Encroachment

Chapter 13: Publicity

Viran hissed in frustration. The gentle chatter of colloquial conversation washed over him. He was seated in a secluded booth, pressed into the corner of a small coffee shop. A cap was placed over his green curls and pulled down over his face, concealing his freckled features. The sludge had his elbows on the table and he was leaning over a cup of swirling dark liquid. In front of him was a note book with crinkled yellow pages and curling corners. Two waitresses were bringing plates of steaming hot food over to a booth on the opposite end of the café. They were the only other customers in the shop. The café's windows were on the wall furthest from Viran and they displayed the vacant street in front of them. The sky was painted with orange and yellow streaks and the feint sound of birdsong drifted through the air.

Viran focused his attention on the papers in front of him. Scrawled across them was screeds and screeds of writing on a hero named Light Witch. Most of the information was detailing her daily routine and the finer workings of her security system, but the part that interested Izuku the most was the information about her quirk. It seemed she could control how people perceived the brightness of the area around her. The Sludge grunted and pulled the coffee up to his lips. The cold liquid easily slipped down his throat. Izuku would have pulled a face of utter disgust had he been able to. He never could understand why people enjoyed such a beverage. Viran placed it on the table and pushed it away from him slightly. "You want another one Carl?" One of the waitresses called from over the counter. She had her black hair sleeked back tightly into a ponytail and large round glasses rested upon the bridge of her nose. To most she looked not a day past twenty, but the wrinkles around her eyes and the dark freckles of her skin told Izuku the truth.

Viran stared between her and the coffee. "I still have some left, thanks Cindy."

The waitress puckered her brows and cocked her head to the side. "But it's gone cold pip squeak? Why do you always leave it so long it looses its heat?"

The Sludge let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his neck, "I don't know..." he murmured. "I guess I just don't notice it happening." He offered gently.

Cindy sent him a wide toothed grin, "I'll bring you a refill, give me two minutes." Viran simply dipped his head and let out a soft whoosh of air. In one swift movement he flicked through his pages until he reached one that was covered with doodles and quickly jotted notes. Izuku watched from the confines of his body as the villain pulled out a pencil and continued his 'artwork'.

Viran's head suddenly snapped up towards the television, startling Izuku. A news reporter who was finely groomed and well dressed stared intently at the camera with wrinkled eyes. Tufts of white hair poked out in every direction and stood out against the red background. Izuku's chest tightened. In the corner of the screen there was an out of focus image of a man clutching a sword with a black and white horned mask, staring out of a large square window. "The police have finally released details concerning the Copycat Killer's case," the reporter spoke gently, the corners of his lips tugged downwards. "The image displayed is of him, but he is yet to be identified." Cindy wandered over with a jug of the dark liquid, pouring it smoothly into a clean china mug. "The Killer is suspected to have some kind of liquid based quirk that reportedly smells foul and is of a dark and sludge like consistency. Somehow he manages to isolate and kill his victims, who are exclusively heroes, without any kind of skirmish."

Looks like they're on to you. Izuku commented inside his mind. In his head, he sounded just like a robot. Viran clenched his fists tightly. Midoriya could feel his nails digging into his palms. "That Copycat sounds scary," Cindy sighed as she set down the mug in front of the Sludge.

Viran let out a soft chuckle and relaxed his fists. "He won't hurt you." He murmured softly. The woman stared at him for a moment and tilted her head to the side. A small crease formed between her brows. The sludge straightened up a little, "I mean the reporter said it himself. This killer only goes after corrupt heroes." The Sludge cleared his throat and pulled his hat further down his face. Had Izuku been able to do so, he might have laughed at the villain's feeble attempts to reassure another human. If he could call him that. The sludge clasped his hands around the coffee mug in front of him. Midoriya internally winced as his skin burned against the warm China. Midoriya felt the temptation to remind Sludge that he could still, very easily, harm that innocent woman.

Cindy let out a giggle, "Well I still wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley." She shrugged and plucked the cold, half filled mug from his table. Viran managed to muster a feint nod. The waitress moved to turn away, but her eyes rested on the notebook on the table in front of him. A warm smile graced her features as she flicked her gaze between him and the drawings. "Is this a plan for your next composition?" She tilted her head, making her ponytail swish behind her.

Viran stared at her blankly for a moment, his mouth slightly ajar. "Compo-composition?" His voice cracked a little. The villain righted himself and nodded furiously, "ah, yes, this will be my next work." The Sludge sent her a thin smile.

Cindy laughed and gently hit him on the shoulder, "are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive," he dipped his head, causing green curls to fall in front of his eyes.

Cindy shook her head, "well I'll be hoping this one turns out to be a master piece kiddo."