epidemiology | [CLOSED/OPEN] I'm not so bad once you get to know me--then, I'm FAR worse.

There's some surprise at his response, an initial widening of her eyes before she eventually follows him. He hadn't been far behind in her list of choices, because she was aware of his fighting prowess enough to know he's reliable, but she still remembered the time when he criticized her ability and, despite herself, it does make her self-conscious. She knows it's a good ability, knows it's useful, so it was something silly she was having a hard time getting over.

Still, some company is still better than none.

"Seems so, but at least being able to apprehend them this time might lead to clues as to why they keep attacking."

Looting, of course, is a reason, but to target this specific town makes her curious. She looks disapprovingly at the flask, hoping it's empty, and not for the first time wonders why he drinks before he fights, if it's simply something he fancies or something that helps him.

The flask fell back into an opening in his clothing and Ban wiped away at a tough of excess on one lip. He let his listless gaze settle on the street. A flask was going to give him a good daze for awhile, so he was fine with starting it off early. He could really get to partying once the contract was taken care of. At the very most, he and Yaoyorozu were in for a short walk before they reached the encampment that had been mentioned by the sheriff.

Ban's hearing was excellent and Yaoyorozu's tolerance of him had far outstripped the average person. He wondered, internally, how someone could handle that level of patience with others--none the less himself. Even so, it gave him the inclination that it would be fair if he kept her from getting into too much trouble. Ban was one for admitting acceptable levels of terror and danger.

"Ahhh~. So, you're feelin' ambitious," He offered a bit of praise, coated thickly in a droll tone. He was interested but it didn't do anyone any favor for him to sound curious or excited about anything. He knew he sounded like a sleazebag the second the smiled. "Well, let's see you capture one of 'em."

"Are you planning to just run them off?"

From the way he says it, that's the impression she gets. It's intimidating, being with him, but Yaoyorozu sees a strong person and knows that's what she lacks, so she follows no matter what. It's self-serving, in a way, because she wants to see how she can improve in his footsteps, and an attitude problem is easier to handle than someone outright rejecting to let her learn.

And he definitely seems willing enough to let her do so.

It was a question he wasn't posed with very often. Would he kill or would be spare the bandits? The job's details depended on the situation. Ban could threaten them just enough to make them stick away from Perdition's Rest for good or he could put his back into killing them to ensure their choice was moot. His answer was surprisingly mild.

"I'm immortal. They can't kill me, so I can make just about whatever decision I want when it comes to this. You know that's unfair, right?"

Ban stopped and turned to look to Yaoyorozu, a curious look in his eyes, "Your answer's much more important than mine since you don't have that benefit~. Do you think you can spare them all?"

To him, it wasn't simply training. Ban was, from a young age, a criminal. He had fought and stolen to survive most of his life and knew better than most that most people were on a razor's edge when it came to the risk of harm and death

"Without it coming back to bite somebody's ass?"

"Capture and defeat is all that's required, isn't it? There's no point going so far."

She says, and she stands by it. She is, first and foremost, an aspiring hero after all. The option was never on the table as far as she's concerned. The answer was... a little disappointing, if she were to admit it out loud, but she figured that he wasn't completely straight-laced either. It was in the way he brings himself, even if she hasn't quite determined if he's dangerous or not.

"People should always be given the chance to reform. Simply driving them off won't be good, but if it's what they want..."

Then that's what they'll get.

Turning over the suggestion in his head, Ban snorted. He approved somewhat of Yaoyorozu's ambition but it wasn't one that particularly sat in his head as the best option. She said she came from a fairly nice place and he imagined it might have given her a different perspective on others but he couldn't really see it the same way. Leaving some hardened criminals alive was a good way to inspire them to outdo themselves the next time around.

Had it been a normal disagreement with them--a casual conversation about clothing choices or what topping to put on a pie then Ban would gladly rub it in her face if she realized she was wrong about something. When it came to killing, Ban didn't find any amusement in being proven right if things ever went poorly. Even his sense of humor had a limit.

"Well, it's certainly not a naive way to go about it," He commented and continued walking. "Just remember that justice and survival aren't always things we can ensure. Make sure you don't get stuck having to choose one or the other."

"I am not that ignorant, but that's why one has to know how to balance it, right?"

Death is avoidable, she thinks, but if she has to face that-- she won't do it. She'll find the best way no matter what, even if it overextends herself. That said, she's very much aware that he's right, and some missions can be so dangerous that one can either get killed or kill.

"But since you're that skilled, I think you'll be able to spare them, right?"

Sighing in exasperation, Ban lifted his shoulders into a weak shrug. By then, they were at the outskirts and making their way up a dusty and well-used trail.

He had arguments with Meliodas from time to time about whether or not they could spare their enemies. As strong as the Sins were, sometimes they weren't strong enough to solve a problem perfectly. Someone would get hurt who wasn't meant to. To some of them, it was comparable to being helpless.

"You might be right but--" He could remember plenty of failures born from the arrogance of someone who thought they were strong enough to handle anything. Despite that sobering thought, Ban grinned from cheek to cheek, almost maliciously. "Well, no matter how good I am, I could screw up. Do better than that and you won't have to worry about it~."

"Honestly."

She huffs, but doesn't argue against his point. After all, it is true that they were going to have to do this mission no matter what, and what he can't control, she needs to keep track of and vice versa.

It's not that she didn't trust his skills.

But of course, he's not quite as cooperative sometimes, especially when giving her a break. Luckily, soon enough, they do reach what could be the first bandit in a series they will have to meet and round up.

The clearing they had been had been rather empty and the sudden silence between himself and Yaoyorozu had done plenty to catch this particular bandit off guard. Fortunately, they hadn't decided to take the direct route from the road for long and deviated from it. Ban motioned to Yaoyorozu to be quiet and approached him on eerily quiet feet. Despite the usual lazy gait Ban took, he seemed to suddenly vanish from existence into what seemed like an incredible, predatory set of steps that let him blend in. Despite the fact that he was light skinned in a blank, rocky field, Ban didn't seem to exist except to Yaoyorozu, who had already seen him. He stepped up behind the bandit and pinched him just under the chin.

Falling as if his strings had been cut, the bandit landed in the dirt and Ban's presence seemed to return in its entirety. Color returned to him and he gave the air a bored little sniff before reaching down to lift the guy onto his shoulder. Of course, Ban pocketed the gun and bandolier the man had into his bag of holding.]

That's one~. Looked like he was scouting the road from town.

That... was eerie.

Yaoyorozu wasn't quite sure what exactly she had seen, but the fact that Ban had done such a clean job at knocking their opponent out without any indication of how he had done it. There's a moment where she worried that his immediate drop to the ground was an indication of sudden death, but it... seemed the unlikely case.

Or well, she hoped it was.

"What-- What did you just do?"

Her tone is incredulous, even as she works her way towards him to check for a pulse, to see if he's really just unconscious and not about to wake up unexpectedly.

Stealing his own presence from the world, even if for a short time, managed to steal away Ban's voice and the color in his eyes. It took a few moments for him to fully recover, just as Yaoyorozu arrived to check on the bandit he had taken down. Ban reached up to roll his shoulders and stretch his arms out over his head. He looked over to Yaoyorozu just as she finished checking the bandit's pulse.

The bandit was fine, breathing softly in an unconscious state. There was a darkening bruise under the man's chin, made much darker just by the pale color of his skin.

"Pressure point," Ban remarked, tapping his own chin in the same spot to demonstrate. "Hit someone in the right spot and you cut off blood flow for a bit~. In the right spot, it's like hitting somebody square in the head."

He added, "And, you don't need to be strong or have magic to memorize those things."

"You memorize all of them?"

She's-- not that surprised, he does seem to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve, but judging by what he's said... He probably is giving her a preview of an alternative to her fighting style. Indeed, she could do much better by actual learning proper combat, she thinks, so it's not a bad idea.

"That's amazing, nonetheless. Now..."

However, not to be outdone so easily, she starts to pull out cable ties from her wrists, using those to start tying the man's wrists and feet while he's unconscious.

"Hell no~" He replied, easily and quickly. Ban hadn't a clue what all the nerve points were but he knew that they were pretty much circulated around major nerve centers and arteries. There were some that were easier for him to knock at and that was pretty much the extend of his experience.

As Yaoyorozu tied up the guard who had been knocked out, Ban gave the horizon a bit of a checking over, "Y'know--you should have asked for rope before we left."

Ban chose to explain himself for a number of reasons--namely, one of them being a foray into the sophistry of what she wanted to aim for from the beginning. She hadn't wanted to kill anyone.

"Rather than using your power for everything~."

"I thought about it, but I figured that if they've never seen it before, it might be more effective to use it to lock them in place. Zip ties are sometimes more stubborn to remove than ropes."

She says, though she doesn't disagree. For her, it's easier too, with how simple it is to knot. The fact that it leaves less space too helps. Of course, she's of the impression by now that Ban came from a really different world, perhaps even more archaic than hers, so he might not be familiar as well.

"Something this small is nothing worth noting. I can even make it in my sleep, so you don't need to worry."

"They do seem kinda handy," He agreed, leaning over to take a look at the unconscious bandit's wrists. Ban took a quick glance at the sky overhead and noted how the sun was setting at just the right angle. So, Ban lifted up the bandit and propped them up on a sharp rock with their hands acting as the support to keep them from falling.

It would also keep said bandit from trying to slip off--due to the fact that they would definitely hurt something on the way down. He dusted off his hands and began walking down along the flat, dusty plain again, eyes out and looking for more signs of bandits and their camps. He couldn't really argue with Momo. At a glance, the item itself was small and while it seemed complex she didn't strain herself at all to make them. It really was convenient and smart.

"Good work~. If you're feelin' that confident then we won't have an issues tonight."

"Thinking of doing something is easy. Putting it into action is more difficult."

She says, and while she's confident enough in her skills, she's not sure how much that counts in the long run. After all, actually putting things into practice is always harder than she thought, and while it has yet to work against her, she still worries from time to time.

"But I do feel more confident with you. Your strength would make it easier for me to come up with plans."

"I've heard of that, before," Ban dropped down from the elevated rock he had set the bandit on and dusted himself off. With a lazy flourish of his long coat, he gestured with a jerk of his chin for Momo to follow. Since he started walking again, it was probably a superfluous gesture.

"Workin' over capacity when you're in a team? Some folks function better when they complement certain abilities."

He knew, for example, that he worked well when he was fighting alongside King. Somehow, the two of them read unspoken cues from each other with ease and reacted nigh instantaneously in the presence of one another. It was just good synergy. The problem was--they couldn't stand each other and it would inevitably devolve into chaos soon after their missions.

"An ability like yours seems like a potentially scary one with just the right team, Momo~."

"I'd like to believe my abilities are easy to complement, though I'm trying not to overexert myself this time. There's no emergency at the moment."

She thinks, at least, that makes it easier for her to adjust to smaller tasks. She knows that she has a tendency to overthink, and it still shows. Leading, however, is still a task she needs to master.

"Though I would say the same for yours. The flexibility makes it seem like you're a one-man team."

"Depends on the task," Ban conjured two bandanas in an open hand, reaching over to hand one to Momo. He fixed the first one over his mouth and nose. He hadn't gotten very used to the desert and their sudden sandstorms but he at least wanted to be ready when they came through. If possible--he wanted to use one of them to catch a few of the camps off guard. The locals probably wouldn't be prepared to retaliate if two people with strange powers could weather the storm and take them down in the chaos.

"I'm not givin' secrets away but there's an edge to every blade," And, Ban's weaknesses with his magic were only saved by his immortality. A number of his abilities could backfire on him immensely if used with poor timing. Not being able to die--that was the real factor for flexibility. Even so, it was the same as breaking a twig, fixing it and calling it flexibility.

"Couuurse, I still haven't shown you my meanest power, yet ♪."

He turned, sneering at Momo as the wind caught the bandana's edge and showed off his sharp canines.

"Here you go, trying to intimidate me again."

She sighs, but takes the bandanna gratefully to start covering her mouth and nose. In turn, she produces a pair of goggles, fitted for both of them as she hands one to him.

"Here, to protect your eyes in case of a sandstorm."

It's not the best plan, she knows, but it works for the same idea. She doesn't place it on immediately though, seeing as the wind hasn't picked up, and instead follows after his trail.

"Huh? What'cha mean?"

He was genuinely confused. Ban, often times, sounded much edgier than intended simply because he thought it was cool. It seemed he didn't catch Momo's meaning, so he moved right past it with the fluidity of a borderline amateur conversationalist.

"Ah. Wait--"

Then, he went silent as he stared at the goggles, eyes boggling. He remembered seeing Sabo wearing a pair of them when they were in the clothing store, before. He loved them back then and seeing Momo just make them out of thin air--

"So, you can make these kinds of things, too!? That's so cool!"

She bypasses the question easily enough, seeing as he seemed to have been distracted by the goggles. If anything, she smiles a bit at that, amused, like a guardian watching their kid be fascinated with a new toy.

"The composition is simple enough. As long as it's not alive and I can handle it, something like this is easy."

She does sound proud of herself, pleased with the awe it still brings to others. It's one perk she finds being here, that people can easily be amazed of the usefulness of the ability she owned.

Ban snapped the goggles on, anyway. He had to take a few moments to adjust the straps and his hair so it wouldn't drag behind his ears but he seemed ultimately pleased by the end result. Cool enough--he flashed a thumbs up to Momo, exuberantly in regards to his new wastelander look.

He couldn't be any less pleased with her at that time.

"You're much better at makin' accessories than I am~. I wouldn't be able to make one of these without screwing up something fierce..."

"It takes a lot of practice, so I believe it's possible. Besides, you have plenty of other skills that are equally impressive."

She takes the praise with a smile, despite her words, clearly pleased to have done something that he approves of. It's not her biggest accomplishment, but it's always good to feel proud of her achievements nonetheless.

"Let's go straight to the rest of these men then."

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