Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

Soon after his departure, Arjuna entered the room in which Hikari's presence seemed strongest. There she was, just as he'd figured. She seemed to be furiously working toward some goal of craft, her growing frustration showing in her beast-like extremities. Arjuna didn't want to interrupt, but in the end, he figured it was probably best for her to take a moment away from this project of hers. Clearing his throat, he stepped into the room. "Apologies. Could I pull you away from that for a moment? I've brought something for you," he said, hesitating for a moment thereafter. Twice now, he'd encountered a problem, and he didn't want that issue repeated now that he was of a mind to prevent it. "Ah. We've traveled together. I am Arjuna, the latest incarnation of Arata."

"Likewise. If we're going to have to deal with it, we may as well have general preparations out of the way before preparing for something we don't know in great detail. Variety would serve us better in the long-run anyway," Licht commented. He had several ideas about these 'Akuma' and how they may function, but most of them were based on an understanding he had about his current self, brought about partially by accident. This understanding would undoubtedly prove useful in some capacity, but not useful enough to rely on fully. As for him giving away Miki's trade secrets, as it were, the otherwise naturally stoic visage of Licht showed something of a smirk. "For what it's worth, even if I did give something away, that doesn't make it an easily-replicated scenario. Doing something like that requires perfect execution, and more skill than the great majority of players can manage."

[Apollymi]

The clearing of a throat made the demi-human lass look up from her spot. Beyond this someone called for her attention and though she expected her brother what she found was a strange lad standing before her. "Well, I was probably about to break it..." she said with a pout in her face. "Now then what's this about a present?" she asked seeming to find it amusing that she was about to get something for practically nothing. Strangely, unlike the others she didn't seem to have any problem with receiving a gift, even before the lad tried to explain who he was. Once he did she looked at him with her brows raised slightly. "Yeah, yeah. I know, Dick-sensei when I see Dick-sensei... what's the gift?" she repeated her earlier question, waiting none too patiently for whatever this gift would be.

In the meantime Miki was having a conversation with Licht who seemed to be in favor of both preparing for what was to come and the variety of that preparation. "Yeah exactly," Miki said also favoring variety and preparedness. As the conversation progressed, Miki was left trying to pry Seriri from around her neck. But while she was in the middle of this she caught sight of Licht's smirk and heard out his commentary on her creation of Divine Rebirth. He claimed it was a feat that even if known couldn't be repeated by any random individual, acknowledging her skills as a gamer and strategist. "Uh...well..." the girl tried to form a sentence but ended up red in the face from embarrassment. Rare indeed was it for Ashikaga Kimiko to be red in the face, rarer still was it for her to be speechless. But Seriri understood this as her friend often went without praise for things she put effort into. This was especially true of her in her video game life, given this she realized the lass didn't know what to say to Licht's assertion. "Sugoi! Sugoi! Kimi... speechless!?" she managed letting go of the lass continuing to tease. "Urusai!" Miki said once more this time turning away with her nose up in the air. "I'm not speechless... I'm just thinking..." she said content to move right along.

[Bloodedge]

Interestingly, Hikari was the one individual this day to not show immediate suspicion when offered a gift by Arjuna. Of course, the fault of this seemed at least partially related to the fact that she recognized him even through this new Avatar. If anyone was going to recognize him outside of those he'd spent a gratuitous amount of time around in the Marshlands, one could expect Hikari to be the one. "Ah, yes. Of course," he said, finally arriving to the conclusion that she understood him more easily than the other two in the Party. With that exchange out of the way, he could more easily give his offering. Once more this day, the tanned male extended his hand to produce raw Mystic Code. This offering wasn't Holy Magic like he'd given the others, but instead an accumulation of separate codes. "You may find some of these useful. I can say, among this set is the ability Appraisal, which should help you with your... crafting attempt."

Meanwhile, Miki was falling victim to a very peculiar illness: the likes of embarrassment, it seemed. Licht was capable of beholding this event with a quirked brow. Could she have really gone without hearing such praises, with the life she led? He had it on good authority that the one called Kimiko ranked among the most successful teenagers in Japan's history; perhaps even the world. How very strange, but then again... it wasn't as if she didn't show these signs before the current moment. Speechlessness, though, was an interesting thing to be present for indeed. Licht even seemed to be affected by the event when offering his retort. "Eto. Should I have not said that?"

[Apollymi]

"Yep yep," the girl said having sat down her small crafting project. It seemed that the lad before her, now known as Arjuna had at least had contact with the others and maybe had a harder go of being recognized. At least, this was the assumption made by Hikari given his introduction. He even went on to claim he had several pieces of Mystic Code to offer her including 'Appraisal' which she would find useful given her current attempt at crafting. "That's pretty cool. I'll take it all and sort through it later... Arigatou!~" she exclaimed reaching out to integrate the whole of the set of codes and immediately starting to build a new skill. "So, you enjoying your calmer face?" she asked of the lad in her usual manner, wondering what exactly brought about this change in Avatar.

Miki's embarrassment was a source of great joy to Seriri, if only because she enjoyed her friends more honest emotions. Having been told to shut up, she laughed instead and when Licht spoke about whether or not he should have said anything Seriri only looked at the lad and smiled. Waiting to see how Miki would respond. Strangely, interacting with Seriri seemed to bring out of Miki the part of her that was more exclusively, her original self and as such her response was likely very different than one would have expected. "I... ah... I didn't say that..." she stumbled through those words only to before more confident over time. "Say what you want," the blonde lass said still turning her head slightly to the side and fighting with the physical form of her embarrassment. Seriri chuckled knowing exactly what this meant, and finding it funny that her friend managed to be this way even as a softer version of herself. Still getting this out of the lass was important, if only so that she was sure that the blossoming romance between these two individuals came with a certain amount of transparency.

[Bloodedge]

And so, Arjuna was finally able to complete an exchange that remained simple and direct from beginning to end. He may have even been relieved that he waited to see her last, though he didn't appear particularly bothered by any of his dealings this day. He did what he felt he needed to, and none seemed at all worse for wear as a result. Hikari became the only one to question his Avatar change directly, shifting his attention to a different topic. Arjuna's right arm met his hip, his back arched slightly, and his head rose in contemplation. "I suppose... yes, it's quite pleasant. It is still not completely Arata, but it is opposite to Karna enough. I would like to keep myself this way, but I'm afraid Karna will eventually force his way out again."

Miki's reactions became stranger by the moment, with her most recent development being rather unexpected. Taken aback, Licht found his own turn to be rendered entirely speechless. "Uh-... well..." he stammered. There were a few ways he could accept this rebuttal, but from what he'd seen of this lass, he was able to settle on the likeliest of scenarios. 'Right. Tsun traits,' he thought, sighing within his own mind. Aloud, he corrected his demeanor and cleared his throat. "Hai. I'll keep that in mind," he claimed.

[Apollymi]

Having taken the time to combine 'Appraisal' with her crafting skill, she came up with a Mystic Code called, 'Tinkerer' which allowed her to create small charms which contained specific parts of lines of Mystic Codes she could see and copy. Doing so would create an item which would bolster the effects of existing lines of Mystic Codes in weapons and Artifacts, but make it so that the amplified trait could be switched or shifted at will. Knowing how this now worked, she went back to her crafting and listened to Arjuna as he explained how he now felt. "Sou ka, I suppose that the abrasiveness of Karna is hard on you too," she said as she finally got what she needed to piece together the craft she was working on. "Don't worry about it too much. Enjoy the downtime and when you go back to being Karna don't stress too much..." these were the words the lass had to share and though she wasn't quite sure what problem he had with his other Avatar, she could at least accept the kinds of difficulties that could sprout from being too different from one's normal personality. "YOSH! I finally did it! Nice save!~" the lass managed holding up a small charm which was shaped like several squares flattened out, which when equipped bolstered ability channeling through weapons lightening the load on ones personal Mana reserves. The item itself looked rather similar to one she'd possessed in real-life in the form of a barrette. But this one seemed more like a cellphone charm, or in this case a weapon charm which could be attached to the end of the weapon. Having done this she immediately went to work on another one, finding it much easier to construct this time around. She made it with the same shape and coloration, as if she meant for it to be a pair, which she did as she had the intention of gifting it to two individuals.

In the meantime, Licht was rendered speechless apparently by Miki's reactions. Even so, he seemed to recover at a much faster rate than the lass. A chuckle came from Seriri, who raised her hands in mock surrender after doing all of this seeming to still be utterly amused. "Wari, wari, I couldn't help it. I didn't know if Kimi-lite would manage to be so much Kimi," she said laughing the whole of the situation off. "And one to you as well, Licht, I got a bit carried away," she managed still making it seem like she wasn't sorry at all for what she'd been amusing herself doing in the last few moments. "As you like..." said Kimi in a manner so open it applied both to the apology and to what Licht had managed to say in response to her. Moving right along she thought about something important. "Shouldn't we talk to everyone else, since we're planning on doing some separate stuff. And I'm sure Hikari-chan was worried about you while you were passed out..." she mentioned. They'd gone through a lot in the past few days but Miki still considered their working group composition to be important and there were a few more things they needed to do. And the sooner they did it, the sooner they could come back together, which was her primary concern.

[Bloodedge]

"Not so much me, as this... I suppose I should call it account, shouldn't I? Even when I was born, I had to use Appraisal to unlock the Holy attribute of a weapon Karna held, all so I could come to the surface by weakening him." Arjuna's explanation was about as accurate as he could possibly manage. He didn't intend to dwell much on that matter either way though, so it was fine as far as he was concerned. And lo, Hikari had managed to produce a new topic worth addressing by completing her craft, even though she rather quickly moved on to another of such objects. "What is it you've done there? It looks almost like an Artifact, but compressed? What is its purpose?" he wondered aloud.

While Licht recovered from the surprising retaliation of Miki, Seriri appeared to be having the time of her life. Of course, there had to be one of those individuals in the group. Never could a day pass without someone to play the instigator, and in being without Karna for so long, someone had to make up for lost time. He had assumed it would be Hikari to do such a thing. Ah, but speaking of Hikari, he had nearly forgotten! Until recently, the Avatar named Kou had been unconscious for days, and he'd yet to see his core persona's sibling since before that unfortunate occurrence. "Right. I let it slip my mind with all the planning. Actually, I would like to bring her along with me while I progress my other Avatar, if she's willing. There's every chance she'll be able to unlock her abilities by then, assuming she hasn't reached that point already." As he spoke, Licht shifted his right arm until his hand protruded from its overly-long sleeve, gesturing openly to conjure what appeared to be a wormhole linked directly to Hikari's Mana signature. He didn't intend to travel through it, but rather to call her to him by speaking through the portal. "Hikari! Interested in an adventure?"

[Apollymi]

Hikari did her part as a good friend and heard out what the lad known as Arjuna had to say about his current condition. He claimed that he'd used Appraisal to be able to become the version of himself he was currently. This made her chuckle, she could imagine Karna not taking too kindly to being displaced in such a way. "Sou ka, sounds like a hell of a ride," she said with no judgement implied. As a person she was simply trying to get to level 30 so that she could make her next Avatar, whatever she decided that needed to be. But whatever the case, it seemed that Arjuna was keen to know what it was she was producing exactly. A chuckle ensued but she went on to explain. "Well, it's more like an amplifier. It's also totally cute, like Cellphone charms, only they apply a bit of extra code or slightly alter existing ones," she explained obviously they were meant to be aides to those who possessed them but she had something specific in mind for these two. "These two are meant to help a certain pair of oblivious teens avoid exhausting themselves too much. Mostly by making the transition for channeling mana through their weapons or tools easier," she said softly. "I don't think they need them, but I know my brother and given how he ended up last week, I am pretty sure he should use something to help his channeling out a bit. Miki-nee, could also get some benefit while her build is short on spare Mana," she mentioned about her crafts as she worked rather easily towards completing the second one.

"I'm sure she'll love the idea," this was chimed in by Seriri who as the younger sister in a similar kind of relationship with her big brother did nothing but enjoy the time they spent together. She saw a few similarities between herself and the younger demi-human, and they'd made fast friends because of it. "Hai, I'm sure a bit of sibling bonding will always work out for you types... I take that to mean you enjoyed showing off your developments for Kaiba too," Miki commented acknowledging the similarities between them, such wording made Seriri nod happily. While working on her craft, a wormhole was soon opened before the lass. She immediately pocketed the items only to hear her brother's tone and cadence coming from a very different face. Her left brow rose as he asked her if she'd like to join him on an adventure. She looked up at the vision of him she could seen from where she was and burst into laughter. "Wait wait, I'm coming through," she exclaimed jumping into this portal and aiming to land upon her brother in the manner she always had. Her laughter would continue for quite a few seconds. "What the hell did you do to your hair? You look like some anime protag's brooding big brother!~" she laughed hysterically at the lad's new Avatar. And in so few words, made it rather obvious why Miki found this particular Avatar attractive, the blonde lass was soon sitting atop her pillow looking off into the distance to avoid giving away too many of her personal thoughts.

[Bloodedge]

Arjuna took a fair bit of interest in Hikari's explanation of her craft. What she spoke of was not something which ever belonged in this world, though it wasn't the first time he'd seen some amount of innovation brought from their home world. This one in particular had potentially infinite uses, perhaps even game-breaking if used properly. "Sou ka. You realize, this sort of creation is what empires in this world hunt Adventurers down over? I would suggest keeping it under wraps, or maybe speaking to Miki about incorporating it into her company and its sales. She seems to be building toward making a proper organization out of her trade eventually," he said, only to be interrupted by the appearance of a strange wormhole.

"I would hope so," was all Licht had to say in response to Seriri. He didn't have much to add when Miki spoke, considering she had no known sibling bond that could be considered relatable. Silence was the better option, he thought. With his portal open, Licht was soon enough met directly by Hikari with her usual tackle, though... was that laughter he heard through the portal beforehand? Yes, in fact, it was. She didn't even bother stopping her fit of laughter when reaching him, but nevertheless, Licht met her with a firm embrace. Just then, Hikari made it known why she had begun laughing. Seeming both shocked and appalled, Licht took a step back before picking up one of those incredibly long hair tufts, as if he intended to inspect it. He hadn't taken a proper look at himself yet, and didn't even realize how accurate her mention of his brooding expression was. Even so, he was going to defend against her clause. "Can you really talk? You look like the type of character people buy body pillows of!" he exclaimed, knowing full well he himself had... perhaps ordered such a thing in the past.

[Apollymi]

After explaining what it was she had made, Hikari received an interesting amount of advice from Arjuna. He aimed to remind her that the advancements of their own time, were highly sought after commodities and the type that could get her hunted down by Empires of this world. A bit of a chuckle would come from her as the lad even suggested the idea that she go into business with Miki as a way of avoiding a potential negative outcome. Before she could respond in any way though, she found herself jumping through a portal and ending up in the arms of her brother the same but different. After she pointed out what was wrong with his look it seemed that he felt the need to defend himself, mostly by claiming that she had the look of a character worshiped in such games as an idol. This only brought about a devious smile from the lass. "Of course I can talk. I'm absolutely adorable. I'd cuddle up to me if I could~" she stated firmly seeming to have no problem with the idea of body pillows of herself floating around. Even so, her brother's commentary was not something to be let go at all. "But Nii-san I bet you know all about the vast market on character body pillows~" she teased. Only to look back towards the portal. "Oh, and I heard ya'. I'll see what she says!~ Arigatou!~" she said to the advice proffered her by Arjuna. Obviously she was never truly annoyed by him, but maybe she was still a bit shy about the idea of approaching business with Miki. Knowing the lass was known for making and breaking businesses in their own world, she was a tiny bit wary of her approach to the situation, but with her brother at her side she felt more at ease. Besides, she had the lass pegged as being much nicer than she seemed in general so she didn't have to worry too much about ending up with hurt feelings. As all of this took place, Miki watched on admiring the sight. She enjoyed something about good sibling relationships. Perhaps she liked them in a strange way because she never had any of her own, but something about the close bond of two kids brought warmth to her heart. This was especially true of the groups of people she was currently prone to hanging out with.

"Oh, and I have something to say and a gift for you two. And maybe a need to talk to you..." that last you she turned and pointed to Miki which made her eyes widen. She was fine with talking to the lass but she couldn't know what it was about. "I dunno it depends on how you see it. But what is this about an adventure?" said Hikari finding it easy to move right along in conversation.

[Bloodedge]

Licht could only imagine that Hikari had missed the point, or at least the part of it he considered major. Even so, it wasn't as if he would openly mention why he brought up the appearance of her Avatar. Knowing it was his sister, and having met her in this world while she was in the form of a child, he could ignore her visage easily... but in seeing the lass now, he knew exactly the type of attention she would have garnered in their world. "Alright, fine. Whatever you sa-" His clause came to an abrupt end the moment he heard Hikari point out the chance of him understanding the body pillow market, as she put it. "Oh, so we're just tarnishing my good name now? Wonderful. Is there anything else you want to try exposing me for while we're here?" the lad asked as Arjuna stepped through the portal, which subsequently closed behind him. The taller male had nothing to offer besides a curt nod toward Hikari, but there was much more yet to be said by Licht. "Your level now is about where I figured it would be. Since we're looking toward the sky soon, as I'm guessing you've heard, it's time we broke the cap. We also have a few things to do for personal development during the meantime, so we're off in different directions. I'll take you with me, if you're interested. Either way, what's this gift you're talking about?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Licht was going to give up on the whole of the conversation, until Hikari pointed out his apparent love of body pillows. This led to a bit of a tirade in which the lad accused her of tarnishing his good name. A laugh came from the Demi-human as she waved off these apparent hysterics. "I don't know. Probably not a good idea to tempt me though~" she mercilessly teased. She went on to acknowledge the head nod from Arjuna and then go on with the rest of their conversation. It seemed her brother had major plans for the next aspect of their adventure. Both he and Miki planned on getting themselves together to break the level cap, something they apparently needed to do separately. And then beyond that, it seemed her brother had been filled in on plans of the sky since his waking. "Sou ka, yeah. I know all about the Sky stuff, Diva is helping Kaiba-san and Bulma-san with the boat/ship/thing... " she mentioned easily. "And of course I am up for an adventure, that was kind of always the point of this whole thing for me anyways," she said happily more than willing to join her brother on his journey. "It's a shame we have to split up to do this stuff, especially since..." she paused then giving it some thought. "Never mind, I think Diva wants to talk to the two of you, definitely before we go anywhere..." she finished up making a note mentally to make sure all went smoothly from there. On the matter of their present. "As for the presents I have them, but it might also be what I need to talk to Miki-nee about," she moved herself a little close and motioned towards Miki who approached atop her pillow with a quirked brow. It was still very strange for her to receive presents but perhaps this is simply what groups of friends did.

"I have been working on a little project and I figured you could both benefit from one. It's been kinda slow going though, until Arjuna showed up and gave me the Mystic Codes I needed to finish it off," she said softly. She reached into her pockets and retrieved the small trinkets. Which were made out of a ceramic like material she got from the sea. Beyond this they were bound in a strange way to Mystic Codes. They looked like little blocks black and white in color two sets slightly connected like her favorite barrettes. Both looked like cellphone charms but they were for weapons. "Anyways, these two will help you two out. They are kinda like cellphone charms but for weapons. These one's help with channeling Mana, but I can make them out of any Mystic Codes to amplify things. Arjuna thought I might want to talk to you about maybe running them through you so I don't like get myself kidnapped or something... if you're interested in that sort of thing. I don't want to impose..." she mentioned as she placed the item in Miki's outstretched hand out of her right and would aim to hand her brother a matching one out of her left. Miki upon getting the item into her hand had her eyes widen. There were many things going on in her head, not the least of which was concerned with the novelty of such an item and the ability to market it. Arjuna had been very correct this was a potentially dangerous thing for her to make but also very potentially profitable. Miki's expression would be unreadable for a few seconds, as she considered the best way to approach it, but when she lifted her face, there was a wide almost lecherous grin there. "Of course, you aren't imposing. If you are interested we can talk it out..." there was an opening here, but Miki or rather Kimiko, valued transparency in her business deals.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course it isn't," he replied without a moment of hesitation. Once upon a time, he found this to be an annoying trait of the lass. Now, he couldn't avoid feeling pleased by her antics even as they worked against him. Hearing from the girl that Diva, the child of old Atlantis, wished to speak with the pair of Adventurers who began this journey together, he became puzzled. What could the lad want? Time would tell the tale. "You're right at least; dividing the group is going to be weird. It'll be fine, though. We'll meet up again soon after we're done, and we'll be right back to business," was his assertion. With that said, he stepped aside to clear space for Hikari and Miki's discussion. It seemed to be a potential business transaction related to the new items crafted by the Demi-human, which bore a striking resemblance to something he was very familiar with. "... Sou ka," he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the charm held in his direction. Hands raised, he refrained from accepting right away. It was clearly an item best suited to weapons, and as Licht, he bore none.

"Arigatou. Could you hold onto it? I don't have need or use for it now, but Kou probably could. I'll take it when I switch back." Indeed, he fully intended to make use of this trinket as Kou, but there was no point in accepting it while bearing the form of Licht. For now, he would pass and let this transaction between lasses progress. The grin Miki bore when considering the exchange was... somewhat unsettling, to say the least. Even so, Licht looked onward with mild curiosity as to how matters would settle.

[Apollymi]

Miki also agreed that the group would be strange. In fact, though she'd played the game AoE to play it solo and enjoy it as such, she hadn't been properly alone since they first entered the world. Being alone again wasn't necessarily something she looked forward to at all. Even so, she couldn't let the idea that she didn't want to be alone again, block her from her progress and from being a good contributor to the group. But strangely though she'd given the gift she wanted to to Miki and watched as the lass had a very strange reaction to it, Licht didn't want it. He made the claim that it was more suited to himself as Kou and that she should hang on to it until he was himself again to accept it. "Hai hai, I made it for that you anyways. Since I got a feel for your Mana a while ago," she said then as if she'd forgotten she turned to him. "BAKA-NII, ending up unconscious all over the place. I told you not to push too much," she chastised the lad for falling ill, knowing he'd not heeded her advice a few days prior when they'd been hanging out. But that didn't really matter now, she was happy he was alright. And she didn't worry too much knowing that Miki had been taking care of him.

Speaking of Miki, the resting look on her face just now wasn't really what Hikari expected of the young business mogul. "If I didn't already know you, that face would make me wonder what exactly it was you are thinking about over there..." Hikari opened which made Miki's face soften instantly. "Gomen, gomen... " she followed up, normally there were others as a buffer between her and her strange business lust. "Iie, it's fine... not like you're the first person I've dealt with to get weird boners about things. But I am sure you know that already too..." said Hikari, unable to avoid taking another jab at her brother. "Anyways, would you be interested in running these through you, if I wanted to sell them to make some extra cash?" she asked. "Anything you could tell me about how this works or would best work out from your perspective would be helpful," she said softly. "Also what you want out of the deal would be good to know before I agreed to anything." Hikari's words let Miki know all she needed to about the lass, it was an interesting proposition. But Miki or rather Kimiko was absolutely the most business oriented person she could be, and given this information she'd handle this transaction as professionally as she could.

"Sou ka, well the first thing to note is, this isn't an extra cash type of business. All on its own, it could make and break the market. The demand for these items will sky rocket once they are made known as they have varied affects that can be applied to anyone and likely anything. In a world where Mystic Codes make or break the skills of everyone any item that can change or amplify them will without a doubt find itself within a booming market," Miki explained, sounding more and more like her old self, but strangely she managed to be somewhat charismatic in this explanation. "The danger of such a thing would be the fact that the person who possesses marketing rights over such an item would be made rich simply by having it and an entire population oppressed simply for lack of access," Miki explained the Market ramifications as well as the immediate social impact of such an item, as it related to business. "An entire empire could fund itself off of an idea like this and knowing that means that if these creations are allowed to float about without being tied to someone or something then their creator will become the target of both intellectual theft or the physical sort," she explained the dangers of the situation rather easily and now Hikari fully understood why Arjuna had suggested talking to Miki about them. "Regardless, I know a good idea when I see one. And the answer to your initial query is yes, I'd be interested in having sole marketing rights to these items at least temporarily," Miki mentioned in the midst of talking she'd begun to twirl her Merchant's Plate around her finger, in the same way she'd been doing when she'd twirled her hair. "Only temporarily?" asked Hikari which made Miki chuckle. "Yes, only temporarily but don't take that the wrong way. My own personal business philosophy is that contracts have to be negotiated from a point of fairness to both ends of the spectrum. While you should make as much money as possible, whenever possible. I don't believe that should be done strictly speaking on the backs of another especially not in a way that breaks individual integrity." Miki explained of herself, while Hikari began to understand exactly how a lass like this became what she had been in their previous world. She didn't know a lot about business but she knew that people were usually more cutthroat than the sound advice she was currently getting. "A temporary contract would allow me Sole Distribution Rights of your products and give you the freedom to create them under my name without having to worry about the business end. In such a situation, you'd could learn to run the business yourself and by the contract simply being temporary you could eventually take it over when the contract runs out. Or renegotiate the terms instead of being stuck in a deal you no longer find fair, or that doesn't suit your needs anymore." Miki's advice in this way was friendly and took both sides of their potential transaction. "And since you asked, my going rate on such a contract is 15 percent of the overall sales profits, with conditions that require you to properly pay any of your staff. But in exchange in this world, you get to use my business to make sales and get my magical protections, you determine the prices of your wares, and make any adjustments necessary. I also become a material supplier to you in any capacity that works for you, be it raw material or simply capital funding if it is necessary," she explained, such ideals were easily seen in her business dealings since coming to Atlantis, but she still wanted the lass to know everything possible before she settled on anything. "In the interest of transparency I will also tell you that it isn't as if I am the only business that exists and you could shop around for better offers or use the information I've given you to get a better handle on the market in general before negotiations go any further. Gomennasai was that too much for one go?" Miki apologized for bombarding the lass with information, but she'd gotten a bit carried away in her explanation.

A chuckle ensued from Hikari but she managed to shake her head. "No, it's fine... I'm used to this sort of thing. I just need a second to make sure I got everything... Nii-san, anything you think I should know before stepping into this sort of thing?"

[Bloodedge]

Hikari's chastising was going to come eventually, whenever she got around to remembering that she'd yet to do so. Licht knew this, but it was all a matter of when she'd catch up. Now was the time, apparently. "Oi oi, relax!" he said defensively. "I didn't have much choice. This form could have gotten the task done without much problem, but Kou had to follow certain... restrictions," he said, knowing the fault was in his Kou Avatar's human body and Celestial heritage. His current existence was a proper Celestial, and could have gone to such extents without wearing out his physical shell. Sadly, his current form didn't have the same crafting abilities as Kou, so he had to work with what he came equipped with during the previous week. "It's fine. I don't think there'll ever be a need to make something else like that."

And so, Miki went about explaining her business practices to the younger female. Licht continued watching and listening, taking a clear interest in all things said by Miki, as well as how she phrased everything. His visage showed a natural quantity of skepticism, but also that same curiosity. He couldn't prevent himself staring at the blonde, finding there to be a certain amount of fairness within the transaction, though there was also something quite dark about the whole thing. Upon being asked by Hikari if there was something else worth knowing, he took several moments in silence to reconsider the deal he'd heard. "I do agree with Arjuna; items that have never existed in this world before, if they have such amazing uses, would be sought after by some very powerful people. Someone would be willing to murder you, just so they can find out how you make them within your Mystic Codes. That's where the negative side of the PvP community comes in, as well." Taking another pause, he sighed. In truth, there was something else he considered pertinent information, but it wasn't at all for the sake of a business deal. No, he instead had a singular concern relating to why business would be of assistance as a defensive measure. "I wonder what the point of it all is, though. Having this craft for sale isn't exactly going to stop anyone from doing harm. With only two being in existence at the moment, this business plan makes them public, first and foremost. Sure, it's an easy way to make a ton of money. What's to stop the people who can see how much it's worth, and who want to capitalize on that? They'll be aiming for the source in a heartbeat, and I don't think those types are looking to settle a buyout in a world like this."