Fandom [Dawn of Justice] The Fox and The Rabbit

[NeramoDJI]

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Antonio's Pizza was a rustic little shop in an alleyway, a very unfortunate place for any self respecting business, since most people wouldn't think "man, I'm hungry" and walk into an alleyway for food. But not for all people. And Lucky was one such person, walking into the rustic little dining area, the bell ringing up as he entered the building. He had given the location to Phantom, and had come here for their little date. The woman had a real easy way of flustering him, and he wanted to try and understand why, so he figured he'd go for the date that he accidentally asked her for.

Inside, there was a short grey haired elderly man behind the counter, a smile on his face. "Ayyy, Matty boy! How's the night treating you?" He asked, greeting his favorite customer and employee, wiping his hands of the flour on them with a towl. However, the bunny boy was lost in thought for a moment, before smiling at the old man. "Heh, it's going fine, I just finished up a job. I had a gal coming here, do you think you could fix us up with the usual?" He asked, looking at the old man while sitting down on one of the nearby stools.

"Of course, I'll have it right out boyo." Antonio responded, moving back into the kitchen, getting started on whatever Lucky's usual happened to be. However, this gave Lucky time to do some thinking. He had changed like Phantom had asked him to, and was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, as well as a grey unzipped hoodie. However, this was what brought him to thinking. 'Man, I gotta let her off easy. I mean, she's great and all, but I didn't wanna change outta my outfit. I mean, I never do anything I don't wanna do. But I did this time, and that's not a good sign. You can already see that ball and chain forming matty, don't let your leg slip into it.' He thought to himself, shuddering a moment, before checking his phone a moment, swaying his head a little to the song that was playing on the radio overhead in the store.

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Song in the Store:

 

[Akudon]

Phantom Fox
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"This address he gave me points in this direction, but..." Phantom's words trailed off as she peered into the alleyway skeptically. "Isn't this way too suspicious? Does someone actually run a pizza place back here?" she wondered, keeping the rest of the thoughts to herself. If not for the fact that she didn't think anyone would really have it out for her, she'd think it was a trap. Sure, she may have gotten a little carried away with some cloth and jewelry stores. Some wealthy individuals may have also lost purses and wallets when they weren't paying attention, as well. She didn't think that would earn enough ire to have someone go out of their way to set up a trap for her. Lucky would have had to have been a damn good actor on top of everything else. The poor thing seemed like he'd have a heart attack every second he spent with her. "Here goes nothing..." She muttered as she made her way into the alleyway.

Sure enough, a sign for Antonio's Pizza was further inside the alleyway. "So it does exist." Phantom thought to herself, relaxing a bit on the realization. However, unless this was a front for a different kind of business, she really had to question the choice of location. With a little bell chime announcing her arrival, she poked her head inside curiously. The little shop wasn't anything special in terms of presentation, but the rustic feeling was comfortable and appealing in its own way. As she made her way inside, she noticed that nobody was manning the counter, but the noises and smell of fresh pizza coming from the kitchen tipped her off as to the reason.

Thankfully, it wasn't difficult for Phantom to locate Lucky; the rabbit ears stood out quite a bit, and the store was a bit empty. He was even moving his head to the music cutely. She had half expected him to still be in his cowboy outfit with how vehemently he had defended it earlier, but it seemed he had also opted to change. Thankfully, it didn't seem like he was making a big deal out of this, only wearing casual clothes. Phantom herself only wore blue jeans, a tan ribbed sweater, and a white blouse on underneath. Funnily enough, her villain costume was better suited for keeping her warmer in the chilly Hokkaido region due to its fire enchantments, but she wouldn't wear it out in public.

"Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting for too long." Phantom said, unsure of how long Lucky had been here. "It's a bit strange seeing you in casual clothes compared to...before. However, it is nice in its own way." she admitted as she looked him over curiously. "Thankfully, it isn't too difficult to spot one another like this. Though it also has its downsides, especially for me." with a sigh, she glanced at her two tails. These were a bit harder to explain away than most animal quirks. Having two tails was unusual, even in her own family. "Based on the smell and lack of staff, I'm going to go ahead and guess you already ordered for us. I don't have much of a choice anymore, but I'll go ahead and put my trust in your sense of taste." she teased him lightly while wearing a smirk. The one being made right now might have been for someone else, but she was doubtful based on the location and current lack of customers. "It helps that it's hard to go wrong with pizza, though." she added with a small laugh, getting comfortable and taking a seat.

 

[NeramoDJI]

Lucky

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Lucky hummed softly to himself to the song being played over the restaurants speakers, starting to idly sing along quietly. "The streetlights and the ravers, and the trails of misbehavior...." He hummed idly, getting one of the words wrong but continuing, until he noticed the bell sound, turning to look at the person who walked in, his ears shooting right up as soon as his eyes spotted her fox features. His body was screaming at him to run, simply evolution knowing that foxes and rabbits don't mix very well. However, this was exactly what he was here to get over. How could he call himself a professional hitman if he froze up whenever someone had a pair of predators ears?

With her walking in, he gave a small wave, forcing a smile on his face to hide his nervousness. "Heya Phantom. Don't worry 'bout the wait, I only got here 'round 3 minutes ago." He said, making a bit of room for her to sit down, the only part of his outfit that was still there from before being his red scarf. He himself was taking this as casually as he could, but he did still intend to get over his phobia of predatorial quirks, though he would not likely admit that out loud. He was a little surprised with how cute she looked without the mask, a little tinge of pink dusting his tanned cheeks.

"Aw shucks, ya mean my workin' clothes? Those're just ta keep up my image y'know? Not the scarf though, this was a gift from ma maw." He said, touching the scarf/bandana thing around his neck. "Though, I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't like how they looked. They make me feel all rustic n' professional y'know?" He explained, looking towards her, smiling as he talked about his costume. However, when she said it was nice, he couldn't stop a small blush from coming to his face. "Well, you look real purdy yerself." He said, tugging a little at his scarf as he tried to hide the blush a moment.

Then she made her guess about the staff and smell, and he nodded a bit. "Ah, yea, I just ordered mah usual. It ain't nothin wierd like anchovies 'er nothin', just a typical pepperoni pizza with an italian seasoning ah' really like on the crust, and a pepsi on the side. Course, this time I got two in case you were thirsty yerself." He explained the order he usually got, and how he had added an extra drink to accommodate her presence. "Now, I ain't the type of feller who goes throwin' money at any purdy gal I see, but this one here's my treat fer ya." He explained how he would be paying, smiling over at her sheepsihly.

However, that's when he got down to some other things. "Well, I dunno bout yer tails bein' that bad, unique lookin' quirks are everywhere. I think they're real cute if I'm bein' honest with ya miss phantom." He noted, his accent a bit thicker than usual but he simply kept rolling with it.

 

[Akudon]

Phantom Fox
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Thankfully, it seemed that Lucky hadn't been waiting very long for Phantom, only recently arriving himself. Wasn't that what most people said in these kinds of situations, though? To her, Lucky seemed the type to say what was on his mind for the part, so she doubted it. "Ah, now that you mention it, it is the same one." she finally noticed that his scarf was the same one as before once he pointed it out. The "rustic n' professional" clothes' overall appearance was so strong that she hadn't noted the individual pieces. She had thought it had just been another part of his outfit, but it turned out to have been a gift from his mother instead.

Although it shouldn't have been too surprising considering their circumstances, Phantom was still taken slightly off guard when Lucky complimented her. With how panicked he had been from just being in her mere presence, she was surprised the poor rabbit could even think to find her attractive. Because of this, she ended up blinking in surprise, and a tinge of red played across her cheeks. Seeing him suffering just as much embarrassment, if not more, she quickly recovered as a playful smirk spread across her face. "I'm glad you think so, even though I didn't have much time to prepare. It's a bit cold so I couldn't wear anything too nice either. Maybe next time~." While lightly teasing him with the potential for this happening again, her tails swayed in amusement.

"Good taste." Phantom nodded in approval as Lucky explained what he had ordered for them. "Finding a good mix of toppings is nice, but sometimes, something simple like that is the best. I'm usually not very good with strong or complex tastes." she explained, hoping she didn't sound like too much of a picky eater. "I don't mind; I appreciate the thought. If you had gotten some alcohol for me on your own, I'd have to scold you, though~." she chuckled light-heartedly. On the odd occasion, she put up with assholes interested in her; they had obvious intentions in mind while trying to get her drunk. Usually, she'd slip away with their wallets for the attempt. Most of the time, that was the goal when dealing with them in the first place, though. "Not that I'm worried. You seem like a proper gentleman, especially since you're paying~." she teased, not worried about anything like that from Lucky.

Phantom could barely keep herself from laughing after hearing what Lucky said while making such a serious face. "You're probably right; I guess I tend to worry too much. I'm glad I have you're approval, though. I put a lot of effort into keeping them this soft and fluffy, after all." Folding her arms and puffing out her chest, she accepted the praise with a playfully exaggerated ego. She had wanted to refute his claim, but after seeing him try so hard, she didn't have the heart to muddy the mood. "Even if I do enjoy being treated like a proper lady, you don't need to keep calling me "Miss Phantom," though. "Miss" makes me sound like an old lady, and people are going to look at us weirdly if you keep calling me Phantom in public." she explained with a slight pout. "Just call me Katsumi."

Although Katsumi was usually a stickler about their identities, she was also aware that her family would likely be found easily if looked into. Her sisters didn't really bother to hide anything, and there were only so many trios of fox girls that happened to have a member with two tails. It'd only be a matter of pissing off someone that they'd feel the need to look into their background, so she had just decided to tell Lucky her actual name. She wasn't usually the type to trust, but she doubted that he was the type that would use it against her.

"Still..." she began with a wry smile. "I can't help but be amazed by the kinds of things you say so naturally." shaking her head, she continued. "I'd like to think I have a good grasp on people, and it didn't seem like you had any ulterior motives when you started talking to me. Despite that, you still managed to invite me on a date and acted the part perfectly, too" reflecting on it all, she had to focus on stifling the laughter that threatened to come out. "It makes me seriously wonder if you have a secret quirk for being a natural playboy." Finally, she was unable to hold herself back any longer and ended up laughing once she imagined the innocent cowboy rabbit with such a quirk. "Ah, sorry, I shouldn't laugh." Managing to start recovering from her outburst of laughter, she apologized as she wiped away a forming tear. She hoped he wouldn't get offended by it, as she didn't have any bad intentions. "It's not like I'm not having fun either."

 

[NeramoDJI]

Lucky

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Lucky smiled a bit as she noticed his scarf was the same, smiling as he fluffed it up around his neck a little bit. "Heh, yea, it's homemade and all that." He said with a chuckle, before looking back over the table towards her as she spoke to him, getting a bit more engaged in the conversation. He noticed her outfit a bit more, thinking she looked actually really cute in the sweater she had, but that was neither here nor there. At least, he didn't want it to be. He found himself a lot more enamored than he wanted to be, however, that was when his eyes gazed up towards her ears, his instincts screaming once again to run once he made eye contact with the fox ears, his heart sinking from his instincts screaming for him to run away.

"Somethin' nicer? Well shucks ma'am, even without all that yer purdier than a flower 'n May." He said, simply being honest with a smile, before he realized what he had said, coughing a moment nervously into his elbow, looking away a bit. His own tail couldn't sway like hers, but it was shaking rapidly like rabbit tails had a tendency to do when they were excited or anxious. His rabbit instincts of fear and wanting to run away were conflicting heavily with his human instincts saying fuck bro she kinda hot

When she made a comment on the pizza he had chosen, he laughed a little bit. "Heh, well, topping's 're where most the cost comes from on pizzas, and I always preferred simpler flavors like'n that." He commented with his incredibly thick accent, and nodding a bit. "Mr. Antonio should be out with the pizza in a bit o' time, I could grab the drinks now if ye want though." He said, smiling towards her. "And nah, I never liked the taste of alcohol, it burns mah throat. Most folks make fun o' me fer that conflictin' with my cowboy outfit." He said, humming a little bit, before looking towards the fox woman. "And course I'm a gentleman! My pa' raised me ta respect gals, and never mistreat em. Course, in my line of work I gotta shoot em sometimes. If I were lettin' any gal do what they pleased, I'da died a real long time ago." He said, shrugging a bit, looking across at her. He listened to her start talking about her tails, as well as her comment about the miss and phantom, starting to rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"Shucks, my bad Katsumi, though, do ya mind if I call ya Tails? I like givin' folks nicknames, that'n way if someones a shapeshifter quirk, they can't immitate me cuz they ain't able to guess what the nickname is." He said, smiling towards her, leaning a bit on the table between them, propping his chin up with one hand. He didn't really think much on if she were lying to him or not, in which he decided to extend a hand towards her for a shake. "Well, mah name's Matt. I know it's pretty generic, but I figure in Japan like this, it's pretty exotic." He explained, humming a little bit.

When she began to smirk the way she did, he blushed a moment. He listened to her start her compliment, starting to rub the back of his head, before thinking maybe he could play on it and flirt a bit more. "Well, ya know that it's always been called the playboy bunny, even if I ain't what folks typically think of when they hear it." He said with a bit of a laugh, not really taking himself seriously but wanting to joke with the woman, his ears flicking around on his head. "Heh, well, I'm glad yer enjoying yerself, maybe we really could do this again sometime later. After all, everyone who's lookin' fer me n' you are used to their typical groups, ain't no one would be suspicious of a rabbit and fox walkin around together."

 

[Akudon]

Phantom Fox
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"I am curious about what made you come to Japan." Katsumi said as she tilted her head and looked over the homemade scarf. "You at least don't seem to have lived here very long." She wasn't overly familiar with the culture of villains and their associates, but it didn't seem like they would be the type to move very far from home. "If it's something personal, you don't need to worry about it, though." she quickly clarified. The immediate reasoning that came to mind was that something had happened, and he needed to move for safety or personal reasons. In this case, she didn't want to pry too much into his personal life. She didn't want anyone to delve into hers at the moment, so she would return the favor if need be.

Katsumi nodded at Lucky's opinion on the topic of toppings, finding it pleasing to have someone who agreed. "I have to say I share the same preference for alcohol. The burn of it is unpleasant, and I can't say that I enjoy the bitterness very much, either." She grimaced while imagining the tastes and sensations. "While it somewhat conflicts with the idea of a cowboy, I'd rather have one with his wits about him., instead of a drunk." she said with a sigh as she imagined such a character in reality. "That said, some mixes that focused more on the taste might be tolerable for both of us." Though she said this, she didn't have too much experience or knowledge in terms of alcohol either. "I admit I am rather thirsty now; I would appreciate your getting my drink."

It was easy enough to nod along to Lucky's comments about being raised by a gentleman, but Katsumi paused once he mentioned needing to shoot some women. She had no issues with the man harming a woman; she would think less of him if it affected his work. The confusing part was that he said he would "shoot" them. "What do you mean by "shoot"?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. His appearance suggested a rabbit-related quirk, but he could also have a secondary aspect, much like herself. It sounded slightly strange to refer to any projectile quirk that way in her mind.

The nickname "Tails" left Katsumi with somewhat mixed feelings, but Matt's explanation for it left her dumbfounded. "I suppose that I don't mind..." she began, her words trailing off momentarily. "You sure are cautious of shapeshifters, though." thinking better of diving into that topic for now, she left it at that and shook his outstretched hand. "It's a bit late, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Matt, who is not a shapeshifter." she greeted him with a teasing smile, unable to help herself in the end. "I don't deal with many foreigners, so it is indeed an exotic name to me." she nodded, not recalling any others that she had met with the same name. "You better not forget to refer to me as "Tails" now, or I'll immediately attack you." she joked while grinning. "Then you can be "Cotton." deciding to play along, she came up with a similarly tail-inspired name.

When met with the thought of Matt being called a "Playboy Bunny," Katsumi couldn't help but laugh with him. "Hm, you might just be able to pull off the outfit." she said, looking him over with serious contemplation before she broke and began snickering. When he mentioned the idea of doing this again, she couldn't help but grimace slightly on reflex. "...I am enjoying myself, but I want to avoid misunderstandings, even if this might be unnecessary. I am more than happy to be friends and do things like this, but I am not looking for a relationship at the moment." she warned the man seriously, ears folding back slightly as she awkwardly scratched her cheek after she had finished, though.

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