Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

Akashi had no concern for the quality of the bathroom in relation to Seriri's original identity. He apparently also had no concern for the shower he'd begun taking, not bothering with soap or anything of the sort. He looked at his own hand as water struck it and evaporated. Just then, Miki questioned his temperature. "... I am," he said calmly as he viewed her through his eye's corner. Then, he was onto the reason he hadn't bothered with soap. The heat in his body intensified enough to burn away not only the water in the immediate area surrounding him, but also any filth or residue on his form. With that alone, he was done with the shower. Akashi apparently didn't even need to bathe...

[Apollymi]

Akashi answered Miki's somewhat rhetorical question. She found it amusing that he was simply that hot, but as she began the rinse of her entire body an hair she noted that the lad was raising his body temperature by a great deal. "Huh..." she said turning so she could rinse her hair down her back instead of her entire body, of course, while she did this she got a full view through steam of the other lad simply burning off the entirety of his days activities. At the same time, she would be showing her body dripping with soap suds and running water until it would eventually be clear. "Oh? That's pretty handy. I'm a little jealous..." she said with a casual eye roll. Once her hair was clear of suds the rest of her body was to follow. And after a few more moments of standing beneath the waterfall, she'd be as clean as the start of her day. Bathing didn't really take her a long time, but the powers of the Dragonoid seemed exceedingly convenient. After she was done she'd step out the shower and start walking towards what looked like a very deep pool full of heated water, while wringing her hair out and replacing her ribbons. She would stop only to wrap her tresses in a towel to help it along as far as drying was concerned. She'd then begin the process of submerging herself for a bit of a soak.

[Bloodedge]

For the most part, Akashi had only been waiting for Miki. He spared a glance in her direction every now and then, and his gaze lingered quite a few times until the girl exited the shower. He went on to follow suit, once again on foot. Casual steps led to Akashi submerging himself into the bath. His body's heat was reduced again, yet remained hot enough to raise the temperature of the bath further yet. Once again, this was something he didn't need at all... and yet, here he was, leaning his back against the edge of the bath. While he merely relaxed, he continued watching Miki more intently than he likely should have. He did have something in mind. His thoughts returned to the discussion between her and the maid. Yes, he had a proper plan now. Beyond this though, he still entertained the idea of fixing the improperly-approached Dance of Dragons.

[Apollymi]

Miki found herself sinking into the bath, she'd thought it was a bit tepid for her own tastes, but this problem would soon be remedied. And by soon, the thought she actually had was immediately. Apparently by virtue of getting into the bath Akashi's body temperature raised it by a great deal. If she noticed anything odd about the lad's behavior she didn't say anything aloud, instead she found herself wondering over the topic of his joining her in this bath instead of something more productive. 'If he didn't need a bath, why did he come here?' she thought with her eyes closed she opened them then but didn't really settle into the water properly until of course she moved closer to Akashi, she stopped just shy of his body finding the water temperature immediately around the lad to be absolutely perfect. 'I wonder if that seems weird... maybe he won't notice...' she thought to herself, but it seemed wrong sitting like this now. 'I shouldn't be thinking about this so much but...' she paused her thoughts. She'd been far too honest when she'd told him she'd wanted him around, still she didn't really entertain the thought that this was done for her sake. She didn't really need this sort of thing... even if she wanted it somewhere deep inside herself, since he was here, she couldn't help but take a bit more. She found her most comfort in a strange way. She moved once more only to settle in the lad's lap under water, sitting here was quite warm and the water temperature was perfect and maybe something else she couldn't quite explain. A contented smile came to her face as she leaned her head back against his shoulder and enjoyed some random closeness with the Dragonoid. 'I still don't regret it... I expected to... but I don't. I'm weird.'

[Bloodedge]

As he watched the girl without redirecting his gaze at all, he was able to witness her sudden movement toward his location. He could have simply been curious about this, but no. He accepted the motions. This did not change at all even with the random decision of Miki to occupy the Dragonoid's lap. Well... not quite. When she began the movement, he was already thinking back to the Dance of Dragons. He had it in mind that, maybe, she had the intention of restarting the act herself, which she would have found him quite prepared for, given his preexisting thoughts on the matter. It was not to be, though. Miki instead just... sat in his lap, and leaned back against him. The gesture was so... human, an earlier form of Akashi may have been disgusted by it. Now, however, he leaned his own head back against the bath's edge, and closed his eyes.

[Apollymi]

Miki didn't know what kind of reaction she expected to suddenly occupying the lad's lap again, but his own apparent comfort was surprising. Akashi as an entity didn't seem like the sort to enjoy the things Miki did, but he wasn't simply tolerant of her presence. Though she'd occupied his lap in this moment of silence he'd not tried to do anything to her nor had he been snide, no... he simply leaned his own head back and closed his eyes. Miki opened hers upon realizing the lad hadn't said anything about her choice in action and managed to look a tad sheepish in the moment.

She'd occupy this space for a quite a few moments, and though she'd noticed the state of his manhood, having already breached the topic once she wasn't nearly as skittish about it as she had been the very first time she'd made contact with one. She simply allowed her body to rest naturally against his for what had to be about half an hour, after which with all kinds of random thoughts in her head, including the fact that she hadn't actually managed to mate with the Dragonoid today, she shifted as if she intended to get up. Moving her arms to look at the tips of her fingers. "Aww... I'm gonna prune if I stay in here much longer..." she muttered seeming displeased by having to get up. "I guess it's time to dry off and see a woman about some clothes..." she said, turning her head to have a look towards the fluffy towels, she was still mostly just talking to herself, as she tended to do out of habit.

[Bloodedge]

Once Akashi leaned his head back, he left it that way. Miki didn't seem keen on moving much, if at all, so he didn't bother either. His eyes were closed all the while, yet he never slept. For half an hour, he sat motionless while Miki relaxed against him. He said nothing... he did nothing... then suddenly, the blonde was shifting and thinking aloud. His eyes opened at long last, and his head rose as well. He looked to Miki and nothing else, while she implied a need to leave the bath and find the seamstress. For the first time in over thirty minutes, Akashi felt the need to speak. However... what he said, while very direct and concise, didn't have a lot to it.

"No," he said, intending to put a stop to at least one of the girl's spoken plans.

[Apollymi]

Miki had been musing to herself, she didn't expect Akashi to say anything without being directly addressed. So, as she started the process of removing herself from his lap, with the sentences concerning what she should be doing next. Her motions paused for just a second and then she laughed, she couldn't help it really, such a randomly short answer to things being said just didn't make any sense, especially without context. "Hahaha~ You can't just say no. No what? What are you even saying no to?" she asked of the lad shifting out of his lap to stand in the water and begin the climb out of it towards a towel which she intended to use to dry herself off as he explained why exactly he'd proclaimed no to her in this particular moment. She seemed fine with doing this mechanically even under the watchful eyes of Akashi, or maybe because of it. She didn't seem to be in much of a rush, at all as she waited for something resembling an explanation.

[Bloodedge]

More of an explanation was needed, it seemed. That made sense. Giving it an additional moment of thought, he supposed she wouldn't be one to stop everything at a single word. "No..." he said again, though he wasn't done there this time. He paused only long enough to rise from the tub, now that his lap was free of Miki. While she busied herself with a towel and awaited his response, Akashi once again used his feet to move. Closer and closer he drew, until he stood nearly close enough for their bodies to touch while standing. "The clothes are useless," was the end of his clause. His right hand rose, intending to grab the towel she had, if only to pull it away from her while Akashi stared her down with great intensity.

[Apollymi]

Akashi initially just said no again. But strangely Miki had a bit of faith that the lad knew at least enough of her to know that she wouldn't simply stop her plans because of an unexplained thought in his head. As she worked towards drying herself off, he rose from the tub and walked straight towards her. His walking in this moment was quite strange, didn't he claim that he didn't like being on the ground because he was a Dragon? But each step he took brought him closer to Miki. And Miki's eyes could be seen watching Akashi in turn, she didn't seem abashed in her staring and her heart beat sped up a bit when he stopped just shy of her person. He claimed that the clothes were useless, while standing just outside of her physical space. Even though he grabbed the towel away from her she didn't seem at all afraid or bothered by any potential thing that could happen here. In fact, she would soon be found meeting the gaze of the lad with her own form of intensity. "You do know... I can't be naked all the time. Eventually I'll have to talk to other people, and it's kind of a necessity to be wearing clothes for that," she said. "Unless you just mean you're about to like Kurama me or something," she said aloud seemingly in reference to something not many other people would know about. "Clarify." she said a single word, in the same way he had, in a tone which seemed to mimic him, perhaps on purpose, perhaps just because it was the most sarcastic thing she could manage in the moment.

[Bloodedge]

Miki's retort to his statement was that she couldn't always be naked. She also referenced a series that happened to be in Akashi's memory. It was to a specific character in a series their original forms were familiar with, while also being an interesting bit of insight to the amount of perversion both original entities boasted. Her demand thereafter was spoken in the way he'd expect of another Dragon.

... And yet, Akashi had no verbal response. He enchanted the towel he'd taken from her with his Purgatory Flame, altering its form to that of a cloak not unlike the jacket he wore. He would also use his free hand to tap the very top of Miki's sternum before trailing his claw down, between her cleavage and along her abdomen. This mimicked the movements he'd previously used to disrobe her, but this time, he would manifest a new take on her previous attire, more suited to her potential than even her current abilities portrayed. "Dragons don't wear the clothes of mortals."

[Apollymi]

Whether Akashi knew and understood the reference she made or not, didn't seem to be important in the moment. Instead, Miki was left standing naked as she watched the towel transform in the lad's hands into something entirely different. It was enchanted to take on the form of a cloak which seemed to be rather appealing to her own general fashion sense. But it wouldn't stop there. Akashi reached out towards the lass extending a single finger starting at her sternum and trailing it down the length of her body for a second time. It was quite strange as a feeling considering the last time this very action had occurred the man had been using his magic to disrobe her in a very direction fashion. In fact, thinking back to that moment, she had a twitch deep within her person which she couldn't rightly explain. She bit her lip lightly as her mind wandered away from clothing for just a few seconds...

But then, there were clothes. Akashi's finger had redressed her, giving her a form fitted black mini-dress which didn't have any shoulders and was made a bit like a corset. It was ever so slightly see through and included filigree designs along the top line of her breasts and also along the depth of her rib cage. The skirt was hiked up several inches and pinched together in the front by two golden bands and several golden dangling bits which accented her hips. The height of the skirt should have revealed her nether to the world, but instead this was covered in a decorative pair of panties with high lines and golden filigree as well. In shape it was a thong which also left the lower part of her bottom out just barely invisible in the line of the skirt. She took pause for a moment but didn't want to look away from Akashi initially. He claimed that Dragons didn't wear the clothing created by mortals, which explained how he'd chosen to undress her in the first place. "Sou ka, so yes... full Kurama... but..." she gave a pause and a little turn getting a look at herself from several angles as she removed the towel from her hair and allowed it to fall so perfectly wavy back in place. "It's great!~" she chimed. She drew other articles to herself in particular the Bones of Rathma which she attached to the collar around her neck, bringing together the look of the mini-dress with a minor accessory as an extra. It should have also been noted that Miki didn't choose to argue with him about her status or lack thereof as a Dragon. She approached him a bit more directly in the moment staring into his face. "Sankyuu~" and at the 'kyuu' her lips pursed and she aimed to peck his lips rather directly.

[Bloodedge]

Miki wasn't the only one whose mind wandered from the matter of clothes. Akashi's mind had been taking such a route the entire time. Either way, he was soon done with the process of fitting the girl with an ensemble befitting of Dragonkind, even enchanted with Legendary properties the likes of which could no longer be found in this day and age of the world they inhabited. The black market would crash and/or kill for such quality, and the cloak he offered the lass was something even further beyond. Miki would eventually find herself incapable of being felled by flames of lesser quality than Akashi's own, yet also always blessed by a seasonal warmth the likes of his being nearby. Beyond this, many other traits would make themselves known in due time... Many, many traits. It seemed she was keen on showcasing her thanks by kissing the Dragonoid, an act which he stood motionless for. He didn't seem to even have anything worth saying. He just... continued staring.

[Apollymi]

Miki's eyes shifted slightly after this small kiss if only because she found the lad's reaction to it strange, though admittedly more in line of what she expected from his other self. This staring was rather odd to her, as it almost didn't seem like he knew how to respond. What exactly was the Dragonoid thinking, she wondered as she looked at him. It would only be after a few seconds of such conscious staring that she'd realize, he was still naked and she was now fully dressed and something about that made the girl a bit stunned as her eye twitched and she made a conscious effort not to look down. "Right, you're still really hard to read..." she mentioned fighting with herself about where her eyes would look. Such a situation would be one she'd likely find herself in a lot with this particular Dragonoid but she couldn't really say she minded.

While the Dragonoid Akashi and Miki got to know each other a bit better. Seriri the Atlantean's Queen had been wandering the streets for quite a few hours. Given the problems that had been mentioned to her, she found herself talking to a particular tavern keep. "So you only serve the Merfolk of Atlantis, would you mind coming by the Palace tomorrow. There is someone who'd like to speak to you about some new developments within the Kingdom," the Queen said. This particular Tavern Keep looked a bit stunned. It was amazing that the Queen would be here and would ask him to take part in something so seemingly auspicious. "Anything to help the Kingdom M'Lady." And thus like that Seriri excused herself. As she was walking she headed towards the Library her head down. 'I still don't really know where to look for the outcast though. I feel like making Miki upset would be bad, but not doing what the Dragonoid said would be worse...' she thought absently, seeming just a bit worried.

[Bloodedge]

"Am I?" Akashi questioned in response. Still, his gaze never wavered. He did take note of the movement in Miki's eyes, as if she were keeping herself from shifting her own gaze. He could tell where she intended to look before having obvious second thoughts, but if she was going to keep herself from doing so, it didn't matter. Akashi took the liberty of draping the girl's cloak over her shoulders before golden-accentuated flames spawned from his body to restore his own wardrobe. With that, he ever so casually walked back toward the throne room...

Meanwhile, the streets of Atlantis were busy as usual, but this time with Queen Seriri out and about on her search. As she made her way toward the library, there were a pair of Mermen at the front of a nearby alley, having a discussion that seemed... less than friendly. "They said they saw him go around the back of the marketplace. Some guys are already planning on going to finish him off, if they catch him in time," one of the males said, as the other nodded with excitement. "Finally! That thing's been making problems for all of us for too long now!"