Charles Patricius

Kazu was walking a line, was he? He had no problem with that. For some reason or another, poking at Angelica was always a worthwhile endeavor. That was only becoming more true as years became decades, then centuries, now millennia. "Did I step on the princess's toes? If that's the case, you ca─" Kazu had a raised finger of emphasis and all, but he suddenly fell silent along with a realization. What was he about to say? It was definitely something deviant ─ enough so that Kazu wondered how it appeared in his mind. Sometimes, he needed to reflect.

Marisbury managed to wake the sleeping girl. Her reaction to rising in the face of him and a bowl of food was... frankly, about what he expected on any random Tuesday. "Marisbury Animusphere. Pleasure to meet you," he said before watching bodies move around the area. For so many people to be eating, there was a distinct lack of eating space. That just wouldn't do; the one cooking couldn't even find a proper seat. "Oh... I could try a new trick. That table seems compatible enough. Per metallum et manus artificis, lapis cedat, mensa epulis surgat. Amplifica aedes, magico vocatu, mensa magna, hanc terram impleat!" Per Marisbury's incantation spoken at a rapid pace, words echoed through the fabric of reality against the strange table affected by Kazuhiko's session with Chika. What came about was the shifting of that table into a long grand dining table of ivory, ten chairs of enchanted wood along either side. Despite its length, the table somehow fit within that small room via a bit of space manipulation in the area immediately surrounding it. With that done, Marisbury exhaled a deep breath. "Haah. There. That should last about a week. Strong material," he commented. "Now then... about the fact that there are currently sixteen people and three familiars in this room. For starters, I should point out that six of you are currently with child. That sort of creation energy is what brought me here today."

Kazuhiko sounded like he was about to continue to sass Angelica and perhaps he was, but whatever the case, he stopped his sentence short, seeming to reflect upon what he was about to say. Losing one's train of thought or even pausing it because they realized what they had to say aloud wasn't completely unusual. And since it was now time for breakfast, no one would call him on it. "Uh...huh... don't know where that was going but I'm going to leave it alone," Angelica mentioned while staring at her bowl. This whole place was quite crowded but it seemed that this was being taken care of.

In this particular moment as Miko tipped around trying to figure out where she was going to sit, Marisbury changed that weird mound of material in the living room into a suitable dining room table. Miko looked upon it with wide eyes and both Kaguya and Ai were interested in it from a magical perspective. Angelica in typical creative fashion would comment. "Very nice table. I didn't know you could change it like that!" she gave the compliment. "It's definitely awesome!~ Arigatou gouzaimasu!~" Miko chimed, slipping around to have a seat on the left hand side, somewhere near the one of the tables ends. Kaguya took the seat immediately to Miko's side along the length of the table, and Ai took the one after that. Chika pulled herself off the floor having nodded her understanding of Marisbury's name, and went to sit down with the rest of the student council. Kei also joined in placing her near one of the other ends. Saori took the side immediately across from Kei and Angelica took the one immediately in front of Miko. The immediate topic of conversation was one about the nature of creation energy in the room, multiple familiars and several pregnancies all together in a single place had brought Marisbury to the area. Kei looked around the table and saw the looks on everyone's faces. "Really, I'm the only girl in the house who isn't pregnant right now?" she said seemingly aghast. "It's been such a week. Also I was doing my best, I was going to ask about mana flow on this side, because I'm kind of having a difficult time, but I think it's because of how I normally do it," was all Miko could say. "Familiars?" questioned Saori, she knew she was pregnant but felt no need to talk about it. She figured the answer to the problem would present itself over the course of this conversation.

A table had been placed via magical means, so the group would be assembling around it in sequence. Miko and her friends quickly crowded one side, while Angelica and Saori presented ample space between them on the other side. While Kazu moved himself toward the seat next to Angelica, Marisbury noted the latter's comment. "It isn't strange that you didn't know that... mostly because it can't be changed like that. At least, there's no method I know of that could actually change that material. I bypassed its physical aspects and morphed its internal mana into a shape. Over time, it will return to form," he explained. During that time, Yuuya seemed skittish as ever. He didn't feel comfortable claiming a seat next to someone, nor did he want to put himself in front of someone. In a stroke of good fortune, Kazuhiko took out the awkwardness. "Dude, over here!" he called out. "H-hai. Shitsureishimasu."

With that, Yuuya became the last to grab a seat. Marisbury waited for his words to set in. The thought settled first with Kei, who was indeed in possession of the only empty womb in this building. "As it stands, you are," Marisbury stated. Miko's question deserved an answer as well, but first... the purple-haired woman seemed confused. "Three Familiars, yes. The dog is one," he said. "One is with her," he added while nodding toward Kaguya. "And he has... a strange one," he concluded with a gesture toward Kazuhiko. "And if any of you are having a difficult time, it may be because most of you carry new lives comparable to... well, me, for lack of a better reference. If things are left as they are, the collective creation in this room will tear a hole in the planet. I think this should take the 'divide and conquer' approach."

"Oh, that's interesting. I couldn't identify that material... and I change a lot of things into other things... and I tried messing with that when I fixed the room up yesterday and I couldn't manage it. So, even if it's temporary, it's really impressive..." Angelica mentioned. Whatever the case, she still found that kind of work interesting and she was impressed that he'd even managed just to make it change form temporarily. At the same time, Miko could only smile as the outplaced Yuuya was invited to sit with Kazuhiko. He would have done that regardless of who it was, she remembered an odd time when she'd been on the receiving end of that sort of invitation. Eventually, Yuuya would feel properly included.

In the meantime, Miko began to eat her fill and so did the other girls. Kei got confirmation that she was the only non-pregnant female int he room and felt both superior and excluded in the oddest way. But Kaguya also hadn't been with Kazuhiko yet, so why was she pregnant? She'd have to ask that at some point but for now the question of familiars were being addressed. Apparently Naito was one, Kaguya had another and Kazuhiko had one which was odd. "Oya? Well, I hadn't summoned her in this form but she is attached to it. I'm only really eating to keep from losing body fat at this point," she mentioned. "Still great breakfast Mi-chan~" she said while eating. Kaguya said getting out ahead of any questions which might have been asked. Apparently, every pregnant girl was giving birth to something that would be a quality of existence equivalent to Marisbury. That was news, but Miko was less surprised by it than she might have been. "Arigatou. Also I didn't forget Charlie, you met little me, I get to see the familiar!" she murmured splitting her speech. "We wouldn't want to blow a hole in the planet. How are we dividing it up though? Are we taking things in shifts or is it possible for most of us to do something ourselves?" she asked genuinely curious. "I don't have that sort of talent," Saori admitted. "Chi-chan will definitely need assistance too. If I know what to do about the familiars I can explain it, I have a pretty good handle of it," Kaguya mentioned volunteering herself. "I am almost done with myself as well, it's just taking a while because I've never turned something into me before. It was an odd concept," Angelica mentioned about making an Avatar.

"Don't get me wrong; it's mostly imaginary. From what I can tell of you, our abilities shouldn't be very different. It's just a matter of experience that allowed me that little cheat," Marisbury said to Angelica, whom he knew himself to be related to in some way. While that conversation progressed into one about numerous active pregnancies, Kazu thought to distance himself from open discussion, with the added purpose of trying to incorporate Yuuya a bit more. "So I noticed you've been hopping back to train a lot. Ever give thought to a sparring partner? I've been needing to test my sword and some other stuff, and I think we could have a pretty fun match," he suggested. Yuuya didn't really know what to say, as always. "I uh... isn't someone else probably a better challenge? I don't have the same active combat experience as the rest of you," Yuuya argued. Kazu had seen all kinds of deflections before; that one wasn't going to work. "More reason for you to practice real combat. Besides, I need variety. You never know what'll hit you out there in the field, so it's good to get a little practice against everything you can. If you don't think you can bring a challenge, you don't have to. Trust me dude; I can get something from just seeing a different approach at the other end."

Kazuhiko and Yuuya would continue their chat, and Kaguya commented on her Familiar and its unusual nature. "Yours is one I can't familiarize myself with. I know it exists and is actively connected to you, but it is beyond my perception. The other two are more clearly seen," said Marisbury. He had much more explaining to do, and a bit of assistance to offer in some regards. First and foremost, the explanations. "When I speak of dividing, I mean it on two fronts. Not only should these things be tackled separately; they should also be separated. Some of you have especially potent things growing inside you. Some... even have multiple sources." As he spoke, Marisbury slowly shifted his focus in the direction of Saori. She may have been the least prepared of this group to produce something other than a child with her offering, if the pink-haired girl didn't have that crown. "I feel you should be helped first, and by me directly. Yours will be... explosive."

Sadly, Kazu couldn't run from everything by speaking with Yuuya. Familiars being a topic of relevence, Miko remembered an agreement they had several days before. Kazu stopped mid-bite, falling silent for several seconds. "Uhm... well I... see... I uh..." No matter how he wracked his brain, Kazuhiko came up with no excuses. His spoon fell into his bowl in a moment of defeat. His head hung, and his heart dropped. Kazu knew his Familiar had been present for some time, though it remained ethereal. "... Kuri," he nearly whispered. In that moment, the creature in question became visible to all. A small, round and fluffy creature with a body covered in dark brown fur, resembling a puffball or a chestnut could be seen floating over Kazu's head. It had large, expressive eyes, and small, clawed green feet that stuck out from its furry body. Kazu appeared almost defeated, and the creature called Kuri seemed... sleepy and unstable.

While Angelica ate, she and Marisbury conversed. According to that man, they weren't too different, she simply needed a bit more experience to come up with a working solution like this 'cheat', as he called it. "Hm, I'll give it some thought then and see if I can do it after it changes back!" said Angelica more than willing to at least try knowing that it was something that was possible. This was her own nature after all. At the same time, Kazuhiko was busy chatting up Yuuya.It seemed that Kazuhiko wanted to have a sparring match, but Yuuya thought himself incapable because of a lack of experience. Such a thing wasn't really going to fly and it would oddly enough be Kaguya to encourage him, "Yuu-kun should go for it. I mean... I'm literally the least combat ready person here, I've literally fought nothing~" she said as she worked on her own bowl. "Hm, I only fought monsters as a monster myself... I don't know if that'd make me count more or less," Kei said aloud seeming to want to think about it.

Soon after, Marisbury was clearing up his perception of familiars. Kaguya's was unknown to him, but that made sense as the thing she'd connected to her soul wasn't something which had existed in this world for quite a long time. "Hai hai... I doubt it will manifest like that but it should still work on its basis. My other form wears it..." she paused. "Oh, I've gone slow. I should have done something like that instead of buying two of everything. I got caught up in hype shopping!" she exclaimed. Whatever she meant, she knew at least a little of what she'd be doing with her spare time. Meanwhile the potency of the children being made was apparently a problem. Ai had something to say about hers... "I'm almost done with mine... it's just a bit tough digesting right now~" she claimed as if it was the simplest way to get through it. As for division and conquering apparently Saori needed some assistance in her baby making problem, "Huh? I guess that makes sense. I don't do this kind of stuff with magic..." she said taking a moment or two to finish her bowl. "Thanks for that. You'll have to explain that one too me, it was great for a light meal~" she said to Miko who blushed just a tad. "Hai hai, whenever you like!~" she offered with a smile on her face.

Ah but there wasn't going to be a complete let down today. No, as Miko finished reminding Kazuhiko that she'd not seen his familiar but he'd met her smallest form she was rewarded with that which had been left unknown. In a little whisper, she heard, Kuri and then a small creature appeared. It was fluffy with hands and feet and large expressive eyes. Miko was quiet for several seconds and then she squealed, "KAWAAAIII♪!~ It's so cute!~" she sang melodiously, suddenly standing her her chair and reaching across the table. "Can I hold it!?" she asked excitedly. While Angelica managed to look shocked. "I didn't know you had one, Chuck," she commented between bites of rice and egg. The other girls were stunned. It was quite cute but they didn't see a guy choosing a familiar like this one.

Yuuya thought himself capable of diverting attention from himself. He couldn't be the right fit, but only he thought that. Kazuhiko basically insisted. Kaguya commented on her lack of any fighting experience. Even Kei, whom he didn't really know, claimed she only fought monsters. "That's no different from my experience," he said of Kei's mention. Alas, his cries fell on deaf ears. Kazuhiko didn't actually want Yuuya as a training partner above all others. In truth, he hardly cared about a sparring match at all. The entire offer was solely for the sake of building camaraderie. "You're worried about the wrong stuff, dude. Let's just have fun with it," Kazuhiko mentioned between bites. Yuuya wasn't getting around this, so... he gave up as he always would. "Hai. I can do it for fun."

The time had come for Marisbury to take a break from explaining things. Kazuhiko's Familiar had been made visible for the first time to all present. Even Marisbury knew the reaction a group of girls would have to something like that. Marisbury fell silent, and soft cries of kuriri came from the furry creature. It seemed Miko would be accosting it after Kazu gestured his lack of concern for the action. Angelica didn't know he had a Familiar, but there were a few reasons for that. "I always have. Well... kind of always. He showed up while I was in the Labyrinth, and was already connected to me. I never really do anything with him, so it's no surprise you don't know," he said. Just then, Marisbury decided to speak after all. He had a raised brow and a devious grin. Some truths had to be shared. "Strange. Spiritually, Kuri here is one of the most well-cared for entities I've ever seen. Someone must be taking care of him," the man stated, prompting Kazu to halt a bite in progress. Never had he been so randomly thrown under the proverbial bus.

Even though this group had only been together for a few days, everyone on it seemed apt to help Yuuya become acclimated to dealing with others properly. Even Kei who was having the most problems properly communicating seemed to understand the folly of Yuuya already. She wouldn't be allowing actual good men to live inside of shells when she knew terrible ones who were walking around like they were good. Inclusion was the name of the game and eventually Yuuya gave up on trying to argue. A note was made by Kaguya to enforce the other half of that equation after getting him used to accepting friendship. After all, he had to learn to say no as well. A little smirk appeared on her face as she considered it but would say nothing more about it.

No, she too was busy looking at the small creature that was apparently Kazuhiko's familiar. "It is really cute," Kaguya agreed. Ai could only nod her head as well, in a world of cute things, this one had to be pretty high on the list of cute items. Kei even though in something of a huff couldn't deny that it was a very cute creature. Chika had about the simplest reaction, "Cutest Fluff!" Miko strangely agreed. "Cutest Fluff!" she chanted as well. "Mi-sen agreed with Chi-sen, the world is ending today," Kei said with a casual roll of her eyes. Which had a strange agreement coming from both Ai and Kaguya. She took the creature into her outstretched hands amid cute little cries of Kuriri, which made her heartbeat jump a bit. "OOoooha, it's so soft! I love it!" Miko almost cried in full cute girl mode she sat back into her seat holding this little fluffy creature close to her body and talking to it softly while petting it. "How could he keep you from me?" she questioned almost upset that she'd not been given a chance to bond with something so cute. Well an answer to that and Angelica's lack of knoweldge about it was being given, only to be shot down a bit by Marisbury immediately after. Thrown under the bus didn't begin to cover what had just happened. "Mari-sa still hasn't learned being a scamp will earn him a punish~" Miko sang quietly to the creature in her lap. Ai laughed aloud and Kaguya snickered both of them were also quite used to the behaviors of Marisbury... in the future at least. Angelica upon hearing this pointed an accusatory finger at Kazuhiko, "But you also didn't show me when I showed you mine!" she said as if this combined with the other information to form some kind of conspiracy. "It's like the cutest, coolest thing ever Charlie! You definitely should have shown me this, way before now. I always wanted a familiar but I haven't had any luck with them...." she beginning to chew on her cheek her face puffing completely.

Apparently, Kazuhiko's Familiar was a topic worth discussion. Worse still was the fact that Marisbury Animusphere was completely selling him out. They didn't even know one another; why was this deserved? Maybe he did consistently play caretaker for that little ball of fluff, but what else was he to do? Kazu wasn't the sort to just leave it in Familiar limbo for a lifetime. Of course, he wouldn't take it into battle either... and for that, there were great reasons. With Angelica pointing that accusatory finger, he shifted only his eyes toward her. Kazuhiko's brow was elevated now. "You didn't ask. Besides, you didn't show me your Familiar. He was just there; it doesn't count," he argued. For some time, Kazu was looking across the table, watching his Familiar receive the direct physical attention of Miko. Something was odd in its behavior and appearance, he thought.

He definitely should not have shown Kuri to Miko, or anyone else before this moment. Any situation which required a Familiar was not one he'd be using his for. Of course, that wasn't even something Kazu would mention just yet. Instead, he spoke about Miko's lack of Familiar as Anais. "Well we never went to a place that has good ones anyway. There are a lot of unknown ways to end up with one, too, so... who knows?" he replied while locking eyes with Kuri for quite some time. After staring for several moments, Kazu had one thing to share with his Familiar. "Oh. You've gotten fat," he stated plainly. The Familiar he'd last seen ages ago from his own perspective was never quite so... fluffy, in a manner of speaking. In response to that claim, the ball of fur offered only a huff to its master. "What? You have."

While Miko got to know Kazuhiko's familiar... Angelica had it pointed out that she'd not asked to see Kazuhiko's familiar. And that though she'd shown hers, it was simply there... "Well, that was different. Junipero was a part of all the stuff I did while you were gone. I was showing you everything," she said while turning her nose up in the air. In truth that made a bit more sense than a lot of things that could have been said, but no, there was a new point, "Junipero?" this was the question posed by Kaguya. She was told her sense for certain things was completely off but never had she uttered a name like that before. "Yeah, it's what I named my familiar, he grew out of a juniper berry I planted..." Angelica stated as if that was a normal way to end up with a pet. "That is one hell of a name. And very interesting way to end up with a familiar," Kaguya mentioned still trying not to laugh outright at the name chose. She could only hope the child of Angelica and Kazuhiko didn't have such an outrageous name.

Beyond that the comfort that Miko was offered about her lack of familiar was that they'd never gone to a place to pick up a cool one. And that there were lots of ways to end p with familiars so she might yet have one on board. "I mean... I wasn't exactly looking for cool to begin with... it's part of how I figured out animals liked me, but none ever wanted to connect that way with me even of the more normal varieties," Miko clarified. She'd spent a lot of time with animals and other cute things any of which she would have accepted but all seemed to not be interested. That was fine though, "Still, 30 years of you being the only calm person. We were alone with Asta and Bradie. It was pure chaos and a sensory overload. It was overstimulation for 30 straight years. I could have been playing with the cutest fluff!~" she said still pouting. The commentary on Kuri's weight and its reaction made Miko squeal, "Squee♪!~ So cute. I don't know what you looked like before, but I think the extra fluff is nice!~" she told the creature. She'd only been alone with it for a few moments, but she loved it. Meanwhile, Kaguya understood why Kuri was larger and it was technically Kazuhiko's fault for becoming a bigger entity. "Is it like all fluff?" from Saori who'd avoided the pitfalls of being into cute small things, but only externally.

Angelica refused to accept the rerouting of her Familiar situation. He expected as much from her. As per usual, he'd respond not with logic or anything of the sort, but instead by picking at a specific part of Angelica's statement. At a certain point in these conversations with the princess, he had no reason to do anything else. "I don't know if I'd say you showed me everything. There's still a lot of stuff I'm waiting to see," he said cheekily. From there, Kaguya commented on the name of Angelica's Familiar. She was obviously holding in quite the laugh, especially after hearing the explanation. "Go on. Laugh. Laugh at the Holy Princess's naming skills. Laugh because it's hilarious," he insisted in an oddly deadpan way.

In regards to Miko and her lack of interaction with Kuri, and indeed Familiars in general, there was much to be said. Kazu was sure she'd find one of her own eventually, by some method. He was also sure summoning Kuri during that 30-year adventure would not have gone well. They encountered many random dangers during that time, and one thing was certain. "We were better off dealing with just them. Calling Kuri out is dangerous," he said plainly. Kuri had definitely put on some weight since the last summoning, and its demeanor was a bit different too. Kazu would be looking into that at some point ─ if Miko ever relinquished the creature. Ah, there were at last more words from Saori of all people. Was Kuri all fluff? Kazuhiko happened to have the answer. "Fluff, arms, legs, eyes... a magic core," he said, his voice lowering for the very last mention. Kuri was most likened to a slime of some sort. Marisbury had no point of reference for those creatures, but he knew this one's composition. "A being of pure magical energy given physical form. Their shapes can be infinite. As a segue, it is very similar to a child not yet born ─ albeit one that never needs to take a specific form to become whole. Hayami-san, if you would, this would be a good time to deal with your situation. That is, unless you'd rather let loose that desire you're keeping buried. You may never know when an opportunity will present itself a second time."

"Don't start, Chuck!" Angelica reached maximum fluster with so little prodding that the other girls at the table, incluidng Kei herself could only shake their heads. If she was that easy to bother, anyone could do so, just by being a modern human. Speaking of modernity, there was the issue of the name chosen for Angelica's Familiar. Kazuhiko's brand of sarcasm came to light once more and all Angelica could do was huff, "What it made sense. I like it, and Junipero likes it... he answers to it!" she said her nose turned up in the air. She wasn't going to take this. Kaguya for her part in this held off the laugh down to just a little snicker, "Shishishishi!~ Gomen, Ruri-hime, that one is just kinda crazy to me. I didn't name mine, she already has one. It's all in good fun~" Kaguya added with a little wink. Those two were too much, but that was worth the little chuckle.

"Dangerous? He's so cute... they? I can't tell by tone alone the gender of this one, odd." Miko said turning the cute thing around to face her and looking into it eyes. She normally had no problem identifying the genders of even confusing entities. Age was something entirely different, but usually just hearing something let her know what kind of leaning it had. Whatever the case, "One more hug? I'll give you back, I assume I shouldn't try to hog the fluff all to myself~" Miko murmured while softly squealing. Of course, the question of the creature's nature that came from Saori, was answered rather directly. "Hm, I know I've heard of something like that..." Saori murmured thinking to herself. It'd been admittedly quite a while since she thought about magical creatures properly. "Oh, yeah right..." she said hearing of the issue she currently possessed. "We bury things for reasons..." she added. "Let's get to it then, what do I need to do, exactly?" she said being the type of person to tackle such things in a much more straight forward manner. "Hm, i say similar things about my inside voices..." Miko said thoughtfully, finally freeing Kuri from her grasp with it in Kazuhiko's direction. "Argiatou!~" she said beyond pleased about spending time with it. "Are we really just skipping over the plural of those inside voices of Mi-sen?" Kei asked to the world at large.

"Already started, Ang," was Kazuhiko's immediate retort. So long as she left herself open to rebuttal, he intended to be there with quick snark, jabs, or whatever else was necessary in the moment. Just about done with the rice in his bowl, Kazu shot a glance across the table at Miko. She didn't know why summoning Kuri was dangerous, calling it cute while expressing confusion over its gender. That cuteness she spoke of, in truth, was the exact danger keeping the fur ball tucked away. "He," Kazu said first, even as the creature huffed from the notion of gender confusion. "It's what he answers to at least. Anyway... cute, yes. That's the dangerous part. You never want to see that," he assured.

Meanwhile, Marisbury's attention had shifted fully to Saori. She apparently intended nothing with the Familiar, speaking of burying things. Marisbury sighed. "Needlessly, I might add. I always find it interesting how much humans let themselves be influenced by others ─ even those they've never met. It may one day be the downfall of human society," he commented almost absently. As for what Martha needed to do, there were a few options. "That depends on you. I could teach you how to handle this problem yourself; that would take more than a day. I could alternatively handle the birth today, or... we could work together and tweak the soul before it is finished. Of course, option three does not remove the necessity for either one or two; it would just take precedence."

Kazuhiko had already started, but that would never stop the sort of replied that Angelica had to offer him. No, she'd always lash out a few times before falling into what could only be called the tsundere trap. Luckily enough, there were still other factors, people around to take some of the heat, whether direct or indirect. Like the apparent male fluff ball that was his familiar, previously unseen by anyone. Kazuhiko had some kind of excuse and it seemed to be that the creature was dangerous. Or maybe in danger? Yes, that sounded more right to Miko. "Sou ka... that's terrible. I can't say I get it, but my points remain. I love him♪!~" she said happily. Miko wasn't one to shy away from that part of herself, she would delve into cute things and her absolute love and adoration of various things so long as her doing so interfered with no one else.

"So firm," Saori said. Life would be easier for everyone who could manage that. She didn't believe herself to be such an individual, but she still hoped the girl would continue to hang on to that part of herself. In Saori's own experience it was always sad to let go of those kinds of things. Of the little odd expressions of childishness that made people unique. "Maturing is barely considered pressure applied by anything other than time... I'm an adult I do have to act like one. Besides, I didn't spend my entire life fighting to not be taken seriously," was all Saori had to say about it. She'd spent too much of her life training and fighting fall into the conspiracy of cute girl-isms. As for the actual work the options presented seemed clear enough, but she'd spent a bit too much time talking to people who weren't being completely transparent with what they meant. A sigh came from Saori as she mentally prepared herself for whatever was to come, pulling out those black chopsticks with the little white flying dragons while she wrapped her hair up in a ponytail and clipped it. "What kind of thing is that though, because I'd like to know how to handle it, just in case. I don't assume I'll do anything too crazy but I also wouldn't want to always have to depend on someone else to fix stuff for me. I also don't actually want to like ruin anything... there is a whole person coming out of this, and it would be mortifying to like ruin a person so I'll take the help... but like what kind of help are you offering? I feel like I have to ask people like you," Saori got all of that out without being overly demanding but still being fairly firm about it. "Shishishi... I wonder where that question came from?~ Also she has multiple different ones, I've heard them, they get pretty crazy~" Kaguya said about Miko's inner voices.

"We can all see that," was Kazu's response to Miko. If she felt so strongly about a Familiar she'd only just met, she certainly had no business seeing Kuri on the battlefield. A special kind of monster lay buried under that ball of fur ─ one Kazuhiko never intended to let loose consciously. Little did he realize, his Familiar was one that had a strong mind of its own.

Saori didn't agree with Marisbury's assertion. She was free to keep her own opinion, but that made it no less incorrect. She was an adult, and had to act like one? How laughable. "Your soul is older than mine. By that logic, I suppose you would be an adult. However... it is younger than a few of the teenagers in this room. Would you expect adult behavior from them? I think you would have the most interesting conversation with my father," he stated. If she wanted to be taken seriously, he doubted such limitations were necessary if abilities could speak for themselves. Regardless, her preparation was worth some attention. She definitely spent a great deal of time fighting, as she was just about ready for one even without confirming the coming task. She had no interest in relying on another for problem-solving, but details were requested. Marisbury understood one not wanting to ruin a child. In that case, however, she could surely place her faith in him. "There would be no ruining. Trust me; this is something I was literally made for. I don't have the capacity for destruction, so do take the word 'tweak' literally. As for the help I offer... it's just that simple. We can look into the soul as it is, and decide what can be modified or moved around for the better. Some things can't be changed, but... such is the nature of a soul once it decides its own course. Is that enough of an answer for you?"

"Good." That was all Miko had to say about the obvious love she had for Kuri. She'd decided some time ago to live life as she pleased, and even before something so life changing, she'd been quite earnest in her interactions... if a bit shy. Still, she had plans to completely enjoy that little creature without anything resembling hesitation or shame.

Unlike her, there was a certain level of shame associated with adulthood. Odd as it was, Marisbury continued to talk about the oddity of those points with Saori. She was older than Marisbury as he currently was, but not necessarily older than everyone present. Did she expect adult behavior from them..."No... well I guess only situationally. It'd depend on what, if anything, made them act like adults, in their extended lives..." she said after giving it a bit of thought. While she didn't expect Kazuhiko to act like an adult most of the time, she knew the mention of Saxons would turn him into something crazy. She figured any of the older souled people had triggers for maturity instead of being generally mature. But they were also in general of the age where those sorts of habits started to develop naturally. She couldn't finitely define the difference but she was sure of its existence. "Talking to people's parents is at least partly how I ended up this way. Don't go throwing me at more of them," she said, though she knew of the public vision of that man's father and figure it would be a less stressful conversation than ones she normally had with people's parents. Beyond this point though, there was the matter of what Marisbury was offering and according to him he was the best person for 'tweaking' of an existing life. He didn't have the ability to destroy and thus he couldn't ruin things. "Hm, that is more of an answer than I expected so... yes. How do you do this though, that seems like the last remaining important bit..." she expressed her curiosity with her arms crossed under her chest. Such was important and perhaps the answer would be helpful to those who hadn't yet figured it out truly yet.

As it seemed Saori would be busying herself with Marisbury and a child not yet born, Kazu thought it would be a fair time to move on. There were clothes to buy, accessories and additional cards to check out, and most importantly... card games to play after all else. He became the first to stand after finishing breakfast, seeming quite energized. "That was great! Now, adventure time! Ang! It's adventure time!" he exclaimed. More than anything else, he was excited to see how Angelica took to the real outside, even in a world of no magic. These were always the exciting times for him when they were together.

Saori was on her way to understanding all Marisbury said. She remained quite reserved on the matter of perceived maturity, but the pieces were there. "Sou desu ka? It's interesting how differently you consider yourself. Some role models are most influential in a state of vulnerability, you know? It makes things... relatable," he explained. As for throwing the woman at another parent... well, one didn't have to be thrown at Albertus Animusphere. Some things just happened at times. "Humans. You never cease to amaze and concern me all at once. Don't worry. I get the feeling you'll find the fun part of your life in time... though I don't know exactly how. That's always interesting." With that said, Marisbury was prepared to lead the way toward the nearest bedroom, which happened to have Saori's and Kazuhiko's aura all over it. Before that, though, Saori wanted to know how he'd be helping her. "Isn't it obvious? Sexually, of course," he said. Marisbury paused with a serious expression upon his face, only to laugh moments later. "Though something functionally similar to ultrasound scans is also effective in this case. I won't push anything else on you. However... these things are normally done with some involvement from the father~" he said cheekily, eyes darting toward Kazuhiko while the lad was already trying to sneak off.

Kazuhiko was in his human form, becoming the rather excitable individual Angelica remembered him being as Charles when she was getting ready to sneak out of her floor to see other things. Adventure time was always quite a fun thing when she was able to have them. Even now, she found herself smiling happily as she finished up her breakfast. "Chuck, we've barely finished breakfast time...." she jested in a playfully haughty way. Such was her nature though and it wouldn't be stopping any time soon. Still, it was obvious by the way she went about finishing her bowl, that she was actually quite excited to get back out into the world. "Still, I'm kind of excited though! Great breakfast too. Thanks..." she offered Miko from across the table. "Hai hai, I'm just happy everyone could eat..." she said blushing intensely. She never really got used to that sort of attention.

That being said, Saori had some interesting thoughts on the way she expected others to act compared to herself. Her standard was different than what she expected of others, but if one didn't expect more from themselves they couldn't really expect more from others. That was simply her attitude. "Being vulnerable around high school students is like feeding yourself to a wolf. I'll pass..." Saori stated. She'd been far too close in age to her students to ever connect in such a way. Even now, she'd find it difficult to do. Perhaps in 10 to 15 more years the difference would be discouraging enough for her not to have to be such a hard ass. As for Marisbury's commentary on humanity, technically Saori could only agree... "That one I get. I am also always concerned and amazed. And no worries, the how of finding stuff is usually the fun part. I'm not too tied up on the details of my own future," Saori expressed of herself. But there was one specific how she did need to know about and that had to do with getting rid of the baby she was presently holding on to. His first set of words, made her pause and stare at him with wide eyes, which only narrowed as he broke the joke with his laughter. "You...are an adult scamp and that is odd," she said her posture relaxing with the rest of the explanation. Perhaps it was just because she knew she'd been scowling a few moments prior she found herself running a hand over her face. "Sonogram, and magic baby. Okay, i can deal with that I guess..." whether she was completely past the part of being annoyed by continued contact with Kazuhiko wasn't something she'd be addressing. It was far from her normal bubble, there was a task to be handled and as such she'd be making her way back to the other room. "Come on. The quicker you get this done, the faster you can run off for the day," she said, a slight bit of barking with her early morning. At the same time empty bowls were being collected by Kaguya and Ai who figured they'd take care of dishes while everyone else got dressed and ready to go.

"All the more reason, Ang!" Kazu replied swiftly. There was no reason to wait around and relax when moving onward to the card shop would equal exactly that. Ah, but there was a reason... and Kazu was soon to be forced into addressing it. Marisbury had a few more small exchanges of information to share with Saori, giving the 'younger' male hope of escape. "High school students? I think you may be attributing a little too much to the stereotype. Of course... this lot is an exceptional case, but that is even more to the point," he said. The topic fell there, picked up instead by a bit of scamp behavior and the acknowledgement of such. "Just enjoying life," Marisbury said simply.

Saori's choice was, of course, the non-sexual one. Marisbury had no real issue with that, even if it may have been an opportunity lost from his perspective. The most important thing was that a solution had been found. All they needed was Kazuhiko's involvement, but the strangest thing happened when Saori made her demands to stop the lad's escape. Kazu didn't even manage fully turning around before Kuri floated quickly into the space between them, as if to offer itself. If nothing else got Kazuhiko moving in the right direction, that did the trick. "Not you!" he yelled while grabbing the creature with one hand, pushing it down and away. "Fine! Let's get it over with," Kazu agreed with unusual quickness. He and Kuri followed Marisbury and Saori into the back, though not without Marisbury seeming particularly amused. Once they all entered the bedroom, he sealed the door magically and began absorbing ambient mana within the space. "Now that we're here, let's begin. Just give me a moment to alter the space around us appropriately. In the meantime, have the two of you discussed parenthood before now? It is obviously a recent development, so. . ."

The amount of hype that Kazuhiko had for something as simple potentially as a shopping trip and going outside was far beyond the norm. "I mean that sounds fine and all right but I have to get dressed and stuff right?" Angelica said knowing that there was a certain amount of decorum required for outings, given what she'd seen of people like Miko going in and out of the house these last couple of days. As they gathered empty bowls both Ai and Kaguya laughed. All the while, Miko sat with her legs crossed in her chair beneath her person, still looking at the little fluff ball with something akin to longing. At the same time, Saori could only shrug she both saw his point and had lived her own life, she knew better than anyone that these individuals were exceptional. "They are different," she said willing to leave that. She wasn't the type of person who would actively involve herself with all of their shenanigans. Even if she fully understood them, that was something she didn't think she could explain to anyone magical or otherwise. As for the scamp behavior of Marisbury he called it enjoying life. If his public persona was anything to go by, he lived a high stress life, if he found his fun in teasing others, she wouldn't be the one to stop him. As long as he was ready for the potential consequences. "As long as you're happy," she said shrugging almost indifferently.

Meanwhile that interaction between Kazuhiko and his familiar was one which was watched with raised brows by the girls remaining around the table. Kei had finished her breakfast and it was as she remembered it. Somehow she'd even say Miko had become an even better cook which was odd as she considered her the best one already out of the group. Beyond this point the movement of that familiar was strange to see, Miko couldn't make sense of it and decided it was something that would be clear later. "Box it," she murmured. "Yes, we have to get dressed. And we can technically all do that in a group in the other room. Obviously, I can't go out without pants, and Chi-chan could use a change in clothes as well. So, let's go~" Miko said finally standing up from the table. "Sorry, Tenjou-kun, we're borrowing your room for a bit," she mentioned quickly. She, Angelica and multiple bags of clothing would find their way into Yuuya's recently restored bedroom. At the same time, Marisbury, Saori and Kazuhiko were settling into that other bedroom to begin work on that baby. His introduction to the subject came out about as light as his normal speech. "Yesterday is such recent a development and we definitely didn't talk about it," Saori mentioned. Why would she have discussed parenthood with someone she'd not intended to have children with? She never actually thought this would be a thing that happened for her... it was still being processed in her thoughts as an anomalous happening do to the strange circumstances surrounding ending up back on Gaia.

Marisbury's magic continued interfacing with the room around them during this stay. Several moments in, time itself began to distort with the full sealing of four, soon to be five, souls within a dimensional subspace. Walls were no longer around them. Instead, there was an open blue sky surrounding floor and bed alike, almost as if they'd been taken into the upper atmosphere of a foreign world. This would be the scene of serenity, a blank slate for this newborn in progress. First, Saori claimed no conversation about parenthood had taken place. "Well, this would be the perfect time to start talking. A child's life is precious. One tiny soul, one massive, spiraling ball of potential ─ it's a marvel to look at. You two will be able to see it momentarily. In the meantime, there are a few things..."

A moment of silence ensued. Marisbury seemed to be in deep thought while keeping an eye on Saori... or rather, the child within her. "It's a girl, by the way. Consider names with that in mine," he stated. In that moment, there were several sparkles in Kazuhiko's eyes ─ as if he'd forgotten everything else. "A girl? That's awesome! After hitting two-for-two, I thought I was working with fixed rates!" he said excitedly. Marisbury chuckled again. Wisps of golden mana were stemming from Saori's body, collecting into one visual sphere surrounded by ribbons between the three bodies present. "Unorthodox, yet firm sense of justice. That is what I see most of in this soul. The way she was conceived speaks a great deal about her. If you both want the best results, another transfer would greatly expand her potential. That one wasn't a joke," Marisbury said for Saori's certainty.

Marisbury was busy turning this room into a peaceful cloud room, which wasn't a bad place to think about the possibilities of the future of an innocent life. She understood the full potential of a new life, even if she didn't think herself the type to end up with children of her own. Whatever the case, there was information to be taken in, and as such, she'd hear out everything that was said and take it into consideration. And what was she taking into consideration? A girl. Another female life in the world, how interesting. When told that information, Saori wasn't sure how she felt about it. Obviously she'd never considered what gender a future child would be, her own interests were more 'masculine' in nature, but little girls could be quite cute. Well, she wasn't even given the properly ability to think over the potential negatives, as Kazuhiko seemed to be quite excited about that bit of information. His enthusiasm was infectious as always and she couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head. "Hai hai, girl... good to know," was there a name she didn't like so she knew to veto it? That was easier than thinking of a specific name. "You have name ideas? I find that a bit difficult... I've heard and seen too many," she stated honestly.

While she kept an ear open for that conversation bit, one other thing was mentioned by Marisbury. What he saw of this future existence was unorthodox justice and potential which could be expended. He claimed another transfer would help that potential and that he wasn't joking the immediate cut Saori's eyes and shift in her mood was rather obvious. "It isn't happening, move on." she stated in an almost deadpan manner. No way was she about to get herself further tied into this sort of thing. Human limitations would make people into their best selves, growing into their own potential was for them to decide, she'd not be adding more to a sexual experience that she was fine to leave in the past for an unknown. It was far outside of her tolerance for acceptability.

Kazuhiko was riding the proverbial hype train of a firstborn daughter while Marisbury mentioned the need of a name. Saori wasted no time before asking if he had any ideas, but Kazu would waste a bit of time before answering. Something was oddly satisfying about this exchange. This would be the third child born of Charlemagne/Kazuhiko, at least that he knew about. "... Eh? I get an opinion?" he asked without hesitation. Strange as that may have been, he'd come to expect the exact opposite of this life. "Hang on... that's new. Lux and Kazuki were born and named without any input at all from me. I still haven't evenmet either of them," he concluded. To that, Marisbury had some minor insight as well. "I think you have nothing to worry about in those cases. Those two girls have a much stronger connection to you than Hayami-san here. You've done enough without even realizing it," he said affirmatively.

Moving on, Saori completely rejected the idea of further interactions with Kazu. Well, that put quite the damper on Kazu's deviant hopes and dreams, whether they were large or small. Marisbury looked at the matter more objectively than either of the two parents, however. 'Moving on' was not presented as much of a choice by Saori, and indeed it wasn't one... albeit in a different way. "Is that something that's expected to work? Well, that isn't happening. You'll have to explain yourself, because the preferences I see in you are aligning perfectly for this pairing. Actually... if I'm not mistaken, that applies to every desire you have."

There was an oddity in Kazuhiko's response to being asked for names for this potential life. "Yes, you're the dad you get an opinion besides. As a person I never realized how many people have annoyed me in my life, until I had to think of names for something..." Saori clarified. She wouldn't be choosing a name for another life for what she considered to be very valid reasons. It was difficult to find one in her own head that she could immediately agree with. She'd wait on it and see something new and young and exciting potentially. "Hm, I could see that happening given the way those two are, but I guess I am still a bit too human to consider it without the conversation," she said with a shrug. Name a kid without input if she wasn't going to be taking care of it on her own was an oddity of life that she'd not expected. She'd not even expected to get this far.

Move on. That was what Saori wanted, but that wasn't what she would be getting. Why did people with scamp like behavior ignore her demands? This kind of continued prodding was exactly why she often beat people into submission. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a calm needed to descend into her soul if she was going to continue talking without swinging on someone. "Yes, it's expected to work. And I don't know what kind of desires you think you see but my preferences are specific and this doesn't work for me," she said while gesturing between herself and Kazuhiko. And then giving it some thought as destroying someone wasn't on her list of things to do today and she didn't mean that as harshly as it sounded. "Not that it wasn't a fun or a good idea at the time. And it's not that we're not cool or anything like that... Just everything this is... isn't for me. I didn't think that needed explaining. Good things don't have to be continuous things..." she said not seeming to understand what issue these types had with moderation.

Between Kazuhiko and Saori, only one had any issue with another one, two, seven or nine sessions. Kazuhiko took that suggestion from Marisbury into his mind as if nothing were amiss with it, while Saori... had something quite unpleasant to hear initially. Well, he didn't expect to be her ideal partner or anything, but it still felt weird to hear those words after their original round. It wasn't until specification came that he heaved a silent sigh of relief. 'Oh. That's better I guess. I thought I'd taken advantage of her before,' he mused mentally. Marisbury, on the other hand, was trying to understand how Saori wasn't the polar opposite with her overinflated self-restrictions.

Ah, perhaps she didn't see things so clearly. Humans often lacked the ability to see beyond the surface. Even when they witnessed the truth within, it was often considered intuition or otherwise imaginary. "You're wrong. Well... you're right. Good things don't have to be continuous. Good things shouldn't be continuous; only necessities should. On the other hand... neither should good things be made into singularities if they are to remain good. That is not the thing you are absolutely wrong about, though. Kimura-kun, may I borrow your soul for a moment? I won't do you any harm, and from your perspective, nothing will even change. There's just something I see that I'd like to show Hayami-san here," Marisbury requested. "Huh? Well uh... alright. I trust you," Kazu answered. Marisbury nodded, even bowing lightly in gratitude. While that collection of soul information continued processing from Saori's end, Marisbury reached out to Kazu and sent a magical signal deep into his soul. Inside, there was something he wanted brought to surface. What emerged was a visual change more akin to the appearance of Charlemagne.

Kazu soon sported tufted black hair with grey streaks, pale grey eyes, and pale skin. He bore a scar beneath his right eye; three scars extending from high on his neck down to his mid-chest, with one on the right, one on the left, and one along the midline; and scars on his left and right forearms. He wore a dark grey coat with a crimson lining, rhomboid silver buttons, and dark fur trim around the collar; a grey vest with a darker grey button-up shirt beneath and a loose red necktie; grey pants with handcuffs hanging from his belt; and tall black boots. His arms and neck were haphazardly bound in black bandages. He had multiple silver stud and cuff earrings in his ears asymmetrically; silver rings on each finger; a spiked silver necktie ornament; and a large silver brooch shaped like a side profile of a wolf with draping chains, with a matching silver ornament on his left hand. Though always muscular, a great deal of bulk had been applied to his form. In terms of demeanor, he seemed more inline with Charlemagne during an active war against Saxony ─ there was no nonsense about him. "What you see here, Hayami-san, is reality: the truest showing of an old, war-hardened soul. It is a natural form of Kimura-kun, and seems to be the one that resonates best with you."

As far as Saori saw it, she'd not been taken advantage of, not in any sense she could find negative. She wouldn't have gone looking to have sex with Kazuhiko, but that was simply her own inclination her understanding of the defined boundaries of their relationship. This was made especially true when his base form became obvious to her. Unlike the denizens of Munetsuchi, the relationship between students and teachers on Gaia was not a sexual one and she wouldn't be risking her life or livelihood for fun. Not that she thought Kazuhiko himself was the risk but people were variables and she didn't need that kind of problem in her life. Besides, what she wanted out of life was something very different from what this boy and those girls were moving towards from an outside perspective.

Moving right along, general baby talks had come to an end for... a discussion of the philosophy of souls. Good things didn't have to be continuous according to Marisbury she wasn't wrong about that, but he also claimed that they shouldn't be made into singularities either. "They don't have to be singularities, but they are in some instances. There are bigger pictures here..." she said sighing. There was fun to be had but she wasn't the type of overindulge. She didn't spend a lifetime or two training mind body and soul to be overcome by some kids and their randomness. Proof of this was shown by the absolute trust the lad had when literally handing over his soul for reasons he'd not even truly be told. Just so that Marisbury could share something with Saori. What was he sharing...

And image, one of a different sort of person. Kazuhiko was a student one who she considered cute but not the type of person she went for in general. This man she was seeing in front of her was much more her type. He fit her general understanding of what she wanted from a man and had the kind of attractiveness that she enjoyed. Ah, but that was a form of Kazuhiko's soul and not the one he had normally. It didn't matter to her if he'd grow into it, or do it eventually it wasn't what he was and thus it wasn't what she was looking for. This shouldn't have been so difficult to understand. "No. Change him back. You aren't talking me into this. I don't care what he will be, what he is under the surface, or who he'll be influenced by. He is what he is... right here, right now. Decisions are made like that, in a moment, in an instant for what is, to do anything else is a compromise I am unwilling to make. My life, my friends and my family are crazy enough. You aren't pulling me into this," there was a firmness in Saori that was spiritual. As an individual who simply was, what she was always... waiting for someone to grow into something or hoping they'd take a form she could deal with more individually, wasn't on her list. Why this group was so content to add complications to their lives she didn't know, but she wasn't interested in all that and the negatives that could come from all the potential outside interference. Better to leave it as it was than spiral her own life and the lives of others completely.

For every counter Hayami Saori gave, there was a bigger truth yet to be understood. Marisbury knew this, but he could only make known so much to those who didn't have a certain level of understanding already. "True, there are bigger pictures... and it seems you are not yet capable of seeing how big they truly are," he said, holding an open palm underneath that ball of code lines soon to represent Saori's own child. "An embryo sees the womb as its entire world. Infants may perceive their home as everything there is, and then... we enter a childhood and an understanding of greater things. Countries, continents, the whole wide world, and then... the solar system. Science allows you a theoretical grasp of the stars beyond, but then... there is the great macrocosm still beyond that. It's best not to preach about planets to those who see the stars," he asserted.

As for the current state of Kazuhiko, there was nothing Marisbury could do now. He was a hair's breadth from omnipotence in accordance with Gaia's understanding, but the other male in this room was something beyond these worlds. "I cannot. By my approximation, you'll have to wait about five minutes... or until he decides he's done," he said. "As it stands, what he is right here, right now, is that. It isn't my goal to 'pull' you into anything. I'm giving you facts. If your mind races toward an ulterior motive other than understanding, you should look inward instead of outward. Now, for the child..."

"Sena," the current form of Kazuhiko spoke through a matured, grungier voice. He seemed completely unbothered by the other discussions happening. In fact, his only concern was what he'd been called to this room for. "Sena? Well, if that's agreed upon, allow me to explain the details of improving potential. Consider a child a signal receiver from its parents, until that person stabilizes and finds their own source of completion. This is of course best done when both parents are close, which means an exchange of selves is ideal, at least periodically. The best choice should be obvious, but you're free to do that in whatever way you wish. If your intentions are anything else, it needs to be made known now. The consequences of separation are potentially catastrophic, though not necessarily so bad."

There was a fundamental difference of opinion between Saori and Marisbury and it was bound to be present. As the kind of person she was, his view of life and the world wouldn't be shared by someone like her. That was fine though, she was adult enough not to hold any great animosity towards him for his oddities. "Those are all fair points, but... I still don't really see myself taking full and unquestionable advice on views from someone whose lens is a bit too wide," she stated, willing to let that die there. In truth Saori knew her opinions were too firm and knew herself to be unwieldly but she was far too consistent to change now, regardless. That was fine though, she could live her life on her own terms and be happy like that. Besides she'd been quite honest. Her own life, and the lives of those around her, said that trusting those born with godly abilities to make purely altruistic or empathetic decisions wasn't necessarily a good idea. She was a bit of a skeptic.

Ah, but that was not all. Apparently he couldn't shift Kazuhiko back to looking like his teenage self. The shift he'd given was one which would last about five minutes or until the now young man himself thought he was done. She was told to look inward if her mind raced and she could only scoff, these types never understood the nuance of that sort of thing. She already knew how she felt about it, clarification would be given to avoid confusion. "Understanding is a fight for me. Always has been, always will be, no need to look inward that part has always been true for me," she commented almost absently. She'd inadvertently admitted to being a very awkward kind of person, but that didn't really matter in this context. Of course, she'd come to realize that aggression and sex weren't at all separate in her own case, but that didn't mean she'd be falling for any shenanigans. But what did Kazuhiko have to say when the conversation moved back to the child and her potential. A name, simple...

"Sena?" Saori repeated. She'd not heard it often, didn't have any students with it, and didn't know anyone annoying with it. It also had a few potential meanings and as such could be flexible enough to be included in that odd sense of justice that Marisbury claimed she'd grow into. "I actually like that one. Good work," at the very least, the no nonsense attitude was something she could appreciate. Tolerance was something she always had for Kazuhiko regardless, their relationship had always been at least amiable regardless. As for separation, "I'm still onboard for a two year trip and technically speaking he's one of my rulers. It isn't like I plan to up and disappear or anything, especially not before we finish what we came to do," she clarified. In truth it may not even be a a choice for her to go back to her old life properly, she was mentally preparing for that already.

"I don't see it happening either. Always the teacher, never the student," Marisbury commented with no further concern. It was apparent that Saori preferred combat over other methods of bonding. If approached properly, Marisbury could see that being a viable option for these two. Sadly, the pair would not agree on that matter. "Fighting is a necessity. I don't make it a hobby," this version of Kazuhiko stated blandly. In physical terms, he was far more capable like this than in any other state. Willing, he was not. "I'd rather bend a Saint over an altar than waste aggression on a fight with no win condition or requirement, but to each their own. It's no skin off my back either way," he clarified.

Marisbury sighed. If these two couldn't come to terms on a method of parental bonding, the child would suffer far more stagnation than necessary. Creations of all sorts were to be nurtured to a point of flourishing, or at least set along the proper path. This sort of disagreement made Marisbury wonder how they settled on conception at all; one of them should have had some resistance present. "This is a conundrum. But, everything has a settling point. There are plenty of things you two could do to similar effect. As it stands, you'll just have to do it more frequently. Honestly though, there's a chance it'll be equally effective to sever the child from both of you. That doesn't seem like her desire, though. See? It's here," Marisbury said while expanding the 'soul' for visual effect. Within that large swirl, there were two separate clusters of code ─ one aligned to each parent. Those clusters were close, nearly touching, but not melded as one like Marisbury would expect for an end product.

Whatever bond they had would become neither stronger nor weaker without some epic event taking place for one extreme or the other. Kazuhiko knew this; Saori seemed to know it as well. 'Kazu' didn't care in this form. "There's no point running in circles. If something happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. We'll attack the certainties. Sena looks like she's got a lot from her mother. That spot there is definitely something explosive with a short fuse. It's an endearing trait; I say build it up," he suggested. Of course, Marisbury would be taking no actions without the input of both sides. Such was the way these things had to work in an ideal world, after all.

Always a teacher? Well, that seemed a bit obtuse. It wasn't as if Saori was incapable of learning. There was a difference in understanding between two people. Oh well, two other people who didn't necessarily agree were Saori and Kazuhiko, such was likely to be the case regardless, given the nature of their original relationship. A fight was Saori's preference, and a claim was made by this more rugged form that fighting wasn't a hobby of his. Still, no unnecessary judgement came from the man, instead... something more like a flirt slipped from between his lips. A quick glance from the corner of Saori's eye occurred she took measurements and found herself easily sizing him up. Something about her stance would become obvious in this moment. "Slackers aren't allowed to flirt with me,' she said in a way that would be considered by some as casually teasing.

How had these two agreed on conception? The truth was that they didn't. As explained by Ai with her spoilers, that decision had been made by Kazuhiko when he buffed himself with his words accidentally. Ah, but that was one of those oddities in the mix. The truth was that the pair neither got along great, nor hated each other and their agreement to continue hanging out was one of tacit understanding regardless of how it happened. Ah, but according to Marisbury their little one didn't want to be separated from them, "That's fine... but the how's aren't really going to make much difference," Saori said. There really wasn't a point in arguing. Saori looked at those two balls of code and what did the little one get from them?

Well, according to Kazuhiko, it was alright to let the little one have her explosive personality as a point of endearment. "Uh, she'll end up a chuuni... but I suppose that isn't too bad for a magical kid," Saori said, knowing exactly how being short-fused as a girl was very different. "To balance that out though, lift the flexibility in thinking though. Everyone shouldn't be a hard-ass about everything," she said knowing that such a thing wasn't natural to her. Ah, but she couldn't leave. Whether she and Kazuhiko continued a physical relationship or not wasn't important. They could appreciate random aspects of their combined child.

Flirting? The way Kazu saw his own words, not a single flirt had been sent Saori's way. He'd spoken only the fact of his preference, but if she wanted to tease against perceived flirting... she'd chosen the right form of Kazuhiko to do so. "Picking battles isn't slacking. And if you think that was flirting, and that I'm not allowed, you don't seem very fit to stop me... Maîtresse," he teased right back. In that moment, both were looking at each other through the corners of their eyes.

Marisbury took note of this moment. The exchange between them didn't reek of animosity. In fact, he could now more clearly see how Saori was impregnated initially. Either way, it was his task to make the necessary pushes toward whatever these parents wanted for Sena. Personal observations about their relationship would take a backseat for the time being, though... they would remain in place nonetheless. "Interesting. So, we agree on this major personality trait. The combination of Hayami-san's demeanor with Kimura-kun's underlying traits does equal what would be called a chuuni, but... yes, she is going to be quite the magical little girl. I'm seeing a desire to focus, and... well, the rest would spoil any surprises there are. I think the best part of a new creation is seeing it come into its own. Our job here is just to open the widest path possible for her."

True to his word, Marisbury worked toward solidifying Sena's 'explosive' tendencies. Saori suggested a lift to flexibility as well. "You're plenty flexible in the right circumstance," Kazu stated. In that moment, Marisbury quirked a brow. "Hmm. Even I'm not sure what the intention behind that one was," he interjected. "Though, the combination of you two does equal more than a normal amount of mental flexibility as well as physical and spiritual. I'm seeing firm beliefs, but a willingness to see other perspectives... which seems to be the perfect middle ground for you two in your current states. Anything else? There does seem to be a leaning toward... obsession, which is a very strong part of both parents here. Is that something we want altered? I'll tell you the target is something Sena would have to discover herself, and it isn't something we can get rid of entirely."

Abrasive, that was a word that could be used to describe Saori. Even now, she was finding herself being so... choosing to tease the lad for any implication of bending her over anything instead of doing what they came here for. Still the attitude he showed in response to that, was indeed much closer to the kind of thing Saori actually enjoyed. He wasn't always like this, but the more outright flirty response was indeed more enjoyable. "I'm fit to stop whatever I want. You aren't fit to start..." ah, that one was flirty. Much easier was that sort of thing when the other pieces were already inline, even so the firmness of her stance on not being involved with the craziness wasn't going away. Life was complicated enough without the additions and she knew of far more than the light-hearted form of Kazuhiko even realized, she'd even extrapolated a few things based on historical knowledge... something that lad seemed almost incapable of doing. Whatever the case, that little bit of French language was a good sounding phrase, even though she chose to ignore it.

Still according to Marisbury Sena was going to be a very magical little girl and there was an agreement about her being a chuuni. Even so, everything would be fine, and Saori was even willing to live with a few surprises yet to be seen. "Hai hai, no need for spoilers," she said waving that part off, though she was still giving a bit of a side eye to Kazuhiko. Speaking of his commentary on flexibility could be taken a couple of ways, and even Marisbury claimed to not know which way it was meant. "Unneeded commentary!" she barked. Who that was meant for? Well... it didn't really matter. What was necessary was a decision, about the nature of obsession in Sena. Oddly enough, Saori had but one thing to say about it, "No need to tweak it... obsessions are technically quite healthy for those types," Saori stated. She had at least one obsession of her own currently and she'd grown out of the others when the time was right. She had faith a baby of hers could with help learn to navigate her own feelings well enough to be unhindered by such a thing.

According to Saori, she was capable of stopping anything, while he was not fit to start. The inaccuracies were piling up, Kazuhiko thought, even scoffing at the claim. "You couldn't handle a third," he said plainly. He knew his capabilities, the weight of his soul and the power of this form whilst in it. Whether his words were arrogant or objective, he wouldn't bother saying. This Kazuhiko had no concern for how the conversation veered, how his words were interpreted, or... any of it, really. Even with Saori's exclamation of unneeded commentary, he had only a few simple words to offer. "Haah? Embarrassed? Let it go and move on," he said.

Strange as this pair was, Marisbury would now be doing nothing with the recently-addressed aspect of Sena. If they didn't want her obsessions curbed, he would leave them alone. The only thing that needed establishing was the type of parental bond, which normally filled itself in during the incubation process. To rush it along, Marisbury did need something. "If that's all, I need only one more thing from you two. If this process were to be completed naturally, Sena's soul would grow to understand the link between you two before being born. It would happen naturally, and determine how these two sub-cores meld, if at all. If you two aren't going to exchange mana in any way, we'll have to cause that convergence by other means. I could probably manage something just by knowing what you two think of each other in reasonable detail. Is that a better option?"

Oh, there was a bit of biting conversation. That was appreciable in truth. Saori preferred this kind of attitude to many others, but that was simply her own oddity. "Oh?" that was it, perhaps in a different moment or at a different time she would have called him on this assertion. Perhaps it would be something worth doing at some other point in time but it was nothing she was truly concerned about in the moment. No, there was a barking order of unnecessary commentary which came from Saori which a few words followed from Kazuhiko's end. "You could have let it go," that was it. It would have seemed like an argument but she said nothing else, such was her way, mostly so she didn't do anything unnecessary like stand up and swing a fist which did cross her mind as an option.

Ah but there was more that Marisbury needed. He claimed that the growth of a baby would naturally allow it to understand the relationship between its parents and give it time to bond its pieces together properly. Such would not be happening in this case. And since Saori had no active plans of engaging in continued sexual activity with Kazuhiko. Ah, but apparently they could talk it through, why these weird godly people had issues with conversations Saori couldn't know, but if talking was an option why they started with sex she didn't know. "Hm, I guess it works..." she said seeming to close her eyes and consider the question posed to her. Oddly enough what she had to say about Kazuhiko from one moment to the next didn't change, "I think he's bright, earnest, adventurous and legitimately nice. Though that means he is also naïve and a bit oblivious, especially when presented with one of his obsessions. But for things he's interested in, he's truly passionate about those, and that makes him infectious and oddly charming. He's a strong sense of fairness, and a good eye for the individual talents of others which make him a reliable leader and someone who is easy to talk to and empathize with. And anyone who goes all in on something they enjoy has my full respect. Even if I believe they aren't making full use of their potential," Saori confirmed. Oddly enough she had no issues saying such things, but she was a teacher she was used to analyzing people in front of their faces.

To his acknowledgement of her outcry, Saori thought Kazu could have just let it go. She wasn't wrong; he could have done that. As for whether he would or not, well... the answer would never change. "You're right. But you could have never said anything. Look where we are now?" he replied. Martha's mannerisms didn't bother this one, nor were they receiving the same quality of retort. He was equal parts too serious and too snarky for the norm.

Now, with no mana transfer of any sort on the proverbial table, Saori shared her opinion of the father in this arrangement. Marisbury listened intently to her every word, and further all the lines between. The honesty she exemplified was remarkable. She spoke positively from the heart, objectively from the mind, and acceptingly from the soul. "That was good. And what of you? What is your honest opinion of Hayami-san?" he asked of Kazu. The answer Marisbury received came with no hesitation. "Stuck-up, close-minded, brash and prickly on a good day. Too strong a sense of responsibility for someone who isn't even 30 yet. For the cost of all that, there's a do-right attitude and a heart of gold. You just can't be mad about any of the negatives, even if you know she needs to stop shouldering the whole damn world for no reason. You just want to take some of that weight off, you know? Speaking of weight, I'm guessing you don't care to hear about the rockin' body," Kazu rambled. Marisbury never stopped shifting code lines around, but he did take a moment to chuckle. "That won't be necessary; we can all agree on that truth," he answered. The two segments representing Sena's parents were wound together at a specific point: a streak of passion. As each had strong feelings of passion and respect for the other's similar drive, he could use it to create a situational link between those pseudo-cores. "This will be a little strange. The two of you seem to have a... situationship at best. By this connection method, there will equally be a situational reaction of sorts in our little Sena. Now, about the age. . ."

Pure snark, that is what Saori received from this more mature form of Kazuhiko. Seeing where they were now, she gave consideration to more words, but... she also knew herself well enough to know that if she spoke again standing up and swinging would become her more favored option. As such she took a deep breath and simply shook her head from left to right. Moving on, Saori gave her piece on the man standing in front of her she was told it was enough for what Marisbury needed. Her understanding of Kimura Kazuhiko came from two places and in both of those she had similar opinions just from different angles.

What of Kazuhiko though? His opinion of his teacher turned comrade was about what she expected. Those were things she'd heard about herself before and she wouldn't even argue the point. Her attitude wasn't for everyone and she didn't tolerate anything lesser. Those who thought her to have too strong a sense of responsibility were the ones who had some inkling of 'funner' sort of person she used to be. What else he had to say about her though, that was different. Her brows furrowed. She asked for no help and expected none... ah but that was the point wasn't it. As for the statements on her physique. She couldn't even muster a negative comment. She spent two lifetimes on a perfect body, she wasn't about to deny that perfection. "Hmph!" she didn't say anything but there was just a hint of smugness in wake of Marisbury's commentary. Situationship was the further descriptor of the relationship between Saori and Kazuhiko and she understood how it got there and wouldn't be questioning it at all... as for the age of the girl in question. "Age? I don't know what modern kids are like, but I had the most fun in life when I was fifteen. Old enough to be independent, young enough that I wasn't being hassled to make decisions... past the super awkwardness of puberty. Though I'm not sure how much my opinion on that should count," Saori said, being fair to the child in question and her potential father.

Saori had nothing to say at the end of their back-and-forth. Kazu wasn't surprised at all by that; someone had to end it eventually. Just the same, there had to be an end to this entire ordeal at some point. Even this form of Kazuhiko acknowledged that he'd rather be elsewhere getting on with his original plan, but Marisbury kept bringing up things that they all could have dealt with later. Well, he couldn't rightly demand that Marisbury change his schedule; he was an adult with a very demanding job in this world.

Age was the topic broached. Marisbury was mentally working around how to address the matter, only for Saori to begin speaking her opinion of the ideal age. That certainly changed things a bit. At present, the child would hardly be half that age, but... there was always a method. "Ah. I was intending to explain the situation before getting an answer about your preference. If you're aiming for something around 15 years of age, you'll need a lot more mana into the child than what's present. Right now, your window is between human newborn and... four," Marisbury explained. "That makes sense. Kazuki looks like an elementary school student, and that was after multiple nights spent with Sakura. If she's being born now, fifteen is ideal. She'd be able to join us at school, and we wouldn't lose to having a young child that needs constant care," said Kazu. Marisbury cleared his throat before proceeding. "Then we're back at square one. Growth accompanies mana consumed. A normal tenure in the womb burns energy to fuel the body; I'm sure you both understand that already. It's just like humans understand it. The mother takes sustenance, the child gets a share. I may be able to extend time within this space, but... even I can't make a human grow with no input whatsoever. You'll have to either make some level of connection happen between you, or make another decision. I'll leave that part to you two."

A quiet had come between the pair but that was simply how Saori handled things in situations in which fighting someone wasn't possible. To keep things as simple as possible she tried to be as reasonable as she could manage without bending to anything she considered odd. Of course, such things would work out that way most of the time. But in the here and now she'd been asked about age preferences and the opening in speech left her to decide an age she'd preferred. Ah, but what she had was a baby between newborn and four. "That's way too young," she said frowning. The idea of doing something like finding childcare and helping a little kid was terrifying. She'd not even liked her younger sister when she was in that age range, and Saori had been 9 when that one was born. Apparently, Kazuhiko also thought the better of it, as a fifteen year old could more easily fit into their regular rotation for time spent in this town.

So what? It did make sense that they'd only had one interaction of a sizable but not astronomical length. Magic did work through energy based transfers and even as she understood regular baby making it took a lot out of the person growing it mostly in the form of food. It was an annoying thought though, according to Marisbury he could do something but not the amount they'd need to get their desired outcome. Something about this felt like entrapment to Saori. But only some form of connection needed to be established. Kazuhiko could be trusted to a certain extent, she'd already mentioned that, but her stance hadn't truly changed. "Just a connection of some sort huh? You're the one with the extra experience, what's the least invasive way to meet his requirements?" she asked of Kazuhko. She could at least trust him to not be too pushy about things normally.

The age of four was at least ten years too young for a suitable member of their group. They needed someone who didn't require constant attention from at least one adult. In time, they would all be involved in a great battle. What place would a child have there? No, Sena had to be in range of them. Nothing less would suffice, and even a little more would have been fine. Sadly, Marisbury had requirements of the pair who couldn't come to terms about their mana-related bonding.

Saori wasn't the only one with a sense of entrapment in this situation. There was always a certain amount of manipulation from the well-meaning ones he'd been encountering lately. On the other hand, he didn't really care the outcome, so long as he got to move on afterwards. Saori decided to question Kazu on the least invasive ways of meeting the request. She was right; he had far more experience in these matters. In terms of effectiveness, however, what he learned was not conducive to making the decision Saori would want. "Least invasive and most effective? Oral. Least invasive overall? Just touching. It scales the same magically as it does sexually. The more you do, the more you get, quicker. You shouldn't bother asking me any of that, though. I already said I'd rather bend you over something; I meant that. Make your own decision if that's not what you're trying to have happen," he demanded. Just then, Marisbury cleared his throat once more. "If you'll be needing any time manipulation or privacy, please let me know~"

As was generally the case and her understanding, Kazuhiko had an answer for her without the added annoyance of well-meaning clairvoyant scamp behavior. At this point the only reason she'd not just swung on Marisbury was because he was being helpful... but her level of annoyance was only going to grow as the day went on. The truth of this entire situation was some combination of magical scaling versus time. Of course this was the case, why didn't anyone in this room besides Saori see the actual negatives of her continuing to have a sexual relationship with someone who was in this world a student of hers and 12 years her junior? Why was she the only one in this room with the common sense to know that a one time encounter was something to be buried, but more exposure would lead to more problems, both short term and long term. Besides, she wanted no part of his coming harem and had something she was looking forward to as well... this was just a complication. This kind of thing was exactly why safe sex was a practice so annoying life decisions could be mediated and innocent lives wouldn't be affected. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the problem of this situation and the more annoyed she became. Well, those from Munetsuchi wouldn't get it, nor would the obviously way too open children...

"Mendokusei!" she uttered. Problems she couldn't fix with violence made her angry. And those flirty words in the middle of Kazuhiko's speech didn't do anything but make her want to challenge him and make her angry too. 'Pros of this situation... getting the kid out at the least problematic age. Having said kid around at an age where it would be easiest to keep all necessary details quiet. Getting this whole thing over with before it causes me more problems. Getting to try out a more compatible form of Kazuhiko. And the kid getting a supposedly better start at life.' she listed in her head while clenching and unclenching her fist. 'Cons, having sex with a student, on purpose for reasons that can't really be quantified by normal standards. Having that loom over my head while still having to be his actual teacher. Ending up too close to this harem for my personal comfort. Leaving openings for his continued flirting and advances. Eventually having to explain this very fucked up situation to someone I actually want to be with.' With the pros and cons of this situation listed, the annoyance level of the situation stayed the same but at least she had a reasonable understanding of the stakes. Unlike most, neither Saori nor Martha would make a decision thatt would negatively affect an innocent person, once again she'd shoulder the burden of her own initial bad decision to see a reasonable for a future for a kid who was currently just an idea and a ball of code. 'Oh well, at least I'll get to say goodbye to my sister this time.' That was the main thought she had as she considered all the potential negatives of this situation as a full worst case scenario. "We need both." that was it... all that she was going to say. If this was a thing to do, she might as well fully commit to throwing her life away.