Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

"Right, yeah... you always do that. Gomen," Kazu said in a remarkably casual way. He wasn't sure how to ease concern, but that was now on his priority list. Right next to it was the method by which this current issue would be fixed. That 'Nexus brain' of his should have produced something more effective by now, but nothing was happening. That was not a good sign. During Sakura's explanation, his gaze shifted from Miko to her. Maybe she could work? No. Kazuhiko knew he was going to be needed for stabilizing Angelica. In addition to being one who didn't fit the bill well enough, Sakura was too much of an opposing force. If he got anything from her and took it back to Angelica too quickly, things wouldn't go well. Even Sakura herself acknowledged that things would be better if she kept away during the cautionary period.

There had to be something. He definitely couldn't throw fraternization into his list of bad decisions, but he understood that closeness was a powerful factor in accomplishing the currently-desired results. Completely ignorant to the drooling Miko who lay under his dick, Kazu wracked his brain to no avail. Holding hands wasn't going to work the same way it did with Jeanne in the Nexus; he didn't have the power for that. Angelica and Sakura both already had children, so there was no way to make that work. If he remained in constant contact with someone like Miko, things would eventually work... but that would take ages. "It's always one thing after another, huh? Well... if it's not too big a deal, I could just hold hands with Annie... constantly. That feels like it would take weeks though, and we've still got a long list of stuff to do. I can't ask someone to do that either. The easiest thing I can think to do would be... well, it'd be making out for a really long time, but that's also too much. If there's even a chance of another way, I can't ask a friend to do something like that. It might even be a danger to the whole Father An situation on top of everything else."

[Apollymi]

"That's nothing to apologize for... it's my fucked up brain," Miko uttered quickly. True to form her fucked up brain was rapidly moving and she seemed to understand with her body something her mind wouldn't accept. Appetizing was indeed what that dick looked like and as they all discussed ways of fixing the problem of nailing Kazuhiko and Angelica to this world it seemed Miko was almost more moved to act. Drool in the corner of her mouth, 'Lick it and it belongs to you!' one part of her brain claimed. 'You could have what you want!' another proclaimed. 'Fuck a different goddess's husband this week, make him ours!' Miko understood something now that she didn't before, the various things she thought seemed to be connected to the different forms her mind took. She needed them all to be quiet before she acted out in a way that was wrong.

"Mi-chan... you're being awfully quiet and I know..." Kaguya paused she'd walked up a bit closer and saw, drool on the corner of Miko's mouth. And probably the biggest dick she'd ever seen. Holding hands with Miko for weeks. No. Fucking her with that dick, absolutely. Kaguya knew this by the look on her friends face and had something to say. "Goddamn!" she sputtered out. "I know this is like super serious time but that dick is immaculate!♥~" she claimed complimentarily. "I know. I know... I can see. I can't stop seeing..." Miko said as her brain kept making a picture of it even as she tried to be a good friend and separate herself from this situation. A bit of a rough sound came from behind them as Miko's eyes were drawn up to Angelica stumbling out, wrapped in a sheet. 'We could fuck her too!' Miko closed her eyes. "Why is this taking so long? Do you two need some privacy?! I could switch if it will speed this up..." Angelica managed. "Sou," Sakura said. "So you understand too. I wondered if maybe it was a problem... apparently there is something odd with this relationship they don't want to cross some invisible line they've created, even though everything about their connection says it's not a line. I've been very confused watching them interact since I met them. But I think they've never had sex with each other in the usual way before now." Sakura was so confused about the nature of the relationship between everyone in this room. "WHAT?! CHUCK ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU HAVEN'T BEEN FUCKING THIS GIRL. BUT SHE'S GORGEOUS AND YOU'RE ALL OVER EACH OTHER?!" Angelica said as if outraged by it as a thought. All the while Miko's brain was toppling. "I'm the group healer I'm all over everyone. Why don't people understand platonic friendships?" Miko murmured. "Excuse me? Mi-chan I've known you since my year seven, your year six... and you don't understand platonic friendships... Miss 'If I Lick It, It Belongs to Me' who used to run around licking people's faces. In fact you've done it today no less than three times," Kaguya added.

Miko sat in quiet contemplation. Those boxes were still open. Still popping and a more recent one did the same. And its voice was Hiruko's telling her to play a hand even if the odds were zero, because she might not see them. "EVERYONE SHOULD SHUT THE FUCK UP AND BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THEY SAY NEXT!" Miko finally blurted out. Why because her brain had something else to say 'You can do it. Claim him and he's ours♫!~' her mind said to shoot a shot. 'Claim him and they're ours♪!~' The feeling in her soul said do it. Her new sex friend advised it but that was a whole can of worms that suddenly seemed possible and it almost felt like too much. The culmination of three hundred years of frustration would be a lot. But as always Kaguya would be right there... "Oh? The Monster's still awake♥!~"

[Bloodedge]

"No need to be hard on yourself. Your brain's not fucked-up," he assured. Miko, or rather Anais, had always been a lot of things; fucked-up was not one of them apart from that one drinking day. He had more to say in that regard, but interruption was inevitable. Kaguya approached to address Miko, stopping in the middle of a sentence to exclaim about the quality of Kazu's manhood. Though he knew it had become ridiculous, there was a strangeness to hearing about it so bluntly. "Oh. Uh... thanks?" he said with an upward inflection, only to have his attention brought down to Miko... who apparently couldn't stop seeing his dick. Only in that moment did Kazuhiko realize his unusual positioning, and the fact that he'd dripped a bit of his essence onto her top and... a bit of skin. Unlike the Kazu of only a day prior, however, he was not entirely thrown aback. All he'd known was sex for hundreds upon hundreds of years in the Nexus. Combining that with the new way his soul resonated with everything now, he realized he was completely desensitized to such random events. "Oh, damn. Gomen. This must be really awkward for you; you could have said something," he commented while moving to extricated himself from the lass. In doing so, Kazu realized something strange ─ Miko had become quite the buxom young woman. "Huh..." he said, and that was all.

While he moved, Kazuhiko witnessed Angelica emerging from the bedroom in only a sheet. Blank as his eyes were since all that meditation and... well, everything else, he openly ogled the blonde goddess. "Going for a sheet chic thing? It's cuter than it should be," he commented absently despite the joking nature of the clause. It was made clear that he and Miko were not, in fact, sexual partners. Angelica didn't understand it. Sakura didn't understand it. Angelica even had a fit of outrage over the fact that they weren't doing anything. "Sou," he mused, finally standing erect ─ and erect to boot. A hand was casually extended toward the grounded Miko as he prepared to give his own perspective. Before he could though, Miko was yelling at everyone in the room about choosing their words carefully. The strangest vibrations were coming from her at the time; Kazu could feel that. Still, that hand of his was on offer. "That connection they're talking about doesn't have anything to do with healing. I'm not sure the full extent Saku's talking about, but in magical terms, we're about as compatible as it gets. That doesn't matter though. You should all know better by now. Yeah Annie's pretty hot, but I'm not going to throw my dick at random hot people ─ especially not a companion. We've got a structure, and I'm not gonna go around making people feel weird about stuff."

[Apollymi]

According to Kazuhiko, Miko's brain wasn't fucked up and she shouldn't be too hard on herself. "You can't hear my thoughts, reserve judgement," that was all she said. The truth of the matter was, Miko's brain, her soul and everything about her wanted to claim the man in front of her and she was doing everything she could to leave him be. It was admittedly more difficult than she thought it would be. Moving on, Kaguya was... thanked for her outburst. And in typical demon logic took it as an invitation to be more invasive. A grin spread across her face as she decided upon an answer which she knew would earn her a glare from one Iino Miko. "Oya? You're welcome... and I mean that in a lot of different ways. If I could help... and even if I couldn't♥~" she flirted. Miko scoffed, "Still haven't learned that lesson, Kaya-sen♫~" she chirped knowing that she'd seen what Kazuhiko was physically capable of as Charlemagne. Kaguya would end up just as battered as she was after Hiruko, maybe worse considering the muscles and pure physical ability to go along with that damned immaculate dick of his which her eyes traveled to. Meanwhile, a little apology came from Kazuhiko as he finally realized the straight up precarious position he'd placed Miko in. She looked a bit stunned he was much calmer about that than he could have been... maybe... 'Don't do that. Don't give me hope,' she thought to herself quietly. 'Not hope, make your own luck! We got it, we can do it!' she thought again. What was more he noticed her physically, she was sure of it given the way people had been looking at her all day. 'Oh no! He's onto us!' her mind shouted, no he wasn't. "Not nearly as awkward as it would have been even a week ago... don't worry about it," Miko said, and in truth she meant it. To be truthful the only thing making this very awkward was her mental desire to fuck this man and her resistance to doing so.

What was more, he openly ogled Angelica who blushed at the attention. "Shut up, I look cute in anything!" she snapped. "I don't have clothes, so I made it work..." she turned her nose up. That tsundere attitude was something which drew Miko's attention. 'Right see. He has wives, I have to stop!' she thought again, but her internal monologue wasn't having it. She was banging a goddess's harem intending to make it her own. What was a single emperor and his two goddess wives but a conquest for her? Kazuhiko had an explanation and a hand out seemingly waiting for Miko to take it while explaining the nature of their connection outside of healing. Miko had told everyone to choose their words carefully and the next one to speak on Kazuhiko's words was Angelica who found him to be outrageous. "Awkward for who? Chuck have you really looked at her? I mean really seen the way she looks at you?!" she asked her own senses said it was they were made for each other, not just compatible but working in tandem. There was no need to say no, especially when looking at Miko she could see the girl was obviously interested. She could see it, when the girl introduced herself to her back at Aincrad. and it would be Sakura who next said somethin after.

"Oh, I can show everyone what I mean now..." she said clapping her hands together and producing a visual representation. Between Miko and Kazuhiko there was a bright red string with a strange bit of insulation around it directly in the middle. "I couldn't do this before. Anyway... this thread is the connection between your souls. They come in a lot of colors but from you in particular Micchan, they are usually this color~" she explained. Kaguya looked at this bit of magic and understood completely. Red Threads of fate were red between romantic partners even with Miko trying to deny her own feelings the universe acknowledged that connection and so did Kazuhiko if only he wasn't avoiding it for the sake of sparing the girl on the floor everyone could be happy. "I couldn't see it before but I could feel it and it always feels hot, but like not in a positive way and its warm in both directions but it stops around this thing. I don't understand it... it's like... sweet, complex, innocent and something else..." she said frowning. It truly was fascinating. Miko understood, she knew it while looking up at Kazuhiko's extended hand. "It's bitter. Of course you don't understand it... no one from Munetsuchi, a place where desires are allowed to blossom and be followed would understand a feeling like yearning. A desire unfulfilled is a thing I don't think happens too often around you, especially one like that one. Sorry for the confusion, Saku-chan... And Livie was right, nice guys really are kind of dumb sometimes," Miko broke her own silence and explained. With the visual of it in front of her, she decided it was time. Now or never... be brave and just say it, because if this was being avoided on her account that was hardly a reason. She took Kazuhiko's extended hand and felt comforted by the contact. "I have to say something and I kinda have to get it all out at once or I won't do it..." she offered quietly. And once again all eyes were on her. Kaguya couldn't help it, she gave her friend the thumbs up and slid a bit further back to await this moment and support her best friend in her next big life moment.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the physical contact between these two wasn't even half as awkward as it would have been a week ago. Still, that didn't spare this random group conversation any awkwardness. There was at least a brief exchange with Angelica to break tension temporarily, and restore those tsundere traits he'd been seeing for ages nonstop recently. "You do. And you did make it work~" he commented. With that, his attention was brought to Kaguya, who spoke just before Angelica. It took a moment to process what she meant, but... looking at her, he could tell. Attractive as she was even in human form, there was an issue with the idea of getting too close to her currently. "Sou ka. Gomen; I don't think that'll help me stabilize. You're sort of... otherworldly," he admitted in a factual way. "Besides, we're not close enough for it to do anything anyway. Gomen."

Despite their flirtatious exchange, Angelica wasn't having any of Kazu's nonsense. In exchange, he'd be having none of hers. She wanted to talk about how the other girl looked at him, but it wasn't like that stood out in a crowd. "Yeah, something like... I dunno, the same way most people do? Nothing stands out from what I've seen, and it's not like I'm out here looking to see if my comrades are interested in me!" he countered.

Sakura went on to showcase things the way she saw them. She manifested a thread between Kazu and Miko, showing its red glow and explaining its purpose. Without much context, even Kazuhiko could tell what that heat and coloration were meant for. Bitterness was what Miko herself attributed to it. Bitterness? That was a strange thing to hear until Miko kept talking. She spoke of yearning, of unfulfilled desires, and about guys being dumb. He'd heard those sorts of things before. Was Kazu about to live out yet another media trope? That seemed to be the case with Miko having something to admit, but at this point, it didn't seem she really had to. "Uh... are you sure that's a good idea? There're, like, five people here."