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The Wolf prowling across dimensions by Pandora's Reader

 Highschool of the Dead & My Hero Academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア Xover Rated: M, English, Family & Adventure, [OC, Rika M., Shizuka M., Saeko B.], Words: 820k+, Favs: 1k+, Follows: 1k+, Published: Nov 17, 2021 Updated: Nov 9 779Chapter 83: Taking steps forward

Pandoras_Supporter for my p-reon.

Thanks to Scifighter for supporting me.

My hero is meant to be slow. Not only will this be the hub world, but this will be where we see what the pack does when they aren't out hunting, or fighting. So far, Saya's into technology, The HOTD group is starting a band, Shizuka is going to be getting back to being a nurse, Rika plays games, puts holes in people, or chills at home. Hestia goes out shopping, Athena is a NEET, Rappa works out in his gym, or competes with Kiriko, who is either with him, the kids, or doing her own thing.

Besides, this world is more for development then it is combat. Izuku is opening up, and becoming someone new, while Himiko and Eri now have a actual family. Though, there will be a few more weekly time skips soon, probably a chapter or two/three after the sports festival/date with Saya and Maccillian.

Anyway, here's this.

{Three days later. Saya's POV}

So far, things were going good. The Glinthawk project was around 60-70% perfected, and the progress I and the rest of my colleagues made was just amazing. The grinders were fully perfected, the chassis was both easily manufactured while still being strong enough to handle a few hits from anyone that might want to damage it, the flight systems were ready and damn near perfect, and the power source was decided on. I paused at that, and tapped my pen against my cheek. (I'm still not sure if this is going to be a good idea or not, but science is all about trail and error after all.) It was, and that made it better in my opinion.

For the power source, we were using, it was settled on a mini mana reactor, filled with Saeko's mana. The thought about the mana reactors made me hum, and send a glance towards our greenhouse. We'd come up with an interesting system for growing certain gems, and then filling them with the corresponding mana type, then enchanting them to absorb mana out of the air in order to refuel.

And that led into ANOTHER THING. After a month of being here, it seemed that the air was finally beginning to show signs of being saturated by mana. It wasn't doing anything yet, but we've finally reached the point where animals, plant life, and the rest of the environment might begin showing signs of change. Sure, it might take a week or a few more months, but it's FINALLY happened. (Granted, we could've probably sped it up if Zaka and the rest of us just actively emptied out our mana pools, waited till they were full again, then emptied them again. But that could've done more damage then letting it happen naturally. While we could deal with a sudden surge of Kaiju's, the world might not.)

I shook that thought off, and went back to thinking about our gem farm. Making things like rubies and emeralds grow off a plant was weird at first, but any experience with Mystery is good experience. (Though, given how receptive the gems were, not only to our mana, but to the enchantment itself, is still interesting. Rubies absorbing fire mana is a given, so are sapphire's and water mana. But for obsidian to take gravity mana, and titanite taking lightning is an interesting fact. Lapis taking ice is sort of expected I guess, but onyx taking earth is another interesting fact. Quarts being fine with air is weird, but I'll take it.) I wanted to try splicing one of our Ruby Trees with a Sapphire Tree, solely for the chance of finding a way to make a stable gem containing both fire and water mana, but that was an experiment for another time.

Speaking of our trees, those were a stroke of genius if I do say so myself. I asked Athena, who as a goddess without a combat oriented Arcanium, had an affinity towards all mana types, to fuel the enchantment for their seed beds. With her mana fueling the beds, the trees had the necessary mana to grow at all times, and with everyone donating some mana to specific beds, the gems grew full of their mana.

Anyway, the gems took two days to fully grow while I fed them with my own ambient mana, water, and some manure we ordered. Without that, they'd probably take a week or two to give us our gems. (It's still fast, but it's whatever.) We had our gems, and with some tinkering with Nezu and Majima, turned the gems into power sources, which would hopefully refuel themselves with the ambient mana in the air, now that it was beginning to be saturated. With that said, I was running a few tests with the reactors, to ensure that even if they broke, they didn't contaminate the area. Surprisingly, they didn't. They did something else.

When one of our rubies shattered, there was a small burst of flame, enough to be comparable to a short stream of a flamethrower, and the mana evaporated into the atmosphere. Just one did nothing, but when I detonated five at the same time, the temperature increased by a dozen degrees, and the flames turned into a explosion comparable to a grenade.

The sapphires were interesting, since water mana wasn't exactly volatile. It was just annoying to control. So, when the sapphires broke down, they usually left a puddle on the ground, or just made the area more humid. But just like the rubies, when a small cluster of them popped, they made a small rain cloud, and dispersed water mana into the air. It was interesting.

The other gems had their own reactions, but given the earlier two examples, those reaction were easy to guess.

Our gem factory aside, I went back to writing about my Glinthawk project, and about the next project afterwards, which would be the Grazer's, then I'd move onto the Snapmaw. We were all interested in the amphibious machine, so it wouldn't take that long for it to be made purely because of everyone's enthusiasm. (Not that I can fault them or anything. A machine like that could be very fun making.) I hummed at that, and kept writing.

But it was while I was writing, when I heard the doorbell. I checked the time, and noticed it was around the time my assistant came in. So, I listened in as Nemuri, who was here relaxing with Rika, Eri, Himiko, Zaka, and Shizuka, got up, and went to door. "Hello.~ Stud." The familiar sound of his spluttering reached my ears, and I couldn't fault him. Despite having Eri around, Nemuri toed the line between looking like a sex icon, and a domestic housewife rather well. Or it could because she was Midnight, and he was a hero nerd.

I listened in with a smile on my face as Izuku fanboyed over Nemuri for a bit, before making his way to the livingroom. He talked with Zaka and the others, got a mandatory healing from Shizuka, who was still a little cross with him about hiding his injuries from her, and started making his way down to my lab.

I tracked him as he did, and hummed as he stood in the doorway to my lab. Looking over my shoulder, I saw my assistant. He still wore baggy clothing, but the way he stood was different. He wasn't hiding himself, and seemed to be a little more confident. He was also showing signs of bulking up, like we'd noticed on the day we met the MILF, which would probably make his future girlfriend(s) happy.

Anyway, seeing me, my assistant grinned, and gave me a wave. "Evening senpai!" With that said, he started making his way over to his station, happily humming as he did.

I smiled back, and waved at him with my tail. "Evening Midoriya. Now, do you remember what today is?" It was an important day after all. Izuku paused, and took a few moments to think about it. The moment he figured it out, his eyes widened, and I could see the question in his eyes. "Top right drawer. It's the only bottle in there."

He quickly set down his bag on top of his station, and gently opened the compartment. When he did, and I heard the sloshing of liquid, I grinned. His face took on a look of surprise/interest/hope, and he gently reached out for the potion. It was contained in one of our vials, and shone in a gentle ruby light. He stared at it for a bit, then turned to me. "Is this... Will it really... I..."

I rolled my eyes at him, and waved my tail at him again. "Yes. Yes. And you're welcome. Just drink the damn thing already, Midoriya." Was I being unnecessarily sassy? Yes. Did I care? No. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't sassy. (... Though, Eri, Himiko, and Lili are the exceptions... Shizuka too since she's too Shizuka to sass... Am I still sassy when I fuck?) I paused at that, and mentally reviewed my recent fuck sessions with Zaka or any of my sister mates, and confirmed that yes, I WAS still sassy when I was in either situation. That confirmed, I zoned back into Izuku, and watched as he took a few breaths, and eventually ground himself. With a determined look and nod, he popped the cork, brought the potion to his lips, and downed the contents of the potion in one shot... (Huh... Ballsy... He's lucky I didn't make it taste like cranberry juice.) While it would've been amusing to do so, I decided to be nice to my assistant, so it tasted like Katsudon.

Izuku finished up the potion, and after the last drop was down his throat, he gently glowed pink for a moment, since it was my blood that went into the potion, and I could feel as the potion went to work. It didn't take long to do its work, and after ten seconds or so, the glow faded. My assistant took a few seconds to himself before he put the vial on his station, then lifted his shirt up. The sharp intake of breath, and dilating of his eyes when he saw his chest was free of any scars, confirmed for him that it worked.

He stared at himself for a bit, and I rolled my eyes. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Izuku yelped, let go of his shirt, and turned to me. Seeing that I was still here, he blushed, and looked down. "Can we pretend you didn't see anything?"

I raised a brow at that, and crossed my legs as I fully turned towards him. "Midoriya, I live with people that have no shame showing off their bodies. Hell, if Zaka could get away with it, he'd probably walk around naked just for the fuck of it. Unluckily, we have a few people, either our children, or the other males, in this house that prevent that." It really was unfortunate that he didn't walk around naked, but I didn't complain.

My assistant on the other hand, looked up, and blinked. The disbelieving face of his was funny to look at. "'Unluckily?' Really senpai?"

A raised brow was my initial answer to that, and a nod was my next. "Yes. I'm a healthy and downright sexy young woman with both an active sex drive, and a fine appreciation of my husband's form. Why WOULDN'T I enjoy it if he walked around naked?" Izuku blushed bright red, and ducked his head again. That got a smirk out of me, and I tried not to laugh. While I mostly said that to get a rise out of him, I was speaking the truth. Zaka was attractive, highly so, and having a husband who had near infinite stamina was good for countless hours of fun. Thinking of that, I paused, and had another thought. (When was the last time we had an orgy?) I had to take a second or two to dig through the last month, and recognized we hadn't had one while we were in 'My Hero.' (Huh... I'll bring that up later.) There was a time and a place to think about an orgy, and this was not the time.

That impromptu thought aside, I zoned back in to see Izuku, shuffling his feet, and looking away. That did it, and I just laughed. The way he whined was hilarious. "Why do you have to do this to me?"

I snorted there. "I don't 'have' to do this, I do it cause I find it hilarious. That, and you're getting better. The old Izuku would've stammered like a virgin schoolgirl," Thank gods I was almost impossible to fluster now, because that would've applied to me once upon a time. "While THIS Izuku, is just blushing and only moderately embarrassed. That's character development if I've ever seen it." He laughed at that last bit, because he understood the inside joke.

It took a bit, but his embarrassment melted away, and he eventually settled into his station. After bringing out one of his support gear journals, and a pen, Izuku started working on his own project. I saw that, and nodded before turning back to focus on improving my Glinthawk design. "Senpai?" Looking over my shoulder, I saw the happy smile on my assistant's face. "Thank you for this."

I grinned, and gave him a nod. "Anytime Midoriya. Anytime." And like that, I turned back to my notes, a happy grin on my own face. And if my tail wagged a little bit, that was no ones business other then my own.

{Izuku's POV, four hours later}

It said something that sparring with Komuro-kun, and being tossed around like a rag doll some times, was something I was getting used too. Though, while I was getting used to it, didn't mean it didn't suck to be dropped onto the ground. Thankfully, the mat in the gym was nice and really soft. "Hey Izuku, you going to get up anytime this decade?"

I snorted at that, and splayed out like a starfish. "The mat is nice. I think I'll just live on it for the rest of my life. Sounds like a plan." If this was a month ago, I couldn't ever see myself talking to someone like that. But after spending time with senpai, Zaka-san, and the rest of the household, I've learned the art of sarcasm. (Mostly from senpai.)

This time, Komuro-kun snorted, and sat down besides me. He rested his back against the wall, wrapped his tail around his waist like a belt, and let out a breath. "Yeah, this mat kind of IS nice. If I had this back when I first started learning Karate, I would've been saved from so much back pain, it wouldn't even be funny." The fact my teacher had been thrown onto the mat just as much as I have at one point made me feel some kind of vindictive joy.

But it also made me think. "Hey, Komuro-kun." My teacher looked at me, and raised a brow. Having his attention, I went on. "Why did you learn Karate in the first place?" I hadn't asked, but since we had time, I decided to go for it.

My teacher/friend cupped his chin for a bit, and hummed. "At first, I started learning it because I was bored." I sweat dropped at that. "But the more I learned, the more I stayed because it was fun." I stared at him, and I couldn't keep the incredulous look off my face.

(Fun? He thought this was fun? I feel pain in my spleen! I didn't even know where my spleen WAS before training with him and Busujima-sensei... Is he...) I paused for a second, then looked at my friend. "Komuro-kun..." Another look to me, and I went on. "Are you a masochist?"

My friend choked, and the roar of laughter from Rappa-san, who was working on doing some reps, made the both of us look at him. Well, I looked, Komuro-kun sent off a betrayed glare at the man, who just laughed even more as he put the weights back. "Kid, sumthin ya have to understand about fighters. Deep down, we all got some kind of masochist in us." Huh? That seemed to get Komuro-kun too, since after his choking stopped, he just looked at Rappa-san curiously. I did too, since while Rappa-san and I didn't talk that often, he was still an interesting person. After getting up, and dusting his hands, he drunk some water, then looked at us. "It's when we're in the middle of a fight. Hearing ya heart pounding in your ears, feeling the blood rush through yer body, the wind whipping around as your fist tear through the air and land on the body of yer opponent. Hell, taking hits yaself, but not falling. Not breaking under any hits, and hitting back twice as hard. Fightin like that really makes ya feel ALIVE. Sure, it might hurt like a bitch afterwards, but it's worth it." Huh...

Komuro-kun and I shared a look at that, and I could tell we were both thinking about it. For me, I didn't really get it. I understood fighting would be another part of hero life, villains wouldn't just stop doing whatever they were doing if I asked nicely after all, but I never thought about that aspect of fighting. (It's doubtful I'll ever REALLY get that perspective, but hearing it is interesting.) It really was. Especially coming from a former villain.

Actually... "Yo, Kendo?" Nevermind, Komuro-kun spoke first.

"Yeah?" Rappa-san took another sip of his water, and looked at him.

"I've been wondering. How'd you get into the whole villain business anyway? You brought up the fighting rings a few times, but I didn't feel like asking more about it whenever you brought it up before." ... Well that was blunt. But it was what I was wondering too, so I'd take it.

Rappa-san just laughed, and set a nearby towel around his neck. "It's nothin really special. Pops wasn't in my life, ma had to make ends meet, so she worked her ass off to earn as much as she could." That made me freeze, because of the similarity to my own life. "Some brat figured out about pops not being around, and squealed to the middle school I went to. From there, the little shits bullied the 'fatherless weakling', since back then, I could hardly use my quirk for more then two or three swings before pullin somethin, and I ended up beating the shit out of em when I had enough." I was seeing even more parallels here, but didn't speak on it. "Ma obviously got called in, and after a night where we talked, I say we, but it was mostly my ma blaming herself for me actin out." I wasn't liking where this was going. Rappa-san even took a second to take another sip of his water, before going on. "After that, I tried to be a good kid, and tune out the dumbasses that tried me. But a week later, I got into another fight. I won though, but I got expelled after. That crushed ma, and from there, shit just got worse." I REALLY wasn't liking where this was going. "Ma tried to get me into another school, but I had a black mark from crippling one of the little shits after I smashed my fist into his knee. So, after a while, ma gave up. With me not going to school, I managed to help around the house more. It was the only thing I could really do at the time." I couldn't help but feel both sympathy for Rappa-san, and a small bit of fear that this could've been me and mom.

Rappa-san put down his water, and sighed. "But one day, I heard some gutter rat talking about a fight club. A place where dudes bet some money on the participants. Hearing that, I obviously went after it. I was tired of watching my ma come home at the ass crack of dawn, only to get an hour or two of sleep before she had to head back out to work again." I winced at that, because I knew mom worked a lot before I started working with senpai. After I did though, she quit one of her jobs, and was going to quit the other in a week or two. "So, off to the fight club I went. The place was real professional looking, had divisions we could enter based on age and experience. It was good." I didn't miss the nostalgic look in his eyes, and I doubted Komuro-kun did either. "My first fight was against a dude with an amphibious quirk. His skin had this membrane that made my fists slide offa him, and I ended up losing that fight."

"(Yikes. That couldn't have been good.)" Dual snorts were the response to that, and I sighed at the fact I said that outloud. I'd gotten better at not speaking outloud, but it would slip sometimes.

Thankfully, neither of them berated me for it. Rappa-san just looked amused. "Yeah, I got my shit rocked. Luckily, they had a girl with a weak healing quirk on hand, so it was nothin permanent. The next fight was more fair, and I almost won. Though, the guy had a reflection type quirk, so every hit I did him, was basically brought back to me. We ended up tying, and ended up sharin the money. But my third fight? Like they say, third times the charm. Sure, I was tired as shit, and hurtin places I never knew could hurt, but I won. I left my first night 35k yen richer. .. Though, ma chewed me out, so it was a phyrric victory at best." Huh...

"... Still didn't answer the question you know." I blinked at that, and realized that while he may have given the backstory to it, we didn't get that answer.

Rappa looked at us, and laughed when he realized that fact. "Long story short, a year or two later, ma croaked after overworking herself," WHAT THE FUCK?! "And I didn't know what I was fighting for anymore. So for a while, I just beat the shit out of anyone that challenged me, until one day, I was in for a fight for my life. Some big dude with four arms, eyes and red skin challenged me, and it was a real slug fest. We fought for over ten minutes, and by the end of it, both of us had a fuckton of broken bones. But I won. And that's when I knew what I fought for. I fought for myself. For the sake of fighting. For the thrill of it. Some years later, Overhaul 'recruits' me, and ya know the rest of it." Well... Komuro-kun and I were stunned at that story, and just stared at Rappa-san.

But at the same time, there was a thought bubbling in the back of my mind, and I let it voice itself. (That... That could've been me.) It really could've been. Mom and I were doing better thanks to Takagi-senpai paying me 20,000 yen by the hour, and I usually worked at least 3-4 hours before and after training. Another few weeks to maybe a month and some change would be all we'd need to finally make ends meet. (But without senpai... Mom would still be working three jobs, while I'd still be working at the convenience store... But what if the same thing happened to her?) I could easily see it. Even in the age of quirks, karoshi was still an issue. With her working so much, mom would've collapsed eventually, and if I lost her, I'd be lost. But there was another thought there too. (Villains aren't defined by their label.) I hadn't given it that much thought before, but now that I spent so much time in the Zaka household, that thought rose to my mind.

I'd always seen villains for their quirks or for what heroes they fought, or even for their crimes. But I'd never actually thought about WHY they were villains. WHY they were the way that they were. If I hadn't spent time with Himiko-chan, who refused to be called by anything else, and with Rappa-san, I wouldn't have thought about it. Sure, there were villains like Muscular, who loved to hurt others just because he could, but there were also 'villains' like Rappa-san and Himiko-chan. One that lost his reason for fighting until he found a new one, and one that was practically forced into becoming what she was. (That... That shouldn't be allowed to happen... How long has this happened for though?) That thought made me freeze, because I didn't know. I didn't know how many people had been branded as villains because of situations out of their control. I didn't know who didn't deserve to be called a villain... (But what can I do about it?) I didn't know. I really di...- 'YOU'RE going to be the one who decides just what kind of symbol you'll be.' Senpai's words resounded through my mind, and I felt it.

I finally found what I wanted to be a symbol for.

So, with a burst of newfound energy, I got up, and started running towards the labs. But before I left, I waved at Rappa-san and Komuro-kun, and gave them a smile. "Thank you two!" And like that, I ran out of the gym.

Though, before I was out of earshot, I heard Rappa-san. "The fuck just happened?" I didn't hear Komuro-kun respond, but it was whatever.

I ran through the halls, and after running passed a few members of the household, including the pair of Miyamoto's, who gave me a strange look as they watched me run. I gave them a quick wave and a hi, before I made my way through the household.

I saw others too, but I was fully zoned in on telling Takagi-senpai on my new resolve. I'd also have to tell All Might too, but he wasn't here right now, so Takagi-senpai took precedence.

I eventually made it to the lab, where senpai was testing another Glinthawk prototype, and met her gaze as she looked over her shoulder. "Senpai, I know what kind of symbol I want to be!" She raised a brow, and motioned with her tail for me to go on. So I did. "I want to be...-"

{Five hours later}

Sitting at my desk, I wrote in one of my 'Hero loadout for the future' journals, and updated my set of support gear. I was going to use a different set of armored shoes, they were obviously going to be red just like my go too shoes. The designs were already perfected, and I just needed to focus on the rest of my costume. Originally it was going to have a little too many homages to All Might and David Shield, since they were my idols, the goals that I focused on. But now, they weren't the only goals or figures in my life that I wanted to focus on.

Takagi-senpai, Kohta-kun, Komuro-kun, Rei-chan, and the rest of my friends in the Zaka household. They supported me, and really showed me what it meant to have bestfriends/friends. Then there were Rappa-san and Himiko-chan, villains that didn't truly deserve that label. I was going to do something about that. Do something that helped people that deserved better.

The door to my room opened, and I turned to see mom, who was looking better then she did at the start of the week, coming in to bring a late night snack. "Hey mom. Thanks for the snacks."

Mom smiled at me, and set the tray down on my desk. "You're welcome Izuku." It looked like she was going to say something else, but her eyes drifted to my chest, and she paused. Her eyes widened, and it looked like there was a light in them. "Izuku, Is... Are they... When did?" I knew what she wanted to say, and I understood her surprise.

I smiled again, and put a hand to my chest. I took a shower a bit earlier, and settled with staying topless for now, since I wanted to work on my notes first. That decision led to mom seeing my scars, or, lack thereof. "Remember the surprise I said my senpai wanted to give me?" Mom knew about senpai and the others, obviously she did since I couldn't exactly hide the fact I earned hundreds of thousands in yen, but she didn't really know any of them. She wanted to meet them, but she was usually busy. That didn't mean I kept her out of the loop, since I didn't.

Mom's eyes widened again, and it looked like there were tears starting to form... Uh oh. She pulled me into a hug, and I reflexively hugged her back. "OH IZUUU! FINALLY, YOU'VE FOUND SOME REAL FRIEEENDS!" She started crying a lot here, and I thanked senpai for reinforcing/waterproofing any and every journal I brought her.

Patting her on the back, I spoke as softly as I could. "Yeah. I have... They're the best mom. They really are." I really believed that, and probably always would.

Mom kept crying for a while, and when she was done, pulled away, to look me in the eyes. I blinked at the serious look on her face, and listened when she spoke. "I... Want... I want to meet them. Please, Izu?"

I blinked at that, but nodded nonetheless. I didn't mind if mom met the Zaka household. They were practically a second family, so mom meeting them wasn't something I was against. "Sure. When are you free again?"

She smiled, and after a sniffle, answered. "I'll be free on the sports festival. Does that work honey?" I felt my smile grow, and nodded. Mom's eyes lit up, and her own smile probably mirrored mine in intensity. "Perfect!" Then a moment later, she panicked. "Oh no, what do I wear?! I need to make a good impression! Oh dear, oh no!" And like that, mom started running to her room...

Looking to pick out an outfit for a meeting four days away... (... Women are strange creatures indeed.) I snorted at that, and gently shook my head as I turned back to my journal. Things were way better now. Mom was prepared(?) To start socializing again, started to get better sleep, and was all around doing better. She wouldn't end up like Rappa-san's mom, and I'd make sure of it.

So as I wrote in my journal, I thought about my new resolve, and how I'd get there. Bakugo-kun wasn't able to control or scare me anymore. The scars he'd given me were gone, as was his influence on me. I wasn't alone, and finally found people to call friends. I'd found mentors, and most of all, family.

I was ready to take the first steps. All I'd need to do was follow through.

The Symbol of Justice wouldn't create himself after all.

[Omake - A new alliance. Lisa's POV]

(Alright Lisa, you've got your taser in one pocket, mace in the other, which won't really work if The Morrigan has the Brute rating Badb is supposed to have, then those are going to be useless, unless I manage to hit her retinas point blank with either, or both... As if I'll get the chance to do that. She's at the very least a Mover 3 given her speed from last nights showing. If I so much as look at her wrong, she could easily take me down before I can even blink...) I slapped my cheeks, and breathed out. (Stop overthinking. If she wanted to ambush or take us in, she could've done so that night. We've got a lifeline here, one we can't fuck up because of some mostly rational fear. We're going to walk into this cafe, and we're going to make a deal with the new Trump on the block.) I took another breath in, then out, before I nodded, and walked in.

As soon as I walked in, I noticed the place was at maybe half capacity. There were a bunch of people around, but as I looked around, I didn't really see anyone that screamed ca...- My eyes met a pair of striking red, and I cut that thought off. The woman I was looking at had long and wild black hair that even in a ponytail, went past her waste, wore a black tube top that showed off her muscles and bust... And her bust... (Good Scion, the fuck ARE those? Do... Triple D? How the hell does she walk around with those?) Those aside, even though I kinda wanted to pay more attention to them since they were ridiculous, she had some black jeans that hugged her legs like a dehydrated man and a bottle of water, while also wearing black laced combat boots. All in all, she screamed 'Sexy but dangerous.' And after a more focused look at her, one that would've passively triggered my power, and getting nothing back, I breathed out. (Welp, guess I found her.)

I gathered my wits, and walked over to the booth she was in. As I did, I started to focus on more then her appearance. She was all the way in the back, and was sipping on some tea as she watched me. Even without my power, I could tell she held confidence and power in her eyes. So, she knew what she was doing, which was a good thing. (But I can't just rely on that. Alright Lisa, stick to the plan. Feel out for how much she knows, get an understanding of her personality and motives, and try to keep her on her toes. I can't rely on my power here, so it's up to good old fashioned detective work.) That in mind, I got to the booth, and sat down on the other side. Though, the moment I did, I immediately noticed something. There was a strange black amulet on the table, one that you'd have to be at the booth to see. I looked at it for a moment, and felt my power activate.

~Powered item? Power? Stranger? No, easily recognized and not trying to make us look away. Memory alteration? Possible, but unlikely. Shaker power? More likely. What does it...-~

"It's a privacy amulet. One way sound transmission. We can hear them, but they can't hear us." My eyes widened, and I snapped towards The Morrigan. She looked amused at my reaction, but I couldn't help it. That was beyond useful... If she was telling the truth that was. When I thought about that, I looked towards the amulet, and narrowed my eyes at it. I was going to let my power give it another shot, but The Morrigan just cleared, her throat, and what she did next was going to forever stay in my mind. "COCK SUCKING WHORESON GETTING ASS FUCKED BY AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC DILDO COVERED IN DICK GREASE." I STARED at the woman in front of me, jaw damn near on the table, and couldn't believe that just happened. It didn't help that she did that with the most straight face I'd ever seen, and casually sipped her tea afterwards.

Then I remembered what she said about the amulet, and started looking around. Despite being at half capacity, and us being all the way in the back, her shout should've carried all around. But aside from the random guys, and one woman checking The Morrigan out, no one seemed to react to the string of curses she let out. Seeing that, I turned back to The Morrigan, and met her satisfied smirk. Seeing her precaution to being listened in on, I let out a sigh of relief, and nodded at The Morrigan. "That's perfect... Alright... Firstly... That... What the fuck?"

She snorted, and put her tea down. "My bestfriend is Irish, and my uncle likes to drink." She said that as if it explained everything...

Which it kind of did... I nodded, again, and decided to get this show on the road. "Anyway. I guess it's time to introduce ourselves." Even though I met with her, I was still a bit anxious. Sure, the Unwritten Rules were a thing, and meeting like this was an act of good faith for both parties, but I was still at a disadvantage without my power. But I couldn't always rely on it. Now, I had to do this on my own, and I would. "I'm Lisa Wilbourn." With that, I stuck out my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

The Morrigan hummed, and took my hand in her own, flashing me a smile as she did. "Yin Xiao-Long."

We shook on it, and I managed to hide my surprise. ('Xiao-Long?' Sounds Chinese, but she doesn't look eastern at all. Adopted? Maybe had a name change? 'Xiao-Long' hmm... That's something related to dragons... Did she have a beef with Lung, prior to last night? I don't know. Damn, I'll need to check google for a translation later to be sure.) After shaking hands, the both of us went back to our prior positions, and after I ordered a drink, went back to focusing on the other. (Alright. Phase 1, find out how much she knows.) I cleared my throat, and folded my hands. "So. What exactly can you help me with?" We both new what, she alluded to Coil in her message, but I wanted to be thorough.

After I asked, my drink ended up coming, and with it, I took a casual sip as I watched Yin. She smiled at me, and rested her free knuckle against her cheek. "So, I'm not really into the whole 'back and forth' negotiation thing, so I'm going to lay my cards on the table, and go from there. That work?"

I drank a bit more at that, making sure not to outwardly react to that. But Internally? I was practically kicking a cabinet. (What was the point of me trying to psyche myself up if you're just going to say that?! Ughhhhhhh!) Putting my drink down, I gave her a short nod, and a smile. "I'm fine with that." I wasn't, but internal rage aside, this could be a good thing.

Yin smiled, then spoke. "So, this isn't really in order, since I'm still planning it out, so bear with me for a bit." That, didn't give me that much confidence, but with her recent achievements, I would give her the benefit of the doubt. Seeing me be fine with it, she went on. "So obviously, Coil has to go. I don't mind kicking him in the dick hard enough to kill him via shock, he just has to go." I snorted so hard, I thought I was going to choke. The idea of kicking Coil in the nads, busting his balls, cracking his nuts, was HIGHLY amusing, and something I definitely wanted to see done. After that, Yin smiled wider, and nodded. "Yeah. I've got a few ideas on how to fuck him over, but we can work on those later. The Merchant's are down, but I want to dismantle the other gangs too. Nazis shouldn't be a thing anymore, and with Lung down, the ABB will be scrambling for a bit. Bakuda is going to be an issue, but when I find her lab, she'll be easy."

I hummed at that, and thought about it. (I can see it. Bakuda's some kind of bomb Tinker, and that's not a good specialization for anyone in the bay. The Nazis have to go too, that's a no brainer. And the ABB will be easier to handle without Lung's overwhelming threat.) I trusted in her strength, but I didn't know how good her information gathering was. And thinking on it, that was probably why she wanted me and the Undersiders. Her main(?) Motive found out, I fought off the smile on my face, and asked a big question. "Why should I trust you though? For all I know, you could just try to use me." I needed to know here. Sure, I wanted Coil to get his, but I wasn't about to trade one captor for another.

Yin... No, The Morrigan grinned here, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "I'm strong enough to take you, and the entirety of the Undersiders if I felt like it. I'm not bragging, I'm stating a fact. Macha could take you all from the skies as she drowns you in our birds. Nemain could move faster then Badb, and beat you all down in moments. And Badb? She could dismantle you all in the blink of an eye. I don't need to negotiate with you Lisa. I'm doing this as both a sign of good faith, and as a hope that we can become partners as much as friends."

I felt a little annoyed at that, but I couldn't deny it. (Badb is the 'Omen' and from what she's alluding too, her strongest aspect. She's right with Macha, since none of us have any ranged options. Sure, Brian could try to cover her in his darkness, but aerial superiority negates that. Combine that with the sheer amount of birds she could drown us in, and we'd be fucked. Then there's the fact Nemain hasn't even debuted, and that's an unknown variable that we only have hearsay about. But she also has a point. She didn't NEED to do this. She didn't HAVE to unmask herself to me... Dammit... Do I take the leap? This is bi...- It's not just big for me. Alright Lisa. Another question we have to ask.) Clearing my throat, I looked at Th...- She was back to 'Yin' again, and spoke. "What about my team?"

Yin drank her tea, then nodded. "I can pay you all, give you enough to tide you over and get out of the scene for a bit. Maybe even get a place to crash or something." Really?

I narrowed my eyes at that, and really looked at her. "And how much CAN you pay us?" This was important. Brian needed cash to help with Aisha, Rachel wanted/needed money for her dogs, Alec would like it, but he didn't really care too much, and I could use some money for myself.

I watched as she thought about it, and drank some of my coffee. "I can give you $250k each, upfront as a sign of good faith." I spat it all out at that. But come on, who wouldn't when you were basically offered $1M? Yin managed to prevent any coffee from landing on her by making a black barrier where it crashed against, and slid off harmlessly. (So it's not just birds.) That was an interesting bit of information, but not something immediately useful. She dispelled the barrier, and gave me a flat look. I was just a little embarrassed, but come on. "In my defense, you just offered my team a million dollars. If I DIDN'T react like that, there would be an issue."

She blinked, and went 'huh.' "Point. I guess I'll let it slide this time. Try not to do it again though, I like this top."

(Of course you would, it shows off your massive tits and muscles, why wouldn't you?) I've never envied another woman's body this much, but considering she could probably give professional models a run for their money, I thought it was understandable. I didn't say any of that though, and settled for nodding. "Gotcha bosslady."

She raised a brow, and gave me an amused smile. "'Bosslady' huh? that mean you're on board?"

I rolled my eyes at that. "Let's see. A meeting where, despite you having the upper hand, practically the entire time, you haven't demanded me to join, and are offering to help me and my team. Sure, you basically threatened me and them by extension when you said you could mop the floor with us. But that's kind of why I'm on board. You COULD'VE done that. Could've just followed after us you dealt with Lung, and beat us down, forcibly recruiting us. But here you are, meeting me unmasked, and offering to actually pay us without doing anything? Well obviously I'm going to be onboard. I'll need to talk with Grue later, he'll be skeptical sure, but if you're as cordial as you are now, you'll get him... As long as you follow through with the money, of course." And she probably would. The only reason he was doing this was for his sister. So if he got a quarter million dollars, he would drop villain work at the drop of a hat.

Yin nodded at that, and I didn't need my power to tell she was pleased. "Great. I don't have a suitcase, so if you want, we can go shopping for one, then I can give you the money after we get it."

(Hmm... That could work. By buying it together, she won't get the chance to bug it or anything, and if I can get a look at the money, I'll be able to tell if it's real. Is she intentionally asking that so I can confirm both of those things? Possibly. She's had me at the back foot for this whole thing, but she's been doing her best to show her goodwill... Alright. This'll just confirm it.) That in mind, I gave the cape with enough power to take out a 4 meter Lung like he was a child, a smile. "Sure, shopping it is then." Yin smiled, and I could just feel things were going to only go up from here. (First time without my power, and I got a deal that'll hopefully end up with Coil six feet under. Way to go me... Even if she did the most... Whatever. I'll just pretend I had a bigger role in our negotiations.) All in all, a good start. Hopefully, she didn't stab me in the back. That'd just suck.

So we get some character development for Izuku, and his new resolve. I haven't had Rappa dialogue, like at all, so there he is. Then there's the Omake. Yin's settling into Worm well, making a power base that she's going to expand upon eventually. I didn't feel like putting Yin's stats again, but I'll probably do it in the next overly Worm focused Omake.

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