Ding~
The glass doors closed behind him. Officer Izuna had told him that he was free to leave, so that's what he was gonna do. No point in staying after all.
Rumi was still back inside, so she'll catch up when she's done.
"Bye, guys. Have a nice day." Smiling at them, Alex waved bye to the crowd of disgruntled bureaucrats behind him.
Grabbing his bag, Alex started walking down the street. Not caring where he was going, he just picked a direction and went.
Such nice people. Letting him stay on that comfy stretcher while they talked to Rumi and then his parents. They didn't even mind letting his musicians play while he waited. And in the end, they didn't even charge him with anything. Even though they really could and should have. But nope, they just let him go.
He wonders why.
Spotting his reflection in a nearby window, Alex stopped to admire himself. Grinning, he showed off his pearly white fangs.
Maybe they didn't charge him cause of his dashingly rougish good looks. Alex nodded to himself. Yes, that must be it. He's so good-looking that even the cops wouldn't arrest him. It's really the only logical explanation.
And who could blame them, Alex thought, winking at his reflection. Who could with a face like this?
I mean, just look at him.
Those sparkling amber eyes behind rainbow glass, those tall black-furred ears, those luscious curls, those imposing antlers, his warm, tanned skin.
Sighing, Alex took a step back as he pushed his glasses up. Really its just so hard being this beautiful. Truly, such polished looks could only be a curse. They could cause the end of the World if he wasn't careful.
Sighing again, Alex looked sadly over the horizon.
….Oh, well. Now that that's done, what's for dinner?
(\YY/)
( -.- )
0_(")(")
The setting sun cast a warm glow over the city of Hiroshima as Alex whistled along with his Musicians. Playing their song atop his antlers, they drew a few eyes for his Quirk usage in public, particularly a couple of narrowed eyes from a couple of officers across the way.
You know, it's funny. Most reasonably intelligent people, after spending the last five hours strapped to a stretcher and interrogated by everyone from the police to the PSIA.Getting screamed at/lectured by both their mother and grandmother halfway across the world, would probably try and lay low.
They certainly wouldn't use their Quirks out in the open. Especially not in a country with some of the strictest civilian-Quirk laws on the books, and when the only thing keeping them in the country was a test only a week away.
Good thing that no one's ever accused Alex of being "reasonable" or "intelligent," not when food's on the line at least.
"You girls find anything yet?"
Stopping their song, they played a low note to Alex, shaking their heads down at him.
"Eh, that's ok. Let's keep looking." Alex shrugged his shoulders.
Normally, he'd be getting pretty frustrated at this point. He didn't like being in crowds. The noise and smell always give him a headache. But it's fine. Today, he's in a good mood.
So what if he couldn't win at a stupid card game older than his great-grandpa? So what if he spent $50 dollars on cards and still didn't draw the one that he wanted? So what if stupid adults don't understand him and want ot tie down his free spirit.
At least he can still make a grown man cry with nothing but his fists.
Yes, nothing could bring his mood down, no-sire.
"Ergh!" Alex grunted.
Someone just stepped on his foot. Then someone else bumped his shoulder. One person shoved his way forward, and then someone stepped on his foot. Again. Ok, Alex thinks, that's it.
"Move it! Make room!" Alex roared. Shoving the people around him, Alex made a gap around him.
"Whoa!"
"Hey!"
"Ah!"
The crowd around him cried out in shock. Ignoring them, Alex tensed his legs. Jumping up and clearing the crowd, Alex landed on a nearby roof. Breathing a sigh of relief, Alex rolled his shoulders.
"Ok, back to it. I wanna find a buffet and text Rumi where to meet us so we can eat before it gets dark."
Tweet.
His Musicians played.
"Jehaha, yeah, you can stay up there. Just mind the ears, ok girls?"
Hearing them play again, Alex jumped across the roof to the next building. Haa, roof hopping. A stable of the Hero community that, while it is clearly the higher form of travel, has unfortunately fallen out of style due to multiple lawsuits over ruined pipes, broken skylights, torn-off shingles, and the one instance of someone not paying attention and toppling a Church's steeple.
To combat this rise in whiny peons that want to make a quick buck and stupid people that can't pay attention to what they're doing, Hero schools had started to teach their students street patrols.
Giving the excuse about closer community ties and faster response times, all while lowering the amount of lawsuits given.
Too bad Alex didn't care about any of that one bit. It's faster this way, and it keeps him away from everyone. All in all, a superior way to travel.
The only downside is how noticeable it makes him.
"THERE YOU ARE!" An enraged vice screamed behind him.
Alex's ears perked up. Huh, that's funny, that sounded like Rumi. But that can't be right. Not like she's got anything to be mad about…right?
Eh…better check, just to make sure. Leaning his head over the edge, Alex looked down. And sure enough, right there, pointing up at him on the sidewalk was Rumi. And boy was she mad.
Now, any number of things could have told you that.
Alex could have pointed out how her ears stood rigid in the air like a pair of angry antennae, or the way that her hair seemed to whip around her in a frenzy, without any wind mind you.
Hell, that she seemed to have forgotten to pick up her cap on the way out of the airport, exposing her identity to everyone around her, just to get to him, could have told you that she wasn't happy.
But no, the thing that caught his eye, were hers.
Red pools of rage that just screamed that they were done. Promising pain and misery to all whole beheld their gaze. Eyes that were, in fact, laser-focused on him.
Alex felt his face begin to pale. He knows that look. It's the same look that his mom gave him the third time the schools caught onto to his "illegal" ink-enhancing ring. It's the same look that Grandma Maria gave to Grandpa when one of the little ones gets hurt out in Wonderl when he's supposed to be watching them.
But to see that look on Rumi, Alex could honestly say that he's never seen her so mad.
I mean, sure, it's not like he knows her that well. They've never really met or talked all that much. In fact, the only reason why they know each other at all is because of Grandma.
But through the few video calls that they've shared as a family, she's always seemed like more of the chill kind of cousin.
The kind of cousin who didn't care if you got in trouble or if you broke the law. Why? Cause she'd be right there with you, making just as much trouble.
Really, in the back of his mind, Alex thought that out of everyone, Rumi'd be the last person to be mad at him for what he did. He thought she'd be the one congratulating him for punching that bastard in the face.
They'd beat back the charges, leave with two middle fingers to the government, and find a nice place to eat afterward.
When Rumi had told him to go on ahead at the airport and that she'd find him later, he thought everything was going to be alright.
Well, he definitely doesn't think that anymore.
"STAY RIGHT THERE!"
Alex scoffed. When has that ever worked? "Like hell. Forget dinner girls, find me a place to hide!"
Leaping across to the next building, Alex took off running. He already knew that he couldn't outrun her. There was just no way. Never mind the fact that she's been a Pro Hero for some time now and is definitely stronger than he is. This is a whole new city to him.
If he was back home there were at least ten different routes he could have take to lose her, even trap her if he had enough of a head start.
But this close, in a whole new city. He'd count himself lucky if he even got out of her line of sight.
Plus, there's the fact that he's supposed to be living with her, but he can think about that later-
Behind him, a couple of houses back, Alex heard Rumi yell again.
"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!!"
-Like way later.
On his antlers, the Muscians were giving him directions. Red, with her little drum, was telling him to head west towards the skyscrapers. Blue and Yellow suggested that he go and hide in either the river or the parks, respectively. And Green played a note on her flute, pointing back the way they came towards the airport.
Jumping across to the next roof, Alex really wanted to sigh. Unfortunately, he needed every bit of air he had just to keep running, so he couldn't even do that.
It was hard sometimes to remember that, despite how expressive the Muscians were, they still basically had the mind of a child.
Partially because he refused to replace any of their original ink from when he was a child, but also because they were modeled after the images taken out of a children's book.
He's been experimenting with different ink mixtures to try and raise whatever kind of thinking process they seem to have, but it's been slow going. Especially considering he can't buy any of the more expensive material without tipping off his Mom on where he got the money.
Oh, it's not like he didn't understand their thought process. Oh no, their ideas were pretty transparent to him.
Red, Blue, and Green all wanted him to hide out in parts of the city, whether it be in the city, under the water, or between the trees. Yellow, on the other hand, had the idea of hiding at the airport, using all the police, heroes, and other officials that were probably still there as human shields from his cousin's wrath.
The problem with their ideas was that, while they sounded good on paper, they weren't thought out.
Sure, going deeper into the city seems like a good idea, lose her in the crowds. Expect the city is where Rumi patrols, she knows all the shortcuts and alleyways that Alex doesn't. More than likely, he'll turn down a street and find her right in front of him. So that's out.
He can't head towards the parks as they're too far away, and Rumi is sure to catch him before he even gets halfway. So that's out too.
He can't turn back either, as that meant running towards Rumi, and he doubts that he's quick enough to jux her.
That left the river.
The river was probably the best plan. It was close, the water could hide his scent, frequent boat traffic meant that he could hitch a ride at any time, and the multiple forks in the river basically gave him the entire city to hide in.
Too bad it was definitely the worst plan out of the whole bunch.
If he took a dive, what would happen to the Muscians? He hadn't had a chance to draw them on anything study, just regular paper. So they weren't waterproof. As soon as they hit the water, they'd wash away.
He was lucky enough to learn that little fact about his powers back when he was five and wanted to take a bath with them. Thankfully, the drain was still plugged, so his Mom only had to scoop out the ink and dry them out before he drew them again.
And it's not like he could leave them sitting on the edge. What if he lost them? Or if some rando just picks them up and takes them away, what then?
No, the best thing to do was to make for the residential area. If he could find an open window or door, then he could hide away until she calmed down.
Though by how close those thumps are, he doesn't think he gonna make even that.
Wait.
Still running across the rooftops, Alex perked his ears up, listening….
Nothing, he doesn't hear anything.
She's not following him anymore. That's not-
POW
Crouching down, Alex grabbed the back of his head in pain.
"AH! Dammit, that hurt!"
"Good! Now I know exactly how hard I have to hit you!" Rumi yelled, standing above him with a smoking fist.
Glaring back at her, Alex felt a tear well in his eye.
Goddammit, she hits so hard. He knew she was strong, but seriously, he fights a 50-ton bear for fun, for God's sake, how the hell does she hit harder than Robert the Bear?
And that was with her fist. How strong are her kicks?
"Goddamit, why the hell are you so mad? You'd have punched the guy a lot sooner than I did. Hell, I gave warnings, I bet you never gave warnings."
Seriously, what's the big deal? It was just one guy. Sure, as a Hero to be, he's not supposed to punch civilians. Sure, he wouldn't stop hitting him until he cried, and ok, maybe he shouldn't have done it on a plane with minimal space surrounded by people with phones recording the whole thing.
But come on, you spend more than 10 hours listening to that guy with his passive-aggressive tone and rude, even sometimes downright insulting, comments.
'Get me some better food' 'Come on sweetie, I was just complimenting you.' 'Well, maybe if your son had a better example' 'Mutants' 'Do you know who I am'
Over and over. He just wouldn't shut up. Honestly, Alex feels like a saint for only doing that much to him after waiting that long. It says something that no one even tried to stop Alex until after they landed.
But Rumi didn't seem to care about any of that. She grit her teeth as she glared down at Alex. Her ears twitched on her head.
"You're right, it wasn't me that punched him. And you're right, if it was anybody else I'd probably be cheering them on."
"Then-"
"But apparently, cause we're somehow related, I gotta be the one responsible for your sorry ass. You know Grandma Maria yelled at me for not stopping you. Never mind that I wasn't even on the plane."
Rumi kicked Alex in the side, making him gasp a little bit. It didn't hurt that much, but then again, for anyone else, that might mean a broken rib or two. Didn't stop his girls from angrily playing at Rumi.
"Ah, shut up, you little doodles." Rumi snapped.
Swiping at them with her foot, Rumi sent the scattering. Turning back to Alex, Rumi crouched so that she was closer to his face.
"Not only that, but now I've got that damn Rat on my tail because of you. Not to mention the damn Hero Commission. And to top it all off, I know I've got to put up with you for the next year."
Relaxing on the ground, Alex grumbled.
"If I pass."
"Yeah, right, if you don't pass, I'd eat my boots. Think, idiot, there's no way you're not gonna pass."
Rolling her eyes, Rumi sighed. Looking up at the setting sun, she shook her head. Turning around, Rumi started walking towards the edge of the roof.
"Now come on, I'm tired from dealing with those annoying bastards, and I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."
"Heh, yeah. Somehow related, she said." Alex rolled his eyes as he got up. Scooping the Muscians in his hands, he placed them back on his antlers.
"I heard that!"
"Yeah, I know. What the hell can't we hear with these ears?" Catching up, Alex hopped off the roof with her landing on the street away from any pedestrians. "Which reminds me, I hope your place has sound-proofing, I really don't want ot wake up to squeaking springs in the middle of the night."
"Ah, shut up, you'll be happy that I don't just throw you out after today."
"Oh please, like I wouldn't thrive out here. Honestly, give me a month on the streets, and you'll find a new King of the street urchins taking over the city."
Rumi rolled her eyes
"You're lucky that Grandma Maria is paying me to put up with you."
"Yeah, well, you're lucky that I actually want to go to this school, otherwise I'd go wild."
Like you're not gonna go wild anyway."
"Jehaha….Maybe."
"...."
"...."
"...."
"...Can we go get some Whiskey while we're out?"
Rumi sighed. "....Maybe."