”Thank you, Hoshi.” Shimazu, after awaiting Xiao Feng to pass the teapot, helped himself to a pour into his cup. He sipped in a steady, calculated draw as he heard out Xiao Feng’s proposal. He neither winced nor broke his demeanor as The Head of the Blue Dragon spoke. When the deal was laid out, Shimazu finished drinking and set his cup down gently upon the table.

”All that you’ve said of current happenings is true.” He had been seeing the pressure mounting from 70th Street over the recent months; he knew full well that Valentina Vega would jump at the chance to cut into Little Asia. Feng’s proposal was of no surprise to him; it was only a matter of time until one gang or the other sought to exercise themselves through him and the Lucky Noodle. ”However, I’m afraid I must decline your offer at this time.” Shimazu’s peripheral vision shifted towards Taiwu in the corner to his right. ”I don’t believe it would be good for the image of myself or this establishment to associate so closely with enterprises such as yours.”

In the corner of his eye he saw a stir.

Taiwu had ceased leaning against the counter. The side eye from Shimazu had caught his surveying gaze of the shop. ‘Enterprises such as yours.’ The words had been cut towards him as much as spoken to his boss. Sensing that the discussions might be ending in pointed fashion, Taiwu made for Xiao Feng’s side with a stride that seemed prepared for conflict.

Xiao Feng looked at Taiwu for a moment and held up his hand motioning for him to stay back for now before turning his attention back to Shimazu. “It’s only a matter of time before Vega sets her eyes on your shop. I am sure you are aware of one of her underlings The Bull I believe she goes by can easily tear up your shop or harm your customers. Some added muscle nearby can certainly help. And like I said you won’t have to pay for this protection and I am sure your clients would prefer the added protection.” Xiao Feng said.

In the corner where she was sitting, Madalyne quietly continued to listen in on the conversation. She didn’t have much contact with either the Blue Dragons or 70th Street either as she continued to eat her noodles.

Kenzo straightened up, still with some chunks of broccoli and chicken on his lips, he could hear their propositions, he knew that given their ways and quite subtle worry for that Vega-girl meant that if the old man kept rejecting them they would have him hanged, in more than one way. He kept hearing, licking his lips from any chunk of meat or vegetable.

“Shoot.”

He gave a side glance to the place of the conversation, turning back after a short amount of time, the old man didn’t seem to have any sort of special skill, how could he ever defend from these sort of people, Kenzo quickly pushed those thoughts away as he needed to maintain a short profile, at least for the time being.

“I’m well aware of 70th Street’s enforcer.” Shimazu spoke sharply. While he maintained his primary focus on Xiao Feng, he kept a sideways glance towards Taiwu, who had stopped mid stride and remained where he had halted as if he might strike if prodded again. “I don’t believe that protecting myself, my business, and my staff from one criminal organization by aligning with another is a sound decision. To do so would be to back down from the principles I strive to embody and teach. Beyond that, I am quite assured that I’ve as much of a support network as I need; the community, and my staff, are vigilant.”

Taiwu broke his stillness and asserted himself at Xiao Feng’s. “You’re making a mistake, old man.” There was a flare in Taiwu’s eyes, and a tremble in his arms as he rolled his sleeves up.

“Perhaps,” Shimazu said, taking another sip from his tea cup. He cut a sharp look at Taiwu, before adding, “It wouldn’t be the worst I’ve made.”

Heat resonated from Taiwu’s forearms. There was a flicker, a spark, and before most in the shop could have caught up with it, his arms from his elbows down were ablaze in a mix of red, orange, white, and blue flames.

Shimazu dropped his cup, cracking it against the table and spilling out its contents. As quickly as Taiwu’s arms had caught, Ken Shimazu had sprung to his feet. His feet spread, and arms came up from his sides; he was poised for a fight. In the same instant, Hoshi, en route back to the kitchens, cut in between them, facing Taiwu.

“Sir! I’ll need to ask you to lea--”

A burning hand swept across Hoshi’s head, Taiwu swatting her out of his way as he returned Shimazu’s favor with a fighting stance of his own.

No sooner had Hoshi fallen to the floor, was Shimazu’s fist striking across the table towards Taiwu’s neck.

Kenzo slammed his fist upon the table, quickly standing up and appearing some feet away from Taiwu, Kenzo might not know what were the capacities of this foe, but that didn’t matter for this, he was doubtful, this was risky, becoming enemies with the blue dragons in his regular persona is just a bad idea.

Yet, Kenzo doesn’t tolerate the idea of someone being hurt. The old man seemed surprisingly fast, he quickly deduced he had a military past, which probably explains a lot from this exchange with the Blue Dragons.

“Hey…”

Kenzo tried to get Taiwu’s attention off Shimazu, he had a rough draft of his strategy; he would attempt to fight defensively, staying purposely sloppy so he wouldn’t suspect anything.

Madalyne quickly got up from where she was sitting seeing Taiwu grabbing the waitress Hoshi with his hand and pushing her to the ground, she got up and promptly helped the girl up to her feet. She moved closer towards the far corner of the shop closer towards the kitchen. “Are you okay?” She asked her as Hoshi nodded slightly, a small burn was on her where Taiwu had touched her. A slight green glow appeared from her hands as she used her magic to heal Hoshi’s burns.

Xiao sat there calmly in his seat as he sipped his tea while looking up between his right hand and Shimazu. Taiwu was always a little hotheaded and started conflicts like this a lot of the time but he quietly observed between the two to see who would end up coming out on top.

Shimazu had half-expected Xiao Feng to cut into the fight. It almost came as a surprise when he felt his fist connect, albeit with the side of Taiwu’s neck rather than the throat. The young man Shimazu had spoken to earlier had risen and pulled Taiwu’s attention. But the pyromancer quickly wheeled back to the Lucky Noodle’s proprietor as the fist struck him.

Shimazu, rebounding out of his punch, stepped out from behind the table.

Taiwu mirrored the movement and the two faced off, both resuming their fighting stance.

“This isn’t your fight,” Shimazu said, calling over Taiwu’s shoulder to the young man. As he spoke, a pair of Blue Dragons near the door stood up and flanked the bold patron.

“Oh… Well, I thought something else would happen.” Kenzo said as he was quickly cornered by multiple Blue Dragon members, with a single drop of sweat falling from his forehead signaling his thoughts about this whole situation. “Crap.” It’s all Kenzo could say if he hadn’t just thought about saying it.

Kenzo clenched his fist and tried to form some way out of this possible fight. He knew there was a thin line between being stupid or brave, also given the fact that he didn’t know how his powers worked properly.

“But I’ll thank you for holding the scrubs, if you can handle them.” he glared at Taiwu “You don’t want this fight, Taiwu, he said calmly.

“Oh but I do,” Taiwu spat. “I want to show you how wrong you were.”

“Then there’s nothing else for it,” An undertone of grief cut through Shimazu’s words. “Hoshi… you and the rest of the staff will escort our patrons outside. There is no need for anyone else to be harmed for the sake of old squabbles.”

“Y-yes, Shimazu-San.” Hoshi got to her feet. “Thank you,” she whispered to Madelyne. “There was something weird about that burn. But you healed it just fine.” She turned and gathered the patrons and the rest of the serving staff, and she and all who would follow her exited the restaurant.

All who remained: Kenzo, flanked by Blue Dragon foot soldiers; Madelyne; Shimazu and Taiwu standing off against each other in building tension; lastly Xiao Feng, observing and waiting…

The vibrant orange glow fired into the hole that Zero-Zero had been flung through. An intense heat shot through the air, aimed directly at the 70th Street thug that simply wouldn't stay down. She was like a fly; one particularly annoying fly that Nancy had to keep swatting at. Even bringing out the big guns, evident by the scorch marks behind the thug, seemed to be in vain.

"I knew I should've recalibrated your sensors." Nancy announced, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Readying herself to continue their engagement, Nancy found the fight suddenly interrupted by one of the other thugs. They were planning a retreat, having made off with what they could carry. Meanwhile, the sound of police cruisers echoed from outside; the sirens wailing echoing against cold brick and concrete. Now was the time to strike, Nancy figured. If she could catch this one, then it'd be one less thug for Paragon City to deal with. They may have been affiliated with the 70th Street rather than the Delgatos, but bringing them in regardless would do some good for the city and its people.

Of course, the thug Nancy had been sparring with had no intention of being captured. Quick as she had been, the thug picked up a piece of marble and flung it towards Zero-Zero. In response, Nancy fired the pulse blasters at the debris to avoid the incoming object, sending dust into the air as the marble vaporized before Nancy.

"Zero-Zero," Nancy commanded. "Activate scanners."

Following Nancy's command, the exosuit scanned through the dust cloud that had formed in the room. It methodically searched for any sign of movement and life, yet the scanners picked up nothing. The thug had managed to escape, and in turn evade capture.

NO SIGNATURES TO BE REPORTED. The suit replied. SUGGEST A WITHDRAWAL FROM FURTHER ENGAGEMENT.

Nancy sighed. "In time. We have something to do first."

Turning back, Nancy maneuvered the exosuit towards the opening that had been shattered through the floor during the fight with the thug. Large, red claw-like fingers pulled Zero-Zero upwards through the hole, lifting the exosuit to its feet as it stood before the frightened group of hostages that had been left behind by the 70th Street. She knew it was wise to leave before the police entered the building, but Nancy hadn't the heart to leave without checking on the former hostages first.

"Is anyone hurt?" The mechanical voice echoed through the main hall, robotically tilting its head as it analyzed the crowd. Hopefully, there were no injuries to report, but with any criminal activity within Paragon City, that was often wishful thinking.

“Alright then,” Shimazu allowed the last of the patrons to exit the Lucky Noodle. As the door shut, he removed his hoody and t-shirt, leaving only a sleeveless shirt adorning his upper body. He tossed the unneeded clothing onto the countertop by the kitchens. “You’re looking to prove something then,” he said to Taiwu. “I can’t talk you down from that. So let’s get this over with.” He assumed a horse stance against Taiwu’s forward posture.

“I’d love nothing more,” Taiwu responded, a sharpness to his voice. He made the first move, striking forward, his fist igniting as it launched from his side. But the punch, presumably set to crack against Shimazu’s forehead, was met with an impact against an ethereal wall.

“Huh?” Taiwu’s fist, throbbing, rebounded off of the shield. He quickly dialed in on the source of the intercision; the girl with the Dan Dan Noodles ordered for him to stand down… Insolence! He turned with a mind to silence her, but instead did so to throw his arms out and over his chest and brace as she projected a green blast of energy. The blast hit his forearms, but pushed him back and up against the wall.

Recovering from the assault, he nodded to Xiao Feng, whose rebuke had seemed to leave the woman off her guard. Taiwu’s fist ignited. He crossed the room until he was back where he had been standing before. “You’d do well to keep out of affairs you don’t understand!” He launched his fist, releasing a narrow but potent jet of fire…

But his arm was knocked down. The stream, which might have burned the woman, scorched the floor a foot or two in front of her. Taiwu looked to his right, where Shimazu had diverted his strike with a well timed block.

“Your fight is with me, Taiwu!” Shimazu spoke with controlled authority. He had moved with a quickness that belied his age and wear. The sum of his sharp senses and decades of experience had allowed him to anticipate the Pyromancer’s move perfectly.

Taiwu turned towards Shimazu, with his right elbow he brushed the old man off of him. Then, as he pivoted his stance, he crossed his left fist in for a strike to Shimazu’s shoulder. But the old man remained as spry and aware as always, pulling back just enough to be out of range. “Tell your customers to stay out of this then, Old Man.”

Shimazu breathed a sigh and nodded. “I appreciate your assistance, Miss Crane,” he said. “But as I told our young friend before,” he indicated to Kenzo, then being assailed by the lesser Dragons. “This battle is my burden; don’t entangle yourself in my failings.” He focused back on Taiwu. “Now… where were we?”

"At this part…” Taiwu wasted no more time. His punch was aimed, once more, at Shimazu’s head.

Once more, Shimazu was prepared. His hands had risen to meet Taiwu’s strike with a butterfly block; the punch intended for his head missed high on the force of his block. With his hands already positioned, he grabbed Taiwu’s wrist with his left, and pulled the hand down and to the side, opening his opponent to a strike of his own. His own fist coursed toward Taiwu’s chest.

Quick on his feet as his right hand was pulled down, Taiwu moved his left hand in, catching Shimazu’s fist before it could connect with his chest. “You haven’t lost a step, Old Man,” he snarled. He pushed Shimazu’s fist away. Heat built up in the palm of his hand and down the arm Ken had grappled.

After a second of an intense burning sensation, Shimazu released Taiwu’s arm. Now with two hands and leverage to exercise he pulled his fist out of the coil that was the young warrior’s hand and threw another block, intercepting Taiwu’s now freed arm before it could connect a chop to his neck. With such emphasis on the hands, the “Old Man” took the liberty of driving a hard knee into the young dragon’s groin.

Taiwu recoiled, leaning forward as though to hold himself together without making the scene too humiliating for him.

“And you’ve not changed either,” he said, shaking his head. “I had hoped better for you, Taiwu.” Shimazu stepped forward, offering the younger warrior his hand.

Taiwu let out a groan that turned into a roar. His eyes flared in anger. He pushed Shimazu’s outreached hand away and pulled himself back upright. The flames upon his arms reignited with greater intensity. With a motion akin to a dragon slashing with its clawed hands, he issued sparks into Shimazu’s face.

The sparks of fire struck Shimazu’s eyes, besetting upon him an agonizing burning. His eyes sealed themselves shut for protection. Though he couldn’t see it, the sense of another superheated fist barreling toward his head was all he could feel as he reeled back. With little more than a few millimeters separating Taiwu’s fist from his face, Shimazu ducked, and knelt himself on the floor. His knee touched the floor and his head bowed beneath Taiwu’s fist. But before he could commence a sweep with his leg, a sensation passed over the top of his head… a sensation that wasn’t the ripple of heat emanating from Taiwu’s arms. Something that felt to him like a gentle wind grazing the top of his head flitted through the space between his highest hair and Taiwu’s strike. The sound of something hard and heavy hitting flesh filled his ears, as did a pained noise from Taiwu…

In the basement, still diligently going through her Kata, Sarah might have been unbothered by the commotion unfolding above her. The clamoring of the kitchen staff was almost business as usual; the talk of “Blue Dragons” fell to whispers before it reached the bottom of the steps. But as she rounded to the conclusion of her last set of forms, something set in on her. A weighty feeling pressed atop her shoulders as she helped herself to a bottle of water from her Sensei’s personal fridge.

And then, the silence, rather than the noise, alerted her to the point that something was going down in the restaurant. The usual clamore and bustling of the kitchens overhead had subsided into an unsettling stillness.

Adrenaline kicked into effect. She raced toward the steps, bounding upward, skipping one here and two there until she practically jumped out into the backroom. In a miraculous feat of dexterity she wove and cut her way through the kitchen without disturbing anything of note. She emerged into the riotous scene in the dining room. Nearest the entrance, Blue Dragon thugs were occupied by a newcomer to the shop; Madelyne Crane seemed to have gotten involved, a visible bruise where she had been struck. To Sarah’s concern, however, was Ken Shimazu, pitched in a one-on-one, but dropping to his knee as an igneous limb punched through the air just over his head.

Sarah hurried herself to the center aisle of the dining room, chambering her hands as she oriented herself toward the burning man. In the instance before her next move, the man’s attention found its way to her. She locked eyes with him. The weight on her shoulders pressed against the front of her chest; there was something about the man… something that held a malice towards Shimazu, and perhaps even her, in particular. And while she couldn’t have explained it, she reciprocated that feeling of malice; her attack would be decidedly swift.

Her muscles tensed; she felt the prickles and cracks flow out from her core and down her arms into her hands. She stepped forward into her stance, just as Ken had taught her. Both of her hands, clenched into tight punches, punched forth. A jet of nearly invisible energy shot across the gap between her and the man standing over her Sensei. Her Chi struck true, knocking into the man’s stomach when he was at the most prone extent of his missed punch. The man let out a loud “arrgh!” as he was knocked back, barely righting himself in tim to drop to his knees. Sarah stepped forward bringing herself to her Sensei’s side.

“So… we fighting? Bet… What’s up Mads?”
“Took you long enough.” Shimazu laughed.
“Had to finish my Kata before I came up.” Sarah returned, shrugging.
“So you are listening; good to know.”

Taiwu came up to one knee, holding onto his stomach as though he might vomit. He looked upon the sneering girl in front of him with contempt burning in his gaze. “And tell me,” he began to pull himself back up. Still massaging his stomach, he put on a more confident face to the newcomer. “What hole did you crawl out of to cross the Blue Dragons?”

Sarah’s eyes rolled. “Worry more about which hole you’re gonna be talking out of when you leave.”

Taiwu laughed; he had collected himself more properly. He looked over Sarah, sizing her up, and then cut a sharp glare at Madelyne before turning the same look onto the girl at Shimazu’s side. “So… a witch, and some Mapleview trash? I guess the Old Man has lost a step.”

“Shut up.” Sarah snapped. Her Chi pulsed through body; her muscles contracted.

Shimazu’s eyes came fully open. He rose to his feet and stood by his student. “Loosen up a bit, you’re way too tense,” he whispered, side-eying Sarah. He resumed a fighting stance, this time one intent on pressuring the offensive against Taiwu. “You and your boss should leave, Taiwu. Before this gets out of hand.”

“I wonder,” Taiwu ignored Shimazu’s demand. “Can your Mapleview punk back up her bravado?”

“You heard my Sensei,” Sarah shot back. “Get out. You and your boys.”

“No. No. I don’t think I will. Let’s see what the Old Man has taught you.” Taiwu had paced closer to Shimazu and Sarah, and glared at the latter of the pair. Without telegraphing it, he punched forward, looking to test Sarah.

Not as fluid as her Sensei, but with a burst of greater quickness and power Sarah knocked away the assault with a well placed block, emphasizing the movement with another, albeit less impactful, projection of energy that pressed back against Taiwu.

Shimazu nodded, giving Sarah the faintest smile. Better precision.

The Blue Dragon hitman retreated two steps. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel Shimazu’s kid pressing out some form of power. “Boss,” Taiwu said, looking over at Xiao Feng. “You might want to check this one; hardknock attitude needs to be knocked down a peg.”

Theresa didn't turn back to see if the marble slab had hit its mark. The last of what she could muster into a sprint would be expended with a last-second mush to put herself on the step of the truck's passenger door. She wrapped her left hand around the grab bar just as the vehicle pulled backwards, rocking as it drove over the debris from its entrance; she held on despite the adversity. Once the truck was rolling smoothly on the street, she pulled the door open, pulled herself into the seat, and closed the cab.

“Don’t mention it.” Theresa checked the mirror on her side of the cab, making sure the robot wasn’t following them. “Thanks for being quick in there. That thing was packing some Veridian-grade weapons. We might need some extra firepower before we try something like this again.” She checked the mirror again, watching the police cruisers getting caught in the city traffic behind them.

“Hey, Val… once we get this load secured at the safehouse… I gotta cut loose for a few. I’ve got some unfinished business to deal with.” She didn’t say what outright, but a pair of tightened fists would tell Valentina all she needed to know.

“Let’s focus on the day job before talking about night work.” KT raised a brow at her friend. She hadn’t necessarily pinned Diana as the sort for a side hustle; at least not as someone that would need to work extra to make ends meet. “I was reading about a newer project here; something about the NeuroNet Project… research into ways to allow the human brain to interface directly with the Internet, as well as other electronic systems. Call me crazy, because I’m probably just asking to be a guinea pig, but I think I can help with that.”

She took a long, concentrated look at her friend, mulling over her next words before deciding not to hide anymore. If you can hear me, consider this my application. She transmitted the thought clearly on her end, hoping that

Horace arrived in the Atrium ahead of Diana; getting there had been otherwise uneventful beyond a few cordial greetings from scientists and executives, and fortunately no one was trying to hold him up over any security updates for now. Once in the Atrium, he made his way to the elevators, deciding it best to meet with Diana as soon as she arrived. As he waited, both his work and personal phones chimed with notifications, one shortly after the other. He checked his work phone first, a message from one of his staff reading:

Sent this without comment by personal phone too, just in case. Looks like one of our designs.

Horace opened the message, seeing both images and video footage of a robot fighting off a group of bank robbers. At first, he thought it might be some new movie being shot, and that someone had leaked Veridian information for use in CGI or costuming, but closer examination showed that the video was from a livestream, and the bank itself and the damage being done to it were both real and within Paragon City.

Get a team together to investigate; work with our robotics labs to confirm design origin. Contact the Paragon City Police Department. If someone has gone rogue with Veridian Tech they need to be brought in. I still have my meeting with Diana Smith. I’ll rendezvous with you when I’m done.

As the elevator would arrive, Horace would have his phone pocketed and his expression neutral; he wouldn’t have Diana worrying about the rogue tech; not until they had finished the Canis-V trial.

Nancy felt some relief as the bank manager confirmed they were safe. She needed confirmation; having felt the need to check on the civilians. The rough state of some, however, churned her stomach. Overwhelmed by frustration, Nancy felt her hands clench into fists as the feed broadcasted from Zero-Zero into the exosuit's cockpit. They shook with anger, not at them, but herself. The 70ths were small-fry in the criminal underworld, yet people still got hurt. If only she had beaten that powered thug. If only she had been quicker. Maybe then she would've kept them safe from harm.

She opened her mouth to respond, yet the sudden swing of the bank doors drew her attention. Nancy turned to face the front entrance, and locked onto a number of police officers entering with their guns drawn on Zero-Zero. Alerts began to buzz within the cockpit as the exosuit began to register them as threats, and Nancy took a cautious, wary stance. She had no intention of fighting the police, but Nancy also didn't want to be shot at even if Zero-Zero's armor plating could withstand small-caliber rounds without much difficulty.

Thankfully, the bank manager soon cut the tension, stepping in on Nancy's behalf. The police soon lowered their guns, and moved to contain the criminal scene instead while paramedics checked on the injured.

"Thank you." Nancy replied to the bank manager. She still felt angry at herself, but Nancy refused to express it through Zero-Zero. "I believe they can handle the rest."

Moving the exosuit towards the doors, Nancy left the scene behind. She swung Zero-Zero back towards the rooftops, knowing the lunch rush was bound to come anytime soon. And while lunch sounded good, Nancy needed to get back to her hideout. There was still the mess in Nighthaven she had to investigate tonight, and on top of everything, she needed to assess Zero-Zero for battle damage. With luck, it would prove an easy fix and wouldn't take long to do.

Despite his best efforts, Shimazu could see the situation drawing closer to a spiral beyond his or anyone else’s control. Taiwu wasn’t one to back down once he had been risen; Maddie’s instinct to stand up and fight the aggressors moved her to fight another person’s battles; the new kid seemed to have something to prove; there was little to be said to call either of them down.

Sarah, an echo of Taiwu, wouldn’t turn away from a challenge. Ken stood by, feeling the tension in the room grow tighter as his young apprentice stared down his former student, her eyes never wavering away from Taiwu, even as distractions continued to pile onto the pyre. He hadn’t spoken of his and Taiwu’s history, least of all to Sarah, but he could sense that her instincts were as sharp as his senses; she stared the pyromancer down with an intensity that seemed to even make him take pause. Shimazu knew both on sight and from experience that mixing the pair would ignite a fire that he’d never be able to extinguish. He lowered his hands, hoping that could at least begin to deescalate things. He opened his mouth to intervene, but the new kid spoke up first.

Taiwu, breaking away from his resumed staredown of Sarah, turned a one-eighty and looked at Kenzo in with a sour expression. “Word of advice, Kid,” he said condescendingly. “Jumping someone tends to work best when you don’t announce that you’re doing it.” He readied his stance to take the fight to Kenzo. As he did, the door to the shop flew open.

Rushing in came a woman, kind of scrawny, with shoulder length blonde hair. As the woman entered and rushed to Madelyne, Shimazu was at first annoyed; clearly someone hadn’t gotten the word that the shop was closed for the time being. Then followed his thought that he should have had Hoshi and the others stay at the door to keep people out. Third along his run of thoughts was the feeling that he had seen the woman somewhere before, sometime in his “old” life; he would cross that bridge later if he came to it. As it was, he couldn’t hold onto his own annoyance for long, however, as the woman’s arrival seemed to be the force that eased the mounting confrontations, as even Taiwu and Xiao Feng had their attention drawn towards that corner of the room.

Feng would be the one to call an end to fighting, calling off Taiwu with a degree of scolding in his tone.

The pyromancer lowered his own hands, acknowledging his boss’s order. He gave the scene a good look, and recognized that he wouldn’t be settling any scores; not when no one in the room could stay out of other peoples’ business. He took in and released a deep breath, a small bit of smoke issuing out as he exhaled. The heat that pulsed from his arms cooled, and he rolled down his shirt sleeves, returning to his more formal look. He turned to Shimazu, his gaze still hot as fire. “This isn’t over, Old Man,” he growled. He cocked his head towards Sarah, who still had her eyes sharply focused on him. “That goes for your Mapleview Mutt.” He wheeled towards Kenzo, “And you, and the witch over there, if you keep sticking your noses in business that doesn’t concern you.”

“Oi! you heard your boss. Cut the Italian exit and fuck off!” Sarah had spoken forcefully. A subtle wave of Chi emanated from her, pressing uncomfortably against the Blue Dragon enforcer. Taiwu merely looked over his shoulder, giving Sarah a cold look before he brushed past Kenzo, and exited the shop.

The Blue Dragon disciples that weren’t too badly bruised from Kenzo’s spree struggled themselves upright, shook off their pain as best they could, and followed Taiwu.

Shimazu would pay them no further attention as they departed, save for a an exchange of looks with Xiao Feng, whom he knew he had displeased, if not dishonored with his refusal to accept protection. But he wouldn’t allow the fallout of that to weigh on him just yet; as far as he was concerned, he had demonstrated that he was far from needing much in the way of protection. All of those that had remained in the restaurant had proven that the community was on his side, should things get hard. He turned towards Maddie, and the woman who had come in so desperate to see her; she [Maddie] was confused by the woman’s presence and tone of familiarity, and backed away.

“There would seem to be some confusion,” he said, speaking to the woman, but also looking to Miss Crane to confirm his take. But as he did so, something registered with his higher senses. A strange, belligerent energy coming from the side of the room where Maddie had been during the fighting. The aura was faint, yet visible; the entity blurred in form and nature, but noticeably aggressive. It was something the likes of which he never experienced. Trying to be coy, he kept himself invested in Maddie and the familiar stranger“Perhaps you should have a word with each other.” He pointed to one of the tables left standing closer to the exit. “I need to fetch a broom to start cleaning up this mess,” he added, making his way towards the kitchen. As he did, he locked gazes with Sarah, and shifted his eyes towards where he had sensed the presence.

Sarah, taking her Sensei’s hint, inconspicuously eyed the spot where Maddie had been standing, and after meeting Shimazu’s eyes again, nodded. When Shimazu left the room, Sarah held back against the counter. “Don’t mind me, she spoke, directing it mostly toward the woman. “Maddie is a good friend; wouldn’t want anyone pulling any moves on her while she’s alone.” She relaxed just a little as her back propped against the counter. But she still seemed to radiate an almost imperceptible pulse of energy that flowed ambiently out from herself, as she took quick, nonchalant side-eyed checks of the space Shimazu had indicated.

“The power just kinda started one day back in high school. During an exam. It actually started with me being able to hear everyone else’s thoughts; I think you were there? I excused myself, said I had a migraine.” She gave a weak smile. “I had to do a lot of training to keep myself from hearing things I didn’t want to… and to keep from sharing my thoughts when I didn’t want to. Needless to say it made dating a bit difficult for a while.” She laughed lightly and turned to face the elevator door as they reached the atrium level. “I’ll put in a formal application, of course. I don’t want you to look like you’re playing any favorites, even if you are just a little bit.”

The elevator bell tolled, and the doors opened. KT and Diana were immediately met by Horace Wolfe as they exited. “Miss Smith,” Wolfe greeted. He shifted his head towards KT, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a new face,” he said, scanning the young woman. “You are?”

“Katherine Tran,” KT extended her hand to shake the man’s. “But most people call me KT. I’m Diana’s friend.”

Horace returned KT’s gesture. “Horace Wolfe, head of security. I have some important business to tend to with Miss Smith.” He looked to Diana, whose expression read that she knew what he would say next, and that she'd prefer that he not. “And I’ll be so bold as to presume you have her blessing to join us. Unorthodox as it may be, I won’t argue. Our car is waiting for us down in the executive garage, whenever you’re both ready.”

The trip back to her hideout hadn't taken Nancy long. Swinging from rooftop to rooftop, it had been a breeze, and Nancy soon slinked back into the shadows of Paragon City.

Her hideout hadn't been much to look at, nor had it been a pretty sight. The unfinished complex, an expensive planned expansion in the Financial District, had been since long abandoned and left to rot over the years. Red tape and building codes had forced the builder to back out, citing "creative differences" between them and officials.

In doing so, they left behind a half-finished lot, wherein forgotten building material was left behind to gather dust and cobwebs. Nary a local bothered to tread the site, preferring to avoid the potential dangers that might've lurked within. But not Nancy. The emptiness and quiet made for a perfect hideout. There, she could plan her assault on the Delgatos, far away from any prying eyes.

There had been some days where she missed having an actual home, however. But the life of the alleged dead was not meant to be one of comfort—Nancy couldn't possibly return home, not in this state. She felt her mother had been better off believing that she had died that night, rather than see the monster that she had become. And that wasn't counting the fact that she was running around Paragon City with Veridian tech. There was no way that someone hadn't been looking for Zero-Zero, Nancy figured.

"Zero-Zero," Nancy spoke. A sharp hiss was followed by the back of the cockpit opening. "Run a diagnostic scan."

PROCESSING. The exosuit replied as Nancy climbed out. MINOR DAMAGE REPORTED TO RIGHT ARM SERVO.

Nancy sighed as she grabbed a remote to turn on a nearby television to the news channel. The impact she took into the wall must've battered the suit's internals. Of course, the exosuit had armor to prevent such a thing happening. But against someone strong enough to toss a mechanical giant like Zero-Zero? Damage was bound to happen, were Nancy not careful.

"Next time, I'll make her pay for the replacement with the money she stole."

Reaching for her tools, Nancy wrapped the tool belt around her waist and climbed up a ladder, ready to tinker away at Zero-Zero. It wasn't a difficult fix, but it would take some time.