OCHAKO

[chanteuser]

Comments

[chanteuser]

Mm, yeah. They're my roommate's.

[ ... ]

I'm actually a little worried they're here? He probably needs them.

[infreefall]

Why would he need them? Is he in the military?

[chanteuser]

Sort of?

He's supposed to carry them at all times. It's like an identifier.

[infreefall]

Just him...?

[ curious. an ID is one thing, but somehow it doesn't feel like it's quite the same here. ]

He must mean a lot to you, though, if that's what they gave you here.

[chanteuser]

Him, and people like him.

[ she looking at the tags now. her... expression is complicated? that's the best word for it. ]

I guess. He saved my life, technically speaking.

[infreefall]

Technically speaking? What do you mean by that?

[ she'll circle back to the other part later. she wants to know how he saved alex. ]

[chanteuser]

I think Worick persuaded him to spare me. But ... he's protected me in his own way since then, so -- [ she shrugs ] A lot's happened since then.

I was scared of him when at first. But... that was more on me and my own ignorance.

[infreefall]

[ hmmm. ]

I wish you weren't put in a situation where your life was in danger at all. But I'm glad you're okay, and that you have him to help you now.

[chanteuser]

That'd be ideal, but... it being in danger in the first place is how they got me out of a bad situation, so...

[ good? good. ]

It's a bit complicated.

[infreefall]

Mm, seems like a lot of stuff is, huh?

[ ochako is only fifteen, but she's already learning that life is just like that sometimes. ]

...What did you mean by "people like him," anyway?

[chanteuser]

[ gruff man voice from a 1930s mafioso movie: life is hell, kid ]

Oh, that. Nicholas is a Twilight —- which is different from a regular human. They have naturally enhanced strength and speed, but normally in exchange for a shorter life span and the loss of something else. [ she holds up one of the dog tags, one with A/0 on it ]

They’re all tracked and ranked in terms of strength. D is the lowest, S is the highest. And the numbers reflect each rank — 5 is the lowest, and 0 is the highest.

[infreefall]

Oh, so it's like how heroes in my world have to have licenses to use their quirks in public to make it easier to track?

[ nodding! that makes a lot of sense to her, actually. ]

Is he helping you look for your brother, then?

[chanteuser]

...

You're called a Hero, where you're from? The tracking part sounds similar, but... the intent probably isn't.

[ haha gangsta. ]

No, I haven't had a chance to look for Emilio in the first place. And it's not something I'd drag Nicholas and Worick into anyway.

[infreefall]

I'm still in training, but yeah. We're supposed to help people, but quirks can get out of hand really easily, so the people who are allowed to use them have to be tracked, kind of. It's like that, right?

[ . . . ]

Because the families are stopping you?

[chanteuser]

... Twilights are tracked so the government knows where they are. They mostly join military or mercenary groups, and if they don't they get rounded up into Ergastulum. Once they die, their dog tags and the information on them about their lives is permanently deleted from the government records.

So... no. It's not quite the same.

[ ... ]

No. I just... don't have a way to leave Ergastulum right now. And I don't know where to start looking for him. It would be better if I just left while I could, probably but... [ she's been dragging her heels about leaving, and now it's too late. ]

[infreefall]

But... why would they just erase someone? Even if they're different - even if they die earlier than normal humans in your world, their lives still matter.

And you still don't want us to help you. [ it's not a question. ] But you know, if you work with someone else, you'd have a better chance of finding your brother, wouldn't you?

[chanteuser]

Twilights scare people. Not all of them are good, and I guess... maybe they're seen as an unintended side effect of decisions the government made in the past. I don't really know.

There's a lot of tension in Ergastulum, between Normals and Twilights. Some just want to live, but others can get violent.

[ she shrugs. ]

I know I was in East Gate before. I can start there, and see if my dad and brother are still living in the same place. [ once she remembers where that is. ] Someone might know their movements.

[infreefall]

Okay, but even fear isn't a good reason to treat them like that. They're still people.

[ she knows it isn't always so simple. and ochako knows that she doesn't know everything about the situation - but it still sounds terribly unfair.

...but anyway. ]

You're sure you wouldn't want help, though? You could probably have a hero or two on your side, if you asked.

[chanteuser]

I know.

[ she does, now. it took a while, and some learning but... ]

We'll see what happens. I wouldn't want to take you away from your homes, if it's going to be a one way trip.

[infreefall]

...I hope it isn't. Both so we can help you find your brother, and so you can find someplace that you guys can feel happy, and safe.

[chanteuser]

We have to get through all this first. When we do, then we can worry about what comes next.

[infreefall]

That's true, but I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking about what we have to look forward to, either. It gives us something else to work for.