Being a Hero is just a Side Job (Shinsou x OC)

Ugly Circle Glasses

Spinel's mad dash slowed to a trot then to a walk before she finally stopped to catch her breath. I know I'm not exactly the most athletic but damn. I am way unhealthier than I thought. Once her panting was under control, she continued on her way. The faster she got to the station the better. This would be so much easier if I could use my quirk. But that would be illegal and if I did, I wouldn't be able to bring any of my stuff with me.

The train station was quite nice, albeit a tad loud but what did she expect? She followed the signs to get to the train stop. Pushing through the denser crowds she noticed a little store selling pre-packed lunch boxes. Spinel's stomach growled a fair bit louder than she thought it would which convinced her to veer off to the side and take a look at what type of lunchboxes were being sold. They had quite a selection, some a little pricier than others, she picked up the teriyaki beef and rice combo hesitating a little before also grabbing the twelve-slice sushi pack. It's going to be a long ride anyway...and I can always save these for later since now I have to be extra frugal till I get another source of income. She went to the register and smiled to the cashier as she rang her up.

"That'll be 1500yen"

She took out some of the money and paid in cash. What kind of kid thirteen-year-old would use a credit card? And even if she did, her parents might be able to track her spending to find her that way. She totally wasn't paranoid or anything like that; she was simply cautious. Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it's impossible. Spinel lamented at the price of her hunger before handing the cashier her money.

"Would you like a receipt?"

Spinel shook her head.

"Alright. That'll be all then. Safe travels" the cashier smiled, her voice smooth and easy to listen to even through all the bustle of the crowds. Spinel nodded before walking off in haste to find her ride.

Spinel had no sense of direction. A fact that she was fully aware of and wholly embraced. So, when she made it to the correct train in record time it felt like a small blessing. It was the little things that really helped. Wow, it's a lot nicer than I thought it would be... the train was equipped for long distance travel, soft seats in rows of two or three, the blue and black carpeted floor matched the inviting dark blue seats and there were big windows for each row. Spinel looked around for her seat only to be pleasantly surprised that she had been assigned the window seat in a two-person row. She pulled the table down in front of her -the kind you see in an airplane- and placed her food on top. I won't eat any of it till we start moving... that's the plan. I wonder what kind of person I'll be sitting next to... the seat remained empty. Oh. Maybe I have a row to myself. Just as those thoughts left her mind, a man wearing dress pants, a matching blazer and a white button up shirt sat next to her. Her first thought was that he smelled of cigarette smoke. Her second thought however, was more vocal than the first, "What are with those ugly circular glasses?" before she even had the chance to stop herself the question was already out. Oh no. Good job Spinel. You just insulted the horrible fashion sense of the person you will be seated with for the next three hours."

The man raised an eyebrow "These glasses I'll have you know, are very important for my character, little miss."

Spinel looked up when she heard his voice, it was a man who had an unsettling grin on his features. The gap between his teeth was not doing him any favors either. This man's entire image screamed 'shady stranger. Stay away'. She took a deep breath. Keep cool. Stay calm. Maybe I can salvage this, so he won't make a face that looks like he is pricing out my organs as we speak. "Whatever you say mister....?"

"Just Giran is fine."

"Ok...Giran..." How am I going to play this off?! What kinda route should I take with my responses? She started to ramble. Her nerves getting the best of her "Your circle monstrosities suit you well." AHHH, I'm such a silly-silly "They aren't completely hideous". Oh, I messed up. Spinel liked to believe that she was a relatively polite person who thought before she spoke however, the funny thing about panic is that sometimes she tended to say things without thinking them through. This... was one of those times.

Giran smirked, the only difference between his smirk and his grin is how much of the smug and self-confident persona is displayed. "What about you little miss? Shouldn't you be in school? After all, you are wearing your uniform. If you wanted to skip you should have changed first."

Ah crap. He was right. "Bold of you to assume I am of schooling age. Who says I'm not older than you and just enjoy cosplaying?"

"That's a fair point little miss." Giran hummed and nodded slightly mulling the conversation over. This will be an interesting trip he thought. Before any more words were shared the speakers turned on and the train stared to move.

Within a few minutes of departure Spinel opened the container of sushi she had bought earlier and started to eat. It was fantastic. That, or she was just hungry. My bag has been feeling heavier recently and that's not a good thing. It'll limit my speed. Not that she was very fast or strong in the first place. Spinel took a mental inventory as she ate, her hunger gradually leaving her with each bite. She knew it wouldn't last long though, one of the side effects of her quirk was that she was hungry all the time or at least most of the time. As soon as she finished her sushi and threw away her rubbish in one of the small trashcans nearby, she decided the best way to get rid of some items was to give them as.... gifts shall we say. Spinel opened her bag and shuffled through her meager supplies. Ah. Here it is~ She looked up at Giran and poked him gently to get the man's attention.

"Hm?"

"I have a gift for you. It'll suit you perfectly" Spinel chuckled quietly to herself as she handed over the item. It was a scarf. But not just any scarf, no no that would be silly.

Giran took the scarf bewildered at her gesture before understanding what she meant. It was fluffy and suspiciously resembled intestines in both color and shape. He couldn't say he hated it that's for sure. He put on the scarf and looked back to the nameless girl. "I look dashing, I know." To be quite honest he did actually like the scarf as disastrous as it looked.

I'm glad he is at least willing to keep it. I don't really need that particular scarf. Spinel looked out the window and sighed, the sky was blue with not a cloud in the sky, the grass swaying ever so slightly in the gentle breeze. She couldn't hear the sounds outside the window, but she could imagine the Birds chirping as they flew around and went about their business, the wind whispering for the tree's leaves to rustle. It was a wonderful scene. The longer she looked out the window the more distressed her thoughts became. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the humming of the train speakers. She wasn't listening to the gentle chatter from her house kitchen, she wasn't listening to the murmurs coming from the TV in the living room. No, she was listening to the hum of a train. The train to get her out of that place. A train to get her far away from there. She didn't regret her actions. Spinel swallowed before opening her eyes again praying that no one was paying attention to her.

Unknown to her, Giran had noticed her little trip down memory lane. He saw how her brow crinkled as she closed her eyes knitting her eyebrows together. He'd seen this scene many times before in his line of work, there were plenty of runaway kids in the alleys each one with their own sob story, but never has he met anyone in the process of running away. He may be a money greedy bastard, but he had standards, he wasn't a monster. "Why are you running?"

She glanced up at him and smiled gently, "Running? What makes you think I'm a runaway? But if assuming I am then what does it matter? If it eases your soul, I'm not."

Giran kept a straight face not giving anything away. He almost considered dropping the subject when a particular memory came to mind. A fortune cookie had told him that today was a good day to do something to help others. Giran was not one to believe in those fortune cookies, those 'fortunes' were just little scraps of paper stuck in an edible shell that no one really ate. 'Help one person today and your karma will pay off' He brought a smirk back to his face. Well, she did give me a scarf...

"I don't believe I told you what my job is. I'm Giran. A broker." He handed Spinel a business card "Say, little miss would you like a new identity?"