Mia Mathers
What did I do to deserve this?
Such was the internal lamentation of one observer of the chaos that had overtaken the 1B classroom. The girl wasn't wearing the Eirei uniform. Or rather, she was wearing the jacket, but it was clearly only a token addition... and was part of the boy's uniform to boot, currently hanging over her shoulders with her arms outside the sleeves like the long-coat of a mafioso. Beyond that, the majority of her clothes were blatantly divergent from the usual dress-code. A fishnet undershirt under a sleeveless black shirt, a studded collar, fishnet, fingerless gloves, small chains and armbands, dangling skulls from a necklace and a pair of headphones propped lazily atop her head, leaving one ear open to half-listen to the ongoing events while her attention apparently remained with whatever she was listening to in her other ear, given the slow bobbing of her head.
A strong aesthetic of black and pink dominated her garb, enhanced further by her long hair, streaked with both colors such that it was hard to tell which was actually her natural hue. All the while, half-lidded pink eyes dully watched the proceedings with a practically palpable disconnection. Sitting at the back of the classroom -though not by the window- with her feet kicked up on her desk and tattoos openly displayed on both one cheek and several points of her exposed arms, she couldn't have possibly been more of a delinquent-looking individual if she tried.
This, as many would certainly have known by now, was Mia Mathers. Originally hailing from America -but having moved to Japan around four years ago, she had been one of the runner-up contestants for the Sports Festival, placing second. Yet, she hadn't shown any particular enthusiasm for the achievement... Really, in the moment, she hadn't even looked disappointed to lose to Jun in the final round. If anything, she'd even gone as far as to bow out, claiming she'd been unable to continue after using her quirk heavily across the rest of the tournament.
Some might have had reason to doubt that, however. After all, the punk girl had completely crushed the obstacle course and cavalry sections prior, and she hadn't even done it by putting others down. She'd just made it look easy and quite literally stood above it all by "flying", buoyed by clouds of the petals her quirk was known to create. She'd flown over the entirety of the obstacle course and almost lazily placed second, and in the cavalry battle, she'd largely focused on defense as the head of her team's "horse".
Turning their point-laden headbands into petals and stuffing them in her clothes had functionally made it impossible to steal from her team, and so, the punk girl had lazily coasted through the round, floating about on her petals and letting her own team rampage freely amongst the others. After all, as long as she didn't touch the ground, her team stayed in the running, regardless of if they were carrying her. She would hence only reconvene her teammates to collect any gathered headbands and add them to the tally, and so it went. Yet, having the points of the second-place headband in their possession from the start essentially guaranteed their entry into the final round, whether they took any others or not... especially with Jun depriving the majority of the other teams of what few points they already had in the first place.
Given her performance in the first two segments then, it could perhaps be understood if others looked upon her forfeit just a step from the finish line with some dubiousness. Reading between the lines then, it could perhaps be ascertained by those with the perspective that Mia's failure to give things her all -and deliberately at that- might have contributed to her being shuffled from Hero Course class 1A to 1B... Though the presence of the Sports Festival victor in the same class rather perhaps nixed the idea that the move was a “demotion” of sorts.
In the present, a frown slowly stretched across black-painted lips, as Yusuke made himself a public nuisance...
I think I'll call you Shitboot-senpai.
Though she feigned inattention, Mia was -unfortunately, she sometimes thought- burdened with a mind quite capable of multitasking to a hilarious degree. It was a natural benefit of her quirk, a requirement to control the many thousands of petals it created with the precision that she did, and it meant she wasn't really able to ignore the bickering and infighting her new class was engaging in.
Lips pursing, vivid pink irises with paler pink pupils traced across those that were to be her new peers, and she found herself... ultimately ambivalent.
There were some new faces and some irritatingly recognizable, but all it took to make this arrangement... mostly tolerable was to come at it with the perspective of seeing these teens as coworkers. It was only natural that you wouldn't always get to work with people you liked, but part of this job -or any job, really- was learning to make do with what you had. So, she could tolerate the insults, the arrogance and the immature bristling for a fight. Those were all things she knew how to handle, to ignore. As long as they weren't getting in her way, she couldn't have cared less who she had for classmates.
Still... that wasn't the only gripe she had with this situation.
Rin Himura.
Though, she yet failed to voice her own discontent, Mia was far from enthused with the idea of being taught by a glorified mere second year. Yes, she was aware of the program that fast-tracked students into substitute teaching positions… but she still thought it was stupid. That just seemed irresponsible as a concept in this profession... even if Rin wasn't obviously unfit for the position in a personal sense. Yet... Mia could think of ways this could be advantageous. Yes, an incompetent superior could be dangerous in its own way; if could result in subpar training, which could harm all of the class on the long-run. However, having someone inexperienced in that position also meant that those under her were liable to be able to get away with more, having more freedoms. That had its own inherent problems of course, as despite appearances, Mia at least appreciated the concept of order and professionalism. She would prefer her Hero Academia not be outright sabotaged because their teachers were unable to do their fucking jobs.
Which was why her frown continued to grow, as Yusuke was near-unanimously dogpiled by the rest of the class. Mia's lips pinched in disapproval, as insults and at least one literal book flew through the air. And someone even went as far as using their quirk on him. The arrogant boy somehow managed to get under everyone's skin with an ease that took her back to high-school… more accurately the part where everyone was so thin-skinned. She honestly wasn't sure if Yusuke was really that much of an asshole or if he was just trolling. Regardless, the majority of her peers completely took the bait and retaliated like children. Honestly, she hated to agree with Kaiga -that flaming meathead fanboy- on anything, but this reaction wasn't appropriate. Yet, the pyrokinetic’s own attempt at intervention was instantly shot down and berated... with a few insults tossed in for good measure.
Mia's eyes slowly closed, as one hand rose to rub the bridge of her nose in irritation. This... was just disgustingly unprofessional. Were they fucking college students or not? Where the hell did everyone's internship training go? Surely, they could comprehend that this wasn't how people in their position should behave? Actually... how many of them interned somewhere that actually gave a shit about PR? Had anyone else also interned with the likes of Best Jeanist? Mia was glad she had. It had been a welcome breath of fresh air from two years with the Hawks Agency, a counterbalance to learn the ins and outs of managing public perception and being responsibly conscious of heroes' position in society. These were welcome lessons for someone like Mia... but she could see how the average teenager wouldn't appreciate being morally lectured to, compared to the reckless freedom and power offered by interning with the Endeavor or Hawks Agencies.
Mia opened her eyes and twitched, her gaze narrowing at the sight of Yusuke's body beginning to physically warp with several distinctive traits... Subtly tensing, Mia's legs slid off her desk, as she scooted her chair out enough to move quickly and -given the most recent examples from her peers- prepared for someone to do something... immensely stupid. As she did, unseen beneath her skin, her quirk was going to work, and Mia felt a familiar sensorial void suffusing her awareness, even as she remained outwardly unchanged.
So, he's a power copier... Dangerous... especially with that attitude... Thoughts churning, Mia immediately identified the obvious, which potentially answered some questions and brought up just as many to replace them. This now begs the question... what is the catalyst for his copy to trigger? How far can he go? What are the drawbacks? It's quite possible his quirk's mechanics are responsible his behavior, but it's too early to say...
Even so, it was obvious that someone needed to do something about this before things got-
The familiar shape of a firearm gleaming into open air had adrenaline habitually spiking through Mia’s veins, and she acted completely reflexively. Indeed, in a sense, it could be said that after two years with the Hawks Agency and witnessing similar situations, her body simply moved on its own.
-out of hand.
A barking, ringing noise shot through the air, accompanied by Kaiga’s screeching shout, but both noises fell into a muffled state, as Mia’s body peeled apart into a living floral flurry.
Bang! Bang-!
There was a flicker of movement, a burst of petals crossing the room from the back to the front, as the punk girl -if one were inclined to note it- moved much faster than she had bothered to the entire Sports Festival. One moment, Mia was in her seat. The next, she was physically interposing herself between Rin and the collapsing Yusuke, a flat look on her face and a flurry of petals swirling in her wake, as the tail end of the barrage of anti-quirk bullets impacted her body…
-and did exactly fuck all, exploding into small bursts of petals the moment they touched her clothes. A scowl twisted onto Mia’s lips, as she met “Dark Rin’s” eyes fearlessly with righteous indignation on her face, looking unphased by the volume of the gunshots.
”Are you out of your mind?” she hissed, fingers twitching and then balling her hands into fists. She paused there, near-visibly restraining herself from saying more or potentially lunging at Rin, as she quickly turned and crouched down next to the fallen Yusuke, still largely transposing her body between him and Rin.
Rin's subsequent attempt at intimidation only earned an openly derisive sneer. "Are you actually fucking- You know what, fuck off and put that thing away. I'll address you later."
Her head seemed to split at a diagonal angle, a floating “wedge” containing her right eye peeling off to remain narrowed in Rin’s direction and keep a narrowed eye on her, allowing the punk girl to turn the rest of her head and other eye to the prone Yusuke. A practiced motion saw her slide her fingers down his body, strips of his clothes peeling off into a small curtain of petals that preserved his decency while still exposing the bullet impact sites to Mia’s gaze.
The sight of the beginnings of severe bruising earned a scowl from her, as she observed red welts and dribbles of blood from where the apparently “non-lethal” bullets had broken skin, even through Yusuke’s clothes. The trail of impacts led down the power-copier’s torso and legs, but thankfully, none of the shots seemed to have achieved full penetration.
Honestly, Mia didn't too much care if Yusuke got what was coming to him. The little shit had been practically begging for it, and frankly, if that sort of attitude ruined his life or even got him killed down the line, the punk girl wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over it... However, the manner in which he got his comeuppance mattered. Mia didn't care if Yusuke brought himself down, but letting the little fuck drag others down with him? Well, now there was where she took umbrage.
It was one thing for a single hero to be a bad apple and be an embarrassment that eventually fell to time and foolishness. However, if his "antics" went so far as to drag others down, to goad her peers into making fools of themselves as well and ruining the reputation of heroes in mass? Well, suddenly, this was a problem that could reflect on her future job security if allowed to fester. After all, she wanted a secure position in the profession of heroism. The industry's success was her success, and so it behooved her not to tolerate imbecility that could bring that industry to ruin and sabotage her future nest egg.
In which case, it was only reasonable then for her to set a heroic example, right? Even though she had never been particularly subtle about her cynical view of what "heroism" had become in today's age, that didn't mean the sheeple masses didn't still largely buy the illusion. Therefore, it was her responsibility to actually play that game, to pretend... and show others how to follow her lead. She may have been a "punk" and a "rebel", but those that knew Mia well would find that she was strangely reliable and no-nonsense in an actual legal capacity.
Her fingers traced over the impact sites, and she found her power taking hold faster than normal due to his unconscious state. Without his “waking will” there, the resistance was functionally nonexistent, as each wound peeled away into petals. It wouldn’t do much other than mute the pain for a time, but it was obviously better than nothing.
She stood from her crouch stiffly, eyeing Kaiga with a rare spark of approval towards the boy she’d been treating as a pest basically since day one in Class 1A. Yet, in this situation, he seemed to be the only one that had bothered speaking out against the class’s misbehavior in any meaningful and untainted manner… Of course, she could respect him choosing to be the only other person thus-far to actually seek to come to Yusuke’s aid after he was dogpiled. Peer pressure could be a hell of a drug.
“Kaiga.” As usual, being a foreigner and an American to boot, Mia’s words tended towards the fairly informal when it came to personal address. “For the pain.” Mia gestured with her head towards the petals currently fluttering around Yusuke. The small floral curtain had mostly reverted from the prior transmutation, leaving his clothes and modesty intact aside from a few holes over the areas he’d been shot. She leaned down and tapped Yusuke’s forehead, causing a petal to peel off and float above her left pointer finger.
A flick of her finger sent the petal floating over to Kaiga. "Grab that -gently- and keep a hold of it while you head down to Dr. Chisaki. I'm staying here, but once you're ready for Shitboot-senpai to be treated, just -gently- pinch that petal into a folded position and release it. That'll be the signal for me to remotely revert the rest of my petals -which will follow you- so that he can be healed by the 'good doctor'."
Right after saying that, however, the cordiality drained from her tone, as she fixed Kazuki with a far less enthused look for his attempt at deflection... before blatantly ignoring the quirkless boy's babbling to keep things on exactly the target that was actually important to address right now. Mia's body turned to face the so-called "Junior Professor", and the floated wedge of the punk girl's head slid back into its proper place, once more fully reforming Mia's body.
"Oh no, we're not brushing this off, I don't think," Mia scowled at Rin. "Where exactly do you get off?" she snapped. "Brandishing firearms on students? Openly threatening violence? Aren't you supposed to be a hero teacher? The fuck kind of example are you trying to set?!" Inclining her chin, her lip curled in defiant distaste. "Regardless, you think a pathetic show of force is going to intimidate me? Bitch please, I'm a licensed hero in training. It is quite literally my fucking job to stand up to people who abuse their power, so explain yourself!" Her eyes narrowed. "With access to those bullets... you obviously interned under Hawks, so I think you'll understand perfectly well that just one would have been enough; to be precise, just one is what is mandated as the appropriate disciplinary response at worst. Yet, you put dozens downrange. Complete unwarranted overkill, an utterly irresponsible use of a firearm to boot. And shooting the ceiling? Are you a dumbass? Who even taught you trigger discipline?"
"Honestly, I don't give a flying fuck about your supposed credentials. Actions speak louder than words, and yours already paint you as rather unfit to set an example to aspiring heroes. So, if you do something like that again without actual justification, I promise that you'll regret it." Snorting, she leveled a sneer at the two-faced second-year and crossed her arms. "To be frank, I've more than half a mind to report your actions to the faculty officially. I'm sure the Best Jeanist Agency would be very interested in a matter of the abuse of power from the Acting Teacher of a whole Hero Course class. That would be quite the cause for concern... don't you think?"