doublefried | HAWKS PALACE

[Heads to the hero exhibit first]

Oh? How do you know about it?

"Everyone knows about quirks and heroes and stuff. They're everywhere."

The History of Heroes exhibit is full of wax figures and photos. The plaques beside the various exhibits explain that the history of heroism begins with quirks.

Quirks began several hundred years ago with a baby who was born glowing. At the time, this ability was called a 'meta ability', and although the glowing baby was the first on record, he wasn't the last.

More people with these abilities began to be born, and it quickly formed a division in society. Many, especially with meta abilities in the 'mutant' category, were ostracized for their unusual features. Still others became the first 'villains' - people who used their abilities to commit crimes.

In response to the surge in crime, the first 'heroes' - vigilantes who used their meta abilities to fight against these criminals - rose up, following examples they had only seen in fiction before then.

In today's society, vigilantism is illegal, and the authority heroes have is both limited and monitored by the Heroic Public Safety Commission.

We don't really have heroes or quirks where I'm from. We have magic though? It's a little like quirks in the sense that strong mages have signature spells. A type of magic unique to them.

[Heading to the next exhibit-]

"We don't have magic..."

This talks about how eventually, the most popular heroes were officially recognized by the government, which formed a division - the origin of the Heroic Public Safety Commission, or HPSC - to regulate and monitor hero activity.

The HPSC oversees hero qualification exams, issues hero licenses, maintains the biannual popularity rankings, and serves as an investigative board when a civilian has a complaint about the conduct of any particular professional hero or if there is suspicion that a hero hasn't been following protocol - for instance, while some violence is unavoidable in capturing villains, killing them is strictly prohibited.

Rarely, the HPSC will sponsor a young aspiring hero into a special training program. The resulting heroes will often work with the HPSC later in their careers to help advance their mutual goals.

There are a lot of pictures of Hawks here, including his first ever public appearance when he was 18!

...he doesn't look much different...

"Who doesn't?"

Ah....a hero I know... W-what's the next exhibit?

"There's lots, but I think the next one is over there?"

That one is THE RISE AND FALL OF HISTORY'S WORST VILLAIN. It's probably heavy.

Do you like heroes?

[Heading into that one next then, looking around as they walk]

"I like heroes."

This one talks about the life and times of All For One, a legendary villain. Born very early after quirks began to develop, his meta-ability - All For One, from which he took his name - allowed him to take and grant the abilities of others freely. This allowed him to gather great amounts of personal power, as well as a following - either through loyalty or through fear - that he could leverage to gain absolute control over the underbelly of society.

His reign persisted through several generations of heroes who lived and died fighting his influence, until it was finally broken by the current number one Hero - the HPSC's specially trained prodigy and the youngest professional hero ever to rank in the top 10 - Hawks - who defeated him in battle with the cooperation of the previous #1, Endeavor.

Today, AFO has been soundly defeated, and we finally live in a time of peace and prosperity!

There's even a victory painting! It has Hawks and Endeavor both absolutely beat to shit and covered in blood, Hawks with no wings, Endeavor missing half an arm, doing a victory pose in front of a crowd of assembled heroes. VERY heroic.

[Frowns a bit at the victory painting...]

"I like that one best."

He points at the little Endeavor in the painting.

Ah, you like the hero in it?

[Stepping closer to look over Hawkes expression in the photo from much closer up]

"He's my favorite Hero."

Hawks in the painting (because it is an artist's rendition; nobody had photographers on the battlefield that day) is resolute and triumphant and it doesn't really look a lot like him at all.

[Reaching up to trace his expression in the portrait]

My favorite is in it too. Though it doesn't look very much like him.

Touching the portrait gives him a MEMORY.

--

It has been a long, drawn-out, bloody battle, and you (Hawks) are exhausted. Your muscles ache, your head is swimming, you're barely upright. You have been fighting All For One (the biggest threat society has ever faced)(the biggest threat you have ever faced)(the biggest threat any of these heroes have ever faced) for what feels like hours, but you know this much happened in a handful of minutes.

The longer All For One is on the battlefield the more dangerous he becomes. The longer he's surrounded by heroes the more potential weapons he can amass. Your side is losing if this lasts any longer. And you know how to fix it. You're the only one who can end it decisively because everyone else is still thinking in white-and-grey thinking. They're talking about capture. They're thinking about prison.

You're not. The battle with All For One ends when you see an opening and cut his head clean off his body.

--

Then he's back to the museum like nothing happened! A red feather falls out from behind the painting.

[Frowns more as the memory goes away, crouching down to pick up the feather and keep it with the one Hawk's had given him. Once the feather is safely pocketed, he'll attempt to move the painting, trying to see if there are more feathers behind it.]

The wall behind the painting has a hole in it. Not like, a person-shaped hole. Like someone put a fist through it. It's probably fine.

[Aaaa? Aaaaaa? Aaaaaaaaaaa? Moving closer to try and peer through the hole]

Behind it there is actually? A different picture? It looks like it's of a lady of some kind, and that she was possibly the focus of a different exhibit behind this wall that they just. Walled off.

[Oh....hesitates briefly...not wanting to mess with things too much...but also it seems like a place where a missing person could be hidden, so...carefully using a little bit of strength to make the hole just big enough for him to climb through.]

The glowing feather he got from Hawks OUTSIDE of the heart acts a bit like a flashlight and illuminates an exhibit of THE LOVELY LADY NAGANT, THE official Heroic Public Safety Commission hero and popular and beloved by fans of all ages!

She's not mentioned anywhere else in the museum. Everything in here is a little dusty.

This place could use a good dusting....

[Looking around as much as the light of the feather allows]

I don't see him....

"I think you could get through that way, but there might be easier ways in the other parts... or, um, you could come see the Endeavor exhibit instead."

Little Keigo is peeking through the hole after you with some concern.

Ah, I'm sorry... I'm coming back out.

[Glancing at the exhibit one more time before heading back out to join Keigo]

HAWKS PALACE

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM

Re: MUSEUM