it's hard to say that i'd rather stay awake when i'm sleep [ open ]

[eraserdad]

» WHO? Aizawa and you
» WHEN? July
» WHERE? Various places
» WHAT? a scruffy not hobo IN SPACE.
» WARNINGS? emetophobia warning for the first prompt

i. don't have your space legs [ anywhere ]

[It's only rational that there would be an adjustment period for any new environment, but Aizawa hadn't quite expected the adjustment to be as much of a physical strain as it's been. The nausea in particular has been trying, to say the least. Usually he's able to Plus Ultra his way through it, so to speak--taking deep breaths and small sips of water as necessary until the feeling eased--but sometimes it gets bad enough that he has to lie down. Now, Shouta Aizawa is a man that can sleep literally anywhere, anytime, but he prefers his room for this particular situation; he doesn't like the idea of being so openly vulnerable. He's normally a light enough sleeper that it doesn't matter, but feeling unwell changes the situation a bit.

One of these times, though...partway through his walk back to his room, the return suddenly becomes a lot more urgent. His stomach churns uncomfortably as his pace grows much brisker, but he's just distracted enough that he doesn't notice the other person walking in the corridor he's just turned down until he's already bumped into them, and that's when "urgent" turns rapidly into "critical mass." His eyes widen sharply, and he barely manages to bark out a--]

Move.

[--before he crumples to his knees and starts retching. Hopefully you moved in time...]

ii. can't miss leg day [ training room ]

[As much as the situation aboard this ship is stressful, it's also remarkably quiet. For someone used to teaching high-school students fulltime while also fighting crime as a professional hero, there is a truly unusual amount of hours to fill in which he has very few productive options to fill them with.

The training room is one such outlet; he finds it within his first few days aboard the ship, and then he makes his way there at least a few times a day. It's not much of a workout, sure, but it's better than nothing. And if someone else happens to come in, happens to seem equally bored by the options in here, he may approach, and ask:]

Interested in a spar?

[The lack of action is already making him feel rusty, and it's only been a few weeks.]

iii. it's 5 o'clock somewhere [ bar ]

[Ah, the bar. Aizawa's avoided it for his first several weeks on the station. He wanted to be prepared in case something happened, and alcohol would only dull his reflexes and reaction time in such a situation. He also, honestly, hadn't been expecting to be trapped this long--but so far there's been no real leads on how he came to be here, where "here" even is, and certainly not how to get back.

Add on top of that the fact that his first attempt to organize things with his fellow space captives had gone poorly to use a generous term, and the increasing activity of the League of Villains back home, the plausibility of their taking advantage of a missing homeroom teacher at UA .... and suffice it to say, he's been a little Stressed.

Normally, when Aizawa's stressed, his coping strategies tend to involve sleeping and cat cafes--the latter of which is unavailable and the former of which is a lot less helpful when it's about one of the only things there is to do at all on this ship. So.

He's found himself here, at this bar, drinking some kind of garbage to take the edge off a little. He doesn't plan to get drunk; he still wants to have his wits about him in case he does need to get into Hero mode at a moment's notice, and honestly, he doesn't need the hangover.

He's perfectly content to just sit here for awhile, doing this, and he doesn't feel obligated to engage in conversation if some other unfortunate space captive happens by to drown their own sorrows. Though if they reach for a bottle that's been set somewhat off the side, he'll interject--]

Don't bother with that one.

[There's garbage and then there's Garbage. Aizawa's not even particularly sure whatever was in that bottle was ever intended for human consumption at all.]

Comments

ii; i'm gonna assume this is pre event if thats cool??

[boazjachin]

[Makoto is already pretty tired of the gym setup. She hasn't been here long, but from the beginning she's known it wouldn't meet her needs. She's come to a place where training alone isn't effective--not to mention the fact that it doesn't relieve nearly enough stress. The only challenge unpredictable enough for her is another person.]

[Like Aizawa, too, she can feel herself getting rusty. It makes her skin itch. They can all protect themselves in the Metaverse, but out here? She's the only one with formal training. If she loses that, they all lose some protection.]

[So her response to the offer is a foregone conclusion. Once upon a time, she would have been hesitant about fighting a grown man, less based on a fear of losing than a fear of being impolite, but now . . . well, she's learned rudeness is sometimes warranted.]

Yes.

[With a short nod, she looks the man over. He looks . . . ill, honestly. But appearances are so often deceiving that it's best to assume they're incorrect.]

What kind?

SOUNDS GOOD

[eraserdad]

[Aizawa definitely does not look like someone who's Up For Battle basically ... any of the time. And to be fair, he does have ten fuckin stitches in his back right now from the LAST fight he was in, but he's not particularly concerned about that and neither should anyone else be okok.

Anyway. Sparring against a teenager isn't exactly the most ideal situation outside of combat training or exams, but unfortunately space beggars can't be choosers. Aizawa offers a mild shrug at her question.]

I don't have any weapons available at the moment, so hand-to-hand might be preferable. You can go ahead and use any Quirks you might have, though. [A beat.] Powers.

[boazjachin]

[A faint frown appears between her brows. He isn't the first person to mention powers to her, not by a long shot, but he's definitely the first to do so in reference to combat. Nevermind that she can't access hers right now--]

I'm not interested in a weighted fight.

[It's not a matter of honor; it's about maximizing her time sparring. Even here, with so little to do, the instinct to cram as much as possible into her days hasn't died yet.]

We'll fight hand-to-hand. [She says it with firm finality, already beginning to wrap her knuckles in preparation.]

[eraserdad]

Hand-to-hand it is, then.

[It's been roughly an age since he's had to fight without his capture weapon, but you play with the hand you've been dealt.]

Do you want to make the first move?

[boazjachin]

No.

[She smiles faintly, tucking the wrap up and holding her hands in loose fists.]

I'd rather you did, please. [Gotta figure out how to defend before you can attack.]

[eraserdad]

[That in itself tells him quite a lot. She's more of a tactician in combat, like Midoriya is, rather than someone who charges right into the fray like Bakugo and Kirishima. She may be less impulsive than Midoriya, though -- that has yet to be seen.

At any rate, Aizawa too would prefer not to take the first move, but he did offer her the choice, so ... here he goes.

Except --

--he goes past her instead of throwing a punch. And if she needs a moment to doubletake over that rather than give chase, it'll give him just enough time to vault backward against the wall in an attempt to tackle and pin her from above.

Look out below???]

ii. I'll go with post event for variety!

[magneticfields]

[ It doesn't take long until Erik's determined a way to compensate for the decreased gravity. It's the same principle that allows him to fly, but instead of lifting off the ground the fields press him down. Which means that he is not in danger of suffering the loss of muscle mass and bone density that the others are.

He still frequents the gym, of course. It would be a shame to let the pool go to waste. He gives Aizawa an unimpressed look at the challenge.]

You couldn't handle me. [ He has very little doubt of that. ] Though I wouldn't mind a bit of your time, if you're not too busy. We have some things I would like to discuss.

/o/

[eraserdad]

That's quite the assertion.

[But Aizawa has nothing to prove, so, you know, whatever. It's kind of a shame, though. He would've liked to have blown off some steam after Whatever The Hell That Was last week.]

I presume this conversation is going to be about Quirks. What do you want to know?

8D

[magneticfields]

Let's just say I have something of a home field advantage.

[ He drawls as he paces about aimlessly. It's an uncomfortable thing he's come to talk to Aizawa about. He doesn't trust the man. He barely knows him. But if what he said about his abilities are true, then Erik is going to have to move past that. ]

I'm here to talk to you about a specific Quirk. Yours, as it happens.

[eraserdad]

[A brow raises, at that. Erik would've had to have read pretty deep into those responses to find the mentions of Erasure among them. Which doesn't bother him, exactly--he's got nothing to hide, and the average paparazzi is far more invasive, but it does put him on guard. The other man was suspicious enough of him and his intentions when he didn't know Aizawa was capable of nullifying his abilities.]

Mine, huh. What about it?

[magneticfields]

[ He shrugs. This is the easy part. His ultimate goal is the more difficult part of the conversation. ]

The practical effects of it, really. How does it work? Does it require skin-to-skin contact or can it be performed at range? What is the duration? Would somebody's powers be permanently damaged by it's use?

[eraserdad]

I just have to look at the person.

[Technically, it doesn't work if their body is obscured (even by something as simple as a blanket), but he doesn't feel the need to share that right at this moment.]

The effect lasts until the next time I blink. And no, there's no damage done to the power itself.

[magneticfields]

[ Erik nods, considering this. And is quiet a moment as he ponders over whether or not that's enough information to lead to the more serious part of this conversation. ]

When you blink, are you able to use your Quirk again immediately? Or do you need to rest for some period of time first.

[ The answer to this makes a significant difference in the danger of what he's asking. ]

[eraserdad]

[There's a momentary pause on Aizawa's end.]

You're asking a lot of questions for someone who hasn't even disclosed their own Quirk, yet.

[He thinks he's been more than patient about all this. They might distrust him for wanting to compile information, and he might think transparency is in their collective interest, but he's not about to give away all his weaknesses for nothing. For all he knows, Erik could be stirring up the whole angry mob of respondents to kill him in his sleep.]

[magneticfields]

[ That's fair. Aizawa is being far more patient than Erik would have been in his place. ]

We call them mutations. Or gifts.

[ He holds out his hand and lifts a 50 lb weight. It hovers in the air for a moment, then begins a lazy orbit around him as he speaks. ]

I can manipulate magnetic fields. It has a number of applications, some less obvious than others. This is why I wanted to talk to you about yours.

[eraserdad]

[He follows the weight with his eyes a moment as he listens to Erik. Given their recent circumstances and the nature of his own Quirk, he can only think of one reason why the other man would've approached him.]

You want me to be able to stop you in case of an emergency.

[Not for the first or last time, he's frustrated about the lack of his capture weapon. The way he typically deals with villains is to Erase their Quirk before restraining them physically, and this is no different. But he'll just have to suck it up. It's as he's said before--you can't be a Hero with only one trick.]

I accept.

[magneticfields]

[ Erik exhales and nods, some of the tension that's been building since the music stopped starting to seep from him. ]

I could rip this station apart. Smash it into the planet. Pull the planet out of orbit and send it on a path to collide with the sun. I don't. Because I live here, and I don't want to die.

[ His jaw tightens and he lifts the weight again, spinning it in different directions. No matter how much destruction he could wreak, it was always with a purpose. But since his encounter with Apocalypse, doubt had crept in. This place only made it worse. ]

If they succeed in... If my sanity is broken, I could destroy us all.

[ He doesn't know this man. He doesn't trust him. But the risks are too great to conceal it. ]

[eraserdad]

[Aizawa looks slightly impatient as Erik goes through a list of things he's capable of, but he doesn't interrupt. Honestly though, just about any Quirk can be deadly in the right hands. He's been stopping people who wanted to do harm with their abilities for twelve years, now--and that's just his professional career, not counting the time he was in training.]

That's not going to happen.

[He won't let it happen.]

If you ever feel yourself slipping, contact me immediately. In the meantime, I want to see how you fight without your Quirk.

[If Erik truly ever was to lose his sanity, Aizawa doesnt expect the man would simply surrender upon having his ability erased. And without his capture weapon, he needs to know how difficult it will be to physically restrain him.]

[magneticfields]

[ Erik exhales and nods. ]

I was able to cope with this latest torment well enough. But certain realities of physiology still apply. Forced insomnia, drugged food and water. There's only so much I can do to counter these things.

[ He looks at Aizawa a moment, considering things. ]

Your abilities seem very specific and unlikely to be an existential threat. Can you think of any way they could be utilized as such?

[eraserdad]

Not unless someone is capable of overriding my autonomy with specific murderous intent.

[Which like....isn't impossible. There's a student at UA whose Quirk is literally brainwashing. But still, that's not exactly specific to his Quirk. All he can do is level the playing field temporarily; beyond that, he's only as dangerous as anyone else might be with mundane means of harming others.]

[magneticfields]

[ The comment gives Erik pause. He knows of one person who could do exactly that, if he had access to his abilities. Could, but never has. Because of his own inherent goodness. But if Erik's own iron will to survive could be compromised, could Charles' goodness be compromised as well? The thought is chilling.

He could be capable of anything.

Erik doesn't dare to say it aloud. Whoever, or whatever, is tormenting them clearly has the ability to monitor them. The last thing he will do is reveal such a stunning weakness. The fatal flaw in their system. ]

So far, I don't know of anybody on this station who is capable of that. [ Technically true. So long as Charles keeps taking the serum. ] And if our captors can, there's not much we can do.

apologies for the delay!

[eraserdad]

That's good to know.

[Like, sincerely. One less headache.]

Should someone possess a Quirk like that, I could disable it temporarily with Erasure, so long as I can be made aware it has been engaged first. If it's done through technology, it can be destroyed. So I'm not too concerned about such a hypothetical.

[Which puts this conversation more or less at an end, he thinks. Since Erik still doesn't seem to be willing to spar with him, and Aizawa's not a man to keep repeating himself. He starts to turn back to the gym equipment.]

If we're done here?