[Open] 🚬 July Flames

[burnitblack]

Who: Dabi & others
What: July Catch-All
When: July
Where: Various

Content Warnings: Potential mentions of domestic/child abuse, potential mentions of murder, violence, adult language/subjects

Notes: General and specific starters and event prompts are found below. Contact under cut.

If you want to hit me up for ideas on prompts or plots, feel free to comment on Dabi's CR meme post or his Event plotting post, hit me up on my contacts – Plurk (StarSeed69) / Discord (StarSeed#3572) – shoot me a PM, or drop an ooc comment down below, and we’ll hash it out. I'm down to write a unique starter for our threads if you prefer.

Comments

~ General Prompts ~

[burnitblack]

VARIOUS LOCATIONS ... District: Various

[ooc: these are generic non-event-related prompts for meeting and interacting with dabi outside of the month's on-going events. however, they can be affected at player discretion by the events. feel free to respond to the events at the links provided, or use the links to structure your own tag-in here below. or if you prefer, toss me a PM or an OOC comment here and i'll write up a starter for us based on the prompt you want! they're flexible.]

General Prompts
1) - Convenience Store Broker
2) - Farther Shores Scavenger
3) - Hunter, Getting Started
4) - Night Walker, Gambling or *ahem*

Light it up and Let it burn~

[burnitblack]

Prompt 1 ... GOOD AND EVIL

① [can't really say it wasn't interesting. the upward spike in aggression, a wave of crime and violence that was almost uncharacteristic of trench. people are usually battling monsters or corrupted influences in a more grand scale, not punching someone over a raw deal or all out attacking a store that served them poorly. from petty violence to larger attempts at grievous harm, the heatwave brought changes to the place he really wasn't prepared for. in the negative sense, at least. positively, the sudden sweep of villainous behavior reminded him immediately of home. far more a clash between the "good and evil" of society waging war between hero and villain with the public caught in between. certainly felt familiar as he moved out to indulge in the chaos curving through the streets.

it's the scene above that brings in the first sign that something isn't right. there's smoke in the sky, drifting upward above an ominous blue glow behind the trees as flecks and specks of blue light flicker into the air. the occasional scream of birds or the thudding of animals escaping into the foliage as they flee from the approaching heat. that simmering dread upon realizing that something is coming, something that all nature itself dreads. fire. a great and terrible heat erupting in large swaths of raging blue flames through the forests, consuming the trees and underbrush with little regard to how far and wide the devastation will spread.

situated within each additional outbreak of that azure hell is a dark-clothed man centered in the flames, hand on a tree or rock nearby as he watches without any real care the fire spreading outward from his place. it leaps from tree to tree, bush to bush, crawls across the ground in an all-consuming hunger that refuses to be stopped. the city itself is where the beats come to attack and invade, so what then if something from the city brings the destruction and terror to their domain? nah, it's not that he's some heroic type; this is pure revenge and chaotic delight, enabling him to inflict this kind of devastation as a spiteful response to the beings that ripped him from his world, trapped him here, and occasional besot him with challenges and monsters. what's that adage about playing with fire?]

② [it wasn't the first time he's stolen something. spent a whole month doing that and sits now on the immense spoils of that effort. but it doesn't mean dabi's ceased with the occasional theft, ranging from shops and stalls for food en passe or robbing from clinics for medical supplies because he can. yet with this new wave of violence and the general disorder spilling into the streets, there's the potential for making off with some rewards under the radar. whether he's able to break into the store with a few attempts at the locks are simply forgoes niceties and blasts through the doors with his flames is a coin toss for each instance. though unlike his previous thievery run, this time there's no effort to hold himself back.

hands in his pockets, a duffel bag of stolen supplies thrown over one shoulder, dabi emerges from the smoke and strides down the middle of the street, backlit by the blue flames bursting out of shop windows and pouring upwards in a hateful hunger towards and out of the rooftops. walls themselves are starting to melt from the intense heat of the azure fires, oozing molten concrete and stone onto the sidewalks as shattered glass littering the ground quickly melts into slag. he looks might fine with this chaos in his wake, a tourguide from hell emerging from the devastated street behind him. only to pause and glance to the side as a new target of interest piques his attention. guess one more wouldn't hurt...]

Mombo #2

[bleedformeplz]

[Her wish is coming true. Finally, a world she can do whatever she wants. In this mist of chaos, Himiko is skipping along in the shadows and corners. There was some dry blood on her blouse and skirt. Painted with blood, it was hard to tell whether it belong to her or not. Her trusty dagger twirled on one hand, then retracted, to remain hidden. Her grin brighter than the sun, stretching from ear to ear. If this is heaven, keep her here please.

Well, if anything screamed 'Dabi is here', it's those blue flames reaching to the sky. Her smile continues to beam, hand over her eyes while looking up all 'aow'. Dabi, Dabi, Dabi. He's having a blast too. Without a moment waste, Himiko skips happily towards the blazing flames. Eventually, she stops in reaching distance, the flames look pretty wild! Instead, she will stand-by and watch Dabi merging out of those flames like a bad ass.]

Hey! You-hooo!

[She's flapping her arms like a bird to him, anything to get his attention.]

What you up to?

wombo combo~

[burnitblack]

[nah, this ain't a world they can do "whatever they want"; it's just some damn event that's going on making everyone else act crazy. but hey, why not enjoy the brief time they have and treat it exactly like that kind of world? the sun's gonna come out tomorrow, same as it did today, and they're gonna be there, so how about they show up with a smile and some good memories, huh. make it worth waking up to. leave some carnage in the wake cause no one's gonna come after them for it.

it's that sudden voice that pulls his attention to the side and dabi quirks a brow when the shadows spill away from a familiar sight. same school-girl outfit, as if innocence is walking from the alley. and yet the bloodsplatters all over those clothes and her grinning face catching in the reflection of that long wicked knife-- oh wait, she doesn't have it. huh, probably hidden up her sleeve somewhere. literally. nothing like blood and innocence to scream "toga himiko" to the world. he wonders if she ever found the rest of her gear...

ah well. dabi turns towards the bird-like flapping arms. ya got his attention.]

Goin shoppin. [pats the duffel bag at his side. smart ass.] You?

Re: wombo combo~

[bleedformeplz]

Dating.

[Clamping both hands behind her, fingers entwine, while blushing. Dabi knows her. Her knife is somewhere on her.]

Was. [She quickly confess with a satisfy grin.] They... checked out early for the night. [Early retirement or rest, whoops. She's pretty sure he can put two and two together. She looks pass Dabi to the blazing flames from his wake. That fire of his never cease to amaze her, and a good reminder he can roast anyone at any given time. After a good glance, her gaze returns him.]

And, I'm bored again.

[As she exhales a long sigh. Take her out asshole.]

2. lmk if this works~

[floatsaway]

[Whether it be fate or coincidence, Dabi's not the only one at the target of his next arson, nor was he the first to think to rob the place. But the shop is already vacant aside from someone stepping out from a broken window, suit dirty and scuffed in a number of places. Not to mention the various splatters of blood marring the white, or mixing with the pink. Ochako, or in this instance Uravity stumbles to the ground, yanking her arm, and the wired grappling hook holding a Trenchie by the neck over the broken glass and sharp pieces of metal. They would scream louder, probably, if their face wasn't going from red to purple by how that wire tightens and cuts into their airway, hands scrambling for any purchase to try and loosen it.

They cry, they plead, they beg...and the young lady is deaf to it all. She's practically hunched over as she drags both herself and her capture over the gravel, mumbling nonsense to herself about 'tying them up' and the like. For what? Well, she hisses and snarls a lot about Bakugou, someone this poor local has never even met. Her usually chocolate brown eyes are dark, ashy, and the pupils like slits - dilating and opening as she tries to focus. The Corruption has clearly taken hold of Ochako, claws on the ends of her fingers and teeth starting to form jagged points past her dry lips.

Eventually, the poor idiot catches sight of Dabi and cries out for help. Ironic, really, but Ochako does pause, at least, and look up, though her gaze is partially vacant as she stares at Dabi, as if waiting to see what he does. Like a cat, almost, or a lioness...stark still and ready to pounce if he does anything her twisted mind would categorize as unjust.]

[burnitblack]

[a vacant store wouldn't have been all that surprising; he's aware looting is one of the first things on anyone's mind when it comes to chaotic times. the self-serving nature of humans often surges forward on instinct to protect "me" and "mine" from anything that might show up. so sure, hording, grabbing, looting, all of that is something he'd expect to see either in progress or merely the aftermath of.

what dabi's not expecting to see... is a hero gone bad. it's enough to give even his mind a pause. first out of surprise and wonder at whether it's even real. hallucination isn't a bad guess? but then, no... it's certainly real. he can tell this isn't toga in disguise either, due to the look on the girl's face. so it really is her. uraraka ochako. gone off the deep end into villainy.

ya know, that's pretty fucking messed up. and amusing at the same time... good thing he's wired. a quick flick of the switch and the small camera he arrived with (part of his gear) starts filming. this is stuff he doesn't want to lose. the blood on her body and costume, the way she's staggering out of the building, dragging that poor son of a bitch behind her who's clawing at his throat and going purple below his bulging eyes. guy can't even scream since he's being throttled by a garotte.

huh, wonder if she knew she could use them that way before...

so this is what corruption looks like. dabi had gone straight to beasthood that one time, so this is an element of it he skipped. then again, given his own villainous state, wouldn't you say he's pretty corrupted already? ... eh, he's missing the pointy parts she's sporting.

when ochako looks up at him, thanks to the victimized bastard pointing and pleading mid-suffocation, dabi meets her eyes, his eyes cool and at ease with the sight in front of him. then merely tilts his head to the side, a smirk appearing on his face as he lifts his arm, fist in the air, and gives the indication for her to pull her own arm upward, pantomiming the indication of a hanged man.]

Higher, kid. Ya lettin the "rope" slack.

[floatsaway]

[She absolutely did not, because the heinous thought never once occurred to Ochako when she was in her right mind. Her wires were for movement, and to make small to medium sized weapons and projectiles with her quirk. 'Zero Satellites' was one of her newer moves, a mix of her quirk and a few sweeping motions a'la learned martial arts. In that way, her 'satellites' became both defensive and offensive when attacked in close quarters. Ochako knows she's a melee fighter mostly, so adding some range to her repertoire has always been on her mind. Or...it was.

Right now, the only thing on her mind is a twisted sense of justice and doing the 'right thing'. Her breathing is ragged, eyes squinting as if trying to gain focus past the haze of...everything. It's clear that the poor girl is in there, but barely. Barely able to claw herself out from the hold of Corruption and the Evil that's taken hold. The man gurgles something, his gaze now a hard and hateful glower at Dabi, and Ochako snaps her attention to him.

Higher? She can do that.]

Right... [Her voice is like a growl, strangled out between a row of sharpening teeth. The wire retracts, and the poor idiot holds his throat and wheezes for breath, scrambling away, but not nearly fast enough. It's barely two steps Ochako takes before she grabs the guy's head and smacks it hard into the ground, causing him to splutter and choke even more against a now possibly busted nose, then lets go.] Higher.

[The bastard shouts as he tries again to run, but starts to float upwards in Zero Gravity, flailing and grabbing wildly at air to try and get back down. He goes up, up, and up some more. Thirty feet - which is still a dangerous height, but survivable...probably. If he doesn't fall on his head.]

2. RIP NPCs

[detonating]

[It's chaos, everywhere he goes. He's supposed to care, but he doesn't. Stopping violence and crimes from being committed should be the first things on Bakugou Katsuki's agenda, but they aren't. Not anymore.

He doesn't give a fuck about any of 'em.

Random screams in the distance, or the shatter of glass nearby... frankly it's all music to ears that are entirely accustomed to loud noises being in them constantly. It was fucking freeing, too, to have finally allowed himself to blast the face of the stupid son of a bitch that dared to not fucking look where he was going when he was running from whatever the hell he was running from. Plowed right into him, and for once, Katsuki was able to make him pay for that shit without even a second thought or an ounce of that ridiculous fucking hero guilt. No idea if that guy is even alive to tell the tale, and that's just fine by him. It felt good, to finally just fucking let loose on someone who deserved it.

Speaking of people who would fucking deserve it...

A familiar silhouette appears in the cloud of smoke that's billowed into the street he's walking down the side of, and as it gets closer, Katsuki stops for a moment right in the middle of the road. To wait and see.

It's him. Dabi. Just the sight of that patch-work piece of shit has the blood pumping through his veins is white hot with adrenaline-- an overwhelming sense of hate and rage. His mind is flashing with memories... to the blue fire in the woods, to Dabi's hand around his throat, Izuku screaming and the looks on all of their faces, to Kamino... and the the hatred roiling deep inside of the teenager takes over. His teeth grit, grinding hard into each other and crimson eyes narrow as he watches Dabi's attention cast sidelong to someone else, some person on the other side of the road... and just a beat's worth of time later, he brings one arm up to take aim with his Grenadier bracer.]

HEY DABI!! [Because while he might be nearly blinded in his fury, it isn't Katsuki's style to sneak attack just anyone. This move isn't going to take that bastard out--he'd be fucking stupid to assume such a thing, but if by chance it actually did? He wants Dabi to know who it came from. Where it came from.] EAT SHIT!

[Katsuki's teeth are bared in a blood thirsty grin as his hand comes up, gloved finger hooking through the pin. Then, without even a hint of hesitation or thought for the unfortunate bystander, he pulls it.

BOOM!

The blond is throwing his arms back immediately, chasing his own explosion. He won't give him a chance. He intends to blast him into fucking pulp, tiny pieces. To paint the damn streets with every bit of Dabi's being.]

they're only good for experience pts anyways

[burnitblack]

[it reeks of smoke, burning stone and material, the stench of flesh scorching and the sweeter aroma of burning wood diffusing through the air, all of it combining into a wave of aromatic "fire" flowing before him and blowing on the wind to other parts of trench. "fire" is what they smell, the danger and threat of that ominous heat approaching in its all-consuming rage. more fuel, more food, and it gets larger and larger.

and the people have fallen to it as well. it's rather liberating to finally let loose like this once more. whether the innocents confront him for burning their buildings or run from him begging for mercy, it's no issue for dabi to set them aflame. kindling. that's all they are. most of them lie in charred heaps, burned to death in the stores they sought to take refuge in. others have caught fire and went running, flailing arms and screaming in panic and fear as they crashed into one thing or another, spreading his fires with them. too bad for them.

emerging from the smoke like the harbinger of hell he is, dabi steps onto the street, wisps of burning aura curling over his shoulders and around his legs like claws dragging across his body. it's only then that he realizes someone else has been at work. a large town square, harboring a collection of stalls, stores, and even a fountain of sorts in the center, looking to be a public hub within trench. and at least three of the streets leading into it are demolished. one of them, behind him, a smoldering hallway of blue flames and black smoke, one or two lingering people falling to the ground in throes of death and surrender.]

Hm? [a shadow. it drops down from the window of the nearby store. someone inside trying to hide. hmph. ya know, he might've kept walking, but... tonight's not the time to keep walking. lifting his burn-scarred arm, dabi aims his hand towards the store front, palm slowly igniting into a white-hot, blue-line glow.] Shine-

[hey dabi!!]

--? [a split second. he knows that voice. it belongs to a yapping dog that thinks he's important. memories come back immediately, from the strangled warning for that green kid not to come to the mixture of pride, terror, guard, mockery, and determination that flavored bakugou katsuki's speech of denial towards shigaraki. exactly as dabi figured he would. yeah, he remembers that kid, the feeling of his neck in his hand. how tense he was, a drop of cold sweat dripping from his nape to dabi's skin. could've killed him right then and there...

memory's over and he turns his head, eyes narrowing on the momentary sight of that kid, full costume, aiming those grenade-shaped hand gauntlets at him.

Fuck-

FWOOM!

blue eyes narrow and he ignites himself, pouring a launchpad of flames out his feet to rocket himself upward and backward. underestimating this kid is an idiot's move. and dabi's not an idiot. teeth grit as the shockwave slams into him, one arm thrown up to block his face from the heat and smoke. already airborne by the time that explosion hits, it throws him backwards, flipping the guy end over end like some black spider thrown through the sky. blue flames erupt backwards and below, hands slamming behind him and both legs in front of him to stabilize himself in the sky.]

Tch!

[bastard. he puts his teeth together, stopping the brief vibration from the shockwave. someone's playing a dangerous game of hero.]

Oy, asshole. [droning loudly in the air as he points down with one hand.] Think ya hit the guy ya tried to save!

[cause the store and its owner dabi had been about to torch, the one he assumes katsuki had attacked him to protect, yeah that one... it's face is completely blown inward. who knows what happened to the person inside with all that heat and glass.]

Blue Fairy~

[swellter]

[ The glow in the forest attracts a young man filled with an intense need to strike out. He follows the devastation brought forth to the land housing the terrors of their world. The idea of turning that terror on its head fills him with a deep-seated joy it's enough to drive him forward, stepping into the realm of blue that's too widespread to do anything to him. Born of fire, it welcomes him home, and Shouto accepts it, striding through the forest to meet its maker. When he finds Touya among the devasted foliage, trees burning all around him, their leaves turned to ash, he grins.

Beside him, a small snow leopard runs around with all the energy of a child at play. Delighted by the blue, blasting out a telepathic. Blue Fairy! Blue Fairy! for all the world to hear. What little remains of it, at least.

Amid the devastation, Kizu runs forward, heading straight for Dabi, not an ounce of fear terminating from her as she bounds forward, fluffy tail up high as she throws herself at him in jubilation. Blue Fairy! Blue Fairy!

Behind her, Shouto cuts through the smoke swathed in red flames with a kind of lazy casualness normally absent from his demeanor. ]

I think she likes you.

[burnitblack]

[there's a certain therapeutic pleasure to be found in taking the terror to the place the terror usually comes from. even if it amounts to nothing in the end, the fact he's able to burn down the home of some would-be beast that wants to lumber into town and wreak some havoc is its own form of vengeful elation. watching the spread of his flames brings a quiet pleasure and pride all to itself. brings back memories of his world, when he and the league brought this same kind of assault on the kids from that u.a. class. not entirely the same in its ultimate goal, but the wanton destruction and stripping away the sense of comfort and security? yeah, that's all the same.

dabi turns from the tree he's standing beside, momentarily surprised by the sudden appearance of that voice. but he relaxes just as quickly, recognizing it all the same. tsk, in only this way does he somewhat regret the more adult leopard he came to know from the initial few months of being here. one day, shouto's gonna figure out that nickname and there's going to be a bit of heckling. if his normally stoic little brother even knows how to heckle someone...

he watches shouto emerge from the flames, though does go down on one knee to offer an arm to kizu when she runs to him. the lack of fear doesn't faze him either. his brother looks pretty casual about the entire thing. though that expression on his face... huh, is it the same as that floating girl? a chance in personality.

interesting.]

Ya just noticed?

1

[aetherweaver]

[The forest is burning, and he just got home. He's tired and frizzy-furred, having only gotten a little sleep since returning to the house in Feed. He initially doesn't feel like doing anything about it, but then he recognizes the color of the flames.]

[Is it...? Maybe. He has to check. He dashes out into the woods, approaching the blaze. He looks into the fire and there he is. And him without any ice spells... he calls out to the other, shouting to be heard above the sound of flames and cracking wood.]

Dabi! What are you doing?!

[They need this forest for food and resources. What in the world is going on in the other's mind?!]

[burnitblack]

[while he has nothing against the farmlands and livestock of feed, and to be honest, isn't exactly aiming for that area, dabi also doesn't exactly care. the monsters and beasts could come out of anywhere, so wherever his flames end up going, that's simply more grounds to cover. flush out the beasts or burn them alive in their holes. either option is a welcome one.

a voice cuts through the burning woodlands around him and for a moment, he has to place it. not sure... but then memories return and he shifts his stands, hand leaving the tree beside him as he turns towards the other man.

nara'a. they had a bit of history together. the guy took that demon off his back and almost eviscerated himself in the process.]

Huntin. A bit of payback.

Wire strung betwixt One end or the Next

[burnitblack]

Prompt three ... OUR OWN PRISONS

① [the sea's calm today. its dark blue and green waves curving into white crests before splashing onto the black shores of the each. way to end the month... after all the violence and devastation running rampant through the streets and surrounding forests of trench, was it fitting to find some ending here? the nagging feelings linger inside his body and he leans back further against the dark, heavy trunk of the sakura tree standing far away from civilization out here on the bleak coastline of the farther shores. it's better than the one found in the sanctuary because there's hardly anyone here. the comforting offer to help deal with corruption this place impresses upon him has made the guardian sappling one of dabi's more frequented places. right now, it's helping to keep some of those thoughts and feelings in check... the hatred inside.

on the one hand, yes, dabi deals with self-loathing and inner conflict due to the intense emotional/mental and sometimes physical domestic childhood abuse in his background, which ultimately led to his tragic fate. of course he sees those flaws in himself, they're written across his face and body in the burn scars and his own lanky frame, but at the same time, he's come to accept himself as nothing more than the "failed experiment" he is, and that only turns the raging flames of his hate towards the source of his torment because of it.

while he relishes in throwing those flaws in people's faces and using them as a scapegoat for his own actions and issues, whether or not it continues to truly bother him or if he's already burned himself numb towards it is kind of a toss up. the urges to find peace in the waves and end it all are easily ignored, since he's been running towards his death for years now, but only if his death can satisfy the reason for his existence now. but right now, that's all caught on a snag, as the source of his suffering and revenge isn't here, leaving him drifting without real purpose. it's what keeps him strung between the ocean's lull and the tree's embrace. there's no point in dying since he'll simply come back. but existing in trench is a drag.

whatever. for now, he's content to rest here and watch the ocean. deal with anyone who bothers to show up in such a place.]

The Attempted Drowning

[swellter]

[ No longer ensnared by the wicked thoughts that drove him to join his brother in mutual destruction of the living world, Shouto finds himself in search of him. Not to destroy, but to mend. Waves crash beside him, white foam barely stretching far enough to touch his snow boots. With Kizu napping inside his chest, he walks through the beach alone, his passing a quiet endeavor.

After hours of searching for him, Shouto finally spots a familiar figure up ahead. A slow tension eases out of his form, even as his pace remains the same. Unhurried, he makes his way to him, breaking the silence with soft undertones when he's a few feet away. ]

Touya.

[burnitblack]

[touya's left with his own thoughts. it's been a hell of a month. he's seen people who had always upheld their morals and heroics boil down into the same violent criminals and monsters they sought to fight against. hypocrites. every single one of them have blood on their hands now. no right to accuse or criticize him for another second. and yet, for all the disgust and vindicated pride he feels towards them, there's worse reflected inside.

those same things endeavor said to him all those years ago... those never went away. grown up, proud, hardened, and burned out from the inside, with those feelings all snubbed and cauterized, you'd think he'd be worn to them. but instead, they're there, they're always there, fueling the rage towards his father who abandoned him and disparaged him. the man who deliberately sought to torment and crush him into being the failure he said he was...

those thoughts are broken by the sound of footsteps crunching in the sand, earning a silent tilt of the young man's head towards the noise. as shouto's feet leave the sand and instead alight on the grass sounding the tree, touya's expression sharpens momentarily before relaxing again.]

What?

[umbraportation]

[ Apparently, Nico does not only skulk around in alleyways, but also on the beach. This time, he isn't the one here first. His gaze scans the area, searching for something that he isn't likely to find out here. A shadow darkens the large sakura tree, a familiar figure. Nico stares for a minute, before sighing heavily and moving in that direction. He doesn't say anything for a long time, merely takes a seat several feet away to watch the waves crash against the shore.

It could be a few minutes, half an hour, maybe even an hour before Nico speaks up - time becoming distorted when drifting along the dark thoughts that have floated to the surface of his life. ]

We meet again.

[burnitblack]

[it's the scrunch of the sand that draws his attention, glancing up from the waves to notice the same kid from the alleyway a few weeks ago. nico. he knows little about him, but beyond the concept of greek gods residing in america and the fact he didn't try to turn him in for stealing, there's nothing that really stands out as dubious about him. looks rather dour, though that could simply be natural. it's mildly annoying that dabi finds himself curious as to how the kid's held up the first few weeks. but he says nothing, looking back out to the ocean to rest in his thoughts.

until it's broken by the commentary.]

Uh-huh.

[masterful conversation = these two.]

Ya still alive. Guess ya found a way to feed yourself.

*for tomura shigaraki

[burnitblack]

[long time no see. after their previous conversation, in which dabi had his fun poking at his 'beloved leader' for the radio silence, he'd not entirely expected to end up with this sort of event splayed out in front of them. shigaraki had wanted to know what dabi was up to during his time here in trench? well, now he could see. this was a rare show of trust since the villain had never shown this to anyone. but for shigaraki, he'd be willing to reveal a card in his hand. once. call it a mild favor for their working relationship back home.

the agreement was to meet at 4pm the following day. with that caveat "don't be late" thrown at him just before hanging up, right?

... so dabi was deliberately a few minutes late. walking out of the alleyway to meet shigaraki in all his black-drenched edgy glory. in other words, like normal. but he'd agreed to their little excursion, and so ended up leading the other man away. it was obvious dabi was taking the long route, throwing off anyone who might want to be following them, before finally leaving the city proper behind and heading out into the more forested areas. likely not as safe, but still not diving directly into patches of beasts and monsters. it was an older neighborhood that had been reclaimed by nature after people decide to move elsewhere (and luckily for the buildings in this area, the beasts ended up following the people, leaving the houses here to be eaten by plants rather than animals). less sinister and more glen-like, somewhat ironic compared to many places in trench.

most of the paths and sidewalks here were already covered by grass and weeds, but finally, they arrive at a dark old house in the woods, peeking over the grassy knoll it resided behind and guarded by some stumps of trees long-since felled. dabi also points out two other buildings, the first being a stone home hiding in the woods nearby and the second standing more brazenly further down the street. many of the homes here have the same sort of design, wood and stone melting back into the forest swallowing them like an oncoming disguise. as he slips a key out of his pocket, dabi nods towards the side.]

Ya wanna look around outside first or go on in?

[comecatchthesehands]

[This is a huge card from the deck, but really Shigaraki isn't going to say no. It sounds like Dabi is busy as hell and has been busy as hell, which isn't unlike him to take the mantle and go find something to do. Something he deems worth his time of course.

Speaking of time, the bastard knew what time they were supposed to be meeting and those few minutes were noticeable enough. It was just enough that it was only mildly annoying and expected. Expected but not welcome and upon seeing his babysitter for the day walking companion, Shigaraki pushes off of where he had been leaning to follow. A long way or not, Shigaraki didn't complain, at least not about that. In fact, most of the time he's quiet, preferring to make sure that they weren't followed either. Not for the reasons that Dabi has, but being followed and cornered by anyone in this place usually isn't for the best reasons.

Today he's not interested in having to end a life just to continue his walk. The long way also lets him get out some of that upset energy he's been holding on to. Then again walking anywhere derelict with Dabi brings up some memories of home even if things have a different concept behind them.]

Inside.

[He's more apt to look out from somewhere that's got a little more safety than them wandering around, one of them maybe aimlessly. It's a smart move to be out here, Dabi can take care of himself even if there didn't seem to be many beasts of course, but it's a good idea. Not as fun, but better.]

Can wander later when we're sure there's nothing skulking.

[burnitblack]

[he could've kept silent and not said a word; it wouldn't be the first time dabi withheld information from shigaraki and avoided doing anything "team player" wise with the rest of the group. but consider this a quiet alliance respect. he knows shigaraki isn't the kind of person to fuck over one of his allies outside of extreme reason. strange, yet it works for him.

with the decision made, dabi inserts the key in the lock on the door, twists it, and pops the lock. before another key falls out of said lock. this one he uses to actually unlock the door. though the house itself is old and it wouldn't really be hard to break into it if someone really wanted to... the sudden weight of the door suggests dabi had done work to fortify the structure. indeed, the inside of the windows are crisscrossed with barbed wire and lined with iron bars.

the interior of the house is oddly furnished, with leftover furniture scattered around the interior. dabi heads into the home, which contains a lot of dressers, wardrobes, cabinets, hutches, etc. almost every single one of these is stuffed with... stuff. bags, boxes, paper-or-plastic-covered items. as if there was an initial attempt to hide and store things, but as the collection got bigger, the collector simply began stuffing. it won't take long for shigaraki to notice different aspects of those items.

dried and canned food, bottled and canned drinks, duffel bags + backpacks + sleeping rolls, hoards of medical supplies, bathrooms full of hygiene products, closets crammed wit clothes and bedding and linens, loads of flashlights and lanterns with batteries and candles galore, alcohol and cigarettes with lighters, kitchen and its cabinets full of cleaning supplies and kitchen aides, simple entertainment items like cards, puzzles, jewelry, makeup and beauty products, practically anything and everything nonperishable that could be found in convenience / corner stores or gas stations. if shigaraki's heard of some stranger offering to trade unique "wares" from other worlds... well guess who he just found. and there's a basement beneath as well. plus, this isn't dabi's only "warehouse" of stuff.]

Those portals in April. [answering the on-coming question once the door's shut and the tour's underway, with dabi opening curtains and shutters to let in the natural light.] They connected to a lot of worlds. Spent all month hunting ones that connected to stores.

[and given the sheer scope of this collection, he robbed everything as blind as he possibly could. god it was exhausting, but knowing he had only so long to stock up, he spend as much of his time and strength as he could that month robbing and gutting the portals of anything he could get his villainous hands on.]

I AM HERE with our 352 spoilers. Starting near the beach for sea monster emergence

[wannasmash]

Midoriya ("Deku" to everyone at work) is in his Hero costume, but due to fights earlier this month, it's every bit as tattered as Dabi's usual getup. Midoriya finds himself among a group of Hunters assembled to patrol (and likely fight) outside the city near the eastern edge of Crenshaw within sight of the beach. Signs point to a large predatory Beast with a voracious appetite. Any living creature, whether it be animals or people, has been fair game. Time to take care of this.

For two Hunters in particular, it's an awkward workplace situation. One For All doesn't make Midoriya immune to burns. Midoriya knows Dabi could attack him, even make it look like an accident if he plays his cards right. It'd be a chance to get the jump on him for one reason or another. It could even be a reaction to something Midoriya says. It's not like he knows Dabi well.

But Midoriya wants to address the information he now knows. And, a little bit, to figure out his own situation. As of early this month, Shouto isn't the only one with complicated relationships. If Midoriya is going to try to help even the people who hurt him, he could do worse than try with the guy who burned his allies (metaphorically and literally).

He glances sidelong at Dabi to gauge his reaction before speaking. Maybe this calls for obliqueness first. Be casual...

"Sooo... This Beast, it seems like it's pretty large. I've got the hang of moving around in the air, and I can slingshot myself from buildings and terrain too." That should take care of the update. Dabi won't have seen Midoriya do these things during the time he tried to hunt down Shigaraki.

"I'm, uh, used to fighting along with a fire-type Quirk..."

For reasons.

prepare yourself for the most disturbing can of tuna you ever saw

[burnitblack]

Excuse you. His getup is not tattered. It's... stylistically torn and sewed cause he's an edge son of a bitch. (No actually it's pretty tattered right now, thanks to other fights from earlier.) But he still cuts a recognizable figure among the other hunters. Just as much as he recognizes the little green kid in his own costume. Looks more worse for wear than the other hero kids running around. Dabi only bothered coming along with this group because the location was at the beach. Which as he's come to learn, can lead to some interesting beach combing to gather interesting items. Not the same as the Farther Shores, but it's a change in pace.

Not exactly one to "ally" himself with any one group until he's found it more useful for him to do so, Dabi's stayed mostly as a freelance Hunter, taking on jobs personally spoken towards, working out deals with individuals rather than going with a group design. Occasionally, like now, he'll team up with other Hunters for his own reasons. For the most part, he's content to ignore Midoriya. As he told Shouto earlier, he has no interest in attacking or hurting any of the hero kids unless they give him a reason to do so. And he has no personal beef with the kid, outside of the bastard trying to interfere with his family business during the war. So long as they don't bother with something like that, shouldn't be hard to ignore each other, right?

At the moment, Dabi's contenting himself with walking within the group towards the beach, eyes ahead and paying attention to the area around them, though seeming to keep to himself rather than have any visible "openness" for conversation or talk with others. He's keen to listen to the chatter around him instead, glean off their information if anything's interesting.

Until Midoriya interrupts his thoughts.

Initially, he's deflective, thinking anything this kid would say to him would be a topic he doesn't want to hear. But when the guy launches into commentary about their target, Dabi lowers some silent hackles and listens. Knowing an ally's abilities is worthwhile. "The beach ain't gonna have much in the way of buildings or terrain. It's all pretty flat." The cliffs are there, but they're likely going to be behind wherever they're fighting. Mentions of fighting alongside fire-type Quirks gets an indifferent tilt of his head, accepting the comment and not bothering to ask for details. "Then ya should get outta this without any burns."

Deku out here cribbing Dabi's style

[wannasmash]

Among the Hunters, these two have pretty distinctive character designs, but it's all the same when tattered and covered in blood. As a blood deterrent, Midoriya has his usual waterproof cloak, the one he keeps a Hunter's badge attached to a pocket to flap lightly in the seabreeze. It's dark and has a high storm collar.

"I'm familiar with the terrain. I can grab onto some boulders here and there. And the Beast themself."

Midoriya likes the beach--when he isn't thinking of certain terrible battles that happened on it. It reminds him of Takoba Beach back home, and the time he spent with All Might there. He still does beach cleanups from time to time, and he looks for Cloverfield, whose memory isn't great and necessitates consistent visits.

He's pretty sure he won't get burned. Maybe. Probably. Danger Sense really is going to work overtime today...

"I signed up with the Hunters so I could learn about this world and how to protect the city better. What about you?"

Whatever Midoriya's personal hurts may be, he's learned well by now that there's more to a villain than just preying on others.