Asura

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

For all the good Asakura's appearance did in easing tensions, it seemed his mouthy classmate didn't quite have the mettle to stand up to the president's animosity. It might have done Noriaki some good to take after his example, on account of his lack of familiarity with the school's dynamic. Maybe she was some kind of force to be reckoned with. But it was too late to back down now—he was done with bowing to the whims of haughty authority figures. The arm that had been slung over his shoulder retreated almost quickly as it had arrived, and with it so did his classmate. As he watched the indigo haired boy engage in some charade-like signaling, Noriaki decided it was probably best to head off. Seemed as though the ice queen had her own business to attend to, after coming to foul his mood even further. "If you wanna spend time with me so badly, there's a lot of better ways to do it. Like makin' me lunch." He fired back, figuring it was the easiest way to dig under her skin, especially with how she seemed to bristle at the accusation of flirtation. The teen slung his bag over his shoulder after his quip, making his way towards the door that Asakura had just hurried through. He held a hand up in farewell, leaving a parting shot in his wake. "Make sure to add kaarage." Then he was gone. It didn't take Noriaki long to make his way through the halls and downstairs, his lack of experience with the layout made up for by the haste of his exit. He didn't wanna keep his companion waiting too long, and frankly, didn't wanna spend all day locked in a staring contest with some stuck-up bitch. The bustle around the school's entrance was a little harder to wade through, especially with club members thrusting flyers here and there and the dozens gathering around the notice board for similar missives. He half expected to be headhunted for one of the sports teams, tall, athletic type that he was. He was lucky to have escaped such a fate. It was too soon to think about that kind of thing. Better to just push it out of his mind for now. Leave the past in the past. After exchanging his slippers for the familiar comfort of his shoes, the transfer student made his way out towards the main gates, catching sight of his tired-looking associate. It seemed as though he had paid all the attention to Noriaki's words as he did in class—very little. Still, he couldn't exactly fault the guy. His own mind had been preoccupied with less-than-pleasant events for the majority of the day. "Already told you I need to hit up a pet store. You really ought to get more sleep, forgetting that so quickly."

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

There was a brief, beautiful moment where Noriaki felt relief. It had seemed the president was of a similar mind, that her time was better spent on her duties than trailing after him like a glorified keeper. But then she did that thing stuck-up girls like her tended to do—she opened her mouth again. The words that followed dispelled that brief notion of deescalation. Adjusting properly? A place to become a "proper member of society"? As if to imply he wasn't already one. She stood there, lording his past over him, and expected him to not cause trouble for anyone? There was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble for someone if she decided she could just run her mouth like that in front of him, as if some flimsy council position would intimidate him into compliance. His features hardened further, and he could feel the anger welling up in his chest as he looked at Nakano and her cool, indifferent expression. But he stopped it before it came spilling out. New school. New start. First day. Try to have a good time. Don't make enemies. Don't give them more of a reason. The turmoil within him managed to keep him from saying the worst of what he thought of this concerned senpai, but it didn't dull the growing animosity he felt. All it did was deaden it to a more acceptable level. He slapped his hand down on his desk, just a tad harder than he intended, and used it to lean forward. An act meant to shorten the difference in height between them, so he could lock eyes directly with her, his pale blue orbs full of equal parts willfulness and contempt. "We'll see." Perhaps there was some favor left on the teen's side. Before things could escalate too much further, a recognizable voice decided to interject. He barely had time to return to his full height before an arm was slung over his shoulder. It seemed like his chatty neighbor had decided to try cutting the tension with a joke. Or he was simply so dense that he didn't pick up on the hostility in the first place—it was hard to tell with Asakura. "Kyoto girls sure got a weird way of flirtin'." He cracked in return, though with far less mirth than Asakura had bothered with.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

The chimes that signified day's end were like music to Noriaki's ears. An easy first day, no doubt meant to help ease the students back into their routine. He had certainly been removed from the daily grind longer than his classmates and their brief spring interlude, so he took the easy material and lax pacing as a mercy. It did give him time to ruminate, though, and nothing good ever came from him having time to chew on his thoughts without distraction. Fortunately, he at least had the assurance of after school socialization to look forward to. That, and what the hell he was going to do with that cat. It was gonna need a name to go with the collar. Maybe it would come to him in time. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a chance to engage in that promised fraternization. As he packed up his bag with his minimal belongings, he spotted an approaching figure in his peripheral vision. He half expected it to be Asakura, but the voice that announced its arrival was far from that of his chatty neighbor. As he looked up, he locked eyes with a none-the-less familiar face. One with a rather rhetorical question, considering his status as the only new student in class. "I am." He might not have been the most academically gifted, but it would have taken a moron not to remember Nakano Sakuya—she had just taken the stage for a speech only a few hours beforehand. It seemed as though she was worried about him. A sweet sentiment, honestly, and one he was sure most transfer students would be happy about. Having a kindly senpai go out of their way to meet him at his homeroom on the first day, offering to answer his questions and help with any problems he might have had. But Noriaki couldn't be happy with that. Why would she be going out of her way like this? If he needed help, he had a homeroom teacher, or any number of fellow 2nd years to ask. She was the president of the student council, who undoubtedly had other things to be doing. That in and of itself was a rhetorical question. He knew why. "If I needed any help, I'd have asked for it. I don't need a minder." His icy blue gaze sharpened as he rose from his chair, more hostile than he had any right to be in this circumstance. But he knew why she was there. If anybody in the school—barring the staff—was going to have access to his record, it would be the council. She probably read through it and figured she would come and scope out the new delinquent herself. Make sure he wasn't getting up to any trouble under the pretext of being a helpful senior, as opposed to keeping tabs on a "problem case" like him. It pissed him off. "'Sides, I got plans after school. Is that all you wanted to say, Senpai?" There was a testiness to his tone, but he did his best not to show his displeasure. No need to go making enemies right away. Of course, he was never very good at subtlety.

Paranormal and Occult Investigation

But can I use weeb pictures? Very important.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Kohaku

There was a level of satisfaction to be had as Kohaku's plan came to fruition—the wave on the right were unable to break through her earthen barrier, and countless of their number must have fallen to the torrent of flames that followed. Enough that it made them break and retreat back into the darkness from whence they came. That much surprised her; she had figured that the creatures of Grimm were mindless enough that they would have continued trying to charge through the barricade until she had burnt the last of them to ash. Disconcerting as their tactical awareness was, it was clear enough that her team had prevailed in the conflict as she scanned the left flank to see a similar state of withdraw.

Of course, their trials weren't exactly over just because they had stemmed the tides of Beowolves. As dark miasma began leaking from the slumped corpses pinned against the roof and those beyond, Kohaku brought her scarf up to cover her nose and mouth. Their supervisor informed them of the dangers the substance posed if inhaled, and it spurred the Faunus into action. Another mechanical thunk came from her staff as she cycled through to another, as of yet unused canister and leveled it towards the encroaching fumes. A pale white glow encircled the projector at the tip of her weapon, and a strong gust of wind followed. She directed it first down the right passage, blowing away the wispy black fog in her immediate area before turning it down the left, allowing the gust to wash over her team mates harmlessly while also dispelling the remnants of their battle.

Once she was content that it had been properly disposed of, she returned her staff to its resting position, rested against her shoulder to make balancing the unwieldy head most manageable. There wasn't exactly much to be said in this case, and so the girl chose to observe, watching as their instructor warily eyed the creeping tendrils that made the walls of the bunker their host. Staring at the vein-like flesh reminded her of the ill-fated Dust Devils and their complaints. Of sounds from within the ramparts.

"We should avoid being too close to the walls as we go deeper." She suggested, although she couldn't well explain to them why. Nivea probably had a better idea than she did of whatever kept the men who once called this place home up at night.

"Just in case."

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @WXer

It seemed Noriaki's gestured worked, albeit a little too well. Before he knew it he was being pulled shoulder-to-shoulder with the mouthy boy behind him, a hand circling round to pat him on the back. It wasn't exactly a gesture he was unfamiliar with, but it certainly wasn't one he was used to receiving from someone still so unfamiliar with him. It was better than the alternative, at the very least—having someone friendly to talk with would go a long way in putting down some roots in this new town. Roots he direly needed to start forming. "Man, you're the one askin' me to call you by your first name and givin' out hugs." He replied to the accusation of straightforwardness, as if that was a bad thing in the first place. It wasn't something this guy had any business scolding others for, that much was for certain. Still, for all his over-enthusiasm, Kazuyoshi did present him with an intriguing offer. Noriaki had intended to spend the hours after school wandering around the neighborhood to familiarize himself with the area, and having a local there to show him the notable spots would be helpful. He just hadn't expected someone to offer this quickly. He would have to text his mother so she wouldn't get to worrying, but surely this was the kind of thing she wanted him to be getting up to in the first place, seeing as though he didn't have baseball practice to eat up the hours anymore. His brief moment of contemplation ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and he shrugged. Who cared? It beat sitting around at home staring at the walls. "Eh, why not? Was already gonna go exploring, and I gotta get around to finding a pet store sooner or later anyway..."

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @WXer

Without too much else to do, Noriaki opted to simply sit in silence at his new seat. There was always the option to continue messing about on his phone, but he was pretty sure this school didn't exactly allow for those in class, and he didn't need the teacher giving him any more flak on the first day than they were already wont to do. He at least had a nice view of the sunny sky he had been cursing just hours earlier. Not that it was much of a sop. Even under a bright sky he couldn't shake the ominous events from the night before. He cursed the council president and her insistence on reminding the school about those stupid ghost stories. Luckily, he wouldn't have the silence to contemplate too far. A pair of fingers tapped against his shoulder, the source behind him. He turned just in time to hear the guy behind him, who had apparently chosen the seat there while he was predisposed with his daydreaming. "And you would know?" He fired back with an arched brow, perhaps a little more testily than he had intended. He had to remind himself he was new there, and it wasn't too good of a look to be making enemies on the first day. Foul mood or no, he had promised to try having a good time. "... You can call me Hoshino. Hoshino Noriaki. Just got here from Osaka last week." That response came out less terse than the last, and he turned in his seat so he could offer a firm hand to his new classmate. Hopefully that would dispel any notion of being standoffish.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S -

It didn't take too much longer before the remaining students filed their way into the gymnasium and began to take their seats all around Noriaki, prompting him to slide his phone back into his pocket and at least pretend he was being attentive. He always questioned why they bothered with these ceremonies; no important information was provided, no especially interesting displays. It was just the same old tired platitudes from the old folks in charge, standing on their soap boxes and waxing on out of a sense of tradition, as entrance ceremonies were a tradition worth celebrating. The fact they spent a non-insignificant portion of it bragging about their newest renovations just made it feel all the more masturbatory. But what did he know? He certainly didn't go into the speeches intending to listen in the first place. The same would have been true of the student council president's obligatory address, for he had little interest in whatever it was the kiss asses she represented had to say. Unfortunately for him, she managed to slip in a series of words that just so happened to drag his memory back to his walk to school—and by extension—the night before. He knew all about the supposed arson, and all the gossipy nonsense that surrounded them, sure. But being reminded that the disappearances involved students like himself made him think back to that damned mirror and the girl he met within. She couldn't have been much older than he was, could she have? He didn't want to think about it. The last thing he needed was to be haunted by the ghost of some match-crazy, demon beheading burn victim. Especially not one who lived in a spooky mirror, in a house that miraculously found itself rebuilt overnight. Luckily, the ceremony was hurriedly brought to a close while he ruminated over the misfortunes of yesterday. He shook his head as if to banish the thoughts entirely, and rose from his seat in tandem with the others from his grade. Best to get a move on quickly and get a good seat in homeroom. In this, he had the advantage, having no friends or acquaintances with which to speak before heading upstairs. Using his earlier foray into the student's handbook to navigate his way through the halls with some accuracy, Noriaki managed to count himself among the first few arrivals in the room which would be his second home for the next year. Scanning the desks to see which few were taken, his eyes almost immediately drifted towards the wall closest to the window. Those were always the best ones, especially during the more boring classes. Usually wanted to be further in the back, too, so the teacher didn't bother focusing on you too much while you stared outside. With his mind made up, he didn't allow second guesses to delay his claim, and marched across the room to hang his bag off the seat second from last in the row.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

Kohaku

Seeing no reason to object, Kohaku fell in behind her new comrades as the group began their descent into the ruins. It was immediately apparent to the Faunus that her earlier assumption was correct; they were essentially maneuvering through a tomb. Whatever unfortunate souls had decided to use this bunker as a vulture's nest were either dead or scattered to the wind, like most of Vacuo's populace in the face of such attacks. As the group swept through room after room in search of the beasts responsible, Kohaku did find at least two disconcerting things among the empty chambers. Perhaps most obvious of them, the absence of bodies. Before coming to Shade, she had the misfortune of witnessing the fallout of a Grimm attack more than once. It was never so clean and tidy, with just a few splatters of blood here or there. The assault on this particular bunker was far from fresh, sure, but the Grimm had no need to eat or drink. She had expected rotting viscera to have painted the halls, an assembly of corpses to greet them.

Secondly, and perhaps most concerning, was that the markings left behind by the deceased looked familiar to her. She had remembered being present for negotiating with men bearing the same emblems. The Dust Devils or some such. They weren't especially large, but they had been friendly with her own people, and exchanged goods on more than one occasion. She even recalled mumbling of a lost outpost during one of their rendezvous. It was unfortunate that this was its ultimate fate, but such were the hard facts of life out in the wastes. The familiarity did give her the ghoulish hope that the Grimm had been thorough in their extermination—she didn't need anybody from that side of the tracks recognizing her.

Still, she had more to focus on than the phantoms of the past. Her senses were likely sharper than those of at least half the present Huntsmen-in-Training, so it behooved her to be on watch. Plus, old habits did die hard, and she pawed her way through an occasional desk to see if she couldn't appropriate some of munitions when she could. Their previous owners surely wouldn't need them any longer, and Dust was always in short supply. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for her reputation, the group seemed to move further into the structure before she could engage in too much looting.

The second floor was certainly more imposing than the first, and for all her experience, Kohaku had never ventured into a Grimm nest—she was a survivor, not suicidal. She depressed a trigger on her rusted staff as they continued their path, causing a soft 'thunk' as she switched the activate Dust canister on a hunch. The inhuman laughter that seemed to prove her intuition correct; no sooner than the group reached a cross roads, glowering red eyes seemed to surround them on both sides. Before the beasts could begin their horrid battle cry and launch their assault, the head of Requiem had already begun to glow orange.

"Take left!" She shouted as waves of black and white descended upon them from two sides.

Kohaku closed her eyes thereafter in a brief moment of focus, before slamming the bottom end of her staff into the material below them. From the rickety metal pole came several streams of bright amber light, snaking across the floor and between the legs of her team members further ahead. The lines cut a suddenly right as they reached the intersection, then raced towards the charging Grimm. Just as the monsters prepared to surge into the intersection, the ground itself seemed to come to life. Several long, thick spikes of stone erupted from the concrete, catching the first two Beowolves in the torso and skewering them against the ceiling of the corridors with a sickening crunch. Their fellows behind them crashed against the Dust-molded restraints, jaws and forelimbs swiping between the tightly bundled pillars like the bars of a cage.

It probably wouldn't hold forever, but it would for the time being, and that's all she needed. Trusting that a few of her teammates would have followed her request and kept the worst of the horde on the left at bay, she pulled the trigger on her weapon again and listened as it locked a different canister into place. Deciding it best not to wait for the Grimm to smash their way through her makeshift barrier with weight of numbers, she hurried into the breach, and leveled the head of Requiem down the tunnel to the right. Another brief moment, a dazzling red glow around the projector, and then luminescence. The snarling of hounds was replaced by howls of agony and rage as flames streamed forward from her armament and through the gaps between spires, setting the darkness alight.