<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

When offered a celebratory makeout, Maki's immediate response was to point out other people being present. Well, it wasn't so immediate. She first went through the most extreme state of fluster he'd seen from her yet. Regarding the actual response, Yugi had no personal issue with there being others around. Maki seemed to be a... very specific type of person, though. If Yugi was right, he now had his first official route with a virgin. "Still not a no. Wanna hop over there and do it?" he asked, aimlessly pointing over his shoulder. Maki truly was an interesting combination of archetypes ─ a combination he fully intended to explore to its limits.

At that time, Miko was conversing with Aki, having some knowledge about how chaotic his day had been thus far. What he shared was only part of the story ─ albeit the majority of it. What he could easily give the overall majority to, however, was those two E-ranks... or whatever they actually were. Aki wished he could have a longer cigarette, or perhaps a drug at this point. "At least you're conscious of it. It's not a big deal... probably. Definitely not at the top of my concerns list right now," he admitted. Now that the boss was dead, Aki could go back to figuring out his living situation... or so he thought.

Satoru knew the truth of this matter. The true 'boss' of this raid was currently en route to the group, and would be appearing amid the straggler spiders in due time. As if he had nothing to do with the man's survival to this point, Satoru merely floated overhead, continuing his phone call with the chairwoman. "I don't think that interest will come unless you say it can ─ not for him anyway. And you... want to wait on that?" he asked, not really needing an answer. Makima thought she had time before the Players and her 'children' were closer in strength to each other... but she probably didn't have the entire day before such a thing happened. "Hm," Satoru murmured. "The real show's about to start!" he exclaimed, all for the sake of shifting topics.

[Apollymi]

All the reactions of Maki seemed very familiar to Miko as she'd been 2 days ago by her own approximation. Maki herself was so flustered she had no idea what was wrong with people in the current moment. 'It seems we both get to virgin slay today...' Miko had nothing but approval in her thoughts. Maki on the other hand was still being propositioned. This time he pointed over his shoulder and claimed they could go there and make out, "That doesn't change the public nature of this situation!" Maki claimed. She hadn't said no, "And I wouldn't say no... just like later," she said while rubbing the back of her head and looking away. Yes the monster was dead but there was still clean-up, reporting in and all that to deal with.

Meanwhile, Miko was conversing with Aki and hearing him out. She knew she only knew a bit of his day, but sometimes being around to commiserate with was enough. She also fully realized dealing with the pair of them was likely more than most people would ever sign themselves up for, "You probably are more worried about other things. It's okay, I'll help if I can♪~" Miko said. She already fully intended a certain kind of favor, and a conversation with the higher ups as this whole thing was a specific person's fault regardless of everything else. No matter what Miko didn't want people upset nor did she think it was okay for Aki to have such a troublesome day simply because Sato Kenta couldn't get his shit together. Miko was mildly pleased as she began looking through her phone, intending to pick out a pair of sunglasses for Gojo just in case he'd been close enough for his to break.

Meanwhile, Gojo and Makima were discussing her match making the twins she'd raised and the Players. It seemed Gojo was surprised by the idea that she'd wanted to wait for them to reach the same power level... "I was going to make sure they couldn't accidentally hurt each other... I didn't consider that Kyo might feel as if he needed permission. That's a good catch," she said with appreciation. "Wait... why did you say that like that?" Makima asked after a second of extra thought. But apparently the real show was about to start, Makima sighed, "Oh? You actually made sure he made it? Interesting, I guess we'll be seeing how they do..." Makima said wondering what the pair would be doing at the approach of that lumbering A-rank Tanker.

[Bloodedge]

Even going to another location didn't change the fact that they were in public, Maki insisted. She wasn't rejecting his idea, but pushing it off until later. Virginity confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, Yugi thought. "Of course it does. If no one is looking, it's the same as no one being around. And you've had this much of the conversation already, making it clear to all listeners what's going to happen. The only difference between doing it now and doing it later is... not having to look other people in the eye afterwards. But that won't help. If you ever see those people again, if they gave a shit in the first place, they'd have reason to assume or wonder about how far my tongue went into your mouth after that one conversation at the end of a Dungeon Break," Yugi rambled. At some point during his speech, Yugi was simply completing his own train of thought aloud. That aside, there was another annoyance keeping him from progress. Satoru was floating nearby, which meant... Yugi could glance down from the fox's head and see none other than Sato Kenta stomping closer and closer. "Reasons to do a murder getting more and more numerous..."

At the same time, Miko was offering some kind of assistance with Aki's situation. He didn't really need someone else's help, but the gesture could be appreciated. "Don't waste your energy. We're the only ones left from this raid; the payday will be crazy. I'll get a hotel and see if there's a way to fix my other problem," he said prior to a deep, long cigarette drag. Sadly, he didn't get to enjoy the end of that puff. Yugi said something about a murder, and he already knew what the lad was getting at. Indeed, Sato Kenta was in the vicinity. "Well, I guess we can't just settle for completing the Dungeon Break. Wonderful," he complained.

Makima now had a bit of direction when it came to dealing with those twins ─ at least the male who showed no interest in her new female pet. Satoru didn't see it as a matter of Kyo 'needing permission' but rather... that man didn't care about anything normal unless he was ordered by the one person he'd take orders from. Ah, but Makima also caught the strangeness of Satoru's reaction. Luckily for Satoru, Kenta was perfectly placed as a distraction/topic change. "I'm not a betting man, but I'd put money on victory with a flair. Everyone here has reason to hate that bastard, so maybe we'll get to see a gangbang~" he said through a rather wicked grin.

[Apollymi]

Maki would have been fine to recover on her own, but of course that wasn't allowed. No, Yugi went on an entire tirade about how this whole thing worked and her issues with the situation. They were spot on but that didn't mean she wanted them pointed out to her in such a straight-forward fashion. "You know you could keep all that in your head. I don't need to be read that hard!" the girl said her face fully flushed in embarrassment. She couldn't really help it. Why he wanted to say so much and make her think about all the bits associated with those actions. Ah but there was something on the way which apparently would require murder. "What did that guy actually make it this far?" she questioned looking off towards the approaching Sato Kenta.

At the same time, Miko was having a casual conversation with Aki. She'd offered him help and he'd claimed she didn't need to waste her energy. "I wouldn't consider it a waste of energy. I'd take it as a mini-vacation. You grew an arm back today, you deserve it♪~" Miko said lightly. Ah but they couldn't remain so light-hearted as the mention of murder piqued Miko's attention and brought back into her hearing radius a certain existence. "Ugh, I'd tuned him out and everything... I guess it would have been too much for him to die on his own. Or I don't know... rethink all the behavior that got him to this point?" she offered. A bit of introspection was healthy but she figured most people didn't get enough therapy to realize that most things that happened to them were because of their own choices. "This is gonna be on us isn't it? The E-ranks that ruined his plans and made him look bad. We're gonna get Bronzed for the second time today..." Miko murmured softly mentally preparing for a fight, having already rationalized his death indirectly.

Meanwhile, Makima was being distracted from match-making to deal with the whole Sato Kenta situation. That man didn't know others were watching, no he was simply approaching a group that was winding down after a successful hunt of a creature just to have to deal with him. "Not a gambler either, but I don't think I can in good faith be worried about them.... though I am curious to see what they'd been doing," Makima thought. "Besides with you grinning like that, I'm sure they're about to show some rather exciting developments~" Makima added. Willing to go quiet and watch the coming fireworks.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, no... Too difficult once my brain starts going, and this is the toned-down version. They thought I had Tourette's until I had my brain scanned. That wasn't even a hard read, but I know something you need hard. That's basically what I'm trying to work my way up to here, so bite the fucking bait already," Yugi said. Much to his annoyance, he wasn't allowed much progress now because of Kenta, who'd have to be dealt with one way or another. Before that, Miko had some wisdom to share with Aki about how he could view his life situation. He'd grown an arm back today ─ he deserved a short holiday. Well, this wasn't the first time he'd grown back an arm... but it was the best regrowth to date. "I often have to grow back an arm. Shouldn't you be the one getting credit for that? You take a vacation," he countered. Aki would be forcing the fox summon to lower itself, while Yugi was looking at the System screen. They had an alert about the boss's defeat and the distribution of loot to go along with those two levels. What interested Yugi most was the loot ─ one thing in particular.

"Arachnid's... Hand Crossbow? Like, for free?!" Yugi asked of the greater universe. At the same time, now that they were low enough to be in clear view of Kenta, the A-rank Tanker had a few words to share. "You! You all look like you're having a damn good time over here, don't you?! Any of you got a clue what you've done?!" he yelled. "Oh yeah, it's coming," Yugi said to confirm Miko's musings. "I think... we killed most of the creatures out here, wiped the boss and secured the bag~" he said to Kenta, shifting his glance toward Maki for a quick wink. "Oh, I've got something for you by the way. Wanna come get it?"

[Apollymi]

Maki was soon hearing more words from Yugi. According to the lad he couldn't hold in his own word vomit most of the time. He claimed that even now she was getting the abridged version. He reinforced his earnestness in pursuit and claimed she should take the bait already. "I don't need anything... and you're weird," Maki claimed. But still she couldn't discount his words. And with him being so direct about it, she had little to no choice but to accept what his honest intention was, even if she found it odd herself. The things holding her back in her own mind were still there though and a certain amount of trust had already been acquired, obviously his words did a decent amount of work as she gained another 2 percent Intimacy in the moment. At the same time, Miko was still holding her casual conversation with Aki, she'd tried to offer him the out of a mini-vacation for having to regrow an arm, and she was in turn given credit, as he claimed he often grew back arms but she'd put the actual work in this time. "Iia... you definitely let me do what I considered an experimental treatment without being certain I could actually do it. Risky behavior should come with a few bonuses and rewards, Aki-nii. And I'm not taking credit, but I am taking a holiday or two, you're even getting me dinner, so treat yourself♪~ It's the point of being young♪~" Miko chirped, with a playful wink.

Still the time for play and flirts was coming to an end. They weren't even going to have enough time to properly look through all the loot drops and other things... "I mean relative free... we did actually have to kill the spider♪~" Miko said about the crossbow he'd apparently picked up. Still the approach of Sato Kenta was one which came with the gentle lowering of that fox. While that occurred and he yelled about what they'd done, Miko and Yugi were casually discussing their upcoming problems, while Miko absently rubbed her ears, hearing this man speak again was a special brand of annoyance to her. Did they know what they'd done? Yugi thought so, he gave a list and Miko nodded along, "Hai, that sounds about right... you seem very upset Sato-san. The job is done, what's there to be upset about?" Miko asked as if she didn't already know... she was actually just curious about how much of his own folly he'd admit in his anger. Growing up the way she did, she knew moments of frustration were the worst for hiding things. When offered something from Yugi, Maki looked a bit apprehensive, "No funny business?" she said as she took a few steps closer and Miko gently smiled encouragingly, giving the girl, the thumbs up. She seemed more standoffish than one would expect but perhaps that was simply one of those hidden story bits that would make sense later. At least that was Miko's take on it.

[Bloodedge]

"You don't know you need something. And we're weird," Yugi countered. Not a single member of this existing group could be called normal. The same could be said of Sato Kenta, who had to be some kind of weirdo for his sacrificial tendencies and overinflated ego. He'd have to be dealt with. Such was the thought of Aki, who never took his eyes off the angry Tanker while the group's mount descended through withering spiderwebs. "No time to be young when adulthood keeps making things annoying. I'll burn the flame of youth or whatever later. That guy's the reason I've got no house," he said, hoping he'd have the opportunity to teach Kenta a lesson himself.

Yugi had himself a bow, and there were some armor pieces in their new loot as well. Miko argued that his crossbow was only free in a relative sense. Of course, Yugi had an argument about that as well. "Fuck that. Money-free is the best kind of free. Besides, it's not like that spider took real effort anyway. It was the easiest shit ever!" he said, seeming to answer an urge of antagonizing Kenta at the end. "Little shits! Why are the E-ranks still alive here? Everyone else is dead! If everybody just followed me and did what they were told, we'd all be swimming in offers by now! You nobodies could have a place in a good guild as its startup crew! But what now? Three B-ranks and two E-ranks think they're gonna get credit for a B-rank Dungeon Break? Don't make me laugh!" Kenta griped. If only they'd all listened, they still could have cleared the raid... but with the bonus of Kenta's plan to become master of a new guild. Surely that would have benefited everyone. Yugi had so many things to say about that, but nothing he cared to mention now. No, he was already calling Maki toward himself. She wondered if there'd be no funny business. Yugi chortled. "Always funny business," he said initially. By the time she approached him, Yugi would be holding a pair of purple glasses more than suited to anyone's eyes. That extra tomoe in one of his eyes had gone missing in the past few moments ─ if only because a purchase wasn't all he did. "You didn't need glasses before the Gates, did you? Your body's too quick for your eyes, so the strain hit really hard when you became a Hunter. If your eyes could catch the fuck up, you'd be fine... and probably more than just another B-rank threat, right? A little closer, by the way."

[Apollymi]

Maki apparently didn't know she needed something and they were weird. She could assume he meant the whole of this group, which she would agree with after hanging out with everyone for the duration of this raid. "Fair," Maki said to the last bit, she didn't know what he thought she needed but she took some very sexual connotations from his words. No matter, Miko was casually speaking with Aki, even at the approach of the angry Tanker. Apparently, Aki couldn't play at being young again, while someone he needed revenge against was present. "As long as I get to see that flame, I guess... a bit of vengeance is in order. All those unnecessary sacrifices today were definitely on him," Miko commented knowing more about the situation than she let on.

Yugi and Miko were still able to have their more casual conversations as they were lowered towards the ground and a bit of antagonizing came with that last statement of his. "Money-free is always good. And it was pretty easy... aside from swarm numbers we probably would have been able to properly dance for this one," Miko said thinking about the part of this situation where she and Yugi were supposed to be taking on this Dungeon by themselves. Oh well, there was no use crying over spilled milk... unless of course, your name was Sato Kenta. Who cried about the E-ranks still being alive. Who claimed that they would have still gotten the kill, if they'd followed his directions and who spat in the faces of the B-ranks in the same breath. Once again, Miko was pinching the bridge of her nose, she had to be developing some kind of migraine related disorder. "Your lack of personal accountability here is reprehensible. As for what now, we're still alive because we didn't allow you to sacrifice us to your lofty goal and we still get paid. You're making a lot of assumptions about whether or not anyone here would even want to work with you, after finding out how this whole situation started in the first place. The blind disgruntled followers all died at the start, you know? And you don't sound like you're actually looking to include anyone... Also 4," Miko said that number at the end seemingly unrelated but it was definitely the number of times he'd been classist while trying to make it sound like he was being reasonable. At the same time Yugi was calling Maki over to himself, she asked about funny business and he claimed it always was, oh well, she was too close now to back out. And soon enough a set of observations came from the lad in front of Maki, about her condition. It was true, she hadn't needed glasses before the Gates opened, becoming a Hunter made her move faster than even her own eyes could follow and she'd strained her eyes quite a bit initially. "Yeah, I move faster than my eyes can follow... its one of my own weird flaws... not that it stops me or anything but... How did you know all that?" she asked somewhat astounded but not able to quiet the sound of her own heart beat in her ears. A little closer... she stepped up a bit more wondering what the lad was doing and incidentally catching a peek at his eyes again, noting one less tomoe, but wondering if that was just a trick of ehr currently shattered glasses.

[Bloodedge]

Some details about Kenta's exploits, whether by intention or by the fault of word vomit, were shared by Miko. Aki surmised that a few other tidbits were hidden between the lines of her speech to the man, further implicating him for terrible behavior. The word sacrifice was especially damning. He definitely had no interest in joining the guild of someone who'd let a Dungeon Break occur in range of a residential area. Hayashi was in a similar boat, though for different reasons. "Ano... Sato-san is a little too reckless for me. I don't think I'd join that guild anyway," the mage said. "Reckless isn't the word. I'm not following an idiot," Aki added. Already furious, Kenta was allowing his mana to leak out. The others had a lot to say for a group he could wipe-out singlehandedly. In fact, why shouldn't he? The plan was already ruined, so who was to say they didn't all die during the raid? "An idiot, huh? That's funny. You all know I'm the one with real experience? Anybody here been to an A-rank Gate? There's a golden rule, y'know. What happens in a Dungeon... stays in a Dungeon. So you all can either get onboard with the story of what really happened here, or I guess those spiders got the best of you a while back!" Kenta threatened.

In the meantime, Yugi was mostly ignoring the exchange. He considered the progression of Maki more important than some washed-up A-ranker who could surely be defeated by the three he currently faced. As his summary of Maki's situation was spot-on as well, he could probably ensure her ability to defeat the annoyance by herself. Ah, but she had a question. How did he know so much? "Because you're too confident in yourself while still having something to prove. You'll slam your head against the wall of your own limitations as many times as it takes, probably in an effort to prove to yourself that you're worth it. You're also too girly to be this much of a tomboy. It's still hot; it works for you... but it reeks of retaliation." While Yugi spoke, he held that new pair of glasses in both hands, turning their arms toward Maki while keeping them close to his torso. "You also seem like you've had some bad experiences. Nobody becomes that emotional and that reserved at the same time without a story behind it. If I had to guess, I'd say you've been two-timed more than thrice ─ a lot more. But that's not important. These should help level you up. Closer still, and close your eyes."

[Apollymi]

The details of Kenta's exploits were known by Miko because she heard him. Because this Dungeon was supposed to be hers and Yugi's first one, and because she'd been directly in his group while he sacrificed other pieces for a goal that was something she should have worked for on his own merit. Hayashi called the man reckless claiming that to be reason enough not to join him, and Aki called him stupid. "Sou ka, you also don't hold back that sort of thing..." Miko muttered quietly. Ah, but the knowledge that none aligned with him in the moment didn't sit well with the A-rank Tanker. In this moment, Sato Kenta claimed to be the one with real experience. Had any of them ever been in an A-rank Gate? Miko hadn't but she'd said that... already. "Hm, you're threatening me..." Miko said casually applying new loot and stat points for herself and keeping an ear out for the end of Yugi's conversation. She was stalling for him after all. "You say the story but you mean lie. If being an A-Rank really meant as much as you think it does, it wouldn't matter what any of us have to say would it? You could have left as soon as the boss died and told your lie to everyone who would listen, but here you are... standing in front of us..." Miko said her eyes trained on the man in front of her. "So, what lie do you need us poor E and B ranks to back you up on?" she asked earnestly.

Meanwhile, Maki was being confronted by a bit too much truth in a single moment. And after questioning the information he had, she received an even deeper reading of herself. Her confidence, her tomboy nature, her girly side and all of it together seemed to reek of retaliation, even though it worked for her according to the young man. "You could take it a little easy on me you know," she said. Still there was something about him noticing so much about her. It made her feel properly seen, and properly understood. She saw in the man's hands a pair of glasses and she stepped forward a bit more as he asked her to as he explained something else he noticed. He understood her personal issues even without her ever mentioning any details. Two-timing wasn't exactly the issue, but it did boil down to a certain amount of lack of attention to her as opposed to someone else, she didn't need that sort of energy it wasn't worth the effort. "That's freaky and you shouldn't just read that far into people you just met," she said still, she trusted him so she'd close her eyes as she took that final step forward.