Kuoh Town

[Apollymi]

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/843/43309509651_491d19d781_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/28Z7ykD)

The main setting of our heroes lives. It is the town in which Kuoh Academy is located and the normal world territory of Eira Gremory. It is a small city like town with a hub of activity. Some large scale apartments, small houses, parks, and general recreation spots. Several schools and is home to one abandoned church as well as a great deal of other landmarks. It was a town full of preternatural disturbances, but many of them have been quelled by the combined efforts of Eira' Gremory's Peerage and other Devils have recently started using the area as a vacation spot when they wish to escape the Underworld.

[Apollymi]

In an apartment at the peak of one of the taller high rise buildings, Eira, and the rest of her peerage would appear. It was shortly following the Rating Game which had caused her to face off against her own brother. But this was of little concern to Eira. Such movements left everyone who'd previously been in a bed, spread out across a bed which was larger than any single person would need, with more than enough room between them for another couple of people to slip in beside them. "Okaerinasai, minna..." she said to everyone after the send off by her brother. This room in particular was Eira's but all of her Peerage had their own rooms in this giant apartment which took up the entire top floor of this building, if they chose to stay here. "Revil, there are a couple of extra rooms that no one else has claimed if you want one..." she explained, at least a couple of the other members of her peerage just lived here, including Youmu and Miyuki.

"Kitchen and living room are huge and to the right. Game room is to the left along with baths and about anything else you likely want to look in on..." she said, if one had a look around they'd find Eira's apartment to be a semi-modern open concept except for the bedrooms. It was spaced out and meant to accommodate everyone with a little of everyone's flare involved. Maiko would step up shortly after and sigh. "Oi, the rooms are all pretty cool and Eira-sama lets us have at them as far as decorations are concerned. Even me, though I don't live here..." she mentioned. "If I am staying though, I am going to have to explain to my parents, Yasukawa's too... or the cops could get involved," mentioned Maiko. Who knew from experience that being missing for multiple days caused unnecessary worry from her parents and she assumed the same would happen to Takumi. Eira thought about it for a few moments, "Occult Club trip, touring haunted places around?" she said with a raised brow. "And then we can just add more places to the itinerary if we need more time..." she said thinking of a way for her still seemingly human servants to get away with missing time away from their parents.

[Bloodedge]

Though the group had been transported directly onto the bed of Eira, Izuna remained floating overhead. Only after realizing where exactly they had been dropped off, did he shift around. This movement placed him between the bed, and the nearest window leading outside. He opened the window to have a bit of human world fresh air, and turned to view Eira and the others as the former replied to Maiko. "I can help out with him. Actually, I could help out with both of you," he said to both Eira and Maiko, offering his assistance with their human comrades' parents. He could easily use his abilities to enter the dream state of Takumi and find how he interacted with his parents, just to tell them - as him - of an impending club trip. Just the same, he already had experience with helping Maiko avoid trouble with her parents, if only by impersonating school officials on occasion.

[Apollymi]

Maiko looked towards Izuna and grinned. He was indeed quite helpful when dealing with her parents on multiple occassions. And Eira could only nod her approval as she'd forgotten the practical uses of Izuna's illusory abilities. "Kawaii!~ That is super practical Izuna. Alright, seems like we will make quick rounds for Maiko and Takumi. So they can miss school and home without it being a big deal," she said finding it to be the best possible use of their time. She took the opportunity to change her own clothes back to her school uniform, and those of Maiko as well. She knew that Izuna could and likely would dress himself to look like Takumi and whatever persona he intended to take for Maiko and as such she worried none about him. "Kagimi you rule!!~" she said to the fox boy whom had no problem helping her out with her strange problems.

Miyuki on the other hand found herself sitting at the edge of the large bed. "Ah, so you are going to tell their parents stuff so they can stay over too... sugoi," she murmured. It was strange to her that some of the others didn't outright live with Eira, but it was also the case that no everyone had been completely abandoned by their families.

[Bloodedge]

While this discussion about dealing with Maiko and Takumi's parents took place, Sairevil took it upon himself to explore a bit. This left the others alone to continue their chat, in which Izuna floated above Takumi and stepped briefly into his subconscious. Once there, he found all he needed to know about how Takumi interacted with his parents, as well as the path he took to get home. There were... quite a few other things Izuna saw in the boy's mind, but these were not things he was keen on revealing to others at the time. "Got it. I know who, where, and what. Let's get movin' already!"

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai, Youmu keep an eye on those two alright~" she said of Takumi and Hiroki both of whom were presumably still unconscious. She simply nodded and raised a hand willing to take up the opportunity to relax as she stared at Miyuki waiting for the girl whom she assumed would continue to keep her company while Sairevil explored what was his new home for the foreseeable future. Eira was a bit curious about what Izuna had seen in Takumi's mind after he rather suddenly declared he had what he needed. She might feel inclined to prod it in her own way at some later point, but there were things to be handled right here and now, and that was more pressing to her.

"Kagimi, are we hitting my spot first or Yasukawa's?" asked Maiko who was content either way and was shifting around in her school uniform wondering if Eira truly enjoyed being able to change clothes at her earliest convenience like this. A chuckle came from Eira as she didn't head for the front door and instead created a magic circle, which would take them to a spot near the school so that whoever wanted to could choose what direction they were going in. And if all went according to plan, this would be how the group left Eira's residence today.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna took the time in which Eira formed a transportation circle to utilize his illusions. The first person he chose to take the form of was a familiar face to the parentage of Maiko: a tall, middle-aged male with frameless glasses and short, brown hair. This man's most outstanding physical feature was a chin that could easily be described as masculine beyond all reason, and he wore a simple white button-up shirt and black tie, complete with black dress pants and shoes. The visual was that of a councilor to Kuoh Academy's students, whom Maiko's parents had many encounters with over time. "I hate this form," Izuna said, in his own voice, as they arrived at the school. "Let's just get this one over with."

[Apollymi]

"That answers that question..." Maiko said as she took the route home which would be fastest and entered the door with a shout to her parents. "Tadaima. Councilor's here... gotta pack!~" she chimed which got her mother to come up the hallway to before Maiko hit the stairs taking them two at a time. "Okaeri... Mai..." started her mother. A slightly older woman was standing there with long raven hair and soft eyes. She watched as Maiko bounded up the stairs but returned her attention to the people at the door. "Slow down! Gomen gomen, she's not in any trouble is she..." asked this woman as she waited for the reasoning behind this visit. Her daughter was headstrong and she knew this, in addition to being physically strong she usually expected a fight or two to take place, and was always surprised when good news was delivered. Eira quietly waited at the transformed Izuna's side, as the President of the Occult Club she supposed some of the questions would eventually fall to her, if Izuna couldn't take care of them. Upstairs, Maiko was gathering things, but they weren't for actual trip. She was gathering her laptop computer, digital camera and a load of other things she had decided to use while pretending to take this trip that everyone was going to be on.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna spent far too long in this form for his own liking, despite his willingness to help out the often troublemaker of their group. To be most specific, he disliked the trip to the girl's house while in the form of the councilor. Still, he pressed onward. They were eventually upon Maiko's dwelling, and the girl announced her arrival - and the "councilor's" as well - while carving a path toward her own room upstairs. This left her mother to address the masked Izuna while wondering what required the presence of a councilor this time. Izuna cleared his throat while mimicking the voice of the human he imitated. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Matsui-san. Forgive our intrusion to your night, but it seems a few plans had to be pushed forward. You see, the Occult Research Club Maiko belongs to has been planning a field trip for a few weeks now, but the date clashes with trips of other clubs. We had to take it now, or risk not being able to schedule it for later. I hope this is no inconvenience to your family."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough Matsui the elder was being briefed on a trip apparently planned by the Occult Research Club for the last few weeks, but which had to be pushed up for the sake of everyone being able to participate in it. Given that Maiko wasn't actually in trouble the woman's face shifted into that of a gentle smile. "Oh, well, that is fine then... what kind of trip is it?" she asked. Which made Eira speak up. "Oh, it's a tour of some of the supposedly 'haunted places' around the mainland. It is being used as a bit of a history lesson, and a chance for increased bonding between members. Since they all have other kinds of club activities besides these, we rarely get a chance to gather all at once, it will be good for general morale to get this sort of thing out of the way a bit earlier than I initially planned. Sumimasen, for springing this on you at what is basically the last minute," Eira managed with a gentle bow. Matsui looked at this crimson haired lass and nodded. She supposed there were worse things than her daughter going off to make friends with people she wouldn't be getting into fights or anything like that. "Hai, I suppose it's fine. I expect to see lots of pictures though..." she said as Maiko made her way down the stairs. "Hai, sounds like I'm good to go then, I'm off!~" she chimed, only to have her mother reach out and grab her by the collar and keep her from wandering off to quickly. "You're having dinner first, Mai..." said the woman in a way which made it sound like she wouldn't be argued with. Maiko's eyes widened. "Hai... I'll meet up with you guys a bit later then... Buchou, Councilor..." she managed. This scene playing out before her made Eira giggle just a tad. "Ufufufu~ Sure thing, Maiko~ We'll be waiting for you..." she said to the girl. Suddenly the girl's constant tardiness made absolute sense. "If you'll excuse us..." Eira mentioned turning around to head outside with the still cloaked Izuna. They would leave Maiko to her mother while, they went about securing some free time for Takumi as well.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. It is my understanding that one of the Occult Research Club's most outstanding members is going to be especially busy soon. I'm sure you remember Kagimi Izuna, our Soccer Club star player? He's going to be taking our school to Nationals this year, so there won't be much time to get this entire club together," Izuna said under the guise of the councilor. Truly, he could not resist plugging himself and his goals into even this discussion. Maiko's mother admittedly had no issues with this faux field trip, but demanded that the girl stay for dinner first. Izuna chuckled through his disguised face, but bowed to the girl's mother nonetheless, and followed Eira away from the building. Even doing so, he seemed displeased. "I want dinner. Human dinner is awesome," he said, simultaneously deciding they had reached a great enough distance from the building that he could switch to his normal form. "I should have threatened to suspend her daughter if she didn't offer us some."

[Apollymi]

A smirk came to Eira's face as Izuna mentioned that he was taking the Soccer team to Nationals. It was a bit of shameless self-promotion which caused Maiko to cut the boy a serious glance, but that wouldn't change anything. Instead, Maiko got to enjoy a dinner with her mother as Eira and Izuna fled. Outside of the house, soon enough Eira was left looking at the false face of Izuna which made her comment about that. "That councilor has a really intense chin... like super chiseled," she said seemingly abstractly as the boy's face would return to his own while he complained about not getting dinner. "Yare yare, you don't have to threaten to suspend her. I am sure, you could have dinner there anytime you wanted..." she said finding that woman to be a strange one. "Hell with that plug about winning Nationals I bet she comes back with a message that if you win you have to come over..." said Eira, humans were pretty easy to read. And the ones who were parents were a strange amount of nice, "Speaking of, are you alright? You seemed to do quite a bit in your match, and I wouldn't want you passing out from exhaustion too..." said Eira ever the caretaker of her little group as she moved with Izuna wherever he was leading her next.

[Bloodedge]

"Doesn't he!? It's disgusting! Every time I make myself look like that guy, I get so happy to be right back to normal. Good old manly me," Izuna ranted. As for the topic of humans and their choice in night time meals, he wondered if there was truly a chance Maiko's mother would offer him such an invite. All of the trips he'd made to cover for her misconduct in school had been at this sort of time, so he'd smelled the woman's cooking numerous times in the past. An offer for a free meal of hers would just be additional motivation for his winning of the National competition. As they walked the path toward Takumi's dwelling, Eira questioned his state of being, breaking his focus from the matter of food. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I've never used Touki for that long before. I probably shouldn't do that again for a while, but other than that, I'm fine. What? Worried about little old me?"

[Apollymi]

"Manly huh?" Eira said, finding this boy's view of himself to be worthy of a chuckle or two. Of course, she preferred the kind of softness this fox boy had in his physical features, but it was also generally accepted that she liked men that weren't particularly manly as far as their physical features were concerned. Moving beyond this, it seemed the young man was content to think of food, until of course, Eira interrupted him to question his well-being. He went on to explain that he'd been using an ability which took a lot out of him and he'd done it too much. He claimed to be fine and went on to question if Eira worried for him. "Ara, you don't have to ask that," she said seemingly aghast. "Of course, I was worried about you. Losses are rare, and I'd never seen you do that before... I was tense the whole time, but I had faith you'd do something to show off," she said slipping an arm around this young man and giving him a gentle squeeze as she was prone to doing. "Plus I couldn't have you risking the sort of injury that would keep you from Nationals, I'd never hear the end of it~" Eira chimed adding in her own bit of teasing at the end.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course! Don't act like you don't know I'm the manliest guy around!" Izuna gloated, seeming to believe wholeheartedly in his own claim of masculinity. In all honesty, he did believe himself to be the epitome of masculine features, bar few. Perhaps, though, this was somehow attributed to his existence as a Youkai in Kyoto before joining Eira as a Devil.

They continued moving forward, but the response of Eira was joined by a grip and squeeze to Izuna's person. He took a moment to look upon Eira through the corner of his eye, while formulating a rebuttal of his own. "You really like doing stuff that'll make people talk, don't you?" he said first, regarding the strange hold she had on him. Izuna knew better than to think anything of this himself, of course, but there was more in his own mind giving credence to his statement. "Besides, nothing's gonna keep me from the win. Even if that did happen, Leishi's more than enough for these other teams. He could make the rest of our guys better in my place."

[Apollymi]

"Of course you are..." Eira said in a manner which would make most assume she was agreeing with him. Of course, she saw his features as particularly soft and girly, but since that was the sort of thing she liked in the first place it likely wasn't anything she'd say aloud. Beyond all this she allowed herself a gentle grip on the young man for a few moments while they walked, only to have him mention this in a very strange way. "I literally always do things like this, to everyone... and no one talks," she said. Which was true enough, no one she cared about the opinion of, ever had anything negative to say about the attention she paid to her peerage. If she was being honest, she was probably one of the more affectionate people, and likely would have been that way with anyone she cared for, regardless of how she cared for them. "But I see, you're shunning me too now..." she said a pout applied to her face as she let her little fox boy go. To her knowledge he'd never had a problem with the amount of attention she paid him before now, and she had no working idea as to why it would suddenly matter now. She honestly didn't mean much of anything by it, she simply felt better while maintaining a certain amount of closeness with members of her peerage.

As the moved along in their conversation, Eira found herself nodding her agreement, to his statements about nationals. "Yeah, I know Leishi can get the job done, but I meant I'd never hear the end of it from you..." she said in a joking manner. "So, I'll make sure you stay in peak condition. So you and Leishi can sweep up and win~" she said, wholeheartedly supporting this young man's desire to excel in the sport he chose to participate in.

[Bloodedge]

"Do they not? Are you sure they don't just say things when you can't hear? Maybe... to themselves, even? I dunno," he said while casually strolling forward. Eira released him after he spoke of this hold, adding the clause that she was being shunned. To this, Izuna raised a brow. "Urusai! You know better than that by now. I was just... making an observation. Anyway, we're almost there." True to the former Youkai's words, they would very soon be approaching the place of residence for Yasukawa Takumi's parents, separate from the boy's own dwelling. En route, Izuna took the form of Takumi, prior to the lad's participation in the recent Rating Games. He was clad in Takumi's school uniform to complete the look his parents should have expected of him, and after rounding one additional corner like this, he stepped up to the front door of a modest abode. He had nothing more to say about the Soccer team's trip to the National competition, though he did have something to say in general, spoken through the voice of Takumi as he knocked on the door. "This is gonna be weird," he said. In seeing Takumi's memories, he knew how strange it would be for the boy's parents to see him arriving with a girl, no matter the reason.

[Apollymi]

"Why would I care about people who don't matter, talking about things they don't understand? To themselves or anyone else..." Eira asked, obviously it wasn't really in her general disposition to care very much about what people thought of her. If she were being honest the only people's whose opinions meant anything to her, were part of her Peerage or immediate family and literally everyone else didn't really matter. But after she let go of Izuna he seemed to have a bit more to say, mostly telling her to shut up and that he hadn't meant for his statements to be taken as shunning. A small smile spread across her face, "Ano, I wouldn't know that, I had to be sure. Stuff has been changing a lot lately and I am not sure how to feel about any of it," mentioned Eira, but she wouldn't have much if any time to elaborate on this. Soon enough, Izuna was changing forms and knocking on the door.

Eira to her credit couldn't help but notice how far this place was away from the building which was their school. It made her wonder how Takumi managed to make it to school on time. When Izuna in Takumi's form mentioned that this would be weird, Eira's left brow raised slightly. "Why exactly would it be weird?" she questioned. Wondering if they shouldn't have had this part of the conversation before arriving at the door. Too bad they wouldn't get the chance to talk it over for any longer than that moment because soon after the knock at the door it would swing open, and a woman with dark hair and large brown eyes would open it. She had about an average figure and her hair was pulled back from her face in a pony tail. She seemed to have the same general unassuming look that Takumi seemed to maintain. But instead of the normal greeting which one would have expected, like the sort they'd seen at Maiko's house, there was only one question. "Who is she?" posed as she looked over Eira with a most distrusting look. Eira to her credit managed to look a bit stunned. She'd been confronted many ways before in her life, but never had she expected this sort of reaction. 'Ano, what did Takumi do, to get this sort of reaction to coming home with a girl?'

[Bloodedge]

If Izuna intended to offer Eira any sort of response, he would not be able to at all. Takumi's mother suddenly pulled the front door open, wasting no time in even moving to it after he knocked. With the visage of Takumi, Izuna looked surprised by the sudden appearance of the woman before him, and timid when she asked for the identity of the girl in his presence. "Kaa-san... ohayou gozaimasu," he said with his right hand rising to rub the back of his head sheepishly. It was Izuna's understanding that Takumi would react this way, specifically in such an instance as this. He hadn't seen his parents since being sent across town to be closer to his new school, and he very much intended to avoid the sorts of situations which got him expelled to upset them. Wasting no further time, he went on with an explanation. "This is... I... joined the Occult Research Club at Kuoh Academy. She's... the President. The club is going on a field trip, so I thought... you should know."

[Apollymi]

Eira watched as Izuna mimicked Takumi's mannerisms and she was pleasantly surprised by how accurate it was. She didn't know what this boy had done to become so timid around his parents, but he was equally as timid around her. Given this, she had no problem waiting to be addressed again. Her eyes shifting to Takumi's mother who was all but glaring at the young woman as she clasped her hands in front of herself. 'I wonder if I wouldn't be better off hypnotizing this woman...' Eira said. It was very rare for her to feel like someone was threatening her, but there was extreme distrust and anger in this woman's face at Eira's mere presence. She could only imagine how this could potentially play out.

Izuna's reactions and explanation, seemed to make something in Takumi's mother's face shift. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't know her son was interested in the Occult, but club activities in general were good for his general well-being so she couldn't actually be mad about anything. She still felt somewhat suspicious that the young woman in charge of the club was so... attractive. Given the trouble her son had been in before, she could only see direct interactions with this young woman leading to the boy being expelled again. "You joined a club and this is the first I'm hearing of it. And this girl is the leader of it... uh-huh..." said the woman skeptically. Her eyes immediately shot over to the young woman, making Eira fight to hold off the sigh she wanted to exhale. 'I really should just hypnotize this woman...' she thought as she stared back at this woman with practiced patience and impassioned eyes. "So that means you're responsible for this group. What is an Occult Research Club? What kind of trip is it? Where are you going? How long will you be gone? Do you intend to look after him and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble while you're gone?" this series of questions left Takumi's mother's mouth and Eira managed to look surprised. She'd thought this woman was just filled with unknowable angst, but these questions were of the standard variety. Even though they were delivered with glaring intensity, Eira had no problem answering.

"Hai, I'm responsible for the group. My name is Eira Gremory and I'm a second year student at Kuoh Academy. It's nice to meet you..." she said offering the woman a small bow and continuing to answer her questions in order. "The Occult Research Club, is a group interested in the studying the potentially supernatural. It was started by my best friend, Izuna and I, when we entered high school. We thought the old school house on campus was haunted and wanted to investigate it, so they let us have it along with permission to create our own club there..." she said which was the on paper version of what the Occult Research Club did. In truth it was created as a base for Eira to house her peerage at school outside of the watchful eyes of mortals, and gave her the freedom to miss classes and other club activities in case of an emergency within the area of her control. "The trip is an adventure, meant to build camaraderie between members of the Occult Club of which there are eight total members including Takumi. Since we already know the secrets of the old school house. We are investigating a few of the supposedly haunted sites around Japan and using it as an opportunity to tour the country side and get to know each other better since a large number of the students at Kuoh only transferred in recently," Eira answered the first question and offered a smile. "As for how long we will be gone, the trip is planned for about a week, but we might need a bit more time than that, with travel constraints and a few of the more esoteric places that might require a bit more time for us to get the necessary information and experience all of the sights. A couple of the places are time locked or regionally specific, it's sort of the fun of it..." she said calmly. "And yes, I intend to look after Takumi and everyone else. No one will get into much, if any trouble on my watch, and I wouldn't allow anything which would reflect negatively upon the Occult Research Club nor Kuoh Academy," Eira finished up. "We would just appreciate it if he could come along. It'd be good for everyone to get a chance to get to know him, since he's our newest addition. And he's the only one who didn't already have permission so I thought to come along and answer any questions you might have." she said. Eira in this moment, seemed to sound like her normal protective self. She didn't know what kind of trouble, Takumi's mother thought he could get into, but she wouldn't allow anything truly horrid to happen on her watch. Even the ever troublesome Maiko managed to stay more out of trouble than she had previously. After she spoke Takumi's mother's gaze shifted back to what she thought was him, she was studying him in this moment, before her glare returned to Eira. Eira took a deep breath waiting to see what Izuna would say or do, while she seriously gave thought to simply changing the woman's mind. But, if she could get away with simply convincing the woman that she had no ill-intentions for her son, she'd settle for that without use of her abilities.

[Bloodedge]

"H-hai," he said regarding Eira's position as leader of the club Takumi joined. The fresh Devil's mother went on to question many things related to the club and their alleged field trip, but Eira was content to answer these in sequence, so Izuna didn't have to deal with the awkwardness that would have been Takumi's responses. This did, however, leave him silently awaiting the end of an exchange between Eira and Takumi's mother. He expected words from the older woman after Eira's explanations, but what came instead was a stare at the image of Takumi being presented by Izuna. 'Kuso. Why does this kid have to be so damn awkward about everything? I was never like this with my mom,' Izuna thought.

There had to be something he could come forward with. He found himself fishing in his own mind for a reaction befitting of Takumi, and in the end... he resorted to himself as a scapegoat. "Eto... It should be fun. Kagimi-senpai has been helping me get adjusted to the school, and he says making a bond with the rest of the club will help me get over the past. I'd... really like to go."

[Apollymi]

After several moments of glaring the Izuna/Takumi managed to say something. Eira's eyes widened and her left brow rose, as it was mentioned that Izuna was helping him adjust to school and thought the trip would be good for him. And to Eira's surprise his mother seemed to remain stern for only a few more seconds before she sighed. "Kagimi?" she asked seeming to find this name to be one which required a bit more explanation. Eira had no problem coming to a save for this one. "Kagimi Izuna is my friend I started the club with. He's also Vice-President of the Occult Research Club and one of the stars of the Soccer team," she said with a smile spreading across her face. "He's going to take them to Nationals~" she said calmly. Takumi's mother seemed to listen to this, along with her sons reasoning behind wanting to go, and for the first time since the pair of them had been met at the door, her face softened. "Sou ka. Well, I don't want your past following you, and if you are making friends and adjusting to school, I can't keep you from that..." she said. She had been a bit wary of her son going on a trip alone with what could have potentially been the same sort of women who'd initially gotten him into trouble. With the knowledge that he was managing to make friends of the male variety and wouldn't necessary be in a position to get into fights over the rather buxom female presently in his company she was less defensive.

Eira maintained a soft smile, rather happy that she hadn't had to hypnotize this woman at all. Just as she was feeling the full strength of this relief, the elder woman's gaze was back upon her. "You'll make sure he brings us back some nice souvenirs right?" she said to Eira which made the girl look surprised and then simply nod and smile. "Hai hai, I'll help him find something nice for you~" she said seemingly fine with this. Eira was quite prone to doing such shopping herself, and had no problem collecting a few things to make Takumi's trip realistic. At this point, she was considering having the trip in reality at a later time so that they could really make the memories together. Takumi's mother nodded her gaze less penetrating than it'd been before. "That's fine, then. Enjoy your trip, and when you come back, I'll make your favorite dinner for you..." she offered Takumi, while opening her arms to hug her son. She figured this boy should be on his way back to his own apartment to pack, and beyond that, she hadn't actually been cooking much without him in their dwelling. And she wasn't a cold woman, simply she'd been wary of the female this boy was with, and his reasoning for showing up at her house. She had to have a bit of faith that nothing as bad as what had happened previously would occur again. And as far as she could tell, her son's mild-mannered behavior was still at the forefront of his being. Thinking of a future visit would give her a reason to prepare something nice for her family, and even more reason to be hopeful. With this in mind she'd be content to let the boy go. "Off you go then. You have your permission... be good." she said to the boy. "And it was nice meeting you..." she managed for Eira which made the girl smile. "It was nice meeting you too~" the crimson haired lass said stepping back a few paces, to begin their journey away.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. He's acting as my personal guide until I get adjusted to new life," spoke the voice of Takumi. He was otherwise silent, reacting only when the mother offered her permission for the trip, with open arms. Without a moment of hesitation, he stepped forward to hug this woman. Izuna felt nothing of this, and frankly would have rather avoided it, but he had to keep up appearances. "Arigatou, Kaa-san. Ja," he said. With that, he squeezed the woman gently before letting go, and being on his way. He continued onward from there to a distance where he felt safe taking his own form again. Once he was wearing his own face, he sighed. Being Takumi was not nearly as annoying as being the councilor, but it was more awkward than most things he'd ever done. "He better wake up at some point. I don't really like the idea of being him a second time just to tell his mom he's alright."

[Apollymi]

With the fake Takumi agreeing to have his trip Eira and the boy were soon leaving the Yasukawa residence. It was seemingly only a minor inconvenience to their day. Soon enough, Izuna was wearing his own face again, and commenting that he didn't wish to take the boy's form again, just to speak with his mother. A chuckle came from Eira as she nudged this young man. "Ara, I thought you did well, and it'd get you that human dinner you were on about~" she said in a manner most teasing. "But he'll likely wake up eventually so it shouldn't be a problem. We'll look after him," she finished feeling sternly about this. "To be honest, I am just really happy I didn't have to hypnotize her. I'd been considering it since we'd first arrived..." she said stilling finding the overall interaction to be strange considering the types of relationships she normally saw play out between children and their parents. There was something strange about Takumi she didn't know, and now she at least had a bit of the drive to look into a bit more. "Arigatou, Izuna, for looking after Takumi," she offered the young man earnestly. She knew that though he was definitely the type to talk himself up, she could trust that he'd actually been looking in on their newest acquisition, in a way that Eira herself couldn't because of the strangeness the lad presented with.

[Bloodedge]

Izuna continued walking on a clear path toward Eira's home. En route, he received a nudge for his apparent distaste of taking the role of Takumi. This was of course nothing which bothered him too greatly; it wasn't that he outright refused to act as the lad if the need arose. It was simply a fact that it was not his preference to act as either of the two people he'd disguised himself as today. It seemed Eira also had her preferences, which managed to fall in line with their most recent interaction. "You were gonna hypnotize her? That would have made you lose the race~" he said, suddenly bringing back his own mental battle between Eira and Miyuki, regarding the peerage's recent acquisition. As for Takumi himself, Izuna truly saw himself taking on the role of 'senpai' as it were, considering many things he knew, and the strangeness surrounding Takumi and women. "Yeah... I'll keep an eye on the kid... make sure everything's alright."

[Apollymi]

"Don't say it like that..." Eira managed seeming just the slightest bit outraged. "I don't generally like hypnotizing people, or using those powers... I am not really not used to out right suspicion from people. I considered I might have to make an abnormal decision under pressure again," she clarified, knowing that moments of indecision around things, and feeling strangely about situations was what led to her creation of Takumi as her pawn in the first place. On the matter of some invisible race between herself and apparently Miyuki, Eira could do nothing but shrug. "I don't actually care about any of that, as long as he's going to be alright. I'm fine," she said, though she admittedly felt strangely about justifying herself in such a way. Normally she didn't bother acknowledging such things at all. To be honest her peerage had recently become very good at pressing her buttons, even when she didn't know there were buttons to press. Takumi himself seemed to be such an individual. Even so, as they approached Eira's apartment, she was told that Izuna would continue looking after her newest acquisition, and that gave the crimson haired young woman a great deal of relief.

"That's great! Izuna you're the best!~" chimed Eira offering this young man a hug. She truly didn't know what she'd do without this young man at her side. Even so, she couldn't help her own curiosity about the situation, given this, it would likely be the case that she left Takumi's acclimation to Izuna and found out the other things from a more direct source. His mother's reaction to Eira's presence, let her know that whatever had happened with Takumi, it likely had something to do with him and women in his previous schooling. Since Izuna was acting as his confidant, she wouldn't ask him to betray the lad's trust, anything she found out would have to be either directly from Takumi, unlikely or from another source. As she thought this way she'd squeeze Izuna a bit tighter knowing that he likely wouldn't be staying with her tonight, though she'd invited the entire peerage to stay as she always did.

[Bloodedge]

"Uh-huh..." said Izuna. He had no further comments about the spur-of-the-moment decisions made by Eira as of late, whether he had his own opinion of them or not. At the very least, Eira was content to appreciate his choice in taking on Takumi as a ward of sorts - something he intended to do regardless. Even as she hugged/squeezed him, he continued walking with a simple arm thrown around the female Devil's shoulder. Soon enough, they were upon the apartment they were meant to reach, and Izuna was letting go. "Anyway... I'm headed home. I've got practice early tomorrow. Gotta keep these guys at the top of their game, y'know? Ja ne," he said, taking his leave of Eira soon after.

[Apollymi]

Eira seemed to be allowed to wallow in her random decision making in peace, which was quite surprising. Even so, she knew their little trip was soon coming to an end, and as they came to a stop in front of her apartment, Izuna mentioned going home to prepare for soccer practice the next day. A chuckle escaped Eira, because although she knew the boy took his sport seriously, she was always more than a bit bemused that he didn't simply wish to live with her. She wouldn't go against his wishes in this case, but it was by far the strangest of her arrangements considering Izuna's life as her Queen. "Oh fine. I definitely invited you to stay like everyone else, but if you want to leave me..." she said pouting in a playful way. "I won't argue~" she finished offering a final squeeze before separating herself from him. "Gambatte, Izuna~ Have a nice night, and thanks again~" she chimed leaving to head into her apartment. Of course that thanks covered a large variety of things, including his participation in the earlier Rating Game, his general help with managing her Peerages members, and his friendship, afforded to her in all of its instigation based goodness. This would leave Eira's night to progress as normal into the next day, members of her peerage would come and go from her household seemingly without real restriction. For as long as was necessary to excuse the absence of a singular member of her Peerage who was acutely unconscious carrying on about her day, aside from caring for him.

[Bloodedge]

The Red Dragon Emperor, Takumi, certainly earned his beauty sleep over time. Just over two weeks passed from the moment he fell unconscious, to the moment he woke. The boy stirred until his eyes were open, and he immediately found himself in very foreign territory. The bed surrounding him was a great deal more massive and comfortable than any he'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping in, yet he knew not why he was in it at all. A groan escaped him as he forced himself into an upright sitting position, pressing his right hand against his face. This was normally an action Takumi used his left hand for, but something felt strange. His left arm was absolutely throbbing from elbow to fingertips. Why was this? He couldn't quite remember why, but he felt it was something major. In this groggy state of his, Takumi didn't seem to have the clarity of mind to check said arm. If he did, perhaps he would have realized his Boosted Gear was in a semi-constant state of being, much like its Twice Critical form, and the skin that showed on the arm around it bore the scales of a Dragon.

[Apollymi]

The waking of the Red Dragon Emperor, would cause the stirring of another who was sharing a bed with him. Similarly to how they first met, Eira Gremory was sleeping immediately to Takumi's left and upon feeling him stirring into proper wakefulness, woke as well. This comfortable bed, much bigger than it needed to be for even two people, was hers and in the apartment she kept as part of her cover for living in the Human World. Even so, a smile came to her face as she saw Takumi waking and she spoke to him surprisingly calmly, unable to stop herself from her usual habits she slipped her arms around the young man and gave him a gentle squeeze, her naked flesh brushing against him for only a moment. "Yare yare, you gave us quite a scare Ta-ku-mi~" she said with general sing-song tone to her voice. "Ohayou gozaimasu~" she said before letting him go. Knowing a bit too much about this lad now, she decided to dress herself by the quicker method summoning a magical circle which covered her nudity in her usual attire of a curve hugging short sleeved black dress, this look though was without its usual arm covering sleeves and shoes as she was still in bed. "You've been unconscious for two weeks, so feel free to give yourself time to adjust..." she said as she sat up ruffling bedhead out of her face. "Also don't scream..."

[Bloodedge]

Takumi was far too out of it to realize there was movement in the bed, not his own doing. As such, the arms around his body were a surprise the likes of which he could never have prepared for. 'What is...' he thought as the somewhat familiar flesh pressed against him. A voice emerged to fill the silence in this bedroom, confirming the identity of the culprit as Eira... again. Takumi's eyes were wide as she spoke to him. Her note for him not to scream was taken to heart right away, but he hadn't intended to scream regardless. At least, he wouldn't be doing any screaming outside his own head. Inside his head, however, he could not be any louder. Luckily, Eira soon released him and clothed herself, saving Takumi from thoughts of this interaction being anything more than it should have been.

Upon hearing how long he'd been unconscious, his state of shock grew more powerful. Suddenly, he had an explanation for the incredible hunger he felt beyond the sensation of his pulsing left arm. "Two weeks? But... I feel like I was just fighting. I just..." As he tried to explain himself, Takumi remembered the final moments of proper consciousness he had. He was without an arm, and then suddenly, he had one to use; one that felt a great deal more powerful than anything else at his disposal. These thoughts gave him enough clarity to look at his morphed arm and hand, and once again, the shock returned to him. "Wh-... what happened to my arm!?"

[Apollymi]

When all was said and done Eira was soon dressed and sitting in the middle of her own bed with her legs crossed at the ankles. It seemed that Takumi was indeed not screaming, which was a good sign, but he'd apparently yet to catch up to the gravity of the situation yet. "Hai two weeks..." Eira said confirming how long the lad had been asleep. Fortunately this soon led to him noticing finally the change in his arm which led to a small sigh from Eira as his excited utterance let her know that he didn't remember enough of his participating in their Rating Game against her elder brother. "Gomen, you fought the Vast White Dragon, Reshiram and she got annoyed during your fight and pulled your arm off. Apparently you and your Sacred Gear came to some sort of agreement and he gave you back your arm, as a Dragon Arm..." she summarized for him, she was still apologetic because deep down she still felt bad for sending him out to that fight... or any fight for that matter. "I don't know if you remember, but you won your fight... it was pretty awesome~" she went on to say, she was still amazed by his win and his ability to stand up to scrutiny. Normally such statements and praises would have come with physical contact, but she was making a marked effort to give him space. She figured he might have a few more questions and as such she went quiet waiting to see his reaction.

[Bloodedge]

Throughout Eira's summary of the Rating Game, Takumi remembered piece by piece the fight he had taken part in. He remembered the struggle, the desperation, and... the fury. He remembered being reminded of himself in a state he thought he'd moved past long ago. He stared at his transformed hand while trying to come to terms with it all, but found no way to do so. The fact that he'd won the battle was both exciting and horrifying. On one hand, he was satisfied with his apparent ability to be useful in combat as a Devil, but on the other hand, he remembered the last time he was in such a state, and it nearly ruined what life he had as a human. Of the two sides, he chose to stick with the happier route. In all fairness, he had successfully done what he sought out to do, which was prove his ability to rise above the challenge he was faced with at the time. "I... won? Sugoi. But..." he said, losing what satisfaction he had upon realizing nothing about his arm was changing, in spite of his attempt to do away with the Sacred Gear. If there was nothing he could do about this, what sort of human life could he even pretend to have?

[Apollymi]

Eira watched the boy beside her cycle through his emotions and seemed to find it amusing. When he finally got to the important part a small smile came to her face. "Hai! You won... it was awesome, and straight out too. No handicap or anything~" she said. Seeming to find his happiness in this moment to be the important part, but it didn't last very long as he seemed to struggle with his arm a bit. She sighed knowing what had to be done, she'd waited. "Oh you're worried about that..." she said before taking it upon herself to do what was necessary before the lad could argue, she aimed to take his hand and look at it for several seconds before she'd take the boy's index finger and place it in her mouth. She then twirled her tongue around it for several seconds, like one would expect one to use a straw, and this was exactly what she was doing. Technically speaking this was a magical ability which she could use to suck the power out of his body, she chose this method of doing so because it was the least invasive. 'Sugei!~ It's like liquid cinnamon and sugar... and it's just great!~' she chimed mentally, as the flavor of this boy's power was simultaneously tasty, hot and spicy. Such a thing seemed to drain a bit of power from the lad, quite a bit, and Eira's own eyes widened as she experienced this because she could feel the slightest burning in her chest. But if all went well by the time she finished and released the boy's hand, his human fingers would have returned and her own face would be reddened as she leaned back against her headboard. A giggle escaped Eira in this moment and she would speak. "There, granted that won't hold it forever, it should..." there was a pause from the young woman. "Be alright for now... we'll look into something more permanent for you as time progresses~" she chimed. There was now no reason for the lad not to simply enjoy his victory without having to think about it too much. Still, Eira herself felt rather strange, and the reddened tint to her face didn't seem to be going anywhere, the room seemed to be leaning in multiple directions, it was beyond strange. She'd sucked the powers out of many things before this, but never had she experience such a strange sensation as this after ingesting energy.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi was lost in his thoughts. He had come to expect an ability to continue acting as a human, and now, he could only believe such a thing was no longer possible. Eira spoke, but the words did not reach his ear. Suddenly though, her touch met Takumi's Dragon hand. This was nothing all too strange, but Eira followed this simple moment of contact by taking his scaled forefinger into her mouth. Yet again, the boy was overtaken by surprise, and this time blood filled his face. There was nothing he could do to stop this from happening; it was already occurring by the time it registered in his mind. Beyond this fact, the energy being drained from his arm through his finger was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The throbbing sensation in his arm was gradually receding, and the scales and Sacred Gear did the same over the duration of Eira's very strange activity. "Wha-... huh..." he muttered, finding himself incapable of proper speech until well after his hand was returned to normal. "What did you just do? That felt like... like..." Whatever he would have said was lost to him just as soon as he would have spoken the words. His arm felt amazing, and looked absolutely normal now. Eira, on the other hand, seemed very much different in the end. "Are you... alright?" he asked, noting that the crimson-haired woman leaned back in a very odd way after this exchange.

[Apollymi]

Eira didn't notice the change in the coloration of Takumi's face, but she had been previously far too engrossed in her activity to care. Beyond this, she accomplished what she wished to and the boy's hand returned to human normal without much fuss which was all she wanted in the first place. Another giggle escaped Eira as she managed to pull herself together enough to see the young boy beside her. He stumbled through his words, but asked what she'd done and eventually went on to question if she was alright. A smirk came to the girl's face as she aimed to very carefully hold herself together. "I'm great!~" she chimed only to think about it more. "As for what I did... I drained the extra Dragon Energy from your arm. So it could go back to human normal~" she said in a very matter-of-fact way. "I can just do that... drain energy from cursed objects, people, youkai... pretty much anything I want," she said thinking about a couple of other qualifiers. "Except Holy Objects, that would probably kill me... and I probably wouldn't want to take the energy out of anything if it tasted gross," she mentioned, with long pauses remaining throughout her speech. "Though I haven't encountered that yet either..." she finished up. She looked towards the young man with her and finished the explanation though it seemed to be a bit hard for her. "That fix is only temporary though, I can drain power permanently from non-living things but... I'd have to kill you to accomplish that in this case, she said though that would be all. "And I definitely don't want to do that, it's why I didn't bother trying to do so while you were sleeping... I didn't want to negatively influence your recovery," she finished with a nod, taking it upon herself to explain this situation but not at all why she had this ability in the first place. "Anyway~ since you're still living, Dragon Energy will build up in that arm again from time to time. If it does just let me know~" offered Eira seemingly fine with this situation.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed what Eira had done to his hand was simply something she was capable of doing, either by natural means, or through learning the ability. How it was possible was not something that concerned Takumi; the simple fact that it had been done was enough for him. On the potentially negative side of this, Eira reminded him that this was no permanent fix, and it would have to be something he had to return to have fixed again when the situation repeated. Takumi wasn't exactly pleased by this information, but... if he could be kept from having a scaly arm for the rest of his life, he supposed there wasn't much choice. "So my arm will be like that again eventually... and you'll have to turn it back... like that?" he asked. Overall, it was a very queer application of an ability to orally absorb the energy of something or someone. Takumi could only describe it in his head as sensual, which was the polar opposite of what he would have hoped for, for general purposes and his own well-being. Sadly, it didn't seem there was a choice in the matter. "A-... Arigatou gozaimasu."

[Apollymi]

Eira got the experience of watching as Takumi processed his ability to have his arm turned back to normal through means he probably didn't really like. Once he had the right of it she simply nodded her head, a bit too fast for her current state which made her lean forward slightly and support her weight against the open palm of her left hand. He went on to thank her for this service which just made her look at him strangely. "Iie, there really isn't any need for that. You lost and grew back an arm, if I can make it look normal for you it isn't really a big deal~" she added. Eira was more the type to tease in this situation, but she'd been learning the better of some of her more ingrained habits. "Like I said, the fix is temporary, but I planned to look into some alternatives for suppressing the form of it. Potentially it could take a while, so bear with it~" she said and with that she began inching her way across her rather gigantic bed towards the edge of it where she'd swing her feet over the edge. She knew it was necessary to limit her contact with Takumi, and given his own disposition she really would look into ways of helping him with his dragon arm without being in a compromising position all the time. Even so, she thought nothing of helping him until he was better.

Speaking of helping him, Eira pulled from the bottom of the bed a small gift bag, containing a few choice souvenirs and gifts. Including a music box which played from it, the Chugoku Regional Lullaby. A nice watch and a few other trinket like items obviously from random places around Japan. "Since we didn't know how long it would take you to recover, we staged a trip to cover the absences. These are for your family. Your mother asked for them, so make sure you give them to her," Eira said leaving the bag for this young man as she vacated her bed and found herself chuckling at the still woosy feeling she maintained. "Everyone's been waiting for you to wake up~" she chimed. "And Maiko said something about having some extra stuff to help you out, with the cover for your family~" she said opening the door to her bedroom after a somewhat struggle to get there. Her face still fully flushed but she seemed about as much herself as she would ever be. "Minna!~ Takumi's up!~" she called as she opened the door, wondering who all was still within her apartment at the moment to greet their pawn. She'd also go ahead and slip out of this door to give Takumi enough time to dress. He'd find his school uniform folded neatly in a chair at the beside if he wanted to wear it.

[Bloodedge]

Eira may have said it was a simple matter for her to return his arm to normal, but from Takumi's own perspective, he was only a servant. For him to sacrifice his arm, he did not feel strange at all expecting to have it left however it was. The only time he even thought otherwise was, oddly, the moments leading to the production of this new arm. At that time, he didn't even care about his nature as a servant to this Devil. The state of mind he was in during the battle against the Dragon Reshiram meant that Eira could have even been his enemy at any given point, and nothing would have changed about how he approached the situation of his missing arm. Either way, Eira leaving the bed gave him plenty of room to move about and gather his own thoughts. He soon had a decent distraction from what he'd been thinking, in the form of souvenirs for his mother. Only then did he realize the gravity of his extended sleep, though everything had seemingly been covered, so there wasn't much to worry about. He left the package where it was on the bed, choosing to instead dress himself while Eira, for whatever reason, called on the others in the building.

Of the peerage members remaining, Sairevil happened to be walking through the halls when Eira made her announcement. Continuing to move forward was all it took for him to be upon Eira's room, while Takumi finished buttoning his shirt. "That took long enough. Ohayou gozaimasu!" he said, both to Eira and Takumi, the latter of whom looked in confusion. Seeing Sairevil here, Takumi found himself wondering if they were somehow still in the Underworld. "Oh... Ohayou gozaimasu."

[Apollymi]

Whatever Takumi thought of the restoration of his arm, Eira or even the gifts for his mother, he was left in silence to dress at least for a few seconds. Soon enough, the young man was confronted by Sairevil who was Eira's nephew. He came to the door and greeted them both, which seemed to lead to some confusion in Takumi. A grin crossed Eira's face as she first greeted Sairevil, "Ohayou Revil!~" she chimed, opening her arms for a hug because she figured she'd receive one. "It's not his fault he slept so long... take it easy~" she said which made her think of how Takumi had greeted the lad, and the look of confusion upon his face. "Right, I completely forgot!~" she said a small hiccup happening in her speech. "I got Revil as my second Rook. He's part of the Peerage now, you were kind of... not conscious when that happened. Gomen," she said taking it upon herself to make proper introductions. "This is Sairevil Gremory, my nephew and Nii-sama's only son with Cinder Fall... and this is Yasukawa Takumi. Get along alright~" she managed giving a gentle nudge to her nephew. Soon enough, multiple other footsteps were soon heard as both Miyuki and Maiko came running into the room just past Sairevil.

"Yasukawa, it took for fucking ever. It's about time you woke up!~" said Maiko who was also happy to see the lad up and about. "Language, Maiko~" Eira teased though it was more than obvious by this point she didn't actually care. "Taku-senpai, we were worried about you," Miyuki managed as well. Both were dressed casually as if they hadn't been to school either and seemed to be in quite a restful state. The last one to enter would be Youmu who did so through the wall and directly behind Eira peeking at the other woman's reddened face and feeling strangely beside her. It would take Youmu only a moment to look between the pair of them and figure out what Eira had done to get in such a state. "Sou ka... that's what you did about it, Eir," was all she had to say initially. "It's good to see you up, Takkun..." she said after in the same kind of slow voice she generally had. She looked as apathetic as she always did, but that wasn't accounting for much. Surprisingly she wasn't wearing the swords she normally wore attached to her person, as she was also a person who lived within this dwelling.

[Bloodedge]

Eira had taken her nephew as the Rook to complete her peerage, apparently while Takumi was unconscious. As odd as this could have been, he supposed there was nothing too strange about this occurrence. Takumi did find it weird, though, that she was able to acquire a servant who already belonged to another peerage. "That can happen?" he asked, though the answer was obviously before him. Sairevil, while embracing the woman he'd been living with for the past two weeks, responded in kind. "Yeah! Kings can switch pieces whenever they want; there's a ritual that switches what piece registers as part of what peerage. I was switched for the inactive Rook right after the game," he clarified.

Now that Takumi had received this new knowledge, more things made sense to him. He had seen Sairevil in combat, and understood how he could be more balanced as an addition to Eira's peerage, than he likely would have been with the group of Sirtreize Lucifer. As Takumi inspected and gathered the things intended for his mother, others began to appear within the room. All in all, every female member of the peerage was upon them, with the addition of Sairevil. "Ohayou gozaimasu... minna," he said to the group. "Sumimasen. I didn't mean to make anyone worry."

[Apollymi]

Eira was rewarded in the belief that her nephew would give her hugs, and found herself laughing at the excitement he showed in explaining how the exchange of pieces worked. "Well, that is true. It is fairly easily done..." Eira mentioned which made Maiko speak up. "Yeah, but Eira-sama apparently won't actually trade anyone unless they want to go~" she said understanding how their leader seemed to view them. "Or in Sairevil's case, she traded her inactive piece because he wanted to come and she wanted him along. The whole thing was crazy easy, but he's cool!" she said of Sairevil whom she'd face in combat and been hanging out with over the course of the last two weeks within Eira's apartment.

As their conversation progressed, Takumi greeted all the ladies present and went on to apologize for making them worry. This caused a slight change in the face of all the young women present, except Eira who was more than a bit bemused in watching all of them. She leaned against Youmu knowing that young woman wouldn't move for a few seconds longer. "Taku-senpai it isn't like that, we were worried because you're one of us. Also we were excited for you, you won your fight and it was awesome, we only wanted to celebrate and stuff," said Miyuki who understood the boy's determination to be useful and knew that it would be good for him to celebrate. "Yeah, what Ryuume said, worrying a bit is normal. But it seems like you're all ready to celebrate and get back into it, and that's what's important," she commented seeming to enjoy it as an idea. Youmu had been silent and though she now had Eira leaning against her, she remembered an earlier conversation with this woman in which Eira mentioned she'd be leaving official Devil Orientation to her and Izuna. She decided she'd offer encouragement in her own way. "Besides, overcoming this obstacle is important for progress," the apathetic young woman mentioned. Worrying for a member of ones group was normal, and until the addition of Revil, Takumi had been the most recent addition, it was only natural the rest of the group would worry after him a bit and express a more than happy reaction of his waking. Beyond that all had demanded to know when the lad finally woke, which contributed to Eira's earlier message to them.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," said Takumi. He supposed there was at least another male figure in the peerage now, rather than yet another girl sharing space with him. It seemed the others were more excited than anything, and for some reason, the majority of the room was content to start some sort of celebration. Though Takumi himself was ecstatic to be capable of pulling the sort of win he apparently did, celebration wasn't really a word he often applied to the afterglow of any positive situation he managed to undergo. "Arigatou, minnasan. I... don't think celebrations are for me, though. Gomen."

Upon hearing this, Sairevil raised a curious brow. He personally knew the strength boasted by his father's Dragon servants; defeating even one of them was no easy feat. For one to emerge from a battle victorious against one of those Dragons - in their unrestrained form - was something that almost demanded celebration. "Even if you don't like to celebrate things, this is probably something that should be an exception."

[Apollymi]

A frown crossed the faces of Maiko and Miyuki as both of them seemed opposed to the idea that Takumi didn't want to participate in a celebration. Still there was a silent glimmer of hope for this, as Sairevil pointed out that even if the boy didn't like celebrations normally he was almost obligated to see to this one if only because of the severity of his victory. Eira was quite relieved to have another mellow mind on hand, in the form of her nephew, as the additional male would likely have an easier time chatting with Takumi. His point was a valid one, but one additional voice would be heard and it would be Youmu. "We made Eira attend a full party with a dress code," she pointed out. "A bit of time in the game room and snacks with us isn't really worth trying to get out of..." Youmu finished up she still seemed apathetic but she'd seen the growth of all individuals present since they'd arrived. And it was her experience that when people needed less battle experience, they needed more personal experiences. "You-senpai is right, I also wasn't big on celebrating stuff at first..." Miyuki admitted, which made a small smile come to Eira's face as she remembered what Miyuki had been like a few months prior to this one. "But... it's good for team building, and social skills" she encouraged Takumi as well, figuring given their similarities he'd likely come to enjoy such things if he tried to experience them. "Naw, Yasukawa's just trying not to get beat... but that isn't happening. Ryuume's gonna kick all our asses in table tennis and then we're gonna get her back on air hockey!~" mentioned the still carrying on. Whatever Takumi decided he could be the only one to do so, given this Eira was surprisingly quiet during this interaction waiting to see what would come of everyone else. Doing this allowed her to do the thing she'd fully intended to do, take a back seat to Takumi's acclimation within her Peerage.

[Bloodedge]

Four of a total six people present seemed to be very adamant about this celebration taking place. In the end, not much choice was given to Takumi, lest he lead all the others into disappointment in missing this moment of fellowship. "I..." he murmured, just as sheepishly as ever. "I guess..." he continued. The boy seemed to be seeking a way to agree through his own misgivings. Since he was so obviously on this path, Sairevil leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. "Sounds like a deal to me. When's the party? I'm ready to try out some of these human games you guys have been talking about so much lately."

[Apollymi]

Eira got to note first hand the sort of awkwardness that Takumi actually possessed in social situations. It was kind of stunning, but she supposed she'd gotten through to other equally antisocial people before. That being said, it would be those formerly antisocial people who were trying their hardest to include Takumi in their coming activities. Even, Youmu who while she seemed not to care at all, wanted everyone to know the sorts of feelings she couldn't possess. 'Minna!~ You guys are awesome~' Eira thought. Her Peerage as it was seemed to contain all sorts of fun personalities, and beyond that truly kind individuals which was about all she wanted in the first place. On to the matter of when the party was, Eira finally spoke up. "Well, I mean we technically set up the game room ages ago... and I am certain Youmu can take care of moving snacks and the like~" said Eira which made Youmu nod as she immediately glowed strangely and sank through the floor. Her nephew's excitement was also something worth noting. "The game room is down the staircase just past the kitchen if you're really excited to try it out. I am surprised you hadn't wandered down there already, Revil~" she chimed.

"Yosh!! Setting up games!~ Don't be late for this ass-kicking, Yasukawa! You either, Gremory!" and just like that, Maiko disappeared from within the room. She'd been excited about this part for quite a while, and though she knew about the game room, she hadn't wanted to have this sort of fun while Takumi was out of commission. Miyuki felt much the same way and also headed out, giving an excited bow before disappearing. "No worries, Soccer Practice should be over pretty soon, and Izuna usually stops by after, and Hiro will be home soon too so the whole crew will be in... I'm going to leave a note for them so they know where to find us when they get here..." Eira mentioned as she left the room finally headed up the hallway in the proper direction towards the actual exit of her apartment. She'd grab a sheet of paper and compose a quick note for the other two males of her peerage while everyone else got started on the celebration. Something which she found surprisingly difficult given her current state of mind.

[Bloodedge]

"I've barely even been downstairs, honestly. You're making it sound like a great spot though, so..." Letting his sentence trail off, Sairevil slipped backwards through the doorway, until he was eventually able to traverse the halls freely on a path toward the game room. This left Takumi as the only male in the room, but the others were also starting to make their way out. Reluctantly, he also stepped out of the room. He couldn't say he was excited to go through with this, but he had already been talked into it, so he moved onward. Down the stairs he went, following the tracks of the others who'd taken this route to locate the destination of this celebratory get-together.

[Apollymi]

When the first wave of people came upon the 'Game Room' as it was being called they would take note of the set up. It was as big as several living rooms with a title floor. Set up across the whole of it, were different kinds of games and arcade machines, pinball, air hockey, table tennis, Foosball, mini-basketball and skee-ball, even a pool table. Beyond all this there were several large TVs aligned against the walls which had different gaming consoles connected to them in front of large beanbag chairs and comfy couches. One end of the room even had a small stage set up with sing-a-long karaoke complete with microphone stands. it was sort of a haven for modern and retro fun to be had. The final wall had a long table set which was covered in various snack foods and drinks in literal dozens of varieties, including cakes, candies, desserts, finger-foods and anything else one might want. It was obvious the food was for this party they had in mind, but mostly this place had a relaxed atmosphere and was full of things for people to do, both alone and together. "Well go ahead," were the only words which came from Youmu, who was the sort to pick through foods as she tried to decide what it was she wished to do.

"Sugei!~ Eira-sama redecorated again~" Maiko managed before she headed immediately for the table games, specifically air hockey. Meanwhile, Miyuki also came in and looked wide eyed. She too took note of some additional games and things added to the room for its general upkeep. She didn't know what any of these games even were, but she'd enjoy learning the new ones, only after table tennis. "Hm, I don't even know what most of these are for..." Miyuki mentioned seemingly stunned but following to the table games set up. While all of this happened, Eira managed to finally write the note for Hiroki and Izuna, which read simply. 'Everyone's partying in the game room, come down~' Even with this note finished she found herself staying upstairs a little while longer. Her situation presently was still very strange to her, and she found herself feeling a bit withdrawn, though she was happy with the progress of her group. Her face was still flushed and the world still didn't seem quite as stable as she remembered it being, the power she'd drained from Takumi left her a bit drunken and contemplative, which was likely not the best combination. 'I hope they manage to have some fun.'

[Bloodedge]

Soon enough, Takumi set foot in the game room where everyone else had gathered moments prior to his arrival. Upon stepping inside, he found an overall setup the likes of which one would expect of a small arcade, with all its versatility as well. The room was undoubtedly amazing... but Takumi could not share the excitement of the others. On the other hand, something else struck him. A blend of aromas entered his nasal cavity, and his eyes widened briefly while turning red once more. Almost subconsciously, he took steps toward the food spread, grabbing a plate from a stack on the edge. Numerous things were grabbed by the lad, including cakes, desserts, and bits of everything involving meat. In the end, Takumi held a plate with a pile of food bigger than the usual lump sum of his entire day's meals. He didn't bother finding a seat of any sort after filling his plate. Instead, he stood in place to begin eating with an appetite greater than what any human or Devil should have possessed, even after being without food for a month.

[Apollymi]

Takumi instead of focusing on the games available, decided that he'd been long enough without food. The other person who'd focused on her meal first, Youmu was left to watch as the boy began devouring food at a rate even she took note of. She watched him eat, while eating her own choice of snacks slowly, "I've never seen that before..." she said finding this boy's eating habits to be strange. Then again, he'd been unconscious for quite a while so it did make sense if he was famished. The pausing of Youmu caused Maiko to look up at the mountain of food which Takumi devoured, leading to her, getting scored on in air hockey by Miyuki. "Yosh! Point for me..." she mumbled. Maiko didn't even have the heart to be upset at her loss as she was left to chuckle about this particular. "Damn, Eira-sama always said to eat everything but I don't think she meant all at once~" she said. "Still good on ya' Yasukawa~" she said before rolling her eyes at Miyuki who still seemed excited about her win.

Eira after thinking about it way too long finally made her way downstairs. She walked dragging her left hand along the wall, as she took each step moment by moment the voices of her peerage members became clearer. Soon enough though, she saw what all the clamor was about, and it had to do with the giant plate of food being consumed by Takumi. Eira looked at this for several seconds and blinked in silence only to giggle. "Ufufufu~ Well, you'd be hungry too if you slept for two weeks~" and that was all. She'd then begin taking over several sweets from the table including one sublime slice of strawberry shortcake. Once she had all she wanted she went to settle into a giant beanbag, which was colored suspiciously similar to her throne from the club room. Once she was seated she sat happily eating.

[Bloodedge]

The words being spoken to him fell on deaf ears. Takumi was more engrossed in this feast than he had been in anything before. His bare left hand dug into the plate over and over again, grabbing even multiple different things at a time to shove in his mouth. In a matter of moments, he was halfway through a plate piled higher than the full length of his torso. At this point, he wasn't even bothering to reach specifically into the plate. Every now and again, his hand reached out to grab food directly from the table, sending it directly to his open mouth like some ravenous creature after a furious hunt.

"Well... I'd like to say I missed most of the festivities." These words were spoken by no one already within the room, but instead the next person to enter: Hiroki. The Bishop stepped into the game room looking markedly different than he did previously, sporting a short haircut with bangs, and a pure white suit and tie with a black dress shirt underneath. Even his eyes were now different, being a deep blue instead of the dull green shade they once were. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Minnasan," he said while taking a side to Sairevil, who stood in absolute awe of what he could only assume - for lack of better knowledge - were Takumi's normal eating habits. Figuring their newest addition would be a useless feed of information for him, Hiroki looked toward Eira. "Do I really even want to know?"

[Apollymi]

Truly Takumi's eating habits were a sight to behold. And Eira was soon doing the same thing that Youmu did, and watching with mild interest while she ate her own food. Miyuki and Maiko both were stunned but decided now as good a time as any to eat as well, since the boy's pace didn't seem to be stopping much. As this continued they were soon joined by another male, one who looked quite a bit different from the last time he was seen. But the words he spoke and the sound of his voice were familiar to all present. Eira's glance flickered over the blonde lad, as Youmu gave a salute while eating. He'd chosen the exact time to say hello as Maiko and Miyuki had started eating and both had full mouths and thus only gave him head nods of acknowledgement.

Meanwhile Eira had another minor hiccup before speaking on the matter of Takumi and Hiroki's apparent lateness to this event. "Iie, we have barely been down here long. And if I had to make an assumption, I'd say... being asleep for weeks combined with the energy drain necessary to make his arm go back to normal made him famished..." she mentioned with an off handed wave. "But what about you, Hi-ro-ki?!~" Eira teased, with the singsong quality of her voice applied specifically to his name, falling back into her self a bit in this moment as she sat down her plate and approached her bishop. Her steps still not quite the level of poised she normally possessed. "Sugoi!~ You got a hair cut~ Showing off the vibrant blues~ Even got new clothes!~" Eira mentioned seeming amused beyond reason at the sight of her bishop. What came next was an utterance from Eira which was most normal though in her still intoxicated state it came as it was originally intended to with a full hug aimed around the body of her male bishop. "KAWAIIII!~" Eira chimed to let the boy know that she thought his haircut was nice. "Oh and Ohayou~ Hiroki, the party's only just started~" she mused seemingly happy, as a proper greeting.

[Bloodedge]

"I think even after weeks of not eating, I wouldn't be that... uhh..." Hiroki paused, struggling to find an appropriate word for the travesty he was witnessing. "Hungry. I'll just stick with hungry," he decided. With that, he fell into Eira's embrace while matching with one of his own. He was pleased to learn that the party hadn't properly started without him, but another individual to arrive would have a different take on the matter. The door had closed behind Hiroki, and suddenly, it burst open to reveal Izuna on the other side.

"The party doesn't start till I walk in!" he exclaimed. Unlike Hiroki, Izuna arrived like usual, sporting a button-up shirt with the top three buttons unfastened, and sleeves unfastened as well. Today, however, the shirt he wore was burgundy in color. and there was a dark suit jacket draped over his left forearm to match the pants he wore. Both males seemed dressed to impressed, albeit with Izuna retaining his 'bad boy' persona. "Yo!" he said to all present. This caused Hiroki to divert his gaze. "Izuna-senpai decided to leave practice early and join us at the Host Club. Our grand opening is this week."

While Hiroki explained their state of dress, Izuna looked around the others to Takumi, raising a brow upon seeing the boy engorge himself. He could easily tell what was occurring here, and given the way others were watching, he figured no one else really knew. As such, Izuna found himself looking toward Youmu. "Having fun?"

[Apollymi]

Hiroki's words about the state of hunger he'd possess being lower than the ravenous nature currently being displayed by Takumi, made Eira giggle as she was rewarded with the embrace she'd become used to over time. "Call it what you want, Hiroki~ At least he's awake!~" Eira chimed, seemingly happy that most of her little family was present. But most wouldn't be the term left standing for long, as Izuna soon made himself known letting it be known that the party didn't stop until he came in. A chuckle came from Eira as she looked up to find the bad boy persona of Izuna with wide eyes. "KAWAII!~ Naughty Fox Boy too~ I really have to go to the Host Club during opening week, I don't think I could choose properly~" she said. Though Eira knew about the Host Club she hadn't yet attended because strangely enough she couldn't bring herself to indulge fully while waiting on the recovery of one of her Peerage members. Still, she didn't let go of Hiroki for a few more seconds before she freed herself, to gingerly stumble back towards her food, with all the grace she managed to maintain.

"Host Club?" this was a question from Miyuki who was the most new to the more modern aspects of life. Maiko seemed to raise both her brows, if there was one place she'd definitely be avoiding it was the Host Club. "Wait, you meant that thing someone was talking about ages ago, the gathering place of male school idols, by type and preference?" she questioned as if disgusted by the idea. Of course she would be given the kind of luck she had with boys and by association the girls who liked them.

Beyond this, Youmu was soon personally greeted by Izuna as she continued to watch Takumi eat in a way which was very different from everyone else. But she'd also noted the change to the boy's eye color which denoted his 'Dragon self' being primary in his actions. "Hai, I've never seen this before..." she said calmly. "That look suits you..." she mentioned a second after shifting her gaze away from Takumi if only for a moment. "Actually, I've been nothing but entertained for a while now," she said hazarding a flicker of her gaze towards Eira knowing that Izuna like herself would probably catch on to their leader's current state, which presently included a walk similar to but slightly different from what it looked like normally. Beyond this she'd noted that Eira seemed to be trying very hard given her current state, which only made it more amusing from an outside perspective.

[Bloodedge]

"Meh. It's active, but it's not really done yet. We still need to pick up... a dandere," said Izuna, as he shot the most casual of glances toward Takumi. It couldn't have been any clearer to both Izuna and Hiroki that the boy fit this archetype better than anyone else in the school, and the organizers of the Host Club knew this as well. Sadly, it was all but a lost cause.

"... Hai. That would bring a much bigger audience to help our funding. It's a little disheartening to know how many of the surveys checked that as one of their preferred hosts. We'll just have to make ends meet with what we have," Hiroki added. He, too, accepted it as a likely fact that one such as Takumi would not even consider joining the Host Club, or anything like it. Moving on though, there was both curiosity and concern surrounding the new club of Kuoh Academy. Taking Maiko's query to be a suitable answer to Miyuki's, Hiroki chose to respond to the former. "Exactly that. It's a good way to raise funding, and to get the female students better adjusted to Kuoh being open to males now. Though, I think it was mostly made so Leishi-senpai and Izuna-senpai could find a better way to compete with each other," he said, to which Izuna looked away as if he had no clue what the blonde was talking about.

[Apollymi]

The mention of the Host Club needing one more type of male made Eira chuckle. The fact that the glance towards Takumi couldn't have been missed by any present made it funnier still. Even so, Eira was content to just eat her cake... "Good luck with that~ I'll still come by though!~" Eira mentioned of the Club itself. She liked the idea of it when it was first pitched and speaking with Leishi about it in the week prior to this one had renewed her interest. "Sou ka, that seems strange but I guess it would be a chance to get to know new people..." Miyuki said. It was quite strange to her that an entire club basically functioned on fundraising and spending time with anyone who paid for the slot, but she supposed there were stranger things. Maiko knowing that this as officially the way the Host Club was being run held up her hands in defeat. "Yeah, I want no parts of any of that... have fun though, being eye candy, Yui, Kagimi~" she said, though Maiko had absolutely no intention of participating in anything like the Host Club, especially as a customer, she would still offer encouragement to her fellow Peerage members. Beyond this it was stated by Hiroki that he thought the club was likely made up for the sake of giving Izuna and Leishi a different way to compete. The idea of this made Eira chuckle, having to pause her returned cake eating to make sure she wouldn't choke as she got out a single set of words. "Understatement of the century," she said before having at the last bit of her cake. "Still, I might go broke~" she chimed, knowing that she'd still happily participate in this endeavor as it hit most, if not all of her markers for entertainment. Youmu had gone quiet again and only managed to nod her understanding of the situation. "That just sounds like how Izzun and Leishi's bromance works out," she said using a phrase she'd only ever heard used by Eira in direct reference to the type of friendship held between those two individuals.

[Bloodedge]

In the amount of time one could have normally gone about casually eating a single sandwich, Takumi finished his giant mound of mixed foods, plus the additional handfuls he grabbed directly from the table. When he was done, he dropped his plate on the floor and stood absolutely still, staring straight forward. The red in his eyes faded over the course of several seconds, and his eyes closed slowly. By the time he regained himself, he had no idea what had happened since the moment he set foot in this room. "Eto..." he said in a tone that was nigh empty.

In the meantime, Izuna took steps around Hiroki, while slapping the backside of the latter's head. "You mean so I can win at something else!" he said to correct the blonde. Hiroki raised a hand to rub the back of his head. The strike wasn't enough to be painful; as such, he was able to laugh it off. "Hai, hai. Whatever you say, senpai. Anyone willing should still stop by at some point, though. It's worth even just checking out the room."

[Apollymi]

"Izuna, don't be mean to Hiroki~" Eira corrected her little fox boy for the apparently gentle love tap he'd given her bishop. Still this whole thing was entirely in jest and she went about finishing her cake but motioning to herself in case Hiroki wanted a bit of coddling which Eira even without her current intoxicated state was always willing to provide.

"I mean, I could just see the room, if no one else is in it," mentioned Maiko who wasn't at all keen on being anywhere near the popular boys of the school outside of their given activities, but was more than willing to make a concession or two for their little family. Miyuki also nodded to this point assuming she'd also stop by at least once in support of another of their friends activities. Speaking of support the now satisfied Takumi seemed to faze back into himself, and it would surprisingly be Youmu who walked by him and picked up the plate he'd recently dropped. She'd gotten quite an interesting understanding of the lad. "Dragons must be pretty hungry. That being said eating food is good for growing boys..." she said absently. Her tone was flat but there was the slightest bit of amusement to her face, and just like she turned to Hiroki and also nodded, her agreement to see this newer club set up. Beyond all of this, Eira watched as her Knight seemed to also step in a bit in an aim to make Takumi a bit more comfortable. It gave her a bit of hope that he would eventually be a normal functioning member of their group at some point, even if she wouldn't directly be included. Soon enough she'd finished her cake and was left sitting on her beanbag chair watching the festivities unfold seeming to look just a tad spaced out.

[Bloodedge]

"No clue what you're talking about," Izuna said as he moved onward to the food table. The Queen of the peerage was perfectly capable of ignoring the current, strange antics of Takumi, and he did exactly that while picking out a few choice snacks for himself. Hiroki decided to pass on Eira's offer with a gentle shake of his head. It was his current prerogative to take a shot at billiards, against whatever person would take his holding a stick as a challenge. Otherwise, he was perfectly content to shoot a bit himself.

Takumi heard the words of Youmu beside him, and only then did he fully snap back to reality. He hadn't realized he had even done any eating when he came to, but now that it was being mentioned, he felt the great fullness of his entire meal. Overall, it was an intense feeling to be so full, yet he also felt... somehow satisfied with it. Youmu's words implied the appetite of a Dragon. Perhaps there was some sort of link between him spacing out, and possessing the arm of a Dragon upon waking. "A-... arigatou," he said, if only because he had no clue what else he could say. With that, he took measured steps to distance himself from the white-haired lass.

[Apollymi]

Eira stuck her tongue out at Hiroki as he turned down the extra coddling, but was content nonetheless. Now that she no longer had cake though, she was a bit distressed only to look up and see Miyuki with another slice of strawberry shortcake for her. Eira's eyes sparkled as she looked at the small girl and she smiled accepting it. "Sugoi!~ Miyuki~ You're so sweet!~ Arigatou Gozaimasu~" she had the cake in one hand while opening her arms to give a hug to the small girl who of course, accepted it without a problem. A gentle squeeze from Eira would follow. "Now go have fun, I would have gotten up for my own cake~" she teased before sending the girl off as she headed for proper table tennis holding the paddle and twisting it around in hand as a challenge. "Taking all challengers!" Miyuki mentioned in a way that was surprisingly similar to how one would expect Maiko. And Maiko felt the need to mention this. "That's some fucking confidence! Good on you, Ryuume!~" she said though she wasn't immediately up for this particular game because she was busy stuffing her face with several snacks as she moved to sit with Eira on her beanbag chair. She thought something was a bit strange about their leader but she hadn't figured it out yet.

Youmu had a very strange thanks presented from Takumi and her brows drew together, but it didn't stop her from looking around at the choice of activities upon which she decided on playing pool with Hiroki. "Hiro, I'll play with you..." she said calmly as she closed the space between herself and the pool table and went about grabbing a pool stick to play with this boy. It seemed that everyone was falling into place, and Eira was now content to watch and eat cake without thinking too much about it.

[Bloodedge]

"Yosh! Onegaishimasu, You-senpai!" Hiroki said when his unspoken - yet open - challenge was taken by Youmu. As the challenger, he stepped aside when Youmu grabbed a stick, gesturing toward the table. "Would you like to break?" he asked, though mostly in rhetoric. Meanwhile, Sairevil finally forged a plate of food for himself. With it, he took a seat in a beanbag next to Eira. "I wanted to play something, but watching the Red Dragon eat like that made me hungry," was his comment upon sitting.

Speaking of Takumi, the boy himself looked around without much interest in many of the activities, if any at all. He did have a certain respect for Miyuki, though, which he'd gained over the course of the two Rating Games they had participated in. As such - and since she had issued an open challenge that was otherwise not being taken right away - he moved toward the table she'd posted up by. "Eto... If no one else is playing, I could play with you."

[Apollymi]

Youmu stood looking at the pool table, she was happy to be of service in this particular game to Hiroki. She looked upon the table and after the balls were set up, was more than content to line up a shot, and push the little white ball into the triangle of others. The speed of this strike was exceedingly high compared to the norm and would cause a loud cracking noise but it would only disturb the balls on the table which rolled out at high velocity, as such their game began.

Meanwhile Sairevil found himself getting a plate and settling in to a seat with Eira who seemed to be happily enjoying cake as everyone moved into their activities. "Hai hai, I wanted a second piece after that too~ Eat first then you can get one of the second rounds," she said in words of encouragement aimed at her nephew. All the while, Takumi, rather strangely took up the open challenge presented by Miyuki who smiled because of this. She'd like to think she'd properly forged a good bond with the lad she'd gotten her first experience in a Rating Game with. "Hai, I won't go easy on you!" she said bouncing the ball on the table with the little paddle and waiting for him to pick up his own. This would be the start of their game as well. Something about the movements of these people in this moment made Eira very happy. She enjoyed the idea that even their newer acquisitions were easily becoming acclimated to this, and as such she'd continue to watch as these games played out. Time would pass and eventually their little party would come to an end. And Eira herself would be seeing out whoever aimed to leave several hours after this party began, at the front door of her apartment.

[Bloodedge]

When the party came to its eventual end, one particular member would certainly not be going anywhere. Izuna found himself incapable of even reaching the front door. The former Youkai was sprawled out atop the beanbag formerly inhabited by Eira, bloated from overeating at some point during the group festivities. He didn't appear to be enjoying the experience very much from the moans and groans escaping him, but a weak smile was present on his face. "Damn Yasukawa... I couldn't eat nearly that much..." Apparently, the ever-competitive Izuna had - at some point - attempted to eat more than what Takumi had been seen eating during the early stages of the party. Obviously, he failed at this.

Eira's open gesture to the outside world was met by Hiroki stepping into the doorway. He did not depart right away, though, choosing to instead turn and seek out Maiko. "Arigatou, Eira. It was fun as always. Maiko, do you have time for a spar before you have to be home?" he asked. Takumi stood behind the blonde male at this time, stepping aside to allow a visual connection between Hiroki and Maiko, whilst waiting for his opportunity to exit.

[Apollymi]

As the festivities wound down, Izuna had managed to overeat, which only made Eira chuckle. "I-zu-na~ Not everything is a competition you know..." she chimed, though she had nothing negative to say to the lad about his behavior nor apparently his inability to leave at present, as having him around late was a rather rare occurance. She appeared to be back to her normal self with no lingering hint of her earlier intoxication. Still it seemed that at least a few of her Peerage would be heading out to their own places of residence. Hiroki would be the first to mention this as he headed for the door he looked for Maiko who had already mostly packed up as well. "Hell yeah, Yui! I'm always down for that..." she agreed stepping outwards she paused at Takumi and handed him an envelop. "I photo-shopped you into some nice pics in case your parents are the type to like that sort of thing," she mentioned. "Later Yasukawa..." she mentioned not bothering with the more formal goodbye. "The rest of you too, your ass is mine next time, Ryuume!~ You too, Gremory!~" she said as she stopped before Eira and smiled. "Hai, you can try Mai-senpai!" Miyuki managed to be happy about it. "Thanks for letting me stay for a while, Eira-sama. If Kaa-san is cool about it, I'll come back for the weekend!" she said which made Eira smile. "Hai hai... That'd be awesome, I love having you here. I'll look forward to it~" Eira said to Maiko specifically as part of her goodbye. "Both of you don't take it too hard out there~" she said to both Hiroki and Maiko knowing they were going to have a bit of a spar before the end of the night. Having heard this goodbye Maiko was ready to leave with only a final wave to the group at large.

[Bloodedge]

"Yosh! Let's go!" Having Maiko's acceptance for the training battle he intended to have, Hiroki turned and made his official exit, also waving to the others present. This was only one of many battles the two had with each other since the previous Rating Games, intended mostly for the development of both parties in their weaker areas of combat. Once the path was clear, Takumi stepped past Eira with the intention of taking his leave as well. Even being as unwilling to socialize as he was, though, Takumi was no rude individual, especially toward those who'd aided him in some way. He paused just outside the door. "A-... Arigatou gozaimasu. Ja ne," he said to the crimson-haired Devil. With that out of the way, he departed. His path took him toward his own small, single apartment about seven blocks west of Kuoh Academy. There, Takumi would store the souvenirs and falsified pictures for his mother. The rest of his night was likely to consist of nothing at all, bar sleep to prepare him for the next school day.

[Apollymi]

Eira was quite proud of the individual effort put forth by all of her Peerage members. In particular both Hiroki and Maiko were making the most of each other to build on their strengths. It made her happy to know that they could rely on each other, and she could only hope, her other Peerage members would come to relate to each other in the same way, if they weren't already like that. With that as an aside, Takumi too would be taking his leave, and Eira also clearly expected this. The boy was over all unwilling to be social, but he'd put forth a bit of an effort this afternoon after being talked into it, and managed not to look totally uncomfortable the entire time. Soon enough though and much to Eira's surprise the boy stopped before her, offering his thanks as well as his farewell. The crimson-haired lass couldn't stop her eyes from widening an instant before they softened. "Ja ne, Takumi. Have a nice night..." Eira said as the boy left, choosing once again not to address his thanks. At this point she was simply happy the lad didn't look as if he was terribly uncomfortable at his leave.

And after Takumi's leave, Eira wandered back to her original beanbag and collapsed into it. She was happy for the group at large, but still she was quite contemplative about at least one of her Peerage members. Given this she decided a small distraction was necessary. "Revil, did you manage to have a bit of fun?" she asked of her nephew, wondering what he thought of one of the first gatherings he'd been apart of in her Peerage.

[Bloodedge]

The majority of the peerage remained after the leave of Hiroki, Maiko, and Takumi. Sairevil remained present and, unlike Izuna, capable. By the time Eira returned and spoke to him, he had returned to the same beanbag that was previously placed beside Eira's. He was relaxed after spending quite some time experiencing the games played in the human world. "That was pretty fun. I like these human games; they're not much different from ours, if you think about it. Those table games kind of reminded me of Rating Games, but more direct. I'd really like to see that sort of thing play out back home," he said. All in all, he had very thoroughly enjoyed himself this night. He could certainly see himself coming to feel right at home in this environment. "Did you have fun, though? You seemed a little off all night."

[Apollymi]

Eira was content to converse with the remaining members of her Peerage. Her final addition, her nephew Sairevil was now answering her question about his managing to have fun. His words made her smile, because they led down a road of comparison which Eira herself made when she first came to the Human World to experience it. "Hai, they aren't much different. If I am being fair, human sports are more like Rating Games. They draw crowds, create fan favorites, and have people pulling for one side or another," she said knowing her nephew might like to have a gander at those at some point. "I'm glad you had fun~" she chimed at the end of that sentence. When he went on to question whether or not she'd had fun, and pointed out that she'd been behaving a bit strangely all night her eyes widened. 'Kuso, I can't honestly be that easy to read can I?' she wondered mentally. "I had fun... I always do. I uh... took a bit of power off of Takumi earlier so, I didn't feel like I normally do. But I didn't feel bad or anything," she clarified her earlier actions without much thought of them because she had no real way to describe the sort of state she'd found herself in before. She definitely didn't feel bad, it was quite the opposite, but it was harder for her to think, at a time she felt like she needed to and behaving herself always seemed so much harder to accomplish than normal.

[Bloodedge]

"They have something even more like Rating Games?" Sairevil asked. He appeared to perk up a bit more at the mention of these sports, which alone was an act that made Izuna throw a limp arm in the air to grab attention for a response. "Watch Kuoh's Soccer team. We're goin' to Nationals," was all the apparently sleepy brunette had to say before his arm fell back down.

"Sugoi..." Sairevil had no clue what this 'Soccer' thing was, but he was certain to log away the thought that he would have to view a game whenever possible. Eira claimed there was nothing actually wrong with her for the duration of the festivities, making a note that she had absorbed energy from Takumi before the group met up properly.This alone was all Sairevil needed to hear, having some idea what could have been the case. "Sou ka. I get it; Otou-sama said Dragon energy is harder to take in than any other type. He said it was like drinking a lot of alcohol really fast when he did it."

[Apollymi]

"Hai!" Eira commented. Soon enough Izuna was throwing an arm into the air, and chiming in about the Kuoh Academy Soccer Team. His words made Eira smile. "Yes, soccer games have a bit more of the type of atmosphere of Rating Games. They are fun to spectate, even if you don't understand the strategy involved in them," she said nodding. "I planned on going to the next soccer game if you wanted to come with me," she added for Sairevil. As they moved on in conversation, it seemed that the young Rook was at least a little familiar with the kind of response that she'd had to the power she'd taken from Takumi. "Sou ka, that makes sense," she said. Thinking about it now that she wasn't affected, she supposed she could compare her earlier state to a bit of drunkenness. "It hit all at once but I am fine now. I mean, I was fine then too, all warm and happy, but I feel more normal now..." Eira said knowing she felt fine now that the extra power wasn't just causing her head to swim. "So, did you want to go to school with the rest of us, or would you rather hang out here by yourself while we're out during the day?" she asked of her newest member. As it stood, Eira didn't force the activities of any in her Peerage. It was her general preference that they did whatever they wanted to do, and this applied to her nephew just as much as it did everyone else. She enjoyed her time interacting with Humans as it gave her an opportunity to search for talented Peerage members. It also gave her time to help socialize her Peerage members which was important given they all had varied backgrounds.

[Bloodedge]

The tie for Sairevil to observe one of these Soccer games would be sooner than he thought. He nodded his head to agree that he would accompany Eira when she viewed the next game, which would apparently involve at least Izuna as a participant. "I'll be there for sure!" he said for clarity. Speaking of clarification, there was a matter Eira sought a solid answer for. The question rose pertaining to Sairevil's intentions, or lack thereof, for joining herself and the others in Kuoh Academy. Sairevil had only ever experienced schooling of a certain sort, related to the Underworld, and he had enjoyed that experience. He didn't know what to expect of human schools, but it was just another experience that would add a notch to his proverbial belt, as it were. "Sure! I'd like to see what kind of things humans learn about, especially if I'm going to be staying in their world from now on."

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai, it's good to support our friends in their endeavors. Izuna has good teamwork with Leishi, so the games are super exciting to watch," Eira mentioned. She apparently enjoyed watching the soccer games, and thought it gave Izuna a proper outlet for his competitive nature. As they moved along in conversation her nephew mentioned that he'd enjoy going to school. He both thought the experience would be nice and felt an obligation to learn a bit about humans while he was in the human world. "Sugoi!~ I knew you'd say that... I definitely signed you up already~" Eira said. Her nephew was agreeable enough that she figured he'd enjoy going to school with the others. Given this around the same time she'd gone to spy on Takumi's school record, she'd also signed up Sairevil for school too. "You start tomorrow~ It'll be fun for you~" she said to the young man, happy he'd gone along with it. It wouldn't have taken much to pull him from the school, but getting the paperwork out of the way earlier would help him have a smooth transition.

With this information out in the open, Eira was more than satisfied to let the conversation progress until it eventually wavered and she retired for the night to settle until the next school day.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi had spent the majority of the day in school, followed by a slightly smaller chunk of time learning the ins-and-outs of Underworld history, amongst a few other things. Following his leave of the Occult Research Club's meeting place, he returned to his own home just long enough to gather the package of souvenirs and edited images for his mother. He was graced my a moonlit sky by the time he crossed the city to reach the house he grew up in. A deep breath escaped the boy when he reached the front door. With the package in his left hand, he raised his right hand to knock on the door. He expected his mother to be the one who answered first, and he was mentally preparing himself to meet her. As such, his resolve showed in his facial features as he looked toward the door and awaited its opening.

[Apollymi]

The knock at the door to Takumi's parents house would not be answered by his mother. Strangely the action of knocking at the door wouldn't be greeted by anything other than the door opening. Though the lights were on within the house, everything else seemed to be dark, and though nothing appeared to be out of place, the quiet of the home was unsettling. If Takumi entered and moved through the house, the kitchen would be unoccupied, but the fridge would be full of the necessary ingredients for the lads favorite meals. The living room would be in its normal amount of disarray but the lights wouldn't be working. The silence of this house would only be further disturbed if he made it all the way back to the study, where he'd find a womanly body sitting atop the desk facing away towards the night sky, and a pair of large feathered black wings. "Okaerinasai, Red Dragon Emperor~" the voice which occupied this space would be strangely familiar. It was the same woman, who'd interrupted the first Rating Game he'd participated in.

It might have seemed strange that she hadn't showed up to the lad's apartment. But she'd known about his existence for quite some time before she watched him in action. She'd seen the mess he'd made of a middle school boy in a fight and thus, when she couldn't find him at school, she'd come to his childhood home to wait for his return. What happened while she awaited him, in her boredom, she couldn't even take responsibility for.

[Bloodedge]

As he knocked, Takumi witnessed the opening of the door for reasons other than someone pulling it open. It seemed to become ajar simply due to the pressure he'd put on it. Not knowing what to make of this, he stepped inside and began wandering. Never in his life had he experienced such silence throughout this building, bar moments when he was alone inside. Even so, there was a certain ambiance that made this experience different. It was as if he was alone at home again, but... he felt like he certainly wasn't. The lighting of the house led him to wonder if a bill or two had gone unpaid... but that wasn't possible; his parents were quite well off in that department. Moving felt almost unnatural, as if he were subconsciously guiding himself toward something.

Perhaps his mother wasn't home, and his father sought solitude and a good atmosphere for progressing his works. Surely this had to be the case. It was this mentality which led Takumi, eventually, to the study he often found the man in. There, he found no one at all... At least, that's what he would have preferred. Takumi was instead greeted by the appearance of two black feathered wings that seemed to encompass the entire room. The voice which spoke to him was all too familiar, as it was the very same one which accosted him during his first Rating Game. "You..." he said as his resolve to speak with his parents slipped away, replacing itself with more worry than he'd previously known. "What are you doing here? Where are my parents?"

[Apollymi]

Sachiel was greeted in much the same way she had been when she'd first entered this house the day prior. "I've been watching you for a while you know? Long before this school switching and all of that~ I saw what you did before and figured you had a Sacred Gear I just didn't know which one at first, you're a find, Red Dragon Emperor. I put a lot of time into you, I couldn't just let the Devils have you, even if I did drop the ball by not being around with those boys kicked you off the roof," Sachiel began explaining as she turned her face there was a mysterious glow illumining her face beyond her wings coming from what would have been the chair in front of her. In all actuality, it was coming from the body of Takumi's father, pin-cushioned by light with his eyes open and the stillness of death in his expression. "Anyway, I came here, because it is the only place you go not overly populated by those pesky Devil children... you were really hard to find. But I knew when you went back to school. I came here to talk to your parents..." she started and evil smile spread across her face. However she had this information about Takumi, it wasn't direct enough because she didn't know about the lad's separate apartment.

"Put on a great show you should have seen it~" she chimed as she used magic to transform her face and visage into that of a young girl with raven colored hair pale green eyes and large breasts. Still here still in the comfort of her large wings which kept a slight block of Takumi's view of what was in front of her. "I tried to convince them, that I was a school friend and that I wanted to wait for you to come by today. They didn't buy it, for some reason..." she said. Of course, she wouldn't have any idea that Takumi's actual school friends had been by before his 'trip' and as such her coming here before Takumi did nothing but set off suspicions. "So, I erased their memories and tried again, and again, and again..." she explained as if it was the most straight forward thing in the world. "I am pretty sure their brains fried from all the lies. Every time they recognized me it got more painful for them," she said thoughtfully. "I tried to convince them I was your guardian angel, that I was only looking out for you. That they should convince you to come with me... but they wouldn't..." she stated as she transformed herself back into the adult form she'd known before. "So they died, by my hands... confused and alone waiting for you to come home," she said, as she finally turned around fully and moved her wing out of the way so that Takumi could see his father sitting in the chair with several light spears through him, and one also through his mother who'd come between them at some point during this torture. "I was content just to torture this man and keep your mother, in case you wouldn't come along. I didn't expect her to jump in and try to protect your father. That sort of sacrifice will definitely get her into Heaven. It's kind of sweet actually, that they died together~" she mentioned. Admittedly the death of his mother was accidental, she had intended to keep the woman around as leverage but that didn't matter. "So, they aren't holding you back any more, and obviously you're here so your little Devil friends can't tell me no." she completed this statement. "Come with me, and let us look after you. The Sacred Gears with living beings inside seem to be picky and if we take it off of you, it may not work properly." she gave the final reason for this, while leaving Takumi to look over the bodies of his sacrificed parents. And Sachiel, talked about them like they didn't matter at all, like nothing about their deaths was meaningful nor their lives, bar of course, the fact that they'd born between them Takumi the Red Dragon Emperor.

[Bloodedge]

Many words left the Fallen Angel's mouth after two questions offered by the lad. At first, her speech had nothing to do with what he'd asked, but everything to do with how she'd been keeping tabs on him for a very long time because of his Sacred Gear. Over time, it became obvious that she'd come here specifically to claim him and his Sacred Gear for the Fallen Angels' purpose. Then came the disturbing news. More words came; those horrible words that Takumi, deep within the recesses of his mind, had been fearing since he set foot in the house. His parents were dead. He would have liked to stop hearing everything spoken by Sachiel after this admission, but he couldn't. He couldn't stop himself hearing how she intended to torture his father and abduct his mother. He also couldn't stop himself hearing how his mother intervened, only to make it so both parties died together. Most importantly, he couldn't stop himself seeing what the eerie glow behind Sachiel was when she finally moved from his line of sight. If Takumi could even manage to repress everything, to pretend there was no way these words could be true... all possibilities of that were gone in a single, eye-opening, heart-sinking instant.

"T..."

The light left Takumi's eyes as a lump filled his throat. His vision blurred as if he'd been submerged in water, as his own remorse began pouring from his eyes like a dam of some sort had been broken. "Tou-san. Kaa-san." Forward he went. His feet felt as if cinder blocks had been tied to them in multitudes, but he dragged them along nonetheless. Soon, he was stepping past Sachiel with his mouth agape. Takumi stopped just shy of his parents' corpses, and the incredible weight of his torso pulled him down to his knees. "I... I'm go... going..."

[Apollymi]

Sachiel had explained a great many things to Takumi, and much to her surprise the lad didn't immediately have anything to say. She'd expected an outburst, a cry, a scream, literally anything. She'd taken several of these Sacred Gear holders by killing their parents. Sometimes directly, like she'd just done with Takumi. Sometimes, indirectly by killing them and coming to the rescue of the young bearers when they were all alone. Regardless of how she got them, she obtained them in the end. As such she was not truly surprised by the intense sorrow which came from Takumi in this moment. She watched as tears seemed to fill the boy's eyes, as he made the slow approach to inspect the bodies of his fallen parents. His remorse was obvious and somehow a bit funny to Sachiel. "Kufufufufu~ Look at you! I didn't know a boy could look cute crying~" she mused. "Coming along then, need a minute? I mean they are your parents, I understand if you want to cry it out..." she said almost callously. Angels of lore were said to be beings of kindness and respect, but in moments like these it would be hard for anyone to accept that one like Sachiel had ever been one of these creatures. There was a heinousness to her nature that made her very different from everyone else, but she did fall for a reason. She stood beside the desk off to the side, with the most absent expression on her face, there was nothing here she wanted other than the broken boy on the ground. And she would have him in a matter of seconds, or so she believed. 'This is great! He's all alone we can take him back, and eventually even he will have to recognize my skills.' she thought. Whoever it was that Sachiel aimed to impress by acquiring the Red Dragon Emperor, was obviously someone of great importance to her cause.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi seemed almost incapable of forming a proper sentence, but there was one thing he meant to say... one thing he felt compelled to say. Soon, the words finally left his mouth. "I'm going... to destroy you and everything you know. Every Fallen Angel... every Angel... even God for making someone that could do something like this..." Marking his words, Takumi's left arm took the form of Dragon scales and gained the Boosted Gear. At that very moment, the green gem of Boosted Gear flashed, heralding the voice of Ddraig. "Yare yare. You're pretty stupid, Fallen Angel. This has never happened so soon. I'd suggest running, but that won't do you any good."

In a matter of moments, the consciousness Takumi had was all but gone. His movements became even more like that of a zombie as he rose from the floor, drowning in his own Demonic Energy and the powers of Ddraig at once. His eyes turned red again, then glowed brightly with the green that belonged to the Red Dragon himself. "I, who shall awaken..." Suddenly, countless small orbs of light stemmed from Takumi's chest, which was simultaneously being covered by the armor he donned in his battle against the Dragon Reshiram. These orbs were, in fact, the spirits of Ddraig's former hosts throughout history. "It's happening." "No matter the time, destiny will play its course." These sorts of things were said by many of the floating spirits as Takumi continued speaking in a voice not completely his own.

"... Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God. I laugh at the 'infinite', and I grieve at the 'dream'. I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination... And I shall sink you to the depths of the crimson purgatory!" His voice, while ravenous in nature, was calm. Not once did the boy scream or shout, even as the armor he wore morphed into the shape of a Dragon of a much greater size than Takumi's normal state, complete with a pair of wings without webbing. Once the form was solid, it was enough to have destroyed the building around them, even launching away the bodies of Takumi's parents. "Juggernaut Drive..." spoke the voice of Takumi, accompanied by a mighty roar from the Dragon form. The raw power of this 'Juggernaut Drive' spread far and wide, polluting the entirety of Kuoh Town and then some, like a thick smog appearing from nothing. All the while, Takumi's mind could only process one thing...

'I'll kill her. I'll kill her... then everything else.'

[Apollymi]

Takumi's words made the eyes of the Fallen Angel Sachiel widen dramatically. He claimed the capabilities to kill all over is parents. She'd heard the attachment between humans and their young was a bit extreme, but never had she expected such a wide threat over something she considered to be so trivial. "Oh please, it isn't even worth that much fuss..." she created ten light spears behind herself ready to impale the boy should he make a move upon her. Though strong, and bearing the soul of a dragon, he was now a Devil which left him with one glaring weakness as far as Sachiel was concerned. The words of Ddraig made her scoff. "As if I would run from a little devil dragon boy~" and with that she launched these light spears towards the lad aiming to impale him at his legs and arms in multiple places but with just little enough light not to poison the lad to death. Unfortunately, whatever was to become of this, she wouldn't get to see, as the lad was soon clad in armor and speaking along with several other spirits. This was such a strange occurance, she could do nothing with it, but watch. "What the..."

Whatever words Sachiel had, were overshadowed by the powerful scream of this dragon boy in his Juggernaut Drive and she was forced to make use of her wings, flying up into the air to try and escape the energy that left this boy, with enough force to blast away the bodies of his parents. Her heart beat could be felt throughout her entire body, she'd broken out into a sweat. She didn't know this feeling before now but it was nothing but pure fear. She was afraid of the boy who'd spoken so calmly, whose parents she'd murdered in sport, now with the power of a dragon. "They'll have to forgive the wait, I really should kill you now, and wait for someone more agreeable," she created dozens of light spears over head, more than would ever be necessary, and pointed them downward. She aimed to have them rain down upon this lad, impaling him all the times she could muster. The Fallen Angel Sachiel had never known fear before, and she didn't intend this to be the first and last time she felt it.

[Bloodedge]

There were no more words to be spoken by Takumi. There was almost nothing left of the mental acuity he normally possessed. There was one word spoken in the voice of Ddraig, though. It just so happened to be the word Ddraig had spoken more frequently than any other word he knew, since being sealed into the Boosted Gear... and it was spoken repeatedly. "Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!" The veritable hailstorm of light arrows upon Takumi didn't seem to make much headway. In fact, it didn't make any at all. Takumi's power continued to swell and pollute the atmosphere, causing the light to dissipate as it encroached upon his body, where his power was most concentrated. The bulk of Sachiel's attack met this fate, while the remainder was destroyed by the physical effort of his right arm sweeping through the air - a maneuver which was strong enough to cause a vacuum-like effect to force a small maelstrom up toward Sachiel. Takumi moved immediately afterwards, rearing back that very same arm and aiming to slam it into Sachiel, and grab her by the torso with a clawed hand. Crushing force would be applied if he managed this, and yet not enough to do anything beyond break a few bones.

[Apollymi]

The repeated utterances of Boost, didn't bode well for the attack Sachiel had planned. In fact, she knew right at this moment even before the light spears dissipated that she should have taken Ddraig's advice and run. She probably wouldn't have gotten away, but it would have put a more than reasonable bit of space between her and the boy she'd wronged. As the bulk of her attack disappeared before her red eyes, she was assaulted by a maelstrom and vacuum created by the movements of Takumi's arms. Before she could even process what was happening, the boy was upon her with an arm slamming into her person, before giant clawed hand crushed her. She felt the breaking of multiples of her ribs in multiple places. She could breathe but an exhale aspirated blood from her person. "Ugh!" was the only sound to accompany this as even the words previously spoken by the Fallen Angel would not be heard again. 'This can't be happening, it can't be!' she thought as her brain was overcome with pain. She tried to create a light spear in her hand, to pry the young man's grasp from around her midsection. She needed to run, far away and flee this terrible little dragon boy.

All while this happened much higher and farther away, a girl with hair white as snow watched. She had eyes the color of blood and an impassive look upon her face. The first roaring power had called to her, and upon her back, was a glorious pair of light wings as she hovered in the air. "That's him, the Red One... I don't know what happened, but it won't go well." mentioned a manly voice which caused those light wings to vibrate with power. "It seems that Fallen Angel wronged that boy in some way. Whatever she did, given the amount of power there, and the sort of mindset needed to achieve that form, she deserves that death," mentioned the girl. Only time would tell, if she thought the same of the boy who hosted the Red Dragon, but for now, she'd wait. As the disturbances of the boy's energy would eventually lead to the notice of any who were spiritually or energetically aware.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi had the Fallen Angel in hand. Though she may have struggled, her efforts to free herself were in vain. The light spear she tried to use as leverage did not seem to bother Takumi's hand at all; he even continued tightening his grip in spite of it. "Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!" Ddraig continued to shout. He would release Sachiel of his own accord as his power continued rising, but the only purpose he had in doing so was to immediately open his mouth and unleash from it an energy beam similar to a gigantic form of Takumi's Dragon Shot technique. This blast was wide enough to encompass the Fallen Angel ten times over if she were to be struck by it, but its power was still not quite fatal. It was as if Takumi, knowing Sachiel had toyed with his parents in such a way, subconsciously aimed to offer her a similar treatment before ending her existence.

[Apollymi]

Sachiel tried to free herself but nothing came of it. Instead, it seemed that Takumi aimed to toy with her, on a level just as bad as he perceived the death of his parents. Strangely, when she was finally freed, she wasn't even given time to gain her bearings. Before she could turn to try and run, or even gather her breath, sh was engulfed in an energy blast the likes of which she'd never felt before. A scream left this woman as she was painfully burned. Though apparently her life was still not ended. She coughed as she struggled, her body burned almost beyond recognition. Her once rich black feathered wings, losing a multitude to feathers as she tried to pull herself away. There was no healing of these wounds, no recovery. Her body was beginning to adversely react but there was nothing she could do about it. The cries of boost filled her mind like a hellish chorus and there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to die at this point, to spare herself further agony, and somehow she managed to feel like she didn't know how she'd gotten to this point. How was she to know this would be the first time of any, she got such a reaction for what she did to someone's parents.

[Bloodedge]

Forward steps were taken by Takumi as Sachiel lay burned and broken, but not yet destroyed as the enraged boy desired. In moments, he was upon her again. He dropped onto all fours at a point that allowed his Dragon form's torso to loom over Sachiel's body. "Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!" Ddraig continued to chant. After so much of a power increase to Takumi's energy, the Dragon form's chest began to compartmentalize and open, revealing a larger version of the green gem his normal armor possessed. A similarly green energy collected itself in this gem throughout the continuous boosts as he roar again.

He would attack once more...

"Longinus Smasher!" Even greater than the previous blast from Takumi's mouth was the legendary penultimate technique of Ddraig himself. From even this short range, Takumi would unleash from his chest an explosive blast of Dragon energy that would make even Gods and Satans quake. This sort of assault would create a large, seemingly endless hole in the ground itself due to its angle, leaving Takumi floating above it in his own blast's wake.

In the meantime, the entire peerage of Lucaro Lerage had been brought to this location... Or at least, as close to it as they could get. The blue-haired Devil who led this peerage stood at the forefront, roughly two blocks away from the carnage. At his left stood the former Onmyouji, Leishi. Even from this distance, even from the roof upon which this group stood, Lucaro himself was sweating. "Yare yare. It would help if she hurried a bit."

[Apollymi]

More cries of boost would be heard until of course, the ultimate attack was released. Sachiel looked afraid, for every moment leading up to this one. Her heart pounded, her body was battered and broken. She was a mere shell of her former self, and if she took any lesson from this, she wouldn't have time to put it into action. No, the cry of Longinus Smasher, would vaporize her very existence and she'd disappear from this world, leaving behind a giant crater and nothing but this broken dragon boy to show for her efforts.

Meanwhile some two blocks away, Lucaro was discussing things with his peerage. A pink haired girl with golden eyes and glasses stood at the edge of this roof looking amazed at the sight in the distance. "Sugoi! So much power..." she murmured as if she'd just seen something amazing. But there was more to come. A few people would soon be descending, a young woman with obnoxiously large bust and flowing crimson hair would also make her way to this place. At her side, the white haired emotionless Knight among others likely brought here with the intention of quelling this problem. "Sumimasen, I didn't mean to be late. I have some of the others taking care of the nearby carnage," mentioned Eira who looked out at the red dragon floating in the air above a giant crater. "All that energy, I didn't expect..." Eira stopped speaking as she looked out. 'That can't be my dragon can it?' she thought to herself, knowing that Yasukawa Takumi had left their meeting place a while ago. Silently wishing that this was just some freakish coincidence and there was some other valid explanation for what she was witnessing first hand.

[Bloodedge]

A few flaps of his wings carried Takumi, in his Dragon form, into the air above the crater of his own creation. What should have been his goal had been met; all reason would have him return to his normal form to properly mourn the loss of his family. Sadly, this was not to be. In Takumi's mind, there was only one thing: The sight of those horrendous black feathers floating in the air over his parents' corpses. This put him through a very specific train of thought. 'Feathers. Everyone with those feathers will die,' he thought from within his shell. Meanwhile, the body outside was roaring still, and continuing to increase its power. "Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"

The Devil known as Lucaro stood with arms akimbo as Eira and her peerage arrived to the scene of this mess. "No time for excuses. It's good that you're here. Leishi, make a two-way barrier," he said to the lad on his left. "Hai hai! Nothing in or out until the big scary Dragon goes down!" replied Leishi, who immediately leaped into the air and began to float with a pentagram appearing above him as he rose. "I am God, flawlessly born, leader of men, savior of worlds! I am the law, flawlessly kept, powerful script, harshly enforced! I am a soul, flawlessly saved, nowhere to go, out of my place!" As Leishi spoke this incantation, he passed through the pentagram. The passage altered his clothing to that of the Onmyouji of old. His robes in this form were white with gold trim, to match the headband he wore even in his normal state. "Kekkai!" he commanded, forcing his hands to meet at the base of their palms before turning both clockwise as if their meeting point were an axis. This action created another pentagram surrounded by a ring. Leishi turned this to a horizontal position and separated his hands quickly, causing the ring to spread across the entire area affected by Takumi's spreading power, forming a dome of energy in its circumference. Even as the Dragon boy's strength grew, Leishi would see to it that its effects would not spread any further. "I'll help," said Izuna, who left his place beside Eira to join Leishi in the sky. From there, he did his part to help maintain the barrier's integrity.

As the barrier was erected, Lucaro's eyes remained locked on the current challenge. "Now might not be the time to be impressed, Nym. This is something we're going to have to do something about. Or, I should say..." Lucaro ceased speaking then and there. Eira had spoken of how unexpected something in this situation was, and as his eyes traveled toward the crimson-haired Gremory heiress, he figured her train of thought was along the lines of what he'd been discussing with his members before her arrival. "There was a Fallen Angel trying to fight that Dragon. It was the same one you met a few weeks ago... The one with her sights set on the Red Dragon Emperor you've come to possess."

[Apollymi]

Takumi in his shell, was content to cause more destruction. 'Nym' as she was called managed to look further wide-eyed, even as she was chastised for her blatant interest. "Sure, say that but... it's still impressive," said the girl. She knew that they were here to do something about the giant dragon in the area. Even with their maximum varied skills she didn't know what they expected any one of them to do about it. Eira landed though and soon enough, she was left to have a discussion with Lucaro, who dispatched his own bishop to hold the damage to this small area. Moreover, Izuna would go along to help maintain said barriers structural integrity. All of this happened, while Eira herself was left to look on at this dragon and know if not by the constant yelling of boost, than by the confirmation of Lucaro that it was in fact, Eira's dragon. "Shit, I was really hoping this was a fluke..." she muttered this sentence. Looking out at Takumi, she felt strangely, more strange than she had the first time she'd met him.

"I knew, I should have killed her, but I had to give it a chance," Eira mentioned thoughtfully. She'd gone without killing the Fallen Angel Sachiel during her previous Rating Game for several reasons. Not the least of which was she didn't want to bring the Fallen Angels' attention straight to her peerage for a loss of one of their own. But, given the situation she was current looking at, she couldn't believe they hadn't done something more heinous to Takumi in the time in which he'd been gone. Eira stepped forward, this was her responsibility, and she had to try and fix it. There were only a couple of options, one of them, might not even work, but she could always just try absorbing some of the power until the boy returned to his normal form. Unfortunately it would be Youmu who reached out for the girl's arm and stopped her from moving. "You can't get that close. Right now, he wouldn't recognize you as a friend and would kill you just as quickly as anyone else... and he'd likely regret that just as much as whatever else has happened," Youmu mentioned with a fierceness in those normally calm blue eyes of hers. "Then what do I do, I should have already drained enough power off him that this wasn't possible. He'll burn himself up using that much power, I can't let him die a second time. I could take some of it off of him, so he doesn't burn himself out..." Eira sounded slightly outraged that she'd been stopped but knew that Youmu didn't act without reason. "I can't leave him like that, Youmu!" she finished, this made the Knight look at her with a quizzical expression. Eira usually maintained enough calm to think about things properly, the fact that she had a potential answer and wanted to act on it immediately was unusual.

Strangely enough this entire conversation had a watcher. A girl stood above this group with giant light wings. Since she was also trapped in the barrier she figured she might as well be part of the conversation. "You don't plan to kill him then? That's interesting, I figured he was disposable..." said this girl with snow white hair and startling red eyes. She descended and those wings folded in on themselves, disappearing from sight. Her sudden speech caused a couple of people to jump, it'd be Youmu to stand before Eira drawing her blade in a single motion as if she intended to act as guard. "Of course he isn't disposable! No one is!" these were Eira's words which made the white haired girl's eyes widen in surprise, there was a sincere bit of kindness and generosity coming from this Devil woman. Still there was nothing but calmness in this newcomers voice, though she acknowledged the protection offered by Eira's Knight to the young woman. "Oh? Standing in front of her, I thought Devils were more selfish than that? Your friend is right though, he'd definitely kill you the way he is... the only way to bring down an outraged dragon is to calm it..." she mentioned seemingly a wealth of information about dragons. "It is stated that songs can calm dragons," this was added information from Youmu who had a vast knowledge of various creatures. Though she still stood at the ready, as if she wanted to use this sword right now. "Hai, that's right but... he can't hear the way he is. He'd have to be brought down quite a bit to make him hear anything..." mentioned this girl again. "So, will you do it? There is no telling if a song will work even if you manage to get him closer to normal dragon powerful..." she asked of Eira trying to find the conviction of this Devil girl before she mentioned if she intended to help or not. "Also, you don't have to keep a drawn weapon on me. I don't intend to attack your master or anyone else..." she said to Youmu as she awaited her answer. The Knights eyes narrowed briefly before she looked back to Eira, the crimson haired lass seemed to still be distraught but nodded, as she didn't intend to create more problems in this day than already existed. With this Youmu stepped to the side and sheathed her weapon allowing Eira to stand before their newcomer unhindered.

[Bloodedge]

"Impressive though it may be, could you just... maybe wait until we're in the clear to be happy about it?" Lucaro asked of the pink-haired lass. He apparently had no issue with her mannerisms, strange though they may have been, but he put his concern for the well-being of all present first. Surely he couldn't allow anyone to become distracted by their own interests. While Eira wrapped her head around the truth of this situation, Lucaro watched the work of Leishi and Izuna take effect. Eira's Bishop, Hiroki, took the time of discussion to step forward while pondering his own ability to be of use. "I think Maiko and I could probably manage something, but... I honestly have no idea what the opposite of Dragon energy would be, and I don't think it's worth the risk," he said to his own superior. A silver-haired boy in Lucaro's group would be the first to address Hiroki's concern. "She could tell you the answer to that. It's Fairy energy. Long story short, if something that strong had that kind of energy coming from it, we'd all be dead in seconds," he claimed.

Following the final stages of Leishi and Izuna erecting their barrier, the remaining Devils were met by another strange figure with wings the likes of which hadn't been previously seen by at least the majority of spectators to the arrival. On the immediate defensive was not only Youmu, but Hiroki as well. Just the same, Lucaro and the silver-haired lad, as well as a sword-wielding boy with black hair in the group, were on edge. It wasn't until Eira convinced Youmu to stand back that the others followed suit. One particular individual, though, recognized the female's face, just as he did every student who attended Kuoh Academy. "Angelus? To think it would be you. I always thought you had an odd record, in addition to an ironic name for someone at Kuoh."

[Apollymi]

"Ugh... fine." These were the only words spoken by the pink haired girl in Lucaro's Peerage. She supposed she would be alright with setting her own interests to the side. The idea that Hiroki and Maiko could have done something about this was one which Maiko also thought of, but she happened to know that such a thing would mean more immediate danger for everyone else. As she stood at Hiroki's side she nodded her agreement with Lucaro's assessment. "Leraje is right. Fairies deal in light-based and nature magics. Converting all that between us is doable but we'll fuck everything and everyone else up in the process," Maiko agreed. Meanwhile the approach of this white haired woman seemed to set everyone on edge, including Maiko herself who'd fallen back into boxing stance, until of course, Eira cleared this entire thing, and the young woman aptly named by Lucaro as Angelus another member of their school. "Oh? To think it would be like this, the devils at this school are so strange," said Angelus. "And actually, could you call me Cassie... I also think Cassiel Angelus is a bit too much for a name. Though my mother gave it to me so I'll bear it," she said in all seriousness. Beyond this point the wings she bore when she landed were recognized by Eira who apparently read up on a lot of things, especially the subject matter after acquiring Takumi and Nymphia whose eyes widened immensely. "Sugoi! She's bearer of the White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings!!" a new excitement had just come up and it made Eira look to Nymphia as the golden eyes she possessed became filled with the same type of curiosity that had been initially aimed at Takumi.

"Oh, I didn't know any would recognize them... well, I assumed she would as the person in charge of that one..." she said as she shifted her gaze towards the Dragon boy. She brought a hand under her chin a single white wing extended from her right hand side and wrapped around herself. "In case you are wondering, I am a Miracle Child... who bears the Vanishing Dragon," she said her gaze wandering over the entirety of this group and pausing briefly over Maiko. Her brows drew together, but she went on to look back to Eira.

"I recognized you for the other Heavenly Dragon. It's nice to meet you, but I am going to be honest right now and let you know, I have no intention of letting Takumi die here today, by your hand or anyone else's... just so we're clear. I plan to do whatever I can to bring him back to himself!" she said with fierceness in her eyes that beget kindness. "If singing will work fine but everyone else should take precautions..." she mentioned, knowing that she didn't sing in front of people because of the risk of hypnotism. "Sou ka, that's all I needed to hear." Cassie said. Walking casually towards the end of the building her single wing retreated and the light wings reemerged. "I don't plan to kill him by the way. It is unfair that one like him should be pushed to such despair by something as unsightly as the Fallen Angel Sachiel. But a fight between the Heavenly Dragons is what is needed here. I'll bring him closer to the level which he can be tamed at," she said as the light wings themselves transformed into a full suit of armor around the girl. "VANISHING DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER!" announced the voice within the wings. "Why... would you do that?" Eira asked this girl. It seemed unnecessary of her to help if she knew that Eira wouldn't allow the fight to the death between the two dragons that they usually sought over countless years. "Oh?" Cassiel turned back to look at Eira. "His death now would be unjust... and if Devils can show kindness enough to spare him. I can only aim to match that kindness," she said, such a speech made Eira's eyes widen as she was always surprised by the way people behaved around her. And with this she flew from the roof approaching the lad at light speed carried by these wings and a new set of shouts could be heard. "Oi! Red One how dare you come before me, with your partner in such a state!" Albion said directly to Ddraig. "My new partner is all about justice, we can't fight if you let something like this happen," he said of his current holder right before he began several chants. "Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide! Divide!"

[Bloodedge]

"Cassie? Fine. As a fellow student, I'll show you that much respect and call you what you want. Still, I wonder if I could even call you a comrade for a moment." Lucaro held many suspicions involving Cassiel Angelus, and now knowing that she was an Angel of any sort did not help clear his opinions. He remained alert. So long as Eira showed no ill will toward this girl, though, he would hold his own, even while standing next to his own excitable Queen.

Cassiel had no apparent intentions of seeking her destiny this day. As the holder of the Vanishing Dragon's Sacred Gear, Divine Dividing, fate dictated that she would meet the one who bore the Boosted Gear of the Welsh Dragon, in this case Takumi, in combat to continue the Heavenly Dragons' endless war against one another. It would not be strange at all if she decided here and now to eliminate Takumi, since she quite obviously boasted greater control and ability with her Sacred Gear than he did. Being an apparently kind-hearted individual, Cassiel was willing to assist with the rearing of Takumi, as opposed to eliminating him in his berserk state. Her offer to the Devil Eira came with use of her own Balance Breaker to face off against the Dragon boy.

"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!" Chants continued coming from Takumi's Dragon form, but in a matter of moments, the White Dragon Emperor was upon him. When chants of 'Divide' began occurring, it seemed as if the opposite effect to Boosted Gear was occurring. Each time this word was spoken, Takumi's massively-augmented power was reduced to half of what it was. This occurred enough times in succession to lower his output significantly, and then some. Still though, the green glow in his chest began growing more vivid again, implying a charge for the very same blast that had ended the Fallen Angel Sachiel. It may not have been able to grow to the same level of power now, but it was growing nonetheless.

[Apollymi]

The words of the Student Council President made a smirk come to Cassiel's face. She knew of course, that Devils and Angels were on opposite ends of the spectrum, even so, she saw no reason for innate hostility towards anyone. She felt it was likely that stories about everyone on all sides had been exaggerated over time, and carrying on with such was well outside of her sensibilities. Regardless she'd started her work to further reduce the power being emitted from the dragon, and strangely enough, Albion's words to the Red Emperor Dragon were being unheeded. This was confusing to her, but she'd also only experienced Juggernaut Drive in a more direct way. "He didn't respond to you, Albion... is that strange?" she asked. As her body took in extra power from the divisions she'd displaced. "That's pretty normal actually, Juggernaut Drive uncontrolled causes insanity, he probably can't hear past all of the other things going on. I couldn't the first time you used it either..." mentioned the Dragon. But it seemed that her divisions of Takumi's power would only lead to something else in the young man. More calls of boost would happen and she'd grin beneath her face mask. "I suppose I respect his moxie, but he definitely shouldn't be trying that again," she said, respecting the determination of power as she watched the glowing in the center of his chest plate begin to grow. She rushed forward and aimed to make physical contact with Takumi's chest plate, with the force of a fist and another outcry from Albion. "Half Dimension!" the announcement would trigger a magical power which would allow the division of the physical size of this dragon and its power completely. Even the crater below it would seem to shrink in size by half. In doing so, Cassiel hoped that his power would be divided enough to allow a great dispersal. Her own wings if this completed would shine brightly expelling more power than her body could handle in a giant light show.

While this happen another Angel was around, she was a blonde haired woman with two large sets of white wings on her back. She'd checked on several things, including the bodies of the parents of Takumi and strangely enough found one of them to be missing. She'd done a bit of checking and found out something interesting, which she thought might be important. She was after all, an Angel of Mercy and she could feel the despair coming off the red dragon being engaged in combat by Cassiel. As she looked around, she found standing atop a nearby roof, several individuals of the Devil persuasion all of whom were watching the ongoing fight for whatever reason. She knew that the only way to handle a dragon was with song. She wondered if they knew what was necessary. She also knew she was likely to be received badly, but couldn't in good consciousness let something negative happen if Cassiel had decided to help, which was obvious by what was happening in the street. She approached the group cautiously. "I don't mean to interrupt, but if someone here is going to sing him down they should start now... I'd do it myself, but I only know hymns," mentioned the woman. Once again, several of Eira's people jumped. The visual of an Angel floating near by made them very nervous. Once more Youmu was directly before Eira with a weapon drawn much to the surprise of the Angel. "Gomen, I didn't mean to upset anyone. You have my word, I am just Cassie's guardian in this moment, we don't mean any of you any harm..." she said. "I didn't know the other Heavenly Dragon had already appeared and been reincarnated. I'd hoped to study him, but not at the cost of such despair." she concluded. Her words piqued Eira's interest and as such when Youmu looked back at her, Eira waved her off once more. The crimsoned haired female Devil was exceedingly trusting this day, but she had greater issues than a single Angel could cause her. "That's fine. Arigatou Gozaimasu..." Eira said to the woman. "Though as a warning to you and everyone else, you should plug your ears, I am not sure you won't end up hypnotized while I sing, and I'd rather not have to deal with that, when I'd rather be seeing to Takumi," Eira said. She'd gone back to calculatingly calm, even as she turned to watch the goings on below. In order to project her voice so it could be heard, she'd have to put magic into it, and there was only one she knew. What she wanted from Takumi, was to lull him a bit so she'd thought a lullaby she'd heard would be good. After checking to make sure that her directions were followed, she'd begin to sing.

"Nennen korori yo, Okorori yo." her voice carried with the light melody that could be heard by all. It was in fact the Edo lullaby which played originally from the cursed music box she'd owned.

"Bōya wa yoi ko da, Nenne shina~" The words were light and carried no extra meaning, but they conveyed Eira's wish for Takumi to calm himself. Cradle songs like these calmed crying children and she could only imagine in such a form he was quite upset. Whatever the case, she'd find out soon enough what actually caused him to be this upset.

[Bloodedge]

"Are you really going to trust an Angel, Eir?" Lucaro asked. He couldn't personally agree with trusting an Angel who suddenly showed up. This was especially the case since the Angel in question was the destined rival of the very Dragon Emperor who was now posing a problem. If Eira actually trusted the Angel, though, Lucaro would have nothing further to say about the matter. It seemed Cassiel was keen to get right down to business, which she did by greatly weakening Takumi. In the meantime, yet another Angel showed her face in a way that alerted everyone once again. She also claimed to harbor no ill will toward the present Devils, and in fact, she advised whatever individual intended to sing on the time to do so.

Takumi's Longinus Smasher did not see even the end of its charge. His size as a Dragon was cut in half along with his power. Though he was still releasing energy without halt, a gentle tune reached his ear to illicit a strange response from the monstrous shell. The reaction to this singing was almost one of pain, as the Dragon body ceased its charging to instead begin thrashing about as if Takumi intended to drown out the noise. The roar returned during this time, taking the place of the 'Longinus Smasher' outcry that would have normally occurred.

[Apollymi]

Before she began singing Eira took a moment to acknowledge what was said by Lucaro. Apparently he thought badly of trusting an Angel, but Eira was known to do eccentric things like this though with a decent enough reason. Her own love of Youkai and helping anyone who needed it, made her a bit more open to compromise than most. "She approached us knowing what we are and didn't immediately attack. Resistance to light is low in young devils and she could have tried to kill any number of us if she wanted to. The fact that she hasn't tried anything earns her a pass, the fact that she wants to help, makes us kindred spirits. And we're rivals and nothing bad occurs between us. You have to risk a little once in a while," she concluded, about her feelings surrounding the use of the Vanishing Dragon's abilities. She knew that many didn't agree with the sorts of things she did, but Lucaro was one of her oldest friends, and she knew, he'd do as she did, even if he wouldn't have done it while he was alone. The Angel within earshot of this was stunned by what Eira had to say on the matter of the amount of trust she was placing in Angels this day. In fact, she was impressed, she didn't know such progressive attitudes existed among Devils. This girl seemed to be leading the emotions of the entire group, as the sword wielding white haired girl soon put her weapon away, following Eira's lead without question.

With this out of the way Eira's song began. There hadn't been a proper chance to warn Cassie that she would start singing, but the Vanishing Dragon, seemed to be lulled a tad by the sound of the voice she heard. 'Hm, that's a nice voice... if she were an Angel, she'd definitely be in the choir,' the young woman thought as her form moved away from Takumi's and began to relax even as he continued to thrash about. Not needing to make contact with him anymore. Though he was fighting it, she could tell the lad could hear the sound, mostly because what would have been an attack turned into a simple roar as he thrashed about.

"Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?"

"Ano yama koete, Sato e itta~"

"Sato no miyage ni, Nani morotta?"

"Denden taiko ni, Shō no fue~"

Eira's voice carried on for several moments with this song as she watched for signs of progress. Her voice was melodious and seemed to be at least capable of doing the job she meant for it to. By the end of the song, Cassiel, seemed to have fallen asleep, but the Angel now standing with them, had managed to plug her own ears to the magical influence of Eira's voice upon hearing it. Though she still thought the lass had a beautiful singing voice, she managed to stay awake while she sung. Maiko wasn't so lucky as even with her hands covering her ears, she was enticed into falling asleep. She was caught by Youmu who managed to resist the singing by virtue of the use of her secondary soul to filter the sound.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi's energy was in the process of going haywire, even as he became weaker. His right arm swung out against a building with enough brute force to topple it, but the building was protected at the last moment by a barrier cast by Leishi. "Phew! This is getting easier by the second! Good job, Angel-chan!" he said with a wink to the Miracle Child. In this moment, it seemed Leishi was one of few individuals not shielding himself from Eira's voice, yet there seemed to be nothing affecting him.

Even as he thrashed about, Takumi continued shrinking toward his normal size. This was no longer due to the Half Dimension technique used against him, but due to the gradual return to his natural form. The Dragon's roar persisted, but at a point near Takumi's standard size being achieved, it regressed into the boy's own voice, screaming instead. This lasted well into Takumi's Dragon form shattering around him. He fell to his knees in his humanoid state. The left arm so recently restored from its Dragon form had returned. The scales on his arm were well beyond his forearm this time. Now, they took over his entire arm up to about mid-bicep, and the scales themselves seemed to be standing on edge. Takumi sat on his knees screaming for some time longer, eyes devoid of color and leaking down his face all the way to his neck.

Now that Takumi was back to his normal appearance, Eira's Bishop Hiroki would be among the first to notice the strange state the boy had been left in. "That form must be intense. Is that pain?"

[Apollymi]

Leishi's words to Cassiel were enough to bring her back closer to consciousness. She shook her head from left to right as her armor fell away and she retained the wings of the Vanishing Dragon. She looked up at the young man in the sky who'd spoken to her and managed to look a bit abashed. "It was nothing..." she said before her attention turned to Takumi. The boy was screaming, even beyond the end of his form, and crying. There was no light in his eyes. And instead there was only the sound of his anguish filling this place. Cassiel managed to look at him taking note of his arm and his sadness and sighed. "He gave up an arm... is that normal?" she wondered waiting for Albion to reply.

Soon enough, Eira had finished singing and there were only a few people who felt the effects of it. It was more than a bit relieving. One of the ones still awake in the aftermath was Hiroki who wondered if Takumi was in pain due to the form he'd taken. Eira's mouth opened and strangely enough her tongue moved across her teeth as if she was tasting the air. The sound of Takumi's cries were about not physical pain but mental anguish, at least that is the feeling she got from it. "Iie, Hiro, that form likely hurt, but he's in despair. Whatever happened, it wasn't fixed by killing that Fallen Angel," she mentioned and since her assessment said it was all done, Eira took off toward the lad. Youmu didn't stop her this time and she would soon enough be found standing over Takumi looking into his vacant eyes. "Takumi, how can I help?" she asked. Whatever was wrong, whatever pained him so, she only wished to end it for him. She'd assumed he'd pass out after all of that, but whatever he was feeling managed to keep him conscious just a little longer than she thought he'd remain. The Angel who'd stood with the rest of the group, went towards the pair as well, she already knew what had happened, and wondered what would happen when Eira approached her pet dragon and found out the news.

[Bloodedge]

"Despair?" Hiroki replied, questioning only in rhetoric. He stayed behind as Eira took off toward her Pawn, silently wondering what could have occurred to one of the peerage's newest acquisitions. Izuna floated down, taking his place among the group atop the roof. "I figured the kid's whole life was despair. I wonder if it has anything to do with all that extra Dragon arm," he said. Since there was nothing more to worry about as far as collateral damage was concerned, Leishi also descended. Of the people left behind, he likely had the most insight as to what occurred without knowing for certain. "It's the pain of loss. There's also something else in there, like... a missed opportunity that could have been a turning point in someone's life."

Meanwhile, Takumi was met by Eira. She stood before him, but he couldn't see. His vision was blurred. All he could make out at this time was a shroud of crimson. There was more, though. There was a voice offering assistance, or rather, questioning an ability to assist. He knew from the voice who this was. What could he say, though? His mouth opened, and he wanted to speak. His first thought was to beg for his parents' revival, but on second thought, how could he ask for such a thing? Even if such a thing could/would be done, he would only be asking that his family be brought back into a world that would just as soon see them meet the same end once more, all because he was born with the Sacred Gear he had. "I... I..." He had nothing. The more Takumi tried, the more he came up with an inability to speak his mind. If he wanted to help his parents at this point, the best thing he thought he could do was suffer silently to prevent the possibility of them being brought back somehow.

[Apollymi]

The conversation between members of this peerage seemed to be progressing. After Eira left Leishi, Izuna and Hiroki were left to try and figure out what had occurred. Strangely enough, with the sleeping Maiko thrown over her shoulder it would be Youmu to speak. Her voice was strangely apathetic and it would coincide more with what Leishi had to say than anything else. "I saw two ghosts in the vicinity before. They are both gone now, pulled away from this plane, but... combined they could have made Takkun," the weight of her words would lead them to believe that it had been Takumi's parents to die this day. The fact that Leishi said that the boy felt of a missed opportunity also made her believe that it was the case that his parents had been slain. When he'd left her earlier this evening, he'd been burdened with great purpose, but now he seemed to know only sadness.

Eira was confronted by a strange conflict of emotions. She wanted to help Takumi, but it seemed the lad didn't know what to ask for. His words came out pained but then fell to silence. Eira looked at him as she came to a stop on the ground with him, she found herself stooped gently to the same level as him. "It's okay if you can't answer," Eira mentioned seeming to have a decent enough grasp that whatever had happened was exceedingly traumatizing for the boy. "Even if you don't know what to say right now. Or don't have anything to ask for yet, I'm still here for you," she said. This young man's grief was palpable but she couldn't bring herself to ask him what had happened. At this point she was simply happy he'd been brought down to a manageable form. Everything else could be figured out later.

[Bloodedge]

Those who'd been discussing Takumi's state of mind fell silent at a moment's notice. All parties understood what Youmu was getting at, and all could tell this was not a good situation to haphazardly address. Eira seemed to understand enough without having the full story, yet her offer of support remained regardless. Since she wouldn't press the matter, Takumi was content to fall back into himself. In doing so, though, he lost whatever adrenaline he had left his body, along with his remaining consciousness.

Leishi chose to approach after the fall of Takumi, taking up Eira's side in place of her own peerage members for a moment. "You're going to end up with more of a problem than you could have bargained for, y'know? That strength of emotion isn't good for these types. If you want, I could probably do something about that Dragon spirit while he's out of commission."

[Apollymi]

Takumi fell into unconciousness once more without ever telling Eira what had happened. Of course, she'd likely be informed of the actual problem of this matter eventually, still she found it in herself to make sure she was within arms reach to capture the lad. With him in her hands she was soon confronted by Leishi who went on to say a few words to her which made a small smirk come to her face. "Iie, Leishi, I knew what I had gotten myself into when I figured out he wasn't carrying a normal Twice Critical. It's fine, it's about time I take care of this sort of thing myself..." she said in a tone which was strange and oddly full of mystery for Eira. "Besides, I can't let him lose completely what he uses to defend himself, without offering him something to replace it, it would help though, if I knew what caused it in the first place," she thought aloud absently. "Takumi is one of the most mild-mannered and unassuming people I've ever come across, this..." she said her eyes flickering around as she situated the lad in her arms. "Isn't remotely normal," mentioned the crimson haired lass.

As if on cue, a certain extra Angel made her way to the scene as well. She looked intently at the Dragon arm on Takumi's person and gave while she looked the information she had. "The Fallen Angel Sachiel tortured and murdered his parents..." she said filling in the information. "He came home and discovered her and their bodies, and used his Juggernaut Drive to slaughter her," she gave this information in a quiet manner. And it was such shocking news that Eira looked up at this woman, shocked with violence in her eyes. "She what?!" she asked seeming to find it unbelievable. Stranger still, was Eira's investment in this, though that was likely something to be noted by others at a later time. The Angel now standing with them looked at Eira's countenance curiously. "I didn't know how you'd react to that news, I didn't think you'd actually care. My apologies, of course, but you heard what I said and it was the truth then, and it is no less true now," she said. This caused Eira to look down at the lad in her arms, and there was nothing in her but sadness for him. Her mind sorted through dozens of options and she much like Takumi, realized that even if she could have brought back his parents, he might not have wanted them to be hunted for his own sake. Beyond this doing so would ruin their chances at the afterlife. 'No wonder he couldn't speak, what was he supposed to say?' she thought. Eira had nothing but respect for the lad she now carried for not being selfish in relation to his dead parents. Eira herself couldn't even be bothered not to bring him back to life, she couldn't imagine her reaction to someone so close to her. "Thank you, for telling me. I understand now... why he couldn't say anything," she murmured. The Angel before her stared at the girl, and felt the depth of emotion in her, given her own status as a guardian Angel she stepped a bit closer. She wanted to tell Eira something and it was for her ears alone she wished to share this information.

"I might be able to help him, just a little. I know that his mother is in heaven. But... it will be a while before I can arrange a meeting of any sort," she said calmly. "It is the only kindness I can offer, and it would have to be a secret until it is possible. If I can do this, would you want me to?" she asked of the crimson haired lass. Eira was left shocked by the words she was hearing. She couldn't even imagine how such a thing was possible, but she had seen at least a mock conversation between this lad and his mother, and knew at least a little, it could help. "I'd be grateful and I know he would be too, but why?" she asked, the niceness of these Angels who were practically the sworn enemy of all Devils was getting to be suspicious even to Eira. The angel before her smiled. "Because kindness begets kindness. And I am an Angel of Mercy, if I can spare anyone from such anguish or pain, I will do so without question..." she said, though selfless in this ambition there was also a bit more. "Besides I'm not allowed to work with Sacred Gears in Heaven, meeting people with them is interesting, and given the history between them, he and Cassie will see a lot of each other. It is best if his only memories of Angels aren't negative," she said, with a wisdom which made Eira nod her agreement. "Hai, do what you can, and I assume you'll let me know if it will be possible?" she said still in hushed tones. "Of course, my name is Sariel by the way, I figure you might as well know it," she said with a curt nod. "Hai, Eira Gremory... nice to meet you, and thank you." she said once more, which made the angel's eyes widen slightly. "I haven't done anything yet," she said finding this girl's attitude to be a strange one for a human and especially optimistic for what she'd heard about devils. "Iie, you said you'd try and do it for him. Even if you have your own reasons built in, you're trying for relative strangers and that's enough for me," Eira said, with a compassion and understanding in those crimson eyes of hers. Unlike the denizens of Heaven, Eira didn't need people to act completely unselfishly. The reasons they did things weren't important, to her the outcome and the place their heart was in at the start was the thing of greatest import. If you could bring yourself to do things that inconvenience you for the sake of another, you'd already done more than you needed to.

[Bloodedge]

"You can say that as much as you like, but... it's always those types that end up doing things like this under the right circumstance. If you have faith that there's still a turning point, though... well, you've been wrong few enough times," Leishi stated. He would have easily done what he could about the Red Dragon Emperor, but he had no intentions of meddling directly in things before they became his business officially. If ever this created a problem for himself or those in his care, though, he would not be asking a second time. While Eira had her secretive discussion with one of the nearby Angels, Leishi returned to the peerage he belonged with, which happened to place him among Eira's servants as well. "You should have known better," Izuna said, knowing well what the former Onmyouji had offered. "I always make one offer. One. If I didn't do that, I would be a very rude person."

[Apollymi]

The words of Leishi weren't particularly new to Eira. Perhaps he'd offered this thing a couple of times before now, but she'd never let anyone else interfere with the way she dealt with her Peerage. If he had to say that he always offered once, perhaps she was similar in the way she dealt with people, but her doings with Takumi would be her own. Besides that she became more than acutely aware of any potential risks the lad had and could also do whatever else she needed to without the direct inference of the Onmyouji. "I've never really been wrong, so thanks for believing in me Leishi~" she said, liking his boy enough to care about his opinion of her. She knew what he wanted to do about this situation, but she couldn't rightly let him do such a thing. Once Leishi returned to the upper roof, it seemed he would be chided by Izuna for making the offer he had. "Eir might be strange about this... but I'll chose to believe in this one," Youmu said with her normal lack of affect. To be honest, she was exactly the type of person others would have wanted to wipe out as well. But, Eira had faith in her, and as such she trusted the lass' judgement about others. Besides that she'd seen the fire in Takumi's eyes previously and knew that bar the horrendous thing that had happened here, the lad wasn't likely to relapse in such a way again.

The conversation between Eira and the Angel had taken a pivotal turn, and soon enough, it would cause the white haired Cassiel to approach as well. "You made her speechless..." she said of Sariel. "Sari is never speechless... what interesting people you are," she said calmly before reaching out to the guardian angel who nodded. "I'll be in touch!" she said to Eira before she took off with the Vanishing Dragon. With these people out of the way Eira was clear to do what she had to do as well. Her devil wings still visible she had no problem carrying Takumi back up top, if only to thank their helpers for their support. "Arigatou, Lu-chan, Leishi. Sorry we caused you so much trouble," she mentioned to Lucaro and Leishi and of course the other members of their peerage.

[Bloodedge]

"Sure, sure! All I'm saying is, that kid would be more useful as a servant if he didn't have that Dragon arm. But, who am I to judge people for wanting to take the hard route?" Leishi replied with his hands in the air, as if surrendering. With that out of the way, the robe-clad male more properly took Lucaro's side. It seemed the time had come for the additional peerage here to take its leave, and in good time, considering how Eira spoke when she returned carrying Takumi. "I wouldn't call it trouble. If anything, we were just spectating. Let's go, guys. Leishi will take care of any absence the Red Dragon has from school."

As Lucaro stepped away, Leishi turned to face the blue-haired male in shock. "Eh!? Why do I always get shafted with this kind of stuff!? Nym's the one who likes paperwork!" he said. Regardless, he followed along, looking over his shoulder to share his own parting words. "If you change your mind... let me know. Time might be a factor."

[Apollymi]

A smile came to Eira's face at the idea that Takumi would be a better servant if he didn't have his Dragon arm. She thought that was likely very true, as it could potentially lead to something crazy. Still, this wasn't the sort of decision she'd make on his behalf. She'd already made one decision like this for the lad, and didn't intend to do it again if it could be avoided. Such things would be in direct contrast to the promise she'd made him, upon his creation. "Hard roads build character..." were the words spoken by Youmu who looked at Eira strangely as she apologized for the trouble, but apparently had nothing else to say.

To Eira's surprise, or maybe not, Lucaro claimed that it hadn't been much trouble to them at all, that rather they'd spectated the event as it were. This was indeed true, except for Leishi's participation, which would likely seem strange to outsiders considering that they were indeed two distinct groups of Devils. "Still, thank you~" she offered the lads giving a gentle bow. "Come on guys, it's time to go home..." she said still there was a deep contemplative look on the crimson haired devil's face. Perhaps she should be preparing more for their current arrangement than she'd been doing presently. She'd have time to think this over after returning to her palatial apartment with her Peerage Members in tow. Sometime after getting Takumi settled and any potential injuries of his treated. She settled into a comfy high backed chair in a room which had been converted into an office within her apartment. To her knowledge, everyone or most of them were still meandering around and she was considering options on how to help the group and Takumi for now.

[Bloodedge]

After the peerage of Eira Gremory overcame the occurrences surrounding Takumi and his Juggernaut Drive rampage, there was settlement in the crimson-haired Devil's apartment. While she sat in her office, knocking began at the door. This was followed immediately by the voice of Izuna. "I'm coming in," he said, not hesitating a moment thereafter before pushing open the door. Once inside, he shut the door behind himself, and walked forward until he was able to sit atop Eira's desk. "So, Angel friends and a berserker Dragon subordinate. You're on a roll today."

[Apollymi]

The knock at Eira's door disturbed her thinking space. Of course in this house, she expected to never spend much time alone, actually she counted on that. The knock let her know it was one of the males, and if the sound of the voice wasn't enough, the sudden intrusion into her space would be a dead giveaway to the person who'd chosen to enter her office space. "So, you respect my privacy as your leader by knocking... and assert your dominance as my Queen by barging in anyways?" she chimed quizzically as the lad sat atop her desk. Still there was the matter of the new Angel friends and the berserk Takumi to take into account for the day. The crimson-haired lass gave an exasperated sigh, "I didn't go out looking to make Angel friends, Izuna..." she exclaimed allowing her head to fall forward into an extended hand. "And I definitely didn't foresee Takumi rampaging or the circumstances surrounding that. I figured just once, someone wouldn't have to be completely broken to end up in my care..." she said. Eira felt defeated by their current situation. It was almost as if the universe was backing her into a corner, forcing her hand in a way she didn't like it to be. She could see to some strengthening of her group, while tending to Takumi and his recovery. Even so, it seemed like the only way to do it, would be to use powers she generally avoided.

[Bloodedge]

"Oh, you remembered?" he asked rhetorically. While sitting upon the desk, Izuna crossed both his arms and legs. Eira claimed she initially had no intention of befriending Angels, nor did she foresee the events surrounding her new Pawn. None of that mattered to Izuna. Regardless of anyone's desires, these things happened today before their very eyes, and there was no going back from that. All Izuna wondered was how Eira would move forward. "Spilled milk," he said in response to her claims. "What now?"

[Apollymi]

A smirk came to Eira's face after hearing the words of her Queen. He was many things, but practical in the way he viewed the world was at the top of the list. If nothing else, Eira could count on Izuna to keep her grounded and help her sort through the great myriad of feelings she had surrounding various things that happened in her life. "You know just because you can summarize things down to two words, doesn't mean it's always what I am looking for..." she mentioned as she picked her head up and stared at the boy now sitting with both his arms and legs crossed atop her desk. "But in this case, I needed that, arigatou~" she managed slipping her arms around his waist in an effort to pull him a tiny bit closer to herself so she could hug him. As for what was actually next there was many things Eira could say and all of them would require a bit of background. "As for what is next, that is technically up to you guys..." she said of the Peerage as a whole, but that sounded a bit more open ended than she meant, so she went on to elaborate. "Nii-sama, was trying to get me to see how much you guys were in this for me. He..." she paused thinking of how to word the meddling of her elder brother. "Reminded me that I have the ability to use those bonds, to strengthen myself and you guys as members of my Peerage, if you are willing to take that from me," she said calmly. This was something she hadn't ever actually mentioned. She supposed though, it made sense for her to say it now, and to Izuna first as it would be him who set the tone for everyone else. As was the case with most powers Eira didn't use in front of anyone, this obviously involved some level of permanence which was something she didn't like forcing on anyone.

[Bloodedge]

"Well, what you're looking for is an answer to something. I ain't got that," he replied. Of course, Izuna had every desire to assist this woman in whatever way possible, regardless of any cost to himself, but he could not possibly provide answers without even knowing the question. Either way, Eira seemed satisfied with what he said regardless. In fact, she went on to pull him into a hug. Following this was an explanation as to what her brother had reminded her of, as far as her own abilities were concerned. Izuna had always been under the assumption that these powers required something more extreme than what could be acquired through bonds of friendship. The way Eira spoke, though, it was a much more simple matter than that. "You don't make it seem like there's a lot to this bond thing. I don't know about the other guys, but you know I'll go to whatever lengths. So... what's the catch?"

[Apollymi]

Eira couldn't help but smile a bit as her Queen mentioned that he didn't have the answers to the questions she sought to ask the universe. To be honest, she didn't expect that of him at all, instead she was content to squeeze and enjoy him as a person and get the answers to inquiries she was more comfortable asking him. Case in point, her mention of her extra abilities and those she could technically bestow among the members of her Peerage. When he mentioned he was willing to go through any lengths, but there was obviously a catch to it that Eira hadn't herself mentioned, she let go of him first. This would be a rare occurance for the lass as she was normally all about her bonding with the people she knew. "The catch is for me it would involve, being very direct about what I am," she said calmly. "For you guys, it would be invasive. Not you to each other though, just you to me. We'd be able to speak in each others minds, borrow each others mental strengths. It would outright make most of you stronger, harder to harm, easier to heal, and give you immunity to the kind of power I haven't been using nor mentioning having... It could also give you a power based on one of mine, or allow me a power based on yours..." she explained. "But it would also mark you as mine, physically it'd give you a visible mark with it being more intricate the closer we are bonded," she mentioned all and all this didn't sound terrible without one key piece of information. "But, I'm a Succubus, so, bonding with me on different levels will likely be different for everyone involved and.... intimate." Eira left that statement to hang in the air, before this moment she'd never properly explained what kind of Devil she was for rather obvious reasons. She supposed it might have been obvious to some of the others, and it might not have been a surprise. Even so it might be, and to be honest, she'd been dreading the moment where she had to be the sort of honest using an ability like this would require.

[Bloodedge]

Much to Izuna's surprise, Eira released him after he questioned the drawbacks of this power. Following this release, she explained the benefits that would come for herself and her members. From the way it sounded, this would be a boon all around, so long as no great sacrifice came as a cost. What she claimed to be the catch, though, was a rather intimate connection linking to her powers as a Succubus. Whether any of the others knew or not, Izuna had always known what Eira was; it couldn't have been more obvious. Even without knowing another Gremory, Eira's demeanor and preferences, as well as her ability to calm others with simple physical contact, was more evidence than Izuna ever needed. Senjutsu expertise gave Izuna a ridiculous amount of control over the energies in his own body, so Eira being able to manipulate those energies through a hug when he was enraged let him know ages ago that something was amiss.

"So, go through some Succubus bonding, get power, give power. Alright," he said while removing himself from the desk. Izuna truly was prepared to offer whatever was necessary to assist this woman at any given moment, and this resolve would show during the following moments. Without hesitation or further questioning, he began unbuttoning his shirt, then moved on to pulling down his pants. "Don't expect too much. I don't think I'm good enough to really satisfy a Succubus, but I'll give it a go."

[Apollymi]

Upon hearing out most all of the details surrounding the power swapping, Izuna seemed to be on board. He always was for things like this so it came as no surprise to Eira when he agreed to bond with her. What came next though was likely the most shocking show of backing of her person that she'd ever seen in her life. Without even a second thought or even a bit of preparation the lad before her prepared to give himself to her in the most intimate way she could have imagined. In seeing this, the crimson haired lass' eyes went wide and her mouth was left agape. Her heart swelled with emotion at the idea that he was so forward in the way he considered his bond to her. Even so, the amount of extreme he was willing to go to for this thing, left her a bit stunned, and caused her to fall into nervous laughter. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!!" she chimed in rapid succession. Her eyes closed within a second and she couldn't help but feel exceedingly relieved at how this young man had taken the news. "Ufufufufu~" she chimed as she covered her face and remained seated. "Yare yare, I know I am a Succubus and all, but I'm still a virgin after all. No need to immediately jump to the idea that you might not be able to satisfy me~" she said with a smile. "Still it is nice to know you are so willing to try, Izuna..." she finished speaking this bit and wave a careful wave of her hand as she wiped an unshed tear from her eyes. "But this bonding won't require that extreme.... but don't let that stop you from enjoying the partial nudity~ I haven't let it stop me." she teased gently offering the lad a compliment to his physical self. She got up from her seat and confronted him directly, standing before him in a strange way. "I am going to assume this won't be unpleasant for you, and that you want all of the connection I can manage for you?" she asked him initially aiming to circle her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. The first few seconds of this her body seemed to create a different much more sensual power, to move across the lad's skin. After a few moments, the first bit of the mark would appear as a pleasantly tingly bit of skin on the boy's forearm. In addition to this, he would likely feel stronger and once the first part of it settled a less effected by Eira's outright sex appeal, as applied this way.

[Bloodedge]

By the time Eira spoke, Izuna had already discarded his shirt and pulled his pants down to the ankles. He was even in the middle of stepping out of one pants leg entirely when she brought pause to his efforts and began laughing - an action that brought a nervous flush to his face. "Oi, rude! I'm in this for you! Besides, I'm a grower; just give me a minute!" he explained hastily. Sadly, it appeared to be the case that his stripping was for naught. What he assumed to be an intimate ritual was not at all what was required for this exchange, so he was left baring himself like a newborn babe for nothing. "So... I uhh..." He had no clue what to say. As a man, he'd dealt with many rejections before, but this level of simple misinterpretation on his part was totally new. Whatever the case, Eira soon stepped up to him and hugged him around the neck. Considering what she had said mere moments prior to this, Izuna became slightly confused. The wave of energy washing over him thereafter was admittedly more along the lines of what he expected from this, but not nearly via the same means... maybe the same startup, but said start was all there was to the birth of a mark upon his right forearm. He did admittedly feel stronger after a few moments of contact, but he was still sort of overcoming prior moments. "Alright... so... I'm still confused here."

[Apollymi]

"Oh calm down, I wasn't laughing at you being naked, as I said I appreciate the view~" she commented as if it wasn't already obvious she definitely wouldn't have laughed just because he took off his clothes. Her own nudity didn't bother her, nor did anyone else's. "It was just a little amusing that you jumped all in without even thinking about it. I was expecting a lot of different reactions. I didn't expect you to immediately get naked and offer yourself to me," she managed finally. By the time she settled into this part of the conversation she'd relaxed against his person. She saw the mark which appeared and felt the strangeness of his reply. It was almost as if he was properly embarrassed by this situation and she couldn't help but find it to be a cute change of pace for the lad who normally had himself together. "I'm flattered Izuna," she mentioned smiling. "Gomen, confusion is kind of cute on that face of yours... and I forgot the important part of the explanation because you got naked suddenly~" she teased him gently. "Basically the level of these marks is determined by the nature of our bond. The higher our familiarity the easier the marks come. You're without a doubt my best friend and closest confidant, and I shouldn't have any problem sharing this power with you as long as you are willing to take it," she explained. "But at the same time, even if I had sex with a person, if they weren't actually a companion to me. If we weren't friends or even mildly acquainted, I couldn't get the first level of this mark to appear. It's about closeness. The level of intimacy also varies from person to person, but since the mark stopped evolving I guess it means its time for the second step~" she mentioned a pair of magical circles appeared around her within a moment of her speech causing her clothing to disappear and removing the rest of the barrier between them.

"The first mark required physical contact to convey while I used my powers as a Succubus. I like hugs and it is the least invasive I find myself being... which is why you didn't need to immediately get naked," she mentioned as if she wasn't now currently naked. "The second level of this mark requires power coming from you to me, which I can manage through extended skin contact, so... naked cuddles~" she managed to sound excited. "You should hold me too," she mentioned. It didn't take much for this contact. Even if Izuna didn't pour power into this, she could still absorb it through extended skin contact. If he did though, it would give her more to work with and a very intimate understanding of Izuna's true form. For the next few minutes the secondary part of his mark would form. Evolving even more than its base state into something which looked a bit like a well designed tribal tattoo. All the while, Eira would be mentally forming the magic into a new specific form for her to use. "Gomen this part is a little selfish... it's mostly for me," she mentioned knowing the lad was likely not to feel anything except her power against him. After it was finish though, he wouldn't feel any weaker than normal by virtue of their connection. And he'd still be feeling fairly good as they prepared for the next leg in their combined journey. "I should warn you. Though the next part is for you... it might not be good. It will give you some of my power, but I don't know which aspect. It will also link our minds and feelings way more than normal, I would be able to speak in your mind when were close and you in mine. I mean technically that last mark will let us appear in each others dreams but that didn't seem too bad. This part is really invasive, I understand if knowing that changes something for you..." she said. Though she'd never done it before, she imagined it would feel powerful and a bit like never being alone at the same time.

[Bloodedge]

"Well, I said I'd go to whatever lengths, even if it's that. I just figured that was the kind of thing you people needed to be as strong as you could be," Izuna surmised. During the time it took Eira to further explain this power of hers, Izuna hazarded a glance at the mark he felt forming on his arm. He did always want a tattoo since living among humans, and this was another way he could avoid use of powers he'd rather keep hidden, so this was an all-around win scenario for him. Eira's explanation came with two additional tidbits, though. First, she brought her own nudity to the proverbial table. Second, she revealed that there were more levels to this exchange. The former was nothing new to Izuna, or really anyone who knew Eira well at all. The latter, though, made Izuna feel there would be progression to the ritual that would go hand-in-hand with the progression of effectiveness.

Soon, Eira's nude form was pressed against Izuna's. This was another thing that wasn't entirely new, though he'd never been without pants or undergarments throughout. Still, he had already agreed. Taking Eira's lead, he shuffled around to both face and embrace her. He felt no differently than he had been feeling since first contact, but he could sense the changes occurring over time between the two of them. As for Eira's claims of an invasive nature to this bond, he scoffed. "Connected minds. That's it? I can walk into people's dreams already, so it's nothing new to me."

[Apollymi]

"Well I mean that is probably true, but at this point that isn't something I need~" she mentioned of sexual energy in connection to their power. If she were being honest, there was another level to this mark which could actually be conferred by way of proper sexual contact. Even so, Eira had no intention of making anyone take that mark. This had less to do with the sex, which she figured she could get if she wanted and more to do with the exceedingly permanent nature of the fourth level of the mark. Once the last one was given she wouldn't be able to remove them anymore. It tied the lives of the two people that held them together, it would make it so it'd be impossible for her to trade said person and impossible for them to be free of her. With this in mind, she considered it a no-go as she felt it took away too much of another person's free will. Back in this moment, though she'd gotten power from Izuna and though she'd mentioned that the final mark she'd give would link their minds he said he had no problem with this. "Alright, but when you claim you feel like a girl... I won't hear any of it~" she teased. It seemed that there wasn't much new as far as the level of nudity and comfort were concerned with Eira. She relaxed even further and knowing the other mark had fully set in she prepared herself for the last bit. To be honest she already felt a bit more powerful herself, but she knew the next mark would take that feeling to a whole new level.

Given the nature of this last mark and the need to progress further into their physical contact, Eira knew what she'd have to do. She could at least trust Izuna not to take this the entire wrong way when she did it. After all, Eira was affectionate enough that such actions weren't really strange for her. That being said she leaned up to Izuna's face and pressed her lips against his. As her lips pursed she would pass along a bit of her power in a very direct way. Doing so would bond them together closer physically and add another level to the mark on Izuna's arm. Beyond this it would invigorate them both, giving extra stamina and endurance it would also give them a bit of insight into each other's minds and feelings. A few moments after this happened Eira would fall away from the lad's face with a small smirk on her lips. "That should about do it. That last bit should give you the ability to use one of my powers like your own. I am not sure which one though... good luck figuring it out~" she chimed. Still she didn't actually let go of the lad and gave him another squeeze to ask him a question. "How do you feel?"

[Bloodedge]

"Oh. Well, good. I'd rather not have to do that, but I was going to anyway." With that said, Izuna allowed the exchange to continue. Eira's life energy grew enough for it to be easily noticed by Izuna. It took more time than he expected for the second level of this mark to form, yet not too long at all. However, Izuna returned to wondering how things would be going here if there were to be additional levels to gain yet. He wasn't left to his curiosity for long, as Eira's very next action following the second level was to kiss the former Fox Youkai.

Izuna's eyes widened, partially due to shock, but mostly due to a sudden influx of power the likes of which he'd never imagined would be found in this form of his. When she backed away from his mouth and squeezed further through their embrace, his eyes remained wide. "I feel..." he started. Instead of continuing his sentence immediately, he started laughing. It was almost as if he had consumed some sort of drug that enhanced every ability he had, and he could feel it surging through every fiber of his being. "Awesome! I wanna wrestle an Oni!"

[Apollymi]

The idea that Izuna didn't want to have to be sexual food for her was something she'd keep in mind. Not that she'd intended to start feeding on people that way, but it was always a good idea to have some knowledge of everyone's boundaries. She had a good idea of where most people's were, but for her and Izuna it always seemed like there were more doors opened than closed. Regardless of this there was a bit of shock coming from the lad after she pressed her lips into his, but after the kiss and passage of power finished he seemed to think about how he felt. What came out next was laughter and given their close proximity and new bond she knew exactly why he was doing this. A small smile came to her face. "Thank goodness. I thought you might freak out for a second..." she said seemingly satisfied that everything had gone according to plan and nothing was properly awry with this. More than that, she was quite relieved to have shared this power and not have it blow up in her face, after all, she generally avoided using her Succubus related powers because they always seemed to have some huge negative or caused her to have to change the way she behaved to use them in non-invasive ways. "Though I wouldn't really advise wrestling an Oni just because you can~" the teased gently. "Arigatou." she thanked Izuna not simply for allowing her to do this, but also for his friendship and kindness in moments like these. She was almost certain the word itself wouldn't convey how she felt properly but assumed if the Marks were behaving properly he'd understand regardless. "Oh and just so you know, I didn't really plan on letting you go. So, next time, if you don't want any more naked cuddles, let me know~" she mentioned with nothing but teasing in her voice before she finally let him go again. Still she didn't immediately bother redressing herself and instead went to take a seat, and think more about the rest of her Peerage and how she could or should apply the other marks.

[Bloodedge]

As he looked at the mark on his arm again, Izuna repeatedly clenched and opened his fist, feeling quite physically capable in comparison to how he was mere minutes ago. Beyond this, the mark itself looked tribal in design, boasting the appearance of a fox's head and shoulders, pointing toward his hand and stopping a quarter of the way up his forearm. He felt like it was possible that Eira did this on purpose, but he was well beyond questioning this aloud. However, there was much wonder in Izuna's mind. He could indeed feel the deeper meaning in Eira's thanks, but he could also feel her life energy almost the same way he could feel his own. With Eira letting him go to take a seat for herself again, Izuna strangely followed her to the chair. "... I get it," he said, not addressing her thanks or need to be informed if 'naked cuddles' were no longer desired. What he meant by this, was that he understood her stopping so abruptly at the third tier of this mark. "You're selling me short. This doesn't have to be forced."

Once he reached Eira's fore, Izuna extended his right arm until he was able to touch her sternum at the point just between her cleavage and collarbones. He found quickly that his use of Senjutsu extended between Eira and himself now, giving him an innate understanding of this power she'd used. He would have their life forces blend through this simpler form of physical contact, causing his mark to grow to half the length of his forearm. This effort filled him with the same sensation he'd felt in previous moments, tenfold. His mouth fell open as he felt like he could either orgasm or physically explode at any given moment. This moment, however, was not to last forever, even though he had certainly evolved the mark to its permanent form. He knew this to be possible the moment he understood the mark. No sexual contact would be required for Izuna's mark to reach this level; he had already given himself to the crimson-haired Devil on a far deeper level than some simple physical connection could compare to. This alone would stand as proof.

[Apollymi]

Strangely enough, Izuna didn't reply to her the way she'd figured he would. The went on to join her at her chair and reached out to touch the spot on her sternum between cleavage and collarbone. "What are you..." she wanted to ask a question of the lad, but by the time she'd figured out what he was doing it was far too late. The contact between them made her own power flare in a way she hadn't tried to do it before. It intimately connected them and she could feel her own power explode towards the outside of herself. She felt powerful beyond what she always felt and knew the young man had connected their life forces growing their connection in such a way as to make it permanent. She was shocked, in awe, her face tinted by blush and the rush of power which made her power drunk the way taking power directly from Takumi had. She couldn't even make her voice work initially to rebuke the lad for this impomptu decision. "Baka!" she managed with a flushed face as she eyed the expanded mark on his arm. She couldn't help but feel like this had taken a rather sudden turn, and though Izuna did this of his own accord, she wasn't sure he realized what it really meant. She reached up to hug him once more pulling him towards her as she began to explain because she didn't trust herself to stand given the sensation this influx of power had given her. Her voice came out a hushed whisper because she could barely believe what Izuna had done. "I wasn't selling you short, I was giving you an option. You pushed that mark all the way up, it's permanent. I can't take it off... ever. Nor can anyone else without killing one or both of us in the process. You're mine now forever. You can't ever change your mind about it. You can't leave me now!" she explained the seriousness of this and why she hadn't bothered trying to give it in the first place. "Even if you wanted to..." she finished it was almost like she was mourning his decision. Though she was stunned by it, this level of blind devotion was insane, and she hadn't offered it because she didn't want him to change his mind later only to become unhappy if he couldn't free himself from her. It was never about the contact she didn't want to bind anyone to her permanently. But she also didn't like using her Succubus powers in the first place this was one such reason.

[Bloodedge]

Chastised for his choice, Izuna seemed to be without a care. He was grabbed once more, but he did not move at all. A scoff passed his lips when Eira noted the permanent nature of this tier. "Like I said... you're selling me short," he said, finally moving enough to grab Eira by the wrist and place her hand upon his chest. "You're in my head now too, right? So you know... I know. Sorry, but you just lost the ability to make assumptions about my dedication. Take a look inside, and tell me if you think I was ever going anywhere in the first place." Izuna gave a few moments after his speech to allow Eira a proper chance of peering into his subconscious. If she chose to do this, she would find Izuna during the time when they were acquaintances, and all that he gave away when choosing to live a new life at her side. Once the allotted time passed, Izuna stepped away to begin redressing himself. "Did you see it? If you did, you should know me wanting to go anywhere was never a thought."

[Apollymi]

Izuna seemed adamant that Eira was selling him short. He even went so far as to state that she no longer had the ability to doubt his devotion. She couldn't help but look at him strangely as he placed her hand upon his chest and explained what he meant. He told her to look within his subconscious which would apparently prove once and for all if he had any regrets. She supposed it was an alright thing to do, considering it would also set her at ease, a discomfort she hadn't known she properly possessed until this moment with Izuna. Eira closed her eyes and began wandering towards the edges of her own subconscious. Within this she found the edge that would lead to Izuna and upon seeing this she saw what he wanted her to see, their time together as acquaintances and all he gave away to be at her side. His family, his home and everything he had worldly all to stay at her side. He'd even taken the Evil Piece, a thing he didn't have to do because he wasn't dying at the time he'd decided to join her. As he stepped away from her he began redressing and she wiped away a tear. She supposed it was very true that she couldn't deny his devotion and as such she wouldn't even try. "Hai I saw. But you've been in my head now too... Besides that you've had ages to get to know me," she said. And the truth of this statement was that aside from one person, she always left everyone's personal decisions up to them. "Though I suppose you took it on yourself..." she mentioned accepting this as the truth of the situation. Strangely enough upon saying this aloud she felt a delayed tingling sensation at the top of her left arm as the outline of a unknown creature with three feather like protrusions and a long tail became emblazoned upon her bicep stretching across it. "Huh... I didn't know I'd get one too," she thought looking at it still naked in her chair and apparently exceedingly comfortable that way. Aside from the outline only one part of it was filled in, a section which was the head of the creature with three intense protrusions at the end of it.

[Bloodedge]

"I've been in your head lots of times. That's why I didn't bother mentioning this level before I did something about it," Izuna spoke while fastening his pants and reaching for his shirt. He leaned against the desk while buttoning his top, looking over to note the mark that appeared on Eira's arm. "It makes sense that you'd get one. You get stronger from these things too, and it does feel like a pretty mutual power-up. Just... don't go growing more than one tail if that's what you get from my end, yeah?" he asked. With this exchange over and their interaction reduced to banter, Izuna was content to depart from the office. As such, he pushed away from the desk and took steps toward the door. "So, you've got your answer. It's a pretty solid way to make sure everything works out better in the long run for all of us, but it's up to you to figure out the rest. I'll stick around for at least a few more hours in case you need my genius advice!" he said while waving over his shoulder and opening the door once more to vacate the office.

[Apollymi]

Izuna's affirmation that he'd known she would have argued about it, was about what Eira expected. Still she couldn't say she felt anything other than pleased and absolutely bristling with power beyond that. "Yeah yeah, for you I will aim for one... but no promises~" she chimed adding to their banter as it was obvious that Izuna was now dressed and would be exiting the room soon, she also dressed herself hapzardly in her small dress and nothing else. Mostly she did this because she fully intended to spread around a couple more of these marks and get them out of the way. "You're not fooling me, you aren't sticking around to give advice. You want make sure your mark looks the coolest... and to think of inappropriate ways to tease everyone," she chastised the lad as she too stood up from her chair. She also exited her room soon after and wandered down the hall towards one which she knew to contain, Konpaku Youmu.

"Come in..." these were the words spoken by Youmu before Eira even lifted her hand to knock on her door. A small smile came to her face as she pushed it open and gently closed it behind her. She found Youmu sitting in the open space of her bedroom floor with her katana in her lap and her legs crossed in meditation. It seemed that the white haired young woman was getting in her ritualistic meditation among other things, but opened piercing blue eyes to have a look at Eira. "Gomen, Youmu... I didn't mean to interrupt. I just..." she started to speak to the other woman who simply motioned to her side and Eira knowing what it meant took a seat there. "I've been thinking that I could offer everyone a bit more power and everyone could in turn help me," she said with a weak smile. "I just wasn't sure what to say to anyone," she started to go on but Youmu spoke up instead. "Because you're a Succubus and you didn't want anyone to change their opinion of you." she said calmly which made Eira's eyes widen in surprise. "You knew?" she asked of the other woman. "Scanning souls and knowing different types is one of my general abilities as a Phantom. I knew you weren't a standard class of Devil. Watching your behavior told me the rest, and I've been telling you for ages... to accept yourself," she said turning her gaze to Eira once more and turning so they were now facing. She moved her sword out of her lap. "I... just wasn't ever sure. But you seem so sure, now. I don't know what I expected," Eira mentioned. "We accept you as you are... and always will, now then what kind of power are you taking and are you offering?" Youmu asked her voice still apathetic but her eyes shining with untold emotion. "It will bind us together through a mark, allowing us to share energy, making you guys harder to harm, easier to heal and will give me a bit of your power and you a bit of mine if you take it that far. It's a Succubus power though so it requires contact, and more so than that... a bond," Eira explained going on to do so in a way which made Youmu nod. "Sou ka, alright then. Give it to me," she said with the same calm she always had. "Wait don't do this too, don't you want to know what it will do or how it is applied?" Eira asked seeming not to understand what she should or shouldn't share. "Iie, give me all the parts of it you want me to have. It doesn't matter to me how it's applied nor what is necessary. I promised to lend you my sword and to cut everything... if you are saying you can help me with it, then just do it," said Youmu. Eira smiled in this moment and lunged forward wrapping herself around Youmu while spreading her power as a Succubus through her person.

"Sou ka, the strength of this is quite high. You've been holding out Eir," Youmu mentioned as she felt the tingle of a tribal like mark forming on her left forearm. "Three levels of it. I know you have goals that might not include me. Don't think I am thinking less of you for not trying to bind you to me permanently," she said as she used magic circles to rid the pair of them of their clothing and she settled into Youmu's lap the way she'd done when she was much smaller. She enjoyed this closeness and Youmu did too apparently, as she needed no prodding to wrap her arms around the crimson haired lass. "Not to worry, it is assumable that you and Izuna worked through whatever shorted he felt. I am not so impulsive. I'll accept what you give," she said as another piece of this mark took form and allowed Eira to imagine the proper spacing for a Youmu specific version of power. She understood the white haired young woman, as her heat beat against the back of her chest and she felt slightly cool against the warm of Eira's skin. "Hai hai, as long as you don't feel slighted. That bit gave me a new power... for you though... the next one is necessary. I think given the person you are, you'll end up with my power of Destruction to use as your own, it could have been a Succubus power... but I am almost certain you will take something more offensive," Eira mentioned. And in keeping with what she'd thought about when conferring power to Izuna she aimed to do the same to Youmu. She knew this young woman was in this for her. And she was so agreeable and such a good friend, the nature of their bond was that of almost sibling relation. She leaned up to kiss Youmu's cheek and passed along a bit of her power. And in this moment, Youmu's eyes widened. She'd cuddled Eira quite a lot without question, because she knew the girl needed affection. But feeling now the bristling power that the affection brought her, that was something entirely different. With this Eira's power subsided and she relaxed against Youmu taking a casual look at the mark on her left arm. It was in a straight line down her forearm and looked a bit like a filigree tribal sword. "Sugoi! They look different on everyone!" Eira mentioned seemingly excited as she felt the tingle of the next bit of her own mark form as the blade of the long tail of the creature on her arm became a filled in filigree swirl. "Gomen, I made you naked for nothing..." she mentioned, creating magic circles to redress both herself and Youmu. Youmu sat calmly and sighed. "Baka," she said which surprised Eira. "I told you already I knew what you were, a little nudity isn't anything to concern me. Besides, I feel like I could cut anything... and I know you feel better too." the white haired girl finished as she pushed Eira up and out of her lap. "Go." finished Youmu the stoic nature of her face returning but as Eira looked into those ice blue eyes she saw the happiness and light of the young woman who'd discovered her ability to cut anything. "Hai!" and there would be no more words between them as Eira excused herself to begin moving around the house again. Who would be next to receive their mark, as Eira moved around her house like some sort of sexy tooth fairy? Only time would tell, but she'd spent about twenty minutes alone with Youmu, and as such would be open to whoever next crossed her path.

[Bloodedge]

As Eira traversed the hall, the bathroom door suddenly burst open. Out came Sairevil, who seemed to be in a rush while not really paying attention. Because of this, he erupted from the bathroom at such a time that he was en route to crashing into Eira from her side. Whatever reason he had for leaving the bathroom in such a hurry, his attention was suddenly dragged from it by the presence of Eira. "Ah, sumimasen!" he said frantically. "I was... uhh... err..." he stammered. Regardless of his intentions, Sairevil looked to Eira and noticed something different... something new within her. "Hm? You've been doing the thing, haven't you!?"

[Apollymi]

On her voyage through the house, Eira was bumped into while she had nowhere in mind to go. This collision left Eira looking to her side to find more crimson hair, which could only belong to one other individual. This also came with an apology, she noted that the lad had looked a bit flustered and had no idea why this could be, and instead of thinking too much about it she simply laughed. "Iie, it's okay, Revil. Just as long as you washed your hands in there..." she mentioned with a tinge of deviousness in her eyes. Whatever the case the lad was soon asking her about what she'd been doing, and this made her eyes widen. "What thing? I didn't do a thing..." she said seeming to be suddenly aghast again. Of course, she knew that her nephew could probably tell a lot about her given his own abilities. She quietly spoke again. "I handed out a couple of marks... do you want one?" she asked of the lad, inching away managing to look a tad bit embarrassed by the entire thing.

[Bloodedge]

"It wasn't like that!" Sairevil replied immediately, seeming to be in a bit of a huff over Eira's retort. His trip to the bathroom had been an... interesting one, to say the least. However, it had nothing to do with his actual bathroom-related needs, and everything to do with something else that would likely traumatize him for some time to come. Moving on though, Eira - in spite of her initial rejection of his claims - admitted to applying her marks to some of the other current inhabitants of the building. One such mark was offered to him as well, and though he had access to some of their family's powers himself, he knew the benefits that could still come of this. "Sure! I was actually warned about it before the exchange happened to put me in your Peerage. I've been told that if you ever got to the point of using those, I could have up to two," he said, referencing a brief discussion he had with his father between the last Rating Game and the Evil Piece exchange with Eira.

[Apollymi]

"Uh-huh, I want to ask..." she started only wondering what the lad could have gotten into in the bathroom. "But it's fine," she said a giggle escaping her as she looked at the lad beside her. Obviously as a member of the Gremory household himself, he had more than a bit of information about the inner workings. Of course, she was a bit astounded that her brother had taken the time to explain this sort of thing to his young son, but she respected the idea. It was said that he could take up to two of the marks and she respected his decision. "Hai, two is fine... I don't really like the idea of giving more of them anyways," she stated with a curt nod of her head. She opened her arms to offer the lad a hug which assuming he took would flood him with the power she normally avoided using. Doing such would convey the first level of her mark to the boy.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah... Yeah, good." Eira apparently didn't care to bug him about what happened in the bathroom. This was good, as Sairevil had no desire to admit to the horrendous things he'd undergone mere moments ago. There was another matter of importance on the table anyway, as Eira was quick to offer up the opportunity for Sairevil to take her mark unto himself. Stepping forward, he opened his arms as well to meet her embrace with his own, even skipping ahead to the requirements needed to be met for the second level by using magic to discard his clothes.

[Apollymi]

Eira's embrace was met by her nephew with no opposition, much like it always was. The lad even took it a step further stripping himself of his clothing to prepare for the next step. Since he was naked it was no extra work to make her own clothing disappear for the time it would be necessary until the lad got the second level of the mark on his person as well. This time she felt power flow into herself from the lad, and grinned, it was far to easy to become power drunk off these exchanges. After a few moments when this entire thing was concluded she'd let go of the lad, looking at the little fairy on the side of her arm and seeing that it'd gained a few extra feathers in its design. "There you go! What's your mark look like, Revil?" she asked of the lad as her clothing reappeared in the same moment.

[Bloodedge]

In no time at all, the exchange of marks was done. This was obviously a much easier ordeal when done between Succubi and Incubi mutually, as there was no resistance at all as far as Sairevil was concerned. When they parted moments later, Sairevil also magically returned his ensemble. Eira asked for the details regarding his mark's design, and when she did, he realized he hadn't even been thinking about it. "Oh, right!" he said while checking himself for where the mark had even appeared. Soon enough, he felt the strange sensation of it on his upper back, so he merely turned away from Eira and pulled on his shirt to unveil it. There, just beneath his hair, a horse's head with a pair of wings surrounding it could be seen on the lad. "There! Both of mine, same spot!"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Sairevil was also content to going back to being dressed. But soon after when Eira asked him where his mark was, he went on to say that he hadn't thought about it at first. A smirk came to the girls' face as the lad turned around and revealed a horse head with wings beneath his hair. His words though made her eyes widen. "Both?!" she said seeming to be shocked. "You have two?!" she seemed to be strange about it but when she thought about it, there was another tingling sensation. "So you gave me one too... what's it look like?" she said with while taking off her clothes again. She turned around to reveal a set of wings in the same place as both of Sairevil's marks but stretched across her shoulder blades. "I didn't know you were going to give me one too..." she said, it was an unexpected gesture even from her nephew.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Both," Sairevil said, managing to look somewhat confused by the question. Eira went on to turn around and show her back, asking what sort of mark she'd gotten from his end of the exchange. Upon looking at it, he pointed toward his own. "Wings like these. Yours are a little bigger, though," he explained. As for her shock at his offering of a mark to Eira, he figured it was a reasonable thing to wonder for one who didn't rely much on her Succubus abilities. "I couldn't have not given you one. Since we were both doing it, the back-and-forth kinda just works like that. That's what I was told, anyway."

[Apollymi]

"Sou ka, I guess I hadn't considered it," apparently she now had a set of wings on her back in addition to the tailed fairy creature which was on her person. "I have a weird fairy on my arm, and wings on my back... alright," she said taking it on logically. Of course, beyond this point was the bit which Sairevil explained involved the pair of them sharing their powers with each other thus the passive sharing of two marks between them. She supposed she hadn't considered what would happen if her Incubus nephew shared his powers with her, but she supposed there were worse things. "Hai, thanks for explaining. Arigatou na~" she said offering the boy another hug. She was quite fond of him beyond the norm and as such she didn't seem to care very much about sharing a mark with him that worked both ways for them. "Anyway, I have to go offer this to the others, so have fun. And don't spend too much alone time in the bathroom~" she chimed teasingly offering the lad a wink before she wandered further down the hallway in search of another of the members of her peerage.

[Bloodedge]

Sairevil nodded to the note that Eira now had two separate marks on her person. He supposed he lucked out and avoided looking like some delinquent among the humans in having his overlap one another, but considering the effects their family had on humans, it didn't really matter anyway. When it appeared Eira was ready to move along, Sairevil righted his shirt. Her comment about his 'alone time' in the bathroom sparked an expression of great terror in the young devil, and he even looked toward the bathroom door during this time. "H-hai... Ja ne..." he said while slowly creeping away from the bathroom which damaged him so.

[Apollymi]

As Eira moved through the house, she headed for the room which belonged to Maiko. Upon arriving there, she knocked on the door just as the girl hung up her phone. "Eira-sama! Kaa-san said I could stay tonight too~" she said which made Eira smile. "That's good. I'm happy to have you~" she said foregoing the hug she would have normally given the girl. This set her off a bit as she found herself staring at Eira for a long while after. "Ano, what happened? I normally get hugs and stuff when I say things like that. I was pumped!" she claimed with her normal amount of excitement. "It's nothing really I have to offer you a power and explain something," she said calmly taking a seat at the foot of the girl's bed and motioning beside herself for Maiko. The dark haired girl took a seat next to her a look of deep concern on her face. "Okay. But is it like super serious or something? I mean I know crazy things happened and all, but... that isn't any reason to be like this, is it?" she asked which made Eira look at her a bit longer than normal before shaking her head.

"Iie, it's nothing like that really. I just have to say I could offer you a bit of power. It'd mark you as mine and give you a boost. Make you harder to harm and easier heal. I could share a bit of power with you and you would give some to me. It'd be fair," she said with a nod. "Sounds cool. Let's do it!" she said. "But, it's connected to my real powers so it's kind of invasive," Eira mentioned. "Alright, still let's do it..." she said to the woman as if she didn't understand what sort of invasive it could be. "I'm a succubus Maiko-chan. Our bond has to be a bit intimate. Nothing crazy but if you aren't okay with that it's totally fine." Eira said. Maiko spent a long time looking at the woman as if she was confused by the knowledge that she was a succubus. She supposed it made sense, she did find the woman to be the most attractive she'd ever seen. And she could manipulate emotions which was strange for someone who used such destructive magic. "Okay so you're a Succubus, do you need to do it with me or something like that? I mean, I haven't ever done anything like that before. I haven't even kissed anyone before, but if it will help us both it doesn't sound like it would be bad or anything..." Maiko said. "Yosh! Let's do it!" she said slamming her fists together.

Eira's eyes widened. This girl's fortitude and lack of questioning were crazy to her. Her attitude was always so straightforward it was almost too much sometimes. "Iie, that isn't necessary, arigatou, Maiko," she said opening her arms and giving the lass a hug in a half pounce. The hug itself contained the woman's succubus magic and doing so would let Maiko feel the full effects of attraction to Eira. Even so she didn't pull away. "Sugoi!" she managed seeming to be excited. Several moments into this hug, Maiko began feeling something strange on her upper arm in addition to the lessening of the feelings of desire she had for the woman. "Sou ka... is there more?" she asked wondering what all Eira intended to do. "Hai, I can... give you a little more without crossing any strange boundaries," she said causing both of their clothes to disappear as they fell back against the bed. She wrapped her arms around the black haired young woman and pulled her in close to her body. "I am always really worried about how you guys will react to me, and you all surprise me," she said. Maiko managed to have her eyes widen even so she didn't even feel strangely about it. "Iie, we all adore you. I feel really good right now... Like super strong and all. And it helps you too right?" she said rotating until they were cuddled up naked together with their chests pressed against each others. "It's fine with us even if you're some kind of awesome sexy demon. I'm really jealous now though, everyone is super awesome compared to me," she said seeming to be disappointed. "But that's cool, I'll just try really hard!" she said with a nod which made Eira squeeze her a little tighter. "Iie, you're super awesome already, Maiko." Eira said. The power exchange complete she cuddled for just a few seconds longer and let the woman go.

When Maiko sat up she was left examining her left arm and saw at the top a tribal design that looked a bit like a sword and shield pressed together with the positive and negative space. "Sugoi! It's cool!~ Arigatou..." she said seemingly excited by how cool this mark was. "Hai, that one is pretty elaborate actually, I'm surprised. And don't worry, if you ever want to leave me. I can take it off you," she mentioned. "Like hell you will! Mine now, not taking my tattoo!" she said as the other woman put both of their clothing back on them. "Hai, don't let anyone get a cooler mark than me though!" she said chiming. "Hai hai!" Eira said as she left the room shaking it off. There was at least one more male member of her peerage who required her attention and she supposed she needed to look around until she found him as well.

[Bloodedge]

Two male members of Eira's peerage remained. One was the new Devil named Takumi, still in the bed of Eira herself after being rendered unconscious from using the Juggernaut Drive. Interestingly, he had regained consciousness quite recently, but he remained immobile and staring into the ceiling as he lay there still. The other unmarked male, Hiroki, could be found in the game room. One could note that since their recent celebration, Hiroki had been spending the free time he had in this building in the game room, practicing his shot on the pool table. In a few matches against one Konpaku Youmu, he had been absolutely dominated. As such, he had hopes of maybe providing more of a challenge the next time they encountered one another in such a situation.

[Apollymi]

Eira wandered about this time down to the game room where she found Hiroki practicing his pool shot. She grinned finding him here and thought about Youmu mentioning that there was nothing she couldn't cut. "Yare yare, did Youmu cut your pride too?!~" she teased, in a surprisingly instigating manner. She noticed she'd said this and covered her mouth just a tad. "Gomen, I didn't mean that... Hiro I need to talk to you. Tonight showed me I should be a bit more cautious with all of you and a bit more honest," she started. She tried not to fold in on herself in this moment, but instead of speaking more she found herself leaning against the pool table waiting to figure out the right words to use to share the information she had to say.

[Bloodedge]

Hiroki was searching for the perfect shooting angle when Eira approached. The words which escaped her mouth at first were strange, as if they belonged to the mouth of another... Izuna, to be specific. This caused Hiroki to look at her with a raised brow in an expression that only grew more intense as she explained her reason for appearing here. "Are you feeling well?" he asked. Eira soon leaned against the pool table, and as Hiroki took the shot he'd been lining up, he shifted his eyes to keep his gaze on her. After confirming with his ears that the shot landed, he spoke on her strange introductory clause. "Sou ka. Listen, I might be spending time with someone else lately, but nothing's changed. Unless... well... if it's that, I should tell you that I don't feel that way, and other members of the Peerage might not like that sort of connection between us anyway. Think of the young ones."

[Apollymi]

"I feel fine. Izuna might be rubbing off on me a bit though..." she said which was likely a strange thing to admit. Izuna was her best friend beyond all things and if he hadn't managed to rub off on her very much before this, it was likely confusing as to what had changed about it now. But she'd get to that eventually. But before she could properly explain, it seemed that Hiroki had something else to say. Going on to say that though he'd been seeing someone else, nothing about the pair of them had changed. He also stated that others might not like the change in their relationship if she was proposing one and beyond all this that she should think of the younger members of their peerage. Eira's eyes widened for just a moment. "Ano, it sounds like you're trying to let me down easy..." her eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as laughter escaped her. "Kukukukukuku!~" she chimed before she got herself together, she didn't know if she found this more or less funny than Izuna stripping to get ready to try and please her as a Succubus. "Gomen, it isn't that. You're adorable to me and all, but I don't have that sort of confession to make... actually," she started talking while relaxing. "I was just going to explain that I'm a Succubus, and I haven't really been using that power at all. But I could and use it to share some power with you," she said with staring off into space. "But, it is done by bonding. I wouldn't want to put you in an odd situation or anything," she said. "The first couple levels of this mark don't have to be super intimate or anything like that... But only if you want."

[Bloodedge]

"It's a little late for that," he claimed. As far as Hiroki knew, Eira and Izuna had been friends and/or companions for decades upon decades. To think that one would only just be affecting the other was a bit ludicrous. Regardless, Eira caught on to what he was attempting to say and do, but thought to dispute it. In response to this, Hiroki lined up another shot and sighed. "I was joking," the young male replied. "The rest of you are so outrageous, I figured I'd give it a shot. Guess it's not my style after all."

Eira was a Succubus. This did not come as a surprise to the others before Hiroki, but he hadn't actually given it any consideration before this exact moment. His brows raised as he came to realize how much sense this made. "Sou. That's interesting to know; I'm surprised I never realized. I guess more power would really help out now that we're eligible for real Rating Games. I'm not kissing you, though. I'd rather keep some of my integrity, or you'll have control over me forever with your weird sex power. Is that joke more up to speed?"

[Apollymi]

"Sure just for being around me, but he's in my head now," she said with a flippant attitude. Moving right along, the lad said his letting her down easy was a joke, and apparently thought himself not to be very good at it given her reaction. "To be fair to you, Hiro. I just didn't expect a joke, it was funny to me though..." she said with a nod on her head. It seemed that Hiro was surprised by the realization that Eira was a succubus. But less so than one would expect, perhaps Eira was wrong to believe that everyone hadn't realized how strange her powers were. His final sentence made her chuckle as well, in her more normal way. "Ufufufufufu~" she said finding it funny. "Yeah, that is pretty funny, Hiro~" she said as she shifted. "No kisses? I can manage that..." she said finally pushing off the table she sauntered around it and opened her arms to the lad to give him a hug. She waited for him to join her in this, and if he accepted it, she'd unleash her power to give a bit to Hiro while taking a bit for herself from him. Over time he'd find himself less affected by the feelings of her succubus powers which he would have felt prickling along his skin as his mark settled.

[Bloodedge]

The claim that Izuna was in Eira's head now was one which Hiroki shrugged off as another of the fox youkai's pranks. It didn't really matter either way, but Eira moved on from this rather swiftly, and it didn't seem Hiroki's first joke was completely lost to her. The second one still seemed to hit the mark more accurately. Following Eira's abandonment of the pool table, Hiroki took one more shot before doing the same. The offer of a hug was nothing new coming from this particular devil, so whether it had anything to do with this power transfer or not, Hiroki returned the gesture without question. During this very normal exchange, he felt the oddness of energies flowing in and out of him, and something else collecting and solidifying on the left side of his chest.

[Apollymi]

As Hiro stepped into this hug Eira's arms wrapped around him, it seemed that he took his mark without any real issues but leaving him at a single level also would do. After it settled Eira smiled still hugging the lad, before she removed his shirt via her magic and her own dress as well. She'd respect his already established boundaries by not pushing past this level of physical contact, but the skin to skin was at the very least necessary. He was the most gentlemanly of any of her group and she knew it would work for him this way. "Gomennasai, Hiro. I have to be a little selfish here to respect your wishes..." she murmured as her skin pressed against his. Hiro's power would flow out of him a bit easier giving Eira a true understanding of the lad's abilities. Beyond this, felt the prickle of energy as she gained true understanding of the lad before letting him go in the eventual power exchange. She then released him from her grasp and produced his shirt for him as she redressed herself completely. "That should work for your established boundaries. If you change your mind about that kiss though~" she teased as she winked at the lad as she pressed her index finger against the mark on his chest. "Let me know!~" she finished up. "Arigatou na, Hiro~" she said. Eira was brimming with the powers and feelings of her already marked peerage. It was like her body was a conglomeration of bubbling energy, and she still had more to mark. "Sorry for leaving so soon, but I still have to find Miyuki~"

[Bloodedge]

As far as Hiroki knew, the mark was in its most complete form the way he felt it on his chest. Contrary to his belief though, there was more to receive, which required Eira to do away with his shirt and her dress before returning to their shared embrace. "Hm?" he wondered. In a matter of moments, the power seal within the mark began to grow further, solidifying a theory in the mind of the Bishop. Eira let go thereafter, offering a tease while Hiroki's mind worked through what had occurred. "Sou ka. That makes more sense of how this is Succubus power. Maybe one day," he said about furthering the level of this mark's application. For now, he had neither need nor interest, and Eira seemed keen on locating Miyuki next anyway. "Iia. Ja, Eira," were his parting words spoken while he returned to his solo game.

[Apollymi]

Eira found herself chuckling at Hiroki. He seemed to generally accept that she was a Succubus and even found the connection between her powers and how she chose to use them. "Hai ja~" she said as she left this room. Eira's walk around the house would eventually lead her to Miyuki's room, where she'd knock on the door. As she waited she could hear the girl pacing back and forth in the open space of her bedroom. "Uh, Hai! Come in!" she chimed only to suddenly see Eira push open her door. "Eira-nee! Is everything okay? How's Taku-senpai?" she asked wondering why the woman had come to see her. A small smile came to Eira's face as this girl's concern over their newest member as admirable. "I left Takumi sleeping in my room. I don't know if he'll be fine, he's been through a lot, but I'm sure you guys will be able to help him out with that..." she said with a nod of her head. "Hai, it's a lot. I am just worried I guess," she said coming to a stop in front of Eira. "Hm, so if you didn't come for that are you okay?" she asked of Eira which made the crimson haired woman nod her head.

"I'm fine, I just realized I should be more honest with all of you. And since we are actually able to take some real rating games I should offer you guys more power and use all of mine," Eira explained which made Miyuki stop and look at the woman with wide eyes. "Sou ka, so you're hiding something too. Do you need something from me then?" she asked. "Hai, I'm a succubus so I can give you more power, but you have to accept it," she said "It'll make both of us stronger though... it's a bit like the seal I first used on you so you could take your human form," she explained to the lass. Miyuki managed to look surprised. "YOU'RE A SUCCUBUS!!" she said seemingly shocked by the information. "Hm, that's pretty cool. I didn't notice or anything but I guess the seal thing doesn't make sense if all you have is the power of destruction. Nor does the healing..." Miyuki said, then after a second of thought she opened her arms for a hug instead of waiting for Eira to do it. "I'll do anything to help you. I like being useful to you, because you helped me out so much... so come on, Eira-nee!" Miyuki chimed. She was the girl who wanted to be most useful to Eira and Eira could do nothing but smile as she accepted the hug offered her. Eira unleashed her power during this hug allowing a snowflake like design to appear on the back of the girl's left shoulder. Miyuki felt stronger in this moment and her eyes widened as the tingling sensation settled. "Sugoi! That feels nice, and kinda warm..." she said. "Hai... I am going to take a bit from you as well, okay?" she said. "Hai, I don't mind sharing with you... Eira-nee!" she said which made the woman smile, she removed both of their clothes as she gave the lass a hug, wrapping herself around the smaller girl. The snowflake of her shoulder gained a wispy looking mist underneath it. It also gave Eira an understanding of the girl's power as a Yuki-onna. A grin came to Eira's face as she gained power from this contact and lots of it, from a girl who seemed to meek. Soon after she let her go restoring her clothes.

"Arigatou Miyuki. You'll be fine now and you won't get hurt so easily. And if you ever feel lonely, even in your dreams... you can reach out to me~" she mused which made the girl's eyes widen. "Hai!" she chimed. "I'll let you know when Takumi wakes up properly okay. Thanks for being so kind," she mentioned leaning over the girl and pressing her lips against her forehead platonically with no powers involved like the big sister she often was. "Until then try and get some rest yourself," Eira said as she excused herself from the room. Finally it was time to return to her own room and her own bed which was occupied by Takumi. She didn't know if the lad was awake or not, but still she entered and shed her clothing climbing into bed, near the lad but not too close. She wasn't tired yet, as such she rolled propping herself up as if she intended to cuddle the lad while he slept. But to her surprise she found him eyes wide open staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. "Ta-ku-mi..." she said his name as a whisper wondering how long he'd been awake. She'd fully expected him to sleep for days.

[Bloodedge]

Yes, Takumi was awake. How long had it been, though? His conscious state blurred the line between seconds and eternity in his own mind, which had been blanked by recent events. Somewhere in the midst of this endless cycle of emptiness, he was joined by another. His name was spoken in a whisper after this figure entered the bed with him. Was this a voice he knew? He honestly couldn't tell. To follow it, his head turned toward its source, resulting in eyes devoid of hope and life looking upon the devil Eira.

He did know who this was. Even in the blankness of his current mind, this was one thing he remembered. For a time, all he could see was a beacon of crimson radiance that connected his current eternity to the moment which started, and ended, everything time and time again. His life ended, then began anew with this sight. Just the same, his loss of stability started, then ended with the same form as the one he could now see next to him. It had a name, but... what could it have been? "Kuzu... re..." he chanted. This was the name which came to mind, encompassing everything he understood about what he could now see. And in that moment, anything else he once knew was gone.

[Apollymi]

Takumi's experience today had been traumatizing, more so than Eira herself could ever say she'd experienced. Even so, the look of void life in the lad's eyes cut her rather deeply, as he responded to his name, or rather the sound of her voice. He couldn't be all there could he? Beyond the exhaustion of his body, she couldn't fault him for his weary spirit either, but as he tried to speak, he said a word, or rather a title one firmly associated with the crimson haired lass. She managed to look stunned hearing it, her eyes welling up with tears. This word seemed to crop up around her always, even so she pulled him into her body, his head making contact with her ample bosom as held him close. "Gommenasai, Takumi. I thought you would be okay... I thought I wouldn't ruin your life too... gomen," she whispered to the lad. She was sad for him and sad with him, and she wanted to comfort him in this way, she also wanted to make sure he wouldn't use the power which had nearly killed him earlier. To do this she'd need help or rather permission from the Red Dragon himself, but that could wait just a few moments.

[Bloodedge]

Following his first spoken word since waking, Takumi was suddenly pulled toward this improperly-named figure. She said something then, but it hardly registered. All he could see was the very same vision. His eyes remained open even while his face was pressed against the devil's breasts, but there were two other things entering his mind. His gaze traveled upward to the face of Eira. In it, he saw a very similar expression to what he'd seen the last time, but... there was something else. What was this? His hand traveled up to her face, to a point just beneath her eye which wet his skin on contact. This was the first thing. 'What is... this...' he thought.

One thing remained. Another thing Takumi could see only with his mind was the falling of black feathers, which he visualized around this woman. How were they connected? He couldn't make sense of it yet, but his own dried eyes trembled in their sockets as this visual trigger occurred. "Korosu..." he said in that same dead voice. Even as he looked directly into Eira's face, he couldn't see her for whatever she was meant to be. All he could perceive was that she was somehow connected to the only other thing in his mind. "... Feathers. Korosu..."

[Apollymi]

In the case of Takumi's trauma it seemed it was too fresh for him to think straight. Strangely, he seemed at least semi-aware that she was crying as his hands made contact with the wetness of her face, but that didn't seem to dissuade him at all. Instead he began to speak about feathers and as Eira studied the lad she'd pulled into herself, his words about killing feathers made the entire situation make more sense to her. She'd been told by the Angels that a Fallen Angel had killed his parents, and it was likely his rage was connected directly to that point. This lad didn't ever seem to want to hurt anyone, had nearly gotten himself beaten to death over such a concept, but now spoke of killing because of feathers. "Iie, no feathers Takumi. It's fine... she's dead," murmured Eira her voice low and very careful.

She didn't know what to do, in her panic she simply held him tighter, wrapping their body together in her wings, not feathered. She had devil wings they were leathery and filled with her power. She looked into Takumi's face and knew he couldn't really see her, but she tried regardless. "Takumi, I know it's hard, but I need you to come back to me," she whispered to the lad as her crimson eyes were filled with tears of pure compassion. "I need you to see me. Come back to me, okay?" she asked of him as tears fell from her eyes onto his face. Whatever the lad was seeing or remembering it wasn't good for his psyche for him to deal with it alone. She had to try and gently pull him back to himself, or risk breaking him beyond repair. She didn't want that, like all members of her peerage, she wanted to offer him peace. She aimed to use her powers to quell his negative emotions while she spoke to him, the stronger ones anyways. "I can take your despair, your rage, your hate, and your suffering... Takumi," she said to him in this moment. "To clear your heart so you can grieve..." she said as another of her tears fell onto his face. "Please... let me help you."

[Bloodedge]

Takumi's hand remained upon Eira's face, moving only in the same trembling manner found in his eyes. The wings which spawned from her back and enveloped him were not what his vision implied at all. They were quite different, in fact. Something was even more familiar about this, but... what could it have been? What importance did this figure hold, and what was this moisture on his hand... his left hand, which took its dragon form as the green gem on its back glowed. Eira's pleas did not reach Takumi per se, but they did reach another: the Red Dragon Ddraig himself. "Eira Gremory. Your words fall on deaf ears. There's no soul in this body; it's in the Boosted Gear now. Give me your soul, and I'll take you to the one you want. He can't hear me, but maybe he can hear you since this body is still reacting to your presence." The Welsh Dragon's words rang true. To preserve the fragmented soul of his partner, he had moved the boy's soul from the main part of his body to somewhere deeper within, into Ddraig himself. The simple fact that it managed to pull toward the outside world regardless of this could be blamed on Eira alone, so Ddraig believed there was every chance she would have a bigger impact than the dragon himself managed. If she were to accept this offer of his, Ddraig would waste no time in taking Eira's soul and transferring her to Takumi's subconscious plane, which Ddraig shared with him. There, one would find Takumi standing in an endless world filled with an inferno that he walked through aimlessly.

[Apollymi]

Words that were heard next by Eira, weren't Takumi's as she would have expected. Instead it belonged to Ddraig who once again referred to her by name. He explained the situation of Takumi's missing consciousness. Apparently Ddraig had the ability to move souls, and had moved Takumi's following the traumatic experience of his day. He made the offer to Eira to do the same to her, that she might be able to reach him in his torment. Eira's eyes widened even as tears continued to fall. "Sou..na, something like that happened. Hai, take me to him!" she said this with an extreme bit of affirmation. She fully intended to help pull him out of his torment. She didn't want him to suffer more than he had to.

Conveniently enough, Ddraig immediately moved the girl and she was placed within an inferno wandering like a lost soul trying to find, Takumi. She saw him in the distance walking aimlessly and did what was only natural to her. She called out to him. "Takumi!" she called his name as she approached him rapidly, this place was monstrous to her, lonely and saddening. She wanted to help him and she'd aim immediately to wrap her arms around the lad. "Gomennasai, Takumi," she whispered her apology, still crying for this boy's sake.

[Bloodedge]

This world of flames spread far, farther than the eye could see. No matter what direction one looked in, there were only more flames. Ddraig inhabited this world, and though he could no longer be seen by Takumi, he currently took his place behind Eira from the moment she entered. Takumi moved forward - the only thing he could do. Suddenly, the outcry of Eira did exactly what Ddraig believed it would: it reached Takumi's ear and caused him to stop moving away. After his walking ceased, he turned to face the woman, looking upon her with eyes only slightly less blank than they were in his physical form... yet with deep crimson eyes that only previously showed themselves when he was in a very different state of mind. "...?" A small noise passed his lips, making known his curiosity in nothing more than a light utterance. Just then, Eira threw herself around him and apologized. Seeing her run into this embrace showed him more of what was missing in his earlier vision. She wasn't connected to the black feathers that filled his mind's eye... she was connected to the moment the last feathers fell, when he had the chance to be himself again. Just then, he took a metaphorical step toward understanding what this person meant, as well as what name should be applied to this form. "E-... Eira... Gremory..." he said, speaking as if he had only just learned the words. Still, the name his physical self had applied to her returned moments later. "Kuzure. Every time... you're there..."

[Apollymi]

Seeing Takumi in this place, he responded to his name enough to stop moving away, it was like he couldn't see. He couldn't see the large dragon inhabiting this place and he couldn't see what was in front of him. But at the very least, he responded to Eira in the most strange of ways, his curiosity led him to turn and Eira saw in him the blandness in his eyes which was similar to what she'd seen of him in her bed. Even so, she couldn't give up, and it seemed that the lad was closer to himself now than he had been initially. "Takumi..." she murmured, as he said her name, as if it wasn't a name he knew or understood or even a set of sounds he was used to saying. Her eyes widened just a bit as he mentioned that word again. 'Kuzure.' It was true, Eira was indeed associated with Ruin, with disaster and with everything horrible that could have occurred with people. In this moment though, she didn't mean to cause it in the lad, she never meant to cause such things, but she was associated with it. In this case she meant only to shelter him from it. "Gomennasai, Takumi..." she said again thinking about it more. "I can take that from you too." she mentioned quietly. "Give me that emotion too. I'll take it so you don't have to feel it. I ruin everything for everyone anyway... let me have this and come back to me," she said looking the lad in crimson eyes she wasn't really used to seeing from him.

[Bloodedge]

Again, she apologized, and again, Takumi was lost in confusion. An offer was placed on the proverbial table for her to take this away from him just like the other things, which let her earlier words properly reach his mind at last. She wished to take away his negative emotions, did she? No, that just wouldn't do. This was true simply because he was in fact molded by these feelings to be the pawn which held the negativity of his master within himself... because he remembered what she was. This time, Takumi's right hand rose to Eira's face in a conscious effort to wipe her tears, and when he was done, he aimed to raise her chin. "Iia. Every time there's ruin... you're there... pulling everything back together. My body died, and you picked it back up. My mind died, and you pulled it back out. Now... here you are again. You gave me this new life, and things keep happening around me that make you like this. I'm not much of a devil then, am I? Leave me my ailments. They're all I have left from being a human now."

[Apollymi]

Eira apologized to Takumi and it seemed that he came back to himself quite a bit. In fact he came back to himself enough to properly verbalize his own desires. It seemed that he thought that Eira was responsible for pulling him out of ruin every time he was confronted by it. Her eyes widened just a little at this explanation, in fact she hadn't expected such a thing and seemed stunned by the tenderness of this lad's actions. Even while he was despairing all on his own, he seemed to think more of her than of himself, enough to wipe away her tears. "Iie, you're great, as a person. Trying to look after me when you have so much of your own to deal with... It's fine if you aren't much as a devil, I'm enough of that for both of us," she said with gentleness in her tone. Her right hand came to his face and she looked him in the eye, "Your emotions make you who you are... I won't take them from you, if you won't release them to me," she said. "But let me take care of you, Takumi. Come back to us, and let us help you," she murmured to him in their moment of closeness. She knew that his feelings were important to him, but she couldn't let his sorrows drown him and everyone else around them. It was a matter of safety, and at the very least, she and everyone else that was part of their peerage, wished only for his health and happiness.

[Bloodedge]

"It's... all I can do," he replied to the amount he wished to do for Eira's behalf, in spite of his own life's tribulations. "You gave me this life, so I'll live it for you. I'll keep all my own problems, and everything I feel about them... but if I don't have at least that, there's nothing of the human me left. There's no point to my humanity anymore, but I want the memories... so I'll remember what I need to be, and what my hesitation caused." As he spoke, the hand he had upon Eira's face moved down ever so slightly, sliding along her cheek. "I don't need help anymore. That me out there is nothing. I'll live my own life now. It's... what I meant to tell my mother," he stated as his right eye - the eye on his side which held the most remaining humanity - shed a single tear. With that, his gaze lifted from Eira, focusing instead on the massive red dragon behind her. "I see you, Ddraig. I'm ready." A nod came from the Welsh Dragon, only to be followed by the two souls in this plane of existence being returned to their original forms. Once outside, Takumi was returned to staring into Eira's face, his eyes now permanently just as crimson as the hair upon the woman's head.

[Apollymi]

This lad apparently wished to do much on behalf of Eira. And though she found it strange for him to have this much devotion based on a decision she made on a whim, it made her heart warm to know it. Takumi's speech didn't stop there, nor did the gentleness of his approach, his hand moved around her face and her heart felt a strange pang within it. He shared the resolve that he'd been meaning to share with his mother, and even beyond it, how he intended to live, even while holding on to what had made him suffer so. Eira felt drawn in by such emotion, and felt privileged to be part of a moment she felt was so personal. Knowing this about the lad, how could she even begin to question his choices. She got to witness this lad's last tear as well and reached for it softly brushing it away as the lad finally turned from her and acknowledged the giant dragon in the background. In doing so, they were both released back to their bodies outside of the realm of his sacred gear. In the comfort of her bed wrapped in her wings, Eira looked into Takumi's eyes and found them a stunning shade of crimson. "Sou ka..." she said to the lad. "Okaerinasai, Takumi..." she murmured as she looked into this face of his. She remembered why she'd come here and spoke beyond this directly to him, allowing him the truth he'd need if he was set in his decision. "If you are going to live your life for me, I should be honest with you. I'm a Succubus and in order to ensure my power and yours, I need to mark you twice. Once with a command seal which is mildly similar to physical hypnosis, to keep you from saying the words which trigger your Juggernaut Drive. Keeping you from rampaging outside of moments were it is necessity is important for the safety of us all..." she explained, both to Takumi and Ddraig as she assumed the Red Dragon Emperor might be capable of resisting her power if he wished it so. "But I won't abandon you completely, if I mark you as mine with my power... I can share it with you and you can share yours with me. It will boost you up a bit and give me a bit more of your power," she explained. This was a lot to take in and she whispered his in slow marked sentences while holding the lad, unlike the others, she couldn't find it in herself to let him go. This was something she hadn't even realized she was doing but she fully intended to mark him before letting him leave this place.

[Bloodedge]

Back in his proper body, Takumi's shaking ceased abruptly. This was a very different person, or rather a return to the person he was deep inside. A gleam swept over his eyes when he was welcomed back to this plane. "... Hai. Tadaima," he said hesitantly, yet without the timid undertone he usually presented. He fell silent as Eira explained her true nature as a devil. She went on to note that she had to mark him twice in some way, once to restrain whatever power he'd used earlier, and again to form some bond between his power and hers. This was certainly something he couldn't turn down, even though it interestingly didn't sound optional in the first place. The strangeness of how she worded this aside, Eira had yet to release him from her grasp. "What are you waiting for, then? That didn't sound like something I could say no to. Besides... I'll do whatever it takes at this point."

[Apollymi]

Eira got to witness something very strange from the lad as she greeted him, and it seemed to her that he lacked the normal amount of timidness he seemed to have. This was abnormal but she could just as easily align it to the lad's newfound resolve. Whatever the case, she explained what needed to happen for this lad to continue and be an active member of her peerage. He mentioned that she didn't make it sound optional and asked her what she was waiting for. "Well deals with devils aren't supposed to seem optional..." she teased in a manner she would likely never get used to. "Gomen... what I mean is... I reincarnated you without giving you a choice and I normally don't do that sort of thing. The people with me are with me because it is their wish, I could relinquish you if you wanted to go, but if you fully intend to stay. Then those are my terms..." she explained as her grip around his person remained. "But if you are sure, I'll..." Eira's power would flare around the pair of them, if he consented. And she'd find herself looking the lad in the eye. Hers were glowing and if this worked properly his would glow in response. Her intent was to first place the Command Seal which would stop him from using his Juggernaut Drive. This particular mark would appear on the upper part of the lad's dragon scaled arm, in the form of an ornate skull like tribal mark. As the type of hypnosis it was, it could technically be overcome by the boy's will, should his life be in danger he'd be able to call upon the power briefly before it was locked away again. This would keep a rampage like the one which happened today from happening.

After this Eira's eyes released the lad, but her power still prickled about her body. Strangely she would show even more of it now, the full attractive force of her as a Succubus would wash over the lad in her warmth. "And now to give you back something else," she said as she aimed to bond with the lad in her bed. Her wings retracted as she no longer needed the held warmth needed for the Command Seal. Instead she let herself rest against him as his proper mark settled, the form of which would be unknown to her initially. A tingling sensation across the lad's skin would occur until it was time to move on. Given both of their current states, she could place two levels of this mark without any need for shifting as her hands traveled down his body to rest around his torso and held him while trying to respect his known boundaries. Even so, the girl's body was awash with power, more than even she'd managed to siphon off him the last time she'd taken it directly. "How does your body feel?" she asked the lad, knowing his emotional state couldn't be healed in a single day, and allowing her eyes to meet his once again.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou. I guess that makes sense." true enough, a deal with the devil seemed to be exactly that which humans spoke of. Perhaps this simple saying did indeed come from fact, from those who actually made deals with devils. Eira informed the lad that these were indeed not optional things for Takumi, though his remaining her servant was. If he wished to do so, though, these were requirements. Takumi's brows furrowed, and he spoke again while retaining eye contact. "No matter what, I'm staying with you. Give it to me," he said with great conviction in his tone and visage. Over the next few moments, the eye contact already shared between them became a spell which pseudo-sealed Takumi's Juggernaut Drive. Following this, Eira retracted her wings, but continued embracing the young male to apply the other sort of mark she mentioned by sharing her powers between them. Takumi felt strangely during this application, and this went well beyond how his own body felt. His heartbeat thumped, then slowed drastically.

His eyes widened, never breaking contact with Eira's, and a light tint spread across his face. This apparent warm feeling was far from the forefront of his mind, and the same could be said of whatever power he was gaining or giving. Everything was replaced with something else entirely, much like the case of his empty mind earlier in their meeting. 'She's...' he thought. Wherever this thought went, Eira was soon questioning how he felt. The next words escaping Takumi may have also answered her question, but perhaps... perhaps it was just as much the completion of his own thoughts, if not more. "... Incredible," he finally spoke through a mouth that didn't want to close at this point.

[Apollymi]

The boy's maintained eye contact let Eira see his conviction and just like the others she'd given marks to this day, he accepted them without hesitation. His words rang through her mind with adamant fervor but still she gave pause while she looked at him. Whatever the lad was thinking she kept her hands on him and didn't let him go. In fact, of all the people she'd laid hands on today this parting was one of the hardest to force to happen. When he finally answered her stating that he felt incredible she was almost willing to let him go, except...

She looked down at his still open mouth and in a moment of selfishness couldn't resist. Every fiber of her being told her to add a third mark to this lad and she heard his words in her ear once more. 'No matter what, I'm staying with you.' If she had any more resistance left, she lost it as she stared at the lad, "Takumi... I..." she lost her words as she pressed her mouth against his, a burst of power would aim to leave her person as their lips connected but, she'd not known him long enough to be sure this power would settle with him as well. She felt strangely emotionally invested in the lad to start with, this moment of selfishness was likely spawned from that. But if it worked both of them would feel exceedingly powerful beyond the first two instances and would have more power to share between them. When Eira pulled away her eyes would still be open but the power she'd used to mark the lad would be receding just the same. Still she hadn't let him go yet, and instead she was content to hold him just a bit longer.

[Bloodedge]

Presumably, their business was concluded with the application of a mark which Takumi felt appearing over his left shoulder. Still, Eira held onto the male and met his stare, which itself was one potentially linked to Eira's Succubus aura. He didn't seem to have become any less affected by this, despite obtaining the second level of Eira's mark... but there was more. Following his claim of dedication, Eira stammered over her retort. Had she even intended to bring this clause to a close, she apparently chose to abandon it in the same moment she decided their mouths required immediate contact with one another. The first two levels of her mark had given Takumi the tattoo of a dragon's head, then its neck. Now, the wings were being added to the seal, but Takumi wasn't bothered by or concerned with that at all. He reflexively took a tight hold of the crimson-haired Succubus, and his eyes widened, then closed. He simply couldn't resist in spite of the freak-out he would have experienced at an earlier point of this exact day.

Eventually, Eira pulled her head away. Takumi's eyes opened then, and he saw that hers were open as well. No words were spoken by the woman. Takumi had every intention to ask why this happened. He'd felt the growth of his mark during this kiss, but it hardly registered in his mind. So, he would ask why she stared in such a way, and what this gesture was really for. He'd ask what she intended to say when her sentence fell short. He'd... do none of that. His mouth opened again to spew a full list of questions, but given what had just happened, and given the fixation he'd regained on Eira's eyes, he only ended up pushing forward to kiss her lips again.

[Apollymi]

Strangely when Eira kissed him, Takumi didn't pull away at all. And instead he grabbed hold of her as well, she was quite sure the mark settled by the time she pulled away. Though she had no idea why she'd forced it onto him in the first place. With her powers receding she figured the lad would want to be alone or maybe not to be connected to her anymore. But strangely nothing came from the teen after she pulled away. No, instead even with her Succubus powers no longer active he pushed his lips against hers again. Her eyes widened immensely because of all the reactions she expected, she didn't expect such a reaction from the boy. She kissed him back for a few moments unable to resist something so freely given to her. After this though when the kiss broke she'd speak to him. "Ano... I should explain, that I was staring because I didn't know if I could give you another mark or not. But I felt compelled to try," she said. "You said you'd stay with me no matter what. That made me really happy," she said. Eira felt so possessive of Takumi and oddly as if she wanted him to keep his word. She shifted her person to hold his face with both of her hands. "I want you to stay with me," she said this with a certainty she hadn't known she'd possessed. Eira realized she was most content when she was like this but she also didn't intend to potentially take advantage of the lad while he was strongly affected by her abilities. 'He should be immune to me right? Was that kiss his own decision?' she questioned herself.

[Bloodedge]

An already-fleeting moment vanished in a relative instant as Eira pulled away, despite returning his gesture initially. She felt compelled to explain her earlier staring, but Takumi had hardly noticed past his own unbroken gaze. His eyes widened. Only now did the expanding mark even register to him. His interpretation of Eira's movements shifted without much additional thought. What had he even been thinking before now? "Sou ka. I thought..." He paused there, closing his eyes and reaching out for one of the hands which held his face. What he thought was initially confusion became something entirely different... something he supposed he should put away. Surely he'd let himself misinterpret something at some point. 'Bakamono. You're just a Pawn,' he thought. 'Partner...' Ddraig spoke in his mind, though the young devil didn't listen at all. Takumi used his grasp to pull Eira's hand away from his face, freeing him to sit upright. "... Suman." With that said, he made every effort to extricate himself from Eira's hold entirely, intending to then do the same in removing himself from her bed.

[Apollymi]

Eira had only explained what she thought he needed to know, even so Takumi's reaction to her explanation was strange. He pulled away from her seeming to be confused, and Eira understood enough of her abilities to know about this. Beyond this he reacted as if it was somehow his fault that he felt that way, that he'd been wrong about something. He apologized to her and she had no idea why. "Taku...mi," she mumbled in response to his apology. "You don't have to apologize," she said as she released him. It was an odd thing to do, given that she didn't like letting him go, but since he wanted to flee her presence she couldn't make him stay. 'Why?' this question hung in Eira's mind as the lad aimed to move out of her bed as well. "Be careful, Takumi."

[Bloodedge]

Takumi had nothing to say to the notion that his apology was unnecessary. He still felt it was. In previous moments, he'd obviously misread some sort of sign that may not have even existed as anything, and acted on what he thought in the moment. Sure, she had returned his gesture for a moment, but... she was a Succubus. This wouldn't deter Takumi from his goals at all, though. He simply now had to seal something away. For the moment, he looked around Eira's room until he found his clothes, seeming to have few enough issues moving while he collected and donned them. As he put them on, he didn't appear to be very satisfied, finding various moments in which he tugged at this and that. Everything seemed virtually fine nonetheless, until he was fully dressed and attempting to move further. A single moment saw every muscle in his body temporarily give out, though his control over himself returned before he managed to fall over. 'Shimatta!' he thought. Pushing forward, he gathered his bearings and reached for the door to Eira's room. If nothing else, he had to leave this room now, lest he misunderstand something else. "Ja," he said in a voice that had become deeper than its previous state, yet also more strained. Without further ado, he moved the door into its open position and stepped out.

[Apollymi]

Eira watched as Takumi dressed himself. The struggle of this moment was one which hurt her quite a bit, but she told the lad she'd let him keep his emotions. She couldn't go back on that now, still she wondered why if their connection should have been better the lad didn't seem to understand at all. More over, while he was dressing himself he had a moment where all his muscles froze and she fought not to immediately move to catch him. 'Why? Why don't you understand?' she thought as she lay in bed propped up on her elbow. Watching the lad reach for her door and with a passing word he left. "Ja ne," she murmured. With that she rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't want to be in this room alone right now, but she also didn't want to cause Takumi any more stress. As such she was stuck in this room by herself for now at least.

Meanwhile the rest of the house was as busy as it always was when Takumi stepped out into the hallway, he'd find himself bumping into Maiko who in the meantime had changed into pajamas and had several bags of snack food and bottled drinks in her hands. Her eyes widened at the sight of him there as she fell to the ground with all the things in her hands falling around her.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi moved onward after closing Eira's door behind him. He didn't appear to have any specific destination in mind, but his chosen path resulted in him bumping into Maiko. He stumbled back, but once again caught himself. Maiko, however, fell back while dropping a slew of snacks and beverages she'd been carrying. In that moment, he snapped back to reality in an eye-widening moment before dropping to one knee in front of the girl. "Gomen. I wasn't paying attention. Here," he said while reaching out with his left hand to grab as many of her things as possible, and reaching out with his left to offer her a lift. Little did Takumi realize, he'd hardly be able to get up himself. Now that he'd lowered himself to one knee, his body was in the process of giving out again, and it was taking more out of him that he realized just to move as much as he was now doing.

[Apollymi]

"Iie, it isn't that big a deal, Yasukawa. I've taken harder hits on purpose... You sure you should be up so soon though," asked Maiko seeming a bit concerned about the lad's well being as he went about trying to help her up she shook her head no and pushed herself up off the ground. "No offense but you look like shit," she said honestly before she aimed to take her snacks from him. She was quite curious as to why he was leaving Eira's room if he wasn't all fixed up, as their leader tended to look after this lad extensively, even so she felt it wasn't her place to question it so she didn't. She'd go on to tuck them all under one arm before extending her other to him. "Where are you off to?" she asked specifically avoiding all conversation concerning anything negative that had happened this day. She'd grieved a serious loss like his and knew better than to bring it up before the lad was ready lest he become upset.

[Bloodedge]

Maiko claimed she'd taken harder hits than this on purpose, and given her personality and general preferences, Takumi believed it. The girl then rejected his offer to help her up, doing so herself while claiming her items from him. Then came her own offer to help him off the floor. Only in this moment did he bother answering her question to him. "I'm fine," he said, ignoring her outstretched hand to push himself up. As difficult as it was, he managed to rise by using his lifted knee like a crutch until he gained the momentum. From there, he pressed his right hand against the wall to balance himself while attempting to move past Maiko. "I'm going home."

[Apollymi]

Maiko already had a lot of respect for the lad, watching him push himself up on his own two feet was something which only added to that. Even so, she could see the state he was in, and found it amazing that he fully intended to walk home. With her arms full of snacks and knowing she could chow down at anytime but knowing there was only this opportunity to be a proper friend to the lad, she decided her course of action. "Yosh! Going with you then... at the very least to make sure you actually get there," she mentioned and just like that the rather pushy girl made her plans to the lad known. "And don't try running off without me, alright? Just a couple of minutes..." she said.

And just like that she ran off and changed back into street gear and stuffed a backpack with all the snacks she'd intended to eat. And within a few moments she returned to the lad ready to go. "Alright, lead the way..." she said with the same general attitude and tone she'd had since this meeting had begun.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi scoffed when the girl claimed she was coming with him, but it didn't seem malicious at all. In spite of this, he remained in his place as she ran off to change and apparently pack up her snacks. A short while later, she was in the vicinity of the lad again, back into her normal attire and seemingly raring to go. Takumi moved on without further hesitation, taking his leave of Eira's place of residency with a single phrase offered to the Rook in his company. "Doumo arigatou."

[Apollymi]

After returning to Takumi's presence Maiko saw that he was content to take his leave of place that Eira and a great number of her peerage called home. As they left even though he'd scoffed when she'd run off to get dressed he even managed to offer a thank you to the girl for her presence, she shrugged this off as they walked towards his house and kept the same upbeat attitude. "Iie, that's what friends are for," she mentioned. With that she was content to walk him home keeping a close eye on the lad as they moved about. She really didn't think he was up to this physically and she could only assume given what he'd been up to before this that mentally he wasn't all there either. In any case, she'd be there for him in this moment, because someone had been there for her in her time of need as well.

[Bloodedge]

"... Hai. Friends," Takumi repeated as he moved out of the building. It was a long and arduous walk back to his apartment, but surprisingly, Takumi managed to make it without any issues... bar the constant stumbling, somewhat hazy vision, and the general lack of anything besides the will to move and the present moral support of companionship. Eventually, he reached his front door, which he leaned against while inserting and turning the key. He had finally made it. At last, he could enter his home and gather his bearings, recuperating in his own time. A relieved grin passed his face, but just as the door he was leaning on had its handle turned, Takumi found himself falling face-first into the building.

[Apollymi]

Maiko watched this lad stumble on his rather long journey from Eira's home to his own. She would have wondered why he bothered with this much work but she figured it had to do with his process and as such wouldn't interrupt it. When they finally made it she was paused to his right, watching as he finally put the key into the lock of his apartment door. Beyond this he finally got the door open and seemed to be relieved. It was a joyous sight, until of course the lad fell forward as if he intended to collapse. Maiko caught him with an outstretched arm. "Oi oi, don't collapse at the finish line. Come on then..." she said as she pulled him up on her shoulder to help him walk into the door. She'd take him inside and place him on the futon within the space before going back to retrieve the lad's key from the door and joining him within. "It's pretty respectable to want to do it on your own. I mean I can't really talk 'cause I did the same thing, but damn you had me worried for a second there," mentioned Maiko as she slung the backpack full of snacks between them on the couch. "Celebratory, snack break," she mentioned as she took a snack size bag of chips and cookies for herself and a bottle of juice and left the lad to plunder her snacks of choice himself.

[Bloodedge]

At the precipice of consciousness, Takumi's fall came to a screeching halt. It was Maiko who stopped his descent to the floor, and this simple jerking motion let him snap back into a proper woken state. Her follow-up was to guide him to a futon and place him there, before going to retrieve his keys and returning with her bag. These snacks she brought up were not the worst idea he'd ever heard, but he had something else in mind. As such, he pulled himself up and turned toward the bedroom. Stumbling his way in, he latch on and hung on to the wardrobe door, which he intended to slide open and locate something to wear besides whatever rubbish he had on already.

[Apollymi]

Maiko was content to start on her snacks, but it seemed Takumi wasn't quite ready to settle in just yet. He wandered towards the back of his apartment obviously with something in particular mind. "Just don't pass out naked in there..." she mentioned knowing that she'd probably not go pick him up off the floor if he fell. Or rather if he did, it would be a bit traumatizing for her to deal with. While he was gone she let her eyes wander around this sitting room and felt strangely about it. He properly lived alone, and while she knew other people who did this, she found it strange for multiple reasons not the least of which being that she always lived with someone. Regardless she spread the rest of the contents of this bag out across the table and started on her chips with her legs crossed in front of her.

[Bloodedge]

Maiko's warning meant virtually nothing to Takumi. In no way did he intend to fall again. Once his wardrobe was open, he dug deep into it until he located some of the darker articles he once wore. He tossed them out onto his bed, then made his way toward them while discarding what he wore. This took much longer than it should have, but he managed regardless. When he emerged, he sported a pair of cropped black trousers, and a steel gray shirt with skull prints. Like this, he made his way back into the living room to seat himself. Begrudgingly, he flopped onto the futon. A trembling hand reached into a package of cookies to claim one. As he sat next to Maiko, he noted her rather spacey expression, and decided to comment, if only to make small-talk since she was still here. "I didn't decorate it myself, if that's what you're wondering."

[Apollymi]

Maiko ate more chips and couldn't help but wait on the return of Takumi. If he heard what she had to say, he didn't reply to it initially, but eventually, he did return. The black haired girl might have thought the lad took a bit long, but by the time he finally returned, he looked a bit more comfortable and strange considering the only way she'd seen him dressed before. "Uh...huh, you look like a delinquent. Badass!" she said in response to the new 'old' look of the boy now eating cookies out of the bag she'd opened. He started with small talk about how he hadn't chosen to decorate, and she couldn't help but chuckle thinking about it. "I mean, it's about what I expected. But a house plant or something wouldn't kill ya'," the girl joked figuring she might as well say something since she had basically invited herself along and started stuffing her face in another person's house.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi apparently had the appearance of a delinquent. He supposed this made some amount of sense, considering how he'd been the last time he wore such clothes. He shrugged this off; what he wore now was much more comfortable than the clothes he'd worn since these were last upon him. Of all the things Maiko could have said in response to his decoration statement, she chose to joke about a house plant. Takumi's expression went from bothered to blank in the wake of this clause, and he stared at Maiko before his response escaped him. "Well, sure. I think I'd kill the plant, though. I couldn't deal with something like that."

[Apollymi]

Maiko looked at Takumi from the corner of her eye, and watched as his face went from bothered to blank. Her brows might have drawn together if she hadn't been busy drinking from a bottle. The girl nearly choked on juice when the lad finally managed to give a reply to the statement she'd made about him potentially getting a house plant. After she was done coughing, she tapped her hand in the middle of her chest and sighed. "Ha! I didn't expect that... good on ya'," she chimed as she finished off the bag of chips and took a single cookie from the bag. After a moment or two, she had a little more to say. "They come in fake though, you could get one and put over there..." she said pointing to an empty corner of the room which could have used something in it.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi resorted to repeated blinking as Maiko laughed. He was quite serious at the time, but could see how this would have made a reasonable joke. As for the fake plants she suggested, Takumi looked toward the empty corner of his living room. Nothing was there, and nothing had ever been there. However, things such as plants were the last thing on his mind. "I... wouldn't even know what sort of plant to look for. It doesn't really bother me; I don't spend much time outside my room when I'm here," he proclaimed. In past times, he didn't even spend much time at home. Only recently had he been home so much at all, and only because of his timidness. Now that their chat had progressed, Takumi wondered something very specific. "So, you brought all that stuff here? Did you not plan on leaving?" he asked, taking a moment then to finally bite into the cookie he'd taken.

[Apollymi]

Though Maiko totally understood why the lad wouldn't have much humor in him this day, his words didn't let her believe he knew she'd only been speaking to lighten the mood. Still if he didn't spend much time in his sitting room, she could understand why it wasn't really decorated, though given how timid the lad seemed to be she could hardly see him hanging out with a bunch of people or only spending his sleeping hours in his place of residence. "I can tell..." she said about the lad not spending much of any time in this space, and choosing to leave it at that. Beyond this point he was content to question her specifically about the nature of her visit, when she was asked she looked at him straight on for the first time in a while. He looked a bit different than she remembered, it was like the timidness had disappeared from him completely now that she thought about it. But she wouldn't comment on that instead she simply finished the cookie she'd been eating and shrugged. "To be honest, I intended to leave once you passed out for the night. I like snacks though so I figured I'd share them, and stick around if you wanted to talk or anything," she mentioned this was probably a bit weird with them not knowing fully each other's history so she thought to clarify. "I just know, it can be shitty to go back to a place alone, even if you want to be alone, after something like this. So, even if its only for a bit, an extra presence is cool... sometimes."

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," was Takumi's response to her knowing why this room was in such a state. He didn't have much else to say about it, so he committed to finishing the only cookie he intended to have. As he did so, Maiko explained the plan she had since accompanying him to this place. She chose nothing beyond sharing the snacks she already had, and being present for the sake of chatting. She also stressed knowing the situation he was in, how bad it was, and how camaraderie took the edge off sometimes. In that moment, Takumi was certain that Maiko didn't actually have a clue what had him so bothered. "It's... not so bad, you know?" he said after a moment of hesitation. Before he continued, he pulled his right knee into his chest, and crossed his left leg against himself behind his right foot. In this position, he was able to rest his chin on the elevated knee while gazing at the carpet beneath him. "I've been basically alone this whole time. I don't have any real friends, and it hasn't seemed like my parents really wanted anything to do with me for the past few years. It's almost like they were dead already, so... I'm actually pretty numb to that. My problem now is that I keep not knowing the right thing to do. I spent all this time being someone different, just because my mom didn't want me to keep getting in trouble... then she died as I was on my way to tell her I was going to become my own person again. Then, after all that was over, I..." He paused, thinking the better of mentioning something which could create some sort of in-Peerage issues. "I just... need to figure out what I'm really doing with this new life. I know what I've decided to do as a Pawn, but... I don't know what to do with myself yet." After venting for what felt like ages, Takumi finally fell silent again. This didn't last long though, as his eyes soon cut toward Maiko with one final question. "If I asked you to stay, would you?"

[Apollymi]

Strangely Maiko found herself listening to Takumi talk. She hadn't figured he would have much if anything to say about his situation, so the rather sudden outpouring of information widened her eyes quite a bit. According to this lad, he'd been alone for years. Practically abandoned by his parents, not having any 'real' friends, he'd been on his way to confess his resolve to his mother after pretending to be something he wasn't to have her die before he could. This was quite a different tale from the type she was used to, and though she saw some similarities between them, she also saw some differences. He vented to her, about how he'd managed to pull through all of that only to not know what he wanted to do with himself after all of it was over. 'Sou ka...' thought Maiko. She was amazed that Takumi had been holding so much in, and she was more than willing to hear out everything he had to say.

More shocking than even all of his confessions she supposed was him asking her if she'd stay if he wanted her to. She gave this a bit of thought and quietly finished chewing before she opened her mouth to respond. "I'd stay if you wanted me to, but..." she paused looking at the lad. "You gotta stop saying you don't have friends, we're friends." Maiko had this sort of outlook on everything, and though she couldn't claim to have the exact same problems Takumi did, she could understand not knowing what to do with yourself when you lost something that was part of you.

[Bloodedge]

Yes was the answer to his query. However, in responding to him, Maiko had a condition. She thought it pertinent to note their friendship, which Takumi thought to question. He wasn't entirely sure what made them, or any of the others, friends. They were all servants of one Eira Gremory, connected only by their servitude. "Is that what we are?" he asked, his eyes lowering again. All this segment of their discussion managed to do was bring Takumi back to the moment he decided he needed to leave Eira's room. "How are we friends? What makes us different from co-workers, or... something like that?"

[Apollymi]

Maiko's statement that he should acknowledge their friendship was met by a strange bit of resistance. Of all the things she expected from the lad, the state of his question implied that the thought of everyone else as co-workers because they all belonged to Eira. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds because she couldn't believe that this was what he'd been thinking about them the entire time. "Co-workers are only related by their jobs right? You figure we're like that because we all 'work' for Eira-sama," she summarized by virtue of what the lad himself had said. "We are all with her because we want to be, and we enjoy hanging out with each other. Sharing our weird hobbies, helping each other with stuff..." she said looking at the lad wondering how he didn't get friendship. "Co-workers will cover for you to get themselves in good with the boss, or for extra pay, or some other selfish shit. Friends like Kagimi, cover for me with my mom so I can hang out more, even though he hates doing it. So I can choose to be here for you, even though whether or not you're okay here..." she said pointing at the lad's heart. "Has no effect on whether or not I can do 'my job'," she said. "We're friends because we find other things to have in common besides the person who connects us," she finished. She found it amazing that he felt this way, but figured it might have been because he didn't make the active choice to join Eira that he saw it as some sort of job. "Our bonds are deeper than simple shared hours. Even ours." she said motioning between the pair of them.

[Bloodedge]

Maiko went on something of a tirade about friendship after the boy's question was offered. In said tirade, she pointed out the differences between friends and simple comrades. She even came forth with specific examples that covered scenarios shared between members of Eira's peerage, and most importantly, the fact that she was here now. His eyes shifted toward her again as she pointed at the area of his chest that would contain his heart, and he came to realize that Maiko had actually gone out of her way to help him make it home, and then some. He'd only bumped into her in the hall earlier, while she was obviously settling in to enjoy her snacks and beverage in the comfort of the place she was staying at the time. It would have been no difficult task for her to go right back to doing that after getting herself back together.

Averting his gaze, Takumi smiled. It was small, and a little weak, but it was there beneath eyes that gazed at nothing at all. "Sou ka. That's what this is. Sankusu," he said at last.

[Apollymi]

Maiko finished her tirade and watched as the young man processed what she'd said. She'd seen a bit of understanding start to surface when she'd pointed to his heart, and he seemed to understand that friendship as defined by her had everything to do with what you did for other people because you could not because you had to. And as long as he understood that, she was fine to count him among her friends. Beyond that, after a few moments of silence he even verbalized his understanding of this moment and thanked her. "Hell yeah! Now, I'm gonna keep eating snacks and you could have a couple more too," she said with a smirk. "Or ya' know you could talk more or whatever, doesn't really matter. I'm here for ya'."

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," he said. Eventually, he had it in himself to reach out and claim more snacks. He even found it necessary at some point to have something to drink, and the night continued as such. The next morning some time before school, Takumi was awake and ready, standing over the kitchen stove. In honor of Maiko's support over the course of his night, he'd seen to it that she was offered the comfort of his usual bed with fresh sheets, and now he plated two servings of eggs, pancakes, shredded hash and bacon strips, with both milk and orange juice on the table next to each plate. Interestingly, Takumi organized the table as one would for a fine dining scenario to go along with this all-American breakfast he'd thrown together. He seemed to be in higher spirits on this morning, though perhaps this was simply due to the fact that he'd been given something to focus on other than the thoughts which plagued him, thanks to Maiko's company overnight.

[Apollymi]

Their night passed strangely with Takumi eating snacks and eventually offering Maiko his bed, which she took somewhat reluctantly. The next morning she woke and after commandeering his shower would exit in her school uniform with her tie undone carrying her jacket and her backpack with a smile on her face. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Yasukawa. That bed of yours is pretty comfy. Still I crashed here so you could have..." she paused taking in the fine dining setting of this colossal breakfast the young man prepared. "You cook?" she questioned as if it was one of the strangest things she'd ever seen. To be honest, she'd expected to just pick up something on the way to school but it seemed that she'd get to eat the quality of breakfast she was used to at home this day. "Sugoi! Smells awesome!~" she chimed as she came to a halt in front of the table. She hadn't expected such a thing, but she was happy to see the lad in higher spirits than he had been the previous day.

[Bloodedge]

Shortly after Takumi finished setting the table, Maiko emerged and began speaking about her sleeping conditions for the night. It seemed she was about to mention something along the lines of her being willing to take the worse conditions, but her sentence was cut short. As she entered the kitchen, Takumi took his own seat. "Of course I cook. It's an American breakfast. My dad was so obsessed with American food after a long business trip, it's all my mom could cook for a long time. Enjoy. I figured it was the least I could do after last night," he said about the meal before them. Without further ado, he began eating from his own plate, doing so in a timely enough manner that he would still be walking along to school within the usual time frame.

[Apollymi]

After school and setting up her club activities for the day, the crimson haired heiress of the Gremory Clan walked about the city. She could have magically summoned herself to the place she was aiming to go, but didn't at this time because she wanted to think. She was dressed in her plain black dress, though it was made of elaborate fabric which clung to all the curves of her body and black shoes which tied all the way up to her knees. Even while distracted, she walked as if burdened with glorious purpose, but within her own mind she still didn't fully understand the events of the past 24 hours. 'Why?' her mind asked this question repeatedly and she still didn't understand why things had unfolded between herself and Takumi the way they had. He didn't even allow her to properly explain before he fled her presence. She thought maybe she'd expected too much and projected her own feelings too much when she'd marked him and blamed herself for not knowing how to speak to him. In addition to this, she'd also snapped at Izuna who was beyond all things her closest friend and the one closest to her. 'Yare yare, I owe Izuna an apology,' she thought as she moved through the streets.

[Bloodedge]

On the outskirts of Kuoh town, there was an old and seemingly abandoned house. A single human male currently inhabited this building, which was surprisingly dark despite the amount of candles lit throughout the building, especially the room in which this young man sat. The building had become something to be avoided by the citizens of Kuoh, bar this single figure. He was a magician of great power and potential, with tanned skin and elvish qualities to his face. Slightly-opened teal eyes glowed in the small amount of light being allowed by the candles surrounding him as he knelt before a sephirot placed in the most central point of the building. There was only one thing he waited for: the devil whom he intended to complete a pact with after learning of recent events surrounding her.

[Apollymi]

As she searched her soul for the answers to all the problems created by her previous interaction with one member of her Peerage, Eira came to a couple of conclusions about how she should proceed. The words of her elder brother during her last visit reminded her that a certain amount of contact was always going to be necessary. She couldn't completely avoid Takumi even as she continued being friendly with everyone else, or she'd risk weakening them all, perhaps there was something to be done about this indirectly, as she also didn't want to order him to spend time with her as it seemed just as pushy as she thought her projected feelings were. "Hmm..." she said as her thought was finally interrupted as she came upon the house she was supposed to be going to. This walk had taken her a solid thirty minutes and even given how far out their school was, that put this place on the very outskirts of the town. Beyond that, this building was a bit ominous, perhaps this was why she was called for this place. She reached out her hand to touch the front door and the entirety of the building felt powerful. Her eyes widened as she closed her fist and knocked upon the door only to have it open. "Hello?!" she questioned firmly as she looked in on candle lit darkness.

[Bloodedge]

The half-open eyes of the man in this building opened fully when he felt another presence at last. It wasn't quite the one he was looking for here, but it was the one he'd been waiting for. "Yoshiku," he said when this presence called out for acknowledgement. Though this house was large, its center was not very far away. However, when his call reached Eira, it would sound as if it came from many, many meters farther. This was what the nature of this building had become. Not only had darkness enveloped all but the greatest concentrations of light in the area, and even diminished those, but it also managed to keep this man - and many others before him - from exiting once they entered. It was as if time and space in this building were separate from the outside world. As such, even if Eira had attempted to come here via magic, she would not have found herself capable of doing so. "I am at the center. If you can navigate the darkness, come to me."

[Apollymi]

Eira stood in this doorway and looked into the darkness. Soon she was called out to, by what she assumed was the voice of the person who wished for her to come here. This call let her know that there was indeed someone in here besides whatever was possessing the house. 'Yare yare, it's so dark. I wonder what has control over this place to make it so...' she mused. Still she was called upon to do this, and this was exactly the sort of job she took just to take it. Perhaps a job like this would help her on her way. As such she held out her right hand in front of her, creating a tiny fire ball within her palm to light the space in front of her among the oppressive darkness. "Hai, I'm coming in... sorry for the intrusion," she said. Strangely that last bit wasn't for the person that had called her, but instead for whatever created this darkness.

She'd found that most times, things such as these were likely just misunderstandings between the kinds of creatures who would like a space like this, and those who wished to live in a place like this. And with this logic she walked inside, she let her empty hand trace the wall, and thus feel the magic in this area. She thought of a way to use her magic to actively navigate this area, by tapping wall repeatedly with her Succubus energy she figured she'd have the ability to stop the flow of the dark spreading energy in this hall. This would give her the ability to easily stumble upon the center of this house, without getting lost on the way and thus to the man who was waiting for her. "Ufufufufu!~ This place is pretty dark, did you lose the door from back here?" she asked teasingly of the elven looking mage she found surrounded by light while holding her own bright flame type magic ball in the center of her palm near her face.

[Bloodedge]

A short while later, the female devil who entered this building joined the man who waited. He stood then, rotating himself to set his gaze on her. Her question, while asked in jest, would be answered as his eyes continued to scan the darkness around them. Even as her abilities nullified the shadows, they crept back into place starting the moment she passed each space. "There is no outside. Once you enter this place, it is no different to entering another dimension. Look where the darkness doesn't reach: the windows. People that were walking in the streets, cars that were passing by when I first stepped through that door... They are all still where they were once I stepped through the frame," he explained, gesturing toward a window at the end of another hall to Eira's left. The outside world was strange from this perspective. The things frozen in time were only affected within a certain radius of the building, and this effect seemed to flip itself in another direction entirely within the house itself. "You are Eira of Gremory, correct? What say you to my theory? I believe there is a magical time paradox spread across this entire property. Those outside are frozen, and we inside are locked in an even deeper way to them, hence our inability to witness them moving as we do."

[Apollymi]

"Yare yare..." the girl said in response to her joke being answered as if it was meant in seriousness. She noted before stepping into this place the amount of power contained within the space, she wasn't sure of its exact nature at all, but she did know it was far beyond what one would consider normal for a spirit haunting a place. Still as her attention was drawn towards the windows she looked outside to find that what she saw there, didn't match what she'd seen in approaching this place. Instead the windows seemed to be locked to whatever was seen when this mage had entered previously. "Sou na, before I entered there was no sign of this sort of disturbance. The walls of this place just vibrate with power, enough to make my skin tingle..." she mentioned of this place. His theory that this place was some sort of paradoxical dimension was a rather solid one, she couldn't really argue against it. "It does seem to be a space unto itself. I wonder if they are lonely..." she mused thoughtfully. "And yes, I am Eira Gremory, Yoroshiku onegaishimasu~" she introduced herself the best way she knew how. As they stood in this room. "Are you the one who called for me?" she asked of this mage. She'd never laid eyes on him before this moment and had no idea what he wanted from her, but it wasn't the first time she'd entered a haunted place and she knew it likely wouldn't be the last.

[Bloodedge]

The man's theory seemed to be something this devil could agree with. More importantly, she was capable enough to sense how much of a disturbance was occurring within this building, and furthermore deduce that this was the fault of some conscious being. This was impressive enough to justify the male's summons, and true enough, she was the very Eira Gremory he sought. When asked if he was the one who called upon her, he nodded. "I am your summoner, yes. My name is Mahad, and you... You are the young devil who has climbed the ranks of the Magician's Council faster than any other to be observed this generation. I do not have the means to deal with the mystery of this building, so I seek a pact with none other than you, that I might extend my knowledge to the Devil Magic wielded by one such as yourself. Knowing my name, you should find that my status as a magician will lift your name in the underworld, just as yours will mine in this world. But first, we must be made capable of leaving this place."

[Apollymi]

This man seemed impressed by nothing at all by Eira's standards. Even so, he introduced himself properly and it was her turn to be impressed. "Mahad?!" she seemed thoroughly surprised, even as the man continued in his explanation of what he wanted, which was apparently to leave this place and enter into a pact with her, that he might be able to learn the kind of Magic that Devils could use. "The Ebon High Magician wants to create a pact with me?" she asked this question to the universe at large because she could hardly believe it. To be fair, this man was just as much of an up and comer as she was. Beyond that, he was said to be a mage the likes of which hadn't been seen in generations, maybe even one to rival one like Cinder Fall. With a man like this at her side in addition to her chosen Peerage, Eira Gremory could easily become the most popular Devil on her name alone. "Sugoi! Well then, I guess we should figure out how to get out of here, huh Mahad?" she questioned the man, but in keeping with the preferences of one with such high esteem she smiled and asked for the sake of politeness. "You don't mind if I call you that, right?"

Her question had already been put forward and in conjunction with the idea that they should be finding a way out of their present predicament, Eira walked towards the sephirot held up in the middle of this man's little sanctuary. She found the slab to contain a single stone and studied it strangely. "Hm, what is this for?" she asked of him as she continued to study the surface of this new thing. Whatever she thought of the potential of their current situation, she needed to know what all had been done before she arrived to make a proper suggestion.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, of course," he said regarding his desire to form a pact with this woman. "The council believes you will accomplish great things, and in keeping with my own legacy, I absolutely must have such a devil in my company." It seemed Eira was just as willing to form this pact as Mahad himself was, though the latter's lack of affectation spoke wonders to the contrary. The first order of business was escaping this timeless house, and Eira was completely on-board with this, but she stopped for such a reason as asking if she could refer to him by his given name. "It is my name," he said as if it were not possible for him to answer to another handle. One would actually find that this man's strange ways were entirely due to the forms of magic in his repertoire, such as an interesting Lost Art which placed a very high importance on something's name. That wasn't something he found to be necessary information to share though, assuming Eira wasn't already 'in the know' so to speak.

His eyes followed the woman as she moved onto the sephirot in this room. As an interesting fact, he judged the quality of her mind by her ability to even take note of its existence as something special. Indeed, she had to be the one he learned the Devil Arts from. "You realize it is special? That stone is the very reason I am here, but I cannot claim it. Whatever force exists here, its hold on the stone is mightier than anywhere else in this area."

[Apollymi]

Mahad soon made his reasons behind wanting to form his pact known. The information and reasoning he had was rather solid and though it lacked the feeling one would normally expect one like Eira to look for, she respected cool headed magicians and as such had no problem with his lack of affect. "Hm, sounds like I have a lot more to live up to than I thought..." the girl mused. Even so it seemed that the man's lack of affect spread beyond this to the politeness of conversation. Stating he would be called by his name because it was his... Eira's brows came together and it made her wonder what kind of magic this man used. Many people went by many different things and what they were called and what they answered to could sometimes be very important. Perhaps, after they were no longer time locked in a strange house, she'd pick his brain for more information, for now she let it go with a smile and a nod of her understanding. "Mahad it is."

Speaking of their potential escape, her attention to this sephirot was praised by the magician, in so much as her notice of it, seemed to please him. His next bit of questioning was rather academic in nature, and beyond that his own observations of this stone were very important. As Eira stared at this gem her head tilted just a bit. "Well it's in the middle of the room, relative importance is clear. And since you didn't bring it here, it means that I was right to assume it's connected to this space..." she mentioned of her own thoughts. His words about the connection to this stone and his inability to claim it made her wonder one other thing. She reached out with a single finger to touch it, while whispering an apology. "Sumimasen... bear with it for just a second," she said as she tapped the gem with her finger and her power wondering if it would have the same momentary reaction that the rest of the darkness had when she'd used her power on it before. "Do you know the layout of the rest of the house?" she asked of him while she studied the reaction of her little test.

[Bloodedge]

"So then, you believe it to be of great importance to this phenomenal occurrence? Wonderful. This stone and the other ten like it are of great importance to magicians of the current era. They are all said to wield nigh-unrivaled power when connected to one whose soul is a match. The greatest magicians seek these stones, hoping they might gain that sort of power for themselves," said Mahad. The explanation he gave was also an explanation for his presence in this place, and Kuoh as a whole. Everything was for furthering his research into the mystic arts. "If only one could claim a single stone and bond with it, legend says they will have infinite knowledge and ability in whatever field the stone has an affinity for. At least, that is the story," he continued.

Eira's apology and request to bear with something for a bit were strange things to hear as she reached for the stone. In touching it though, she would find that exposure to skin caused the stone to make a great attempt at pulling one's blood into it, though its success against a devil of Eira's caliber would likely be nothing more than a potentially-noticeable tug at what flowed within her veins. Mahad felt she wasn't speaking with him, but whether she was or not didn't really matter so long as their goals were met. A direct question soon came from her, in the form of curiosity involving the layout of the building. "I know it is far younger than the sephirot we see now. Otherwise, it is a standard house for its placement. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, ample living space, attic, cellar..."

[Apollymi]

Mahad began to explain the importance of the stones such as the one currently found within the sephirot, even as Eira examined it. It seemed that he was excited by the prospect that she also saw the potential use of such a thing. With the information she was given she could make a couple of assumptions based on the feel of the magic in this space alone. "Sou ka," she said in a moment of understanding, both of Mahad's situation and a bit about the stone and the sephirot. If the stones actually did what magicians thought she could understand them wanting to possess them so badly, that it moved the generation of current mages. That being said, if the stones actually needed to bond with someone of a specific affinity, then it was likely if any random magician came across one, they wouldn't be the right match for any stone they found. There was also no mention of the potential criteria the stones were looking for in their matches. "That is an amazing thought, but in my experience, such things don't come without cost. It is nice to know that you came here to learn more," she mentioned as she felt the pull of this stone against her skin. That tug was strange and it made her continue to stare at the stone even after she pulled her finger away. "Do you need something from me, I wonder... I'll help if I can," this was another statement not aimed at Mahad but instead at the consciousness she was sure was directly connected to this stone and this house.

A strange combination would lead the girl into trying to put together a strange picture. A picture which seemed broken like a jigsaw puzzle even as Mahad added potentially more information to it. "This house is younger than this stone, and it has both a cellar and an attic," she said calmly deciding something in this moment which would likely seem strange. "Hm, would you be disappointed if you couldn't have this stone, it is a distinct possibility that you might not be able to claim it and leave this dimension," she said as she rubbed the tip of her index finger against her thumb as she considered the idea that what they might be looking for could potentially be dangerous to them.

[Bloodedge]

Once again, Eira spoke words that didn't seem to be meant for Mahad. The man walked closer to this devil as she processed the events around her and addressed whatever entity was in or connected to the stone. "Magicians of this age are willing to pay the highest costs for knowledge. If the stone required me to sacrifice my flesh and blood, I would have given both," he said about the potential negatives to such a device. "You speak of helping, but these words do not reach to me. You would not destroy whatever entity keeps us bound to this place? Interesting..."

As Eira dealt with the strange sensation she received from making contact with he stone, she offered an interesting concept in the form of a question. It was apparently quite possible that his ability to leave was directly connected to an equal inability to claim the stone he'd come for. None of this mattered, for if he could not free himself, he would cease to learn in the world of magic; there was only so much he could teach himself, and he had done much of that since arriving in this building and becoming trapped. "It is no longer of consequence to me. If abandoning the stone is required for me to return to the world, it was never to be mine. Do what you must, Eira Gremory."

[Apollymi]

Mahad's words explained that he would have been willing to give whatever was necessary for the ability to possess the stone. This apparently included but was not limited to flesh and blood, the thought of this alone made Eira's eyes widen because she realized what the pull against her flesh had been in the moments prior to his speaking on it. "Blood, darkness and old magic..." she mused, there was a type of creature she knew possessed these sorts of powers, but that didn't explain the extra dimension nor the time based paradox which surrounded the house. As for his question about her destroying whatever entity possessed the house, she looked to Mahad with light in her eyes and visage. "Iie, I wouldn't destroy someone just for existing. It's probably just a misunderstanding and beings shouldn't be destroyed over those," she stated. Of course, if she cared to think about it, such idealism would help her with her own problems but perhaps she could make that connection later.

Beyond all this, it seemed that her new mage friend was willing to abandon his quest to possess this stone if it meant they could be free of this place. She looked up at the man and smiled, this was exactly what she needed to hear. If he was too greedy in this moment, it might make their working relationship a bit strained especially given what Eira thought about the connection between this stone and whatever entity locked them into this place. "Hai, alright then. I think we'll find whatever is connected to this stone in the cellar. And I have a pretty good idea of what that being is... but I can't be sure because this time based paradox falls outside of my understanding of what is normal. Perhaps we'll learn something new, or maybe we'll die. I can't be sure, but I want to help whoever or whatever is down there, will you come with me?" she asked of this mage as she turned re-summoning the ball of fire within her hand to light her way as she aimed to get her barrings. She fully intended to use the same strategy she'd previously used to reach this room, to navigate the house until she found the entrance to the cellar. If she was right, as they progressed it would be obvious what they were looking for.

[Bloodedge]

"Then we are kindred," Mahad replied, finding Eira's resolve to not kill needlessly relatable. He was of a mind that elimination of something which didn't have to be a threat was simply the abandonment of potential gained knowledge. After all, one could only learn so much from a corpse, while infinite knowledge could be gained from another living being. Speaking of knowledge, Eira seemed to have some regarding the source of the paradox they were in. Following up on her idea and plan, Mahad nodded. He wouldn't have suggested this pact with the devil unless he was willing to accept her guidance, and now was such a moment of him doing exactly that.

"I shall follow your judgment, and your guidance," he said while literally trailing behind this woman. How she would go about solving this mystery was a mystery of its own to Mahad, but he was excited to know what the true cause of events was. Within the cellar they sought, one would find the room virtually empty, bar many bats filling the ceiling, and a single coffin at the center point of the floor space. The coffin had a strange slot on its lid, which seemed to be a perfect fit for the stone in the sephirot. One might find that any attempt to physically open this coffin would be in vain, if such a thing were even attempted at all.

[Apollymi]

A good secondary point was reached, when it was made obvious by Mahad that he also did not like the idea of senseless death. Even acknowledging that they likely had very different reasons for this, Eira was content knowing this. She likely couldn't have seen herself bound to a murderer nor someone who would kill for knowledge nor power, it simply didn't align with her own ideals. Mahad even showed he was willing to follow her, by making his way with her to the cellar. Upon reaching it, the found a mostly empty space, as confirmation of one of her thoughts, Eira looked up to find a mass of bats collected upon the ceiling. A devious smirk spread across her face, "Sou ka, so you are down here... I guess I expected that. Again, sorry for the intrusion," the girl apologized for their presence within this place, but it didn't stop her from moving forward and inspecting the coffin found in the center.

"A being of blood, darkness and old magic surrounded by bats..." she explained as she held her glowing light orb over the center of the coffin and examined it directly. She looked at the hole within the front and found it to be if her memory was serving her correctly the same shape as the gem found in the sephirot upstairs. She ran a single finger along this space while studying it and speaking both for herself and the mage in her presence. "Sou na, this coffin has the same slot as that sephirot upstairs. I get the feeling we can't force it open, but you also couldn't remove it from the sephirot," she said to Mahad. "How do I let you out, if I can't get the stone?" she asked strangely of the coffin itself, as her single finger traced the opening for the gem. She didn't know if she expected an answer or not she simply wished to find whoever was inside.

[Bloodedge]

When they reached the cellar, the dimly-lit area revealed few things. However, Mahad bore witness to living creatures other than himself and Eira. Additionally, there was a very strange item for one to find in a cellar, that being the sealed coffin in the middle of the room. Eira's speech to the entity, followed by her mention of the phenomenon, gave Mahad a moment of realization for what they were truly facing. 'Vampire?' he thought. Clearly this was the reason none of his magical abilities could serve him here. Vampire magic was something well and truly beyond the knowledge and understanding of virtually every magician in recent history, as far as he understood.

Eira came to the conclusion that this coffin was also designed in a way that would hold the stone in the sephirot. Perhaps then, the source of this magical anomaly was a vampire currently residing within the coffin. It didn't seem to matter much either way, since Mahad couldn't release the stone, nor did Eira seem able to. "The stones are mysterious artifacts. Each stone located by the Magician's Council has been bound to a sephirot, and no magician as of yet has proven capable of releasing them. It would seem their demands are also different, as are the events surrounding them when they are inspected. This one is reported to have drained everyone to come into contact with it of their very lives, and I imagine it has only become more powerful after doing so for such a long time."

[Apollymi]

The quiet initially coming from Mahad let Eira assume he'd figured out what manner of creature was to be found within this coffin. Even normal humans with their limited understanding of the supernatural would make this assumption. The more she learned about this situation though, the stranger it was to Eira, but she was about to receive the clue necessary to make this puzzle give her a clearer view. A hint perhaps at a piece of this entire situation. Mahad though he didn't have any information about vampires did know about the stones, apparently the one found here wasn't the only one found and each one was found within a sephirot. And each had different things going on around it. According to him, this one had drained the magicians who came here of their very lives when they tried to remove the stone from its casing. Perhaps this was why he hadn't bothered trying to free it himself. But it was more curious than that... "Each stone was found in its own sephirot," she said as if seeking confirmation of this fact. "But why, that one upstairs holds 10 stones and it only has one in it, why make more?" it was kind of a problem of logistics. "Maybe we are thinking about it the wrong way..." she mentioned and with this in mind she began the journey back up the stairs with her intention to go back to the sephirot and try something else. She'd actually not tried freeing the stone before figuring that it was an artifact worth keeping intact, but she had one more question for the man with her about the others and perhaps if he had it she'd have a better way of handling this situation. "The other sephirot, do they look like this one?" she asked as they reached the point of their initial meeting once more.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, and there they remain to this day," Mahad replied. Beyond this was the curiosity surrounding this sephirot's purpose. True, there was a legitimate concern regarding the necessity of numerous sephirots, each capable of holding all ten stones. "A fair question. The sephirot is found in Judaism. These stones are representative of its layout, in which case..." Mahad would forego verbalizing the rest of his clause there, until the moment they were standing before the slab once more. Once there, he brought a hand to his chin while recollecting his knowledge. "Malkuth... representative of kingship. That is the purpose of this stone, given its placement in the tenth slot. The others also require specific placements, but you are correct. Numerous copies existing for only ten stones is far from sensible." With that said, Mahad began to walk around the sephirot, staring at it from every possible angle he could manage. In doing so, he gained the ability to properly answer Eira's final question of whether the other copies shared this one's appearance. Only when he stood in front of it again did he answer. "From this angle, yes. The structure itself may change between them, but the face must always remain the same."

[Apollymi]

Eira went back to studying the stone inside of the sephirot. She couldn't help but look into it more and feel like there had to have been a way to free it. While she did this, there was the matter of the actual history of the sephirot, and it was apparently based in the religion of god. Her left brow rose at this as she realized that whatever was created from all of these things she might not want any contact with because of its religious significance. Even so, there was the fact that this particular placement of stone represented 'kingship'. A smirk crossed Eira's face in this moment as she had about all of the information she might have needed to determine what she should do, she began to verbalize these in order of practicality. "If more of these sephirot exist and they all have the same layout, then I could simply destroy that which is holding the stone freeing it. Such a thing is well within the range of my powers..." she said with a flippant nod. "I could also try to drain the magic out of it, but... I don't really want to do that, knowing it is connected to something sentient..." she offered. "I could also, give it what it wants. Beings older than me would say, that kings are born of blood and sacrifice. This stone pulled at me when I touched it, but it got nothing... it might and the being connected to it, might just be hungry. If I feed it enough, it might free itself," she mused. Currently of her options the first and last were obviously the most easy to be considered. "Hm, but they all pose risks too don't they?"

[Bloodedge]

Eira went on to list three possible solutions to the trapped stone they sought to free. Of the three options, he could see positives and negatives across the board. After finishing the list, Eira brought up the concept of each option having risks, and Mahad absolutely agreed. Assuming she meant for him to comment, he did so after a few brief moments of thought. "Indeed. To destroy the slab, you must entertain the idea of potentially destroying or damaging the stone and whatever it is connected to in the cellar. To drain it, you present the same risk, as well as the potential of having it succeed, but freeing us from this paradox without aiding the creature sleeping below. To feed it your own life's essence... well, one would think such a thing requires no explanation. Nevertheless, I stand with you. If you fail, myself and that creature beneath us may both be here for an eternity. Such is the cost I am willing to pay for knowledge, but what of our mysterious host?"

[Apollymi]

At her last posed question, Eira received a myriad of important potentials as far as risks and outcomes were concerned. She considered all these things herself but found it interesting to hear them in another's voice. Outside of her own head, it was easier to find fallacy and logic, especially when she wasn't encouraging herself with her own flawed thinking. "Hm, I guess that only really leaves one real choice for me, huh?" she posed rhetorically. "I want nothing more than to help our host, for all we know they've been locked down there for longer than we can imagine. Perhaps they'll even be grateful for the meal and free us after," she mused with a grin on her face as she ran her left index finger across her canine tooth on the left side of her mouth. "I don't really feel like I've earned this kind of support but, arigatou, Mahad." she thanked the man before starting the next leg of this journey just in case something would go wrong before they spoke again. Of course she drew blood and with this now flowing from her finger she once again touched it to the stone. "Don't worry, I don't mind feeding you this once, since you've been so nice," she mentioned again to the stone and thus was obviously talking to whatever was connected to it. She'd freely give this blood in order to wake up what she assumed was a vampire connected to the stone, causing some very weird phenomenon in the house.

[Bloodedge]

Three. Eira had three choices to make. In the end though, she chose the highest risk of all: the one which risked her own life in the attempt to produce a positive outcome for all parties. In the first show of any emotion thus far, Mahad seemed visibly shocked by this decision. Following this, he let his expression soften to its normal state, yet with some semblance of compassion within it. "You underestimate yourself, Eira Gremory. One such as you is most certainly deserving of support."

After drawing blood from her own forefinger, Eira touched the stone once again. The moment she did, the pulling began again. In this case, her blood would flow into the stone rapidly for only a moment before slowing considerably. It would then flow in pulses to match her heartbeat, as if drinking in gulps. The stone's glow strengthened while the darkness of this area receded into it, though time did not return to normal. From below, the coffin rose. In an upright position, it burst through the floor behind the stone slab, which began to crumble around the stone due to the latter's increasing power. The sephirot's final moments accompanied the stone's final swig of Eira's blood, after taking in a rather considerable amount. The stone then moved itself through the air until inserting itself in the coffin. It didn't stop there. The lid to this coffin dissolved along with the rest in time, revealing the true location of the stone: in the chest of a male. He was a young man with long unkempt white hair that almost appeared transparent. Green eyes opened to show that his gaze was sharp like a steel blade, with the red stone buried in his chest similarly projecting an enthralling lustrousness. Once his eyes were fully open and set upon Eira, red marks appeared beneath those emerald pools.

Fully unclothed to show his slender, yet ferociously-carved form, he descended gracefully to the floor in front of his savior. That piercing gaze of his never wavered from Eira as he stepped well within reach of her, having eyes for no one and nothing else at the time of his resurrection. "... Gremory..." he said, seeming to have some knowledge simply due to having her blood fresh in his veins. Her name passing his lips as a soft-spoken and inviting utterance was followed by him reaching out with his right hand, keen on taking her already-outstretched left hand into it, and pull her into his arms as a result. "You're the one from the dream."

[Apollymi]

Eira was soon confronted by a new truth, even one as stoic as Mahad thought her to be worthy of the sort of blind support of which she was never short. Mahad's moment of praise made the crimson haired heiress' eyes widen if only for a moment as they returned to normal soon after. Perhaps she did sell herself short, but she still appreciated these sentiments just the same. Still there was a risky game at play and Eira had to see that through to the end, and what an end would this moment have. Her bloodied finger began to thump against this stone, being siphoned for the blood she'd so freely offered up. Her eyes widened at this rather strange sensation and though it had been fast at first, it eventually slowed to the same pace as the thumps of her heatbeat. As if the vampire from below drank at a slower pace as it realized it was being fed properly. "You must be starving..." she mused, as the darkness receded as this entity was fed. Only to be further surprised by the sudden appearance of the coffin from below as the stone began to glow brighter the more blood it took from her. Beyond this point it began to seem like there was no way to save the sephirot, as it shattered from the additional power of the stone, along with the blood flow from her finger tip coming to a halt though the finger itself was still injured. The stone then moved into the slot meant for it on the coffin front only to make that disappear as well.

"Nani?!" she wondered her hand still outstretched only to find within this coffin the body of a well built man with the stone itself buried within his chest. Beyond all this his wonderfully green eyes opened and made very direct contact with Eira's own. She was stunned beyond belief, but happy to find someone alive and for all intents and purposes unharmed from within the coffin. "You... know my name?" she questioned this only to have this man take up place before her next breaking eye contact only to reach for her still extended hand and upon making contact with it pull her into himself. With the amount of blood she'd donated, she might have been woosy, but she felt she had nothing to fear from such contact as at this point it could only really help her. Strangely though the last thing said by this being mentioned that Eira was from his dream which brought a bit of confusion to the lass. "Did I appear in your dream? I didn't interrupt did I?" she asked just an edge of teasing in her voice, as if she didn't expect a real answer but she was most certainly curious about this man.

[Bloodedge]

Mahad observed the events taking place with great wonder plaguing his mind. As the sephirot crumbled and the coffin appeared to do the same with the stone inside it, every part of the mystery he'd been trying to solve for what felt like ages came together. One shining moment saw it all come to fruition. The interaction fated to happen between Eira and the apparent vampire which followed though, was not something Mahad cared to observe - mostly due to the nudity of the male creature of the night - so he looked away until what he could consider an appropriate time to do otherwise.

The vampire stared into Eira's eyes even after she was in his grasp. He was close. So close in fact, that he could feel Eira's breath upon his bare flesh as she spoke, and his would surely in turn have the same effect. His gaze shifted to her bloody finger after a short time, as he raised her left hand to the right side of his own face. Turning his head to face that hand, he lashed out with his tongue to slowly lick up her entire finger, savoring every precious instant up to the one where he ultimately tasted her blood directly. This taste gave him a far greater amount of confirmation than the sight of her alone did. "Yes. Eira Gremory. For an eternity, I slept through starvation and emptiness... and then... there was nothing but you. You, the one who shares my starvation... the virgin Succubus." By the time his statement came to a close, his eyes found Eira's again. With that, his left hand rose along Eira's back until it reached the back of her head. "Don't worry. I'll share my kindness to you, my summoner," he said. If he had his way after that moment, he would lean forward while also pulling Eira's head toward his own. In doing so, he fully intended to press their lips together while his right hand abandoned her left, aiming to take its place instead upon her very grope-able left breast. All the while, the vampire's very erect manhood would brush and press against the front of her body as it grew with its developing solidity.

[Apollymi]

This vampire awoke his thirst sated due to the efforts of Eira herself, and still hadn't broken eye contact. Until of course he went to answer her question and aimed to take a more direct taste of her blood this time from her still injured finger. The movements of his tongue something she could only call sexual as he then blurted out information about her which none but a few were truly privy to. Their shared space was so intimate, she could feel his words across her skin as he proclaimed that her starvation matched his own. "Ano, nothing good ever comes from me being the only thing someone sees," she stated plainly. But to be fair to the man now holding her, she completely understood what it was to be starved and alone, perhaps this was why she went out of her way to answer summons like the one which brought her here. She was happy that this man was now free of his prison and felt no malicious intention coming from him, even so... Her own recent experiences told her this man had likely taken her kindness, in the one way she hadn't meant it. And if she needed anymore confirmation of this, she'd get it from his follow up sentence, the one which stated he intended to share the kindness she'd given him. While taking her up in his embrace proper, he rubbed his naked body against hers. "But... I don't," she didn't get a chance to finish this statement as their lips were brought together and his hand found itself groping her chest. At the moment this happened she realized it was always the case when it wasn't her intention to have this happen. She even felt his manhood and knew he was excited to be there and ready and eager to please and as such she used her own power to accept his kindness but in her own way. She aimed to drain this lust from his person and used it to feed herself in an exchange of energy which would restore her to what she had been before she'd given up her blood to wake him. If this worked according to her whims at the completion of this kiss he'd be calm and without his lust and she'd be full and capable of removing herself from his grasp to speak her mind properly. "I appreciate the offer really, and the meal though I took it unconventionally. But I am not starving in the conventional way. I choose not to feed in such a way because I am not ready to be slave to such feelings..." she said though the thought itself was not complete. In truth the one person she truly wished to offer herself to had turned her down. "I didn't free you because I expected you to feed me, I freed you because I thought you might be lonely in there," she offered.

[Bloodedge]

The vampire's pulse hastened as he held the crimson-haired devil. He could feel it in every fiber of his being; this would be his first act after waking from a sluber he could not even measure in any quantity of time. What happened as a result of his advances was unexpected, though. One should easily expect a Succubus to drain their energies during such interactions, but never did he anticipate it occurring when he'd only kissed and touched her. His eyes had closed after initiating the kiss, but they opened wide when he felt something being pulled directly from his body and soul. The grip he had on her bosom became weaker as seconds passed, and his jaw slacked as well. It was truly a shocking experience, and to top it all off, his erect state became nonexistent in the midst of the other occurrences. When this was done, Eira freed herself of his embrace to speak. His eyes, while sharp as ever, were now somewhat blank now that he was free of this mighty lust he felt toward the Succubus. The explanation of Eira's decision not to feed to her highest ability was one this man found laughable. "Shishishi~! What are we, if not slaves to our own power? Some words coming from a devil!" he replied. Still, this state of him appreciated the freedom he could now experience at long last. He'd previously been stuck in an otherwise endless dream of nothing, but now he could pursue life in his preferred way. But first, he had to address the notion of his supposed loneliness in the coffin. In doing so, he raised his right forefinger and tapped his head with it repeatedly. "Lonely? That's pitiful. You didn't get in here, did you?" he asked to reference his own mind, hence the tapping of his head. "But I saw inside you. Which one of us is the lonely one here?"

[Apollymi]

When Eira explained herself she found that this man now stripped of his lust laughed at her reasoning. She didn't really expect this, but she also didn't really know this being and as such she could only shrug off his apparent amusement. "You must have been in there for quite a while. That kind of talk makes you sound way too old for me," she mused in the same teasing voice she always had. "I am a slave to my own will, however wayward that might seem to you..." she said, knowing her logic didn't suit devils or creatures of the night. That being said she had much more to care about than how she looked to other devils and things that weren't usually worth her attention. She then got to watch this man tap his head as he asked if she'd managed to get in there and went on to state that he'd seen into her own mind and knew her to be the lonely one of this pair. "Well the obvious answer... is you," she said while looking at this man's cutting green eyes with her own crimson ones. "I won't lie and say I am not lonely but, I reach out to others because I know what it is like to feel like there is nothing in the world and you are drowning in that nothing. And I've felt that way even while being surrounded by people..." she mentioned mixing the answers to all of his questions, rhetorical or not into her singular idea in this moment. "But I am the sort of Devil who would rather be offered freely that which I could scheme, manipulate, or just take. If I choose not to make food out of people I consider my friends, that doesn't make me lonely. It makes me happy and lets me be surrounded by the warmth of reciprocity. To know that they know, I like them because I do for everything they are, not just what they give me... I thought someone used as a key would understand that."

[Bloodedge]

"Shishi... I wouldn't know. Maybe it's been a day, maybe it's been a millennium or an eon. It doesn't matter," he claimed. Eira reported to be a slave not to her own power, but to her own will. Of all the people who could say such a thing, the last he would expect to hear it from was a Succubus. "You are a slave to your will, not everyone else around you? Sou ka..."

As far as Eira was concerned, he was the lonely one of this pair. She admitted to her own loneliness, which he clearly knew of from the bond of her blood, but she also produced a tirade about her own experiences with loneliness. Her alleged 'will' showed itself in the following clause, along with what satisfaction she got from her method of answering a lonely state of being. What also came from this speech though, was the mention of this vampire being one 'used as a key' of some sort, and the notion that she figured he would understand her reasoning because of this. Suddenly, the vampire's expression turned sour. "A key? Is that not the same form of key you devils refer to as a servant when you send them as sacrifices to your own bright future!?" he asked as his feet separated from the ground, leaving him floating in the air in front of this devil.

[Apollymi]

The laughter of this vampire was something which would come to plague this conversation. It didn't seem to matter to Eira very much though as she showed little to no concern for his laughter or the rather dismissive nature of his words. Even while arguing with this man over the state of his ideas, she felt bad that he did not know how long he had been away. Much like her own friends she would have offered him comfort about this point and perhaps she still would once their differences were settled. "I am everyone else is free to come and go as they please. To think for themselves and to be themselves..." she said as if the idea was one of the plainest in the world. In fact it was the backbone of most of her thoughts. For someone who'd been within the confines of her mind, it was as if he'd chosen only to latch on to things he understood and not the greater complexity of the young Succubus.

Regardless it seemed that a point of proper contention had been reached. Though this vampire had been up to this point, humorously mocking her sentiments, he seemed to take issue with the fact that she'd called him a key. To be honest he couldn't have been much else considering that two of three methods of freeing that which resided within his chest could have simply killed him instead of freeing him. It was at this point that Eira fully realized the problem that he had her with her and she was quite honestly stunned. "You were in my head, and you dare question that?!" she said almost outraged and vibrating with power. These words were almost a direct insult, not only to Eira herself, but to every member of her Peerage that she loved and adored. "I don't speak for other Devils nor what they choose to do, but I don't believe in sacrificial pieces. I wouldn't give up a single person for my own success. I'd give up myself to see any one of them happy, any day," she said with the conviction that burned down to the depths of her soul. Such was the truth of her as a person, she sacrificed her power because she wanted her friends happy and free of her potential corruption. She'd give up any of them who wanted to leave even though she loved them to see them smile with someone else. She couldn't believe the audacity of this man to question how she bonded with others.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou nanda." At this point, the vampire's expression had become as flat as it was when he slept. Eira snapped due to the simple fact that he'd questioned the nature of a devil's peerage in comparison to the nature of what he himself had been turned into long, long ago. In spite of her fury, he stared relentlessly into her eyes with those of contrast. "You're all the same in the end. You'd let them go so freely because they want to go? Ridiculous. They wouldn't go. Maybe they really are attached. Maybe they just don't want to hurt your sensitive little feelings. Or maybe... they feel trapped into servitude to you over anyone else, just because it was you who made them," he mused. Between segments, the vampire floated closer and closer to Eira, lowering himself toward the floor without ever reaching it. By the time he spoke again, he stood just within arms reach, barely a foot from the ground. "Even worse. They'll give their all to keep serving you, and you'll rise higher than you could ever imagine while they die, and die... and die again. Kuzure no Oujo. Maybe you're right, though. I'd much rather have sacrificed myself than to have been offered up by someone else. But, just like them... I suppose I'm going to disappear one day too."

[Apollymi]

Again this vampire spoke of the wrong of this situation. He apparently saw her fury and was content to meant her gaze with flat affect. This did nothing to deter the rage felt by Eira in this moment. Even as the blonde let it be known that he figured they were all the same. Even if her peerage was attached to her and wouldn't leave, it was probably some sense of obligation keeping them there, or they didn't want to hurt her feelings or some other such nonsense. If this man had truly looked into her mind during the time he'd tasted her blood, perhaps he'd eaten her doubts ones she'd nursed for years and cared for until very recently. Now as she stood her power receded as a smile returned to her face. Strangely she was silent, even as he floated down closer to her level, standing within arms reach and aiming to push at the last possible button she had left. "Kuzure?" she repeated softly. That horrid word that seemed to follow her everywhere she went, but recent events had led her to see the light of this statement and as such she looked up into the cutting gaze of this lad and replied the only way she knew how.

"These sound like all my doubts manifested and spoken to me from a mouth not my own. I worried about all of those things, and to be honest, I still do. But those wonderful people that came to me, showed me I was selling them short. Projecting my insecurities onto them because I lacked the strength to face their convictions and honor their choices. But they've shown me, I'm the one who puts the ruined ones back together so they can keep moving," she said. Thinking about it more she knew how she felt now, and was content regardless of how this conversation turned out because she understood more of the person she was over the last couple of months than she had in decades. And it was all thanks to them. Still his final words deserved addressing and strangely the girl no longer furious, but still overcome with emotion. She reached out to touch this lad the palm of her right hand making contact with that glowing gem in his chest, before she reached up to pull him into a hug squeezing him with the same affection she gave everyone who belonged to her. The same affection she gave everyone who'd touched her heart in a significant way, with the plight of their life. And if she succeeded in this action, she'd softly offer him what she'd offered most of them, in some form or fashion. "If you ever feel like you're going to disappear. You can call me, I won't let you," she said offering the lad a warm smile and being content not to hold against him, even the argument they'd just been having because she knew nothing good could come of that. She simply accepted him as he was, a man with a cursed existence, and if he wanted help she'd go out of her way to help him find his way out of it, much like she'd already done today.

[Bloodedge]

What he said most recently was something which Eira, strangely enough, took in stride with a smile. She seemed unfazed by the words he offered, but his opinion remained intact nonetheless. Apparently, these subordinates she had were uplifting to her in some way the vampire could neither fathom nor agree with in general. His stare persisted as she reached for the stone in his sternum, but what came afterwards was a shocking development. He was pulled in and embraced for reasons lost to him entirely, but a follow-up statement to this action rang in his ear. "Tch!" he muttered while jerking away from the devil. "Disgusting. I should thank you more for clearing my head of that Succubus magic than I should for you freeing me. I won't be dragged down with you and your band of self-destructive lackeys. Sayonara, Eira Gremory," he said immediately prior to triggering a transformation which gave him the form of a bat flock, which spread out and vacated the premises without further notice. Seeing the bats fly off, Mahad came to realize he likely wouldn't have to be exposed to another man's groin if he turned around, so he did just that to continue his discussion with Eira. "What an interesting individual. Now, the pact?"

[Apollymi]

Eira came to the conclusion that an individual like the one she'd freed from this place, likely wouldn't understand the meaning of her statements yet, but maybe some time in the future he would come to see what she meant. And beyond this she was well and truly serious about offering the man her aid if he had use of it, because she thought he deserved it, in spite of his rather ornery attitude. "Gomenasai, if I'd known my magic would affect you by giving you my blood, I would have taken more precautions in the first place. I'll be more careful next time, Ja ne~" she chimed, as if she fully expected to see this man again. He'd jerked away from her embrace and even seemed upset in someway, but Eira felt that it might not last. Perhaps being out in the world would give him a better outlook. Even so she watched him fly off in a swarm of bats and couldn't help but chuckle. "Ufufufufufu~" she chuckled, though this experience she'd made peace with several aspects of her life right now.

It would be soon after that it came to her attention that Mahad was still in this room. Though she'd spent most of her time in this place talking to the Mage who wanted to have a pact with her, she'd completely forgotten he was there while she chatted with the Vampire they'd found in the basement. Her eyes widened as she turned to face him, managing to look a tad abashed. "Hai, he was pretty interesting, I kinda wish I had gotten his name though, I got wrapped up in..." she paused for a second because she realized something very important. "Wait, you just like witnessed all of that, and you don't think I'm like crazy or too much trouble and you still want to form a pact with me?" she said. Though she'd done what she'd intended and gotten herself and Mahad out of the time locked house. She'd also been approached by a naked vampire, called out as a virgin Succubus and had literally all of her major weaknesses and insecurities laid bare for this man to know and understand. It was unfathomable to her that he'd still want her as his partner when she was obviously flawed as such.

[Bloodedge]

Mahad had no visible concern for the fact that Eira had gone without getting the vampire's name, not that he ever visually showed much of anything. His sole concern now that the curse of this building had been broken, was the pact he intended to make with this devil, and no other. Eira, on the other hand, seemed surprised by his remaining willingness to go through with said pact. When she questioned him, he stared her directly in the eye. "I do not concern myself with the trifles of devils, vampires or any other creatures. You completed the task you chose by the method you desired. Furthermore, you managed the best possible outcome for everyone involved here, excluding a single disagreement between that vampire and yourself," he asserted. If anything, Mahad had long since decided he had an even greater desire to complete this contract by linking with Eira the way devils and magicians did. So, he repeated himself. "Now, the pact?"

[Apollymi]

In response to her question, Eira received a rather succinct and forceful answer from Mahad. She watched him explain this information and met his gaze her eyes alight with emotion. "Ufufufu~" she chuckled as her own power began to vibrate around her once more. "You've got the kind of will I like Mahad," she mentioned and it was quite true. As a person Eira enjoyed the sort of assertive attitude that this mage had about his learning. She respected his passion for his craft, and though he'd been bested by this 'haunted house', his reputation and ability to think through the situation he'd been trapped in were more than enough to be celebrated. And given the kind of life that Eira would likely lead at some point, his brevity and ability to ignore the distractions of her life would be greatly appreciated. "Alright then, let's form a pact~" she mused. This day had quite the strange turn of events but she couldn't deny that it was more helpful than harmful, and she thought this as her magic circle formed beneath her person full of runes and complete with a rose like filigree in the middle.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, the time had come. Mahad had been waiting for such a moment as this. He had long since been ready to form a pact with a devil, but no available devil was one he considered worthwhile until the name Eira Gremory began properly circulating in the Magician's Council. Now, his ambitions were met. "Let's," he agreed. Eira's creation of a magic circle prompted Mahad stepping forward until he also stood within it. Their exchange would occur without a hitch, and they would part on terms that counted among the best, as a devil and magician who shared a pact with one another.

[Apollymi]

A while after the parting of Eira Gremory's youngest peerage members, something strange would occur outside of Yasukawa Takumi's apartment. A small persian kitten with a wide face and white fur would appear near his doorway. This kitten's paws and face were accented by little grey marks and small meows would be heard, as if it was looking for attention. On this slightly rainy night said kitten's clear eyes managed to look distinctly uncomfortable, and it would be easy to see why it wanted to come inside. And as such this tiny ball of fluff waited with uncommon intelligence behind its eyes for the owner of this apartment in particular for reasons unknown.

[Bloodedge]

In the middle of his preparations for dinner, Takumi eventually appeared at his front door, having heard some commotion outside for quite some time. As the door opened, he first saw everything at eye level and above, and his eyes wandered toward the rainy skies. In doing so, his mood seemed to travel south rather quickly. "Sou ka," he said before looking down at the all-white feline who'd been making so much noise this night. To get an even closer look, he crouched down and held a limp left hand toward its face. "You don't like it either, do you?" he asked even of a creature who couldn't respond in his tongue. "You must be hungry. Get out of the storm, and I'll make a plate for you too."

[Apollymi]

This little kitten continued to make noise, until ultimately a door was opened. Within it stood Yasukawa Takumi a face recognizable to this cat. Much as had been suspected, he lad opened the door to let this cat in, and even went on to express that he would feed it and give it a place to stay, making an assumption that it also didn't like the weather. What he couldn't know was, this little creature knew exactly what he was saying, and as the boy's left hand came down to its face the kitten touched it with his nose. After which it would go on to rub its small body around the hand extended like the innocent and friendly creature it so obviously was, aiming to take the boy's invitation and get inside out of the rain. Even as a creature of higher intelligence, standing out in the rain wasn't comfortable in this body.

[Bloodedge]

After the white cat finished rubbing itself on his outstretched hand, it entered the building. Takumi took this as a chance to look disgustedly at the rain once more before sealing himself and the feline within his abode. Once this was done, he stepped past the cat on his way toward the kitchen. "I don't have much left, so you'll have to share what I was making for me. Suman," he said. With that, Takumi went on to finish his meal preparations with an extra plate for the kitten. What he happened to have prepared was a roll of sushi, which he chopped into smaller pieces than normal for the kitten's ease of eating. When he was done, he sat on the floor right there with his legs crossed, placing one plate on the floor and taking the other into his left hand. "You're a little well-behaved for a wild cat; I haven't heard a noise since I let you in. Did someone abandon you?" he wondered aloud as he pushed the cat's plate forward. "Me too. I'll take care of you then."

[Apollymi]

'Really, you're going to feed a stray cat?' she thought as she peeked around the room. While he prepared his dinner, she found herself staring. It wasn't just a simple stare either, it was as if she was staring off into space, but at this point what she was looking at was a picture on the mantle... 'That person, looks familiar,' this cat was in deep thought even as Takumi spoke to it. But its attention was drawn away when it was mentioned how well behaved she was, Takumi himself felt abandoned and as such offered to take care of this kitten. This was simultaneously the sweetest and saddest moment ever witnessed by this kitten. Soon enough the lad was taking a seat in the floor to eat, lowering himself to the same level that the kitten was at. And the kitten walked over looking at the plate. Not only did he split his dinner with her, but he'd even cut it up more so that she could eat it. The big clear eyes of this kitten looked up at him and the smallest noise of appreciation came from it. It was almost a chirp as she sat beside him to eat.

[Bloodedge]

As Takumi gave his offering to the cat, he saw it staring at him strangely. Something about this particular animal was strange to him, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. He subconsciously reached up to touch the mark on his shoulder as he met the feline's gaze, but thought nothing of the matter. Even so, he began rubbing the mark. "I guess I should name you then, huh? Eto..." For several moments, Takumi thought about this. He desperately attempted to find a name, but the one thing he could not escape was the one name which wouldn't leave his mind... the name that had been attached to an image, which had been stuck in his mind for far longer than he could have realized. "Reia. It sounds like..." He hesitated to finish his sentence for reasons he didn't even know. In doing so, he felt a splitting headache which brought his free hand from the mark on his neck, directly to his forehead. "Ugh. I guess you'll need a pillow or something until I can get the money for cat stuff."

[Apollymi]

As she ate the kitten was soon engaged in conversation, specifically about what she would be named. It was quite strange, when deciding to do this, she hadn't considered she would end up with another name, but she supposed she was fine with whatever this lad decided to call her. Much to her surprise, the name he came up with, was surprisingly close to her legitimate name. Almost as if it was done on purpose. 'Why would you...' she mentally questioned staring up at him as he touched his marks. It was almost as if he realized exactly what she was, but it was also obvious he didn't. 'I really don't understand you...' the kitten mused even so having finished its meal, it looked at the lad's discomfort and after a couple of tentative paw movements climbed into his lap rubbing herself against him. Strangely this was behavior she would have had even in a different form, the human version of this girl would have definitely held this lad so that his troubles eased, if he wasn't so confusing a topic for her. Since entering his house in this form she was only more confused not less so.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi forced his focus through the headache he was experiencing. In the meantime, the cat finished its meal and crawled into his lap, giving pause to his movements. "Urusai," he said aloud to nothing in particular. Looking toward the cat again, he lowered his hand at last. "Maybe I should have always had a cat. As long as I feed you, you won't go anywhere. Nothing else is that simple," he commented. It seemed Takumi didn't care much for finishing, or even starting his meal. As such, he placed it on the floor and moved 'Reia' to the space next to it. He rose to make his way toward his bedroom, where he chose to lie on his back until he eventually lost consciousness.

[Apollymi]

Takumi was telling himself to shut up. This was something witnessed now twice, and it made the kitten wonder exactly what was going on in the young man's head. Having already climbed into his lap the kitten couldn't help but continuing to stare at him with those higher than normal intelligent eyes. 'How can you feel so alone,' she thought not really understanding the state of abandonment this lad found himself in. While also feeling like she'd heard it before. But she didn't really have time to consider it properly. Soon enough he was putting her own beside the rest of his meal which he didn't eat. He walked off to his bedroom and would eventually be found passed out there. This kitten currently named 'Reia' padded across the floor moving silently into this lad's bedroom and since he'd fallen asleep on his back she found it very easy to hop up on top of him. The little ball of fur cuddled with this man, her own abilities allowing her to passively absorb energy from him and at the very least allow him to sleep peacefully. The irony of this situation was not lost upon her though. 'How are you the only person to turn me into a proper succubus, Takumi...' she mused as she too drifted off to sleep, in a tight little ball atop him. 'And who is that person?' she asked herself but she couldn't remember. Something would happen in this moment though, the marks binding these two would allow something very strange to happen. Eira would find herself in a dream of the past, and strangely it would include another.

[Bloodedge]

In another time years ago, seen through this world of dreams, there was a single boy looking through his bedroom window at the full moon. This lad was not quite a teen, though he felt every ounce of loneliness found in an old hermit on his deathbed. Deep cardinal eyes gazed upon the moon in all its splendor, and it was like looking at a reverse mirror. As full as the moon was, it was reflected in the emptiness of the boy's eyes. 'God... you still won't answer me,' he thought. His head lowered, and his long and wild hair fell to cover the majority of his face. The windowsill beneath him became wetter over time, and yet... it wasn't raining, nor was it the sill on the outside which gained this moisture. Indeed, these drops came from the boy's face by pouring from those empty eyes of his. "... Satan?" he said aloud, unknowingly calling from a place deep within his heart. 'Will you be my friend?'

[Apollymi]

This lonely boy who cried and prayed, first to god and then to Satan would eventually have his prayer answered. It was strange because in the deepest part of his heart all he wanted was a friend, and one would surely appear. Through the conviction of this moment, a magic circle would be formed glowing red behind the lad, out of it would come a buxom young woman with her crimson locks atop her head in a ponytail, with bangs covering her left eye. Beyond this she was dressed in a black form fitted top with a turtle neck and no sleeves, but a short red and black plaid mini-skirt and thigh high socks in addition to black boots. Her one visible eye glowed crimson in color and as she stood in this room she managed to look confused. "Ano, did you call for me?" she asked as if it was the most normal thing in the world for her to appear randomly in the bedrooms of children.

[Bloodedge]

Something was suddenly appearing behind the lad, and it created a light coming from within his room. This was a very unnatural light, or rather a supernatural one. His eyes opened more as he turned around, viewing the creature which emerged from this light with his face drenched, even though he looked as if he felt nothing otherwise. As odd as the appearance of this buxom woman should have been, he was completely unfazed by it. He was, however, surprised that anyone might have heard his call. "Satan?"

[Apollymi]

Strangely, this crimson haired woman was confronted by a child, who questioned her only with the idea that she might have been Satan. Her eyes widened at this because it was a really strange thing to assume. Beyond that this kid didn't look like he was even a teenager, what could have happened to make him think he needed Satan. "Well, no. I not Satan. I'm a Devil... and I know Satan~" she mentioned. Even without thinking that this kid had accidentally called her, she was more than willing to help, and even prove what she meant. "Mite, I have wings and everything~" she said causing the unfurling of large bat-like wings from between her shoulder blades. "Do you need a Devil for something?" she asked of the lad, she couldn't see his face, but her powers let her know that there was something amiss with this lad, and she was keen to figure out what it was, and right it, if she could.

[Bloodedge]

The woman who appeared in his room was not, in fact, Satan. This was initially a saddening fact, as it meant his prayers had still not been answered. However, the woman claimed herself to be a devil in association with Satan. She even showed him her wings to prove her status. "Sugoi..." he said somewhat flatly. Perhaps this person could grant his wish after all. Regardless, all he had was hope. Perhaps it could even pay off this time, unlike every other scenario thus far. "Ano... I just wanted a friend. God never answered, so... I asked Satan. Did Satan send you to be my friend?"

[Apollymi]

The boy this winged lass stood in front of seemed less than impressed by her status as a Devil. In fact, he'd seem almost disappointed even when viewing her wings. What a strangely flat affect this young man possessed and he was but a boy she couldn't understand this level of apathy. When she asked this boy what he needed of a devil, he mentioned that he wanted a friend. That he'd even asked both God and Satan and Satan was the who'd answered by virtue of her presence. "You prayed, to both god and Satan... for a friend?" this question was rhetorical, she'd just heard him say this very thing, it was just amazing to her. How few friends could one have? How alone could one feel, that they felt the need to pray to different deities just for friends. "You don't have to wish for a friend... I'll be your friend," she said calmly. "Save your wish for something else," she finished this thought calmly. In the background of the house another voice could be heard, it would be that of this child's mother calling him down for dinner. "SHOUKI! DINNER'S READY!" she chimed, such news made the crimson haired woman's eyes widen just a bit. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Eir, I take it, you're Shouki?" she asked as she approached this lad with her arms outstretched, intending to wrap herself around him and offer him a hug. She could only imagine how starved for attention he had to be to end up in the state that would have him asking Satan for friends. She only wished to comfort him now, and help him if she could.

[Bloodedge]

"... Ou," the boy said. For some time now, he had been praying to God for someone he could call a friend, albeit to no avail. Here in his first attempt to reach Satan instead, there was success. It wasn't so much a wish on his part as it was a plea, but this crimson-haired woman claimed he did not have to wish for a friend... that she would be it, so he could save whatever wish he had for something else. This was something baffling; he didn't understand. "I didn't want to make a wish. I just want a friend," he specified. Just then, his mother called him downstairs. Before he could react to the woman, this devil introduced herself as Eir, making the assumption that Shouki was his name because she'd heard it from his mother. He wanted to correct her, really... but then he was suddenly taken into an embrace initiated by the devil, allowing him to experience something he'd never felt before. His arms hesitantly wrapped around her as he settled into this strange warmth, and when they did, he gripped tightly whilst trembling. For whatever reason, his crying began anew. "... Hai. Shouki desu!"

[Apollymi]

This boy went on to claim that he didn't intend to make a wish and instead simply wanted a friend. That didn't really make sense to the girl, as she was pretty sure the magic circle that summoned her was a contract circle and should involve some kind of deal. But she figured she'd worry about that later, having already made the decision to be this boy's friend. "Hai," she mentioned feeling strangely that the lad wanted a friend this badly. And as she hugged him even stranger things were to come, his tears began a new and he squeezed her back as if he'd never felt like this before. These emotions were rather intense and the nature of this devil meant she could feel them too. "Yare yare, it's okay Sho-u-ki~" she mused with a sing-song quality to her voice. She didn't let go of this lad until she heard the cries of his mother again. "SHOUKI!" the woman yelled which made her embrace of the lad become slightly more gentle and prodding as she laid a hand atop the mass of his hair shuffling it just a bit and gave him a soft smile. "Go have dinner with your mother... I'll be right here waiting for you~" she said as she leaned in and pressed her lips against the boy's forehead. And when he released her, true to her own word, she'd take a seat upon his bed and wait for him to return.

[Bloodedge]

Another call from his mother broke a moment the boy called Shouki would rather have continued. However, the devil who appeared to him urged him on with the promise of still being here when he returned. This brought a smile to the young one's face; yet another thing he hadn't experienced in a long time. What's more, the sensation of the devil's lips upon his forehead brought him an unknown level of satisfaction, causing his face to redden. "Hai! I'll eat really fast!" he said, hopping over to grip the devil once more before running off to the dinner table.

[Apollymi]

This boy had rather suddenly changed moods. It was as if his entire life was changed by something Eir herself considered to be simple. There was a smile on this boy's face, the likes of which she wouldn't have thought possible upon first meeting him, and something about that vision warmed her heart deeply. What was more the lad had a red tint to his face when her lips touched his forehead. She was more than curious about what all he'd been without as far as his interactions were concerned, but she supposed she would have time to figure this out. He even went to far as to hug her again of his own volition. She was stunned by this, but her smile remained. "Hai hai, but be careful..." she mused, waiting for him to return. But time move different in dreams so that time seemed to pass in a literal instant.

Some other time this girl sat upon the desk in this boy's room. It was the afternoon and this time she sat in the sun shining on the desk having it reflect off the crimson of her hair, which found itself free this day. Her legs crossed at the ankle dangling over the edge as she addressed this boy seemingly interested in every aspect of his life. "So what did you do today, Sho-u-ki~?" she asked of the lad. She'd grown attached to him. Looked forward to the hours of the day they spent together, she'd become his friend as properly as she knew how.