64: 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜
They stood in line, Nova listening quietly as Midoriya and Uraraka talked about internships.
Nova stood behind Iida as they walked up to order and collect their food. She bit her lip nervously as he pulled out a nice looking debit card to pay. Her own hand in her pocket, wrapped around her UA food card. The perk of her scholarship was that she didn't have to pay for food with her own money. But the card was also an obvious way to yell "I'm poor" to all the students around her.
She nervously pulled it out and handed it over, glancing back at Uraraka and Midoriya. Who didn't seem to be paying any attention at all...
As they passed over their own matching cards. Both having the UA logo on the front. Same as hers.
They were also in the scholarship program.
Suddenly Nova felt even more accepted. She had almost forgotten she wasn't the only one in the school who needed help financially.
She walked behind the rest of the group, allowing them to sit first. She felt awkward, having never actually eaten in the cafeteria before now.
She was surprised when two more people joined their table, Tsu and Todoroki from this class. Now the table was full, with Nova sandwiched between Iida and Midoriya. Shoji taking a seat at the end of the table beside Tsu, and Uraraka sitting across from Nova.
"I wonder who all gave us offers..." Uraraka said after swallowing a bite full of rice. "And what all pros are accepting any students, they must be pretty big to take on that responsibility. What do you think Midoriya?" Uraraka asked.
She has a point. Even the agencies that offered to take the students that didn't get any offers must be big. Equiped to take on multiple interns at various levels of skill. She glanced at Shoji, glad he still got to go on an internship.
As for her, she had no clue who extended her the offers. Two hero agencies... It could be anyone. Though she doubted it was anyone notable.
Nova quietly ate her food, keeping her head somewhat turned down. She was happy they offered her a spot at their table, and didn't want to do anything to make them regret it. Especially not Iida, who Nova was starting to think no longer hated her. She would like to keep it that way, I mean... It's not like she has many options for friends.
She wondered why they were being accepting all of a sudden. Was it because they teamed up with her? And she helped them win the calvary battle?
Nova had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. That they actually did it for one of two reasons.
Because she won the festival...
Or because of the Kain incident.
Did they really just feel super bad for her? And that's why they were being so nice? She'd rather not have friends just because people felt bad for her... But then again that's pretty much why Shoji started liking her. Because she was relatable and he felt the need to protect her.
She somewhat zoned out, then started paying attention to Uraraka again a few minutes later. Conversation had shifted from internships to the food.
"Ugh I love foodrush so much! This is way better than the food at my old school." Uraraka said with her mouth half full. Careful to politely cover it with a hand.
"I don't know, Ribbit." Tsu said. "It's really good, but Salty bank's had better seafood."
Nova tilted her head slightly. Glancing over at Tsu curiously. Speaking up for the first time. "You went to Sally Banks?... So did I."
Tsu looked over at her and gave a nod. "Yeah I remember." She said simply. Nova's face went a little red.
"Y-you do?" Nova asked. Now she was shifting through every memory ahe had of that school. Hoping she hadn't somehow forgotten about Tsuyu. Did they have the same class? No, she was almost sure they didn't.
Panic rose in Nova's chest at the idea of having forgotten about her now classmate.
"Yeah. We didn't know each other or anything, Ribbit. But... Well everyone knew you." Tsu said blatantly.
Nova's heart slowed and then quickened again. Of course. Anywhere Nova went eventually her presence was known. It happened at all of her schools, she just hadn't heard it so blatantly.
Nova wished she was invisible, and always had been. Better yet, she wished she lived in a secluded cabin all alone. Or maybe a secluded cabin with Zoey. One that Shoji visited from time to time. When he felt like it.
Instead here she was. Being watched everywhere she went. It made her skin crawl.
"Oh... Yeah.." She mumbled awkwardly. She regret saying anything, maybe she was better off sitting in the classroom at lunch. Shoji didn't often start conversation, and neither did she. She liked that because then she never messed up.
"You weren't there for very long were you? Ribbit." Tsu said, touching her chin and tilting her head.
"No uh... I um... Moved schools a lot." Nova admitted sheepishly. "At least in middle school." Nova stared down at her food, she didn't know what to say or do anymore. She suddenly felt less comfortable. She felt like they were all staring at her.
"Me too, well actually I only did like once... But still." Midoriya said beside her. I transferred school's halfway through middle school because my mom and I moved back here from Tokyo where we lived for a few years."
Nova didn't know if he did it on purpose or not, but once Midoriya shifted the conversation to himself Nova started to calm down. She looked down at her hands. Trying to talk herself down.
It was going to be alright. They weren't being mean, Tsu was just making a few observations. It was okay. She could calm down.
She didn't know why having one conversation was so difficult. Why it made her so anxious. But there were so many people, in the cafeteria and at their table. Talking to her and about her and...
It made her nervous.
Even as conversation kept changing and her new friends chatted to each other in a friendly manner, her heart never fully calmed itself.
"Hey Nova? Can I ask you a few questions about your quirk?" Midoriya asked quietly. Making an effort to not disturb the other conversations.
"H-huh? Why?" Nova asked, biting her thumbnail. She has been doing it this whole time, after she finished her food at least.
"Oh well um... I kinda like to uh... Take notes? On cool quirks that I see." He pulled out a notebook. It looked rough, obviously used and even burnt in some places.
Nova briefly remembered Bakugou's explosions, and the anger he had towards the green haired boy. But she pushed the feeling away. She had no real reason to believe that was connected at all.
Nova saw a few images flash by as he skimmed the pages, turning closer to her as he did so. He obviously wasn't trying to make a big deal out of this.
"Oh... Um... What kinda questions?" Nova asked. She saw a page or two with images of Uraraka's hero costume and her finger tips. Along with a sloppy drawing of Iida's engine from afar. Tokoyami's dark shadow and Bakugou's explosions were also drawn in there. He wasn't kidding, he did take notes on everyone.
"Does the weight of a metal item effect your quirk? Like is it harder if it's heavier? And do you have to touch it to completely manipulated it's form? Also me and Uraraka were wondering if you can manipulate hot metal. Like molten? Metal that's soft due to a change in temperature! Oh and can you sense metal around you? Or do you have to see it to know it's there? Can you use your quirk with your eyes closed? And do you have to move your body to move it?" Midoriya's rambling snowballed after the first few questions. Getting more rapid fire and more enthusiastic as he went on.
"Oh! And since there is metal in the human body in blood and stuff could you manipulate that as well? Or is the build up different? Are there metals you can't manipulate? Are some harder than others?"
Nova's eyes almost crossed as his questions made her dizzy.
"Deku." Uraraka giggled. "Take a breath, you're mumbling again."
"Oh! Sorry um... Sorry." Midoriya shook his head as though trying to clear away his thoughts. "Um... How about... Does the weight of the metal matter? My um... First question." He flushed in embarrassment and Nova almost smiled.
"Right um... Sort of. But not a lot, really it's less about weight and more about the amount of metal." Nova admitted.
"Amount?" Deku tilted his head and jotted something down quickly.
"Yeah... And how hard it is. It gets more complicated. Gold weighs more than copper. So controlling a ton of copper would be harder than controlling a ton of gold. A ton meaning the measurement of course."
"Oh... Because there's more of it?! Like more volume? It's harder to manage bigger pieces." He nodded. "And copper is also stronger than gold."
"Yeah... Though that's just an example, I don't often get a chance to manipulate gold." Nova explained. "It's easy from what I remember... Really soft."
"That's fascinating! So metals are different depending on mass, strength and sometimes weight?!" Midoriya whispered, writing it down quickly. "And what about touching it? Do you have too?"
"Oh... To completely change it's shape yeah. I can move metal around without touching it, but manipulating it's shape can only happen while touching it or around... Thirty seconds after? Before I have to touch it again."
"So there's a time limit.... Do you think with training you'd be able to expand the time limit? Or even eradicate the need to touch metal and move your body to manipulate it?" He asked, looking up from the burnt pages of his notebook.
Nova bit her lip in thought. "I don't really know..." She admitted.
But... She had knocked Todoroki out without moving... Whether on purpose or not, it was possible to move it without trying. With nothing but her panic to guide it. Is that what it was? Could getting scared cause her quirk to act on its own to protect her.
"I makes sense for you to be able to. Everyone has limits that are possible to push through." He flipped the page once it was almost full. But the next one he came on was full as well.
A quickly sketched out suit of armor met Nova's eyes and she froze.
Among her classmates and heroes and quirks Midoriya admired was a page... Featuring Rikko Kurayami.
There were few pictures of him, since cameras contained metal and... Well metal was hard to keep away from the man when he was in action. Which was virtually the only times he was seen in public.
But Nova could immediately recognize the picture this was drawn in reference too. One of the few online videos that showed him in action, shot by a very good camera from a long distance away. It had been risky, but Nova was certain the shooter had made an immense amount of money for it.
Midoriya stopped his mumbling. Eyes wide in panic and he quickly flipped a few pages. "Sorry! It's not what it looks like- I mean- it's just his quirk- oh no I'm sorry.." He shook his head frantically. Nova didn't know if he was sorry because he was her father... Or because he didn't want to get in trouble for taking notes on a villain. Either way both students had red embarrassed faces.
"Oh... I-it's fine... Um..." Nova looked away. It's not liked she cared if Midoriya took notes about her father, it was just.... Shocking. She hadn't expected it. But there has been a fair amount in there about him, Nova didn't get a chance to read it all. She kinda wished she did, glancing down at the closed notebook.
"It's just that..." His voice dropped to a really low whisper. Making sure no one else on the table was paying attention to them. They were all locked in their own conversations, but Shoji occasionally glanced their way.
"He was so strong... Do you think... You'll reach the same level of power?" He asked in a hushed tone. Nova leaned closer just slightly, to hear him better and to respond.
"I don't know..." She admitted. This conversation was making her nervous, she wasn't used to talking about her father. And she especially wasn't used to praising his strength.
She pulled back from him, looking around nervously.
"Sorry that wasn't an appropriate question to ask-"
"I should go." Nova said suddenly, face red. "I mean, I-I've finished eating so..."
"No stay, please I'm sorry-"
Any attempts to halt Nova as she left were faulty. She stood up in a action that seemed sudden to everyone else at the table. Uraraka looked up in surprise.
"Nova? Are you-"
"Thanks for letting me sit with you guys!" She said as she grabbed her tray and pushed her chair in. Then she practically ran across the cafeteria. Her heart felt like it was going to explode it was beating so fast.
She didn't know why Midoriya would ask that. Was he scared she'd be as powerful? Scared she'd become a villain like him?
A villain he would have to defeat one day?
A/n: enjoy this long ass chapter.
Also....
Hand/nail reveal, featuring my bubble tapestry
You're welcome cherry_blossom48
My nails are boring and not even that long, but they still make typing so harddddd
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