Preydator || Todoroki x OC

•32: The Scarlet Banquet•

The limousine comes to a halt in front of a large, grey warehouse off the side of the highway. Lots of vehicles ranging from fancy motorcycles to expensive sports cars to rusty cars that are barely holding up are parked outisde of the building. The chauffeur parks in an empty spot next to limousine A that had already arrived.

I hesitantly slip on the fox mask over my face and my classmates. "Good thing we didn't overdress." Yaoyorozu says as she peers out the window, gazing at all the extravegantly dressed villains entering the warehouse.

"Before we get up, let's get our story straight." Aizawa states. "We're villains from a gang called the Red Foxes, hence the fox masks."

'Cheesy name.' I think to myself.

"Our group mostly does small, petty crimes like theft and simple assault." Aizawa says. "If anyone asks for your leaders, it's Midnight and me." We all nod in understanding. "Alright, remember we're fishing for information. Let's move." 

We all exit the limousine in an orderly fashion, our classmates wearing identical masks from limousine A doing the same. Midnight walks ahead of our class and Aizawa tails the back as we make our way towards the bouncer guarding the enterance.

"I need to see your invitation." The bouncer says gruffly.

Midnight pulls out the red envelope and hands it to the bouncer. He looks over it briefly before tossing it into the pile of burning invitations behind him and allowing us in.

As soon as we enter, my eyes are almost blinded by the sparkling decor. The spacious warehouse looked completely different on the inside than its grey and bleak exterior. The floor appears to be made out of a white and grey marble that reflects the lights from the gold chandeliers. The walls are painted a cream-white and a marble double staircase with gold railings stands on the opposite side of the enterance. The floor is occupied with tables covered by satin tablecloths and an assortment of drinks and refreshments. The space in front of the grand staircase is left empty and unoccupied as almost everyone is sitting by the tables.

We follow Midnight to one of the empty tables. "You're free to explore. Don't go off all on your own." She says to us and we nod.

As I examine the crowd, I notice several people who resemble certain pro heroes. 'They must be the other pro heroes in disguise here.' I note as I spot a familiar blond man wearing sunglasses chatting it up with some random female villains.

As our group becomes a bit more loose, other villains start to weave in and out between us as they move around.

"Hey, girlie." I turn to spot a boy who looks to be only a bit older than me with messy brown hair and hazel eyes. He's dressed in a simple suit and red tie. "Are you one of the newer guests?" He asks.

I nod, pretending to know what he's talking about. I glance around from the corner of my eyes to see our classmates already spread out amongst the crowd.

He lets out a charming chuckle. "You don't need to be nervous. This is a lot of people's first time here today. Usually the annual banquet is much smaller to makes sure word doesn't get out to any heroes." He runs his gloved hand through his hair, messing it up a bit. "I guess they are being a little risky this time."

"'They'?" I ask him.

"The hosts." He responds. "You'll see in about half an hour. They usually introduce themselves to the audience after the first quarter of the banquet."

Suddenly, the lights in the building dim slightly. Everyone goes quiet as the sounds of a string instruments begin to erupt from the front of the room, soon accompanied by other orchestra instruments.

He sighs. "I don't really like classical music. Too bad we went for such a formal theme this year." He mutters. "Looks like it's time, though." He says to me as people begin to move into the wide, emtpy space in front of the grand staircase.

"Time for what?" I ask. 'He is surprisingly really friendly for a villain.'

"The dance." He reaches out his hand to me. "May I?"

"S-Sure." I respond hesitantly, taking his hand. 'I should get on this guy's good side. He seems to know a lot about this banquet.'

He slowly moves us towards the dance floor crowded with others dancing as well. "So, can I get your name?" He asks me.

"Ri-" I stop myself as I realize I probably shouldn't give out my actual name. "R-Rie."

"Just Rie?" He jokes, charisma practically dripping from his every word. "Well, nice to meet you, Rie. I'm Kai Ichikawa. You can call be Kai-ah!" I accidentally step on his foot.

"S-Sorry!" I stammer in embarrassment. "I don't really know how to ballroom dance."

"It's alright, Rie." He laughs it off. "It's cute." He remarks flirtatiously.

'No thanks.' I immediately reply mentally. "Haha....thanks..." I half-heartedly respond, my eyes instinctively scanning the crowd for Shoto.

As time passes and Kai and I continue dancing together, his hands find their way down to my waist and the distance between us is uncomfortably closing. He lets out a sigh as the song comes to an end. "I'm afraid this is goodbye for now."

'Thank God.' I think in relief as he spins me around and everyone's partners switch. A new song starts up and I find myself in front of a rather familiar face.

My eyes go wide as I meet the blue eyes of a man with black hair and burnt patches of skin stapled to his face which wears a slightly puzzled expression. Dabi.

"Rin?"