Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

"I..." he said once more under the Dragonoid's gaze. It became clear to him what was going on below the surface of his own being, as well as the fact that Tatsuki sought exactly the source of that burning sensation. He couldn't let that happen, could he? He'd be lying if he said he wasn't very tempted, at the least. Still... there was so much to accomplish, and he couldn't trust the brutish Dragonoid within to execute things properly. He had a mind to mobilize the oppressed for their own sake, whereas his Dragon self would likely take up arms alone. Even with the very clear reaction of his body to the Dragonoid he held still, he had to resist at all costs.

"I-..." Once more. This time around, he had to insist. Seriri's additional commentary was right; he had to remain steadfast. "I'm not a Dragon," he said in spite of everything going on, seeming to contain much firmness within his otherwise angelic visage. "Akashi had his time. I won't let him out." As he spoke this words, the burning within even seemed to subside a bit.

[Apollymi]

Much like Miki had done a few days prior, Kou found himself aiming to defy the Dragonoid before him. He came to the same conclusions that she had, that his own personality was necessary to do his work the way he intended to do it. And as Tatsuki stared down the lad he seemed to find the nerve to actually say what he needed to say in this moment. His words were firm, and carried the weight of a Dragon behind them whether he would admit this or not wasn't really important. Soon he would understand. Tatsuki for her part in this stared into the lad's face and her own broken into a grin with little fangs and she leaned just a bit closer. "Those are the words of a Dragon," she said simply her hold on the lad loosened gently and she took to floating within his grasp. "The Power of Influence remains, regardless of the form you take. The other me figured that out as well... keep him at bay if you wish. I'll leave you to your work... for now," she said with a look on her face that was somewhere between tempting and threatening. But he'd made his choice for the moment and this new found resolve caused her to want to watch his actions and so she would from her perch. If he tried to move he'd find himself capable of it, but he would definitely still have the female Dragonoid's tail wrapped around him and her floating ever so slightly over and behind him, like a frightening shadow.

"Sou ka..." was the only thing said by Seriri. "I was wondering if she was going to carry him around..." she said aloud accidentally as she'd intended to think this thought alone. Tatsuki looked towards the Mermaid and saw her as someone of deep importance to the other versions of herself. As such she addressed her with calm familiarity. "A Dragon who needs to be carried is no Dragon at all..."

[Bloodedge]

In response to his proclamation, Tatsuki grinned into his face with the claim that his words were those of a Dragon. She also made mention of something called the Power of Influence, which itself was a foreign concept to Kou. Could it perhaps have been related to the sensation of Akashi within him? Maybe this was true. Whatever the case, Kou actually managed to shrink beneath the Dragon's unwavering gaze, even though she chose to leave him to his devices. At least he'd be free to go about his business for the time being.

"H-... Hai..." he said, still managing to be someone occupied with his gaze upon the Dragon's visage. In due time, he brought himself to move away... though not without realizing there was a tail surrounding his person, in spite of his freedom of movement. He didn't have it in himself to verbalize any sort of reaction to this; he was too busy focusing on moving away from the situation at hand. He would move on to take up the former slaver's head, and begin carrying it out of the palace whilst addressing Seriri. "Do you have a spell of some sort that would let me speak to every living thing in Atlantis at once?" When these words were spoken, the ever so silent Diva looked up, though not exactly in Kou's direction.

[Apollymi]

Kou finally found it in himself to shrink a bit from the Dragonoid's gaze, she would leave him to his own devices, but she had no intention of leaving him alone. Such wasn't within her being as a Dragon. Her mate as hers to look after, even if he didn't acknowledge needing her. And if he could take care of himself, so be it, but she'd be there regardless to see how his actions worked out in victory or defeat. That said Tatsuki watched his movements and him take up the head of the dead slaver. She did so without changing much about the look on her face, which settled dangerously near the displeased expression that Miki bore usually. All the while she was distinctly aware that the lad was still watching her at least a bit and she seemed to be fine with this on a deeper level.

As they progressed, it seemed that Kou had plans to address the whole of Atlantis. This would make sense and though Seriri didn't have such powers herself the shifty gaze of Diva let her know he had such an ability. "Iie, my magic reaches the whole of Atlantis but that is simply my weapon which is connected to the other aspects of it. But if that look Diva gave means anything, he might be able to provide what you need..." she said softly she looked to the quiet lad and gave him a soft smile. "Could you help him out, Diva?" she asked gently. She felt the need to continue protecting her charge and this was something Tatsuki watched and seemed to respect somewhere in herself.

[Bloodedge]

As strange as this proximity to Tatsuki was, there was a need for Kou to focus on the task at hand. Even so, it took quite a bit for him to stave off the visual aspect of his embarrassment. The shift in Diva's expression was something Kou took note of as he faced Seriri and attempted to keep focusing, but he wouldn't prod the lad. It seemed Seriri could do nothing to aide his plan of reaching the entire kingdom, but she believed Diva had the solution they would need.

The teal-haired male sheepishly, even briefly, raised his gaze to the queen. "H-... Ha-..." His eyes closed firmly, and his head lowered. Diva gave up on the verbal retort, but he did offer a slight nod of his head. "Take your time..." Kou spoke hesitantly. Whatever this male had been through was something he certainly didn't wish on even the most terrible of people, but again... there was work to be done. Diva steeled himself to the best of his ability, and produced from within himself the small, glowing golden cube from beneath Atlantis. The Guardians all over the kingdom stirred to life, runes and hieroglyphs along their varying forms glowing with the power of the ancient Atlanteans. Each Guardian towered over a segment of the kingdom, drawing the attention of man and mer throughout. They would function as communication devices, to which the microphone and image recognition was the cube Diva timidly held out in Kou's direction.

"Arigatou, Diva. I guess it's time then," Kou said as he stepped toward the cube, awaiting its recognition of him. All of Atlantis would see and hear him within moments, and he would see every nook and cranny of Atlantis through the cube as well.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki was watching the lad she was wrapped around for the entirety of her time. This only changed slightly when Diva was prompted to help him and thus began moving in a specific way to offer the lad help doing what he needed. She remembered through her ties to Miki, everything that had happened to the man known as Diva and she respected his ability to even function mildly around another living being. If she'd faced even a portion of his torment, she didn't think she'd even be capable of the functionality he showed. There was something akin to respect in the face of Tatsuki and as such she kept herself a respectable distance from the other lad to keep the boundaries he'd established for himself. Seriri watched this and the sheepish way the lad tried to speak to her and smiled softly. He was making pretty decent progress considering, and even Kou who didn't really know what the lad had gone through was trying to give him the space and time to heal properly.

In the meantime everyone in Atlantis saw would see and hear through the guardians whatever it was that Kou intended to say. Tatsuki awaited this as well, her other self would have been quite keen to listen up perhaps this was left over from her unconscious desire. Perhaps Tatsuki wished to see what this man thought was so important for him to say and do as himself. Perhaps it was something else entirely that would make itself known over time. The slightest flare of her nostrils occurred as she stared at the lad with great intensity as his speech started. The whole of the underwater world would be listening, even the Siren. A sea witch with a body that showed six black tentacles below the belly button but her upper half had green skin with a swirls of white hair atop her head. She sucked the air in through her teeth and smacked her lips. How could the Banker have lost to a child only to leave her with the kind of problem she would now be facing.

[Bloodedge]

Once Kou became capable of interacting with all lifeforms in Atlantis, he inhaled a deep breath. With everything going on in the throne room, he didn't have the time for preparation that he would have liked. Alas, this had to be done as soon as possible. He'd have to work with what he had at present. And that, he would most certainly do with a metaphorical flame in his eyes that rivaled the physical flame of his Dragonoid self. "Atlanteans! Man, Mer, listen! This land is suffering! I know your days are filled with turmoil, even with hatred for your peers of a different origin! I am here before you today... because now is not the time for that! There is a much greater problem here..." As he spoke these words, he brought the Slaver's head into view for all to see.

"I'm sure most of you recognize this mer. For those of you who don't, let me enlighten you to the bondage of man and mer alike within this kingdom. I speak for those of you who fear speaking up for yourselves, and I say to you this: How long will you let yourselves be held by chains and seals!? For those who believe they are unaffected, I tell you, you are not! How much labor in this kingdom is divided unevenly!? How many lives of loved ones do you lose to tasks that cannot be completed by so few!? The fault is ones like this mer! No matter what you are, no matter what your current status, an imbalance to a land is a bane to every living creature! Mobilize for yourselves, people of Atlantis! The weak and oppressed will always outnumber the strong oppressors! Yes, lives will be lost, but does that compare to the lives never lived!? If no one else will, I will stand with you! Free yourselves of these bonds with your own strength! For those of you who are understanding, lend arms and aide to your fellow countrymen! For those of you who wish to remain ignorant, may you be enlightened in the future! For those of you who are opposed to this action, may you be reborn a better man! Lastly, for all of you..."

His speech was nearly over, but there was one remaining clause. Kou felt the need to emphasize this point more than anything else. He drew his sword, thrusting it to the sky as he spoke his final words to begin the people's revolution of Atlantis. "Fight for yourself! Fight for your loved ones! Fight for what you believe in! Take your destiny - your future - into your own hands, and fight for all the fighting done to bring you to where you are now!"

[Apollymi]

The sound of Kou's voice reached the masses and those who heard his speech were mobilized. It was as if all those who were good came to agreement over his terms. Was working worth it, if those who could help were kept away? Was the suffering of ones fellow man or mer worth their individual happiness? Many said no, and those who said no, far outnumbered those who would turn a blind eye. Across the whole of Atlantis a great cry could be heard. And following it, riots would abound. Slaves would rise up and the working class would join in, all to topple the sadistic aristocracy. All to stop the unfair treatment of every individual and it was marvelous. Tatsuki for her part in this, sniffed the air, and could already smell the iron of blood tinting the atmosphere. The burning of individuals as the people took back their freedom. "Sou ka," she said softly, she wouldn't let him go, but she would watch his progress, with a gentle squeeze of his body transmitted through her tail as a show of her approval in this moment.

On the other hand there was a single individual who saw this speech and became ravenous in a different way. "His voice! His face! Precious thing, you will be perfect. Let's go collect him... and you will be everything~" she mused to the giant monster, as her hand traveled possessively over its body. It smelled of blood and stagnation. Its individual pieces seemed to be pieces of different species from across the continent. Each thing taken from someone she saw as perfect in some way. All to build the perfect homunculus. She had done terrible things, and felt no remorse as she aimed for perfection. Her tongue traced over her thin lips as she cloaked her creation and aimed to storm the palace with him. It should be easy enough to gain this lad by taking the Queen and maybe his pet Dragon hostage in the interim. She would have him and the thought of it, made her moist with need. And just like that she'd turn herself towards the palace and would reach the steps with her creature through all the mayhem.

Meanwhile within the palace Seriri heard the lad's speech and had a great respect for him. She couldn't help but understand what it was that Kimi saw in the lad that made her like him so. She decided within her mind that the lad behind Kou/Akashi was the perfect match for her friend. And even though she couldn't tell the other two currently. She fully intended to help in all their plans to set these two up. Before that though, there was an issue to deal with, and it was one which was important. "I have to find out where the Siren is... she needs to be dealt with," she said calmly. She'd seen too much of the sadism and death of those who were wrong in Atlantis to want to put it anyone else, and she was more than willing to take out this last leg of the deal on her own. Tatsuki's nose twitched in the moment and she had something to say in typical dragon shortness. "There is no need to look... something disgusting just showed up on your doorstep."

[Bloodedge]

All over Atlantis, there were individual spikes in the peoples' Mana due to their emotional states. This occurrence on such a massive scale reached Kou's senses in the palace, letting him know without even looking that his speech had rallied the people. There wasn't a need for him to lift a finger; the people would earn their own freedom, their own way. All they needed to move forward was the initial push. There was one other thing, though. Seriri brought up the matter of the Siren, but Kou wasn't too concerned about that. The Siren would either reveal themselves during the chaos to grasp at their desire, or they would go into hiding and lose everything while behaving as a recluse during the revolution. Considering the Siren's influence, they had to be of reasonable enough intelligence to avoid the latter. So, the former was the only option. Where would they go, though?

... Apparently, they would come to the palace, according to Tatsuki. Were they en route to an attempt to eliminate Kou? No, that wouldn't make sense at all. Defeating him would do nothing to end the revolution already in progress. Whatever the case, he was keen to meet this 'Siren' person and put an end to their influence in Atlantis. "Good. I want to meet them."

[Apollymi]

Seriri's words were taken at face value, but it seemed their target had appeared before them, and she had only one thing to say since Kou claimed to want to meet this person. "Look, every time we come across one of these people they are engaged in some behavior which is gross, sadistic or just outright wrong... I can't even begin to explain how wrong," she said there was untold fury under her gaze, like she was seeing the first thing to upset her all over again. Luckily Miki was unconscious within their mind space, so Tatsuki had no outward show of emotion about the things the other lass had seen. It was quite true what Akashi had said, Dragons didn't concern themselves with lesser things. All that mattered to her, is those who had wronged her other self were already dead and could no longer upset her.

Knowing the Queen was in the company of a Dragon and an Adventurer, the guards were busy in the streets of Atlantis. As such the Siren was able to saunter up to the Throne Room unimpeded. With her the Homunculus she created, moving with the tail of a giant snake creature, but bearing the chest of a man and the arms of two different individuals. Its face and head were covered but that would be explained momentarily. "There you are. It's so good to see you directly, you're so much better looking in person... that face is so full of innocence... it's uncanny~" said the woman as she approached the group at large, but her movements toward Kou were met by a hiss from Tatsuki which caused her to think twice about her approach. "Come now, a Dragon surely can't be so interested in a human child. I simply like his face and his voice," she said absently petting the large creature at her side. with her fingers as her tentacles shifted in the floor. A trail of ink had followed this woman from where she started to here, as her arousal at the idea of possessing this boy, outstretched normal reason. "I want to add him to my pet... you can keep the rest obviously... and then I won't have to unleash this creature upon the palace. This whole revolution will be in vain after all, if the Queen dies, right?" asked the Siren, which made Seriri sigh, why was this the one who wanted her death directly. She seemed to be trying to use her influence here. But what she couldn't know was the type of people she was standing against right now. Strangely, everything being said here caused Tatsuki to let go of Kou. "Don't tarry." these were Tatsuki's only words, it was a warning to the lad that she had every intention of killing this woman if he took too long to do it himself. But much like Akashi, she'd decided to leave him to his work, this included handling the aspect of the underground business which fell under his purview.

[Bloodedge]

What Seriri spoke of was precisely the reason Kou wanted to meet the Siren. Even without knowing the specifics, he knew only unsavory things were going on in the underground of Atlantis. Finally, the ringleader and her creation appeared before them. This was... a very disgusting creature he saw ahead. Everything about it was grotesque in every way... and the same could be said of the amalgamation of body parts that entered with it.

"Ugh," Kou uttered as his ears picked up on the squelching sound from ink-stained tentacles on the Siren's lower body. Even more disgusting than anything else was her apparent desire to possess his face for the Homunculus she crafted. Indeed, this was the sort of thing Kou could have imagined taking place in Atlantis to create individuals like Diva, and likely many others if there were even survivors. Tatsuki released her hold on the lad to free him for an assault, and not a moment too soon. Of all the things the Siren had done, all the things she planned on doing even, she intended to see Seriri killed just to end the revolution? No, he couldn't have that at all. "You think killing a monarch ends a people's revolution? It doesn't," he said as he stepped forward, readying his blade and wearing a visage painted with determination. "C'mon. I'll fight you."

[Apollymi]

The Siren appeared in a shining example of 'wrongness' making the grossest noises, appearing with the most grotesque creature at her side, while also having the worst intentions of any singular individual they'd met so far. Surely she didn't believe she was doing the collection of body parts with her any kindness by letting it exist the way it did. Obviously she should know how gross it was to be so obviously pining for the attentions of a man for just physical aspects of his beauty which beyond all things would have been marred by the process if it were even possible to attain them in the first place. But it didn't matter, according to Kou the death of the Queen wouldn't stop the people's revolution. "Tsk," no matter. She'd still get what she wanted. "Oh? So you intend to fight my greatest creation? And me? Silly human child..." were the words of the woman. The amalgamation of body parts which was her pet, stepped forward. Its body pulsing with blood magic not unlike the earlier shock seen in Sazanami. But instead of punishing it, it urged it forward. It swung its arms wildly but attacked swiftly aiming to drop both its arms down atop the much smaller lad with the weight of its hefty body behind it. All while the Siren gave it directions. "Break his arms and legs, avoid that beautiful face of his~" she said as her own hands seemed to move about her body attentively feeding her own arousal. While the drops of the beasts arms occurred to land atop the lad's shoulders instead of his head, per her directions.

"Kimi, you want to kill her too right? It's not just me this time..." asked Seriri of the Dragonoid who outwardly showed nothing but those jewel red eyes of hers seemed to shine with some untold emotion. "Yes." was all the Dragonoid said, but there was much weight behind it. All the while, the Siren chose to try and manipulate the lad she was fighting against. Her aim to get into his head. "Oh? Fighting alone won't do will it. Did your little Dragon abandon you at the first sign of trouble... I've read a Dragon letting go of its mate is a bad sign," mentioned the woman, there was power in her words, like she aimed to have them influence the lad in some way. "Or maybe you are just a pet and she doesn't care at all..." she finished up. Tatsuki's right hand opened and closed and within it appeared a long sword with a pattern on it like her scales, which she laid across her body as she floated in the air. Her patience though normally massive was running quite thin with this ill-informed sea creature. "Dragons don't take interest in their pets. Nor do they take mates who are... lesser," she said firmly. That was it, Tatsuki had let go of the lad, because she could trust him to take care of himself. And because her instincts said if he couldn't then he wasn't equal. There was also the fact that if a Dragon considered something a pet, then the idea of breeding with it was non-existent. Dragons were higher order creatures, they didn't confuse their desires.

[Bloodedge]

"... No, not really," Kou said to the notion of him wanting to fight the Siren and her pet... thing. That wasn't his intention at all, despite him saying so himself initially. One could say he misspoke, but that didn't matter one bit. His fury toward the wrongdoers of Atlantis seemed to have develop a calmness about it by this point in the interaction. The Siren would soon find that to be a dangerous thing. As the Homunculus came his way, he flicked his sword outwards to keep it just out of his own way whilst he placed his weight on his left foot.

Two large arms were descending upon his shoulders. Thanks to his Class Skill, Instinct, he had no worries of this at all. He could see the beast as if it were moving in slow motion, even. His body shifted with his left foot as its pivot point, twisting to his immediate right to have the arms slip through the air at his fore and rear. A brief application of weight to his right foot thereafter saw to Kou hopping up and twisting back the way he'd been, all to land on those very same arms as his sword swept through the air in front of him. What would this accomplish? Well, he happened to be in a position to immediately decapitate the Homunculus while using his body as a stepping stone to approach the Siren. He clearly had no care for the Siren's words regarding Tatsuki. His main concern remained the heinous atrocities caused by this invader to the palace. "You repel me in every sense of the word, so I'm just going to kill you. There's not much else to it."

[Apollymi]

Kou's moves were decisive and artful. Each one of them served their purpose and nary an effort was wasted. This was something that seemed to resonate deeply with Tatsuki, and as she watched, she couldn't help but become less generally upset about the Siren and more generally smitten with Kou. Her eyes gained an attentiveness which made it impossible to decipher her intentions while taking in this sight. Did she want to fight him for challenge and thrill? Or would she rather ride and dominate him for showing such skill? The look that passed her face didn't seem to give away anything. "Interesting..."

In the meantime, the Homunculus hit nothing that it intended to. It had no time to react to the lad instead running up his arms after they hit the ground and before he could even lift them again properly. Before the time would come that he could grab at the lad at the bidding of his mistress, his head would be sent flying from his body backward, his non-existent face hadn't the tissue to show emotion but by the time his head fell to the floor and his body stopped dead, he was being used as a stepping stone and the angelic lad who'd so artfully dispatched him was now making a beeline straight for the Siren. "Oh no! My baby!" she said of the fallen creature. It was after all a life time of work completely destroyed in just seconds. She'd only just realized that the lad now claimed he would kill her, because she repelled him. Her charms hadn't worked. He hadn't lost faith in his Dragon, and if anything the Dragon seemed more interested by this show than less. She held a hand up above her face, her intention to cast a spell, of the blood shielding variety, to put to use all the of the magic she'd woven into the body of her Homunculus. Teeming red energy with ripples of blood would aim to take shape before her outstretched hand, shielding her from his encrouchment, and perhaps it would give her more of a chance to speak. At such close distance, her charms could only gain traction right? No one in Atlantis could challenge her this way, not even this boy with his beautiful face. Was her mind tricking her into believing she could win? No. "You can't kill me, I'm the Siren!" she proclaimed.

[Bloodedge]

One down. All that stood before Kou now was the Siren herself. Not for long, he thought. She'd fall soon enough, though apparently not before she raised some pitiful defense against him, wailing about being incapable of dying to his hand due to her title alone. Alas... it was just that: A title. There was nothing in this woman's arsenal that could fell him, and everything in Kou's own arsenal that he could use to end her. That wasn't enough, though; not at all. Perhaps due only to her most recent claim, he had to use her for more than that as well.

"I can't kill you... because you're the Siren..." he repeated as he slowly approached her barrier. He was so angry... he actually wanted to laugh. This desire manifested in a warm and welcoming smile, though his eyes bore that same burning flame within crystalline hues. "Alright. Good." This simple mention preceded an explosion of Kou's Mana, which washed over the Siren's barrier whilst battering against it at the same time. The bulk of this Mana was centered around his blade, which he pressed the tip of against the blood barrier. Slowly, he pushed with enough magical energy coating his weapon to pierce his target.

... And just as slowly, he'd continue pushing it forward until it would reach his real target: The Siren herself. A mighty movement would follow, aiming to bifurcate the woman while cauterizing the wound with the heat of Kou's magic. One would almost be able to assume she'd been chopped in half by a laser if he managed this. With that, would come one more statement from Kou. "It'd be a shame if you died. I need you to sing a song for your servants... Siren."

[Apollymi]

The Siren was in awe. He'd slowed his pace. Her words had worked! The lad before gave her the most heart-warming smile and fully acknowledged that he couldn't kill her because she was the Siren. She was elated, and all was right in the world. She was so misguided. The smile aimed at her was full of something she didn't understand righteous rage, and what would come along with that was divine punishment. The boy's mana rolled into her barrier but it held. She could indeed win this, but the slow push forward never stopped. "I told you..." she paused as the swiftness returned and rather suddenly the barrier shattered. She might have thought that was it, but she felt strangely hot, and what was more her body felt like it was on fire. Most specifically from her lower torso down to her legs. "W--w--what!? What have you..." the finality of this moment settled and her eyes widened as her body started to fall apart. Her legs falling over to the left, as her upper torso also fell over to the right. She aimed to catch herself with her arms writhing in pain. "My legs, you've cut off my legs, you've ruined me!" she cried tears streaming down her face. But the lad's final words hit her ears like a crazed threat. "S-s---sing?" suddenly her words were no longer capable of coming out. She was alive but well and truly ruined.

In the meantime, Tatsuki watched this action with her eyes alight. She did not necessarily enjoy the suffering of the Siren but she called it fair based solely on the things her other self had witnessed during this time. She was complicit in the actions of those she empowered, and as such the suffering was deserved. Retribution at its finest. "No sympathy?" she asked of the Mer Queen at her side who looked on with nary a hint of anything like sympathy in her eyes. "Diva," was her one word reply and it was more than enough for Tatsuki to understand that the lass would rather save her sympathy for one who'd actually deserved it.

[Bloodedge]

Ruined, yes, but alive still. At least there was that aspect to the Siren's existence at present. Now, Kou could make use of her properly. He took a step toward the Siren's upper half, glaring down at her in the wake of her query. During this time, Diva heard the call of Seriri. He understood her purpose, and Kou's intentions as well. He'd do something similar to what he'd done with the Slaver, and for that, Diva had to step forward with the cube outstretched again, ready to be interacted with by any who touched it.

Kou reached out with the intention of snatching the Siren's hair; an act which would be succeeded by him jerking her toward the cube. He knew the streets of Atlantis were in absolute chaos by now, but there was one thing which would quell the offense of those who were under the Siren's influence. "Yes. Use the Guardians to sing a song to your people. Tell them to retreat... No! Tell them... to run away."

[Apollymi]

Kou had taken a very interesting turn in his dealings. But all present seemed to understand exactly why such an action was necessary. All except, the Siren herself. That woman was still coping with her loss, but she wouldn't be given time to mourn her missing legs. No, she'd be snatched up by the hair and turned towards the Guardian's Cube. She'd been given an order, and though she hissed in pain what was necessary was clear. She had to give the order for her people to retreat, but that wasn't all. The wording was now specific and she managed to look both horrified and confused. Even as this little half a body writhing in agony. "R-ru---run away?" she questioned. It seemed to specific to have not been intentional, and overall she wanted her suffering to end, but this, just seemed like he wanted to embarrass her and all she'd worked for, just to do so.

All the while Tatsuki and Seriri looked forward and then at each other. They understood maybe, just maybe though the sudden shift in Kou's personality was a bit worse, she was used to the actions of a certain black haired young woman. Though not as full of wrath there was a similar bit of retribution worked in. As if the suffering of those who did wrong was necessary for everyone to grow.

[Bloodedge]

As he held her before the cube, the Siren had the nerve to question Kou's demand. There would be no avoiding this. At this point, the words he spoke would be law for the Siren if he had his way. "Yes. Those words. Run away. I want you to be famous for those exact words. I want people to call you Madame Run Away. I want children laughing outside your door, because they've found the house of Madame Run Away. And, when people come to you, and ask if trying to get to me through the PEOPLE I CARE FOR...-" He paused, taking a deep breath. His anger was starting to get the best of him as the thoughts of the Siren's actions returned to him.

"-... is in any way a good idea, I want you to tell them your name. Oh, look... I'm angry. That's new. I'm really not sure what's going to happen now..."

[Apollymi]

The tirade that came from Kou made both Tatsuki and Seriri stare at him with wide eyes. They'd seen him in the last few moments go through a plethora of emotions, but in this moment there was anger so direct it was almost palpable. The Siren for her part in this heard out the speech and though she was in agony and though she was merely half the woman she'd been before, his speech had implications which gave her room to writhe. He claimed to not know what would happen for feeling such an emotion directly, but she had nothing but words left to work with, and she'd use them. "The anger of a good man is nothing to fear. Good men have too many rules." There was nothing but malice in this woman and she truly didn't care since her livelihood was being crushed as they spoke. There was a great and hefty pause but she'd say the words he asked. Obviously, though she'd been split in twain her life was her life still. "Run away!" she gave this order to all those connected to her. The violence would stop in a form of surrender as she called for slavers, torturers and those who trafficked within the underground to run from this good man's anger.

At the same time, Tatsuki watched as the wrath of a Dragon made itself known. She felt no sympathy and she had nothing negative to say. She was certain of this lad, more so than she'd been before. He was still her mate, even wingless with white hair. She'd calmly wait the sword disappearing from her hands in a splash of water. She'd not need to lift a finger this day, this woman would experience enough torment that her Dragon self didn't need to act.

[Bloodedge]

The Siren's rebuttal was almost laughable. If she thought him to truly be a 'good man' as she claimed, Kou... no, even Yugi, would consider her horribly mistaken. He even drew closer to her ear as he gave his own retort. "Good men don't need rules. Now isn't the time to find out why someone like me has so many," he said clearly. The Siren gave her order, and those under her would see her mangled form all over Atlantis. Just the same, those fighting for justice in the streets of this kingdom would see the ultimate obstacle of their revolution, cowering and defeated.

And yet... Kou wasn't done. In his present state, and only then, could he wash his Mana over the Siren in a special way. She would die, but not truly. He would purify her in a way that would leave all of her consciousness intact, but just as his visage could passively quell those with malicious intent, this special application of his energy would instill a Divine Law unto the Siren that would remove her physical ability to act on such intent. Those thoughts, and even her history of them, would flow directly into the cube held by Diva, along with her severed tentacles that were converted to pure energy. A new Guardian would be made, under Diva's command for the future... as if the Siren had been killed properly like the Banker and Slaver before.

"You said I couldn't kill you. Killing you would have been a kindness you don't deserve. Atlantis's ultimate enemy from within will be its ultimate Guardian. So long as the Guardian lives... you will live, in this state," he said, his eyes containing a glow almost reminiscent of the Devouring's hold taking place... and yet, it was something pure and well beyond that.

[Apollymi]

Kou still had more to say. He claimed to the face of a Siren that he wasn't in fact a good man, and threatened in a way which would have caused her to shutter under his gaze, if she'd had the fortitude to do so. Instead, her order was given just the same as it'd was always going to be. And unbeknownst to her, her life was still forfeit but in a very different way than she imagined. If her order of retreat had been demoralizing, her 'death' would be a lesson to all who would try anything like what she'd done before.

Her body was washed over in the light of Kou's mana, and beyond that point was purified. Her life was ended but her consciousness remained, though she couldn't actually do anything she wanted to. She was tied to a Guardian, created from her own severed half. Ironically she'd be made whole once more, but without the ability to act of her own accord. The Siren became the Ultimate Guardian tied to the will of another, specifically tied to the will of one of the worst treated individuals in the Kingdom who'd come up quite a bit in the last few days. Whatever the case, all present got to see something very different in such a punishment. It was Divine Judgement passed here and now, with a punishment that would last an eternity. The lad's glowing eyes were something which would be seen by Tatsuki who took it in an understood. The Siren understood this punishment, but by the time she would have voiced the lack of fairness, there was nothing she could do but stare into the lad's glowing eyes and know her fate was well and truly sealed. Several moments of silence would pass before any of the women in this room found reason to speak. And it would strangely be Seriri who chose to move first, if only this one time.

She had nothing to say though she simply moved for the first time. She went out to the steps of the palace holding the stone Miki had created for her, she held within her hands the staff like trident which was her weapon and placed the stone over one of the slots, binding it to the power here. She spun the weapon in her hand, causing a surge of water through every barrier within the Kingdom and walls would glow green with the purifying nature of Miki's mana, and then begin to rain down on the people. The water would penetrate everything and touch everyone. To strange and varied affect. The most obvious of these would be the removal of every single slave crest on every single body within the Kingdom. Every man, woman and child, who'd ever counted as the property of another, would find themselves without the marks that made them such. A Kingdom of freedom was born this day and no words would be spoken by the Queen in these moments. The people would see it, feel it, know it... their battle had been won.

[Bloodedge]

And thus, Atlantis reached the end of an era, and the beginning of another. An entire market had been overthrown and replaced in a day, and now an entire revolution of the people had been started and won in just as little time. Kou could leave the Siren where she lay, for whatever Seriri and the officials of Atlantis wished to do with her from here on.

... Speaking of the Atlantis officials, there was another matter to address with Seriri herself. He approached the woman while sheathing his sword, thinking there was only one way to stop the next 'Siren' from rising. This information had to be shared, and it had to be shared immediately. "There's one more thing Atlantis needs to thrive as a kingdom, if these are the types who are born here. I'm not sure what Diva here is to you, but it's obviously something important. You still need more. Atlantis needs to function as closely to a democracy as possible for situations like this to remain a thing of the past. You should stay as queen, but there should be parliament."

[Apollymi]

Kou sheathed his weapon and left the Siren where she was. The guards of Atlantis who'd returned moved her to a holding cell, until it would be decided exactly what would be done with what remained of her. All the while, Tatsuki just floated patiently waiting to see what else the lad had in his mind. And it seemed to be something very interesting. As the light of freedom and the purge rained down from the skies of Atlantis, Kou approached Seriri with his idea for the governing of Atlantis post their most terrible time. Her left brow raised as he claimed she should remain Queen and keep her connection to Diva whom she had developed affection for, but it was much like that of a sibling. She wanted to look after him and make sure he was alright. She felt genuine sympathy for his plight. "Hm, Diva is the one who made me move the first time. I think he's important as well... and I wouldn't mind keeping him as my right hand man," she said with a casual shrug. As for the idea of a functional democracy she nodded. "I could see that Parliament working out. There's a lot of little things to work out with that... You two will help too, right?" she asked. It seemed like a massive undertaking to try and set up such a government, strangely Tatsuki moved toward Kou settling back in place around him but this time, as her tail found its home around his core, her upper body settled against his shoulders. "The ground work has been laid," she said the sentence which was strangely short. "The people is all you need." Tatsuki's words were spoken strangely close to Kou's face over his right shoulder, as she nestled into his body.

[Bloodedge]

Seriri decided that Diva would be her right hand in this rejuvenated kingdom of Atlantis. The teal-haired male seemed to be appreciative of this notion, but entirely incapable of expressing it beyond a simple nervous shift of his gaze. He did want to repay the queen for her kindness toward him, and all others, but his own worth was in question. If she wanted him to, he'd try, at least.

Kou, on the other hand, was being seemingly propositioned on two fronts. For one, Seriri was questioning his and Tatsuki's willingness to help with the Parliament setup. The other side of that coin, though, was the distraction of Tatsuki returning her tail to his person, while also settling her body against him and speaking so close to his ear. He hesitated in his response to Seriri as a result, feeling a tingle creep up his spine. "Eto... She's right. Only your people, the ones who are going to be here with you forever, can help you there. You can start with Diva."

[Apollymi]

The look on Diva's face made Seriri smile. He seemed a bit nervous about what she'd said, but she knew he'd be good to have around in general. Even if he wasn't fully capable of speaking, he'd already seen the worst side of Atlantis, she thought it important that he be part of bringing about the best of it. "You don't have to look so nervous, Diva. I promise I won't make myself too tough to look after~" she chimed. It seemed that Tatsuki as a Dragon made the claim that the ground work had been laid but that all she needed was the people. Strangely, this all was very similar to Miki sending her off to speak with people on her own terms earlier. Such a thing was her friends version of giving independence. Sending someone to find what they were looking for, with their own two hands. "Sou ka, that's a lot like you, huh? Even as a Dragon, Kimi is still Kimi," the lass managed seeming to understand a bit of what she should be doing. "Come on, Diva. I think I should go talk to a few people. I might have a good idea of where to start," she said about finding people to fill the seats of her Parliament based on what had taken place in the last couple of days. With that, for the first time in a while, the lass seemed to find the motivation to move on her own, for the sake of her people and that was good.

"Good luck." Was the short sentence giving by Tatsuki still spoken straight to the lass in front of her. All the while her tail lightly moved around Kou's body and she relaxed against him, leaving him the freedom to move if he wished. Even so, she'd noticed his slight hesitation when she'd settled again, and wondered if he would have something he wished to say.

[Bloodedge]

Seriri would go about her own business, with Diva following along as sheepishly as he always did. This was good. As queen, she needed to do these things on her own; even Tatsuki believed this. Speaking of Tatsuki, the Dragonoid was back to what was becoming her expected behavior by the time Seriri and Diva left the throne room. Kou's gaze fell upon her shifting tail, as h is mind wandered nowhere reasonably sane. He moved ever so slightly away, thinking it best to quell those thoughts immediately. "Alright. Atlantis should be fine now, I think."

[Apollymi]

The Dragonoid was now alone with Kou, who seemed to be thinking very deeply about something. Soon though his mind wandered ever so slightly but just as soon as it had, he spoke aloud a sentence that was strange to the lass wrapped around him. Beyond this he shifted away from her, this simply wouldn't do at all. "It will be," she said in a short sentence. Still slightly to his rear her tail shifted around him as she reached to turn his face towards her own. "Don't hesitate." she said very directly while staring in the lad's face. If her first movement succeeded it would be immediately followed by her closing the space between them again. She wanted to be this close to him and had proved it. Something he would learn now is that Tatsuki had no intention of being put off in such a way, when it was obvious to her how he felt.

[Bloodedge]

"I thi-" Whatever Kou would have said was lost to him immediately, and the fault alone was Tatsuki's. The tail that previously left him enough space to move about was now stopping him, and she even went so far as to force his face toward hers. Now incapable of doing anything but looking directly into the demanding face of the Dragonoid, his eyes widened and shook. Was this forceful nature simply within Kimiko's persona somewhere? Or did it, perhaps, happen to be something exclusive to Dragonkind? Being incapable of fully knowing his own actions as Akashi, he simply couldn't tell. At present, though... all he could do was deal with what was in front of him. "I haven't hesitated on anything..." he said, untruthful though it may have been.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki watched and listened as Kou's stutter returned immediately. Strange that a boy could be so simultaneously sure of his actions in one situation but so completely unsure in another. Regardless he seemed to not know how to react to her forcing his view to her, his eyes widened and shook even. Whatever the case as she stared at him, he claimed that he hadn't hesitated and this would cause the Dragonoid to scoff. She spoke to him in the same direct way she'd been speaking up to this point. "Lie." she said calmly. "I smell it on your skin... you can't hide from me," this was the absolute truth. If Akashi could see every twitch and movement, Tatsuki could smell every change and shift in every person she concentrated on. There was only one who had her attention now, and he couldn't escape it. Her tail twitched lightly around him and she focused on his face, like her original self she was quite sure of herself as a person. But unlike her, she didn't have a reason to try and avoid the issues at hand. This lad wanted her, she obviously had no problem trying to confront him, so why the hesitation to try and get what he wanted?

[Bloodedge]

Of course, Tatsuki had senses that allowed her to literally smell the shift in his demeanor. He couldn't get away with lying, and yes, he had been hesitating. Well, it was very easily said that instead of hesitating, he was making himself withdraw instead. What could he do against this Dragonoid, though? It was obvious she was having none of his lies, nor did it seem she would take any of his excuses. There were few things he could even attempt at this point. "I'm not Akashi, you know? I'm just a human," he stated, somewhat factually. In truth, he had the potential to be something equal to, or even superior to a Dragonoid. Whether he'd ever reach that classification or not was up to fate, but he was content to portray himself as one of the human race entirely.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki stared at this lad for several seconds from this distance. The Dragonoid didn't blink, she didn't move, and she barely seemed to be breathing. And she waited a little less than patiently for the lad's reply and when she heard it she managed to look at him without even a muscle in her face shifting. "Sou ka, you believe that," she gave a slight pause. "Mostly." her gaze never wavered. Whatever this lad believed of himself, she knew a Dragon when she saw one, and she knew this lad to be more than he appeared. His lack of confidence dealing with her, would not be tolerated. She unwrapped herself from his core and continued to stare at him, her tail shifting ever so slightly as she maintained a rather intense form of eye contact.

"You move like a Dragon." she said. "You have a Dragon's wrath." she added. "You hold a Dragon's Soul and maintain enough of yourself to keep it from rising." she concluded. These were all statements of absolute fact, she'd witnessed too much of him today to not see him for what he was. "I'm not demanding Akashi," she spoke these words with conviction and the same demanding demeanor she simply seemed to possess. "I came to you." The shortest sentence she possessed in this moment was also one which was rather pivotal. "Know your worth, Kou!" she said his name in such a way as to imply force, but it wasn't only that, her eyes burned with an emotion deeper than her own existence. She was a creature of action, she'd gone back to him, even knowing that he didn't intend to turn into Akashi. Knowing this should made it obvious, as such she extended her hand and invited him into her embrace. She had one last demand of the lad, and would accept no lies. "Be honest."

[Bloodedge]

Abrasive was likely the first word Kou would use to describe this Dragonoid. Apparently, Kou could hardly even lie to himself in her presence. He shrank under her unwavering gaze. She had numerous claims to his Dragon-like traits, and none of them could even be argued against. Still, he was no Dragon in actuality. That didn't seem to matter to this female Dragonoid, who insisted upon the fact that she'd approached not Akashi, but Kou himself for her purposes. "I-..." His words caught in his throat again. At the mention of his own worth, he took a single step away from the Dragon that so recently released him, only for her to offer an outstretched hand then and there. He didn't back away further, but he also didn't approach. No, this was the time Kou chose to stand his ground. "Honest with what, exactly?" he asked of her, conviction returning to his visage.

[Apollymi]

Was Tatsuki abrasive? Yes. But she was many things, Dragons simply were as they were, with no filter. She didn't appreciate the confused messages between this boy's body and his thoughts. Was she being short-sighted as a creature without drawbacks? Probably. But that didn't matter either. What did matter was that this lad had stepped away from her, specifically at the mention of his worth. This was something worth noting because it shed a bit of light on his mindset. He then seemed to steel himself, questioning what he should be honest with. She continued to stare at the lad wondering if he honestly didn't know. "Yourself," she said before strangely adding a bit more. "And me." she concluded. It was very important that she didn't give the lad any sort of out. Or rather, it was important to her that he at least acknowledge the contradictions he presented. "If you wish to act then do so. If you don't then don't. But don't hold yourself back with unnecessary logic," she responded her hand was still extended, she was still making an offer.

[Bloodedge]

Nothing was working with this Dragonoid, but Kou was content to move on. In doing so, however, the female spoke words regarding where his truths were meant to be. She demanded that he be honest with himself, and her as well. How specific. Even then, her hand remained offered. Kou stared at the extremity while hearing out Tatsuki's conclusive words. His expression was firm, and with a tentative step forward, he reached out. It slipped his mind what Tatsuki's intentions actually were, if it was ever even properly in his mind to begin with. In a simple moment, he became engrossed in the idea of being forward, whilst that hellish burning sensation called to him from deep within his soul again.

Maybe he moved himself. Maybe something else moved him. Maybe... it didn't matter either way. Regardless though, his hand eventually made contact with Tatsuki's. "Nothing I apply to myself is unnecessary," he said, and it was actually something he believed.

[Apollymi]

The lad seemed to be working through his ideas about himself and his honesty. She could smell a grand decision in the air and was ready when he took that tentative step forward and reached for her outstretched hand. The smile that came to her face was a level of smug that didn't normally appear on any version of the lass' face unless she actually felt like she was winning. And in this moment, her victory smelled and tasted sweet. She came forward a bit more leaving a bit of space between them and leaving herself floating ever so gently above him. "If you say so," she started with one hand holding his, the other drifted from near is collar across his shirt. "Though that doesn't change my opinion of you," she finished as her tail gently wrapped around him.

If she was left to her own devices in this moment, the path of her moving hand would shred his shirt, causing it to fall away from him by the time it finished. All the while pieces of armor applied to her body seemed to be evaporating as water, leaving only small black strips of lace to cover her arms, a small bra covering her chest, the panties made visible by her leg armor and those long hip high lace tights which opened around the center of her legs.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, there was a Dragon tail surrounding Kou. Were all Dragons and Dragonoids so keen on using their tails so freely? He supposed, if he possessed such an additional extremity, he'd also use it quite often. What's more though, her free hand was at his shirt's collar. Kou felt a lump in his throat as that very same hand began to move down the length of his garb, ripping it in twain and leaving him bare of torso. Of course, the lump had nary a thing to do with the riddance of his article, yet all to do with the liquidation and disappearance of Tatsuki's.

He was just a young man. Clearly he couldn't restrain himself from letting his eyes travel down the Dragonoid's scantily-clad form. She had the look of some model from a magazine. Well, such would be the case if said magazine featured a creature that was only human in appearance. The sight was rather titillating, garnering a rise in Kou of the... literal sort. Yes, indeed he could feel just as much blood rushing to his loins, as there was rushing to his face.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki was beyond pleased. Why? Well, as her tail traveled around this lad's body she received a silent and positive appraisal from him. She couldn't help herself, he looked so embarrassed. She could smell the blood rushing to his face before she even saw it, her smile widened. "Oh? Honesty in silence," she mentioned casually, leaning her body against his recently revealed chest and coming to lay directly aligned to him all the way down his body. "And body." she finished with a teasing smile. Within a few moment the tip of her tail was underneath his chin tilting his head for the eye contact she desired. If she succeeded she had but one more thing to say in the moment. "There you are," she calmly expressed as her leaning and movements would lead to her pressing her lips against his. While kissing him as such their bodies would begin moving together by the female Dragon's control as she aimed to place him back first against the Throne Room wall. This would make the moment private as one had to round a pillar to catch a peek of them but whether such a thing happened or not, was no concern of the Dragonoid's. She had what she wanted, and she intended to dance as she saw fit.

[Bloodedge]

The next thing Kou knew, the Dragonoid had her body pressed against his even more intensely than before. He could feel her bosom pressed against his chest, that squishing sensation traveling through his very ribs. Before he could even say anything about the present situation, his head was lifted by a tail, all for his lips to be occupied... by Tatsuki's. If that alone wasn't enough to widen his eyes, the sudden movement which saw to his back slamming against the wall, would certainly do the trick. Kou didn't know whether he should be confused, or aroused by the efforts of the lass whose mouth remained in contact with his own.

... No, that wasn't quite right. He didn't know which thing he should be, true... but he was certainly both as he writhed between the Dragonoid in front of him, and the wall to his rear.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki was swooning. The lad's physical reactions to being moved were almost as impressive as his ability to remain in a state of relative elation. It made her desire to test is boundaries or rather give him some that aligned with her own. Perhaps a bit of clarification was in order, since he'd never properly answered her questions before? Whatever the case, he didn't seem to mind their current placement as such she allowed their faces to separate as her tail moved on its own along with the arm that held the lad's hand. The end result of this would be the lass' tail being used to pin his arms gently but firmly above his head. All the while she shifted her prospects, kissing the side of his neck and flicking his earlobe with her forked tongue. "You never said..." she mentioned as her hands traveled down the lad's body until her left found its place rubbing against his manhood. "If you wanted to be above me..." she gave pause as she traced what she'd found above his clothes... "Or beneath me," she finished up her statement with a look most devilish in her eyes. She aimed to watch the lad's reactions while keeping her other senses open, something about this she couldn't quite explain, was rather enjoyable to her. So, perhaps she'd tease him a bit to teach him to be more decisive. "So, I decided in front of me," she mused joyously, breathing the heat of her words directly into his ear, while leaving the lad a clear line of sight down his own body to see hers against his and her hand fondling his manhood.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, there was a short list of options Kou had been given earlier in his interaction with Tatsuki. He hadn't answered this, but he also never intended to do so... even now. It seemed Tatsuki would, or rather already did, take this decision unto herself. While she voiced these matters, Kou could feel the pressure of her hand against his groin, moving repeatedly where it lay. Whether he intended to do anything or not, he hardly had the ability to accomplish anything while being bound as he was. His eyes once again traveled down Tatsuki's body. Indeed, he could see her actions, but he couldn't quite focus on that. "You're... rather forceful, aren't you? Is that just a Dragon thing?" he asked as he winced under the Dragonoid's touch. Her movements, her expression, even her very decisions were all very different from what he'd have expected of Miki, or even Kimiko. At the very least, he could call it somewhat jarring.

[Apollymi]

If Kou found Tatsuki's behavior jarring he might take solace in what she had to say next. But her answers to his questions would come a bit late, as she distractedly watched him wince under her touch. "I am a Dragon." A statement of fact which didn't necessarily excuse her actions, but if he was wondering specifically about certain traits of her personality being a Dragon was a reason for a great deal of her forcefulness. Kou wouldn't know this, but Akashi had also shown a great deal of forcefulness in his behavior, not that it mattered to him at the time. "Dragons are not held hostage by that which binds humans," she mused as she held her hand still for just a moment. The very air would seem to ripple, but it was simply water. Water vibrating over his body at such a frequency as to wash away his pants eroding them slowly so she could watch them disappear. Perhaps, it would even feel pleasant for the lad she was subjecting to this treatment. In doing this she'd get to watch his manhood spring to life freed from its confines. "I am also just me..." she said with an openness that could potentially lead to much interpretation. If one were to think about it too much, it could be said that as a Dragon she possessed a forcefulness unknown to mankind, one unique to superior beings. It could also be said that as a human, Kimiko was forceful in her own right and in her own ways, and this could have been added to that, creating the perfect storm of dominance that was Tatsuki. She didn't touch him directly again instead she drug a single finger slowly up his torso, while speaking directly to him, strangely asking another question. "Would you like to see more of me now?" she asked before allowing her pursed lips to touch his cheek.

[Bloodedge]

True enough... she was a Dragon. The lore of Dragons did make a special mention of their impulsive... or rather, instinctual nature. "S-... Sou ka," he said shakily. Moreover, Tatsuki offered the clause that she was simply just herself. And then, his pants were gone due to the erosion of water Tatsuki had been washing over him. Kou would be lying if he said the tingling sensation he received all over himself wasn't a pleasant feeling. In fact, it felt almost as if he'd been granted a massage by the ocean itself, while the water's temperature lacked extremeness in either direction. His loins especially received this sensation, causing Kou to tightly shut his right eye while gritting his teeth and sighing through them. Added to this was Tatsuki's nail trailing along his chest, while she asked if he desired more of her visually. "I-... eto..." He stammered through a response, but in the end, he realized there was no avoiding this situation one way or another. With that in mind, would it not be best to live out a moment the likes of a series he followed? "S-... sure."

[Apollymi]

Kou seemed to find the answer that Tatsuki gave to be sufficient as an answer to his question. Even so, the Dragonoid female got to watch as the lad appreciated the light service that she gave him. In fact, his reactions were something she considered to be attractive. "Oh? You like that do you?" she questioned rhetorically. She couldn't help but tease him a bit and she used her tongue to flick gently over the side of his face. Beyond this she was even surprisingly given an answer to her question of him wanting to see more of her. A knowing smirk appeared on Tatsuki's face. "Honesty..." she mentioned in passing as her bra began disappearing as it seemed to evaporate on the spot. The shimmering of the article would free her breasts which softly pressed against the lad's chest. Her nipples appearing to be hard as she shifted ever so slightly against him. What was more her wandering finger would flick past the tip of said nipple on the way back down his body, all for his viewing pleasure. The completion of this act would have the lass' finger traveling down the length of Kou's manhood only to play rather gently at the tip rather directly. All the while her gaze stayed fixed on the lad at her side. What sort of reaction would he have? Was he truly going to be more decisive? Only time would tell, but Tatsuki was well on her way to deciding to move this little show along, there was quite a bit of moisture building between the lass' legs as she took advantage of this young man.

[Bloodedge]

There was no need to answer Tatsuki's question; not that Kou could bring himself to do so regardless. The Dragonoid's constant efforts were quite the distraction, and they were all piling atop one another. His squinted eye opened as her tongue brushed against his face, only for his gaze to lower as he felt the softness of her bared breast against him, alongside the firm centers that were her nipples. He got quite the show out of it all, just prior to both of his eyes closing the moment contact was made with his manhood. In direct contrast to the reactions his face showed, though, his member twitched in a way that would move his entire shaft upwards against Tatsuki's hand.

[Apollymi]

Kou had no more verbal responses for Tatsuki and the Dragonoid didn't need them. Instead she was content to watch the lad struggle against the desires of his body while she touched him and showed him a variety of things. Including unabashed looking at her body before her toying with his manhood had him shutting both of his eyes. "Oh? You won't watch anymore..." she mused rhetorically. Even so the twitching of this member as it shifted up into her hand made her chuckle just a tad. "Ara ara, that's lively~" she couldn't help but sound pleased. As a reward for the active movements of his manhood, she opened her palm against his shaft and there was water. The same gentle massaging water as she casually stroked his manhood, mostly to enjoy watching him squirm. Her own body was starting to demand something from her as well, and caused her to shift slightly even as she toyed with his manhood. She shifted her own body a small amount lifting her leg and moving it across him, creating a space his manhood would fit through against her nether and between the creamy flesh of her thighs. But she wouldn't allow him this space just yet. No, she simply prepared it, knowing she'd eventually desire something more directly for herself.

[Bloodedge]

Contrary to Tatsuki's rhetoric, Kou did not wish to avoid looking. No, it was very much the opposite. He intended to continue watching, but he couldn't avoid the physical reaction he had at the time. It didn't help that his other physical response resulted in Tatsuki palming his manhood while manipulating water against it. And so, squirming was exactly what he did. It was such a strange experience, he literally couldn't describe it if he tried his hardest.

Suddenly, there was something else occurring. An additional source of moisture appeared, alongside something... physical. No, alongside wasn't the word. This spongy sensation, blocked by some material, was the source of the new moisture, which itself felt warm in contrast to the lack of temperature possessed by previous waters. Kou opened his eyes as his breath escaped him, and looked down to see... a very interesting position shared between Tatsuki and himself by now. He hadn't entered the Dragonoid, though he could at a moment's notice. It was a strange level of maddening, albeit also something arousing Kou to no end, causing his member to pulse repeatedly against the Dragonoid's undercarriage.

[Apollymi]

Kou didn't look for a few moments yet, but when his eyes finally opened he was able to take in the shift in Tatsuki's position from his perspective and she his reaction to it. Strangely, she'd not expected such a direct response, but the new continuous pulsing was something very pleasant for her. A gentle moan escaped her, though she was curious as to why. Was this a fault of the body she shared with the lass Miki or was it the fault of Kimiko? What was more her hips moved forward and backward against this pulsing almost as if she didn't intend to do it initially. She was very much in control of this situation and it shouldn't have mattered what happened before her. As such she chose to address him, even as a gentle flush helped her face gain color. "Aah~ You like this..." she mentioned. Still there wasn't direct contact but as she slowly moved her hips clasping his throbbing member between her legs she thought to share something else with him. "I like it too~" she chimed. Just the same she seemed to be nudging his member ever closer. Her panties were shifting gently out of the way with every movement, gaining the lad something more moist and more warm with each simulated stroke. While also granting herself more feeling which started as a tingle and only continued to grow.

[Bloodedge]

The Dragonoid was right in her assertion that Kou enjoyed this sensation she chose to deliver unto him. His gaze rose all the way to the pinkish hue added to the Dragonoid's visage, though he'd soon be closing a single eye again. Apparently, Tatsuki herself found pleasure in this action as well. For whatever it was worth, Kou could have seen himself enacting this very moment in a dream. He probably would do at a later time, but for now, it was reality... A reality that soon enough involved the movement of Tatsuki's undergarments, exposing his manhood to unfiltered flesh and the proper source of that moisture he felt. It was, to say the least, an entirely different world for the lad. His breath caught in his throat the moment he gained this new sensation, leaving him still pinned against the wall, mouth agape and eyes fixed forward.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki slid her undercarriage along this lad's manhood with subtle moves which were gently gaining speed. Such a thing was what she chose to tease this lad with, as she prepared for entry. So, she moved, faster and faster this way. Even as the lad's breath caught in his throat, even as his one eye closed. Her body wouldn't stop moving, she shifted her hips forward and in a moment, aimed to allow the lad to slide fully into place, a reward for answering her questions and going along with her little domination so obediently. She reached a flourish which simply added water to her loins and his making his access all the more easily guaranteed, and kept moving her hips to side him home. But alas, it was not to be. At the point in time where her hips should have opened to the lad enough to allow him to submerge fully into place, her body rose off the ground ever so slightly. This caused those movements to continue, and he slid past her opening once more. What was this? Why wasn't this? Her mind was alight with thoughts, but maybe, she'd simply lost control. Maybe the moment of her finish had been a bit too much for her, her body had clinched and she'd miscalculated. Obviously this was the only possible answer and she needed only to restart her movements with the same purpose.

[Bloodedge]

And then, there was the grinding motion of Tatsuki's hips which rubbed their loins against one another. This odd, slick sensation applied an amount of friction that piqued Kou's arousal to no end; he could only imagine how things would be in a matter of... presumably minutes. Little did he know, it simply wasn't to be, even by the time Tatsuki intended in the wake of climax. There was so much moisture encasing his shaft, even an inexperienced Kou could imagine the ease of entry, and yet nothing.

As the gasp finally left his throat, the flame of Akashi within began eating away at him once more. It wasn't the same this time, no; It felt more like a memory... but not quite. One could almost call this experience deja vu, though he was certain he'd never experienced anything of the sort before now. Could it have been related somehow to Akashi? No, that couldn't be right. Unless...

[Apollymi]

This was a strange thing for Tatsuki. As a superior being used to having a certain amount of control over a situation, her inability to make their bodies meet properly was bothersome. She couldn't give an honest explanation as to why, all information said she should have been able to, and though she moved her hips as to make it happen multiple times, all that happened was a gentle nudging of her entry. A slight pressure and slip, every movement of her hips caused this, even though she was trying her absolute hardest. There was a struggle here, one which she didn't know could exist. Though she moaned outwardly it was almost frustration, and it gnawed at her very being. Even as she was pushed closer and closer, and her hips moved faster and faster seemingly with the direct desire of making the lad take the plunge. It. Would. Not. Work.

This presented a different problem entirely as the lass continued, because now she had to make sure he finished as well, lest she have to explain why she'd stopped. Perhaps he wouldn't question it. Perhaps her teasing in this way could simply be how she chose to do this. And she'd continue her struggle until either he finished or he slipped within, whichever thing took place first. And regardless of the outcome she could maintain her current level of dominance. No one would have to know, that there was something stopping her from acting. Her fingers trailed back down where their bodies met and with every movement of her hips thereafter, she swiped the tip of him and her own source of pleasure. The flush on her face increased, why was such direct stimulation so much for her body, why did it feel like she knew exactly what she was doing to herself and the lad before her while she committed such an act. She would only be left to wonder while her body actively chased a pressure building deep within herself.

[Bloodedge]

Something was definitely off in this situation, and it wasn't necessarily that itch of Akashi within the lad. Even so, he did feel as if the male Dragonoid intended to take over his body, and continue this act in what he viewed as a more... proper way of handling things. Perhaps this alone would be an influence on Kou's actions to come.

Ah, the thing that happened to be a bit off. Tatsuki's movements, while infinitely pleasant to the ashen-haired male, didn't seem to be working toward proper progression. Rather, they did, as Kou felt every moment in which his tip just about entered her... yet did not do so. It shouldn't have worked out that way. Could it have been a lack of experience on Kimiko's part, or something else? All he knew was that this, too, felt somehow familiar.

"Eto..." he muttered, staring into the face of the moaning and flushed Dragonoid. "What if I..." If Tatsuki wanted honesty and decisiveness, she'd be having it offered to her in a matter of moments. Using one moment in which she slid up a bit, Kou bent his neck to bring his head to her bosom. It was a bit of an awkward approach, and a stressful angle for his neck at first, but he managed to latch onto her left nipple with his lips. As to avoid losing this latch due to Tatsuki's movement, he sucked away at it firmly. He'd intended to make use of his hands as well, but managed nothing more than a tug against the Dragonoid's grip.

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki's mind worked overtime but her hand was doing the same. Strangely throughout all of this, the ashen haired lad in front of her became a bit more active he took a strange position which had to be ever so slightly straining and then without prompting latched onto her left nipple. "Oooh~" a sound slipped from her mouth she hadn't expected. What an interestingly new sensation this was, as the lad sucked away she felt the tug of his hands against her tail. Strangely, since he'd decided to move of his own accord, she let go of his arms, her tail trailing down and her own body rising ever so lightly giving them a slightly better alignment for his head. What would he do with his hands? She hadn't the slightest idea, but she did want more decisive action from him, she could only reward such a desire while she searched for her own. Perhaps no assumptions would be made here, perhaps this would be taken as her intent, to make the lad act of his own accord.

Still there was something eating at the back of her mind. She was quite sure the personality of the other lass was not conscious. Did her original personality have some sort of issue with this action? Not possible... Tatsuki was very sure she had more power than a human child. Even one she gave the credit of being her host. Something else was taking place here and it was something she couldn't understand... maybe that was fine, as she fully intended to enjoy herself here and now, whether she could properly achieve copulation or not. It would seem with the slight shift in her position she'd aim to stop such wide movements of her hips, if only to keep Kou's head near enough to her for his comfort and her added pleasure. There was something satisfying about this she didn't quite recognize yet, but as her nipple was teased within his mouth that pressure filled sensation below seemed to increase by a great deal.

[Bloodedge]

Kou managed to take hold of the nipple he sought with his mouth, but there was more coming his way. Tatsuki decided to loose her tail from his wrists, freeing him to a minor descent that eased the tension in his neck, but also gave him the point of access he initially sought with his previously immobile hands. Each hand took hold of a hip when they finally lowered, squeezing intensely. Apparently, Kou had managed to build up quite a bit of tension during all of Tatsuki's teasing, and his body demanded release.

Labored breaths escaped his nostrils. Every moment in which his mouth briefly released the Dragonoid's nipple, the heat of his breath instead left his mouth to cascade over a breast moistened slightly by his own saliva. In the meantime, Kou pushed his own hips forward to slide himself against her sex of his own accord, before ultimately retreating to replace his manhood with the fore and middle fingers of his right hand. As far as he was concerned, the lack of proper action taken by Tatsuki was, in no way, her doing. He believed Kimiko had managed to overcome the Dragonoid's desire for its 'mate' of choice, leaving the latter with only the urge. Kou had his own urges at present, but if his assumptions were correct, he wouldn't want to penetrate the Dragonoid. He could, however, aide Tatsuki in some way; this was how he chose to do so.

[Apollymi]

Kou's actions seemed to free him quite a bit, and he took action unto himself much to the satisfaction of his Dragonoid partner. His hands once they lowered found their places upon her hips, squeezing rather tightly. She had no arguments for this, overall it was quite a pleasing feeling, one which caused her to moan and one which she strangely, felt had passed her skin before. His mouth still worked about her chest was soon simply adding heated breath to her person, and her own breaths quickened as a result. The tension in his body was obvious and he demanded release. Obviously, Tatsuki was about to get what she wanted without having to hunt it down herself. As Kou took to thrusting himself between her legs of his own accord.

It wasn't to be... she didn't get the filling sensation of his member into the center of her being. Instead the lad replaced himself with the fingers of his hand. A filling sensation of a different sort caused the Dragonoid lass a bit of surprise. Her body let go of all its tension in this moment and opened a flood gate the likes of which was incomparable to any other. The lad would find his hand slick with her release and though this wasn't the finish she sought it was the one she needed. Still there was the lad to think about and though he'd changed his own tactics, Tatsuki wasn't an actual tease by nature. She didn't intend to leave him with a throbbing member and no release of his own. Instead she lowered her own feet to the ground, pressing her body into his as her tail settled around him and his member was overcome with the vibrating pulses of the warm fluid from her own body as she aimed to bring about his end as well. No one would be left behind, even if the intentions of everyone present had shifted.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's fingers slid into the Dragonoid more easily than he could have imagined. That was all the proof he needed to know that his manhood should have experienced a similar ease of entry, yet it wasn't the case. Fair enough. Though this wasn't the ideal situation, it would certainly do. His fingers began to move within her nether, curling up naturally until a moment in which he felt something... strange. What was this? There was a specific area he made contact with, that felt somewhat coarse, more like an actual sponge than the otherwise smooth surfaces surrounding his fingers.

Whatever the case, he could hardly even be confused for long. There was simply too much going on against Kou's own body, what with the oscillating water encompassing and molesting his shaft and all. He felt as if he could explode at any given moment, and yet, it was strange. What sort of weird pornography was this woman into, to have such a ludicrous idea that worked out so incredibly well? Obviously, the same sort he consumed, but for whatever reason, that comparison never registered properly in Kou's mind.

[Apollymi]

Kou's fingers finding their home within Tatsuki's core was something very different for the lass. If she'd thought the entry of his fingers alone was something of a problem when the lad stroked the spongy part within her her knees buckled from the sensation. There was no denying exactly what that spot was, and no fighting the release which would happen if he continued in such a way. Her face flushed with such intense heat that it reached even the tips of her pointy ears, and as she leaned in, she aimed to whisper into the lad's face while she continued what she was doing with the vibrations of her own warm fluids around his manhood. "I can't resist this feeling," she said as her hips gently rocked against his fingers and her own manipulation of water seemed to quicken rhythmically. Had she just admitted weakness? Maybe. But to be fair such a feeling seemed to be something this body demanded and reacted to without even trying to resist. "Don't hold back..." she murmured gently aiming to press her lips against his. She wasn't capable of stopping the massive eruption below her waist and she aimed to create a similar feeling in the body of the lad. So that if it worked out, they'd reach peak at the same time as a mix of bodily fluids exploded into the throne room behind them.

[Bloodedge]

Closer and closer Tatsuki drew, until she ultimately spoke hushed words directly into his face. At about the same time, her odd choice of stroking him with water intensified. Such an action could, and did, only have a single outcome. That outcome was a building tension throughout Kou's body, as his own efforts intensified as well. There was a pressure building up in his loins, leading to an explosion from within. This was no new sensation for one such as Kou, or rather Yugi, but this time around was quite different. His curling fingers would become something more like a grip in his final moments, as he spewed his seed unto Tatsuki's bare legs from the angle. This eruption came with a gasp and a sigh, just about a moan before most tension vanished from Kou's body.

[Apollymi]

And there it was. The moment Tatsuki had been waiting for in a most explosive manner. She would find her legs covered in the results of her and Kou's combined efforts. Her own body tightened around his as this happened as well. Her own finish came with a moan directly into the lad's mouth and then her body lost all tension as well. Strangely she fell directly into the lad against this wall, her legs seeming to have lost all feeling in the moment. She only had her tail to help her out, and she used it to wrap around the pair of them so they could lean against the wall as they regained their breaths. As this occurred Tatsuki could be found, staring at the lad unabashedly, though seemingly very pleased.

Several moments would pass before the same maid who'd previously cleaned up after the pair made her way into the throne room. This was becoming a bit habitual, and though the ordering of the pairing had changed, it was still essentially the same pair of people caught in the same kind of compromising position with a similarly accompanying mess. Several motions of her hands were made to others this time as well before she cleared her throat to speak again. "Ahem. The baths are ready, if you'd like. Also we can't find your clothes... would you like to see the seamstress after?" she asked seemingly all about the business of this and having no problem completely ignoring the potential mess surrounding these two. Tatsuki heard these words and got a strange feeling from them. It felt almost like they were directed at her, like she'd heard them exactly this way before. Her eyes narrowed and she answered with her own thoughts about the lad in mind. "Bath, yes... Seamstress, no," Tatsuki said and she meant that to apply to both of them. The maid bowed and then aimed to lead them both towards the baths not knowing if they'd forgotten.

[Bloodedge]

After a few moments passed, Kou found that the only thing keeping him standing was the wall, and Tatsuki's body against his own. Otherwise, his weakened and trembling knees were threatening to drop him onto the floor at a moment's notice. Soon enough, some of the palace staff arrived. Was this a voice he'd heard before now? No, surely not; he'd hardly even been conscious within this place. Maybe it was a simple matter of Akashi demanding servitude of literally anyone crossing his path.

Kou couldn't be sure why Tatsuki responded with a 'no' to the matter of meeting a seamstress. His own clothes were gone; he couldn't simply replace them the way Tatsuki surely could. Well, it was possible, but his would be only a temporary case. No matter. The white-haired lad would rise nonetheless, nodding to the maid while cupping his hands over his crotch. His path would lead him to the baths, which he happened to know the location of without even realizing why he did.

[Apollymi]

Strangely, Tatsuki also remembered where the baths were, but unlike Kou she didn't seem to have a single shred of modesty in her being. She trailed along with the lad, getting used to the feeling of her feet touching the floor. All the while her tail remained wrapped around the lad's torso like a tether and she seemed completely unaffected by everything happening. At the same time, her eyes never left the lad, who also moved as if he knew exactly where he was going. 'Why does it feel like I remember?' she wondered to herself. As they stepped into the bathroom she would look around at the room and be hit instantly with a bout of deja vu the likes of which she wasn't prepared for. Her eyes seemed to glow a lit red for several seconds but then she'd blink as she gained some understanding of this moment. Several showers were running and for the first time, she'd let go of the lad to allow him to bathe. She stood under the water and seemed content to just watch regardless of the amount of bodily fluids that covered her body. Strangely nothing made contact with her skin, and the water all seemed to bounce off her without making any real headway against her or the grime which covered her. But such was the difference between natural water and her own ability, even when she wasn't exerting it. It didn't matter presently. She was deep in thought, but what she was thinking about would be kept to herself.

[Bloodedge]

Kou never thought to question his knowledge of the bathroom's location. No, he was far too busy entertaining other thoughts, mostly about what had just transpired between Tatsuki and himself. To be more specific, his thoughts traveled to his connection to Miki, or rather the girl behind both Avatars in question. There were few doubts in his mind that she had been the cause of Tatsuki's hesitation earlier. Whatever the case, Kou placed himself under the cascading waters of the nearest shower, where he stood and rinsed himself. In the midst of this, he raised his right hand to look at it. Two of his fingers were pruned, and with a very distinct smell. He'd seen many sources of media which depicted this as a point of interest, so he sniffed those fingers to inhale Tatsuki's aroma. Following this, he lapped at his middle finger with his tongue. It wasn't exactly what he may have expected, and yet... he couldn't complain either.

Onto the process of actually showering, then...

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki stood watching apparently staring off into space, or rather, directly at Kou. She watched his actions from the corner of her eye and had only a brow to raise in response. What a strange lad he had to be to do something so forward. Strangely she found herself wondering something similar after watching him and gently swiped her forefinger across her thigh a moment later soon her own magic seemed to be pulsing eroding every bit of muck and grime from her person with the exception of this one finger. She didn't have to strain to smell anything, whatever she took from it, she gently flicked the two sides of her tongue across it. There was no outward change to her expression but she understood a bit of the lad's curiosity. Her whole body would be clean in a matter of moments but with her magical armor at full strength water other than her own seemed to be repelled from her person. She stepped out of the line of the shower as she finished this process, no soap required and headed over to the tub as she shrank her magical armor back in. Soon after, she'd submerge herself in the water which was warm. And strangely the water began to bubble around her, and out from her person. Her tail flickered around her body as she watched the effect she had on a once still pool of water. 'Sou ka...' she mused to herself. And here, she'd sit with her head leaned back staring off into space once more.

[Bloodedge]

Kou never looked in Tatsuki's direction as he stood under the shower, wetting himself, lathering himself, rinsing himself, etc. His body was at ease, though his mind was not. It didn't matter, though. He'd progress regardless, with only his curiosities filling his mind. There were so many questions, so few answers, and none that could be asked while having an inkling of an idea as to what the answers could be. Either way, he was soon done with the shower, and moving on to the tub. He wasn't expecting a Jacuzzi effect, but a glance in Tatsuki's direction allowed him to theorize that she was somehow involved with it. "Are you... moving it?" he asked, looking out to the bubbling water as he stepped in to submerge himself.

[Apollymi]

The lad finished his bath, and whatever was on Tatsuki's mind would eventually be left alone as he joined her within the tub. It seemed he maintained some curiosity about what was going on within the tub, and he hadn't looked at her at all during her shower. She could be quite sure of that last bit because he wouldn't have asked such a thing with enough information to formulate his own conclusions. "No." she said in a manner that she knew to be too short. "Water that isn't part of me, is repelled by my presence." These words left her mouth and she shifted her body towards his as he began submerging himself in the water. "It cannot touch me, so it moves around me..." she explained of the bubbling currently present within the once still water. "Even when I am not trying to make it so," she explained, about her lack of intention to cause such an interaction. To prove this further she reached for the lad and touched his bare chest. Doing so wouldn't evoke any extra pressure magical or otherwise because she allowed his skin to touch hers. That being said water droplets on his skin that would have made contact with her, seemed to move away from the spot she placed her hand. After this little demonstration she aimed to settle again, this time somewhere near the white haired lad.

[Bloodedge]

Tatsuki drew closer, offering to Kou an explanation of what occurred with the water around her. He looked to the Dragonoid, then to the bath itself. It was odd, as far as he was concerned. Even her example using the water droplets on his torso... just didn't seem to function to its maximum potential. "Really? I would expect it to be absorbed into yours," he theorized. What sort of quality did this Dragonoid's water have to reject other sources? As he leaned against the inner wall of the bath, he reflected on this. It seemed now that he was relaxed, he was back to having thoughts about game mechanics, or rather mechanics of reality in this case. "Are you able to reverse that? Miki has that absorption ability, so she doesn't have to expend a lot of Mana. Can you... consume water and become stronger for it?"

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki and Kou began having a conversation concerning the flow of energy and the functionality of her barrier skill. He seemed to be thinking about the way it could work and had the idea that the lass could be absorbing water instead of repelling it to strengthen herself. Her face shifted backward in a strange way, something about the idea of absorbing lesser water for power was disgusting. "I am the Torrent Dragon, who controls the tides of the world. Ebb and Flow..." she said indignantly. She held her hand out before her and pushed against they water the were in, causing a break in the bubbles around them, and then using the same magic pulled it back towards herself but still she rejected it from absorbing into herself. Something about the title would explain the lass' stance on water, as it should be controlled in violent outbursts not simply absorbed in her. Specifically Dragons as far as they were concerned created the pinnacle of whatever element they controlled. Tatsuki wouldn't simply absorb water, she'd have to dominate it to even feel remotely like taking it into herself was a worthwhile endeavor. Or it would have to be equal to her, and that wasn't really possible in her own mind. As for the mention of the way Miki's abilities work and how the lass was made stronger by it, such a thing was admirable of her other self. "The girl with a Dragon's Greed, possessing all she can because she hasn't the power to make it yet. Such is sensible... respectable even," she commented. Actually after saying such a sentence, she realized Dragon qualities were central in people who possessed them. Though a Dragon wouldn't take into themselves something lesser, taking ownership of something or dominating it in someway was more acceptable to Tatsuki.

[Bloodedge]

It soon became clear that Tatsuki possessed the ability to take outside water sources into herself, though she outright refused to do so. This came with an acknowledgement of Miki's ability, along with the comparison of that to a Dragon's doings, yet still nothing toward Kou's suggestion. "Sure, you can be that... but what happens when you run out of energy? You're a Dragonoid, right? Your Mana reserves seem massive, but... not infinite." Kou's words were simple factoids derived from his experience with game lore in Age of Eternity. It was very possible for even a Dragonoid to play an entire Raid as the only DPS class in a Party, yet support was necessary at some point. Of course, he'd never seen this necessity arise himself, but this wasn't the game. If they entered a Raid here, there was a very real chance there would be other challenges waiting just outside. "I can understand that you don't need it, but would you use it if it became necessary?"

[Apollymi]

Kou's questions came in the form of strategizing. Information he remembered from the game he'd once played as well as very real scenarios. True enough she wasn't a True Dragon in that sense she was lesser than one, but she wasn't nearly in any danger from the actions they could or would take anytime soon. A soft chuckle escaped the lass as she shifted slightly to look the lad in the eye, her mate worried for her safety, as he should. "If you worry for my safety it is unnecessary," she said calmly. "But if it will set you at ease, no I wouldn't die for my pride... I'd dominate an external water source, if it were required for me to keep living, though whatever made such a thing necessary would need to die. It would be an insult to my existence..." she said softly, having reached with her left hand to rub the side of this lad's face rather possessively. "Or maybe even to show someone stupid enough to use water against me how low they are..." she mentioned. There were odd quirks to this Dragonoid's personality that last one of using someone's own abilities against them being one that went a bit deeper than Tatsuki herself. Whatever the case, this was the sort of care a Dragon expected from their mate and in all forms this lad had exactly this... she was right in her choice as this was an overtly obvious part of his own personality, the one who created Kou and Akashi.

[Bloodedge]

Well, that was at least comforting. It would be a shame if the existence of Ookimichan were to be felled by the pride of a Dragon, who simply chose not to go the route of continued survival. He could rest easy on that note, and rest, he would. Kou's body sank deeper into the bathwater as he exhaled a sigh, though he didn't realize the intensity of his own concern.

Suddenly, the Dragonoid's hand was upon his face, in what could be considered a rather doting manner. It was strange, and yet somehow comforting when paired with her admittance of survival by sacrifice of pride. His eyes widened, then closed. "Sou ka. If that's the choice, then they may as well die. Sometimes... killing can be necessary," he said as his eyes opened again, though only slightly when they did. Kou himself bore the eyes of a killer in some respect, and it went far beyond his existence in this world. Had he taken life in his previous existence? Not directly, no. He did, however, take the blame for doing so... but such was a matter he'd not discussed. "Atlantis is safe. What now?"

[Apollymi]

Apparently the knowledge that the Dragonoid wouldn't purposefully get her selves killed was a thought her mate could rest easy on. Knowing this she continued her doting behavior, only to hear words from a boy who was once human in such a way that they almost didn't make sense. She saw within him the eyes of a killer and she respected it. Not many could take such responsibility unto themselves and suffer for the sake of others. And killing someone or yourself for the sake of someone were among the strongest things any one person could do. Perhaps this wasn't a thought of Tatsuki herself who would have enjoyed such things from simply an instinctual place. No. This thought belonged to the other...

She relaxed soon enough in the water as well, wrapping her tail around the lad from his side and leaning against him in a manner more akin to reliance than a Dragon would normally show. When asked what to do now that Atlantis was safe she gave a gentle thought to some options which had floated around in her other minds. "Waiting for the return of the other members of our party," she said knowing that Karna and Hikari had yet to return. "Some sort of celebration usually comes along with this... work you all engage in. The Little Mermaid will think of one soon enough..." she said calmly. "And furthering the general goals in some way... though I am not sure exactly what way..." she said softly. The thoughts of her other selves weren't quite as clear to her as her own. There was one other thing which she needed to do, and she had it in mind already. "But first I have something for you when you're done with your bath..." she said as bubbles shifted around her. She let herself experience something closer to relaxation in this moment. And would until such a time where she would be standing outside of the tub, waiting on him to stand naked before her. After all, she had to make sure her mate was ready for the next set of challenges he would face without the disgustingly low quality gear he'd been wearing before. Dragons were more, and deserved more... as he would find out soon enough.

[Bloodedge]

"... Sou ka," Kou said as his eyes rose to the ceiling. Yes, that seemed the reasonable path in the wake of changing a kingdom's structure. Seriri would also have to be dealing with her Parliament situation, though she was likely already in the process of doing just that. Moving on, the Dragonoid's tail made contact with him again, albeit in what seemed to be less of a possessive manner than the previous times. She said she had something for him, and he wondered what. For the moment though, he was content to relax in this bath, and work toward silencing his busy mind.

Soon enough, he was ready. Kou stood next to the bath, bare as the day he was born in his original life. His bath was done, but what exactly did Tatsuki have to offer him? "You said you had something?"

[Apollymi]

When Kou left the bath and stood before her, Tatsuki stared at the lad rather directly, taking in the whole of his form in such a way for several seconds longer than most would have thought necessary. The intensity of her gaze was necessary though, because what she had planned required a bit more effort from her than most things she did. "I do." she said about having something for him. She stepped towards the lad her hand extended seeming to vibrate with magic before her, similar to how she'd eroded away his clothing, she magically replaced it. The gear she gave him was suited like an upgrade of that which he'd always wore, with a few minor stylistic modifications. What was important was the quality of this creation which was Legendary without a doubt. Beyond all of that it would give him passive temperature regulation not unlike that found within the waters created from Tatsuki's own body. The Black Market, the seamstress... hell even fully maxed players could find themselves easily envious of this lad's new gear. There were so many abilities and skills worked into this gear, that it likely wouldn't be obvious what all the others were for quite some time. He would also find himself incapable of being felled by waters unequal to those created by Tatsuki and able to absorb them per their previous conversation. "There." she said going back to staring, appreciating her own work.

[Bloodedge]

Kou would soon discover exactly what Tatsuki had planned for this gift of hers. When she approached, she stared at the lad for a rather long time. He wouldn't have thought this necessary, but he recalled the moment in which she rejected the idea of a seamstress. Suddenly, multiple things registered in his mind. Miki had been dressed differently for the short time they'd seen each other. Could that have been the doing of Akashi? He remembered the initial design of Akashi, and the cloak Miki had been wearing was very similar to the Dragonoid's.

In a matter of moments, Kou was receiving an enchantment of clothing, so to speak. The fit was like that of his previous attire, but advanced in numerous ways he couldn't begin to explain. Even a bit of asymmetry had been added to his ensemble, in the form of an additional sleeve to his left. He felt... comfortable, not due to the clothes themselves, but due to the lack of odd temperatures he felt. Normally, one would be a bit colder after leaving the bath, yet he felt nothing. "Sugoi..." he said, taking the time to view himself and the gear's enchantments. His eyes widened immediately; the number of things in his Nexus Vision were so great, he'd have thought there were numerous weapons equipped to his person at the time. "A-... Arigatou..." What else could he even say? There was certainly no way of repaying this, and nothing he could really do for a being capable of this feat in general. All he could do was accept with his gratitude.

Continue the Side Adventure Here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?911-The-Black-Forest).

[Apollymi]

Tatsuki watched the lad's face as he inspected the gear so recently created for him. It seemed he understood the nature of this gift and even had gratitude to offer the Dragonoid. She stared at him for a few seconds, and was oddly pleased by this thanks. A knowing and superior smirk appeared on her face as she leaned into him and pecked his lips in a manner rather innocent though she was still naked. "You're welcome." These were the only words spoken by the lass before she leaned back. Her own body seemed to be splashed by water, and all of her clothing was restored in the same way it had been before she'd begun removing it. Armor pieces, lingerie and lace, decorated her body her torso still obviously visible as was the large open space between her thighs. She'd aim to slip her fingers between this lads interlacing their fingers. "Come..." she commented content to leave the bath and continue spending time with the lad. In so much as such a thing would last. Tatsuki understood her time as the dominate avatar was limited and she also knew that the original would stir soon.

Soon being a day later. Some six days after their original arrival in Atlantis early near the time of waking for the more human beings. Tatsuki's consciousness had faded. And what was left was Miki. The blonde lass stirred her eyes closed palming her own head. "Ugh..." she muttered. Her brain felt like it'd been split in half, and she couldn't keep straight anything in her mind. It was as if the previous two days had been taken from her, but she found herself oddly comfortable, in the physical sense. She could only wonder why... her groan having stopped she moved her legs against each other, shifting ever so slightly, as if she was trying to burrow further into the comfort she presently felt. That same day, Hikari approached with a giant wolf. They'd finally made their way back to Atlantis after having to take a detour, but some six days later, the whole of the kingdom looked very different than she remembered. The giant dire wolf padded along as the girl made observations aloud her ears twitching at the amount of hustle and bustle currently present. "Oi, the fuck happened here. It hasn't even been a week and this place looks like a fucking Utopia!" she said seemingly stunned by the shift. Everything was happening as they took the Path of the Guardians back down to this place. There was no danger present, there were children playing, Man and Mer conducting business... such a thing was kind of jarring considering the nature of this place when they'd first arrived.

[Bloodedge]

And so, they reached the end of their time in the bath, and went about their daily activities. On another day, Kou would be found unconscious in a proper bed offered by Queen Seriri of Atlantis. He wasn't alone, of course. The previous night, he had fallen asleep on his side, nestled against the bosom of the Dragonoid Tatsuki, presumably by the latter's choice. As Miki moved, he felt nothing. The lad with ashen hair was completely out of it, even going so far as drooling upon Tatsuki's - now Miki's - breasts. He was still fully clothed, even; he'd simply passed out this way.

In the meantime, Hikari returned to Atlantis with the Direwolf in her company. Also with this pair was none other than Karna, who seemed as generally displeased as ever. What a tedious trip that was. They had gone to the Black Forest, returned to the Dungeon leading to Atlantis, all to have the Dungeon close while they were in it! They had eventually discovered the Path of Guardians, a proper entry to Atlantis, but even that had taken a couple of days from all the searching for an alternate entrance. Karna couldn't even be bothered to care about the situation in Atlantis itself; he was far too engrossed in his annoyance. "Fuckin' place could have been like this from the start. They should have put a sign up to point out the giant tunnel we just took."

[Apollymi]

Miki due to her own transformation was also fully clothed. The lad resting against her bosom was indeed drooling on her, but she couldn't really feel her body like that, and she wouldn't have minded regardless. The pain in her head, caused her to drift just a little back towards sleep. The body next to hers was one which caused her the greatest comfort. Her legs interlaced with his as she gave a gentle whimper. She wouldn't resist such comfort even while being at least partly aware that the lad would likely pull away as soon as he gained consciousness. 'I'll just drift back off until this headache goes away...' she mentally mused. All the while her body found the most comfortable still position against this lad as her arm wrapped around him.

The Direwolf, though it could speak did not as these two discussed what they wanted. He did however scent the air, confirming for himself that his mistress was indeed present here. A gentle wag of his tail was seen and some pep was added to his step. "Sou ka, you're pretty excited then, huh?" she said of the wolf giving it a bit of a pet. She liked it, much like she knew she would. Karna's antics and general discontent didn't seem to phase her at all. "Dick-sensei, you gotta calm down. That's too much stress just because of a few mishaps. Look there's Boobs~" she said as they approached the Palace. Within Seriri was moving full speed ahead, only pausing to notice the trio of beings because it'd been a while since she'd seen them. "Oh, Karna-kun, Hikari-chan, you're back! Okae! Kimi and Kou are still sleeping though... They should be up soon." she said happily. "How was your trip?" she asked of them.

[Bloodedge]

"A few mishaps in something I was stupid enough to sign up for. I could have stayed here with..." Karna's clause came to a sudden halt when Hikari pointed out the entity ahead of them. Well, the queen happened to be what he was prepared to refer to. "Those." With that said, he offered a mock bow to the woman. "Tadaima, Paizuri-chan.~"

Disappointingly, the queen's introductory statement involved curiosities toward the nature of their trip. Karna scoffed immediately, turning his head away from the woman in disgust. "It was shit," he said plainly, and that was precisely how he saw it. The only thing he even got from the journey was a decent enough view of an NPC, or rather a native to this world. "Wake them up if they're sleeping. Kids can't just have their naps before their medicine."

[Apollymi]

A smile crossed Seriri's face. This lad was beyond funny to her, even if he chose to address her by the massive amount of chest she'd chosen for this Avatar. Besides all that according to Karna the trip had been bad, and he demanded that she wake the other pair of Adventurer's claiming that kid's shouldn't sleep before taking their medicine. Hikari also had input of the childish sort. "Damn right, wake 'em up. I didn't go through all of this not to be appreciated. Also this Direwolf belongs to Miki-nee. So, I have to give it to her to complete my quest!" she said seemingly distraught that the pair was somehow sleeping. "Uh..." there was a pause from Queen Seriri. "Kimi wasn't Miki when she went to sleep... so you might have to wait on that Hikari-chan..." she said very carefully. "For that same reason... I don't really want to wake them up," she said about the pair sleeping in a room down the hall right behind the throne. Her eyes shifted to the wolf and even without Nexus vision she had something keen to say after a second of observation. "She named him Youko... didn't she?" she commented knowing her friend and her tastes enough to get the reference of a white wolf battle mount. "Yeah... but what do you mean she wasn't Miki-nee. Who the fuck was she then?" Hikari seemed to be missing key information. Seriri would explain softly. "Oh, Kimi had a bout with the Devouring the other day. And I switched her to her Dragonoid's Avatar. When they went to sleep last night, she was still... Tatsuki. I am not afraid of her per se... but I don't want to wake a sleeping Dragon... again. They're in that first room behind the throne." said Seriri who absently placed her finger against her nose. Hikari knew this game and did it as well. After all, nose goes... as the girls tried to collaborate to vote Karna to be the waker of the potentially dangerous adventurers.

[Bloodedge]

So, Miki - or rather, Kimi - had contracted the Devouring as well. That didn't matter much. Even if she was placed in her Dragonoid state, dealing with two of them until their other selves awoke was just a matter of waiting. Karna didn't even care about the 'nose goes' game the two lasses were deciding to play; he was tired of waiting. Regardless of what happened, he was already moving to brush past the pair from the moment Seriri pointed the way. On his path, he muttered a few incoherent words - likely swears.

Soon enough, he was stepping through the door of the destined bedroom. He was immediately disgusted. Neither of these two were Dragonoids; they were the very same forms he'd been traveling with. Karna was fully prepared to step forward and bring them both to consciousness, but... he paused by the bed. Another disgusting trait of the scene was the closeness this pair shared, but even that became overshadowed by something... rather delectable. A fanged grin passed Karna's face as he took to Miki's side, crouching over her in a predatory manner. "Hoh... Tadaima, Oujo-san," he whispered as he sank his fangs into Miki's very exposed thigh. It was a gentle enough bite with an aftereffect of soothing for its duration. He'd drain and consume a bit of blood from her, receiving a surge of power as a result before backing away. The soothing effect of his bite would last a few minutes longer, but he was content regardless of this. Now, he could wake them.

"THE HONEYMOON IS OVER; WAKE UP!"

[Apollymi]

Karna had pushed past the pair even before their little game had finished. What good news for both of them, mostly because with no connection to the new Dragonoid even Hikari didn't feel comfortable being demanding potentially. They stayed and waited while something very interesting happened in the room that contained the sleeping adventurers.

Karna took in the look of this pair as they slept rather peacefully together. Miki was easily fully unconscious again and soon enough her exposed thigh was treated to a bite from Karna. His bite had a soothing effect applied and he seemed to take both blood and power from the lass. Strangely, the effect of this bite was a small moan which escaped the lass as she subsequently nestled closer to Kou her own body seeming to brush against his without her conscious thoughts to stop her. Such gentle motions would take place until of course, Karna screamed that the pair should wake. It was abrupt... too abrupt. Miki's eyes snapped open and her face gained an instant red tint. Her headache was no longer splitting as it had been when she'd first almost gained consciousness. But she was caught in a situation which she hadn't expected. 'Shit! What do I do?!' she mentally panicked about the compromising position she'd been spotted in. She hadn't intended to make this awkward for the lad she slept with, in fact she avoided doing most things for his comfort. This was possibly the worst thing to happen since the time she accidentally touched his manhood when she first woke within the Fairy Forest and fell out of a hammock trying to extricate herself from that situation. All of those things crossed her mind and it was if her mind became more stable. Still she hadn't directly moved away from him because she was still frozen in the moment.

[Bloodedge]

Karna managed to be loud enough to even make Kou stir. He shuffled a bit, nestling further into... what was this? Ah, yes, it was the torso of Tatsuki. Something was off, though. Whatever covered the Dragonoid had changed, prompting the lad to open his eyes and discover... locks of blonde hair?

It was Miki now; that was interesting. Kou couldn't even bring himself to freak out over the matter, and simply rose slowly from his position. He didn't even look in the girl's direction. His gaze found Karna, and a few groggy mumbles escaped him. Karna didn't seem pleased at all. "You know, it's best to do it with your clothes off. That's how you get to the good shit. Well, not literal shit, unless you're... one of those gross things." With these words spoken to both woken Adventurers, Karna turned his head to the doorway. "Today would be lovely! The doctor can't work without his nurses to bring in the meds, can he?"

[Apollymi]

Miki was surprised for several reasons. No freak out from Kou... that was good. She could relax a little, though not nearly as much as she would like. She literally had no memory of the last couple of days, she didn't know what she'd done. Should she apologize? Was she hard to deal with? Miki had a pretty good idea of the type of person her Dragonoid was, and she imagined she'd been difficult. Probably more so than Akashi had been at face value. Whatever the case, she wouldn't be allowed to properly consider her own thoughts, as Karna and his ever present annoyance had more to say. "Urusai! My head is killing me already. Don't add to it, being gross so early..." was all Miki had to say initially. With Kou rising of his own accord, she was free to do the same without the onset freak out the lad had the other day. Just the same she swung her legs over one side of the bed and held her head trying to think and failing at gaining any kind of recollection which was more bothersome than anything else.

In the meantime Karna's words out the door, let the two lasses outside know that everyone inside was decent and in not death inducing moods. As such, they both headed over peaking inside. Upon seeing her brother in reasonable condition, Hikari ran past Karna and bounded up to the bed aiming to tackle her brother in his groggy state. "Nii-san! TADAIMA!~ I'm glad you're okay. We were really worried," she chimed happily. "Ohayou, Miki-nee!~" she said to the other girl as well. Seriri the ever present lass approached the beside where she began checking Miki with a bead of water and chastising the blonde lass. "Oh, Kimi-lite today are we? It's good to see you, but..." she paused finding nothing really wrong with the lass, but using her water to relieve the pressure of her headache. "Stop suffering in silence you doofus. You had us worried sick. If you didn't feel good you should have said so. I could have put it off earlier without having to turn you into a fucking dragon!" Seriri exclaimed. Miki did not get the gentle bedside manner of their resident nurse. "Oi oi. Gomen, gomen. I didn't mean to make you worry. Just lay off yeah? I'm fine," she said softly. "And... thanks. Also, Ohayougozaimasu... Hikari-chan," she offered to the Mer Queen and the other lass. She imagined Seriri had been more than a bit worried about her, and had been holding it in for the duration of her time as a Dragonoid. All the while the giant wolf gently walked up to the door and sat at the bedside, tail wagging, waiting to be acknowledged. He stared at the group at large and seemed pleased, but he still hadn't said anything.

[Bloodedge]

"Don't make this more annoying than it has to be. Take your damn medicine, register your stupid little pet, and let's get the hell out of here." Clearly, Karna had enough of this situation. If the rest of their group didn't intend to vacate Atlantis posthaste, he would likely move on himself. They would be given the rest of the week, but for the moment, Karna would see to it that his earlier trip was worthwhile. The others entered, and Karna stood at the edge of the bed, arms crossed as he awaited the moment they used the witch's drug.

As Karna waited, Kou was knocked into a more awake state due to the impact of Hikari. This was something he hadn't experienced in a very long time, though it was actually somewhat missed. "Oi, oi," he chanted as he stirred further awake, taking hold of the girl and squeezing her midriff. "I was wondering where you were. Everything alright?"

[Apollymi]

"You don't get to rush when it was your idea to come here..." this was all Miki had to say to Karna. They spoke to each other in very strong terms and Seriri watched this with a quirked brow. Her friend was always pretty blunt, but this type of relationship she'd not seen pop up between her and another person in quite a while. 'Sou ka...' she thought excitedly. "What medicine?" she managed to ask, aside from being generally annoyed she was still at least mindful of the fact that Karna and Hikari had run off while Akashi was being Akashi.

In the meantime, Hikari woke her brother and managed to have an excited wagging tail as the lad calmed to be happy to see her. She'd even managed to tackle him into wakefulness which she hadn't beaten him awake since coming to this world and was something she missed doing as well. Soon after a squeeze to her midsection she giggled happily and then managed to get quite the intense look of satisfaction on her face, as she expected full credit for what she'd been up to. "Everything is great. We're here now so we have something... We..." she started motioning between Karna and herself. "Went to the Black Forest and talked to some spaced out witch who has a more permanent solution to the Devouring," she said producing the two medicines filled with strange liquids, one for each of them. "Anyways, she told us all kinds of stuff, but basically these will make pets for you, who'll keep the edge off your fever and give that extra power something to do besides eat away at you. Though apparently they take different forms and we're supposed to warn you that they show off what you are on the inside or some such garbage," she said waving the whole thing off. "That forest was a pain in the ass though, so appreciate the fuck outta me and take your medicine. Both of you," she said holding out the vials to each of the people on the bed. "Oh and Miki-nee. To get this I had to promise to bring him to you. She said he's yours," she said of the wolf at the end of the bed. For the first time the lass's eyes shifted as she held out her hand to accept whatever medicine, she paused staring at the white wolf who she was now making very direct eye contact with. "That's... not possible."

[Bloodedge]

"My idea to come here, not my idea to stick around and be chummy," Karna retorted, turning up his nose and scoffing to the heavens. The answer to the query related to medicines would soon be answered by Hikari, who also took the time to explain the situation they'd been through. Kou released his hold on the girl, taking the time to rub his eyes and repair his otherwise blurred vision. "Sou ka," he said through a yawn. So much had been going on in Atlantis, he'd neglected to think about what the other members of their Party could have been going through. He took the offered vial into his left hand, feeling an interesting quality of magical energy from the touch alone. "So this thing... gives us Familiars?" he questioned. Just then, he realized something off. He had a Familiar registered to him... but not anymore. What happened to Puck? "Puck isn't showing up for me anymore. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him since the Marshlands..."

[Apollymi]

"Well your buyer's remorse is a personal problem. Should have thought it through before being so fucking pushy," she said about the pair of them getting chummy and being in general friendly. Everything they'd done up to this point had been more than a bit friendly. They didn't make outright enemies of any of the factions they'd come across so far, and Karna should have realized what was likely to happen by forcing them to deal with Atlantis directly. Now freed from her brother's grasp, Hikari settled in the bed even as the pair of them took within their hands the vials they were offered. Miki was a bit distracted and looked at the wolf which had been her mount previously. He wasn't presently registered to her, but he did have her name as his owner. Strange. Still the Direwolf chose now to speak. "Our direct connection severed but I am still yours. You are weaker than when I last saw you... but that isn't impossible either," he claimed laying his large head in her lap from the bedside tail still wagging. His finding of his master would cause an upsurge in energy within the room. The delivery being complete completed the quest for Hikari gaining her enough energy to gain a level in the moment. And granting XP to the rest of the group, though no one else's stats would show any change. "Yosh!" she exclaimed happily, while Miki considered her old mount for a bit. "Sugoi! But that doesn't really make sense... I wasn't really..." she paused thinking about it more. She hadn't been in this world in truth. The fact that her pet existed here was strange unless he was also created here when her Avatar was originally. This would lead to some rather interesting problems in the future, especially if they could have contact with any random being from before who also knew of their 'Game' selves.

Still her attention was soon shifted back to Kou who had an uneasy feeling about a new familiar because of his previous tie to another one. This time what he mentioned was indeed strange because they hadn't seen the little stowaway fairy since the Marshlands. "Right... he didn't pop back up when we finished taking care of everything there... it is a bit weird," mentioned Miki. Seriri listened to the whole of this and seemed to have been thinking about it. "Uh... well if you have the Devouring it shouldn't have been possible for you to register a familiar for long anyways. The fever itself spreads through all things connected directly to you. Anything that feeds off your existence would be affected. So... your other familiar might have caught it too, without you two noticing. Which would make sense as to how you got all the way to level 30 before you showed any signs of a problem," she mentioned. This was mostly theory but it was indeed in line with her previous conversations with Lilura. Though it didn't explain why Miki never showed signs of a problem before that same time. "Ano, the Witch did say that the creatures created from these were different than the normal sort... that they are 'free magic' whatever the fuck that means," commented Hikari. "Anyways, go on take your medicine and praise me!" she said happily.

[Bloodedge]

"I don't have buyer's remorse, I have associate's remorse. Hanging around you lowlifes is finally taking its toll on me," Karna replied with a grimace. With nothing else to say, he left the room in a huff. There had to be something nearby worth his time, and he'd be sure to find it. Actually, on his way through the door, he decided to share a few additional words. "Oi, Paizuri-chan, keep in touch if you plan on servicing your honored guest!"

Back to the room, Kou was still inspecting the vial and wondering about the existence of Puck. With Seriri's explanation, it became clear that the Familiar he previously had... was likely no more. It was a shame; Puck was registered as a Player from their world. Maybe he managed to respawn as something else, just as Karna had done. "Sou ka. I wonder if he's alright," he said in passing, though he wasted no further time before downing the vial. An ethereal glow encompassed the lad immediately, even emanating from his eyes as his Mana reached out to the heavens themselves. Stars were in his vision, as well as in the air surrounding him. It was a very strange occurrence, but the light erupting from his body was beginning to manifest in a small, furry form...

[Apollymi]

Karna's discontent was funny to Miki. To be honest, she found something distinctly satisfying about the idea that the lad was upset the longer he hung out with them, after all, he'd all but inserted himself into their group without thinking about it. He deserved to be discontent a few times especially when he brought it upon himself. "Also your choice~" she said with that delightfully evil smile she managed from time to time. The Faustian nature of his current outlook hilarious to her. Meanwhile, Seriri was left to simply looked stunned at the lad's suggestion. Whether she considered it in a serious manner or not she simply waved the lad off. "Hai hai, I'm sure you'll be the first person I think of..." she mentioned playfully.

Moving right along Kou went on to take his medicine and two of the lasses present watched with wide eyes as the stars seemed to collect around him and his mana spiked only to begin to create a small creature. The other lass, looked at her own vial and also took it, having experienced her fun for the day. She obviously couldn't let Hikari's efforts go to waste, nor did she want to continue to tussle with the Devouring. She drank down the fluid only to have something strange happen. Instead of the power of the stars the girls vision was filled with the duality of nature. Lush greens, the smell of the forest, the sunlight through the leaves of the trees. Her body maintained a glow sage green in color with rippling vibrancy as a different sort of fluffy creature took form, from the emitted light. Bounding from the depths of the forests hidden in a different realm...

All the while Hikari looked on at the pair of these two individuals with wide eyes. She didn't know what kind of creatures they would manifest, but she was quite sure she could trust them both not to create anything too monstrous given the personalities they showed.

[Bloodedge]

Monstrous was just about the description of whatever was coming from Kou, at least temporarily. A massive accumulation of white fur encompassed his body, only to shrink to the size of a lapdog as it took proper form. White, fluffy, long ears, and a tail like a cloud with matching hair under its long ears. These were the features that could describe this purple-eyed... squirrel? Dog? Even Kou wouldn't be able to tell for certain. Either way, the creature became solid with a tiny cape around its neck, kept in place by a similar purple rope to what bound Kou's clothes.

"Fou fou!" the creature yipped, as the cosmic Mana encompassing Kou flowed into it, and back into Kou himself in a continuous cycle. Eventually, the visible Mana would fade, even though the link remained. Kou regained full consciousness moments later. In that moment, he blinked numerous times, staring down into a tiny face that stared back into his before nuzzling his torso. "You're... me?"

[Apollymi]

The fluffy creature which took shape from the center of Miki's being turned white and seemed to spin around in a ball. There was no telling which way was up for the creature in question. Until of course, one of its very large eyes opened then another. It was a large purple eyed creature with little round purple eye brows. It seemed a bit curious and the fluff of its body unraveled, becoming nine individual tails which took up more mass than the entirety of the creatures body. The sage green glow it had, began to burn purple like the flames of its eyes as it solidified. And once it did it sat in the lap of Miki staring into her face and she found herself looking down at it as if curious.

At the same time the creature looked up to her rolling around in her lap, belly exposed as if demanding her personal attention. "Sou ka... I guess... that makes sense," she said softly. She reached for the creature her hand petting its belly as it demanded. It was rather interesting that this universe seemed to think the girl as an attention-seeking fox. Miki's eyes shifted slightly as energy seemed to be passed back and forth between her and this creature to see the creature created by Kou and she was also quite amazed at the level of cuteness it possessed. "Kawaii!~" she chimed. In the meantime Seriri and Hikari looked at each other and back at the creatures seemingly surprised. "They are the cutest things I've ever seen..." said Seriri. Hikari on the other hand seemed to be silently celebrating. "Yosh! I knew it. Both of them made the most adorable creatures ever!~" she chimed. She felt like she'd completed her job to the best of her ability.

[Bloodedge]

Kou reached out with his right hand, tapping his new Familiar on its button-like nose. Immediately afterwards, the creature sniffed about until it saw Miki. Kou was abandoned without hesitation, much to his surprise, and the Familiar hopped onto the blonde's shoulder. "Right. It's supposed to be me, and it abandons me. Fair enough." These words were spoken by Kou along with a sigh. Once settled on Miki's shoulder, Kou's Familiar nestled itself against the girl's neck, interestingly facing Hikari while doing so. "Fou! Fou fou!" the creature verbalized again. "Yeah yeah, we heard you the first time."

[Apollymi]

Soon Miki found herself the center of animal attention, if only for a fleeting moment. Kou's familiar would be seen hopping up to her shoulder and nestling into her neck while still making the little yapping like noise that it seemed to enjoy vocalizing. A smirk came to the lass' face as she looked at the creature on her shoulder. "Oh? Hello there..." she said softly, reaching for the creature intending to give it a gentle pet beneath its chin as it had settled so close to her. Her own Familiar decided it didn't like her belly rubs and nipped at her fingers causing the lass to pull back her hand. It would further bound out of her lap and into Kou's only to roll over and begin pawing at the air above itself begging for attention. "Ku. Ku." the slight noise was made before purrs followed. That was right, the noises of a cat, instead of anything resembling a bark. "Oh, but you weren't going to speak to me though... okay. I see how it is..." she observed seeming to see nothing wrong with this and innately being a bit more than pleased for reasons she couldn't begin to explain.

While this exchange took place, Hikari turned to Seriri and the Queen turned to her and both of them were holding out their hands in front of them seemingly on the exact same wavelength. How on earth could this pair of individuals not see that they were made to be together after seeing something like this kind of exchange of the embodiment of their souls. Both were incredulous, so much so that they couldn't even say anything.

[Bloodedge]

Suddenly, Kou's lack of Familiar was filled with one not even his own. The kitsune of Miki hopped into the lad's lap, just as his had gone to her. He looked down upon the other Familiar in his lap, finding it seeking his attention in particular. Once again, he'd make use of his right forefinger. He stroked the belly of the small creature with said finger, doting on it just a bit. "You won't run off on me, right? You're not a total jerk," he said to the Familiar of Miki, glancing toward his own and rolling his eyes in the aftermath. Moments later, his mind returned to the matters of Atlantis. He looked to Seriri, totally missing the gesture shared between her and Hikari. "How's the kingdom today?"

[Apollymi]

Miki's new familiar was being petted and lavishing in the attention. It even seemed to be responding to the words spoken to it. "Ku, ku ku..." chimed the little creature as it aimed to hold onto the lad's finger and keep it next to its body. It was obviously not going anywhere so long as Kou was within its radius. The shared gesture between Hikari and Seriri was also missed by Miki who was contentedly looking at the little creature on her shoulder and having a good time petting it. "It's alright. You won't up and change sides on me right?~" she questioned the little thing doting on it as well.

Eventually though they'd be brought back to a more normal set of conversations which included what was going on in the Kingdom at present. Seriri looked up and smiled. "Everything is going really well. Thanks to you two of course. I have a pretty good sitting Parliament and we're organizing a week of celebrations for everyone. You know, something good to follow up all of that craziness from before. Giving the whole of the Kingdom a chance to celebrate on even terms for the first time," she said happily. "The only thing I really need right now is an opinion from you... Kimi...." she said looking to the lass. "What kind of things should I look for in someone to head the treasury and what kind of percentages should I use for it?" she asked which gave the lass a bit of pause though she didn't really stop petting the creature on her shoulder. "Oh is that all, pick a moderate to lead it. Not too old, they are misers who won't spend. Not too young, they spend stupidly, a few exceptions apply. You should pick the person who's got the best idea to grow funding while also being willing to invest in new ideas," she said as a function of the kind of government that was created a moderate money manager was best. "As for Treasury Taxes. The same 10 percent I am charging them right now would be fine, more than enough to grow the economy. With a special exemptions for apprentices and former slaves, applied to the first few taxable seasons of their working. Can't have them starting behind and staying behind. But I am sure a person with a moderate stance on finances will tell you the same thing..." Miki explained carefully. Seriri looked at the lass and blinked three times consecutively. "Alright... that's pretty solid I guess. I had a guy pitch that kind of idea to me already... I was just making sure he was the right choice. Arigatou na~" she said happily. This made Miki quite happy as her friend had obviously come along way from her inaction. "Hai hai... vetting processes are important. I am glad you found someone," she said happily. "Well you didn't give me much choice in the matter or anything..." she said of Kimi who'd basically not giving her much to go on as Tatsuki and who'd already claimed she didn't want any part of rebuilding for the most part. Hikari managed to stare at Miki for the entirety of her speech, she'd obviously missed something important about the lass given the amount of financial advice she was handing out at this junction. What all had she done here? Why did she speak with such authority on matters of money? The raccoon girls' ears and tails twitched as her face got pouty. She gone to get them medicine but she definitely hadn't contributed much to the overall status of Atlantis.

[Bloodedge]

The small... whatever it was on Miki's shoulder, would brush itself against the girl's hand as she petted it. "Fou!" it yipped again. Meanwhile, Kou continued attending to Miki's Familiar... mostly due to the fact that it wasn't letting his finger go, though he didn't mind at all. He found it somewhat cute, the little thing. As such, he'd continue petting it as the others had their discussion about funds and the like in Atlantis.

As for the status of Parliament, Kou decided to chime in once the other discussion reached a pause. "Celebrations are good for bringing a new nation together. You might even want to consider instating some national holidays exclusive to Atlantis. Now that you have the bridge to the outside world, it would be great for tourists to get involved with the community. Keep that in mind, and run it by your Parliament for a little brainstorming. You'll do just fine."

[Apollymi]

Hikari watched as this pair of individuals basically sat around giving comfort to their partners souls. She was near the point of exploding due to this entire situation, but it seemed like it was progressing a fair bit. She was left more than a bit curious as to what happened while they were alone together. Between them and their Dragonoids it seemed she was about to get her 'Big Sis' figure. There was one final push that was needed though. Strangely, Seriri was on the page, and when Kou piped up, claiming that Celebrations were good for bringing together a nation she could only smile widely. "Yep bringing together the nation is what this whole thing is about... it's gonna be pretty fun. Make sure you all participate..." she mentioned. "I'm going to have Diva help me make a bit of an announcement about it. I'm sure the people will be ready for it," she said seemingly pleased by the input. But that wasn't it, Seriri was up to something very specific with her week long celebration and it was for her Kingdom, but it was also for this pair of individuals before her. "Hm, Hikari-chan, could I get your help for a bit?" she asked of the lass, clearly she meant to scheme a bit, and the girl would be her point in this activity. "Hai hai, Seri-nee!" she said before looking to both of the people on the bed she scooted a bit further up and placed a hand on each of their heads. "I'm glad you're both okay. Don't scare me anymore okay?" she said to the pair. Such a sentiment caused an embarrassed blush to appear on Miki's face. "Gomen, I didn't mean to worry you at all... Arigatou," she said softly. She was technically very thankful for the girl's apparent desire to save the both of them, even without knowing or really being attached to Miki in anyway.

Speaking of the bridge into the Kingdom, the sounds of a motorcycle could be heard. The humming of an engine and a fast moving blur with blue hair was heading down the bridge of Atlantis. She was baring down on her engine at maximum speed, flying all the way into the city square. Strangely though she didn't hit anyone her eyes were glued not to the road, but instead to a radar seemingly mounted to the gas tank of her vehicle. There was a double blip. Such a thing was unheard of, on top of the fact that Atlantis would likely contain some technological advancements she was looking for. She stared her eyes hidden by the reflective surface of her goggles. 'TWO!' she exclaimed seemingly excited for reasons unknown. She pulled up to the palace a screeching donut to be performed right in front of the throne room. She came to a stop and parked her bike. The beeping still being heard. "OI! I am here for the Dragons. Where are they?" demanded the lass as she pulled out a single cigarette and lit it. Obviously she was looking for something here and she intended to find it.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. I'm willing to participate in whatever you have planned," Kou said. Little did he know what the celebration would be for the following week. Whatever the case, he'd given his word to participate. That may have been a mistake, but he'd find out eventually. Moving on, there were some parting words from Hikari, involving her worried state due to the pair of Kou and Miki contracting the Devouring. "Hai hai. You know me; I won't do anything you'll worry over... on purpose," he said, letting his tongue protrude from his mouth toward the lass. With that out of the way, and Hikari and Seriri leaving the room, Kou continued to offer his attention to Miki's Familiar.

Meanwhile, Karna happened to be on his way out of the palace when... someone very new arrived via motorcycle. It was a 'sweet bike' as Karna would have called it, but more importantly, the blue-haired female atop it caught his attention. "Good luck finding Dragons here," he said plainly as he stepped closer to the young woman. "They're back in the bodies they belong in. I'm sure you know what I mean..."

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai, I'll do my best..." these were Miki's words to Seriri. The Queen of the Merfolk had a wide grin at the agreed participation of both of these individuals. Knowing by how they acted that they'd keep their words. Granted there were platonic activities set up for the next week, her overall push was for love declarations and she already figured out the order they needed to happen in, and as such she'd have a very easy time manipulating the kind of outcome she wanted. And with that the pair of females left to join the group within the throne room, Hikari more than satisfied by what both of them had to say. While Miki and Kou continued to pay attention to their inverted familiars. Miki giving the most of her attention to the little squirrel? Dog? Fox-thing? That belonged to Kou. In the meantime the Direwolf spoke again for the first time in a while. He'd been content to watch the girl interact with her friends. "I... still have things that belong to you. I assume you want them back..." he mentioned standing up on his hind legs he revealed a pouch tied to his forepaws which held within them, two other pieces of the Lich King's Obelisks as well as a couple of legendary creature drops which could be used for different forms of Necromancy. Miki to her credit, pulled at everything with the use of Mana Zone keeping her hands to pet the little creature only to have her eyes widen when she saw them. Then an almost sinister grin spread across her face and she began laughing almost hysterically. Today had been a very good day for the half-Druid, "Youko!~ You're such a good boy. Keeping these for me!~" she praised the Direwolf and watching as his tail wagged furiously.

Meanwhile outside in the Throne Room the smoking female was approached by Karna who made the claim that the Dragons she'd sought were back where they were supposed to be. "Goddamnit. I am in this for Wish Gems how did I miss both of them..." she griped. She supposed it was fine, since her trip wouldn't be wasted regardless, she still had time to research the objects of Atlantis while she aimed to advance her tech. "No, better question why are they both Dragonoids reading on my radar so hard?" she asked herself. She picked up the little console and began tinkering with it, cigarette hanging from her mouth. In the meantime, Seriri and Hikari were coming out and having a conversation which needed to be had among them. "So, I'm setting up a Valentine's Day and White Day festival with random other stuff in between so they can't feel like it was made for them..." she said to Hikari. The raccoon girl's eyes widened. "That's a great fucking idea! In that order right?" she asked of the plan. "Yep. Kimi first... him second. That seems to be better off for the both of them... and I ship it so I need to see this happen." she explained in hushed whispers as they looked up to find Karna in the Throne Room with a random woman on a motorcycle.

[Bloodedge]

If only the pair of Adventurers knew what they were signing up for when agreeing to Seriri's celebration idea. No matter; they would do eventually.

Elsewhere in the very same palace, Karna stepped even closer to a strange woman. This one wielded a technology rivaling, perhaps even surpassing, that of Atlantis itself. It seemed a bit more rustic, lacking in magic, though impressive nonetheless when considering her ability to track down a pair of Dragonoids from wherever she'd come from. Typically, only the senses of the magically-inclined could trace a Dragonoid from a distance, yet this woman managed to follow two of them simultaneously. "It's because they're Players, like us," Karna said simply. A simple beckoning gesture of his right forefinger would lay claim to the cigarette this girl smoked, bringing it to Karna's mouth for a quick drag. "Huu~. You're interesting, though. You could serve me, instead of following through with that stupid plan of collecting Wish Gems in this era."

[Apollymi]

"Shush..." this was the only thing said by the blue haired lass for a moment. She didn't need to be told about what was going on here, she'd already figured out that the pair was players, she'd just hoped they were the type to have those as their main characters. What was more this lad managed to steal a cigarette out of her mouth without her consent. The magically-inclined beings in this world were rather annoying, as were player characters with high opinions of themselves, as judging by this white haired lad's general disposition he was. "Ugh, I don't serve people," she said with a casual roll of her eyes. "You sound like one of those internet pervs from the dark corners... I don't need that shit..." she mentioned rather firmly. "I don't even work for people who could pay me. So, unless you happen to have the blueprints for my bike's upgrade... or scrap parts you have nothing to say to me," she said with a bit of acknowledgement. There wasn't anyone bonded so magically with this world that she could talk tech with... because of this, she had absolutely no interest in conversing further with this lad. "Keep the smoke... I don't expect you to get what I'm doing anyways..." she finished speaking and tinkering with her radar, making only minor adjustments to it, so it could more directly tell the difference between Dragonoids and True Dragons. She couldn't have direct contact with the Dragonoids, but she could always just follow this pair until they turned back and acquire her Wish Balls then. Until then, she'd go plunder the Library of Atlantis since it was now open to the public, with that in mind she situated herself on her bike and started the engine once more, content to leave this place and find what she was looking for.

[Bloodedge]

"Nobody serves people, until they change their mind about servitude," Karna said prior to dragging more smoke into his lungs. Oddly, his existence outside of this world never partook of a cigarette. This Avatar, however, inhaled as if smoking were a long-term habit of his. "It looks like that bike needs more than some upgrades," he quipped ever so casually. This woman offered him the remainder of the cigarette, not that it mattered; he was going to keep it regardless. The woman claimed that she didn't expect him to know what she was doing... though he had his ways to know what anyone happened to be doing, at just about any time. Another puff of smoke, and he was speaking again. "You're not going to be able to differentiate those Dragonoids from their ancestors. Those two are Emperor Class."

[Apollymi]

"Not happening..." she said of choosing servitude, this was quite true. This girl had the same job she always had, and refused to work for the corporate machine. She wanted to tinker, so she tinkered. She wanted to invent so she invented. She wanted to see this games mechanics from the inside, she ended up in this world. Simple. As for what her bike needed or didn't need she could only chuckle. "Looks like, but I've been building it for years. I know exactly what it needs..." This lass stated facts. She knew exactly the type of upgrade she was looking for, and knew what would take her creations to the next level. As for the last bit after her bike started up, there was a claim made by this male that the Dragonoids found here were Emperor Class. He apparently had some idea of what she'd been doing, but she still didn't trust him. "Uh-huh? Hardcore PvP players couldn't even end up with Emperor Class Dragonoids. Two random kids ended up with it that happen to both be in Atlantis? Sitting beside each other even? The odds on that are cosmically unrealistic," said the lass. This world was magical, but even magic had limits, surely he was joking. He was lying? Trying to be impressive? Just a jackass? Didn't really matter, his words made her think and adjust the specs on her radar again. Because strangely those two hadn't stopped beeping on her screen. Should that even really be possible if they weren't currently in form as he claimed?

[Bloodedge]

"The words of most people." With this simple response given, Karna let the cigarette hang from his lips while holding his hands against his sides. The matters of her strange, self-crafted motorcycle, were of no importance to him. He was more concerned with the matter of her seeking Dragons to collect the Wish Balls. He crossed his arms, and rolled his eyes. Her commentary about the people capable of becoming Emperor Class Dragonoids made him scoff. It was obvious that she didn't believe him, and he didn't even have to peer into her mind to learn this. Well, there was a simple way to clarify the possibility for this odd woman. One of the two Players may have been less recognizable to the general public, but the other...

"Geno Killer?"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, this white haired lad thought that her words were the same as those of most people. She supposed unless he knew who she actually was, he'd have no reason to believe her when she said she had no intention of servitude. Perhaps he thought that this world changed her or would do? It wouldn't, there was a nary a thing that could make her do anything besides what she felt like doing. She had no sense of duty, no sense of obligation. She was a maker, so she'd make. That was all. "Hmphf. Whatever..." she didn't bother justifying her thoughts here. It was becoming obvious to her that this lad didn't understand how much she'd already proved herself of that point. 'Still, it's weird. This is perfectly calibrated, and adjusted for leaving and entering high density Mana Zones. It is completely unrealistic for a pair of not currently Dragonoid Avatars to be enough to still be blinking,' she thought to herself. She continued looking at her screen and thought of the extra research potential. Though not magically inclined a bit more research on the mechanics of magic as an energy source was necessary to create her source. While she thought this over there was a name drop which made her brow raise. "Geno Killer? Is here? The fuck!?" that was it, instant recognition and understanding. The lad responsible for breaking game mechanics was a bit more understandable as one who should be able to obtain the almost sacred Emperor Class Dragon. Beyond that, she was still yet more annoyed. When that lad had started dominating leaderboards in various games she'd looked into him quite a bit. He wasn't a cheater. He didn't use meta builds in anything. He didn't even use builds that were possible for other people to play logistically so it couldn't be copied and turned into the meta. No bots, no rolling of clocks... whoever that person was, they were one of the most earnest gamers in the history of gaming. Also worth having a look at for research purposes, it seemed like for the time being Atlantis was the place to be. There was still the other Emperor Class Dragonoid though... and that presented a different problem, was it someone who just got carried by the Geno Killer up to that mark? Or was it an individual who earned it? Would they also be capable of impossible feats... This was beginning to smell like a mystery equal to the fun of her bike building.

[Bloodedge]

For probably the twenty-seventh time this day, Karna scoffed. He was quite sure he didn't stutter when he spoke the name, yet this blue-haired girl questioned it regardless. "Yes, Geno Killer. Both of them," he stated plainly. He couldn't be sure who knew of Kimiko's identity, but surely the rumors had spread far enough to get across to most, that there was another supposed Geno Killer roaming the arcades. Considering who he knew this person to be, he had an inkling that she'd have the information. After all, this individual before him now was involved very directly with one of three organizations, who all had every reason to be well-invested in Age of Eternity.

In the meantime, Kou and his familiar were stepping out into the throne room next to Hikari and Queen Seriri, also looking out to see the woman at her bike. Upon witnessing her, his eyes widened slightly. He knew that face, that hair, that... literally everything. "Sou ka... Capsule Corp developed that sort of technology as well," he muttered.

[Apollymi]

The blue haired young woman's eyes widened at Karna's words. She was more than a little aware of the secondary Geno Killer. The one whose name started appearing, on several different gaming boards. She'd taken similar actions and tracked the behavior of that one as well, and she knew that to be a rather earnest player as well. No cheating, all game times legitimate, using builds that made no sense on paper but somehow hitting top spaces in leader boards as well. The only name besides Geno Killer that appeared was MisakiNeesan. "WHAT?! They are together?!" the lass said seemingly more excited and surprised than anything else. These were two of gaming's most elusive individual players, in an alternate game world together. No wonder they both managed Emperor Class Dragons.

Queen Seriri and Hikari were still plotting their ultimate conspiracy when the door behind them opened and Kou stepped out with his own familiar. Their eyes widened and both stopped their hushed whispers. "Oh, right. Capsule Corp... Nii-san would be excited to meet her..." mentioned Seriri who simply shrugged. She didn't seem like a bad person so it wasn't worth looking into much. Miki also stepped out of the room lounged over her giant pillow with a white wolf along side her and a little kitsune seated in her lap, swatting at the Bones of Rathma as if it was its personal play thing. "I think you don't know the right meaning of excited... Tsu-chan..." Miki said. Still the knowledge that the greatest female technician of their Age was within the Kingdom of Atlantis made her chuckle. "Oi oi, you should be trying to make friends Tsu-chan... that girl is the foundation of human innovation," she mentioned. She knew that Tsukiko was a shut in so she hadn't gotten a chance to meet the girl who Kimiko knew in life as Hisakawa Hiromi. All the while blue haired lass pushed her goggles up from her neck and activated them while holding her Dragon Radar. She got confirmation of the identity of Geno Killer and then she looked to the secondary avatar that bleeped as Dragon and saw a username she didn't recognize but a face she did. "Ookimichan? What the bloody fuck is that username?"

[Bloodedge]

"Not in the way they should be." Ah, another absolute zinger from Karna, surely. Whatever the case, he had become just bored and/or annoyed enough to give up from there, walking deeper into Atlantis with his claimed cigarette giving him an occasional, peaceful inhale.

Kou was perplexed. What could have been happening in their original world, if the tinkerer of Capsule Corp had come here? "That's going to be strange back home. If she's here... the end of Kaiba Seto's vacation is going to turn Kaiba Corps into a monopoly, and quickly." Little did Kou know, the brother of the one called Tsukiko didn't simply take vacations. He was lost to their world, as they all were. In fact, that very man may have been stumbling upon the start of Atlantis's entry bridge as the group spoke.

At the gate, there was talk of a True Dragon...

[Apollymi]

There was a word from Karna which let the lass know that apparently the two versions of Geno Killer weren't exactly a couple. Maybe that was up for negotiation, whatever the case, Karna seemed content to exit this place and be done speaking to her, much to her own general happiness. "Uh-huh..." perhaps she'd have more fun observing the workings of this pair than she thought. She sat on her bike, goggles on observing the other group with wide eyes. She had much work to do but first she had to make sure the operating player of this realm knew she wasn't here to do anything bad to her Kingdom. This was simple courtesy among players, still she'd let them complete their conversation before interrupting.

In the meantime, Kou mentioned the likelihood of the domination of Kaiba Corp upon the return of its CEO from a vacation. This made Seriri sigh but she supposed she was among friends here, so she'd share a bit of news. "Ano, Seto-niisan, doesn't take vacations..." she said with her head tilted to the side as she rubbed her face with a single finger. "That was a cover story made up by my parents, Seto-niisan... went missing doing one of his experiments, a while before I did. They didn't want the investors to worry, so they told everyone he was taking a vacation, while they very quietly searched for him," she mentioned which made Miki's eyes light up. "Uh-huh... Well if Kaiba is missing the proper adults won't make that kind of decision. No monopolies. Both companies will hold their current positions until an upstart pops up," she said remembering the last time she'd spoken to Seto directly it had been him handing over the programming various prototypes for her VR system a few weeks before her exams. She hadn't gotten around to testing it until afterwards for the lack of her own free time. 'I want that to be a coincidence... but I feel like it's not...' she thought to herself. Little did she know, it wasn't a coincidence.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, the young CEO of Kaiba Corps didn't bother with vacations in the like. If said CEO had disappeared some time ago, and that very same man had recently developed and released a very innovative virtual reality hardware... there was a very real chance that his disappearance was no coincidence. Little could anyone know, the coincidences would soon be stacking atop one another very quickly...

He had to shake the thought. At least the gaming industry wouldn't be flipped upside-down by a disturbance in the balance between the top two companies, and there would be no issues with Age of Eternity due to the involvement of a third company: its creators. "I guess everything's fine then, but..."

Kou's thoughts didn't need to finish, as they manifested themselves immediately. The ear-splitting screech of a Dragon echoed throughout Atlantis, reaching the palace with ease. Floating over the streets was a great beast, a Dragon made of Magisteel flew. It seemed more of a Wyvern, but its size was certainly that of a Dragon. White in color, the metal beast boasted grand gems at the center of its body, and at each of its joints. Magical power surged from these gems through its interior, glowing through every crevice the creature had. On the ground below, was a tall male with slick brown hair, a black turtleneck with long sleeves containing double-belted biceps, black leather pants with matching pointed boots, and a very long, sleeveless and studded trench coat with a raised collar, emblazoned with the emblem 'KC' at its collar. A very advanced bit of technology adorned his left ear, seeming to be some blend of an earpiece and a control apparatus. Similar tech was upon his left arm as well, in the form of a slab featuring designs similar to the Dragon above.

[Apollymi]

The gaming industry of their left world wouldn't crumble, but before Kou could make a particular statement about a possibility and while Miki pondered something in her own mind, a commotion began outside of the palace. The loud screech that could be heard throughout the streets of Atlantis would move several people into action. The first of which was the blue haired lass who revved the engine of her bike before taking off out of the front of the palace once more. The bleeping on her screen still showed the two within but needed to know what this creature outside was that it didn't show up on her radar. The sound of the screech hit Miki a little wrong... but they should definitely go investigate as well. As such Miki, Seriri, and Hikari all took off to the central plaza which wasn't technically that far away. And what they saw when they got there made their eyes all widen. Hikari had eyes only for the Dragon above. "Sugoi! It's a like a giant metal dragon..." she murmured excited about the prospect. In the meantime Seriri had slowed her pace down to normal as she took in a sight she didn't know she'd get to see.

'Se...to...nii...san,' she whispered in her own mind, seeming to choke up just a bit with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Miki stood with her arms crossed over her chest, stunned intrinsically by the look of this lad. This was definitely the CEO of Kaiba Corp but it wasn't just a character made in his likeness. It was him. That same displeased expression returned to the blonde's face, but she'd seen the softness of her friend and gave her a gentle push away and towards the lad with his slicked back hair. "Oi, if you got time to cry then move..." she mentioned which made Seriri look back at the lass where she'd moved forward. "Hai!" she exclaimed moving towards what was obviously her brother. "SETO-NIISAN!~" she exclaimed running towards the lad with as much excitement as she could muster, aiming to hug her older brother in a way that made her look strangely small by comparison.

[Bloodedge]

Kou ran alongside the others, eager to see whatever this screech produced. It was draconic, of that there was no doubt. On the other hand, though, it had a strange undertone of... clanging metal? Could it have been the work of another fiend in Atlantis, or...? No, certainly not. The group's arrival to this Dragon's location gave all present a sight to behold. It was none other than Kaiba Seto himself, stood there in all his Dragon-obsessed glory. An air of supremacy filled the atmosphere around his smug, joyless visage that visually shunned any advances.

... Except one.

Yes, a single individual began running toward the male who stood well over 6 feet. He glared at this Mermaid Queen, no differently than the way he glared at anyone. This being was visually a total stranger, one who should be worthy of his attack. Much to the contrary of this, though, there was a light of familiarity just under that harsh gaze of his. As she approached, the tall male held his right arm outstretched, only to have it wrap around her head - holding it pinned against his own torso - when she reached him.

[Apollymi]

Smug and joyless was indeed the mark of Kaiba Seto, but his younger sister was exactly the opposite. As she approached her brother she bore the biggest smile imaginable, and beyond all of that when he reached out to hold her to his chest, even though she bore the look of a relative stranger she smiled into his chest. Such a sight was strangely heart-warming, even to one like Miki who had no siblings to speak of. 'Sou ka, must be really nice, relying on someone else like that...' thought the blonde lass who began absently coiling a strand of hair around the index finger of her left hand.

Seeming finally drawing her eyes down from the dragon creature, Hikari made a face which was tantamount to a pout. She looked at her own brother and poked him with contempt. "Oh, she gets instant recognition from her big bro though. Mine looks at me like he's seen a fucking ghost," she mumbled. "I had to yell at him and nearly assault him to get a little obvious love.... " she muttered crossing her hands over her chest seemingly a bit jealous but also finding the sight to be a strange one. The girl on the Motorcycle who'd arrived first from a technical standpoint had been off to the side without interfering this was after all an actual threat. 'Kaiba Seto doesn't know how to play video games. Fake Dragon but... real level...' she thought seeing him in the Nexus vision and knowing that the lad had somehow put himself in the game whole, not just in image. Seriri on the other hand seemed to gather herself enough to finally speak properly. "Seto-niisan, is this what your last experiment did? And where did you get a dragon?" she asked of him, wondering if he'd not actually played this game properly but ended up here incidentally for other reasons.

[Bloodedge]

Where Seriri was, would be where she was held for more than just a passing moment. He knew who this was without having to check, before her call to him even reached his ear. Nobody else he knew would choose to be a Mermaid, just to live the rest of their days in Atlantis under the sea. "The project had nothing to do with it. It seems to be just more of the same as what happened to everyone else," he said, sparing no lack of emotion in his tone. "It's not a Dragon. I made it in the likeness of one. Soon, though. I'll find the real Dragons." He said this, and he very much meant it. Kaiba Seto had every intention of discovering the Dragons' secrets himself.

Meanwhile, Kou received the chastising of his own sister during the scene between the other siblings. Kou scratched the side of his head as he looked away from the demi-human girl, knowing exactly why he'd refrained from acknowledging her existence, but being unable to say it. All he could manage was a nervous laugh while he attempted to shy away from the subject overall.

[Apollymi]

If Tsuki was obssessed with Mermaids enough to become one and want to live out her days in Atlantis. Then she knew her brother to be obssessive enough about Dragons to be very interested in finding them, irrespective of this worlds high esteem and lore surrounding Dragons. "Sou ka, I'm really happy to see you. I thought I'd lucked out when Kimi showed up!~" she said about their current lifestyle change. Even so, this life was more exciting to her, and at the very least, now she had her brother with her as well, she was more than content to live her life here without much thought. There was the claim by Seto that this Dragon he had, was only the likeness of one and not a real one. Seriri looked up at it and frowned slightly. "I guess it is missing a real dragon's presence, thinking about it logically," she mentioned. Having spent a lot of time in the presence of two different Dragons she had a pretty good feeling for them. She assumed even a summoned dragon would have a little more umpf.

In the meantime Miki's attention was shifted to the other pair of siblings and she couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that Hikari was still a bit sore about the lad's lack of initial recognition, but it was easy to be upset about given the bit of touching chemistry they got to watch take place. She realized then that the forwardness of the sibling groups was a bit inverted between the two sets of them she interacted with. Something about both scenes was strangely heartwarming to the lass, still she couldn't really relate and as such was content to stay out of such things. The girl on the motorcycle was still tinkering with her radar, wondering about the nature of all forms of creature currently present and how she could make her presence known without being properly suspicious. Hikari for the most part was done chastising, content to simply lean against her brother. "Still, that kinda thing is super cute from the outside, I'm happy for Seri-nee," figuring that the way this lass was upon their arrival had a lot to do with having a properly protective older brother.

[Bloodedge]

"You're well in this world, then?" the man called Seto asked, taking a moment to view the queen's physical status. She was capable of walking, at the very least. "Sou ka. I guess it worked out in the end," he concluded. At long last, he released his hold on the lass, viewing the others nearby. One of them had a familiar name, and two of them had very, very familiar faces. The other, he didn't know at all, but she was of no importance to him. Seto approached one face in particular, and it was that of Miki. "You," he said, looking at her quizzically, yet with a face that matched her own by expression. "Blonde isn't your color, but it looks like you took the upgrade I sent for that prototype."

[Apollymi]

When asked about her condition in this world, Seriri could only happily reply. "Hai hai, don't even know the meaning of being sick," she affirmed in a manner similar to how Hikari had done upon her first private conversation with Kou. "No need to worry about me anymore~" she chimed happy to feel independent by her own right and capable of looking after herself, though she appreciated her brother's sentiments. Released by her brother Seriri stood by his side a large grin on her face as she watched the lad approach Miki commenting first on the choice of her hair color and then mentioning that she'd obviously taken the upgrades he'd provided for one of her gaming systems. "I don't remember asking the opinion of a man who inserted himself whole into an RPG about fashion. If I change my mind though... you're not even on the list..." she lass replied with as much venom as she normally directed at Karna, and the same rather vicious smile. Seriri laughed and stifled it in the same second turning her head to the side, this was after all an interaction she was used to seeing and it felt so normal in the moment. To be technical she didn't mind the blonde, but if she'd known she'd be stuck with it extensively, she might have just kept the entirety of her original look. But she could always save that for the class she normally played in these types of games. "That upgrade was spot on though, flawless as ever. So, if you want to talk business... I'm on board," she said giving credit where it was due in the moment. Strangely, she'd incidentally started twirling Merchant plate around her finger, as if excited by the prospect. Even in this world, if she could have a hand in something being run by Kaiba as part of her business exchange, she'd do so in a heartbeat. Hikari looked at her brother and seemed a bit confused... 'Why does she talk to the head of Kaiba Corp like that? I mean knowing his sister is one thing, but no normal teen approaches a man of power like they're equals right?' she thought to herself. "Ugh, confusion..." she said tapping her forehead with her wrist as if trying to put something together in her head that wasn't working out.

[Bloodedge]

"Urusai. If you're going to be unappealing, don't also be indignant about it," the male replied. He seemed almost annoyed by this girl's very existence, though that was simply his way. Even with his current expression, he continued discussing matters more related to business with the Avatar Miki. "Good. I'm going to replicate that same model in this world. If it's business you want to talk, are you going to take up that position I offered?" he asked, knowing he'd once offered the original version of this very same girl a job as head of finances in his company.

Hikari's confusion was obvious, and Kou cued in on it rather quickly. He didn't have much to say about it, as things weren't entirely clear to him either. However, he could piece together a few things. "What has you confused?" he asked.

[Apollymi]

Kaiba Seto seemed to be just as full of venom for Miki as the lass was for him. All the while, Seriri seemed to be on the verge of hysterical laughter but also didn't seem like she would stop it. Why wasn't someone stopping these two people from tearing each other's throats out? Well, because this was simply the way they communicated with each other, and as such Miki's reply to Kaiba's words about her attitude would be met by a scoff. Hypocrite. "Your opinion doesn't matter. The least you can do is stew in silence, when something doesn't concern you," Miki mentioned seeming to take no loss to her ego nor any kind of opinion from Kaiba about her appearance. But there was business, and Miki or rather Kimiko was all about business, so much so that it bled completely over into her being and her true personality began to show even behind a mass of blonde locks and the less abrasive form of her being. "You aren't trying to bring to the table, that same small deal you offered before, right Kaiba? I won't just sit around being your head of finance. That cage is too small," she mentioned, knowing she wouldn't accept an offer less than partnership. This created a sigh from Seriri, who'd offered the girl the same position within the Kingdom of Atlantis only to be turned down. "Even Kimi-lite isn't taking that first offer. I tried already..." she said of Miki, which caused the lass to cut her eyes in Seriri's direction. After all, it was the second time today she'd referred to the girl as a 'lite' version of herself and it made her wonder exactly what she'd done while in her other form. She needed to talk to the lass and would make sure to squeeze in some time for that. Regardless, Miki didn't know if the lad simply intended to try and make her run the money side of his business like he'd offered her when she was a bit younger. But he needed to know that even here such a thing wasn't something she'd tolerate out of a business deal. She was way more valuable than that.

In the meantime the confusion of Hikari was noted by Kou and addressed in a more direct manner. She began lightly mumbling through all of her problems with the exchange she was witnessing while still tapping her head against her wrist as if it wasn't clear at all. "Miki-nee, talks to Kaiba-san like she talks to Karna. No, it's worse... now that I'm thinking about it. That's weird enough, but why? She doesn't address anyone with that level of ambient malevolence, but you don't get that way just by random introduction. She's friends with his sister, but he's like a super famous, powerful guy. Most girls and even guys would soften up and back down, defer a little at least. But she has zero fucks to give... It doesn't make sense... I feel like it's there but there is something I'm missing..." mentioned Hikari. And there was, she wasn't privy to who Miki was in life, she wouldn't know about her status as a young economist and consultant for businesses in their home world. And she also hadn't seen the lass at work in Atlantis to get a first hand view of it here. Miki herself had been hinting at her ability to shift an economy quite a bit since she'd showed up, with Atlantis as her shining jewel of accomplishment.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmph!" he scoffed, turning up his nose before the blonde he conversed with. He rested his right hand on his hip, and raised his left arm. The faux Dragon flying above the streets of Atlantis was immediately converted to pure Mana, which collected in his open hand in the shape of a card. A flip of said card, and a flick of his wrist, caused the card to slide into an open slot on the device he wore on his left arm. "Head of finance? KaibaCorp isn't that silly little company I inherited years ago. I'm in need of a way to keep pushing the product, overtake Industrial Illusions, and make sure KaibaCorp stays on top. Somebody has to turn the concepts and experiments into something that will reach everyone," he clarified.

As the older male rambled on, Kou watched with his usual amount of intent, while keeping an ear open for Hikari. The thing that she viewed as strange here was, of course, the type of interaction had between Miki, and one such as Kaiba Seto. Kou didn't find this strange at all; however, he also knew who both of these people were in their original lives. Hikari's confusion was something he thought answerable with only a simple name. "Ashikaga Kimiko."

[Apollymi]

Kaiba turned up his nose at Miki, but such a thing was normal between them. He went on to state with clear intentions exactly what it was he intended to do in joining forces with her. Apparently the lad had no intentions of starting from the same point he'd been living at when he'd first come to her about taking a job with him. No his current dreams were much bigger than that, and he intended to overtake another company and place his at the absolute top of this world too. Such ambition made a grin come to Miki's face. His dragon disappeared from the skies and he put away his card, but the name of the business he planned to take down. "Hoh? You have a target already, and a plan..." she thought it over. There were lots of things in the mind of this lass right now. There were plenty of bonuses involved with cooperation with Kaiba Seto. Perks of the job, that included early access merchandise, large payouts and plenty to keep her busy as far as the business aspects of her life were concerned. And had she been alone in this world when she'd stumbled upon him, she might have even negotiated those terms immediately, in her own favor. But, she wasn't alone, and her own favor wasn't all that mattered, a small smile crept across her face as she gave a sideways glance to those she was currently grouped up with. "That's a pretty good opening speech. Very tempting... Definitely better than the first one you ever gave me," she said knowing she needed to have a quick chat with the others to see what all they might have wanted out of such a deal.

Miki's given name was spoken by Kou and much like he thought that tiny bit of knowledge made all the lights within Hikari's head turn on at once. Her eyes practically shining as several things made sense all at once and not just about the girl's own actions either. Miki not thinking herself lesser to Kaiba made sense, even beyond that her brother's resistance to the idea that the girl liked him now also made sense. It was as if the entirety of Atlantis could have been lit by this girl's thoughts. But aloud she only had something a bit snarky to say. "So, we just get to sit in on what is basically the most tense board room meeting of an entire generation. Yep... that's cool," she said but obviously it wasn't cool. her tail and ears twitched with more than mild irritation. She couldn't believe the amount of luck that had to have gone into producing such a showing of people in one place. Nor the amount of luck that her brother needed to possess to have the affections of a girl like Ashikaga Kimiko whether he was willing to see them for what they were or not.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I have a plan. There's always a plan." True enough, Kaiba Seto hadn't been entirely forward with his intentions, at least aloud. He'd always intended to take over the company named Industrial Illusions, but in the past, it was his plan to avoid having one such as Ashikaga Kimiko in a high enough position to potentially usurp him. Now, though, things were entirely different. He was confident no one could usurp him, now that his creations had already taken flight, so to speak. "Are you taking the offer, or not? KaibaCorp will rule both worlds, and that's with or without the likes of you."

Kou's gaze wandered. He looked to Seto, to Miki, and to the blue-haired woman as well. It was well beyond the most tense board meeting of a generation; it was an entire uprising waiting to happen, if not something far greater in magnitude. There was one other name here, and it was no less obvious - by the appearance of this avatar - than Kaiba Seto himself. As he looked to the blue-haired woman, he spoke that name. "Hisakawa Hiromi."

[Apollymi]

Kaiba claimed to have always had a plan, and Miki could see that being exactly the case. Industrial Illusions was one of the most prolific companies to ever exist, if he intended to wipe it from both worlds, it was the best possible thing he could do to try and recruit her to his cause. She respected the tactic, though not necessarily the approach, such was the same problem she had with ones like Karna. Still his words struck Miki the wrong way, so wrong in fact that she seemed to lose all tension in the moment. Her body relaxed and her weapon in the form of a pillow came to her and she sat, legs crossed at the ankle and exhaled a slightly held breath. "I don't know if I am or not Kaiba. Contracts made under duress are never fair and though KaibaCorp stands a pretty good chance of doing what it wants whether I join it or not... that only really works if I remain neutral, right?" she paused and looked at him. "If I make a decision, just one little decision then I become a problem for you..." she said that and knew it to be fact, if for no other reason than she knew her own ability to garner resources including people. In fact, the addition of a singular extra person would make it possible for Miki to shift the tides of this conversation and said person knew it.

Hisakawa Hiromi was just mentioned by name. With the dragon created gone, she was left to watch as the two would be heads of business argued the semantics of their points. One trying to force some sort of merger and the other content with her independence. She respected and knew both of these individuals and she knew the sort of interactions they had often ended in stalemates. "Yare yare, this kind of high stress situation is exactly why I wanted nothing to do with boardrooms. These two revel in this sort of shit. I'd rather tinker..." she said lighting a cigarette because the tension of the moment was getting to her as well and she hadn't gotten all the way through her previous one before it was stolen by Karna. To be fair, if it came down to a choose or die moment, right now, siding with the two Geno Killers over Kaiba was a pretty good bet. If one added to that fact that they had Dragons within their bodies they were excellently aligned for her own desires. The choice should be made based on all open facts, and as Hiromi stared down at her radar she looked back to the two who made the blips and sighed. Letting this take place without all knowledge being available was probably misleading, as such she did the one thing she should do without directly involving herself right now. She turned on the sound for the Dragon Radar. And the gentle double bleeping would echo throughout this place. "A man with a plan, a merchant to finance everything and a creator to make both of their ideas come to life. That's too much right? I'm not crazy, that is way too much potentially..." she said assuming the egos of all involved didn't get in the way of a proper agreement being reached. The sound of the bleeping though started interfering with Hikari's thought processes. "The hell is that bleeping?!"

[Bloodedge]

So, she simply refused to make her decision at the moment. Typical. What's more, Miki went on to note what a hindrance it would be to the man if she were to instead side with one of the other companies. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze fixated on her. She wouldn't dare, would she? "Are you going to threaten me with that? Those other companies would do you no good; you'd be doing it only to spite me. You know where the best opportunity is," he said with a snarky undertone.

The tinkerer of Capsule Corporation spoke at last, commenting on her lack of interest in boardrooms and the like. Kou could understand this. If he had a mind to, he'd have interjected to find the proper middle-ground, but... it seemed things would work out just fine in the end. "It would become a problem if you weren't like that," he said, seeming to have blurted it out accidentally as he watched the other two have their discussion. True enough, it would. Two participants was riding the line, but the moment the third member of the 'Big Three' as they were called entered the scene properly, there would be a very big issue at hand, potentially.

"It doesn't seem like it'll be too mu-" Kou's response to Hikari was cut short by the sound of the blue-haired woman's device. Clearly, she'd activated it on purpose. What was it, though? Kou had missed the discussion of Dragons and the like shared between this woman and Karna, but he felt a strange heat in his chest, as if Akashi were reacting to the item. "It's that thing, but... why?"

[Apollymi]

Would she dare? The answer was an emphatic, yes. Miki or rather Kimiko was exactly the sort of person who would under any circumstance choose the best opportunity. That being said, she also wasn't going to be bullied into anything and would indeed choose a different company to side with to spite Kaiba for his arrogance and insolence, and topple him because it would be best for business. Whether she possessed those traits herself, or not. The narrowing of his eyes let her know all she needed to about his mental process in the moment, he knew what she was. "Spite? I don't think I know the meaning of it... I am something else entirely Kaiba and the best op-por...." there was a pause from Miki. As the bleeping of Hiromi's machine came into her ears. A swirling of water like rushing tides filled her head and numbed her body down to an almost tempered nature. Her head tilted towards the object and its holder.

Kou's words about the Tinkerer of the Big Three made her chuckle. "Hai, it would. But there are scarier things out there, than my tinkering self..." she mentioned as she took a long drag from her cigarette. All necessary attention was on her soon after, as the effect of her machine in the moment seemed to cause a break in both of the people who maintained Dragonoid Avatars attention. "Sou ka... it effects you both directly. I did use the resonance of a Wish Gem to make it. I've also been modifying it to try and exclude you two since I arrived. It didn't work though, so I amp'ed up the resonance instead. You're too advanced for it to ignore you, so I made it acknowledge you more..." she mentioned casually. "Kaiba, Ashikaga..." she said calling to both of the ones in the way she often referenced them. "I made a Dragon Radar. It acknowledges Ashikaga and Kou..." she flicked her eyes over the lad's information to get the name of his avatar. "As Dragons... Emperor Class Dragons," she said, among the changes she'd made, was a bit of extra scaling to show the difference in Dragons by color on screen. "That means its time for a normal chat, yeah?" she said exhaling the final hit of her cigarette before putting it out underneath her booted foot. At the end, she flicked the sound off her device, she didn't want to incidentally raise true Dragons just by resonating them with her Wish Ball. She'd just done the equivalent of throwing a bucket of ice water on two kids in a fist fight.

[Bloodedge]

Kaiba would have scoffed. He would have grimaced. He would have carried on about opportunism. He actively did none of these things, mostly due to the fact that Miki left her clause unfinished. His attention was also brought to the Dragon Radar, and by association, its holder. That's when the scoff and grimace came into play. Who did this woman think she was? Whatever. She'd managed to rip the topic away from business, to Dragons and their connections, and Kaiba was frankly fine with either. "Emperor-Class Dragons don't even exist in the game's files as anything but a name," he said plainly, skipping on the useless dribble about her little radar creation.

Kou, on the other hand, took great interest in the radar. Not only had this woman managed to create a device to find things that weren't meant to just be discovered, but she'd tweaked it to be more specific in classification. More importantly though, the claim of Emperor applied to a Dragonoid was... unheard of. "Emperors? That's not normal. Emperors should be exclusive to proper Dragons, not some hybrid. Even without game files as references, that doesn't seem like it should be possible..."

[Apollymi]

There was no response given to Miki, and instead it was directed at the Avatar of Hisakawa Hiromi, which she hadn't told anyone what her name was here. It seemed Kaiba took issue with the fact that she claimed the pair to be Emperor Class Dragons as such things only existed in name within the games files. "Uh-huh, well this isn't a game, this is a growing and expansive world. I wouldn't exaggerate such a thing and you know it..." she said frowning deeply. This lad was always argumentative about things, but she wouldn't be having it in this lifetime. She knew her creations better than anyone else and she knew she wasn't wrong. Kou seemed to take a bit more interest in the whole of the creation, but his claim was one which also showed openness to the idea. "Except for the fact that this world is constantly evolving to accommodate those within it. For all we know, those Dragonoids because of their existence have the ability to become True Dragons..." she said with a gentle shrug. "At the very least, they probably contain Wish Gems, which is what the Radar is meant to track. And I doubt the pair of you is walking around with them in your inventory currently," she said staring at both of them.

Miki had been quiet for a few moments while Hiromi spoke. She knew that Kaiba would be a bit skeptical, Kou's statements made her think back to her own interactions with the Dragonoid Akashi. "Iie, I don't have that in my inventory, a few other things of interest one of which is Dragon related but not a Wish Gem. But... Akashi mentioned something he called the Power of Influence, explaining to me that Dragons were walking artifacts capable of bringing calamity at any point they wished, to extremes. He referred to me as a Dragon, even while I wasn't in the form of my Dragonoid Avatar... does this Wish Gem have that sort of power?" she asked of Hiromi. The blue haired lass looked up and grinned. "When they are all together they can rewrite everything, according to the legend. It's why I am looking for them. Individually they are said to have different powers and abilities depending on the type of Dragon they are attached to..." she explained, changing the whole of the world, or finding the ultimate power source in this world for her inventions was her ultimate goal. She'd be able to tinker eternally with such a thing, not that it was totally necessary for anyone to know that. This was a lot of information but it didn't really connect to anything. Seriri stood off to the side, as the only person who'd experienced both of the Dragonoids directly aside from Karna she had a pretty decent amount of experience.

[Bloodedge]

"You don't have to be exaggerating. You should still bring more evidence to the table before you make such a ridiculous claim of Emperor Dragonoids." In no way had Kaiba been arguing against the idea of the two Dragonoids belonging to the Emperor Class. In fact, the very prospect of it was something exciting; he could use that experience. Without proper reason to believe, though, he would remain skeptical to no ends. Kou could see this beyond the hard exterior of the older male, but had nothing to say of it.

Between Kou and Miki, there were two Artifacts related to Dragons and their powers, but neither had these 'Wish Gems' the woman - originally named Hiromi - spoke of. What they did have, though, was the influence of their Dragonoid selves, even while being other Avatars. Could that have been it? Perhaps. More to the point, Kou knew of these 'Wish Gems' that were so recently mentioned, and equated them to something he'd seen in Age of Eternity's lore. "Dracolite. Something found inside the bodies of True Dragons, equivalent to a heart or soul. Emperor Dragons have a special version of these, though there are only meant to be seven Emperors at once, all intended to be released as Max Raids in the game. Those seven are supposed to have capabilities far beyond any of the other crystals. Are those the Wish Gems you're talking about?"

[Apollymi]

A sigh left Hiromi as she began fiddling with the Dragon Radar she'd created. She began pressing buttons in random sequence but it wasn't random at all. She was unlocking the casing to reveal that which was inside. "Of course I have evidence... I just needed to know potential outcomes before revealing it..." she said to Kaiba directly. She kept pressing buttons while listening to what Kou had to say. Miki was silent in the moment but she too recognized Kaiba's softer notions. Though she had a great deal of fun poking at the lad due to her own personality quirks, she respected Kaiba Seto and knew him to be a better person than most, even if she thought the amount of arrogance he possessed was outlandishly in contrast to that. "Hai, those are the exact Wish Gems I speak of," she said calmly. "And I know you possess them and I know they actually exist because... I have this one..." she said as the back of her Dragon Radar opened and revealed from within a red glowing crystal like gem full of power which had been hidden within the shell of her device and quieted by the mechanisms she'd created around them. Here and now it would give off a pulse of energy which returned the rushing sound of water to Miki's ears and made her clutch her chest. "Ugh, that definitely feels like something found in a Dragon. It definitely calls to her... " she said knowing this sensation from when she'd fought it off before, when Akashi had called to Tatsuki within her person. She looked to Kou for confirmation of him feeling the same thing, and secretly hoped the other lass would close the object up again, lest she be forced to take her Dragon's form again so soon after finally breaking free of it.

[Bloodedge]

Lo, this woman happened to be in possession of a gem, and it happened to be one of the seven she spoke of. How interesting it was that she actually intended to gather all seven of those things. Kaiba had nothing but another scoff to offer, whereas Kou had something entirely different. The white-haired male clenched his chest just as Miki did. He'd been feeling the call of Akashi since the initial blip of the radar, but now was something entirely different. This time felt... almost as if Akashi could erupt from his being, becoming an entity of his own at any given moment. "Ergh... put... that back," he said through gritted teeth. It took a great deal of effort to suppress the Dragonoid, more than even the time he spent next to the other Dragonoid, Tatsuki. What was it about experiencing the unfiltered gem right in front of him? "Seriously... gonna need you to not just have that out."

Little did he know, there was another one being activated in the distance at this very moment...

[Apollymi]

The feeling in Miki's chest didn't stop, her whole body felt like it could be broken apart by the pulse of water being created within her being. Kou voiced his concerns and needs in a manner which let her know he was experiencing a similar situation. Hiromi watched both of their reactions to such a thing for approximately five seconds extra after Kou spoke and then, she closed up the back of her Dragon Radar and the energy signature just disappeared. A sigh escaped Miki as the rushing water sound within her mind subsided and she held the side of her own face as if she'd been afraid of what she was going to find there. "Sou ka, the energy itself disturbs you, but you aren't even Dragons right now. That's a strange reaction from both of you, you must be exceedingly strong willed. I figured it was possible to end up with both Dragons here in the moment I opened it..." she said with less than enthusiastic eyes. Strangely it would be Seriri who spoke up in the moment with a bit of insight. "Uh, as a person who has dealt with both of those Dragons in individual terms... you don't want to deal with both of those two at once... I wouldn't force it," she said calmly. True enough both Tatsuki and Akashi had been fine in their own spaces, she imagined their personalities if both of them were out at once would be overwhelming. Beyond that she didn't want her Kingdom to disappear because of the instincts of a pair of Dragons who obviously just wanted to mate. "Yare yare, you make it sound like I should be apologizing..." said Miki not knowing exactly why this girl said such a thing about her other Avatar. "Iie, you were just more Kimi than normal, but you weren't a bother or anything," mentioned Seriri who knew her friend a bit better than most and was thus not as afraid of her antics in her Dragon form. A smirk came to Miki's face as she realized now why Seriri had been referring to her as Kimi-lite, she supposed this Avatar was the least obtuse version of her to exist, beyond that the shortcomings of their resident creator were also obvious as it was clear she'd shown that gem knowing a potential negative could come from them. 'Scientists lack a moral compass... this is why she stays in her labs,' she thought though she didn't have anything to say aloud.

[Bloodedge]

"I wouldn't call it a disturbance..." Kou said, struggling to even formulate the words beyond the raging flame in his torso. Everything vanished within a matter of moments of the gem's sealing, though. He was able to breathe clearly, and no longer had the distraction of that intense pressure and heat bothering him. "I don't intend to become Akashi unless it's absolutely necessary. It's happened twice now, and I have no memory at all of the second time. I'm afraid I'll lose myself entirely, if it keeps happening."

A brief exchange occurred to describe the difference between Miki, or even Kimi, and Tatsuki. Kou couldn't imagine what his other self got up to, but he didn't imagine it was anything he'd consider very rational. "So, you're trying to collect these items, and we have two of them. What's your plan, then?" he asked of the blue-haired woman, wondering if he'd have to defend himself at some point in the near, or distant, future.

[Apollymi]

Kou's reactions and Miki's silence were enough extra information for the blue haired lass to work with. It seemed that he didn't intend to become his other Avatar under the pretense of it being something out of his control. This fed into the idea that he was indeed a rather willful individual, though he admitted to having no memory of his former time as his Dragonoid Avatar. "Sou ka, that is new information..." said the woman her eyes were still mostly blank, as if she was considering several things all at once and none of them were particularly pleasant. "I don't remember being Tatsuki either. And to be honest, I'd rather be this version of myself than one I can't control..." Miki mentioned, even if Seriri claimed she hadn't been that bad, Miki didn't truly have faith that she hadn't been a total pain to deal with, particularly to her partner as she remembered rather easily dealing with Akashi.

Moving along it would be the next question aimed at the blue haired lass to make her stare at the lad once more. He claimed to want to know her intentions, and seemed to be fairly defensive about it, her head turned to the side as she considered why he might have been that way and she realized that it was likely that if she wished to collect all the wish gems she'd need to remove two of them from these two people which didn't seem to be an easy task. "Trying to remove them from you as you are now would be problematic. I also won't pretend to have enough power to take them from your Dragon forms even if I could make them rise. Though I could try to, it doesn't seem like an efficient use of time. I could be making things instead," she said her reasoning wasn't morally sound but at least it didn't seem like she would attack this pair of individuals out of nowhere. "I considered that my dream might not be possible directly, so I would skip to the second phase to see what the Gem holders make of this world instead. You two have been making waves for quite some time... I suppose I'll keep tabs on you to see what else you do," she mentioned. "I hate boardrooms though so forgive me if I don't directly involve myself until the rest have gathered..." Hiromi's words were a little creepy but this was about what Miki expected of this lass. A frown came to the blonde's face as she looked at the older young woman, "You know you basically just said you plan on spying on us, and that you've been spying on us... you realize that is creepy right?" she asked of the woman who simply shrugged. "Honest gamers are hard to come by. I would have been stalking you more directly, if you'd been using the right username..." she mentioned which made Miki shrug. "Using Kaiba's upgrade meant I had to sign in on my approved accounts. I couldn't use my other one... sorry to keep you waiting."

[Bloodedge]

It seemed there would be no real issues to speak of with the one called Hiromi, who Kou finally decided to view the 'character sheet' of. Bulma, he saw. He'd still be wary, if only just a bit, but the ashen-haired lad would relax for the moment. "Well, its good not having to be immediately concerned about what you'll try doing. Good to meet you, then... Bulma," he said, taking the following moments to view the motorcycle she rode in upon, having it in him to wonder what it would take to acquire one himself. "I get the feeling you didn't come here just for the Dracolite. You... weren't planning on making another bike, were you?"

All the while, a fourth fragment of Dracolite awoke. It was distant, and weaker than the other three sources due to being only a shard of the original piece, but it was certainly something that existed in some regard. In fact, it would be found near the location the Adventurers previously hatched their Filolial egg.

[Apollymi]

"It is fine... actually the name you chose for this character is pretty obvious... Miki," mentioned the blue haired lass, which caused the blonde to simply shrug as if she didn't care. It seemed that all was well between this group now, and Kou even managed to relax quite a bit knowing that Bulma as she had called her character had no intention of immediately trying anything negative against the pair of them. "Yoroshiku," she replied in response to the greeting she also nodded to Miki. The next question posed by Kou was one which made her brow raise, she hadn't mentioned her plans for a bike, yet he seemed to understand her motives just a bit, his ability to read into things was pretty good. "Huh? Well, I was planning to upgrade my bike. This is the first one I built here... so I am attached to it. I also make and sell prototypes to fund my research," she said with no extra thought put into it. "Oi oi, you went into business without me? I'm hurt..." said Miki who managed to pout like a dejected child. "Like I said, I didn't know you were here... if you'd like to handle that for me... I'd agree, it would free me up to make without the annoyance. Does your usual going rate apply here as well?" she asked of the lass which made her smile and nod her head. "Hai hai, I'll take a five percent cut for access to a prototype or two, sound fair? I can also procure some things for you..." mentioned Miki, this was a much easier transaction to make happen in the moment than it would be for one such as Kaiba. A five percent discount in Miki's rate in exchange for prototype bikes, the girl had no interest in bikes, and Bulma knew it. But this lad had just asked her about them. That was a strange showing, one that made a light of recognition come into Bulma's eyes. Hikari noticed this and looked to Seriri who also smiled deviously a new partner appeared on the scene.

Miki knew of Kou's desire to possess bikes plural. She remembered from their earlier conversation and would see to it that he had them. A nod came from Bulma as she walked over to Miki and extended her hand to the held out Plate that marked the girl as the owner of a business. A simple imprint of her finger would make their deal happen immediately. She then looked at the connection between them and chuckled, the name of this business was very classically Kimiko, "You have a problem," mentioned the lass, finding the use of the name the Bad Fox Fair Trade Commission, to be a bit on the nose for the type of business the lass was known to do. "Tsu-chan, she wants access to the Library," said Miki with a knowing smile, after all, given the sort of things that the girl normally came up with, access to a library as old in the game as Atlantis' was probably her real reason for coming here. Seriri looked at Miki and nodded. "Hai hai. Kimi in exchange will you..." she looked to the lass, not wanting to say aloud what she wanted. "Yeah yeah, I figured you'd want something like that... I'll take care of it and have it sent up. Don't worry." she said calmly knowing exactly the sort of thing the girl would want after finding her brother again. "And you Kaiba... is there something you need out of a deal with me?" she asked of the suspiciously quiet brown haired lad, as a sign of good faith. All the while the awakening of the weak fragment didn't even hit the girl's radar. She was busy being a procurer and business worker for her associates.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed, for a moment, that Kou had a very real chance of acquiring his bike from this woman. The exact nature of the event would change rather quickly though, as Bulma and Miki held an entire exchange regarding the nature of trade surrounding the former's creations. Kou stood aside, scratching the side of his head as he let the discussion take place, though his wavering attention opened his senses to... something strange.

While Kou continued to scratch his head in wonder of what he felt somewhere deep within, Kaiba crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the blonde girl. She had such audacity to ask him if there was something he needed of a deal with her, after the discussion they had so recently had. She even had the nerve to make a business transaction with a rival company, right in front of his face. In light of this, all he managed to do was spit on the ground, and walk away - deeper into the city.

[Apollymi]

Miki finished what she needed of her business, she now had a very specific set of things to get done. Bulma was now free to work on her bikes the way she wished without having to do any business of her own, and knew the reasoning behind Miki's rather sudden offer. With this in mind she looked to the lad who'd asked her about the bikes originally as he seemed a bit spaced out. "Ano... I'm working on a new engine type for this world, if you can wait for me to finish my research here, I'll be able to make you a newer custom bike," she said to the lad most directly skipping over anything Miki would have said. All that was left for the blonde lass now was to retrieve the specialty food items that she knew Seriri wanted for Kaiba. 'That's nothing but a quick trip to market...' she thought to herself. Still Kaiba had given a less than favorable reaction to her antics, she wondered if he felt slighted by what she'd done. It wasn't done for that reason obviously, she'd simply secured a necessary resource for all people present, him included though his reaction didn't seem to line up with him understanding that information. Maybe he'd understand a bit later, or maybe he wouldn't and they'd have another intense meeting. It didn't really matter as her stance of neutrality would continue to apply regardless. Bulma wanted to make without consequences, aligning herself with Miki made it so that she could potentially trouble even Kaiba without having to worry about a competition for supplies or materials. Due to shared interests it wold be possible for Kaiba to abuse Bulma's maker capabilities to help with his own creations and research, she could make even more effective his ideas and bring them to life from a more technical aspect. This was potentially a winning situation from all fronts and would make possible with ease Kaiba's overall goal of overtaking Industrial Illusions. Thinking this many steps ahead gave Miki a strange amount of clarity in her senses and then she too felt something strange that she couldn't quite identify.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's attention was abruptly torn from that strange sensation, all by the statement of Bulma. He looked to her briefly, acknowledging that he would be getting a bike of some sort out of this exchange. He would have been quite excited about the prospect; he should have been. Alas, he couldn't stop wondering what that thing he felt was. "Sou ka. Arigatou," was all he said to the blue-haired woman before his attention left her again. He stared out into the distance for several moments longer, until... it vanished. What was it? Perhaps he'd never find out, but he couldn't exactly equate it to the Dracolite produced by Bulma. If he focused hard enough, he could feel Akashi stirring within himself... though it was more like the Dragonoid was mocking something, rather than rising to greet it. Whatever the case, it was gone now, along with whatever caused it. "Ano..."

[Apollymi]

Bulma now armed with thanks and permission to raid the Library of Atlantis left the group atop her motorcycle without much more than a wave. She'd be gone for quite some time looking for information to improve her creations. Hikari edged over to Seriri content to stay in the Queen's presence as they discussed details for trying to hook up the pair of Adventurers. In the meantime both of them seemed a bit spaced out, Miki for her part in this, had the feeling of a water drip like a ripple across a lake. It was almost a teasing sensation from the Dragon of Torrents that dwell within her soul. She couldn't really explain the feeling but it seemed Kou had experienced something similar with his spaced out expression. "That was weird... I'll be back a bit later," she mentioned hopping off her pillow as she aimed to visit the markets and procure for Seriri the things she knew the other lass wanted as well as meet up with her protege and see what kind of market understanding the young shark was gaining.

All in all this day would continue right up until the later part of the day when a certain set of announcements would be made. A set of celebrations would be taking place throughout the Kingdom for the next week and Seriri needed to make sure the people of Atlantis knew what was going on. Members of her Parliament had written up flyers and had their assistants hanging and passing them out. They described a Celebration of Camaraderie, a week long festival which involved several different days outlining different kinds of friendships and relationships. There was a Siblings Day, for presents and activities between sibling sets. A Parent/Child Day full of festive activities for parents and children to participate in together, including eating contests, races and the like. There was a lantern lighting ceremony to celebrate friendships lost and rekindled. But the highlight of this Festive Week were two particular days, Valentine's Day, to start the week off with a chocolate exchange from girls to other people. Romantically inclined as a declaration day for love from girls to boys. And White Day at the end of the week, time enough for a young male to decide to accept and reciprocate the feelings they'd been shown already. Both of these had their own customs attached and were explained throughout the Kingdom, all that needed to happen now was the announcement, which Seriri would make from the top of the steps at the palace. This is where she'd be found, beaming with a combination of meddlesome and friendly energy. She'd framed her entire speech to make the starting and ending days the last things she'd mention and make it seem like the festival itself just needed big start and end day antics. She'd even managed to convince several eateries to give chocolate making classes for free this year so lots of girls could gather up and learn to make them. And had gotten the craftsmen on board with to help create good gifts for any White Day exchanges, such was easy for the Queen with a government on her side.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, it was time for the queen's announcement to the kingdom at large. Word had spread, but the festivities had yet to begin. Today would be the day for that. A full gathering stood nearby to Queen Seriri. Kou stood to the rear, while Kaiba Seto stood to the queen's immediate rear. Diva, who should have been standing to her right given his position, but he was late to appear. He emerged from the palace, taking measured steps and stopping just behind the others. He knew his place, but he couldn't bring himself to stand in such a place, out in the open to be seen by the entire kingdom.

"E-... E... to..." he mumbled, bringing his low gaze higher, but stopping it just before it would reach eye-level for Seriri. He wanted to grab her attention; he wanted to step forward and join her in his proper place. Alas, he couldn't make that push himself.

[Apollymi]

Queen Seriri stood with a gathering behind her, Miki approached from the left, a bit of light in her red eyes as she nodded to the lass. This gesture, let her know her special order had been taken care of, soon enough the blonde lass would take off towards the rear as well, choosing to stand beside Kou leaning gently against her own pillow. She was curious about this announcement as well, and found the gathering behind the Queen to be quite substantial.

In the meantime, Hikari was on the other side of Kou between him and Kaiba, with a large grin on her face gently towards the right of the Queen. Of course, she was the first to notice the approach of Diva and though she'd not met him directly before now, she noted his soft speech and rather timid behavior, which were things she'd been warned about when talking to Seriri about her right-hand man. When his gaze lifted slightly her own looked towards him radiating warm kindness and doing what she thought the lad would need to help get him where he was going. "Oi, you're the one. The Queen's waiting on ya'," she mentioned moving from between the other lads to clear a path for the one who needed to stand to the Queen's right. "Go ahead," she said seeming to find nothing wrong with her slightly pushy behavior in this moment. She'd wait a moment or two only to see and hear something strange immediately. The chirping of a black filolial chick one which was way bigger than it had been upon the last time it was seen, the noise it made drew Miki's attention as well, and it was then that she realized she'd not seen this chick since her first day spent with Akashi. She'd gotten quite round with a plump body but still seemed to move very quickly and with great thought and concerned. 'Fiona!' she mentally chimed, barely registering the interaction between Diva and Hikari.

[Bloodedge]

Diva's utterance drew not the attention of Seriri, but another of the females atop the stairs. His gaze trembled its way toward her, stopping briefly as he caught sight of her long, auburn hair. Not much to his general demeanor, his eyes slowly continued moving until they met this girl's face. He seemed to almost shut down right then and there. There was recognition in his eyes, but it was misplaced. Not only did her appearance trigger both fond and dark memories, but her demeanor did as well. He felt somewhat inclined to do just as she suggested, and that, he did.

Kou observed this interaction, and couldn't keep himself from wondering why Diva, who looked to no one but Seriri directly, had viewed Hikari in such a way. One more puzzle with missing pieces, added to the list. Kou couldn't mull over this for long, though, as there was another presence which garnered his immediate attention. This massive bird, this Filolial... It was undoubtedly Fiona. During all the hullabaloo in Atlantis as of late, he had almost forgotten about the Filolial's existence. "Sugoi..." he muttered, in absolute awe of the growth Fiona had managed over the last week or so.

[Apollymi]

Hikari wasn't taken aback by the raising of the lad's eyes, but this was likely because she hadn't seen him when he was completely broken. She smiled as he walked by, happy to have helped him out in the moment, though she didn't go without noticing the slight shift in the man. She wondered if he knew her perhaps they'd talk a bit later. Whatever the case, she was set on hearing the announcement of the Queen. The giant Fiolial didn't go unnoticed either. 'Jeez, those two put off their bird on someone else, how bad was it here?' she wondered, knowing the pair had set out on raising their pet and given their surprised faces they both hadn't seen it in a while. Fiona the black chick ran up between her parental figures and shivered between them, her body ride-ably large and magnificently soft. "Hello, Fiona..." she said staring at Kou. "Holy shit! She's so big! Look at her... is that normal?" she questioned silently so as not to interfere with the start of the announcement. While this happened she petted their giant mount wondering how she'd gotten so big so quickly.

Meanwhile, Diva made his way past the group and up to Seriri's side, she looked to him and smiled. She was a bit worried about him, she always was, given what he'd been through and found herself looking at the lad curiously. "Oh, you made it. I'm glad..." she said softly. "All I need is to make the announcement. Could you broadcast to everyone, please?" she asked politely and was exceedingly friendly. She wouldn't push the lad too much, she simply needed to make sure everyone got the information needed. Besides that, she quite enjoyed seeing him come into himself and hoped that these smaller tasks would eventually lead the lad to being a bit more present, not that she expected anything massive from him in the first place.

[Bloodedge]

It was a shame the parental figures of the young Filolial had missed this growth, but Fiona didn't seem to mind much at all. No, instead the chick found her place between the pair. Kou couldn't keep himself from physically reacting by petting the Filolial, arms slung around its body and all. 'It's normal for the stats she has. Adventurer Filolials have an increased growth rate based on the potential of the Adventurer they're tied to. She's gaining from both of us, so this seems about right,' he replied into the mind of Miki.

All the while, Diva worked toward solidifying his resolve. He stood next to Seriri, but also under the forceful gaze of Kaiba Seto. There was a request made of him to broadcast the queen's announcement. He would. Oddly enough though, he first look toward Hikari again, with what seemed to be glorious wonder and confusion. No matter; he moved on quickly, and produced the magical cube. He held the Artifact in front of Seriri, leaving ample space for her to make contact with it at her leisure, while the Guardians prepared to project her message.

[Apollymi]

Miki wasn't the only one who couldn't resist touching their shared Filolial. Kou as well, seemed to be enamored. Under all of the attention, Fiona had nothing but triumphant feather ruffling to show her satisfaction. Her entire body seeming to vibrate with her happiness much to the general contentedness of Miki. The blonde lass had her arm sink very slightly into the feathers surrounding this creatures body and she could only compare her to the softest bed she'd ever laid in. 'Sugoi! She's so soft,' to be fair Miki now had in mind the idea of traveling on the road with this Filolial in tow, sunken into the warmth of its body as she slept and it was a magnificent thought. Moving right along, the announcement was about to begin.

Seriri expressed her needs to the lad known as Diva and waited for him to comply. Kaiba Seto's eyes were on him the whole time, and Hikari noticed this sighing lightly, 'The brooding big brother is very brooding...' she thought to herself, a bit happier her own was a bit less of this in her face. Strangely, before Diva acted, he looked back towards Hikari. The Demi-human girl had wide eyes which shown with bright light. Upon finding his gaze upon her, she did the only reasonably encouraging thing she could do. She gave him the thumbs up and a warm compassionate grin. Her tail waggled in the breeze as if she was well and truly happy to provide such comfort though she had no reason to do so, aside from it being a part of her personality at some level. She wasn't quite sure why, but with the lad looking at her like that, there wasn't anything else for her to do. And soon enough he produced the cube from his body doing so would allow Seriri to interact with it she smiled happily as well. "Arigatou..." she mentioned to the lad before moving to interact directly with the artifact, making her voice heard to all throughout the Kingdom.

"Citizens and Visitors of Atlantis," she started with a great deal of confidence before she continued. "Recently, times have been very trying for us all. Ties and loyalties have been tested, inaction and disparity addressed and the very foundations of our Kingdom have been reforged. Though all of this, we have all come a long way, and now is the time we see the benefits and rewards of our hardships and toiling. Now is the time to cement this new life for ourselves and those around us. To know decidedly that we can interact with each other in peace, harmony and camaraderie," this was the opening presented by the lass. "In light of this, a week of festivals and events highlighting the things important to us all. Family, friends, and love," she offered these words and waited softly before beginning to outline the times to be spent here. "A day of sibling celebration to show affection for those we call family. Full of fun, games and activities and an exchange of gifts. Followed up by a Parent/Child Day to celebrate the love between parents and their children. Giving everyone a chance to take an active interests in that which interests the next generation," she mentioned. All of this seemed very much inline with a celebration which would allow the nation to heal from its wounds and family and friends to come together. "On the middle day a Lantern Lighting ceremony, to celebrate the light of friendship, both old and new. A day of arts and crafts for all involved," she mentioned all of this seemed about right but it wasn't quite a week. "But to start and end this week of celebration, days of declaration are necessary. To highlight the ability of those to move of their own volition, to take action and to receive the benefits of it. We are launching our first celebratory day, Valentine's Day, for the exchange of chocolates from girls and women to everyone, with special attention paid to friendships and romantic interests," she said these words caught Miki's attention and her eyes widened her gaze nervously shifting towards Kou. She'd already agreed to participate, still she was feeling a bit indecisive about the nature of her actions. 'Shit!' Still that didn't seem so bad. "And to end the week, White Day, an exchange of white gifts, from men to the women who showed romantic interest in them. An exchange of fairness and equality to highlight those who take action not just in the face of adversity but in the face of emotions not so easily navigated," Seriri concluded a meddling smile on her face. "The entirety of the market will be behind you for this week of celebrations, Chocolate making, gift-wrapping and gift making classes will be offered by all craftsman and games and activities stalls will be open and available around the clock for all our citizens and vistors. Enjoy the celebrations and know that you've earned the right to it by your own hands."

Such would conclude the announcement of Queen Seriri, as she stopped her interaction with the cube. The citizens at large seemed to receive this message positively, after all, this was something completely new to them and unique as a celebration. Giving everyone the opportunity to express themselves properly.

[Bloodedge]

And so, Queen Seriri began her speech to the citizens and tourists within Atlantis, letting her voice reach every ear across the kingdom via its Guardians. Kou never left the side of Fiona, but he listened intently to the queen's speech. Her list was rather clear and concise, featuring events that seemed to be taken directly from their original world. This was certainly a good way to introduce some festivities to Atlantis, and Kou seemed to have no outward reaction to anything she said in particular. Even talk of Valentine's Day and White Day didn't bother him at all; he had no thoughts of even receiving a gift of any sort. Perhaps there had once been someone intending to provide him with a Valentine's Day gift, but he managed to avoid the festivities without even thinking much about it most times.

"Sou ka. I think those events will do well in Atlantis," he said nonchalantly. He supposed he'd be taking part in the sibling event, at the very least. This parent/child day Seriri spoke of could probably apply to Fiona, as well. Of course, the lighting ceremony was something that could see participation from all, so that was a certainty above anything else. Kou figured these things would count enough toward his agreed participation in this week.

[Apollymi]

While Kou considered all the things he could participate in and have them count, Miki knew factually she wouldn't participate in most of them. Perhaps the Lantern Lighting ceremony, and at least general friendship exchanges could take place. She was an only child so the sibling thing was out completely and beyond all of that unless they were counting creatures considered pets she was no parent either. 'What do I do?' she questioned herself mentally. On the one hand her nervous glance at Kou had made it seem like the boy likely expected nothing, perhaps that would make it easy to spring a surprise on him. On the other hand, she could just as easily interpret that as him not wanting anything at all. Or rather not wanting anything resembling romantic involvement and thus she could potentially ignore the whole week of activities aside from Lanterns and crafts. 'I guess I could do nothing right? I mean... it wouldn't really make much of a difference to him if I didn't do anything...' she thought to herself there was intensity in her visage, like she was all but lost. Her displeased expression had returned with a vengeance. Seriri would disengage from the cube and turn to see her friend's obvious to her panic. "Thanks Diva. I hope you get around to having a bit of fun as well... you can consider it some time off if you want..." she said to the lad knowing he should be trying to reintegrate himself into society.

Beyond this she'd answer Kou's statement with a bit of a chuckle. "Yeah? I thought so too. I figured it would cover all the bases and give everyone something to strive for... plus it will come with a wide-range of activities for everyone. Especially you guys. Thanks for everything by the way~" she mused to both of them though she was staring quite intently at Miki's face. "If you need anything I can help you with over the week, let me know. Otherwise be sure to enjoy the festivities, okay?" she said with ambient happiness, even as her eyes shifted slightly. It was obvious to her that the blonde was freaking out internally, after all she was being exceedingly quiet, and her face had even shifted into the resting angst most were used to seeing from her. She wondered if her friend was at the stage of talking herself into or out of doing something. Perhaps she'd need a friendly nudge in the right direction?

[Bloodedge]

Kou delved into thought soon enough. He was curious as to what sort of games and activities would be found on this 'sibling day' Seriri announced, and what he could do for Hikari's sake. Hardly any consideration was given to the other days, bar one. Actually... while he was thinking about it, he thought it best to speak, and perhaps clear up the details of the day geared toward parents and children. When he spoke on this topic, he did so with a gaze aimed at no one, though his voice resonated clearly enough to reach its intended target: Miki. "Fiona was hatched by us. Does that... make her count as a child? Should we be doing something on that day?" he asked. He thought to participate, but there wasn't much point in doing so without the other parent, in this case.

Diva saw no need to participate in any events. There wasn't fun to be had, and he had no connections to speak of. His intention was to do exactly what he'd been doing for the past week or so, as it was all he knew he could do. Still, a meek nod came in response to the queen's offer.

[Apollymi]

Miki's level of panic didn't stop at all. In fact, she'd switched back to potential reasons to participate. 'I could always just do something for everyone though, right? Then it's no pressure to reply... no need to feel like its particularly romantic...' she mused to herself, panic still readily emanating from her very soul. 'But I don't want him to not take it as romantic. I like him...' she thought this and freaked out more. 'I have no reason to assume I could make him like me with a grand romantic gesture... I shouldn't do it...' she kept going. 'But... I definitely already have an idea. It could be really cute... and maybe I should take it the opportunity to find out how he feels about it...' she thought never had the girl been in such deep concentration about anything before. Normally speaking, she didn't like anyone, and people who liked her, were not the type of people she liked. It was really easy to ignore holidays like Valentine's Day and White Day, aside from presents that she gave to her father when she was younger and received from him. This was something beyond the girl's comprehension. So much so, that Kou speaking directly to her about plans for parent child day hit her ear and traveled through her head. She looked over at the lad seemingly in shock that she'd heard something but not at all processing the words. "Huh?" she managed. Luckily enough this entire process was still being overseen by Seriri who knew her friend far too well to let her crash and burn in such a moment. "Jeez, Kimi... I know you just woke up and all but at least focus a little... Parent/Child Day for you two and your Filolial Chick.... who is really big actually!" she said aloud saving the lass from her embarrassment in the moment. Miki could have kissed her friend, but right at the moment she simply shifted the look on her face to one which was a bit less aggressively angry. "Oh... Parent/Child day with Fiona would be good. We were intending to raise her and all and it's been kinda crazy since we got here... it'd be a great change of pace to spend some time with her..." Miki said finally managing to speak. She'd hoped she'd recovered, at the very least, no one could hear the thoughts in her head. To be honest she'd been wondering about Parent/Child Day herself a bit and it would be good for them to actually spend some time with the bird they'd been trying to raise.

[Bloodedge]

For whatever reason, Miki didn't catch Kou's very clearly-spoken query. He looked to the girl with great curiosity in his visage. What could have put her in such a state? The number of things happening, while being unsolvable for Kou, was becoming a bit of a bother here in Atlantis. Whatever the case, he didn't even have to repeat himself; Seriri took care of things in that department. She blamed Miki's recent waking for this odd behavior, and yet... Kou had been there during the blonde's waking hours many times over the course of their shared adventure. She'd been a bit out of sorts, but she was always quick to recover. Now shouldn't have been the time for such oddities.

"H-... Hai. I think it'd be nice to participate. Nobody else here will have much going for that day, so maybe we could even get others involved. I was actually thinking to make something for Fiona, and a bit of outside influence would really help that as well."

[Apollymi]

Miki was out of sorts, and not even for reasons which she could possibly discuss. Right in the moment, she was happy her friend seemed to be capable of coming up with a passable excuse for why she was like this, but she could still see the very clear curiosity in the eyes of her partner. He was far too observant and had too much knowledge about her to fall for such things, but for now it would be enough unless he decided to think about it more. "Gomen gomen, I was focused, just... spaced out," she excused her own carelessness in the moment as it wasn't something that happened very often. It seemed Kou wanted to do something nice for the Filolial making something for it and potentially getting others involved with the creation or activity since their group of other world adventurers wouldn't have parents here to support their parent child day. "I'm all in, that would be pretty good and give most of us something to do on an otherwise dead day..." Miki agreed, switching her panic to something more easily manageable. "Do you know what you want to make for her?" she asked quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the bird, lest she figure out they were talking about her. Seriri watched as the lass switched focus almost instantly and seemed fine to play off the potential mix-up of her brain in the previous moments. 'I didn't know it was possible for her to panic so much... It's pretty cute actually. I didn't know Kimi did cute...' Seriri thought in the moment. Moving right along, she gave a casual shrug. "I wouldn't be opposed to contributing to something like that if you have something in mind," Seriri mentioned of her own potential participation in the Parent/Child creation for their shared pet. Still all the while there was the thing looming in the mind of Miki and festering in Seriri's own thoughts as well, she knew what the lass wanted to do, and also knew why she was having problems being decisive. A bit of alone time for them as a pair of girls was on the horizon, perhaps she'd take their solo time to encourage her best friend.

[Bloodedge]

"No worries. It happens," Kou said regarding Miki's moment of inattentiveness. He, too, had suffered from such an incident a few times during this adventure, though... he couldn't place a reason for this one. Well, it didn't matter very much at all, as far as he could tell. Miki moved on to the topic at hand without issue, so all was well. She even agreed to the usefulness of getting the others involved, if they so desired. "Hai. I was thinking..." He paused, knowing the young Filolial's Discernment Parameter was quite high, and he'd have to be rather careful with his wording. So, he wouldn't use many words. Kou instead tugged on his own shirt, outside of the Filolial's view. "The tier we bred for. They go through... a special change when they reach maturity, which should be relatively soon. If I had to guess, I'd say it might even be before that day comes around. Say, did you ever think feathers are like hair for avian species?"

That was that, it seemed. All Kou had left was a nod toward Seriri, who audibly confirmed her willingness to participate in the eventual parent/child day. "Arigatou. I had hoped so; yours would be a very important contribution, if we could have it."

[Apollymi]

The whole of the time Fiona seemed to be watching the group at large. Of course, her level of discernment was really high so she could pick up on things, but it seemed her parent Adventurers were talking about something she couldn't rightly understand. There was obvious frustration in the face of the bird as she huffed uncontrollably. 'Sou ka, she doesn't get it, good good.' thought the lass. Beyond this it seemed that Kou was rather forgiving of her spaced out nature a few moments prior which was also good. Miki was busy watching Kou a few moments later when he tugged on his own shirt while questioning if feathers were like hair for birds. Miki caught on pretty quickly, and apparently there would be a transformation for their bird sometime in her near future. "I guess that would be pretty equivalent. That's a great idea too... " said Miki who'd gotten a hold of the idea of making the bird clothing and likely hair ties for accessories. In the meantime Seriri seemed to be thinking about it and based on how few words were being spoken determined it was a secret for the bird herself. Shockingly she was really into the idea of surprising the bird as well, and couldn't help but try and use as few words as possible to express this. "Hai! Just let me know what I should contribute..." she said with a firm nod. All and all this entire situation was coming together as a nice surprise for Fiona who was none the wiser obvious by her newest disgruntled chirp.

[Bloodedge]

Fiona's state of displeasure did not avoid Kou's notice. He chuckled lightly, reaching out to pet the Filolial's back. She'd get over it. "There, there. Nothing to worry about," he said calmly. It seemed both Miki and Seriri were on-board for the plan of crafting a few things for the Filolial. Kou looked to the latter, nodding to confirm her offer. "Right. I'll check in with you later. Right now, I guess we're done here."

Indeed, that was about it for Kou. He didn't want to say too much, considering Fiona's Discernment stat. There also wasn't much left to do here in general, so he was content to take his leave of the others, and await the first event that required his attention. All the while, he'd be working on his idea for parent/child day.

[Apollymi]

Fiona was petted and as such calmed down quite a bit. Though she was frustrated by not being able to figure out what was going on between this group of adults, she'd figure it out eventually. Miki also gave her a casual pet and grinned at her, in the same way she had while the little creature was trapped within her egg. "Hai hai, don't worry about it too much..." she said softly. Moving right along, Kou was content to do other things until such a time came as his presence was required. And this was a perfect opening for Seriri who turned her attention to Miki. "That means you're free for a while right, Kimi? Want to get your nails done with me?" she said in an offer of pampering the pair had taken part in before. A smile came to Miki's face as she could use something like that and it would give her time to think a bit more. "Hai... that sounds pretty good. Catch ya' later, Kou." she said and Fiona after a moment or two would simply wander around behind the pair of young women, deciding that their activity of choice would be interesting to see.

A while thereafter, the two lasses were seated with their feet in bubbling warm water and each with a set of young maids filing their fingernails down to specified levels. Miki while relaxed had returned to thinking in depth, and Fiona was getting her claws tended as well, happy to feel included. It would be at a time like this when Miki was at her most unguarded that Seriri would prod her. "You're trying to figure out if you should do something for him for Valentine's Day... aren't ya?" she asked of the girl in a manner most blunt. The blonde lass looked up seemingly surprised, but as someone had hold of both of her hands she couldn't really move. She could only look shocked and blush intensely. "Oh shit, was it that obvious... tell me it wasn't that obvious..." she said needing confirmation that she hadn't blown her own cover completely. "Iie, it is only obvious to me because I've seen how you act around him and I know it isn't how you normally handle people..." she said softly. "It's pretty cute to see... I think you should go for it," she said with an affirmative nod. Approval from Seriri in a case such as this was rather strange, and Miki, even as her original self would have found it a bit suspicious. "I don't know if I can... or should rather... I wouldn't want to ruin things... ya' know..." she said softly. This was a real moment of vulnerability and one in general only shown to the lass at her side. For this girl to be this way, she had to have taken the things that happened in her life pretty harshly, to feel like trying would be worse than not doing so in such a case. "Right, not knowing really messes with you. I understand... but that's supposed to be part of the fun you know?" she encouraged the other lass. "Besides... I have it on pretty good authority, after dealing with both of you in your Dragonoid forms and in your people forms that it will work out... after all... you both tamed a dragon," she said cutting her eyes to the lass at her side. This caused another flash of embarrassment across Miki's face. "Oi, I was hard to deal with after all. But..." she paused thinking about how she'd gotten the softer care from Akashi she could only guess at what had been done with Tatsuki. "Yes, that is exactly what I am implying. I don't have the details of it, I didn't witness it. But the maids chat among themselves about the taming of Dragons and such by a pair of adventurers. And they cleaned up the throne room twice..." said Seriri with a bit of humor in her eyes. "I guess you never gave up on those manga, huh?" she asked of the other girl, which made Miki go wide eyed. "Well, no... they're really well written. And the relationships are realistic and the scenes are all really..." she paused, flustered once again. "You know what I mean..." she said softly. "Yeah, I kept up with a few of them until I ended up here... and what I can honestly say is... going all out even if it turns out bad, will be worth it, to not have to watch you dancing around him like you're unsure..." she said to her friend calmly. "Do what you want, show him who you really are, if that's what worries you... but don't give up before you even try. Okay?" she asked of the girl. This was strangely encouraging to Miki, she hadn't considered that she'd been giving up by not trying to see what kind of affection Kou had for her. "I think... I get you... I know what to do I think... It will take some planning. Do you have a private chocolate maker coming through?" she asked of the girl. "Hai! Of course... I wanted to learn a few new techniques... but if you wanted something simple, I could show you." mentioned her friend who had a talent for cooking which Miki could appreciate. "Alright. I am going to need to do that and get it done, there are some other things I have to take care of to make my idea work out..." she mentioned softly, and it seemed that she was on her way to a grand romantic gesture. All of which would take place on Valentine's Day the day following the announcement.

[Bloodedge]

The very next morning, Kou awoke and went about his regular routine. A quick trip to the baths, a bit of organization to his clothes and hair, and he was ready to move on with the day. The first day of festivities was, of course, Valentine's Day. He wouldn't have any place to participate, naturally. Instead, he'd work on his plan for parent/child day with Fiona.

... Speaking of, he wasn't sure at all where the Filolial had gotten off to since the previous day. It was probably for the best that she was presently nowhere to be seen. So long as she wasn't nearby, he could plot all he wanted. Now then, where to start? Something magical was obviously in order for such a fine Filolial, so he'd likely go for something of the sort with the hair ornaments he had in mind. Having access to the others only made this idea more plausible. As he considered this, Kou paced the entrance corridor of the palace in Atlantis. 'Maybe something to amplify her strength, or auto-clean her feathers? She could get very big, so getting stuff caught in them might be a problem? Hmm...'

[Apollymi]

None too strangely, first thing in the morning within the palace, Queen Seriri would be found. She was currently eating a bit of chocolate with access to a great deal more. In fact, she was carrying a full box of it with various fillings, flavors and decadencies. Of course, she'd been making them most of the night, but she wasn't very tired to start with so she was happily enjoying them. Upon spotting Kou pacing out front she approached with a smile on her face. "Kou-kun!~ Ohayou!~ Non-binding chocolate of choice, while you think?" she asked of the lad opening the box in case he wanted to try one while she had another of her own accord. She wondered what the lad was thinking about, and also found it strange that the Filolial in question was missing. Of course, Fiona was currently sleeping in the same room Miki had been. Overnight her feathers had shifted about a bit, and so had her body. She'd gained several sky to royal blue feathers around her breasts, giving her the look of a blue crested creature while retaining the most of her jet black feathers. All the while she slept away, not knowing about plans of her parent figures. Strangely, Miki wasn't here, she was doing something else entirely and wouldn't appear for a while yet.

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of his pacing, Kou was met by the queen herself. The woman consumed various confections of a chocolate variety, quite fitting of the day Atlantis celebrated at present. Ah, but there it was... a lesser reason for Kou's lack of participation in this day. When offered the chocolates, even while having them offered in a non-binding manner, he held out a hand and shook his head. "Thanks, but... I hate chocolate," he said calmly. True enough, though he could appreciate sweets of all sorts, he had a certain distaste for chocolates, among a few other things. Besides that, he'd brushed his teeth recently enough for anything to be disgusting to taste. "I was just trying to think of what Fiona could use as a magical item. There are so many possibilities, and nothing she could use at all would be very hard to make..."

[Apollymi]

Queen Seriri asked the lad in question if he would like a chocolate and got to know the shocking fact that he didn't in fact like chocolate. Her eyes widened and she looked at the lad as if he'd grown another head. She simply couldn't fathom someone not liking chocolate. "What?! That's like insane!!" she said genuinely shocked, though for more than one reason. 'I hope whatever else Kimi planned it doesn't completely bank on the chocolate... whatever maybe she knew that already...' she thought knowing she didn't know exactly what the girl had been doing in creating her confection of choice.

Moving right along it seemed that the lad was thinking over craft-able creations for the Filolial that the pair kept as a pet. "Claw enhancing charms or protection charms are usually a go to for Filolials. Or if you know what kind of attacks she does aside from the physical ones, attack buffing things usually work out pretty well too..." she offered her own opinion on the things that could or would be applied to the Filolilal in question. She'd offer her suggestions in this case even as she continued to devour chocolates. Admittedly leaving a couple lines of chocolates completely untouched. One line of white chocolates was loved by Kimi specifically and she'd made them with her in mind. But where was the blonde haired lass in question? She was completing a strange set of markings around the Kingdom. All of them had been laid by her and her pet Direwolf and weren't visible to the eye of anyone not tied to the magic found there. In order for it to spark, she'd need a bit of contact with Kou, but she figured she could get that at any point in the day. For now, she sat atop her pet wolf and moved through the streets taking in the early morning sights. Within her cloak a single well-wrapped box containing a very specifically crafted confection for a very specific person. She'd been very busy this day, and still needed to go back and check on the Filolial she'd left sleeping in her room.

[Bloodedge]

"Is it? I didn't think so," Kou replied as his left hand stroked his chin. Even while he upheld this discussion of chocolates with Seriri, he continued to think on matters of Fiona's special item. "I just don't like how it's weirdly bitter and sweet at the same time. Besides, it gets stuck in your teeth, and that's not very good for oral hygiene. Anything you eat or drink afterwards is tainted by the aftertaste, as well..." It was a simple vent, but a vent nonetheless. Kou, or rather, Yugi, had a serious qualm with chocolates due to these few reasons.

Nevertheless, there was a matter of great importance. Time was limited before parent/child festivities, and something had to be done for the Filolial. Kou shook his head upon hearing Seriri's suggestions, not due to him thinking they were bad ones, but because he didn't wish to go for the norm. "No, I don't think it would be enough to make her something that can be picked up for just... any old Filolial, you know? I want it to scream Fiona, but I can't settle on a single thought."

[Apollymi]

Seriri looked at the lad strangely while he explained his dislike of chocolate. It was so random, and yet... she felt like she'd had a similar conversation with someone else before this point. "Sou ka... I guess those are all reasonable," she said at the end of his vent. That explained something strange about the chocolate making session she'd had with Kimi earlier in the previous evening. She'd thought the girl mad for not being traditional, but she'd claimed it was necessary to put herself into what she was doing. Perhaps she knew better or maybe it'd simply been her desire to appeal to the lad directly. She supposed she'd ask the girl whenever she showed up and was away from Kou. He went on beyond that to explain that he intended to create something for the Filolial which couldn't be normally acquired by any other Filolial, something that was unique to her and her alone. "That's a toughie," she said seeming to think about it deeper. If he didn't want to make her something regular, he'd have to spring for something created more for the creature herself. This should then technically involve the use of the creatures own parts as well as some other magical binding agents.

As this discussion was being had, Miki appeared on the back of her wolf, the creature paddling in seemingly interested in the conversation at large. Miki looked up to find Kou and Seriri standing around in a deep discussion. She was slightly surprised to see both of them, she figured Seriri would have gone to bed at some point and that Kou might not be up yet. "Ohayou..." she murmured as the wolf creature sat on the floor allowing her to gently leave her perch to stand with the other two. "What's going on?" she asked out of the loop in this particular case. Afterwards he didn't move he merely waited to see what all was being discussed. "Kimi! Help!" said Seriri who'd all but frazzled her brain trying to think of something she also turned the chocolate box towards her, "And have a chocolate," she offered with a happy smile. Miki looked at her with a raised brow and tilted her head to the left. "Oi, give me more credit than that..." she said which made Miki actually look into the box, upon doing so she found that there was a whole row of white chocolates which made her eyes sparkle. "Sugoi! Arigatou..." she said as she took one and began chewing it waiting for the point of the catch up.

[Bloodedge]

"I know it must be weird. So many people go crazy over chocolate, but... I just can't," he explained in conclusion. He was content to move on from the matter of chocolate, considering how perplexing the decision at hand regarding Fiona was. It was imperative that something be decided upon, and created, in the Filolial's absence. True enough, though, the creation would likely require a feather, or even a nail clipping of some sort. "It is. I wonder if Miki has any ideas," he said.

As if on cue, there the blonde was. She entered the hall via her mount from Age of Eternity's time, having a brief exchange with the queen, which involved the blonde claiming some of the chocolates from the offered box. Seriri's call for help could be assumed to be for the topic they were on, and Kou could certainly agree. While Miki went about eating the first chocolate, Kou took it upon himself to bring her up to speed. "We were discussing Fiona's... thing. I'm thinking we should have something tailored to her personally, but we haven't managed to come up with a single thing. Any ideas?"

[Apollymi]

It was strange to Seriri that the lad claimed he couldn't go crazy over chocolate but she had definitely heard that sort of thing before. After all of that, it was mentioned that maybe Miki had some sort of idea, and thus they'd have to wait for her to show up. She did, took a chocolate and was filled in on the situation. Apparently they were trying to make something exceedingly special for the Filolial. Kou explained that he wanted something tailored to the creature but they hadn't managed to come up with any ideas... Miki finished her chocolate and looked at the pair. "Hm, I've been thinking about it..." she said softly. "Yesterday, I assumed you meant she'd end up with a human transformation," she added beginning to search around in her cloak. "I got these off her yesterday while we were getting our nails done..." she mentioned, retrieving several dark claws which had been marked as rare loot. Beyond that she had a single clear stone which had a strange glow to it. "I can't make anything with these but this crystal can take on the special properties. So, if you..." she said to Kou, offering him the materials. "Can combine them in some way, I am pretty sure you can make something that will grow with her, without us having to figure out exactly what it does. Like a hair clip, hair ties or something..." she said with a firm nod. "And I have figured out where to get more of those crystals so we can have some clothes made for her... that Seamstress I like can do it. It's actually how I found out about her," Miki mentioned, knowing her time in AOE hadn't been for nothing. At the statement the direwolf on the floor looked up, with his maw turning slightly as if he was amused by something.

"Uh...huh. You were just sitting on that, create something out of the monster parts and get an ability that applies directly to the creature?" she asked of Miki who simply shrugged. She didn't know if it would go over, but that was the best possible idea she'd had.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Miki had also been giving a good amount of consideration toward Fiona's gift. In fact, she even had the wherewithal to collect nail clippings from the bird's talons on the previous day, and provided a special crystal to go along with the potential craft. As he reached out to claim these items, Kou considered the usefulness of something simple, which would develop alongside the Filolial. Indeed, it would be something similar to his own sword. "Yeah, that's actually gonna be... the best idea, probably. It would be easy then, if everyone could contribute some Mana to this crystal. I can forge it into something, and use these talons as a catalyst to make something pretty good. Since it's an item instead of a weapon, I should be able to make it equal the quality of my sword."

With these words spoken, Kou held out the crystal. If he could have Mana from Miki and Seriri within it, all he needed was his own, and possibly Hikari's as well. Karna was a bust without more than a moment of consideration; he'd never offer his. Besides, the taller male hadn't been seen since the previous day. "Oh, and yeah. She should have an early-adolescent human form, if she's the class we thought she'd be. That would also come with a... slight change to her normal form."

[Apollymi]

Though she didn't expect it, Miki's idea was accepted by everyone present, with Kou only wanting the addition of mana from the pair of girls standing before him to help out with Fiona's gift. "Sugoi! You can make accessories with that kind of potency?" this was the astonished question of Seriri. Of course she had access to the artisans of Atlantis and everything they had to work with, but nothing beat the craftsmanship of a good player. With the crystal still held out in the lad's hand she had no problem adding her own power to it, after all, she'd agreed to help out, and the idea had come from Miki. "Hai hai, I'll add my Mana," she said without further ado, causing her own hand to glow a pale blue as her Mana was channeled into the stone. A small portion later and she'd leave the lad and give a bit smile. "I can't wait to see what it makes." Seriri's words were followed by the lass giving a gentle wave and heading off, she had more chocolates to deliver after all.

Miki on the other hand was busy concentrating on the kind of physical change she could expect from Fiona. "Hm, that sounds pretty interesting. The wolves always get extra markings when they hit their maturity ages," she mentioned casually as if said wolf wasn't sitting right there with very obvious facial and body markings. After Seriri moved along, Miki also pumped a bit of her own power into the stone the whole of her hand glowing that same sage green her runes normally took on as their color. A few moments later she'd given quite a bit of her own power. "There, now then. I'll take care of gathering the crystals for her dress. And meet back up with you later..." she said, knowing the lad would likely get a sample from Hikari as well, and figuring Karna was likely out of this particular activity especially given his claims of too much niceness being involved in the group. With this Miki was more than content to mount her wolf once more and he would stand and stretch waiting only to see if there was anything else needed from the lass before he took off to her destination of choice.

[Bloodedge]

"I can. I plan on working toward being able to do the same with weapons, maybe even Artifacts... but both of those will take some time," Kou explained, knowing he could do much with Magical Items if he spent enough time on them, but weapons were a different matter entirely... and Artifacts would require a level of ability he couldn't currently fathom. "This'll be... yeah, I think I've got something going on in my head now."

Kou knew of Direwolves and their markings in adulthood, though he'd never much bothered with them himself. He still hadn't seen a close-up model of what would be a Filolial Queen, which he expected Fiona to be, but he knew it would be a rather massive change. That would only be a positive, though. Either way, Kou now had the Mana of both Miki and Seriri, and he could begin his project after just finding Hikari. Since Miki decided to take her leave, Kou nodded to her, then addressed Seriri briefly. "Arigatou, both of you. You wouldn't happen to know where Hikari is, would you?"

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai, good luck with it!" these were the words of Miki before she took off. She had the utmost faith in partner of choice, and thus felt not need to pester him further about what he would or wouldn't be doing about his present. She was content simply to do her part from here on and leave him be. Seriri noted this, though she couldn't do so aloud. 'Sou ka, she really does trust him. She didn't say anything at all, just trusted that he'd do what he needs to do... that's unusual for her...' she thought about the lass' ability to simply let the lad do as he wished. She supposed with him being the Geno Killer of legend, it was a bit more reasonable for the lad to be left to his own devices even by her best friend. On the other side of this thought it appeared the lad wished to know where to find his sister, a knowing smile came to Seriri's face because she strangely knew exactly where the lad would find his sister. "Hikari-chan is hanging out with Diva, they were going to the library... not the Great One, but the small one here in the palace," she said. She was quite happy for Diva being able to make a friend, though she was admittedly a bit worried about him, she knew of Hikari's caring ways and as such she was perfectly fine with their current level of friendship. Giving this bit of information, she'd give a gentle incline of her head and head off as well, she had to find her brother after all and present him with chocolates as she knew he'd like them.

[Bloodedge]

And so, Kou had the information he needed as to Hikari's whereabouts. Interestingly enough, she happened to be in the company of Diva. Kou had taken note of a strange link formed between the two, but knowing that sister of his, she was being just as forcefully helpful as always. On an even greater positive note, Diva's presence in the same room as Hikari's meant Kou could collect all the Mana he needed, all he intended to have, in a short amount of time overall. "Alright, I'll be on my way there then. Arigatou," he said, waving to the queen as he stepped away from her.

Kou would enter the aforementioned library in due time. Within, Diva sat by a long table covered in books, with one particular book on the history of Atlantis open before him. The young man struggled his way through word after word, his mouth beginning to tire, but his determination no worse for wear. "Ki-... King Tou... kaed-... Tou. Kae. De... rei...gned... un-... cha-lle... nged... fooor..."

[Apollymi]

At the long table within the Library sat Hikari with the lad known as Diva. She was right beside him, reading along and more than willing to help out, with words of encouragement and helpful pointers as she helped this lad get his voice back to a more reasonable quality. She took note of his determination but had no intention of pushing him too far. "Hai. It's okay you know? If you can't get to the end of a sentence yet, try for the end of a word. Take a break, a couple of calming breaths and jump back in~" she encouraged the lad a bit, a bright smile offered at the end of her sentence as her tail wagged gently. She'd been through something a bit similar herself and had struggled with it, aside from the help offered her by her brother. As such she had absolutely no problem helping the lad find his voice once more. Soon enough though, there was a visitor in this secluded section of the Library, the very brother she'd just thought of, her ears twitched gently and she stood from beside Diva turning to tackle the lad with a massive jump as she aimed to hug him. "Nii-san! Ohayou gozaimasu!~" she exclaimed happy to see the lad, but wondering why he'd sought her out this particular day. She'd had high hopes that maybe, just maybe the blonde haired lass known as Miki had been doing something nice for him, and as such he'd be busy this day. But perhaps, it wasn't meant to be presently, 'Ugh, you better not be here avoiding your not girlfriend...' she had this thought and as she did her face shifted just a tad. Logically, both of these people were a bit lacking in the romance department, even so she couldn't have her brother doing something stupid like making himself unavailable to the lass who so obviously liked him, on this most fortuitous of holidays. "What brings ya' to the library?" she asked of the lad, prodding for gentle information.

[Bloodedge]

"... Hai," the teal-haired male managed. He had at least become capable of voicing confirmation with a simple word, not requiring much by way of tongue movement. He didn't look up to the girl, but he did heed her words. Diva paused, taking in deep breaths as he prepared for the next word he was to read aloud. Before he managed that, however, Kou stepped into the library.

"Ohayou~" Kou chanted as the brunette demi-human approached him. His arms opened, and he met her with a tight embrace. "You look busy. Didn't want to waste much time before starting your next random good deed?" he questioned as he released his hold on the girl. "I'm here because you're here. I'm going to make a thing for Fiona, and ideally, it would need the Mana of multiple different people who could affect its growth. If we could get yours, and maybe even Diva's into this crystal Miki handed me, I could forge it into something great."

[Apollymi]

At least there were some words now that Diva could say without getting too hung up on them. Hikari found herself oddly proud of his progress, in a manner she couldn't exactly explain why this was the case. Sure she was helping him out, but she didn't normally feel any great attachment to the types of activities she took part in that she considered good deeds. Soon after this thought, she was hugging her brother and being hugged back in return. A huge grin spread across her face right up until she was placed back on the ground. "Yep, yep, the grind doesn't stop. Besides, he's pretty cool, he deserves to be able to express himself... I know how frustrating that sort of thing can be..." chimed Hikari as she stretched. Her activities in helping Diva out were layered into her general personality. She'd do this, among other things and keep herself busy for most of the week, holding out the hope that not directly trying to interfere with the older teens would help them eventually make the lasting couple she thought they should be. She'd been entertaining this idea, at least gently since the rising of Akashi, after discovering that Miki had also become her Dragon and that they'd managed to keep each other entertained, she'd decided to mostly take a backseat in her meddling. While she thought these things over her brother expressed his reasons for finding her this particular morning. He claimed, that he was making some sort of thing for his pet Filolial and wanted Mana samples from several people to make it have a good affect on the creatures growth. "Sou ka, all of this for your chicken?" she asked rhetorically. "That is kinda doting, both of you are so weird," she mentioned of Kou and Miki who'd been so invested in their mini-game pet. "Though, I suppose you two do owe her something... I heard Diva spent a lot of time looking after here while you've been here..." she teased ever so slightly. "Alright, hand it over, I'll donate..." she said with her hands open and waiting for the deposit of this crystal he spoke of. In the meantime she spoke directly to Diva. "Oi, Diva! Nii-san is making something for is pet chick.... I mean, Filolial. Would you like to donate a Mana sample to the cause?" she asked of the lad, there wasn't any pressure in her words, she was only entertaining it as an option. The lad didn't seem like the type to turn down an opportunity to be helpful in this way, especially for a creature he'd been looking after.

[Bloodedge]

"Fair enough. Well, if anyone's going to benefit from anyone else's help in that sort of situation, I'd say you're the person to go to. I'd look your way," Kou commented as he finally released his hold on the demi-human. There was much credit to be given to Hikari for her efforts, as one who'd been in a horrendous living situation of her own for far too long.

Moving on, Hikari addressed the reasoning behind his approach. Once more, she decided to refer to the Filolial as a chicken. "Yare yare. Go on, stand there and tell me Fiona isn't absolutely fucking adorable. You know you get it," he said. Regardless of her opinion of the Filolial, Hikari offered her Mana to the crystal. In fact, she even addressed Diva to see if he would do the same, to which the teal-haired male hesitantly nodded. He rose from his chair, tentatively taking steps closer to the crystal. He didn't draw very close to Kou, choosing instead to stick by Hikari's side while reaching out to the crystal. Mana flowed down his arm, into the apparatus until its glow settled in, at which point Diva stepped away. "Hontoni arigatou, Diva," Kou said, bowing to the other male without forcing any amount of eye contact. "I guess I'll let you two get back to it."

[Apollymi]

"Good good. It's best you say that. After all, I can't have you denying my skills. It would be bad for morale~" Hikari mentioned. Beyond this it was mentioned by her brother that he knew she thought the Filolial was an adorable creature and she could only smirk in return waving him off. "Hai hai, I never said she wasn't cute. Also didn't say you spoiling her was bad or anything, both of you are cute when you do stuff like that I guess..." she said of the situation at large, knowing that if Kou was going so far, Miki was probably doing the same based on their similar personalities. With the crystal offered her, she applied on her Mana to it quite a bit before stopping and even managed to get Diva in on the activity with admittedly less coaxing than she initially thought he would need. A smile came to her face as he stood near her and offered his own power, he'd come quite a long way in the last couple of days, perhaps he'd eventually make it to regular conversation with someone besides herself and Seriri. Afterwards her brother thanked the lad and then mentioned leaving for the time being, assumably to craft whatever thing he thought to be making. "Hai hai, see ya' later. Don't forget what an awesome little sister I've been this past couple of weeks when it's time for Sibling Day~" she teased mercilessly, before heading back to the table to sit with Diva and continue his speech therapy. Though she didn't really put her brother on the spot so much anymore she still enjoyed teasing him a bit.

In the meantime outside of this library, a girl with blue hair cut short was walking by. Her bike was parked in her makeshift lab further down the hall way but what she had in her hands was an older scroll which had some highly detailed half finished plans on it. She wanted to consult with a specific couple of individuals about her next project one which would likely benefit the whole group if she could get the smaller parts to work out properly. 'Ano, I need to see those magic circuits up close a bit more. And... figure out what to do about the top half of this particular creation. Hm... and maybe see if Miki wants anything specific to go into the set up, since it will be mostly her capital investing in it,' she thought there was quite the twinkle in her eye as she thought of lighting a cigarette upon reaching her destination.

[Bloodedge]

In her words of farewell, it seemed Hikari was content to bring up the topic of the coming Sibling Day. Of course, Kou hadn't forgotten that particular part of the festivities for a moment. If anything, it happened to be the day he was most excited for! Sure, Fiona deserved a present as something of a child figure, but Kou had been without his darling younger sister for nearly a year. He had hardly finished his mourning process before finding her in this world, so there was no way he'd avoid going above and beyond in a day dedicated to sibling bonding. For the moment though, Fiona took priority. There would soon be an entire day in which he intended to have only himself, and Hikari. Soon.

"Hai hai," he said to the girl while taking his leave, waving over his shoulder at her. "I'll keep that in mind, and I'll make sure a few days from now, I give you the toughest training regimen I can manage! That's how I show my thanks!" he said, though clearly in jest.

[Apollymi]

The face Hikari made at her brother's joke could have torn down buildings with its angst. She had no intention of doing any immediate training. Not that she'd mind such a thing any other time. More or less, she was simply happy to spend time with her brother, after spending an upwards of three years within this world alone. Regardless she stuck her tongue out at the lad also mostly in jest before going back to her business of helping out Diva.

In the meantime as Kou made his way around he might find himself able to pick up a strange type of energy signature. In fact, it was created in such a way that he would be the only person, besides its creator, to even notice it. Strangely it didn't seem to be anything of note initially. Even if one looked at it, it would appear to be a strange collection of drawings. It was three things which likely wouldn't make sense to anyone who couldn't read the information. And even if one was able to read the language, it really wouldn't make sense aside from one of the symbols. On top, was a symbol of a monument looking strangely similar to an Obelisk, in the middle a strange word in a language unknown 'min' and underneath an arrow pointing towards a path to be taken. Such a thing would likely seem strange, but if it was followed it would lead to the location of the Obelisk that used to belong to the Lich King. Strangely this monument was to a former King of Atlantis, made in his honor because he was a hero, and in its completely restored state, it seemed to be rushing with active magic. If one were to touch this statue now, they would feel the new order of Runes protecting this area of the sea with their presence, flowing in a manner smooth as water.

[Bloodedge]

Kou didn't need to look back toward Hikari; he knew she was making some sort of rude gesture at him, even if only meant playfully. Regardless, he was on his way out. There was much to be done, and the sooner he did it, the sooner he could spend most of this week relaxing. Alas, that was not to be. Kou's exit led him directly to a very strange phenomenon. Materialized Mana lay before him in the shape of some indistinguishable characters. The rest, though, was clear. He stared at this energy signature for quite some time, working out what it could have been. Perhaps the doing of Seriri? No, no, something was too wrong for that. This was Rune Magic.

Well, that made the idea of traveling to the obelisk more viable. The arrow, as he figured, led directly to the object's location. According to his memory, that was indeed the case, so simple process of elimination resulted in Kou redirecting himself along the desired path. He had already come to realize it was Rune Magic at work, and now, he knew there could be nothing malicious about it. Perhaps Miki intended to play a game of some sort. Whatever the case, having it not be a potential enemy made it worthwhile to follow the guidelines. Soon enough, he reached the obelisk in the streets of Atlantis. It no longer carried that same eerie aura it had previously, but now there was something entirely different about it. Of course, he reached out with his left hand, making direct contact and... feeling that cascading Mana flow back into his touch. In that very same moment, his eyes glowed, and his Mana reached outward in the way it did during use of his sensory ability. "Sou... ka," he muttered before a wide, toothy grin spread across his face. "Puzzle Time!"

[Apollymi]

It seemed Kou had found a clue, but to what, one might wonder? Well, it seemed to be a path designated to show something rather interesting. Beyond this he was perfectly capable of catching on to its meaning and recognizing it as a friendly gesture. That was good, it would have put a damper on things if it'd seemed too suspicious. This particular first sighting was chosen with that possibility in mind. At the Obelisk the lad would receive confirmation of the benefit of following this 'good' thing laid out before him, as he was made privy to the changes within the Obelisk itself. Reforged and once again loved by the magic which granted order to the universe. Was it a puzzle though? Well, technically yes, it was exactly a puzzle but more like a scavenger hunt than anything else... what was the grand prize though? He'd have to work through it to find out. And speaking of working through the puzzle, there were more clues to be ascertained from this location in particular.

Along the wall to the left of the Obelisk, there were more of those invisible to the naked eye drawings. They maintained that same glow and strangely that same order, only this time, there were two unrecognizable words to be seen. There was a drawing atop of something which looked like an upside down triangle, and was related directly to the faith worshiped by those in Atlantis. Underneath that were the two new words which seemed to have no related meaning; 'yukainen' and 'yunque' appeared in that same strange language. Below those two words was an arrow pointing to the right. This was a clue after all, pointing the lad towards the Temple which housed the faith worshiped by Atlanteans in the olden times. This temple was a staple location of the Kingdom and housed an order of people known to take on the work of healers and priests. If he went to this place and entered the building, he would find within behind the central podium an Alcove made of stone with the physical relief of a statue of a young-Mermaid with a staff and open arms. Much like the Obelisk it would give off that same flowing and ordered magic. This person was one of the Seven worshiped within Atlantis, hailed as a hero who helped their Savior King and the people.

[Bloodedge]

Hunt or not, it would always be a puzzle in Kou's mind. So long as his brain had work to do, it would be treated as such. The obelisk truly had been altered in a way no physical description could tell. There was a certain tranquility about the structure now, and that was something which could only bode well for the future of Atlantis. At the very least, the citizens here wouldn't have to worry about the Lich King's influence. Kou kept contact with the obelisk, walking around it as his fingers trailed its surface. Almost a full counterclockwise trip around it, he took note of the next sign.

This was... very unfamiliar to him. He committed these strange phrases to memory, but where the previous message showed an image resembling the obelisk, this one had nothing more than an inverted triangle. Akashi would have recognized this. Kou, on the other hand, had not been around to see the ritual performed by Atlanteans, in which they passed on their deceased. 'Hmm. Some sort of rune? No, that's not right. The last one was obviously this structure here, but I have no idea what this one could mean. Miki wouldn't put something irrelevant up, I don't think. Hmm...' His mind was beginning to turn gears, which was always a good note in his book.

And so, off he was again, in the direction of the next arrow. He traversed the streets, looking for anything which resembled the sign he'd seen. 'Maybe Akashi saw this? I wonder if there's a way to find out,' he thought. That was the likeliest of scenarios, Akashi being the one who witnessed the symbol. Kou doubted he could access the Dragonoid's memories, though, considering he had even been locked out of consciousness during that last shift. Either way, he was near the temple, yet he did not enter right away. This was the end of the line, though. He could see nothing nearby that had even a sign of the symbol he sought, and there especially wasn't anything beyond where he currently was. Never did he stop looking around though, and eventually, this paid off.

At the steeple, he saw it. A priest had an exchange with a worshiper, and their parting moments came with a hand gesture that mimicked an inverted pyramid. 'A sign of faith...' he chanted in his mind. Well, it was the only lead he had. Into the temple he'd go, until he reached the altar where the Mermaid statue was placed. This was it; it had to be. Kou was also beginning to see the pattern taking place on this journey. Not wanting to offend any worshipers or people of importance within a faith, he scanned the surrounding area for onlookers. Upon finding no one who could take offense to his actions, the white-haired male reached out to make contact with the statue. Lo, there was his confirmation. He could feel it within himself, and within the very air around this structure. This object was his second mark of the day, and from it, he expected guidance to the third.

[Apollymi]

As Kou worked through the next clue, one might wonder what Miki was up to? Strangely the blonde lass, was leaning over filling a small bag with crystals similar to the one she'd handed over to the lad earlier in the morning. They were being gathered in a place within Atlantis' borders but a fair ways from the main portion of the City. When she'd thought she'd gathered enough, she took a deep breath and stood, stretching her spine just a bit. 'Aah!~' she mentally chimed looking off into the distance at nothing at all. 'Hm, I wonder if he made it to the Temple, yet? That one was a bit tricky,' she thought, giving a gentle bite of her bottom lip. Even so, she decided to believe in the lad's abilities, and mounted the Wolf at her side headed for another location entirely.

It seemed that her worries were for naught, as Kou made his way to the Temple and with a little observation managed to find the site of his next set of clues. This time the at the statue of a Mermaid that those of the faith in this place worshiped as one of its saints. The name engraved at the bottom of this statue was Serinis the Kind, and hers was a name recognizable to some from game lore, given she was one of the famed heroes of Atlantis. Her own rune stone had even been set up in this temple to acknowledge her as a minor deity. Many found themselves taking and making offerings before this statue for health and wellness. This statue was obviously another rune stone, though smaller than the great one on its own, it still maintained the warmth and tranquility of the other one, perhaps even a bit more vibrant than it had been before. And immediately to its left was more invisible writing.

This time the symbol on top would be viewed as a bit strange. It looked like a pair of crossed swords with a shield atop them, and again would be a symbol with no immediate reference. Beneath this two more unreadable words, though one, if memory served was repeated from earlier. The scripted Runic markings reading 'min' and 'canaque', would be seen. Underneath both of these, was two arrows one pointing left and the other pointing down. And it was meant the literal sense, as behind this Temple was a staircase, now freed by the Guardians which led down to the open Militia Base. And this base was housed, in its own air pod within the kingdom. Within the open courtyard of this, where there were no others was another statue, of the dual swords with a shield beneath them, in homage to the warrior who'd founded the base, but wanted no images of himself around. Instead this rune stone in his honor was left to his weapons which he used to protect this place and the lives of the people therein. There was a pattern beginning to take place here... but the strange connection between each of these stones was supposed to become clearer as time went on.

[Bloodedge]

"Serinis..." Kou muttered. This was a recognizable structure, or at least a recognizable name from Age of Eternity's lore. What was its purpose, though? Well, that was for Kou to find out over time, he supposed. The white-haired lad made a special effort to inspect the engraving, as well as the statue itself. He was curious how this related to the obelisk of the Lich King. A new set of glyphs was made visible to him, though. Rather...

No, these weren't new at all. At least, one of them was one he'd seen at the very beginning of this search. 'What sort of pattern is this? It looks like the subtitles used when Elves are speaking. When did she learn Elvish?' he wondered. Still, the puzzle was on. Two arrows, one left, one down. The logic of video games would have this be a combination of the two directions, but that was entirely illogical. As such, he decided to go for one after another, letting the runes he'd seen be etched into his memory for later use.

'Elvish characters. This Avatar is related to Druids, right? Never played one, but it makes sense if they're related to Elves down the line somewh-...' Kou's thoughts stopped, and so did his movements. He was standing at the top of the descending stairs, mind racing. 'The first Lich was a Druid. If that connected to Elves, then... No, Elves never go the path of the Lich; they're too arrogant to care for the balance in lore. They're all sorcerers who want to own everything, and a lot of them become... Warlocks...' He felt he was latching onto something, but nothing all too solid just yet. What could he do? Well, he could certainly begin by descending the stairs into the base that contained his next target...

[Apollymi]

Whatever was going on in the mind of the lad, he was indeed going in the right direction. The glyphs themselves were indeed written in Elvish though it wasn't a matter of this being some newly learned information. Strangely enough the words themselves were Druidish, which was something which the girl could naturally understand because of her connection to them. Of course, this did lead to the knowledge of the connection between the Druids and Elves but that was a matter of simple lore and could be explained in greater detail later.

It didn't matter at present because here in the courtyard the lad would come across another statue which happened to double as a Rune Stone dedicated to someone called Rainard the Guardian. The man who led the armies of Atlantis and was responsible for its protection, apparently shy or perhaps the kind of man who preferred to let the actions of his life speak for themselves. This one in the shape of a shield with two crossed swords in front of it, instead of a more obvious personal statue. When touched it would give the same kind of feedback that the other statues had given as well and to the left of this statue as well, another set of clues which would lead to a different location and give another set of hints. The first of these was a set of masks one with a smile and one with a frown and between them a lute or harp of some sort. This was meant to symbolize yet another place within Atlantis which was leading around the circumference of the Kingdom if one cared to notice there was a strange path being taken along the outskirts between different areas which was obviously a circular path though unconventional because of the domes of Atlantis itself. Beneath the masks and lute, was another pair of glyphs with another repeated character between them, 'yukainen' and 'lempe' both very visible, the first familiar from its earlier usage. Beyond all of this, there were more arrows pointing out towards something unseen over the horizon. Where was he going this time? As he walked he would see it appearing over the edge a dome which was filled strangely with an amphitheater and near its half-domed entrance would be a different statue. Theatrical in nature or perhaps it was a joke of some sort, as it was just a lute immortalized outside of the main hub of entertainment within the kingdom.

[Bloodedge]

Onward and onward, Kou moved toward whatever answers he was to find. Within the base, he found the structure denoting a shield and crossed swords. What an interesting list this was, meshing together an obelisk, a Mermaid hero, a symbol of war. Were they connected? Kou would assume so, naturally, but he wasn't yet sure why or how. That was, however, part of the fun.

After making contact with this point of interest, and gaining the two glyphs and directions to move on, he did just that. He didn't yet think much of the pattern or path being taken, instead choosing to just push forward with a somewhat excited smile on his face. What lay ahead of him was a total mystery, composed of numerous smaller mysteries. This puzzle had thought behind it, and purpose within it. It was good. Moving forward, he eventually made his way to the amphitheater. The existing pattern dictated that there would be a statue of some sort in wait for him, and this one seemed to be... a lute? How strange. Nevertheless, he stepped up to it while letting his mind wander along the line he'd been following thus far. Some connection had to exist between this list of things, and he'd be sure to find it. In fact, he was somewhat surprised he hadn't figured it out already, and he'd likely be more shocked when he came to the realization in the end.

[Apollymi]

Perhaps the mystery of this day was one which would become clearer as time went on. In this case, upon reaching the amphitheater, and the statue of the singular lute, one could touch it and find it to be the same as touching the other statues this day. This particular lute was in honor of a specific bard, a man known previously as Syndraim the Soulful. This man sung the songs of his time, and beyond that provided the entertainment of the entirety of the Kingdom at some point in the past. This person was apparently very important, and came with a reasonable sense of humor considering the choice in monument.

Beyond this point was the next clue, the one which was put together like all of the others and came with a new symbol. A clam open with a set of three pearls in the middle. Underneath this, was an arrow pointing down again and another that strangely pointed right, bringing the circle around to the middle point. Underneath that was two glyphs both of which were repeats from a previous time, 'min' and 'canaque'. At the end of this it seemed to be some of these symbols repeated and others were standalone. There was a pattern here and it wasn't quite clear yet, but it would be eventually. The downward motion would take the lad to another platform but it wouldn't initially be obvious where he was going. But after a few moments at this time of day, several clams would begin to pop up in the area. This whole place seemed to be a tucked in alcove full of clams which came in and out of these places. The one in the most central of this area, was a statue of a large clam which had within it, had a statue of a young woman cloaked and hidden away. But beneath it was the writing which was the name attributed to her, Nerissa the Quiet. A lone lass who cared for this place and who didn't seem to have an obvious place in the group of people previously seen.

Where was Miki at a time like this? She was sitting in a quiet place overlooking the entirety of the Kingdom. 'About halfway by now? Maybe right. He should be all the way through the first word by now. Maybe... or a bit ahead?' she thought to herself with a chuckle. She considered that it might take quite a bit of time, but collecting the clues she thought would be worth while in the end.

[Bloodedge]

"... Who decides to leave a lute behind as their symbol in a nation's history?" Kou wondered aloud, entirely at random. All the other symbols were powerful in some way, denoting warriors, heroes, even pseudo-deities to the people. This one, on the other hand, reminded Kou only of... a bard. Who cared for bards? Maybe it was done for the sake of enlightenment, or maybe it was the choice of the individual in question. Regardless, it only reminded Kou of video games, and times during which he'd trip bards on purpose, just to see them drop their lutes and be silent. Those damn beggars.

No matter. This time, there was a repeat of two characters to be found. Somehow, Kou felt he recognized the pattern. What did it belong to, though? He couldn't make the connection. Maybe he was too stuck on the fact that this statue was of a lute. "Yare yare. Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story..." Entranced was Kou during this clause, as if linking the existence of this lute to a certain reference. Why? It didn't matter. He was content to move on to the next marker.

A platform leading into the next clue was not too strange. The odd thing along this part of the journey was, of course, the rise of numerous clams. Clearly, his purpose would be found at or within the largest of clams. Indeed, within this clam was a figure of a cloaked woman. Kou paused to observe this one's opening, quirking a brow. "There's a reference here..." he thought aloud, hazarding a chuckle from his own chain of thought. Beyond this, he was mentally moving toward another matter. "Four of... seven? Seven. Repeated characters, or... no-"

[Apollymi]

Miki through the path she'd laid for the lad, was indeed sharing with him, the references of the Kingdom. By virtue of that sharing she was giving her own reactions to these very things. In fact, she'd had quite a similar bit of outrage when coming across the lute based statue. Beyond that, she'd been less than amused then infinitely amused. She wanted to share this experience with the lad, but in a way that he'd find it as amusing as she had. She could only hope that part of it was as obvious as she found it. 'Fucking bards...' she mumbled in her mind. The blonde lass had her eyes close as she waited calmly. Strangely, she was holding within her hand a small box which contained something only to put it back in her cloak. She was trying not to be too anxious, after all, there wasn't a whole lot of time left before the lad would find his way to the end of his path.

The statue of the woman within the clam was indeed a reference worthy of a chuckle. One which could be taken a couple of ways and the dirtiest of these had made Miki laugh aloud while she aimed to repair that particular statue. Whatever the case, this fifth clue would appear as all others had. A hand against the clam shell that contained the quiet Rogue who helped build this nation would reveal the same kind of magic as the other various stones. And to its right, a set of clues which would take the lad to his next location. The top of this clue contained very simply a book with open pages. Beneath it two arrows one which pointed up and then another to the right. Denoting the upward curvature, from the depths towards the light and technically to enlightenment. And there another two words one new one repeated seeming to be slightly unrelated to the previous set of words as it was visible at the turning point, 'toloque' and 'lempe'. This set of clues would lead up and out of the depths, until of course the next target place was reached. It would so happen that this clue would lead to the Great Library of Atlantis. The place which was a beacon in the Kingdom itself and a place of knowledge, the clue itself was quite simple and there was no real way to misinterpret it as it was likely the easiest known of the landmarks aside from the Obelisk.

[Bloodedge]

Contact with this hooded figure gave Kou all the information he needed to progress once more. This time around, he received a new glyph followed by a repeat. His excitement was growing quickly; he was more than ready to move on to the next leg of this little scavenger hunt. From the existing clue, he even knew where he'd end up next: The Great Library of Atlantis. He made haste to follow the path laid out to him via arrows, darting along while his Familiar appeared atop his shoulder. He had almost forgotten about the little creature, who previously rested within Kou himself.

A single glance was offered to the furry white beast, who nestled against the side of Kou's neck. He found an interesting boost to his own mobility as its Mana flowed into him. In this moment, he recalled the benefit of having Familiars within the video game's version of this world. The general stat boosts they offered when in use were certainly a boon, and this one carried Kou to the Great Library at a very comfortable speed. Into the library he went, letting his mind run wild with consideration of the connecting puzzle pieces.

[Apollymi]

Upon reaching his next destination, Kou would be within the rather large library which was a central point within the Kingdom. Within the center of the Library in the no longer forbidden section there was a large podium and atop it was an open tome, one which had previously been in Seriri's hands given to her by Miki and returned. The podium this stood upon was the monument in question holding up the knowledge of Atlantis was a pillar like Rune stone which gave off that same flowing magic. A dedication to the greatest work of the person who'd founded this place as well as chronicled the journey of his peers, Aelan the Inspired. Beyond that, touching it would give a set of clues once again. The first image would be of a cornucopia filled with fruits, representative of the market place. Beneath that, a set of arrows to the right which pointed right and right again, which would lead the lad to the heart of that area. And beneath it, two more glyphs which would have another recognizable one and one repeated very recently, 'hukea' and 'lempe'. Was there an obvious pattern? Why were so many of these repeated? What did they stand for? The answer would becoming rather soon, and perhaps it would be fairly easy to figure out when it appeared.

Miki sat very quietly rather suddenly having that small fox like creature appear within her lap as she tried to calm her own nerves. It looked at her blinking several times as she began to pet it, seeming to have it work out. "I wonder if he'll get what I mean by showing him this?" she mumbled to herself. She knew the puzzle itself wasn't really hard, she'd set these up frequently as a child for Tsukiko in their home adventures. Simple conversions of symbols to letters found on a path set out to be engaging, full of clues to help solve the ending puzzle, leading to the ultimate prize. She figured if Tsukiko could figure out such a word puzzles, it could be simple fun for someone like Kou. Even without knowing what the Elven glyphs meant. Beyond all this, when he got to the grand clue, the conversion could be made fairly easily. She'd wanted to use it to show Kou a bit about herself, so she'd taken him along the path she'd walked, mending the Runestones in Atlantis. Maybe what she wished for him to see in this case, was who she was, but maybe that wouldn't become obvious until the last bit. 'I wonder what kind of progress he's making...' she thought to herself curiously, while moving a hand to fidget with a lock of blonde hair, an obvious tell of her still overwhelmed nervous system.

[Bloodedge]

Progress was the word, indeed. At this point, Kou was zipping from one leg of the puzzle to the next, taking the directions at face value and absorbing the information he knew to be necessary, before moving right along. The library would be where he found the sixth, of what he assumed to be seven, pieces to the puzzle. Almost there. It was easy enough to find the book pedestal's location and make contact with it, so he did just that, and was off again toward the next location. 'There's something about these glyphs. Elvish words, some repeated, but in no particular order. Ugh, I've seen this before, but...' Soon enough, Kou would reach his answer, and the real puzzle would begin.

All he needed was one final key, and he would receive it, seemingly... in a cornucopia? What an interesting set of seven landmarks this was. Regardless, he had placed each one in his memory, along with the list of glyphs he'd seen along the way. What was triggering his memory, though? It was becoming almost bothersome that he didn't realize what it was, yet it was just there at the tip of his tongue.

[Apollymi]

If he followed his arrows out to the Market, he'd find himself among the moving denizens now found there. It was a very active place now, much more than it had been when they'd first passed it. And beyond that, within was another statue, this one of a man holding said cornucopia. A smile on his face as he gave freely within this place. The patron saint of the market place, Keegan the Charitable, a statue given focus in a very particular way. This time though when interacted with the puzzle clue would take on a different form. Instead of a picture at the top to give note to what it should be there were just a series of dashes. Nine dashes then an obvious space and then seven dashes. Below the last three of these dashes were three of the glyphs, some repeated and some stand alone, 'toloque' 'attayukainen' and 'lempe'. That was all there was to this clue set. The grand clue here was showing him the kind of puzzle this was intended to be, as well as giving him extra access potentially to what he'd need to figure out where to go.

There were strangely no arrows to give direction of where to go. This entire market place was itself a clue, and if one paid attention the glyphs she'd written were all around this place. It was a commonality of Atlantean, Druidish and Elvish and that was the base of their number system. Beyond all of that the two sets of dashes nine and seven were meant to represent two words. A simple conversion was taking place here, with each of the glyphs taking the place of a letter of the words represented. A very simple one A=1 or in this case 'min' and the other numbers falling in place there after. Meaning each of the repeated glyphs was a common use vowel or consonant. This puzzle was a cryptogram. An old spy technique turned entertainment experience. A way to send a coded message to someone who had or could figure out the cipher. In this case, the other clues had also added in to the grand clue, as they were all activities and things the pair of them had done together. This final clue would lead him to a place, he may not remember because he'd been Akashi when he'd taken her there. The Atlantean Reserve, the second tallest building in the Kingdom, which Miki currently sat atop, not even looking down for fear of giving away her location assuming the lad would have made it to the Market by now. All of the clues were there, all he had left was to figure out the one place he wouldn't know off the top of his head, and thus the clues she'd left for him.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, he'd finally reached the end of the puzzle. Well, not quite the end of the puzzle, per se, but the final piece he needed. The holder of the cornucopia granted him three final glyphs, along with an additional showing of... exactly what he was to decipher. In that shining moment, Kou slammed the base of his palm against his forehead. He knew there was something familiar about this pattern; it was a puzzle he'd seen so many times, and one with a great deal of history behind it. He was actually quite interested to know that Miki, or rather, Kimiko, knew of this particular puzzle. Even more could be said about her ability to throw one together with such flair.

"Sugoi~" Kou muttered as his finger rose to pet the creature on his shoulder. "Such a good puzzle. It feels so... nice." He simply didn't have another word to describe this one. There was something else there, but it was a thing entirely unfamiliar to the lad known as Yugi, and was therefore missing from Kou's ability to acknowledge. Moving on though, it was time to begin thinking, and what better way for him to begin than... slapping his own cheeks with his eyes focused on the layout before him.

"Now it's Puzzle Time!" he said, counting the spaces meant to be filled with letters. With the total number in mind, he began pacing about, mentally recalling the glyphs he'd seen, while muttering to himself and his Familiar. "Right. Four and three showed up more than anything else. Those are the major vowels. At least one has to be A or E, probably both. Given the rest of this puzzle... it's probably a location. Nine letters first. Atlantean, most likely. Three As, one E down the drain. Also two Ts and two Ns, so that has to be one of the other characters knocked out. That leaves three more of either A or E, one more letter appearing twice in the second word, and two more letters that don't repeat."

Kou had returned to an old habit of blabbering his way through a puzzle, all part of the process. All the while, his brain was shuffling through letters to find placements and potential words to produce the second row. "Biggest chance of a vowel coming second. E," he spoke randomly throughout the thinking process. As his mind raced, his lips slowly curled up into a toothy grin. With a quick snap, he both startled the Familiar on his shoulder, and came to the shining conclusion he'd been building toward. "Atlantean Reserve!" There he had it. All he had to do at this point, was make the trip, which he'd do with increased haste thanks to the Familiar's mobility bonus.

[Apollymi]

As Kou worked through the puzzle he'd been given Miki absently petted the small creature now in her lap. She'd changed her seating posture ever so slightly, so that her gaze was settled back over the kingdom of Atlantis with her hood down and blonde locks blowing in the breeze. "Hm, he should be here pretty soon, assuming the rest of it didn't take him too long..." she murmured to herself. As one last thing for the lad, she'd placed one final arrow, this one at the front of the building pointing straight up, so he could join her on the roof of this building whenever he made his way to it. Strangely she didn't feel nearly as anxious as she had before, or rather it wasn't in the same way, now she was simply excited. She wanted to see what he had to say, how he'd respond to her particular brand of puzzle making as someone who liked puzzles. A small smile appeared on her face in the moment, as she realized that as herself she was more attached to the idea of making him happy than she'd normally care about being. Maybe after today he'd finally get it, well at the very least, she supposed she could put herself out there. Which legitimately wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd have to do, but here she was, in a new world, trying new things... like trying to get a boy's attention.

[Bloodedge]

Soon enough, Kou reached the tall building known locally as the Atlantean Reserve. He would have sought entry, but there was another arrow pointing him up, presumably to the top of the building. What an interesting location for the end of the journey. "LEEROOOOOOY!~" Kou called out as he approached the side of the building, summoning the Draconic feline mount to carry him up the structure. For the beast named Xerxes, alternatively Leeroy, it took only a few leaps to hop high above the building's peak. Afterwards, Xerxes disappeared once more, leaving Kou to descend onto the roof. "JENKINS!" he shouted during the grandest of landings, complete with a flourish. Kou seemed happy as could be as his left knee barely avoided touching the roof during his landing, though he quickly rose and spun about before stepping forward. "Ashikaga Kimiko does puzzles? I'm surprised."

[Apollymi]

The call of Leroy brought Miki's attention downward, she chuckled in the moment, because this was about what she expected from the lad, though he could have taken a more conventional way to get to the top, she enjoyed his enthusiasm. Soon, she got to see their shared mount make easy work of the side of this building, flying over head with Kou dismounting, all before disappearing and leaving the lad to land before her atop the roof. It was quite a solid display of flourish and grandeur and Miki could do nothing but clap her approval. Soon after she'd hold up all ten of her fingers giving her score for the dismount. "That was pretty flashy, even stuck the landing without hitting the knee. 10 of 10," she chimed in a joking manner. Of course, there was another point to be addressed, the idea that she, in her previous life did puzzles, which made her shrug just a tad. This was further confirmation that all forms of the lad knew who she had been before she became part of this world. She couldn't really consider that strange though, because she was aware at least in a passing manner of her status as a school idol. Even so, it was quite obvious that her interests outside of school were likely very different from what most would have thought about her. "I don't really do puzzles per se... I have been known to throw together a cipher or a scavenger hunt from time to time though..." she said with a small smile. "Admittedly, not normally both at the same time, but I figured single ones would have been a bit too simple," she said softly. "How'd I do?" she asked with excitement in her eyes, she was quite keen to have this lad's opinion about his recent experience and couldn't help but be excited to hear him out.

[Bloodedge]

The end of the line for this puzzle couldn't have been more clear than it was in the moment Kou saw Miki, the puzzle's creator, standing there in the flesh atop the Atlantean Reserve building. He stepped forward, still beaming from the puzzle itself, as he met her introduction. "Sankyuu, sankyuu~" he said, waving his arms about and bowing to the '10' rating he'd received on the landing. Once he was in a meter or so's distance of Miki, he stopped, arms akimbo as they began their discussion.

"Iie," he said to the notion of her 'not really doing puzzles' so to speak. "You can't say you don't do puzzles when you make one like that. There's too much feeling in it to claim anything else." True enough, with all the puzzles he'd done in his life, Kou... or rather, Yugi, had a strong sense for the meaning behind puzzles. This most recent one felt something like an invitation, open and welcoming in some respect. As for how Miki did with it, well... Kou took a moment to stroke his own chin in thought. "Hmm. Well, if it's complexity you were going for, it was a little on the simple side. That's not what's important, though. As far as finding the puzzle within the puzzle, if that makes any sense, it... might be one of the best I've ever seen. Definitely the nicest while having so much depth beyond the puzzle itself. Bonus points for the extra exploration, and there was all that lore weaved into it as well-"

And, so began another of his rambling sessions. "It's really rare to see so many things thrown into a puzzle, but it was pulled off brilliantly! A couple of laughs here and there, a weird mix-up of lore decisions made in Atlantis, all coming together to make a giant roller coaster that distracts the brain from the fact that it's even doing a puzzle. That's what's always missing in the normal sorts. Puzzles made just for the sake of being puzzles don't have any real mystery to them, they're just numbers. One with so much stuff added into it, with a bit of brain work to top it off? That's a puzz-" Oh. Kou's eyes widened, and his face reddened just a bit. He'd come to realize he was rambling on again, and not to himself this time. That was awkward. "Eheh... Gomen. I got carried away. Anyway, yeah, good stuff."

[Apollymi]

It seemed the lad was indeed in a good humor after the completion of his puzzle. Miki herself seemed to be pretty pleased, how could she be anything but considering how happy the lad was. The only thing he had to say at first, was that it wasn't possible for her to deny doing puzzles, given the puzzle she'd put together for him. Her eyes widened slightly, but she supposed if he said that sort of thing she'd have to believe him. It wasn't that she didn't like puzzles nor that she wouldn't complete them if they were put in front of her, she simply didn't find them to be something she went after on purpose. Beyond all of that, she hadn't found them to be properly fun in a long time, not since she'd done ciphers with her dad, and moved on to share such puzzles with her childhood friend Tsukiko. She did nothing but give a casual shrug to the notion before they moved on to the more important part.

The critique of her puzzle came with the idea that it was indeed simple, she'd expected this both given what the lad was used to and given the only other person she'd bothered doing such things for. But strangely this wasn't a real negative. According to Kou the puzzle itself was a puzzle within itself making it better. He claimed the extra lore bits and exploration were also a plus making it one of the nicest he'd completed. He went on an entire tangent to this point that Miki was left to watch and listen to without much shame at all. Her eyes got wider and she truly didn't know what to say in response to all of that. She'd done something simply thinking he might enjoy it a bit, she didn't expect praise really, though she might have been seeking it subconsciously. Beyond that she found it cute that he could throw himself into liking something so much, his further embarrassed reaction afterwards when he cut himself off even, brought a genuine smile to the lass' face. "Iie, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had fun learning the lore stuff while I was fixing the Runestones. I just wanted to share that with you. But I didn't want it to be boring or anything..." she mused, a tiny bit anxious as she removed from her cloak the prize for the day. "Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day!" she offered the lad the box she'd been holding onto, it contained a singular white chocolate in the shape of a Rune, it was a almost an 'M' but it had a deeper meaning to it. Like most things she'd done this particular day. She'd been preparing herself to do a bit of explaining and would likely take this as an opening to do so.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed his ramblings weren't much of an issue at all. That was a positive note, at least; he could relax on that matter. Either way, his words rang true. The fact that Miki enjoyed putting the puzzle together was another thing he could consider a plus. Of course, that was also something he could tell. A puzzle with such quality of meaning had to be at least entertaining to craft, lest it fall apart midway through its inception.

Oh, but there was another thing that required, even demanded, his immediate attention. A box was produced, accompanied by mention of Valentine's Day. Kou's eyes widened further before a hesitant hand rose to take the box. He had actually managed to forget what day in the festival week it was. Now, he was simply dumbfounded to have received acknowledgement of it in... this way. "I-..." What was there to even say? More importantly, was there blood remaining within him to fill anything but his face? No telling. There was hardly a thing to say, or do, aside from opening the box to see what was inside. White chocolate was the answer, but the shape of it was curious. He knew it to be a rune, but they weren't familiar enough to be recognized by the Saber-Class lad. At least he had a diversion from the reaction he was unsure about. "A rune?"

[Apollymi]

Miki was left to watch as the lad accepted he box she'd given him with a bit of hesitation. She wondered if he really understood what she'd meant, maybe he didn't maybe she'd have to explain it a bit further. But, his reddened face and inquisitive nature were something else to deal with in the meantime. It seemed that he was quite surprised by the idea that she'd done such a thing in the name of this particular day, but she'd realized perhaps because of the goodness of this avatar, the 'liteness' of her own personality that her feelings might not have been obvious, nor seemed as focused as they were in her own mind. When asked about the rune, a habit of Miki's or rather of Kimiko's would become rather obvious. The lass would open her mouth to speak and give the necessary information with relative quickness while she turned that single lock of hair in her right hand in a manner most anxious.

"Ah, yeah... it's... Ehwaz... which is the rune which hardens. But... Runes aren't really that simple, like it also means trust, and symbolizes a balanced bond between things, so I could use it to like make my spear do more damage, but I could also use it to balance out a Bounded Field with two really different but equally good other runes involved," she mentioned, she was used to talking so her words didn't falter instead she just said a lot, as if trying to get it all out of her own head. "But... it's more than that... Runes are applied to Druids as part of their baptisms. It turns them into walking Runestones and lets them use 'Free Magic' so Ehwaz is mine..." she mentioned lifting her bangs to show the same mark on her own forehead, glowing sage green. "Well, I didn't really know that when I chose it, it was one of those weird sets of questions you are asked sometimes in games. And it was the one that ended up assigned to me but it really works... because it's... equally shared and freely offered," she mentioned the explanation of it that she'd been given by the rune master because it was the one which let her understand herself the best. "I thought, I'd offer it to you... because I like you... I mean like I actually like you, more and differently than I like my friends," she said looking up her own face flushed intensely but she was already so deep in she thought maybe it wasn't as clear as she thought it had been. "But I realized that might not have been as obvious as I thought it was in my head so... I figured I could show you with the puzzle and you'd understand..." she mentioned seeming more nervous about it than she should have been. Maybe he already understood, all the bits that had gone into the puzzle were chosen with the intention of putting herself out there, and of inviting him into a different kind of equal partnership with her. She'd put a lot of thought into making this her grand romantic gesture, because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to properly explain her own feelings as such. So, she'd decided to show them in a way she didn't think could be misinterpreted.

[Bloodedge]

Good, good distractions. They could just talk about the rune this chocolate took the shape of, and everything would be fine. Miki could talk, and Kou could move past the awkwardness of the moment. Alas... that was not the case. Miki did talk, yes, but as she continued, that awkward topic returned. Kou understood the basic application of the Ehwaz Rune; that was simple enough. This secondary purpose, and it being tied to Miki's being as a Druid, though...

'What?' he thought. This wasn't making any sense. Sure, balance and all that being at the core of the Miki Avatar was sensible enough, but the meaning of this rune being offered in a metaphorical sense was another matter entirely. The meaning was clear enough. It was Valentine's Day here in Atlantis, and this was... a confession. Suddenly, that missing purpose behind the puzzle became clear, as if a hidden piece were materialized to complete the overall image.

Equally shared, and freely offered. What an interesting concept, yet all too foreign to one Aiba Yugi within the form of Kou. Reaching into the box, he removed the rune-shaped chocolate. It had to be that as well, that disgusting confection he avoided like the plague. He held it between his forefinger and thumb, turning away from Miki while staring at it... until his gaze found the open city of Atlantis. He supposed some sort of answer was necessary, but what could he say? He'd be lying through his teeth if he said he hadn't given a great deal of consideration to Miki, even Kimiko, in such a way. Alas, that consideration always came with a hangup. Perhaps, though... there was a saving grace.

"You know, I've been thinking lately... every now and then since we made this Party. Do you think we're really stuck in this world? Is this just what life is now?"

[Apollymi]

'Shit! I said it. I shouldn't have said it!' The thought that immediately surfaced in the mind of Miki was the doubt of Ashikaga Kimiko as it tended to surface. She talked herself into and out of thousands of actions on a daily basis in her regular life. Hell, she'd almost talked herself out of doing this very thing a thousand times before she actually made that first rune appear where it was. Her mind went full panic mode, she couldn't really help it and that same lock of hair was twisted around her fingers, back and forwards around and around. 'I could have kept it all in my head. That isn't much of a reaction... well I guess I couldn't really expect an anime style reaction or anything. But...' she berated herself but she still really wanted to believe this could work out, she'd talked herself into believing it could really work out. As such she was left to wait upon the lad's reaction. Eventually the ramblings of the girl's mind would be broken by words spoken by Kou.

The blonde's brow furrowed deeply as she considered the answer to the lad's questions. He'd apparently thought about it from time to time. Since they'd made the party he'd wondered if this was simply their life now and to that she had only one real answer. "When I bought the game, I went to a game store and had the grandmother of the guy who worked there warn me that the game was cursed and everyone who played it disappeared. She wouldn't have been so freaked out if people could come back," she said remembering the night she'd set out on her grand solo adventure. Also incidentally noting that even if she didn't believe it initially, she'd definitely bought a cursed game and intended to play it regardless of the consequences. "Besides, if Kaiba and Hisakawa are still here, there probably isn't a way back. Not, that I'd take such a thing in the first place..." Miki said though she hadn't meant to say the last part aloud, it was quite true. She was the type of person who wouldn't care if she could go back she likely wouldn't. There wasn't a single goal Kimiko had in life that she couldn't accomplish better and grander in a world full of magic. Besides all that, this world gave her the opportunity to have something she hadn't managed in her actual life.

[Bloodedge]

Miki told an interesting tale related to her purchase of Age of Eternity. Indeed, the game had a very bad reputation surrounding it, due to all the disappearances. Kou knew something else about it, though. There was one massive, time-related inconsistency surrounding Hikari, whom he primarily knew as Yumi. That matter would come up in his address of Miki claiming she wouldn't return to their original world, even if given the opportunity.

How strange. Didn't she have a life others only wished they could experience? Surely she had her reasons, but Kou wouldn't bother with finding out the specifics. At the end of the day, she was content to immerse herself in a video game like what brought them here, and... well, who really would want to abandon that? Not Yugi, not at all. Perhaps, if they were to remain in this world for the duration of their existences, there was a proper chance. Perhaps Kou didn't need to have the hangups he did, especially considering how unwilling he was to leave this world. Ah, speaking of that-

"... Sou ka. I only had one thing keeping me in that world, and she was... gone," he said in reference to the loss of Hikari. When he spoke these words, there was a certain aspect of finality about the specific word 'gone' he used. "She's here now, though. I don't plan on going back either." He sighed then. White Day existed as part of this week-long festival, so he supposed then... he'd have to come up with something. Kou's mind immediately wandered into a long, drawn-out train of thought involving his response, as he tossed the white chocolate into his mouth and chewed.

Interestingly enough, he didn't seem at all disgusted by the treat. "Arigatou gozaimasu," he said with an amount of politeness that was lost to him more often than not. "It's good. Did you really make this?" Sure, he said nothing at all about Miki's offer. That was a matter he intended to address in his own time, in his own way... whenever he found out how he would truly answer.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that her reply was one which didn't immediately warrant a response. She could almost assume the lad hadn't heard what she'd said or maybe it'd gotten lost in the rest of the conversation. Perhaps it was best she think this way, given her own sanity would likely suffer if she allowed her thoughts to wander too much. It seemed that the decision to stay within this world wasn't one she made alone in her own mind. According to Kou, the only reason he was content in the other world, was because of his sister and he claimed she was gone and here so there was nothing left for him there. There was an interesting tone taken by the lad when he explained this, it sounded a bit more final than her potentially being missing from playing the game. And beyond that, they both spoke as if they hadn't seen each other in quite a while, he didn't even know what her character here looked like... that was strange. But at present she wouldn't pry, she'd allow that to fall away with the rest. Only a small smile was necessary as it seemed they'd both come to the same conclusion. In the meantime the lad ate the chocolate she'd given him.

'Sou ka, he hasn't said anything, but that's a good sign right? I mean, he ate it, so it's fine right? I mean... I suppose I really shouldn't expect any real answer until White Day. That's at the end of the week though... how the hell am I supposed to wait that long...' Miki thought to herself. She was a tad more impulsive than perhaps most people knew her to be, waiting out this week was liable to be a test of her sanity. It seemed Kou would help out a bit with that though, as he politely offered thanks for the chocolate she'd made which made her entire face flush to a ridiculous shade in the moment. "Iie..." she mentioned sheepishly. Moving on to what she'd actually done she chuckled. "Hai hai, chocolate is always pretty weird. And I don't like milk or dark chocolate, so I made the white kind. It's uniformly sweet and melts easier which makes it better to me for a litany of reasons. As a backup plan I figured I could just eat it myself..." she mentioned only half-joking. "I understood it in theory and Tsu-chan gave me pointers while I hid away in my secret kitchen corner..." she said while having a seat on the edge of the roof. She really did like it up here, and she supposed it was better overall than just standing around and being awkward.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," Kou said about the chocolate. If he had to be completely honest, this didn't compare to other forms of chocolate with how disgusting they were. It still wasn't preferential to him, but... he somehow found it satisfying to consume nonetheless. He couldn't quite understand what it was, but he knew it was neither flavor nor texture-related. He'd definitely be lapping at the innards of his own mouth for some undisclosed amount of time to come, but that was fine this time around.

When Miki took a seat on the roof's edge, Kou remained where he stood, placing him behind the seated lass while facing the same direction. His gaze fell upon her for several moments before rising, returning to the kingdom at large. 'Living on an alternate Earth based on a video game, full of magic and all sorts of crazy shit. It's basically a fresh start on life halfway through, so...' His thoughts wandered once more, yet in a rather positive light brought about by a new outlook. The only problem currently was... that answer he needed to give. 'How would I even put myself out there the same way? There isn't much I can think to offer based on what she likes; I don't even know. I can't bring myself to ask Seriri, so... maybe-'

Oh, now things were just slightly awkward again. He had a lot of thinking to do, and though he had an idea of sorts coming to the forefront of his mind, the effort it would take was maximum. He couldn't reveal it, surely. Instead, he had to offer a brief cover story as he took measured steps away. "Gomen. I need to get some crafts out of the way for Fiona and Hikari..." He did indeed have to do these things, but they were simple matters. More importantly though, he now had an idea in mind that only had the slightest chance of being completed within the week.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that they'd both reached a strange point of silence once more. Miki wasn't really bothered by this so much as she looked out over the Kingdom, she was still reeling from this thing she'd done. In fact, she was having a mini-melt down, but it wouldn't matter. Whatever Kou was thinking, the lad claimed soon after that he had works to do. It made a reasonable amount of sense, he'd started on his adventure through the Kingdom pretty early in the day and as such hadn't had a chance to do the other things he'd wanted to do. Both Fiona and Hikari would be in need of his attention directly for other days. This week, "Hai hai..." she said turning around to give him a smile. "I did the rest of what I needed to do already. So... I'll see you later. Gambatte..." she said softly, much more softly than she usually managed to speak to people. It seemed they'd be separating for a bit more, but that wasn't really a problem, to be honest, she'd been up and busy for quite a while, so she'd likely get some sleep pretty soon and then find something to do to busy herself so her mind didn't wander too much.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," Kou said with a nod, still inching away. "Tomorrow though, we can meet up to finish Fiona's gift." That was all he had to offer before departing. Kou didn't bother meeting with anyone else for the remainder of the day and night, yet he never fell asleep. Instead, he stayed awake and fiddled with something that wasn't at all meant for Fiona, nor for Hikari. Atlantis Gold had been acquired on his journey back to the palace, and he commandeered an otherwise secluded room for his tinkering. All night, until far beyond what would have been sunrise the following day, he was hard at work to magically carve lines into an odd, golden sphere of sorts. His focus was maximum, face mere inches away from the item he sculpted, until a grand yawn forced him to pull away from it.

What time was it? He wasn't at all sure. What he did know, was that he was probably late for his own arrangement to meet with Miki for the day's celebration.

[Apollymi]

"Hai hai." was Miki's parting words to the lad. She figured she'd get to see the fruits of his labors eventually and she'd not gotten any sleep in the last few days so she figured she'd get some today. Eventually she departed her perch and went to sleep in the same room that she'd left Fiona in previously. The large Filolial had been very demanding of her attention when she'd returned so she'd played with her for quite a bit before finally managing to get some sleep, sinking into the large feathered body and collapsing from exhaustion within the bed she'd claimed. Of course, when she woke the next morning she was being accosted by Fiona, but strangely instead of being pecked into wakefulness, Miki was being shaken. "Oi! WAKE UP! ITS TIME TO PLAY!" the young lass screamed. This entered Miki's dream strangely and she didn't immediately wake which caused the creature to pout while bouncing in place. "WAKE UP! YOU SAID TODAY WE'D DO SOMETHING!" she exclaimed. She wanted to know what something as, but as Miki opened her eyes, she was blinded by a flow of aqua colored hair. "HOLY SHIT, FIONA?!" exclaimed Miki which made the young lass excited, she looked to be about 8 or so in human years. "YEP!" she said proudly her head turned up in the air. "You're naked," Miki mentioned rubbing her head which made the lass continue to look as if she was proud of herself. "YEP!"

[Bloodedge]

"Yare yare," Kou murmured to no one other than himself. This little project of his was going to take just about every ounce of energy he had, only for the chance of it being done in time. Ideally, he would have to skip numerous events throughout the week, including several meals. Oh well; he had done worse accidentally while playing video games, so this surely couldn't be so bad.

Oh, if only he knew. The amount of work he'd spent all night doing hardly even scratched the surface of what he would need by the end of the week. For now, though, that wasn't important. The important thing today was Fiona, so Kou left the room he'd been working in to search for the Filolial, whom he assumed he'd find in the company of Miki.

[Apollymi]

In the meantime, Miki managed to sit up finally much to Fiona's general pleasure. "YES! Finally you're up. Come on! We gotta go! I wanna do stuff!" she exclaimed seemingly excited enough to strut around the room as naked as the day she was born, which was technically today given her status as a non-necessarily human person. As Miki sat up she took note of the small girl's black wings which made her look a bit like a fallen angel, or perhaps some sort of youkai. "Sou ka, that's pretty cute..." she said mostly to herself. "Don't talk to yourself..." the child said with a pout, her cheeks puffy. "I don't get it... Now come on, we have to go get him!~" said the lass as she headed towards the door. "Wait wait, you can't go out naked!" mentioned Miki as the lass headed out into the world aiming to look for her father figure. Aiming to run into him in the hallway as Miki chased her down.

[Bloodedge]

Yawning, Kou trudged his way down the halls of Atlantis' royal palace. His vision blurred briefly, but he managed to push through it without much difficulty. Either way, he was sluggish at best. He at least managed to have a pair of crystals in hand from the previous day, which had both been properly treated prior to the work he performed on the golden sphere. The pair of crystals now boasted the shape of squares, albeit without centers. They could have easily slipped over his wrists and halfway up his arm before stopping as a result, and they retained their original density. No, that wasn't quite right... They were far, far denser than before.

Finally reaching the room he had previously been sharing with Miki, he gently knocked on the door and spoke aloud: "Oi, are you up yet?"

[Apollymi]

Kou's knock at the door was answered not by speech immediately, though the commotion of the previous moment was still taking place. Miki practically fell out of bed, hitting the floor as she tried but failed to stop the teal haired lass. But instead the knock on the door was answered by Fiona trying to bound out the door while Miki threw herself out of bed looking quite beat up herself trying to stop their newly humanoid pet from running out into the world without clothes on. She opened the door and looked up, completely naked and grinned widely. "Oh! You're here! You can do something with us too! Look it! I found him!~" exclaimed the small girl as she turned her black wings and nude backside towards Kou while looking at Miki as if she was distinctly proud of herself having found him so quickly. Her hands on her hips her nose up in the air as if she'd done something completely inexpiable. 'Did you find him? Or did he knock at the door?' Miki asked herself only to chuckle lightly. "Yep, you found him. Hai hai, we're up... and Fiona is well..." Miki said while tossing her hair around with one hand trying to achieve something closer to her normal look while trying and failing to corral the youngster who began playing immediately. "HMPHF!" she made a loud noise to draw attention to her naked self as she stood triumphantly with her hands on her hips, as Miki finally gave up trying to chase her around. The blonde lass stifled a yawn instead. "Really proud of herself. Clothes might be on the list for the day..." Miki mentioned sarcastically which made Fiona stop to look at her and then at her father figure as if trying to work out how serious Miki's speech was, and in so doing made it really easy for Miki to see visually how her brain was working. 'Sou ka, that's what high discernment is doing for her...'

[Bloodedge]

Of all the things Kou expected upon knocking, having the door swing open to unveil a nude, winged child was far from anywhere on the list. If that didn't wake him up properly for a bit, nothing would! "Wh-" He couldn't bring even a single word to the edge of his tongue fully, as he stood in the doorway with an expression of both shock and confusion. Moments later though, things began to register properly in his head.

From what he understood, this was to be expected of a Filolial Queen. Now that he thought about the situation properly, the timing was about right for this evolution, and there was confirmation now that Fiona was, indeed, the class of Filolial they sought to raise. "Ah..." he yawned, breaking his statement once more. "Fiona. Konnichiwa~" he managed at last. Suddenly, he didn't seem very bothered at all by the Filolial's nudity in this form. Making his way inside, he seated himself at the edge of the bed, holding one of the two pink, crystal constructs out to Miki. "Konnichiwa... I finished the thing, we just have to..." Once more, a yawn. "Gomen. Mana from each of us, and contact, should make it work and bind itself."

[Apollymi]

There was a bit of a break in Kou's speech. He seemed just as stunned as Miki was initially and a bit more tired than normal. Miki would attribute such a thing to nothing more than the lad having stayed up a bit too late the night before. In the meantime, Fiona was greeted properly so she kept her hands on her hips and replied. "Hai, Konnichiwa!~" she said seeming to find a great deal of satisfaction in being acknowledged in such a way. Beyond all of this Miki was greeted as well, so she also responded finally achieving something closer to the normal look of her hair. By the time she was done, Kou was sitting at the foot of her bed and she'd gone to join him lightly finding herself seated the way she always managed to, not close enough to seem imposing but close enough to chat if it was desired. Even now, everything about this lass was an open invitation to him, without anything being said. She opened her hand and accepted the crystal ring hearing out his instructions and greeting. "Hai. Konnichiwa... Don't worry about it, mornings are pretty tough all around..." she mentioned understanding the thing she needed to do and getting her own bit of tiredness out. She funneled a bit of her own Mana into the item and held it out towards Kou. All the while, the face of their Filolial managed to puff once again as she seemed to be curious about what was going on, but there weren't enough words said. "EH? What thing? Is it for me? I want to see..." she said but strangely the pillow that was Miki's weapon flew towards the girl causing her to have to wrestle with it a bit and causing a bit of a distraction. "Ugh... I am gonna kill this thing!" she exclaimed though seemingly in a reasonable humor before hopping over it and floating to the ground before the pair.

[Bloodedge]

Mornings were hard... indeed. Kou wouldn't have anything to say against this, despite having a very different reason for being in such a state. He was, interestingly enough, a 'morning person' due to how frequently he woke himself for the sake of his sister, shopping, etc. in their original world. Moving on though, Miki accepted her half of the exchange, leaving Kou free to interact with the other using his Mana. He aimed to bring the two parts together for a moment of contact an Mana exchange between them, but all the while, Fiona was throwing a veritable fit over her curiosity, and... for some reason, Miki's floating pillow. "Haihai... it's yours in just a second," he said, only slightly groggily as he awaited the Mana transfer between crystals. "Fiona should put these on... once they glow."

[Apollymi]

Miki continued pushing her own Mana into the ring and would do until it glowed since according to Kou that would be when they could be turned over to the still pouting Fiona. Strangely when Kou mentioned she'd be given the objects they were holding she simply looked triumphant. "YOSH!" she exclaimed, having apparently picked up a lot more language than one might have thought. "Hai hai..." Miki managed seeming to slowly be in the process of perking up. Regardless, the transfer of energy between the two items needed to take place. "I'm getting a present. And to do fun stuff...." she managed smugly. Something about this girl's actions and rather high opinion of herself made Miki laugh suddenly. Perhaps it was the stance with her hands on her hips, or maybe it was thinking exactly like the entire world revolved around her. 'Hakudoshi, she's like Hakudoshi!' the lass thought as she giggle uncontrollably. There was a visible shift in the face of Fiona as she stared at this change in demeanor. "Is she laughing at me?" she questioned aloud only to see the glow taking place between the crystals. "Hey! They're mine now! I don't know what it is... but gimme!" she exclaimed thinking about it for a second. "Please..." she still pouted but apparently she'd picked up on manners at some point.

[Bloodedge]

Another yawn escaped Kou as the Mana exchange took place. Fiona seemed very, very excited about receiving a gift of any sort, as well as the notion of doing what she figured would be fun things. Kou didn't have much of a mind to consider this behavior very much, though he did catch on when the young Filolial demanded her items. It was interesting to note that she soon added some amount of politeness to the demand, which was... fine enough, to say the least. "Hai... They're yours, so you're owed them." With that said, Kou held out his half of the exchange with the intention of Fiona having it. "Then, we can move on to this... fun stuff. And... clothes. Yeah, definitely clothes."

[Apollymi]

As Kou held out his half to the winged lass, Miki did the same watching as she excitedly took them and bounded around the room with them. "Yay! They're mine... all mine!~" she chimed, seemingly happy with her own acquisition. "Wait, I don't know what these are...." she said staring at the items in her hands while trying to think of their purpose. Only after a few moments did she shrug it off casually figuring it would come up whenever she figured out how to use them. She happily bounced around as Kou mentioned that fun and clothing should be primarily on their list of things to do. "We should be getting a visitor pretty soon about the clothes... I talked to her about meeting up with us here, before I came back yesterday," Miki mentioned, with a relaxed nature.

Soon enough a woman was found standing in the doorway a squeal would ensue. "SQUEEE! SHE'S ADORABLE!" these were the words of the same magical seamstress who'd made their bathing suits in the time that they'd been working on hatching their egg the week prior. Large glasses glinted upon her face as her green hair swayed in the breeze. The dancing naked child came to a stop and managed to look confused. "Yep!" Fiona mentioned standing triumphantly, apparently she had no shame and understood please but not thank you. Magically, around this seamstress an entire bag began unpacking itself revealing an entire table set up complete with a strange spinning wheel and all the materials she'd need to sew this child a new outfit, minus actual thread. "I have so many ideas, I assume you have the necessary materials..." she said which made Miki look up and chuckle. "Always... maybe making the thread will bring her back down to normal levels of excited..." she mentioned casually floating a bag full of crystals which could be spun into thread over to the woman. "Oh yes, these will do nicely. You, Lovely Angel, come here; we have work to do!" she mentioned, which made Fiona smile brightly. "Work?! What do I do!?" she seemed excited by the prospect as the woman began talking her through the creation process, it would leave Miki able to have a quick and private conversation with Kou. 'I figured, after she gets dressed we could take her out for a bit. There is a pretty interesting festival for the day set up, we could get her some food and see if she has interest in anything. Just spend a bit of time with her,' she mentioned of her general plans for the lass, telepathically to avoid ruining any potential surprises.

[Bloodedge]

Another answer took a backseat to another yawn. His reaction time was a bit slower following this one, but he was still managing well enough. Fiona took the items, but wasn't sure what they were. That made sense, he supposed. She had no reason to understand the concept of hair ornaments and the like, so it seemed it would fall upon Kou to explain their purpose. "You've got long hair, like I thought you would. That's what those are for. Slip your hair through those, and it won't be so loose and in the way all the time," he explained. Soon enough, the seamstress their group encountered to obtain their beach attire could be seen entering the room. Surely, if Fiona still had issues with her ornaments, this woman could be of use. As such, Kou could relax where he sat, not bothering too much with the process just yet.

During this moment of relaxation Kou took for himself, he was addressed directly by Miki, using their usual incognito method of conversing through minds. Not having to use physical words, he found it a bit easier to uphold the discussion right away. 'Yeah, seems like a good plan to me. I don't know anything about the festivities they've set up and all, but given how Fiona is all the time... especially now... I'm sure she'll have a good time with it regardless of what's going on.'

[Apollymi]

Kou's answer to the Filolial gave her pause. He spoke of hair and it being in the way she looked between the lad and Miki and seeing her own hair decorated by bows she couldn't help stare aimlessly for a few seconds. "Hm... okay..." she said though managing not to sound too certain one way or another. Soon after her mind was distracted by other things, and within moments, while her parents had their silent discussion, she'd be seen, making use of a magical spinning wheel, exerting her own Mana into the crystals for them to then be made into threads by the seamstress' gentle guiding hand. "Yes, hair will be part of the whole look. Don't worry, I'll take care of that myself as well..." she mentioned having a great idea for the lass, that she'd only really be able to put into practice once her outfit was complete.

Moving right along, though Kou had been yawning through most of his responses this morning, their quiet conversation would happen without so much as a hint of lag. He claimed that though he didn't know what kind of activities were popping up today, Fiona would likely have a good time and agreed with her general outlook about it. 'Hai hai, apparently it is set up like a carnival. Game stalls, food, general activities and introductions to Atlantean Specialities not seen in a while. I thought about it a while, and figured if we walked around a bit and let her pick the activities she'd have a decent bit of fun, I want her to have good memories of being young...' Miki said softly within their shared space. As a child, what she remembered most, and thought the best, were things she did with her parents, not that things that were expensive or outrageous. Instead, she remembered best the moments where a decent bit of time was spent with her, and those memories were the fondest ones she'd held before. With that said, she was also content to relax and let time pass along. It'd take about 30 minutes of time for the seamstress to get the necessary threads from Fiona's work, but after she did, the barricade went up and the designing began at maximum speed. Strangely, it was set up in front of Kou and Miki, as if she intended to present the lass after she was done, for dramatic effect. As such, a wide eyed Fiona watched as the seamstress worked maniacally, first on the dress then on her physical form, including making sure her hair ties found their way to her person. At the very end, she'd be standing with a triumphant look on her face as she prepared for the grand reveal. "Darlings, I have completed what has to be some of my absolute best work. A stellar canvas you present to me, and I will present a work of art to you in turn!" she exclaimed as a very overly dramatic introduction.

[Bloodedge]

'Oh? I didn't expect them to go to those lengths, but it sounds like a good time. I'd be pretty interested in seeing a bunch of that stuff too. If they keep it up for tomorrow, I might even take Hikari around to some. It's... been a while-' he replied, trailing off at the end to let his mind wander. In wandering, though, Kou's mind also slipped. He just about lost consciousness altogether, but in that moment... the exchange he shared with Miki became something odd, something visual. He seemed to be standing within a room devoid of both items and color, Miki being the only other entity within. This was no physical shift, but instead a mental one existing only for the duration of their mental discussion.

Odd as it was, Kou was pulled out of this by the words of the seamstress. He snapped to reality and consciousness in a single moment, looking toward what would soon be the reveal of Fiona's new - and first - ensemble. "Eto... Alright, let's have a look."

[Apollymi]

'Hai, I'm sure it will last. Apparently, the festival is supposed to be good for bonding so they offer a lot of activities for everyone to participate,' was Miki's only thought about what Kou had to say. She was quite pleased to know he'd agreed with her plan of action, and beyond that she was more than a little relieved he'd likely be able to have a bit of fun with it too. She couldn't help but wonder what all had kept him and Hikari from doing such things in the other world. But she decided it best not to question it too much, lest she prod at raw memories. As she allowed her mind to wonder she too would seem to shift a bit mentally, though she was quite fine with being quiet in the moment, she wasn't sure how to take the shift in the room. But it didn't matter much as the call to attention also brought her back from her own mind space. "Hai hai... " Miki mentioned, she really wasn't a very patient person most of the time, that being said she was a bit excited to see the first look of their dressed young Filolial.

"Yes! Now that I have your attention, might I reintroduce you to, the little Angel, Fiona!" she said. At these words Fiona appeared from behind the barricade head held high. She did a complete model walk (obviously couched), hair swaying in the breeze. She walked all the way up to the end of the bed and turning before heading back towards the seamstress. As this occurred the seamstress came with full commentary. "She's wearing one of my penultimate designs, the flair of a little black dress with the innocence of a child," she mentioned as the girl walked. "Made to be functional with a large opening in the back for her growing wings...." she said as the girl turned. "Complete with enough leg room to avoid flashing the crowds should she need to kick anyone! And a halter top in case she needs to swing her arms freely!" the Seamstress had some very strange commentary but Miki couldn't help but giggle. "Your crafted hair accessories complete the look, I decided a nice set of pigtails would balance her look. Full ones... so she'd have her own individual style..." she mentioned giving a wink to Miki who rolled her eyes playfully. 'Of course, this one goes way overboard in such moments,' she thought absently. "Kawaii! Fiona, you're so cute... do you like it?" she asked of the lass. "Yep! I like it! It's great, I'm really hungry though..." she said happily as she sprang aiming to hug both of these two where they sat at the end of the bed seemingly, more than a bit amused by the whole of the situation. A bit of a passing comment would come from the seamstress. "Oh and because her dress is made from the crystal threads created with her own mana, she won't break the dress when she transforms nor if she happens to grow a bit. So you have a lot of time before you'll need to settle on getting her anything else. She'll even be able to channel her abilities through the dress if they happen to work like that..." she mentioned seemingly proud of her own work while looking at this young family.

[Bloodedge]

What was that room he'd seen? Did Miki see it as well, or was he already hallucinating from a lack of sleep? There had to be something more to it. Surely, his extended time being awake couldn't have such a massive impact on him this early. Whatever the case, he wasn't quite capable of addressing it just yet. Now was the time for Fiona to be unveiled in her first ever ensemble, and with hair ornaments to boot. This little runway show carried on in a grandiose fashion, though the seamstress appeared to have such a nature about her own craft even in their previous encounter.

He had to admit, at least, that it was an excellent garb. There was an air of Gothic Lolita fashion about it, while also retaining a friendly amount of modesty and innocence. Even as tired as he was during the moment, Kou found it within himself to appreciate the woman's work by clapping gently. "Sugoi, sugoi! I like how it all comes together," he commented, managing to stifle the yawn which attempted to escape him this time around. "Gotta agree, though... I could use a bite or two myself. Maybe we can make a food stop first when we head out. Apparently, there are some delicacies available right now."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that the lass' new outfit was a bit hit. The applause gentle though it was, came not only from Kou but from Miki as well and it was more than enough to warm this woman's heart. She pushed her glasses up onto her nose and began to pack her things magically back the way they were. "Then it seems like my work here is done. Thank you," she offered. Handing Miki back a bag filled with the unused crystals from the garbs created. In turn Miki handed her a prearranged amount, complete with a worthwhile tip and a smile on her face. "Hai hai. Since you're here. You could probably stand to see the festivities as well. Ja ne..." she mused as the seamstress bowed and left without another word her work station going with her. Miki was then left to absently play with this bag of crystals as they discussed their first actions for this particular day. It appeared that hunger was shared both by Fiona and Kou and Miki hadn't had breakfast either so it seemed like food would be their first stop.

"Hai hai food sounds good to me. Let's go see what its like then~" she mused standing still playing with that bag of crystals. She didn't exactly need it perhaps an idea would come to her in a few moments. Fiona got up immediately impatiently bouncing and waiting for this pair to accompany her. If she had her way within minutes they'd be walking in front of several food stalls in the middle of the Market Place hearing the sounds of frying foods and all sorts of other things being pitched. It smelled really nice and Miki's own mouth would water as she took in sights of things the likes of Extra large deep fried lobster claws, deep fried sea cucumbers, sea salad on a stick and a litany of fruits and sweets in deep fried stick form as well. "Sou ka, not vegetarian... that's good I suppose. Hm, anything tickle your fancy?" she asked of the group at large. This would cause Fiona to stand in front of deep fried sea cucumbers and point excitedly. "This... this... this..." she exclaimed which would make Miki do an exchange of coin for potentially three servings of this depending on how Kou felt about it.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai hai," Kou said as he finally pulled himself off the bed's edge. It was quite the internal struggle, but not too much of a bother visibly. He seemed fine enough to walk alongside Miki and Fiona, out into the streets of Atlantis where the festivities were being held publicly. There was so much going on out in the streets, Kou wondered when they managed to get it all set up. Seriri was certainly making the best of the opportunity she'd been granted, that much was true. Where to start was a question in the lad's mind, but as they wandered about as a group, it seemed a quick prod from Miki spurred Fiona into making a selection of her own.

Kou stepped up as well, having a look at this... deep-fried sea-cucumber. He had to say, it was very far from any sort of list he had in mind, but he also didn't expect to see anything resembling food from the Earth he knew. "Sou ka. It looks... pretty good, actually," he said, feeling the rumble of his own stomach. At this point, he'd eat just about anything, really.

[Apollymi]

Three orders of these deep fried sea cucumbers were ordered. And they were cooked a bit like fried tomatoes. A bit tart but creamy in the middle and the size of chips to be easily eaten. Fiona received hers first and ate one immediately. She would make a strange face, "It's like sour... but..." she'd eat another one, "Still good though..." she mentioned happily munching away thereafter. Hearing out the lass' explanation of the food, gave Miki a bit of an idea of what it would taste like and as such she'd have no problem eating while they walked around. "I haven't had fair food in years... it's pretty good though," she mentioned with a casual wave to the food stand, as the last of servings was handed to Kou. Miki or rather Kimiko had experienced something like this once, on an unsupervised and unplanned outing with Tsukiko, where the lass had wanted to attend some street carnival and Kimiko had done what was necessary with the help of the lass' brother to get her out of the house and have a bit of fun, much their her parents initial dismay. As she thought fondly of that moment she ate her food happily waiting to see what kinds of fun Fiona would like to have.

In the meantime, Fiona ate and watched the other Merfolk and how they dealt with the situation. She saw many situations similar to her own. A small child or two strung between two happy adults who were giving them things and eating together with them laughing. The wheels were turning in her head as she watched this situation. She saw herself in a similar position to these two children, that would make of course Kou and Miki her parents. They'd gotten her presents, and were feeding her now. They were even spending time with her right now. As such she'd be sure to live the fullness of kid potential. "When we're done with this... can I have something sweet too?" she asked as she finished her own food and waited for the pair to catch up. Miki smiled at the lass and nodded. "Hai hai, sweets, games, more food... whatever you'd like," she mentioned which made the Filolial's eyes widen. She looked to Kou as she'd seen other kids do, as if in disbelief of the free reign she'd been given.

[Bloodedge]

Right. Three deep-fried sea-cucumbers were ordered, and provided in sequence to the members of this trio. Kou, the last to receive his, stood in wait while observing Fiona from the perspective of a bystander. The Filolial's expression portrayed neither pleasure nor distaste, from what he could tell initially. Her following words cleared things up well enough. "Sour, but good? Sounds more like a pickle. Well... I guess it is underwater, so..." he rambled not long before receiving one of his own. With it in his possession, he could move along with the others while taking the occasional bite.

Along the way, Fiona expressed a clear desire for sweets. It was such an innocent and childlike moment that Kou could hardly stop himself from laughing aloud. Miki took the liberty of acquiescing to the Filolial, who then looked to Kou. Staring and blinking intermittently, he chewed on about the fourth bite of his deep-fried treat, wondering why she found this to be so unbelievable. "What? You heard her. It's your day today; we're here for whatever you want to make of it."

[Apollymi]

The deep fried sea cucumbers did indeed taste like pickles. A bit creamy, with a bit of tang involved with every bite. Even so, Miki was more than content to consume such an item finding it to be outside of her normal food choices, but not something she couldn't enjoy. As they moved along in the conversation and in steps it would seem that though Fiona had requested sweets, she seemed to be in disbelief about the freedom she'd be allowed in making her own decisions this day. When she looked to Kou for confirmation she received it a second time making an excited utterance as she finished her most recent bite of food, and thus her entire serving. "Yay!" she exclaimed that one word was it for a few moments. Miki watched as she finished her own food and shook her head gently, if only all situations were so easily resolved. "Sweets, games and food... and and..." whatever she was about to say was lost for a second as she smelled something delicious to her. "Oh, oh... what's that?" Fiona asked as they passed by the first confection of a long string.

This was also a frying place, but it looked like they were frying batter into big open circles and covering everything with powdered sugar and fruits or chocolate. "Oh, oh, oh! I want that..." she said to Miki who only nodded to the lass. "Excuse me, I want some of that please..." she managed to sound outright polite much to the happiness of the worker, who looked up, Miki looked to Kou and would motion for the number up to three while preparing to pay for it seeming to have already know the kind of money which would be spent on such experiences. 'Aww, she's so cute... I might die,' Miki shared with Kou while waiting on the next bit of food. She watched as Fiona bounced on her toes as she watched the food which was stunningly similar to funnel cake be fried up.

[Bloodedge]

Fiona expressed an interesting amount of excitement at the prospect of being able to make decisions freely this day. Kou supposed, even if she had been left to learn for herself in infancy, there was still a fair bit of coddling done early on. This had to be something very new for her. Moreover, she was being exposed to things new to most people, be they from outside Atlantis, this world, or even Atlantean locals. The latter rang true in one shining moment, when Fiona jumped at the first opportunity for something sweet to consume.

That smell was heavenly. This was no mere confection, but a deep-fried treat created for those who truly wished to experience bliss. Kou seemed entranced as he followed along, eventually being drawn in by his own nose. "That's..." he muttered. Closer and closer he stepped, until he stood beside Fiona in a state of excitement that matched her own. "Fried dough! Sugoi! Same here! Extra powdered sugar, mixed berries, no chocolate!" And there he was. He didn't even acknowledge the message sent his way by Miki. No, he was far too gone, far too quickly. "Good nose, Fiona!"

[Apollymi]

It seemed Miki's commentary would go unheard. Why? Well, rather simply it was because Kou was just as excited as Fiona. Miki watched this for just a second longer than she needed to. Something about this was rather heart-warming and she couldn't quite explain it in the moment. Perhaps it was simply that she enjoyed with the lad was happy, or perhaps it was the look of these two individuals having fun together. Regardless the order for three was given with very specific specifications for Kou's in particular. "Yosh!" the winged lass mentioned at her good nose, but there was more to be said than this. Fiona looked at the lad and then at the cook and thought about it. She didn't know what came on this creation, but she could trust the man who was just as excited as she was, to have good taste. "Yeah! I want mine like that too, please!" she exclaimed seemingly excited by the prospect. In the mean time Miki took note of something very peculiar... the lad had ordered his sweet without chocolate. It made her wonder if he didn't like it at all. When it came time for her to say something, she had in mind what she wanted. "Salted caramel, brown sugar and powdered sugar.." that was it, rather simple but with a different taste entirely in mind. She liked berries well enough, but figured she'd get enough of them over the long haul.

All things noted and accounted for these plates would be prepared, they'd be handed the confection while it was still warm atop an open shell like plate which could be easily disposed of. They were also handed single use chopsticks to eat with, much to the surprise of the blonde lass. Miki forked over the cash and thanked everyone present while, Fiona took hers and Kou was offered his as well. Miki would be the last to get hers, and Fiona would lead them to a small table to sit and eat this mostly because she was unsure how to attack such a dish and wanted to witness it being eaten first hand.

[Bloodedge]

"Fried dough underwater in Atlantis! Lucky!~" Kou mused aloud as he watched the confections being prepared. Taking his, the lad seemed almost as if he could break out into song and dance at any given moment. Instead though, he joined Fiona at the table she had the wherewithal to choose for the group. If Fiona sought a learning experience for use of her chopsticks, she would certainly not get it from Kou. The white-haired male placed his chopsticks on the table, bringing a hand directly to the confection while also lowering his face.

Indeed. Kou would shovel the fried dough directly into his mouth, toppings and all, biting intermittently as more and more was forced into his face. He didn't even think much of it, but he did thing this dish would meet its end by his hand.

[Apollymi]

Fiona watched as Kou sat down to eat, after the lad nearly danced waiting for it. What she found from him, was the sort of method of eating she could have come up with herself. He practically shoveled food into his face, using just his hands, strange though this might have been, Miki herself seemed unbothered by it. Something about it was rather fun, and maybe a little familiar. Still, she couldn't bring herself to do such things. Instead she attacked with chopsticks using them to break apart bite sized pieces she could pick up the topping along with it and take nice and balanced bites without getting her hands messy which was a necessity considering her topping choice. "Hm... " there was a puff to Fiona's cheeks as if she didn't like the idea of eating like either of her parents. A few moments of thought she began to eat in her own way. She'd use both her chopsticks and her fingers. She'd break apart pieces pick them up with the chopsticks then pack on toppings for good bites. It was marvolous. Within her first bite her eyes were wide and she was dancing to herself happily. "Yummy!~" she sang happily to herself, bemused as she devoured her own food with a truly happy disposition. "Hai hai, I'm glad you're happy..." Miki mused enjoying it herself. "Um... you got different stuff on yours... can I have some?" asked Fiona with bright eyes. "Sure, why not?" she said letting the little bird girl attack her plate as well. Now that she had a taste for this one as well, she squealed tasting that one too. "Wow!! That's good too~" she said before going back to her own. "Are you... okay over there?" she asked of Kou having not heard from him since the start.

[Bloodedge]

An exchange occurred between Miki and Fiona, while the latter found her own way of consuming the confection they would all enjoy. Kou made use of this time by digging into his own plate of fried dough, having nothing in particular to comment or address. The others seemed to be enjoying, Fiona seemed to have found a satisfactory eating method for herself... all was fine. Soon enough though, he was being addressed by Miki. With only a few remaining bites of fried dough, and the confection being forced between his teeth at the moment, he looked up as if he'd been captured by some prosecution. "Huh? Yeah, I'm good..." he said, taking a pause before the next bite was taken.

[Apollymi]

Miki's words to Kou had been heard, but when she glanced over in his direction she noted that he looked like someone caught doing something naughty. She couldn't help but chuckle while averting her own gaze, "Sou ka... as you were then~" she mused. In the meantime, Fiona went back to her own plate and began eating again. She'd be done soon and Miki would as well, though at an admittedly slower pace. Once she was done, and assuming Kou was she'd look to Fiona prodding her next activity of choice. "Alright then Fiona... what else do you want to do... the day is yours," she offered the lass as the little girl with her wings stood practically dancing as she placed her used shells and utensils into a nearby bin.

"Umm..." Fiona turned on her heels looking around for the next big activity to grab her attention. Whatever it was, they'd do, and such time would pass well into the afternoon. Games played, raffles won, toys and prizes galore, and even more fair food consumed. Until the bird girl wore herself out and would be seen atop Miki's pillow, cuddled up with a large fish-like stuffed animal, face covered in sugar with a lollipop in her hand. "Best day ever... Ontari," she mumbled as she floated along, referring to the pair by the Atlantean honorific for parents, as she drifted off to sleep. Miki upon hearing this had her eyes widen as she understood the word for what it was... It was at least confirmation of how the lass thought of the pair of adventurers who'd hatched her. "Hm, she wore herself out. Well, at least it seems like she had fun," said Miki to Kou as the little bird girl fell asleep completely.

[Bloodedge]

Finishing up with the fried dough, Kou made an effort to clean his face off before moving on alongside the others. The festivities continued for the trio, many things done, many things seen, etc. Eventually though, all things were destined to reach an end. This day and its events were no exception to this rule of the universe, but that was for the best. Kou had things to do, and little time to do them. There was still the next day, which he would dedicate to Hikari. As such, while they made their way back to the palace, Kou resolved himself to part from Miki and Fiona while the latter experienced exhaustion. "Hai. I'm gonna... run off. It was fun, but... yeah. I'll meet up later," he said prior to his departure.

And so, he'd go back to the room he claimed for his tinkering. There would be another night of sleeplessness on Kou's part, but he would hopefully make a great deal of progress as a result. Only one day of actual commitment remained, at the very least.

[Apollymi]

By the time they reached the palace, Kou seemed rather apt to disappear again. There were probably several logical explanations for this, even so Miki was a bit uneasy. "Hai, catch you later..." she managed waving the lad off. In the meantime she took, Fiona to their shared room and tucked her into bed. Fiona twisted and cuddled with her little shark Miki managed to get wrapped up in her own thoughts once again. She couldn't help but notice Kou's slight detachment, maybe that wasn't the right word. He seemed a bit bored, or tired maybe? Perhaps it was nothing, and he was busy trying to do stuff for his sister now that Fiona was taken care of. 'I mean, maybe he wasn't really into it. But he seemed to be for Fiona... is it me?' she questioned herself as she paced the floor of her room with extreme angst. 'It has to be me. I did too much... maybe I wanted too much?' the girl's thoughts were ablaze and definitely wouldn't be stopping anytime soon. Luckily enough the next day didn't require her attention and as such she didn't really appear that day. And the siblings day which followed it was also something which didn't need her direct attention. No, she'd spend a day freaking out, and withdrawing appearing only for a bit of food.

The day after the Lantern Lighting ceremony, Hikari was sleeping pretty hard in the morning. She'd been spending a lot of time, helping out Diva and at this point she was just a bit tired. That being said she was looking forward to spending the day with her brother. If she managed to get herself together in time. 'Ugh, maybe just a few more minutes. He's an early riser but... he'll let me sleep a bit more, probably,' the lass mused to herself.

[Bloodedge]

That night, into and all the way through the day of Lantern Lighting, Kou continued working diligently on his project. The hours began blending together very quickly, and he never even bothered keeping track of them. For the longest time, all he knew was that sphere, and the Mana and craftsmanship he poured into it meticulously without rest. He wouldn't rest. He couldn't rest, less he fail the project entirely. The only moments of reprieve he could allow himself were...

Oh! Sibling Day! Before he knew it, the day was upon him. A day and a half seemed to have passed since he last left this room. He barely retained consciousness, and his Mana was beginning to fluctuate due to the repeated focusing of it through a small channeling device used for his craft. At long last, he stumbled his way out of the room. A decent amount of progress had been made, but now... he was late. Very late. By his approximation, he should have met with Hikari during her normal waking hours, roughly three or four hours prior to the current time. This wasn't going to end well, he thought. 'Chikusho... Get it together, dumbass! At least keep track of time when you have other shit to do...' the lad thought as he moved groggily through the palace, looking almost like a drunkard.

[Apollymi]

A few more minutes turned into a couple of hours or perhaps a few more. Whatever the case, the lass woke and dressed herself and headed out of her own room. 'Whew, I overslept. Maybe he also did. Who am I kidding he's probably waiting somewhere for...' there was a gentle pause as she looked up the hall and noticed her brother stumbling about like a drunken man. That was unusual. 'Ah, maybe it didn't matter...' she thought with a chuckle. "Oi, Nii-san! You look like you might have drank a bit too much of the seaweed spirit. But... I don't remember seeing you last night," she said walking straight up to him and wrapping her arms around him. "Are you actually up for this?" she asked of the lad prodding gently. She had no idea what he'd been up to, but she was cool to just spend a bit of time with him, if he was a bit too worn out from whatever he'd been up to.

[Bloodedge]

And there she was, the very girl Kou sought an audience with. During the time in which they encroached upon one another, she didn't seem very miffed about his tardiness. Perhaps she had slept in... again. In fact, she even drew close enough to hug him, which he accepted and reciprocated with slightly limp arms of his own. "Iie, I'm fine. I didn't drink anything last night, I just... didn't sleep much," he claimed. Though it would have been more accurate to say that he hadn't slept at all this week thus far, he decided to leave it at that. He'd given his word to spend time with his dear sister during this day's event, and he intended to have it go off with as few complications and unnecessary information shares as possible. "Anyway, yeah, good to go. There's a carnival on; have you gone out to it yet?"

[Apollymi]

"Hoh, I wonder why?" she questioned rhetorically. She was hugged back with limp arms, what could have caused this fatigue? What could the lad have been up to, that he managed not to get any sleep last night? This question was especially pressing considering that he hadn't been participating in any other activities. As for the carnival taking place outside she could only shrug as she dived her attention between her own thoughts and the apparent activity at hand. "Uh, no. I haven't been out. I've been hanging out with Diva," she said about her activities for the last few days. "Regardless, I like carnivals and whatnot, so let's go~" she said happily. "Though, how do they do that here? We're underwater, how do they know about carnivals?" she questioned as she began walking off towards the center of the town making a few assumptions about what where this little gathering would be taking place.

[Bloodedge]

"Lots of reasons," was all Kou cared to say regarding his lack of sleep. Hikari didn't need to know about his plans. Besides, if she did become privy to them, he'd never hear the end of it. There was a slight chance she'd even barge in on the project to ensure he made the right moves in his efforts, and he couldn't be having that. It seemed she was content to move on from the topic regardless, much to his general pleasure. "You two really hit it off, huh? What did you make him for Valentine's Day?" he teased while finally releasing his already-waning hold on the lass.

"It's good you haven't gone out yet, since... I don't have much by way of activity ideas. As far as how they get here is concerned, if I had to take a guess... I'd say it's influence from our world, or maybe even the other way around? Maybe what we know about carnivals comes from here originally. Atlantis wasn't always sunken, as well. There's a rumor in the game's lore that it used to be a floating kingdom," he said, thinking the idea itself to be something outlandish. Of course, it wouldn't be too surprising in this world, but... surely they would have known about something like that by now. Either way, Kou would carry on by leading the way out toward the carnival.

[Apollymi]

His answer of 'lots of reasons' was a bit too vague for Hikari's tastes. Her ears twitched ever so slightly as her brow raised. "Uh-huh..." she mused. She wouldn't pry too much. She'd made a conscious decision to leave the older teens alone, as such she'd keep her thoughts to herself, for now at least. Or rather that is what she would have thought, if he hadn't decided to jokingly tease her about her budding friendship with Diva. Still she'd answer his question, with a casual shrug. "Well, we did his reading lesson. And I gave him a nice non-binding soft chocolate... gentle touch," she said with a large smile which soon got a tiny hint of deviousness. "Not that I expect you to understand the nuances of being a girl on Valentine's Day~" she said brushing the lad off completely. Moving right along, her brother apparently hypothesized that out worlder influence got them a carnival in this world. Or maybe this world got them carnivals. Either way, it seemed like a decent bit of fun. "A floating island, huh? Wonder why it sank?" she asked that seemed pretty crazy, perhaps she'd even find out why one day. She'd follow along with her brother regardless, until they happened upon this carnival. Though she didn't act like a complete child, she managed to be obviously excited, her tail was bristling and her ears twitched as she began picking up the noises she recognized as people and fun.

[Bloodedge]

"Non-binding, huh? Riiight~" Kou replied whilst rolling his eyes playfully, a grin plastered on his face. "Should I be prepared to grill him? You know, make sure everything's alright, do my brotherly duty and find out if I should be fending him off or not?" It seemed he had waited years for this moment, and in fact, he had. It was finally his turn to be in this position against his sister, and he couldn't have been more elated to have the chance. No, it was more than that. Beyond vengeance for the years of his sibling's teasing nature, he was generally and genuinely satisfied. He couldn't have missed this day. Times he'd long since thought lost to an aborted future were upon him, and as Kou, as Akashi, as Yugi in all forms, he would milk them for every last drop of what they had to offer.

"No telling, really. Finding out why it sank might require finding out where it actually was in the beginning. Rumors in game lore usually wind up being true, so... it was probably actually a floating island, as weird as that sounds. Whatever magical source made it float probably gave out, and they couldn't keep it at the surface of the ocean either." At some point, Kou would have an interest in discovering the mysteries of Atlantis. That was the goal of many, after all. So much lore across so many forms of media addressed Atlantis as a concept, and it was always steeped in wonders. For now, though... he would enjoy this time. "Anyway, what catches your eye? Food? Rides? Ideally not in that order. Trust me, it's a bad idea to start off with carnival food," he said, even though his own stomach demanded sustenance after not consuming a bite since Parent/Child Day.

[Apollymi]

This lad's sarcasm wasn't missed by Hikari. In fact, one could almost call such a use of words familiar to her, or rather native to her. Instead of being upset about this she had a bit of a chortle. Her brother, teasingly threatening to do his duties as a brother and scope out the potential suitor was beyond hilarious to her. "Uh, no. I think you're good. Can't really trust your eye on something like that... as you know, you seem to be blind~" she said in an off-handed manner. "Besides, you're like a thousand years off from knowing those things about people over me. You're really good at puzzles and the big pictures. Leave the nuances to professionals," she chimed, knowing that she was indeed much better suited to match-making or breaking than her brother would ever be. Still, this moment was quite enjoyable to her, she'd quite missed her chats with her big brother in her time since coming to this world. She'd be sure to enjoy him as much as possible. Besides all of that, he was quite an info-dump of things which made it into game lore, which she wouldn't know because she'd only gotten to play the beta herself before ending up here. Given this, his insight was still worth hanging on to, especially about what he thought may have happened to the Kingdom of Atlantis. "Sugoi. If it just fell out of the sky, it must have been on a downward spiral. Might be worth looking into, there's no telling what kinda good stuff they could have hidden here if they technically started off in a more advanced part of the world," she said seemingly excited by the prospect and enjoying the banter.

Speaking of enjoying things, the look of this carnival was absolutely amazing. There were rides, food, games... literally everything one could potentially want to participate in. She looked up at all of the rides and grinned widely. "Uh, rides... actually... those... those right there!" she said pointing happily at what looked like bumper cars but were instead small magically controlled little boats that other teens were either racing around a set track or.... running into each other in the middle of a large pit. This looked like fun, and perhaps... she'd gotten a bit better at controlling vehicles. "Oooh, I'm getting excited come on!" she said as she immediately hopped in line and after confirming she met height and magical requirements was assigned one of these little boats which she strapped herself into.

[Bloodedge]

Kou scoffed in the wake of Hikari's rebuttal. "Please," he said. If he set out to do so, people and puzzles were one and the same. His lack of commitment to the former not withstanding, such was the case regardless. "Don't even try underestimating me like that. You're about as much of a professional as an infant at university." Even though he'd manage to pull the focus away from tiredness for himself, Kou couldn't resist the yawn which escaped him after his retort. Meanwhile, Hikari expressed some amount of interest in the lore of Atlantis. Kou thought it would have been interesting if they had been able to play Age of Eternity together, knowing now that she had such interests. That wasn't something he intended to bring up, though. Those times were long gone.

What wasn't gone, was the enjoyment to be had at this event! Speaking of, Hikari had a ride in mind for her first activity of choice. It seemed to be an interesting one, which Kou thought he would enjoy quite thoroughly as well. "Really, that? You know I'll destroy you, right?" he asked while being checked for entry as well, making his move thereafter to take an adjacent boat for the ride. "It's no bike, but... whatever."

[Apollymi]

It was quite funny to her that her brother managed to scoff at her rebuttal. He seemed to be laboring under the impression that he could and would figure out people the same way he did puzzles if he set out to do so. How mistaken could he be? Even if she would willingly excuse him as not being interested in such activities, his lack of self application would always leave him a step behind. "You can say that, but there is subtlety to being an infant in things. You really wouldn't understand~" she said with a musing smile. Hikari wouldn't deny being a novice at most things, but there was a certain advantage given to those who were new at something, the ability to question things and get straightforward answers, and it couldn't be denied. She'd fully taken advantage of her time being a child again in this world. And it had given her a bit of joy she wouldn't be able to explain for quite a while. Even in dealing with her brother, being a proper kid again had quite a few benefits and gave plenty of insights. That being said she wasn't ready to give up all that information yet. What she would take note of, was the yawn her brother let off, even while they were on their way to the sort of activity they would both enjoy.

Oh the activity... boat racing was about to be a great deal of fun. In fact, it started off with a bit of trash talk from her brother even as he settled into the contraption. "Bet." Just that one word, hanging in the air as the challenge to the lad. This was far different from the simple kinds of games they normally played. And she had a pretty good feel for using magic now, as such she was fairly confident she could easily control this little boat. As soon as her brother was also settled, a pair of lights on either side of the track would begin counting down. Red. Yellow. Green. As soon as it was green her magic flowed forwards, propelling her at great speeds through the first straightaway as she prepared to immediately drop her magical boost and drift through the curve, hugging close to the inner wall.

[Bloodedge]

"You'd be surprised," he countered. He knew all about being a virtual infant in the world of adults, from being a parent figure to the very lass he spoke with, to... other things related to the parents who weren't around during those same times. If only she knew the things he'd dealt with in her absence. Dark thoughts aside, he situated himself in the boat to prepare for the race.

Once let loose, Kou applied his Mana to the boosters as well, tearing out of the entrance with maximum acceleration. Upon reaching the first curve in the race, he let off the booster as well, driving on the outer edge of the turn. He didn't slow nearly as much though, resulting in more of a slide toward the outer wall. However, before reaching the wall, he initiated a second boost to rocket himself forward along the next straightaway. "Good luck catching up~" he called out as he zipped by.

[Apollymi]

Her brother made a claim that she'd be surprised at the things he knew. "Yeah yeah," she said seeming to be in disbelief. That being said, it wasn't that she didn't believe he knew what such things were like. It was simply that she knew he was bad at applying them to situations at hand, especially when it was himself in conflict. Nothing made this more obvious than his budding/not budding relationship with the girl she now knew to be Ashikaga Kimiko. Whatever the case, there was a race to be had, and as such the lad would be aiming to do what she knew he would. Pulling out in front with his superior skill in driving. A chuckle escaped her because though she had less understanding of the skills required to drive well, luck was usually on her side.

"Yare yare, old habits die hard Nii-san~" she mentioned as a kick in her own magical output allowed her to roll up closer after the sharp curve, but beyond that her hand on the wheel let her channel a single orb of wet energy forward which would explode beneath the lad's boat, potentially causing a major spin-out as such things were prone to do. 'Ah, shit this is really Mario Kart!~' she thought happily. As she aimed to push her speed up and pass him while he lacked control over his weapon.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, old habits did die hard. Among these habits, one could count Kou's competitive nature. Out ahead, he was suddenly forced to deal with a burst occurring underneath his vessel. Spinning out was unavoidable, but he was nothing, if not capable of thinking on his feet in reaction to games and game-like mechanics. A turn of the wheel preceded the use of another Mana-related ability, unleashing a torrent from beneath his ship to launch it into the air. Following this, it was a simple matter of Kou using the keen eye he gained from his Saber Class to determine the time of his next boost. He would be jettisoned through the air, passing Hikari from above after being overtaken so recently. Before landing, though, he'd be sure to apply another skill to drop a magical mine in the girl's path. "Be better tomorrow!~"

[Apollymi]

There was quite the slew of things happening. She had indeed managed to influence the lad's spin. She'd even managed to take the lead as she aimed to take the next turn. Of course as soon as this turn became a straightaway she noticed her brother flying overhead. "Ugh, you suck!" she exclaimed. But she didn't realize how much he actually sucked. The placement of a mine would cause her boat to explode and spin, though she spun the wheel along with it she was still basically stopped before she could start up again. Her brother's competitive nature was something she was quite used to, and even falling behind like this, she was having a pretty good time. Her wheel spun and she righted herself kicking in to gear, her use of magic would propel her forward but if she had any chance at winning the race in the final stretch she'd have to time her last use of material very carefully. So, after taking the straight away and having her brother come into her sights again, she'd let up off the accelerator, and kick her magical boost in the middle of the curve releasing a torrent of water behind her and allowing her to shoot forward from the curve as she aimed to overtake her brother at the straightaway. This would have her cross the finish line either first or second.

[Bloodedge]

Victory was in sight. Having managed to bring Hikari to a halt, he hardly had a thing to do besides make the final push toward the finish line. Of course, that was exactly what he set out to do. He'd have even managed to accomplish that easily, if not for Hikari boosting her way toward him in the end. She was making some insane headway in this catch-up, and the sight of it brought a grin to Kou's face. He realized, though, that there was another player of this game encroaching upon her at the same time. There was a simple decision to be made based on that knowledge.

Kou's boat swerved, spinning 180 degrees before he unleashed his final booster. In doing so, the vessel would rocket past Hikari and crash into the individual who held third place at the time. Where was Kou in the meantime? Of course, he jumped out of his own vehicle, and onto Hikari's during the moment of passing. "Looks like a win to me~" he said cheekily, choosing a technical team victory over anything else.

[Apollymi]

Her ability to catch up, was not to be underrated. Even so, the person behind her was gaining on her with swiftness, she couldn't handle both that individual and the one in front of her. She had to hedge her bets on simply moving forward. Strangely, her brother's vehicle did a 180 and was sent careening off and into the third boat, leaving it behind as she crossed the finish with her brother on her own vehicle. "Sugoi! I changed my mind. You suck less..." she mentioned with an equal amount of cheekiness. Soon after she'd get out of the vehicle with a huge grin on her face. She'd won, and that was amazing to her she strutted happily over to the race runner who gave her a prize for coming in first. This prize was rather strangely something which looked a bit like a trinket but in the shape of an anchor with a boat wheel attached to it. It had an innately magical sensation but seemed to be a light charm of some sort without any deeper meaning. "Sugoi! It's nice... it's like a weapon charm~" she said, knowing that she could attach it to her sword for an extra effect to be added to it. Whatever the case such a thing was more than enough right now. "Alright then, next thing... uh," she looked around some more and continued to pick an activity or two until she'd done everything she wanted and a great deal of time had passed. As this part of the day drew to an end, she walked around with candy on stick eating and talking to her brother. "So, anything you want to do before we call it quits. I've done enough for the day, and I probably shouldn't eat any more of this stuff~" she mentioned while continuing to stuff her face.