Charles Patricius

An impact of meteoric power was necessary to affect this man, and Miko believed she had the capacity. From the look on his face, one could surmise he believed her... or at least thought or knew she had the potential. "On land... maybe," he said at random, appearing to contemplate something possibly unrelated. Whatever the case, he had a drink to offer this girl. Within that chalice was a power currently beyond the perception of mortals and gods alike in this world and timeline. Some, perhaps, would catch an inkling of something unusual. Either way, the foreseeable future from the moment Miko consumed that water would see an entity hiding within her shadow, just as there was now one within Hayami Saori's. 'You know the deal. You will only act when the threat level exceeds seven,' he thought, passing the message along to the shadow figure telepathically. Aloud, he spoke to Miko on a completely separate note. "In the modern era, it may not be wise to think in terms of common sense. It has become increasingly less common of late... and it won't stop soon. This water is from... France. I think you'll find it more refreshing than anything bottled and passed off as spring water."

"Blah! I don't need to shower just to get a girl interested. Don't you read?" Hanabira argued fervently. "Once she gets a load of my masculine musk, she'll be turning her nose up at first... but when she gets addicted to it, she's mine forever!" he insisted. The third male of that group was shaking his head at the others' antics. "You're both disgusting. Why don't we all just make a bet? Loser has to ask out whichever girl he thinks is the hottest over there," that one suggested. All the while, Yuuya was technically in the 'first line of defense' position, feeling uncomfortable as always. Still, he felt compelled to hold that position after the earlier kerfuffle with Soma. "I didn't think it could possibly feel any weirder here," he mumbled, apparently speaking to no one in particular.

Miko was standing in front of one of the best looking men she'd ever seen, a list growing by the moment. Experiencing horny thoughts and physical responses to an unknown entity. "On land is always a good start..." Miko mentioned, whether he meant to encourage her or not, she'd take his words as such. Still there may have been something hinky going on here, but Miko wasn't one to go against her own good feelings. And right now, the only feeling she got of any importance was the moistening of her loins. Her thirst however was real and she accepted that drink without hesitation. And when she was finished she had a couple of things to say. "Oiishii!♫~" she mused. "Haven't been to France yet, but that water will apparently be ruining, regular water for me forever~" she assessed that purity. It was so refreshing in the oddest way possible. This water didn't taste like minerals, springs or even filtered things. She was actually certain neromal water would never taste the same to her again. It was disturbing. "Could I get a picture... I'm going to need to explain to my friends why accepted a drink from an extremely attractive guy I bumped into," she asked. "Good on me, remembering manners... still feels way more intense than normal," she managed, not knowing that deep in the recesses of her mind, a certain dark one was still twitching uncontrollably on the floor, moaning unintelligible pleas. Ever excited Miko had her phone out and at the ready to get that image. "Also if you ever find yourself wanting to repeat that sort of exchange with a different kind of drinking apparatus I am more than willing to accept that too♪!~" she added in all seriousness.

Whatever was going on with those other boys, none of the girls at this table were willing to give them the time of day. The words of Yuuya were heard by Kaguya and she offered him a smile and some understanding. "Gomen, Yuu-kun. I realize this probably isn't fun for you, thanks for running buffer so we might actually get to enjoy at least a little~" Kaguya offered earnestly. "I really can't hit them? Humans are so difficult..." Angelica huffed, human society was annoying in this non-magical world. "Violence is generally frowned upon, even if someone else starts it, technically. It's one of the main negatives of girl life on this side. Also it isn't long now~" Ai mentioned. There were positives and negatives to both sides of life, one other member, a girl with long blue hair was sitting at the table as well, she'd decided it was a good idea to stay behind but she was functioning mostly as Soma's extra eyes and ears while she was here. Quiet she remained even while wondering why no one was worried about their missing friends, perhaps being magical gave people different priorities?

Just as expected, Miko took the male's earliest comment as motivation. He had neither speech nor outward reaction to offer in response to that. Mentally though, he took it as a positive. Regardless, the water he offered was consumed and enjoyed. Soma seemed to be impatiently waiting for Miko to get moving, but... for some reason, he didn't quite feel comfortable interrupting this meeting. "All different waters have their own positives and negatives. You'll learn more about that over time," the man commented. He reached out to take the chalice from Miko's hand now that she was done, but that apparently wasn't the end of their interaction. She wanted... a picture. Of course she did. The first time he'd seen her in this form was making more and more sense by the moment. "I'm not sure I'm suited to any type of picture you'd want to take," he said as if to call himself unphotogenic. In reality, he knew his state of dress went against the normal type of picture Miko took at this point in life. Oh well. "But that is fine. I'd rather avoid repeating the moment, though. If I had to choose a way of being bumped into, I'd make a different selection."

Kazuhiko could basically smell the card shop from where he stood, just in front of the building. Of course it wasn't the terrible body odor he smelled, but instead the amazing, refreshing scent of printed cardboard, plastic sleeves, tins, and so-on. Something about the air surrounding a trading card shop was always better. "Come oooon! Why are you still back there?!" he griped while, inside, other complaints were being formed. "It's fine. I'm just not a fan of large crowds, is all," Yuuya stated. The group that were discussing at a nearby table were finally getting a match together amongst themselves. In total, there were four boys setting up a quick free-for-all format to determine which of them would be making a move first. Little did they know, their game likely wouldn't see its end. . .

Miko after having her water, was told she'd be learning more about different waters in the future. "That's a very exciting prospect," she mentioned, there was a certain curiosity always present within her. Even when she was touching the line of degeneracy, she would maintain that. Whatever this man knew of Miko, it seemed he thought himself unready for whatever kind of image she'd like, she smiled, "Admittedly, there are other kinds of pictures I like, but... I believe you'd be suited for those too. Show me, later♪~" she affirmed snapping a quick picture and then another with her own little head popping up with a huge grin. Yes, that was enough for now. As for his final statement she looked at him offering a grin, "Box it♪~ You can bump into me in other ways... I'm so into that idea~" Miko confirmed.

Ah, but there was a short amount of time, her attention drew back to Kazuhiko, who after entering the atmosphere of the card shops radius grew in impatience. "Gomen, be right there!~" Miko chimed. "Still sorry about that bump. I'll do it better next time... see ya' around!~" Miko offered to that man as she finally drew her attention away and went to join Kazuhiko. Still she was staring at that image. That man was so interesting. Soon enough Miko had caught up, and was right beside Kazuhiko again, "Right, card shop! Ready?" she asked as she primed herself to walk inside. Meanwhile, Yuuya was apparently cool, but not in love with the crowds. "We're probably draining all of your social battery huh? No worries, we'll make it up to you~" Kaguya mentioned in that same teasing quality she always had. Of course, those four boys in their FFA were in for a rude awakening and it was right outside the door, or maybe entering by now.

Two total pictures were taken ─ one of the white-haired man by himself, and one including Miko. His expression remained unchanged throughout both, seeming neither distant nor involved. There were also some interesting mentions of images she'd rather take, and more importantly... how she'd do better about bumping into him next time. It seemed she didn't even realize they had an agreement about meetings. One day, this form of Yugi would also hold her responsible for a contract broken, even in ignorance. While she was leaving, he cryptically addressed that matter. "I see. It may not be by choice," he said. With that, they were separated at last. He'd be sharing a brief moment of eye contact with a skeptical-looking Soma before going about his way. The next person Yugi set his gaze upon would be none other than Tohsaka Sakura, whom he'd first have to locate. . .

In that time, a game was starting and Yuuya's rope was shortening. His 'social battery' as Kaguya called it wasn't really a problem, but his ability to accept and believe others being so openly friendly was quite the conundrum. As for someone making things up to him, Yuuya found the notion even more concerning. Kaguya and that flirty behavior of hers would be the death of him, surely. "I... might be even more worried about that," he mentioned. Just then, Kazuhiko took the go-ahead from Miko's arrival and confidently burst into the shop. "Ready! Get set to get decked!" he exclaimed, his excitement reaching peak state. Right away, many of the males within the shop were looking his way. Those who were around before recognized him immediately. Some scoffed, some snickered, and some whispered among themselves. The atmosphere was a little strange... but perhaps that was due to the sudden table full of girls in the shop?

"Ominous♫~" Miko sang in response to that given statement. Whatever those words meant, she had it in mind that she would definitely run into that man again. It was something she felt in the deepest parts of her soul. And with that she could easily walk into the card shop accompanying Kazuhiko. His entrance statement was one which was rather random, but Kaguya could only look up and chuckle, "Love the energy! Okaeri♥~" Kaguya greeted without hesitation. "Hmph, it took you two long enough," was all Kei that to say, but she was super excited. The weird atmosphere around those individuals, set Miko to an amount of alertness she'd previously abandoned. Weird, that was something to deal with later. Still, she'd not even noticed that she'd stopped to snap another picture this one of Kazuhiko right after he'd made his major entrance. "You two have a lot of explaining to do. Abandoning me, again..." Angelica complained, which only made Miko chuckle as she approached. "It wasn't like that, but we'll have to explain later," Miko claimed, this venue wasn't right for an explanation of where they'd been. Not really, too many unknowns within the vicinity.

"Kaya-sen, damage report~" Miko asked while holding out her hand for her card. "First, we comment that both of you are looking outrageous right now. You can't just spring that on us!~" she offered a compliment both to Miko and Kazuhiko. "We bought the rest of the stuff at Diviner's, gathered your bags... your phones weren't there," Kaguya mentioned casually. "Oh that's fine we have those," she said reaching into her own pocket. Kei, looked at Miko and poked her exposed midriff. "Does that explanation later come with the reason for this clothing change? Mi-sen's sus!" Kei claimed immediately. "Hai, later..." Miko confirmed. Moving on... Kaguya handed the girl back her credit card which she took. "Ichi-chan has your messenger bag and your duffle, Mi-chan. Yuu-kun brought yours," she said pointing to Kazuhiko. "And I only spent money after that on lunch. We figured if you were going to show up anytime, it'd be here so we haven't made any major moves just yet..." she finished delivering the message. "Also some guy said the wrong thing to Soma and well, he's probably not coming back... questions?" she asked of the pair.

Moments after entering the shop, Kazuhiko heard a couple of the voices he'd been waiting for. It wasn't hard to find over half a dozen girls in a trading card shop anyway, but the initial call-out of Kaguya drew his attention to the perfect place. "Tadaima!" he called back. As for Angelica and her abandonment issues, he could hardly defend himself. "That one... was an accident. Yeah, explaining later," he said just before passing the counter, where Akaba Reiji was busy checking stock online after making so many sales today... and just from the new and returning boys, at that. "Ah, Kimura-kun. It's good to see you again. And a new face. You must be another of Tohsaka-chan's friends. Your group is waiting over there," the owner said with a light bow. "Waiting to get wrecked! I've got some strats I still haven't pulled out yet. Who's the first victim?!" Kazuhiko asked excitedly as he moved toward the group table.

"Dude, that's the guy from before. He's here with them?" one of the scheming lads wondered, whispering. "The guy with Purple? Yeah it's him!" replied Hanabira. "Maybe he's the brother of hot stuff over there. No way he's that popular with the girls." In that moment, the fourth member of their game finally had something to say. "Well we know he had the one. I've been waiting for Kakihara-san to send me the new video he's supposed to have. Hot damn she had a body on her. Can't help but notice she's not with fuck-o today!" he mused. "He prolly got invited out by his sis and her friends because he lost his bitch! You know, coping and all that jazz!"

A return of the welcome was about all that Kaguya needed to assess the wellness of the pair. Miko was her usual self, blushing at the compliments. Kaguya would be assuming that this outfit change wasn't necessarily her choice, but definitely suited her physically. The same could be said of Kazuhiko who looked like an anime protagonist in his dark hero arc. "Yeah, I get it. But both of you are on notice. I'm watching you!" Angelica claimed which only made Miko smile and nod. The proprietor of this place, spoke and Miko's eyes flashed just a little, "Oh? Saku-chan has some explaining to do..." Miko murmured. "Iino Miko, yoroshiku onegaishimasu♪~" Miko feel back into polite mannerisms while looking up at the counter after being greeted. "Give me just a moment..." Miko claimed. She went over for the damage report and also to collect her card and while she did that Kazuhiko seemed hype to start his next matches. Miko stopped beside Seiichi and picked up her messenger bag and slipped it around her body as it contained all the other things she needed as well as her snacks. But all of this was simply so she could cross paths with Kazuhiko again and tell him about the odd things she was hearing.

Anya had been very quiet sitting in her mother's lap. She'd heard all the thoughts associated with those boys at the other tables and her eyes were wide with shock. 'Soma-sama would take care of these bad guys!' she thought, having some very peculiar ideas about those. As for the open challenge of Kazuhiko, it would be Ai who was sitting directly across from that empty chair. "Not everyone has complete decks yet. But... I'll take you on," she said, while pointing to the chair across from her. It would be Miko to give an encouraging tap. "Go ahead, I'll join after I'm done with the purchases..." she said aloud. Only to lower her voice just a bit, "And, not to rain on your parade but remember that issue we had at the Hollow Crown Tavern, something similar is happening here. Keep an eye open, I'll be listening..." Miko murmured only to walk off. She mentioned a weird place they had once stopped for dinner as an entire group and had ended in a bar fight because some random guy walked up and tried to put his hands on Bradamante among other things. With that warning in place, one which a younger Anais had struggled to give in her own situation, Miko would be looking to Akaba Reiji ready to make a purchase. "Thank you, for hosting my friends. Tohsaka-chan said you'd offer a bit of a discount for a set of purchases. Do you accept credit cards?" she asked first and foremost. After that there would be a bit of a longer conversation. All the while, Kei who was sitting next to that open seat, felt a bit odd. She couldn't just sit in his lap without giving up her own seat. So she'd have to wait for Miko's return. That was good, she could be calm for a few minutes.

"Then watch, Angie! Watch me pull out a mop and get to work!" Kazuhiko proclaimed. Here in the shop, having an opportunity at long last to have a proper series of games in a large group, Kazuhiko felt more comfortable than he ever could in most situations. He was ready to see if he could accumulate a few solid victories. Ai was the first to accept the open challenge, so he took the singular empty seat in front of her. Of course, a quick glance around the table was performed to check availability. They were a chair short; that would probably become an issue later. Well, perhaps he'd just rotate when necessary. Either way, he readied his deck and began shuffling while Miko whispered some words of warning for reasons unknown. The location she mentioned from their long adventure together was a memorable one, and so was the barfight attached to its memory. Even so, nothing about it registered as a major problem for Kazu. "Uh-huh. Not a problem. Card games!" he said nonchalantly. A small group of douchebags didn't compare to dealing with Saxony. With that in mind, Kazu slid his deck across the table.

In the meantime, Reiji was being revisited by the new brunette lass, who'd recently introduced herself as Iino Miko. "Akaba Reiji. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," had been his reply. When she spoke of making a discounted purchase and shared gratitude for taking care of her friends, Miko received the older male's full attention. "You don't need to thank me. Dysfunctional as it is at times, this quaint little shop is like a family. And, yes, I did inform Tohsaka-chan that her friends would have the benefit of purchasing at cost. I've already seen such a large spike in sales today that profit is assured," he mentioned. When asked if he accepted credit cards, Reiji reached under the counter to retrieve a credit card imprinter. "I do accept cards, but the transaction won't show to your account until some time after the end of day tonight. Your receipt will be a little old-fashioned as well," he warned.

"Hmphf, obviously!" she claimed. It was always interesting to see Kazuhiko being excited. Every girl at the table could agree with that notion. As for the game in progress, Ai also placed her deck in front of him and began the process of cutting it. While this happened, Kaguya took note of Miko's words and grinned. "Oya? You've been here for 45 seconds and you already understand what's going on..." she said of Miko which only made everything else seem normal. "I can hear them, that part is easy..." Miko claimed just loud enough to be heard by this table. "And you don't seem to care... well, I suppose they aren't physically threatening," Kaguya said seemingly amused. All the while Anya could help but look at the other group with a glare. 'Physical doesn't matter, they are bad guys at heart!' she thought frowning just a little. Just the same Chika placed a hand atop the little one's head, noticing only that she needed a bit of comfort but not why. Meanwhile, a game between Ancient Gears and whatever deck Kazuhiko had was getting underway.

At the same time, Miko was being formally introduced to Akaba Reiji and going through her usual politeness with random adults. According to Reiji, she didn't need to thank him, he thought of his shop as a small family, dysfunctional though it might be. Miko could see that, every family had a few outliers, this one had quite a few but she wouldn't be commenting on that part. No there was a way more pressing issue. "At cost?! Saku-chan must have made a serious impression, but are you sure? I am about to make a really large purchase and you should definitely make sure it benefits you," Miko encouraged the older gentleman. In truth, she only expected something like 10 to 20 percent. She was more used to such purchases going wrong and living with an exorbitant mark-up, which she'd mentally called 'furry tax'. Anyway, as long as he accepted cards, it wouldn't be an issue at all... even if she got an old fashioned receipt. "All the little details are fine. End of the day transactional finished are a bit old fashioned but I don't mind that part..." Miko said. She'd give Reiji a bit more of a chance to reconsider his discount. Though he'd claimed his profits were good, there was no reason for him to make less money than he could off the crazy purchase she was already thinking about.