synflux | TRAVEL LOG #1

TRAVEL LOG #1

TRAVEL LOG #1

CONTENT WARNINGS: potential mentions of drugs, suspected mind-control, alcohol, and gambling, gore.

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

On the morning of the 15th, the Outsiders will hear an alarm sound in the early hours. No matter what you’re doing, the alarm will not stop sounding, and it’s because they’re playing directly into your oculars. If one is sleeping, they may even be roused by the spark of colors on their oculars dictating an emergency. After a few minutes of this, the following message will appear:

PLEASE REPORT TO THE DATAPORTAL AT THE TOKYO BRANCH AND BE PREPARED FOR DEPARTURE.

"Captain Yamakawa speaking. You’ve done a great job in testing the data portals. Now that we are able to travel, we were sent a call for help in another city due to lack of personnel and resources abroad. You will be looking for evidence of a new kaiju around the rendezvous point. It may be a difficult journey, so prepare yourself. SYNTHIA will still be online to help you make it to the city. Report to the POD CHAMBER where we have installed an international dataportal and prepare for transportation."

Following the success of the dataportal testing, the engineering department was able to fine tune its abilities and widen the reach of the portals. The portals can connect even abroad now!

Despite their best efforts, however, they cannot guarantee that the same symptoms won’t appear, and ask all Outsiders who are utilizing them to practice caution. Additionally, through all their testing, they found that people who hold hands or make contact with others as they pass through will be hit with less issues.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

When one passes through the data portal, they will see the refuge city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Similar to Neo Tokyo, it is also rich in life and known as the city that never sleeps. Incidentally, it is also famously noted as a place of endless vice. The city is built up around a strip of land of roughly 4.2 miles. A vast majority of the city was built up over the wreckage of the old, and some fixtures were simply made new with whatever was left preexisting. The Mojave Desert has expanded towards surrounding cities, though it will take a vehicle to get there in a timely manner.

The city has no shortage of hotels and with each hotel, a casino. While Outsiders here are on a mission, there’s no stating they couldn’t participate in the fun of Vegas while LILITH crew begin their investigation. While some hotels will be clearly abandoned or less traversed, there is no end to all card tables and slot machines, all asking for your KRYPTOS.

The hotel the Outsiders are slotted to stay over the course of the next few days is one where they built directly over the hotels of the old. While it offers a decent place to sleep, it’s not without a refurbished pirate themed bed, or the columns of what appears to have been from Caesars Palace. Is that a giant clown face staring at you in the room? Don’t worry about it. The hotel offers that this is the best place to depart into the desert from. For this mission, Outsiders may bunk up with whoever they would like, and each hotel provides two queen sized beds.

Excited to venture out into the city? Even under the threat of kaiju, the city doesn’t sleep. Outsiders may venture through the Las Vegas Strip and treat themselves to a fun night of drinking, gambling, shopping, partying and circle-style performances. The Grand Canal Shoppes, a Venetian-inspired high end mall, boasts a man-made canal with gondola rides for a fee, along with many retail outlets and restaurants. There are also numerous spas and carnival-style rides to enjoy. Las Vegas was once known as the ‘Marriage Capital of the World’, and in a world besieged by kaiju, the people don’t seem to think they have anything to lose. Outsiders may spot a few bride and grooms-to-be partying in the street.

(LILITH does not have a stance on whether or not Outsiders are permitted to get hitched as long as it does not affect their performance. )

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

It’s normal for fights to break out with so much alcohol being passed around, but something … isn’t quite right with some of the locals here. Outsiders who keep an eye open might notice people acting erratically, and not just from being intoxicated. There are people ready to pick a fight from just being looked at, people falling into despondent sadness and lethargy, people wandering mindlessly and people becoming distressed from seeing things that aren’t there. Ask the locals and they will tell you these cases seem to be popping up more often the past week.

The most concerning of all are the stories of people disappearing completely. One little girl will tell you she cried as she saw her mother mindlessly walk into the desert, as if called by a voice no one else can hear. There are many other accounts of this happening. In fact, all the people acting erratically seem to disappear within a few days …

Outsiders may interact with civilians who are acting erratic and aggressive, but asking questions they may receive answers that do not make sense, are perverse and inappropriate or may trigger aggression. Any Outsider to gets into a fight and is severely injured may report to a local hospital here and will find they are pretty packed with other civilians acting strange, hurting each other and themselves. Certainly, this was the main cause for concern that got LILITH's attention anyway.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

Within a day or two, the Outsiders will once again be called to action by a blaring notice in their implant.

YOUR VEHICLES ARE PREPARED. ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE THE CITY IMMEDIATELY.

When they gather at the location provided to them, they will find a fleet of armored campervans waiting for them. Each campervan comes equipped with beds, a kitchenette, and bathroom facilities, and will fit about 4 people. Within the campervans, they will find desert-appropriate attire designed to protect them from the scorching sun. These campervans also come with some basic artillery such as a mounted machine gun. There are also supplies in the form of water bottles and MRE ration packs.

Those who have driven large vehicles in the past are encouraged to take the driver’s seat. If the group does not have any driving experience, they will be given a crash course on driving recorded by the man himself, Seok Dang. (He probably shouldn’t be doing this with the stunts he’s pulled, but the Commander does not have any time to be teaching anyone driving, and Seok Dang volunteered so eagerly…)

"Listen. If you’ve ever handled a ▄▄ before, the joystick is exactly like that. You gotta tug it, but not too hard. Gently, yeah, like that, that’s the path to ecstasy … "

If it eases anyone’s worries, the campervans are armored and highly shock resistant, so they should withstand a crash or two.

(Those who finish his course and successfully drive 100km while supervised will receive an international driving license.)

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

With everyone settled into their campervan, the large scale road trip begins. LILITH has a general idea of where the biggest energy signal is located for the rift and they will feed the coordinates to the Outsiders. The journey will take about a few days into (and around as LILITH is searching for both people & the source of the rift energy) the Mojave Desert, and Outsiders will be permitted occasional rest stops to give drivers a break and to investigate the terrain. The terrain itself is a harsh desert, with cacti and small local fauna abundant. (Those not wanting to eat ration packs can take this time to hunt the local fauna such as birds, lizards and desert foxes.) While there is nothing else around, observant Outsiders may notice signs of human life - footprints in the sand, a shoe or torn piece of clothing being left behind, and even the odd human carcass being torn apart by vultures.

The logical conclusion would be that those missing humans have been here, and the only thing left to do is find them … but Outsiders and civilians aren't all that lurk here, and time will tell what lies beneath the desert surface ...

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

Welcome to our very first travel log! Each campervan will accommodate anywhere between 3-5 people, with 4 being the ideal and 5 being a squeeze. Players are encouraged to connect with each other to fill up a van but the mods will not be enforcing it. If you need help finding roommates, there is a FIND A ROOMMATE header below that you can make use of.

If you'd like to test your gambling luck, we also have an IC SLOTS HEADER for you to comment to for you to see how well your character does at the slot machines. This is entirely for fun, and of course you are always welcome to have your characters winning or losing at the slot machines as much as you want in your prompts so long as they aren't winning jackpots.

Following this log, all characters who have purchased style upgrades will receive an update to their chip enabling them access to desert attire and popular styles within Las Vegas.

All tags on this log are worth 2 points.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's not the creeping feeling of someone's eyes boring into his back. But the pervading sense that something isn't right in this place. A villain attack? A trap? A dangerous unstable area? As if a dreadful thing takes place without people knowing, unable to explain it. He thought it was stupid fantasy talk when some old man in the comics mentioned a "sickness" over a city, but if he's honest, this brings back those memories. This isn't the knowledge that all cities have a seedy underbelly. This is different.

Bakugo's attention jerks from the silent mixture of brooding and scouting when the sound of running echoes in an alley nearby. Just in time to see a man burst out of it and dive into the crowds. Tch, some asshole late for- Or not. More follow him, obviously intent on catching their quarry. Assholes, don't they have anything better to do than fuck around with other people?!

He blitzes forward in a rush, two explosions from his palms sending him vaulting over the crowd in an arc. Getting ahead of the running man, he drops atop a nearby lamppost, just on the verge of a crowd edge, waits... and then launches into the aggressive chasers. Knee first into one man's stomach, bouncing off to land a hard elbow into a second one's ribs, and the third one summarily knocked three feet away with a right hook.

Bakugo straightens up, glaring at the fourth and fifth as they emerge from the crowds.]

You're really pissing me off, assholes! You wanna chase something, go chase cars in traffic! Who wants to die next?!

[ The moment he hears a ruckus erupt from behind him, he immediately comes to a stop and turns around to evaluate the situation.

A child? —No, it's an Outsider like him. A child, yes, but one who was likely quite capable of fighting. Still, it would not do for him to keep running now that someone has intercepted the chase.

With the noise and explosions, bystanders had quickly cleared out of the area, leaving far less obstacles in the way—less for him to calculate around. Good. He hadn't wanted to cause harm, but he would have to end this before the situation escalated further.

The two thugs lingered for a moment, unsure, but whatever was driving their aggression quickly took over and they charged at Bakugo with a yell. ]

Keep still!

[ A command to Bakugo, and then he winds his arm back and tosses. Two pieces of chalk come flying from behind the teen and nail the thugs precisely, one in the temple and the other in the solar plexus. They crumple instantly, knocked unconscious by the attack. ]

Edited 2024-05-20 08:04 (UTC)

[He's not surprised people went scattering at the sound of explosions and the sight of fighting. Most people would. Though it wouldn't be America if those very same people were quick to return with their dumb phones out, heedless of the potential damage so they could get the scoop on what was going on. Bakugo stands his ground against the remaining two, daring them to make a move.

They move-!

Keep still!

-was that for him or for them?!

A second later, something whizzes right past his ears and for a moment, he thinks the two remaining thugs got shot. One to the head, the other in the torso. But as they fall, Bakugo notices the "bullets" rolling on the ground.

Chalk?]

What the hell?

[ The pieces of chalk fizzle out of existence in a small burst of light, and Ratio approaches, kneeling down to check on the first two Bakugo knocked out. ]

...he will need a scan to diagnose the extent of the contusions. This one... fractured ribs—high probability of further internal injuries...

[ He moves over to the third. This one had landed in a bad way, but was thankfully still breathing. ]

...fracture of the humeral shaft, displaced. High probability of concussion.

[ He sighs and stands up, now addressing Bakugo. ]

These five will require hospitalization to minimize permanent damage from these injuries.

[Chalk as in like, just chunks of white-ish rock... or chalk as in the kind used on the blackboard? Cause either one makes for a fucking weird item to randomly pitch at people! Especially when they burn away in light.]

WHAT?! How fragile are these fuckers?!

[He's slammed people smaller than these with a full-blown explosion and they came out with smoke, bruises, and scratches! What the hell are these assholes made of, toothpicks?! Bakugo certainly hadn't gone in for bone-breaking blows, to say nothing of trying to do internal damage. He knows how to pull his punches when dealing with random assholes. Now he really doesn't want to touch them, unsure what else this glass-bone group has going on.]

Why the hell were they chasing you in the first place?

[Mental note: people in Las Vegas are porcelain. But he is calling... wait, what IS the emergency number here?]

You! [To some gawker in the crowd.] Call the fucking cops and the hospital now!

[ The kind of chalk used on a blackboard. If you've ever joked about a teacher throwing chalk at students, Bakugo, now is the time to remember that. And the chalk seemed to be made out of energy with the way it fizzled out of existence.

The bystander that gets singled out by Bakugo ends up with a deer-in-headlights expression before fumbling with their phone and calling 911. '-yeah, we're really close to the hospital, and the two guys that did it are still here too! One of them has bombs!!' ]

Humans are quite fragile if struck in just the right place... or is that not the case on your planet?

[ Considering that a teenager was given access to explosives, perhaps the people of his planet were far sturdier than the average human. ]

Before I answer your question, I believe a change of location is necessary.

[ He turns and begins to walk off, disregarding the injured thugs and the increasingly panicked yelling of the bystander on the phone. '-wait, they're running! You need to hurry up or they're gonna escape!!' ]

[His teacher(s) have never thrown chalk at them, but Aizawa did strangle him a few times with his Capture Weapon. Midoriya said Sir Nighteye threw salaryman-style stamps at his enemies... But no, he's used to having teacher who can actually fight.

Ugh, of course they're going to yell about someone having bombs. He clicks his tongue in annoyance before detonating another explosion in his palm and looking off to the side like he's too cool (or pissed) to give a shit. Right. Las Vegas didn't have months to get used to the Outsiders like Neo Tokyo did.]

I didn't hit them hard enough to break bones. I know my own strength. [Are humans fragile in his world? No more than most other humans in his experience! But he isn't in his world. Despite that, Bakugo's never really given thought that the natives in this dimension/timeline/version of Earth are more physically frail than his own... Fuck.]

Get your ass back here! The cops are gonna need your side of the story before we turn into some local wanted criminals!

[Bakugo's staying right where he is. He wants to make sure the thugs are dealt with, both by the cops and the medics, and he intends to give his side of things to clear his name and not make future problems.]

You still didn't say why they were chasing you!

[ The witnesses shriek a little and jump back at the explosion, and the one on the phone is also on the verge of freaking out.

As for Ratio... perhaps he'd gotten too used to the way he operates with Aventurine. Gotten too used to handling the few fights he's gotten into discreetly so as to avoid trouble with the local law enforcement. The IPC's meddling wasn't always welcomed by every planet. He had mistakenly assumed that he could continue operating that way. As if he had the same resources he did at home: credits, reputation and access to more than enough information to help him turn situations around. He has none of that here, and it's a realization that sinks cold in his stomach.

He'd also assumed that Bakugo would listen to him, being a teenager, albeit with a bad attitude. Assumed, with his hot-headedness and propensity for violence that he would also want to avoid law enforcement. He's not exactly displeased to be proven wrong, but now he has to change his approach.

He stops, and with a sigh, he turns back and retraces his steps, this time stopping when he's in comfortable conversing distance with the teen. ]

If that is the case, then they likely will not have any more injuries than I observed. Scans will clarify the extent of their injuries.

[ He looks down upon the unconscious individuals. The two that he struck, he knows most certainly have fractures, as he had calculated that result. He is not as kind as Bakugo when it comes to dealing with enemies, though he has never killed a single person. ]

That is a question I'd like to have an answer to myself. They did not give me the opportunity to speak before attacking.

[He did it another time just so everyone around can actually see the explosions instead of being ignorant about whatever "bombs" he was carrying. It's fucking stupid LILITH would have the Outsiders go to another city without some kind of warning going out to the general public that these other-worldly people would be arriving.

This place isn't the same as Bakugo's world back home, but in the ways that he can, he'll treat it the same. That includes upholding the statutes of hero society where he can. Until the police prove otherwise, he opts to trust them as an honest entity. Heroes don't leave the scene until the records are accounted for. But damn, they take their time as much as the police in his world (sometimes).

He's glad Ratio doesn't decide to run. Chasing him down would be a pain in the ass. Bakugo crosses his arms over his chest, looking at the five laid-out figures with annoyance. These people instigated a chase on someone he thinks is innocent, but without knowing the story, well... that's going to be interesting.]

You hit one of them in the damn temple. [That's usually been reserved for a killing move. Obviously the guy is still breathing, so he's not dead. That's both impressive and alarming.] Of course they're not gonna get more injuries! They're unconscious!

[Unless the crowd around them starts to invade and kick their bodies or something. Bakugo's not "kind" when he deals with criminals, but he's also not intending to seriously injure rambunctious civilians. Heroes don't maim.]

Add that to other weird crap going on here.

[Someone else in the crowd pipes up that he got attacked out of the blue as well. The disappearances in the desert don't help either.]

[ Bakugo is correct in his assessment of Ratio's attacks. The temple had been the easiest weak point to target, and Ratio had more than enough confidence in his own calculations to know he would not make a fatal strike. However, there is always a small margin of error, and for that reason, he usually opts not to resort to violence when there are other methods available to him.

Anyway, Ratio's expression is unimpressed when Bakugo misinterprets his words. ]

Not all injuries are externally visible. What I have observed may only be fraction of what they have sustained.

[ He raises a hand to his chin as he begins to think. So this act of aggression wasn't an isolated incident. ]

What have you observed so far?

[Considering each of the men are still breathing despite two of the three being very still, there's no need to call the proverbial hearse. But getting the police on the scene is important to avoid more issues in the future, both with these men attacking people and with making sure Bakugo and Ratio are able to continue walking through Vegas without finding themselves on a wanted poster. Fuck, he saw how Midoriya got slapped on a wanted poster in Otheon... He'd rather not deal with that notoriety based on misinterpretation. His image and reputation are far more important.]

And I'm saying I didn't hit them that fucking hard!

[Unless the three he took out all had a massive issue with calcium deficiencies... or brittle bone disease. Though he's staying close because yes, he's actually worried he did hurt them that hard, even if the cause of that is more on them than him. Bakugo doesn't mind keeping their conversation vocal since the people around can listen and hear what went on.]

Two kids' parents up and vanished. A little girl saw her mom wander off into the desert. The other one never showed up to daycare. Three idiots started fighting in the movie theater line for no damn reason.

[Which gets a few other locals attesting to having experienced and witnessed similar issues around town. Which will pain the two Outsiders in a better light. Thanks for that.]

Then they will be fine.

[ Ratio is generally unconcerned. Not because he doesn't care, but he's already verified that they will not get worse during the time it takes for the ambulance to arrive. No was no further need to worry.

But the observations are concerning. Individuals seemingly acting out with no reason. External influence? He can't help but think of some recent news he's read of intergalatic matters. ]

Perhaps heliobi? No, the Xianzhou Alliance cannot have been in proximity to this planet...

[ Perhaps they could be affected via airborne transmission, or small creatures that are difficult to notice like bugs. He could come up with tons of hypotheses, which only means they have too little information to make any inferences. And if this is somehow physic, or using talents similar to that of Memokeepers... ]

We must take care not to be influenced ourselves.

Che! They better be. [Something about this guy doesn't sit well with Bakugo, but he talks with enough authority and knowledge it's hard to distrust what he's said.

Better to focus on the future while they wait for the ambulance to arrive. The more they talk, the more they can gather information. And if people in the crowd are going to be chiming in, that's more information for the Outsiders and more proof there's no ill will exuding from them. A case of self defense and intervention respectively. Bakugo is a cop and if he has to flash his badge to get someone off his back, he's more than ready to.]

If you're talking about your own world, forget it. The place isn't even in your solar system.

[Not even in the guy's home universe or dimension even. Should he mention that? Nah. It should be obvious by now. Bakugo frowns at the thoughts in his own mind, crossing his arms over his as he thinks on the kaiju they've faced, both in real life and in the simulation training.]

As if I'd be brainwashed. One of the simulation trainings had a hornet-like kaiju that burrowed into people and took control of them. [There's a pleasant mental image.] If they're able to create accurate simulations of those kaiju, they've obviously encountered them before.

Of that I am well aware. Heliobi are astral spirits known to roam space, as the void of Imaginary energy affects them little. It would not be impossible for them to make their way to a remote planet like this one.

[ And he's well aware that this might not be the same universe. However, he regards LILITH's explanation with a healthy dose of skepticism. Not even Geniuses have managed to jump into other universes, and this planet has not shown itself to have technology more advanced than what he knows, other than their summoning system. It's too suspicious.

He frowns sharply. That certainly is unpleasant, but he's more concerned with Bakugo dismissing the threat. ]

Do not be so quick to assume you can ward off such effects. We have yet to ascertain the method by which individuals are being influenced. Perhaps it is similar to those hornet-like kaiju. Or perhaps it is an airborne particle inducing hallucinations, or memoria manipulation. Can you confidently say you are immune to all of those vectors of influence?

I'll believe it when I see it.

[But he really has no way of knowing whether it's true or not. Despite the relative security of this place, LILITH has already shown technology able to pull others and things from different worlds, timelines, dimensions, whatever. And now there's the risk of portals and rifts opening to places LILITH doesn't even know of. An experiment gone wrong and starting to spin out o control. Is that what they're potentially looking at here?

Bakugo's never taken anything LILITH said without some kind of skeptical doubt. People who kidnap others, even for altruistic reasons, are immediately untrustworthy. To say nothing of his general dislike for those kinds of people in the first place.

He glares at Ratio when he contradicts his brash statement.]

You wanna walk into a battle admitting defeat, or do you wanna walk in confident you'll win? [There's no getting around reality; he knows this. But even as he accepts the risk of danger, he's not about to vocally admit to it. Speaking confidence will always bolster your ability compared to talking any level of doubt.] I'm not gonna let myself get fucking brainwashed.

[ Ratio's view of LILITH is a little more nuanced. He does not trust LILITH, yes, but he believes in their intentions to do good. Their disregard for ethics is concerning, but it is clear that they are desperate. Morals mean little when survival is at stake.

Ratio's eyes narrow in displeasure. ]

That is a false dichotomy. We must acknowledge the risks and plan for them to increase the probability of success. [ And it is in planning for every possibility that success will arise. Ratio has no doubt that they will succeed. ] False bravado will get you nowhere.

[Their intentions are good, but their execution is fucked up. At least the initial part. The rest of it's been annoyingly cooperative and attentive, something Bakugo can't deny unless he wants to look like a fucking idiot or a paranoid, ungrateful conspiracy theorist. Some of their ethics are still in tact at least? The Outsiders aren't treated as prisoners, or even throwaway hired guns. LILITH has, like it or not, invested in them. Heavily.]

Who the fuck said I'm ignoring the risks! I've already planned for them! [He doesn't have to enter a challenge reciting his fucking plans to the world. He enters with a declaration of victory or a threat and carries forward with his plan.] There's nothing "false" about me.

[Well, minus is childish denials over stupid things, but that's something Ratio can find out later.]

[ It is beginning to get irritating to talk to this young man, because he seems immature with the yelling and empty claims. Ratio narrows his eyes. ]

Then elucidate me. If the kaiju's influence is by airborne particle, or by memory manipulation, how would you handle it?

[ All Outsiders are meant to be working together. If Bakugo has any ideas on how to handle the risk, then he ought to share them. But Ratio doubts he's actually thought it through. There are far too many possibilities for one to carelessly claim that they've already planned for them. ]

[Bakugo's expression darkens. Is this bastard challenging him? There's a brief period of silence, where it's obvious he's running over the ideas. It's not like he hasn't thought about how to deal with the potential hypnotic effects.]

Cover your damn mouth and nose. The plugsuits filter the air we breathe. If you're not wearing one, use a cloth you can't blow a candle out through. [It should be assumed if they're gonna be fighting in the desert, there's the potential for sandstorms, which suggests they'd already be prepared to cover their mouths.] You saying you don't know your own memories well enough to realize someone's fucking with them? Lame. A sharp blow or pain should be enough to knock someone out of brainwashing.

[The latter is a lot more troublesome than the first, since there's no real way to "prepare" for a mental attack you don't see coming. Something stupid like "don't look into its eyes" or "don't go into the light" won't work unless you know it's a visually-induced hypnosis. But considering what he knows about Shinso's Brainwashing Quirk, escaping a mental grip shouldn't be too hard... in theory, if it works like the Quirk

But damn if Bakugo hasn't seen plenty of comic books and movies dealing with brainwashing. It's a fun trope to exploit to challenge heroes in those media for the viewers.]

If you're that scared of a mental attack, wear a blindfold and either focus on locating it with your other senses or follow someone else's spacial directions. [He says this like he's certainly done that before. And he has.]

[ Yes, he absolutely is challenging Bakugo, because one must be challenged to grow and become better. Both of them are no exceptions to this.

But he's pleased to learn that Bakugo has indeed taken the time to think about some mitigation strategies. It even sounds like he's had personal experience with mental attacks. Still, it's not as if they've verified which method the kaiju's influence uses. ]

And on the chance that regardless of your preparation, you do end up falling under the kaiju's influence? You appear to be a capable fighter. If you were to become influenced and attack us, your strength would become a sizable threat to us.

Do not tell me that will not happen. Can you truly say that the probability of such an incident is zero percent?

[There's plenty of challenge in his life. He doesn't need some random guy coming in and setting challenges to his face for the hell of it. Especially when it's about shit that only an idiot would race into.

If Ratio thinks he's not already given thought about this, he's sorely mistaken. Ever since learning about the weird things going on in the city, he started gathering data and hypothesizing. Preparing for what's a more probable result.

For the monster to be able to lure people without being spotted, there are only a handful of possible methods.]

If that happens, then you fucking extras better stop me or I'll kill you all when I wake up.

[And cracks his knuckles as if the prove the point.]

[ There's something about that response that, instead of irritating him, like idiotic statements normally would, actually amuses him. Perhaps it's because he's starting to grasp that this teen is far more intelligent than he gave him credit for. Perhaps a bit of a loner, with how he clearly dislikes having to explain himself.

But also righteous, considering his insistence that they stay at the scene. ]

Extra, hm? Well, this extra will need all the information he can get to even hope of achieving victory over a hero like yourself. But—

[ There are sirens wailing in the distance, growing louder, and the murmurs of the witnesses around them grow louder. The police, it seems, will be here in just a moment. ]

—Perhaps that is a conversation better discussed in private.

[He wouldn't use the word "righteous" because that's just fucking weird, but heroic? Duh. He's a hero. Plus he doesn't want to deal with the hassle of false accusation. That's a pain in the ass. At least Ratio's turning out to be less of a weird knowledge-grubbing prick than Bakugo thought him to be. He's staying for the cops, so that's a fair hit in reevaluation.

It's obvious his intelligence isn't just arrogance either; he's obviously thought about the kaiju problem as well and isn't asking questions just to be obstinate.]

Don't start sucking up with cheap flattery.

[Damn sycophant. Whether Ratio is teasing him or really meaning it can be left for another moment as the sirens herald the approach of law enforcement and ambulance. Bakugo reaches into his pocket and pulls out his badge. The information's available on the police network, but still... good to have physical proof too.]

I'll make this fast.

[He'll handle most of the talking, giving a quick summary of the culprits chasing Ratio to the current state, then letting Ratio give his side of the story. A few witnesses in the crowd can easily corroborate their stories, and with all the other shit happening around the city, including bouts of spontaneous, unprovoked aggression, it's not hard to clear their proverbial slates, and put a wrap on the entire thing. Bakugo sticks around long enough to make sure the men are getting treated and loaded in the ambulance, wanting verbal reassurance they're not going to kick the bucket on the way there (no, there's no risk of death here, just heavier injuries than thought, fucking glass bones, hah) before the hero's satisfied.

Unless Ratio wants to add anything or ask questions of his own, he and Bakugo are free to continue on their way.]

[ It was not flattery. He was being quite sarcastic, but his tone never varies by much, making it difficult for people to discern his intentions. He's been told this many times, but he's never bothered to change himself to please others. ]

I was merely following your lead.

[ Ratio remains silent as Bakugo talks to the cops, only speaking when his account of events is required. Through this, more of Bakugo's personality and intelligence is revealed, and he is more than happy to revise his initial impression of the teen.

He does have questions for the police, however, and he badgers them about the rising incidences of violence, the states the aggressors were in, if there was any pattern in the aggressors or victims both, and even more, all detailed and carefully considered.

Once he's satisfied (which is to say, not at all, because even the police don't have very much information to offer besides what he has already managed to gather himself), he turns away from them to see if Bakugo has concluded with his business. ]

Shall we continue our conversation from earlier?

[Either way, sarcastic or sincere, is going to get the grouchy retort from Bakugo. At least he'd respect Ratio for his decision not to change himself please others. The blonde's had the same gripes foisted at him and he's kicked them aside each time. Best Jeanist did his damnest and didn't get Bakugo to so much as budge after a week of it.

His hair even refused to stay combed.

Not wanting to get into the mess Midoriya got into when he was falsely accused while in another country, Bakugo makes sure to knock all the details in place and thoroughly absolve him and Ratio of any further prosecution or suspicions. It helps even more when the cops realize they're Outsiders. Apparently LILITH's even further spread than Neo Tokyo. Good to know... suspicious too.

The police try to work with Ratio as much as possible, but they're both sides facing the same experience and information. Aggression out of nowhere, lethargic people, vanishing citizens, everything the Outsiders have already seen. Once the ambulance is packed and the thugs are on their way to the hospital, Bakugo sees the cops off and then finally turns back to his previous walk. Where? Who the hell knows. He's gonna aim for a restaurant since it's boiling out here and now he's getting hangry.]

Go for it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TRAVEL LOG #1

▶ 001. A RUDE AWAKENING.

▶ 002. WELCOME TO LAS VEGAS.

▶ 003. TROUBLE BREWING.

▶ 004. FOUR FOR THE ROAD.

▶ 005. THE HUNT IS ON.

▶ 005. AFTERWORD.

II. Trouble Brewing

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