"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words.

If you can control the meaning of words,

You can control the people who must use those words."

-Philip K. Dick

Their postures shifted unconsciously, the anger and irritation fleeing their bodies at the unexpected change of pace. Many people, as long as the issue was not incredibly serious, would return to their normal self with a simple apology. As long as you weren't too subservient and genuinely apologetic (or good enough at hiding it), that is. It was an incredibly delicate tightrope to balance on; a bad choice of words, an erroneous body language signal, and/or a slight change in tone could spell your doom.

But it was safe to say that Deku had a decent amount of ability in that regard, and he rarely failed.

(After all, manipulation originates in acting. Pretending you were fine, that you were normal. Manipulation was just taking it a step further.)

"...To be honest, I'm starting to have a few doubts. Are you really in alliance with Stain?"

He ignored the second question, choosing to answer the first one instead. They had been smart enough not to directly say that they were in alliance with one another, just letting the leaked video footage speak for itself. As long as he neither confirmed nor denied, it was just silence, not lying. When they eventually discovered the truth, that fact would have to be enough. The time between then would have to suffice to truly make them join this ship. Or perhaps, he'd shift it more towards loyalty to himself; putting in this that effort would be unreasonable, otherwise. It wasn't like he really wanted to help All for One, or Shigaraki for that matter either.

He'd see where he could go with this. It made no big difference if he had followers or not, but he could see ways they could come in handy...

"Oh, what are you doubting? I'm sure I can answer whatever questions you have."

The man's dark blue sapphire eyes burned.

"Does this leader of yours actually want to change this society? Change this world?"

They burned with an intense longing for the truth, and more importantly, one for change. He saw the wrongness, the twisted mess of pain and hate that was the bedrock on which the justice and the heroes were built on, and he wanted to change it. He was an idealist.

'...It's been a long time since I've seen someone like this. Someone willing to take action, even if they have to sink into the deepest depths of depravity to do it. With this type, if anything is different from what they've been told or anything disagrees with their sense of morality, they are immediately out. Looks like I'll have to say the truth. And if I wrap it in a bow, well, that never hurt anyone, did it?'

"Yes, he does. More than anything else. However..."

"...However?"

He took a deep breath and sharpened his focus to a laser point. This part was incredibly crucial.

"To be honest, he doesn't understand how he wants the world to change." He ignored the faintly worried, hovering form of Kurogiri. He knew what he was doing. "Not yet, anyway. With the right amount of time and guidance, that won't be an issue. Since you've asked me a question, do you mind if I asked you one in turn?"

"...Sure."

"Why did you decide to join this organization in the first place? Was it because of Stain, your ideology? Or... Did you come here to make friends? Although Shigaraki is, to be blunt, something of a spoiled brat that has been getting his way through violence for years, he has power. And a dream, no, an obsession with destroying the heroes as well as the current state of this society. Honestly, your only bet is with the League of Villains. All of the others lack both power and motive. But you already know that, don't you?"

No one talked, and no one moved. Dabi had a careful, pondering look in his eye. Tension boiled the air, and then, abruptly, it was gone.

Deku smiled.

'It looks like this approach was the correct one.'

"Fine, I'll join. You've convinced me, Deku. Whether your little 'leader' will is something I don't know."

His smile deepened.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll make sure to talk to him about it."

He turned his gaze towards the blonde girl, a faint questioning look in his eyes.

"Oh, I'll join~! As long as you can convince Tomura-kun! And I get to make some people bleed~!" Her eyes transformed into the bitterest winter, and it was almost enough for Deku to instinctively slink back. "I don't really want you to bleed though... It's a shame since your face is cute... Oh! It might be a little better if you stopped smiling. It doesn't reeaaally fit you. Not a cute smile at all. Just empty. It's pretty ugly."

Deku was almost seized by the sudden urge to laugh hysterically, to expose the cracked and crumbled mess of his psyche, but he suppressed it. This was the third time now that someone had successfully seen through him like that, and he found himself wondering if his poker face wasn't as great as he was lead to believe. That, or he just so happened to be surrounded by surprisingly astute people. It wouldn't surprise him, considering his luck.

"See ya~! Let me know if Tomura-kun agrees~!"

The door clanged to a close, as the blonde had successfully left the building in his distracted state of mind.

"Are you really letting that crazy woman join?"

'Oh, 'you'? Not Shigaraki? That's interesting; he seems to rank me higher on the scale of authority in his unconscious. Very interesting, indeed.'

"It's not me, remember? It's Shigaraki's decision in the end. But yes, there shouldn't be a problem. As long as she doesn't attack us, or innocents for the matter, I see nothing wrong with it. You can't be a villain without a few screws loose. She has just lost a couple more than the norm. That said... she's quite clever really."

The smile slipped from his face, not really seeing a reason to keep it on. It wasn't really anything beyond politeness, anyway.

"She realized that my smile wasn't real. Usually, no-one can tell the difference. Alongside the fact that she had a good understanding of my personality with only one short meaning... Wouldn't you agree that it's amazing? I originally crafted such a persona because otherwise, it made people on edge; no-one likes to deal with an apathetic person, it makes them uncomfortable. For it to have the opposite effect... It seems I must adapt more to the person at hand. This day really has been a good learning experience."

Dabi could see why; he was a supposedly apathetic person as well, and yet... The complete and utter lack of feelings on his face was simply chilling. For normal people, the boy in front of him was the person they never wanted to see because it was a reflection of themselves deep down. He had had a fair amount of experience with those types of people; they outwardly seemed like upstanding citizens with deep compassion but when push came to shove, they just... couldn't care less. They weren't upholders of justice or altruists, and for most people, that stung. If they actually met this real him that he was showcasing now...

He understood why he wore that smile now.

"Well, in any case, I'll make sure to talk to Shigaraki. This whole mess should be sorted out soon, but I'm afraid that before I get the actual go-ahead, I can't really let you stay here. Kurogiri can take you where ever you need to go."

He assented with a faint nod, true indifference coloring his features, and he disappeared a moment later.

In the dark and isolated bar, now truly alone, he sighed to himself. A bitter smile surfaced.

"...If only it really was that way. Being truly apathetic would be a blessing. If this was a few months before now, that would be the truth."

"The Hero Killer strikes again, leaving Pro Hero Ingenium hospitalized in urgent care! There's no telling where this elusive killer will strike next, but each and every time he has, it has been fatal. Luckily, Ingenium managed to escape with his life, but whether he'll be able to return to the field remains unclear-."

He turned the news report off with a click of his phone, the lack of noise helping his brain's cognitive functions improve.

"Ingenium... His real name is Tensei Iida if I remember right... Could they really be related? Hmmm..."

A loud crash resounded throughout the abandoned alleyway, forcing Deku out of his thoughts. He turned his head, peering out into the darkness, only the bare lighting of the street lamp allowing any sort of visibility. Still, he could make out the outlines of two people, one hovering, while the other person laid flat on the ground. It was only until he caught the faintest shimmers of light that plotted out the vague outline of a katana of all things, that he knew something was wrong.

His lightning sparkled in his hand as he punted it towards the ground, a good distance away from the two people. He only wanted some decent lighting for now. He stepped off the edge of the building he was staking out, before tumbling to the ground in a roll. For a second, he couldn't quite believe his eyes and wondered if they were playing tricks on him. But they weren't.

'Speak of the devil and the devil shall come, eh?'

Only two feet away from him was Tenya Iida and Stain, the Hero Killer.

'What did I do to deserve this?'