Shibuya

[Bloodedge]

Of course... this one was also going to yammer on about something that should never have mattered to Yugi in the first place. In only three words, 'Witch of Sin' to be specific, she proved her association with that troublesome group from earlier. Yugi sighed. He knew there were going to be other factions that caught up to him. This one was... Pride? No; that didn't make enough sense. He could now assume some association with the seven cardinal sins, and therefore seven factions representing each of them, but... he couldn't imagine someone representing Pride to be this girl. Perhaps she was Lust. She did, after all, have the look of some strange, otherworldly nun; people were into that. It didn't matter regardless. "So, you think that girl was a Witch called Greed. And you think I, a dude, am also a Witch... of Pride? It's not getting any less dumb," he proclaimed.

This girl was convinced that he was whatever 'Witch' she was looking for in that head of hers, only wondering witch one. If all it took was letting her believe otherwise to make her leave him alone, he'd simply have to avoid showing any qualities one would expect. Yes, that would surely work! "There's no point calling me a sinner because I'm a gamer. For your information, I avoid stuff that would be called sins. Everything I do is for good purpose; I can't help any negative connotations you get from the aftermath, and they're not my fault," he said, in spite of the fact that he spoke from a very real place deep within... and certainly thought those negatives to be his fault. For now, all he wanted was to say something that would make this girl leave.

[Apollymi]

It seemed he didn't want her to go away just yet. Was he fishing for information? Probably but that didn't much matter. She'd give him what he needed until she pegged him for a sin. Either, he'd be one she could tolerate or he'd be one she avoided. It was very simple she only needed to figure out which one he was. "Yes, I am quite sure she is... she smells even more Greedy than that Archbishop and he's the greediest person I've ever known. I hate him..." she clinched her right hand together in a tight fist. She imagined punching that man right in his smug face, of beating him to a bloody pulp. But... alas that would never be. There was fury burning beneath the surface of her person. "But Witch is a general term it doesn't have those male and female connotations. If you'd rather be referenced as a Warlock I suppose I could. This world is full of those types, I guess I shouldn't be surprised..." she said speaking of the culture of people who were overly concerned with male and female pronouns.

Still this lad's words may have been meant to put her off, but her own mind began to wander as he spoke. He spoke of only trying to do good, of the aftermath not being something that was his fault of a deep connotation. "I've been here a very long time... and I've seen the kinds of creatures gamers become, since the inception of such an idea~" she mumbled. All this lass had been pulled over here quite a long time ago. So long in fact, that she'd had plenty of time to learn new languages, earn new fames and see the same great anger burning in the back of her mind. "But those words... those are the words of someone kindred. Oh!" she seemed excited as she clapped those little hands of hers together. "You do the right thing and watch it go wrong? Do you save many to lose that which is important?!" she questioned her eyes going rather wide and large at the same time. "Are those hands of yours stained in blood that saved and harmed!? Lungs tainted by breaths that exist because you willed it even though every breath is full of burning fury at how stupid they all are!?" Closer and closer the girl got, though she seemed to be on the verge of a mental break. "Do you cry the tears of rage because no matter what you do, it always comes back to that same stupid moment!?~" This girl's tirade was in general one of psychosis but also of truth. Her fists were clenched so tightly her hands should have been bleeding but no harm came to her person. She punched the wall of the nearest building repeatedly and yet nothing happened but the wall began to break. Literally nothing about this girl should have shown that kind of strength and yet, she was unharmed by her own actions. No one could ever be harmed by her direct actions, not even herself.

[Bloodedge]

"Smells greedy? Alright. Cool story," he said in the flattest tone he could muster. Whatever area of the other world this one had come from, she seemed sold on the idea that 'Witch' was not quite as gender-exclusive as this world would have him believe. He didn't care; there was nothing linking him to such an identity. Witch, Warlock, he didn't care for any of it. While he was here and human, he would rather remain upbeat with the new information he'd received worth being excited over. Kimiko sent him a roundabout message to announce that she was searching for him, but sadly, she wasn't the only one who sought his attention. One could only wonder if she was meeting the same types of freaks he'd been seeing all day.

What Yugi thought to be a method of removing this girl from his presence... was very much the opposite. In a moment of revelation, he came to the conclusion that he would have been best seeking more knowledge before going with that method. His mind was too busy for this problem to be in front of him now. Busier yet, was the blonde who grew more psychotic by the moment! What was she even going on about? The words he spoke were kindred? That could mean so many things, but the true meaning became clear only as her excitement grew to unmanageable levels. Words flew from her mouth like objects carried by a conveyer belt gone haywire, and her fists slammed repeatedly into a wall that should have shattered the bones of a human assaulting it─ yet she remained intact while the wall began to crumble. Of seven sins, there was only one that could suit these actions and words... and he knew if there was any chance of him being a Witch, Warlock or whatever term applied, it was certainly suited to how he often felt deep inside. Slowly, he backed away. This girl was beyond erratic, and though Yugi doubted he could properly remove himself from her, he thought to put as much space between them as possible while offering his reply. "Alright, so which answer will get you to not try and recruit me for that crazy tournament those other guys were talking about? I don't plan to be anybody's tool for some war to change this whole planet into a thing I play as a video game─"

[Apollymi]

Yes, the girl smelled greedy, but that wasn't exactly all there was to the explanation. In truth the smell of those who held Authorities, was strong and slightly different for each of the ones which existed. Those who were attuned with such powers could both feel the connection to those powers when they were alike enough and smell the scents of ones they weren't aligned to. Such was a sensible way for the world to work.

At the same time the girl's excitement hit a fever pitch. She knew for a fact that this lad was one with the same feeling of hers. She hadn't been able to see it initially but the familiarity in his tone was one which she understood greatly. Her hands covered in brick dust, her manic outburst stopped, just as suddenly as it had started. She noted the amount of space this lad put between them and turned to him with a wide smile on her face. "Recruit?! No you have the wrong idea..." she said. "I don't know which one you saw before but only those who don't know what you are would try and recruit you... but I know... I know!~" the girl said. "I don't want to recruit you. I'm not meant to... I'm meant to work for you. You're my Ruler!~ Or maybe you prefer King?! A Warlock of Wrath!~ I didn't expect to find such a person!~" there were tears in her eyes. Perhaps she'd finally found whatever redemption she was seeking? Or maybe she was truly unhinged? "I don't know what I want, but I don't belong here... if there is something you wish out of that place, I'll see that you get it... you only need know one thing~" she mentioned holding her fingers together in a tiny space to make one thing about her clear. "I can't harm anyone... it isn't how Wrath speaks to me nor works through me. I can harm no one... directly. And I have no control over the consequences of my actions~" she chuckled after saying this like it was the funniest thing in the world. In this case, she wasn't looking to recruit, more or less she was looking for someone to make use of her skills. And the Witch of Wrath should have been the person she followed. If he wished to be called a Warlock she'd do that. If he didn't wish to participate in the tournament she'd not. No matter what if he wished it of her, if she could do it, she would. What a strange amount of devotion for someone she'd only recently seen and met. "Oh right. I'm Minerva and I am the Sin Archbishop representing Wrath," she said bowing before this lad.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, this weird woman didn't intend to recruit him at all. Now that he thought about it, the purple-haired one earlier spoke of her leader being something one would call a Witch. So, this one thought he was the Witch of her faction, and resigned herself to servitude? How strange. At the very least, it seemed she was much calmer now; that was a huge plus in Yugi's book. He could certainly hear what she was saying, whether it meant anything in the end or not. "Ruler, huh? King? That's all pretty weird, but whatever keeps your wig from flipping, I guess. Whatever."

The Archbishop Minerva, as she claimed to be, offered an explanation of her powers... her limitations. All things considered, she seemed to be some strange sort of healer class. That explained why she had taken no damage at all from all the wall-punching she'd done, and Yugi could see a few benefits to having such a person around... but something else she said struck him the wrong way. The lad glanced left to right, then slipped into the nearest alley, avoiding the eye of others. Another cult of Minerva's ilk knew his identity earlier this day, so there was little point in keeping that silly trench coat and hat on now. Still within the alley, assuming Minerva remained at least within earshot, he kept the discussion going. "Archbishop of Wrath... long title," he started. "So... what do you mean when you say you can't control the consequences of your actions?" This question was, by far, the most important subject to Yugi in this conversation thus far. He had already begun toying with the idea of being this supposed Witch/Warlock of Wrath, but the reason behind said consideration was the same reason behind his inquiry. If this status was connected to some sort of power that he was allegedly meant to have even in the current world, he demanded understanding of it... or even, justification for events long since passed.

[Apollymi]

According to this lad as long as she was calm he was alright with her. Was this acceptance of her as his servant? She hoped so, she remained calm but there was a light of excitement in her eyes as she managed to keep herself nearer to more reasonable levels of emotion. The lad slipped into the alleyway, assuming he wished for privacy she didn't follow and instead found herself at the end of it close enough to hear but not looking directly in his path. His question about her abilities was indeed the correct one to ask. But why did he bother to question it? Perhaps his power hadn't properly manifested yet, perhaps then there was still time. "I mean it as I said it. I cannot hurt anyone, directly. But I can't control what happens afterwards. This power re-writes what is true and makes it the opposite. If I act against something it heals. If I am enraged fight, I heal with every blow. This will work even to the brink of death. But the magical power of such an action is ripped directly from the world. So at random, tragedy will befall another, every time I act. Such is the nature of Wrath as I hold it." Her words were simple but very clear. She could heal millions directly but kill just as many indirectly because of the universe righting itself. Of course, she had no idea who or what would be damaged as a result of her actions, but she knew it to be a direct connection. Whatever the case, she would act as directed from this point forward. "No worries though, if I am your servant I will act according to your wishes and not my own. If you want to reign random terror down upon the masses I will make it so, but if you'd rather use me more effectively... I will not act without permission." Her voice held a sing-song quality at the end of this... sentence she seemed to be wholly relieved and strangely agreeable. Perhaps she would rather be used as a weapon than have the weight of each of her actions fall to her own shoulders.

[Bloodedge]

Interesting information was to come in a matter of moments, while Yugi shoved his hat into a backpack and slung the discarded coat over his shoulder. Minerva revealed the truth, and Yugi began to believe in this power. A life saved meant a life lost, and vice versa. What then, would happen if numerous lives saved by a single action created a chain of horrendous events? It certainly seemed viable, and therefore functional as an explanation for his own past. Frankly, Yugi wasn't sure if he should feel relieved... or annoyed by this 'power' he allegedly possessed. "Karma as a superpower... maybe even as a cost to the use of power. That's weird. I think I might hate it," he said somberly from within the alley. Soon enough, he emerged. This girl announced her status as a servant to his will. Yugi wasn't one for absolute servitude, but she was from the other world. He could be fair here, and also secure a future for himself and others.

Regardless of what that other group believed and sought, Yugi wanted access to the other world on a whim. If all things went according to his desire while Kimiko searched for him, and after successfully discovering his true self... then what if they became separated? He'd been moved between worlds twice now, neither time by choice. His sister was dead to this world, but very much alive in the other. His life there was exciting, even though he thoroughly enjoyed the dual life of a gamer and urban legend in this world. Being able to run from one to the other was so titillating, how could one resist? Moreover, it was best to let those who were foreign to the current world return from whence they came, lest there be chaos here. "Yare yare. For right now, I guess my choice has been made until I hopefully get a very specific second opinion. Don't go reigning terror on anyone who hasn't done wrong. I'm heading home. I guess that weird chick was right, though... I'll probably end up in that Holy Grail War after all. Oh, and.... fix that wall if you can, yeah? Don't just go around breaking stuff."

[Apollymi]

"I do hate it... but that is part of the reason it works for me~" she still sounded happy but there was a dark edge and dark light in those bright blue eyes of hers. And in that moment it was obvious that she was old, much older than her body would make her seem. Years and years played in those eyes in just a few seconds. Whatever the case her new King had orders for her which were specific but also slightly vague. He didn't want her harming anyone who didn't deserve it. She was to fix the wall she broke and be at the ready for some potential event in the future. "I will do my best to follow these directions. I will be around if I am needed," the lass said and then she walked towards the wall she'd broken while her master went on about his day.

As Yugi had more strange encounters, Kimiko had one which was a bit more normal. After she'd gotten some lunch and left the arcade her phone had vibrated a reminder for her weekly meeting with her therapist. As a matter of absolute curiosity she'd found herself in the office of one Kitera Ume and within this office the black haired girl was sitting in her favorite chair discussing her current developments in very non-specific terms. It'd become obvious to her since she'd showed up here, that this version of her therapist wasn't yet a player of AoE. Kimiko had softly explained that playing the game she'd met someone and she'd wished to find that person. This had ended strangely in the lass asking for some advice which was currently being played out. "So, do I actually look? Like is it selfish of me to look?" She asked of the young woman. Kitera pushed her purple glasses up onto her nose and began to speak. She didn't directly answer the lass' question but instead walked her through her own thought processes. "You are worried that the connection you developed without knowing each other in person will crumble once you are more than just pixels on a screen. This is a very normal insecurity to have... you shouldn't feel bad for having such an anxiety, Ashikaga," she explained. "Also I wouldn't outright call it selfish. We all get curious when what we see and know of someone is only part of who they are... and we all aim to piece together what we can based on that. Figuring out if our ideas and realities match up, is a normal thing," she concluded. "Kitera you never really answer my questions you know? You always just point me in the direction you think I'm already leaning... that's weird." Kimiko mentioned as she anxiously twirled one of her pigtails between her fingers. "I am aware of all of your nervous habits as your doctor. I know how you feel and I cannot tell you directly what to do. Nor can I say if you are right or wrong based only on what you tell me. I can only make guesses based on your own mannerisms. And what I see now...." she gave a brief pause as she removed her glasses. "Is a girl who has obviously developed feelings she is has never had before and is trying to process them. Who is a bit afraid of rejection. But you can't allow a simple fear to stop you from doing something. If you need some assurance, I assume there is a way you can find out that you should. And knowing how proactive you are... you've at least partially taken care of that already," she said and Kimiko's eyes widened at her rightness. "I would advise you find the answer you set yourself up for, and proceed the way your heart will allow you to, opening up a bit can sometimes be painful. But... it can also be wonderful," she mentioned as another timer beeped. "And that is the end of our session. You've shown a lot of growth this week. Do make sure not to worry anyone with your non-disclosure agreements. And I'll look forward to hearing what you decided."

And with that... Kimiko gave a gentle bow and left out of the office. What a surreal experience. While she thought this over, she pulled her hood back on and placed a large pair of sunglasses over her eyes. In her own eyes, she was perfectly disguised as she headed back to the arcade. It had been more than half a day since her last visit perhaps she'd received a bit of confirmation. Though the walk she took there was admittedly slow as her heart beat in her chest at a strange frequency. And she once again argued with herself over her doubts. 'Come on Kimi, you can't go making outlandish declarations multiple times, and be scared of a bad reaction. He... can be trusted.' she felt that thought in the depths of her soul.

[Bloodedge]

Once he was home, Yugi took all the time necessary to consider what he'd learned after returning to this world. Up to seven cults of some sort existed from the world he'd been plunged into. At least two of said cults wished to experience their home again, even if for different reasons. The first he met... was quite problematic. With this new Wrath faction, though, he could at least take matters into his own hands. The important thing to consider for now, was this power of Wrath. . .

For every action, there was a reaction. This ability could not harm without helping elsewhere as he understood, but he also could not help without doing harm. The latter stipulation was not one he could not tolerate at all. What good could he even do, if every positive resulted in the same amount of negativity coming as a repercussion? Nonsense! This was just another puzzle to be solved, and he'd sit atop his futon and contemplate a way to avoid such ridiculous drawbacks before making use of a power. Actually... what if he had been making use of that power actively all along? It could easily be likened to situations earlier in his human life, but also potentially manifested in his Avatars. There were certain abilities his various selves utilized that simply felt... different when triggered with anything resembling a vengeful mindset. Was this the core of Wrath? If that were the case, he may have been on the right track already. If not, he would have to solve a different sort of puzzle─ one he would undertake with the intention of removing Wrath from his being entirely. 'Mendokuse. If there's one thing I actually hate, it's a negative drawback like that. I feel like there's something there, though...' he thought. Perhaps it was best if he gave heavy consideration to the skills he had in mind?

'Counter... Constant Flux... Everything Akashi does... and...' Yugi's eyes widened as he stared into his ceiling. His most recent Avatar had something that fit so perfectly. Within it, there was the ultimate ability to enhance all damage output at the cost of himself. Could that have been it? Perhaps the power of Wrath came with consequences simply due to how it was being used previously. The counter ability of Kou had no such feeling, but maybe 'counters' were the solution.

[Apollymi]

'He can be trusted.' It was her mantra. 'He can be trusted.' Kimiko had to keep repeating it, so she could believe it. 'He can be trusted.' Oh? Something was a bit amiss. Unlike the time previous there were several people crowded around the Grand Theft Auto game machine. Several were wearing matching school uniforms and were discussing the Urban Legend known as the Geno Killer. "Wait don't let anyone get rid of it, before we take a picture!" said one. "Yep! He was definitely here, challenged a bunch of random scores. No one saw any reason though!" another guy said. "Shit we barely missed him, but why challenge a bunch of low scores if he beat the high one?" they questioned aloud. Kimiko squeezed through to see the machine and what she saw made her face break out into a strange smile. She looked at the screen and saw that he'd flipped the numbers on the high score, but more over, there were 10 challenges issued. "Oi oi, don't challenge it, we're trying to figure out why he did it!" someone excitedly uttered. "Sou ka, no problem, I just want to see it too..." she said. After a few moments she saw the challenges issued in addition to her now secondary score. The cipher was her own so it was rather easy to read in the moment. Placing those numbers in order her eyes lit up and an excited giggle escaped her. She then turned and left the arcade with a confused group of young teens staring at her. "Eh? Maybe she was just crazy. No one gets the Geno Killer!" one child exclaimed.

He was wrong. She fully understood, she could have squealed her happiness in this moment. 'He's waiting!' Knowing that information made the girl's heart so light. She couldn't even help but feel quite elated at it. And with that lightness in her heart came the clarity of her mind. She had to think about how best to find him. He claimed in two of his forms to have given her all the information she needed to find him. And had gone beyond to claiming he wanted to be found. As she walked towards her own home again she began putting together her next set of thoughts. What did she know? 'He goes to my school. He loves puzzles and video games. He has an oddly political mind and is a bit ill tempered. Can't complain about that last part, I get it.' She thought in a line of branches into several different lines of thought. 'Wouldn't be directly involved with Student Council we're similar and I am not involved with them either though they want me to be. It's carrying and the Geno Killer doesn't carry.' She marked off a line of thought completely and back tracked. 'Ill-tempered means he could be a punk, but... that doesn't fit with the big-brother mentality either. His sister is a bit spoiled by his attention and admitted to being sickly while she was here. He wouldn't do anything that could have potentially jeopardized her. Mark that off too.' Her walk towards home had become a roving map in her mind as she tried various lines of thought to get her towards figuring out the Geno Killer's identity. 'People know he does puzzles, because he finds that annoying he hides his identity in video games. He even advised me to do the same when we talked on the ship. That means, no one would know who he was, if I mentioned gaming. Knowing his gamer tag also lets me rule out any potential claims anyone would have to being him but so does his love of puzzles.' She moved forward from that thought to the next one pausing at a crosswalk. That was a pretty straight forward line of thought which led her pretty close to a reasonable conclusion, ah, but that wouldn't really work at face value. 'Hm, but he doesn't want people bothering him. He wouldn't just be a member of the Puzzle Club. I couldn't just walk in looking for him...' she twisted that lock of hair around as she continued to think over this problem. She took it back a few steps. 'He doesn't want people bothering him, and he wouldn't be a member of the Puzzle Club... but someone in the Puzzle Club should know who is he... because they've been trying to recruit him.' Her eyes lit up! Potentially one step closer, to solving this puzzle of the boy. So, she at least knew what the next step of her journey was, in her search to find the real Geno Killer, she needed to find those who sought him for his puzzle solving abilities. This mean being indirect, she needed information about the Puzzle Club, its members and their practices. She didn't doubt her ability to get information out of people, but it was definitely easier if she came with full ammunition. So, she pulled out her phone and sent a text message to a certain Systems Administrator of her company. She was about to pay the girl to do some off the books work for her.