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[arcy]

It'd been quite a while since Izuku had become a cat.
At least -- three months, more? It hadn't taken long for him to acclimate to his new environment, though that may simply be because Izuku had been forced into 'survival mode' pretty much immediately. Anything after his first few months in the wild was easy. Nothing he'd faced in the clans or even with Todoroki would ever match up with the sheer animalistic fear and hunger and terror of his early existence here. He's surprised that nobody had ever commented on the drastic difference in his behavior, actually -- did they just chalk it up to his death, or what? Because that certainly wouldn't explain his aversion to touch, or his sudden, slightly more pacifistic nature. Or maybe it did, Izuku didn't know a lot about response to trauma. Either way, Izuku was a tenderfoot now -- he'd never expected he'd take up a support role like this without at least an argument. But no, here he was, with his herbs and medicine and he was content. Sure, he'd gotten separated from Todoroki from some dumb mistake, and the only person Izuku was really familiar with was Aizawa, but Izuku was fine.
As for right now -- Izuku is very far from Snowbound territory, right then. Some days he was too restless to stay in Snowbound's territory, and Izuku had decided it wouldn't hurt to look into restocking on some herbs while he wsa out, anyways. Even so, Izuku didn't ... he didn't like the sheer weight of the unease on his shoulders, because he knew nothing was wrong, but he was alone. He'd have dragged along Aizawa, but Izuku had nearly been brushed off last time, and it was kind of weird, anyways.
Even so, the maine coon allows himself to sigh as he pushes his way through the undergrowth. His fur is an odd sort of contrast against the greenery of the birch forest, not quite the right shade to fit in. And if that's not the story of Izuku's life, he's not sure what is. Even among the clans, he was like a puzzle piece just out of place, at least in Izuku's humble opinion. But -- oh, he's getting distracted. Izuku blinks a few moments, somewhat dazed, as he continues half-heartedly scanning the ground for anything of use. He hasn't come up with a lot yet, but it's too be expected. At least there's more to be found than there is in Snowbound.

//[member=560]ochaco[/member] :^))

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☀☀☀

[ochaco]

And we are far from home

but we're so happy

ochaco uraraka ⌖ feet off the ground ⌖ tags

Ochaco Uraraka was awake.

Months ago, she woke in a pool of (what she presumed to be) her own blood, in a body that was no longer bipedal— in a body that was no longer human. It was something Ochaco believed she would never experience. Even in the world of quirks and heroes, she was the one with a zero gravity quirk, not some sort of transmutation quirk. Yet here she was, in the body of a havana brown feline, pelt blotched with pinks that she recognized to match her old hero costume.

Old hero costume, huh? Yeah, she supposed at this rate she’d never be going back to that. Unless this was some kind of terrible dream, Ochaco doubted this was going to end. Waking up in this form was something that occurred about a month or so ago, if her time calculations were correct. She checked the moon every night; it was her only guiding light. No matter how much time had passed, though, her point stayed the same: she was stuck in the body of a feline.

Ochaco had moved from area to area, but never quite settled down anywhere. She was quick to learn that the animal world was more blood and gore than she’d pinned it up to be, and she wasn’t in the business of dying a second time. That was tough to accept, too. She died, huh? Of course she had to die eventually, but she thought it wouldn’t be when she was still so... young. She thought she’d be a pro-hero at the very least, but the world was incredibly cruel, she supposed. Now she was left in the body of an unfamiliar creature — one she’d only began to learn how to maneuver properly, and had the barest of ideas on how to fight in — and in a world where she was alone.

At the present moment she found herself wandering a forest, it was easier to blend into the dark shadows that it was in bright daylight, and she was looking to avoid contact with ninety percent of other living beings. The remaining ten went to prey, and to the fleeting hope that she hadn’t been the only one of her classmates to end up in this peculiar hell. Of course, she wouldn’t actively wish this on others, but it wasn’t wrong to wish she wasn’t so alone...

It was in that moment that Ochaco saw him.
A mossy green feline — pelts like that weren’t normal, and neither were they — that reminded her so, so much of Izuku. Hope mingled with fear, fear that it wouldn’t be him, fear that it’d be some aggressor instead, but the way this feline carried himself matched Izuku’s human disposition, too.
It was worth the risk, she decided.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you knew where we are?” Ochaco asked tentatively, just in case it wasn’t him. Finding Izuku would be worth it the risk, but dying wouldn’t be. "My name is Ochaco Uraraka. You look just like a friend of mine, so I figured you might be willing to lend a hand." God, she hoped this worked out.

[arcy]

Izuku is a little absorbed with trying to figure out if the plant he saw was really the one he's trying to find when he hears the voice. He hadn't been paying a lot of attention again, in all honesty -- at least in forests, Izuku tended to zone out just a little more frequently. He hadn't ever quite lost the feeling of security that came with forests, considering his old group, as well as the infrequent number attacks. It was ... peaceful.
That doesn't stop the tenderfoot from jumping out of his skin when he hears the soft crunch of grass, just beside him, and a voice. For a split, hysterical second Izuku thinks its somebody mocking him before they attack, before his wild-eyed gaze refocuses and all he sees is the soft face of another cat. Within a single moment, the electricity he'd inadvertently summoned fizzles out. She doesn't seem -- cruel, just tentative. It doesn't feel like a facade, or at least not an obvious one, but she feels familiar, where'd he felt like this --
And then her words sink in. Ochaco Uraraka. Is this -- is this a cruel joke?? The maine coon gives her a wide-eyed look, unable to coax words out just yet. He'd met Todoroki and Aizawa, yes, he knew that they'd come back too, but that'd mean Uraraka died and she doesn't deserve that or this --
"Ura -- Uraraka?" The maine coon chokes out, eyes still wide as his tail gives an anxious, agitated thrash or two. It could just be a case of same name, like Deku, but her fur just seemed so -- Uraraka. Izuku was normally in the business of violently denying stuff until he's no longer capable of doing so, but he'd been through this enough that it wasn't that strange. "I-It's me -- I --" What is he supposed to say?? He was relieved there was really somebody he knew, but how long had she been here? How'd she died? Where was Izuku even supposed to start?? His tail continues waving as his face twists into something a little more anxious. "We're in a forest a few miles from Snowbound, that's all I know, but what --" Oh god, Uraraka probably didn't even know what Snowbound was. How was he supposed to approach this. This was -- very stressful, but not on the scale of meeting Aizawa and Todoroki, actually. At least she ... didn't appear to be terribly injured, but still.

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☀☀☀

[ochaco]

And we are far from home

but we're so happy

ochaco uraraka ⌖ feet off the ground ⌖ tags

As the other jumped Ochaco felt a pang of guilt, but as electricity crackled from the feline in response to that fear Uraraka could only find herself filled with more hope. He was still quiet though -- quiet and wide-eyed -- but he hadn't said anything yet. One half of her, ever the optimist, argued that it wasn't a no, but at the same time she knew that silence wasn't a yes. Hope alone couldn't will--

"I-It's me -- I --"

"Deku...?" Ochaco said quietly, already feeling tears budding in her eyes. "Is it really you?" Her voice cracked with the ending word, the feline sniffling as she began to sob. She had been so alone for so long, and was so confused. The isolation was killing her, but now... now Deku was here, and he seemed to know where he was, or what was going on, or anything at all, but it didn't even matter whether or not he did because he was here. "Where are-- where are we? Why are we here and-- and like th-this?" She didn't give a damn about location, and with the repetition of her question, she had a feeling Izuku knew it too. She didn't care where they were physically, she wanted to know where they were in relation to home; where they were in the world.

Wiping her eyes with her paw (an odd feeling still, but one that was no longer foreign due to her bleeding heart) Ochaco sniffled once more before looking up at the mossy green feline and mustering up a smile.
"What is Snowbound?" She asked, cocking her head slightly as she began to breath steadier; calm down some. Did he know of a way to get back home, or was that perhaps a temporary settlement? No matter what it was, she was just glad that she had a friend in the world again. "More importantly: how do we get back home?" Ochaco didn't remember much from before she woke up in her feline form, but it didn't matter now. She was safe as long as she was beside Deku.

[arcy]

Hearing 'Deku' come out of the Havana's maw clears any doubts he may feel, and the sheer relief is overwhelming. The Maine Coon lets out a soft whine, and -- oh, he's crying. That just appears to be a theme of his reunions, and it's more surprising than it should be. He'd always been prone to crying, a crybaby, if you would, though he'd ... grown out of it(??) after some very unfortunate incidents regarding it. The green tabby sniffles, and ducks his head rather self-consciously as he lifts a paw to aggressively rub away the tears. His claws make this problematic, and he winces as they catch on his skin. He drops his paws, and he holds back another wave of tears as Uraraka begins to full-on sob.
"I.... W-Well, I guess ... the best answer is that we died and something brought us here. I don't think it's even the right universe," Izuku weakly laughs. It catches in his throat, and he spends a few seconds trying to keep from sobbing, throat tight. He doesn't like thinking about his death, doesn't like remembering the feeling of the knife, the blood and the pain and -- a feeling of roiling nausea hits him, and Izuku's paws are shaking as he tries to keep down the bile. (he's repressed this stuff deep, but at least he didn't actual vomit like he did when Todoroki mentioned it. Just mentioned it. That's all it takes to trigger it, apparently.) "Wh-Who knows anything else, though," Izuku adds, and his paws are shuffling as he attempts to make himself smaller. Izuku, however, finds that it's hard to make something small out of a someone like himself -- at least 50% of his size comes from fur alone, and he'd probably overbalance and faceplant if he tried anymore. It's the thought that counts, at least.
"Um ... Snowbound is a group of animals living on the tundra," Izuku fumbles a little here, but he seems to be pulling himself together rather quickly. (read: izuku was aggressively internalizing his feelings) He'd gone on a full-on rant about clans and how they worked to Todoroki, because that's just how he was, but he's not sure if that's what he should do right now. Like -- that's gotta be out of place, right?? Right?? Izuku barely knows how conversations are supposed to work after going through 'survival mode', not that he did even before then. Which is ... unfortunate all around. "I... I don't think we can. I don't ... I-It's probably not intended to be temporary, or we'd be back by now. And -- And I'm not sure how that'd happen, since I died pretty gruesomely," Izuku's chest tightens at the reminder, but in a moment he's distanced himself from the topic, though his melancholy gaze falls to the ground. By this point, Izuku has long since seated himself, thick tail curling tight and protectively around his paws. He should -- probably do something to express his joy and relief at finding Uraraka, but for one, she died, so that's no good, and Izuku ... isn't any good at words. He could try and hug her or something, but there's the usual sense of discomfort that comes with the idea. Oh well. Just another way to ruin everything slowly.

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☀☀☀

[ochaco]

And we are far from home

but we're so happy

ochaco uraraka ⌖ feet off the ground ⌖ tags

Ochaco never minded Deku's soft heart; in fact, she admired it some. There were not many people that let themselves be soft in the world that they came from, and she found it to be a brave thing that he was still so kind. Especially under Katsuki's torment... Simply thinking about the bullying Deku had to endure from him made Ochaco's heart ache. Going up against him in the U.A. Sports Festival was a trip to hell and back, and the fact that he endured that for so long, yet was still so kind...
It was admirable, and brave.

Yet, as more tears began to form in Ochaco's eyes, she couldn't feel the same of herself. She could only see herself as a weak, crying girl. She'd known in the back of her mind that she died, but she still hoped against hope that there was another way. She hoped it was some sort of quirk or new superhuman trait. She hoped it was anything but what the reality turned out to be.
No... No that can't-- this can't be true... What about-- what about our other classmates? Or-- or my family... I was supposed to help them... Now... Now I'll never-- I'll never be able to. Ochaco thought to herself, eyes wide and mind spacey as she began to process the bitter reality. Just moments ago she had began to calm down-- just moments ago she had began to feel safe for the first time in forever. Now here she was, sobbing again, thinking about how she not only died in her past life, but she couldn't even remember it.
A part of her wondered if it was better that way. Another part of her bitterly hoped that her parents had damn good life insurance on her, because that was the only way she could help them now.

"We're... dead?" The Havana asked, sniffling some before she burst into a fresh set of sobs. What about being heroes? What about growing up and falling in love and what about everything she ever wanted to be? It was just gone now; it was gone and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Obviously she couldn't, because she died trying. "How are you just okay with this?" Maybe he was already over his death; adapting to this new life quickly. Maybe he already knew how to fight here, and maybe he was becoming a hero in a new form. Yeah... that had to be it, because the Deku she knew wouldn't just give up on a dream so big.

Ochaco remained quiet as Izuku explained what Snowbound was, and spoke no words -- only more sobs -- in response to his affirmation that there was no going back. Was this hell? Ochaco was pretty sure that it was hell, because this was quite possibly the worst fate she could imagine. She didn't ponder the thought of death often in her past life (such a glum topic was always such a mood killer) but she always imagined that she'd go to some sort of heaven. She imagined that she would see her Grandparents. She didn't think she'd reincarnate period, let alone into a cat. This situation was beyond fucked up, and she didn't tend to use such crude language so quickly.

"So what do we do now...?" Ochaco asked, sighing and letting more tears fall. There was no point in trying to stop them; not now at least. "Where do we go...?"

[arcy]

Izuku wilts a little more, if possible as Uraraka simply continues to sob as he speaks. He just -- he understood that it was messed up, that it was scary and he wished he could go home, but he just ... He's not sure. It hadn't taken him too long to adjust to. He was just -- dead, and he was a cat, and now he'd just have to focus on surviving until he finds something. Until he got home. He'd given up hope by the time he found the Thunderlands -- whatever creature brought him here, instead of just letting him die, wouldn't just leave. How would they, anyways? What was powerful enough to let them go home, when it was death itself that brought him here? Dying again wouldn't just -- they'd either be dead forever, or they might go home but the likeliness of that was near nonexistent, or there'd be some very unfortunate third option. He hadn't -- he'd just accepted it with a grace that he hadn't realized wouldn't extend to other people. Todoroki had a long time to adjust, a full seven months, and Aizawa had just been focused on continuing to survive. Still, there's something deeply upsetting about seeing Uraraka cry, and the maine coons' ears are flat against his head now What should he do? Izuku wasn't any good at comforting people.
"I've ... I've just had a lot of time to accept it," Izuku says, a feeling of deep, heavy guilt settling in him. Had he done something wrong by accepting it? He's not sure, and Izuku's getting stressed and he feels bad, and he swallows back a whimper as a few more tears fall down his face. He doesn't like seeing Uraraka this upset, it makes him feel terrible and he's not sure how to fix it. Izuku doesn't know how to comfort people. But he can't just not do anything. Izuku's expression wobbles a little as he sees the havana still sobbing. It takes a long few moments to convince himself to move, but then Izuku is edging closer to attempt to gently butt his head against Uraraka's shoulder. Even this contact would cause an unpleasant thrill, and Izuku tries not to tense as he simply tries to convey his comfort or support or whatever he was supposed to be doing. (this isn't supposed to be considered a lack of care for it -- Izuku literally just doesn't know. He'd gotten worse at the comforting thing over time.)
When Uraraka speaks again, Izuku takes this as his cue to withdraw, moving to shuffle away a few steps. Close enough to still hopefully be a solid presence, but far enough away that talking wouldn't be weird. There's relief to be found in this, but Izuku does his very best not to show this, for Uraraka's sake. He's quiet as he considers Uraraka, wondering if it'd be insensitive to offer, but, well, it was the best option.
"W-Well," Izuku says, voice very soft, contemplative. His gaze drops back to his paws, avoiding Uraraka's gaze. "I've -- I've been staying with the group I mentioned, Snowbound. They're -- they're very nice, it's definitely safer than staying out here," He's silent for a few more moments before he lifts his head and gives Uraraka a wobbly smile. He'd only be able to maintain any sort of eye contact for a few moments before he looks away again. "If it ... If it helps, Aizawa's there, too," It was nice to know they wouldn't be completely isolated there, even if it was just Aizawa instead of another student or friend.

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☀☀☀

[ochaco]

And we are far from home

but we're so happy

ochaco uraraka ⌖ feet off the ground ⌖ tags

As Izuku brought up that he'd had a lot of time to accept it, Ochaco found herself wondering just how long he had been here. She herself had only been here for what she believed to be a month, but could've easily been longer. Using the moon to tell the passage of time definitely wasn't the easiest system, especially since that she had nothing to log down the information she noted. Well, now that she thought about it, writing in this form was probably impossible. At least for now, she'd seen animals do incredible things, but she was no animal. She was a human-- she was supposed to be a human, but she supposed that wasn't the case anymore.

"How long have you been... here?" Ochaco asked softly, sniffling some. Her crying was incessant, and she knew Izuku was having a hard time comforting her. It was pretty evident in his nervousness, but as he butted his head against her shoulder, Ochaco felt a laugh begin to bubble from her. "Thank you, Deku." She murmured quietly, attempting to gently place her head on his. As he withdrew, she lifted her head too, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by being overbearing. No wonder she fell for him in their past lives-- no wonder she could feel herself falling for him again. He was still an absolute sweetheart, doing everything he could for other people.

Uraraka listened as he talked about Snowbound, and although she noted that it seemed like it would be incredibly cold, she wouldn't want to go anywhere else. If Deku -- and Aizawa, oh! -- were there, then she wouldn't stray from that group. Maybe it wouldn't be a warm place to sleep at night, but it seemed like it'd be a safe one. Honestly though, even if it wasn't safe she'd still go. She couldn't stand being alone anymore, and now that she was with Izuku, she wouldn't be.
"I'll go with you-- of course I will." Uraraka said, smiling softly. By now most of her tears had subsided, but she was sure that if she began to think about her death again she'd begin to sob once more. However, for now, she was with Deku, and she was going to a safe place, and maybe for one night she'd be able to sleep easy. For one night she'd be able to sleep without the fear of dying once again. There was so much going through her mind in this moment, but one thought stuck out from the rest.
Anywhere you go, I will follow.

[arcy]

Izuku wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed, in all honesty. He literally only based it on his own aging process. He'd been ... about four months, cat-wise, when he first arrived. Very small, very fluffy, wide eyes. He doesn't know why he was so young, about as young as Harrison was, and it made surviving that much harder. He was around ... seven months now, he thinks. Which made, what, four months, give or take? He probably could have found a notebook to jot down each day -- it'd only take a bit of ink to dip his paw into. But, again, survival mode.
"About ... four months, give or take?" Izuku says it as though it's a question, tilting his head. And -- oh, four months is pretty terrible, isn't it? He doubts Uraraka has been here long, she doesn't seem too terribly battle scarred or changed. But Izuku ... well, beyond the fur was a whole lot of badly healed scars and injuries. And Izuku was ... clearly pretty young in this form, gangly and messy. Which made his arriving age .... somewhat clear. Very sad, very upsetting.
The additional contact as Ochaco rests her head on his is a little upsetting, in all honestly. His paws are ... shaking just a little, but he curls his tail around them to hide the fact. He hasn't actually had a ton of positive contact with people lately? Like -- Aizawa was one of the few, and only rarely. Todoroki didn't count, since, through trial and error, Izuku had managed to not have an entire breakdown over prolonged contact with the bicolored feline. Minor anxiety and restlessness, yes, but not too much more than usual. The whole thing is worth it, though, as Uraraka seems to have lightened up at least a little. Not full-on sobbing or anything, and Izuku could deal with this. So Izuku allows himself to perk up a little, uncertain grin in place as he rubs away the tears still on his own face. This whole encounter is a mess, but Izuku doesn't have any regrets, despite any discomfort of anything.
"That's great!" There's open, wide-eyed relief to be found on the Maine Coon's face as Uraraka agrees, though he does his best not to be too overwhelming about it, for Uraraka's sake. Izuku doesn't want Uraraka to be alone, after all -- at least if she was in the same group he'd see her often enough to not spent literally every moment fretting about her safety. Thanks, Todoroki. He finds fit to give her some warnings, though. "U-Um, it's very cold and snowy there, as you can ... probably tell. It's a tundra -- but if you need a scarf or a coat or something, just ask!! It ... takes a while to get used to." Izuku was lucky to have a full fur coat to protect him. Given a little extra time to have his fur fully thicken out, he'd probably be fully capable of overheating in the literal tundra. Anyways, what else should he say? Something about the members? Or -- no, probably not. He should probably mention Todoroki, honestly, but boy if Todoroki isn't somewhere in the abyss at this point. Well, he was pretty much instantly recognizable anyways, even as a cat, so Izuku isn't too worried. Right, that was ... kind of all.

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☀☀☀

[ochaco]

And we are far from home

but we're so happy

ochaco uraraka ⌖ feet off the ground ⌖ tags

Four months. So it seemed that, as far as Ochaco was aware, the arrivals were relatively recent. She wondered if Izuku knew when Aizawa entered this world, and made a mental note to ask later. She had just stopped crying and she really wasn't in the mood to resume the conversation that had brought her to tears in the first place. Instead she simply listened as Izuku talked about Snowbound. A coat and a scarf were definitely going to be needed-- she was cold-sensitive as a human, and with how short her fur was, she had a feeling that particular trait was going to carry over as well. Of course of all the things to carry over it had to be her temperature-sensitivity, and not something useful like her quirk.

"Is there some sort of entrance exam? I don't know if I could pass-- not right now at least. I hardly know how to move in this body, let alone fight." Ochaco asked worriedly. "Plus my quirk is gone..." A part of her felt ashamed to admit it, but a bigger part of her felt... really, really off without her quirk. She'd had it since she was young, and now it was suddenly gone. Her route of thinking had to be completely rewritten, and none of it was fair.
Ochaco once had her whole world feeling weightless; she forgot how heavily it actually weighed on her.