kanashii-na:
┋ 蒼炎⋙—. “Don’t hide behind innocent people,” huh? The little speckled wonder was sharp. He obliged a look of admiration – some kids had all the sense. He watched with a ominous, yet placid demeanor as the boy called ‘Deku’ ran the gamut of resistance to tolerance in just fleeting moments. Defiance lingered, just as electric as that strange quirk of his, throughout the fledgling hero’s form. He almost wanted to reward the kid’s diligence with an offensive or something, but… that would just make his real task more difficult. And forget about having to work twice as hard for half the return.
Midoriya answered him, which surprised the raven-maned villain. He wasn’t expecting the earnest, ‘Kacchan is fine.’ That was sweet, wasn’t it? What a good kid. He was mad that he’d been asked about Bakugou – but he still issued an honest, if tetchy, report. The forest skirmish (could he even call it a skirmish?) seemed so far away, now. It was funny to think of how familiar they’d become with those UA squirts, always underfoot…
❝So defensive. I wasn’t asking to read your diary. I was just wondering who you were taking notes of.
Oh, yeah. Want some data on me?❞
Dabi took a step further into the shadows, as if to offer the other half of the alley’s walking space. A scarred wrist was turned upwards, as he opened a palm to beckon the young man over. His expression was impassive, apart from a wry smile that persisted as he spoke.
❝If you play nice, I’ll give you some good info. If you get excitable, you might just die. Maybe not just you. I’ll let you make the choice. But I’m not lying on any point. There’s a few things I won’t answer no matter what, but – I might even let you ask a question or two of your own. That’s a good opportunity, right?
What do you think? Wanna play?❞
He would have a limited amount of time to ask his own questions, before the boy would be expected back. The gambit was just uncomfortable enough to be interesting. He preferred the encounter to be left out of the general awareness of either of their organizations – and Midoriya’s cooperation assured that for the both of them. If the fledgling hero decided to test his might, instead, Dabi had no qualms about shutting him down however he may. It wasn’t about hiding behind the innocent, really. It was letting the indoctrination and prejudice of a “hero’s” mind determine what the stakes were. And for him, this was extracurricular, but it had the potential of being a useful, unexpected exchange.
This 囅 is what it means to be a 英雄 -
Relentless, haunting azure flame, that spread even quicker than the average wildfire, with an undetermined amount of control and accuracy - but that didn’t exactly matter when destruction was the goal, which meant that output was the more dangerous litmus to his lack of knowledge. Even if you bribe me with data, there’s just no way to trust you! That’s insane! A direct and swift incapacitation.. that would be his best and only bet if he was forced to consider direct combat - even if that meant getting burned, himself. After all, the lives of those around him were far more sacred... they wouldn’t even have to be troubled if he could simply outpace the ominous bastard. Dusky emerald studied intensely, with no regard for the obvious monologue of suspicion that played behind his eyes.
“This isn’t a game, Dabi, don’t talk like it’s one. You know I don’t have a choice... I’ll go with, but it’s not like it was before. I have my provisional license, and you’re definitely an emergency.”
Big words with only an inkling of what could be follow-through, the warning was issued mostly as a means to level a very shaky playing field that was way too far in the villain’s favor. Keeping himself in a rigid, non-aggressive stance, he would step forward into the wolf’s den, never taking his gaze off the beast in question, only turning when he was definitely out of view of most prying eyes.
“...Go... go ahead, then. I was just taking notes on the top three of the Hero Rankings.”
