Build Me a Funeral Pyre

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The League of Villains' hideout stands dark and silent in the night. To the unassuming eye- it looks like nothing more than another abandoned warehouse that dots along the outskirts of Musutafu. To the regular civilian, it stands as nothing but a reminder of a better time before a major economic crash- the wounds still remain fresh on older generations whilst the younger generations see it as a place to escape their boredom, many have broken into the abandoned warehouses and often times- live stream their explorations.

Much to the public's morbid fascination, there had been quite a few streamers whose footage would cut out during the middle of the stream and all that the watchers could hear was a young woman's giggle before everything would cut to black. No one would know the fate of the poor men until days later and their corpses would be found drained of blood and white as a sheet. Strangely enough, right around the rise of the villains, two months back in July, the attacks on streamers ceased. It often left a few bubbling questions in the back of everyone's minds who would follow the string of murders.

Had the culprit been caught and silently shipped off to prison?

Had they gotten killed in a fight?

Or.

Had they banded up with the rising League of Villains?

Each speculator have their own theories, most of the time, blaming it on a wrathful ghost or a curse. Not quite wanting to believe in the possibility that someone so cruel is still walking with the living. In reality, the answer is simple. If the public had truly opened their eyes, they'd see quite clearly that the murders have moved from Musutafu to the west, out in Takodana.

Dabi keeps a close eye on each new reporting from Takodana, whether from newspapers left behind by Shigaraki or the news articles from his phone. To his amusement, Toga remains to be caught. After all, who would suspect a high school girl for the trail of grisly murders? Thankfully, with the Hero License Exam drawing closer- Toga's nearly frantic murder spree is starting to die down as she focuses more on her training.

For the time being, she remains safe standing behind the stern teachers of Shiketsu. With her new knowledge in her training, Dabi doubts that she'll ever get caught in the future. Shiketsu is well known for its militaristic strategies and harsh training regimes that only the best can withstand.

In time, she will be a force to be reckoned with and Dabi almost feels bad for whoever encounters her in the dark of night. Almost. If one would ask Dabi, it's their fault for poking their noses into places where they don't belong to begin with. They are nothing but stupid and naïve little mice walking into a starving cat's lair. Blinded by the false security blanket of their safety that dangles between the fingers of heroes.

Dabi leans back against Twice's sofa and tosses up a stress ball, catching it and tossing it up again. Once the moon rises, him and Hawks will be making a move down to Kyushu to begin their plotting against the heroes. From checking his phone earlier, he has only a couple more hours before he meets up with Hawks. He wouldn't say that he's nervous, through the years, he's built up impenetrable walls that not even Hawks' feathers could break through. Dwelling safely behind his mask and carefully placed lies, he has confidence in his mission.

However.

He furrows his brows and tosses the stress ball up again. However, there's something in Hawks' eyes that leaves him unsettled. Whatever had happened to Hawks between Dabi's faked death stunt and now- still remains a mystery. Swimming in the gold currents of Hawks' eyes is a quiet and churning fury, Dabi realizes that Hawks is nothing more than a ticking time bomb. A smile curves upwards and he finds himself hoping that he'll be present when the esteemed number two hero has his breakdown. Hawks' carefully sculpted mask is beginning to crack and crumble and it'll only take a soft push from Dabi for Hawks to trip and completely shatter his mask.