[Mikoto is the definition of a mothering friend. Her whole problem with spirits began when she just had to check up on her friend Yuka after all! It's little wonder she's fussing over Todoroki the way she is. It might be the most minor of injuries but still!

She's got a first aid kit in hand and talks gently as she sits it down.]

Here, just a moment ... you're sure you're feeling well?

( Gentleness is something that feels foreign to Shoto. Not to say that he doesn't have friends who show concern for him, but he grew up in a strict environment. There's some hesitation when Makoto speaks, but it's short lived. )

I'm alright. ( He says quietly, looking over his now-injured hand. ) There are others who need more help than I do.

( After joining his friends in a fight, some of them had insisted that he get checked up on. But, he's had injuries far worse than this. )

[It's the height of summer, break is in full swing and for their continued efforts and exemplary work...Ryukyu offered to give the two girls a weekend off, paid. So, with little to do for those few days, Ochako checked online and was delighted to find out that there would be a decent meteor shower outside of the major city - pretty darn close to where one of her relatives lives by the countryside. A few phone calls later, and they're setting up a big blanket, a mosquito net, and a some pillows out in the field by her relative's big ranch.]

They're supposed to start up in another fifteen minutes, according to what I read online. I know it's pretty late, but there's going to be anywhere between twenty to fifty shooting stars per hour!! And out here where there's no as much light pollution, we should be able to see a lot of them! I'm sooo excited~!

Maybe we can even see the milky way out here?! Tsu-chan, wouldn't that be so awesome?!

( After what felt like consistently working on hero training and jobs, it feels a little out of the ordinary to take so much time to relax. However, Tsu would never take any chance to had to spend with her friends for granted -- and Ochako happened to be one of her closest friends that she had made since first entering the Hero Academy.

She makes herself comfortable next to Ochako, looking upwards at the sky. )

It's good timing that we get to spend time together like this now. ( It's late, and she can feel tiredness washing over her, but it's worth it. She raises a finger to her chin thoughtfully, a quiet ribbit leaving her. )

Do you think we'll be able to see any other constellations?

[Likewise, out of all the other people in their class, it's obvious that Tsuyu was closer to Ochako than anyone else. They has a certain synergy that just shone more than anything she did with some of the other girls, and their quirks were also pretty compatible too - given they easily came up with a combo move on their first day of working with Ryukyu so many months ago, and even on a few missions with Selkie, who praised each girl for their strength, drive, and exquisite teamwork.

But, for as well as they work together on the job, it's always nice to just relax and be normal teenage girls every once in a while. Shopping, cafe and bakery romps, sleepovers, just things that are lowkey and fun for two best friends to do on their days off. As Hero Students, they really don't get to do that very often at all...and once they graduate and start actually working for real...those things are going to become all but nonexistent. Perhaps that's the real reason Ryukyu gave them this time off - just to enjoy their youth while it lasted.]

Mm, and Ryukyu-san let us, especially paid. [This is practically unheard of for students, who are more or less glorified interns, but even lower on the totem pole than that.] Eehehe, I might even have some left over from this trip after it comes in.

Oh, and the constellations should be pretty easy to spot - at least a couple. Mmh...there! [She points, looking up at the sky next to her friend, finger just slightly under an especially bright star.] It's Sirius-san!! Ehehe, she came with us, too!

[Funny, but Sirius is technically the brightest star in the night sky, making up the constellation of Canis Major, so it's the easiest to spot on a clear evening like this.]

( Perhaps it was their relationship that made it so easy for them to work with one another. Tsu wanted to get along with everyone in their class if possible, but it always felt most natural with Ochako compared to others.

It was different, to say the least. At home, she didn't often have time to spend like this. She spent most of her free time focusing on her siblings. Not that she ever minded But, the experience she has with her friends now is something she wants to treasure.

When Ochako points to the sky, her gaze follows to where she can make out the constellations, memorizing it's contents quietly before she speaks again. )

You're right. Maybe she didn't want to be left out.

( It's a light joke. She can't help but smile lightly. )

Hey, I think I can see a few of our classmtes up there, too.

[And where Tsuyu wanted to get along with everyone, Ochako sort of just...did. She's naturally just very kind, sweet, and friendly - has that sort of pull that just brings people together, which is ironic considering her quirk does have everything to do with gravity and all. The class is close, more than just friends and classmates for sure, but there are undoubtedly those who are closer than others, and she and Tsuyu are just that - very close friends, basically besties.

Perhaps it's also because Ochako is an only child, and Tsuyu has the maturity and experience to deal with people on a very down-to-earth and level-headed manner? It is a mystery, but she cherishes this friendship very much either way.]

Ehehe, is that so? Well, we all know Bakugou-kun is sleeping right now... [The sun, she means. Because of course nothing else would befit their class hothead than the biggest and brightest star of them all. ...And the fact he goes to bed by 8:30 or 9:00pm ever night, like a true grandpa.] Who else?

( Tsu would be the first person who would call her classmates friends. While she wasn't someone who seemed to place much value on friendships at first glance, the bonds she formed with others were so precious to her. She truly wants for all of her classmates to succeed, and more than that... to find a way to do so without getting seriously hurt. )

Even if he's sleeping, he's still looks like he hasn't stopped being a little hot-headed. ( It's a tease, even if he's not there. Another ribbit leaves her.

Tsu looks in the sky for a moments, eyes searching before she points upwards once more. There were several stars close together -- one below several before they broke off into what looked like two lines. )

Doesn't that remind you of Mina-chan?

Edited 2024-08-11 01:13 am (UTC)

[Likewise - Ochako is a down to earth and friendly person naturally, but there's just something deeper when it comes to the class in general. They've been through the best and worst life has to offer, and they've always come out on top of it all. The trials and tribulations they've been through just strengthened their care and concern for one another, and helped them grow and change into better people and better Heroes, too. It's...really kind of cool, actually. Ochako wouldn't trade any of them for anything.

Of course, she also wants to throttle them sometimes for being stupid and reckless and getting hurt unnecessarily (Deku, we're talking about you), but saying so would be kind of hypocritical of her...since she tends to do the same sometimes.]

Ehehehe it's true!! I don't understand how he doesn't have frown lines like an old grandpa! [Following the direction of Tsu's finger upwards, she squints her eyes and then beams.] Oh!! Yeah, like her horns! Ah, which one is that close to for real... I can't tell.

[Her head tilts to one side, then the other, humming thoughtfully.] I think Pegasus, but I can't tell, I haven' memorized my star charts yet.

[NERD.]

( Training as they have indeed feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the experiences that Tsu has shared with the others isn't something she'd trade for anything. It's true that they've all had their share of hardships, but it's made them stronger -- as much as it's hurt.

Tsu's eyes move from the stars back to Ochako then, tilting her head a bit in curiosity (though, it's very likely difficult for Ochako to tell). )

Do you like the stars, Ochako? I didn't know that you were studying them.

Edited 2024-08-29 04:25 am (UTC)

[Exactly right - they grew stronger together, hurt together, and healed together. There really is no bond stronger than the one shared between every member of their class, and Ochako really, really hopes that lasts after high school, and well into their adult lives...after they go Pro.

Blinking, Ochako turns her head toward her friend, rolling over a little to lay on her side for a minute or two, just to talk. Has this really never come up?]

Mm! I love stargazing, and space in general!! I had to study gravity and how it worked when I was little because of my quirk - so my mama and papa would take me to the planetarium when them could, or the library to check out books about it. I started to get really fascinated by space...then it just grew into a love of the subject, ehehe. When I first saw Thirteen, and how they has a quirk a lot like mine, I was really happy!!

( Tsu knows that they're likely going to go their separate ways once school is over, but she hopes with all her heart that they'll somehow work together. She's come to care about her classmates a great deal, and Ochako is someone who feels especially important to her.

The green-haired girl turns then to her side, wanting to speak with the other properly. A quiet ribbit escapes her. Her family really helped her embrace her quirk, huh? That's how it really should be. There's a small smile on her face, expression gentle and fond.

Having a supportive family is important! Coming from one herself, she firmly believes that. )

You've always been pretty close to your family, huh? I'm sure that they knew that Thirteen would be where she was, too...

Did they always know that you wanted to be a hero?

[Knowing the class, and how close they've become, it wouldn't be a shock if they did all remain close regardless of branching out on their own - opening up their own agencies and doing their own thing. It's not uncommon for Heroes to occasionally work together in the field, if they happen to be in the same area and need support, after all. Plus, Pros often team up for various missions and request aid from other Pros they work well with, or who have a specific skillset and/or quirk that would be beneficial. Hell, depending on what fate brings, Ochako very well might open up her own agency and bring Tsuyu on board as her partner - many Heroes do that as well.

Ochako's family is everything to her, practically everyone knows this by now, though some more than others. With little growing up in terms of material goods, and the stressors of financial instability, Ochako still had a happy, loving family despite everything. She may have grown up poor, but she had a good life, a happy life.]

Mm, me and my mama and papa are really close. I...I wanted to become a Hero for them, y'know? I wanted to become a great Hero, make a lot of money - enough that they could take it easy and live a life free of worries. I just wanted to see them smile more, too...

[Ochako does love seeing happy, smiling faces most of all.]

They tried to talk me out of it, or at least kept telling me to do things for myself - that'd make them the happiest - but, eh...I guess I was a little too stubborn to listen back then. Of course, now that I've grown up a little bit more, I want to be a Hero for a bunch of reasons, all reasons that are mine, but...I do still want to at least send my mama and papa to Hawaii for a well-deserved vacation sometime, ehehe.

( Tsu may have her own idea of what kind of hero she wants to be, but they all had the same idea in mind. They all wanted to help others, to be an inspiration for those who could someday follow in their footsteps. No matter what prompted that to be something for them to work towards, they all ultimately had the same dream.

Ochako's goal was sweet, to say the least. She truly has a heart of a hero, doesn't she? She wants so bad for two people so important to her to be able to live more easily. It's something Tsu sees as admirable, although she had known that Ochako was the kind of person to pursue such a noble goal. )

I think it's natural for parents to want their kids to follow their own path, but I think they must be happy knowing that you want to fight for them, too. Ribbit-.

( Tsu can't help but think of her own family then. )

Did I ever tell you about home?

[Indeed they did, and it's for that reason that they are all connected. The class' friendship is stronger than anything, and their bonds can't easily be broken, either, because their hopes and dreams are one and the same, and they all support one another to achieve them.

And yes, Ochako's goal was, and still technically is, to become a prolific Hero and make enough money to support her parents, but that alone is not the entire reason she wants to be a Hero, and what she is striving for. She loves smiling, happy people, and wants to preserve and protect those smiles as best she can, in any way she can. It's gone beyond just two people, though her heart and soul will always keep them above almost everyone. Ochako's mother and father are the most important people to her, after all. Though...Tsu mentions her own home life and the brunette blinks owlishly.]

Mm? No, not really... I mean, I know you're the oldest in your family, but that's about it. You have, um...two siblings? Is that right?

( If asked, Tsu would be honest and say that she missed her family. With how she had grown up, it had ultimately pushed her to grow into someone more mature and collected. She had siblings to look after, after all. While her parents were working hard, she wanted to be someone that they could depend on.

Tsu wasn't one to really talk about herself very often. Not because she she was hesitant to do so, she just wasn't as extroverted as others in their class. )

Two younger siblings. Mom and Dad worked a lot, so I'd watch them after school.

[It definitely shows that Tsuyu had to mature more quickly than some of the rest of their class, even those also with siblings, younger or older. Ochako actually quite appreciates her friend's level-headed, down to earth personality...it keeps her grounded, and balances out Ochako's rather energetic and youthful personality. She's not quite as genki-pilled as Hagakure or Mina, but she is pretty up there.]

Eeeh?! I never knew!! I must not have paid attention to the pictures in your room when we hang out or study... Will your siblings be okay now that you're living on campus? They weren't that much younger than you, were they?

[Ochako is assuming relatively young - possible primary school or so, maybe early middle school, but it must be tough now for her mother and father, if their eldest child was no longer available to babysit. Maybe they hired a sitter? Tsuyu wasn't crazy wealthy like Todoroki or Yaomomo, but she was decently well off, it seemed like.]

( If Tsu had hesitated to take on hero courses for any reason, it was because of her family. She never found taking care of her siblings burdensome. Instead, she found joy in being able to raise her siblings. )

Samidare is 10, and Satsuki is 6. Mom and Dad insisted that they'd be alright, and I check on them pretty often, but...

( She frowns a little. She misses her family, to say the least. )

If there's a chance for us to live back at home, it'd be nice to live off campus again.

[It really goes to show how Ochako and Tsuyu are such good friends - they value their families above all else, and are so deeply connected to them. Ochako loves her mother and father, and became a Hero to help them live a an easier, more comfortable life...because she wanted to keep seeing them smile, and be happy. It's gone beyond just them, of course, but they'll always be the main reason for her wanting to become a Hero.]

Uwaah, how cute!! I bet they're both adorable, you'll have to show me pictures of them when we get back to UA! [Ah...this conversation. Ochako's smile dips a little as well, and she actually rolls over to be on her back again, staring at the stars.]

Mm...I think I understand what you mean. When I moved out of my parents' place and got my own little apartment room, I missed them so, so much. It was hard on my own, and we kept in touch by phone, or they'd visit me often, but...I'd really like, in the future, for us all to live together again, in a bigger house. Mama's always wanted a garden!! Maybe when I'm a Pro, I can do that for her, too.