E I J I R O U
K I R I S H I M A
" Kiri - Red - Shitty-hair "
17 years of age - Japanese - "Gifted" Human
Eijirou Kirishima is a strongly-built and durable individual as a whole. He worked relentlessly in order to build up his strength and gain his desired physique, so he takes a degree of well-deserved pride in his appearance. His strength lies in endurance, physical strength and brute force, granting him the nickname "The Bulldozer of Class 1A."
On the flip side, he is not the fastest kid on the block, but he does frequently work on his speed, stamina and flexibility to try and make up for it.
His eyes are a ruby red, and truly the windows to his soul. Kirishima is an incredibly expressive individual, and his eyes never fail to reflect his true emotions.
His hair is naturally black and straight, yet Kirishima chooses to keep it dyed crimson red and spike it up to his signature lofty style. He'll wear his hair down if he is in the comfort of familiar spaces and familiar faces, and usually keeps it either tied back or pushed out of his face with a headband.
While it is common knowledge that Kirishima styles his hair up to the spikes, very few folks are aware of his natural hair color.
Hair holds memories, and for him, the red color symbolizes a new phase in his life that he can be proud of.
Kirishima's teeth are unusually sharp and resemble more of a beast's than a human. He is unsure where exactly the sharpness of his teeth originates from, but figures he may have inherited that trait from a member of the unknown side of his family.
In the MhA cannon universe, Kirishima's baby teeth were blunt like a normal human child's, and the sharp teeth came in as his permanent set. The number of times he had bitten his own lip, tongue or cheek trying to get used to them is next to countless.
-
Loud. Boisterous. A "bit too much." Those are common words used to describe Kirishima's personality.
However, so are "Loyal," "Outgoing," "Trustworthy," and "Uplifting."
Kirishima is a highly social and very extraverted boy who is able to get along with just about anybody, regardless of personality differences.
He is fully aware of his rambunctious personality and habits of sudden loud outbursts. He is not ashamed of it, but he will swiftly apologize and keep himself in check if he gets called out.
Kirishima does not filter or conceal his emotions, and is ultimately a very bad liar if he tries to do so. He is very blunt and upfront, and holds no hesitation to comment on unsavory behavior.
Kirishima holds a true "Chaotic Good" alignment and by default, serves as the peacekeeper and mediator in various situations. Despite his passive demeanor, he is known to do a quick, 180 flip into an aggressive spitfire if one manages to prod the few "soft spots" he has. He never backs down from a fight or a challenge, even if his odds of winning are slim.
Overall, Kirishima holds himself to a mildly corny standard of chivalry and honor. He tries to model himself after a hero he looks up to by the name of Crimson Riot, even going as far as adopting the code name "Red Riot" in his honor.
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Eijirou Kirishima - Code name, "Red Riot."
Kirishima is currently a student at a hero-run school for "gifted" kids, and works part-time at the Fatgum agency -- an agency that specializes in neutralizing threats and apprehending criminals with supernatural and superhuman abilities.
His own ability allows him to harden his anatomy and turn his skin into jagged stone. This increases his physical strength and durability, and allows him to easily withstand things like extreme blunt force trauma, bullets, point-blank explosions, crushing force, piercing or slicing weapons, and falling from great heights.
His fighting style is geared towards close-quartered melee combat, using his fists, arms and body as both weapons and a shield. He is notorious for taking on a reckless and aggressive approach to a fight, bulldozing head-on into battle and throwing himself into harm's way to shield friends and civilians alike.
He has learned to regenerate himself after taking devastating hits. However, there is a limit to the number of attacks he can withstand before his ability begins to give out. Kirishima is also prone to becoming fatigued after giving or receiving numerous heavy hits, and will struggle to keep his ability activated after a certain amount of time.
+ QUIRK SPOILER AHEAD +
Eijirou Kirishima's Ultimate form is known as "Unbreakable." He is able to done layer upon layer of his dermal hardening ability, therefore amplifying his strength and durability to the extreme. This gives Red Riot's "Unbreakable" a monstrous appearance with monstrous strength to match.
In the MhA cannon universe, Kirishima is only able to hold Unbreakable for 40 seconds at a time before his ability gives out. With time and practice, he is able to mantain and fight with Unbreakable for longer periods of time.
"Unbreakable" is completely and entirely impenetrable for the short time it is activated.
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Comments
“They’ve been called all sorts of names, freaky is really tame,” she laughed, rubbing her eyes. “Cool is kinda rare. Y’all hear that?”
The amalgam was visibly vibrating. They seemed quite pleased with themselves. It was obvious that the majority of their attention remained pinned on the older boy, however, a focal point of fascination and amusement for the entire herd of flesh. A few heads bounced and twisted upside down, causing another onslaught of joints popping in sockets. “C͘͡h̶̛i̶c͜͠k̸ie.̷̧͏” That was blurted in a chorus of squawks and chirrups, with so much emphasis. They’re poking at him, alright. “Cl̛úc̷͢͞k͘͢ ͢ćl̸͝u͏c̸͢k̨̕͟ ͢ćl̸͝u͏c̸͢k̨̕͟.̢”
"Stop teasing him!" Any hasty resistance was met with an abrupt hiss, a tumbling, rumbling set of no’s.
“You pull this shit and y’all wonder why you can’t get new friends!”
While the voices considerably faded, a few were still faintly cooing and chirping at the back, akin to a brood of throaty, mangled chicks. The beholder looked a little disappointed and apologetic at this half-assed attempt, only nodding at Kirishima as he loudly mused to himself. What successfully took them off from subtly picking on the dark-haired youngster was the casual yet sudden mention of someone else bearing a shadow– something that seemed remotely similar. With their interest piqued, they went completely still, all heads and twitching eyes cast upon the redhead like a jilted crowd holding back a breath. Even the woman visibly blinked at that.
“M̧̛mm͢m̕m̷. ̛͟͏Fr͢͝i̴͡e̢n̸͡d̵?”
That’s probably one reason why. Cassella was still impressed regardless. She has heard of certain schools taking in people with such abilities, but this was perhaps something so widespread where they came from. Maybe it wasn’t just exposure – how much should someone really have to go through the experience alone just to be resilient enough against something horrifying? A bunch of hands was now enthusiastically tugging on her sleeve and shirt, causing her to shake. She didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest, it must be a very common occurrence to deal with. “M͏ưs̷̡t̢ se̸e̶̴͢!̡̕ ͠A͘ ̢͟a҉ ̷̡͝a̡̡ ̷̵̧Á͝ -͝-͞-͠͡-͘ ͜M̸͢a͡k͏e ͘͜fr̷̡i̢ȩ͞n̡d́̕s!̶̡́” The constant mumbling and purr of voices was something she can easily disregard when one more question was dropped.
Oh, that’s a hard one.
Cassella didn’t seem caught off guard, somehow anticipating anything of that nature, but she winced at the question regardless. There was something about these two that somehow begged for the truth to be told. She was now wringing her hands, stray fingers drumming against the carpeted floor. "Well." Only in this lifetime, right? "There have been two separate occasions where it happened. A sibling and I infiltrated a cult for information at some point. That was ten years ago or so. Their idol dragged my head into a nightmare loop and they didn’t like it. My sister was okay– I can’t say the same for the rest though. I assumed that the abrupt mental disconnect threw the Illustres off and when I came into, the party was already over.” She scratched the back of her head with a chuckle. It doesn’t seem like something she’ll recount on a usual basis with the slight discomfiture, but she persisted. “The other one, I honestly had no idea what triggered them to rip their way out, up to now they still can’t properly tell me. It was the day when some of my friends went missing. The latter event dislocated a few discs and shattered my collarbone and some ribs for good measure when I tried to hold them back and they threw me against the foremast. I was due for a healer’s visit back then anyway.”
One head ragged by long matted hair resurfaced from her shoulder to nuzzle her cheek, something she didn’t really mind. The rattling, slack-jawed thing was insistent – was it an attempt for an apology? Just an affectionate gesture? Who knows. “Those things were far in between. If it’s any reassurance, they do recognize people and facial patterns better than I would. I can’t remember the last time they willfully tried to hurt a friend– other than the occasional heart attack when they poke their way out for something that excites them, that is.”
“Anyway, you did mention one of your classmates having a shadow behaving like this?” Gesturing vaguely, the amalgam slowly started to retreat back into the petite body they seemed to call home, adhering itself and working its way in. “Wrestling for control seems to be a recurring thing on a lot of occasions if you got something tagging along with you 24/7. I hope it's not giving him so much trouble.” The Illustres was still a raveled, scrabbling mess on the outside, but other than the subtle ripple beneath the skin, it was cleanly compacting its way back. At this point she was most likely doing it for Amajiki’s sake, the wriggling amalgam seemed ready to pounce his way for a closer investigation once more.
They didn’t seem happy, but Cass figured it was enough stress for the day. “It’s okay, Amajiki, I’m calling them back in. You can sit down now.” While those silvery eyes were twinkling, she seemed sincere with that. “There’s a couple of things I’m intending to ask you two anyway, and it’s nothing like having to be grabbed by them, I promise.”
The reaction from the two was expected. Whatever fascination from the conversation earlier was immediately thrown out of the window– and reasonably so. Any sane person would be horrified, who in the right mind would expect any other reaction from these teenagers? It’s not like they deal with a sinister creature every day, or even have the chance to call one an ally. Just one look and this was the farthest thing from such. Between the two boys who scrambled right away as soon as the tangle of muscle and tissue started pushing its way out, Kirishima so far was showing the most promise of staying around, adjusting to the entire display way better than she initially thought.
The Illustres seemed to like it either way. Good or bad, it was attention to be had.
With a loud purr, a few heads turned as he waved, twisting a complete 180 that visibly wrung the tight skin. Most of the pupils gradually drifted in one direction, with a few more eyes fluttering open to follow. It was like a slow wave of flesh moving and bouncing to follow the lead of his hand, and all exposed appendages actually waved back. The attempt was pitiful – some fingers and toes could only twitch in response, but none of those faces seemed to mind. "They do pop a few limbs and eyes out of me sometimes, so I believe they're the ones you saw back there –" multiple eyes finally swept over to the older boy, and Cassella just had to take a double look "-- OH MY GODS are you okay!?"
The poor thing was already having a panic attack… the look on his face– Amajiki was gripping at the chair for dear life. Rooted in place, yet so ready to run. No, he's very much not okay, why did she even ask? The retorting thought made her twitch, and the longer she gaped back at him, the harder it got to swallow back a bubbling laugh. Twitching on her seat, she held one hand out– one that didn't have any extra attachments. Don't. "They– they're not going to hurt you, you'll be alright!" At that moment, the coaxing wasn't very believable, this enormous pile of sinew and meat was jiggling and straining at the seams in evident excitement to interact with anyone other than their beholder openly, each movement causing old joints and bones to creak and snap in irregular angles. Hands reached and clawed at empty air. Heads formed and sank back, causing a billowing movement that rippled through the entire mass. Yet she didn't seem to have any difficulty in reigning them back, an owner keeping a very exuberant pet on a tight leash. "They're just excited to meet new people–” A few cracked lips were visibly peeling back into a wide grin, one that could have split normal faces into uneven halves– and she was making an effort to push these back.
She can feel the mounting amusement as the others caught on. Each garish grin revealed rows upon rows of teeth– some broken, some rotting, some still pristine and untouched by time. “-- they'll calm down!"
Quite the opposite. They were enjoying this entire thing. They tugged, they pulled, each one testily trying to burst at the seams, akin to a puppy that will be bouncing and wagging all over any visitor if given the chance. Even Kirishima’s direction wasn’t missed, a good fraction of them were gravitating to that too– oh, those rasping voices were calling out to their endearing Matchstick that they’re starting to adore. Two spots to reach and scramble for, too bad, at that moment their beholder wasn’t splitting this burbling muscle into portions.
“C͝h͞ic̴k̕͏e͠ņ͘ ́͟wí̧͟n̵g͜͠͝.̕ ̸C̴̷͡hí̵c͘ķe͞n͘ ̷͢w͢͜ing̶͢!“
“Stop it.”
“C̡͢͝h͜i͏̵c̨k͡͝i͞ȩ.͟”
“No, calm the fuck down.”
“A͝-͟͜am͏a̶̢͜-̷ç̛͠h̵i̡̢͠iìi͡͞i̛͜c͘͝͏k̴̢͠i͞e͢~”
With a low sigh, she only shook her head. One stray hand absentmindedly rubbed against her temples, ruffling the already wispy hair. “But to answer your question,” she finally managed, despite all the fussing. "It does hurt sometimes if I call on them too fast. Or when they get detached a little too quickly from me. But I've gotten used to it for the most part. Your enemies won't wait for you to spit everything out if you're in the middle of a fight, and I’ve been getting lots of practice." She would have gone in for the details if not for the fact that they were already overwhelmed with what they were seeing. No need to get into the harsher details. "As for them, their pain receptors seemed to be dulled – though I believe they are capable of feeling some discomfort since it gets to me. Anything ripped apart regrows. They may not be spectral enough to pass through walls, but that thing, they managed to retain." Reaching over to pat one reachable head, she nodded. In the midst of the hesitation, the lingering shame, there was the slightest hint of pride. A relationship so complex, just like the intricacy of all limbs stitched into one. “At least I don’t have to clean up after them, they clean up after me!”
"The elders in my family have been researching them for so long ever since they were sighted from one ancestor, so they had several theories. The most plausible one is that my body or my soul acts like a portal of some sort to a pocket dimension where they settled when they found me." Gray eyes squinted as she gazed down at the pulsing mass that clung to her. "It sounds outrageous, I know. The others, even more so. But if it makes everyone feel better that they managed to grasp something, I’d take it."
One scuttling appendage finally found a corner of a pack of potato chips on the table, and in a single fluid motion, this was deposited on her lap where a new set of fingers sprouted to work and get it open. Quite the mundane task for something that seemed so eldritch and inhuman, Cassella was primly munching on it in no time. “I’m sorry if it scared the both of you. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect that. We had a bit of time, and the last thing I’d want in the field is for them to distract you two from anything.”
The stares that they gave her, why did it feel like it was a bomb dropped? She watched the exchange between the two– ah, Amajiki, always the hesitant one, but she did see where he’s coming from – asking to take a nibble off of another human might be a little impolite to ask. What about actual beasts, a little farther away from crabs and clams? She tucked that thought for later.
And finally, there it was, the young man actually posed a question that most would probably overlook she nodded at him when his words slowly faltered. What was Fatgum's ability like? Who were these people they were talking about? Friends? Family? Curiosity shone through her, as bright as day, and yet she grinned as she glanced in the red’s direction. “You're right about Kirishima's. I bruise easily like a goddamned banana, could only dream of having something like it! But stockpiled abilities or the ones with very specific conditions are typically a no-go. At least, under my organization’s terms, it’s the host’s responsibility to make sure that the things that they will lend wouldn’t require so much adjustment. That might hinder someone’s capacity to do their role properly, they are always best wielded by the ones who knew them well.” Cassella was quiet for a while, fingers gently drumming against the lid of the box before it quickly slipped back inside to the bag on her lap. “Besides, even if I borrowed yours, controlling an aspect of your manifestation is one thing, fluidly controlling all five will certainly take me a long time of training to get to your level of proficiency and muscle memory. You worked hard with it over the years, that’s not coming to any mage overnight.
But I wouldn’t be here to borrow your abilities. I'm going to be here to lend you some of mine, should you accept it. I have a set of small things I lend to teammates by default, but depending on how you two can take it I can probably bump it up a notch or distribute it differently." She shrugged with a grin. “Fatgum might be here tomorrow to discuss it too, so you boys have all that time to decide.”
It looked like both questions would end up leading to that anyway, of course, with Kirishima looking like he has been so hyped about this the entire time. Cassella, on the other hand, was wondering how she will explain everything, and that’s already clear from the way she looked. Most of the time she was just lumped with people where the explanations were saved for later, or those who hardly ever questioned anything. But from how it seemed, these two came from a place where no power or quirk seemed way too unhinged. “Let's see." The empty salad bowl and everything else were nudged aside to clear some space, and the woman was now conscientiously cracking her knuckles. "I think it's safe to assume every sorcerer has a base set of abilities and the little things they learn here and there. Though sometimes you gotta look at their specialties if you want to get into the details."
It was a small spark that finally lit up on her palms as soon as she cupped it, stoked up to a small, crackling blaze of white. For something so tiny and cradled within her fingers, the flickers momentarily lit up their corner of the room, bathing it in undertones of warm ivory. "Fire manipulation is one thing I'm usually known for. It's quick, it doesn't take much effort, but it’s stubborn if you give it something to burn– I even burn myself with it sometimes. We will be in tight spaces with stealth being a priority, setting things ablaze at random isn't gonna be very smart.” Though the endgame of Sting will probably say otherwise. The flame fizzled out quickly, hardly leaving any smoke in its wake. It didn’t fully take the radiance away, however… her hands and her arms remained alight like it was just pulsing beneath the skin.
"That's where light comes in. People think it's all about sparkles or frying someone with lasers, but it has a spectrum more than just the flash. It takes more concentration, but it’s easier to control! From solid barriers, weaponry to shank someone, blurring through cams–” With a mere twitch of the fingers, each tip rapidly shifted into something that resembled sharp tapering talons. Contracting these once more, it gradually dimmed away, casting a partial, translucent fade, with the tabletop now slightly visible beneath her fingers. “-- nearly anything about light or just something small to trick the eyes, I can probably find a way to make it work. It’s not full invisibility or fade, and I can’t phase through anything– nothing close to what a ghostly friend of mine could do, but I still use it a lot for stealth and glamour.” Stretching her arms before her, each digit slowly reverted to normal.
That already seemed fancy enough, common enough– Cassella wished she could leave it at that.
This never really gets any easier, does it? Each time she had to explain, it only gets more and more difficult. But they were waiting. They’ve been waiting for hours. They’ve been excited about this moment like there was no tomorrow to be had. "As for those things that people can't just easily borrow, or could get very tricky when done…" her voice trailed off quietly. "I could pop a few limbs out, and make them move things around me. Many people think it's telekinesis, but it's really not!"
Even with that chirp in her voice, that felt like it wavered. That probably made no fucking sense. Oh, my gods, you’re the only adult here and you're always the least coherent. And yet there was the first snapping sound that already broke the silence, akin to a joint popping off the socket. That alone was enough to keep her from overthinking that any further. A sleeved arm was extended to one side as she straightened up on her seat. “You guys probably know about the concept of familiars already. I usually don't do it, but there might be some advantage to discussing this openly beforehand, so I think I’ll just show you."
The progression of it was slower compared to how they were typically summoned, much to her relief. And yet the sound of snapping and fracturing bones remained as they grew louder, creaking and breaking through as silhouettes of limbs started pushing their way out of her body. Along with it was the sound of slick, wet flesh, skin rubbing and peeling as those spectral limbs extended further. Numerous fingers sprouted upon hands… multiple hands and feet glued upon reaching arms and legs– eyes, noses, and gaping mouths with gummy teeth upon taut, rendered skin – all of that worked their way out of the young woman who hardly even budged, save for a grimace or two, until Cassella gently willed it to stop.
Nearly half of her flimsy body from the chest down has seemingly adhered to a fluxed mess of tangled spectral extremities and organs that spilled to the carpeted floor, stitched and pinched together like a roiling piece of melting spangled clay. They extended and spread out like roots, each shimmering limb and digit twitching and scrabbling against any surface it leaned on. Each spot moved and bubbled on its own– three heads craned their conjoined necks, peering at the windows past the crack upon the curtains. The rest bobbed and twitched – approvingly, with the others fluidly popping out and melting back into the spasming, murmuring mass.
Each fluttering eye surveyed the room, flickering gazes fluttering about in all directions until the stare finally found home upon the two. All stares were snapped upon them now. Behind layers of scraggly, matted hair, or in between folds of rippling flesh and entrails, an assortment of orbs peered back. Some of them clear and focused with glinting pupils and irises, most of them all pallid and riddled away with blemishes and cataracts. Regardless of the condition, their focus remained on the two boys, finally studying them after all the hours that their host primly held them back.
They were whispering amongst themselves. They seemed a little too…excited.
"With their eyes, I can see around me in a lot of angles if they aren't detached from me to fight. It's easy for me to control each joint, each limb, down to each finger and toe if I needed to. I can feel things through them if I allow it, and I use their strength on a lot of occasions." Cassella nodded, which prompted all visible disfigured faces to do the same in a rippling succession. "I get a lot of things done thanks to them, stimuli exchange is easy, but they're pretty noisy, it's like a crowd in my head following me wherever I go." With her heart in her throat, she heaved a slow sigh.
"This is the Illustres. They're always with me, might as well say they're a part of the team, as the fourth."
(Omg!! Your Too Funny!! I Love It!!)
Since both boys were within arm's reach, all she had to do was lean over to pass another bottle of iced tea and a bunch of paper napkins. One was settled on the floor next to the younger one, and the other was nudged on the table as a quiet offering. The redhead taking his share brought nothing but obvious delight from the way it lit up her face– for a brief moment she truly understood human grandmothers and the classic stereotype they ever stood for.
Despite all mishaps that she's had for the day and all the hectic schedules that she met, perhaps the pair was one of the most agreeable people that she has ever had the chance of working with. Today, she might have truly lucked out.
The heads up from Kirishima earlier certainly helped– that spared her the moment of wondering if she was atrociously haggard for the night to scare off a very flighty youngster. She did look like she have seen better days. Cassella quietly allowed him to elucidate, hanging on to each word spoken. And yet her reaction was gradual as her eyebrows slowly rose, with that slow-building glow of pure awe upon her face. The moment he met her gaze, perhaps all that was ever in there was the unbridled interest in those twinkling metallic eyes– perhaps there were still so many things on this side of the world that will take her in by storm if given the chance. "Like a chimera. That's amazing!"
"Is there a limit to how much you can take on? How much you have to eat, or how long it stays?" The excitement that now lilted her voice was palpable, and the way she reigned herself from those questions already made it obvious that there could have been more. This boy had a long day just as much as they all did, it was a conscious reminder to slow the hell down. "That has so much potential to be used in so many ways, what traits do you usually take on?"
"A̕͟͞m̸a-͏̵ch͘íc͞͠k͢y̢͢y̶y̷~̕"̢
Oh my gods, hush that.
A laid-back glance was cast to her phone, which might be a welcomed reprieve... if only it took away the sensation of being scrutinized. While the subtle grin won’t be missed at the received email that finally caught her eye as she made a mental note of responding to that later tonight, she was actually peering at her reflection, internally half-dreading to see an extra gaping eyeball or two.
Nothing seemed out of place so far, or the reaction might have been worse than just a shiver. The woman seemed visibly relieved. A deep breath was taken, and yet even before she could pause to think, words already tumbled out. "You said you can manifest anything physical…have you ever tried consuming something from mythical beasts and cryptids before? Dragons, faeries, anything of that sort?" That one came out of the blue, and from how quiet it sounded, it seemed more like an afterthought that was audibly mused out that for a moment, she was rather surprised. "Huh, don't mind that. Anyway, I guess that's somehow connected to what I was intending to disclose before, that's why I asked..."
The explanation that she had for this particular equipment was on point, concise, and minus the medical jargon that most experts would introduce. Just as brief as when she first introduced it to Kirishima, always leaving room for potential questions that could be asked from both boys who were now listening. Just as gentle when she first brought it up, highlighting that there was always a choice in the matter, especially now that it was still under review from their captain until tomorrow. The pros, the cons, every detail that she was aware of from experience alone, and the myriad of things she has used it for over the years. The chirpy woman was a trove of potential stories skimmed by, a little too seasoned for the average agent that she introduces herself as.
The challenge was bringing the box out to show. Cassella didn't want to scare anyone the way she already did with Kirishima, but transparency has always been better than keeping her colleagues in the dark… and so she did.
Reaching back deep into the bag on her lap, she took out the box housing these organisms and settled it on the table. "Here 'ya go. I do wish I had a better time to show this up. I'm sure you both have more questions to ask, I'll try to answer them the best I can. I don't mind at all."
I saw you at an antique shop today!
😋😂
While Catwoman was trying to come up with a plan B, another person arrived in the mix of chaos. She tilted her head a bit out of curiosity watching from afar.
Catwoman: “Well, well, well, what do we have here? I think I see a red feather duster wearing a dog muzzle of sorts?”
The dog muzzle wasn’t protecting anyone from being bitten, but the complete opposite. Catwoman narrowed her eyes on him. He didn’t seem to fit the profile to be a part of another mafia unless it was an Irish cannibal mafia? She thought about it for a hot second as a joke. But this was far from being a laughing matter once she saw the cops grant his access to those Big Cats. He must be a Merc, she thought.
Catwoman: “I think my plan B just arrived. This could be way easier than I thought. Neo… Do you see the newcomer on your thermal imaging software getting into the truck with the Cats? Over.”
Neo: “Yes M’Lady. I’m on it. I’ll give you directions so you’ll be far enough away to not be seen. Over.”
Catwoman: “Good. But first I need to find my Ride. I’ll need you again in just a Jiff!”
Catwoman backed away from her high view position and jumped down. She carefully maneuvered her way outta there. She found a navy blue SUV parked nearby and used a small hand held device similar to a cell phone to find the right sound signal to unlock the door. Once in the driver's seat from there Neo hacked into On-Star and had the car start on its own.
Catwoman wasted no time but as much as she was eager to help those pumas as quickly as possible she knew it was better to be late to the party rather than showing up too early and spoiling the surprise.
~Some Time Later At The Farm~
The barn door opens and a man with a Ak-47 approaches Kirishima as he arrives at the Farm. The man is extremely muscular and smoking a cigarette. He flicks the cigarette or what's left of it and kicks some dirt on it.
Main Guy: “Halt. Kirishima, Right?” He checked Kirishima over to make sure the description given of Kirishima by Lionel checked out. “Just need to be sure. Everything go smoothly?” When Kirishima gave his answer the Guy walked past him and over to the back of the truck. “Well let's see how the du… {murmured} beasts are.” He lifted the latch and opened the door to the back of the truck. It made a high pitch sound.
One of the White Pumas hissed at the man as it glared at him while the other had its tongue hanging and panting heavily and shaking. It was getting weaker by the minute.
Main Guy: ~Whistles~ Five more men come out of the barn. One of them is on a forklift as it exits the barn. All of the men carried a pistol on themselves. “Let’s go! Get this one out of the truck Now! Time is money Boys!!” As he then turns back to Kirishima. Looks like one of them didn’t handle the trip that well. That’s alright. Well get them both unloaded and processed.”
Then a noise is heard. Headlights are seen upon the road. A SUV is driving fast and turns off the paved road onto the long dirt road. The high beams click on blinding all the men as loud badass music blares.. {WWE Triple H-The Game} Catwoman pushes the SUV faster and opens the sunroof. Once she achieves her desired speed she puts the SUV into auto cruise! The dirt road is bumpy but she is able to still steer. She pulls her feet up onto the seat and pushes her back against the seat to slide her body up. Her hands release the steering wheel and grabs a hold of the sunroof opening. She is now using her feet to steer with, licking the corner of her lips as her upper body clings to the roof of the vehicle. It's something wild you might see on Fear Factor Tv show! Any crazy Stunt Person would have to train hard to pull a move like this!
The men start Firing their guns toward the blinding light bouncing toward them. Catwoman’s feet slide up to the roof. The vehicle's steering is no longer under any control. She goes into a series of motions from being flat on the roof as bullets hit the windshield and the grill of the SUV and then into a ball where she quickly uses her legs to push off into a double backflip into the air. Most of the men scatter in all directions as the SUV approaches wildly. Catwoman lands on the ground just as the SUV makes impact with the guy jumping out of the Forklift. Metal slamming into metal is heard as the front end of the vehicle is now stabbed by the forklift violently which shifted backwards some odd feet. The SUV catches on fire. The man {Mark} that had been in the forklift landed on the ground merely 3 feet away and rolled before looking back. He is clearly shaken up a bit and wondering who the Fuck did this! No one has been able to see who the intruder was yet. Catwoman takes off running maneuvering between farm equipment as silent as a ninja as she tries to get closer and closer to the men.
Main Guy: “YOU WERE FOLLOWED!!!” He looks at Kirishima and is not happy at all. “You're Lucky It’s Just One!!” He looks around wondering where the person went. “Whoever You Are, You Don’t Stand a Chance Of Stealing These Cats… There are 7 of us!!” {This includes Kirishima into the group.} “Come Out Now And Will Spare Your Punny Life!! You have 5 seconds.”
5-4-3-
{Fwit Fwit Fwit}
A man’s voice heard.
AGGHHHHhhhhhhhh!!
One of Lionel’s men had just had a dagger plunge into his heart, dropping to his knees and falling to the ground DEAD.
Main Guy: “Terrance?! SONOFABIT** I’M GONNA KILL THIS MOTHERFU****!!”
Catwoman silently grabs an empty burlap sack she found near some farm equipment and goes after the next man. She comes out from her hiding spot and charges the second man. The man takes a shot at Catwoman but dodges the bullet. She wraps the sack around his gun and hand in a series of quick movements twisting his arm like a pretzel and knees him in the stomach three times. The gun drops as the man bellows by the blow. She puts the burlap sack over his head and grabs his head to twist it. A Crack is heard and another man drops. Catwoman runs again!
Everyone now saw a Sliver of who it was and Lionel’s Head Guy is Pissed as he starts firing in her Direction!! Catwoman ran inside the barn.
Main Guy: “CATWOMAN!!! YOU JUST CORNERED YOURSELF!! I SHUDDA KNOWN YOU'D COME!! CAN YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF ONE OF YOUR BEAUTIES DYING!! YOU”LL BE MAKING THAT SOUND NEXT!!” The guy laughed and looked to see where Kirishima had gone. “Kirishima, swing around to the back opening, don’t let this Cat Broad Escape! She’s the Reason one of the Cats is Sick! Mark, go with Kirishima. Tony, you stay with Cats in the Truck. Holler If You See Anything!! Sammy, you and I will take the front. Don’t Get Trigger Happy Men.. Let’s Make Her Death Real SLOWWW!!!”
Inside the barn Catwoman found many stalls but two concerned her the most. The two stalls she had seen had surgery tools, a small weighing scale, and plastic baggies ready and waiting to be filled just sitting there lying on the ground. A loaded tranquilizer gun was leaning against the wall of the stall. Catwoman hadn’t the time to retrieve any of it and climbed up into the loft instead where bails of hay were kept.
Catwoman: “C’mon…. Follow me…. I’ll take you one at a time or all at once..
While Kirishima was taking his time to coax Amajiki out, Cassella briefly had to fish out her phone, fingers skimming through the broken screen as she did. Files and messages were sent off first via email, a bunch of documents that she hoped Fatgum had the time to spare. A cascade of messages and missed calls were viewed next from different people, finding no motivation just yet to start an onslaught of responses. Puffing a breath, she looked back up, only to pause, finding herself staring at the sharp glare that met them both– why did that remind her of a distressed little kitten cooped up in a box?
As the younger boy worked his charm of just barging his way in with just a little greeting, this left her outside for just a moment until patience seemed to pay off when the hesitant invitation was given.
“Thanks! I hope we’re not interrupting anything!”
Save for a lamp and the television with its volume completely toned down, the entire suite was dim enough that it actually felt cozy. The redhead just went straight for the bathroom, leaving no room to protest on their host’s part. As for the young woman, she didn’t bother with turning the lights open, the lounge area was where she headed off– gaze glued to the drawn curtains upon the windows. Truly enough, these two were polar opposites. She only had the slightest insight into that back in the meeting, but in the most casual of times and in the safety of this room, it truly showed forth. Overcast by the shadows, gleaming silver eyes swept back at him, perking up at the question given.
"Two things, actually– no wait, probably more than that. And no, no training for tonight," She was now looking through her stuff, hands sifting around to know which is which for she already presumably lost track. Yet, the nearest chair was already quietly skittering behind her, which Cassella promptly occupied with a murmur of thanks.
Even the chairs were plush. Truly first class. Why can’t all organizations fund their agents like this more often if they’re pawning off their lives for the next twenty-four hours?
"First off, we’re not really sure if you've had dinner yet, or about the stuff you’d like, so we just got a little bit of everything from the dining hall. I hope you’re not allergic to anything, the sandwiches and the wraps here are pretty damn good! Not yet sure about the salads though." Apparently, a little bit to her meant a couple of bags brimming with food that she had been carrying this whole time, both were settled upon the table. Cass already took the liberty of unloading the first one, steam gently curling out at each one she touched. “I also went to the grocery earlier if you’d rather have stuff from there. They got an interesting selection of things. Just take your pick.” It did seem like she had anticipated a bunch of things beforehand, and for a simple run for food, it was a lot of thinking. Overthinking. “Hey, Kirishima,” she called out. “There’s stuff here if you’re still hungry! Come eat when you're done with that!”
How can anyone call one bowl of nachos dinner? Kids these days. She would probably need at least four of those to be full, two sandwiches later and she's still feeling the hunger gnawing at her. Shaking her head, she leaned against the table with a sigh. “The next ones can be complicated. You might wanna sit down.” That probably sounded more serious than she intended, and the woman shook her head. “Don't worry, it's not like a national emergency or anything. Quite the opposite, actually!"
And yet the chair nearest to her swerved as if an inconspicuous hand was already nudging at it as an invitation to sit.
Now that was out of the way and things were arranged before her, she finally felt proper to start, without beating around the bush as much as she would in a typical conversation. "So~ Kiri and I were talking earlier. I was proposing equipment to be used for tomorrow as a backup for comms, but that's still tentative and under review, since I'm also waiting for Fatgum's response. I'd need his input on it. I'm intending to explain the features of that in a bit, so I can leave the three of you to decide." Pale hands reached for a bowl of egg salad this time, and with a quiet hum, she popped the lid open without thinking twice. "There's one thing the boy mentioned that got me curious, though."
"He did say that you're capable of using multiple abilities, all at once." Metallic hues stared at him intently. For a single person sitting down with her face alight with anticipation, it will certainly feel like multiple eyes were peering back with the same intensity, not even daring to look away. "Would you kindly elaborate on that?"
She can feel it. Even the Illustres were startled, bouncing within the walls of containment in a sudden, erupting frenzy. Squeals of pure bewilderment came at her in all directions, a crowd going wild with each passing second that it took conscious restraint to pull it all back. Cassella couldn't blame them, however. Just when she thought she had seen so many in resemblance, from regal mountain dragons of the earth to the stately golems of stone and steel, something like this turns up in full, conscious control. From a human. Go figure. The woman was beyond impressed, taken in hook, line, and sinker, and her expression hid nothing at all. From the way her eyes shone, and how her jaw just slacked, she wasn't expecting this at all, in the middle of a hotel hallway.
Cassella could have held out a hand to examine it, if not for the gaping, fluttering eyelids at the back of her hands which prompted her to retract that idea. As it reverted back to normal with perfect ease, she finally found her voice once more. "What– what do you mean it's not as cool or flashy!?” That came out louder than she had intended, and she had to consciously recompose herself to keep herself from being too loud in these halls. Her next words tumbled out as a hushed peep. “Do you even realize how badass this is?" It was both offense and defense, both a weapon and a shield in its own right. She hasn’t even seen the full extent of what he can do and she knew she wouldn’t doubt his words at all.
For someone who was perpetually compared to a porcelain doll that saw bruises, fractures, and varying depths of wounds all the time, this would have been handy for the longest time, his perception somehow came as a surprise. She gaped at him as he spoke– the expression on her face paving into curiosity the moment names were dropped… confusion, the moment she heard that he loathed this ability before. From there on, she didn’t dare interrupt, with all intent of listening.
That was a simple question of hers that she didn’t expect such a detailed answer to, but not one that she disliked. It was refreshing to hear such an optimistic take, but from him, she wouldn’t expect anything less, until there it was– that notion of him being an entirely different person from what he was now, one that he already left behind. That was the secret. “I think… anyone who served their people the best that they could will be happy to be held in such high regard.” That came out as a quiet hum. “Whatever it is, fanboying or not, it got you back up and going this far. I'm not the only one who's glad it did what it should.” A lopsided grin flashed in his direction. “If Crimson Riot could hear all these coming from you, I’m sure he would be proud.”
All she could hope for at this point is that he never loses sight of that.
At the sight of his room, Cassella gestured for him to head in, leaving her to her own devices of looking through her things. It didn’t take him long, the moment the door swung open, her hand was still way too deep inside her bag, the aperture of it almost swallowing her entire arm as she fished around for something. “Ahh, that gave me a scare, I thought I forgot!" Her face already lit up as soon as he finally headed out, and she slowly pulled out a coppery supersonic hair dryer, handing it over to him, cord, adapter, and all. How that even fit with all the things she was carrying would perhaps be a story for another time.
The question that followed didn't seem to surprise her at all. “It's natural," Cassella replied, running her hair through splayed fingers. Bouncy locks of white just bobbed as she tried to tame down the fluffy frizz. “Albinism can do that for you. I had to take on layers of glamour every day just to keep myself from sticking out, and other assignments need disguises taken up a notch,” she chuckled. “I’m surprised you even saw me or even remembered me so quickly, most people wouldn’t!”
“It’s ironic, most of my abilities rely a lot on the light while I've always been very sensitive to it. It can be a curse.” A few steps away was the next door. "Come on, I hope he ain't asleep yet!"
Cassella squinted her eyes at that query. How many times did she do it, and how many more times in the future will she deal with it? “Huh, I can’t even count. The Consortium has me wrapped around its finger for more than a decade now and these aren’t even new tech. I was just around your age when I started. Sometimes we just gotta do what it takes.” There were other ways, she wanted to say. Archaic ones that still worked to this very day, when it was still at its trial and error stage before it was perfected, methods that she knew they will both happily live without.
It’s a decent enough time to live in, she concluded. A place where she can offer this as a mere choice.
“I’ll take your word for it, that must be a sight to behold if that’s the case,” she nodded, visibly impressed. Those old guys in uniform certainly chose their people well. Though if there was one thing that she noticed… all this time, Kirishima was happily bragging about someone else’s abilities, with the exception of his own. “You do know I’m looking forward to seeing yours as well, yeah?”
Truth be told, she could have easily just fished for files. Requesting a rapid background check would make it worlds easier to deal with. Cassella didn’t have to wait, but if there were things that will surprise her regardless, she wanted those to be pleasant, even just once.
With the elevator being completely theirs for the taking, the woman was noticeably patient, though as time progressed, she only grew more somber, already dead set with the idea that this will be so much more serious than she thought. Just what in the world was she expecting? Something dangerous, something ominous, a rabid monster in a bag, or anything of that sort? As his hands reached over to his bandana to undo it, that was already a prompt for her to stand on the tip of her toes for a better look…
Is he balding? Is it stress? Is he okay? Is he wounded? Is he–
S͡t̶̡̀op̴̡͟,̴̢ ̛s̢͟t͏͟͢op ̢̀͘t̨͠hat̛.̡͢͝
No, what stared back at her were the jet black roots that stood out at the end of the garish crimson hair. Nearly every partition has it, unevenly growing out. What was she even thinking? "Ah, I– " even before Cassella could get the rest of it out, she tried pressing her lips together to suppress a chuckle. All mental gymnastics aside, the relief came flooding in, the rush of it was enough to make her crack up in a fit of laughter. She's not laughing at him, no, was laughing at herself. In an assignment like this with anxiety being its middle name, some people with their own little ways just knew how to keep the likes of her sane. "I'm sorry, I got really, really worried. Oh man, what am I going to do with you?" That perhaps said a lot about what sort of confidential information she typically dealt with. Wiping her eyes with a sniffle, she shook her head. "It's getting noticeable now, yeah. Some parts have faded as well. But don't worry, that's safe with me, I can lend a hand with the retouch if you need it. I got a hair dryer with my stuff if you want to use that, too."
Black hair, who knew? In a way it does feel like taking a peek at some secret identity that he has, seeing that she could barely imagine him past this shock of spiky scarlet that's so hard to miss, even though she already had the easy gist that it took an effort to keep up with. "I need to get mine dyed as well, I can't run around with this hair. All salons are closed at this time now, though, so I just chucked in a bunch of temp dyes." With the elevator finally opening up for the fourth floor, she was met by the sight of empty carpeted hallways, bathed in warm fluorescent light. She stepped out, waiting for him. From there, it seemed like the woman already knew where to go. "What's with the red? It’s pretty cool, even your code name has it."
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