The Emperor's Dragon II

Guess Who's Back?

Toru's examination of warehouses had surprisingly taught her a lot about people. It was not something she'd expected but it was something which was useful. She'd looked in on warehouses that were being used for storage, but then she'd looked in on warehouses that were being used by workers. Some of them sensed her. It was interesting watching the people. Those who sensed her tended to look around, trying to figure out which of their colleagues was examining them. They seldom looked up.

In some cases, there had been an altercation when accusations flew but others just grumbled. Those who did look up, generally frowned as if they expected to see something but they didn't.

The first time that had happened had been disconcerting. She'd shivered and it had not been that cold but then the person's eyes had passed straight over her and moved on. It had been a very disconcerting thing for her. There'd been a few people who'd just stared at her. Even though she knew they couldn't see her, she'd actually sweated when they'd stared. It had taken all of her willpower not to jerk away and hide but... Toru had done that the first time and it had been way worse. The guy had kept looking up to the window, just glances and had then climbed on to the roof after his shift. She'd moved on by then, and was checking other warehouses but... It had taught her enough. When people thought there was someone there they investigated.

So the next time someone looked up and 'saw' her, while her instincts screamed for her to hide, she held firm. It was ridiculous. All her life, people had literally looked right through her. She was used to not being seen but this was different. Toru could feel their gazes. Some were curious, most were hostile.

It was teaching her a lot about how people behaved.

She was looking more intently now. After finding the abandoned base she'd spoken to the HPSC. One of them had lectured her on using her quirk without a license before a woman had hustled them away and apologised. They'd then sat at a table for a few minutes before the woman had gotten down to business. "So what do you want?"

Toru had been doing this to get her place back in a hero course but having someone outright ask her had been a surprise. She'd thought about what she wanted but she'd never really given consideration as to how she was going to get it.

"A place in a hero school," Toru had been shocked at her boldness when she'd replied.

"Not UA?" the Commission's woman had asked.

Toru had shaken her head, and held up one hand to make a negative gesture. "No. He'd just expel me again," she explained.

The woman chuckled. It spoke volumes.

"You would have let that happen!" Toru had realised.

The woman had shrugged before giving her an odd smile. "Well, yes," she admitted. "You've put us in a difficult position. The Commission can't be seen to be supporting your illegal quirk use."

"But I-" Toru began to object but had been cut off. She couldn't turn her quirk off.

"And it is the very fact that you have an involuntary quirk that makes this a gray area," the woman agreed but her look was pointed. If her quirk required conscious use, Toru knew she'd be in a lot of trouble now. "You have been trespassing," the woman added.

It was one of the times Toru was thankful no one could see her expression. She felt her features pass through several expressions before she had a realisation. "You can't prove that," she'd told the woman. "And who's even going to ask," Toru had pushed the point.

"The media-" the woman had replied.

It had been Toru's turn to chuckle. "These are villains," she replied. "These are villains the public are demanding to know why they haven't been captured already. No one will be asking how they were found," she dismissed the woman's threat. "Well, not specifics," Toru added.