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An airship carrying the hopes and dreams of its crew toward the distant horizon. The skyfarers aboard have heard the dragon's voice that shakes the world's balance.
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An airship carrying the hopes and dreams of its crew toward the distant horizon. The skyfarers aboard have heard the dragon's voice that shakes the world's balance.
It took a couple of days beyond the end of the Demon menace in Eonis for the group, now plus a few additional people to make it all the way back to Atlantis and onto the the ship created by two others of their ilk. Bulma stood with her short blue hair being pushed about by the breeze, atop the deck of the ship just off the shores, of Atlantis as a cart pulled by a heavily fatted black Filolial road up to it. She smoked a cigarette seemingly amused by the sight. It'd been a few weeks since she'd last seen this group and she'd spent a lot of time, effort and a great deal of Miki's coin, making this ship into a moving hub. Now, she was simply waiting for the entire group to arrive.
From the cart, this ship was massive, a vessel larger than whole mansions by most accounts. It's hull had a shiny hue to it, but seemed to be made of some sort of wood and beyond all of that, a large dragon shaped balloon like set of sails sat atop it floating it just off the ground constantly. A ramp made its way up the side wide enough that the whole cart could be manuevered up onto the deck and it soon was, as the black Filolial ran forward, strangely enough with Hikari at the reigns. The Demi-Human lass had been thinking for quite a while, about the secretive nature of her brother among other things. But she'd carried on, as she always did, wondering just what all was going on in his head. Upon bringing a stop to the vehicle she raised a hand to Bulma and said a strange phrase. "Yahello!~" she chimed only to have Bulma reply in turn through drags of a cigarette. "Yahello!~ Hikari-chan... Minna, welcome to the Grandcypher!"
At long last, they were ready to venture out into the open sky of this world. The group had certainly grown over the course of a few journeys. They were ten strong now, each member capable of contributing a great deal to the overall structure of a group. If they had the clearance, they could easily form a Guild here and now, with the ship as their base; it was certainly large enough to classify as one.
Ah, but there was one thing... just a single hiccup. As the majority of this group made their way to the ship, there was a greeting shared mutually between Hikari and their resident scientist, Bulma. The ashen-haired Saber named Kou suffered a twitching eye and lip upon hearing it twice, but he supposed there would be no avoiding it in the long haul. With a sigh, he accepted the fate that he'd never hear the end of this 'yahello' epidemic, even in this world. "... Right. Yeah. Grandcypher, huh? I wasn't expecting a zeppelin, but it looks pretty sick," he praised. A large number of the group seemed to be in awe of this construction. Among the most awe-stricken was none other than Dreyfus, their new and temporary blacksmith. With his maw agape, the large half-Dwarf sauntered his way inside the vessel, bypassing one Kaiba Seto... who naturally looked about as pleased as a rotten child. "Greetings aside, get this damn thing moving already. I have things to do."
Kou upon seeing the ship, classified it as a zeppelin and he wasn't wrong in this. Apparently, though he still approved of the look which caused a gentle incline from the head of Bulma. "Hai hai, glad you like it. It was the best compromise that could be achieved with the combination of things it needed to be capable of," she said taking another drag of her cigarette. It seemed that Kaiba Seto was none too thrilled about their lack of movement, but that was to be expected. After all the lad was never very patient. As more individuals came pouring out of the cart, a blue haired boy by the name of Jaskier hopped out as well, having a grand look around as Miki floated out once again this time with a frown on her face as she came to look at Kaiba. She absently pushed her hair out of the way and shook her head. "It isn't going anywhere. And some of us, always have something to do..." she said with a roll of her eyes. Of course, they'd been busy while they were gone, the extra people present was proof enough of that, but what this group couldn't know was how much world saving the group had managed to do while they were out and about. "Nice job on the ship. Is it fully outfitted?" she asked of Bulma because obviously having a normal conversation was Kaiba wasn't really on her list of things to do.
"Hai, I had a lot of time and a lot of funding. It has a fully stocked galley, living areas enough for 50 or so, including a large captain's quarters, a Library, a couple of different workshops and indoor plumbing." she said of the full layout. "Oh, and there is also storage below for carts, vehicles, and mounts so you can keep your pets from going stir crazy... But I left decorating to him... so no complaints about that aimed towards me," she finished up. "Very nice." was the last thing Miki had to say about it. Not so strangely, Miki had no problem trusting potential furnishings left up to Kaiba, they technically had similar tastes aside from his Dragon obsession. "We can take off anytime, anyone with riding skills who wants to learn the controls should come along though...they are a bit... different," she said leaving anyone who wanted to explore the ship to do so, while heading up to the area which housed the helm and all the navigation equipment. For their maiden voyage, Miki was content to at least learn the controls, so she followed Bulma. Hikari on the other hand decided to get Fiona settled, while Jaskier found a place near the mast to post up and begin tuning his lute.
"If this is the best, I think you could have even taken a lazy day... or seven," Kou commented as he, too, boarded the vessel. Members of the group were piling on while Bulma explained matters of importance, primarily involving this ship's functionality as a base. "That's the stuff! It'll be a hell of a relief, having a solid place to stay while still being on the move for so long... yeah?" His clause ended with an upward inflection as his gaze found Miki. He would also be taking Bulma's offer to learn the Grandcypher's mechanics directly. Different though they may have been, he expected a simple enough transition.
Dreyfus took a quick trip toward whatever place would allow him to place his craft. Arjuna remained on deck, not far from the bard Jaskier. Diva, having little clue what to do with himself otherwise, followed Hikari, and the same could be said of... Xerxes, the dragon-like feline who'd been left to watch over Hikari and Fiona. "Right, I guess it's just us then? No worries. Teach away, uh... Teach," Kou stated in anticipation of this vessel's workarounds.
The words which came from Kou's mouth made Bulma look confused by association. "Lazy... days? I wouldn't know what to do with myself," she said simply. Of course she meant that whole-heartedly and it would strangely be Miki to provide clarification. "Number One workaholic, who doesn't know the meaning of the word play because she considers her work as such. Hisakawa Hiromi is not capable of taking a lazy day," Miki teased, in a fashion more typical of her original self. "Ashikaga, you can barely talk." Bulma followed up, without at all denying anything that was said. "But I can talk!~" the blonde lass teased. Moving right along, the news that the entire place was fully furnished, and outfitted for living seemed to bring Kou a great deal of comfort. "Yeah. I enjoy traveling as much as the next person, but a bit of security and comfort is definitely nice," Miki agreed without question. She then got to watch as the whole of their group dispersed to different activities. Even Xerxes was out and about as they went to get their first flying lesson.
Bulma took a deep breath and pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes. She began tapping them against her palm while pointing around the control room. "Helm," she said pointing to the wheel. "These switches control the wings," Bulma said as she kept tapping her pack. "This one raises and lowers the ramp, and this one launches for take off," she said pointing to a blue button first and then a large red one, marked launch. It seemed she'd taken quite a bit of thought in designing this, but the truth was, this ship sort of, built itself. "Petals on the floor are gas and breaks, just like a car... but the gauges here read all different pressures, fuel, wind, weather, water, etc..." she managed and only then did the tapping stop. She pulled a single smoke from her package and a lighter from her pocket and lit it. A long drag ensued, "This last thing here is navigation..." she said pointing to a large glass sphere with a small cone visible showing presently the landmass they were directly floating over with the ship as its central point. "The ship is the dot, not sure how far she sees exactly, but her senses are better than ours. Also... I'm pretty sure it's gonna take some advanced riding to get it just right... the she's a little fickle..." mentioned Bulma. "Questions?" Though it wasn't technically necessary, to be fair, aside from its sentience this ship worked like any car or motorbike from their home.
The exchange between Miki and Bulma was taken in stride by Kou. Hearing their words toward each other, he actually had a bit of input himself. "I dunno... she's got a point," he said to Miki, laughing just slightly as he did. From what he'd seen of her thus far, she hardly knew when to quit. Of course, he also had little room to talk in specific cases of immersion, but... those were specific cases. Moving on though, he had a look around the control room. It was quite an advanced structure, considering the look of this ship from the outside. Considering the state of this world, though, he wasn't sure if this was Bulma's work... or the original design of the old Atlanteans. It didn't matter long term either way, but it was a curiosity of his.
"I do have a question," he said, even though it had nothing to do with what he wondered previously. As he continued speaking, he also continued moving about the room. Everything Bulma mentioned was being committed to memory. "What's this about other vehicles? You know you wanna let me take that bike for a spin, right?"
It seemed that Kou saw the hypocrisy of the statements given by Miki. She simply playfully scoffed at the notion. Yes, she also knew that she had a habit of becoming a bit ingrained in her work. Even so, she was still ever so slightly better off than Bulma though by no doing of her own. "Well, sure she does. That's why I pointed it out... I still know my way around a lazy day," said Miki which was true, if only because her father saw to it, that she gained a knowledge of how to not throw herself exclusively into work, regardless of how she felt about it. Still there were able to move on to this point and get to the questions part of the explanation after of course, getting a general run down of the necessary information about the ship. "You said the ship is sentient, does that mean it has auto-pilot?" she asked of Bulma which made the lass laugh, but a shrug came after. "Uh, kinda. If she wants to go somewhere she will... as far as I know she seems to know what she wants out of travel. At the very least, she wants to go towards certain points. I was thinking of letting her choose our first destination since there weren't any specifics... I don't think she can be forced to go somewhere she doesn't wish to, though," mentioned Bulma lightly. Their maiden voyage was something to be decided by the ship if only because, Bulma wasn't actually sure it would take direct orders from her.
Beyond this, Bulma was about to say something which further backed up Miki's claim that she didn't know when to stop working. She pulled from her pocket a few capsules and held them out for Kou after his request to ride a bike. "I had a lot more free time than I thought, and per our agreement I made a few of these. The first one, is a regular land bike, a bit like a Harley. Magical but it can be modified a bit. The second is for water, I don't know how much you plan to use it but it functions a bit like a jet ski..." she mentioned of a the first two capsules which were black and blue. The last one was a golden orange a bit like the sun and she gave a bit of pause before explaining it. "This last one is a prototype. I made it of some left over dragon parts, I call it a solar sailer. It runs on magic and sunlight, but I haven't gotten to test it out yet. It's meant for some recreational flight type of things. You can test it out if you like once we're up high enough it should be a decent bit of fun..." she said calmly. "Also all vehicles of these type can fit two... so, do with that what you will," she mentioned while taking a drag. "Are we ready for takeoff?" she asked.
"H'oh?" Kou seemed to be in doubt of Miki's claim. No matter what she said, he hardly believed her idea of a 'lazy day' could ever be the same as his. They were in two very different classes. The way he figured, her equivalent to a lazy day would be his equivalent to... any random Wednesday. "I wonder. What is it you even do on a lazy day?" he questioned. He legitimately wondered what the exact differences between their lifestyles were. This girl had never experienced a great deal of things that were commonplace to him, but... could their lives have been so separate in the other world?
Bulma had nary a thing to say regarding the use of her bike. She did, however, have a few containment devices containing three total vehicles. The first of them was just what he desired, while the second was something he imagined would see use in only a few locations. Ah, but the final offering... that was something to think twice about. She had a flying tool powered by Mana and sunlight, and it was his to toy with? Oh, he'd be wasting no time at all. Prototype or not, that was going to be the first thing he made use of once they took off. Speaking of takeoff, this new development left him less patient for departure. "Hell yeah, let's get moving!" he said, his eyes alight with wonder and anticipation for the new tools. Just after that, he took pause with an expression of wonder upon his face. "Wait, what agreement?"
It seemed Kou doubted Miki's ability to have a lazy day, or rather felt the need to question her choice of activities on a lazy day. Perhaps their ideas of lazy were different, but Kimiko in her life was still a shut-in gamer with way too much time on her hands. "Mine are spent doing whatever. A trip to the arcade, shopping, getting rid of staff and spending interrupted sweet hours in-game. Those were my lazy days... I suppose I'll have to eventually find something to replace those kinds of activities..." she mentioned thinking about it. Her lonely days at home, like the weekend that landed her here, were shining moments of glorious laziness for a lass whose entire life worked on a schedule, diet, and full-time work. Perhaps because of this, what she thought of as lazy wasn't truly so, but it still gave her a healthy bit of relaxation to ponder.
Beyond this point, while not mentioning her own bike, Bulma did indeed offer the lad two different ones and a prototype solar sailer. It seemed he was fine with all of these offerings and content to take off. "Hai hai launch at your leisure..." Miki said in response to the lass. She began preparations, removing the latches and allowing the ship to begin to gently lift further from the ground, pressing the button caused it to move forward and beyond that the shifting of the wings made it turn slightly until it was aligned. They slowly began gaining altitude thereafter. Strangely, Kou seemed to only catch what Bulma had mentioned of an agreement after the fact, and Bulma had no problem explaining it, much to Miki's dismay. "When I turned over control of the business end of my creations to Ashikaga, when we first saw each other in Atlantis, we struck a deal. Assuming you are familiar with her normal rates, you know the scale is negotiable depending on what you need from the deal. I plan to leave all the business end to her, so I would have been charged full price. She took a five percent cut for a provision which gives you access to bikes and a few prototype creations of mine. There's even a provision if you decide you want to build a bike. So, basically she hired me as your personal mechanic, and since our contract is indefinite..." she mentioned. Miki or rather Kimiko didn't seem to have much interest in the mechanical engineering side of things. And out right she was more of a car person, than a motorcycle person. But Kou had mentioned even in the Marshlands wanting bikes. Upon finding Bulma in this world, she made a deal to make sure he could have access to anything and everything he wanted in that realm. This was done even before her confession to the lad. Miki had the grace to look exceedingly sheepish after this her face painted red because she figured he would have gone ages without knowing and likely would have just figured Bulma was nice instead of thinking she had anything to do with it.
He could almost laugh. In fact, he did. That rich girl known as Ashikaga Kimiko thought that classified as a lazy day? Oh, the difference between their lifestyles. Once he was done grasping at his abdomen and bellowing a guffaw into the ship's ceiling, he bent at the waist and shook his head. "That's it? I dunno, that sounds like a regular day to me. What the fuck do you mean a trip? There aren't trips in laziness! Skip school, stay inside, don't change clothes, eat cup ramen and let the noodles hang out of your mouth because you're too into a boss fight to even chew! Don't even get up to shower, just keep all your food and drink by the bed all day. That's lazy! There was a wide, carefree grin upon the face of Kou during this speech. He meant every word; his take on laziness was of a different quality entirely. What Miki had to say, truly was just an ordinary day to him.
Off they went on their sky ship, while Bulma explained the agreement she'd made with Miki in Atlantis. He certainly wasn't expecting anything of the sort, but it was strangely heartwarming. Could the blonde really think his gift to her was something so out of the ordinary, when she'd sacrificed part of a contract to grant him a simple desire he'd only mentioned in casual conversation? Ridiculous. What could he do now, though? Miki's face wasn't the only one experiencing an intense increase in redness; his was as well. He tried looking in her direction, but the end result was nothing more than him looking away immediately. "S─sou ka..." he said. This abashed demeanor of his wouldn't last long, though. His excitement returned soon after they took off, and he moved closer to the ship's deck. A single pop of a capsule, and he had before him what appeared to be a surfboard. Indeed, it was the Solar Sailer Bulma previously mentioned. Once his eye was on it, he had it in mind to take a more... exciting path to the skies.
Kou seemed to be having a great laugh at Miki's idea of laziness, and she was soon to find out why. An entire tangent ensued about things she assumed the lad did when he was being lazy. Not going for showers, eating nearby food, not leaving his house... this was an extreme amount of shut-in behavior. She wouldn't chastise his decisions though because he looked so happily carefree at the end of his statement that she couldn't bring herself to even try too pick apart his fun. Instead only a smile crossed her face. "Hai hai, I suppose that does sound a great deal lazier than anything I manage... I'm still not a workaholic," she said. The ship continued to climb and as it did the conversation about the deal between Miki and Bulma came to its high point.
The explanation provided by Bulma seemed to leave both of the younger teens in a state of embarrassment, which the blue-haired woman found amusing for a variety of reasons. "Yeah, so let me know if you want anything particular, or if after testing you think of some things which can be adjusted..." Bulma said with a solid offering of her own services, knowing that it was exactly what Miki meant for her to do. Still the cute embarrassment wouldn't seem to last very long as the lad moved on to his excitement about trying out the prototype and Miki managed to clear her head only to think of one thing as she went to watch the take off. It was a question surrounding part of his earlier tirade and one which only she could ask. "Wait... what the hell is cup ramen?"
"Eyes of the beholder," the lad chimed as he stepped farther from the control room, toward the ship's edge. That feeling of the wind was just what he needed, and there was no better time than the present to have this new experience. He wanted to have an early go at it as well, before it became too dangerous for any random failure of the prototype. "Alright... Time to make a move," he said, propping his sailer against the railing and preparing for departure. Just before he hopped on, though, Miki shared a few more words. She couldn't have meant that, right? Ah, but she could. That wealthy lass truly was poor enough in experience to have zero familiarity with cup ramen. Kou was aghast. "You─" How could he even explain? Well, he supposed there was only one way to do so. Somehow, somewhere, he'd have to find a way to offer the experience directly.
"I can't explain it. It has to be lived." That was all he could manage regarding the great delicacy known as cup ramen. With that, he hopped off the Grandcypher with his new 'toy' in hand. There was a place to plant his feet, and once they were there, rocket propulsion allowed additional speed to his descent. It took a few seconds to adjust, but he soon managed to curve enough to begin moving alongside the ship at great speed, even exceeding the larger vessel here and there. "WOOOOOOOHOOO!~' Already, this was the most worthwhile use of his time at present. He wondered briefly what the 'solar' part of this device was, but it was easy enough to figure out. Application of Mana through his forward foot produced a literal sail on the board─ one which bore similarities to a solar panel, albeit malleable enough to be carried by the wind. 'Sou ka. If I use this, I can save Mana at a low speed cost. This shit's cray.'
Kou claimed such things to be in the eye of the beholder, and Miki could agree. She didn't see herself as a workaholic because she had examples of people much more prone to extra work and no fun than herself. Kaiba and Hisakawa came to mind for that sort of thing implicitly. Still, her question about cup ramen wasn't answered directly instead the lad claimed it was something which had to be lived. Perhaps, one day she'd find a way to try it, since the way he said it made it sound rather enticing. "Sou desu ka..." she managed softly. Of course, this was fine. And she was then content to watch the lad try out his new vehicle. Actually, that wasn't really the case she was unabashedly staring as the lad had his fun. Zooming around the ship, managing to speed up with it, all while looking absolutely entertained and amused. A small smile came to her face and there was a deep light in her eyes, seeing this amount of happiness definitely made that earlier contract worth making. All the while she leaned up against the railing, taking in the wind, her hair blowing gently in the breeze. This was truly picturesque, eventually the ship itself reached a stabilizing altitude and would turn itself towards wherever it was it intended to go. Then and only then did Bulma leave the control room several minutes after the fact and head back to the deck. There were a few other things to take care of about figuring out who was going to be captain and all of that, but she figured they could get to that after a bit of relaxation was reached.
There were many twists and turns in Kou's flight, all purposeful. His path took him around the ship multiple times, though he mostly resorted to cruising alongside it. Eventually, he'd board again... but not quite yet. While he was busy enjoying his flight, others were moving about the ship. Arjuna, for one, had recently taken in the sights of the ship. The tanned male approached the pair of Miki and Bulma, speaking to the latter. Of course, this only came after he checked in with Hikari for... reasons.
"Bulma," he said, expecting that the young Demi-Human would be alongside him to chime in at her leisure. "I've inspected the ship, but there is one minor... issue. The captain's quarters is a single room separate from others, as it well should be. However, would we not have two captains aboard?" He spoke to Bulma, yes, but his gaze found Miki partway through his speech. There was something afoot here, but it was a grand gesture... depending on how one chose to view it. As he continued, his words became ones which reached out to Miki as well. Meanwhile, others such as Dreyfus and Diva were approaching this small gathering of people. "We were discussing the fact that there are two people who normally function as our leader. Should we expect the room to be shared, or will our navigator be taking it? Allow me to advise against the latter."
Soon enough, Arjuna was approaching Miki and Bulma, and along with him was Hikari who seemed more than a bit amused. In fact, there was devious light in the lass' eye. "Yare yare, I told you any problems with the decor don't have anything to do with m...." there was a pause it seemed the issue wasn't really one. According to him, there was a decision to be made regarding their captains and where they would be sleeping. "Sou ka," Bulma said. Although she didn't retain the same vested interest in the budding relationship between Kou and Miki, she was just as likely as the others to observe it. She didn't have any problem letting the rest of the group at large, have their fun at these two's expense.
Miki for her part in this, was exceedingly distracted, watching Kou. Until of course, the aim was to get her attention. Then and only then did she finally draw her eyes away from the lad, only to turn and find most of the people of this group standing around. Her eyes widened, and she felt like she had been caught. Little did she know she was being trapped instead. "Ah, well... I mean we," Miki started. It looked as if they were already planning this. The claim being they should share the room, or give it to the navigator which he advised against. "You seem like you've put a bit more thought into this than I'd like," this was how Miki chose to phrase her present discomfort. Now if she were being truthful, she had no problem sharing a room with Kou. In fact, before anyone else had joined them, she'd forced him into it. "I mean I don't really care where I sleep or anything. It isn't so big a deal..." said Miki, crossing her arms over her chest. A lighter flick would sound and Bulma began another cigarette, "You don't have to worry on my account. I'd prefer to sleep in my workshop, and set it up as such..." Bulma said laxly. "Yosh! No reason then, that you and Nii-san, can't just share the Captain's Quarters then, right?" said Hikari with her wide eyes shining at Miki. She was put on the spot so hard by this notion. Where was Kou, obviously he could help her out of this.
As Kou continued to fly around the Grandcypher, he considered a great many things. One of those things he offered thought to, happened to be something which disturbed him greatly. They had so recently departed from Eonis, but there was one thing... one vital thing he'd gone without addressing during his time there. They were all quite busy, yes, but something was missing. "FUCK!" he yelled without much forethought. "I didn't get the fucking Dragon Glass!"
Meanwhile, deliberation regarding the captain's quarters began properly. Miki was right. Arjuna had, indeed, put quite a bit of thought into this sales pitch after scoping out their new shared living space. This option, above all others, was integral to the majority's desire... to force their leader figures into a relationship, since the pair of them were so skittish about it otherwise. Miki claimed she didn't care where she slept, but that was just more reason for it to work out just the way he suggested. "No qualms, then? If nothing else, having the captain well-rested from the best setup is ideal for crew morale. Looking at the rooms here, I imagine there will be some sort of... buff from the room."
Strangely, there was an outburst from Kou, about forgetting Dragon Glass. It had been a thing, that he'd previously asked for from the player Princess Madoka in Eonis on their earlier visit. All things considered, it wasn't really strange it had been forgotten given the state they'd found Eonis in when they'd returned to it. Bulma ever the nice person looked up at the lad. "I have Dragon Alchemy, if the combination of the right materials can be reached. I can make Dragon Glass..." she mentioned through an exhale of smoke. Of course, she had every reason to believe that between her and Miki such an amalgamation of materials could be found, but alas this wasn't the point of the conversation being had by the crew members at present. Hikari's eyes were still shining brightly with that hint of devilishness in them. Miki was managing to avoid eye contact though the words being spoken by Arjuna made her huff.
"Crew Morale and buffs? You want us to share a room for crew morale and buffs..." she said looking at the man as if he was up to something. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, maybe it was just knowing the lad was also Karna that made her mistrust his words a bit. Maybe, it was just the idea of such a thing being sprung on her without reason. She couldn't really tell, but it definitely seemed as if everyone present had some strange vested interest in the idea of her and Kou sharing the Captain's Quarters. She had no real problem with doing so, but she wouldn't make such a decision. After all, their whole working relationship was based on the equality of their input. So, the approach to take, would be the one she always did, the one of tentative neutrality. "There is no reason we can't share it, but... that isn't really a decision I can make on my own," Miki mentioned still not making eye contact. Bulma took note of this and found it interesting. She'd known Ashikaga Kimiko for a great deal of her life, and had never seen her outright defer a decision in such a way. In fact, she was much more likely to watch the girl argue her point into the ground before leaving something up to someone else. Taking such a statement as cue Hikari looked to her brother, and asked the lad a question in the most direct manner possible. "Nii-san! Miki-nee wants to share the Captain's Quarters with you... that's cool, right?" she mentioned taking the liberty of interpreting the elder lass' neutrality. This widened Miki's eyes, those weren't the exact words she'd spoken but they could be taken that way, 'She's dangerous...' she realized of the lad's younger sister.
Kou's outburst had been heard by none other than Bulma, who thought it imperative to mention her own ability to produce Dragon Glass. It wasn't so much a thing he needed, but rather something he saw the potential uses of in future. Moreover, he wouldn't be capable of acquiring it from Princess Madoka for quite some time after this journey to the skies began. It was overall nice to know he could receive Dragon Glass, or even something like it, through a member of the current group. "Sugoi!" he said while flying closer to the deck where others seemed to be grouping up. "I made an arrangement to get tons of it, but... I might be needing a few pieces while we're upstairs. I'll let you know!"
There was one more matter which kept Kou closer to the ship. Why was most of the crew hanging out in this one spot on the deck? He'd soon be finding out in a roundabout way, and through none other than Hikari at that. His board lowered until he could hover just over the surface for a bit. She couldn't h ave been serious, right? To imply that Miki had a desire to share a room was ridiculous, or at least it should have been. There was a memory in his mind of her suggesting a shared room at the start of their journey together, though...
"... Eh?" he questioned aloud. It took the young man's best effort to keep any amount of shock and embarrassment from his visage, but he may have been failing just a bit. He couldn't manage eye contact with a single person at the time, knowing a handful of eyes were on him during this moment. "Uh... yeah. I mean, I guess? Are there buffs?"
Apparently, whatever the lad had planned for the Dragon Glass, he didn't need much of it at first. Perhaps he would only need it after a while, with this, Bulma could at least nod her head knowing that her services would actually be used at some point. "Hai hai..." she managed knowing she'd caused this pair of youngsters a bit of discomfort when she'd showed up wanting their Wish Gems, she figured she might as well make herself as fully available as her contract with them was one which was mutually beneficial.
Moving right along the lad would soon be stopped along with everyone else, wondering about the gathering, his younger sister's words caused a strange reaction in him, and she looked on with that same bit of deviousness before turning her head up in the air. 'I hate that I know him this well. A pretty girl doesn't need buffs to want to room with you... but you agree to it because of that... Baka-nii. Looking after you is so difficult,' she thought, giving Arjuna a knowing look because she'd said this exact thing when they were discussing the plan. "Hai hai, well-rested bonuses and whatever they trickle down to for us. And Crew Morale is always a thing to consider," said the girl with a triumphant face. Miki heard out this explanation and though she'd never had any qualms about the idea of sharing the room with Kou, all of the words mentioned made it seem like more of a good idea than a bad one. Kou had even already agreed though he seemed a bit hesitant, Miki managed to smile as she hazarded a glance his way. 'I really don't mind sharing with him. Actually, it's kind of exciting we'll be able to talk, hang out and maybe...' Miki's mind began to wander. Late night chats, a progression to their potential dating, midnight snacks... stolen romantic moments. Her face was blushing at the thought. And Bulma was watching the girl as she smoked her cigarette and wondered if being forced to be more normal had ended Ashikaga Kimiko with a different set of problems from others like them.
It made sense. If the two who were in charge benefited from the same rest bonus achieved via the captain's quarters, the entire group would benefit whether they were in the Party or not. As awkward as it was to agree, there was logic behind their placement in the same bedroom this time... and it wasn't as if he minded, or anything. 'Kuso. I've got a strong feeling this is all some devious plan of Yumi's to hook me up with hot, rich gamer chicks. Well... it's whatever, but─' His thought reached no proper conclusion. He had already agreed, so it was settled. It wasn't as if they would ever be outside of this world again, right? If he could keep that in mind, perhaps he could commit to the lass who already admitted some attachment to him, even in a roundabout way. He reciprocated... so there was likely an additional expectancy lying in wait.
Either way, Kou hopped off his solar sailer to join the others aboard the ship once more. If he was to commit to yet another room in Miki's company, that was fine, but he did have an interest in seeing it. "Well, let's see it then. I've... got no problem with sharing a room and all. Still, I haven't even had a look around yet."
Miki's mind had traveled a great deal down the path of potential romance. Hikari watched knowing that her brother thought this was some plot of hers. She didn't really care though, what he couldn't know was that he was wrong. She wasn't just plotting to hook him up with rich gamer chicks. She'd decided that Ashikaga Kimiko was the only one to properly fit her brother's personality. There was also the fact that she wasn't alone in this idea, the whole of their group seemed to want this to happen, even if for various different reasons. "Yosh! Good, Captains are all set..." Hikari said seemingly pleased by the agreement reached.
Moving on, Kou seemed to want to explore their new vessel and though Miki had already agreed to sharing the room, she also hadn't seen it. "Oh... I haven't really looked around either..." Miki mentioned. Figuring that if they'd already agreed to sharing the room, she might as well see what all the fuss was about. "Ikoka..." she said basically offering to join the lad on his exploration of this place. Seeming to have forgotten at base her blushing expectations and seeming to be overly pleased about the rooming situation though she'd been arguing about it herself for quite a few moments.
"I guess so," Kou said in response to Hikari's assertion. Still, he remained skeptical even in his expression toward the girl. Whatever the case, things were business as usual. His sister would always meddle in his business for what she thought was 'best' for him, and apparently this entire world would always push him closer to Miki. Inside, he didn't mind at all... so long as the balance between them remained.
Speaking of Miki, she made it clear that she, too, intended to view the captain's... or rather, captains' quarters. Bashful as that claim made him, Kou understood that they had to make that journey together at some point. What better time than the present to do so? "Hai. Let's have a look," he said with only mild hesitation, taking that first step toward a scenario he didn't know the outcome of.
... Oh. That was a thing, wasn't it? Perhaps, in all this time, he had been failing to realize that Miki remained an unsolvable puzzle to him. As he walked into the ship, he thought back to earlier moments in this journey. Even as early as Dwargon, his usual understanding of things didn't apply to how the blonde functioned. Now, he understood just as little. Mentally, he considered her to be an impossibility, a curiosity that always twisted in a different direction... much like the Artifact he'd gifted her in Atlantis, and the smaller treasure hidden away inside it. Maybe his attachment was a simple matter of this curiosity. No, that surely wasn't the case. At some point in time, yes... his interest came from a point of wonder. That time had long since gone.
His mind continued wandering, always back to the same simple fact. As a result, Kou said nothing on his journey toward the captains' quarters, seeming quite out of his wit all the while.
'Baka.' this was Hikari's only thought as her brother and Miki began walking off together. She couldn't believe how much extra it took to get him to leave with the lass. At least it seemed, that Miki was just the side of direct enough, when knowing the lad had some interest in her, to push things forward at her own pace. Strange as it was, Hikari had no problem leaving her brother in Miki's care, because she knew the blonde lass wasn't using him. They truly were a match, even if they didn't quite realize it yet.
Speaking of not realizing their compatibility, Miki was walking along side the lad after her agreed to her company. She couldn't have been more pleased, in fact, it was showing on her face. Acceptance. That was the feeling, which seemed to provide her some unknown amount of giddy pleasure. 'Hm, I'm kind of excited...' the girl thought with happiness. The idea of sharing a room with this lad was exciting. Admittedly, the first time she'd mentioned such a thing, it'd had some different meanings. Now, it wasn't simply a matter of fairness and not wanting her to be alone. No, even in moments of quiet like this, she felt at ease... his presence was calming and his desires were simple. Perhaps, this was what she enjoyed? Was it why she wanted to give him those simple desires... to see him smile? Perhaps because, he offered it to her as well, reciprocity? Maybe because she considered him in such a way, she thought of his comfort before her own, but was never disappointed by what she got in return.
As they walked they would eventually make it towards the upper deck once more, her hand rested against a door and she smirked. "Alright then, shall we?" she asked as she prepared to push open the door. She smiled at the lad directly and waited. After all, this room wasn't just hers, it was theirs, and they both deserved to see it with fresh eyes and appreciation the first time. Whenever the door opened, they'd see inside of it. It contained six large windows against the far walls, framed in curtains of red and gold. A table in the middle atop a well designed area rug underneath a chandelier. Beyond this, several dressers lined the left wall and on the right, tucked between some deep bookshelves was a king-sized bed. Nearer to the front a private bathroom for the couple to share, but that was something for later. The room itself was decorated in hues of red and gold with royal blue and gold accent pieces. It seemed to be designed with them in mind.
Kou's mind continued to wander, to race even, as they approached their designated room. By the time Miki spoke to him about entering, he was completely zoned out. He, too, had begun to think about the potentials of this shared space. There was so much that could be done, from collective relaxation, to...
Oh. He was being addressed. His expression couldn't have produced more shock than it did the moment he realized he was several seconds behind on answering. His face was red, his eyes were wide and unfocused, and his mouth was just slightly agape. "Oh─ yeah, right. Gomen," he said. Nevertheless, he was keen on making his way into the room, which he immediately found to be a thing worthy of awe. Seeing the windows to let in a great quality of natural light from a technical lower point, the half-hidden placement of the bed, and the spaciousness of everything... none of that did any good to help quell his train of thought. Of course, Kou had been more than some simple shut-in during his life in their original world. He had been a bit of a pervert, as many lads of his age group typically were... albeit with excessive access to two-dimensional stimuli aplenty. "This would be really good for..." He didn't mean to speak aloud. He was off on a mental tirade, nearly gone from the conscious world when his mouth simply opened to produce the sounds. Upon realizing he was talking, he froze immediately.
Miki found the lad a bit more spaced out than normal. Though she didn't require conversation from him, she found his shocked expression after being addressed directly to be odd. No, that wasn't the right word, she found this look, cute. "Iia," she said brushing aside the apology she was offered. She didn't care if he was a bit spaced out, looking at the lad while he was deep in thought was something altogether different for her. She couldn't help but enjoy the quality of such moments figuring them to be a rare treat. Soon, there was something else to focus on, and focus she would. Her eyes traced over their new shared room space and she found it to be quite good. It was cozy, compared to types of spaces she'd inhabited in her life, but still roomy enough to move around in. She began doing exactly this, walking around the table. She ran her fingers absently across it. She took note of the height of the table the spacing of the chairs, the amount of light being let in by the windows. All of this seemed to give the lass some strange ideas.
She was used to being in such spaces by herself. The idea of sharing a space this intimate with someone else led her to think about the space differently. Instead of thinking of things she could do in this space alone, she considered things they could do together. Yes, normal things crossed her mind, like puzzles and mapping and taking meals. But beyond that, deep in the recesses of her mind, were thoughts of a more perverse nature... Her mind shifted to the height of this table, testing its stability wondering if it would support the weight of two people. These were the sort of thoughts she gathered from her reading of certain series and by ingesting certain other media. Her eyes went wide as she considered these things, and the random speech of Kou invaded her mind and brought her eyes up just a bit, her face lightly aflame. "Huh? I uh... missed a bit of that," the girl managed before turning towards the window and walking to look down it, her mind instantly wondering if they could be seen from below... for reasons and thus making her not want to turn and face the lad again.
His apology had only been spoken in passing, but it seemed it was to be pardoned regardless. He could be thankful of that, but more so of another event yet to happen at the time. As they both let their minds wander in whatever directions they chose regarding this room, it seemed Miki's train of thought veered off enough for her to miss his accidental speech. Good; that meant he could recover, and there was much he had to recover from. When she walked by the table and made direct contact with it, he saw her. In that very moment, his own mind saw a series of events transpiring in the moments immediately following that moment of contact, and those thoughts were none too savory. He certainly couldn't be letting that out of the proverbial bag. "Huh? Oh, uh..."
He had to think of something. She wasn't looking at him directly, so he could bend the truth just a bit, right? No; he could omit the greater truth, however. "I was just... thinking out loud about how great the room is. I was saying it'd be awesome for doing a lot of stuff, you know?" That was all he chose to say. He was being completely honest about the matter, and he meant those words even without the sultry-natured things that consumed his mind more than any other thoughts. This was going to be one hell of an adjustment period, he thought... unless this room happened to come equipped with a certain aphrodisiac gas he'd seen used in a specific series once, in which two characters were forced into a shared living space for the sake of mating.
Kou stumbled through a bit of a reaction. At least initially, but as she was turned away she couldn't really see the look on his face to determine the reason for this. Ah, that was too bad though wasn't it. It seemed that he was simply thinking about the space they'd share and how nice it was. His words about it, seemed to lack a bit of depth but... Miki wouldn't pry. Or rather, she had no room to pry when she considered her own thoughts were very far off the mark and needed to be kept deep within the recesses of her mind. "Ah, right. It's a great space, I'm actually pretty shocked by it," she said finally managing to tear her eyes away from the window. She felt as if her face was no longer the stark shade of red it had been when her thoughts first started to wander. And with this she turned to the lad and offered a smile.
"I don't think I've ever shared a room for longer than a day or two before... I'll try to be a good roommate~" she offered, though she meant that in a way which wasn't really about sharing the space. This was more of a cover for her own thoughts than anything else. Ashikaga Kimiko had lived very much outside of what could be considered normal. Knowing this, the blonde lass she was right now, wanted to make sure she didn't dominate the space they now shared, especially not with the kind of thoughts and activities her mind seemed to enjoy. She fully acknowledged that living with her would probably be weird to most people. Even so, she couldn't help but be happy about this new turn of events. In fact, she could even see it playing out like a certain series she favored. 'Hm, if we get past this part... we could move on to something more like that...' she thought as her mind once again took to a strange place of romance and perversion. But... first, she had to cross the bridges that presented themselves.
"Yeah, same..." Kou said, doing his level best to escape the thoughts plaguing his consciousness. He failed, though that much was to be expected of a lad in his teens. As if he needed to make things worse, his legs carried him closer to the bed so carefully tucked away in the wall itself. There were even curtains surrounding the opening left for said bed, which he thought to be an excellent source of additional... privacy, as it were. Something about being 'sealed' within an even smaller closed space was incredibly appealing, but he had to stop! Any more, and he'd begin showing physical signs of what he was thinking.
At least there was a spark to create a normal conversation. It wasn't doing much to deter the brain below his waist, but it was a start. In hearing talk of Miki being a 'good roommate' in attempt, he opted for a bit of jest that carried with it the thoughts he pushed off. If he couldn't easily rid himself of them mentally, he could at least joke them away as he sat at the bed's edge. "I've had to share rooms long-term before, but not with someone I didn't happen to be related to. I'll make an effort to avoid being a creeper. Mm. Strong effort; just don't hit me with a frying pan if I screw it up."
By the time Miki looked at the lad properly, he was looking at the bedside, then sitting on it. She was used to having a bed surrounded by curtains out of the general view of other places. Such a thing felt safest to her. But... that wasn't at all the thought she had in the moment she looked it over. No, right just now she thought of being in an even cozier space with Kou, shut off from the view of the world. What kind of trouble could they get into when others couldn't watch them? That was a bad line of thought. She went over casually and sat down beside him at a range she thought was neither too close nor too far away. But unlike other moments, when she crossed her legs at the knee the one which met the floor seemed to bounce just a little. It would seem a bit of a nervous tick but that wasn't it at all... 'I really might like this too much...' her thoughts needed to be shut down, and she needed to stop doing what she was doing right now before this wholesome situation became something else entirely.
Ah, Kou was talking again. Apparently he'd shared rooms more often, but only with people he was related to. He claimed he'd try his hardest not to be a creeper of any sort. But he didn't want to be hit with a frying pan, if he failed at it. Strangely, Miki wouldn't actually mind if he was a bit of a creeper, as she didn't mind his attention in any way. Maybe, that'd be something worth saying later. When things were a bit less tense between them. For now she managed to make her leg stop bouncing, thus stopping that discrete stimulation and laugh at his joke. "Tehehe Hahahahaha!~" happened first but then was followed up by her own joke. "I'm pretty sure I could manage a paper fan or a giant mallet if you prefer..." she joked as well, knowing that she didn't innately find him creepy because she wanted his attention. In fact, it only made her curious about what he could mean and maybe she'd find out... some other time.
Soon enough, Miki was sitting right next to him. His eyes shifted to catch sight of her leg-crossing and bouncing. Her thighs were... exposed. Very exposed. It could basically be said that she walked around in undergarments and small segments of armor from the waist down, and taking a peek at that visible flesh wasn't helping Kou either. His own legs began to move, knees swinging apart and then back together repeatedly. It, like Miki's choice of movements, provided a stimulation he should have been avoiding. Eventually, he thought to stop doing this. As Miki joked about finding a paper fan or giant mallet, he shifted until his back pressed against the wall at the foot of the bed. Like this, he kept one leg bent as it lay over the mattress.
... How strange it was that the bed had been situated sideways in his little hole. If one of them needed to get out, they'd have to literally go over the other to do so. Naturally, he envisioned quite a few 'accidental' situations as a result, but it was all conjecture. No matter the case, he kept the joking discussion going. "I'll take the mallet for extremes. If it's a paper fan though, I reserve the right to perv all I want. Take your pick as you like~" he said, closing his eyes as a grin overtook his face. He even took the time to wave his hand about in a gesture of grand extravagance.
It would seem that Miki wasn't the only one who couldn't sit still initially. He also managed to catch sight of her thighs, she saw this and had no problem with it. In fact she found herself shifting her legs just a tad to gauge his reaction. She switched them as naturally as she breathed and then their conversation continued with the lad managing to shift his position quite a bit. With this came the sentiment that mallets should be reserved for major infractions and that if she chose a paper fan as her method of choice against him, he'd perv as he wished. Her mood was still joking, maybe a tiny bit teasing. She brought her hand up to her chin with her fore finger and thumb shaped like a check mark. "Hoh? Seems like paper fan is going to be the best option then... I'll have one commissioned!~" she said slamming her fist into her open palm as if she'd had the best idea ever. Strangely, this wasn't really a joke. No, the lass didn't mind the idea of this lad perv-ing on her at all... that much would be obvious by how she interacted with the Dragonoid Akashi.
Ah, but she shouldn't be this way at all. She was a girl, there was a certain amount of forwardness she shouldn't present at all right? She was also a pervert and that was something to hide, way deeper within herself. In fact, in her general life experiences she had no desire to let people know the kinds of things she thought about. In fact, this was something which should have been hidden from everyone, so how did she manage to keep accidentally slipping such things into conversation around this lad. "So do you want to sleep on the outside of the bed or the inside?" she asked the lad, trying to distract herself. Though, admittedly such a question was also pretty perverse in her own mind. If he wanted to sleep outside she could climb over him to get in and out, creating some fun moments of intimate contact. On the other hand, if he chose to sleep with the wall at the other side, she could back him into it, pushing closer warmth and take charge of presenting herself to him in various ways. As her mind began to wander she spaced out quite a bit... once more.
It could easily be said that Miki's extra movement was not in vain. He noticed it, and it even brought his eyes to a lock once more. Would he admit to this blatant staring without provocation? Absolutely not. Ah, but he was undoubtedly looking, and if anyone happened to be watching him... he was failing to avoid making it obvious. It didn't help at all that Miki's next words joked about the paper fan being her tool of selection. Was he to take that seriously? That wasn't possible, unless...
"Oh? Alright, let me know when it shows up. I'll start cashing in acts of perversion right away!" he said, still in that lighthearted tone this entire conversation had been carried on with. If he was meant to take her words even remotely seriously, then he would be finding out. What he'd actually do after making said discovery, though, was unknown even to him. Perhaps it would be something reasonable. Perhaps it wasn't even something worth the initial thought. Either way, their discussion eventually resulted in Miki addressing bed placement. "Oh... right," Kou said. He gave so much thought to the fact that this was a shared room, but not to the fact that they would be returned to a shared bed as well. This one in particular had a rather odd setup, and her query was one of importance. He looked down at the mattress, patting it with one hand, then rubbing the sheets. He didn't particularly mind either side, whether for perverted or functional reasons. Safety wasn't going to be an issue any time during which they slept, considering how high in the sky they would be. As such, there was no need to select the outside for the purpose of taking on dangers. With that in mind, he could only shrug in the end. "I really don't have a preference. Have your pick~"
The movements of her legs had been noticed. A subtle smile crossed Miki's face as she realized this lad was watching her, and doing so unabashedly. For reasons she couldn't begin to explain this made her happy. To be technical, it was probably confirmation that he found her attractive. Beyond that, it showed that he was losing a bit of his more standoffish nature. Knowing that the lad was beginning to loosen up around her gave her an additional sense of peace, something to look forward to even when in their shared living space. His next words after being focused on her legs for so long, were a confirmation of taking advantage of what she'd said. Even if this entire conversation was meant in jest, it wasn't entirely one to Miki. In fact, she might have just been using it to test the waters a bit, before sitting down to have some more serious interactions and conversations with her new roommate.
"Hai hai, I'll put it up there when it's ready~" she mentioned pointing to an empty space over the doorway which seemed to be in need of an extra decorative piece or two. To be fair, she was quite serious about this. And yes, she would indeed commission a paper fan of marvelous quality just for the sake of keeping going a joke about perversion that she actually possessed. Perhaps, maybe the lad would realize she wasn't really joking and take advantage, if nothing else, they could simply converse about it at some point and make some headway that way. Moving right along, it seemed the lad didn't have any strict amount of care where in the bed he slept. This was both good and bad, for Miki, as she could see the usefulness of both situations and though she didn't know it yet, Kou felt about it in a similar fashion. When told to have her pick she began thinking about it, strangely aloud. "Hm, well it isn't like we have to worry about break-ins and I wouldn't use you as a body shield. So, there isn't any reason I can't sleep on the outside... ah, but... I do roll out of bed a lot, it'd be much easier to roll between the wall and you than the middle of the bed and the floor," she mumbled to herself. Crawling in and out of bed around him, was also a bonus, incidental romance being what it was. "I'll take the wall I think... and try not to roll too much," she said with a minor light tint on her face.
With that answer, he could only assume this to be a bit much for jokes. If she'd been speaking completely in jest, she surely would have veered from the topic one way or another. The simple fact that she continued it, meant at least consideration of the idea. Kou ─ or rather, Yugi ─ often used this method of approach when having no intentions of revealing his puzzle-solving ability to others who needed unknown puzzles solved. "... Naruhodo. You're serious. You wouldn't mind if I said something perverted right now. Maybe even─" Once more, he stopped himself. His first few words were spoken with purpose, but the rest was his usual thought process simply leaking out through his mouth. It was a habit, the way he carved a path toward conclusions in puzzles.
As for the bedding issue, he had an idea what Miki's choice would be. He didn't want to present any favorites of his own, considering it would certainly be for perverse reasons, but there was indeed a reason he imagined Miki would fit best inside. For that same reason, she made that very selection. Of course, Kou couldn't know about any other purpose in this choice, but that didn't matter at present. "Hai. I remember the sleep-rolling, but I figured I'd leave you the choice anyway. There's a certain way I like to wake up, so I figured there was a chance you'd become attached to... well, waking up by falling out of bed. Anyway, no worries. You can roll all you like; I won't mind. I'll be the best damn wall this world has ever seen!" he said, flashing a cheesy grin and a thumbs-up to accompany it.
Oh? Was Kou thinking aloud, again? Yes, yes he was. And this time, Miki got a little more insight into the boy actually understanding the way she approached the situation surrounding them. "Sou ka...I'm actually being obvious enough now," she said aloud also accidentally. She felt that this version of herself wasn't quite as direct as she would have liked. She even had evidence that this was the case, given what Seriri had to say after interacting with her Dragonoid self. Whatever the case, she was willing to leave the lad mostly to his own thoughts about the matter, and was happy knowing that he at least got the sort of thing she was talking about. And true enough to his thoughts, she wouldn't have minded at all if he said or even did something perverted in the present moment because she had been very truthful about having interest in him, and perverted things were on the menu, as far as she was concerned.
Their sleeping situation was mostly decided by her soon after this point. And it seemed that the lad had no problem with what she decided. His claim being that he'd make himself into the best wall ever, and that she could roll as much as she liked in her sleep. "Hm, I haven't really thought about how I like to wake up. I am sort of used to doing it that way because of someone waking me abruptly after I've stayed up too late..." she said explaining a bit of how her rolling habit was developed. "Arigatou gozaimasu, I'm sure you'll be the most comfortable wall I've ever encountered," she offered the lad with a knowing smirk. "By the way, you specifically can assume I am not joking when I say things like that to you... I enjoy this sort of thing, coming from you... in moments like this," she said flashing him a large smile, a bit of the realest version of herself shining through in this moment. If she was being perfectly honest, she was never really joking around how things that revolved around the white haired lad with her. In fact, it could be said that she wanted to know the realest version of the lad possible, as such she didn't mind his perversions, his jokes, or his mumbling ranting thoughts.
"Sort of, yeah." It seemed that, though he could not piece together the puzzle that was Ashikaga Kimiko, Kou did have a few pieces to work with. Perhaps time would allow him to see the full picture, but for now... he was content to collect it bit by bit. Those were the best puzzles, after all. Things unfinished, things which only offered pieces as drip-fed information, these were all puzzles which gave the solver time to appreciate the mystery as it came together. In this case, he was mostly experiencing the offering of Miki's internal workings through speech. She even freely claimed certainty that he would be a... comfortable wall, as it were. He had the audacity to look abashed in the wake of this claim, but their conversation was too uninterrupted thus far ─ unlike others before it ─ for the lad to look away this time. "Hai hai! Angelsoft Wall Celestial Witcher Kou, they call me."
Lo, there was more to discover. Miki spoke again, stating that she wouldn't normally be joking when offering such clauses... to him in particular. She enjoyed the idea of his perversions? That wasn't possible, and yet... they did consume the same sources of media. Only a degenerate could read the musings of the duo writers known as the Aeons. "... Sou ka." Oddly, he felt a wave of relief crash over him as his eyes closed. A few moments of silence ensued before he chose to make use of this information. If she was fine with it, he'd test the waters in a way. Of course, Kou wasn't going to outright spew everything previously flooding his mind, but he did think of one thing to say... in a roundabout way, even. "So... is that why your legs are so all over the place?"
"Hoh? A direct answer even, progress." Miki replied with the sort of shortness her speech generally maintained, but there was a teasing quality to it. Like her tone wasn't meant with anything resembling venom but instead as a mere observation. it marked a welcome change in their dynamic which, pleased her to no end. To add to their rather random and jovial discussion the lad before her went on to seem a bit bashful about her assertion that he'd be comfortable to press against in the night. The name he chose for himself following this moment of bashfulness, brought a grin to her face and more teasing words from her lips. "Oi oi... That name needs some work-shopping. I mean it covers the basics of your talents, but it's definitely a bit too intense as is~" she teased once more. Miki found it very easy to talk to this lad, and beyond that, when he was receptive like this, it was an amount of fun she couldn't begin to explain.
And there was more fun coming. Apparently Kou seemed to find a bit of relief in Miki's statements surrounding her lack of joking when it came to the things they discussed. And much to her surprise the lad decided to test the waters immediately, though a bit indirectly. The commentary which came from him was about the semi-constant movement of her legs, which seemed to draw his eye ever so often. She chuckled immediately, finding this to be an excellent way to broach the subject, and finally allowing her legs to settle in their crossed position left over right, since she'd been found out. "Oh? That's the angle then... just gonna admit you've been staring at thighs this whole time..." she said in a manner which seemed serious only to break out in a smile. "Of course it's why it was happening. I thought I saw you looking a bit ago, and I figured I could see if it was actually a thing... experiment was a complete success by the way. You were unabashedly staring for quite a while..." she said with devious light coming into her eyes. It might have been strange, but she truly didn't have a problem with being ogled in such a way by Kou in particular. Perhaps because he'd already proven that it wasn't simply her body he wanted, she found his attention that much more worthwhile to capture and much more rewarding in general.
"Oi, I'm working on a puzzle here. Direct answers the indirect, and vise versa." It was a simple enough answer as far as he was concerned, and very much the truth in his experience. Indirect puzzles could be solved with a direct approach once understood, and those which seemed concise were tricks that required thinking outside the proverbial box. As for his name, perhaps it did need a bit of work. It wasn't much of a bother, though; he was only messing about. "Ah, you're right! Angelsoft Wall Celestial Witcher Kou Guy! That's the one!" he said, even taking it upon himself to laugh at his own joke.
Miki went on to clarify things. Indeed, that had been the reason behind her leg movement. What's more, she decided to point out his admittance of staring. Well... that part wasn't planned, but these things happened. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he came clean. "Well, yeah? You just leave 'em hanging out there for the world to see, so... it kinda naturally draws an eye, doesn't it?" he questioned. Just then though, he came to a realization. "... Wait. Did I just fall for the Jinx thing? I did, didn't I? Is this the part where I flip it around, and point out the thing about you wanting me to look? You were shifting around for a while."
Apparently Kou considered this a puzzle he was solving. "Hoh? And who am I to interrupt, carry on." Miki said encouraging the lad to continue with his process regardless of already being able to reach her own conclusions. She understood at least what he was trying to to do, using the inverted nature of the things presented to find out the information he wanted to know. Of course, she had no problem being open with the lad if that was what he wanted, that being said she wouldn't keep him from his fun. Speaking of fun, the lad went on to workshop his new name and came up with a minor alteration which caused laughter from Miki. "Hahahaha!~ Sounds like the name of a fifth evolution trading card!" she exclaimed finding the whole thing a bit too funny to let go of.
Moving right along, it seemed that in pointing out that the lad had been staring she received another bashful reaction. He claimed that her legs were out there for the world to see and thus it was only natural for him to look and she could agree to a particular extent. "Hm, sure... only natural the first time. The second and third time... was all you," she said with a chuckle. But she wasn't chastising, if she wanted not to be seen she wouldn't have been. He even drew a connection to a fictional character they were both aware of, and it was Miki's turn to look a bit abashed. "Yeah, you fell for it. But... oi oi, don't go turning this around on me!" the blonde exclaimed, while crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up in the air. "I had to figure out if you were actually looking. You aren't always easy to read after all... and it's not like I have a problem with you looking or anything," Miki mentioned managing to look a bit sheepish. She had undertaken her activity under the guise of figuring out how he felt about her one way or another. But she didn't expect to be called out in such away, even so, she was happy in the knowledge that Kou was actually seeing her as she was and at face value accepting her.