[center][h1][color=ec008c]Mia Mathers[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] [sub][color=ec008c][b]Time:[/b][/color] September 11, 2127 [colour=ec008c][b]Location[/b][/colour]: 1B Homeroom, Eirei Academy, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture [/sub] [hr] [color=ec008c][i]Hmmm?[/i][/color] While the situation in the classroom continued to devolve, Mia's mind was busy noting that the petals following Kaiga had come to a stop. Her finger tapped her desk in a quiet rhythm, as she released a small num of contemplation under her breath. The sensations she was getting from her proprioception-esce awareness of her petals signaled back mainly a mix of audio vibrations. There was a certain... tenor(?) to them compared to the movement of the air that she'd found let her identify the two phenomena distinctly. Speaking of which, she was also getting some movements from the air, a subtle disturbance of air-pressure that caressed the surfaces of her petals with a silky lover's touch. This is all to say that, in practice, she could feel the movements of what she thought was [i]probably[/i] just two -maybe three- people in the nurse's office... for now anyway. Of course, at least two of the people in question were probably Kaiga and Matsuru, the latter of whom had apparently spared himself quite a lot of trouble by dipping out to help carry Yusuke... [i]the lucky bastard[/i]. Anyway, where was she? Oh right! Sound vibrations, yes. Those funny little things. She was feeling quite a few of them, so clearly, someone had set to chatting. She was... mostly certain the one doing the bulk of the chatter was Kaiga, which was pretty on-brand for him anyway. A petal briefly floating to brush across his chest did indeed confirm a persistent rumble that matched speech. Mia couldn't tell what was being said, but this close, she almost felt like if she really [i]focused[/i]- A brief distant throb somewhere in the back of her head brough the punk girl back on task, resisting the urge to rub her temples. Even though she wasn't really using a lot of petals right now, it honestly hadn't been an hour since the Sports Festival concluded, and she'd still used her quirk quite a lot. Even at low levels, it was something like jogging. The strain might creep up slower, but it was still there. And this really wasn't the time to be experimenting anyway. [i]So[/i], Kaiga clearly felt comfortable enough now to waste time chatting... and after he'd shown so much [i]good-hearted kindness[/i] towards that racist prick. Assuming the ardent Endeavor fanboy was at least dedicated enough to his ideals to maintain that concern long enough to reach the nurse's office before he loitered, then Mia could only guess one place he could be right now. Of course, she had also paid attention to her petals' movements, as they followed him. If she walked out of the classroom with her eyes closed right this moment, she was actually pretty confident she could blindly replicate that route herself, even without her petals' locations as a guide. On top of which, the proprioception-esce awareness of her petal's positions honestly gave her a pretty clear estimation of distances between herself and them, and if she took a moment to visualize where she was right now and then imagine navigating to the nurse's office... the place where the majority of her active petals was would align pretty much exactly with her theoretical destination. Multitasking was a hell of a drug apparently. Still, all the facts taken together, Mia found she could only come to one conclusion, as she double-checked the position of the petal that Kaiga had been supposed to be holding... [color=ec008c][i]That meathead totally forgot about the signal, didn't he?[/i][/color] Well, she supposed that wasn't too unexpected from him. Heaving an internal sigh, Mia went ahead and commanded the petals she had near Yusuke to reassemble and revert. She wasn't certain if Dr. Chisaki was ready to actually treat him yet, but in the end, she'd only done what she did in the off chance that any of Yusuke's injuries were more dangerous than they seemed. Now that he was at least basically in arm's reach, she saw no reason to keep her petals active any longer. It's not like he was conscious to feel the pain at this point anyway. [hr] Back in the 1B classroom, things were getting less pleasant by the moment. Hands in her pockets, one thumb brushed across a device she'd taken to carrying near-religiously these days, as words that only she could see flicked across her vision. [color=ec008c][b][i][Command: Record Start][/i][/b][/color] [b][i][System Confirm: Yes/No?][/i][/b] [color=ec008c][b][i][Command: Yes][/i][/b][/color] [b][i][Confirmed: Record Start][/i][/b] [color=ec008c][i]And so, you finally reveal your true colors... [b]Ladyice[/b].[/i][/color] Admittedly, Mia had actually been ready to let the initial offense go to some degree. Some part of her had even at least half-seriously considered letting Rin be for a bit longer, letting her have more opportunities to dig her own hole and ruin that irritating little facade of hers. Of course, Mia had still intended to put together a report regardless... but she had been willing to actually humor Hebi's suggestion to let things cool down. And then Rin decided that overt racism was apparently the galaxy brain way to go. [color=ec008c][i]Truly, her genius is unfathomable.[/i][/color] Mia had been in the middle of turning to head back to her seat when the word "Dirtblood" hit the open air, and for a brief moment, she paused. Not because she was personally offended. Oh no, in [i]that[/i] respect, the words washed over Mia like water off a duckling's back. No, any emotional impact Rin might have expected her words to elicit simply wasn't forthcoming, because Mia had grown up largely in America, where racism had severe societal stigma. [hr] [i]In the United States, it certainly wasn't correct to say that discrimination didn't exist in some form, but it did mean that very[/i] very [i]few were dumb enough express such opinions, never mind be[/i] smug [i]about them, especially since American law had a rather exhaustive number of ways to address and punish racism-fueled actions. A century since the rise of quirks had only given that cultural stigma more time to stew and develop to account for the new status quo. Combine that with the American comic book culture making Metamorphics far less of a shock than they often were elsewhere, and they had easily come to be included under the provisions that once covered only such petty things as skin color. On top of that, being the home of an icon like Stars and Stripes and having a culture that had managed to largely preserve the Golden Age of Heroics that All Might had helped bring about meant that -just on a general level- America was honestly one of the most welcoming cultures on the planet as far as foreigners and "diversity" were concerned.[/i] [i]This is all to say that Mia simply didn't respond to Japan's warped, classist racism the way many locals might. In her mind, as an American -immigrant or not- the idea that she was lesser for something as trivial as her birth was simply inconceivable. That she was not entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness just because she happened to be born "less fortunate" wasn't even worth humoring. It was a viewpoint that was objectively, factually, morally incorrect on all levels, and the moment someone decided to express such views, Mia's henceforth considered everything they said worthless. And as long as their opinion was worthless, why should she care what they thought about her? She was right. They were wrong. And that's all there was to it. Was that an entitled, black and white or even arrogant stance to hold? Maybe, but Mia didn't see any reason to change it. In this world, sometimes, one had to accept that there were people that were simply unequivocal scum. They wouldn't change, and they didn't want to change. So, why waste your time caring about them? Some people were just objective drains on the health and stability of society, and Mia saw no reason not to treat them as such. [/i] [hr] Mia doubted Rin was the sort to appreciate the irony contained in the contrast between the response the racist fuck [i]expected[/i] and what she was [i]actually[/i] feeling. The ironic part, of course, was that as much as Rin stated she wasn't going to "humor" Mia's opinions, Mia felt exactly the same way, and for far more legitimate reasons to boot. Which was why Mia's response to Rin's insult was merely an unrepentantly smug smirk. [color=ec008c]"There was never anything to disown. I got what I wanted and left the chaff behind. In the end, your little nest was always a means to an end, so, don't be mistaking who discarded who, grackle."[/color] The term she plucked from distant memory referred to a common and not particularly attractive North American bird, one that -at a distance- could perhaps be mistaken for a crow or raven; they were common and opportunistic enough to call "sky rats", scavengers and garbage raiders that lurked even in cities year-round. Needless to say, this could be interpreted as an insult on multiple levels, particularly as a targeted insult towards someone that was part of the Hawks Agency and loved their cringy bird terminology. It wasn't a common insult by any means. If anything, it was something Mia had invented on the spot, and it would perhaps take a little in-depth knowledge of foreign birds to understand. But at least part of the insult was the implication that the recipient was stupid if they [i]didn't[/i] understand it. Comeback delivered, Mia finished heading back to her seat, only to roll her eyes at the flicker of the lights heralding a familiar unsufferable, oozing voice that she had apparently hoped in vain to leave behind with the class shuffle. She truly couldn't roll her eyes hard enough, as Professor Danzo Shimura started throwing around more casual -[i]well, less casual and more targeted[/i]- racism, [i]truly[/i] an [i]exemplary[/i] representative of humanity and a hero school's faculty. [color=ec008c][i]So, we meet again, Darth Shit-ura.[/i][/color] To say that there was resentment between Mia and the professor she had held the misfortune of enduring for the first six months of the semester in Class 1A was an understatement. As far as Mia was concerned, Danzo was an uptight, petty, elitist prick, who barely made any attempt to hide his racism and classism on a good day and handed out harsh punishments that were aimed more to humiliate and degrade than to teach any actual lesson; he was a shit educator to anyone but the elite, and even then, he seemed more focused on insulting anything short of perfection, rather than encouraging his students to do better. Simply put, regardless of any selective competence he might show in certain subjects, he was trash as a person, and Mia had treated his opinion accordingly. Danzo might as well have been the worst possible teacher for someone like her. Meanwhile, Mia was a coarse, informal "country bumpkin" of a girl, and a [i]foreigner[/i] to boot, who was dismissive of authority except where she decided it "made sense" and didn't even try to pretend she cared about living up to any standards but her own. She was a "lowly commoner", who refused to even [i]comprehend[/i] "her place" and wasted very few opportunities to share her cynical opinions on heroism and the "subpar" behavior of her classmates. She shirked detentions, ignored the dress code and simply flat-out refused to even appear apologetic for her behavior. As far as she was concerned, Shimura had earned no respect, and so he would receive none. Furthermore, she was a former intern of the Hawks Agency, who'd chosen to firmly cut ties and head to Jeanist, which was likely considered [i]irksome[/i] to Shimura for its own reasons... And on top of it all, she'd attained enrollment to Eirei via special [i]recommendation[/i], of all things, and the weight of a sponsor meant that her attitude could quite successfully be counterbalanced by the infuriating fact that she was actually a high-scorer, consistently placing in the top five of her class even though she obviously wasn't trying her best. All in all, it was a pair truly destined to loathe each-other from the very start. So, Mia didn't fail to note the targeted verbal jab from Shimura. Of course, as with Rin, she was about as unbothered as a duck was by water. But make no mistake, she was far from pleased. Not by the insult, itself, but rather who it was coming from and the implications of that. Not only that, but she was displeased in the sense that a figure like this was a [i]terrible[/i] role model to have for aspiring heroes. In those susceptible to his ideology, he would just help develop them into similarly terrible people and embarrassments to even the tattered concept of what a "hero" meant to modern Japan. In those that opposed him? He would surely make their schooling experience hell, degrade and discourage them, fail as many as possible and just generally terrorize the actually sane portion of the student body. He was a stain on this institution, and it still boggled Mia's mind to this day how he still had his job. Leaning back in her chair, expression placid even under the onslaught of insults and unreasonable punishments being cast about, Mia's gaze traced across the classroom the see how the rest were taking this development. On average? [i]Not fucking well.[/i] Jun turning down the detention pass in an obvious sign of solidarity against the injustice. The normally happy-go-lucky Kaiga barely managing to keep cordial. The quirkless boy -Kazuki, she thought he was called?- stiffly questioning the legitimacy of both Rin and Shimura. Various expressions of unease or barely restrained anger from other students. And as the [i]glorious[/i] cherry on top, some [i]actual fucking [b]legend[/b][/i], whose name Mia had regretfully yet to catch, telling Shimura to take a swan dive off the building. [color=ec008c][i]In life, there are crossroads...[/i][/color] The thought reached her, as she observed a group of heroic alumni primed for rebellion. Yet, despite the anger and distress seething through the air, even with biting words thrown about here and there, her peers [i]still[/i] hesitated to take the initiative. They were on the defensive, reeling from a counterattack of a figure to which many must have perceived no other response but bitter, quiet compliance. Even those that spoke with defiance mostly seemed to be walking on eggshells, afraid to commit in the face of the cowardice of the majority. Truly, it was a microcosm of the state of Japan as a whole if Mia had ever seen one. [color=ec008c][i]The nail that stick up gets hammered down. Wasn't that how it went?[/i][/color] Even in an era of quirks, that culture somehow persisted a century later. Nobody wanted to be the one to make the first move. Nobody wanted to take the risk. In the end, the majority would rather follow the rules, comply with the system. Why? Because [i]that was just how things were[/i], right? [i]It couldn't be helped[/i], right? [i]The whole is greater than the individual[/i], naturally. That was what they told themselves. That just going along with unfairness was easier than trying to get a better deal and ruining things for themselves and everyone around them. Even the heroes were sheep, cogs in a machine, just working to keep things running, never truly making things better. Because in the end, they didn't really believe things [i]could[/i] be better, did they? And there was no-one to prove them wrong, no-one to not just take the first step, but to succeed. There were countless heroes spouting flashy ideals, but had those words really amounted to anything? [i]No[/i], in order for the people bred by this corporate, rules-obsessed society to stand up, the only thing that could really make change... [i]was a nail that refused to be hammered down, come hell or highwater[/i]. [i]A Symbol.[/i] [i]Something Japan had long since lost.[/i] And Mia would admit, she wasn't much different from those sheeple in a lot of ways. In the end, she really wanted a comfy retirement. In an ideal world, she could coast there on her present effort. Assuming an unbiased system to traverse, it wouldn't even be difficult. She preferred to watch from the sidelines, not take center-stage, but in this situation... [color=ec008c][i]In the midst of weakness, what it truly means to be a hero is to be the one to step up to the plate. None of you have the guts, the gumption and steel to go all the way? Fine, I'll lead by example, take the plunge and the risk. I'll go first, so y'all better not disappoint me... Honestly, if even this isn't enough, is this really a school I even want to keep attending anyway?[/i][/color] [i]The familiar numbness of her quirk's influence began to fill her body, a precautionary measure... just in case she was actually right to be paranoid of even further stupidity ensuing. Shunting her brain-meats into the storage of petal state to preemptively guard against Shimura's illusory quirk in some capacity, just in case he was petty enough to use it.[/i] A cold little smile crossed Mia's lips, as she released a sharp bark of a laugh and stood from her chair again. Slowly, mockingly, she clapped her hands in a short bout of applause, her lips curled into smirk towards the scummy teacher and his equally racist bootlicker, as she began to walk towards the front of the classroom. [color=ec008c]"[i]So[/i], we're doing this old song and dance again, are we, [i]Shit[/i]-ura-sensei?"[/color] The words that spilled from her lips were laced with an air of old resentment and a revisited grudge. Passing by the desk of the brunette guy with mismatched eyes and balls so big she honestly questioned how his chair hadn't yet collapsed under him, Mia's right hand briefly clapped him on the shoulder companionably, as her pink eyes tracked to Hebi's own seat, a half-apologetic smile towards the medusa metamorphic on the punk's lips. Shrugging her shoulders in a manner as if to indicate [i]"well, I tried"[/i], Mia looked back at the man, who was supposed to be a class of heroes' teacher. [color=ec008c]"[i]I think not[/i]."[/color] She raised several fingers in succession. [color=ec008c]"Sleeping in the common room of the Hawks Dorm just to humiliate? How petty. [i]Pass[/i]."[/color] She sniffed and leaned against one of the frontmost desks. [color=ec008c]"Unfair detention? [i]Pass on that too[/i],"[/color] she drawled, before a sneer upturned her lips. [color=ec008c]"Yeah, that's right, I'm [i]'testing you'[/i], Teach. What are you gonna do: [i]double the detentions I'm not attending[/i]?"[/color] She scoffed and glanced over her shoulder at what remained of the class after the cowardly rabble had run out the back. [color=ec008c]"Don't let this pompous fuck fool you. He doesn't have any real power to threaten your hard-earned Hero Licenses. Trust me, after the first time he ever threatened that..."[/color] Her scornful gaze tracked back to Shimura. [color=ec008c]"-[i]I checked[/i]."[/color] Pushing off the desk with a slight bump of her hip, she inspected her fingernails dismissively. [color=ec008c]"[i]Funny[/i] the sorts of things you find yourself studying when you have a prejudiced, petty, resentful shitstain as your instructor for [i]six fucking [b]months[/b][/i]. And news flash: in this capacity, [i]he's only a teacher[/i]."[/color] She rolled her eyes. [color=ec008c]"Hero Licenses are assigned by the [i]Hero Commission[/i], not any school or Agency. No [i]individual[/i] -or even [i]Agency[/i]- has the power to suspend or nullify one without an [i]exhaustive[/i] process that requires the accused to have actually seriously broken the law to succeed. A petty matter like this is so far below their radar it requires a [i]sonar[/i]."[/color] Joining the trickle of students already headed that way, Mia chuffed and stepped towards the classroom door, a derisive expression fixed on her face. [color=ec008c]"You already knew that, of course, Teach, but the only way you can command order is fear, right? [i]Bluffing[/i] absurd threats. Because no-one [i]really[/i] respects you once they've met you for longer than five seconds. Entitled, you say? [i]Damn right[/i], I am. I'm [i]entitled[/i] to basic human decency, just like the rest of my peers, and the fact that I even need to emphasize that to a 'hero' is pathetic. So, it seems it's long past time someone finally got done with your shit and demanded [i]better[/i]."[/color] Mia snorted, addressing the rest of the class then. [color=ec008c]"Those of you from 1B and 1C? Realize that this is still only the beginning. You think this was bad? Well, prepare your anus. Those of you from 1A understand... in which case, my only question for you is: [i]are you really going to just take this[/i]?"[/color] Her eyes narrowed over her shoulder at the rest of the class. [color=ec008c]"[i]Well[/i]?! Your faces say you want to speak your minds. Go on then! He's [i]wrong[/i], and you [i]know[/i] he's wrong. The words out of his mouth are poison to what a real hero should be, so why the hell [i]shouldn't[/i] you stand up to him? You're training to be [i]heroes[/i], but how much does [i]justice[/i] actually mean to you? How much does having a [i]positive[/i] Hero Academia mean to you? Are you [i]heroes[/i] or [i]cowards[/i]?"[/color] Her gaze snapped back to Shimura, as she spread her arms and stepped back towards the door. As she did, her body's outer layer began to flake away into petals to join the already mostly shifted internals, the drifting pink flora concealing the movements of her feet brushing against several more of the bullets that had been left discarded carelessly on the floor, clandestinely transmuting them to join her swarm. [color=ec008c]"[i]Frankly[/i], I've got far too much respect for my time, my rights as a person and the very [i]concept[/i] of an actual fucking hero to tolerate this any longer, so consider this my sanction of you as an educator, Danzo Shimura."[/color] Mia [i]flowed[/i] out of the room, her body practically entirely made of petals now, aside from her vocal cords and eyes. Amongst the other students that were already leaving the room, she released a chuckle. [color=ec008c]"See y'all later, [i]not[/i] in detention of course, [i]which[/i] -by the way- you should totally defy as well. A little spot of 'peaceful protest', as they say, right? A bit of 'civil disobedience' to make a [i]point[/i]."[/color] The flowing mass of petals in the shape of a young woman, shrugged its shoulders and smirked. [color=ec008c]"If it's in mass, there's no way it won't get results. The majority of a hero classroom's alumni don't just [i]revolt[/i] for no good reason. [i]Someone[/i] would have to give a shit. And [i]hey[/i], if you've got the guts, I wouldn't turn down some supporting voices while I go to see the principle to get some [i]answers[/i] and preferably a [i]solution[/i]."[/color] And with that, the mass of petals swiftly flowed away from the group down the hall, her likely destination clear. [color=ec008c][b][i][Command: Record End][/i][/b][/color] [b][i][System Confirm: Yes/No?][/i][/b] [color=ec008c][b][i][Command: Yes][/i][/b][/color] [b][i][Confirmed: Record End. Archive Successful][/i][/b]