Ryozanpaku

[Bloodedge]

Kou's stretching continued, though it seemed as if his problem was just as much an internal issue, as an external one. Perhaps his core was strained. According to Shuten, he was the only one with an issue. Tamamo also reported not having this problem, but offered to take the strain away if he desired. Frankly, Kou wasn't quite sure how to take such an offer... as per usual. Did she mean to claim the sensation via magical means, or was this yet another advance made by the fox? No matter which thing it was, there were more positives than negatives, he supposed. That still didn't take away the hint of nervousness in his retort. "Uh─ well, yeah, I guess that's cool. Magic stuff again?" he asked, though his eyes were constantly moving as if he intended to see if Shuten and the others were watching.

Exposition met Rimuru's ears, and those ears seemed deaf. Moving about and actively doing anything but listening, he continued to inspect the bosom of this Mizore girl as if questioning its very existence. She couldn't have been that much older than him, so what was the deal with those things? It couldn't be more clear that she didn't belong to this world. Was this just a boy who became a young woman due to the Avatar he chose in game? Perhaps. That reaction, however, was not at all up to par for such a thing. "Right... I caught none of that, besides bad snake is bad, big tree in the middle is somehow important. I'm pretty sure at least half of your problems have been fixed by now, and I'm guessing the rest will fix what's going on with Spirit Boobs?"

[Apollymi]

Tamamo got to watch was Kou continued to try and stretch and her offer played out very clearly for her across his face. She couldn't help but giggle just a little as he seemed to be quite unsure as to what it was she was offering, even so he still seemed keen enough to take it. That being said he still seemed a bit nervous and as such the lass couldn't help but tease him a bit further. "Ara ara, you don't have to seem so skittish. I don't bite you know..." she said with a knowing smirk. "Unless you decide you'd like me to~" she whispered to the lad as she crafted her next spell. More magical things were indeed in order she reached out for him and found a strangely open interpretation to her abilities. She used the same principles she'd originally used to rid him of a certain physical expression of energy to remove his fatigue. She wrote a charm across a small tag and then rather gently applied it to the lad's body. It would in a moment lift the lad's fatigue and apply it to the tag itself and she could use at a later point. After a moment when the tag lit up she'd ask a question. "All better?" she asked happily.

Though Mizore had no problem giving this young slime the information, she found his eyes upon her a couple of times. Even so, it didn't seem that he fully grasped what she'd been saying. Rimuru claimed that his understanding of this situation was minimal at best. "Sou ka, you really think some of this has already been fixed. Even with such a narrow interpretation of it. I can't believe someone actually got the drop on such a situation. The tree is the key, it will fix everything." Mizore seemed to find this entire thing to be strange. Who could have actually done anything about all the problems of this place. The answer wasn't really surprising to those in the know but for these new people, it would seem that the works of this pair of adventurers were fairly well talented.

[Bloodedge]

And of course, the nature of Tamamo reared its head officially. While Kou had no issues with this internally, the more reprehensive side he always felt scratching at the back of his subconscious did still exist. She certainly had a way of getting his brain going. What if she did bite him? Would that be pleasant? Things he watched and read implied that it could be, but... no, that wasn't the point here! Was it? While Kou's brain was all over the place, Tamamo went about applying a seal meant to solve the issue of his stress. It did appear to function, at least partially. He could immediately consider himself under less physical strain, though it soon began returning gradually. "Better yeah, but... not really? It's weird, like it's just starting up again from nothing now. It doesn't feel serious or anything, just a bit of an annoyance," he explained. His speech was a bit slower than it normally was. The fault, of course, was the racing brain he had around this Avatar of Kimiko's. He was certain that with a single phrase, he could talk this one into a very interesting experience. Instead though, he wondered if he should even be considering such an attempt.

Something was wrong with this player. Had she accomplished so little as an Adventurer, that she truly thought a quest line at this level could be completed with a single goal? Rimuru didn't know everything about this area, but he knew of the 'grind' in this world. That tree may have been the final problem, but it would either be solved as a byproduct of the other issues, or it would be something that presented itself only after the others were solved. "Yeah, sure. We'll just... fix the tree. Just like that, job's done. Sorry, I'm dumb; I should have just told everyone else that before we split up to deal with all four factions in this horrible quest line."

[Apollymi]

Tamamo watched as this lad tried his best to work through the things she said. She might have felt a bit bad about always putting him in the situation of having to mentally work his way through her offers, but it was far too amusing ot her to watching his brain flip back and forth. "It's far too easy to tease you, Mikon. I can't really help myself~" she mentioned with a happy giggle. She didn't really mean to have fun at his expense but she wasn't about to really stop herself either. Could she really be blamed? The mention of things sexual and not always seemed to have a resounding effect on the lad before her. In his present moment she could almost see within her mind's eye, this lad trying to rationalize the idea of her biting him. Beyond this she could also see in her own head the lad trying his best to figure out the level of seriousness she possessed in such offers. The words Kou gave to describe his feelings were strange to the lass she looked over the charm created by interacting with his body and found herself a bit confused as well. "Hm, that's weird. It seems to only apply partly. There aren't many things that are beyond my reach currently," she murmured mostly as an affirmation of the idea that something about this lad's current status was a bit beyond her normal methodology. She could help a little but not constantly and not everything, how strange.

While Tamamo and Kou discussed the strange occurrences around their interactions, Rimuru was busy being upset by the simplicity of a certain Yuki-onna. "You can't honestly mean the people you are with are actually trying to fix every faction as they go. That's mad!" exclaimed Mizore. Of course, she understood a bit of the gameplay but she also understood that what this lad was talking about was an extensive questline. The entire reason she hadn't done anything more was because she wasn't sure which of the other factions could be trusted. The whole thing was a headache and a half and her own powers as a Yuki-onna weren't outright helpful in figuring out the extra information. "You're very sarcastic by the way. I figured everyone who was in the area, would have been working on a different part of the area, not simply trying to fix everything. That's a huge undertaking and not one I could figure out how to commit to at all. " Mizore had her own problems in this game, after all, she hadn't signed up for something quite so intense as the warring factions plot line. She'd ended up here before fully figuring out everything and hed been left to sus out the details all on her own.

[Bloodedge]

"Well uh... if that's pleasant for you, I guess─" he replied. Kou had almost forgotten what it felt like to be in this form, dealing with this Avatar. It was a strangely exciting experience, which he could not anticipate the outcome of. Would any random interaction like this remain in a state of flirting, or would it suddenly evolve into outright fornication in whatever spot they happened to be conversing? The more consideration he gave it, the more he decided it never really mattered how things ended. Either outcome could be considered preferable. What wasn't preferable, was the simple fact that Tamamo's abilities could not solve his current problem. Oh well. "Nothing to be done about it then. It's fine; I've been dealing with building stress for almost two decades now, so I can keep dealing with this if there's no fix for it."

Rimuru sighed. She really did think it ridiculous that a group would come here with the intention of clearing all sections, never once considering that such a thing would be the location's requirement. "Of course we're fixing every faction. I'm here to check this one, others are at the other ones. Geez, you'd think those jugs would come with an extra pair of ears each at that size," he quipped, apparently content to continue prodding at Mizore's torso. "If everybody does their thing, then everybody fixes the biggest problem in the end. That tree you're talking about won't accomplish shit if the whole place is still at war when we get to it. Besides, I'm pretty sure that's the end goal of those guys anyway."

[Apollymi]

Tamamo looked at this lad. Of course, he'd simply let her carry on in such a way as one which entertained her when she was busy with him. This was nice to know, she often felt like she was a bit too pushy, her other forms had slight problems actualizing their thoughts because of this. But Tamamo held no such restraint, she only showed as much as she was shown, an act of fairness. "Hai hai!~ I'll make sure to take advantage then!~" the fox lass mused. She obviously had every intention of amusing herself at this man's expense, if he was alright with it, that just made it an easier activity to commit to. Obviously there was something else she could commit to as well, "Iia..." she said about it being fine since he'd been dealing with building stress his for his entire existence. "Managing your stress levels is my responsibility. Share some of that burden with me, let me take care of you..." she mused unable to keep the flirtation out of her tone, but there was also a certain level of adoration in her voice. She saw the way this lad operated, he gave so much of himself to everything, she wasn't at all surprised if he was constantly experiencing some level of stress. As his partner and as his girlfriend, she wished to share his problems and help him in any way she could. There was something wholesome about what she was saying even if it came with a flirtatious overtone. She'd already reached for this lad, her hand resting against the side of his face. She did of course mean this, there was no reason for him to suffer alone if she was here to ease him even a bit. She wanted to be a reliable partner, not just in the physical sense, but in the emotional sense as well. This was almost entirely due to the fact that she fully gave as freely of herself as she wanted people to give to her. What was hilarious about this, was that such a cute moment wouldn't be witnessed at all by this lad's sister, no she was quite out of the way, going with Ibaraki to Mt. Kurama.

Apparently the slime was busy berating the Yuki-onna. Explaining that each and every person he was with was already taking care of different aspects of the same problem. "Eh, I was a solo player, I didn't expect to get technically trapped in a co-op questline. The couldn't have already been here though, I would have heard something about that by now..." she mentioned. She knew a couple of other players were peppered around this place, but none of them were making the kind of progress that was being boasted by the slime's group. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of group he was part of? When did they arrive? How did they know what to do? Why wasn't he certain what the goals of his group were exactly. "Wait wait wait... do you mean you don't really know what your group's plan is? They sent you out without giving you all the information?!" the lass seemed shocked. Why would a group of players not share every necessary bit of information. Basically they should be functionally like game guides, unless they were winging this whole area and that couldn't possibly end well, right?

[Bloodedge]

What an interesting offer there was coming from Tamamo after Kou's previous assertation. A burden shouldered by two... Yes, that was the point of things like relationships, wasn't it? That was a part he'd have to get used to, but he was somewhat excited by the prospect of such development. "Sou ka," he spoke gently, taking a moment to reach out and grasped the hand which cupped his face. By the wrist, he claimed the arm entirely and stepped forward. "That's a hefty contract to sign. Any conditional clauses?" he joked while his free hand rose to the fox's cheek, a simple return of a paid gesture. "I guess it doesn't matter though, does it? Onegaishimasu." By this point in the interaction, it seemed Kou didn't care where the eyes of others were. Of course, he didn't know they were already gone, nor did he realize he'd suddenly begun speaking about contracts and the like in a casual manner.

As the Yuki-onna spoke further, Rimuru continuously pinched the air with his thumbs and all fingers, as if replicating a moving mouth. "Solo player, blah blah! You think that's an excuse? I'm a S L I M E! I didn't even get the choice of playing with other people until my whole build was ready for the endgame, but you know what that teaches people? Gamers can do crazy things. This wouldn't have to be a co-op thing, but it would have to take ages to do alone. Splitting up to handle everything is just more effective. Even the Great Rimuru could use a hand every now and then! I may allow you to join my harem of servants too, if you're good enough!" Naturally, there was a grandiose gesture ending with a flourish to accompany this statement. Sadly, his lack of information didn't lend very well to his claim of supremacy. Did they have a plan? If they did, he must not have been paying enough attention. Well then, improvising would be the answer. "Experts don't need to plan everything out! Working with me requires the ability to think on the spot and take action as needed! You've failed the second test after passing the first!"

[Apollymi]

An offer of fairness. This was always going to come from one of this girl's faces. Tamamo seemed to simply be the best voice box for the girl's lesser known tendencies. Giving this lad some attention was the highlight of her day, watching him excitedly process this offer was indeed something she was pleased about. What was more, this process seemed to go a bit further, the comfort she offered him was reciprocated without much hesitation. The warmth of his hand was found against her wrist as he stepped forward, this moment was one which was quite cute from the outside. His hand was soon upon her face, and she rubbed against it relishing in the feeling. "Really enjoying contracts today? Any conditional clauses can be renegotiated at your leisure~" she joked as well, but she was quite truthful. Strange as it was for this lad to mention contracts twice in a day, she was far from being upset about it. Actually contracts were quite important and she couldn't hate anything concerning them. She was content to take on any new challenges and help him in anyway she could. For now, they were quite free to do whatever it was they wished to do, as they pieced together this Youkai country.

Mizore was apparently being chastised for her slow reaction time. "You're a slime?! Who does that to themselves on purpose?! Masochist!" there was outrage from Mizore who seemed to not even care about what the lad was saying. Though that wasn't entirely true, she did at least understand what he was getting at. If she'd put in more time, taken each aspect herself she probably could have done something about it. That being said she had no real desire to carry on in such a way. She wasn't brave enough to adventure out on her own, but perhaps joining up with the sort of people who could fix this problem would give her a bit of courage. "I'm not into harems of any sort. You're on your own for that one... but this group might be worth joining. Even if they don't tell you the important stuff~" she was at least a little clever, enough to see around the big talking slime. Whatever the case, they were content to move on to whatever was next.

[Bloodedge]

Contracts? Had he said something about those prior to this moment? Now that Tamamo mentioned it, Kou did have a strange sense of familiarity. Why this was, he didn't know, but he could imagine there was a certain Dragonoid involved with the earlier instance. Either way, he seemed legitimately confused for a moment or two. Ah well; he could move on from that quite easily. His hand moved just slightly as his mind worked, rubbing the fox's cheek until it trailed upward into her hair, even rubbing against one of those canine ears. "Contracts are cool, I suppose. Both ways then? You're obviously nowhere near stress-free either, whether you wanted it to show or not. I'll share the heat."

"Hardcore MLG guys like me; that's who!" Rimuru wasted no time before responding with bravado, taking pride in his current existence as a Slime. Speaking of his identity, it was high time for the third 'test' as he put it. With a single hop, he returned to Slime form and floated toward Mizore. Would she do that which she desired when the squishy, blue Slime came toward her. He would ignore the clause about not being told important things by the group, focusing on the idea of being the one in charge of this organization. "It's alright if you don't want to join the harem. By size alone, you might even be able to earn a special spot outside of the normal rankings! Now, onward! To victory!"

[Apollymi]

There was some mild confusion in Kou about his contract mentions. Perhaps he was having trouble separating his different personalities actions? Tamamo could see that being the case, but it didn't really matter so much, their conversation could continue. Beyond the continuation of their chat, Tamamo was being petted in a way that was both platonic and strangely fulfilling. She couldn't rightly explain what it was she liked about this, but perhaps a couple more animal themed Avatars would be making an appearance before too long. "Mmm-hmm, contracts are cool," she mentioned with happily as her tails wagged in the breeze. "Of course, I'll share with you whatever you like~" she mused more than happy to turn over pieces of herself to the lad before her. That statement had come out a bit more flirty than she'd expected, but she still meant it regardless. If they agreed to sharing the burden of each others stress, they could likely find themselves much happier overall.

"MLG? You are a strange one..." Mizore mentioned. Soon enough this lad was in slime form and floating towards her and she couldn't help but open her arms and squeeze him into her body. This was quite the cute creature after all. "Awww, sugoi sugoi!!" she chimed seemingly amused with the plush toy like slime. Perhaps this is was the real reason he chose to be a slime. So women would have no problem coddling him. "Onward to victory? I just want to say I have no idea where we are even going... I was... kinda just following you, so in this case lead on," she said content to carry around this lad as a creature until they reached their destination.

[Bloodedge]

Kou wasn't even fully conscious of his hand's movement, but that swaying tail grasped his attention rather quickly. Only then, did he create a link to the cause of said action. Was this a pleasantry? It certainly had to be, which only made him wonder what sort it was. Speaking of wondering... he also wondered something else since entering this world. "So, the animal parts... what do those feel like?" he questioned, making no effort to cease this strange act of petting. Tamamo seemed to enjoy it by her physical response, so there was no reason to stop. "Whatever I like, huh?" there were so many things he could have said in response. He considered a joke about fifteen cheeseburgers or something of the sort, but the tone applied to Tamamo's offer made him consider something more... sensual, as well. "I'll offer the same then. If I've got it, have at it whenever you like."

Strange though he may have been, the road to victory had already been paved and traveled by Rimuru. In Slime form, he landed just where he wanted to be, squeezed within the oversized bosom of this new comrade. This was always the way. Success was guaranteed the moment women witnessed the harmless little Slime they could take hold of like a plushie. In this case, he was even offered the position of leadership toward their needed destination. "Sou ka. Alright then, Outlier of the Great Rimuru's Legendary Harem, take us to the tree!" he announced, forming the shape of a hand with his slime to point toward Ryozanpaku's center.

[Apollymi]

Kou's hands upon her canine ears were quite encouraging. There was a unique amount of pleasant feeling which came from having such parts on her body. When asked about animal parts and how they felt a small smile came to her face as well as the lighest of blushes. Her body gained an almost anxious quality, but there was much comfort to be gained from the lad's continued actions. She gave it a bit of thought before the words came to her. "I suppose it feels pretty normal. But they're sensitive. And the tails all seem to move on their own," she said in a general explanation. "Ah, but I really like this, it's comforting I think..." she said looking into the lad's eyes with her golden irises shining with both innocence and something else, just below the surface. What was more, beyond his curiosities about the animal parts, he offered more of himself to the lass than she'd ever have imagined. His claim basically providing a level of equivalency to what she'd offered before this point. A wicked smirk spread across this lass' face, she was a pervert after all, her mind jumped ahead several steps. And she was just greedy enough that she wouldn't have backed out of such an offer ever. "Sou ka, I'll definitely keep that in mind ya' know. I really can't say no at all to stuff like this~" she said as she leaned into him. she slipped her arms around him leaving him the freedom to continue petting her while she held him. All the while Tomoe watched with a knowing glance, she'd never really known what to expect her boss, but if this lad was her decision she wished them nothing but the best. As they were very obviously some kind of couple even without her listening to their conversation or anything like that.

Mizore came to the conclusion that this little slime had some serious delusions of grandeur. It wasn't really that unusual long term, but at least he had somewhere in mind to go. And if she was being honest, the little plushy like boy was cute enough to be carried around at least. She'd do so as they approached the tree in the neutral territory. Each step seemed strange to her but there was little else for her to do. The same could be said of the pair of Oni who were currently making their way to the top of Mt. Kurama, well on their way to start clearing out a spider youkai infestation. The country of Ryozanpaku seemed to be well on its way to some pretty great changes.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou..." the lad murmured. It was easily understandable that these extra appendages would be considered sensitive, though clearly in a positive manner. The 'petting' motion became even more deliberate as Tamamo caused there to be even less distance between them, holding onto the male while mentioning that she couldn't pass up the opportunity of their agreement. "I don't think I can either. I'm not really sure what to do ever, but I'll do my best for whatever it's worth." Kou spoke only truth. A girlfriend? What was that really? Any time the realization hit him that they had entered such a state recently, he was thrown aback by the thought. Currently, his eyes repeatedly averted, as if being pulled toward those shifting tails of Tamamo's. Perhaps he had a few more perversions than he'd admitted thus far, but at least one of Kimiko's Avatars had discovered that fact. Could Tamamo be counted as one who knew? Time would tell, perhaps. "I should... be doing something now, shouldn't I? Is this a sexy thing? Or is this one of those wholesome things? I... have read a lot of stuff, and I can't really tell how the real thing's supposed to go."

[Apollymi]

Kou's petting of Tamamo became more deliberate as he learned that she liked this activity. "I'm rarely sure what to do myself outside of certain situations~" she murmured happily. "Still, I am really happy, and you doing your best is worth quite a bit~" she chimed happily. He couldn't know his efforts were always appreciated by her. And what was more, there was more value in his ability to do things for her or at least try them than most could ever offer her. Their relationship held that much more value to her. He was really her partner? Amazing! And her boyfriend doing his best for her?! That was the most unrealistic sentence she'd come to know as fact since their official coupling. He went on to begin thinking aloud, asking if he should be doing something. Kou expressed a certain level of confusion, as to whether or not this was a sexy activity or a wholesome one. A bit of confusion played across the lass' face in this moment and she nuzzled herself closer into him, speaking directly to him and hiding her face ever so slightly. "Um... well, if I am being honest. I've read just as many things and I am not really sure either. I'm only certain of things inside of very specific instances. But..." there was a brief pause from the lass. "I am not opposed to either wholesome activities or sexy ones," she mused happily as she pressed her lips against his neck, just outside of the line of sight of anyone present. "That being said, I don't think I want to do sexy things in front of people. At least not in a way that is obvious~" there was an openness to that statement which would lead many to know that the girl was something of a pervert, but she'd already admitted to that.

[Bloodedge]

He was not alone in uncertainty, it seemed. Good. If neither of them really had a clue what they were supposed to be doing, then they could simply move forward while figuring out what the other desired of them instead. Overall, it would likely result in a better end than otherwise. Voiced happiness was a point of contention for the lad as well. Never without his hang-ups, knowing that he could offer at least that much in this world, he was internally elated. Yes, this could work magnificently so long as the proper pieces were in the puzzle. Speaking of puzzle pieces, there was one duplicate that worked perfectly. Tamamo, or rather Kimiko, also practiced degeneracy in her media consumption. What they both enjoyed above other things was still up for debate, but that didn't matter much; they were a pair of perverts nonetheless. In fact, Tamamo specified that she had no issue with their current meeting being either 'sexy' or 'wholesome' as he'd put it moments prior. Once more, this Avatar showed her ability to get a rise out of even the more reserved Avatar, Kou. Hearing her speech so close to his ear, and feeling the soft, warming sensation of her lips against his neck immediately afterwards, he was rather quickly put under a spell of arousal. Ah, but his attention was brought inadvertently to another existence nearby: Tomoe. There was still someone around? What did she mean when she said a way that isn't obvious? Could he ask about that? What would asking result in? At the end of this thought train, Kou only muttered a single clause. "I... uh... well─" he stammered. "So you mean...?"