Bird Bait 2

Hawks shrugged casually, as if he hadn't just subtly implied she was bait. Todoroki looked at her, startled.

"You're bat shit crazy if you're thinking of baiting that psycho." Bakugo growled, hands crackling. "We're your damn interns, not your toys."

"Olivia is in danger just by being in this city." Todoroki agreed, frowning at the situation.

"You endangered a civilian by bringing them to the city the killer was spotted?!" Endeavor hissed, slamming his hand on the table.

"Maybe I'll use one of Endeavor's murder plans after all…" Star grumbled.

She had to agree with them all. When she had first heard the changed location of their internship, she had thought it had been a coincidence. She had been scared it was a trick done by the Hero Killer, and hadn't gotten into the car until she touched the driver and searched his mind.

"Hey hey hey, cut the chatter, songbirds. The Hero Killer follows a pattern, which Flames over here seems to have missed."

Hawks closed his eyes, ignoring the angry stares directed towards him.

"He won't be killing until tomorrow, and we'll have our little Starling by our sides at all times. He won't go near her when she's surrounded by two of the top three heroes, and two of the top four finalists at UA, yeah? Catch my drift?"

Star huffed, annoyed as Hawks balanced his chair on the back two legs. "Better sleep with one eye open, pretty bird. I know exactly what's in that encrypted folder hidden in the right bottom corner of your laptop."

There was a sudden crash as Hawk's chair leaned back too far and hit the ground with him in it, and at the same time Star and Bakugo heard a short chuckle behind them.

Whirling around, Star pulled herself out of Hawks's mind and realized that she had missed the door opening and another mind walking in.

Standing there with a small half smile, was a tall, lean-but-muscular man with sharp and elongated features. His shiny green hair was smoothed down with yellow streaks. His lips quickly turned back down into a glare, giving off a sense of authority.

"Interesting choice of intern, Takami. Apparently you have a knack for choosing the ones with a sense of humor."

"Wait 'till ya hear the other one, he's a creative one." Hawks chuckled, standing up. "I'm glad you made it, Sasaki." He clapped the guy on the back, smiling.

"Sir Nighteye." Endeavor curtly nodded, collecting all the paperwork and putting it back into it's folder.

"Endeavor." Sir Nighteye greeted, nodding sharply in return. "I do not have a lot of time. Let us get to it, shall we?"

Hawks nodded, pulling Star out of her seat. "You can have this little one. Endeavor and I will take the other two."

"He's training me?" Star asked after listening to the hero's mind. "Not bad Hawks, thank you for doing that."

"No problemo, Chickadee. That makes us even, yeah?"

She gave him a look.

"You put her life in danger, and call it even? You serious, Birdbrain?" Bakugo scoffed, standing next to her.

Hawks shrugged casually, and followed Endeavor out the door.

"Hey, don't ignore me, shithead!" Bakugo yelled, storming after them. Todoroki put a hand on Star's shoulder, wishing her luck in his head, before following them out.

Soon, it was just Star and Sir Nighteye in the room. It was silent for a second, then they both spoke at once.

"Explain your quirk."

"You can see the future?!"

Star scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed at interrupting him.

"Are you able to detect quirks, read minds, or do you have a prediction quirk as well?"

"Um, the second one, though it's never been officially tested." She answered.

He was silent, and she realized as she listened that he wanted her to continue.

"Oh, um. Until a few months ago, my quirk was the ability to touch someone, and read pretty deeply into their mind. Due to some, um, pretty extreme over exertion, it's changed. Now, I can hear everyone's minds, at all times. It's mostly surface thoughts and feelings, unless I concentrate. And I've… projected? Memories into other people's minds as well."

His expression didn't change. "Is there a limit?"

"Er… not exactly, since I don't get to choose when I'm using it anymore. There's a radius, except under the effect of drugs or another quirk."

He didn't ask what she meant by that, and she was relieved.

"I only really have a limit when I'm not drunk enough around a lot of people, or when I'm completely sober. Which, ah, isn't often." She admitted.

"Drinking turns down the volume, or turns it off until I touch someone. It allows me to handle more since the quirk isn't being used as much."

Sir Nighteye's expression still didn't change as she talked, making her tone unsure as she listened mentally to his constantly changing analysis of her. Finally, he sat down, drumming his fingers together as he thought out loud.

"I will advise Hawks to have your quirk tested. I am unsure why the school never thought to do so. Quirks don't change, only our understanding or level of use with them does. With years of training, you would have reached the same level you are at currently, albeit more controlled. Meaning, your quirk was never mind reading, but something else."

Sir Nighteye stopped drumming, and looked at her sternly. "You treating it as a mind reading quirk is what is making your progress so deplorable."

"I… what?"

"Take my quirk, for example. I am able to see other's futures. Are they able to see mine? No. It's a one way street. Therefore, your quirk is not a mind reading quirk. Mind reading is a one way street, like seeing the future. If others have been able to see into your mind as well, like you said they have… then it sounds more like a two-way street, does it not?"

She nodded, absorbed in his mind.

"Have you ever had trouble reading?"

"Um, yes. With K- Bakugo. And I can't read my father's mind at all."

"That proves my theory then, about it being a connection rather than a scan. They both likely have well guarded minds. The road, or connection to their sides, are better blocked than most. Especially your father, if what I hear about his quirk is correct. My theory is that your own brain is equally as blocked for some reason, allowing nothing to travel through the connection." Sir Nighteye explained, then asked, "When did the projection happen?"

"When my arm was being disintegrated. Hitoshi said it also happened when I was… when there were extreme circumstances."

"Perhaps, when your mind was too distressed to keep the barrier up, yes?"

Star frowned, seeing his point.

"We will practice bringing the barrier down, then. I have to keep careful walls around my own quirk, to control how far I see into someone's future. Perhaps Hawks was wise to call me after all. Let's begin."