The Grandcypher

[Bloodedge]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50117380798_9d1ca4da1e_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jmGFfo)

An airship carrying the hopes and dreams of its crew toward the distant horizon. The skyfarers aboard have heard the dragon's voice that shakes the world's balance.

[Apollymi]

It took a couple of days beyond the end of the Demon menace in Eonis for the group, now plus a few additional people to make it all the way back to Atlantis and onto the the ship created by two others of their ilk. Bulma stood with her short blue hair being pushed about by the breeze, atop the deck of the ship just off the shores, of Atlantis as a cart pulled by a heavily fatted black Filolial road up to it. She smoked a cigarette seemingly amused by the sight. It'd been a few weeks since she'd last seen this group and she'd spent a lot of time, effort and a great deal of Miki's coin, making this ship into a moving hub. Now, she was simply waiting for the entire group to arrive.

From the cart, this ship was massive, a vessel larger than whole mansions by most accounts. It's hull had a shiny hue to it, but seemed to be made of some sort of wood and beyond all of that, a large dragon shaped balloon like set of sails sat atop it floating it just off the ground constantly. A ramp made its way up the side wide enough that the whole cart could be manuevered up onto the deck and it soon was, as the black Filolial ran forward, strangely enough with Hikari at the reigns. The Demi-Human lass had been thinking for quite a while, about the secretive nature of her brother among other things. But she'd carried on, as she always did, wondering just what all was going on in his head. Upon bringing a stop to the vehicle she raised a hand to Bulma and said a strange phrase. "Yahello!~" she chimed only to have Bulma reply in turn through drags of a cigarette. "Yahello!~ Hikari-chan... Minna, welcome to the Grandcypher!"

[Bloodedge]

At long last, they were ready to venture out into the open sky of this world. The group had certainly grown over the course of a few journeys. They were ten strong now, each member capable of contributing a great deal to the overall structure of a group. If they had the clearance, they could easily form a Guild here and now, with the ship as their base; it was certainly large enough to classify as one.

Ah, but there was one thing... just a single hiccup. As the majority of this group made their way to the ship, there was a greeting shared mutually between Hikari and their resident scientist, Bulma. The ashen-haired Saber named Kou suffered a twitching eye and lip upon hearing it twice, but he supposed there would be no avoiding it in the long haul. With a sigh, he accepted the fate that he'd never hear the end of this 'yahello' epidemic, even in this world. "... Right. Yeah. Grandcypher, huh? I wasn't expecting a zeppelin, but it looks pretty sick," he praised. A large number of the group seemed to be in awe of this construction. Among the most awe-stricken was none other than Dreyfus, their new and temporary blacksmith. With his maw agape, the large half-Dwarf sauntered his way inside the vessel, bypassing one Kaiba Seto... who naturally looked about as pleased as a rotten child. "Greetings aside, get this damn thing moving already. I have things to do."

[Apollymi]

Kou upon seeing the ship, classified it as a zeppelin and he wasn't wrong in this. Apparently, though he still approved of the look which caused a gentle incline from the head of Bulma. "Hai hai, glad you like it. It was the best compromise that could be achieved with the combination of things it needed to be capable of," she said taking another drag of her cigarette. It seemed that Kaiba Seto was none too thrilled about their lack of movement, but that was to be expected. After all the lad was never very patient. As more individuals came pouring out of the cart, a blue haired boy by the name of Jaskier hopped out as well, having a grand look around as Miki floated out once again this time with a frown on her face as she came to look at Kaiba. She absently pushed her hair out of the way and shook her head. "It isn't going anywhere. And some of us, always have something to do..." she said with a roll of her eyes. Of course, they'd been busy while they were gone, the extra people present was proof enough of that, but what this group couldn't know was how much world saving the group had managed to do while they were out and about. "Nice job on the ship. Is it fully outfitted?" she asked of Bulma because obviously having a normal conversation was Kaiba wasn't really on her list of things to do.

"Hai, I had a lot of time and a lot of funding. It has a fully stocked galley, living areas enough for 50 or so, including a large captain's quarters, a Library, a couple of different workshops and indoor plumbing." she said of the full layout. "Oh, and there is also storage below for carts, vehicles, and mounts so you can keep your pets from going stir crazy... But I left decorating to him... so no complaints about that aimed towards me," she finished up. "Very nice." was the last thing Miki had to say about it. Not so strangely, Miki had no problem trusting potential furnishings left up to Kaiba, they technically had similar tastes aside from his Dragon obsession. "We can take off anytime, anyone with riding skills who wants to learn the controls should come along though...they are a bit... different," she said leaving anyone who wanted to explore the ship to do so, while heading up to the area which housed the helm and all the navigation equipment. For their maiden voyage, Miki was content to at least learn the controls, so she followed Bulma. Hikari on the other hand decided to get Fiona settled, while Jaskier found a place near the mast to post up and begin tuning his lute.

[Bloodedge]

"If this is the best, I think you could have even taken a lazy day... or seven," Kou commented as he, too, boarded the vessel. Members of the group were piling on while Bulma explained matters of importance, primarily involving this ship's functionality as a base. "That's the stuff! It'll be a hell of a relief, having a solid place to stay while still being on the move for so long... yeah?" His clause ended with an upward inflection as his gaze found Miki. He would also be taking Bulma's offer to learn the Grandcypher's mechanics directly. Different though they may have been, he expected a simple enough transition.

Dreyfus took a quick trip toward whatever place would allow him to place his craft. Arjuna remained on deck, not far from the bard Jaskier. Diva, having little clue what to do with himself otherwise, followed Hikari, and the same could be said of... Xerxes, the dragon-like feline who'd been left to watch over Hikari and Fiona. "Right, I guess it's just us then? No worries. Teach away, uh... Teach," Kou stated in anticipation of this vessel's workarounds.

[Apollymi]

The words which came from Kou's mouth made Bulma look confused by association. "Lazy... days? I wouldn't know what to do with myself," she said simply. Of course she meant that whole-heartedly and it would strangely be Miki to provide clarification. "Number One workaholic, who doesn't know the meaning of the word play because she considers her work as such. Hisakawa Hiromi is not capable of taking a lazy day," Miki teased, in a fashion more typical of her original self. "Ashikaga, you can barely talk." Bulma followed up, without at all denying anything that was said. "But I can talk!~" the blonde lass teased. Moving right along, the news that the entire place was fully furnished, and outfitted for living seemed to bring Kou a great deal of comfort. "Yeah. I enjoy traveling as much as the next person, but a bit of security and comfort is definitely nice," Miki agreed without question. She then got to watch as the whole of their group dispersed to different activities. Even Xerxes was out and about as they went to get their first flying lesson.

Bulma took a deep breath and pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes. She began tapping them against her palm while pointing around the control room. "Helm," she said pointing to the wheel. "These switches control the wings," Bulma said as she kept tapping her pack. "This one raises and lowers the ramp, and this one launches for take off," she said pointing to a blue button first and then a large red one, marked launch. It seemed she'd taken quite a bit of thought in designing this, but the truth was, this ship sort of, built itself. "Petals on the floor are gas and breaks, just like a car... but the gauges here read all different pressures, fuel, wind, weather, water, etc..." she managed and only then did the tapping stop. She pulled a single smoke from her package and a lighter from her pocket and lit it. A long drag ensued, "This last thing here is navigation..." she said pointing to a large glass sphere with a small cone visible showing presently the landmass they were directly floating over with the ship as its central point. "The ship is the dot, not sure how far she sees exactly, but her senses are better than ours. Also... I'm pretty sure it's gonna take some advanced riding to get it just right... the she's a little fickle..." mentioned Bulma. "Questions?" Though it wasn't technically necessary, to be fair, aside from its sentience this ship worked like any car or motorbike from their home.

[Bloodedge]

The exchange between Miki and Bulma was taken in stride by Kou. Hearing their words toward each other, he actually had a bit of input himself. "I dunno... she's got a point," he said to Miki, laughing just slightly as he did. From what he'd seen of her thus far, she hardly knew when to quit. Of course, he also had little room to talk in specific cases of immersion, but... those were specific cases. Moving on though, he had a look around the control room. It was quite an advanced structure, considering the look of this ship from the outside. Considering the state of this world, though, he wasn't sure if this was Bulma's work... or the original design of the old Atlanteans. It didn't matter long term either way, but it was a curiosity of his.

"I do have a question," he said, even though it had nothing to do with what he wondered previously. As he continued speaking, he also continued moving about the room. Everything Bulma mentioned was being committed to memory. "What's this about other vehicles? You know you wanna let me take that bike for a spin, right?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Kou saw the hypocrisy of the statements given by Miki. She simply playfully scoffed at the notion. Yes, she also knew that she had a habit of becoming a bit ingrained in her work. Even so, she was still ever so slightly better off than Bulma though by no doing of her own. "Well, sure she does. That's why I pointed it out... I still know my way around a lazy day," said Miki which was true, if only because her father saw to it, that she gained a knowledge of how to not throw herself exclusively into work, regardless of how she felt about it. Still there were able to move on to this point and get to the questions part of the explanation after of course, getting a general run down of the necessary information about the ship. "You said the ship is sentient, does that mean it has auto-pilot?" she asked of Bulma which made the lass laugh, but a shrug came after. "Uh, kinda. If she wants to go somewhere she will... as far as I know she seems to know what she wants out of travel. At the very least, she wants to go towards certain points. I was thinking of letting her choose our first destination since there weren't any specifics... I don't think she can be forced to go somewhere she doesn't wish to, though," mentioned Bulma lightly. Their maiden voyage was something to be decided by the ship if only because, Bulma wasn't actually sure it would take direct orders from her.

Beyond this, Bulma was about to say something which further backed up Miki's claim that she didn't know when to stop working. She pulled from her pocket a few capsules and held them out for Kou after his request to ride a bike. "I had a lot more free time than I thought, and per our agreement I made a few of these. The first one, is a regular land bike, a bit like a Harley. Magical but it can be modified a bit. The second is for water, I don't know how much you plan to use it but it functions a bit like a jet ski..." she mentioned of a the first two capsules which were black and blue. The last one was a golden orange a bit like the sun and she gave a bit of pause before explaining it. "This last one is a prototype. I made it of some left over dragon parts, I call it a solar sailer. It runs on magic and sunlight, but I haven't gotten to test it out yet. It's meant for some recreational flight type of things. You can test it out if you like once we're up high enough it should be a decent bit of fun..." she said calmly. "Also all vehicles of these type can fit two... so, do with that what you will," she mentioned while taking a drag. "Are we ready for takeoff?" she asked.

[Bloodedge]

"H'oh?" Kou seemed to be in doubt of Miki's claim. No matter what she said, he hardly believed her idea of a 'lazy day' could ever be the same as his. They were in two very different classes. The way he figured, her equivalent to a lazy day would be his equivalent to... any random Wednesday. "I wonder. What is it you even do on a lazy day?" he questioned. He legitimately wondered what the exact differences between their lifestyles were. This girl had never experienced a great deal of things that were commonplace to him, but... could their lives have been so separate in the other world?

Bulma had nary a thing to say regarding the use of her bike. She did, however, have a few containment devices containing three total vehicles. The first of them was just what he desired, while the second was something he imagined would see use in only a few locations. Ah, but the final offering... that was something to think twice about. She had a flying tool powered by Mana and sunlight, and it was his to toy with? Oh, he'd be wasting no time at all. Prototype or not, that was going to be the first thing he made use of once they took off. Speaking of takeoff, this new development left him less patient for departure. "Hell yeah, let's get moving!" he said, his eyes alight with wonder and anticipation for the new tools. Just after that, he took pause with an expression of wonder upon his face. "Wait, what agreement?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed Kou doubted Miki's ability to have a lazy day, or rather felt the need to question her choice of activities on a lazy day. Perhaps their ideas of lazy were different, but Kimiko in her life was still a shut-in gamer with way too much time on her hands. "Mine are spent doing whatever. A trip to the arcade, shopping, getting rid of staff and spending interrupted sweet hours in-game. Those were my lazy days... I suppose I'll have to eventually find something to replace those kinds of activities..." she mentioned thinking about it. Her lonely days at home, like the weekend that landed her here, were shining moments of glorious laziness for a lass whose entire life worked on a schedule, diet, and full-time work. Perhaps because of this, what she thought of as lazy wasn't truly so, but it still gave her a healthy bit of relaxation to ponder.

Beyond this point, while not mentioning her own bike, Bulma did indeed offer the lad two different ones and a prototype solar sailer. It seemed he was fine with all of these offerings and content to take off. "Hai hai launch at your leisure..." Miki said in response to the lass. She began preparations, removing the latches and allowing the ship to begin to gently lift further from the ground, pressing the button caused it to move forward and beyond that the shifting of the wings made it turn slightly until it was aligned. They slowly began gaining altitude thereafter. Strangely, Kou seemed to only catch what Bulma had mentioned of an agreement after the fact, and Bulma had no problem explaining it, much to Miki's dismay. "When I turned over control of the business end of my creations to Ashikaga, when we first saw each other in Atlantis, we struck a deal. Assuming you are familiar with her normal rates, you know the scale is negotiable depending on what you need from the deal. I plan to leave all the business end to her, so I would have been charged full price. She took a five percent cut for a provision which gives you access to bikes and a few prototype creations of mine. There's even a provision if you decide you want to build a bike. So, basically she hired me as your personal mechanic, and since our contract is indefinite..." she mentioned. Miki or rather Kimiko didn't seem to have much interest in the mechanical engineering side of things. And out right she was more of a car person, than a motorcycle person. But Kou had mentioned even in the Marshlands wanting bikes. Upon finding Bulma in this world, she made a deal to make sure he could have access to anything and everything he wanted in that realm. This was done even before her confession to the lad. Miki had the grace to look exceedingly sheepish after this her face painted red because she figured he would have gone ages without knowing and likely would have just figured Bulma was nice instead of thinking she had anything to do with it.

[Bloodedge]

He could almost laugh. In fact, he did. That rich girl known as Ashikaga Kimiko thought that classified as a lazy day? Oh, the difference between their lifestyles. Once he was done grasping at his abdomen and bellowing a guffaw into the ship's ceiling, he bent at the waist and shook his head. "That's it? I dunno, that sounds like a regular day to me. What the fuck do you mean a trip? There aren't trips in laziness! Skip school, stay inside, don't change clothes, eat cup ramen and let the noodles hang out of your mouth because you're too into a boss fight to even chew! Don't even get up to shower, just keep all your food and drink by the bed all day. That's lazy! There was a wide, carefree grin upon the face of Kou during this speech. He meant every word; his take on laziness was of a different quality entirely. What Miki had to say, truly was just an ordinary day to him.

Off they went on their sky ship, while Bulma explained the agreement she'd made with Miki in Atlantis. He certainly wasn't expecting anything of the sort, but it was strangely heartwarming. Could the blonde really think his gift to her was something so out of the ordinary, when she'd sacrificed part of a contract to grant him a simple desire he'd only mentioned in casual conversation? Ridiculous. What could he do now, though? Miki's face wasn't the only one experiencing an intense increase in redness; his was as well. He tried looking in her direction, but the end result was nothing more than him looking away immediately. "S─sou ka..." he said. This abashed demeanor of his wouldn't last long, though. His excitement returned soon after they took off, and he moved closer to the ship's deck. A single pop of a capsule, and he had before him what appeared to be a surfboard. Indeed, it was the Solar Sailer Bulma previously mentioned. Once his eye was on it, he had it in mind to take a more... exciting path to the skies.

[Apollymi]

Kou seemed to be having a great laugh at Miki's idea of laziness, and she was soon to find out why. An entire tangent ensued about things she assumed the lad did when he was being lazy. Not going for showers, eating nearby food, not leaving his house... this was an extreme amount of shut-in behavior. She wouldn't chastise his decisions though because he looked so happily carefree at the end of his statement that she couldn't bring herself to even try too pick apart his fun. Instead only a smile crossed her face. "Hai hai, I suppose that does sound a great deal lazier than anything I manage... I'm still not a workaholic," she said. The ship continued to climb and as it did the conversation about the deal between Miki and Bulma came to its high point.

The explanation provided by Bulma seemed to leave both of the younger teens in a state of embarrassment, which the blue-haired woman found amusing for a variety of reasons. "Yeah, so let me know if you want anything particular, or if after testing you think of some things which can be adjusted..." Bulma said with a solid offering of her own services, knowing that it was exactly what Miki meant for her to do. Still the cute embarrassment wouldn't seem to last very long as the lad moved on to his excitement about trying out the prototype and Miki managed to clear her head only to think of one thing as she went to watch the take off. It was a question surrounding part of his earlier tirade and one which only she could ask. "Wait... what the hell is cup ramen?"

[Bloodedge]

"Eyes of the beholder," the lad chimed as he stepped farther from the control room, toward the ship's edge. That feeling of the wind was just what he needed, and there was no better time than the present to have this new experience. He wanted to have an early go at it as well, before it became too dangerous for any random failure of the prototype. "Alright... Time to make a move," he said, propping his sailer against the railing and preparing for departure. Just before he hopped on, though, Miki shared a few more words. She couldn't have meant that, right? Ah, but she could. That wealthy lass truly was poor enough in experience to have zero familiarity with cup ramen. Kou was aghast. "You─" How could he even explain? Well, he supposed there was only one way to do so. Somehow, somewhere, he'd have to find a way to offer the experience directly.

"I can't explain it. It has to be lived." That was all he could manage regarding the great delicacy known as cup ramen. With that, he hopped off the Grandcypher with his new 'toy' in hand. There was a place to plant his feet, and once they were there, rocket propulsion allowed additional speed to his descent. It took a few seconds to adjust, but he soon managed to curve enough to begin moving alongside the ship at great speed, even exceeding the larger vessel here and there. "WOOOOOOOHOOO!~' Already, this was the most worthwhile use of his time at present. He wondered briefly what the 'solar' part of this device was, but it was easy enough to figure out. Application of Mana through his forward foot produced a literal sail on the board─ one which bore similarities to a solar panel, albeit malleable enough to be carried by the wind. 'Sou ka. If I use this, I can save Mana at a low speed cost. This shit's cray.'

[Apollymi]

Kou claimed such things to be in the eye of the beholder, and Miki could agree. She didn't see herself as a workaholic because she had examples of people much more prone to extra work and no fun than herself. Kaiba and Hisakawa came to mind for that sort of thing implicitly. Still, her question about cup ramen wasn't answered directly instead the lad claimed it was something which had to be lived. Perhaps, one day she'd find a way to try it, since the way he said it made it sound rather enticing. "Sou desu ka..." she managed softly. Of course, this was fine. And she was then content to watch the lad try out his new vehicle. Actually, that wasn't really the case she was unabashedly staring as the lad had his fun. Zooming around the ship, managing to speed up with it, all while looking absolutely entertained and amused. A small smile came to her face and there was a deep light in her eyes, seeing this amount of happiness definitely made that earlier contract worth making. All the while she leaned up against the railing, taking in the wind, her hair blowing gently in the breeze. This was truly picturesque, eventually the ship itself reached a stabilizing altitude and would turn itself towards wherever it was it intended to go. Then and only then did Bulma leave the control room several minutes after the fact and head back to the deck. There were a few other things to take care of about figuring out who was going to be captain and all of that, but she figured they could get to that after a bit of relaxation was reached.

[Bloodedge]

There were many twists and turns in Kou's flight, all purposeful. His path took him around the ship multiple times, though he mostly resorted to cruising alongside it. Eventually, he'd board again... but not quite yet. While he was busy enjoying his flight, others were moving about the ship. Arjuna, for one, had recently taken in the sights of the ship. The tanned male approached the pair of Miki and Bulma, speaking to the latter. Of course, this only came after he checked in with Hikari for... reasons.

"Bulma," he said, expecting that the young Demi-Human would be alongside him to chime in at her leisure. "I've inspected the ship, but there is one minor... issue. The captain's quarters is a single room separate from others, as it well should be. However, would we not have two captains aboard?" He spoke to Bulma, yes, but his gaze found Miki partway through his speech. There was something afoot here, but it was a grand gesture... depending on how one chose to view it. As he continued, his words became ones which reached out to Miki as well. Meanwhile, others such as Dreyfus and Diva were approaching this small gathering of people. "We were discussing the fact that there are two people who normally function as our leader. Should we expect the room to be shared, or will our navigator be taking it? Allow me to advise against the latter."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough, Arjuna was approaching Miki and Bulma, and along with him was Hikari who seemed more than a bit amused. In fact, there was devious light in the lass' eye. "Yare yare, I told you any problems with the decor don't have anything to do with m...." there was a pause it seemed the issue wasn't really one. According to him, there was a decision to be made regarding their captains and where they would be sleeping. "Sou ka," Bulma said. Although she didn't retain the same vested interest in the budding relationship between Kou and Miki, she was just as likely as the others to observe it. She didn't have any problem letting the rest of the group at large, have their fun at these two's expense.

Miki for her part in this, was exceedingly distracted, watching Kou. Until of course, the aim was to get her attention. Then and only then did she finally draw her eyes away from the lad, only to turn and find most of the people of this group standing around. Her eyes widened, and she felt like she had been caught. Little did she know she was being trapped instead. "Ah, well... I mean we," Miki started. It looked as if they were already planning this. The claim being they should share the room, or give it to the navigator which he advised against. "You seem like you've put a bit more thought into this than I'd like," this was how Miki chose to phrase her present discomfort. Now if she were being truthful, she had no problem sharing a room with Kou. In fact, before anyone else had joined them, she'd forced him into it. "I mean I don't really care where I sleep or anything. It isn't so big a deal..." said Miki, crossing her arms over her chest. A lighter flick would sound and Bulma began another cigarette, "You don't have to worry on my account. I'd prefer to sleep in my workshop, and set it up as such..." Bulma said laxly. "Yosh! No reason then, that you and Nii-san, can't just share the Captain's Quarters then, right?" said Hikari with her wide eyes shining at Miki. She was put on the spot so hard by this notion. Where was Kou, obviously he could help her out of this.

[Bloodedge]

As Kou continued to fly around the Grandcypher, he considered a great many things. One of those things he offered thought to, happened to be something which disturbed him greatly. They had so recently departed from Eonis, but there was one thing... one vital thing he'd gone without addressing during his time there. They were all quite busy, yes, but something was missing. "FUCK!" he yelled without much forethought. "I didn't get the fucking Dragon Glass!"

Meanwhile, deliberation regarding the captain's quarters began properly. Miki was right. Arjuna had, indeed, put quite a bit of thought into this sales pitch after scoping out their new shared living space. This option, above all others, was integral to the majority's desire... to force their leader figures into a relationship, since the pair of them were so skittish about it otherwise. Miki claimed she didn't care where she slept, but that was just more reason for it to work out just the way he suggested. "No qualms, then? If nothing else, having the captain well-rested from the best setup is ideal for crew morale. Looking at the rooms here, I imagine there will be some sort of... buff from the room."

[Apollymi]

Strangely, there was an outburst from Kou, about forgetting Dragon Glass. It had been a thing, that he'd previously asked for from the player Princess Madoka in Eonis on their earlier visit. All things considered, it wasn't really strange it had been forgotten given the state they'd found Eonis in when they'd returned to it. Bulma ever the nice person looked up at the lad. "I have Dragon Alchemy, if the combination of the right materials can be reached. I can make Dragon Glass..." she mentioned through an exhale of smoke. Of course, she had every reason to believe that between her and Miki such an amalgamation of materials could be found, but alas this wasn't the point of the conversation being had by the crew members at present. Hikari's eyes were still shining brightly with that hint of devilishness in them. Miki was managing to avoid eye contact though the words being spoken by Arjuna made her huff.

"Crew Morale and buffs? You want us to share a room for crew morale and buffs..." she said looking at the man as if he was up to something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, maybe it was just knowing the lad was also Karna that made her mistrust his words a bit. Maybe, it was just the idea of such a thing being sprung on her without reason. She couldn't really tell, but it definitely seemed as if everyone present had some strange vested interest in the idea of her and Kou sharing the Captain's Quarters. She had no real problem with doing so, but she wouldn't make such a decision. After all, their whole working relationship was based on the equality of their input. So, the approach to take, would be the one she always did, the one of tentative neutrality. "There is no reason we can't share it, but... that isn't really a decision I can make on my own," Miki mentioned still not making eye contact. Bulma took note of this and found it interesting. She'd known Ashikaga Kimiko for a great deal of her life, and had never seen her outright defer a decision in such a way. In fact, she was much more likely to watch the girl argue her point into the ground before leaving something up to someone else. Taking such a statement as cue Hikari looked to her brother, and asked the lad a question in the most direct manner possible. "Nii-san! Miki-nee wants to share the Captain's Quarters with you... that's cool, right?" she mentioned taking the liberty of interpreting the elder lass' neutrality. This widened Miki's eyes, those weren't the exact words she'd spoken but they could be taken that way, 'She's dangerous...' she realized of the lad's younger sister.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's outburst had been heard by none other than Bulma, who thought it imperative to mention her own ability to produce Dragon Glass. It wasn't so much a thing he needed, but rather something he saw the potential uses of in future. Moreover, he wouldn't be capable of acquiring it from Princess Madoka for quite some time after this journey to the skies began. It was overall nice to know he could receive Dragon Glass, or even something like it, through a member of the current group. "Sugoi!" he said while flying closer to the deck where others seemed to be grouping up. "I made an arrangement to get tons of it, but... I might be needing a few pieces while we're upstairs. I'll let you know!"

There was one more matter which kept Kou closer to the ship. Why was most of the crew hanging out in this one spot on the deck? He'd soon be finding out in a roundabout way, and through none other than Hikari at that. His board lowered until he could hover just over the surface for a bit. She couldn't h ave been serious, right? To imply that Miki had a desire to share a room was ridiculous, or at least it should have been. There was a memory in his mind of her suggesting a shared room at the start of their journey together, though...

"... Eh?" he questioned aloud. It took the young man's best effort to keep any amount of shock and embarrassment from his visage, but he may have been failing just a bit. He couldn't manage eye contact with a single person at the time, knowing a handful of eyes were on him during this moment. "Uh... yeah. I mean, I guess? Are there buffs?"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, whatever the lad had planned for the Dragon Glass, he didn't need much of it at first. Perhaps he would only need it after a while, with this, Bulma could at least nod her head knowing that her services would actually be used at some point. "Hai hai..." she managed knowing she'd caused this pair of youngsters a bit of discomfort when she'd showed up wanting their Wish Gems, she figured she might as well make herself as fully available as her contract with them was one which was mutually beneficial.

Moving right along the lad would soon be stopped along with everyone else, wondering about the gathering, his younger sister's words caused a strange reaction in him, and she looked on with that same bit of deviousness before turning her head up in the air. 'I hate that I know him this well. A pretty girl doesn't need buffs to want to room with you... but you agree to it because of that... Baka-nii. Looking after you is so difficult,' she thought, giving Arjuna a knowing look because she'd said this exact thing when they were discussing the plan. "Hai hai, well-rested bonuses and whatever they trickle down to for us. And Crew Morale is always a thing to consider," said the girl with a triumphant face. Miki heard out this explanation and though she'd never had any qualms about the idea of sharing the room with Kou, all of the words mentioned made it seem like more of a good idea than a bad one. Kou had even already agreed though he seemed a bit hesitant, Miki managed to smile as she hazarded a glance his way. 'I really don't mind sharing with him. Actually, it's kind of exciting we'll be able to talk, hang out and maybe...' Miki's mind began to wander. Late night chats, a progression to their potential dating, midnight snacks... stolen romantic moments. Her face was blushing at the thought. And Bulma was watching the girl as she smoked her cigarette and wondered if being forced to be more normal had ended Ashikaga Kimiko with a different set of problems from others like them.

[Bloodedge]

It made sense. If the two who were in charge benefited from the same rest bonus achieved via the captain's quarters, the entire group would benefit whether they were in the Party or not. As awkward as it was to agree, there was logic behind their placement in the same bedroom this time... and it wasn't as if he minded, or anything. 'Kuso. I've got a strong feeling this is all some devious plan of Yumi's to hook me up with hot, rich gamer chicks. Well... it's whatever, but─' His thought reached no proper conclusion. He had already agreed, so it was settled. It wasn't as if they would ever be outside of this world again, right? If he could keep that in mind, perhaps he could commit to the lass who already admitted some attachment to him, even in a roundabout way. He reciprocated... so there was likely an additional expectancy lying in wait.

Either way, Kou hopped off his solar sailer to join the others aboard the ship once more. If he was to commit to yet another room in Miki's company, that was fine, but he did have an interest in seeing it. "Well, let's see it then. I've... got no problem with sharing a room and all. Still, I haven't even had a look around yet."

[Apollymi]

Miki's mind had traveled a great deal down the path of potential romance. Hikari watched knowing that her brother thought this was some plot of hers. She didn't really care though, what he couldn't know was that he was wrong. She wasn't just plotting to hook him up with rich gamer chicks. She'd decided that Ashikaga Kimiko was the only one to properly fit her brother's personality. There was also the fact that she wasn't alone in this idea, the whole of their group seemed to want this to happen, even if for various different reasons. "Yosh! Good, Captains are all set..." Hikari said seemingly pleased by the agreement reached.

Moving on, Kou seemed to want to explore their new vessel and though Miki had already agreed to sharing the room, she also hadn't seen it. "Oh... I haven't really looked around either..." Miki mentioned. Figuring that if they'd already agreed to sharing the room, she might as well see what all the fuss was about. "Ikoka..." she said basically offering to join the lad on his exploration of this place. Seeming to have forgotten at base her blushing expectations and seeming to be overly pleased about the rooming situation though she'd been arguing about it herself for quite a few moments.

[Bloodedge]

"I guess so," Kou said in response to Hikari's assertion. Still, he remained skeptical even in his expression toward the girl. Whatever the case, things were business as usual. His sister would always meddle in his business for what she thought was 'best' for him, and apparently this entire world would always push him closer to Miki. Inside, he didn't mind at all... so long as the balance between them remained.

Speaking of Miki, she made it clear that she, too, intended to view the captain's... or rather, captains' quarters. Bashful as that claim made him, Kou understood that they had to make that journey together at some point. What better time than the present to do so? "Hai. Let's have a look," he said with only mild hesitation, taking that first step toward a scenario he didn't know the outcome of.

... Oh. That was a thing, wasn't it? Perhaps, in all this time, he had been failing to realize that Miki remained an unsolvable puzzle to him. As he walked into the ship, he thought back to earlier moments in this journey. Even as early as Dwargon, his usual understanding of things didn't apply to how the blonde functioned. Now, he understood just as little. Mentally, he considered her to be an impossibility, a curiosity that always twisted in a different direction... much like the Artifact he'd gifted her in Atlantis, and the smaller treasure hidden away inside it. Maybe his attachment was a simple matter of this curiosity. No, that surely wasn't the case. At some point in time, yes... his interest came from a point of wonder. That time had long since gone.

His mind continued wandering, always back to the same simple fact. As a result, Kou said nothing on his journey toward the captains' quarters, seeming quite out of his wit all the while.

[Apollymi]

'Baka.' this was Hikari's only thought as her brother and Miki began walking off together. She couldn't believe how much extra it took to get him to leave with the lass. At least it seemed, that Miki was just the side of direct enough, when knowing the lad had some interest in her, to push things forward at her own pace. Strange as it was, Hikari had no problem leaving her brother in Miki's care, because she knew the blonde lass wasn't using him. They truly were a match, even if they didn't quite realize it yet.

Speaking of not realizing their compatibility, Miki was walking along side the lad after her agreed to her company. She couldn't have been more pleased, in fact, it was showing on her face. Acceptance. That was the feeling, which seemed to provide her some unknown amount of giddy pleasure. 'Hm, I'm kind of excited...' the girl thought with happiness. The idea of sharing a room with this lad was exciting. Admittedly, the first time she'd mentioned such a thing, it'd had some different meanings. Now, it wasn't simply a matter of fairness and not wanting her to be alone. No, even in moments of quiet like this, she felt at ease... his presence was calming and his desires were simple. Perhaps, this was what she enjoyed? Was it why she wanted to give him those simple desires... to see him smile? Perhaps because, he offered it to her as well, reciprocity? Maybe because she considered him in such a way, she thought of his comfort before her own, but was never disappointed by what she got in return.

As they walked they would eventually make it towards the upper deck once more, her hand rested against a door and she smirked. "Alright then, shall we?" she asked as she prepared to push open the door. She smiled at the lad directly and waited. After all, this room wasn't just hers, it was theirs, and they both deserved to see it with fresh eyes and appreciation the first time. Whenever the door opened, they'd see inside of it. It contained six large windows against the far walls, framed in curtains of red and gold. A table in the middle atop a well designed area rug underneath a chandelier. Beyond this, several dressers lined the left wall and on the right, tucked between some deep bookshelves was a king-sized bed. Nearer to the front a private bathroom for the couple to share, but that was something for later. The room itself was decorated in hues of red and gold with royal blue and gold accent pieces. It seemed to be designed with them in mind.

[Bloodedge]

Kou's mind continued to wander, to race even, as they approached their designated room. By the time Miki spoke to him about entering, he was completely zoned out. He, too, had begun to think about the potentials of this shared space. There was so much that could be done, from collective relaxation, to...

Oh. He was being addressed. His expression couldn't have produced more shock than it did the moment he realized he was several seconds behind on answering. His face was red, his eyes were wide and unfocused, and his mouth was just slightly agape. "Oh─ yeah, right. Gomen," he said. Nevertheless, he was keen on making his way into the room, which he immediately found to be a thing worthy of awe. Seeing the windows to let in a great quality of natural light from a technical lower point, the half-hidden placement of the bed, and the spaciousness of everything... none of that did any good to help quell his train of thought. Of course, Kou had been more than some simple shut-in during his life in their original world. He had been a bit of a pervert, as many lads of his age group typically were... albeit with excessive access to two-dimensional stimuli aplenty. "This would be really good for..." He didn't mean to speak aloud. He was off on a mental tirade, nearly gone from the conscious world when his mouth simply opened to produce the sounds. Upon realizing he was talking, he froze immediately.

[Apollymi]

Miki found the lad a bit more spaced out than normal. Though she didn't require conversation from him, she found his shocked expression after being addressed directly to be odd. No, that wasn't the right word, she found this look, cute. "Iia," she said brushing aside the apology she was offered. She didn't care if he was a bit spaced out, looking at the lad while he was deep in thought was something altogether different for her. She couldn't help but enjoy the quality of such moments figuring them to be a rare treat. Soon, there was something else to focus on, and focus she would. Her eyes traced over their new shared room space and she found it to be quite good. It was cozy, compared to types of spaces she'd inhabited in her life, but still roomy enough to move around in. She began doing exactly this, walking around the table. She ran her fingers absently across it. She took note of the height of the table the spacing of the chairs, the amount of light being let in by the windows. All of this seemed to give the lass some strange ideas.

She was used to being in such spaces by herself. The idea of sharing a space this intimate with someone else led her to think about the space differently. Instead of thinking of things she could do in this space alone, she considered things they could do together. Yes, normal things crossed her mind, like puzzles and mapping and taking meals. But beyond that, deep in the recesses of her mind, were thoughts of a more perverse nature... Her mind shifted to the height of this table, testing its stability wondering if it would support the weight of two people. These were the sort of thoughts she gathered from her reading of certain series and by ingesting certain other media. Her eyes went wide as she considered these things, and the random speech of Kou invaded her mind and brought her eyes up just a bit, her face lightly aflame. "Huh? I uh... missed a bit of that," the girl managed before turning towards the window and walking to look down it, her mind instantly wondering if they could be seen from below... for reasons and thus making her not want to turn and face the lad again.

[Bloodedge]

His apology had only been spoken in passing, but it seemed it was to be pardoned regardless. He could be thankful of that, but more so of another event yet to happen at the time. As they both let their minds wander in whatever directions they chose regarding this room, it seemed Miki's train of thought veered off enough for her to miss his accidental speech. Good; that meant he could recover, and there was much he had to recover from. When she walked by the table and made direct contact with it, he saw her. In that very moment, his own mind saw a series of events transpiring in the moments immediately following that moment of contact, and those thoughts were none too savory. He certainly couldn't be letting that out of the proverbial bag. "Huh? Oh, uh..."

He had to think of something. She wasn't looking at him directly, so he could bend the truth just a bit, right? No; he could omit the greater truth, however. "I was just... thinking out loud about how great the room is. I was saying it'd be awesome for doing a lot of stuff, you know?" That was all he chose to say. He was being completely honest about the matter, and he meant those words even without the sultry-natured things that consumed his mind more than any other thoughts. This was going to be one hell of an adjustment period, he thought... unless this room happened to come equipped with a certain aphrodisiac gas he'd seen used in a specific series once, in which two characters were forced into a shared living space for the sake of mating.

[Apollymi]

Kou stumbled through a bit of a reaction. At least initially, but as she was turned away she couldn't really see the look on his face to determine the reason for this. Ah, that was too bad though wasn't it. It seemed that he was simply thinking about the space they'd share and how nice it was. His words about it, seemed to lack a bit of depth but... Miki wouldn't pry. Or rather, she had no room to pry when she considered her own thoughts were very far off the mark and needed to be kept deep within the recesses of her mind. "Ah, right. It's a great space, I'm actually pretty shocked by it," she said finally managing to tear her eyes away from the window. She felt as if her face was no longer the stark shade of red it had been when her thoughts first started to wander. And with this she turned to the lad and offered a smile.

"I don't think I've ever shared a room for longer than a day or two before... I'll try to be a good roommate~" she offered, though she meant that in a way which wasn't really about sharing the space. This was more of a cover for her own thoughts than anything else. Ashikaga Kimiko had lived very much outside of what could be considered normal. Knowing this, the blonde lass she was right now, wanted to make sure she didn't dominate the space they now shared, especially not with the kind of thoughts and activities her mind seemed to enjoy. She fully acknowledged that living with her would probably be weird to most people. Even so, she couldn't help but be happy about this new turn of events. In fact, she could even see it playing out like a certain series she favored. 'Hm, if we get past this part... we could move on to something more like that...' she thought as her mind once again took to a strange place of romance and perversion. But... first, she had to cross the bridges that presented themselves.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, same..." Kou said, doing his level best to escape the thoughts plaguing his consciousness. He failed, though that much was to be expected of a lad in his teens. As if he needed to make things worse, his legs carried him closer to the bed so carefully tucked away in the wall itself. There were even curtains surrounding the opening left for said bed, which he thought to be an excellent source of additional... privacy, as it were. Something about being 'sealed' within an even smaller closed space was incredibly appealing, but he had to stop! Any more, and he'd begin showing physical signs of what he was thinking.

At least there was a spark to create a normal conversation. It wasn't doing much to deter the brain below his waist, but it was a start. In hearing talk of Miki being a 'good roommate' in attempt, he opted for a bit of jest that carried with it the thoughts he pushed off. If he couldn't easily rid himself of them mentally, he could at least joke them away as he sat at the bed's edge. "I've had to share rooms long-term before, but not with someone I didn't happen to be related to. I'll make an effort to avoid being a creeper. Mm. Strong effort; just don't hit me with a frying pan if I screw it up."

[Apollymi]

By the time Miki looked at the lad properly, he was looking at the bedside, then sitting on it. She was used to having a bed surrounded by curtains out of the general view of other places. Such a thing felt safest to her. But... that wasn't at all the thought she had in the moment she looked it over. No, right just now she thought of being in an even cozier space with Kou, shut off from the view of the world. What kind of trouble could they get into when others couldn't watch them? That was a bad line of thought. She went over casually and sat down beside him at a range she thought was neither too close nor too far away. But unlike other moments, when she crossed her legs at the knee the one which met the floor seemed to bounce just a little. It would seem a bit of a nervous tick but that wasn't it at all... 'I really might like this too much...' her thoughts needed to be shut down, and she needed to stop doing what she was doing right now before this wholesome situation became something else entirely.

Ah, Kou was talking again. Apparently he'd shared rooms more often, but only with people he was related to. He claimed he'd try his hardest not to be a creeper of any sort. But he didn't want to be hit with a frying pan, if he failed at it. Strangely, Miki wouldn't actually mind if he was a bit of a creeper, as she didn't mind his attention in any way. Maybe, that'd be something worth saying later. When things were a bit less tense between them. For now she managed to make her leg stop bouncing, thus stopping that discrete stimulation and laugh at his joke. "Tehehe Hahahahaha!~" happened first but then was followed up by her own joke. "I'm pretty sure I could manage a paper fan or a giant mallet if you prefer..." she joked as well, knowing that she didn't innately find him creepy because she wanted his attention. In fact, it only made her curious about what he could mean and maybe she'd find out... some other time.

[Bloodedge]

Soon enough, Miki was sitting right next to him. His eyes shifted to catch sight of her leg-crossing and bouncing. Her thighs were... exposed. Very exposed. It could basically be said that she walked around in undergarments and small segments of armor from the waist down, and taking a peek at that visible flesh wasn't helping Kou either. His own legs began to move, knees swinging apart and then back together repeatedly. It, like Miki's choice of movements, provided a stimulation he should have been avoiding. Eventually, he thought to stop doing this. As Miki joked about finding a paper fan or giant mallet, he shifted until his back pressed against the wall at the foot of the bed. Like this, he kept one leg bent as it lay over the mattress.

... How strange it was that the bed had been situated sideways in his little hole. If one of them needed to get out, they'd have to literally go over the other to do so. Naturally, he envisioned quite a few 'accidental' situations as a result, but it was all conjecture. No matter the case, he kept the joking discussion going. "I'll take the mallet for extremes. If it's a paper fan though, I reserve the right to perv all I want. Take your pick as you like~" he said, closing his eyes as a grin overtook his face. He even took the time to wave his hand about in a gesture of grand extravagance.

[Apollymi]

It would seem that Miki wasn't the only one who couldn't sit still initially. He also managed to catch sight of her thighs, she saw this and had no problem with it. In fact she found herself shifting her legs just a tad to gauge his reaction. She switched them as naturally as she breathed and then their conversation continued with the lad managing to shift his position quite a bit. With this came the sentiment that mallets should be reserved for major infractions and that if she chose a paper fan as her method of choice against him, he'd perv as he wished. Her mood was still joking, maybe a tiny bit teasing. She brought her hand up to her chin with her fore finger and thumb shaped like a check mark. "Hoh? Seems like paper fan is going to be the best option then... I'll have one commissioned!~" she said slamming her fist into her open palm as if she'd had the best idea ever. Strangely, this wasn't really a joke. No, the lass didn't mind the idea of this lad perv-ing on her at all... that much would be obvious by how she interacted with the Dragonoid Akashi.

Ah, but she shouldn't be this way at all. She was a girl, there was a certain amount of forwardness she shouldn't present at all right? She was also a pervert and that was something to hide, way deeper within herself. In fact, in her general life experiences she had no desire to let people know the kinds of things she thought about. In fact, this was something which should have been hidden from everyone, so how did she manage to keep accidentally slipping such things into conversation around this lad. "So do you want to sleep on the outside of the bed or the inside?" she asked the lad, trying to distract herself. Though, admittedly such a question was also pretty perverse in her own mind. If he wanted to sleep outside she could climb over him to get in and out, creating some fun moments of intimate contact. On the other hand, if he chose to sleep with the wall at the other side, she could back him into it, pushing closer warmth and take charge of presenting herself to him in various ways. As her mind began to wander she spaced out quite a bit... once more.

[Bloodedge]

It could easily be said that Miki's extra movement was not in vain. He noticed it, and it even brought his eyes to a lock once more. Would he admit to this blatant staring without provocation? Absolutely not. Ah, but he was undoubtedly looking, and if anyone happened to be watching him... he was failing to avoid making it obvious. It didn't help at all that Miki's next words joked about the paper fan being her tool of selection. Was he to take that seriously? That wasn't possible, unless...

"Oh? Alright, let me know when it shows up. I'll start cashing in acts of perversion right away!" he said, still in that lighthearted tone this entire conversation had been carried on with. If he was meant to take her words even remotely seriously, then he would be finding out. What he'd actually do after making said discovery, though, was unknown even to him. Perhaps it would be something reasonable. Perhaps it wasn't even something worth the initial thought. Either way, their discussion eventually resulted in Miki addressing bed placement. "Oh... right," Kou said. He gave so much thought to the fact that this was a shared room, but not to the fact that they would be returned to a shared bed as well. This one in particular had a rather odd setup, and her query was one of importance. He looked down at the mattress, patting it with one hand, then rubbing the sheets. He didn't particularly mind either side, whether for perverted or functional reasons. Safety wasn't going to be an issue any time during which they slept, considering how high in the sky they would be. As such, there was no need to select the outside for the purpose of taking on dangers. With that in mind, he could only shrug in the end. "I really don't have a preference. Have your pick~"

[Apollymi]

The movements of her legs had been noticed. A subtle smile crossed Miki's face as she realized this lad was watching her, and doing so unabashedly. For reasons she couldn't begin to explain this made her happy. To be technical, it was probably confirmation that he found her attractive. Beyond that, it showed that he was losing a bit of his more standoffish nature. Knowing that the lad was beginning to loosen up around her gave her an additional sense of peace, something to look forward to even when in their shared living space. His next words after being focused on her legs for so long, were a confirmation of taking advantage of what she'd said. Even if this entire conversation was meant in jest, it wasn't entirely one to Miki. In fact, she might have just been using it to test the waters a bit, before sitting down to have some more serious interactions and conversations with her new roommate.

"Hai hai, I'll put it up there when it's ready~" she mentioned pointing to an empty space over the doorway which seemed to be in need of an extra decorative piece or two. To be fair, she was quite serious about this. And yes, she would indeed commission a paper fan of marvelous quality just for the sake of keeping going a joke about perversion that she actually possessed. Perhaps, maybe the lad would realize she wasn't really joking and take advantage, if nothing else, they could simply converse about it at some point and make some headway that way. Moving right along, it seemed the lad didn't have any strict amount of care where in the bed he slept. This was both good and bad, for Miki, as she could see the usefulness of both situations and though she didn't know it yet, Kou felt about it in a similar fashion. When told to have her pick she began thinking about it, strangely aloud. "Hm, well it isn't like we have to worry about break-ins and I wouldn't use you as a body shield. So, there isn't any reason I can't sleep on the outside... ah, but... I do roll out of bed a lot, it'd be much easier to roll between the wall and you than the middle of the bed and the floor," she mumbled to herself. Crawling in and out of bed around him, was also a bonus, incidental romance being what it was. "I'll take the wall I think... and try not to roll too much," she said with a minor light tint on her face.

[Bloodedge]

With that answer, he could only assume this to be a bit much for jokes. If she'd been speaking completely in jest, she surely would have veered from the topic one way or another. The simple fact that she continued it, meant at least consideration of the idea. Kou ─ or rather, Yugi ─ often used this method of approach when having no intentions of revealing his puzzle-solving ability to others who needed unknown puzzles solved. "... Naruhodo. You're serious. You wouldn't mind if I said something perverted right now. Maybe even─" Once more, he stopped himself. His first few words were spoken with purpose, but the rest was his usual thought process simply leaking out through his mouth. It was a habit, the way he carved a path toward conclusions in puzzles.

As for the bedding issue, he had an idea what Miki's choice would be. He didn't want to present any favorites of his own, considering it would certainly be for perverse reasons, but there was indeed a reason he imagined Miki would fit best inside. For that same reason, she made that very selection. Of course, Kou couldn't know about any other purpose in this choice, but that didn't matter at present. "Hai. I remember the sleep-rolling, but I figured I'd leave you the choice anyway. There's a certain way I like to wake up, so I figured there was a chance you'd become attached to... well, waking up by falling out of bed. Anyway, no worries. You can roll all you like; I won't mind. I'll be the best damn wall this world has ever seen!" he said, flashing a cheesy grin and a thumbs-up to accompany it.

[Apollymi]

Oh? Was Kou thinking aloud, again? Yes, yes he was. And this time, Miki got a little more insight into the boy actually understanding the way she approached the situation surrounding them. "Sou ka...I'm actually being obvious enough now," she said aloud also accidentally. She felt that this version of herself wasn't quite as direct as she would have liked. She even had evidence that this was the case, given what Seriri had to say after interacting with her Dragonoid self. Whatever the case, she was willing to leave the lad mostly to his own thoughts about the matter, and was happy knowing that he at least got the sort of thing she was talking about. And true enough to his thoughts, she wouldn't have minded at all if he said or even did something perverted in the present moment because she had been very truthful about having interest in him, and perverted things were on the menu, as far as she was concerned.

Their sleeping situation was mostly decided by her soon after this point. And it seemed that the lad had no problem with what she decided. His claim being that he'd make himself into the best wall ever, and that she could roll as much as she liked in her sleep. "Hm, I haven't really thought about how I like to wake up. I am sort of used to doing it that way because of someone waking me abruptly after I've stayed up too late..." she said explaining a bit of how her rolling habit was developed. "Arigatou gozaimasu, I'm sure you'll be the most comfortable wall I've ever encountered," she offered the lad with a knowing smirk. "By the way, you specifically can assume I am not joking when I say things like that to you... I enjoy this sort of thing, coming from you... in moments like this," she said flashing him a large smile, a bit of the realest version of herself shining through in this moment. If she was being perfectly honest, she was never really joking around how things that revolved around the white haired lad with her. In fact, it could be said that she wanted to know the realest version of the lad possible, as such she didn't mind his perversions, his jokes, or his mumbling ranting thoughts.

[Bloodedge]

"Sort of, yeah." It seemed that, though he could not piece together the puzzle that was Ashikaga Kimiko, Kou did have a few pieces to work with. Perhaps time would allow him to see the full picture, but for now... he was content to collect it bit by bit. Those were the best puzzles, after all. Things unfinished, things which only offered pieces as drip-fed information, these were all puzzles which gave the solver time to appreciate the mystery as it came together. In this case, he was mostly experiencing the offering of Miki's internal workings through speech. She even freely claimed certainty that he would be a... comfortable wall, as it were. He had the audacity to look abashed in the wake of this claim, but their conversation was too uninterrupted thus far ─ unlike others before it ─ for the lad to look away this time. "Hai hai! Angelsoft Wall Celestial Witcher Kou, they call me."

Lo, there was more to discover. Miki spoke again, stating that she wouldn't normally be joking when offering such clauses... to him in particular. She enjoyed the idea of his perversions? That wasn't possible, and yet... they did consume the same sources of media. Only a degenerate could read the musings of the duo writers known as the Aeons. "... Sou ka." Oddly, he felt a wave of relief crash over him as his eyes closed. A few moments of silence ensued before he chose to make use of this information. If she was fine with it, he'd test the waters in a way. Of course, Kou wasn't going to outright spew everything previously flooding his mind, but he did think of one thing to say... in a roundabout way, even. "So... is that why your legs are so all over the place?"

[Apollymi]

"Hoh? A direct answer even, progress." Miki replied with the sort of shortness her speech generally maintained, but there was a teasing quality to it. Like her tone wasn't meant with anything resembling venom but instead as a mere observation. it marked a welcome change in their dynamic which, pleased her to no end. To add to their rather random and jovial discussion the lad before her went on to seem a bit bashful about her assertion that he'd be comfortable to press against in the night. The name he chose for himself following this moment of bashfulness, brought a grin to her face and more teasing words from her lips. "Oi oi... That name needs some work-shopping. I mean it covers the basics of your talents, but it's definitely a bit too intense as is~" she teased once more. Miki found it very easy to talk to this lad, and beyond that, when he was receptive like this, it was an amount of fun she couldn't begin to explain.

And there was more fun coming. Apparently Kou seemed to find a bit of relief in Miki's statements surrounding her lack of joking when it came to the things they discussed. And much to her surprise the lad decided to test the waters immediately, though a bit indirectly. The commentary which came from him was about the semi-constant movement of her legs, which seemed to draw his eye ever so often. She chuckled immediately, finding this to be an excellent way to broach the subject, and finally allowing her legs to settle in their crossed position left over right, since she'd been found out. "Oh? That's the angle then... just gonna admit you've been staring at thighs this whole time..." she said in a manner which seemed serious only to break out in a smile. "Of course it's why it was happening. I thought I saw you looking a bit ago, and I figured I could see if it was actually a thing... experiment was a complete success by the way. You were unabashedly staring for quite a while..." she said with devious light coming into her eyes. It might have been strange, but she truly didn't have a problem with being ogled in such a way by Kou in particular. Perhaps because he'd already proven that it wasn't simply her body he wanted, she found his attention that much more worthwhile to capture and much more rewarding in general.

[Bloodedge]

"Oi, I'm working on a puzzle here. Direct answers the indirect, and vise versa." It was a simple enough answer as far as he was concerned, and very much the truth in his experience. Indirect puzzles could be solved with a direct approach once understood, and those which seemed concise were tricks that required thinking outside the proverbial box. As for his name, perhaps it did need a bit of work. It wasn't much of a bother, though; he was only messing about. "Ah, you're right! Angelsoft Wall Celestial Witcher Kou Guy! That's the one!" he said, even taking it upon himself to laugh at his own joke.

Miki went on to clarify things. Indeed, that had been the reason behind her leg movement. What's more, she decided to point out his admittance of staring. Well... that part wasn't planned, but these things happened. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he came clean. "Well, yeah? You just leave 'em hanging out there for the world to see, so... it kinda naturally draws an eye, doesn't it?" he questioned. Just then though, he came to a realization. "... Wait. Did I just fall for the Jinx thing? I did, didn't I? Is this the part where I flip it around, and point out the thing about you wanting me to look? You were shifting around for a while."

[Apollymi]

Apparently Kou considered this a puzzle he was solving. "Hoh? And who am I to interrupt, carry on." Miki said encouraging the lad to continue with his process regardless of already being able to reach her own conclusions. She understood at least what he was trying to to do, using the inverted nature of the things presented to find out the information he wanted to know. Of course, she had no problem being open with the lad if that was what he wanted, that being said she wouldn't keep him from his fun. Speaking of fun, the lad went on to workshop his new name and came up with a minor alteration which caused laughter from Miki. "Hahahaha!~ Sounds like the name of a fifth evolution trading card!" she exclaimed finding the whole thing a bit too funny to let go of.

Moving right along, it seemed that in pointing out that the lad had been staring she received another bashful reaction. He claimed that her legs were out there for the world to see and thus it was only natural for him to look and she could agree to a particular extent. "Hm, sure... only natural the first time. The second and third time... was all you," she said with a chuckle. But she wasn't chastising, if she wanted not to be seen she wouldn't have been. He even drew a connection to a fictional character they were both aware of, and it was Miki's turn to look a bit abashed. "Yeah, you fell for it. But... oi oi, don't go turning this around on me!" the blonde exclaimed, while crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up in the air. "I had to figure out if you were actually looking. You aren't always easy to read after all... and it's not like I have a problem with you looking or anything," Miki mentioned managing to look a bit sheepish. She had undertaken her activity under the guise of figuring out how he felt about her one way or another. But she didn't expect to be called out in such away, even so, she was happy in the knowledge that Kou was actually seeing her as she was and at face value accepting her.

[Bloodedge]

And carry on, he would. This was easily the most immersive 'puzzle' he'd ever worked on. So long as he could continue working to solve it, he would take a great deal of satisfaction in doing so. As it seemed now, perhaps he could continue doing so outside of his own head. This one was even interactive in a way, throwing new curves his way at every opportunity. She had apparently been keeping track of his eyes' movements, or rather... their lack of movement after finding her form a few times. Sure, he could take the blame for that. He couldn't, however, avoid throwing the situation back at Miki herself. The simple fact that she didn't deny her end, was confirmation itself. Not to mention, she then took a very tsundere approach to admitting just that. "Figuring out if I was looking could have been a lot more simple than that, you know? That was almost a display. Jinx did the same thing, and that─" Again, he paused. He was just about to mention how the scene he referenced ended, but thought better of doing so. Instead, he cleared his throat as if he intended to veer away from the clause's conclusion with that.

[Apollymi]

While Kou was content to try and figure out Miki, the blonde lass had been doing the same to the lad. In fact, she was less surprised by the things he said than before. He made the claim that she could have gone about figuring out if he was looking in a much simpler way. And though that might have been true, the way she'd done it did a few extra things. She managed to remain playfully huffy. "I mean there might have been an easier way, but it wouldn't have told me what I needed to know... madness comes with methods, even Jinx's," she said firmly. Of course, she realized Jinx's methods led to some pretty drastic situational changes. Especially the ones he avoided mentioning presumably on purpose. Even so, this was real life and she didn't have to worry about such extremes. Instead the methods of extremes allowed her to find a place of comfort to approach this lad's avoidance from. She found herself looking back at him and then she couldn't even keep in her fake indignation. "Admittedly, I might have gotten a bit carried away, but I can't be blamed for that. It was kind of... nice knowing I could create such a situation. It's come quite a long way considering..." the lass said calmly. Kou was exactly the type who initially avoided all extra contact with her, even past their 'sketchy' phase. With that in mind, she was beginning to wonder if she wasn't his type aside from having a pretty face. As such she couldn't help but take advantage at least a little when it was serving her other purposes.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Miki was content to have achieved an additional feat with her excessive approach. That was all fine and dandy, but it left Kou wondering if she intended to make something of that development, or if she was simply doing the same thing he had been. Time would tell, as far as he knew. "Sure, but nothing irrational can exist. There's always some deeper meaning to everything. That's what I think." If nothing else, he would share this philosophy. He thought it was a fair trade, considering what he'd been granted in the form of a view and some... titillating banter, so to speak.

It could be said that Miki had gotten a bit carried away. Obviously though, Kou didn't mind at all. For a moment, he had almost been able to treat the situation just as he would have in normal game scenarios. Alas, this was no game. His choices would affect his actual future, and being reprehensive about things would only take him so far in such a case. Still, the direct approach was not quite part of his nature. So long as he couldn't tell what was going on in Miki's mind, he would remain so to some extent. "Considering what? Anyway, it's not like I minded or anything. I'm just a guy, remember? No doubt you didn't forget that mix-up when we met. I thought you were an NPC at first, and I was gonna... well..."

[Apollymi]

After speaking, Miki was rewarded with some philosophy by Kou. It seemed the lad saw deeper meanings in everything, that explained quite a bit about how his mind worked, so the blonde could do nothing but accept it. As they conversed, she seemed to get more comfortable. Her body settling in a bit more atop their shared bed and her back leaning against the wall. "Sou ka, that's one way to think about it... I'll keep that in mind," she said and not very surprisingly she meant it. She kept a lot of things this lad said in mind, for the simple sake of enjoying the novelty of the things he presented to her.

They were having some very interesting conversations. It was initially very similar to early game interactions between characters, but they weren't actually characters. They were people who played such games and who looked into them a bit with critical minds. One such critical moment would come from the blonde lass in this moment. After of course, Kou relayed that he didn't really mind her getting carried away in the way she had, and even brought up on his own his earliest reaction to thinking she was an NPC. "Considering I can't really tell what is going on in your head," said the girl her expression becoming thoughtful. "I don't really pretend to be a people person or anything, but I can usually tell a pretty straightforward way to progress any given situation, but that wasn't as clear with you..." she mentioned carefully. "You might just be a guy, to you. But you're definitely unique as an existence. I mean even past the initial sketchiness of our interactions, I couldn't really tell if you were interested in me or not... I thought that you might only see me as a friend so I tried to back off a bit. But I couldn't really let it go after all. It's kind of a bad habit," she admitted her own slightly obsessive behavior. She wasn't sure what it was, but her words felt strangely decisive. "With everything that's happened since Atlantis though, I was considering that we were likely on that first path again. This time with a lot more knowledge of each other than we had initially and that... excites me." The girl confessed that the idea of proper romantic endeavor with Kou was something she considered worthwhile and even managed to confess whatever misgivings and strange behaviors she'd had before.

[Bloodedge]

"It's a good way to think. Even if it's wrong, it never hurts to consider a deeper meaning. Maybe even... something deeper can be added by thinking it up," he said. In truth, that was very much a thing Kou had done himself. A few situations here in this world, he'd thought of without rationalizing the true depth behind them... but had applied said depth during consideration. As a simple matter of fact, all of these situations revolved around Miki.

Miki wasn't a people person; that much was clear. She could be considered a businesswoman rivaled by few, if any, but she had yet to show any true ability to deal with people outside of such scenarios. Nevertheless, their discussion would take a rather serious turn. Miki expressed a certain amount of confusion regarding his opinion of her. As strange as he found that, he supposed they were in a world of virtual perfection. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't see you as anything," he said, though it was a lie in all technicality. "Well, if anything, you proved yourself to be a valuable comrade at first. Once I started to recognize who you were, that changed. I'm surprised, though... an idol who doesn't assume someone would be interested? That's odd, but then... you're never in a group either. Either way, I think I'd be the only one to be having questions like that─" Ah, he was thinking aloud again. This time was just a bit different. He wasn't accidentally speaking his thoughts aloud, but instead... he was speaking already, and he was accidentally reverting to his puzzle-solving pattern of thought.

[Apollymi]

"Hm... I am pretty sure I can keep it in mind," the blonde lass said of looking for deeper meanings. As far as she was concerned figuring out the motivations of people besides the obvious were a bit unnecessary. Because of this, she didn't often get along with other people. Since coming to this world, she'd managed to make a few friends. This lads thoughts on things tended to make up for some gaps in her own ability to see things from the human perspective. Numbers were one thing, people and the situations surrounding them were something completely different.

As their conversation progressed to points more serious, Kou clarified that he'd not really felt anything surrounding her initially. He went on to claim that she'd simply proved herself to be a worthy comrade in their adventures pretty early on. He even stated that his actual interest in her only seemed to develop as a consequence of figuring out who she was. This was to be expected, along with figuring out with certainty that she was an actual girl, which was likely one of the moments of sketchiness surrounding the lass. He mentioned that she was always alone as well, giving away a few key pieces of information about himself in the process. But apparently he thought that he'd be the only one having the sorts of issues she'd mentioned. "Sou ka," she said before speaking a bit more. "Iia, I am usually alone socially because it is less annoying. Well... it isn't exactly a choice, being famous is lonely. Being an idol just means I can't trust the motivations of people who speak to me," she said softly. To be technical she'd experienced a wide variety of different person to person interactions and had them go astray for various reasons. As a point of fact, middle school had been hellish as an experience for her socially, and as such by the time she made it to high school, she'd taken on a different approach, but it was one which left her well outside of anyone's social circle. Though it didn't change her popularity, if anything she became more of a commodity. "So in that way, it isn't just you having trouble interpreting interest. You are different from the kind of person who normally shows interest in me. You didn't seem to want anything from me, so I had no comparable experiences."

[Bloodedge]

Second by second, the conversation became more serious. It wasn't quite negative, but it was a far cry from their usual chats. Now that they were in seclusion, however, Kou had no issue finally having a real discussion. This was a thing he'd been missing out on, in a way. Miki made it clear that she preferred loneliness to the annoyance of being social. In that way, they were kindred. "No need to explain that to me. I lived with an entire hidden identity to avoid people latching onto me for being Geno Killer. And... even that's just a habit that came from my prime puzzle-solving days," he explained. He had taken to gaming as an outlet when he could no longer openly solve the puzzles he enjoyed, only to work hard at avoiding the problem repeating itself in a new habitat. Their similarities in that regard were clear, though there was one other thing that needed to be addressed. Miki thought it pertinent to mention him not wanting anything from her when they met. Again, this was a similarity of theirs... albeit somewhat different. Now was the time for Kou to admit something about himself, if it hadn't become clear to the lass already. "I'm different from a lot of people, except maybe... you. People want stuff from me when they know what I'm capable of, and that's why I hide who I am back home. Solve this puzzle, play this level for me, give me build advice in this RPG. On the other hand... If I want something from someone else, I always have the ability to get it. Most times, I can get what I want without making any sacrifices myself..."

[Apollymi]

Since they'd met, most of their conversations had been either world related, or light in topic. Right now, the tone of this conversation was rather serious. But strangely, it was still enjoyable for Miki. There weren't many people she would talk to freely, and even fewer who would understand the nature of her plights. Those who were young up and comers like herself had taken the easy way out of socially normative interactions, and those outside of it, couldn't see the kind of problems she was having. In this moment, Kou was indeed a spirit kindred to her own, able to understand her more distrusting nature and commiserate in a manner she hadn't known was possible. Kou had even gone so far as to hide his identity to retain his peace. "Sou ka," she said giving a tiny nod and feeling a great deal of relief about not having to try to explain to someone who would never understand about the nature of her social life.

"Yeah, I know what that is like, you have no idea how many upperclassman wanted to be introduced to my parents when I started high school, the really bold ones asked me for references when applying or mentioned knowing me. Though I do get the added benefit of being a girl playing a game, so people don't look to me innately for advice. In fact, I get ignored even when I am right and I get trolled a lot for not being the type of person who responds to being given random things, I already have because I play the freaking game," Miki sighed, her problems in playing video games were a bit different but they all stemmed from the same thing. It's why she'd been so gentle in her initial approach to things when they'd first started adventuring together. "But, knowing I can get most things myself, means I don't actually mind sharing or anything... It's nice to know someone isn't just trying to use me or buy me. It's why I never really thought about splitting off from you, it's fun now... in a way it wasn't before."

[Bloodedge]

She understood. Well, that much was to be expected. If anyone was going to follow along aside from Hikari, it would be her. The interesting thing was, she didn't understand simply because she had seen events happen to him. She understood simply because she could relate. "Trust me, I have an idea and a half. I'm guessing the number is somewhere up there with the requests for me to start Guilds, join raid parties, yadda yadda. Take my advice, and don't build a reputation for something you don't want people pestering you about every day. That's what I'll tell anyone." Truth be told, there was much more to Kou's reasoning. His ability to solve puzzles and excel in games was less about the games themselves, and more about the human minds that went into crafting them. He 'felt' puzzles by gradually putting himself in the mentality of their creators, and he made such incredible character builds in RPGs by realizing the intents of creators, then exploiting the holes between thought processes.

His current Avatar, for example, had no weaknesses to speak of. The physical weakness he lost for not being a Warrior, was made up for by the strength of his spells. On the other hand, the lack of magical versatility he would have suffered by being a Saber, was easily negated by his Spirit Origin and identity as a Celestial. These things all came from realizing what developers would have been missing. "You're right, though. This has been more fun than I've ever had just gaming, or anything like that. That's why I decided to cash in that perv moment before the fan showed up, ya' know?" he joked... sort of.

[Apollymi]

Kou understood. Of course he would, he was hiding his identity in order to keep himself off people's radar. Such a thing also explained his initial reaction to being called out as the Geno Killer. He claimed to have a piece of advice for her, and anyone else, and it was very interesting advice to say the least. She'd technically already followed it, her online identity was very separate from her general life. And because she ended up playing AoE with Kaiba Corp enhancements, she wasn't even using the account of hers which had the most presence. She'd get to live this particular life as a relative unknown. Or rather that would be the case if she wasn't currently using her own face. "That's pretty sound advice. I kinda followed it already, not intentionally of course... but at least I've managed to outrun my online presence by a bit. Though I'm using my own face so I can't really distance myself from that, well not without getting weird," she said with a bit of a chuckle. Though she wasn't as well-known as the Geno Killer, her alternate username was a staple in several RPGs known almost exclusively for not using a mic but being a lead group member. To be technical she was something of a chart topper with that name and appeared with it all over the place. She was a bit relieved that she mostly managed to keep that part of her separate from her current incarnation and away from her face. It would be bad if anyone who didn't already know found out about her other self.

Whatever the case, that wasn't really something she had to consider anymore. Instead the lad, had to make the claim that he too found their arrangement to be fun. He even made a joke about cashing in on his perv moment early due to how fun he found it. A grin crossed this lass' face, and she managed a teasing tone soon after. "Hoh? Well, don't let something as silly as a fan get in the way. Take another, make sure it's really fun," the girl said, and it appeared to be a joke. But... Miki had already mentioned that she wasn't really joking around when she said things like this, whatever the case, she'd watch for his reaction and maintain that grin for quite a few seconds.

[Bloodedge]

"I can tell. You were the Second Coming, from what I see all over internet forums and... my regular arcades, after all." The matter of Ashikaga Kimiko's game experiences had become something clear during their time in Atlantis. In truth, Kou took pride in the fact that such a person made their way onto his team. No, that wasn't right. Such a person had, in fact, become his partner above all others. It was almost like destiny, but the anime and manga he consumed had given him enough of the 'fated couples' trope. The real world couldn't produce such a thing.

Following his joke, Miki produced one of her own. Ah, but she said she was to be taken seriously in those moments, didn't she? He was expected to take another stab at perversion, and he was expected to make it something... fun. "H'oh─" It took a moment of thought, but he had the perfect idea, which showed in the form of a lecherous grin upon his face. Yes, he would go beyond perversion to the lewdest behavior of all time! He shifted closer, creeping up on Miki almost, while that grin only widened. Soon enough he reached out with one hand... and placed it atop hers.

[Apollymi]

"Oi oi, our arcades. I love those arcades. I have to sneak off to go there. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to shake my shadow to get a few uninterrupted hours at an arcade?" the girl said, again she wasn't really joking. She'd had to go through quite a bit to be able to visit an arcade without an escort and she still wasn't even sure she properly managed it most times. Still, she was quite happy to have actually found someone she considered an equivalent existence, and even happier to have made a proper partnership with them, instead of simply having them become something of a disappointment in one way or another. It gave her heart quite a tingle, but fated couples only existed in the manga she read and the anime she watched. She couldn't really expect such a thing out of her life, unless...

Whatever the lass was thinking, her teasing words to Kou had prompted a strange reaction and lecherous grin. Her eyes widened just a little. She wasn't expecting him to be fully with the idea... in fact, she figured she'd have to make a few more prodding statements. Ah, but no... her patience was being rewarded. He crept closer, closing the space between them on the bed, and she held her breath. Oh, that grin of hers had faltered as he reached out to touch her hands her eyes widened with what appeared to be genuine shock. 'He's doing that?!' her mind shouted as his hand made contact with her own. She looked around herself as if afraid of being found out, and then looked down at her hand beneath his with a wondrous expression. "This... this is so lewd. I didn't expect you to go this far," she managed to look honestly sheepish only for a few seconds before a huge grin broke out over her face and her true laughter ensued. Only Kou could and would make such a reference, and only she would find it funny enough to go along with it.

[Bloodedge]

If he gave it proper consideration, he certainly couldn't call it anything but 'their' arcade. For the longest time, his scores were unrivaled entirely. By the time she entered the building, those same scores were matched, sometimes even exceeded. Of course, he would always return to reach the top again; such was the way of Geno Killer. Ashikaga Kimiko, however, bounced back each time as well. It was a thrilling bit of sport between two gamers who had never met one another properly, but now, they were in a partnership with one another.

Moving on though, the contact he forced was met with shock. That shock seemed so genuine; it was a very good act. Alas, it soon became laughter which overtook the lass, only after she spoke of how unexpectedly lewd his approach was. "Bahahaha!" he laughed, though he oddly enough hadn't removed his hand yet. As a matter of fact, his laughter brought about a tension in his hand, resulting in a slightly firmer grip around Miki's hand. It seemed Kou still didn't even realize what he was doing.

[Apollymi]

Miki remembered the fun of their indirect arcade interactions. And much like she'd been when they separated in this world. She often found herself unexpectedly giddy at the idea of finding her scores in the arcades wrecked so that she could reclaim them once again. She'd been invested in a strange game of cat-and-mouse with the Geno Killer and now that she'd found him, they weren't actually rivals, but partners. What a satisfactory end to such a randomly interesting game.

Ah, but the game continued. Soon after the breaking of her own face, it seemed that the lad could no longer hold his own. They laughed together for quite a while, with the lad's hand squeezing hers a bit tighter. "Gomen, gomen... I was trying to hold it for a bit longer..." the lass mentioned as she looked at this lad directly then down at her hand which he was still squeezing. This wasn't uncomfortable at all, if anything it felt nice to be held in such a way. She found her own laughter dying down eventually and still she felt this tightness around her hand, it was warm and nice... how would such a thing feel if it wasn't just her hand he was holding? A blush crossed her face as her mind left the realm of pleasant and fell full force into deviance. "Sugoi." Miki muttered softly, he didn't even seem to realize it, but this had to immediately make one of absolute favorite moments of all time. Definitely at least top five... or maybe top three?

[Bloodedge]

"Iia," he said, waving off whatever apology Miki meant to offer. He'd hardly managed to withhold his own laughter, even long before he moved physically to touch her hand. The notion alone was hilarious to him, though he'd be lying if he claimed to not have ulterior motives as well. He made contact with the blonde's hand previously, and thought it intriguingly soft, albeit not as uncomfortably warm as he would have expected for one he could imagine holding. The current contact proved his point.

Soon enough, he was made to realize his hand was still upon hers. He couldn't bring himself to remove it, though, especially considering the expression upon Miki's face as she gazed upon the pair of extremities. "Ah─" he said. Kou wasn't exactly sure how to explain himself, but... did he even need to? He rather enjoyed this, and it certainly couldn't be considered selfish if he didn't let go just yet. Miki's reaction gave every implication that the satisfaction was mutual, after all. Perhaps just a bit longer...

[Apollymi]

It seemed Miki's apology was immediately waved off. He'd had trouble holding back his laughter as well, that much was obvious. What wasn't really obvious was the fact that he seemed to have no intention of letting go of her hand, and in all honesty, she didn't want him to. No, she felt warm and comfortable with her hand beneath his, she didn't try to move it, but upon hearing the sound which fell from his face, she found herself looking from where her hand was placed into his face. He really was nice, his eyes were quite welcoming and beyond that she'd not really seen his face from this distance since... 'Oh right,' the girl thought. The last time she'd been this close to him, they'd been in Dwargon, and being forced into a kiss while quite intoxicated. That'd been much nicer than she expected, actually he had really soft lips from what she remembered. Strangely this thought made her shift her body forward a bit, leaving them with only a comfortable distance between them, barely anything while they held hands. Her eyes dropping to his lips for just a moment while she remembered that time. Her fingers shifted just a little but would deftly interlace their fingers. Why not take a little more, if he was fine with the contact? If she was successful in this she'd finally manage to speak, initially looking at the lad's mouth, "I ah... realize that the last time we were this close together we were pretty drunk..." she said fairly directly. "I don't want my only memory of something so nice to be just that..." she mentioned as if rationalizing until her eyes met his again. "We should fix that..." she mentioned decisively. Was this a tad pushy? Yes, but it seemed like one of the best things they could do now, they were so close together, already holding hands. She wanted to feel even closer to him, and cement the idea that it wasn't just a series of strange circumstances which led them to liking each other. Besides... this would be a fresh memory from the time of their acceptance, as such it would definitely make quite the impression on the start of their relationship.

[Bloodedge]

The next thing he knew, he was being stared at by the lass. Ah, but that wasn't the whole of it; she was drawing closer and closer by the second, until coming to an eventual stop. At that time, a slight shift intertwined the digits of their connected hands. He nearly withdrew from this approach; he almost felt himself swallowing a lump of nerves. What did she think she was doing? She spoke after what felt like ages of silence between them, and when she did, she brought up the first time they were left in a state of drunkenness in Dwargon. Kou remembered that day... somewhat. She wanted to repeat that somehow? No, it wasn't being drunk that she thought to redo. That same day, there was a moment shared between them... or rather, forced upon their intoxicated selves.

It would make sense to right the situation by undertaking it by choice. He could assume it was a first experience for the pair of them, in fact. All things considered, this pair of teens had each made their feelings known on a few occasions now, at least to a certain extent. It was only right to act upon it somehow. Could he do it, though? This was life now, wasn't it? Kou had been so back and forth about so many things thus far, but there was no benefit to keeping himself from such a simple thing. Of course, his reaction to Miki's vague approach was something very different from his train of thought. "So... you want to..." he said, needing there to be no room for questions about what Miki meant.

[Apollymi]

Miki was soon close enough to be within 'striking' distance of the lad, so to speak. And from here, another earnest discussion began. She could see the nervousness of his person, the slight shift in the way he looked in the moment. This was kind of cute and very obvious to her. It was one of the few instances in which she would have reiterated that his face was very easy to read, and may have backed off before. Ah, but now she was too far down the rabbit hole. She didn't have any doubts that this young man liked her. She didn't have any doubts about his motivations in dealing with her, they were kindred spirits after all. And after everything that had happened between them up to this point, one thing was startlingly clear to the blonde lass, or rather to Ashikaga Kimiko. She wanted him. Not just the face she was currently looking at, but the one she didn't really know and couldn't see. The soul of the puzzle-solving gamer who took such genuine enjoyment from his favorite activity that he managed to be infectious, even to her. A shining caring big brother type, who didn't need her to progress... but seemed to want her at his side just the same.

Thinking of such a thing in the moment, softened her expression a great deal, even though the lad seemed to still be a bit withdrawn, at present she saw nothing wrong with pushing forward a bit more. If he needed clarity in her words, he could receive them, this version of her was less harsh than her natural disposition, but still the same person in a relative since. "I want to kiss you. Or rather I want us to kiss... again. This time on our own, because I like you... and want to share moments like this with you..." she said softly. "It's kind of a lot to ask so it doesn't all have to be right now. Just this kiss, this time, so we can both remember and experience it together. Okay?" she asked, it was still an offer. An offer, negotiated from a point of strength, one which left opening for growth in the future. But for right now, she just wanted them to experience this little thing not from a point of it being forced by some rowdy dwarves, but by their own motivations.

[Bloodedge]

Simple clarity was offered to him soon enough. Miki did, indeed, wish to reenact their 'first' kiss during Dwargon, albeit without outside interference being the cause. He couldn't pretend it wasn't on his list of desires as well. In fact, of all the moments he'd experienced in this world, his favorites were when the two of them were uninterrupted. If he had to reset this entire world, he'd visit that same farm again, and start that same quest the same way. Well... perhaps there would be a few differences, given current thought processes. Maybe he could have pulled off a smooth, fetching introduction the likes of which he witnessed in media. Sure, that would work... possibly.

For now though, none of that mattered. Miki made her desire transparent, and he had every intention of answering. His brow furrowed just briefly. This was a matter to be taken with utmost seriousness, or perhaps even too much seriousness. He was inching forward, doing his level best to avoid letting nerves overtake him. Why was it so different this time? Before, he was drunk. Due to a certain series, he knew the benefits of a drunken stupor in such situations, but he didn't expect this much of a difference. Still, he wanted it as well. There would be no hesitation. "Hai. Onegaishimasu," he said, moving closer yet. Once more, his grip tightened just slightly as he initiated a... technique he'd seen in a movie once. He would only approach 90% with those slightly pursed lips of his. He wasn't entirely sure why this was necessary, but that was it; only most of the distance was covered when his eyes came to a close.

[Apollymi]

Miki offered her own bit of clarity, but after doing so, she became slightly nervous. Was she being too forward? This could potentially look bad, she was a girl after all, she couldn't seem sexually demanding without coming off as slutty. She wasn't that, at least not in the general sense. She was definitely a social deviant, a bit too into debauchery, but she was still a virgin. She only had her mind go to strange places, but she wasn't always inclined to act upon them. Now though, she realized that she'd enjoy seeing through some of the things of her mind with the lad who was with her now. Perhaps if she'd been less sketched out initially, she might have approached him a bit more directly, held a conversation with him, and they could have approached that farm together? It likely could have made a great deal of difference in how they saw each other.

Ah, but none of this mattered at all. It seemed that Kou at least shared her desire in this particular aspect, and prepared himself accordingly. He was still getting over his nerves, but found a way to lean into her, though... not all the way. And his grip on her hand tightened slightly before his eyes came to a close. Strange, he hadn't attempted to take the whole thing upon himself, but she'd been the one to offer up the activity. Closing the last bit of space between them was the least she could do. So, she did. Her body moving forward slightly and once she was sure she would miss, her lips pursed and her eyes came to a close as well, and she brought her own lips, gently into contact with Kou's. This was quite a bit different than it had been the first time. She was drunk, she wasn't being pushed and it was still... really nice. She'd let her face linger against his for quite a few seconds, unsure of if or when she should pull away.

[Bloodedge]

While his eyes were closed, Kou experienced an unusual amount of concern. He'd gone 90%, but what if he was not met with the remainder? Luckily, Miki didn't leave him wondering for very long. Before he developed too many worries, he felt the soft, warm press of foreign lips upon his own. He was quick to settle into this sensation, or rather, to embrace it fully. Since it wasn't a thing he had ever consciously done, he became quite lost mentally. It seemed as if his lips were assigned some sort of magnetic trait the way they naturally shifted, just slightly, and pressed against Miki's. Pulling away didn't even register as a thought, if there were even many thoughts in his head at the time. Never did he expect those cheesy quotes from movies to have any legitimacy to them.

A few moments passed, and his eyes opened just a bit. Through those slits, he could see where their lips collided. Kou oddly found himself observing the shape of Miki's lower face in this moment, and it gave him... visions. A kiss, innocent enough, was also a thing of great danger as he discovered then and there. The moment a brief pause occurred, the tiniest of smacks occurred between their lips as well. Of course, that only took precedence over another instance of contact.

[Apollymi]

It hadn't taken long at all for the pair of them to sink into this moment. Actually, after her lips touched his her body seemed to follow suit into a manner of relaxation. Beyond this her lips seemed to move against his, without any conscious effort. 'This... this is really good,' she thought. She couldn't pick out a single aspect of this experience she found good, instead she seemed to like it as a whole, even the slight smacking sound as their lips disconnected briefly. The pause didn't seem to last long though, and their lips would meet again, it was warm a little damp, very soft. She didn't know what she thought this would be like, when she'd suggested it, but it was definitely making one of her top experiences right here and now. Oh, but how to stop it? Did she even care to? No... not really. Their lips pressing together with brief pauses and breaks would continue and she'd manage to sneak a peek of Kou's face through heavily lidded eyes. This really was great. There was no other way to explain it. She was even still capable of taking breath, so it wasn't like they needed to stop. 'I'll just do this until it feels natural to break... yeah, that seems right.' With this decision she'd continue happily exploring this lad's lips without caring much about it. As it continued, her lips reddened and so did her face, but none of that mattered, she was enjoying this closeness and wouldn't have it end too soon.

[Bloodedge]

Miki's plan was to continue until a natural breaking point, and Kou's mentality was much the same. Another bad idea; progression was tantamount to amplification in this particular case. He hadn't thought through any of this, and only acted on impulse from that very first moment of contact. Now, Kou was fully immersed as tension came and went in waves moving through his body. When it came, it didn't feel negative at all. No; it felt more like preparation taking place, as if adrenaline demanded more of him. To an extent, the white-haired male answered the proverbial call. His body shifted, moving closer and avoiding the amount of leaning previously taking place. In doing so, his left hand reached out to find balance as well. Where would it land? Well, since there were no paper fans or other such tools in store just yet, he placed it upon Miki's thigh to rest. A shut-in of his caliber probably shouldn't have been given such an experience in a location like this. Others were around, but none in sight or earshot. A dehydrated dog had been given water, and it was going to drink until it burst.

[Apollymi]

This continued kiss had gone well beyond its original intention. Still, Miki didn't see any reason to stop it, they'd already had their gentle discussion and seemed to be much on the same page about things now. Perhaps they should finalize those thoughts a bit more, gain some firmness in their understanding of each others boundaries. Ah, but there wasn't much time for that, as their lips continued meeting at natural intervals, Kou moved a bit closer and soon enough his hand would be resting against her thigh. There was no fan, and even if there had been some implement she would have used to strike him... the girl known as Ashikaga Kimiko wouldn't have done such a thing in the first place. She wasn't a tsundere who didn't know how to express her feelings, she was something else entirely. What was she then? Well, the answer was rather simple. She was a deviant and a shut-in of a different sort. Most of her life she wasn't allowed to be alone with any boy or man aside from her father and her shadow, and both of those people ended up well off her radar for obvious reasons. But here and now there was a fresh hand touching her exposed thigh and her earlier thoughts returned to her. It felt nice to have something so warm and foreign against her skin, it brought the smallest noise from her mouth between the meeting of their lips. "Aah..." it was cute, and brief but it definitely slipped out as a matter of this contact and she hadn't been able to help it. It'd already escaped her mouth, there was nothing more to be done, except continue to enjoy this make-out session.

[Bloodedge]

Of all the things Miki could have done as a reaction to his touch, she chose one of the riskiest moves on the nonexistent list. That noise was something both pure and unsavory, both innocent and devious all in a single second's worth of utterance. If she desired a way to momentarily turn off the ashen-haired lad's brain, something like that would do the trick every time. That fan slap probably would have been a simple way to turn off the switch, so to speak, but there was nothing. What would he do, then? Well, the only think he had a mind to do was continue kissing the lass as he had been, whilst that otherwise idle hand enacted its own plot to gently explore that thigh's flesh. It was yet another new experience for Kou, though one more familiar event was soon to meet the others. He remained a teenage boy at the end of the day, and there was obviously only one result of this that would always remain constant in that case. Just as the rest of his body behaved subconsciously, his phallus would act of its own volition as well. A stimulus here, and a thought there, were about all it needed to... awaken, as it were.

[Apollymi]

They continued and Miki would soon find that hand of Kou's exploring the exposed flesh of her thigh. Something about this was tantalizing beyond reason, she liked the idea that he wanted to know her in such a way. And if she'd ever given any consideration to him not being interested in her, the movements taking place in his pants while they kissed dispelled her misconceptions. She was quite sure there was something going on there, and she wanted to explore a bit. That being said there was a whole giant list of reasons in her mind as to why she shouldn't do anything like that. 'Ugh, is it weird if I want to touch? Do I just ask? I mean, I've already seen it and technically already touched it... so it shouldn't be a real deal-breaker or anything... still I don't want to seem too pervy...' the girl's own mind processed all her doubts, but the movements of her body wouldn't allow her to properly stop what she was doing. Instead, she made the decision to do what she would always do, and negotiate a bit of progress here.

So between movements of his hand on her thighs, and her own labored breaths she managed to ask a question. It seemed innocent enough, but it was how she'd manage to test the waters here and now. "Can I... touch you... there?" she asked as her own eyes trailed down to his lap. She figured her meaning was about as clear as it needed to be, and hadn't given the slightest bit of thought to what she'd actually call such a part in a moment of passion. Perhaps that should be added to her list of concepts. Whatever the case, she didn't separate herself from him, this question much like her other actions were left as open invitation, she just wasn't sure if such progress should be made or not, and didn't want to force such an advancement onto the lad, if it wasn't what he wished.

[Bloodedge]

Progress wasn't being made the same way manga led him to believe, though he also wasn't entering this exchange expecting much. It was odd; he was simply enjoying the time spent like this. Anything crossing his mind did so as a flash, a vision of potentialities related to ongoing events. That is, until Miki broke from him long enough to speak. Her eyes trailed, and his followed their path. Ah... she'd seen it. Well, there was nary a thing to be done about it now, but Miki's words implied a level of interest he hadn't come to expect until the present.

She wanted to... what? Surely he heard her wrong, but no, he didn't. She mentioned touching. Kou's reaction was one of unbridled shock, to say the least. That far, so quickly? They did consume the same types of media, and things always moved rather quickly in those series. Alas, he never expected to hear such things aloud. Rather... if those series were any indication, he expected advances and such like that to just... happen at some point. Still, as he backed away slightly, his nerves were accompanied by an obvious interest. "I─ well... if you want to... I'd like that, I think─"

[Apollymi]

It was quite strange, she'd spoken the words she had, because the made the most sense to her. This was the most logical progression of events, she had in her own mind, based on the kind of media she consumed. Hell, by that media's standards she was taking the slowest route possible with the utmost purity in her intentions. He seemed shocked by her words beyond that, did he really not understand her interest in him? Was he really so surprised by what she had to say? Had she gone too far too quickly? Oh well, it was much too late to take it back and apparently she didn't need to anyways. Though Kou seemed shocked and a bit apprehensive about the whole situation, he did consent to her exploration of his person in a more direct manner. What was more, he even claimed he thought he would like her touching him. That was surprising information... perhaps one day she'd confess to accidentally molesting him back in the Fairy Forest. But today would not be that day...

Instead she leaned in closer once more, allowing her lips to touch his gently once more. "Hai hai. And you..." there was a devious pause and a gentle press of her lips against his. "Can touch me as you like..." she said softly, knowing that she would indeed enjoy it and figuring he would as well, as he seemed to enjoy touching her exposed skin. Moving right along, she'd fall back in line kissing him, as her unoccupied hand would find its way to the lump at his crotch, she'd touch it through his pants, tentatively at first only to move on to gently rubbing her palm across it in the same manner. This was quite an interesting and new experience. And she was quite the pervert. She'd already given a great deal of consideration to how such a task should be performed without causing the lad discomfort, since that moment back in the Fairy Forest, it'd occupied her thoughts, seeing it at the farm had only made it worse. She read too much smut to not have a general idea, and to not have the thought of it sneaking into her mind all the time. The rest though, she'd try to pick up as she went, after returning to kissing the lad with the same amount of passion she'd had previously.

[Bloodedge]

Well, it seemed this was happening after all. Kou's expectations were all over the place at this point. Was this only the start? Could he last? Did it matter that he hadn't experienced release in a very long time? He found himself wondering if this body counted, or if things could still be classified under the rule of his original body. If the former was the case, did that make him multiple virgins due to his multiple Avatars? Probably. Ah, but... that would mean virginity could be lost numerous times. That was some sort of dream, wasn't it?

The lad was going off on quite the mental tirade. The only thing bringing him back to reality was the sensation of a hand upon his covered member. It was such a new thing to experience compared to the touch of his own hand, it took precedence even over the kissing being renewed. Every little shift was prompting a physical response directly from his manhood. He already understood that, no, he would not be capable of lasting very long. Masturbation was a thing he partook of frequently enough to know this body had never even experienced it; he was fresh as a born saint! If she touched him without his pants between points of contact, he'd be done for in a matter of moments! Perish the thought that he could touch her as well; he didn't even know where to start. As their lips met and he felt that rubbing, both of his hands hovered all over the place for several seconds. Eventually, his left hand rubbed her thigh with a bit more purpose, while his right tentatively settled upon her bosom.

[Apollymi]

This was an interesting time for both of these people. Miki, had gone on a couple of mental tirades already, and they would only continue happening as it became obvious that they would indeed progress. Every movement of her hand was met by some movement beneath the lad's pants. That seemed both different from what she thought of originally and technically very expected, given what had happened in the Fairy Forest. Strangely, this didn't seem to discourage her actions at all, if anything, the new sensation only spurred on her activities, causing her to continue them as she gained more comfort in what she was doing.

Ah, but she wasn't alone in exploring someone. She'd given the boy with her the go-ahead to explore her as he liked as well. Such a thing, led to the movement of his hand against her thigh with a dedicated objective, while his other hand found its way to her bosom. This was an interesting sensation, as in this form they weren't nearly the size that she was used to her body possessing and as she soon found out, they were still sensitive. Whether it was the fact that someone else was touching her body, or that this body simply hadn't experienced such things already, it was very obvious by the small sound which escaped her that this was indeed something which caused immediate heat to build up in her body and a small moan to leave her mouth. "Ooo~" she moaned, another sound she couldn't control at all. 'Shit, I'm really not used to this...' she swore in her own mind. Over all, she didn't think it would seem to matter long term. She hadn't found the extra time of her previous life to completely explore herself and as such she'd be in for quite a few new-to-body sensations. That wasn't really a problem though, if anything that would simply make every experience that much more worth having.

[Bloodedge]

Lost was about the only remaining word worth describing Kou with. There was a medley of sensations invading his conscious mind, clouding it and preventing any thoughts other than those related to progress. Another sound escaped Miki's mouth, but this one wouldn't be allowed to last long even if it would have otherwise. He attacked the girl's lips just in the middle of that noise, while his left hand shifted its exploration to her inner thigh. In the meantime, his right hand took on a circular, rubbing motion applied to her chest. He hardly even realized what he was doing, considering how much of a stimulus he was receiving to his groin with even so little contact. Multiple breaks came between the pair's lips, and during each one after a while, small gasps were escaping the lad. He could feel a sort of tingle in his lower extremity, and he knew well what it meant. It certainly wasn't a good thing, and yet...

[Apollymi]

Lost in sensation, that was something that clearly became Miki the longer they engaged in this activity. In fact, she was more than a bit shocked when the sound which tried to escape her mouth was paused by the lad's own. Kisses seemed to happen and grow at their own pace, and strangely so did something else. As Miki rubbed against the lad's groin with her hands reacting to its movements, Kou's hands began making more varied movements. The one moving along the inside of her thigh brought a tingle up her spine and a gasp from her mouth. Meanwhile, her body's natural physical reactions to such stimulation, gave way to the hardening of her nipple below the lad's moving hand.

Between the movements of their lips, and the stimulation of their bodies, she seemed to be reaching a strange level of stimulation. Much more than she would have thought possible from something so simple. Still she couldn't stop her own movements and found herself rubbing against his length only to gently flick her fingers over the tip of his manhood. She could feel it beneath his clothes and found herself adding such a movement to her general caressing. This whole situation was spiraling well outside of her control, even so... she was enjoying it immensely. Heat was building up in her body, and moisture starting between her legs... she didn't think she'd find this so stimulating but it was a pleasant surprise.

[Bloodedge]

Only a few movements of Miki's hand needed to occur over his tip before... another development came to be. Indeed, only a few swipes in, there was a speck of moisture that had made its way through his trousers. Kou himself remained ignorant of this, but such leakage happened from time to time. Never had it been something to occur so quickly, though. One could only assume this was the fault of it not being his own hand which caused stimulation. All the while, his hands were constantly in motion. Kou's right hand undertook a new goal, which saw it grasp the cup of her top which covered the object of his groping. He thought to jerk it down, but instead, he simply wound up snaking his fingers into it from above. The fault of this was some minor reprehension of Kou's. The longer this went on, the more he questioned his own capacity to continue. At this point, he was beginning to think consciously, and each thought came with a second guess. Could he even go through with this? Perhaps it was an ideal time to pull back. At the very least, he was considering it.

[Apollymi]

Progress was being made, but it seemed to be slowing quite a bit. Whatever was going on in Kou's mind, he'd moved on from simply rubbing against her chest, to trying to get into her top from the outside. Randomly having his fingers touch her skin elicited some more noises from her. She didn't mind this attention at all. It was a new sensation to have someone else explore her body. Moreover, she was just as enthused and interested by what was going on inside of the lad's pants. A small drop of moisture appeared at the tip of his manhood and this she felt at the tip of her finger. She was a girl, and only had experience with what such things meant for girls, and as such some of her technique changed to accommodate it. Her index finger would rub against this, for a second or two only to have her shift back to rubbing his shaft. Beyond this point, they could continue, and the flush which developed on her face didn't wane at all. In fact, her breathing sped up just a bit between kisses and this extra stimulation she might find herself in a very strange situation rather soon. Unlike Kou, she had no reservations, but that always seemed to be the difference between them.

[Bloodedge]

Everything seemed to be do or die for a moment. Kou soon understood that there was a moisture building at his tip, if only because Miki's finger made direct contact with it, pressing that moist spot back against its source before her efforts returned to normal. Soon enough, Kou's finger found a point of interest as well... and a literal one at that. Within Miki's top, he found that smaller, additional lump referred to as a nipple. His fingers brushed against that firmed protrusion a few times over as his slightly opened mouth continued pressing against Miki's own. His left hand had never stopped moving either, and was eventually at the highest possible point of her inner thigh. There, it stopped along with his other movements, as Kou finally thought to speak again before... it was too late for his genitals to continue. "Oi, you don't uh... think this is moving pretty fast? I mean, you know... first kiss and all, sort of..."

[Apollymi]

This was quite the intense experience, and it seemed to only be progressing. Kou found his prize and Miki felt several jolts straight through the center of her body, which made her loins tingle. Beyond this, the lad's hands stopped only just shy of her nether itself. There was some marked anticipation in the lass' body. She was the type to engage in such things on her own, and though this body was unfamiliar with such things, her own mind prepared her for this new shared experience. Ah, but there was always something... wasn't there? Kou paused gently to mention the fast pacing of this particular situation and it seemed to give Miki a moment of pause. Just enough that her hand completed the stroke it was on before pausing. She gave herself a moment to think of through complex set of thoughts. It was moving kind of fast. This wasn't exactly a romance novel. She was being a bit more forward than she initially intended. She didn't really want to stop... but she also didn't want to rush either. Besides knowing they were this way when making their own decisions she could probably trust things not to slide too far backwards as far as their developing relationship was concerned. "Sou ka... " she managed looking sheepish, though she still didn't separate herself properly from the lad. "I suppose it got away from me a bit there... still," she said seeming to need to say something more so as not to leave the wrong impression. "As long as it isn't the last one, you're right." she said before pecking his lips one more time, finally unhanding the lad's groin. She'd taken a bit more than she'd intended to, being accepted in such a way, but that was sort of her way in the end. Perhaps, she'd be able to better mediate these urges after a nice bath... Yeah. A bath and a bit of self-exploration.

[Bloodedge]

Following his own pause, Miki stopped the advancement of her movement as well. It was a very bittersweet thing to happen. Had she progressed just a bit more, he would have exploded right there in his pants. That would have been satisfying in some twisted way, but since that didn't happen, Kou could avoid potentially dissatisfying results on his part. She had words to offer as well. It was understood that they'd gone a bit far, even though Kou himself didn't care one bit about that. "Iia, it's just as much my fault," he said, aiming to avoid the lass taking full blame for being forward. She had a point to follow, though. This wouldn't be the final of such moments shared between the two if Kou had anything to say about it, and since Miki spoke the words herself, he nodded his agreement just after their lips connected once more.

"Hai. Definitely not the last. Hold me to that, yeah?" His query had so many meanings, even he didn't realize all of them. The man behind the mask of Geno Killer had reprehensions left and right. By every account of his own, he was shooting way out of his league with this one. As such, he was liable to be withdrawn from time to time. He could, however, place faith in Miki to keep those words in mind. "So... what now then?"

[Apollymi]

Ah, they'd all but stopped now hadn't they. But it seemed that Miki wouldn't be allowed to take sole responsibility for how far off the established path they'd gone. This was a bit heart-warming in its own way, as Miki or rather, Kimiko was more than used to deferring blame for big things onto herself for what were probably rather obvious reasons. Instead of sulking, she received confirmation that Kou was fine with continuing as they were, and did indeed not intend to cut himself off from their newfound closeness. He claimed he wanted her to hold him to the idea that this wouldn't be their last interaction like this. A smile came to her face at this notion. It could have had several meanings, but in this case, she figured this lad knew himself. And in doing that, he knew what his weaknesses were, if she could make up for them and keep them close, she'd do just that.

"Hai hai, consider it done!~" she said in a jokingly chipper tone. Still, she meant it just the same. She had no problem helping them along, especially with the knowledge that he was interested in her the same way she held interest in him. Moving along from this point and now that they were no longer literally clinging to each other, Kou asked what was next. Miki gave it a bit of thought, she'd had the thought she wanted a bath among other things, and it was getting dark. She supposed there was the actual lodgings that they now shared to consider as well as a time period in which they could strip out of regular clothing and get a bit more comfortable. Given the way the lass' mind worked, she'd already collected a great number of articles of regular clothing in her own sizes. She'd also gotten similar kinds of things for Kou, figuring he wouldn't have the room to carry them around on his own person, and because she had his measurements because of their swimming attire fittings. "I am not a psycho I promise..." she prefaced her statement. "I was thinking about picking out some pajamas and having a bath... I also have a bunch of clothes for you as well... if you're interested in sleeping in something not just your armor. Since we can settle in now. But since I didn't know what you liked there are a bunch of options..." she mentioned. Actually, this whole thing made her sound similar to a certain character's mother in another series. Maybe he wouldn't notice and she wouldn't seem like a crazy obsessive person.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Onegaishimasu," he said, knowing he was in very capable hands for this agreement. Miki went on to state her plan to bathe, and brought up a matter of her having additional clothes for both of them as well. She prefaced this with the idea of her not being some sort of psychopath, but he could only laugh at the notion. He knew just what this could be likened to, and it was absolutely hilarious to him. "Yes, mother, I'll have a look at the options and see what fits best," he quipped, taking a glance at a closet at the other side of the room. He had an idea in mind, and it seemed the most suitable thing to do. "Have you made an Access Point yet? That doorknob can be replaced," he surmised. Whether Miki had even discovered that ability of her Artifact or not, he didn't know. Ah, but he'd soon be finding out one way or the other.

[Apollymi]

He laughed at her saying she wasn't a psychopath, perhaps, because it was a funny notion. She'd said it with the thought that she'd only show him a few of the items at a time, and thus would have some sort of control over how bad her obsession seemed to be. Of course, this was not to be at all. And it was followed by a very literal joke relating to a thought she had. "Oi oi, I am not really that bad," she said, knowing full well she was quite a bit worse. But that didn't matter, he'd never get to see, or would he. Apparently, she was capable of creating what the lad called Access Points, which he claimed could take the place of the particular doorknob connected to the closet allowing the lad to peruse. "I can do that?! REALLY?!" she seemed to be completely taken aback. "Well, I mean, I knew I could connect and lock certain places. I did it with a few dungeons. But I didn't know it worked for the spaces within as well..." she said very surprised by the information and a little bit nervous.

Still, it was something she'd offered so she'd began work on it. The golden orb she'd been given came out of her pocket and she began interacting with it while walking over to the door. Doing the same thing she'd done when she'd connected to the dungeons and creating a map which instead of connecting to the outside world, connected to the room she had in mind within the secret space. "I would like to reiterate that I am not a psycho..." she said as the point was made to this door. It would of course open into one of the white rooms inside of the trove, this one had been created with the label 'Our Closet' and contained, a right side wall full of clothing choices Miki had made for herself and potential other Avatars and the left side, was of an equally large number of things she'd picked up for Kou and all of his Avatars. There was also the little unknown fact, that she'd also made another general closet for the others, in varying sizes of clothes for both men and women, but she'd go without mentioning that for the sake of not seeming crazy. Literal dozens of whole outfits, socks, underwear in various colors, fabrics, and cuts, silk pajamas, cotton pajamas, under shirts and several different swimsuit options as well. He could literally dress any way he wanted to with any of his Avatars. "Left side is yours. Use it as you please."

[Bloodedge]

As it seemed, Miki hadn't discovered that ability of her Artifact at all. She admitted to using it in just the opposite manner, but never the way he spoke of programming it. "I did say it had a lot of features. Since you like to collect things, I basically fitted it for the room building, but... I figured you might not want to keep going in and out all the time. So, I expanded the feature that creates gates, and let smaller gates be applied to connected rooms. It's pretty niche, but I thought you might like it." That was about all there was to Kou's explanation, as Miki went about using the very function they discussed. The closet she interfaced with using the device would not be replaced per se, but the door itself would act instead as a gateway to an otherwise sealed room in her trove. Kou rose when the passageway was made, choosing to approach and use Miki's time in the bathroom to find his sleeping garbs of choice. On his way though, he placed a hand upon Miki's shoulder, and laughed. "If you keep saying you're not a psycho, it makes you seem more like a psycho. At least... that's what girls always told me," he said, content to pull open the door from there.

Well... she was right about one thing. The sight of this room didn't make her seem psychotic, but it did make her seem like a bit of a hoarder. Just... a bit. Nevertheless, it was an impressive collection. A fair amount of time would undoubtedly be taken by Kou to discover what he wanted to wear. It had to be something, right? He couldn't go for the norm, which was nothing more than a pair of boxers... or could it?

[Apollymi]

It was the case that Miki didn't know of the thing Kou was speaking. Even so, he went on to explain what he meant in fairly good detail even as she used the object to open this gate. He claimed that the use of it this was rather uncommon but that he'd included it because the thought she might like it. "Hai, of course I like it. That is a great time saver, and adds extra utility for someone like me. I will always need that... especially since I can go quite overboard once I start collecting things..." she said with a bit of a sheepish chuckle. Moving right along the lad's hand soon landed on her shoulder as he laughed and made sure to tell her, that it was more telling that she continued saying she wasn't psycho. And while she understood this to some extent, she still couldn't really be faulted for that at all. "I know, I know, but there is a really reasonable explanation for all of this," she said of the giant collection he opened up the door to see.

In truth in-games like AoE Miki was a trader and merchant. She was always willing to discount her services in exchange for goods which she needed. Since they'd gone to Atlantis and become a pretty integral part of the economy, she'd had a lot of access to merchant goods there. Including the seamstress, who was content to design clothing for her, and take her ideas and measurements and make them for the lad Kou as well. Because of the amount of time they'd spent since first meeting the seamstress, it had turned into a large collection rather swiftly. This also didn't include all of the things which had been in her house in the Migrating Vale, which she managed to integrate a great amount of too. Whatever the case, she began sorting through her own choices and came to a strange realization. 'Normally, I sleep in just my underwear... or in silk pajamas with no underwear. If I wear both of them, I'll end up stripping naked in my sleep. But if I want to spend extra time thinking about anything, being in my underwear is best...' she had the set of thoughts before settling in. She figured that if they were going to get to know each other properly, they should know their habits. As such, she picked what she would be sleeping in, which was a matched panties and bra set. Red silk with black lace trim, which seemed to suit her tastes and this current avatar's skin and hair. "Whatever, I'm not gonna talk myself into sleeping uncomfortably," she mumbled. And with that she headed for the bath.

[Bloodedge]

"Oh? Good; I was hoping you would─" he said, seeming only the slightest bit sheepish about it. Whatever the case, it was good that Miki found satisfaction in his addition to the object. He felt she would enjoy other features yet to be discovered as well, but time would tell when those would even be revealed to her. There were even some things unknown to Kou at the time of the Artifact's creation, if only due to the number of code overlays made. There would be a learning experience for both of them, surely.

Kou was occupied on his own side of this large clothing room while Miki chose her sleepwear, so sadly, he didn't have a preview of something he was certain to enjoy the look of. Miki departed from this room soon enough to enter the bathroom, and not long after, he exited with a pair of purple, silk boxers in hand. He wasn't going to make any concessions either. Besides, the blonde he would be sharing a bed with (again) had already been in contact with his most sensitive area; there was hardly a thing to hide at this point. Ah, but there was the reason for his initial withdrawal. He didn't want to fall short of excellency, and he undoubtedly would have if they kept going the way they were. To avoid this problem in future, he had to be sure to relieve himself of his excess reproductive fluids. What better time than the present, while he had the main bedroom to himself? He was already quite riled up, after all.

He didn't know how long Miki would be bathing, but he did know... if there was even a chance of earlier events reoccurring this very night, he needed to handle things right away. As a Celestial, he had no 'need' of a bath without outside interference to his body. Since he hadn't sullied himself this day, he was clean as a newborn babe when he changed into those silk boxers and took his place in bed. Under the covers he went, and out came his manhood with his right hand to greet it. Sadly, he could not simply finish from Miki's earlier contact. Since he'd waited so long to get started himself, he was starting anew with nothing more than the memory of previous moments to guide his imagination.

[Apollymi]

Kou had managed to look a bit sheepish when she'd explained that she liked the feature he'd given in his gift. There were always so many new things about it, she never really knew what if anything she could do to repay the kindness. Ah, but that was a thought for a different time. She'd run off with what she'd intended to sleep in, and headed for this new shared bathroom attached to their quarters. It was better than she expected given it was a ship. A complete shower a separate soaking tub, pristine light blue tile. A double set of standing sinks in front of mirrors and a large linen closet filled with bath towels, toiletries and all manner of necessity. This would indeed be something worth being excited about. As such, he ran a bath filled with burning hot water, and as it filled, she had her typical shower, at masterful speed.

Strangely once her hair was washed and the water was finished running she still sat atop the little stool in the shower. She looked rather deviously with her hair up in a towel conditioning with a detachable shower head, set to a gentle pulse with warm water. 'Ah... I should try to be quiet about this... not sure if I can be heard from out there...' she thought to herself. Whatever the case, she dove in aiming to gently prod her bud with this strumming sensation. It was something like a low-tier vibrator, but more than enough to get her started, as she considered her most recent interaction with Kou. Her face reddened gently as her hips rocked just a little as she enjoyed the sensation, imagining not water rubbing against her loins, but the fingers of the lad outside. She saw in great detail in her mind, the imagine of his face, those glowing eyes of his, peeking at her through their corners. She imagined his head dipped over her shoulder as he rubbed her sex with one hand and cupped her breast with the other, as his breath danced gently over her ear. Yes. That was it a good enough place to paint the picture necessary to send herself over the edge of bliss with just a few more moments of imagination. Still, she couldn't help the gentle whimper that slipped through her lips... "Oooh~" passed through her lips before she bit down on her unoccupied index finger, only to adjust the speed of the shower head up instead. Only further feeding into the fantasy she created in her mind, perhaps it couldn't be heard.

[Bloodedge]

While Miki went about her own period of self-exploration, Kou took a different approach. He didn't pull fully from his imagination, but instead let his mind flesh out lost potential advancements of events already transpired. As he lay there, one stroke after another matched an imaginary scene which could have very well been occurring at this very moment. Underneath that thick blanket covering Kou was not only the lad himself, but what he thought to be the unclad form of the blonde who, in reality, was separated from him only by a single door. He could just about picture her every movement, rising and falling like a wave, as a wave of a different sort built within both of them. Not having a visual or audible stimulus was unusual to him, even a hindrance to his progress. He could, however, get something very close with imagination alone. In fact... he could have almost sworn he tricked his ears into hearing that little moan of Miki's once more. If he didn't know any better, it was... very real. Surely it couldn't have been, right? It was so brief, so distant, yet so actually audible, that it could have been. There was such potency to it, he felt a spike in arousal that forced a gasp from his own lips. Alas, the reality of it was far from his mind at the time. Over time, the blonde's movements in his imagination hastened, and the same could be said of the... stroking of himself, so to speak.

[Apollymi]

Unknown to the lass in the bath, the boy outside had a very similar idea to her own. And while he was busy, exploring himself in their bed. She was enjoying the usefulness of this detachable shower head's multiple spray functions. Here and now with a much faster, pace, she fought the desire to moan against this pulsing sensation, as she built further and further towards a rather delicious peak. While the scene in her head shifted slightly, the lad was still behind her, still wrapped around her, but instead, thrusting into her, while his fingers danced over her pearl. She thought back to that gentle stroke of her nipple and felt it harden again. She trusted herself just enough to flick it with her own fingers. Twisting it gently until it reached a proper peak, only to bite down upon her bottom lip as it became too much. "Aaaah~" the sound, another quiet moan escaped her, but it was just enough this time... to push her over the edge, she clamped her knees together as she felt her inner self tighten as a flush of relief and heat washed over her entire body. She'd stop a few seconds later, her breathing still labored, her bottom lip bright red from the extra force. Still, she'd avoided the most of the noise from what she could tell.

From the seated position, she went on to rinse her hair quickly and sit in the tub, thinking about what she'd just done with the most relaxed look upon her face. The entirety of this bath would take about 30 minutes. Only ten of which were spent actually cleaning anything about her body. The rest, she spent exploring herself with her fingers while submerged in the hot water of the tub, and playing out a few different fantasy scenarios.

[Bloodedge]

30 minutes would hardly be enough time for Kou, sadly. Roughly halfway through his endeavor of choice, he had a horrid realization; what was he to do when he finished? Realizing this would become a problem, he had to get up. His shaft remained grasped in his hand, and there was the occasional stroke yet, but the act of walking to the other side of the room alone was essentially resetting his progress yet again. By entering the closet once more, he was eventually able to locate a second pair of undergarments made of cloth, easily usable as a makeshift towel for the time being. With it in tow, he returned to bed and began working his way back up. It may have been something much to his chagrin that he encountered such a fate, as it would take about the same amount of time building up from the most recent restart of his efforts...

[Apollymi]

Kou hadn't thought through the ending of his own exploration, Miki on the other hand had given herself a few good flourishes. She'd even managed, to the best of her knowledge, to stifle the sounds she'd made incidentally. Ah, but she couldn't exactly stay in here for too long. He'd seen her get ready in the mornings, she couldn't take too much longer than normal to come out or suspicions would arise. She lounged back in in the tub a few minutes longer before she finally rose again. She let out the water, and then stood naked before a mirror brushing out her now dry locks of blonde hair. Once all of that was in order, and her deep crimson ribbons were restored, she dressed herself the way she tended to dress for sleep. This wasn't purposefully provocative. No, just a matching red silk and black lace set of panties and a bra, and some long silk stockings connected by a thin garter. This would keep her feet warm, her body mostly breathable and allow her to retain a certain semblance of the normalcy of her previous life. And once she was satisfied with how she looked in the mirror, she emerged from the bathroom with a relaxed body and less sex-crazed mind. "Ah, that's such a relief... I feel so much better," she mentioned of the bath she'd had recently. Of course, the bath itself wasn't the reason she felt better, bathing was just an excuse to reach true release without seeming sex-obsessed on the surface.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, it was the most dangerous thing possible for Kou to have forgotten that crucial object when he started all this. He was at the cusp of completion with himself, and then... it happened. The bathroom door swung open, and out came Miki in the middle of his upstroke. He didn't become fully conscious of her entry until the following stroke downward, but that would be his last as his eyes darted toward the scantily-clad blonde. Kou's hand which held the 'towel' he intended to use could not move from his side, where it kept the makeshift towel under covers as well. The moment he saw Miki in those fancy undergarments of hers, his eyes widened; he could have expelled his seed right then and there. Resistance was mandatory, yet just about futile. His groin tensed more than it ever had before to resist ruining the covers and undoing whatever incognito status he managed. There he was either way, sweating bullets and pitching a tent as he stared at the girl who entered the room. When he spoke, he did so with a bit of nervousness applied to every word. "Eh... good, yeah. Glad you enjoyed your bath─"

[Apollymi]

Kou's words and his sweating bullets was a bit off to the situation. Of course, it could have simply been that he wasn't expecting her to walk out in such a manner of dress. But, she walked around in basically underwear all the time anyway. No. Instead there was something distinctly familiar about this situation and it brought Miki back to a moment in her own life. When Kimiko was left at home mostly alone while her parents were on vacation in the spring, they'd returned unexpectedly, and her mother had burst into her room while Kimiko was 'busy' below the covers. She'd had to have an entire very strained conversation with her mother, while naked under the covers with her fingers buried inside herself for fear of rousing too much suspicion. Oh, that was a terrible situation. And she could recognize it here and now by sight alone. 'Shit! We are way too much alike...' she thought, though she managed to keep a hint of it off her face. Though that likely didn't work as she kind of wanted to look, ugh she'd just gotten rid of all these kinds of thoughts. She didn't want to confront him with what she knew in the moment, that would be terrible for both of them... She had to make up an excuse. Yeah, that was it. Give him a bit of time, to ah, help preserve his dignity, and stop herself from looking by facing away. But not leaving the room, because that would be way too obvious. Yep, good plan.

"Um-hm, it was so nice. I almost didn't want to leave... I finally feel like I can concentrate now... you know?" she mentioned walking specifically away from the bed and having a seat in the high backed chair which faced away from the bed. She looked out of the window and tossed her hair around a bit. She could never really lay straight down so, this was fine. And maybe he'd be able to finish up. Maybe not, but at least she could give him the benefit of a moment or two to try. In the meantime, she moved her fingers and brought to her hand the necklace he'd given her as part of her present and lent her attention to concentrating on the object in her hands, while trying really hard not to imagine what this lad was doing under the covers, still, she couldn't really help it, and her leg began to bounce just a little.

[Bloodedge]

In addition to being stunned for numerous reasons all at once, he experienced a certain fear of being caught with an exposed erection beneath the covers. Perhaps she would think nothing of it. Perhaps that tepee just under his waist could simply be seen as a remnant of their earlier interaction. He could at least hope for such results. Luckily for Kou, the lass spoke her piece and moved on to doing other things. It was oddly convenient that she chose to sit facing away from him in the meantime, but he couldn't complain for obvious reasons.

With her positioned in such a way, could he finish? No; that would be ridiculous. He'd kept himself from doing so twice in the last hour or so; his end would be rather explosive as a result. Being incapable of trusting himself to keep silent, he decided to take the painful approach 'Fuck! Blue-balled by my own dumb shit,' he thought. Either way, he had to conceal himself to the best of his ability. His manhood was tucked back into his undergarments, and the extra pair of boxers he intended to use as a cloth were tucked under the mattress while Miki looked away. There was hardly a thing to be done about his erect state, but that alone was nothing too odd at this point. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean. I'd go for one too, but... not much need. I haven't gotten dirty since I last bathed, and... Celestial heritage has hella perks."

[Apollymi]

While Kou busied himself behind her, Miki distracted her mind with the puzzle in her hand, with her leg bouncing away. A couple of gentle taps against the floor were made, before her left foot raised up to the toes. The bouncing continued but with no active sound. Now, it would likely only seem to be a matter of concentration and nothing more. 'Ah, I wonder if he got to finish... it's kinda bad if he didn't...' she thought to herself. He'd stopped them the first time, she'd accidentally stopped him this time, rationally, it would be much worse for him than it would have been the initial two times. Perhaps, she'd think of a way to broach it, or find out if he hadn't. Still the lad was content to say a few more words after some general shuffling about behind her. She didn't witness it directly, so she was only able to piece together potential movements with her mind, and this was bad for her imagination.

So, she conversed with him while moving those two stars around the ring on the necklace, gently as she could. "I heard Celestial was a good starting class for general purposes... I picked Druid for similar reasons," she said knowing well that she didn't need to bathe even half as often as she did. "But baths aren't just about clean bodies. Clearing my mind and habit tend to lead me there more often than not," she said having strangely vague phrasing, though it wasn't initially her intention to do so.

She tended to take baths for the moments of privacy they gave her. In the case of today, she did so to get a few moments to clear her mind and the tension of her body with the release her body demanded from their earlier interaction. Still, there were things for her to do now to amuse herself, mostly figuring out the last piece of the present she'd been given. She turned the puzzle once more moving the two star pieces separately she had to be missing something. It truly wouldn't come apart this way.

[Bloodedge]

This was bad. So close to completion again, he was left throbbing as he rejected his own release. Perhaps he'd have a better opportunity at a later time. Whenever that time came, it was sure to be something incredible and... probably quite messy as well. No matter; he only had to deal with the buildup receding into his body for now. While doing so, he kept up the conversation as best he could. "I hear the same about Druids. There's an NPC mention in game where some drunken tavern guy says Celestials sweat spring water, and Druids piss nectar. It was a weird Easter Egg," he commented. Miki's mention of baths and their usefulness gave him an idea, but he was far too invested in his suffering now. Wait... but did her utterance mean she went to the bathroom with a purpose other than bathing? That sound he thought he heard; had he indeed heard it in reality? Feeling better, not wanting to leave, having a clarity of mind that wasn't present beforehand... these were signs. That couldn't have been the case though, right? "Habit... clear mind... yeah, that sounds about right..."

[Apollymi]

While Miki worked at taking apart a puzzle, Kou was working at putting one together. It seemed he'd been listening to what she said a bit more than she would initially realize. He was very spot on with his deductions as always, she'd indeed gone to the bathroom with a purpose other than taking a bath, and only really took one and washed her hair to cover her tracks. That was a normal amount of deception for her, not for the sake of being sneaky, but because she was used to avoiding questions in such a way. Still, her fingers were on the move as she stared at the defining features of this puzzle. The ring entwined within the star shapes was smooth on all sides, but the stars themselves had multiple oblong cut outs which seemed to line up just wrong. There were also raised grooves on both sides, which lined up, just enough to slip the ring through, but not enough to slip it out. As she looked at both sides of it, turning it over in her hands, she noticed a longer open groove on one of the sizes, it was where she was aiming, through this one alone she could slip it out. Her mind began working properly, and she began speaking to Kou as if on auto-pilot as her brain worked through several twists and turns.

"Hm, spring water and nectar... well, Druids can make nectar, but not like that..." she mentioned with a chuckle. She'd honestly had a taste of herself a few moments prior to this one, and could account for a certain sweetness but she doubted that this applied to all of her bodily fluids at all. She began watching more carefully as she turned the puzzle the ring slipping through several grooves, as she twisted both stars to make it work out the way she wished. This was much more favorable, and took a lot less work than her bout against the Treasure Trove. Ah, but she noted that the lad, responded to what she'd said as if considering her words properly. This happened with him, more often than any others, he seemed to not only hear her words, but actually understand them. "Yare yare, when you say it like that... I feel like I said too much," she said mostly to herself. Absently admitting that she hadn't been up to completely innocent activities while having her bath earlier. Still, there were more exciting things at work for her than previously, as she worked that singular ring towards that open groove. Her leg still bouncing up and down. "YOSH! I got it!!" she said as she slipped the ring out from between the grooves and cause the transformation of the object in her hand.

[Bloodedge]

"So then... do you sweat nectar? I don't know if that's awesome, or gross, if so." He spoke jokingly, mostly so he could distract himself and reduce his... swelling problem, if at all possible. Shamefully, he'd gotten so riled up that Miki's voice was doing him in. Alas, there remained a chance for recovery. So long as he could keep himself as distracted as possible, he could prosper.

Speaking of distractions, there was a major one coming. First though, came Miki's admittance of speaking too much in her previous clause. "A bit, yeah. Well, I sorta─" He was incapable of finishing the thought, as Miki suddenly solved the helix puzzle he'd included in her gift in Atlantis. Now that she had it with the ability to access its true state, she could make full use of everything he'd given her. Of course, there were far too many features to list in a single sitting, but... he imagined she'd enjoy discovering quite a few over time. "Sugoi! That's what you've been doing over there this whole time? It's good you made it work for you~"

[Apollymi]

"Hm, if it's sweat, that would explain the Druids that are always surrounded by butterflies and humming birds," she said as a joke. She knew she could make Nectar simply by infusing her essence with a flower she grew. Such a thing was basically how she managed to acquire both versions of the Sacred Tree's sap in the Fairy Forest. It is also how someone like Virqen shared his advanced nature magic with her as a permanent skills buff. Still there was the matter of whatever the lad had to say in response to her randomly uttered words, but now wouldn't be the the time that thought came to completion. Because she'd completed the puzzle he gave her, and as such there was new excitement to be discussed between them.

She'd finished this puzzle and had it become something like a necklace with a double set of squares holding it together in a more banded formation. She couldn't really wear it as a necklace, but its size was right for something else. She fitted it over her left thigh as a garter and felt it was much more comfortable there, than it would have been stifled under the Bones of Rathma she normally wore around her neck. Kou's reaction made her smile. "Hai... I figured I was in a good head space so it'd be easier to take on. It was nice, I'd never done a puzzle like that, completing a new one is pretty exciting," she said seemingly energized. She remembered being just as excited about something else and got excited all over again. "Shit! I forgot! I did a really crazy one in the Migrating Vale. Mite, mite!!" she said now exceedingly excited to share her previous experience. She opened the palm of her hand after pulling something out of the pocket of her cloak across the room. It was a moderately sized red crystal cut into a diamond, which she'd received after communing with the nature spirits and used as a catalyst to write her Rune Stone. "Basically, I had to write a Rune Stone among my tasks in the Migrating Vale, but the puzzle it gave me to do it was this!!" she said, forcing her magic into the item and showing the holograpic style readout of the Sudoku Super Giant, with Druidic Runes instead of numbers. The 25 by 25 masterpiece that it was, she knew he would have enjoyed such a thing. So she'd taken it upon herself to clear it out back to its base to be solved form, in case the lad found himself wanting to do it. "I already did it, so I don't need it, but I figured you might want to see it. Besides that the stone has magical properties, so you could probably use it!" she said offering it to the lad. She had everything she needed from it and wanted him to share in her happiness. This was all.

[Bloodedge]

"That... makes too much sense to not be true," Kou surmised. Whether seriously or not, he would at least carry on acting like he believed Druids sweated nectar of some sort. As laughable as that was, he immediately became far more invested in what Miki seemed so suddenly excited about. She spoke of puzzles, and one in particular that she completed in her return trip to the Druid homeland. After pulling an object from her cloak's pocket, she even revealed the ability to showcase the very puzzle being discussed. What she showed was a complex form of puzzle Kou often solved, at least when they were made properly, though this one had a unique twist in the characters it made use of. He gazed upon the Sudoku, his eyes widening in excitement when he realized he could solve it. "You're serious? Sugoi! I..."

He thought of getting out of bed to give the puzzle a try, but he couldn't do so just yet. There was still something keeping the lad from even sitting up straight without exposing himself fully. One wrong move, and the hole in his boxers would be penetrated with ease. "... I'll give it a go later, yeah? I'm pretty comfortable here, so I should probably just chill until I fall asleep."

[Apollymi]

Kou made a claim which made her believe he might actually think Druids sweated nectar. That being said, she couldn't currently disprove it, so she simply laughed it off as another quirky thing the lad did. Soon enough though, her excitement and sharing was rewarded exactly the way she wished. The lad seemed to be really excited about the Sudoku Giant, even without knowing the meanings of all the symbols involved. A grin came to the lass' face in this moment because she realized she truly enjoyed this particular face of his. But sadly, she wouldn't get to see it come to fruition right just now. He was excited but claimed he was prepared to wind down for sleep. She peeked over the chair at him, just a tad and came to a strange conclusion within her own mind. 'I'm going take that as a no on him finishing then...' she mused. Only to have a smile spread across her face. "Hai hai! I'll leave it on the table, you wake up before me a lot... So, it's all yours whenever!~" she chimed, seeming to have no problem. If he was content to sleep a bit, she supposed she could do the same.

"Hm, sleep is a pretty good idea though..." she mused, before getting up from the chair in what was very sexy lingerie now accented by a single golden ring around her left thigh. She took the time to get the lights before climbing into bed. Doing so of course, required her to cross over his body. This had her mumble a single apology. "Hai hai, I'm just going to slip by you then.." she said as her body extended over his. She missed hitting his body at all as she moved, and avoided making direct eye contact for her own sanity before she collapsed into the space nearest the wall. "Sugoi... what a great bed!~" she murmured as she began the process of slipping in under the covers. She'd leave herself perfectly between the middle space of the bed and the wall she'd claimed as her own.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Sankusu," he said in acceptance of the puzzle being left for his later use. Immediately afterwards, Miki agreed to the idea of sleeping for the night. To do so, she chose to climb in over him. He, too, avoided any amount of eye contact. Ah, but that didn't keep his eyes from moving. It seemed he would be stuck with this firmness for quite some time. What he saw during this movement was everything below Miki's eyes instead. That she thought it was a grand idea to don that lingerie, was absolutely... wonderfully horrible. A simple brush against his tip would have been a horrendous outcome, yet it was also something of a wild dream in the moment of possibility.

He froze completely, and was not touched at all. Good... yet bad. The more he thought about it, the more he was attached to the idea of an 'accidental sexy scenario' the likes of which he'd seen and read numerous times. As much as the lad knew he didn't quite want this while unprepared, it was still a satisfying pipe dream. By the time Miki reached her side and spoke, he was essentially sweating bullets yet again. "Eheh... yeah, it's a good one. I've never flopped on one even nearly as good as this."

[Apollymi]

In response to the thanks Miki, just shrugged it off. "Iia," she said softly. She would have given it to him anyways, she knew he liked puzzles and couldn't express it properly all the time. Being able to offer him something like that was rather pleasing to her. And she managed to look sheepishly pleased about it. And then she moved on, Miki stretched beneath the covers, she knew that not making eye contact was probably for the best. And though she didn't feel any particular shyness about her choice in clothing, she also knew that it probably presented two different sets of feelings for the lad, especially if her idea about the lad's lack of release rang true. His words about the bed caused her brow to raise slightly, she was pretty sure this bed fell a bit short of her previous one, but... it did have a certain perk. "Um-hm, comfy beds are a lifestyle, Oyasumi..." she mumbled as she closed her eyes. Even so, as she lie in bed, she couldn't help but have her thoughts wander towards some accidental scenarios. Actually, she could make that happen, accidentally on purpose pretty easily right? The whole purpose of this bedding situation, was to have Kou's body as a wall between her and the edge of the bed. She couldn't really take advantage of such a thing though, could she? Well, it had been a thought in her mind when she decided her sleeping position, but... it was too early to take such advantages, right?

Her mind raced with the possibilities, and she began fidgeting as she tried to sleep. Over time, her body would shift away from the middle of her side and closer towards the true middle. It was pretty hard to get comfortable, she wanted to be comfortable. She could only think of a couple of times she felt that way truly since coming to this world. Little did she know, that she was about to meet the source of her ultimate comfort. Eventually, over the course of several uninterrupted moments, her body would make contact with Kou's and she'd further nestle into him. Her back towards him, the bend of her body, unconsciously seeking his own. Still, the second her body made contact with exposed skin, her breathing became easier and her body relaxed. 'Oh, this is pretty nice regardless... I should just fall asleep like this,' passed her mind absently. Actually there was a character in her knowledge bank, who sought personal sleeping comfort in the same way...

[Bloodedge]

Oh, if only he knew they were both daydreaming of those accidental situations. It was rational to think though, right? They were of the same mindset most times, like a pair of dice continuously rolling the same numbers at a ridiculous frequency. If they were doing that now, things could be very interesting. Regardless, it was a known fact that Miki... or rather, Kimiko, was a restless sleeper. It was surprising, but not too much so, when her backside was eventually against him during their sleep attempt. Kou had been on his back, his eyes closed. This press of skin against his own was something inviting, comforting, but also... something which woke him up in numerous senses of the word. Was she fully asleep doing this? If she was, could he get away with pretending to be physically responding in his sleep? It was possible, and seemingly a good idea... so he did just that. Hesitating for only a moment, he soon rolled to press his front against Miki's back. Of course, this also resulted in his crotch pressing itself against her backside, but... if she was asleep, that would hardly matter. Kou himself even managed to feign a little snore while matching his breathing to that of a sleeping state. It was a poor attempt for how he actually slept, but it would have been quite spot-on otherwise. Oh, the curse of not being able to see oneself from an outside perspective. Either way, the two were pressed quite firmly against one another, and Kou's right arm was even draped over the lass' midriff beneath the covers.

[Apollymi]

Was Miki asleep? Not... deeply. Her movements were unconscious but her mind was still racing. It was a strange state, somewhere between proper wakefulness and sleep. And it was fine given she'd managed to properly nestle herself against Kou. What was more... the lad responded to such a movement?! His body turned, and soon he was fully wrapped around her. If she had been fully asleep, her mind would have woken by now, his crotch was pressed against her backside, his torso against her back. This was warm, and comforting to an extent she couldn't have explained. Even, his arm was wrapped around her torso?! How was she to take this and continue to sleep? The answer was of course, she couldn't. And what was more, he didn't seem to be, as asleep as she'd initially suspected. There was something ever so off about the sound which came from him. And normally she wouldn't have prodded him about it. But... this scenario was a bit close to the one she'd imagined for her self-exploration. Knowing how close this was to the sort of thing she'd thought of, set her mind ablaze and had her absently making movement of her body that fulfilled that fantasy. Her hips shifted back just a tad, rubbing along his manhood. She was unafraid of his bulge in a direct sense, and could always use the material later to work out any frustration she gave herself. Hell, if she shifted her position a little, she could work it out, even in this proximity.

[Bloodedge]

Everything seemed to be working just fine, and the comfort found in this moment could not be understated at all. This was what he'd been missing out on? He could punch himself for his negligence! Ah, but there was even more to come. Miki not only settled, but... moved? Specifically, her rear moved against his crotch. It was actually nothing more than a natural reaction that he moved in response to produce something of a grinding motion between the two. Alas, this was quite the dangerous scenario. If he moved too much, his manhood would undoubtedly erupt from his boxers. Did he really care, though? If that happened, it would just be another... 'accident' after all. As such, what he did was more than a simple, single grinding movement. He pressed his bulge rather firmly against the girl's backside, and it responded by pulsing repeatedly. Despite this being a natural and unintended motion for Kou initially, he seemed to have no intention of stopping it. It was almost as if he were purposely chasing the sensation after only a few moments.

[Apollymi]

Kou really was the most comfortable wall. And said wall was coming with more and more perks as this moment evolved. Though it wasn't initially a conscious effort, the movement of her hips backwards managed to illicit a response from the white haired lad. He ground himself against her bringing an added bit of motion to her body. What a strange evolution they were taking, a time before now, she'd accidentally touched him and freaked herself out about it. Right now, she was pretending to be sleep and enjoying the feelings of their bodies rocking against each other. In fact, the pulsing of his bulge as he pushed it more firmly against her backside, was met by the shifting of her person ever so slightly. It would have been almost as if she was uncomfortable, trying to find the exact right way to line them up.... but it would never be that simple. No, she aimed to put the arm she slept on, in position to allow her to feel the press of her hand against her womanhood on the opposing strokes that she rocked her hips against his manhood.

Oh but this was a fresh kind of danger, there was nothing separating them, and she didn't trust herself to properly stifle a noise which could come from her mouth. But was an 'accidental' moan a problem if he thought she was sleep? She'd already practically admitted to being a bit of a pervert... one could only assume the kinds of dreams she had... and would have if she chased this particular line of thought to fruition. Of course, it was also always an option to undertake this whole thing from a point of wakefulness... ah but this state came without obvious embarrassment for both parties, an opportunity which couldn't necessarily be wasted. Whatever, she was fully committed to this, and as such her hips moved against his in a seemingly natural way, and her pearl was ever so gently brushed by the hand beneath her. Her body broke out into goose flesh, but that only made it more believable that she'd huddle closer, even as her face burned red and her breathing labored ever so slightly.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, there were benefits to both of these teens feigning unconsciousness. From Kou's perspective as well, if Miki thought he was asleep, he could go quite far without things being awkward at all. And so, his reprehension faded away with each almost thrusting motion, while his arm wrapped a bit more tightly around the lass it held. In doing this, Kou's efforts could almost seem to be something done with purpose. They were, in truth, but that was neither here nor there for the lad at present. He was chasing that ever-building sensation in his groin now, and he could hardly be stopped in the hunt. It didn't take very long for just the development he anticipated when this all began. His member protruded from the hole in his boxers, and when it did, he felt both lace and flesh against his unfiltered manhood. The sensation was new and exciting, but also far rougher with more friction than what he felt through silk undergarments. The longer this went on, the more his heart began to race, pounding through his chest against the blonde's back. It was perfectly fine if this were to continue, right?

[Apollymi]

Both of these teens seemed to gain a bit of 'boldness' from the idea that one or the other were sleeping. As it stood, Miki was taking quite a few liberties and enjoying the sensations being created by the boy's grinding motions. She was also permitted to rock her own hips quite a bit, even as the lad squeezed her just a bit tighter than the norm. Oh? That sensation was much different and she was in for more surprises yet. Kou's member eventually found its way outside of his boxers. Because of their positioning she knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but she felt a sudden change in texture, not simply two pieces of cloth rubbing against each other. She didn't mind this. In truth, it was quite the opposite. Her body was shifting, rocking against the thrusts he pushed forward and each time, her own tucked hand managed to stimulate her. At this point, it was enough that she could feel that gentle wetness building in her undergarments. She almost yearned for something more direct, at his most recent motion, she was given just enough sensation to let out a gentle moan, almost a whisper... it might have been mistaken for a sleep noise, if... she hadn't already been heard making such noises already. "Ummh~" softly fell from between her lips. This was torturous, was it fine to continue like this?

[Bloodedge]

How long could this go on? How long would it go on? Would Kou continue this motion until he ejaculated right there, under the cover? It seemed that was becoming the case over time, and still, his efforts only intensified even as the grind remained somewhat slow-paced. Well... the pace was slow until he heard that utterance of Miki's, which set his mind and loins ablaze in unison. Was she awake? If so, it was fine so long as she believed he wasn't. Perhaps it didn't matter either way. Perhaps there was a chance that both teens would discover they were each awake, and this entire thing could continue simply the way it started. That would be lovely. Speaking of lovely, there was a second source of moisture beneath the covers, and it came from the groin of Kou. A repeat of that same speck of moisture occurred, but as it was without something between it and the next source of flesh, the end result was a bit... different. That otherwise slightly rough rubbing became lubricated more each time his length glided along Miki's buttocks. If he had a mind to, and the boldness to boot, he would have done away with her undergarments for the sake of slipping between her cheeks. That was maybe an idea to be tucked away for later, unless the gods smiled upon him this day. For now, so closely pressed against the lass' backside, his hastened breathing was repeatedly creeping its way through her hair, onto the back of her neck even. Maybe... she still believed he was sleeping, in spite of it all.

[Apollymi]

How long could this go on, indeed? Miki's movements were continuing as well, she didn't have it in herself to stop. Was Kou awake and using sleep as an excuse? Maybe... she couldn't be sure. But since she was doing that, she wanted to assume he was too. It'd be pretty strange otherwise... and she couldn't believe their likeness deviated at a place such as this. Whatever the case, the noise that escaped her mouth seemed to bring about a slight increase in pace, and something seemed to create an easier movement for the lad. Both of these were good things as far as she was concerned, at this exact angle and pacing she could prod herself with her index and middle fingers which both slipped inside the fabric giving her much more direct access to herself. But this had a strange effect, as it caused a gentle pull on them from the other side. This might not have been much, but the sensation of this lad's breath, trickling across the back of her neck, caused a slightly more intense movement than she meant. It did shift her panties around, just enough that between movements, the lad's member would make contact with the full flesh of her bottom as her underwear were shifted up over her hip. This wasn't something she intended, but strangely not something which she was at all upset about, still her hips shifted ever so gently as her fingers worked as well. Her breath became labored and another sound escaped her before she gently bit down on her bottom lip. "Aah~"

[Bloodedge]

As far as Kou was concerned, it seemed as if this would continue as long as necessary. Maybe one or both of them would pass out, and maybe it would carry on even then in some way. Only time would tell, but at the moment, there was a certain amount of progression which led to Kou's leaking member slicking even more of Miki's posterior. Had her undergarments moved? Yes, that could be he only answer. Something seemed very off about that, though. It was no movement of his which caused this shift, and physics alone dictated that such a shift should have been impossible. Ah, but then... what was she doing that he couldn't see? The girl moaned again, and there was no way this simple grinding motion was enough to elicit that much of a response. He had a burning desire to test how awake she was, but an equal desire to ensure that he seemed asleep still.

Kou's hand seemed to be in a reasonable enough position already to make another move. His body maneuvered itself in a manner akin to simple sleep-shuffling, and the result was his arm rising until a hand rested upon Miki's bosom. "Hm... mrph─" he uttered as if he were only repositioning. Much to the contrary of that, though, there was a light squeeze to the girl's breast while this odd form of humping made more and more progress.

[Apollymi]

Maybe, just maybe, Miki could actually fall asleep. But now that they were engaged in such a way, there was only one real way for her to sleep... so it was imperative that she chase it, even at the risk of exposing herself. This lad was far too good at tracing clues for her act to sustain her for too long, she knew this. What she didn't expect though, was how quickly he'd catch on. His moves confirmed a bit how awake he actually was. Kou was awake enough to question her movements and not want to give himself away. She couldn't really know that, though... instead it seemed like coincidences were piling up beyond a reasonable doubt. 'This almost seems too good to be true,' the lass' mind mentioned as he seemed to be repositioning himself. Ah, that might have been sleep but...

His hand now rested upon her breast. This wasn't a motion she minded. And if she was being fair, that access she'd given him to her body earlier wasn't at all limited to the moment, whether he realized it or not. The gentle squeeze that went along with the movement, combining itself with all the other things going on was tantalizing. Her breath came out of her opened mouth quickly, and it took all she had not to moan from the attention. "Haa...haa...haa..." this didn't bode well. Or maybe it was excellent? She couldn't really tell. She didn't know if he'd stop, if he knew she was awake, but she definitely didn't want them to stop until they both reached satisfaction. As such her other hand continued its activities and her hips met each of the lad's thrusts. This was a dangerous game they were playing, but, it was well past the point she would have turned back.

[Bloodedge]

That final utterance confirmed everything. The blonde lass was definitely awake, and definitely seeking her own pleasure while he did the same. Yet another roll of snake eyes was represented on those imaginary dice, it seemed. What now, though? Would it really be a problem if he outed himself after confirming this? He could make more progress, then let the two of them merely fall asleep afterwards as if nothing happened, right? If they really thought so similarly, and if they were really each wondering if the other was awake this entire time, then perhaps...

The gamble was worthwhile. Aside from that, there was a certain lack of fairness in their earlier endeavor. If nothing else, he had to right that incomplete scenario. Nothing could be said about the speed at which he reached his end, if this was the situation. With all that in mind, Kou's decision was made. His hand squeezed her breast just a bit more firmly before moving again. It first traveled up, taking her bra by the strap and pulling said strap down the lass' upper arm. Ah, but that was before he decided to go for a slightly bolder approach. Kou's hand then glided its way down the girl's torso, until it accidentally interrupted Miki's own pleasure-seeking. Why did it do so, though? Well, it was his intention to slip his hands between her legs, but it seemed to have been blocked... by her own hand.

[Apollymi]

Miki had been pretty busy, and in being busy, she also came to the absolute conclusion that the lad behind her was awake. Well, it should be said, that even if she hadn't already figured he was, he was very firm about it. In the extra attention he gave her breast which made the lass inhale sharply. He was making some rather bold moves, moving his hand up her body to move her bra strap down a bit only to glide down her torso.

Tingles.

Miki felt the building of tingles all the way down her body as he moved with such deliberate action. It was almost enough to get lost in, until the lad's hand bumped into her own. Was this where he was coming? Strange, she didn't really expect him to make such a decision on his own. Maybe him thinking her sleep initially had emboldened him? Maybe he simply had other ideas about how this interaction should function? Whatever the case, this part of her body, didn't know the touch of another's hand. She wouldn't let the lad waste his action and was above all, quite curious as to what he'd do. He knew she was awake right? She'd be giving nothing extra away if the giver of this flourish simply wasn't herself. 'Alright...' she thought. Her own hand reached up, to finish guiding his to its destination between her thighs, where it would find warmth and wetness from her previous activities. She'd already had this fantasy, seeing it through was worth the gamble. Besides, this moment was worth seeing through.

[Bloodedge]

Kou wasn't entirely sure what to expect after reaching this blockade. If anything, though, the last thing he would have expected was what met the stopping of his hand. She could have gone on about her business; she could have even called him out on being awake. Instead, that hand of hers guided the intrusive digits of Kou's just where they needed to be. Kou's eyes went from being closed, to being wide open as his fingertips felt that warm, dampened pocket of flesh they rubbed between. Having enough of a reference point to know just what he was looking for, he didn't allow surprise to hinder him for very long. There was something within this crevice─ something bulbous and hidden betwixt mounds of flesh. Once his middle finger located it, its tip rubbed against that pearl-like bulb in a line, which eventually became a circular pattern. It was a surprising sensation to have first-hand. Now, all he had to do was avoid jumping the gun and making a decision he may come to regret later. As an individual of the male persuasion, he essentially had two brains... and one of them disagreed with this train of thought.

[Apollymi]

Miki experienced something wholly new by guiding the lad's hand where it apparently wanted to go. She imagined him being shocked by her behavior. Perhaps she would explain to him sometime about it, perhaps she wouldn't have to. He'd said earlier that he'd like her touching him, and she being reasonable liked the idea of the same thing. As such she'd managed to fantasize about this exact thing happening. It was strange, he moved his finger against her sex as if tentative at first, but slowly found his own rhythm which was nothing to shake a stick at. Once the circular motion began, there was no way for her to stop the moan which came from her mouth. She felt the sensation of it the whole way through her body, which was almost illogical considering she should have been quite used to it. "Oooooh~" she moaned. Such a thing couldn't be stopped at this point, and they were both aware they were awake, there was no point hiding.

But there was the matter of her now unoccupied hands... this simply wouldn't do. She'd decided a bit prior to this, that she'd only truly sleep well if they both reached satisfaction. Well, there was someone in this pair who hadn't known this today. With this in mind, Miki's unoccupied hand crept around her own body to find his manhood. And once she had a gentle hold of it, she began to stroke it again, directly. The sensation of it in her bare hand was quite fleshy but still silky. She couldn't really explain it, but it was very different from what she would have expected. None the less her hand began to move up and down its length with a rhythm that matched their initial grinding. After all, mutual satisfaction could be achieved here, there was no reason to deny it.

[Bloodedge]

Between the actions of both parties within this room, there seemed to be one surprise after another. Following his direct touch, Miki let loose the most obvious moan thus far. If there was any doubt in Kou's mind that she was awake, it was certainly gone in that very moment. What's more, there was the incredibly direct approach of the lass incoming. Kou's eyes widened again as a hand far softer, far daintier than his own, took a gentle hold of his shaft. Interesting; he never handled himself so delicately. Since his early teen years, this had been a matter of getting a grip, tugging, tugging, and being done with it, even in the most delicate approaches when compared to this. In fact, the intensity alone forced Kou into a situation of his breath catching in his throat before escaping via a gasp.

Well, if one thing was obvious, neither of these teens had ever been sleeping. Kou also had no clue how to react while a foreign hand finagled his bare manhood. Their earlier encounter didn't prepare him for this at all, in actuality. 'This is... I can...' His mind raced; both of them did, in a manner of speaking. Whatever rational thought he had about remaining incognito left him soon enough, and was replaced instead with a need that became very obvious. The fingers of his right hand spread, as if to suggest a spread in the girl's legs while Kou propped himself up on his left elbow. His left hand took hold of Miki's head, and he leaned over said head to bring his lips toward hers. Once again, his eyes were closed. There was no need to let things become awkward; everything occurring between them had been made obvious enough already. At this point, their exchange was essentially just... a preferred release before bed.

[Apollymi]

Miki might have thought she was being a bit too direct, but... she was far beyond caring about it in the moment. No, there was a hand not her own rubbing between her legs at the moment, and that and the movement of her own hand were about the only things on her mind. They'd both been awake. Perhaps they were even, both enough alike to not be able to sleep without being exhausted or the need for release? Whatever the case, they seemed to be well on the way to achieving both of those goals. She wasn't sure what the lad expected from the handling of his manhood, but it seemed he wasn't against her current method if his hitched breathing was any indication. She'd continue the way she was her delicate grip sliding up and down his manhood, fingers slipping over the tip of him, only to have her hand move back down.

But there was even more still. Kou's boldness seemed to not know boundaries anymore, as he opened the fingers on his hand. Miki felt this and spread her legs a bit wider, granting the lad easier access to the space between her legs. Though, she had no clue what he planned she had no problem granting him this. What came next was her head being tilted towards his and towards a connection between their lips. Miki's eyes managed to widen in absolute shock. Of all the things she could have expected, this directness in his approach wasn't in the list at all. She closed the rest of the distance between them allowing the contact between their mouths. This wasn't awkward in the least, in fact, it felt like the most natural progression she could have known.

[Bloodedge]

Too direct was a concept far from the male's mind as the pair explored one another in ways not previously experienced. Kou, for one, was hardly hanging on from the moment of first contact. If anything, he did so only to extend his satisfaction as much as he possibly could. When Kou moved to bring their lips into contact again, he did so with great purpose. Again, he at least knew what his goal was in this endeavor; he simply needed a bit more space to work with. Now that he had it, during a bout of lip-smacking and the strokes being applied to his own groin, Kou let his hand slide down from that nub it rubbed against, making its way down the proverbial ravine until it found a deeper opening to slip its way into. He had an easy enough time managing this, considering how slick his finger became on its brief journey. Only the one finger pushed its way into that space, which he could immediately liken to a hole in a sponge─ one clearly drenched in heated water. In a way, that spongy encasement of his finger felt incredibly inviting.

[Apollymi]

Exploration of one's self was a complete endeavor, the exploration these two were going about with each other was something entirely different. Miki's hand rose and fell against the warm, twitching shaft of the lad known as Kou. There was little which could have come between her and progress. Their lips had met and they were now kissing as Kou's hand explored the space between her legs thoroughly. Her whole being was alight with untold energy as he rubbed against her in such a way. Of course, this wasn't the only spectacle to come, because one of few things that could, distracted her from the movements of her own hand. As Kou's finger slipped further down the crevice at her center and slid its way within her. This was a strange and new feeling, a sharp intake of breath and an exhale with a moan soon followed. Her own fingers were tiny, slim and used to curling within, his were entirely different. Just a single digit was all it took to give pause to the lass. Her body instinctively tightening around that finger, as she moaned. It was such a welcome feeling she could do nothing but accept it. So her hand would begin moving again, at pace, making up for the strange hiccup as their mouths met and this finger found its way inside. But oh, was such a thing something she could get used to indeed. The promising squeeze of her insides something which let her know, there was barely anything she could do if the lad happened to find that place.

[Bloodedge]

There were innumerable difference between what these two did now, and anything Kou could have experienced alone. Why did he think it was a good idea to wait before? Had the lass released him of his pants prior to their parting moments earlier, he could have been on cloud nine, so to speak. It could easily be said that he was on said cloud here and now, while his finger swam its way through the abyss of Miki's undercarriage. He'd done a fair bit of research on matters like this, so he was quick to curl his finger upwards toward the girl's pelvis after entry was marked. Of course, some minor difficulty was added by the sudden clench around that finger, but that was no deterrent. He was going to rub his fingertip against an even spongier spot than what he'd already come to know, and he'd do so at a pace which hastened to match that tingling sensation in his manhood, which suddenly came with much greater haste than before. Oh, he certainly knew what this meant, but never had it approached with such intensity. Was it the fault of another's touch being the cause, or did it feel so much greater because he'd denied himself jumping over the proverbial edge twice in the past hour or so? Perhaps it was... yes, indeed... both.

[Apollymi]

Miki had offered herself release before this moment, and still she found this current experience to be outweighing her own. How wonderful! And... terrible. How could she ever go back to the solo experiences that gave her bliss before, when she knew now the joy of a touch that didn't belong to her? This was something she should have considered. Something she should have thought through past this point... but it was in vain now. Now, Kou had found it. The spot within her person which would release her entire being without taking much work at all. He'd struggled against her body's initial reaction to intrusion, and found exactly the right spot... and what was more, he knew what to do when he touched it. He stroked that spot repeatedly, at a hastened pace. The stimulation was so direct the girl would have been blinded by it, had her eyes not already been closed. She saw light. She saw stars... hell, she might have seen god. As her own hand raised and lowered at the same rising pace she was stroked within. She was so close, beyond close even, that the stroke that sent her over the edge, wasn't one she expected. It simply happened as her own body tensed and then relaxed in rapid succession. Moisture flooded from her core and she moaned a blossoming climax she hadn't known she'd been missing. This experience... spoiled her.

She was sullied by the tingling sensation which overtook her form from head to toe, leaving her body a dribbling mess of utter relaxation. And it would only be at this point, that her hand would find stillness, though if Kou still needed, she'd rouse herself for the occasion.

[Bloodedge]

Speaking of sullied, Kou was due for an experience he only imagined happening in media. His efforts resulted in his hand becoming even wetter, and he felt the pulsing of Miki's undercarriage to signal her satisfaction. What's more, the increased pace of Miki's hand was a dead giveaway as well. Of course... his resistance paid off at just the wrong time. Indeed, the occurrence which fell upon Kou was one he'd seen in one particular manga, in which one party's climax resulted in the miss of the other's. Simply because Miki's hand stopped, he was denied sweet release for the third time this day. Was he complaining? No, not at all. In fact, the occurrence placed an interesting list of potentials in his mind, related to the version he'd seen/read. This train of thought, and the desire to finish himself, led him to continue his hand's own movement─ even adding his forefinger to the mix as if to spurn the lass on with added effort.

[Apollymi]

Ah, it'd been missed. The timing of her release was a bit off, but given that it was unexpected even by her, she was less prepared to deal with it initially, than she would have been if she'd provided it for herself. Still... that wasn't a complaint. Surprises seemed to be very common in their interactions, and she wouldn't have them failing her now. Apparently, she wouldn't be given much choice in the matter regardless. As after flourish, the lad added another finger to her nether, spurring on a strange sensation within her loins. Her breath still hitched her hand began to move again, having become no worse for wear over the course of her most recent finish. In fact, she could start with a renewed sense of purpose. After all, it wasn't originally her intention to steal such a release for herself. She wasn't selfish and she knew Kou had been without. She'd simply been so caught off-guard by his actions, that she'd ended up strangely at his mercy in the last few moments, even while trying to hold her own.

So here she was, starting anew, a stroke of the lad's manhood from base to tip with a soft but firm grip at a pace, which would start slow but increase ever so gently over time. She'd do this, while trying not to become too distracted by her own loins, but... that would be difficult.

[Bloodedge]

Without issue, Miki seemed ready and willing to restore the movements of her hand after his second finger was added to her interior. It seemed now was Kou's turn to suffer distraction by the efforts of another, as this renewed vigor after pausing brought about a rather impressive surge of sensation. In this case, however, the result was not the same. His fingers had begun to take on a sliding motion, as if thrusting to replicate a more conventional form of coitus, but that could not last long. When he experienced that sudden pulse returning from the depths of his shaft, he tensed immediately. This was the cause of his momentum being lost, but also the cause of his fingers curling and clenching within the lass' undercarriage. As to avoid issue, he made use of this by continuing that same movement repeatedly. All the while, there was a light thrusting to his hips that seemed to be completely out of the lad's control. He hardly had a few additional moments left in him, as far as he could tell. Soon enough, the white-haired male would likely wind up unconscious after the grandest of flourishes.

[Apollymi]

Kou's fingers did indeed keep moving, but it seemed she was now in control of this situation a bit more than she had been before. Her hand kept moving, up and down stroking without interruption, even as the lad's hips thrust into her gentle closed fist. A grin came to her face as she altered her method slightly, only to meet him at each thrust keeping up with his own speed to help him along. But she wasn't necessarily in a position of strength here either. No. Miki was quite at this lad's mercy with the second finger he moved around in her person, she managed to concentrate just a bit, though she could already feel another deep welling feeling. Actually, this was fine. She could feel that deep curling sensation and had a better idea of what to expect. As such, when the wave of feeling that was her next climax was reached, she wasn't completely stopped by it. No, her hand kept moving to match this lad's he too would experience this release at the literal hand of another. Her insides clinched around his fingers, and she felt that glorious pressure disappear from her body, but still, she waited for the grand and obvious sign this lad had reached his end as well.

[Bloodedge]

He was quite surprised to discover a bit more shifting within Miki's undercarriage. Was this happening again, already? Something must have gone right, even if accidentally. Whatever the case, the sudden matching of pace with his natural movements was something to create a strange moment of tranquility. Alas, it was simply the eye of a storm, whose most powerful segment was quickly approaching. His face felt as if it were shrinking, the way it contorted over the course of a few moments. Clearly, they were properly in line this time, and Miki was content to ride her conclusion smoothly without pause this time. There was, however, one matter that crossed Kou's mind as that imaginary geyser prepared its explosion. Earlier, he had failed to acquire a towel... and here he was now, essentially repeating the same scenario while being without the ability to stop himself. With that being the case, all he could do was struggle his way through whatever warning he could manage. "Wait wait... it's gonna─" Well, it was more of a struggle than he even thought it would be. He didn't even realize upon making the decision, that he had no more than... about three seconds before burst, at which point his own manhood didn't care where its plentiful spurt of thick, white fluids went; it would no longer be held within regardless.

[Apollymi]

Miki was helping the lad along rather nicely, and managed not to stop her work as she aided his finish. Even so, according to the lad's own words his flourish would be coming in seconds. Oh! A problem. An actual problem... what to do about that finish? Kou wasn't a girl, a little damp and sticky wasn't going to be what occurred here. Ah, but Miki was a pretty skilled girl, and though he obviously had nothing on hand to catch it with, she could rather easily get something to do just that. In a world with magic and abilities this version of the girl was telekinetic. She pulled a towel to her unoccupied hand the second before the spurted his finish. An extreme level of relief entered the lass' body as she managed the towel around the same time she brought her hands movements to a close, managing only a minor spillage on the appendage. "Ah-ha... ha... got it," she said. The girl was rather instantly sleepy, even so, she cleaned off her own hand, while waiting for the lad to extricate himself from her body. She could very easily go to sleep now... as her body hit a point of exhaustion she couldn't have managed on her own and they'd rather narrowly avoided ruining their new bed. Or perhaps the better way of thinking about it, was that they'd managed to christen it.

[Bloodedge]

There was a bit of concern surrounding the end of this exchange on Kou's part, but it seemed all was fine. Miki happened to possess an ability which boasted innumerable conventional uses, including one to be seen in this very moment. Suddenly, there was a towel in place to catch his expulsion as it was unleashed. It was well beyond him to be concerned about it during the moment, but it was satisfying to know he hadn't loosed his seed in some disgraceful manner that would have sullied this new bed... and probably Miki as well, given the intensity. As the adrenaline vacated Kou's body, his breathing became more labored, though clearly stabilizing by the second. It didn't take long after this development for the lad to slowly descend onto the mattress again, his fingers slipping their way out of the blonde as he did so. He was on his back soon enough, one arm draped over his chest as it rose and fell with his heavy breathing. If Kou had a choice, he would have kept going. Could he even think to take such liberties with himself, and the situation as a whole? No; he couldn't even try. Going further would be tantamount to some sort of overload, so instead, he decided to go for... stillness.

[Apollymi]

What an interesting evening, this pair had managed to share. All of it culminating in a final act and release which was obviously pleasant for both parties. Miki got her breathing under control, even as Kou's fingers slipped from within her person. Even her right leg twitched as the final tingling seconds of release exited her body they only way they could. They managed to keep their bed clean too, a definite plus. As she fell back against the bed she aimed to still herself, feeling initially only the beating of her own heart for several seconds. This was so much. Maybe more than her imagination had put together for her in all of her random fantasies. Still it wasn't as if they'd completed any real activity, they could always go further right? She thought about this for several seconds, but.... ultimately let the thought fall to the recesses of her mind. She wasn't unsatisfied at all. Today had been great, the feeling in her body now was nothing short of bliss. And... it wasn't as if there wasn't more time. It wasn't as if this would be the only time they shared a moment like this, right? She snuggled herself in, curling up into the lad's side as he found his stillness. It was her goal to keep him and experience him in ways she didn't imagine anyone else. She could leave this with some unknown amount of satisfaction, and with that her mind began to drift. She blinked several times over the course of a few seconds, but since she was still maintaining some level of physical contact with the white haired lad, her body remained far too comfortable to move. She'd slowly fall asleep, exactly like this... with her own self left close enough for cuddling and open enough for such an invitation to be taken at the leisure of the lad at her side.

[Bloodedge]

Kou hardly had the ability to move at this point. His breathing steadily devolved toward a more normal pattern during this period of rest, but that did nothing for his heartbeat. This was especially the case when Miki came into contact with him again. Was this what afterglow felt like? What would this have felt like if they had gone all the way? As it was, he felt a quantity of contentment he couldn't have ever imagined before. Kou wondered if he could get away with taking a bit... extra, so to speak. Surely he could. Since they were both falling asleep anyway, and since Miki sought such closeness regardless, he decided to hang an arm around her upper torso while slipping into unconsciousness himself. Oddly enough, it wasn't a very long process. Kou wasn't one for warmth over cold, but this wasn't exactly an overbearingly hot sensation either. No, it was something comfortable, something which sent him to dreamland in a few short minutes.

Of course, he would fall asleep not knowing that their waking moments would herald an arrival at... a very different destination to what anyone planned.

[Apollymi]

Content and with a heart beating steadily, Miki found herself burrowed into Kou's side and rapidly falling asleep. This level of comfort, was only added to by the addition of the lad's arm around her person in the moments after they both calmed down properly. Was this what post coital cuddling was like? Would it be better when they experienced all of each other? She couldn't imagine, at this moment, she'd never felt more safe, content or calm. She could definitely sleep like this... In fact, it only took a few minutes before those eyes of hers were closed and she had drifted happily into her own dreams. Ah, but these dreams would only last as long as the day.

In the meantime, Bulma had been checking on the ships steering, noticing a grand land mass coming into her vision on the readouts rather quickly. The ship decided this place, was were it wanted to go, and there seemed to be no way of stopping it. Would they crash? The blue haired young woman took a deep breath and lit a cigarette. A deep inhale was taken as she began turning and turning the wheel, trying not to discourage the landing, but instead simply to make sure they didn't crash into anything of substance when the ship finally decided to stop. "Oi, we'll land, but ease up... yeah?" she tried bargaining with the ship as she spun the wheel cigarette dangling from between her lips, the group at large was in for quite the bumpy descent. And none would feel this more, than the overly relaxed teens in the Captain's Quarters.

[Bloodedge]

A restful night's sleep had not been known in such a way for quite some time. Alas, waking was not fated to be as sweet. There was a great rumbling in the captains' quarters, which seemed to rouse Kou from his slumber in a way it shouldn't have. Perhaps it was his Instinct Skill as a Saber which was triggered, or perhaps it was something not the fault of the Avatar Kou at all. Either way, he sprung into action immediately, releasing his hold on the blonde to hop out of bed. Ah... he was still quite exposed to the world. No matter; he was able to begin dressing with haste as the room itself shook. In his mind, there were only two potential explanations for this. Among those potentials, they could have encountered a storm. Well, that certainly wasn't the case; he would have seen it through the massive window of this bedroom. What he did see, though, was clouds shifting by at an incredible pace, and... rising? It was the second option, then. They were crashing, or just about doing so.

"Fuck."

[Apollymi]

Sleep was good. Maybe too good... and the universe didn't like things being too good. As day broke, eventually, Miki felt the movements of Kou. And beyond all of that, the movements of the ship. Her first move was to cling, to well... anything as being tossed around in such a manner wasn't at all what she expected. At first, the warmth of Kou, then he was gone. "Ugh..." slipped from between her lips. From comfortable to conscious and feeling as if the world was falling apart all within seconds. She was wearing... lingerie and looking rather unsightly. It didn't matter. She stretched and used her telekinetic abilities to summon her clothes into this room with her and threw her legs over the edge of the bed to begin dressing. She hadn't even really opened her eyes yet. And was barely able to register what was going on. She tossed her worn garments off her body to begin dressing. Bra... unhooked and falling off her skin. Panties? Dropped off her hips, in seconds. She began dressing more actively. Slipping into the clothes granted to her by her connection with the Dragonoid Akashi.

"Are we... crashing?" Miki asked as she slipped into her clothes in the following order; panties, bodice, and then shoes and arm sleeves. The last thing to be added to her person, would be her cloak.

In the meantime, Bulma had at least managed to ease the descent a little, but it was still coming at a rather rapid pace. She could now see the land mass which had caused this strange desire of the ship's. "Oi, it isn't going anywhere come on now... you're gonna hurt yourself." she mentioned, as they'd skid over a small lake only to come to a screeching halt over a grassy like filed surrounded by several mountains with... lanterns floating between them and ominously shadowy. "Such a weird place." Bulma mentioned it was only a matter of time until she was joined here, so she waited. Finishing the cigarette she was smoking and wiping her brow.

[Bloodedge]

On a positive note, Miki was rising as well. Good; they could approach the situation together. With that in mind, Kou turned to face Miki with every intention of informing her of... What was it again? The moment he looked her way, he seemed to lose track of it all. In spite of what the pair had gotten up to during the previous night, he had yet to see the lass in anything shy of her undergarments. Looking now, though, she was brazenly discarding those very same articles, baring her full birthday suit before him. It took the words of Miki herself, and another shake of the ship, for him to snap to reality. "Huh─ Oh, yeah. I think we're crashing," he said in the end, taking up his sword to prepare. What a sword would do, he didn't know, but he wouldn't be without it in case there was a beats of some sort to blame. With a nod to Miki, he was off toward the deck. Little did he know that, by the time he reached it, they would have landed in a very... very strange place.

[Apollymi]

Miki might have had the grace to hide herself from the lad's direct gaze a bit more, if she'd woken up normally. But waking in a manner which seemed so much like an emergency, was a bit too familiar to her. She'd forgotten completely about the idea of modesty, in favor of dressing with haste. Though she had little to hide from the lad. If asked she'd clear it up later... but maybe it was fine this way. She didn't really care if this lad saw her naked, though she might have enjoyed being a bit more conscious to tease him about his reaction. "Hai..." she said in response to the idea they were crashing, and finally managing to open her eyes to meet Kou's and see the nod he gave. Perhaps she was a bit too used to crazy things happening now... or maybe, she'd had such a relaxing night she didn't really care if the world burned down around her right now. Whatever the case, she was fully dressed and with her pillow in tow she headed for the deck as well, prepared for a potential battle. She'd done it with some urgency, and even suppressed a yawn to see... nothing at all, at least not by way of potential battle. "Well... this is, um.... different," she managed finally seeming a bit more like herself.

Bulma was stepping out onto the deck and lighting a new cigarette to boot. "Gomen, we were initially aimed higher than this... it seems something at this altitude caught her eye. I couldn't make the landing any smoother..." she said offering up what she knew to be the best possible answer. The Grandcypher, apparently really wanted to be in this place and now that it was, it had no intention of lifting off again. "From the initial scan of the ship, it hasn't suffered any major damage. I'll be able to fix it up no problem," she mentioned so as not to worry them. Still, they were now in a strange place and it was apparently the ship's choice for them to be here.

[Bloodedge]

"... Very different," Kou said, also thinking something was odd about this landing after such a bumpy ride getting here. There were no monsters, no storms, and this area seemed a bit too mountainous to be one of the lands in the sky. Rather, it felt too low in the atmosphere. When he imagined those areas, he pinned them as something above any natural atmospheric boundaries. This seemed more like a massive settlement at the height of the known world, than an impossibility far beyond perception. It did seem more like a place he could easily get acquainted with, though, the more he looked at it. There was much obvious Japanese influence, even if a bit old-school as it were.

Bulma joined them on the deck to explain a bit of the current situation. It was true; this wasn't where they were meant to be, but instead where the ship itself thought to take them. If that was the case, he imagined there was something here worth their attention as well. "Damn TARDIS boat," he quipped in the midst of a yawn. "Well... if there's no damage, and we're here until we're able to take off again... may as well check out the spot, yeah?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Kou also took in the look of this new place. Miki could appreciate it to, as a Japanese native. Imagine the food to be found in a place like this! It was as if thinking about food alone was enough to make the blonde lass' stomach growl expectantly. Miki managed to look a bit embarrassed but settled into floating atop her pillow after hearing the words of both Kou and Bulma. "Hisakawa let me know if you need anything for the repairs..." she said to that young woman who gave a quick nod. "Hai hai. This might be as high as you can go right now... I'll let you know if I figure anything out," Bulma responded. She looked at where they landed and it seemed to be a small island stranded in the middle of a lake with a large bridge leading into something which looked a bit more like a city.

In the meantime, Kou's words to Miki registered in her ear and she began floating towards the downed ramp of the ship, only to eventually take up on foot. Knowing that, as a Druid a connection to the land could potentially help in diagnosing this area. "Hai, sounds like a great idea. Besides... if the ship is a TARDIS we probably need to do something while we're here. We can at least get some breakfast before work~" she mentioned in a jokingly sarcastic way. A new bit of adventuring together couldn't really count as a date without downtime. And she didn't expect to get any downtime really until whatever was going on here was resolved. Still there was no reason for them not to enjoy the time here while they had it. Actually, there was something kind of exciting about this new place. Or maybe she was just still left over a bit pleased from the night before and it was spilling over into her proper wakefulness.

Adventure Continues Here (http://www.roleplayuniverse.net/forums/showthread.php?923-Ryozanpaku&p=13228&viewfull=1#post13228).

[Bloodedge]

Tamamo found herself feeling a bit warm inside. What was this feeling? Acceptance. There was a certain amount of comfort which came with the idea that the lad understood and accepted her, even without using his words to convey that information. What was more, she found it amusing that she could say what she wanted just because she wanted to. With or without a reaction from the lad, she was quite sure he knew and understood what she meant, and because of this, she felt particularly giddy. Giyu for his part after her minor flirtation mentioned to the other two, that they'd brought breakfast. Kuroka seemed to take this information without any great outward sign to show that she cared one way or another. Of course, the moment of eye contact between her and Giyu was strange, she found the look to be worthy of a small upturn of her lips. 'Well, if we don't want to be recognized we shouldn't run around wearing our own faces,' she thought to herself. Of course, there was something rather strange about Kuroka, but perhaps that wouldn't be explained until later.

Tamamo had nothing of substance to say in the moment. "Leave him alone, he's super cute this way!~" Tamamo said in Giyu's defense and as a matter of light flirtation. In particular to the commentary directed at his 'emo' state. If she was being honest, she found this state just as appealing as any of his others, perhaps a bit more because of the 'realness' of it. Though she did enjoy looking at the otherworldly beauty that came from Kou. What was more she had a bit more biting commentary for the young slime. "If you're going to be like that you definitely need some breakfast, you're obviously cranky..." Tamamo said teasing lightly as was her way. This was basically an invitation to breakfast and to meet with the rest of the crew as promised. Of course, there were many reasons for this, but the small ones first. All the while Kuroka noted this new found closeness and decided further observation was necessary so she'd follow Giyu as he carried the Kitsune towards the ship, obviously it was fine if they went aboard in tow with this group.


Giyu's movement did not cease until he set foot on the Grandcypher's deck. Breakfast was the matter of importance, and he was not one to dawdle while having a goal to achieve. Alas, there was one more thing; he wished to find Hikari while Tamamo remained in tow. It was easy enough to follow the scent of the only Demi-human anywhere near where they were, so that was just what he did to locate her. Of course, this brief journey would not separate them from the hopping, and apparently unsatisfied blue Slime. Rimuru bounced along behind the two Adventurers, having nothing to say about the goings-on, the crew of this ship, or anything else for that matter. Why was he even here? He couldn't answer that question himself. Ah, but that wasn't important. Giyu would soon be stumbling upon Hikari wherever she happened to be, and when he did, he would waste no time before speaking. "We need the third member. Time for your second Avatar."

[Apollymi]

Giyu seemed to be a man of extreme concentration. His path took him (and given her placement, Tamamo), onto the Grandcypher. Kuroka followed behind and so did the hopping slime, Rimuru. As they moved along, they'd be following a strange path into the ship, until the came across a certain place. Walking the halls, a young Demi-Human with raccoon ears and a tail would be seen. She seemed to have a generally pleased look upon her face and had been headed towards the library of the ship, where she had a standing 'date' with a certain Atlantean Male. Mostly she wanted to check up on him before looking into a particular food situation. But soon her path would cross with the group as a whole with one of them speaking to her immediately. Her eyes widened greatly as she recognized the form of her brother, which was so dangerously close to being his original form, that she might have smacked him for his earlier commentary. 'You've got to be kidding me...' Hikari's mind was working overtime.

Still his words hit her ears, and they made her frown intensely. "Good morning, Hikari-chan, my adorable sister~" she said flatly, it seemed she was now brimming with an attitude which seemingly spawned from nowhere. "Fancy weather we're having. Nice to see no one died in the crash landing this morning. Hope you slept well. I brought breakfast..." she mused through a list of things she would have rather heard first thing in the morning. "These are greetings, BAKA-NII!!" she said with her ears twitching slightly. She took in this group as a whole and made a few mental decisions. The pink haired Kitsune, shared the face structure of Ashikaga Kimiko so she could easily see this was her. The lass she wanted to be her big sister was strewn over the shoulder of her brother. This was also good. Ah, but there were new people too. A scantily clad... Tengu and a small angry looking slime. A chuckle escaped the Kitsune. "Well, I mean we did bring breakfast. And presents. Ohayou, Hikari-chan!~" Tamamo said with amusement in her tone. "Eh, new form for you too. At least someone know's how to say good morning," she said seeming to praise the lass only to make a small biting comment. "But you're already picking up strays, minus two points. And this slime is angry..." she said looking at closely. Whatever the case, she'd never really turn down her brother regardless of how she felt about his choice in greeting words. "Sou ka, am I making a Youkai then, is that what you need a third one of? Is there a theme out there I don't know about?"

[Bloodedge]

Demands of a proper greeting were essentially the first words spewed from Hikari's mouth, but Giyu seemed unperturbed by all she had to say. "Urusai," he said in retort. There was no need to waste time with hellos and small talk, nor was there a need to do anything other than address the point. The quicker they got to said point, the quicker they could make progress in this realm. "Otakemaru lives in this body. That makes you compatible with Shuten-doji." With just that said, Giyu shifted his gaze over his shoulder, to Tamamo. A simple gesture implied a need to present the proper Artifact. "Shuten's gourd," he said.

In the meantime, Rimuru seemed to be perking up a bit. Who was this raccoon girl? Whoever she was, she was clearly worth hopping onto the head of, as the Slime's attitude adjusted to a more neutral... or even a positive one. He once again intended to remain silent, playing the role of an ordinary Slime until outed or otherwise revealed as what he truly was. Giyu apparently had no intention of speaking about the Slime, instead continuing to address the 'important' things. "You'll be an Oni; that's the 'theme' there isn't much choice over. No one else could claim the power of Shuten."

[Apollymi]

"There are points? I didn't know there were points..." this was Tamamo's only sentence. Still, it seemed that Giyu wasn't at all for any of Hikari's nonsense. Actually, he was so straight to the point, that it was like that one time when they were kids. "Eh, you shouldn't have let him hold the itinerary. It'll get boring, Nee-san, yes there are points, but it's complicated... you'll pick up the rules eventually," the raccoon girl advised. Still she was met with a bunch of strange information about the idea that Otakemaru was part of this lad before her and that this somehow made her compatible with the Youkai Shuten-doji. What was more, she watched as the lad simply looked to the girl over his shoulder and demanded some object he thought she had. She was about to object to the way the lad referenced his needs and his lack of manners but something strange would happen instead. "Hai hai, Mikon!~ I was already working on it..." Tamamo chimed, as she squeezed the lad in a gentle hug while producing the item in question. A small portal that shimmered a bit like starlight opened up beside her and out of it came a blue jeweled gourd about the length of an arm with a thick cloth band around the middle and two gold piercing pieces at the ends. "Here you are, Hikari-chan, it's the origin for Shuten-doji, you can make your new Avatar with it. It's all yours by the way, I got loads of stuff in that place," she said happily.

'What? This is some strange amount of cooperation even for them... ugh, but it doesn't seem like they have the right kind of connection. He's being so cold, but she called him Mikon... what the hell could that mean? And was that just a hug? What the hell have they been doing today? Why doesn't he acknowledge it... ugh, why do they have to be so difficult?' she was nearly gnashing her teeth together as her left cheek puffed up in frustration. Still, she'd been given an item and as such she took it from the portal as it was offered by Tamamo and she had nothing but trust for this pair of individuals. Of course, it wasn't missed by her that this slime landed on her head, but there were more pressing matters to attend to, her ears shifted slightly beneath it, as if confused. "But wait, isn't Shuten-doji a dude? I don't wanna be a dude... Mob boss of Oni does sound like fun though..." she said with consideration, as she looked over the gourd. She wondered where they'd come across such an item. "Also your new stray is already separated itself from you, were you mean to it?" she asked with biting jest in her tone.

[Bloodedge]

In regards to the 'points system' that existed between himself and Hikari for quite some time, Giyu once again had nothing to say. Would she take the offered gourd and assume the mantle of Shuten Doji, or would she have to go through some fit of rebellion beforehand? Either was an option, but it seemed she would choose the former. Giyu remained as patient as possible, seemingly even distant despite the fact that Tamamo's embrace also did nothing to deter him from leaving her in place. As for the matter of Hikari's next Avatar, her only verbal qualm was... its gender? "Baka," Giyu murmured before sighing. "It's only a source. Do what you want with it." It was as simple an explanation as he could manage. If she did not wish to be a male, she certainly didn't have to be. Perhaps she could be something other than the 'loli bait' he assigned to any other form she had. No, no; that wasn't very likely at all.

Ah, but what of the Slime those two my have been 'mean' to? Had they been? As a Slime, Rimuru clearly couldn't say anything about it. If he did, he'd completely blow his cover. There was, however, one clear reaction. Only one thing would truly give away all of the answers. One simple action could be taken to give away the truth, perhaps heralding a new age of treatment for Slimes everywhere. . .

"Yus!"

[Apollymi]

Giyu literally had no visible reactions. 'That's terrible! How on earth are they gonna hook up, if he's even less responsive than he was before. Baka-onii, this is how you lose the girl of your dreams. . .' Her thoughts were racing. How much extra work would she have to do to get these two hook up with her brother being this detached? The answer in her head was way too much, but the answer in actuality was none. But alas, she couldn't be privy to the way this pair of individuals worked. One of whom was obviously way too expressive for her own good, and the other who seemed to be not so clearly expressive. She couldn't know the kind of arrangement they already had, this pair of individuals likely wouldn't even think to mention it. As such, Hikari would be left to continue plotting on her brother's behalf. Or actually, it was more factual to say that Aiba Yumi would continue plotting on her brother's behalf, after all, she was about to make a new Avatar. "He's right though, you can change quite a bit about the base code but still keep the main bits and important powers. It's what I did, and I think this one turned out pretty good!~" Tamamo mentioned happily. "Also I wasn't mean," she said about the slime leaving out some major details as it wouldn't be necessary for her to clarify.

"Sou ka, I guess I'll..." Hikari paused. This Slime atop her head spoke in response to her asking this pair of they'd been mean to it. Her head shifted slightly to the left and she reached up with her unoccupied hand to move the blob and look at it properly. "Ah, you look like a plushy, Nee-san likes cute things. She had a really girly reaction to the familiars as well. So finding out you're like us was probably heart-breaking, that cover it?" she said seeming to understand the truth of the matter very easily based on what she knew of the teens. Still, there were some things which eluded her understanding. Even so, such an astute understanding made Kuroka chuckle. "Sou ka, you're quite clever as well. That observation is rather astute. Still a bit mischievous and meddlesome though... that makes sense," she said having used all the information she gathered to make the identification of this girl as the younger sister of Aiba Yugi. "And you are obviously way older than us. Like Kaiba and Bulma. Whatever, nice to meet ya' I guess. Excuse me though, I gotta become an Oni right quick..." she said placing the slime down and beginning to interact with the gourd. The golden light of the Nexus would show and she would begin the work necessary to make her avatar in the moment, but it would take a little while for her to finish it up. Actually looking at these code lines, and seeing the kinds of powers she had, there were a couple of fun things she could do. One of which was to base this character on a certain on one of her favorites from one of her obscure series she followed.

[Bloodedge]

What was going on in the mind of Hikari? Well, it didn't particularly matter. All she needed to know, had become clear. The only holdup at the time seemed to be the sudden speech of Rimuru, though the Demi-human had probably already surmised more than necessary about events surrounding the Slime. Had Giyu become any more impatient over a matter of moments, he'd have been tapping his foot where he stood. A simple set of goals were being held up by unnecessary tasks at this point; he'd have done away with the Slime ages ago if he'd seen this coming. "No need to chat about it," Giyu spoke. To top everything else off, Hikari immediately decided to take essentially forever when constructing her new Avatar. At the very least, he trusted that she would make something interesting out of the source, and something deeper within him trusted that Shuten Doji would be made no weaker as a result. Patience, then. All he needed was just a bit more patience, and Otakemaru would finally be reunited with the... sibling figure that was Shuten. "Just hurry it up. I'm still hungry."

[Apollymi]

"Oi oi, you can't rush excellence. Shush! Baka-nii!" the girl chided. The amount of impatience in this Avatar of her brother's was indeed something she was used to dealing with. It was quite organic to the sort of person he was, goal-oriented and all. Whatever the case, he claimed that he was still hungry and thus wanted her to speed up the process. But she had several things to do, so he would wait while she built a new character, regardless of his reasons for rushing. At the same time, Tamamo squeezed the lad a little and spoke softly to him, while rubbing her own face against the side of his. "If you're hungry I could just feed you some more. We have plenty after all!~" she playfully suggested, though she'd suggested several things for breakfast this day already, most of them still swimming in her own mind.

Whatever the case, Hikari still needed to have a conversation with this slime and the new comer, after all, she considered herself to be the boss behind the bosses. And beyond all of that she had plans and they needed to accept her terms before she'd be comfortable with them long term. From the golden light would emerge an Oni, who was the most obvious one seen to date. The girl's form shrank quite a bit and she became silvery pale. She had obviously long horns which seemed to be fleshy protruding form her forehead becoming wine red at the tips. Beyond this her hair became a short bob of purple hair, with clean cut forehead bangs. On her body were strange metal like undergarments which started at her neck and wrapped all the way down to her groin covering her chest but leaving most of her skin exposed. Over that she wore a dark colored kimono which was short with giant flowing red sleeves and a purple base. Around her waist appeared three gourds including the blue jeweled one which managed to be even large across than her petite body. She didn't seem to be 'loli' as much as she was petite. Her legs were covered in armor up to her knees but her feet were bare aside from some small metal bits that were the same as her undergarments. With this complete the girl was left to open eyes covered in red markings similar to the color at the top of her horns. When she did this action she revealed intensely purple eyes and smiled revealing very sharp teeth as well. But with this gentle opening of her mouth came an aroma of fruits and sweet wine. "Fufu. Your patience has been rewarded by Shuten-Douji. Yahello!~" she spoke with a slightly different voice, and a strangely unique attitude but she was still the same person she always was, with some new powers to show for her troubles.

[Bloodedge]

Excellence, she said. Something about that felt wrong. No, it wasn't excellence he was rushing; what he rushed was the improvement of a currently unfit state of being. While he struggled against impatience, Tamamo countered his mention of eating with another clause that could be taken multiple ways. Was she even speaking of sustenance at all this time? Her tone implied that both 'yes' and 'no' were viable answers to this curiosity, though either meaning garnered the same reaction from Giyu. He cut his eyes toward her once more, offering no animosity, no visible signs of approval, but surprisingly... a statement. "... Alright." What this meant exactly, he wouldn't specify. The second Oni to complete the legendary trio was being born anew into the body of a girl. Giyu had a certain anticipation building deep within himself, but the end result of the transformation would be a quirked brow from the male. Was that all? No. After one brow raised, one furrowed in the wake of Shuten's greeting. He even managed enough of a reaction to click his tongue against his teeth, before turning away. "That took forever. Finally. I'm going to my room," he said while finally shrugging loose of Tamamo's grasp. He would go on ahead, assuming she intended to distribute or grant access to the eggs they acquired so recently. A few things he'd noticed since returning left him wondering something... and he had to check for himself before doing anything else.

[Apollymi]

What did the Kitsune mean? The answer was simply... yes. She meant her statements most of them aimed at the lad anyways, to be taken both literally and figuratively. Given his current disposition she didn't expect much by a way of response, so imagine her surprise when he turned to her and responded verbally. "Hoh?!" fell from her face before she could really stop it. There was immediately a curious light in her eyes, did he mean that the same way she did? Should she believe such a thing without looking further into it? Ah, she supposed she'd find out soon enough... but before she did there was the matter of the creation of Shuten-douji and the distribution of breakfast. As such she didn't take offense when the lad shrugged her off after greeting his sister properly, she was left floating just above the ground. She said nothing in response to him, but noted that he was off to their room and she join him upon finishing up here.

"Hm, where's the galley, then? It's time for breakfast!~" chimed Tamamo. Shuten for her own part in this took note of her brother's reaction and laughed. "Fufu, no one cares... go on somewhere, Emo-nii," and just like that she turned and began leading the way to the galley. All the while her mind was working trying to figure out how to take the interaction between the two teens she'd just seen. 'Hm, they seem to to be okay. But that wasn't optimal... what should I do about this? Well, maybe these two will be useful. At the very least, the slime might know something worth finding out,' she thought of the two newcomers, her eyes cutting towards the blue creature. The tengu was content to follow the group towards breakfast. "Ah, right, in case you are the one to introduce her, this is Kitera Ume, Kaiba and Hisakawa will know who she is... And that's a really cute look for you, Shu-chan!~" chimed Tamamo as Shuten stopped inside of the galley. "Mm-hm, I'm always cute... you aren't usually so outwardly happy though. Kitsune life suits you, Nee-san," said Shuten, though she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the current face of Ashikaga Kimiko. Whatever the case, Tamamo did nothing but smile and move along. She found a single unclaimed cabinet and placed the golden orb in her possession against the knob. Doing so would create a door to a room within her treasury which she called group food. She had another which she called snacks but that one contained the portion she kept for the pair of teens to share in their room. She'd done a strange bit of organizing when she picked up all the breakfast. "There, that should do it, I'll put any weird groceries in there, and you can have at them as you like. And you can just cut the tops off and eat them, they are really good!~" she said happily. Assuming nothing else was needed from her, she'd head off towards her own room after a moment or two. Within the cabinet they'd find about a dozen individual boxed Yatagarasu Eggs for group consumption.

[Bloodedge]

In due time, Giyu set foot in the Captains' quarters of the Grandcypher. For the duration of his trip, there had been something bothering him beneath the surface. If there were two who had reason to know him outside of this world, those two were his own sister... and Kuroka. Why did both of them have eyes filled with recognition when this new Avatar appeared before them? Upon reaching the bathroom shared between Kimiko's variants and his own, he made haste to approach a grand mirror above the double-sink. When his eyes locked onto that mirror, those same eyes widened in view of themselves. How did he become... this? He'd gone out of his way to even alter the name of this Avatar, but that face and hair were far too close to reality for his preference. Could he have really continued looking this way at the current time in his life, had he chosen a path of athleticism? Perhaps he could have, but... maybe not like this. Standing in front of the mirror, Giyu pulled open his kimono to view his own upper body. 'Damn. I could have been shredded,' he thought while sliding a hand along his own chiseled torso.

[Apollymi]

While Giyu made his way to the Captain's Quarters, Shuten looked into this newly linked kitchen cabinet. "Huh, that thing my brother gave her does all that, lazy man inventions. . ." said Shuten but whatever the case she watched as Tamamo left. She was now a Kitsune so she gave it a few extra moments before she spoke properly and then she turned to face the slime and the tengu to share the information that they needed to know. "I don't know what your deal is, but there is only one thing the group here wants," she said with an amount of defiance and a bit of a devious light in her eyes. "Hooking up my brother and Nee-san," she said with clarity. "If you aren't on board say so now... I mean, they'll still do whatever they are going to do to help you, but we need all hands on deck for helping to make sure they don't screw up their hookup," Shuten said. "Whatever the case, think it over, and have some breakfast," she said offering both the silme and the tengu one of the eggs before taking one for herself. She'd never had it before, but the instructions were easy enough. This version of her was a bit more direct before Hikari might have gotten a feel for who these people were, but now, she just wanted information from them and to see if she had more partners for her overall plan. Kuroka for her part had listened to all of what the purple haired girl had said, found it strange the way she spoke that pair of teens were bad at communicating, but everything she'd seen of them said the exact opposite. Still she couldn't speak on what she knew, it would be a violation of privilege.

In the meantime, Tamamo made her way to the bedroom they shared. Upon entering she closed and locked the door behind her. She looked for the black haired lad, and let her ears and nose lead her to the open bathroom door where she watched silently for a moment as the lad appreciated his own form while looking in the mirror. She'd not seen him past his face since his newest Avatar and she could say very easily she appreciated the view. Actually, all of this wasn't good at all for the kinds of thoughts she had. That wasn't to say she liked this form over his other ones, it was just that she hadn't disliked any one she'd seen so far. Much like him, her tastes were rather open and she liked all sorts of things, in the physical sense. And now that she was looking, she was quite distracted, that was quite a bit of muscle, he was still lean though. He had a more normal look, not otherworldly beautiful, but handsome in a more realistic sense. The sort of face you'd assign an anime character if they were real instead of drawings. That was how she saw this, a bit closer to reality than imagination. Such presented a great deal of appeal, which she couldn't rightly explain.

[Bloodedge]

Within the galley, there would be an interesting topic brought up by the 'newborn' female Oni. She had a strange investment in the pair of teens that had just departed, and neither Kuroka nor Rimuru seemed to believe it was necessary. Rimuru, in fact, returned to his humanoid form while showing visible confusion, one hand on his hip, and his head tilted slightly. "Hook them up? They haven't been already?" he asked, and there was much sincerity in the question. His own understanding was much like that of those who belonged in this world. Hearing that there was a desire to 'hook them up' as it were, was something he would have never considered. Since the first meeting, he had every reason to believe they were... well, a couple.

Speaking of the budding relationship between nerds of opposing gender, they would be meeting indirectly at about the same time. As Giyu inspected himself, Tamamo was doing the same from a distance. Giyu did not possess the same Mana sensory as his counterpart, Kou, but there was something else working within him. Earlier, he sensed the murderous intent of the Kappa and company. Now though, he felt something else nearby, something very different indeed. "Yeah?" he questioned, still looking into the mirror instead of setting his gaze upon... the person who could have only been Tamamo.

[Apollymi]

Within the galley the female Oni began eating this Yatagarasu Egg and so did the female Tengu. While this occurred she noted the transformation of the Slime into a small being which didn't strike her as male or female but was fairly attractive nonetheless. He seemed confused by what she said so between bites she'd clarify knowing that this pair of teens often confused newcomers as to their relationship status. "Uh-huh, they got you too. They didn't know each other before now, and they are both really fuckin' awkward. And socially inept," she said having witnessed a lot of the happenings between this pair of teens and knowing her brother for literally all of her life. "They seem like a couple to everyone they come across, even to the the first people to see them together here. But as far as we have seen, they don't see each other like that. Hell, they didn't even claim to like each other until very recently," she said filling in some of the minor gaps. Given the surprise of this pair and the lack of time spent with them, she realized they must have given off a pretty strong vibe of coupling for them to believe they didn't need help. Kuroka gave consideration to the words of this lass, and she could see how the assumption of their awkwardness could lead one to believe that their relationship needed nurturing. While she couldn't say anything she'd figured out about the relationship between Ashikaga Kimiko and Aiba Yugi, she was almost certain they didn't currently require assistance from anyone, whether they'd initially needed help or not. "I have privilege to consider, I couldn't assist directly anyway," Kuroka mentioned, not that she thought they needed it. "Ah, Bulma-san has that same opinion. Kaiba-san doesn't have an interest either, but that is fine, his little sister is on our side. Regardless, we've been nudging them together quite a bit. Less direct in our approaches now, but they still need some help," she said with a firm nod of her own head. Little did she know. . .

Tamamo watched from just outside the bathroom as the lad inspected himself. She honestly found herself a bit lost, now her imagination was running. What was she thinking? What of all the things they could do? How would the hardness of this body compare to the current softness of her own? He was always pretty strong, what would he do with the extra muscles? How would these hands feel pressed against her skin? What would this version of him decide to do with her advances? This was all a bit too tantalizing. There were too many possibilities and the mind of a degenerate was a dangerous place. Her mouth was open as she looked him in the mirror, it wasn't until she heard his voice that she looked up in the mirror and met his eyes. "Ah... oh..." what could she say? She felt she'd been caught doing something naughty a small flush came to her face, but the amount of desire found in her person didn't change at all. "Definitely, yes!" she said as she pushed herself away from the door frame, and walked up to the lad's side. She couldn't help a curiosity of hers, and surely he wouldn't mind if she. . . Her finger trailed down his exposed torso and it kindled a strange amount of fire within her own loins.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah... yeah, and yeah. They're pretty weird, but I don't know if that's worth wasting time over," Rimuru stated. In spite of his words, though, he didn't seem to lose interest entirely. There were a few positives to be taken from an approach to pair those two. Were those positives worth pursuing? After a few moments of silent contemplation, he came to a simple conclusion. "Hmm. Well, as much as I don't see the point... sure," he said by the time his thought process reached its end. At the very least, it could be an entertaining way to pass the time between quests. He doubted Kuroka would be willing to participate, considering how she was. He, however, had no such restrictions placed on himself... and he could get quite bored.

Meanwhile, Giyu's gaze finally shifted away from himself for a moment. Tamamo murmured a hesitant response to his greeting, but soon enough met his gaze and completed some semblance of a clause. What did she mean, though? When he spoke, he surely didn't mean for the question to be taken that way... though he also didn't seem to mind regardless. Before he could even consider offering a retort, Tamamo approached and trailed a finger along his exposed upper body. He wouldn't voice a complaint about this, nor would his expression change even now. However, the young man within this Avatar remained conscious enough to make a few decisions of his own. There wasn't much movement made at all, apart from eyes that traveled the Kitsune's form now that she could be found in such close proximity again. "Not what I meant, but fine."

[Apollymi]

"Given what we've seen of them, yes. It's definitely worth it, seeing them happy is a personal goal of mine..." mentioned the girl. Her brother always seemed a bit helpless. Whether he was or not wasn't really important. In this case, she could see to it, he had a proper outlet for his social habits with someone he could share himself with, and she could be happy to have been part of that. Considering the sacrifices he made for her in their previous life, she considered this a way to take care of him. Especially once she realized that the girl in question, liked him and was by all accounts a stellar person. "YOSH! Welcome aboard!" she said after hearing that this lad would at least participate, she extended a hand to him, to shake on their obvious arrangement. Kuroka studied these two and found it strange, but she figured that many strange happenings were upon this ship and she had no desire to do anything other than observe.

In the meantime, Tamamo had stumbled through some kind of reply, only to be met by the empty eyes of Giyu. He'd go on to claim that he'd not meant his previous statement the way she'd taken it, which only caused the Kitsune to shrug as his eyes traveled her form. "Well, I definitely meant to answer it that way. And other ways," she mentioned as she changed the direction of that finger from down his torso to up it. She'd been distracted by her own thoughts so hard, she probably would have heard any sentence and taken it out of context from this lad. She realized this, but felt no need to mention that in the moment, they'd come here for other reasons. Still, her finger was making contact with his person, but her mind had gone far beyond that movement. In her head, she'd turned his face towards her own, pulled him into her body, slipped her tongue into his mouth, aimed to claim this version of him for herself. But that wasn't what she was here for. . . What was it again? Breakfast. That's right! She'd come here to give him breakfast. "See something you like? Or are we having breakfast?" she asked of the lad, while licking her lips. Of course, this statement was as flirtatious as all others ones made by this fox lass. She truly did mean to offer the lad just his breakfast, it probably wouldn't matter, he was less drawn in by her flirty words than his counterpart, she could likely rest easy.

[Bloodedge]

This girl who claimed to be the odd male's sister may have been clinically insane. If she was, though, that was all the more interesting. The Slime reached out to accept the offered handshake, solidifying their agreement and whatever involvement he was to have. Oddly, he knew no specifics about this organized effort to force a relationship. That didn't matter, though. "Hai hai. With the Great Rimuru helping, the plan will never fail!" he exclaimed. As for this group breakfast to be shared, he would be skipping. Rather... he'd take an egg or two, and simply absorb them into his body for later consumption.

That finger of Tamamo's took a new path in the opposite direction, all while Giyu's gaze continued to shift about. It was only natural that she would return to such methods. In fact, it was within expectation that she'd answer the way she did, whether she took his question wrong or not. What other ways did she have in mind for responding, though? Options were aplenty, but Tamamo's choices were not as clear as most would have been. With that same indifferent expression upon his face, Giyu kept his ear open during the duo of questions offered to him. Did he see something he like, she asked. Would they instead be having breakfast, she asked afterwards. He could answer one question, or perhaps even both. Perhaps she even knew what his answer would be normally... but would she have it in her to interpret said answer, after consideration had been given? Giyu was no simple Oni; he was something beyond, and that single egg they shared earlier could have lasted him several days if he desired. Alternatively, he could consume several pounds of food in one sitting.

"Yes," was his answer in the end. After processing both questions properly, and considering the intention potentially offered by the Kitsune, it was the only true answer he could give.

[Apollymi]

Was Yumi insane? Not really. She was meddlesome and rambunctious, but she was genuine in how she dealt with everyone, especially her brother. She felt the need to help him in his inadequacies and as such she'd do her best to see him hooked up with a girl he obviously liked and who was obviously good for him. "Rimuru, huh? Very nice. We have group meetings about the pair of them, keep an eye out for odd behavior and you'll get a vote in on our dealings. Most recently we set them up in the Captain's Quarters on the ship. That took some doing..." she said with a firm nod. The lad had met her handshake so she took her hand back. All the while Kuroka watched. She had a pretty good understanding of this young woman who she knew to be Aiba Yumi, even without having met her before. She didn't think the older teens needed help, but everyone needed hobbies in this new world, so she wouldn't spoil their fun.

Speaking of fun, the two questions asked by Tamamo were given a great deal of consideration by Giyu. It was strange for her, going from being able to read the thoughts across his face to having to give him a second or two extra of consideration before she acted. Even so, she didn't really pull herself away from him at all. She was already allowing her mind to wander, she didn't need to eat more but she would because she liked to. She could also and more than likely, would rather spend some time indulging in this new Avatar of his. Her appetites were known at least in theory and she'd done nothing but flirt since she'd been born. Of course, she had no intention of being demanding or pushy only to take advantage of openings presented to her. Speaking of those, his answer to her inquiry was... yes?! Ah, that was open ended. Did he realize that she made such offers and inquiries in the way she did, to give him an out? Did he not wish to take it? Well, there were obvious hangups that his other self had, but did this one maintain them? She was about to find out. Tamamo leaned into lad, pressing her chest against him and nuzzling herself into the left side of his neck. Tamamo couldn't resist taking a bit in this moment and flicked his earlobe with her tongue before she began speaking. When words left her mouth, they were aimed directly into his ear. It was a soft whisper, a flirtation, but also a warning. "If you answer me like that... I'll be inclined to have you for breakfast."

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, Rimuru had signed himself up for quite a lot. Not only was this group hellbent on pairing those two, but they were also taking it to such an extent that there were meetings. Was there really a need for such intensity? Sure, those two were clearly strange... but this seemed like a bit much. Whatever the case, he was mostly involved for the sake of his own entertainment anyway. So long as he got that out of it, he didn't particularly care what else happened.

The amount of forwardness found in Tamamo was met in kind by Giyu, and he was infinitely curious to know how she would react to it. Naturally, there was a single type of rebuttal she would have as determined by her methods thus far, but the specifics were a bit of a mystery. Her approach was anything but rejected, even as Giyu continued to appear unconcerned by everything around him. Regardless of his outward expressions, or lack thereof, there remained a minor shift in the beat of his heart that moment a tongue met his earlobe. The statement which followed struck his ear like a threat, though not one of an offensive nature. Regardless of its purpose, a threat was a threat... and he was one to rise to the occasion. "I said what I said," he stated bluntly. He had no intention of stopping whatever inclination the Kitsune had. Even the source code of this Avatar accepted her as a close companion, and the owner of this body held her in even higher regards. If she had intentions of any sort, she was free to seek them as she saw fit.

[Apollymi]

What an interesting moment Tamamo was experiencing. She was quite certain that she left several moments up to the lad before her instead of pushing him out of his perceived comfort zone. That being said, this new form of him was content to meet the things she said, in intriguing ways. She'd been content to flirt and have fun simply being pressed against this new flesh. But strangely this lad didn't shrink away from her advances. No, this version of him simply made a statement which in her own mind could only be taken as a challenge. Well, this lass didn't back down from a challenge in any form, what was more, if he thought to challenge her words without moving away then... it's was tantamount to giving her permission to seek what she wished from this lad. She didn't pull back from him in his moment, in fact the tails at her back seemed to bristle with excitement. Now she could settle into what she was doing. Her tongue flicked over the soft flesh of his neck before she began pressing her lips gently over his flesh, across his jaw until she reached his lips. Once here, there was a devious light in her eyes as she had one more thing to say, "Then we'll have each other for breakfast~" she mused as she pressed her lips into his. She'd find it fairly easy to sink into such an endeavor, and her words referenced the fact that she'd offered to feed him. If he was going along with her own reference for feeding then it was her body which was on the menu, not that she minded this at all, considering her earlier morning activities this sort of thing was obviously just something she wanted.

[Bloodedge]

The dichotomy between these two was noteworthy. Whereas Tamamo left Giyu numerous openings to pull away, he left those same openings for her to push forward. Reason should have demanded a continuous stalemate between them, but there were just enough variables in the equation that everything worked out toward their mutual benefit. Speaking of mutual benefit, Giyu contained a memory of his previous self from the moments leading up to his creation. Goosed skin brought about by the Kitsune's tongue and mouth served as a temporary distraction from this train of thought, though it remained nonetheless. She had something to say when her mouth finally made it to the level of his own after that climb up his neck and jaw─ something tantalizing. Whether Giyu had a retort this time or not, though, he was immediately rendered incapable. His lips were manually sealed by another pair not his own, but that was fine. He, too, had a rather easy time finding comfort in this moment, all in spite of the fact that his face told no take of it. His lips pursed against Tamamo's, and his hands took hold of her sides as he took a few steps to his side. It was his intention to guide the pair of them, until he could put them in a position where Tamamo's rear was against the sink counter. All the while, he continued holding his lips against hers.

[Apollymi]

This pair of individuals would now be found kissing rather easily. If Tamamo was worried at all about whether or not this lad was interested in the activity at large, the fact that his hands were soon found around her made the thought disappear. When this situation was considered from an outside perspective, the lack of change in the lad's visage might have been hard to interpret. But, given Tamamo's own interest and the way she achieved clarity, she was able to push past any misgivings. As their lips remained pressed together, she seemed to have no problems with their progress. Much to her surprise, it wasn't her who began to move them, instead, Giyu took several steps which would have the lass going along with him. Eventually her rear would be found against the sink counter top and when this happened her face shifted in surprise. Oh? Where was this going? Her mind raced with possibilities. She was a degenerate after all, and had no intention of stopping the lad from exploring her as she was fairly certain he allowed her the same freedom. Still, her mind burned with anticipation as her body reacted both to the physical stimulus and the possibilities. She'd be found in a moment of increased desire, more so than when she'd been making playful suggestions before. She slipped her right hand up to hold the side of his face, while her left slid over his shoulders, exploring the texture of his skin.

[Bloodedge]

Acceptance of movement was a first step which benefited Giyu's intentions. Though Giyu himself had no ulterior motives, the lad in control most certainly did. Space was made between lips, but was shortly followed by a repeated collision between orifices while his grip on Tamamo's sides became firmer. What would he do with this grasp of greater intensity? Well, he would have the Kitsune lifted and sat atop the bathroom counter, freeing his hands to travel down onto her thighs. Her kimono granted him easy enough access to the space underneath, so those hands moved their way back up until landing upon the bare space above Tamamo's thigh-highs. While he rubbed the flesh he found there, he separated his lips from hers once again. Further down he moved, applying his lips to her flesh in a manner that opposed her earlier treatment of him. He pecked her jawline and neck in sequence, moving inch by inch with each moment of contact, all the way down to her exposed collarbone and the space just beneath it.

[Apollymi]

Tamamo was moved quite a bit, she couldn't help but wonder what this lad's exact motivations were. That being said, she had absolutely no intention of stopping him from pursuing whatever goal he had in mind for this interaction. Imagine her surprise when the grip the lad had on her sides became firmer than it had been before. And rather suddenly, she was lifted onto the counter top. A small squeal escaped her lips before the were immediately covered once again by Giyu's. She kissed him back with great force, seeming to enjoy this more than she could mention. But there was more to come, soon enough the lad had hands on the exposed flesh of her thighs. Another small but muffled sound escaped her but soon enough the lad's mouth left her own. Everywhere his lips traveled her skin tingled beneath. A flush came to her face as he found the space her collarbones. Had her skin always been this sensitive? Probably. But now she could feel everything and enjoy the feeling of this attention. "Ooh!~" a small moan escaped her lips as her body shifted to grant him easier access. In the moment she could even feel the start of moisture building below her waist the type that would have stained underwear... had she been wearing any. . .

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Giyu would soon be encountering a curiosity of epic proportions. Moans and the like were simple signs of approval which fueled further advances, but he was fated to discover something else. As his hands continued traveling up the flesh of Tamamo's thighs, they eventually found their place upon her hips beneath that kimono. Strangely, he had yet to feel anything but skin against his palm. That wasn't right; he should have at least felt the additional fabric of undergarments against his fingertips, if nothing else. Had Tamamo discarded hers in preparation for this meeting? There was no display of magic that he was privy to, so maybe she did away with them on her way to their room. Alternatively... maybe she never had them in the first place. Either way, there was an amount of access that could not be ignored, and he had no intentions of ignoring it either. His lips continued applying themselves to her flesh while he moved down, a curved line of slightly dampened pecks being applied to the Kitsune's mostly-exposed bosom while his hands returned to her thighs. He would have her legs spread by his own hands, one of which would then forge a path toward her nether. A simple bout of nub-rubbing would occur, but that was far from his intended focus for the time being.

[Apollymi]

The point of curiosity which was reached by Giyu was one which Tamamo herself barely registered. It was true that she wasn't wearing undergarments, but she hadn't simply done away with them as one might think. The truth of the matter was, the creation of this particular Avatar came without that particular piece of fabric. And she considered it was because this world had no idea what kind of undergarments to give a girl with as many tails as Kitsune possessed. The truth of the matter was, the development of a being such as Tamamo came with the attached soul of the person she'd been before and that person made such a decision for her. Even so, the feeling of Giyu's hands rubbing against her bare hips was enough to make the lass swoon. Each movement of his lips down her mostly exposed chest had her shifting, her clothing falling more and more open around her to accommodate his actions. Ah, but her mind raced. As he moved his intentions were still unclear, there were so many options and with each press of his lips her body was giving more anticipation and more reason to wander. There was nothing but delight to be found in this lass as he carried on. What was more her legs were soon spread apart by strong hands granting him access to her exposed nether. What would he do with this access? Well that much was obvious, he began to rub betwixt her legs at her most sensitive point. For a young woman whose mind traveled to perversion always, the idea of someone else stimulating her so being made in to a reality was euphoric. Each movement of his hand would send tingles up the lass' spine causing her tails and ears to twitch with satisfaction. Her eyes closed briefly and she exhaled a gasp, as she bit down on her bottom lip exposing one of her fangs. How as she supposed to deny such pleasure? The answer was... she wouldn't, no because of all the things she knew about the lad before her. She knew there was more to come.

[Bloodedge]

Tamamo would not be wondering for very long at all. There was a bit of leeway, though. As more of her torso became exposed by fault of her kimono falling bit by bit, Giyu found more flesh to offer his lips' attention to. Eventually, he even found her nipple and gave it a flick of the tongue, a pull from the lips, and a slight nip of the teeth. Ah, but he was digressing. The movements of his finger were continued as he furthered his downward movement, stopping only when his head found its place betwixt her thighs. He could offer nothing equivalent to what Tamamo herself had done in that temple, but he could go a single step beyond. Giyu's hand dropped just slightly, freeing enough space for his tongue to reach that nub in his place. Having consumed as much pornographic material as he had, he was certain that warm, damp muscle could offer superior sensation, and that was his goal. His tongue moved timidly at first, merely applying lapping motions until he became adjusted to a flavor unlike any other. Once that brief adjustment period was over, though, the tongue of Giyu never removed itself, and took a pattern of continuous, circular rubbing. This was far stranger than he imagined it would be during the first experience, yet he hadn't a single issue with it. In fact, he could probably call it something he enjoyed already.

[Apollymi]

Shock! There was nothing but absolute surprise in Tamamo's form as her nipple was flicked by the tongue of the Oni before her. Imagine, how much greater that became when the lad's mouth closed around it. It was nice, warm, strangely, caused extra tingles throughout her body. It wasn't surprising that the girl that she enjoyed such stimulation. After all, she was known to fondle her own bosom while exploring herself. Having this lad's mouth upon her only seemed to increase potential pleasure, which when combined with the movements of his hand were enough to keep her head tilted backward. Oh, but he wouldn't stay there too long. A noise which might have counted as protest escaped from the pink haired lass as his mouth released her, but that wouldn't last long...

'WHAT?!' she thought she couldn't be surprised by any further thing, but after Giyu made his lips move down her body, and moved his fingers down just a tad before his face took up residence between her thighs. She opened her eyes in this moment and looked down to find the lad buried between her thighs and felt the first of his tentative licks at her core. "Wa...aaah!~" she might have properly protested or maybe that wasn't it at all. Instead the sensation only furthered itself as he became more comfortable. But how did this feel to the lass, she'd ingested many forms of media that showed this sort of thing, but never did she realize the difference between the sensation of fingers and that of the warmth and moisture provided by another's tongue. Ah, but it wasn't just that either, she found the gentle swirling of that muscle to be quite a bit of an improvement, and she'd not had any complaints to start with. Her thighs clinched slightly as her entire face flushed intensely, she could already feel that pressure building below her waist. She didn't want to surrender to such pleasure, but she couldn't well fight against it either. Her right hand would soon be found on the head of the Oni buried in his hair, while her left held the counter top for dear life. If she had thoughts of escape, she had no where to run, not that she did... she was having far too much fun.

[Bloodedge]

Strange and stranger yet was the feeling Giyu had within as his tongue swirled about. Oddly, he found himself lightheaded as he progressed, though not in any unacceptable way. Perhaps some of the fault was in the fact that his mind was already blanking, as if his instincts were activated and forcing his hand in a way. He would soon enough advance his efforts as well, making use of the hand previously abandoned. His forefinger was good enough to make its way further down the Kitsune's crevice, until it located an opening that it slipped its way into gradually. Yes, that would do nicely while his tongue glided up and down the very same path taken by his finger, ending just above said finger before making its way back to its starting point. All the while, his finger was thrusting lightly in a way that forced its insertion bit by bit with every forward movement. Curious eyes rose from his current task. It seemed as if, in spite of his distant visage, he had a desire to view the fruits of his labor. The hand upon his head was a start, but that wasn't quite enough.

[Apollymi]

Tamamo was at this lad's mercy and her situation would only get worse. Or perhaps better... better was definitely the way to describe it. Her entire body broke out in goose flesh as Giyu's tongue and fingers changed tactics to rather suddenly begin something new. Her voice would hitch for just a moment and her fingers would tighten both on her hold on the counter and within the masses of Giyu's hair. "Aaaaah!~" she moaned trying to get her breathing under control but that was becoming less and less possible. Her entire body was so sensitive to the touch that every movement Giyu made in addition to his original ones seemed to work towards her undoing. "I'm so close..." she moaned, she couldn't quite get the sentence out. She tried to concentrate but to no avail. Her head tilted down and those golden eyes of hers opened and she looked down her own body to find. . .

Blue. The remarkable still blue eyes of Giyu staring up at her, watching her as he pleased her. This image was strangely satisfying, especially when combined with the feelings being presented her body. In that moment, her mouth opened as if she wished to speak and finish that sentence, but... her body tensed further only to relax immediately. Her first flourish came to her in the instant she made eye contact and it felt as if a floodgate had opened. It was such an overwhelming wave of feeling she wanted to escape to shift her hips backward but she had no place to go, atop this counter.

[Bloodedge]

The signs Giyu searched for came in a much greater form than some simple visible reaction. No; he gained something audible as well, in the form of the Kitsune announcing the encroaching flourish. Good. Having that information, he could know he was on the right track. He could also know he should be prepared, if nothing else. He progressed just as intended, taking the Kitsune's outcry as motivation to steady his every effort, keeping up an unchanging pace until that proverbial wave washed over Tamamo... and somewhat over Giyu as a result. His tongue and finger were moistened further as they moved about within and against Tamamo's nether, and all that managed for the most part was to make his movements simpler to manage. Actually, that wasn't all. There was an influx of that unusual taste upon the buds of his tongue. Going into this act with no idea what he was really doing was a thought of the past. Suddenly, the lad understood why desires of this sort could be referred to as carnal. His finger slipped out, and his tongue took its place. Lips pressed against one another yet again, albeit not in the conventional sense at all. That flavor he was graced with... he sought more of it without even giving it proper thought, so in went his tongue to the very source. Interestingly enough, he hadn't even given any consideration to stopping.

[Apollymi]

Tamamo rode the wave, so to speak, of her flourish. The perfection of this lad's movements as he kept up exactly what she needed to experience the most pleasurable wave of her life was unexpected. Even so, it was a great moment for them to share. If she had been worried at all about their compatibility she wasn't any more, but there was something beyond this. The lad's finger was removed from her person but she wasn't allowed a proper reprieve. His face shifted and soon enough the warmth and thickness of his tongue was moving around within her person. That was such a surprising sensation! It was like he'd decided to tongue kiss the deepest reaches of her person. The act was so intimate, so visceral, so... primal. There was nothing else she could have used to describe it. Her mouth opened to speak as waves of pleasure erupted from her person, each bringing a gentle twitch to her nether. "Aaaah~ What are you doing to me?" she asked completely in rhetoric. She might have tried to demand a break to scoot back from this attention but she couldn't have done it, and beyond that, she was enjoying it too much to try and have him stop. What could she do, but run her fingers through his hair and continue to ride his tongue to the peak of pleasure he so freely offered.

[Bloodedge]

What was he doing? Such was a question to which only Tamamo herself had the answer. Giyu, in fact, had little to no clue what he was actually doing. He'd merely been going with the flow all this time, but something was clearly being accomplished as a result. His tongue continued moving as if thrusting into the young woman's core. His hands were not quite idle, yet not necessarily busy either. With his face buried the way it was, he had taken to reaching underneath Tamamo's legs to take hold of her hips from a different angle. His grip was a firm one, fingers spread and reaching the flesh of Tamamo's rear. Fingers dug in just a bit, if only as a result of the more ravenous approach that built up over time. The entire lower half of his face was slicked soon enough, and all it was, was fuel to the proverbial fire of his methods. Tamamo wasn't stopping him, and he certainly wasn't about to try stopping himself.

[Apollymi]

There was a certain knowledge of this situation which was possessed by the Kitsune who was currently being devoured. It was the knowledge that her pleasure was being controlled by another and there was nothing she'd rather have happening at present. She'd soon enough find that the movements of the lad's tongue worked similar to a thrusting with an appendage which was warm and wet of its own accord. There was a softness to this which made, the lass squirm, though not in a way which implied her distaste. Of course, she wasn't allowed too much freedom in this, and found that her hips were being angled and held in a way more different. The angle of her body was being tilted granting the lad more access to her nether but also making it so she could feel his tongue deeper within. What did this do for the sensation? It increased it by a great margin causing even more to leak from her core. With every thrust of his tongue she felt another building wave, something promising had her core twitching ever so slightly with each movement. But never one to let praise go unheard, she'd let this lad know of the incoming. "Mmm~ It's too good! Don't stop!~" she stated, as the softness of her thighs surrounded the lad's head and her legs clamped together. If he continued in this way, the wave of her next flourish would was over him leaving the muscles in her legs to twitch against his face as she moaned her content, unable to relax as she rode his tongue.

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of his efforts, there was another call-out, as well as an encasement of Giyu's head by the pink-haired lass' thighs. He was not at all deterred by this grip, but instead urged to do more. His grip tightened further as a result, and his neck strained to push his head as far forward as he could manage. One would imagine he'd nearly suffocate himself if he had to, and in fact... that thought came to mind. The Oni figured he may as well make use of that. His nose was in a very interesting place by virtue of his face being so close to Tamamo's womanhood. As such, he decided to make use of it. While he continued thrusting his tongue into her nether, he also began to turn his head to and fro, causing his nose to brush against that nub of sensitivity placed just against its tip. He was once again finding his efforts far easier by the moment, but when paired with what he'd so recently heard and felt, he figured it could only mean one thing. . .

[Apollymi]

Tamamo might have been surprised, but it seemed the lad she was with was content to take her directions. He continued to move his tongue within her nether, even managing to hold tight past the clinching of her thighs. It was a bit much even by her own standards, and much like her general understanding of the person behind the Avatar, he went above and beyond her expectations. The movements of his tongue were soon accompanied by the movement of his nose against her swollen bud. It'd gone a bit untouched for the past few moments, allowing her time to recover a bit and experience just the movements of tongue. But the additional brushing against that part of her, added to the sensation, adding a pulsing jolt to her loins. If she thought she was on the edge of something glorious, she was definitely pushed over the edge by the dual stimulation being offering to her. Her nipples were hard, her breathing labored her eyes rolled back and her head did as well. That tightness of her legs, increased to its maximum. She rocked her hips against his extra movements spurred on by that feeling and rode the wave of her flourish to a blinding finish. "AAAAH! FUCK! YEEEES!~" she squealed as her entire body was taken over by a tingling sensation and suddenly her entire body seemed to gradually lose what was left of its tension.

As this occurred her thighs released the lad's head and she released the top of his head. Her chest rising and falling in constant beat as she tried to catching her breath. Her entire body currently a ball of sensation as her body leaked extra and pulsed within several times.

[Bloodedge]

There would soon be a bit of a struggle encroaching upon Giyu as he continued his efforts. Tamamo's legs had his head caught in something of a vice-grip, but he persevered against it... or rather, as a result of it. Finally, the second flourish was upon him─ literally. Briefly, he felt akin to an animal crouching to drink from a heated spring, though it was a strange texture of water he was to consume. He could easily say he'd never done anything more odd than take a natural form of lubrication unto his tongue and into his mouth, though he couldn't say he hated it. Somehow, that nearly-crushing sensation of legs around his head was a thing to view in a positive light as well. Soon enough, when that tension reached its peak, it suddenly dissipated all at once. He was freed of those thighs' grip, and Tamamo seemed to have achieved some fair amount of satisfaction. And thus, breakfast had been served. Giyu backed away slowly, soaked from nose to chin and looking no more moved than he did before this all began... except for the eyes. Those dead eyes of his held something within, as if a mission had been accomplished over the past few moments. In truth, this was the case. He could go forward believing he managed to repay the favor offered to Kou, and even offered appreciation of his own in wake of said repayment.

[Apollymi]

The idea of the lad between her legs remaining there and drinking from her 'spring' so to speak was tantalizing for someone like Tamamo. In fact, she couldn't quite explain why she found the entire thing so appealing but the visual alone made it worthwhile. Of course, this hadn't been her intention for breakfast but she had offered to feed the lad before her and upon his standing his face looked impassive, minus the sheen covering him from nose to chin and a certain light in those normally dead blue eyes. What was that? She stared at him curiously not able to move for a few seconds long and landing on ever so slightly shaky legs. Only to see it clearly in the moment she caught herself. 'Sou ka, he's victorious.' Her thoughts concluded whatever plan the lad had behind his lacking expression and eyes, he was at least feeling accomplished and if the lack of feelings in her legs said anything she could only agree. Still, her first statement after recovery would be a bit teasing in nature as she looked into his eyes. "Ara ara, you'll spoil a girl treating her like that, Mikon!~" she mused leaning into him to lick his lips. A curiosity she maintained, but was soon satisfied. What an interesting flavor, actually... she moved forward, her intention to close the space between them to kiss him here and now while tasting herself on his mouth properly. Her plan was to bring their lips together and kiss him deeply, while a portal opened up and she pulled into her hand, a simple warm wet washcloth with the intention of cleaning his face. Beyond that whatever other thoughts she had of continuing or furthering anything were cut short by a knock at the door.

"Oi oi, I know the eggs are all good but we're done eating. Let's get this Conquering Youkai Land Meeting done!" these were the words of Shuten-Doji, who was also the younger sister of one Aiba Yugi. If she'd known the what she'd actually interrupted, she probably would have died an ironic death. Luckily enough the room itself was soundproof so, she hadn't heard a thing after reaching the door. She'd only gone looking for them, after giving a full rundown of their 'strained' relationship to Rimuru and eating her own breakfast. Still she knew there were things that needed doing and she planned to help them in any way she could.

[Bloodedge]

What to do now? Would they progress, take another leap to another stage in this budding relationship? The chance seemed very real when Tamamo took him by surprise, choosing to lick his lip after it had been so clearly stained by her own excrement. What's more, she then kissed him with a quantity of depth that showed how little she cared about said staining. He could hardly do anything besides return the kiss with matching depth while absorbing the clause she offered just before. What would his retort be? He had a bit of time to consider things while their lips pressed together. In the moment of parting, he had but one thing to say. "That's the point," he mused while the distance between their bodies lessened again, Giyu taking a single step forward until their torsos pressed together. Ah, but something was wrong. He seemed to have ignored his higher senses for a moment, and in that time, an interruption came in the form of... his darling little sister. His moment seemed to have finally come. No longer would the one known as Aiba Yugi know the dreaded pain of virginity, if Giyu had anything to say about it. Alas, the hangup this time was not his own, unlike a previous event involving Akashi. Now, the fault could be thrown at the meddlesome brat he called a sibling. She certainly had her ways. "... Of course," he said, nearly swearing as those words escaped him just over a whisper.

[Apollymi]

Everything was going so perfectly. Giyu may have been surprised by her actions, but once again he proved himself open to the advances Tamamo placed before him. The pink haired fox finished with the washcloth she'd used for the rest of his face after their deep kiss and smirked when their lips parted. There was a claim by the lad, that spoiling her had been the point. In that moment a devious light entered her eyes, "Hoh? I honestly like that coming from you," she said as she enjoyed the feeling of her exposed chest rubbing against him as he made a literal step towards progress. This wasn't a lie either, Ashikaga Kimiko didn't truly let anyone spoil her, nor did she ever consider one might do it with nothing to gain from it directly. The lad before her proved her insecurities wrong and made her feel stronger in her own decisions and that was empowering. With that in mind she could do nothing but continue on the path she walked dangerous flirtation and all. "You know, Mikon... I was just thinking I like the idea of second breakfast~" she said as she allowed her open kimono to fall. "Or maybe even an all day buffet~" she said in a manner as flirtatious and open as she always did.

Today, seemed like it would be the day where the lass known as Ashikaga Kimiko would give herself up to pleasure. The day she would surrender her virginity to someone she considered her equal in every way. An equivalent exchange to be made in their blossoming relationship, which would only further cement it in her own mind. This seemed like the perfect time and dynamic to make such a thing happen but... tapping? No. Knocking, at the door, accompanied by the speech of the newly created Shuten-doji. Oh right, they had something to do. Still, she couldn't help the pout which escaped her as she looked towards the door. The words of Giyu in response to this interruption were quite pointed indeed. It went without saying the amount of irony that was involved with this entire world seeming to want to match-make for this pair of individuals only to throw responsibility in their faces whenever they actually acted upon it. "Hai hai, we're on our way," answered Tamamo as she opened a portal and pulled from it a single pair of thong underwear. The mess of her loins having been removed the moment she knew there would be no immediate need for lubrication. Ah, but that strange tingle still remained even as she slipped that lacy string between her cheeks. They were perfectly fitted to her hips enough that her tails were allowed to keep moving freely while providing her actual coverage which she'd been missing before. She redressed before Giyu's eyes with that hint of deviousness still present within them... she could hold onto this extra desire until later. In the meantime, Shuten giggled outside the door. She might have thought it strange that it wasn't immediately opened, but she entertained the idea that the pair of them were having a nerd moment, probably talking over one of those hentai series they liked so much. Yes, this is the only idea that Shuten entertained of the pair, as it was all she'd seen of their behavior. "Fufu, well, hurry it up. We're in the library... and we need a game plan oh fearless leaders!~" she said in a tone which was both honest and mocking and caused Tamamo to click her tongue. 'Yep, definitely dangerous.'

[Bloodedge]

A positive thing, was it? Good. Progression was an undeniable fact at this point, especially given Tamamo's reaction to his advance. Speaking of an all-day buffet could easily mean one thing that was already perverted in nature, but he just as easily took it as something far greater. Indeed, this was to be a moment in which the pair didn't require words to communicate. After all this time, it was always going to come to this. That is, until Shuten announced herself. Ignoring the female Oni was an impossibility; they did in fact have much to accomplish while here. As it seemed, he and Tamamo were on the same page in that regard as well. Perhaps next time. Those deep blue orbs scanned the dressing Kitsune as Giyu slipped fully back into his own kimono, taking the go-ahead when his otherwise lingering gaze found its should-be purpose. He became the first to exit the Captains' quarters, though the slightest scent of womanhood remained on his face even after it had been cleared. When he passed through the door, he faced forward... but his eyes remained trained on Shuten in passing, nearly glaring if not for his resting expression. One day, this would come up again. One day, one of his incarnations would exact vengeance for the vile act unknowingly committed by his sister this day. Alas, today would not be that day.

[Apollymi]

Tamamo felt Giyu's eyes on her while she dressed, and she even glanced at him in the mirror, finding that sight to be one of severe temptation. Yes, they both appeared to know they should be leaving, even so... they'd come so close to crossing the line of something more. It could be saved for later, and savored more, but that still didn't stop the moment from being more than mildly annoying. Whatever the case, Giyu finished dressing first and walked out passing his younger sister in the hallway as she waited in case anyone needed help reaching the destination. Imagine her surprise when he rushed past, and what was more she found his emotionless face surprisingly strange in the moment, though she couldn't place why. What she did know, and fully acknowledge was a chill which was sent up her spine by the cutting look she received. She nearly jumped out of her skin as an air of foreboding settled around her. She wasn't quite sure how, or why such a thing was happening, but she felt the sting of displeasure even after the lad was far ahead of her.

'What the hell was that? Why do I feel like someone's threatening me?' she wondered, her abnormal skills letting her feel the room without really understanding the cause of the emotional response. Soon after this, while the little Oni caught her breath, Tamamo emerged fully dressed and seemingly no worse for wear. Even so, there was a light of deviousness and displeasure, though her skin was absolutely radiant in the moment and her overall form relaxed. She was just barely floating off the ground in her ridiculously high wedges appearing to take steps even at present. "Nee-san, I just realized I don't know what you're calling yourself now..." she said shaking off her discomfort. "Tamamo-no-Mae is who I am now, Tamamo is fine..." she said calmly she took up steps beside the lass noting the glow of her skin and the light of her eyes. "Hai hai, Tama-nee!~" she said while thinking of other things. 'I wonder if nerd time is really that good for people?' she questioned as they all made their way to the library on the ship. In the middle of the room there was a large round table and seated in one of the chairs was Kuroka. "Yahello!~ I have found our Captains, now we conquer what the hell is this place even called?"

[Bloodedge]

Disgusting. That girl had some nerve to be the cause of interruption after how much she meddled to try putting him in such situations. Whatever the case, there was business to be dealt with. Giyu moved without halt until he reached the library, taking a seat among the gathered group. Every male present on the ship, bar Kaiba, was already seated in this very room. The group's overall lack of Youkai identities could be considered a negative to the situation at hand, but not too much of one. Shuten was the first to offer a question, though not on of incredible relevance to the overall plan. As he sat, Giyu crossed his arms and closed his eyes, responding to the girl's ignorance in the snarkiest way this form could manage. "You were here when this country was named. Ask yourself," he said, knowing the three newborn Youkai should have each had a certain amount of knowledge from their sources, should they simply tap into them. With that said, he quickly moved on to one matter of great importance. "There's nothing most of us can do here. Only Youkai can safely travel the area. As of now, we have six."

[Apollymi]

All of Shuten's powers were a bit too new to the lass for her to have a solid understanding of her functionality yet. As such being able to tell her brother's intentions were off the table for her for the time being. Regardless the meeting she called to order would be there and taking place. At the table now were all of the guys including Jaskier, Tamamo and Kuroka. She had expected the lack of showing by Kaiba and Bulma as those two were less about the potential for adventure in the first place. Kuroka also seemed disinterested in the workings of the world, but would remain because of the Slime she accompanied. Other than the offset girl to guy ratio for the group, everything was seemingly good to go. Still the snarky reply from her brother made her brows draw together. 'Ugh, I mean he normally tells me to think for myself, but this is ridiculous even for him...' her thoughts passed her mind as she tried to tap into the base personality for the Avatar she made. Not wanting it to override her own. "Ryozanpaku..." she said the name as if it was something she'd simply always known. Tamamo for her part approached the table and sat within the lap of Giyu himself. Much like her earlier choosing with Akashi she seemed to do with without any thought of how it would be perceived knowing that it would be the place she was most comfortable.

Delighted and devious light appeared in the eyes of the young female Oni as she saw this. 'All according to plan though...' If only she knew how much further their plan could be. Still the name she spoke made a certain amount of thought appear within the mind of the kitsune, she soon began working on something while looking into that large mirror of hers which came out of her sleeve and floated above the table. It reflected and projected a layout of the current area by the lass' own former memories. Highlighting different areas in each of the cardinal directions and having a strangely grey area in the middle connecting them all. Knowing the lay of the land was one of the few things which would be helpful and upon seeing this layout she began searching the memories of this Avatar for more information silently. "There are only six who can be of direct use? I only count five here..." these were the words of Jaskier who counted among them currently, the Kitsune who shared the same face as Miki, Shuten how was quite obviously Hikari, and Giyu who seemed by Tamamo's choice of seat to be Kou. Beyond those three there was only the Tengu and the Slime which totaled five. "Is that a war map? Tama-nee did you make a war map?" she asked of the Kitsune. "Well, to be more fair it is a reflection of the land around us as the Mirror and the base of this Avatar understand it. More like a game board than a war map. It reminds me of Shogi... well not the traditional one, Dai Shogi but a 4 player map,"

[Bloodedge]

"Ryozanpaku," Giyu repeated, noting the familiar tone used by Shuten and acknowledging that she had, indeed, found her memories as intended. Just then, something strange happened. Tamamo took her seat not at the table, but directly in his lap. Eyes that were not his own opened in that moment, not physically but within his consciousness. Those eyes... they were Akashi's. Giyu gave no outward reaction, but he could feel the burning within himself, as if the memory triggered a certain desire. Perhaps it wasn't truly the work of Akashi at all, but instead something even greater hidden within this body. Either way, Tamamo proceeded to produce a map of Ryozanpaku as her source understood it. Giyu's eyes traversed the display, and indeed... it was very familiar. Memories were filling his mind, but he was pulled from them the moment Jaskier questioned the number of participants he'd given previously. It seemed Giyu was finding a voice after all the time he'd spent in virtual silence this day. "There are six. Someone is already helping, even if they don't know it yet. Tamamo's Yata Mirror was taken out of this place long ago. That wasn't a malicious job," he said, his eyes traveling to Dreyfus as he awaited further confirmation.

The blacksmith was stunned. Those two had freed that item they obtained from him? He thought the shape of that mirror looked familiar, but he had no concrete evidence to say it was until now. "Aye, I got it off a snake lad. Must've been from 'round these parts, now ye' mention it. Came up ta' me wantin' it awakened, seemed like an alright lad back then." That was all the confirmation Giyu needed. This 'snake lad' Dreyfus mentioned was surely not one of malicious intent, so long as he wasn't somehow the leader of whatever faction he belonged to. If Giyu had to hazard a guess, he'd take said lad as a Player, like most of them here.

[Apollymi]

Shuten took the lad's repetition as affirmation she'd chosen correctly. The memories she had shifting through her brain were unusual but she supposed they could have their uses. Beyond this she found herself looking at the map produced by Tamamo with wide eyes. Each quadrant of the map seemed to be under the control of a different class of Youkai. After the moment of surprise at the choice of Tamamo's seating didn't belong to simply the newer males alone, Kuroka also found it directly interesting, not that she would mention it. In the meantime, if Tamamo felt the stirring of the other consciousness within the lad, and also felt one within herself. The sound of rushing water came with a smug sense of approval. Perhaps it was the fault of being so near, perhaps it was simply Tatsuki acknowledging the lass taking charge in some way. Whatever the case, Jaskier was given the answer to his question and nodded his understanding. "So, does that mean you have to find that guy and align yourselves with him first?" he said, seemingly wanting to learn. He was very directly part of Kou's sub-party. As such he planned to be an adventurer but he wasn't used to this aspect of work so he was trying to learn as much as possible.

"A snake boy? Who is like us, but hasn't made any big moves... is probably being held back. Maybe he was just gambling on getting the Mirror out?" these were the words of Shuten who wasn't familiar with this portion of the game because it wasn't information she would have had in the other world. Tamamo had commentary but saved it for a few moments mostly to get extra information, she did have her own to offer knowing that their resident puzzle solver could take in all the information and help produce a reasonable plan. "He might have been... the money system here is terrible. Trade between groups outside of this neutral zone is unlikely. If that is the case he might not know where anyone else like him is. That being said, he could probably be found pretty easily," Tamamo mentioned but never one to put extra strain where it wasn't needed she pulled from within her Treasure Room a bag full of Magatama. They seemed like Shogi pieces which changed their shape with just a little magic from the mirror itself. As if they had touched enough of the land here to be able to tell a great deal about what was going on here. She shuffled the pieces around in her hand and blew on them, seeming to infuse them and then tossed them into the map space watching as they fell into alignment with specific areas on the map. A total of four pieces seemed to be present, each a different color and each pointing a different direction. They all represented each of the different factions. This was a form of divination which Tamamo was exploring as they held this meeting.

[Bloodedge]

"No," Giyu said without haste, setting his sights on Jaskier. It took him a moment to properly acknowledge the blue-haired lad. This Avatar was still very fresh, and he found himself having to consciously separate and/or integrate memories from Kou and the other versions of himself. After all, he didn't want to do anything immersion-breaking, lest his Avatars lose themselves to each other. Perhaps it was an irrational thing, but he felt as if that could happen if things went wrong. "If number six is still alive now, we wait for him to realize what we're doing. There's no point going out to look for someone who might still have their own motivations. If he's really one of us, he'll come to us."

A gamble... Perhaps that was a viable option for the young male who brought the Yata Mirror to Dreyfus for awakening. Giyu didn't seem to think so though, at least not fully. "Kuroka," he spoke, intending to draw attention to the Tengu. She knew the workings of the mind, and he knew to divert attention where necessary. If anyone in the room could reach a conclusion about the 'snake lad' in question, it was the psychiatrist. "A gamble, or part of a greater plan? the male Oni asked. He had a conclusion of his own, but certainty could only come from that woman, if anyone at all.

[Apollymi]

Jaskier's question was met with a negative response. Looking for the snake lad was out of the question at least for the moment. The further explanation being that if the lad thought there were people on his side and he was still alive, he'd likely come looking for those people of his own accord. This seemed to be something the blue haired lad understood. He gave a gentle nod of his head. "Sou ka, I guess that makes sense," he said seeing the merit of not wasting extra time and energy looking for someone who may not want help or may not be able to provide equivalent services of their own accord. All the same Tamamo found herself moving more pieces onto the game board. A pink one for herself, a purple one for Shuten, a deep blue one for Giyu, a black one for Kuroka and a sky blue one for the slime. All of these found themselves in neutral territory when they were tossed onto the table. The last one, pale yellow in color was leaning towards the west. There was an understanding then of the orientation of the major factions which came both as a product of divination and deductive reasoning.

In the meantime, Kuroka was addressed directly. This time for insight about the potential motivations of the lad who'd given up the Yata Mirror during his works in the land. "Where were the other objects found?" she asked not really knowing what this pair had gotten up to, it would be Tamamo to respond while she continued looking over the map. "Everything should have been in the Origin Temple we raided found in the Western Lands. Under the containment of spiritually draining barriers which required a combination of skills to retrieve, more so if it was done unnoticed..." Tamamo clarified. Given this information, the fact that Dreyfus had been found in the lower lands and the warring factions logic of this area she could make a few educated guesses. "Sou ka, it was part of a greater plan. It is most likely he chose the route he did based on an ideal ending he wished to meet. It definitely wasn't simply a gamble, as it is assumable he came with foreknowledge like all of us would have for previously completed aspects of our tales." The conclusion of the psychiatric analysis. "Though that is all I can say without meeting him, based strictly on what I know of the lands and his observable actions."

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," was Giyu's only remaining response to Jaskier. It was respectable that the bard at least sought information, and that simple fact gave Giyu more than enough reason to accept Jaskier as Kou's Holy Knight Apprentice. Indeed, he had the support of Aiba Yugi in multiple forms. Onto the matter of the snake boy, Kuroka had but a single question to gain information worth using. Her assertion came after having said information given by Tamamo, and it seemed Giyu was on the right track. This lad was a player of AoE, who had a grand scheme to do something about Ryozanpaku's current state. Whether he intended to seek liberation of this land, or control of it, the mysterious male was a valuable piece, and it seemed Tamamo picked up on that thought pattern as well when assembling pieces on her board. Giyu glanced over the map with a raised brow, giving consideration to the lay of the land. "So, the plan should be to separate and integrate ourselves into each faction, yes?" he spoke, asking as if he expected the entire room to be on the same proverbial page.

[Apollymi]

Jaskier had been acknowledged. This was a strange feeling for the blue haired bard, but he felt if any of the other faces of the lad known as Kou would recognize his usefulness, then he could truly feel as if he could be integrated into this group. A small smile came to his face as he was content to look over the map, which was being filled in with new pieces as they sat here. Watching the doings of Tamamo was strange, and he wasn't the only one who thought so. Shuten watched the map as well, finding this method of understanding to be strange, even so she still thought it cool that the lass had set up an entire game board to cover their options. Beyond those two, Kuroka seemed to think it a good way of visualizing the way the lass' mind worked. Her advice taken she watched as pieces were added to the game board.

Tamamo's fingers danced over the magatama which represented their current group. She couldn't help but think about what Giyu had to say but she couldn't imagine how to split them into the groups. But, at her current understanding she couldn't help but think they didn't have quite enough information about it to be splitting up lightly. "Before we divide and conquer, Mikon... we should make sure we aren't headed to the wrong places for our current alignments. Given the odd numbers many of us will be undertaking our individual factions alone. We have to make sure we're all prepared for what is to come on individual projects of this size," Tamamo said mentioning the idea of dividing up their current group meant where everyone went would have a great bit of influence over their plan of attack. Besides that Tamamo, maintained enough of her base personalities pragmatism to know for certain it didn't matter if she and Giyu were alone rather it mattered how they would utilize Shuten, Kuroka and Rimuru. "Rimuru, what kind of split is found between these groups?" she said pointing at each of the factions at the four corners. That lad seemed to have some idea of what was going on here, he'd advised her against at least wandering off originally, meaning he was the best general refinery of current information. Besides, his logic would be necessary for all of them to figure out how best to split their group apart.

[Bloodedge]

Tamamo spoke again, this time directly to Giyu using that title she seemed keen on applying to any of his forms. She did have a point when addressing the need for knowledge, but there was something Giyu left out of his previous clause. The room's attention was sent to Rimuru, the young man most invested in the modern Youkai of this land. The Slime in human form drew closer, looking over the map and pointing at each of the cardinal directions as he mentioned the specifics. "To the West there is Orochi the Snake. It's a snake, I don't think much needs to be said about how they've been working to cripple the others. The kid you're talking about is probably one of his Generals, since some Kings like him seem to like keeping their 'relatives' close. South is Kuono the Fox, basically the go-to for whatever magic stuff you wanna do. They've been pretty standoffish lately, probably not much for taking an offensive now. North... Fubuki the Yuki-onna. Most spirits will be found there, but it's kind of a ghost town lately... in the wrong way, I mean. East is Kyojuro the─"

Giyu would stop the Slime's speech there. He had a decent bit of information stored away in his source's memory, and the one named Kyojuro was the name which irked him. "The Oni, using a false royal name to intimidate by claiming power lost ages ago." Ah, a source of irritation indeed. The Oni within this body despised the name of that faction's leader, if only due to being there when the faction was created. "I have an urge to take his head. Don't you, Shuten?"

[Apollymi]

Tamamo was soon receiving information directly from the Slime known as Rimuru. As he spoke, it seemed that there were minor updates being made to the map and to the pieces which marked the designation of the multiple faction leaders. She even took the liberty of sliding that yellow extra piece into the West, though his involvement was still questionable, she could assume it would be beneficial until it wasn't. Tamamo managed listen to this information blending it with her own knowledge of the area. One such thing was mention of Kuono and the lack of niceness being exhibited by the Fox. Tamamo had an idea of why this was the case, given the fact that she was currently in possession of the Hoshinotama which she figured belong to her. No point in going to the table, with no money to bet, in the same vein there was no point in participating in war when you hadn't the power to back up your threats. What was more, apparently the Yuki-onna were also experiencing some sort of problem, a lack of spirits. Both of those factions then, had to be related by a single point of correlation. That was a bit problematic. Or...

Whatever Tamamo was thinking would shift over her face in a moment and be gone within seconds. At the same time, Shuten seemed to be sparked into something resembling bloodlust at the idea that there was someone in charge of the Oni Faction she didn't approve of, this was part of the underlying personality but it made the smile on the young lass' face no less frightening. "Fufu, at the very least a life without his bones," Shuten said as if more than mildly amused by the idea of the death of someone she knew to be holding a place he didn't deserve. It became obvious the path this pair would take, both of their pieces the purple and deep blue magatama were moved towards the East, where the Oni were based. "Ara, ara, aren't you two scary!~" Tamamo teased the pair of Oni with their death threats aimed at another of their kind. Still it made it obvious what their intentions were. "That part is pretty clear," she said of the two Oni, she had no problem with this designation at all. But there was still something which bothered her, and that was the way this map looked to her. There was something obviously wrong here but it wasn't quite clear enough yet. "I should head south and convince the fox she has more of a steak in opposition than she knows..." she offered moving her pink piece towards the south. This of course, left Kuroka and Rimuru. By Tamamo's logic just moving into the other places and shifting the balance would do a decent job of filling in the rest of the details and allowing them to reach a potential way of restoring balance between the warring states. "Our last two usable pieces then?" she asked waiting for an opinion from Giyu, Kuroka and Rimuru finding all of their input important in the moment. What she wouldn't realize is, that in the moment, without thought, a clear magatama was also on the board, uniquely unnoticed by her. Right outside of her vision situated in the grey space in the middle of the map.

[Bloodedge]

"That sounds good. No bones in his body, no skull on his shoulders." As things stood currently, he and Shuten would be having a very interesting time with the current 'monarch' among Oni. At least, that would come before he exacted vengeance upon the lass for the atrocity she committed this day. For now, the mission. Tamamo slid the pieces to their proper points atop the board/map, selecting the South region for her own adventure. Two zones remained, and two members of their existing group remained as well. Having more than a decent idea as to what area their potential sixth member would be in, Giyu thought to present a suggestion. "Kuroka should go West. The person we have there should be able to figure out what we're dealing with when it comes to the 'Mirror guy' we have waiting," he said.

"Oh, of course I'd get drafted!" said Rimuru. The Slime had no issue with the idea of heading North, though; he would have gone that way himself. After all, that Yuki-onna heading the faction up there was quite the looker... and so were some other spirits. "Others could be useful as well. . ." This secondary clause came from Giyu, as he viewed the map once more. Something was very off, but what was it? Ah... there it was! "There are seven. Why?" the male Oni questioned.

[Apollymi]

"Fufu, sounds great," she said seeming to enjoy the mental image she got of a conquered oni with no head and no bones. Of course, the commentary made by Tamamo couldn't go unheeded either, "Tama-nee, we aren't scary, he's a usurper, they deserve to be punished!~" the purple haired lass chimed. Tamamo held up her hands in mock surrender, she had no qualms with whatever they decided, she wasn't the type to misunderstand why certain things were done. "I can't really talk about usurping, things aren't always what they appear in those cases," said Tamamo, though she was speaking from the experiences of her combined personalities not specifically this one. Moving on, Giyu mentioned that it should be Kuroka who headed west as her expertise could be used to entice the newer member of their group. "Hai, I have no qualms with seeing to the new lad. Besides, the Orochi don't scare me... I will do my best," she commented with a certainty in her eyes which Tamamo had seen before. She was quite the trustworthy individual and as such her piece was moved towards the west which just left Rimuru to go to the north. "Hush now, Gaki!~ Go enjoy looking at your ghost girls... just make sure to find out what's wrong in their land. It's better if we can fix everyone's problems." The fox lass mentioned.

Of course, there was one more thing, a bit almost unseen problem on her map, and that was an extra piece. Her own eyes weren't drawn to it initially but now that it'd been mentioned by someone else, she stared at it for quite some time. "Hm, I... ah," Tamamo was quite confused by this extra piece. But it was infused, the point of the map Divination was to place pieces, it was literally meant to be there as determined by the Goddess she was part of. "It's there because it is meant to be there... this map is weird. It both lines up with my memories and doesn't. It's wrong in some way but it hurts my head to think about it. The other me could feel it too but it's just the land something is wrong with it here. But the Divination is right. That piece is there, or rather that person, whoever they are exists and they are on our side," she said which was the only explanation she could have. That piece was blown upon but it didn't move, it stayed where it was, right in the center.

[Bloodedge]

Kuroka agreed to taking the West as her place of travel. With this setup, and the information they had, Giyu imagined they would have a relatively easy time. Kuroka was an especially useful piece, not just for this event, but for their group as a whole. If they could manage, solidifying her as a more permanent resident to the Grandcypher would be ideal in Giyu's mind. "That's settled then. Good luck," he said to the Tengu. Now, at last, they could begin the movement properly... except, there was one additional piece. . .

This additional piece was not upon the board by Tamamo's volition, but instead simply appeared because it needed to be there. How very curious. Oh well; if Tamamo believed this mysterious figure was on their side, he would agree with her without question. A simple nod was all he gave. Whenever the time was right, that person would make themselves known. "Weird maps, askew memories, and four corners to conquer and liberate. Sounds familiar," he mused. Meanwhile, one of the males within the room seemed a bit spaced-out. Diva, who could usually fit such a description, had a sense of suffering. Something was wrong nearby; he could tell. Was it a very big deal? Well, it wouldn't be to the others, but perhaps it would be in his best interest to investigate.

[Apollymi]

A nod came from Kuroka it seemed they had come to an agreement and everyone who would move, knew where they were going. Before she got up to leave though, she heard the minor bit of discussion about the extra piece on the board. It appeared that Tamamo hadn't put it there but the lass felt it needed to be there. Whatever the case, she knew that the young woman before her, in any of her forms wouldn't do anything carelessly. As such, she had no problem taking her leave. "Hai hai, I'm off then... if there is nothing else," said Kuroka as she stood and left the room. These two were pretty quick about what they did and she had no problem doing what they asked.

Tamamo on the other hand, was made to feel something very strange. An unquestioning faith in her abilities. She'd said she didn't know why the piece was there and felt it belonged and Giyu much to his credit simply nodded his understanding. One of the things that Ashikaga Kimiko liked most about this lad was that he didn't leave her second guessing herself all the time. A smile crossed her face as she settled into his lap, wiggling just a tad. "It really does doesn't it? Oh well, I guess we'll find out why soon enough. Have fun out there," she chimed as she shifted herself out of the lad's lap, but not without giving him a final discrete squeeze. Which was all well enough as her eyes crossed the table. She looked to every face present as she stood seeming to become ready to leave. "We'll all be back when we learn anything of great importance, or if the plan changes in general," she said to the rest of the group. In the meantime, Shuten would also seem to become excited. "Yesh! Also you guys are in charge of looking after the ship, Nii-san! Let's go... liberation is one of the best parts of these adventures!~" she said seemingly amused.

[Bloodedge]

Kuroka was content to take her leave right away, and all in due time. From the looks of things, they could all be on their way. "Nothing I can think of," said Giyu, who was soon enough offered a subtle squeezing from Tamamo─ prior to the lass' own extrication from his lap. He rose then, while the new Slime of their group huffed and hopped away after Kuroka. Giyu set his sights on Shuten while waiting. "Back to reclaim what's ours? I guess that classifies as liberation, in a way. Let's go."

Ah, but there was one other who would be joining this group in leaving the Grandcypher. As Tamamo moved, Diva stepped closer to her. The thing he sensed happened to be in the same direction she was headed. He knew he wouldn't be easily accepted here, but did that truly matter? The Atlantean reached out, tentatively taking the Kitsune by her sleeve to halt her progression briefly. "I... need to... that way. . ." There was something calling to him, and he knew not what it was exactly. The lad wasn't going to let a lack of knowledge stop him, though. Perhaps he could get by, simply by being in a Youkai's company until he found what he sought.

[Apollymi]

The group made its break, and though Tamamo received no reaction from the lad when she squeezed him, she was content nonetheless. It seemed it'd gone unnoticed by most if not all in the first place and after she removed herself from his lap, Giyu stood and waited with his sister. They seemed content to converse just the same, Shuten began walking away from the group headed for the outside of the ship as if she knew where she was going. "Yes! It's ours! We are liberating it from the hands of a thief!" she exclaimed as she walked off. Truth be told, her morality was little askew in this form, she might have thought better generally of stealing something from someone else, even if it belonged to her initially. Whatever the case, she was content to have another adventure with her brother.

In the meantime, Tamamo called her mirror back to her person, and it seemed to absorb the image on the board along with the beads on the table without issue. She could take this little map set up with her, in case she needed to show it to anyone else or if they had to set up an impromptu meeting somewhere else. Everything she needed was tucked away on her person and she turned to leave only to stop as she felt a gentle tugging on her sleeve. She looked at him strangely, she was a different person right now, but the base was still the same. In the time since meeting him, she'd grown quite attached to the Atlantean and had learned quite a bit about him. Even though it wasn't through the eyes she current possessed she couldn't see the harm in helping him find whatever he was looking for. Especially since she knew the sort of things that called out to him. "Hoh? Something caught your attention, hm?" she asked in a way which was mostly rhetorical. Though this place wasn't friendly to non-youkai, Tamamo maintained the ability to hide the lad from plain sight for a while. Her eyes had a familiar friendliness within them and the gentle glow of magic which she'd adjusted to casting recently "Ara ara, we really can't have you wandering around alone or anything~ Come along then. Don't wander too far away from me, and people will be too busy looking at me to see you~" she said explaining the magic she used and beginning her walk. She'd exit the ship and head towards the neutral territory which would allow her to go towards the south.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes. Just like I'll liberate his head from the rest of him," Giyu said, managing to let a bit of spite leak through from his source. With that, he was off in the company of his (now in two ways) sister. They would go East in satisfaction for having each other's company again, and their journey would be... quite the epic one indeed.

Ah, but there was another epic journey beginning between two members of this growing group, even if they didn't realize they would be embarking on it together. Tamamo took a moment to react to Diva's approach, but she seemed accepting of his request in the end. He was resolved to find whatever reached out to him. Luckily, Tamamo had a method for him to follow along without attracting undue attention to himself, at least according to her. He could do as she asked; he could easily keep the pace without straying too far. "A...rigatou─" he managed to say. What was ahead of them, though? They would both be finding out soon after departing. Just along the path Tamamo herself needed to travel toward her chosen faction, there was... what appeared to be a simple boar with fur of ash, was struggling itself to death in an alley just within the city. This creature was exactly the one Diva sought, and exactly the thing that sought him.