. ❞ ◞
AT THE SUDDEN voice ( as well as being called ❛ handsome ❜, that was a new one, how was he supposed to respond to that ?! ), he really did start choking. he gently beat his chest with his fist as he coughed into his arm. his fit was over in less than a minute, but by then, he was sure he’d already embarrassed himself completely.
❝ too late for that, ❞ he said in a tired voice. ❝ and i can’t say he’s my dear principal. you a hero in training ?? ❞ that was better -- deflect the topic to something else.
❝ ✦ ◜ VESPER HAD NEVER exactly been the biggest fan of formal events. he always found himself to awkward to ever actually have a fun time at them, but chaewon had done her best to convince him that he should go, and so he did, even if he didn’t have anyone to go with at all. he was sure he would find his friends there at some point.
he wasn’t sure why he spent so much money on a suit that he was probably only going to wear once, but he did and it was too late to take it back. the suit was fairly simple, all black with sparkly, silver starry designs adorning the surface. his mask was similar, all black with subtle hints of silver here and there.
upon arriving at the ball, just as he assumed, he ended up simply walking around a bit awkwardly. he tried to catch a glimpse of his friends, but couldn’t seem to spot them. he was beginning to think that he should call it quits and head home, but, luckily, he was torn from his thoughts upon lightly colliding with someone. instinctively, he let out a small yelp and a quick, ❝ oh my god !! i am — i’m so sorry, i — i’m so clumsy, oh my god. i’m so sorry — ❞ ◞
YUNA HAD BEEN so engrossed in observing things from across the room that she wasn’t paying attention to what was right in front of her, and so when someone bumped into her, she hadn’t been expecting it. she didn’t make a noise, but instead went into her instinctive battle stance, one foot in front of the other with one hand raised. it took her a few moments to realise she wasn’t in any danger and was actually being apologised to.
dropping her stance, she intertwined her fingers, unsure of what to do with herself now that she wasn’t in attack mode. she shook her head. ❝ it’s fine, i should have been paying attention to what was going on around me. ❞ she could imagine how much she would have been scolded if any of the higher-ups were around. she needed constant vigilance in all areas, not just one designated area.
looking at the man again, she went over what he said -- or rather, how he sounded. she felt as though she’d heard that voice before, but not from anyone in the league, that was for sure. perhaps she was just imagining things.
『 THERE WAS SOMETHING EXHILARATING ABOUT being in a mask. ricky had considered using a mask for his hero costume but was worried it’d fall out of place during battles. he felt unrecognizable and given his body language and his constant smile, his feelings were pretty bang-on. he was never the most outgoing. he was a wallflower, a shrinking violet who didn’t have the confidence to bloom on his own. at the ball, with no one to notice him as ricky rotten, but as anyone he wanted to be, he felt like he was on top of the world. 』
『 THE HIGH WAS MEANT TO be shared, that’s all ricky knew. this wave he was riding on, especially knowing that the wall often felt like it was coated with irremovable glue, had to have a partner. perhaps he saw himself in her body language, perhaps his eyes caught at the most unassuming because it’s what he was attracted to ( despite his numerous efforts to try and stand out ), but maybe it was her expression. maybe, it was just her. 』
『 WHATEVER IT WAS, RICKY FOUND himself smiling towards the girl. it was bashful, despite his ecstatic disposition. ❝ i couldn’t help but notice you from across the way and i just had to ask … would you mind a dance ?? with me, of course, i wouldn’t subject you to going out there by yourself. ❞ 』
SYLVIE HADN’T INITIALLY wanted to go to the ball. that wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew her, of course, and cleo had already anticipated this prior to the evening. she’d infiltrated her lab via the vents with all her measuring tools and demanded she be fitted for a dress, declaring that she was going to the ball whether she liked it or not. she’d also said something about it ❛ being for her own good ❜ and that ❛ everyone was going and she didn’t want her to miss out ❜, but sylvie had been too preoccupied with trying to stop an overflowing acid concoction to pay attention. she’d agreed and been let go just in time to stop a disastrous chemical reaction.
so here she was. the moment she’d been separated from the rest of her family, she’d glued herself to one of the chairs by the wall, a table on one side and a window on the other, just watching the rest of the dancers and making herself as small as possible. there were so many people around and she was starting to feel claustrophobic. she knew that if she didn’t either leave or distract herself soon, she would likely burst into tears.
at the voice, she raised her head, surprised. she looked around, but didn’t see anyone else the boy could be talking to. still, she pointed a shaky finger to herself. ❝ m-me ?? um... i’m not that good a dancer, but... but if you’re okay with that... ❞ her voice became smaller with every word.
❝ ✦ ◜ RAIDEN ASKING HER to the ball had been surprising to chaewon, considering she was sure that he could ask anyone he wanted and have them say yes in a heartbeat. what was even more surprising to her, though, was the fact that she had said yes. she still wasn’t entirely sure why she had said it, but she tried to convince herself that it was simply to get him to stop bothering her ( even if heaven had tried convincing her that that wasn’t the only reason ).
still, she made her best effort to look as night as she possibly could, even if it wasn’t a real date. she wore an all black dress, the bodice an almost sheer fabric and embellished with intricate, shimmery black designs all over. there was a triangle shape cut out at the stomach , right before it went into the skirt, which shared the same designs as the bodice, and was a high-low that ended just above her knees in the front and then slowly trailed down until it dragged across the floor in the back. her mask was simple, black with subtle floral designs adorning the surface. her hair was in loose, slightly messy curls, and she pinned them out of her face with a crescent moon and stair clip at the back of her head.
she had just sent saskia a ❛ wish me luck ❜ text as she heard the knock on the door, and she tucked her phone into her clutch before moving to answer it.
❝ hey, rai, ❞ she greeted, allowing a soft smile to make its way to her lips for once, ❝ you look very handsome. ❞ ◞
RAIDEN HAD BEEN asked a few times to attend the ball by a few fangirls prior to asking chaewon, but he hadn’t accepted. it just hadn’t felt right. he considered all the girls his friends and people he wanted to please, but he liked them all equally, and he didn’t want to disappoint them by only taking one with him and leaving the other girls behind. his original intention had been to go alone and dance with everyone, but he’d walked into class one morning and spotted chaewon reading when he stopped. she would be perfect to go with, and the idea put a small smile on his face right before he walked up to ask her.
her saying ❛ yes ❜ had been a long shot, but she had, and it had taken everything in him not to do a victory dance on top of her desk. or purr. that would have just been embarrassing.
in raiden’s humble and completely unbiased opinion, chaewon was one of the prettiest girls in the class, and so it was inevitable that she would look stunning when she opened the door. and he was right. he grinned at her, even before she complimented him, and he made a point of bowing before speaking.
❝ good evening, milady, ❞ he said, voice borderline silly with how posh his accent was. ❝ you look amazing as always. ❞ he stood straight again, showing her the corsage. ❝ and i come bearing a gift. ❞
❝ ✦ ◜ UNLIKE SO MANY people that she had seen, sohye wasn’t nervous for the ball at all. she was going with her chiwonnie, and there was absolutely no reason to be nervous about going with her chiwonnie. she was glad he asked her, and she made sure to look as nice as she possibly could for the occasion.
her dress was a sunset yellow colour, intricate gold embellishments adorning the subtle strap-like sleeves and the bodice, ending just at the top of the skirt. the sides of the dress, just around her waist, were cutout and replaced by a soft, sheer fabric with small, gold beads scattered about. the skirt of the dress was so fluffy and long that a tiny girl like sohye had trouble moving in it, but she loved how it moved and swish against the floor as she walked. her mask matched the gold embellishments of her dress, made of a gold medal and molded into an intricate design, a short strand of gold beads and rhinestones dangled from the outer corner of the right eye.
she finished pinning her pretty curls into place just as she heard chiwon knock on the door, and she quickly rushed to answer it. ❝ chiwonnieeee !! ❞ she exclaimed, giggling softly. ❝ oh, you look so very handsome, chiwonnie !! i believe you shall be the most handsome out of everyone at the entire ball !! ❞ she clapped her hands together excitedly, and bounced on her feet as best as she could in her tiny, gold heels. ◞
WHEN SOHYE OPENED the door, chiwon made a show of gasping and pretending to faint, stumbling backwards with the back of his hand against his forehead. ❝ your beauty !! i’m dying from sohye’s beauty !! i’m going to die right in this hallway because sohye is shining brighter than the sun !! ❞ he wasn’t able to keep the act up after that, breaking into a fit of giggles and grinning at his friend.
❝ oh, i’ve got something for you !! ❞ he said. his hand rummaged through his pocket, and when he took it out, something was hidden in his enclosed fist. ❝ surprise !! ❞ when he opened his hand, there was a pair of earrings in his hand. they were little ice-cream studs, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. ❝ i wanted to get you something, and they’re not super fancy or anything, but hopefully you’ll like ‘em !! ❞
❝ ✦ ◜ ADHIRA WAS ALREADY finding herself tired of being in such a formal setting, especially since she couldn’t tell who anyone was, what with the masks and all. she didn’t think the mask would be the trouble in finding elias, considering she saw him with a mask all the time, but she wasn’t sure she would be able to find him amidst all of the people.
she lifted her dress a bit as she walked around, careful not to trip on it. her dress was fairly simple, a soft grey colour with silver embellishments adorning the bodice. her mask was made from a silver metal, shaped into intricate designs that covered only the upper left half of her face and ran along her right eyebrow before tying with a white ribbon around the back of her head. her mask truly didn’t do much to hide her identity, but she didn’t seem to care all too much.
while weaving through the crowd, she stopped short as she saw someone who she swore was elias, before making her way over. ❝ elias, ❞ she called out, probably not as loud as she should have. considering the hundreds of people surrounding them. ◞
ELIAS LEANED AGAINST the wall, though only a little, just in case he ruined his suit before he’d even headed inside the ballroom itself. looking a bit dirty was inevitable when one fought crime, especially under the radar like he did, but tonight wasn’t the night for that. tonight, he planned on just enjoying himself because life was too short to be fight all the time.
hearing his name, elias peered over and through the crowd until he spotted someone he swore was adhira. he couldn’t be completely sure by her appearance, but her voice was a giveaway, at least to him. he raised his arm and waved it around, as if to confirm that it was definitely him and that she should make her way over as quickly as possible.
❝ right here !! ❞ he called, not caring about how loud he was being. there were other people trying to gain the attention of their friends, after all, so he didn’t think anyone would mind too much.
