Atlantis

As they sat there atop the building, Akashi remained mostly motionless. Miki didn't have anything to voice other than her understanding of his words, but that was alright for Akashi. It wasn't enough in general, though. Akashi didn't even consider consoling the girl, but something within him had brought him to do so. Beyond that, there was something else even deeper within. As Miki found her comfort to whatever extent she did, he spoke once more. "Someone says... if you try, that's what matters. Good people will rise with you to help snuff out the bad." It was as simple as that. The words of another emerged from Akashi's mouth, and he was conscious of it despite his earlier suppression of his other selves. Which one could it have been? One could wonder.

Elsewhere...

A white-skinned male Mershark stood among cowering subservient Merfolk, as well as various broken wares and supplies. It was none other than The Banker himself. Though he had the flesh of a shark, he boasted the torso and musculature of a human male. A pierced, humanoid tongue was affixed to his neck by a thin rope, and his left hand passively caressed it in a very odd way. It seemed he'd been in a bit of a tizzy recently, and in fact, he still was. "I don't care what sort of land-dweller magic is going on! If you can't take care of those bastards in the market, take care of the Merchant! Where is she!?" he demanded to know. A plaque containing recorded information of the 'Merchant' was handed to him. Did some young, human girl really think she could face off against him? He would see about that. Since his underlings were obviously useless to him in this situation, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He'd lost so much money, so many goods, in a matter of hours. Something must be done, and he would start by locating the Merchant, wherever she was. Nothing good ever came from this decision by the Banker...

Akashi let Miki sit in his lap mostly without moving. He tended to do this quite often, which the blonde lass thought strange, but figured it was simply the part of him that was beyond human comprehension. As she settled into the lull of somewhat self-comfort, more words came from Akashi. He was oddly talkative in this moment, as it wasn't at all necessary for him to further try and make her feel better. But he seemed to have words to share which he acknowledged as not being his own. His claim was that trying was enough and that others would be around to help drown out the bad if it was needed. Miki's eyes widened and drifted away from the line of the cityscape. Doing so brought her eyes back to Akashi in quite a curious manner. It was obvious that he didn't feel the need to use such words with her, but the idea that he'd shared them regardless made the lass a bit happier still. Her eyes lightened in the moment and she exhaled a breath, what was left of the tension left her body and she managed to find proper comfort while she waited. "Hai, Arigatou..." she said of the advice while finding what she needed to steel her own resolve in this moment. The things which affected her about this moment hadn't disappeared from her mind, instead she was willing to try and face the next step and hope that if she faltered someone would rise to help her. In this case, the next step was a bit closer than she realized.

Indeed, the time was near. The Banker was on the move as they spoke, and it wouldn't take long for him to reach the marketplace. Akashi's gaze trailed down, away from Miki and onto the streets. He could tell by movement alone that this was the man they sought. The Banker rushed around the streets, yet shied away from vendors he normally rejected the business of. Some of the vendors seemed afraid, until the moment they officially realized there was nothing he could physically do to them, thanks to Miki's bounded field. "It's time," Akashi said as his eyes followed the Mershark. "Are you ready?" he asked thereafter. Interestingly, he didn't intend to move if Miki wasn't mentally prepared to face the man. If she was though, he would move immediately, landing directly in front of the Banker in the middle of the man's search.

It seemed the time was indeed at hand, Akashi mentioned it, and Miki looked down towards the streets. Though she didn't retain superhuman eye sight by any means, she was more or less aware of the look of a singular rushing individual trying to find someone. She noted he couldn't actually go near those protected by her bounded field which helped further bolster their faith in her abilities. The blonde lass herself was rather quiet but when she looked up she had all the certainty within her eyes that she'd had before. After all, she'd made her current business partners a promise and she fully intended to keep it. "Hai!" was the only word she said, but it maintained the level of force her normal conversation did. She was after all, not necessarily in this for herself, so she could push aside her insecurities about the situation in the moment. Given that she'd said she was ready Akashi moved and they were stopped directly in front of the Banker. This was a Mershark the likes of which Miki hadn't seen before. She thought there was something a bit ironic about a loan shark being an actual shark, but at the present moment she couldn't find it in herself to laugh. "Looking for me?" she asked most rhetorically.

Suddenly, the woman he sought was right before his eyes, taunting him even. He could clearly tell it was her by the full-fledged Dragonoid carrying her around, but... this was a mere child. How could she have rallied the traders to stand against him? It was madness! "You! A simple little girl!?" the Banker spoke in an outrage, stepping forward with more than enough intent to make Akashi hiss him away. He could have easily incinerated the Mershark at any given moment, but there was no point in that. This was Miki's time. If the Banker drew too close, too quickly though, he would have to... step in, as it were. "You think having that is enough to stop me? I AM the market! You are nothing but a whelp; you'll die broke and alone for what you've done!"

This Banker approached Miki rather aggressively. Though the lass seemed less than worried about it, Akashi hissed at him reinforcing the space boundary he preferred all people have from her. She chuckled at the Banker's reaction, as it was more than obvious that anyone with any reasonable amount of strength was something he feared. He called her a simple little girl, the fact that he thought this was all she needed to know. Beyond that point, he acted as if Miki needed Akashi for some reason and this was down right laughable. "This little girl knows you aren't the market. Though I'm sure you've put a large chunk of your wealth into trying to retain it, thanks for supporting me~" she commented in a light tone which dripped sarcasm, making it obvious that she knew and understood the first things he'd tried to do.

A old man throwing a temper tantrum about his money disappearing because of an up-and-comer, was as common a scene in Miki's previous life, as schooling. "Oh and in case you had any thoughts of grandeur, this is a Dragon. The only reason you aren't a pile of ashes is because he knows I don't require him to do anything about you," she said that devilish smile coming back to her face. "He knows you'll die broke and alone, whenever I am ready to make that happen..." she turned those words against him and was exceedingly confident in her ability to make that happen. The fact that he still thought himself the market hinted at the idea that he might not know how little power he currently held. The Market itself was Miki's to control, his treasure troves had been raided, his authority had been challenged and there was literally nothing he could do to his usurpers. If he couldn't prove here and now he could do something, he'd have no avenues left to retain his reputation.

She could say all the fancy things she wanted; he knew she had no hold! Oh, yes... he knew with much certainty that he, undoubtedly, was the single existence holding sales together in Atlantis. He'd been at it for so long, it simply wasn't possible for someone to overpower him. It wasn't possible.

... Until now. The Banker had become adjusted to a very simple life. He expected someone to arrive by now, someone who served him, someone who would offer their services to rid him of this nuisance. Why was no one coming!? Surely there was something amiss, something unrelated to this... human and her pet half-Dragon. "My men will come! They'll tear this pitiful excuse for a company apart, and when they're done, I'll start with you!" he exclaimed. All he had to do was wait, and the problem would handle itself...

Miki watched as this male shark had fit while trying buy time for his minions to come. But Miki knew something, he didn't. That the Tavern Keepers had been spreading the word, that Miki was willing to extend the same payments and protections to the others who were running businesses for the Banker. So long as they didn't participate in violence against any citizens of Atlantis Man or Mer. And since Miki was a much more generous Merchant, they could make more money by working for her, than they ever could while being under the thumb of the Banker. She was a Merchant for those employed beneath her, not just to line her own pockets and feed her own laziness. Still she had to question this Mershark a bit further, "Oh? Your men? Which ones, exactly?" she asked rhetorically willing to fill in a few blanks this man was obviously missing while he was busy trying to buy her out earlier. "The ones who were killed for torturing a man in the Markets by Queen Seriri a few days ago?" she said with complete innocence in her eyes. "Or are you waiting on the ones I killed in the Shark's Den for what they were doing down there?" she asked. "Oh... or maybe, you're waiting for the ones who realized they could make more money and not have to worry about sanctity of their family and friends by working for me... which is it exactly?" she asked wondering if this man would understand the position he was actually in. There was literally nothing he could do to her, in this moment. He had no one left to hide behind, so what would he do?

What was she on about? If this girl thought she could best him by dealing with a few of his men, she was quite wrong. Some of his forces had been killed? Whatever. He still had... oh, no. The next group he thought of had been eliminated as well. Well, he always had access to the Shark's Den and its... nothing anymore. Darn. At least he could rely on...

... Nothing. Each time he thought of a separate group of subordinates, Miki was already mentioning them as either something no longer existing, or no longer working under him. Indeed, what would he do now? What could he do now? He was absolutely speechless for several seconds, nearly a minute. When he finally did speak, he did so while taking measured movements away from Miki and the Dragonoid. "That's not possible! How could you even manage half of what you claim!?"

Miki got to watch as the Mershark worked through the entirety of his loneliness in the world. There was no one left for him to call upon. No more bodies for him to hide behind, no more people to threaten, and he obviously didn't have much by way of capital left and didn't have any new way to make it. She watched him as he had his silent break down, and seemed incapable of coming up with anything to say until a full minute later. And when he did, he seemed to simply want to know how she'd managed any of the things she'd obviously done. "By running a business and not a fucking slaughter house!" Miki snapped. Was he really about to try and run? Did he really think she'd allow him to get away. "The least you could do is stand right there and face the consequences of your actions... So speak, Banker, what do you actually have to say with no one behind you what do you actually stand for?" Miki was no longer angry or afraid, now she wanted to know everything this man had to say for himself before she killed him. She was told mercy for this man was out of the question, and after what she'd seen today, she could say that she agreed, but she needed to make sure this man had no more secrets, nothing else to further pollute Atlantis. What did he gain by keeping the whole of the Kingdom under his thumb? Was it really so simple and disgusting as greed with added stupidity?