eye of the tiger lyrics here

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WHO: Deku, Creati, and Blue Beetle
WHERE: Heropa #12
WHEN: vague noises
WHAT: Baby heroes meet the new pro they'll be shadowing
WARNINGS: probably nothing


[It's not that Deku doesn't appreciate being able to patrol along with Batman. He really, really does. It's great being able to shadow someone with more experience while away from UA, and though there haven't exactly been a lot of villain incidents, he still feels like he's getting to do something positive.

The only problem is, De Chima is just a bit far from home, even with access to the Porters. Batman themselves noticed this early on in the patrols with him and Creati, and had told them they'd look around for anyone in Heropa who could take on the task, and Blue Beetle had been the one to agree.

So today, they're meeting Blue Beetle for the first time, and he's definitely a little nervous. There's a table in the yard that's done up in the other Hero's colors, and among some of the snacks they've put out are things he might have mentioned preferring to a reporter at some point or another. Once a nerdy fanboy, always a nerdy fanboy, honestly--Deku's done his research.

Everything's more or less in order for introductions, but he can't help being antsy. To Momo, he says--]

It's almost time. We didn't forget anything, did we?

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[ Momo, to her credit, only side eyed Midoriya a little bit when it came to researching what snack foods were Blue Beetles favorite. She straightens up from where she had been adjusting the tablecloth, and peers over at her classmate.]

I think we've got everything. He should be satisfied, I hope.

[khajidont]

[ Jaime, on the other hand, is happily underneath the impression that he's going to meet them, lay down a few ground rules, and get going. He may be what these kids call a pro hero but what that means to him is simple: it means he's a constant presence in this world, doing what needs to get done, and going home. He has no patience for big events or sticking around for the cameras.

They stick around for him, though, which means that Deku's got the boon of cameras spotting the Blue Beetle chowing down on rooftops (it's always crap) and whatever foods he says he likes when he's confronted. They're not necessarily his favourite - he just panics and says the first thing that pops into his brain.

When he touches down, translucent wings flapping behind him, he calls out cheerily, ] Hey, you two! It's nice... to meet...

[ ...are those decorations? ]

What's all this?

[ He doesn't look displeased, but he sure does look surprised. ]

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[More or less the moment Blue Beetle cuts himself off, Izuku's expression crumbles a bit, and when they're actually asked about the currently Blue Beetle-themed yard, his face flushes with color. He bows--part out of ingrained politeness, part to hide his embarrassment. Not all Heroes appreciate something like this, of course--Aizawa for example would've probably just turned around and walked away, if someone had attempted to roll out a metaphorical red carpet for him, but Izuku had wanted to make a good first impression.]

I-it's very kind of you to take time out of your schedule to work with us, so we thought--um...we thought it'd be only appropriate to offer you a proper greeting.

[It's not too egregiously over the top, at least. More "catered school event" than "fancy party", though Yaoyorozu had insisted on some of the nicer cutlery rather than the cheap disposable kind.]

[khajidont]

Oh, um, it's no problem at all! I was just surprised, that's all. Um, thank you! It's not necessary to do all this, though, I promise. I'm happy to help.

[ If anything, Jaime looks similarly flustered. He's always more comfortable with being the sort of hero to swoop in and out - any extended communication for anyone who clearly already knows of him feels a bit strange. But it's a sweet gesture from what look to be a couple of well-meaning kids, and Jaime would rather they tag along with more experienced heroes than stake out on their own like many of their kind did.

Or, Jaime has to acknowledge, like he did. Yikes. Someone probably should have stopped him. ]

Soooooo... why don't we sit down for a sec and you guys can tell me a little about yourselves?

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Yes, thank you. We do both appreciate your help.

[ Momo gestures to the three plastic lawn chairs they'd set out, remaining standing until Blue Beetle has seated himself first, and offering, ] Would you like something to eat or drink? I made tea.

[ She made several varieties of tea, actually, just in case. Both hot and iced for this warm Florida afternoon. ]

[khajidont]

[ It would be rude to refuse, wouldn't it...? Besides, it's hot out. A little iced tea's not going to do him any harm. ]

Oh, um, yes please. Thanks. [ He helps himself to a glass of iced tea, sitting down a little awkwardly in the way of someone unused to sitting out in a setting as mundane as someone's backyard in full costume. Frankly, they're all a little too polite here. Time to kick things into high gear. ]

Batman's already told me a little about you, but I'd like to hear it from you guys. Could you start with what you'd like to get out of this? And why you wanna go into the hero business in the first place? I'm sure you two already know how dangerous it is, but it's the sort of thing that's hard to really know about it until you've experienced it.

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[Izuku sort of fiddles with the rim of his cup for a minute, as though debating how to respond without coming off rude.]

...Um, we've--we've fought villains before, sir. We promise we understand how dangerous the job is, and we take it very seriously.

[He's almost died a truly ridiculous amount of times in a very short period of time. As for why he wants to do it...well, he's never really had a reason. It's just been the song of his heart ever since he could remember.]

I've wanted to save people ever since I was a little kid. Back home, Creati and I were in training for it, but we wouldn't graduate for another two years. So um, we thought if we couldn't have that, we could at least find something like an internship with a pro Hero here before we tried to strike out on our own. Then Batman said there weren't any formal Hero agencies around here, but offered to let us patrol with them anyway...

[He might be starting to babble a little bit. It's not quite as bad as those times when he gets lost in his own thoughts and starts muttering to himself, but maybe Jaime or Momo wants to stop him soon.]

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[ Momo is well used to Midoriya's tendency to mutter on and on, so when it looks like he's headed in that direction, she slips right in. ]

What Deku means to say is, we know the risks we're taking. We've faced villains before, as well as been through training for hostage and natural disaster situations. All we want out of this partnership is an opportunity to keep our skills sharp during our time here, so that we may return home no less prepared than we were when we left it.

[ She takes a sip of her own cup of tea, pausing to gather her thoughts. ]. I too, like Deku, have wanted to be a Pro Hero from a young age. It is what you might call a tradition in my family. But, as I've grown older, I've come to realize that being a Hero is about more than following in my parents' footsteps. I want to be a Hero so that I can help people, and set a good example for my community.

[khajidont]

Okay. As long as you guys are doing this for the right reasons - and as long as you're aware of the risks. This is a dangerous job, more dangerous than it is glamorous, and I know a lot of people your age who've died doing it. A lot of them were my friends.

[ It's an unpleasant way to start this conversation, but it's necessary. More people should sit down kids going into this business and be clear with them: if you do this, the probability of you dying is high. It seems cruel, but it's reality. What is cruel is seeing how many people this way of life has killed, how all of that enthusiasm and hope for being just like their heroes translated to needing to prove their worth so badly that they perished in the process, how many of them put their lives down for what the adults should have been doing.

But now Jaime's the adult. And that means that he's determined to do this right. He clasps his hands on top of the table. ]

That doesn't mean I'm not going to let you do anything or that I want you guys tailing me to be, um, unpleasant? I'm not gonna be all doom and gloom. That's not my style. But I'm not going to be taking you into any situations I don't think you're ready for - which means I'm gonna hafta assess you guys one-on-one sometime, see what you're really capable of - and it means that there's going to be some ground rules.

Really, just the one ground rule. Listen to me. I've been doing this for a lot longer than you and, honestly, there's hardly anything out there that can touch me. When I tell you to stand down, you stand down. Unless you can agree to that, I can't have you tagging along.

So? Think you guys can commit to that?

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[A lot of his friends. Deku looks away, at that. He thinks of that time the class was attacked at USJ, and Aizawa and 13 were nearly killed protecting them; the time Iida went off to fight Stain by himself, the time Bakugo was kidnapped by the League of villains and he'd gone with some of his classmates to rescue him. He thinks of Kouta's parents, of the state of All Might's body. He knows how lucky he's been.]

...I understand, sir. We'll follow your instructions.

[When they're patrolling together, anyway. When Deku's alone, all bets are off, honestly. Chronic hero syndrome is a plague that Jaime knows all too well, after all.

There's a pause, then -- before he looks up again and asks:]

If you did get in trouble, though...who would we call? We couldn't just--leave you.

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[ Momo nods sagely, taking Blue Beetle's words with the weight they carry. She knew Hero work was dangerous, but she was lucky not to have experienced any real danger, outside of the attack at the USJ. But, she was confident in her abilities and those of Midoriya. She knew they could handle what this world would throw at them, and if they couldn't, they they had the wherewithal to know to retreat and get help from those better suited to handle the situation. ]

Deku raises a good point. We need to know the structure in place so that we may better fill our roles within it. If something were to happen to you, who is the next point of contact? The Justice League?

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[ Jaime offers the both of them a small smile. ]

Good. And believe me when I say that it's a lot harder than it might look for me to get in trouble. You don't have to worry about looking out for me.

[ His confidence in his own strength is earned; the trouble with him is holding back, not pushing forward. They raise a good point nonetheless. Just because he rarely gets into trouble doesn't mean it's an impossibility, particularly when psychic powers or magical energy gets involved. ]

But if it does happen...

[ Geez. Most of his friends who are - or used to be - capes are gone now. There's an unsettling moment in which he realizes how few people are left that he'd be able to call for back-up as the Blue Beetle. ]

Call Batman. She'll know what's up.

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[Deku nods along, though some part of him will likely worry anyway, because it's what he Does. When Blue Beetle offers the name of a fellow Hero to call for backup, though, he's mildly flustered for a moment--]

A-ah! Batman's a she??

[Not that he has anything against the idea; plenty of powerful Heroes are women, after all. But from the codename, he'd sort of assumed.]

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[ Just... calmly, coolly looking at Deku. ] You didn't know?

[ She looks to Blue Beetle for confirmation. ]

I'd just assumed, based on Batman's height and stature.

[khajidont]

Oh, um. Yeah, she is. It's a gender neutral title, I guess. It's a whole thing.

[ One that Jaime doesn't feel particularly inclined to get into, since it's not his thing. He knows that Batwoman is a title that's already been taken, after all, and while he's uncertain as to whether or not taking on the mantle is a wholly healthy thing for poor Cassandra to do, there are few out there more qualified to take on the mantle.

(One of them is the other Batman, but that's a whole ordeal Jaime's not sticking his nose into.) ]

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I didn't...

[He might have flustered some more about his mistake, especially in light of Yaoyorozu having been able to tell, but then he's distracted by what Blue Beetle says.]

--Wait, does that mean, there's more than one Batman?

[Ironically, despite being technically a legacy hero himself what with inheriting One For All from All Might, codenames tend to be a One Per Hero sort of thing. A lot of heroes have homage codenames, like Kirishima's Red Riot as a tribute to Crimson Riot, but Iida's the only one he knows to actually use another Hero's name, and there were particular circumstances around that.]

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Oh--!

[ Momo had noticed that there was more than one Batman listed on the official Justice League roster. She had thought it was some kind of clerical error, but maybe not. That Hero in the black and red suit did look somewhat bat-like... ]

Is that really the case? That's somewhat unusual.

[khajidont]

Sort of, yeah. But that's something you'll have to ask her about. It's not really my story to tell, y'know?

[ At the end of the day, he doesn't really know what Cassandra thinks of Terry being Batman or vice versa - or, heck, how Mr. Wayne felt about the matter. It's not the sort of thing any of them have discussed before. Bats aren't really a discussion-heavy bunch. ]

But a title being passed down is pretty common where I'm from. I'm the third Blue Beetle, so I can't exactly say that I find it weird.