Chapter Text
The classroom was silent as Arlecchino stared down at her desk, where a dead seagull was laying on it. The poor creature’s blood made a mess of her table, feathers askew. However, one key detail was the fact that the bird was borderline charred.
The woman picked up the bird by its feet, watching as various expressions of disgust or discomfort were met with her action. “Who did this?” She asked, calmly. Leaving a dead animal at someone’s feet was a challenge as far as she knew. A display of confidence. She found it ridiculous, all this person had proven to do was waste her time and make a mess of her desk.
A hushed bundle of murmurs spread throughout the classroom. Bakugo scoffed from his seat, where his feet were kicked up onto his desk. Arlecchino made a show of staring at his shoes, and he rolled his eyes as he sat properly. “Half and half is the one with a fire quirk, ask him.”
Todoroki stared at Bakugo from his seat a few behind him, unimpressed. “Do your explosions not also burn things? It sounds as if you’re trying to pin the blame on me to save your own skin.” He said, coolly.
His words make the blond sit up to turn at hum, snarling. Midoriya shook nervously from between the two. “Now why the hell would I waste my time finding birds to kill?! If I wanted to fight her I’d just do it!” Bakugo yelled.
The other boy furrowed his brow. “Then what makes you think I would want to?” Todoroki said with exasperation.
Arlecchino cleared her throat loudly from the head of the class, making the two boys look at her once again. As well as the other students who were watching the debacle. “I did not mean to stir bad blood or suspicion within you all.” She hummed, raising the seagull a little higher to stare at it. It was an odd choice of bird; as far as she was aware, seagulls meant companionship.
Mayhaps this wasn’t a threat or a challenge, but an incredibly vague message. Her mind went back to that young man she met, with the burn scars. And the very same eyes as Endeavor. Arlecchino shook her head, snapping her fingers and quickly burning the corpse of the bird to mere embers. Kota looked like he was about to cry from the back of the class, so Arlecchino decided to move on.
“I have my theories on who that was, and none of them are you all. Fret not.” She said calmly, as she wiped her palms on one another, before turning to the chalkboard behind her. “Now, did anyone finish the homework from last week?”
There was shuffling as a few student’s took out their bags, however she also caught Kaminari’s panicked whispers to his friends, not knowing they even had homework. She huffed. Things are certainly going to be interesting for a while, with her newfound friend.
Later that day, Arlecchino decided to sit in on one of All Might’s training regimens for the students. She watched the screens as several students split up in the city scape, basically playing a game of quirked tag. She would admit, it wasn’t a bad activity for the children; It was both fun and helpful in their agility and control over their quirks.
All Might and herself had hardly exchanged more than a mere greeting. The number one hero and the sixteenth didn’t often have a reason to talk or meet up, so Arlecchino couldn’t say she had a good read on what the man was like aside from the bravado he usually put up in public.
After a few more moments of silence, Arlecchino spoke uo, her eyes not leaving the screens. “What is your opinion on Endeavor's character, All Might?” She asked, watching Todoroki use his ice to skate away from Sero.
The other hero seemed surprised at the sudden question. He hummed, crossing his arms. “Well, in the field of heroics, he’s respectable. I mean, of course he is, he’s number two for a reason.” All Might laughed, however it tapered off into a sigh as he shook hos head.
“However, he often lets his pride get the best of him. He takes rankings too seriously, and I worry it’ll lead to his own dismay. I know the people in his inner circle are rather sick of it.” He huffed. They were both watching Todoroki now. Arlecchino noted how he didn’t use his fire. In fact, she doesn’t think she’s ever seen it.
She hummed quietly, leaning back in her seat. “Yes… I believe they’re sick of it as well, among other things.” Arlecchino said, coldly. All Might gave her a curious glance, however he didn’t comment in it as Todoroki won the game, no one being able to tag him within the time limit. Arlecchino excused herself from the observation room as All Might spoke through the intercoms, congratulating the student- Who didn’t look all that impressed.
The Todoroki family only itched at Arlecchino more every day. From how it affected her student, to Endeavor’s unbearable personality, to that man that looked so much like the flame hero under all of those scars. It was all so interesting.
Endeavor's first son caught in forest fire, further data uncharted, the paper read. It was slightly off-coloured in Arlecchino’s hands, with a coffee stain licking the corner of it. She had found the newspaper in a pro-hero themed antique shop. It was mostly All Might collectors merchandise from years past, but she had certainly struck gold in the newspaper area.
She read further on. Touya Todoroki. He would be around twenty two or three by now, looking at the date of the paper and how old he was when the incident happened. The age matched the man she had in mind. How curious.
The intercom beeped, and she looked up from where she was reading the paper in her empty classroom. Class 1-A would usually have her class right about now. However, they were currently on a little expedition with Eraserhead to the USJ, so she had some time to herself.
“Attention. All pro heroes, there has been a villain attack at the USJ, please make haste. I repeat, there has been a villain attack at the USJ.”
Arlecchino blinked. She heard several footsteps run down the hall in a moment’s notice, and she also picked up All Might’s voice commanding the other heroes. The Knave shrugged her shoulders, focusing back on the paper. If the number one hero was going, as well as several others, she’s sure the students would be fine. It’s not like she can be everywhere at once, now could she?
Dabi frowned as he looked amongst the heroes that had made it to the USJ, taking out some of the more low life criminals. He had only come along to see if he could catch The Knave, but it appears she didn’t even bother to show up.
“What a drag.” He mumbled, watching All Might fight off the beast Shigaraki had brought. Feeling eyes on him, Dabi turned to see Shoto Todoroki staring at him with a furrowed brow, as if trying to figure him out. Oh how Dabi wished he could fight the boy right then and there, but he wasn’t going to rush things just yet.
Hearing Shigaraki call for a retreat, Dabi gave Shoto a smile, waving at him as he stepped backwards into the portal. He didn’t get what he came here for, but it was always nice to see family, now wasn’t it? Dabi can only hope The Knave got his message the other day.
Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, and the Traveler all stared in silence at where the boy they were just talking to once stood. Lyney had aligned his palm with pneuma as they traveled, with the Traveler’s ousia sword. The two were hoping the elements would react some way if Arlecchino happened to be nearby, however it seems to have backfired… Immensely.
Freminet slapped the sword out of the Traveler’s hand, looking pale. “No! No, we aren’t doing this anymore!” He said, putting a hand over his head. “Oh gosh. Oh no.” He mumbled, sweating profusely. Lynette pats his shoulder with a similarly offput expression.
Lyney waved his hands around, looking like he was trying not to panic himself. “Hey, hey! At least we know now that it didn’t hurt when Father got transported! That guy seemed more curious than anything before he disappeared.” He said, and the three just gave him a look.
The traveler sighed, putting a hand on their hip. “Well… Hopefully he’s safe with Arlecchino, wherever he is.” They said, and a collective mumble agreed with them. Maybe they could ask Mona if she could see where they were? Or- No, Nahida, she could check Irminsul.
They groaned into their hands. They’d have to tell the boy’s dad about this, one way or another.