Ryozanpaku

[Apollymi]

"Hm..." the fact that the snake child thought the man in the tree was truly odd, was something that Kuroka hadn't anticipated. In fact, it was well and truly something which made the child in the tree that much more of an oddity. If a person who knew everything about anyone in an area didn't know something, then there was something truly extraordinary taking place around that person.

The excited utterance of the slime beneath her bosom made the Yuki-onna blush. She couldn't help but squish him a little more to try and quiet him. "Shush, I don't know about all that. But I know he's been in that tree since I arrived. I figured knowing that the tree was the main problem that he was taking care of it," she muttered. Perhaps she'd put a little too much faith in other people as players doing the right things, that being said, it was still very unreasonable that she'd been in this place as long as she had, and it was still in this sort of condition. But by the time she'd realized something was properly amiss, she was locked into the storyline she was already working on, with no way of shifting or changing it.

As Kou and Tamamo made their approach, her words seemed to give the lad a bit of thought. He claimed that this lad being here seemed like the start of a questline and Tamamo could do nothing but agree. "Ara ara, you don't seem like you're too happy about the potential extra quest, Mikon~" she teased lightly. If she as being honest, she'd admit that though she'd accounted for something like this happening, she still didn't like how many intertwined moments this sort of thing created. The only real positives were potentials for them to steal more moments together. "Though I agree, this could get bothersome. Shall we find out what everyone has come up with so far?" she asked of him seeming to be in a reasonable mood even with the assumed task which was coming to them. "Oi oi! Nee-san!" Tamamo heard and her brows rose at the approach of Ibaraki and Shuten. "When you said Spider problem you didn't mention, Youkai Child Demon thingy, minus TEN points!" she said pointing an accusatory finger at the pink haired Kitsune. "I lost points? How many did I have to start with? Is this one of those moments were I protest, because the job obviously got done in a relatively short amount of time, with nothing but growth and progress to show for it?" Tamamo questioned unsure of what to make of the accusation. She'd been informed of a Spider Youkai not anything related to Demons, but given how advanced into the plot this stage was, she wasn't really surprised. Though she admittedly was expecting something different for this portion of the story.

[Bloodedge]

"You're a Player, and you were gonna trust somebody else to get the job done by themselves? Well, that makes sense when I remember how you thought just dealing with one problem would be enough to fix everything." The Slime's senses were open, as always, and perceiving all that happened in each part of their overall group while they moved toward each other. The only entity that didn't suffer a single shift at all, was the Youkai in the tree. Strange as this was, he figured the importance of this fact would soon make itself known.

Kou, on the other hand, was mulling over the fact that they would be dragged into another quest very soon. Tamamo agreed, but also thought to tease regarding how he felt about the matter. "I don't exactly mind it, but I hope this doesn't become one of those tropes. If every quest we end up having thrown at us is 'do this, then this, then go back this way and do this,' then this world is going to end up being more WoW than the AoE I like. That could happen just as a byproduct of chance," he explained. "I'm thinking everyone's done with their ends, except... Kuroka. That guy with her must be the one behind that Artifact, which means... he needs us to do something for him."

And lo, Shuten joined the fray. She naturally wouldn't do so without presenting a complaint or two, which Kou wanted to shrug off, though the end result was... as normal with this pair of siblings. "Urusai, boke! You can't just go drafting people into the points system! What about our thing? Fifty point loss, and another twenty for complaining about a job that wasn't even yours!"

[Apollymi]

"What, I figured it'd be like a group project. Everyone do their own parts and then it comes together at the end..." she said, obviously though she was a girl of school age, she wasn't used to being the sort of person who actually organized things like group work. If she'd ever done it, she would have known that some level of coordination was necessary to make sure everyone was on the same page. Ah, but that was something she'd learn over the next few moments.

In their conversation, Kou and Tamamo were discussing the nature of these additive quests and he expressed his misgivings about the potential situation. She understood this well, her own happiness in the AoE game was that she didn't have to take every single quest that came her way and the world would evolve and keep moving around her in that case. The only problem she saw in this particular point now, was wherever there were players their bad decisions had huge effects and it was like turning a PvE game into full co-op without everyone being ready or capable of communicating. And obviously not everyone was ready, willing and able to make the best decisions for the world at large, but that was an entirely different issue. "Hai hai, there is no doubt he'll require something more. I also understand fully, I have noticed though that things only seem to go so wrong around other players and their bad decisions. Maybe eventually we'll find the ones who got it right and we'll get to just relax when we arrive..." she said. Perhaps this was wishful thinking, perhaps this future was a bit closer than she realized. Whatever the case, the return of Shuten had brought a strange bit of comic relief back to their outing which wasn't at all a negative in the Kitsune's case. She had a gentle chuckle behind her overly large sleeved hand while these two bickered about the nature of this points system. From what Tamamo was able to gather, this was some sibling based system in which points were awarded and taken away at random. That made sense. "So, like House Points at Hogwarts... do you win a prize?" she couldn't help but wonder aloud.

In the meantime, Shuten managed an overly dramatic sigh at her brother's reaction. Didn't he see this lass could easily fit in with their nerd things? Was he trying to keep himself from properly bonding? Was he trying to make her pull out all the baby sister stops to get this lass on her side. He was underestimating her. Aiba Yumi was excellent at getting people to like her, besides that she had years of being the youngest child and little sister on her side. She'd use these wiles in this world of magic, to guarantee her future sister, even if her brother wouldn't. Her eyes burned with momentary fury. This moment was so familiar to her, and then just as suddenly that fury was replaced by devious light, she was silent to her loss of points and her brother's rhetoric. "Nee-san!!! You don't mind being drafted right? Even if Nii-san doesn't want to share this with you I do!" she said, giving the lass the biggest puppy dog eyes in that startling purple color while giving her the most unexpected hug of her life. She'd just lost 70 points but she was about to win a war. Battle tactics! Tamamo's heart thumped in her chest as she took in this sight, it was already well known that she had trouble resisting cute things, besides that being included was a huge point for her, she couldn't really turn down this girl if she wanted to, she felt moved beyond words. "Of course not, include me wherever you wish!~" she chimed hugging the other lass back, while Shuten looked at her brother and stuck her tongue out at him that same devious light in her eyes.

A gentle cough would come from none other than Kuroka who made her way to this group without much fuss. She'd been standing here long enough to know the sort of sibling manipulation taking place before her. "There is more, unfortunately, but it seems things went well on your ends."

[Bloodedge]

"It's something like a group project, yeah," Rimuru agreed, albeit with a disagreement to accompany it. "A project is only gonna be as good as the people involved, though. If a team is good enough, there's not really a need for too much planning. Everybody gets their role, and everybody accepts that everyone else is capable of doing theirs. That's the setup we have going here, I think." The more he spoke, the more Rimuru realized he couldn't actually be 100% positive. He put his faith in these newcomers without giving much consideration at all, as if he knew they were trustworthy without much proof at all. Well... it would probably work out in the end; it had been working thus far.

Tamamo was right; things were only ever so bad. If he gave it proper consideration, this way was probably best. They would be bored out of their minds if every other player to enter this world had made the best choices at every turn, considering how quickly so many people would have created a virtual utopia. As such, it would always be worthwhile to accept these quests... even as annoying as they were when piled up in such a way. Speaking of annoyances, it seemed even the Avatar Shuten-Doji maintained the abuse of power employed by one Aiba Yumi. Kou's brow twitched alongside his lip as he observed this display of manipulation. Surely Tamamo wouldn't fall for that, right? Wrong. She was hooked like a fish, just as all the others had been in their original world. "Kisama. Listen here, you little─"

Ah, an interruption! This one came, oddly, in the form of Kuroka. The unfortunate addition of 'more' in whatever context, was just about what Kou had been expecting. He looked in the direction of Kuroka's current companion, who thought to introduce the issue at hand. He would have done just that, if Kou hadn't opened his mouth before there was even a chance. "You work directly under the last faction's leader, and they're responsible for the disparity between the four corners of Ryozanpaku. Either you can't take them down, or they can't be taken down at all, so you want us to step up with the only thing that works," Kou said, much to the serpent's surprise. He couldn't even say a thing; all he managed was to stand there, dumbfounded while setting his sights on Kuroka. Surely she could explain why their group already knew what was going on here. Did they have elite information gatherers as well?

[Apollymi]

"You think? But you're not sure either... hm," these were the words of Mizore shared. She found it strange that this lad was also so trusting, obviously simply trusting wasn't enough. It was quite strange to consider that the whole team needed to be the same level of good for it to work out. Perhaps this was why this area overall wasn't taken care of. Did others not know what to do? Were there players missing from the area, was there an action which needed to take place? She didn't know, but perhaps she'd find out in place of her leader.

Did Tamamo or rather Kimiko know she was being manipulated? Absolutely! But that didn't make much of a difference to her. She knew to stay out of sibling situations, but still she couldn't quite help herself in this case. Ah, but the sibling fight was coming, could she quell it? Did she try to? Everything she'd witnessed of siblings said it was best to leave them to their own devices. But before they could even get into a proper argument it was broken up by Kuroka. She was good at such things, mediating, but what even she wasn't prepared for, was the full understanding of one such as Kou about the problems of the Snake lad she'd accompanied. It was so accurate.

"Sou ka, he's really clever. Actually, they are both fairly good at problem solving. It shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did," she mentioned, having no real explanation for this, especially knowing the lad wouldn't want his identity revealed for this sort of thing. Even so, it seemed that Tamamo was about to prove her own thought processes in the same moment. Given what Kou had to say about the situation, Tamamo had a fairly easy follow-up as well, gained by combining the information she'd received from Kuono and the complaints which came from Shuten upon arriving. "So is the Snake a Demon or a Dragon? Those are the only possible problems which could mess with the strategy and explain the reason for why this place is so defunct," she narrowed down their potential interactions. She'd not expected the Spider Youkai Demon that Shuten had mentioned, but knowing that she'd encountered one opened it as a possibility that might need addressing. All the while the others were close enough now to hear and Mizore managed to look surprised as well. Ibaraki who had been quiet seemed stunned by the conversation and quick thinking of everyone present. The only one who didn't seem surprised by the statements and questions presented was Shuten herself. "Eh, nerd time does wonders... huh? At least it is beneficial, is one more of a problem than the other?" she asked in her usual fashion. "And what does it have to do with this dead tree?! And who is that guy?!"

[Bloodedge]

"Fool! Being sure of everything is boring! Keep things fresh; always let everything be unexpected!" Was this Rimuru's true belief? In a way, yes. He was still mostly blabbering about nothing, of course, but he at least seemed confident in his delivery of these random clauses. Even now, he was simply talking for the sake of talking. So long as the Yuki-onna carrying him continued speaking, her chest would continue moving atop the Slime's body!

So then, Kou was on the right track. The Snake faction's leader was the ringleader of all problems in Ryozanpaku, and to deal with the issues at hand, they would have to eliminate him. Tamamo was asking the perfect questions, though. The Snake could have been a Demon, considering their obvious presence in the area after Shuten's recent excursion alongside Ibaraki. If he was becoming a proper Dragon, however, things might even be worse. Giving this topic a few moments of consideration, Kou pinched the bridge of his nose. There was every reason to believe a Demon could be the cause of this, but also a very important reason to believe it could be a Dragon. "Fuck," he muttered. "Demon child says Demon ringleader, but Akashi taking over so easily says nearby Dragon. I can't really guess one or the other. One means we're about to walk into something nobody can be ready for, and the other means we're walking into something nobody will like the aftermath of." Ah, if only they knew. This case wasn't so specific as one or the other, but instead something quite different yet very similar. Now that he'd moved beyond the shock, the Snake lad could properly answer this one. "Orochi is neither. Not a Dragon, not any sort of Demon, and not a god... but something right between all three. The only way to deal with him, is to seal him away forever. You have the method, right?"

[Apollymi]

This lad's logic on things was a bit outlandish. Still it might be worth watching to see if it worked out. For the most part, Mizore was content to quietly take in all the information being given here. She was a Yuki Onna after all, she had to do what was necessary for her kind. To be technical, the defeat of the Orochi and the restoration of the tree, in that order would help the whole of the world.

In the meantime Tamamo's question got Kou's mind working quite easily. She watched as the lad pinched the bridge of his nose and weighed the options between Dragon and Demon. His uncertainty in this moment didn't put her at ease. There was always a third option and it wasn't one that Tamamo wanted to admit. Much less was it something the girl behind the avatar properly wanted to deal with. Of course after a few moments it would be the snake lad who finally came up with the actual reply which was information they could trust because he worked for that individual. "Of course, that shit was always going to be the answer..." Tamamo muttered. There was the question about the possession of a certain method which could be used against him, and context clues would demonstrate what the lad might have meant. "If you mean this..." mentioned Tamamo who produced that Yata Mirror, knowing the lad had wanted it. "Then yes I have it. If you mean something else, I might also have it. I've come into possession of several things since coming here, but I am not sure how all the pieces fit together. This face's mind isn't as clear about this area as she probably should be. But I assume it has something to do with that..." she said pointing to the tree.

The pink haired lass swore so rarely such a thing caught the attention of Shuten but she could understand. Everything she'd been told about this pairs previous adventures said that neither of them really wanted to become their Dragons at the same time given what they might do. There was also the fact that everything they'd dealt with concerning Demons had been gross and disgusting. What was more between all the people here, she'd been able to piece together the potential problems which could be occurring here. "It's worse if its everything. Damn, I am beginning to wonder if such a thing is why this one was originally slayed?" she muttered her thoughtful query.

[Bloodedge]

Kou was right there alongside Tamamo with her reaction. Just a Demon or Dragon wouldn't be enough; their enemy in the coming battle was neither, yet somehow something between the two all at once. Moreover, they actually had to deal with someone who apparently couldn't be eliminated by normal means. To seal their opponent, they required what Kou assumed would be a specific Artifact of some sort, or at least something of similar quality. What could it be, though? Tamamo seemed to have an idea with the Artifact that allowed this Avatar of hers to exist. "Yata? No, that won't do. That could counter anything, but what we need to seal him is..." the snake lad spoke. There was but one tool in mind, which also hailed from the land of Ryozanpaku. They did, in fact, possess this item. "The gourd. If he is sealed inside the gourd, there should be no way of manually escaping it. We'll need an entire Night Parade to make any headway though, still."

At this very moment, the young man in the tree finally acknowledged the others present. Every necessary tool had already appeared, and among those 'tools' were the people involved. "Unnecessary. The Sanjikai can handle this themselves, even just two of them. The trounce said it long ago, and the Three are sitting right here with all the pieces they need to finish the job... and restore the trounce blossom I've been protecting." Of all the things to say as an introduction, it had to be something of this nature. Kou sighed once more. "Yep. Smelled this from a mile away. Alright, alright. I'm bored of doing stuff, so why not just point us in the right direction and let us dust this off already?" he questioned. For general purposes alone, this query was followed by a glance toward Tamamo, with an accompanying shrug. Surely, nothing else really mattered if they could simply eliminate the problem between two or three of them, so it was best to get moving right away as far as Kou was concerned. They had done enough already, and frankly... he was enjoying his little break not long ago.

[Apollymi]

So, it was like that. The Yata alone wouldn't do to end the Demon/Dragon/Snake of the realm. That was fine, she figured one alone wouldn't be enough the mention of the gourd he spoke of, brought her to the knowledge of that items nature, which she knew based on being in possession of it for a short amount of time. "Sou ka, they are the Three Regalia then, not just an Easter Egg for the area so obviously based on home," mused Tamamo. Well, if all they needed were those pieces it would be fine they had them among the strongest members of their group. What was stranger still though, was that invisible boy finally spoke up, this time, to counter a point raised by the Snake Lad. His claim was that the Sanjikai alone could potentially handle the problem of the Orochi and that the dead blossom he was upon was under his protection and told him so. He was obviously playing a very long game here, and though Tamamo didn't necessarily approve of him sitting out, she also understood the strategy of waiting to see what happened and protecting what was most important from an advantageous spot. Especially when everyone else around hadn't gotten up to finishing their individual tasks alone.

"In a big game of capture the flag, he attained the flag before everyone else even realized there was one. I suppose there are worse ways to get things done..." she stated. If she was being honest, she was also quite annoyed by this current build up. Yes, it would be boring if everything always went their way, but at this point, the area known as Ryozanpaku seemed to be suffering from extreme negligence and lack of cooperation. Even though she didn't play the Co-op part of this game, she still managed to know and understand it might be necessary if she took a certain path. The glance from Kou in this moment didn't go unnoticed and she nodded her approval and voiced a bit of an extra afterwards in a manner that might have seemed cocky but it was obvious this group of people hadn't done enough for themselves to simply be left completely to their own devices. Besides, she was ready to be left to her own devices for a great number of reasons not the least was which was pursuing more alone time with the lad she'd recently taken as her boyfriend. "Yeah, I am kind of bored by it too. Point us in the direction of the big bad Snake and we'll take care of it. And while we're gone you could finally reach proper cooperative status to figure out how you are filling the power vacuum that will be created by the restoration of this tree, and the end of the Warring States," she said. Though it wasn't direct, there was a bit of sass involved with such a statement which wasn't unnoticed by Shuten. 'Oi oi, how are they both like that? That's weird... I wonder if Nerd Time wasn't enough,' she said noting the negative traits of both of these people's attitudes and finding it almost comical considering that they were just annoyed by the listing of this quest. All the while Mizore managed to listen and feel something of a stab being taken at her. Would this whole thing have been easier if they'd all been cooperating as players to start with probably? Had she figured they were all on the same page? Yes. Did it take a lot of outside influence to get anything done? Well, the Sanjikai were proof that it did.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. It makes me wonder if we're actually in some weird, past version of our world. It'd be weird otherwise, considering how many names and items here are known where we're from." Several times, Kou had considered exactly what type of world they were in. Could it be a distant, forgotten past of their own world, kept alive only in the form of scattered memories that had become mythology for them? What of the possibility that the video game they played had somehow spawned an alternate universe of its own, or been created because of this world? The latter was somehow less reasonable than the former due to a few clear connections, but little did Kou know that there was only one piece missing from this puzzle. One vital piece of information would eventually lead to the proper answer, but when would that knowledge be learned? Only time would tell, though they presently had more important matters to deal with.

The young serpent had no qualms with the idea of the Sanjikai dealing with issues in their own way. He'd seen them all over Ryozanpaku this day. If those three couldn't work in unison to take down the Orochi, there would be no hope with the addition of a few lesser beings. Besides... at least one of them had another secret weapon that was well beyond what anything currently in this world could dream of being. That power, if used even once, there was no chance for any opposition he could even think of! What if the others also had such secrets laying dormant within? One other had to speak up, and it was none other than the tree-sitter. "That will do. That's exactly what I've been waiting for all this time. You guys..."

With that said, there was nothing for the lad with bandages on his face to do besides point the way. And so, he pointed... literally. The path he and Kuroka had taken was a very direct line to the shrine of Orochi, and the words he spoke after pointing would clarify the rest. "Once you're in the quarter, you'll see it. The Ryuchi Temple is at the highest point of the region, midway up the mountain. He'll be there."

[Apollymi]

Tamamo knew that something weird had to be taking place with this world as well. After all, a few short hours ago, she'd watched a lad she knew to be born into this world gain an Avatar, and that didn't necessarily work if there was a one directional method for transition. Besides all of that, the likeness between the legends of this world and those of their own connected them, but was this world the past? The future? Some strange parallel? "Ugh, I feel like eventually I am going to need a diagram and straws..." she said making a joke related to the lack of easily explainable connections taking place here.

The lad in the tree, determined that he would speak again, this time mentioning that he'd been waiting for this group to show up among the other things he was doing. "Eh? These two are the wrong ones to wait for," said Shuten, but this wasn't a jab. She simply innately knew that both didn't like helping those who didn't help themselves at least a little. Whatever the case, there was more at play here than any could have realized because, how did he know they were coming? This question would plague Shuten while she also tried to figure out the best way to keep trying to hook-up her brother and his female traveling companion. Moving right along, it seemed to them that they would be pointed in the right direction physically. The snake lad pointed back towards the land he'd come from and gave short instructions on where the 'Raid Boss' of the area could be found. "Hai hai," said Tamamo as she turned and headed in that direction. After all, this was what they needed to finish before anything bad happened and she had no issues. "Are you coming this time, Shu-chan?" she asked of the purple haired Oni. "Fufu! Of course, we'll make it a sibling adventure, Tama-nee, Nii-san~" she said of both of them, and just like that she was soon beside Tamamo with her arm looped through passing her brother and sticking her tongue out in typical childish fashion.

[Bloodedge]

"Tell me about it. I'm pretty miffed I haven't been able to figure out the minor details yet; I've only managed to come up with a few ideas. Those... aren't even that good," Kou explained as he rubbed the back of his head. He'd figure things out eventually, though it was annoying to the lad that he hadn't done so long ago. Oh well; those were matters to be concerned about later. The trio would be heading off for the time being, albeit not before Shuten reverted to her usual tactics of being a general nuisance to the white-haired male. He had to keep in mind that it was her gourd they required for the sealing, and that there wasn't much choice in taking her along for the journey. Otherwise, he'd have rather gone on this trip with none other than Tamamo. Maybe next time. Still, there was no getting around that aggravating expression on Shuten's face as she walked off with Tamamo. Kou was left trailing behind, but following nonetheless while he scoffed away his annoyance.

Interestingly enough though, he did come up with a wonderful thing worth bringing to Shuten's attention. Perhaps it could become viable vengeance for all she'd done, especially since the creation of this Oni Avatar. "Oi, Shu," he started, flashing a smug grin. "Shuten-doji is a man, right? Careful getting so close to the ladies like that. I don't know about Tama-chan, but I'd be afraid you were gearing up to slip me a knee-slapper if I were a girl and you got that close. Loli Bait and traps aren't that far apart, y'know?~"

[Apollymi]

That was interesting. It seemed that Tamamo wasn't the only one having a tough time figuring out the true nature of this world. There was something simultaneously comforting and very frightening about that. "Sou ka, that is surprising, though that isn't unexpected. Especially when everyone we have come across has such different circumstances..." she mentioned. Her mind was working to, but in different ways. She found this worlds economy and structure very strange. It almost seemed like prehistorical times, and like it existed well before international trade while also having technology which implied the need for international trade. It was a very curious world indeed. With the trio walking off in such a direction, Tamamo found herself arm in arm with Shuten-Doji. Such a thing seemed to be a point of pride for the purple haired lass who was rubbing it in her brother's face for some reason. Much to Kou's credit he didn't react to such blatant provocation and instead took the high road. Or so, Tamamo thought.

"EEEHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" there was an extreme reaction from Shuten. Kou's words mentioned the idea that Loli Bait and Traps were similar enough and that her original self in this form had been a man. How could he?! Tamamo for her part in this, couldn't stifle a full chortle as she brought her unoccupied hand to cover her mouth which immediately broke into a huge grin. At the same time, Shuten let go of the other lass to stand on her outrage, hands on her hips as she fussed with her brother. "Nii-san!! That's mean. I am not Loli Bait and I am definitely not a trap!! Just 'cause you don't understand girls doesn't mean other girls don't get it!~" she exclaimed childishly. Strangely this did lead to the lass leaving her post at Tamamo's side and the pink haired lass trying very hard not to laugh outright at such a blatant bit of manipulation. "I'll show you, Nerd!" she huffed taking the lead and walking along with glorious purpose. She didn't have an immediate comeback, but boy when she thought of one, he was gonna get it. In the meantime, a gently slowed pace came to Tamamo and she ended up beside Kou instead. "Ara ara, these sibling relationships are so hard to interpret~" she mused knowing she'd only observed such things and never been involved in them personally. Even so, no one seemed to be in a properly negative mood and that was probably for the best considering their upcoming battle.

[Bloodedge]

Lo and behold, Kou lashing out at Shuten the way he did managed to produce interesting results. At the very least, he made her bug off in the end... even if doing so came with further yammering that served the sole purpose of annoying him. Well, that just couldn't be allowed to stand; there had to be a rebuttal. "You are the definition of Loli Bait, and there is no more literal example of a trap than what you are right now. What's it like, anyway? Being a girl, who happens to be a guy... in the body of a girl?" Banter aside, he continued walking while Tamamo took up a slowed pace that left her walking alongside him at the rear. Good; this was a much better setup, considering he had already been suffering an issue of wandering eyes.

One oddity was brought up by the fox, regarding sibling relationships. Kou considered this strange, thinking back to the time they spent in Atlantis. Clearly Ashikaga Kimiko was an only child, but to say she had no concept of how siblings functioned was not quite true; he'd seen proof to the contrary for himself. "I disagree. That Queen in Atlantis? You two seemed close enough to be taken as sisters, to be honest. It may not be the same sort of relationship as ours, but... it's still there, you know?" he asked. In spite of the veritable argument he and Shuten were having at the time being, Kou still seemed quite calm indeed. They were always going to be at each other's throats, but that never mattered. When the time was right, he had nothing but adoration to offer his darling sister... though that time wasn't allowed to come, and it was certainly all her fault if one were to ask the lad himself.

[Apollymi]

"And whose fault is that, BAKANII?!" she exclaimed seeming not to care about logic in the moment. "Being born first, fuckin' overachieving Nerd!! And then forcing me to take on this new persona, while playing Mysterious Emoface! I could have had a whole identity crisis, you wouldn't even know what its like!" she explained, still she didn't seem too angry. Though she seemed to not understand that he had nothing to do with the order of their birth and didn't seem to understand that she had a bit of control over her own body type, but whatever. "Actually, I'm pretty sure he isn't too different from me to start with. He just wants to do what he wants and for stuff to work out the way he sees it, we agree about that so it isn't too weird. Though, I do get some pretty strange cravings that I didn't have before, like wanting to drink and be extra lazy..." this was an actual explanation but it came with more bite than it likely needed as an explanation. There was also the lingering bit of information that the young lass had the personality of a Warlord Oni, but...

Tamamo was willing to let most of that information go. After all, she didn't have much of a problem with the additional personality she'd taken on either. She found it odd, but the Fox Spirit and Goddess she was part of both seemed to acknowledge her as fitting of their personality. Whatever the case, Tamamo was soon given an outside take of her relationship with the lass whose given name was Kaiba Tsukiko. She supposed she could see how one might find their relationship to be sibling like, especially when the other lass was so prone to imposing her will upon Kimiko and the lass allowed it to happen in such a way. "Kukuku~ Tsu-chan would probably be excited to hear such a thing. I suppose I hadn't really thought about it, though I can't really deny it when I consider how easily she reads me, and manipulates me..." she mused. "We don't do this..." she said with an open air gesture about the pair she was looking at. "But I am fairly certain some of our moments together that would cause similar amounts of confusion~" she said, happily remembering the girl reading her like a book and figuring out the relationship she wished to pursue with their resident Geno Killer. And that was fine she supposed. If she had to call someone a sibling, it would likely be the youngest Kaiba. Whatever the case, they were approaching this Ryuchi Temple...