deercountry | Head Full of Doubt

[ Not quite what he meant but... he's not exactly opposed to the idea if it means Touya doesn't have to bleed. His corruption levels have always been low. He can... handle it? Besides, it's not like he thinks it won't work. ]

[don't be stupid, shouto. they're doing all of this because he has to replace his staples. he's going to bleed. that's how it works. just like he shouted at him in the store. if what his brother is saying is true, then they should have things under control.]

No point. I gotta change these anyways. You just make sure the drain's stopped.

[ Is... he being looked after?

If only he knew what just happened right no! Sadly, he doesn't. So he merely nods. ]

I'll make sure.

[ And, a few minutes later finds them in front of an old run-down cottage. ]

[no. he's eliminating a useless middle man. he's gonna bleed. there's no point in shouto bleeding as well. he's still useful an dabi doesn't feel like getting him corrupted and potentially cripple the usefulness.]

This the place?

[obviously, but he's just checking. looks simple enough. lacks some of the horror tropes.]

[ /frames all of this/ ]

It's been empty since I arrived.

[ Ducks under a lumbering branch, pushes another away from his face. ]

The architecture's right for what we're looking for.

[ He'll lead the way, unless Touya has other plans. ]

Ya didn't arrive that long ago.

[around four months if his memory serves right. dabi moves around the branches as best he can, pushing others aside and ducking a bit. still gets a leaf or two in his hair. tsk...]

The architecture?

[they're looking for a bathtub, not some damn perfect spot to park. and of course shouto's leading the way; touya knows shit about this area so far.]

[ A look over his shoulder. ] I've been here half a year.

[ ~~not my memory going bad >_>~~ ]

Western-styled architecture. They tend to use stone more. We have a better chance of finding what we're looking for here. Even the walls have inlaid stone.

[ Definitely not wood like you'd find in most Japanese architecture. It's a noticeable difference he's noticed during his patrols in different districts. ]

Uh-huh.

[don't correct him when he was given false information. that's your issue, puppet.]

Thought stone was porous. Makes it dangerous.

[then again, outside of wood and stone, what else would be used for building. doesn't seem modern enough for steel and concrete. dabi looks around the cottage as they move towards it, peering through the windows. looks like a place his kind would hang out in to lie low.]

[ He's not wrong, but then again... ]

I can cover it with a layer of ice.

[ Keep it from absorbing any liquid; blood included. ]

Ice melts.

[runs the risk of blood getting in the water. of course shouto could make an ice basic for him to sit in, but that's a bit too "reliant" for dabi's comfort.

he'll make a decision when he sees what the house is offering.]

[ A halt at the door. ]

Not mine... If I want it too.

[ Then pushes it open and walks inside. ]

Found a way to defy physics?

[he's guessing it has something to do with this world, but won't directly ask it.

following shouto inside, dabi eyes the area around them, immediately clocking escapes and windows and obstacles in case he needs a fast exit.]

Isn't that what I am?

[ What Endeavor wanted. A perfect culmination of two inverses in balance.

Down the hall and up the stone steps echoing in the darkened space. ]

Nah. You're a human just like the rest of us. Don't think so highly of yourself.

[pretty sure he's not the only one with seemingly contradictory powers. or some weird chimera of two different quirks.

dabi narrows his eyes at the darkness and after a few seconds, ignites a few flames on his shoulders to light up the area around him. he's fine in darkness, but still doesn't want to get surprised by something in here.]

[ His gait slows by half a step, caught up by his brother's words.

"... just like the rest of us."

Not a legacy, set apart, but human. Did he... really see him that way? The thought brings him a furtive type of comfort that's exposed by his brother's burning light. ]

Edited 2022-03-31 04:14 (UTC)

[please learn sarcasm, shouto. dabi knows he's a human, but still sees him as a damn puppet. one endeavor created to replace him. but thinking he's some product that defies physics is ridiculous.

to some other people, possibly it's inconceivable that someone could create fire from their bodies, but it's "normal" in their world. you're no better than someone with a centipede for a head.

thoughts shouto's not going to hear in his brother's head, or see in the roll of of his eyes.]

Ya headin somewhere or we just wanderin?

[ Fleeting, it recedes with the dark by a spicule of blue drawing the eyes of the present chimera. No fear accompanies the spectral of light and his thoughts veer back to the matter at hand. Instead of answering, he turns his head back to the hallway ahead and opens a door a few steps to the right displaying a rundown bathroom with a large bathtub taking center stage.

Shouto, for his part, steps aside, letting Touya decide on his own if it's worth his time. ]

[shouto said he knew a place, so dabi shouldn't be surprised that he already took himself on a tour around here. but it is a strange thought to his mind to imagine his little brother taking a bath (or whatever) in such a rundown place. a far cry from the fancy neatness of the todoroki estate and whatever facilities a top-tier school like u.a. would have in their walls.]

Must've been a big downgrade for ya.

[unspoken mockery littering the words as dabi walks into the bathroom. he takes a look around, uses the toe of his boot to lift the toilet lid. then stomps on the floor around the tub once or twice. before banging his fist on the wall beside the bath. standing silent in the house, not hearing anything scurrying around or any sort of groans or creaks of old, threatening wood.]

It'll work.

[And starts emptying his coat and pants pockets onto the sink counter. yeah, he stole a few good handfuls of shit. from vials to bandages to plant leaves and byproducts to pills to probably some of that solidified blood (but just looked like beads or pills to him).]

That's not how I see it.

[ These forgotten places - where few dare to tread - hide the corrupted. Incubating on the mar of their own thoughts, they emerge as beasts attacking people indiscriminately. As a Hunter, it's his job to enter these places, know them. Find the lost souls while the corruption is still treatable. Help them. It's not a step-down, but a glimpse into the real face of the world beneath the glamour of civilization.

Maybe that's why he doesn't question the array of stolen goods he sets down on the counter. They both know he would have gotten them for him if he would have told him. But neither bring it up - a pointless argument at this point. Shouto is just glad he didn't hurt anyone in the process. ]

Where do you want to start?

[no bother to reply to that. he finishes emptying his pockets and quickly arranges things on the counter, the fire licking on his shoulders and hair casting some ghostly reflections on the mirror in front of him. not at all what he'd been implying to shouto with the comment, but it won't be the first or last time the brothers talk past each other. he still has to fine a living here of some sort, not sure he can actually steal his way through life in this place. but the idea of using his quirk to help these idiots not die is... annoying.

with all of that done, he starts stripping off his coat, shrugging it from his shoulders and catching the metal cuffs on his elbows before sliding it off one hand and then swinging it from the other.]

Make sure the tub's secure.

[he'll be bleeding in that, so since shouto knows more about the rules here, he can go plug it up while dabi pulls off his shirt.]

[ The metal gleams against the subdued light, no longer hidden from view. The staples carve into flesh forming a distinct line separating healthy skin from charred flesh. He knew what lay beneath, but knowing something and seeing it firsthand were worlds apart. His mind struggles to comprehend the extent of the damage with his detached composure, only then realizing how little he knew from the start.

Agitated, he opens his mouth to say something only no sound comes out; reaches out to-- What? You'll only make it worse. In his stupor, Kizu emerges. Landing on the old wood that creaks under the footfalls of her solid weight. She stands at chest level, prowling forward, dispelling a cloud of dust in her wake. Realizing her intent, Shouto tries to stop her only his hands go through her.

Kizu. Stop...!

A part of the youngest Todoroki, she boldly goes up to the eldest and touches his hand with her nose that's cool to the touch. ]

[Coat dropped and shirt pulled up over his back and head, Dabi tosses it to the side, not seeming to care at all that he's just bared half of himself to his little brother. Does it matter? He already showed this much of himself to the rest of the damn world back home. The demarcation lines of purple against healthy slither haphazard paths beneath the spaced-apart "gates" of staples covering his body. Let Shouto look, he doesn't care, it'll do some good for him to see Endeavor's handiwork up close.

Tempting to draw some water for the bath, but that's not what they're here for and he's not going to risk corruption in the water. It's only a moment later, by the light of the flames lingering around his head and shoulders, that Dabi notices the sudden motion behind him before those quiet sounds follow suit. That's... a god damn leopard. As big as his chest. What the hell?

Noticing the way the creature's stalking towards him, Dabi's eyes narrow in the mirror, the flames around his upper body flaring once in a silent threat. Not sure what's going on here, but if Shouto's thinking this is a good time to attack him, he's not once dropped his guard.

But instead of an attack... it just bumps his hand? Dabi eyes it warily before lifting his attention back to Shouto in the mirror.]

This yours?

[ The flare of sapphire highlights the white coat of the leopard doing little to deter her. Bumping his hand, she takes in his scent to better track him in the future sending Shouto notes of what she uncovers which he has no idea what to do with. ]

... Kizu

[ Scent taken, the snow leopard turns back to Shouto, tail swishing in the air. One step. Two. She prowls forward and jumps straight at the younger disappearing in a plume of white smoke. ]

She... does what she wants sometimes.

[ And he none the wiser. He can usually get her to do what he wants but sometimes... he's as much in the dark as the person standing next to him. ]

I'll secure the tub.

[ Don't mind him trying to figure out what his omen is up to or why she felt the need to scent him. ]

[the inhale against his hand tells him exactly what's going on down there and he looks up from the creature at his hand to instead lock narrowed eyes on shouto behind him. this is the "omen" thing he read about and his brother told him about. some magical creature that serves as both offensive/defensive capability and communication on a physical level. of course he thought of what sort of stalking that could lend itself to. as for his own... he's experimented a few times. hadn't been a resounding success...

it's tempting to burn the fuck out of that thing. getting his scent like that. if anything, the rush of leather, burnt flesh, smoke, metal, and other things is probably going to be as unique as whatever dabi's own personal scent is.]

Ya lucky she ain't tangible.

[cause he would've blasted her. but it's still annoying to know this creature can stalk him too... gonna have to get his own omen set up and on standby to prevent that from happening.]

Maybe it's a fancy one that doesn't have a drain.

[sarcasm.]

[ Shouto meets his eyes through the mirror with a displaced look, not quite catching on to what his omen is up to in the long run, but it's clear from Touya's narrowed look that he's not pleased about it. Kizu... He questions in his mind, earning him a mental image of a shrug. The notes of leather, smoke, metal, and something charred leave him with more questions than answers and when he tries to ask about it, he receives no answer.

Clueless, he can't help but agree with that statement... Kizu... why are you like this? ]

I think... it emboldens her.

[ Shouto! Don't out your omen like that! Geez! Keep her wrapped in mystery! A feeling of disgruntled ire flows through the bond almost as if she's denying that very accurate statement.

The comment has him setting aside the odd - who are you calling odd??? - behavior of his omen to focus on the tub. Right. At least the whole fiasco pulled him out of his stupor. He can look at his textured back without falling into shock. Still, it grabs his attention. His eyes shift to the long expanse taking one last look before remembering to get a move on it. Reluctantly, he turns his head and heads for the large bathtub.

A few steps and he takes a knee to figure out what they have to work with. It's an old free standing copper metal tub with a two-inch drain plug that he runs a hand over to form a frozen plug. ]

It has a drain.

Hn. Keep a rein on ya cat. Not everyone likes gettin their personal space invaded.

[dabi leaves shouto to whatever he's doing and scans over the items he got. Vials and bottles (most empty, but one or two with ointment he hopes is burn relief), bandages and gauze, more pills that range from painkillers to what sound like low-level narcotics to things for upset stomachs and headaches. Kind of just grabbed as he moved, sometimes without looking. A few bags of plant-based things, leaves and roots, no mushrooms, so that's out. No needles either, mostly due to size and fragility. Did manage to swipe a needle, tweezers, and two spools of thread, for emergency surgery. But at least he has the staples and the stapler thanks to Shouto's intervention.

it emboldens her. yeah, yeah. he's managed to manifest his omen once or twice, but it's hasn't taken a defined shape yet probably due to his mental state upon arriving. mostly just looks angry. he hasn't put a lot of effort into it for now despite it being stated as an "easy" process. definitely going to demand a higher level of obedience and control than his little brother's done. aka: none.

dabi glances over his shoulder when shouto comments on the tub. damn, looks like some kind of misshapen metal drum. but the drain plug is a relief instead of having to deal with it going directly into the pipes. good, that means they can keep the blood contained and then dispose of it safely. also known as burn the fuck out of it. shouto's already stopped it up with ice. he remembers the guy mentioning his ice won't melt...]

Good. Now take a hike. Ya don't need to waste time on this.

[oh he knows exactly what reaction he'll get to that, but figures he might as well try.]

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