Atlantis

[Bloodedge]

One more thing, was there? Yes, indeed. The old Atlantean ritual, their equivalent to a burial, had to take place. Diva still didn't realize Seriri was the Queen of Atlantis, so he had no context to how great an honor it was to have his loved ones sent away by the woman. Even so, he was delighted that if anyone would ever do so, it would be this woman. His fingers also met to match her gesture, and his eyes closed as well. He was meant to mimic her final words as part of the passing, but... perhaps this moment was excusable.

Diva watched the particles of his family float out into the sea surrounding Atlantis. They could finally be at peace, and he could finally feel some level of happiness for them, as well as for himself for being able to see them off officially. Now, he could move on in some respect. Wherever Seriri intended to take him, he would follow.

[Apollymi]

Diva accepted the ritual that was offered by Seriri to his family and she saw him participate to the best of his ability. There was something comforting and witnessing this man gain some semblance of peace, and though she still felt responsible partly for what had befallen him, she was glad to be able to offer him something. Soon enough they would be approaching the palace very directly straight to the throne room were she expected to find the Dragonoid Akashi and the girl known as Miki who happened to be her best friend from her previous life.

Seriri's eyes were burning with emotion and beyond all of that her faith in humanity had been shifted quite a great deal. Unbeknownst to her, Miki at least knew she was coming for one very unexpected reason. In her possession was a piece of the Lich King's Obelisk and possessing it gave Miki as a person a certain extra characteristic known as 'Death Sense'. She'd been acutely aware of the massive amount of deaths that had taken place moments before this and as such she watched the doorway waiting for Seriri's eventual return. Upon seeing the lass return Miki looked at her with a somewhat blank expression. She searched the Queen of Atlantis' face for what had happened and she knew that she'd seen the evil of the world first hand. Seriri for her part gave only a slight bow and frowned the entire time. "You guys were right. This place is full of disgusting untamed monstrous people," she said of her Kingdom. She would then aim to introduce the lad she was with, though she knew he likely wouldn't be very trusting in the moment. "His name is Diva. They have done horrible things to him. He can't talk..." she offered in small bursts of speech to what she expected to be Akashi and Miki. Miki looked at the other girl for several moments and it only took her a few to figure out exactly what had happened. "Sou ka, do you feel better now?" she asked of the girl who'd obviously had a killing spree on behalf of someone else. "No." A single word reply from Seriri was expected, one didn't kill on behalf of someone else and have that relieve one's guilt. Miki knew that the group who died had to have done something unknowable to make the girl who played healer on purpose snap enough to take multiple lives.

[Bloodedge]

Eventually, the pair entered the palace's throne room. Akashi once again sat atop the throne with his head in his hand, looking on as Diva tentatively trailed behind the queen. The young male never once looked anyone in the eye during the time he was being introduced. His eyes were, in a manner of speaking, glued to the ground before him. Seriri had his trust... at least there was that.

Akashi stared at the tan male while Miki and Seriri had their exchange. This was the person he sought; he could feel it. Something had changed within Seriri as well. Her Mana itself boasted a slightly different quality to it. It was as if it had been given more purpose, so to speak. "You succeeded. That's what matters. What made someone like you change so much, though?" he wondered aloud, seeming to have come to terms - at least slightly - with the Mermaid queen due to these recent alterations to her... well, her everything.

[Apollymi]

Miki was still sitting in Akashi's lap, and she too was curious as to exactly what had made Seriri take such drastic actions immediately. Though Seriri had been praised for her work, she still wasn't pleased, and Miki could tell. Beyond even that, the lad she'd introduced seemed to be broken in an extreme fashion. She claimed he couldn't speak, and if she couldn't heal him, then it was likely something that had long since healed. And strangely Akashi even asked what about this situation had changed her. Seriri gave a slight pause, choosing her words very carefully to spare the feelings of the lad she'd brought along with her. "They killed and mutilated his wife and unborn child. They were parading them through the market like a trophy..." she said softly. "To taunt a man who had no tendons and has no tongue... they brutalized him... there aren't any excuses. They had to die... I couldn't..." she paused becoming angry all over again. "No more." she said much more firmly she looked at this pair and that pair of words was almost engraved within her eyes, her body and mana.

Miki heard out what the lass had to say and frowned deeply. She'd expected problems in Atlantis given what she'd read about it before, but something like what Seriri described was exactly the sort of thing that gave her nightmares about being in this world on her own. 'Sou ka, Tsu-chan has never been able to look out for anyone before. She's normally the one being looked after. It's new for her to care for someone while actually being able to do something for them,' she directed this thought to Akashi, reflexively as she would have done if it had been Kou sitting beside her. Aloud she said something different. "Gomen, Tsu-chan. I figured you needed to see what people were capable of yourself. I didn't think that you'd have to come across something so outlandish," Miki said calmly. Truly she'd expected the girl to see her Kingdom without rose colored glasses but not to have witnessed something so graphic. But perhaps this was a good shock for the sheltered lass. "Iie, it isn't your fault. You told me I shouldn't have left things as they were, I didn't know people could be like that... I don't know why anyone would choose to be like that," she murmured. Her faith in people to make good decisions was all but lost. The battered man hadn't looked at anyone, he was meek. Miki hadn't seen someone so legitimately helpless looking in a long time, even she wished to make sure this man didn't have to suffer any more. Still the lass hadn't enjoyed the killing of the people she'd murdered on behalf of the man at her side, this meant she had to be willing to take other method into her arsenal to get this Kingdom back under her control.

[Bloodedge]

Throughout Seriri's explanation of what had befallen the tan male, Akashi seemed entirely unfazed. He was, however, interested. He understood her plight. Had he witnessed the situation, he'd have obliterated those lesser beings as well. His eyes fell upon Miki as she transferred a message to him. Apparently, Seriri had recently lived through a scenario unlike any she'd experienced from that side of the proverbial fence. Instead of offering a response to her, though, he scanned Diva. His tendons had clearly been repaired by Seriri, though his tongue remained missing... along with something else Akashi could clearly notice with those eyes of his. "There's something else missing, as well..." he said, knowing they'd done even more to this lad.

Diva trembled the tiniest amount at this mention. Of course he knew they'd taken more from him. In taking his child from this world, they also made sure he'd never be capable of creating another of what they considered an abomination. He certainly couldn't be allowed to create more of him, according to the Atlanteans.

[Apollymi]

Miki received no response from Akashi, but she also didn't expect one. Beyond that, his countanence didn't change at all over the course of the words offered by Seriri about the suffering of the male known as Diva. Akashi looked at him directly though, and Miki knew he was seeing something that she couldn't, beyond this his next words also caused Miki to have a look at the lad more directly. "He's missing..." Miki started to question only to have the Seriri explain softly. "They castrated him too..." she offered this information which made Miki's eyes widen immediately. She felt nothing but pity for the lad, even without having such a body part to lose in the first place. Now, the exact nature of Seriri's rage and her general distaste even after handling the situation at hand made much more sense. What was more, if something like this was taking place in the Market, it said a lot about the nature of the people around Market itself. They felt comfortable enough to behave in such a way because they knew no consequences would exist for them. Meaning whoever was funding the Markets had to at least be complicit in this ill treatment of the man before them. It also meant that anyone who would have spoken out about it, had already been displaced.

"Sou ka..." Miki said a fuller picture of what she was dealing with came together. "So, what will you do?" she asked Seriri. The Queen of Atlantis looked at Miki in this moment and then back at the timid and broken lad at her side. Seriri chose to be honest in this moment because she knew her own feelings were terrible in this situation. "When I was walking back I kind of wanted to tell you to destroy this place. I wanted to leave and watch it fall... " she said softly. "I pledged myself to a Dragon for my Kingdom and saw the absolute worst things in return. I didn't know it was possible to dislike something I cared about so much..." she offered. "But..." Miki said knowing the pause meant something in particular. "There are still innocent people. And I need to make sure no one else is being hurt or treated so badly. I don't want to stand by while something like this happens to someone else," Seriri offered firmly. "But first I want to make sure he's taken care of. I have those tavern keeps coming but I didn't get around to the library so that will be a while..." she said to the lass. A smile came to Miki's face and she shook her head. "Iie, I don't need that, it's unnecessary. I know what I'm looking for and I know the history of Atlantis already. I just wanted to make you walk around a bit... take care of your new friend," she said to the girl down from the throne. Seriri took the moment to realize that Miki simply knew that she didn't act on her own and gave her something to do to make her move on her own. Strangely this fell in line with exactly how the lass had been when they were children as well. "There is something else that will need discussing though, when I find out who was funding this... what would you like me to do with them?" she asked directly.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed. Those Atlanteans had taken what made him a man, among so many other things. What a pity this was, but there was nothing to do but move on. Seriri expressed her displeasure for the types of individuals in her kingdom, while Akashi continued watching Diva. The Dragon within him didn't care for the plight of lesser beings, but there was one thing even a Dragon could respect: resolve. Seriri was showing exactly that, but there was one thing which struck a chord within the onlooking Dragonoid...

When Miki brought up the topic of whomever funded these deeds, Akashi was still watching Diva. He took a note of the lad's demeanor, picking up the minor twitches here and there during specific mentions. Something else was amiss. This person, be they man or mer, was more involved than one would likely assume. As such, Akashi decided to chime in before Seriri had opportunity to answer with her plan. "Look further into it. There's something... more," he said, prompting Diva to avert his gaze even more than he'd done already.

[Apollymi]

The man known as Diva had tells that Miki herself couldn't see. He was a mess of a man, and seemed to only know the movements of a tortured animal. Of course, seeing past all that Akashi had something to say which stopped Seriri from speaking immediately. She paused to look at Diva and wondered who was funding what happened to him, and what would make him still seem so despondent. "Look further into it..." this was said by Seriri who began thinking about the situation logically. Miki had already come to the conclusion that someone was funding this unnecessary torture and that it was probably someone important enough to make the townsfolk feel as if they could get away with such open acts of violence. Even with Seriri being Queen there was one person, who was likely considered more important to the Kingdom than she was. Miki looked at Diva, who had looked even further away from Akashi when he'd spoken. Knowing how people tended to react to unknowable truths, she understood a bit of what was being gotten to. "You mean there is still more... they have the pieces of him and maybe," she gave a pause as she considered this man had a wife and child, but what of his parents. He'd obviously been tortured for quite a long time, and if they wanted to keep him from procreating it was obviously due to who or what he was... which means that anyone who shared a blood relation to him was likely a target. "Do you have more relatives, Diva do they have them?" this was a question from Seriri directly to the lad, she'd come to this conclusion with only the clues given and inferred information. Miki watched this pair and knew it was likely and that would make her destruction of the financial system of this place an even greater necessity than before.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed there was an agreement here. Miki would go about furthering her investigation into the one providing funds, and quite a few things would likely be done about them, if the general assumption was right. Seriri herself even reached the conclusion Akashi had, going on to prod the young man about it. She was about the only one he would feel any level of comfortable around, so he didn't exactly shy away... though he didn't look at her directly, either. No answer of any sort came, but it was there. In his face, anyone could tell Seriri had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. There was such a sink in Diva's already low mood when the matter was brought up, he couldn't even lift his head to acknowledge the question properly.

[Apollymi]

The mood of the room dropped markedly, even without having the deeper connection to the lad below, Miki knew that what Seriri had said was absolutely true. Seriri also knew this by the man's lack of movement and Akashi obviously made the conclusion immediately. About what to do when she found the one's funding this though, there was only one thing to say. "Kimi... if you find them let me know. But whoever is funding this... we can't show them any mercy," she said. Miki looked up and something strange was taking place she made eye contact with Seriri and a grin which bordered upon malicious was spread across Miki's face. It was a look which didn't fit with the blonde hair, and one that Seriri was only used to seeing in the face of the black haired girl she'd grown up with, and only in a very specific situation. It was in this moment that she realized that Miki already intended to do exactly that, to completely destroy such a corrupt business. "I don't know the meaning of the word."

That one sentence was enough, she could count on Kimi to destroy any business and owner shown to be as unsavory as this kind. And she could count on the lass to do all she could for those innocent people hurt by such a catastrophe. "Hai, come on Diva... let's get you cleaned up and fed. We still have things to do," she said softly and she headed towards the baths. In passing Miki had only one more thing to say. "The seamstress is down there already." and with that Seriri aimed to leave the presence of the pair on the throne. Miki sat in Akashi's lap with her hand under her chin for several moments longer. She would converse with the Tavern Keeps and hopefully they'd be able to provide her with the information she needed about the man who funded the torture of Diva and his family.

[Bloodedge]

Diva followed along behind Seriri, albeit slowly. Time would pass from there, while Akashi remained atop the throne. There was so much wrong with Atlantis. A spark, however small, had been lit within the Dragonoid toward the repair of this kingdom. At the very least, he could acknowledge Seriri enough to offer his aide where necessary. Or, perhaps... it had just as much to do with Miki. Whatever the case, the time would soon come for moves to be made, deeds to be done, and changes to come about. Akashi awaited these times while Diva was cared for. He awaited, specifically, the return of Seriri and the plan of Miki. "The winds are shifting," he said with utmost nonchalance as his head leaned further into his hand.

[Apollymi]

A few days passed since the last time they were all in the throne room together. Miki had gone off on her own for a bit, to do some discrete exploring under the hood of her cloak. She entered from below and pushed back her hood with a triumphant smile on her face. She'd discovered some very interesting things around. Seriri also entered as well likely to be accompanied by her newest charge. Freshly dressed and at least fed a bit though his food choices were limited just a tad. She heard the words spoken by Akashi as she climbed to the top of the throne and aimed to retake the seat she seemed to like most. "Damn right the winds are shifting," she said affirmatively. "Alright, I know what the plan is now... and I've picked up something to help you out as well, Tsu-chan~" Miki said having done quite the bit of exploring over the last day or so. She'd open her cloak and produced a book which had some strange markings on the front and seemed to have been chained to something previously she floated this down to Seriri.

"I took a casual stroll to the library and found this in a 'forbidden section' overseen as property of someone called the Banker," she said watching the entirety of the throne room. "I happen to know after my conversations with the Tavern Keeps that the Banker is the big force behind the Kingdom. He controls the information disseminated, he controls the entirety of the market, and he's in charge of all things related to living within the Kingdom," she said with a quick nod of her head. "If you need a business loan, you deal with a banker. You need things for your home, you deal with the banker. You need to check out books from the library, you deal with the banker. Nothing in this place happens without his approval or his ability to profit," she said. "Which means that people he doesn't like and businesses he doesn't like, don't thrive. People who don't go along with what he wants get thrown to the wayside, and if you don't go along with what he wants, you have no options... thus all the listless adults we've seen," she said giving all the information she had. "Those are the people willing to live and die on their morals and the only market men worth their salt. They are where we start..." she said decisively. She'd decided that building the businesses discarded by the Banker would be a surefire way to catch his attention and it would make him come to her. The book she'd given Seriri was a book of maps outlining the underside of Atlantis including the secret passages which contained the Guardians of Atlantis as well as maps of several underground dungeons directly under the Bankers dwelling. "Kimi this is where I got my weapon from and this... this has to be where the Guardians are, he has them?" she asked with wide eyes. "He controls the lands they are on, but he can't use them, he's a Mer-Shark... according to everyone I've talked to, he doesn't have the magical ability to use them, and he can't force them to activate with strength alone. When you claimed the staff, he figured you couldn't be overthrown so he simply stayed out of sight," Miki explained. With all of this information, Miki's plan would be obvious to anyone who could put it together from the basics, but she'd still explain if she was asked directly.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, the moment had arrived to reach the climax of their trip to Atlantis. Miki had taken care of discovering the identity of the man behind the funds, while Seriri brought Diva in a more suitable state for living a more normal life. Akashi had made a few small discoveries as well, only through fitting pieces together over the course of the recent few days. "This... Banker. If he has this much power, there's nothing left for the queen," Akashi stated, while more bits of information regarding the underground of Atlantis were revealed via tome. He expected more of the area, especially understanding that it was being used by the Banker still. One wouldn't do such a thing without it having a greater purpose than they revealed. It was all fine, though; that was part of the reason he sent Seriri after Diva, whose Mana rivaled even Akashi's own from what he could tell. "Whatever you plan on doing with the Banker, his secrets are necessary. Seriri..." he said in an effort to grab the queen's attention, seeming to have suddenly acknowledged her by name as well. "Your staff can't control the Guardians, can it?"

[Apollymi]

"Exactly, it's also why there was no fear of repercussions. All figured if anything bad happened or if they got caught doing anything, the Banker would bail them out..." Miki said with a bit of finality. "Of course, someone did a pretty good job of reinstating the fear of her power..." Miki said with a chuckle. Apparently it was the underground's current prerogative not to get caught by the Queen doing anything lest they risk their lives. In fact, her moves in that alley had caused a bit of a divide within the working forces of the Banker, they claimed the man couldn't protect them from the Queen and as such aside from his money he was losing a bit of his pull over the people. Her understanding of the underground of Atlantis had become full depth. She fully understood everything she needed to about the way that the Banker did business, and because of this, she'd knew exactly what she'd do to completely decimate his business. "He'll tell us everything he knows... whether he dies or not, isn't really important to me. I plan to destroy this disgusting business of his and his will to thrive and he'll tell us everything himself. That's how those types are, he'll brag and let go of everything long before he needs to be dealt with..." she summarized.

Soon enough though, Seriri was mentioned directly and her eyes widened at this because she didn't remember when the lad on the throne started addressing her in so direct a manner. As for what she intended and if she could control the Guardians herself she simply sighed. "Iie, the Staff can't control the Guardians. According to what is here, those have their own Artifact and it takes an Atlantean to wield it. Since I wasn't born here, I don't count anyways..." she said her eyes shifting ever so slightly towards Diva. It seemed that it was likely he would need to be the one to do it. But in order for them to potentially get to the Artifact they'd have to be willing to enter the caves beneath the Banker's lands from a pretty far distance. "Diva's magic skill outweighs mine by a great deal, and I am certain he's from here... he might have an easier time of trying to use them. At the very least if he can claim the Guardians the final shift will be made."

[Bloodedge]

The Banker would be dealt with in due time. Miki alone would be more than enough to take him down; that much, Akashi was certain of. With that, the only standing issue was Diva. Akashi didn't believe the other male would be incapable of handling the power of the mysterious missing Artifact, but his willingness to take it was in question. Even Akashi had a difficult time seeing through to Diva's potential motives. Seriri at least gave the final bit of necessary confirmation that no, she was not capable of controlling the Guardians. That left but a single option. There was, however, one minor issue with what Seriri said. She addressed Diva's magical potential in comparison to her own, but from what Akashi could tell, she was quite mistaken. "No. It's just of a different quality, and yours is missing its focus. You'd probably never be able to use whatever the missing Artifact is, but don't assume it's a matter of quantity. The only true difference is that Diva here is the only True Atlantean," he clarified. At long last, Akashi rose from the throne, holding Miki with his right arm as he did so. "Time to move, then?"