Trust Fall In a small Kyoto apartment skitters a rat named Janna. She watches the new humans who had cleared her usual nesting and foraging spots and made the whole place smell wrong! They scramble about in colorful outfits, the male humans staring at a wall to not offend the privacy of the 4 girls behind them. All are changing into clown suits. They say nothing, as they found it was better to just wait for the girls to be done with their preparations first.
"Hey Yui, can you get my zipper?" The loud brown haired one asks the white haired girl, half-awake herself.
"Yeah, just still for a second..." the sharp-toothed girl says back after buttoning up the front of her own outfit
The two other girls had black hair and had dressed more efficently and working on their makeup with precision brushes. Akagi watches them as she drinks some coffee with heavy bags under her eyes: It was strange for the rat's caretaker and friend to be up so early, but perhaps these other humans need superivsion in their own clowning.
Sally's outfit was flamboyant, her usual habit being replaced with a jester hat an odd top with incoorporated a soft tutu with lots of differant patterns. The pants were at least practical, even if they felt breazy cause of the holes to the thighs.
"It still feels like too much"
"McCathy-San, the point of a clown is being too much" Yui says, her own outfit much showier, though it seemed bother the girl little.
"She's right you know! Its about embracing being all that muchness and using it for joy!" Inigo says excitedly.
While Sally inspects herself in the mirror and makes embarissed glances at the thighs that Yui so proudly displays, the stoic Kuudere is guided in making a silly pose by Hoge after she had finished drawing on her under-eye lashes, the long green wig making the short girls balance a bit wonky.
Hoge judges, her own outfit not fully on yet: She had become very cocerned over the teams image recently which meant Chihiro had to learn some people skills.
The silly smile fades off the girls face: "This stance is not sound"
"Its not meant for fighting: when we get cameras in our face, we do the poses together and let the reporters take pictures of us"
Chihiro nods, practicing the pose with the same exactness and precision she would dedicate to her kendo training.
Sally watches the mountain of makeup Hoge puts on and scoffs: "You need all that just to be ready for the chance of cameras?"
Hoge pats the white foundation down and begins painting the blue details on her face with little regard for Sally's clear attempt to pick a fight.
"And I bet your going to mess up that little tear you insisted I have put on my face on purpose so I'm the one with the wardrobe malfcunction when the cameras shoot us"
"I'll have none of us looking stupid: you can accomplish that well enough on your own" Hoge says as she positions her rainbow wig.
"So please choose your words carefully, or talk in English if you really must"
Sally scoffs at the "advice": "Rosethorn gave me an A- for me interview project, I think I'll do fine" she says, leaning on the wall.
Hoge faces Sally, the small top matched by wide sleeves and a ruffle wider than hers. Her makeup makes her look properly clownish, and her boring black hair being replaced with vivid rainbow locks gave her some confidence as she flickered a little.
"McCathy-San: despite how both of us feel, we need to work together"
"{Please don't rain on everyones parade}" she says as Sally sits down on a stool to have her makeup done by Hoge.
Sally sits quietly with a cross expression as Hoge carefully paints a flourishing dark green tear under her right eye over her foundation, her usual natural shade.
Both the girls glare at each other, Hoge going slowly as if to draw her moment of power over her rival out while the sounds of a round getting chambered fills the bathroom, a reminder that Sally could destroy this little morning on a whim.
The second Hoge is done, Sally stands up and gives her a gesture she remembers from old action movies: two fingers in a V pointed from her eyes to Hoge's. The Japanese girl simply rolls her eyes and looks over the girls.
"You both may turn around now" she says to the boys.
The boys take longer, though most of that is on Inigo's perfectionism with the clown makeup: Gigan acts as his second mirror as he positions the over exxagerated eyebrows. Kaga, AKA Fightman munches on some toast while he watches the boy, having finished his looser clown facade a while ago: "Myoga, we're going to be piss off even Popsy. Let alone McCathy and Hoge by taking too long"
"Trust me man, they'll be fine! Can never be too prepared when people are looking at you."
Kaga sighs. "I've been running errands this whole time. I doubt we'll get called into anything more threatening than a broken vending machine."
Inigo flicks the large green eyebrows of his costume, happy they finally stuck: "I have a good feeling something exciting will happen. Hoge agreed. I wouldn't get everyone up early for no reason!" he says with a lackadasical smile.
The shorter boy rolls his eyes as Popsy herself comes in. Dressed but in need of hygenic rituals. Her signature black tantop and track shorts having actually been cleaned for once as her blonde hair hangs downward messily. Inigo looks at himself in the mirror by his idol and grins with pleasure as the woman brushes her teeth and puts some deodorant on. She fumbles around given the large amount of the stuff Sally and Hoge brought for themselves for grooming purposes.
"Nice eyebrows!" Akagi says, trying to access a degree of cheer for the day
"Are you gonna be patrolling with us?" the blonde boy asks hopefully.
"Yeah, gotta keep an eye on you after all and make sure my lessons are actually sticking. Just gonna handle some business with the landlord then I'll be suited up" she says, searching through the cabinet under her sink for her old and dusty makeup box.
Inigo looks visibly excited: "And thanks, It was fun putting all this together!"
"Reminds me of when I first graduated, still wearing the one the support course kids made for me"
"That was one of the best suits you had! Of course their all amazing but your first one was iconic!"
Akagi smiles a bit, the boys enthusiasm having rubbed off on her since she decided to keep this going. For the first time in a long time, she felt good about the day, even given she'd have to go outside and talk to her landlord. She notices Janna watching her from the ground, nibbling on some bread crumbs. Even the rat seems thankful for the rushing-about visitors.
Sally and Chihiro sit on top of a building, overlooking a bustling square with tons of shoppers. The cool wind makes Sally shiver, a feeling she shakes off quickly upon noticing Chihiro's near perfect stance.
"..Figured we'd do better watching an area instead of trying to be spectacles," Sally says in a vulnerable tone.
The smaller girl simply nods as they people watch. "May I.. speak to you about a personal topic?"
Sally looks over as she sits crosslegged: "Yeah, sure" She says, taking a pair of binoculers out to watch below.
Chihiro adopts a serious and respectful look: "You find comfort in your faith, correct?"
"It feel like it's all that keeps me going somedays. If God wasn't with me... then..." Sally's vocabularly suddenly fails her.
Chihiro fumbles a bit trying to help the foreigner finish her thought, deciding to use body language: She makes motion of seppuku, guessing the worst.
Sally shakes her head: "N-No, not that.. it's.." she says with a pause to collect her thoughts into Japanese.
"I'd give in to all the darkness... I'd lose my guiding light, the one thing keeping me from getting lost."
"...I apologize, I should have known better than to broach the subject"
"No, Sensei!" Sally says in rush.
"I..It helps, especially confession. It's.. it's a catholic thing. I thought it was stupid at first but it feels good admitting your sins and being forgiven by someone who wants to save your soul," the American says, biting her lip.
"Do you believe your god watches over you, all the time?" Chihiro asks after an awkward lull in the conversation.
Sally nods quickly, "Yes, I do. If nothing else, It's motivation to do the right thing for now on. I.. belong in hell right now"
"But we can both be saved, even with blood on our hands" she says with fervor.
Chihiro looks away, her expression darkening: "I have accepted my fate, It is-"
"{No!}"
Chihiro look at Sally as she stands over her: "I.. want to invite you to come to church with me and Noah sometime. We'll sit away from the other people if you want, whatever... whatever gets you to see the truth!"
"What truth am I missing, Sally-chan?" Chihiro says stoicly, looking up at the exxasperated American.
"That... That.."
"{Fuck, how do I even say this!?}"
Sally thinks for a moment while Chihiro watches those below her: A group of middle school kids running late, some Office Ladies smoking in an alley, two window washers on the building next to the girls occaisonally glancing the clown's way. Chihiro waves back and practices a wide beaming smile. They return it eagerly.
"C-Chihiro, your.. valuable. To the class, to Kyoto... to the world!"
"God forgives the sins of everyone who sincerely repents: You've been doing that for what must have been years upon years. You've earned a chance to think of yourself as more than some flagellent in a nightmare"
"I.. Its hard for me to make this sound good in Japanese. The pastor at Kawaramachi is better with Japanese.." Sally says, frustrated at her lack of expressive ability.
Chihiro sits in a meditative pose as Sally avoids her gaze, her companion on this patrol watching below to avoid her stoic red eyes. It was clear Sally was passionate and beleived in her god's ability to heal and forgive, but even for someone as heinous as herself? Who killed her own parents and all those around her at the time?
She could see past the American's usual front of gruff courage: into a broken soul mended by fragile, sacred string. The soul thinks its alone, save for a small few who it allows closer to its wounds. It hides like pursued prey, her eyes seeing and judging in the same moment below her.
Chihiro looks away from the girl who had become one of her kendo students: she understood something about Sally that day.
That fear was her armor, yet was growing cracked and brittle.
Yui and Kaga patrol around the shadier streets, Yui waving to passerby while Kaga keeps an eye out for trouble above all else.
"Hey, ligthen up, were out here to make people feel safe as much as were looking for villains" Yui says as she struts ahead, her long legs on full display in a knowing spectacle.
"Yeah, yeah, just hard to really muster up a smile after hearing Inigo breathing so loudly all night. And I swear Hoge-san stayed awake till 2:00 AM or something" he says as he sticks his hand into his oversized clown pockes on his oversized clown pants.
"Sally-chan moves around when she sleeps, heard her rustling the futon for an hour at least.." Yui says, her more natural personality coming out for a peek.
The two share a sigh as they overlook a train station thats now a den of the homeless and impoverished on the edge of Kyoto's city center. Enough clean clothes and attempts to wash work uniforms are around to show the people here are trying to leave. Whats more distressing is the two kids running toward the pair of clowns and chasing a cat!
An old man with a firecracker and a bottle of Sake laughs as he waves it around: "Yeah yah furball! Teach ya piss on mah coat! I only I get that right!" he says before going back into the disused station building with a near-stumble.
The children are tired and sad, wearing rugged and faded clothes that remind Yui far too much of her own childhood: "Mia! Mia come back!" the girl of the pair says as her little brother starts to cry.
Kaga looks toward Yui, who is already moving ot try and comfort the kids. He chases atfer the fast cat, seeming to enjoy haivng something physical to do.
"Don't worry, me and him have our Provisioanl Hero Licences, so we'll get Mia back for sure" she says, mustering herself to be reassuring.
"What are your names?" the jester asks the kids, who seem to be hesitant to trust her.
"Daddy says not to talk to strangers or cameras.." The girls says, shieldin her bother with her arms.
"Don't worry, were just on patrol, no camera or filming"
Yui pauses for a moment: "I know how it can be, your parents are at work, right?"
The two children nod, still treating Yui with caution.
"You can call me Capture Cloth. How about something to play on while my friend finds you kitty?" she says with a smile.
"Like what?" The boy asks
Yui goes about making a small trampoline with her quirk, large enough for the kids to jump on. Its not much, and she knows it. But these kids are probably just helping to guard their families stuff from less scrupulous neighbors and might not even be going to school.
If anything, the smile on their faces at being allowed to just have fun was reason enough to dress up.
"What else can your quirk do?" The girl asks as she watches her little brother bounce around with a thankful smile.
"I can make and mend clothes, dolls, even puppets if I had the time"
The girl lights upat the mention of the latter: "Puppets? Like a puppet show? Mommy does puppet shows for money. She's sick and sleeping, but maybe you could borrow her props and do one for us!" the girl says hopefully.
"How can I say no to that smile?" Yui says, grateful for a chance to help the kids out as best she can.
Hoge and Inigo walk among the people, drawing eyes with their bold costumes and a few constrained laughs of people who can't help it. The two a crowded intersection from afar, the flow of endless salary men and women passing through alongside a smaller amount of tourists from both abroad and Japan. Inigo waves toward a foreign family visting and gets a smirk as he looks over the pale skinned group: The man of the house sported fins on his arms along with his two children, while his wife had vivid blue hair which seemed to swirl about slowly as if it had a mind of its own.
"{Hello, Hello! Welcome to Kyoto!}" He says in better practiced english than usual. Hoge raises her eyebrow but allows this to go: for now.
The man cocks his head as his two boys gawk at Inigo and speak in a language he can't understand or identify, but it sounded european.
"{Ah.. yes, We are having trouble getting around, do you know where we can uhm..}" he starts, speaking with a distinctly French accent
He turns to his wife, who whispers something to him.
"{Yes, uhm.. an.. owl cafe, I beleive the name translates to english as "The Hoot" he says nervously his wife seeming to grow a bit impatient as her sons can't keep their eyes off of the clown girl behind Inigo
Inigo lights up: "{Ma'm your taste does have legs to stand on, or should I say wing to fly on? Its across the street, a block down, and on the second floor above the bike shop}"
"{Don't hesitate to have a great horned time over there!}" He says with a wide smile, actually managing to get a laugh out of the wife and one of the kids.
"{Are you two, how do you say it... performers?}" the wife says as the boys seem to quietly dare the other to apporach Hoge.
"{In a way.. yes!}" Inigo says as he snaps his fingers, a signal Hoge recognize and sighs in response even if she wore a smile at the sillyness of all this:
"{I am Maru-Maru!}" Hoge says as she strikes a pose, holding her left leg up while her arm was raised and her hand turned like she was aiming a out of her hand.
"{And I am Ryu-Kishi!]" Inigo says, coppying her pose while holding onto her lower hand.
"{And we are hear to make your day brighter!}" they say with practiced smiles, Hoges returning to her people watching and trying to ignore the two boys starting at her. Gigan appears out of Inigo's sleeves and forms into a party popper that spits green confetti. While Hoge gets out of her pose cleanly, Inigo seems to almost slip!
The French Family looks oddly concerned for the clown before Gigan turns into a trampoline to bounce him back upward, where he lands and does a presenting pose. Inigo glances toward Hoge and notices her clapping and giggling, making his smile a bit wider as he bowed to his small audiance.
"As you can see, I always bounce back" he says with a wink
The family leaves after taking a picture with the two, Hoge only seeming abit blurry:
"This is Awesome! Isn't it?" Inigo says, his energy overflowing as he leans on the same wall as Hoge.
"I suppose you are a bit clever with those puns Ini, I'm just suprised nobodies gotten irritated with them yet. Sally would probably have give you warning shot for the Great Horned Owl one"
"I would be worth it even then"
Their is a peaceful silence between the two as they look at eachother, totally clowned and laugh eachothers exxagerated features.
"You wanna to try sneaking out tonight? I saw Sally messaging her angel last and swear I saw her trying to get him to come by the apartment to pick her up, so with her gone..." Inigo says
"Ini, we need to stay focused: Especially for the sake of our Sensei. She needs someone to model stability and proffessionalism for her again. If I sneak out with you that tarnishes that reputation"
"And if she doesn't find out?"
"...Then maybe. I did happen to bring some casual wear incase I needed to go out during our internship" Hoge says with a grin more easily seen with her clown makeup on.
Akagi blinks her eyes as she rides the elevator down to talk to her landlord. She had rent this month and by God, Budha, and the 4 kings of Heaven she would deliver it this time. She was not clowned up yet, wearing a pair of shorts and a newly cleaned white T-shirt with her hair actually combed. It was a shabby look, but at least it said "I woke up before noon today".
As she stepped off the slightly shaky elevator and went toward her landlords apartment on the first floor, she noticed the usually open door locked: This usually meant business was happening back there. On one hand, Popsy could wait and be less of a teacher by letting her students do whatever they deemed patrolling for longer than she should. On the other hand, she did watch them get clowned of their own volition and make plans for their patrol routes and locations of focus like good students, so maybe what they needed was a shorter leash than what Shiketsu offered.
She peaks throught peephole of the doorknob: the landlord was a geezer like that. What she sees is an odd sight....
Two Japanese men dressed very casually ask about renting an apartment. They look like their wearing makeup, but very light and inconspicous makeup designed to hide your real features. Not the norm for men, but hey, who was she to judge?
Akagi notices the landlord getting the door for his guests despite the fact he was in a wheelchair: he has been here for as long as she's lived here yet he still somehow fixes the pipes on the roof. She cart-wheels back on instinct, but almost doesn't stick the landing.
The two men look at the lady balancing with one hand on a comically large rubber ball with stars on it: "Oh Fooey! I'm a bit upside down right now. Sorry" Akagi says as she cleanly dismounts the ball.
The two men greet Akagi with some pleasantries, seeming like the sort of person you could find in any corner of Japan beyond that wierd makeup.
"Ohayō gozaimasu," One of the men says as he approaches her, the other one seeming irritated.
"Ohayō!"
"Sanpatchi-san, this Kuzonoha-san and Torako-san. They'll be moving into the apartment next to you tommorow" The wheel chair bound landlord says.
They exchange awkward and overly long pleasentries before Torak-san insists they have to pack their things to move. Akagi notices her landlord offering her coffee inside his own apartment, a silent invitation she accepts.
"Hey Mikotoba-San? I have the rent for this month" she says as she finds the old workaholic making coffee. He looks the money over for any irregularities before accepting it.
"Those uhm.. interns, I'm gettin' complaints about his singin'. Tell him to at least save if for when the salary men are at work"
"Don't worry Bossarooni! I have things under control!" Akagi manages to say with suprising energy.
"I mean it: I'll increase rent if I have to deal with another half-drunk guy breaking my door down at 3:00 AM Sanpatchi"
"Like I said, No worries! Got a new lease on life from the Bank of Shiketsu and I don't plan on squandering it at his point"
"Yeah, right.." the old man says, offering her some coffee as a polite gesture as he reads his newspaper.
"Hey, Mikotoba-san: Were those guys really that eager to rent here?" Akagi asks
"Yeah, they were willin' to take my first offer on the unit next to you. Must be desperate for a place, poor guys"
"They might bring their own problems to all of us."
"Cheer up, they seem nice enough. If I hear of you scarin' 'em off then you owe me double rent, got it?"
"All clear, General Mikotoba" Akagi says with joking salute, giving the man a brief chuckle.
"Your gettin' better at that, not quite cadet grade but enough I'd let you polish combat bikes" he says with a reminiscent tone as Akagi giggles.
The moment is interrupted by the Pro Hero's phone going off with an emergency alert: "Popsy. You're on call. We've got a silent alarm going at the Jersaides-Hens Luxury Car Dealership close by you. Gather your team and check it out! Make sure were not dealing with a false alarm."
"On my way!" she says, quickly finishing her coffee.
"Thanks Mikotoba-san!"
The man smirks as she runs out with energy for once: the kind of energy that comes with a purpose rather than just caffine.
Makes him wish he didn't leave that spark in a battlefield in Okinawa 50 years ago...
Team PR Disaster assembles quickly!
Inigo flies over with Hoge, while Sally breathes hard from running all the way over with Chihiro, the small-statured samurai, barely looks winded.
Yui looks equally exhausted as they meet by Popsy, the woman inspecting the exterior of the car dealership as its shaded by security shutters.
Hoge immedietly turns to her Popsy: "Permission to issue a plan of action, Sensei?"
"Whatcha got cookin', chef?" the seasoned pro says.
Hoge clears her throat:
"First, we must assess the threat fully: Our response will be massively different based on if this is an accident or human caused event. In the case of an accident we will hold the scene until proper rescue authorities arrive to safely extract any civilians and stop the effects of the accident. In the event of a human threat we must determine the motive of their crime and if they hold any hostages or other leverage which may affect our response-" Sally tries to interrupt.
"Secondly, we must determine a way to seperate the hostiles from their hostages or leverage and neutralize them NON LETHALLY" she hisses emphasis toward Sally, who rolls her eyes and scowls toward the more flashily dressed clown girl.
"Lastly, we secure the scene for law enforcement agents and reporters" Hoge finishes with a self-assured smile.
"Y-Yeah, that is pretty textbook.." Popsy says, gathering herself.
"It seems like whoevers in there is either trapped an unable to communicate with us, or being held hostage and hidden" Popsy says as she paces.
"Hoge, take whoever you think can stay hidden and scope things out. We need to know whats going on inside there. Everyone else, keep an eye out for anything unusual. Are we crystal clear?"
Sally nods, keeping an eye toward the cars while gets Inigo a more serious expression, and actively tries to remove it and direct civilians away without saying whats going on too obviously.
"Event Venue being set up! please cleeeear the way!" he says, mustering his loudest and most irrtatingly confident tone.
Hoge looks toward Chihiro: "You're with me on reconnaissance," she whispers to the shorter girl, who responds with a simple nod as she ties her oversized sleeves up and sheds her long wig.
Popsy waits with tense nerves as she assists in diverting the crowds away from the scene, distracting with funny business props:
"Are you... I know my kids usesd to watch your show all the time!" A middle aged woman says, racking her brain as Popsy waits for the answer she hopes for.
"Yeah! You're that clown actor, Nishiama Ayane!" she says
Popsy sighs, a balloon appearing in her hand, and popping: "While it's the wrong name, my ego isn't fully popped."
"Popsy is my name, I hope my face "sticks" in your mind a bit longer this time" she says with a mischevious grin as she offers her hand for a handshake: The woman accepts and finds a temporary tattoo of Popsy's face on her hand. She chuckles and moves along with an affectionate wave.
Popsy smiles as she keeps going with Inigo's white lie of them setting up an even venue, happy to be back in the saddle properly.
She couldn't help but feel she was missing someone here though...
(Recommended Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1FDgPal9-U )
Inside a darkened car dealership sealed off from the outside with two layers of security shutters, a man in plauge doctor's mask flips an ornate pocket watch open. He nods as he keeps his revolver in his hands, an intentionally dated single-action model which was more to his vintage looks.
He leans on a wall behind the clerks desk, with the clerk, a man in his late 30's in a deceptively costly looking suit, and a much more important hostage. Even as he and his accomplices were surrounded with millions of Yen in luxury cars, the girl blindfolded and gagged at his feet was the real prize.
"Miss Etsuzo Kawashima, darling daughter of the mayor of Kyoto... got caught spending her daddy's money.." the crow chuckles to himself while she tries in vain to scream for the outside worlds attention.
"Dove, Owl, It is about time make our exit" Crow says calmly toward his accomplices
The woman puts her hands casually behind her head as she finishes hot-wiring a car worth as much as a years rent with the aid of IR spoofer.
"Ready on my end! Both of mine are ready to drive!"
A slim and tackily dressed man finishes up his own manual spoofing a black luxury sedan's security systems: "...Like clockwork, funny how they they thought digital locks would keep us out" he says as he steps in and gives the crow a thumbs up.
"Eagle, you're on: Do we have company?" Crow asks to a man brooding in a dark corner.
He closes his eyes, talking to the birds outside: "..Some clowns, literally........ Four of them. One's directing foot traffic away. I think we're made boss. Permission to start an attack?"
"No, wait. Hand me the PA Mic. We need to ruffle their feathers so they flutter about first," the elegant man says
Team PR Disaster turns their heads to hear a loud sound coming from a PA system that usually just piped pleasent music to the outside:
"{ATTENTION, WE HAVE FOUR HOSTAGES AND ARE PREPARED TO EXECUTE THEM IF OUR DEMANDS ARE NOT MET!}"
"{THE INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT ON THE GREAT MAN KNOWN AS DESOLATOR WILL BE CALLED OFF AND HE WILL BE GIVEN CLEMENCY FOR HIS CRIMES!}" a man with a european accent says with intensity: Popsy smells something theatrical about all this as she reaches for her phone and lets the dispatcher hear the demands.
"{IF WE DO NOT RECEIVE A SIGNED LEGAL DOCUMENT WHICH MAKES OUR DEMANDS REALITY IN 20 MINUTES, WE WILL EXECUTE TWO HOSTAGES!}"
The PA system shuts off with a screech as hero and her trainees gather around the Popsy's phone: "I repeat: Popsy, come in!" the dispatch woman on the other end says.
"Yeah, I'm here!" she says in a rushed tone
"You are to wait for a team of negotiators, mayors orders."
"That's Malarky! We already have infiltrators inside the dealership about to relay us info. And there is something else going on inside that they don't want us to see. Gonna push back on that order, chief," Popsy says, putting on a brave face for her students, winning the admiration of those present. Inside, she felt her stomach knotting up.
"It's your ass if this blows up in your face, Popsy. We have squad cars and tactical units on their way to relieve you of your monitoring duty," the dispatcher says dismissively before hanging up.
The group looks at each other as they notice Chihiro and Hoge climbing down on the building's blind spots, freshly out of a trip crawling through vents. The two girls sprint over to their allies.
Hoge explained her findings. "They're bluffing. They have two hostages and have four cars hot-wired to drive off with. They're likely going to lift the shutters and-"
"Crash the cars through the windows - spreading out knowing they have some leverage regardless of what we do," Yui says with a grimace.
".....Yes, that is.. more reasonable than staying in a pack," Hoge nods.
"Then we need to bust in their NOW then!" Sally say, slamming the roof of a car as breaching shotgun shell is loaded into her right arm.
"Sally, what kind of hero isn't calm and collected, even in a situation like this?" Inigo says, laying a hand on her shoulder, causing the American to tense up:
"..Myoga-san is right, If I may add my opinion" Chihiro says stoicly to Sally
"S-Sensei?" the American says on instinct.
"A rushed joke never lands with full force. You need proper set-up, champ."
Popsy gets the groups attention with a party popper: "Maru, I trust you got a good look at the interior, right? Go ahead and plan the party for us."
Maru nods, laying out her plan in short for Popsy to approve.
-Only one visible gun, others are occupied with the cars: If the crow is targeted the hostages can be rescued quickly. Ryu-kishi, Yako, and Popsy will bust through the front in 2 minutes and incapacitate him, grabbing the hostages. and evacuating them after the gun is removed from Crows hands.
-4 Cars hotwired: one for each villain. They likely intend to scatter and send police on a wild goose chase before meeting at an extraction point upon losing their tails. Capture Cloth will enter the building through the ventilation system and with Maru and slash the tires on the hot-wired vehichles in 2 minutes and 20 seconds
-Last Rite will reach high ground and prepare non-explosive anti-material rounds to stop any vehichles that make it out due to human error by 3 minutes.
Popsy nods, with everyone but Sally in agreement: "{You scumbag! You're sidelining me so you can get all the glory!}"
Hoge shoots Sally a withering glare, one that could cut concrete were it made material: "{You are wasting time with you parnoid delusions}"
"{Derusions? It's whats happening right in front of my eyes!}"
Inigo shoots Sally a look: "{We need to move together if we're gonna make this work Sally. Please.. just trust her, if not for me, then for Noah. You're the only person who can handle long ranged stuff like this}" he says in a more serious tone than he's ever used with her.
"{Everyone will get equal credit: I will make sure of that}" he adds with a small, reassuring smile.
Sally bites her tongue and runs off sprinting toward the nearest building with a good view of the roads out of the show room from its roof. Popsy readies her best smoke em' out puns for the coming breach. Yui and Maru scramble of the ladder to roof to get in position.
Hoge feels her heart beat and her form obscures to illegible lines of color in a cloud.
Inigo takes a deep breath and readies Gigan for a rapid shift from a hammer into a large shield.
Chihiro holds her sheathed blade, taking a few meditative breaths to calm her nerves. She repeats an affirmation to herself in a whispering tone.
Popsy repeats positive affirmations about herself under her breath, regretting not taking a smoke or a beer when she had the chance earlier.
Sally fidgets on a slow elevator, repeatedly tapping the button for roof access after shoving her provisional licence in the receptionists face and demanding the key to get the elevator to go the roof.
Yui crawls behind Hoge, readying tight threads to strangle the tires with and keeping her breathing and heart-rate steady.
Kaga chases a cat half-way across the city, unaware of what's even going on right now.
Meanwhile, the robbers get the hostages ready for a trip to a countryside warehouse. Where a blackmarket teleporter awaits to get them somewhere they won't be found.
(PRD ASSAULT IN PROGRESS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzPgtzvD88k )
Gigan smashes through the security barriers - just as they start to rise - in the form of an oversized green mallet. The entry groups manuever, concealed by Funny Business. "Sorry for the smoky entrance! I really should be kicking the habit!" Popsy announces as Chihiro runs close to ground out of the smoke, her eyes squarely on the Crow as he holds the gun to the head of desk clerk. The kendo mistress makes a false stop to get him to hesitate: He points the gun at her and fires. The Samurai Clown blocks the bullet with the sheath of her Katana and draws the blade, ready to use the blunted side.
Popsy surrounds the area with the curtains of a big-top circus tent: "We just got the venue ready! Wouldn't want to dissapoint your fans, would you?" she says to Dove who scrambles inside the getaway car, only to spin in a circle and barely bring the thing to heel: somebody had ruptured her tires in the 20 seconds she was watching the dealership get busted open! She looks to Crow to see him get knocked over by a girl half his size, gracefully hitting him with the blunt end of her sword. Dove floors it only to find hear the axles themselves pop, the full weight of the cars frame hitting the showroom floor with a deafening thud as Popsy jokingly sighs: "You're in for a "wheely" bad time young lady"
Etsuzo falls to the ground with a thud as Inigo tackles the owl who was trying to force her into his car with a shield charge. He's interrupted by a bunch of birds pecking at his neck and back, the Eagle closed in while concentrating heavily.
"Yo! Not the kind of chicks I like to attract!" Inigo manages to spit after waving them off, only to hear the caw of a mountain hawk tips gets him to redirect his shield to twarting its talons. The eagle-masked man tries to jump into a hot-wired car, coming to grips with busted tires too slow before Inigo use his and Gigan's strength combined to tip it over!
The blonde clown boy fist bumps his dragon familiar, before noticing the damsel was gone! He looked everywhere: The crow was knocked out on the floor, the dove was getting put in finger cuffs by Popsy, and the Eagle was trapped inside an overturned car: That just left the owl throwing the clerk in the back seat of his car.
The owl gets lucky with the busted tires, driving on metal discs through the glass and right into a thrown net held by Yui, while Maru leaps through the windshield with an kick, landing in the passenger seat of the luxury car and elbowing the hostage taker in the face, busting his mask. Yui desperately holds onto the net, trying to stop the car before it spins out and crashes in a burning wreck: Hoge slams her foot on the break, causing the car flip inside the net, stopped from colliding with a guardrail by Yui's strength!
Popsy snatches of the gun from the floor and looks toward the Crow: "Well birdboy? We've got all of you, anything you want us to know before the police deal with ya?"
Chihiro tilts her head and narrows her eyes, smacking the Crow's shoulder with her scabbard - it phases through - an illusion quirk!
"Fiddlesticks! Where's the girl!?" Popsy says, looking around frantically before her ears start ringing with the sound of tile on spinning metal. Outside, the crow drives like his life depends on it, the mayor's daughter in the back seat helplessly tied up and flailing around.
Yui is too far away to make even a weak net to slow it down: Gigan won't be able to transform in time, and all seems lost as the Crow's car rips through the circus tent to the streets outside.
But a shot from the heavens quickly blows the engine in a pitiful puff of smoke, the intense sound of anti-material .50 cal round finding its way into black Jersaide's engine block like a surgeons scalpel hitting a tumour.
(Aftermath Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydUwTCQy62Q )
By the time the police arrive, the scene is a mess of broken barricades, glass shards, injured and restrained robbers unmasked, and tired teens. Sally rushes down to make sure things are ok: She knows she didn't mess up, junk cars were her favorite thing to shoot back at home and unless you were trying to a car wasn't going to blow up like in the movies.
Paramedics and recovery heros look at the criminals light wounds: It seemed everyone used mimimum force. Just meant they could get to holding sooner. The two hostages are cared for differantly however: the male clerk is given a look over and insists on going to the hospital for a formal checkup, seeming very shaken up by the whole affair. The girl has her own personal ambulance as an ambulance pulls up by her: the mayor of the city runs out and hugs Etsuzo once he sees the cameras rolling.
Insurance agent types already seem to prowl about, trying to determine what the hell happened here alongside the police. Sally consideres trying to scare them off, but she was more concerned with finding her... tomodachis.
Yeah, that was the word for it.
She finds the group drinking some water and fixing their appearance for the cameras, Inigo oddly absent.
"Did.. Inigo get hurt?" Sally asks
"Nah, he ran off to use a bathroom. Though some birds to peck at him a bit" Popsy says as she composes herself and looks at the perps being hauled off. Something about those bird masks: It pointed toward this being related to Tatarimoke somehow. The woman keeps the observation for the police to go over later, as much as they'd care about the words of an unreliable clown getting her groove back.
Sally awkwardly sidles up to Hoge as she touches up her clown foundation: "I.. uhm.."
"Your sorry, thank you" Hoge says, closing her pocket mirror: "You performed your job well. Things might have gone smoother had you simply followed the plan though"
The American growls lowly, balling her hand into a fist to disuade a round being fired. She takes a deep breath, and mutters a passage about the man without sin being the first to throw a stone: "...I am sorry, but I know you didn't trust me to be part of the assault. Its like you think I've learned nothing in the past half-year about friendly fire"
"You learned to hit Inigo alot: thats what I have observed. I did not want our TV debut to be marked by a lethal shooting anyways" Hoge says as she relaigns her wig and looks Sally in the eye. Sally's makeup is touched up as she stews in a combination of anger and self-loathing, an internal war between the crusader who wanted to scream at Hoge for giving her the chance she deserves and the fearful nun on the opposite side beleiving Hoge is right not to trust someone so dangerous.
Sally looks at the barrel in her right palm, the smell of acrid gunsmoke still lingering on it and giving her solice, a ceasefire in her inner war. She had done her job at least and saved a girl from an unspeakable fate while not injuring her.
It was something, and thats what she clung onto while she brought her hands together to pray, closing her eyes.
The media attention on Team PR Disaster was immense, as every news station with a team in Kyoto wanted a few words from the heroes who saved the Mayors Daughter from kidnappers. These were not nescirrily kind words, making her answer rough question after rough question. They wanted blood, not a feel good story.
"Do you have any worries about working with a dangerous a former villain?"
"What precautions do you take to avoid Mitsuragi-sans deadly quirk?"
"Rumour has it the class your students are from is known as the "1-Delinquents": have they displayed any agression toward you?"
Popsy wants to curl up back in her bed and ignore all of this, closing her eyes for a moment in her best attempt to deflect all leading questions.
"Please stop badgering this heroic woman and her students with such mean-spirited slander!" Etsuzo says as she approaches from behind, her father running behind her.
"She and her students risked life and limb to save me and Mihari-san, and I will be offering my account of events now!" she says boldly, the cameras focusing on her willful face. The girl weaves explains things from her perspective, being saved multiple times from capture by the couragous acts Popsy and her sidekicks. Her father gives Popsy a side eye while staying out of pictures with the two.
Hoge was a bit wooden, trying to follow the clown persona while still following what she learned from Rosethorn. This led to strange mix of funny gags and deadpan explanation of the incident and how she approached it that seemed confuse the reporters a little.
Yui was confident, but a bit dismayed alot of the questions levied at her were about her outfit: And yes, she did make it herself. She at least doesn't lose her patience with the gawkers.
Chihiro is avoided when the reporters put together who she is: the girl who killed hundreds on accident. Why would they want to hear from her?
Chihiro would agree with them, happy to sit and sip at her water in peace.
Sally was a stammering mess, having to revert to english in the presence of the reporters fast Japanese. A feeling of dread installed itself as the news crews moved on from her and she had to refelct on her hurried and incomplete answers: Her family might see this.
Her friends might see this.
And she's dressed like fucking clown.
She chooses the quietly sit by Chihiro. Neither girl that fond of the news.
Strangely, Inigo had ran off somewhere. Sally had assumed he'd have been desperate for an interview to show off his dumb jokes or his dragon, but he as gone.
"Excuse me, Mitsuagi-San and McCathy-San?" a young man with a thick blonde moustache says, wearing a wrinkled suit and a green tie, using his phone as a microphone.
"Mr. Green, I'm an independent journalist. I just wanted to ask what made you both so skilled?"
Chihiro and Sally look at eachother with confusion: "Come on! You must have a secret to you success!"
"I have been training for many years to control my abilities and hone my skills: They are.. only slightly exceptional" Chihiro says, a glance toward Sally
"It is an honor to have a chance to redeem myself publicly" Chihiro says, speaking more like she's announcing an economic crisis than her own success.
"{Miss McCathy! I actually saw your shot with my own eyes, and you have one hell of an eye! Where'd you learn to shoot so well?}"
"{Back in Montana we had plenty of junk cars to mess around with, so me and the guys at the shooting range would tow'em into the range and shoot into them. They actually don't really explode like they do in the movies unless your a really good shot and get pretty lucky}"
"{Oh?}"
"{Yeah! Its actually alot more dangerous to shoot the wheels out since that sends the whole things out of control and can damage the brakes. Car crashes are on average a bigger killer than gun violence for a reason, at least back in the USA}"
"{You are quite far away from home, do you have a message for the folks back home?}"
"{Mom.. dad.. I uhm...}"
"{I'm doing well. And remember Earl owes me twenty bucks}" Sally says with a laugh, remembering an old bet about hitting a moving car's engine.
[!!BONUS SCENE!!]
Tatarimoke had been laying low for some time given the current situation of the fall crime season, and the swarming amount of fresh-faced brats getting patrol hours. It was at least times like this where he could sketch designs that fit his idea of fashionable in peace while sitting about the safehouse.
Of course, business has a habit of breaking that calm, as was the case tonight as he watched the news. Usually a source of knowledge sanded down to lack the value of a proper informant, he saw the faces of some of his underlings pass by in mugshots. Caught red handed in a Luxury Car Robbery gone wrong. The more the reporters went on, the more he grew intrigued: Popsy had emerged from her stupor of bad luck poor decisions and found herself in charge of a gaggle of Shiketsu students.
The gaggle of clowns had manged to not only capture all four of his ascociates, but to save the mayors daughter from being taken away as a hostage as well. A good showing for a woman who gossip rags had long ran out of fun stories since her condition was known to be quite miserable even to the most desperate writers. He looks at her lineup of interns, and smirks mischeviously.
Tatarimoke reaches for his phone, and dials a number known by memory:
"Yes, its me"
"Would you be interested in a special job? Double the usual fee"
"Excellent, I'll prepare a Sauvingon, Ciao"
He cackles to himself: reaching for his phone.
"Yes, its me"
"I have a special assigne