[Open] 🚬 September Flames

[burnitblack]

Who: Dabi & others
What: September Catch-All
When: September
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

Prompt 1 ~ New Bleak World

[burnitblack]

Prompt 1 ... LEAP OF FAITH

① [it ain't really that big a surprise when the rumors start popping up on the network regarding people disappearing. he noticed one himself: a clinic he occasionally went to for browsing or trade was suddenly closed thanks to the owner being gone. no big issue, he has more resources, but it's irritating regardless. meaning the news about more of them at least doesn't go ignored. there's no real warning or evidence as to what's going on and how to prepare or protect yourself from vanishing either. great. dabi opts to lie low for a while instead, keeping more to himself and usually taking an aerial path if he's going somewhere. but that doesn't mean he won't be perturbed if/when he finds someone he wants to talk to being silent or gone. feel free to find him coming out of a building looking annoyed, flicking off his omni with a glare when another message goes straight to voicemail, or wandering the beaches to search for someone (or something interesting) washing ashore.]

The fuck...?

② [touch. for a split second, dabi registers someone's grabbing him. right around the ankle, jerking his attention into surprise. before he's yanked down. eyes wide, one arm instinctively flying out to the side to grab for something even as he ignites his leg with a blast of blue flame that illuminates the entire area. to no damn effect as the ground rushes past his head and all he's left with is the surge of wind as darkness closes over his reaching arm. WHAM! and hits the ground hard enough to bounce. or crumple in his case. takes a few moments for him to get his wind back and push himself up. this place... what the fuck is this place? gonna be half an hour of searching around to realize whatever this hellhole is, it's worse than trench. trench after a decade of real hard times and even worse corruption. disgusting.

skulking in the darkness, dabi sticks to the shadows physically and socially in this new world. there are two groups, apparently: the cultists that offer sanctuary (hah, ironic) and the locals that opt to survive on their own. plus even worse monsters and beasts than before. ultimately dabi's going to throw his lot in with the locals, not one for joining up with cult-like people who demand loyalty and sacrifice of him. but he isn't one to throw away the chance to make use of a cult member or offering for a moment... whether that's slipping into a sanctuary on the pretense of learning more or taking a cultist hostage for reasons.

in the end, dabi's loyal to who he's always been loyal to: himself. of course, if he finds someone he knows about to be harmed or worse by the cult members, he'll step in for some self-interested preservation of an ally or resource he doesn't want to be lost of. don't expect anything chummy out of him though. of course, even if he doesn't know you, and you make helping worth his while, might get yourself a one-time ally...]

③ [finally. getting the hell out of this place. dabi had been searching for a way to return to trench for a while, even if he's ruefully admitting the irony of actually wanting to go back to the damned city in the first place. but the devil you know is oft better than the devil you don't, and he's got more faith the normal trench has a way back home than this version. a ritual? is that what they're really going to do? it sounds fucked up and stupid, but at the moment, dabi's willing to give it a go. if it works, so much the better. if it doesn't, he's none the worse.

loitering outside the sanctuary stronghold, he peers up at the structure walls.]

All this for a damn flower?

2

[azurestar]

[A great time to be sucked into an upside down version of Trench is when you've lost one of your senses! At least he can see, but he definitely can't hear anything and that has been a problem. Lance is sticking close to the walls of a building as he makes his way through this new hell scape and his head is swiveling this way and that.

But unfortunately, he doesn't look upwards at the exact wrong moment. There's a beast crawling its way down the side of the crumbling building, hunting him. It looks like a giant cross between a bat and a mangy dog with way too many eyes. It's also not exactly quiet, making loud hissing and slurping sounds. Perhaps Dabi is feeling like he's worth saving today?]

[burnitblack]

[walking out in the open of worse!trench is a stupid decision, so he's adapting to what the locals do and sticks to the shadows and walls. honestly not too different from villains prowling the alleyways and underbellies of the cities back in his homeworld. at least in japan, however, there aren't massive, disgusting creatures drooling overhead.

...looking for your head.

it catches the corner of his eye. the swell of shadow and shrinking of it over the side of the building. noticing the creature is one thing, but finding he recognizes the person below... lance. that guy from the ocean. far cry to say "allies" between them, but at the same time, the guy's done nothing to put him in an "enemy" slot. and while dabi's usually apt to consider sleeper deaths pointless, since they just come back...

FWOOM!!

blue light explodes from across the street, a massive flamethrower pouring out from the darkness and slamming several feet above lance's head with enough force to punch straight through the wall after a brief "splash" outward on the building side. the creature's screeching lasts only a few seconds as it dies away into nothing. leaving behind a charred corpse that falls into the building and probably lights whatever's inside the building on fire.

collateral.]

Oy. Lookin everywhere but up's gonna get ya killed, idiot.

[lucky lance. dabi was just in the mood to kill something.]

[azurestar]

[Well he certainly saw that. Hell, he felt it. Kinda. His own powers are energy based and heat doesn't harm him at all, so he feels it as a brush of warmth whereas someone else might have felt they were a bit to close to hot metal. And if the heat didn't alert him, that blast through the wall shaking the structure and the ground beneath his feet sure would.

He jumps and lets out an involuntary yelp and immediately looks up to see… nothing since the creature was blasted away. Then he looks over to where the blue light of flame came from. He squints into the darkness, struggling to see and he definitely did not hear what Dabi said.]

Hello!? Who- or what the hell was that??

[He says it loudly since he can't hear himself, his sense of appropriate volume is skewed. Sometimes he's louder than necessary, and sometimes he's speaking too softly to try and compensate when he realizes he's going too loud. And right now, this isn't the best for not attracting more danger.]

[burnitblack]

[dabi has no disillusions that his attack would go unnoticed. calling out to the other person would've simply alerted the creature and either triggered a flight or fight startled reaction, with no telling what it'd do in response. best to simply kill it and then deal with the idiot prey afterwards. seeing it crash through the building wall amid smoke and debris satisfies him.

a brow arches at the question. the hell's he yelling about so loudly? he's gonna attract more. dabi stalks out of the shadows towards lance, eyes lidded in the same bored, tired expression that still carries the usual threatening glare between his half-charred lids. but at least it brings him into the light, hands resting in his pockets by default.]

Urusei. You're noisy. [does he wanna attract more attention, the kind that wants to eat him? dabi pulls a hand out and gestures for lance to follow him, gathering that something's off with the guy, but not able to pinpoint exactly what right now.] Let's go, before more show up.

Prompt 2 ~ Getting to Know You

[burnitblack]

Prompt 2 ... KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

① [surviving on the streets meant the occasional trailing of a carrion bird. ravens aren't exactly carrion types, but they have been known to lead to interesting things once or twice. something dabi's not keen on repeating here until that calling urge reaches out. he considers ignoring it, but after what happened last month, eventually opts to follow the draw. if it ends up being a disappointment or trap, he'll fucking burn it to cinders and at least get some satisfaction that way. gaze isn't a place he frequents often, not really wanting to do a bunch of reading and research on trench's lore and histories and not giving enough of a shit about the pantheon of "gods" set up around it. yet the offer of a reward that has "purification" in the description is more than enough to prevent him from turning away from the scholarly area.

fine. the hell kind of "knowledge" do they want him to find in here in exchange? he's not alien to research. except... when the answer comes in the form of learning about someone else. fucking dammit! why is this place obsessed with making people fess up about themselves?! that's almost enough of a "nope" from him to get the villain walking out the door. but then after a brief rationalizing in his mind that there was no criteria of WHAT the new person had to learn about him... might be worth the annoyance to get it over with for the reward. or maybe even two rewards. or three. who knows. he'll try to cheat the system.

for now, he'll skulk around the library, browsing through books and keeping an eye out for someone who likewise seems to be alone and not wanting to partake in a grand conversation. there's got to be other people in it just for the bracelet and nothing else.]

[robussy]

[ the sound is easy to pin and almost too easy to whip attention towards: clicking, poised heels against stone floors. they’re slow and deliberate, though, if not still consistent as a woman with silver white hair keeps her hand on a hovering box of metal, and follows it. it seems to be leading her forward, to the first possible stranger. ]

Take me back, Pod. [ Negative. This support system thinks 2B will benefit from conversation with humans. ] Declined.

[ short and sweet. she’s done enough talking. she can’t see shit. her energy levels were not this socially adept, she needs to recharge.

without agreeing with her and silent, pod begins to guide her along, slowly toward dabi and turning to face him briefly, as if to consider— and 2B follows. ]

[burnitblack]

[why is someone clipping around in high heels through the library? dabi's got one thumb stuck in the middle of a book, keeping it splayed open in a semi-narrowed v in front of him as he scans over the information. not really going to find much of interest in this thing, but it's better than staring at some kind of accounting journal. the heels are annoying though.

it's only when the heels stop at the same aisle he's in that he's dawned with the dreaded realization someone's here to possibly interact with. in that someone needs to come into the same row of shelving he's in. the villain glances to the side, lower half of his face hidden behind the raised collar of his coat. turquoise eyes narrow at the woman... and a floating... box? can?

despite the fact they've "met" before, dabi has no recollection of her.]

Got a problem?

[robussy]

[ 2B turns her attention abruptly as if to hone in on where the voice is coming from. she can't see, but her hearing might as well have doubled to keep up with the lack.

she cannot see him, but she knows the human is a him, supposedly younger rather than older. it's not as if she knew what was underneath his fiery, violent mantle as a squid beast. she too, acts the way any stranger toward a stranger would.

with her hand on pod, it takes her almost enthusiastically toward the human. she sighs through the nose, and thinks she may be spoiling her support unit in relenting in some way or another. ]

No. [ that was true. now . . . ] I'm here to help with the gifts.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul is unsurprised but nonetheless unhappy to learn that this place basically wants to force them to talk to one another and be vulnerable in order to gain the prize those who come here are seeking. That means vulnerability and Maul has learned over the course of his life that vulnerability shown by him is often seen as a weakness to be used by those who have less than scrupulous morals.

Considering how many people have done it in this place despite those working with Maul to become better assuring him that those who hear about things in his past won't use them against him, he's highly skeptical of having to lower his walls at all right now. His golden eyes watch everyone in this place, searching for anyone who may be wanting to complete this task by making it as painless as possible.]

[burnitblack]

[that's something dabi's come to realize about this place. it loves to make people talk about themselves. and if they don't talk, it's got no problem shoving other people into your brain to look at private shit, regardless of permission. of course it's vulnerability. there are things you don't want others to know and when it's forced out of you, not only does that put the secrets into another person's mind to use, the violated feeling is a bitch to suffer.

nothin useful in that book. a quick snap shut of the tome and he shoves it back on the shelf, keeping to the towering rows of tomes and avoiding any of the more-than-three-person mixers. a lone wolf staying by his lonesome, the villain remains in the shadows, occasionally lit by a passing window if he happens to move into one of the glass-ended rows.

it's that which brings him a brief passing by a man who looks like a heteromorphic from his world. or a real janked up tattoo fetishist, if it weren't for the horns. like recognizes like, both from those prowling eyes and guarded stance. this guy's not here for anything over the scraping the bare minimum for the prize.

dabi drops a book on the table beside the man.]

Let's get this over with.

[survivalthroughhate]

[Maul looks at the man.....and continues staring without any attempt to hide what he is doing. His gaze is only emphasized by the fact Maul never needs to blink as much as human beings do, making his gaze quite intense and focused. He's fairly certain the man before him is human or at least was one once upon a time. (He tends to attract "sort-of humans" quite often it seems.)

Still, the scarring makes him stare not only for the extreme nature of it but because it reminds him a little of his husband Reaper. His scarring isn't nearly as extreme but he does have it all over his face as well, not that most see it with the mask Reaper wears most of the time.

He's rather pleased at Dabi's blunt words. Maul isn't here for a pleasant chat over tea.]

I am Darth Maul. [The way he says that doesn't make it entirely clear if that's a first and last name or title and first name.] And you are?

Prompt 3 ~ Kill the Beast

[burnitblack]

Prompt 3 ... THE GREAT HUNT

① [if it's not one thing, it's another. he should know by now that the monthly happenings in trench come in waves. sometimes related, sometimes not. this new run of monster attacks shouldn't have been anything new or exciting, considering all the other beasts that ravage the place. but nope, this one seems to have some kind of lore attached to it. at first, dabi only bothered to go out because some of the hunters he was familiar with wanted to kill it, and since he was kind of "for hire" as needed, guess he's gotta go do some "work" for a bit. but that battle had been SHIT! it reminded him way more of gigantomachia than he wanted.

and like that giant pain in the ass, after he and his troupe managed to kill it (not without some injury to his part), the villain was annoyed when he heard it was back up and running around. the second request to go out hunting it, however... that pissed him off and he abjectly refused to waste his time and effort (or get hurt again) for their sake. no interest in fighting someone else's battles for some positive, needed effect. that turns into a chore. and he hates chores he's not personally invested in. but then the hunters clued him in on why they wanted to hunt the beast... well now, that was an interesting piece of information, wasn't it.

so yeah, he'd agree to go out on the occasional hunt, provided he got a little something of worth to put his services out there. feel free to partner up with him on either the first (and uninformed) fight, or the second and beyond fight (where he knows the reason why they want to kill the creature), either as a hunter to the death, or a hunter trying to save the thing.]

round 2 of killing something together, yeehaw

[floatsaway]

[Now, Ochako didn't initially enjoy the idea of killing this monster, but the more it was explained to her why it was so necessary, and that the Bugge would be reborn by the so-called "magic" of Trench (or whatever horseshit it actually is), she decided that the gain outweighed the loss. She remembered that this was just how it was for these people, it was part of their culture, their need to survive...and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Hell, humans have been killing all sorts of creatures for millions of years, making use of them in a multitude of ways. If she remembers that, it makes the task a little less weighted.

However, she's faced with another dilemma - her team mate.

The scowl she shows off isn't even attempted to be hidden, though Ochako holds her tongue and sets her jaw firmly when she locks eyes with Dabi. Yeah...yeah. This sort of tasks seems up his alley, though probably not to actually help anyone or anything, she'd wager. There's gain for him, or he's just sick enough to enjoy killing something over and over again... Though the wrapped injuries do catch her attention, and the scowl actually does melt off into a genuine question.]

Will you be okay with those?

careful, they might end up making this a habit. "Float and Fire meet. People die."

[burnitblack]

[it's ironic really, a creature being born to die for the benefit of others. that's a pathetic lot in life. even if it did come with a nasty set of strengths to make the efforts to kill it oft more trouble than it's worth. dabi was initially under the impression it was just another beast to take out, but the hunters eventually cued him in on the truth. which was... pretty fucked up. he's used to the bullshit where the sleepers came back from death (having come back twice now and a third incoming). but a resurrecting beast to "water the crops" like a damn popped balloon? damn.

hey, she's not wrong about people killing things to survive. animals, plants, other people, hopes and dreams of small children...

moving onto the more pressing matters. in that he finds himself paired up with a familiar face. this time not all splattered with blood and looking ashenly sick and gaunt. no more crazy eyes either. those were pretty amusing actually. same as a the scowl. dabi gives her a brief once over upon noticing ochako, and then returns to talking with the hunting party leader. that's about all the shit he gives. these brats pop up every now and then.

he's getting "paid" to do this, thank you very much. that's obvious when the captain palms him something and dabi slips it into his pocket before turning and heading into the milling hunters around. yeah, he's sick enough to enjoy killing over and over, but like that giant bastard shigaraki wanted to sic him on, dabi's not one to fight another's battles when there's nothing in it for him. especially ones that take effort on his part. you know, effort beyond just lighting them up.

ochako's question gets a brief shrug and roll of dabi's head on his neck. crack crack pop.]

I'll be stickin to long range.

their ship name is Pyro Yeet

[floatsaway]

[Sad, yes, and Ochako's not exactly a fan of the entire thing, but the fact of the matter is...this isn't anything she has a say in. It's part of Trench culture, and the Bugge seems practically immortal anyway, what with this being a tradition for the people and farmers. It feels less like a Beast and more like some sort of spirit, or symbol of autumn...like an old, grim fairytale or something. Really, it's not like they can ask the Bugge how it feels, and it's still very much a threat in and of itself, too. Just the outward appearance of Dabi's injuries proves that alone.

The eyeroll she gives him goes unnoticed when he looks her over and then ignores her, and frankly? Fine with her. It's not like she isn't fighting back the urge to walk over and kick him right between the legs on sheer principle. There's few people Ochako openly dislikes, but Dabi shot right to top slot in the last two months. Does that mean she'll leave his ass for the Bugge if worse comes to worst? Sadly no, even if she knows the sentiment isn't shared. She'll rescue his sorry, blackened backside, though with his tenacity, it may not be needed.

She's adjusting a portion of one of her wrist guards, making sure the wires inside aren't fraying or torn, and the hooks are still sturdy and sharp. She'll be needing them for the fight, because close-range is her forte, but it puts her in a very dangerous position. She may need range and free movement herself.]

Good. You can make me ammo. [Finally, she chances a side glance at him, tapping her boot's toe to the ground and tasting the gives on the cushions, the sputter of her boosters kicking to life for a second before giving out with a click. Everything seems in check on her costume.] If you've got experience fighting this thing, then I'll be counting on that a bit.

[How it moves, what it can do, all that.]

crashes in out of left field (: lmk if this works!

[likethelight]

[ So about that first fight, Dabi. The one some of hunters you've worked with in the past made it worth your while to join them in hunting the Bugge, strong-willed and powerful rising stars, ruthless and eager to bring down a beast of legend where many others fail. For profit and their dreams of glory, for rumor that its spilled blood will strengthen the victors...

What could go wrong?

The blood moon overhead is like the dark counterpart of the sun when it's low in the sky, a brilliant foreboding crimson. Looking gorged on the blood itself as the battle has been underway for a while by now, the night air filled with the Bugge's piercing screams of rage and pain and the forest flattened in parts by its rampaging.

There are casualties and much blood spilled, and it's not the Bugge's.

Others, if living, are motionless and bleeding on the ground or have frozen solid; literally, if the ice that's rapidly begun to spread up from their feet means anything. A thin and slender woman who fought with poison daggers is the last of Dabi's comrades left standing, and she's soon slammed against the trunk of a tree with a wet crunching sound. She drops like a ragdoll, lifeless, and the Bugge tosses its head like it's rid itself of a fly.

This is not a normal beast. Towering like a giant even in the forest, covered in protective scales like a dragon as much as it is in fur. Rage and pain given form.

Blinded in one of its paralyzing eyes by the woman's dagger, its fur matted with blood and burnt black in other parts, and not seeming to care or be fazed by any of that or the poison that should be flowing through it at all... it lowers its head in Dabi's direction, swaying like a bull preparing to charge, and bellows. ]


[ ooc: Allen will appear next tag! just wanted to let you set Dabi's scene first ]

Prompt ~ Going Out With A

[burnitblack]

Closed Prompt ... Blast n Burn

① [the hell was up with this month. dragging him to some further-corrupted version of this world (the same that already dragged him from his own world -- was it normal to get kidnapped from the place that already kidnapped you?) to deal with cults and monsters and fucking flowers. shoving him into the annals of the library to meet up and have an as vague as possible "heart to heart" with a stranger for the sake of some new (and important) bling. and finally siccing his charred ass on a creature that couldn't fucking stay dead but ultimately had to die to help crops grow. right, because all of that sounded completely logical in his mind. whether it was logic or insanity, he was tired of it. usually gets tied of trench's shit by the end of the month... well, more tired than he looks normally.

all points to crashing inside his house and not going out for the next week. but unfortunately, life called and dabi had to... uh... nah, flop back on the couch with one arm thrown over the back and a leg dropped on the floor. better. he took another hour to nap before finally getting himself up and off the furniture. had to meet with someone to make a trade. rummaging around the storage, he found what he wanted and pocketed a spiky-looking orb of a trinket that he'd found in the caves a while back. someone had mentioned wanting something like it and after showing them a picture of the item, the bargain was quickly struck. which piqued his curiosity instantly about how valuable this thing really was... but considering what he was getting for the item, it was worth the trade. after all, if he's honest, the only reason dabi brought the trinket back from the cave was to trade it later.

no salt on the air from a walk on the beach, no smoke hanging around while wandering between burning buildings, the streets of trench are rather calm today. as calm as the dreary place can get. the cloudy skies lit with dusk light are more the villain's preferred time of activity. particularly when going to his preferred trading spot. not bad actually... trading a ball of spikes for a-

hold that thought. speaking of ball of spikes... turquoise eyes shift to the side, noticing the telltale explosion of ashen blonde across the way. talking with a vendor, counting coins in a pouch, staring at a ware, lost in thought. doesn't know what he's doing, but he's there. that explosion kid. dabi one time told shouto that he had no intention of hunting down and hurting his little brother's friends. what point was there when they weren't trying to stop him (regularly) and he had no personal vendetta against them? except in this case... there's indeed a very personal vendetta.

dabi turns his course, boots leaving the dirt path and heading onto the brick and cobblestone. each step bringing him closer to the young hero. amusing that shigaraki thought this kid would become one of them. didn't he see the spirit behind his eyes? how was it not obvious that effort was a waste of time? he'd never become a villain, too swayed by all might, too blinded by the hero he aspired to be.

tsk... touya knew all about being blinded by the adoration of a hero...

it wasn't the first time someone'd tried to kill him. wasn't the first time he brushed himself off and kept going with his life afterwards. and it wasn't the first time that violent streak, fueled by revenge, pride, and general assholery, came flaring back like a match held to a gas leak. this kid tried to murder him. which was all sorts of amusing after the fact. a hero, given in to his baser instincts, too weak to resist the corrupting influence of this infesting world. what it must've done to his spirit, the weight of that guilt, especially considering bakugou's fall that day had almost resulted in the "other" toga dying. another hero, all burned up by endeavor's cruelest flames. nah, he had no regrets over that event...

save for one.]

Hey, kid.

[that's all. a single greeting, almost as casual as meeting a friend for dinner. before dabi's glowing hand burst aflame and FWOOM!! pumped out a wide-spread burst of blue fire straight at him. it's nostalgic really. he did the same sort of thing to this explosive bastard's teacher.]

B-B-B-BAAAANG

[detonating]

[This was bound to happen. Katsuki knew it, he's been expecting it. Not in the sense that he's fucking scared or anything--hell no! There's no goddamn avoidance or cowering from the consequences of his actions. Screw that. Shigaraki may have been right about a couple of things--like waking up in the night drenched in a cold sweat from dreaming about the burning and crushed bodies and losing sleep for it. Trying to fight back the disgust and threat of nausea any time he cooks meat, because he can still smell burning flesh if he lets himself go too far into his own head. But that asshole is not right about this. Katsuki meant what he said to him the night he brought Ochako home, he knows what he damn well signed up for in being a Hero and he isn't going to "disappoint everyone around him instead while he spiral in his own self-loathing over spilled milk". Ain't fucking spilled milk to him in the slightest, but he will never roll over and give up, not for anyone or anything. No. It's time to shut the fuck up, bury that shit and stick his goddamn chin up and out like he always has. Keep fighting. Keep doing better than he has before--do it right, with every single turn he takes.

The reality of it is, Trench is just an unfortunately small world, and honestly? It's a fucking wonder that it's taken this long for them to have the pleasure of running into each other again considering that Katsuki himself got dragged into the library for the very same thing. Spent another stretch of his squid life hunting the very same beast in the very same woods. Hearing Dabi's voice, all too casual for how Katsuki very nearly had him dead, is behind him and far too fucking close for having his damn back turned to him. It has his blood running ice cold in his veins and then burning hot with the instant shot of adrenaline that follows, all in just a heartbeat's measurement of time. His head snaps before his body has time to fully turn, sharp crimson eyes wide with not just alarm but a knowing--even before he knowingly clicks that he's seeing Dabi's hand start to move. The thing that really fucking sucks about this happening right here, right now is that they're on the streets. There are people all around them. If what he's been ready and waiting to happen happens, then every single one of the lives that Katsuki is instantly almost supernaturally aware of are at risk. The man he was just bartering with. A woman standing in wait, just a few feet to his left. Two more to the right, about the same distance. One.. two, three, spread out around them and walking past with no idea about what's about to fucking happen. That's just their immediate vicinity. No telling how many are inside of the buildings all around them, buildings that are about to be a repeat in his and Dabi's now notably violent history.]

Shit--!

[Dodging the flame isn't an option; the vendor is gonna take the brunt of the attack of Katsuki moves even an inch further than he has in turning to face Dabi head on and so both of his hands are up in an instant. The only thing he can do is hope that the sound that comes with the large but well calculated blast that he emits to disrupt the rush of flame has them all fucking scattering like people do when danger cracks in their ears like that.

BOOM!

Thankfully, for the most part, he gets his wish in that regard. The vendor, though he can't see it himself, drops beneath the counter for cover. The three that he could see just strolling are taking the hell off as soon as they realize what the fuck just erupted near them and the woman who is still to his left would successfully be doing the same if it weren't for her knees buckling. One out of all the rest ain't bad, but it still confirms exactly what Katsuki already knew in the first place. He has to get out of dodge, take this elsewhere before he goes and gets people killed in the crossfire.

Again.

It ain't fucking running. Not even remotely. Might look that way to someone else, but it's not. This fight was and is inevitable, in his mind. But the blond is moving before the smoke even clears, tilting his palms down to the ground to blast himself up into the air. He uses his quirk to get himself onto the roof of a building a small distance away--where he pauses briefly in a crouch gage where Dabi is. It's obvious that he'll know that Katsuki wants him to be in pursuit and he may not bite when the teen goads him from up above, which is why he stops where he does. The grin that the explosive teenager wears today is wide, leering and thrilled, but there's an edge to it that wasn't there the day that he was out of his mind. A tension that comes with the true understanding that this isn't going to end well for someone.] Didn't get enough last time, hah?! WELL COME ON THEN, YOU FUCKING MANIAC! LET'S GO!!

[burnitblack]

[what does this kid know about the smell of burning flesh and the crush of bodies under his feet? some inexperienced bastard who was born with the proverbial silver spoon offered to him from birth. this brat who for so long never needed to worry about the consequences of his actions. of course he expected this... touya knew from the second he saw those red eyes with honest murderous intent within them that this encounter began stalking forward. down a path of fire's smoke and explosion's break. death had long since lost its terrifying grip upon him. even when he woke from his sleep as the phantom pain of his own flesh peeling off his muscles screamed through his mind, the numbness took over as water gurgling from a backed up drain stoppered by his slumber. he's died once before. perhaps even twice. there was no cold sweat whenever those memories came back... the sound of his own screams as his body blackened inside his own flames. desperate to survive. terrified of his eminent death. funny. enough exposure to something and the sensation dulled. no fear as the kid advanced towards him with death in eyes. only a mild curiosity as to whether the young hero had it in him to actually kill. or if he'd find himself retching at the realization and memory of what followed should he ever go through with those threats he slung so readily. don't talk to him about death when you can't fucking commit!

you want to kill, then you better see it through to the very end! this bastard tried to kill him. kill him! where the fuck did he get off on the idea that touya's life was his for the taking? the irritation ate away at him as he lay in bed at night. some damn hero who got off lightly for his grievances against him. it wasn't pride that churned his stomach with anger, but rather a sarcastic and embittered sense of disgust that this innocent little shit with no blood on his hands was able to escape unstained. never a forefront of his mind, but bakugou crept back into his head at random times, needling him over the unfinished business. he owned that kid a death. did he look for him? nah. already told shouto he had no qualms with the heroes here, so long as they didn't try to stop him or interfere with his goals. but this? ... this one went personal. neither the library nor the woods showed any revelation of that erstwhile target. but today? here in the marketplace surrounded by people and carts, wood and livelihood, their smoked paths crossed once again. there was no possibility of walking past him. a predator and prey. natural inclination and draw saw him drifting off his path and heading towards the scent of murder. close enough to touch him. close enough to talk to him.

close enough to kill him.

felt like a revving engine. casual and callous with each step, his heart beating calmly within his chest. until that very moment when the reality struck. i'm going to kill this kid. a spark bursts, his heart ramps up to a million, and boiling blood surges through his veins as blue flames erupt from his outstretched hand. burn him black. for an eternal split second, cold blue eyes meet with alarmed red beneath respective veils of choppy bangs. hey, kid. just like his fuckin teacher. whatcha gonna do? take it and die? or stand your ground and save? dabi's aware of the world around them, can follow the cogs in katsuki's head turning as those flames blaze to life. panic, focus, questions, weighing, flee, stand, dodge, save, life, death. every life around them goes up like candles in the darkness. except that only one of these two gives a shit about them. so how about it, endeavor's intern? how many lives get to be consumed by endeavor's flames today? how many deaths are ya gonna be responsible for because you didn't have to fucking guts to put an end to him back then? how long till ya spine telescopes, your ribs crush, your legs break under the stupid guilt you heroes pile on yourselves over people who ultimately don't even fucking matter?

shit--!

BOOMSH!!

a torrent of flames bursts upward and outward, spreading like the wings of a malignant phoenix screaming into the sky beyond the deafening thunderclap of that widespread explosion. dabi rocks back on his feet, slamming one boot into the ground in defiance of that pressure, hair whipping back from his brows and coat flapping wildly in the wind behind him. but the look in his eyes immediately blazes into a vicious delight. fight! fight! come at me like you mean it this time! this is what you wanted, you little bastard! time to finish what you fucking started! god, he really is mad at dynamight, isn't he... damn.

skidding back slightly, the villain drops his arm like a puppet's strings cut, lanky body dangling in that threatening hunched position. drenched in his normal black and dark blue amid the smoke blowing away. people run from all sides, screaming as they scramble through the streets in panic to get away. innocent people who should never have been dragged into this fight, yet are here now fleeing for their lives. dabi's eyes roll in his skull, following the figure erupting from the smoke up and to the side. he tilts his head back, almost bored in his expression and stance, already clocking the woman collapsed to the side of him and the man who cowers behind the counter. everyone else has run... but those two remain.

dynamight's putting distance between them. gearing up for this battle that was started months ago. as the blonde takes his place on the rooftop nearby, dabi turns to face him, coat tails falling against his legs still in the same spot he'd been (maybe skidded a bit to the side) from where he attacked the hero. obviously the hero wants him to follow. take him away from the place where so many people could get hurt. here comes the rhetoric. spewing out of that foul mouth with all the angry conviction of someone so self-assured he's in the right. like a typical hero. muscles relax in his cheeks, dropping his own maniac glee to something callous and dark. oh this isn't going to end well for a lot of people.]

Lemme give ya a lesson, kid. [one hand rotates at his side, aiming backwards towards the stall behind him and the muffled voice of the man hiding beneath the wood.] When ya wanna kill someone... [he lifts his other hand, fingers unfurling as if reaching towards the woman who can't get her legs to work. her quivering breaths hike up into hyperventilating panic. wonder if she has kids... wonder if she treats them like shit... flames spurts up on his flesh, crawling from his palms and peeling over the sides.] ...don't miss.

[FWOOSH!!

You don't know what a maniac really is, idiot. So bring it on. Do it for once in your privileged life. Let's see just how disgusting a hero ya are!]

[detonating]

[It doesn't take much for Katsuki to realize the gravity of his own mistake, and it's like a gut punch from All Might when he watches Dabi's face go from that maniacal glee to deadly dark in an instant.

They're both still down there.

Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! He's supposed to be smarter than that shit! Caught off guard or not, there's no excuse for the fact that one of those people is going to die and it's all because he didn't make the right call. Maybe they would've gotten hurt, being in the vicinity of his quirk, but hurt is better than dead. Katsuki has personally made sure that someone down there is about to die. The bared teeth hold absolutely no upward edge anymore as he watches--his face is all hard lines of fury now as he watches with wide alarmed eyes as the demented Todoroki shifts one hand back... and Katsuki isn't fucking waiting for the other one.] FUCK YOU, DABI!! [The teen snarls that viciously as his own hands swing up fast, one with his palm open and pointed directly at the lanky murderous prick down below and the other coming up to form a circle in front of it.

BOOM!

There isn't a right way to decide which one to save, he just has to do it and do it NOW, so that precise shot is aimed directly at the shoulder of Dabi's closest to the booth. Dabi will be forced to move at least on that side, unless he wants a big gaping fucking wound in the upper side of his body. (Seems like the vendor was just luckier, somehow, a fact that's going to absolutely make Katsuki sick to his stomach with himself once this is over.) However the fuck it ends. Right now, he can't afford himself the time to feel remorse or to beat himself to death over what he's done. All that the teen has inside right now is an overflowing rage that he means to use to take this bastard out. No more innocent lives that don't come back because they don't have the luxury of being essentially immortal fucking squids, this is between you and him! You absolute motherfucker! He is going to beat you within an inch of your pathetic villain life, again, and then when he's got you down like he did before HE AIN'T GONNA FUCKING MISS!!

Arms swing back and he blasts himself forward as soon as the AP Shot has been fired off. Watching the flame extend out and overtake and render that woman to nothing but ash with that sickening fwoosh just adds to his enraged determination to make sure that he fucking pays for it. In a callback to their previous fight, Katsuki is in Dabi's space within seconds. This time, he's coming straight down at him from above, and instead risking the man he's just saved by using his quirk? He's swinging his left grenadier bracer down like an explosive battle hammer, aiming right for his piece of shit skull. And regardless of how it's dodged--he knows Dabi's reaction time is stellar and anticipates that, as soon as his feet hit the ground Katsuki is going to be bringing his armored knee up to slam it into whatever body part he can get, as hard as he can. Something is landing and it's gonna hurt, you piece of shit!]

Prompt ~ Could Use a Hand

[burnitblack]

Closed Prompt ... From the Ashes

① [so that's what death feels like. it fucking sucks. first time he's felt pain in a long while. years actually. didn't even feel the hurt when aizawa broke his damn arm. then again, that hadn't been him, so moot point. but his head right now... especially his face and jaw... they ache. so much. under his skin and muscle, his bones continue to echo with a glowing "pain pain pain" throbbing through his head, unable to decide whether it's in his brain or crawling around his skull. it's leftovers from that battle is what it is. one does not simply get one's head beaten to a bloody pulp and then finished off via an inward facial rupturing, without coming out of it with some element of "my head hurts" lingering on.

on the one hand, it's nice not to be bothered by the cold. the chilling zephyrs swooping across the cliffs and beaches grab at his skin, but fail to bother him despite their attempts. even the cold waters of the dark ocean breaking over his feet and ankles can't make him shiver. but on the other hand... it's fucking awkward to go walking naked across the shores. at least this place could've spit him out of the ocean with some scrap of clothing on him. the only one person on this shore had been left behind a while ago, and wasn't in any better state than dabi. that entire mess...]

Tch-

[best left to himself, stored between the two combatants. he has better things to dwell on right now. namely his staggering walk that's a far cry from the normal stoic stalking he tends to wander with. no pockets to rest his hands in, no coat to hunch his shoulders under, and his coordination is still pretty shit. every now and then, a leg or arm locks up and he goes down on his knee or both in the sand. tired... yeah, he's real tired. but his body's refusal to cooperate and his lack of clothing make flying out of here a problematic choice. would rather not fall out of the air and crash through someone's roof stark naked. broken bones and lacerations included in that mess.

still hasn't found his bag for his clothes, but they should be around here somewhere. at least his bag. the temperature regulator cuffs he usually wears are looped around his arms for now, like edgy bangles. without his omni, he's not able do much. his omen is still recovering from the battle as well... for now... it's walk n wander and wait.]

THAT ICON IS ILLEGAL

[bleedformeplz]

[Take two guesses who happened to get the scoop of some maniac squids making a huge ass bonfire on the square? You don't need the morning newspaper to summarize this bad-shit. Way to go boyz, you're the talk of the town, huge crater left by squids, still under construction. The information wasn't hard to collect. While she doesn't get or cared how it happened, something about this fight left her edgy, and she needed to let this mood out.

So, it takes approximate two days or so to wash back up, right? Himiko wasn't sure, and this was her first time meeting up with a dead man. She even went out of her way and walked along the shore a day early to be sure. The air was chilly, and she made sure to wear the proper clothes, leg warmers and her favorite cloak. Listen, she's not getting rid of that, it looks great! When she didn't see sighs of anyone washing up, she rinsed and repeated on day two.

Still freakin cold, kind of reminds her of the good old days the crew had to endure winter together. No heater, but that's what Dabi was there for, their personal heater, water heater, and a horrible microwave. With what limited resources they had at the time, they had to make do. Himiko probably complained, but she was happy to belong somewhere. Now this prick decided to go out with a bang. The thought pissed her off. So, like a comrade villain, she will go find him, hopefully in one piece. Invite him for ramen. Then leave him a good stab mark somewhere on him because that's how much she cared.

The wind picked up, whipping her cloak over and around. She held her hood close to shelter her face. A duffle bag was strapped over her shoulder and looked quite full. It was her belongings, mostly her gear since Mister isn't here to carry it for her, ramen for two, an extra cloak, cute slippers for the night, it was pretty much her purse.

Finally, she got a break after walking for some time. There he was, he looked like a burnt driftwood, and of course, naked. No surprise. Himiko walked calmly along the shore, avoiding the water to wash up her feet. It was cold, and she didn't need it. Dabi probably could make out the figure walking his way.]

You look like shit.

[He probably heard that, flat tone. When she was close enough, she reached one hand into her duffle bag and tossed a dark cloak over him. Doesn't this bring back memories?]

Here.

TAKE ME TO JAIL THEN

[burnitblack]

[wow. he's famous again. so thrilled to know he's topping headline of the trench squid times paper. and no one's ever mentioned to him so far that the locals are calling the sleepers "squids" as colloquialism. because he'd be pissed. and remain stubbornly in denial while leaving the offending party behind in a smoldering blue hearth.

no apologies for leaving ya edgy, himiko. dabi's never been one to really give a shit how his allies feel about something. callin the leader "gross" to his face, bitchin at spinner over his shit driving, and denouncing himiko's hypocritical comment about him being a poor judge of character. yeah, this guy's the one you want on your team every soccer practice.

two and a half days, specifically. midday when they clashed, so it's a late evening beach by the time the two washed shore and slogged off in different directions complete and utter wrecks. the night doesn't bother dabi, nor does the cold, but the way his body is struggling to work completely right now is extremely irritating. doesn't want to have to fight when everything's fucked.

if dabi knew himiko had been skulking the beaches for two days looking for him, he'd wonder "why" more than be touched she cared so much. he'd come back sooner or later, right? was she that eager to see him? not like he gave her the kind of nice treatment twice or compress did. so then... why? it's probably got something to do with that camaraderie thing... oy! he's not your personal heater! and he is a very disastrous microwave/oven. don't let him cook. period.

stab him at your own peril.

dabi notices someone following him before they get close enough, but the lack of charging at him and the calm way they approached at least keyed him in that they weren't aiming to fight. there's a distinct lack of surprise on his face when he recognizes the crushed-spider odango coming towards him in the setting sun. cloak, sweater, duffel bag, dressed for the chill of the beach, quite unlike his charred ass getting frost licked by the wind. himiko toga... she came lookin for him? damn... of course that's her greeting.]

No shit. Didja have to tell me? [he snaps his hand out and swipes the cloak from the air, not missing the ironic reversal of their positions this time around. hmph, guess he's wracking up all the "we're even" moments today. dark material slaps against his sides and legs as he drags the cloak on, holding it shut at his chest and waist until she gives him a tie.] The hell ya doin here?

NO. ITS TOO GOOD FOR JAIL.

[bleedformeplz]

[Yeah well, she knows better when and where Dabi gives shit. The lone wolf of the league, but he gets the job done. Look at him, leaving his identity in the dark for how long? He was probably asked numerous of times for his real name. What a trooper.

He will never know the truth of last days and a half of wondering. She was eager, okay. There're so many emotions bottled up in her the last couple of days and it's close to detonate. You think your flames are insane, Himiko's mood can go a couple more levels without warning.

It was night and chilly as fuck. It was probably dark enough for Himiko's eyes to stand out, like a pair of mischievous predator eyes lurking in the darkness.]

Yup. [Making sure he's still himself, and maybe adding more salt to the wound. He's Dabi, he can take it. She waits for him to dress up at least. What? He expects her to hand him something else for the dress? Sorry buddy, that's all you're getting.]

Out here looking for you. See if you want ramen or something. [She shrugs honestly. A good place to start. He's probably famished from all that squid swimming. What did he eat while being a squid? Fill that belly of his then bomb him with questions. Hopefully he's inclined to answer. Fair trade.]