Charles Patricius

[Apollymi]

Ruri was the new name Angelica would be enjoying for the foreseeable future. It was quite the enjoyable thing... Iino Sosuke was really great, and also really nice explaining to Angelica the 'hero of justice'. "Of course, it's great to meet you too. Thanks... I don't know why but I think that sounds cool~" Angelica said truly happy and thinking that whatever a hero of justice was it sounded cool. It was a weird thing, but she liked the idea of it applying to her, so perhaps she'd adopt it. "Well, I know what kind of shows we're going to be watching♥~" Kaguya teased, now having somewhere to start on the interest list of Angelica. Kazu stepped up, explaining the name of Miko's avatar and why she was generally called Annie by him. That was a relief as long as no other questions were asked, Miko could live her life quietly. Ah, but the mention of why Sousuke hadn't been able to enjoy or even try out the game so far was something which made Miko's eyes widen. "Papa, I didn't know you were handling those cases," Miko said. Oddly enough she could help him with those, knowing exactly the truth of the matter, but it wasn't the sort of thing one could simply explain without it sounding outlandish or crazy.

Well, crazy was about to be par for the course around here, as a small black pup came barreling into the room to sit at Risa's feet. Odd, she was concentrating on the things going on in this room. All of the things not being said by this group of teens was almost more important than what they were saying, of this she was certain. But she was still a woman and when being approached by a cute thing she couldn't really help herself. "Ara, aren't you a little cutie?" she said to the creature only to look up and see a boy in full armor. "A wild armored cutie appears... where are you hiding all these people in this house?" Risa wondered. It truly was small, and it seemed that this lad didn't understand how they'd gotten there. "We're Miko's parents," she said as if that was an explanation but sadly it wasn't. Miko's eyes widened. Whatever that creature was at her mother's feet was magical in nature cute though it was and Yuuya appeared in front of her parents in full armor for her dad to assume they were attending a convention. "Box it. Also that's very accurate, having nerds for parents is a bit strange. That was a compliment," she said about the convention and her dad's notice. Well he could be distracted but there was real armor and a real magical creature just sitting in this living room. Saori was at a loss for words, she couldn't really help in this situation it was quite tenuous. Miko didn't know there was a convention, but there was a thing she always wanted to do at one of those and she would definitely make time for it after finishing her work. "I want to know what you get, but I feel like I shouldn't ask right now..." she said and her brain was rapid firing. 'If one wrong question is asked I won't have a choice. They're nerds, taking them through the door wouldn't be the worst thing ever. Then I could fully explain not just tell the truth without context.' Miko thought rapidly. She was busy weighing potentials waiting to see if a choice would be made which caused her to act.

At the same time, Kusanagi was busy tasting his ramen which he claimed was a bit more like miso soup. He only had a single set of bites before that soup was passed to Princess. Princess for her part in this wouldn't be turning down a snack and it seemed she'd be needing it, given his next statement. That blonde girl was his favorite type, which led her to believe he knew exactly how fucked up she was by observation alone and enjoyed torturing that type. The same way he seemed to enjoy breaking Princess's own bitchy exterior. Whatever the case, she could only shrug. "Great. I knew this was going to happen. Well... at least there's food..." she thought. That girl was going to be a problem for this place, of that Princess was certain, she could only hope it wouldn't cause problems for the man making the ramen, he deserved an award. "Also... so I don't forget, freaky..." she said between bites. Willing to follow him off while that girl finished her orientation and the like.

[Bloodedge]

It could hardly be said that Sosuke was 'handling' those cases. He didn't connect some video game to the cases like some conspiracies were starting to claim. "There have been a couple of notable names reported by people who were preparing for that release tournament. People will find any common denominator to blame, sadly," he said to further disregard any connection. More importantly at the moment, Sosuke was very invested in this boy and his assumed cosplay. Yuuya, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. There were two people he didn't know in his house, but that shouldn't have been possible. Marisbury Animusphere made sense as the son of the Nexus, but normal people shouldn't have even registered the house existing, much less be able to enter without Yuuya's permission. Kazu realized this was strange, as he knew Yuuya was nowhere to be seen today. "Parents... ohayou gozaimasu. Tenjou Yuuya desu. Uh..."

Yuuya was always a timid soul, but he was more confused than anything now. Just the same, Kazu wondered exactly what he should say. Miko didn't want to ask about the thing he understood. Alas, it was becoming increasingly relevant as he looked between the two adults. For now, he couldn't even be bothered by the visage of Miko's mother or the questioning of her father. "No point, Yuuya. The Nexus doesn't know who they are," he said simply. There was probably no avoiding a certain turn of events here. After a few additional moments of thought, he realized something else inevitable. "Right. I didn't actually play AoE the video game. I met Annie in the magical world it's based on about 300 years ago," he said as if it made the most sense in the world. Sosuke looked at the lad, blinking repeatedly before chuckling. "Is that it? Are you actually LARPing? That's another thing I wanted to do once," the older male said in good spirits. "Annie. . ."

[Apollymi]

According to Sousuke it was normal for the people to try and associate anything due to a commonality on the list. That being said, that conspiracy theory wasn't actually a conspiracy people were disappearing due to the magical world that AoE was based on, and many did so by immersing themselves heavily into the video game. Of course, there wasn't any way to explain that... "Conspiracies tend to have some truth to them even if it doesn't make sense all the time," Miko offered of course, she understood. Her father was the type of person who needed legitimate proof to make a conclusive decision. Iino Sousuke was a Supreme Court Justice... it was one of his charm points. In fact so was his nerdiness as evidenced by his interest in Yuuya's armor. "Iino Sousuke and Iino Risa," Miko said for Yuuya point at her parents.

What did Kazu have to say, the Nexus didn't know who her parents were... that was weird. Marisbury could go anywhere he wanted that the Nexus acknowledged as his son. It would only get worse from there... as Kazu explained how he knew Miko as Annie in the simplest terms possible and what did Iino Sousuke have to say... they were LARPing. Miko's mother had remained quiet watching and contemplating the words. If these kids were LARPing they were almost fully committed to it. There wasn't a single flinch in Kazu as he explained himself and the boy's armor looked quite heavy and the creature sitting at her feet was a dog but not of a breed she'd ever seen before. "Ara, that'd be some kind of commitment to thing," Risa said. "LARPIng would be a good choice. Kaya-sen did just say gaming, that's open enough to interpretation to explain why she knows about it. Especially given she doesn't do tech. A very logical conclusion to make..." Miko commented absently as she'd become prone to doing lately. Risa was a librarian, the fantasy aspect was easy, but Kazu also said Miko's name as Annie again and the girls' head moved without thought, the same way it did when her father called her Mimi. Far too much time had passed of her answering to that name. "Yeah, I know... I'm already there. I already thought about it, I did when I remembered that they are nerds. Especially given I don't lie. If they have to start somewhere... there is safe as well," Miko said. She felt very strongly about that, even in pressurized situations, Miko didn't tell lies, it felt wrong to do so. Much of this conversation went over Angelica's head, it was weird for the Nexus not to know someone, weirder still whatever LARPing was, and though she knew about the disappearances because Kauzhiko had told her about them before, she didn't know that Miko's father was looking into them. What an interesting world this was. If nothing else, she could see the mana of that pair of people and say... that they definitely didn't belong on this side of the world, not really... "Step 2. Mama, Papa... I have something to show you..." Miko said. "Oh? Made that decision pretty quickly~" Kaguya said seemingly amused.

[Bloodedge]

"Fair as that is, there's no room for chances when dealing with the law. Justice must be absolute, and so too must be all investigations," Sosuke insisted. Even if he wanted to believe a video game was connected to several missing persons cases, he could never enforce the law based on something like that. Leaving work-related matters aside for now, the male Iino thought it was worthwhile to delve into whatever these teens were doing now. Whether gaming or LARPing, he was very interested in seeing whatever resulted in this amazing black armor. It looked real, but also... unreal in the sense of being fantastical in nature. Whatever the Nexus was must have been something relevant... oh, how true that actually was.

LARPing would have made sense as an excuse. In a technical sense, it was accurate to what they were all doing. On the other hand, there was no getting around the fact that Iino Sosuke and Iino Risa did not belong in this building. That fact would be addressed one way or another, and Kazu thought it was best done before too many questions were asked. Apparently, Miko thought the same. "Hm? Well... this is taking a turn. You're all making it seem like this magical world is a real thing. I'll have you all know, I grew up watching Digimon. Don't give me hope for a childhood dream," Sosuke stated as he prepared for whatever Miko had to show.

He wasn't the only one waiting, of course. Marisbury Animusphere himself had recently entered the building, as if his presence was to be expected. If there were any remaining questions about the choice to show Alaya to Miko's parents, he was now here to make sure it was done. "Perfect timing. I've been meaning to see the door for myself as well," he commented absently, making Sosuke even more curious about the coming events.

In the meantime, that red Ferrari recently purchased by Hiruko was parking at the very same manor Sakura agreed to stay in for a few days. Shota had only woken recently, and thought he had additional time to pursue Sakura for yet another sexual endeavor... but he was instead greeted by a knock on the door. Upon allowing entry to his new abode, Shota grinned arrogantly at the other male. "Ohayou, Niisan. You're late, but you're right on time. There's someone I should introduce you to!" the younger male said. To that, Hiruko had nothing but the usual grin to offer. "Ho? Right, you said something about a new conquest or something, right? I'll be honest ─ that sort of thing doesn't really interest me. I'm here on business, remember?"

[Apollymi]

"Sou... " Miko said, without agreeing. Investigations and the like were one thing, but what counted as justice wasn't something she could say was a definite in one way or another. Too many things had to be felt, or played by ear in the last three hundred years of her life. Not to even talk about the last week were literally everything had been turned upside. Life was too flexible now for absolutes. "Digimon?" That was all that was said soon because of what Sousuke mentioned. It would oddly enough be Saori who answered finding it an interesting turn of events. "Digimon is an old anime about a bunch of kids getting transported to a digital world with their companions/pets," she answered for the blonde lass who nodded. So this world understood travel between worlds differently. As for what Sousuke said, a few words in it, echoed something Miko had thought herself earlier. "I thought something very similar recently for different reasons. It's odd to hear it outside of my own head..." Miko said tentatively. Moving on, Risa and Sousuke were preparing to follow Miko, but another voice would be entering the fray. Marisbury Animusphere, who drew immediate light and recognition from Miko as the sound of his voice made even her human ears twitch. "Box it. I need warnings if you are going to randomly show up, and talk like that..." Miko said speaking to that man fairly directly but such was simply the nature of their relationship now, she'd at least not called him the shortened cute version of his name... yet. And with that, they headed towards the bathroom. And would pass what was a pretty normal set up aside from the shattered mirrors. Miko and Risa would be going along with whoever else felt the need to. Saori for her part in this was content not to intrude, Kaguya knew she'd get the extra later and needed a few more minutes of down time. And Angelica still wasn't ready to move yet. Given the small space they'd reach that door, which seemed open to the air on the other side within just a few moments.

At the same time, the mansion was being visited by someone unexpected. But that didn't matter much to Sakura, who would be happily approaching form the beach with bags and light-hearted happiness. After all, her friends were okay, she could feel the magical bonds between Miko and Kazuhiko now that she'd taken in some mana actually worth ingesting. And he claimed they were close to being able to reunite. And she had plenty of time to watch people and figure out what kinds of activities to potentially undertake as a group. She wanted to show them the cool things on the beach. And while she considered these things she walked back to the house. 'I wonder if the beach will be a big group activity or a small one? Maybe I should look into more things to do...' she thought absently. Well, she could go home for a bath, and then change into something more suitable for a night walk on the beach instead... that seemed like a reasonable enough plan.

[Bloodedge]

And so, most of the people present in Yuuya's house were headed through the bathroom to that magical world door. Miko's parents would be faced with an impossibility: a massive gate that seemed to lead outside to open plains, but... there were no plains in this area of Osaka. Kazu and Yuuya had followed along, both stepping through the gate. Marisbury also joined of course, though he would be unable to pass. No matter; he only wanted to see what all the fuss was. "So this is what's beyond my sight," the white-haired male mused while touching a barrier he alone could not pass.

Sosuke was stunned. He'd seen the other two boys and that strange dog walk right through, despite Marisbury's inability. Was the magical world real? Surely he was dreaming, but... there it was. Befuddled, he stared blankly while grasping at the air until Risa's hand could be taken. If this was a dream, there was no reason to wake up. "This... this is... ahem. Of course I'll have many questions, but... for now..." Nothing else needed saying. Sosuke knew it, Marisbury knew it, the two lads waiting on the other side knew it. It would only take a few forward steps, and Sosuke fully intended to take those steps alongside his wife. It was time to live a decades-old fantasy.

[Apollymi]

At the gate, both Kazuhiko and Yuuya would walk through without issue. Miko's parents would be paused looking at the doorway as if entranced by it, and Marisbury would be offering commentary. "Looking for spoilers?~" Miko asked in a teasing tone before looking to her parents.

Her father was flabbergast, wanting to cement himself in reality while wife seemed, just as astounded but still reached for his hand as well. Once both had a steady hold of each other a certain feeling was present. "Ara, it seems like this little cutie has been way busier than even I thought. Still..." Risa was a librarian, fantasy life styles were her bread and butter. What was more, the idea of a magical life lived along side her daughter and husband was far too enticing to not at least have a glance at. Miko peeked up at the pair, seemingly interested both looked so interesting and she was glad she'd made this choice. It was a difficult conclusion to come to but this first look at them planning to make their way inside made it worth it. Besides that, she didn't have to worry about outing herself which was most of her worry in her current state.. "Well, there are always questions. I'll answer any I can... Still, this is an option not many of us get," Miko said truthfully. She'd been playing a game in a state of undress and awoken as a baby in a forest. Life was far too complicated for one not to enjoy that first step into the other side. And Miko would be waiting for her parents to take the plunge before slipping over herself.

[Bloodedge]

Without further ado, the parents of Iino Miko were stepping into a magical world they only learned the existence of mere moments ago. Of course they should never have been capable of entering Yuuya's home by any logical means. That oddity, however, led to this turn of events. Marisbury had little choice but to stay behind as the others went along to the other world. It was almost a shame, but he'd recently been given reason to assume the cause. Out there, somewhere, there was... another version of him.

Marisbury waited outside the door for only a short few minutes before most members of the group returned. It seemed the adults of the Iino family were not among the returning party. Well, he couldn't fault them for that. Simply by standing in the vicinity, Marisbury could feel incredible things through the door. Apparently, those two decided to immerse themselves in those things for a bit longer... but whether the others knew it or not, they would still be joined shortly by another group of people ─ a group led by none other than the other Marisbury: King Solomon.

[Apollymi]

Miko's parents took their introduction to the magical world pretty well... and soon enough. It was only a couple of minutes... for Marisbury but that couple of minutes had many conversations happening within the other world. Soon though, MIko would be emerging from that portal, seemingly relieved. "That went way better than expected," she stated honestly. She was still wearing her newest outfit for the day, a pair of ripped jeans a white ruffled shirt, a black over shirt and a small bow tied around her neck with her characteristic pigtails. The most recent addition to her attire, a pair of high heeled shoes which she walked in with maximum efficiency and comfort. "Tadaima, Mari-sa♪~" Miko chirped, seeming to have forgotten her bashfulness or perhaps she buried it somewhere while all those extra voices were active in her head.

Ah, but what about the people accompanying King Solomon? A white haired girl with an apathetic look on her face and red eyes. Dressed in a white dress seeming to look down on the world. A pink haired girl, with a short bob and light eyes in a red suit like uniform with a hat and monocle and lastly another pint haired woman who looked to be something of a desert dweller. She had tanned skin and her eyes were covered by a cloth and she seemed, a bit aloof. They would be the ones who eventually cross to the other side as well.

[Bloodedge]

When Miko emerged from the door and commented on the ease of their trip, Kazu followed closely behind. He was also surprised by how well things were going with that meeting, though there were a couple of strange looks sent his way by the girl's parents. "Same. No surprise they decided to stick behind, but... we're still gonna have to talk about your mom," he stated.

Marisbury saw the group's return... and something else. Being greeted by Miko, he looked her way just briefly. "Okaerinasai. If you remember your question from a few minutes ago from my perspective, the answer is no... but..." He paused there, stepping toward the open gate again. There he stood... and there he stood again on the other side, in a different form. "I understand now. This counts as a spoiler," he said with a slight grin. On the other side, Solomon spoke to the trio in his company. "This is the time and day. Welcome, ladies, to the next big change of your lives. Things may not be clear right away, but welcome home nonetheless."

[Apollymi]

On the other side once more, Miko also wasn't surprised her parents decided to spend some more time in the magical world. It was fairly natural for a pair of nerds to want to nerd out, she'd told them she'd come back for them when the concert she was going to attend was over, to avoid them spending too much time, when they still had Gaia side responsibilities. Though both seemed more at ease after finding out a few key points. "Definitely not too strange. As for my mom... what about her?" what did she say to that? Well, conversing about her mother before was always very odd. Whatever Kazuhiko wanted to discuss regarding her mother was bound to be odd and Miko wasn't actually sure she wanted to have any conversation about her parentage.

Meanwhile, Marisbury greeted Miko and she turned her attention towards him, her eyes widening just a bit. He didn't think this counted as a spoiler but... if he stood too long in front of the door it might be. From Miko's perspective this was a bit like... turning to the last page of a book and getting context that you didn't really need. "I do remember that question, it was more a teasing warning, not that I know but it seemed..." ah, she wouldn't have to complete that logic because soon enough she was standing on the other side of the door looking at three other girls and King Solomon. This was definitely a spoiler. If Marisbury never saw past whatever moment they'd discussed before, this was something he definitely, probably shouldn't have seen. "You shouldn't spoil yourself when its possible not to..." Miko confirmed her own beliefs. At the same time the girls on the other side were receiving a message. "Whatever you say..." one said. One only nodded as she had enough foreknowledge to have a pretty good idea on the updates. "So, no spoilers? I guess I'll have to find my own scoop~" asked the last one who seemed a bit happy go lucky but more like she was fishing for information.

[Bloodedge]

What did Kazu want to discuss regarding Miko's mother? That much should have been obvious, he thought. Iino Risa and her daughter were the spitting image of one another, but as with all things, there were caveats. "Uhh I dunno, maybe we start with the fact that she's a GIGA MILF? I mean, you expect a lot of people to look like their parents, but she looks exactly like you if you decided to drink extra milk every morning for twenty years. And that attitude? My thoughts are way far from anything platonic," he ranted.

All the while, Marisbury was directly spoiling his own future. Alas, it didn't matter. He knew how this life came to an end, but seeing the next stage for himself was interesting. Things were also becoming a bit clearer for his remaining future in this world. "My entire life thus far has been a spoiler, I'm afraid. This one... is more like a surprise than most other things," the man commented. On the other side, he, as Solomon, was also speaking. "No spoilers. There isn't much of a point; you're about to live it," he said both to that pink-haired girl and... himself, technically. With that, Solomon urged the trio onward while Kazu looked through the door at the very strange group. "Anyone have a clue who these people are?" the lad wondered. Yuuya shrugged. "I don't really know anyone. I've never seen them."

[Apollymi]

Miko listened to Kazuhiko's observations about her mother. She could see his point, she might have had arguments on a few of those points even a few days ago, but she'd recently been through quite a bit and had realized that her physical likeness to her mother was a bit more prominent than she could have rationalized before. "My mom has looked like that my entire life... so I can't say much about it. Having a baby does extra things," she said about that part. "As for the rest, I might not have agreed even a few days ago, but apparently my mom's family has a pretty strong likenesses. My aunt looks like she's somewhere between the two of us, with a different eye color and attitude," she said of her and her mother. "As for the lack of platonic thoughts, she's just like that. She pretty much talks to everyone the same way, except for Papa..." Miko expressed. In fact, in her entire life she'd never seen her mother express anything considered interest in someone else, Miko would even go as far as to say her mother was hyper-fixated.

At the same time, Marisbury was spoiling his next life, but he didn't see it that way and just thought of it as a bit of a surprise. "If you say so... as long as its a pleasant one, I kind of get it," Miko managed. And with that Solomon on the other side was urging a group forward and as such they were stepping up. The three wouldn't be getting spoilers but that didn't matter, they'd just seen this same girl on this day years ago for themselves but she didn't seem to recognize them. In fact, it became more obvious by the moment to them what was happening here. But Miko was still processing, "I don't know... they seem pretty familiar but I can't quite place them... If they are with him though, they aren't bad for us or anything," she said about the group accompanying Solomon. She trusted that man in both the forms he'd showed her, so she took no issue. "Finding the scoop!" that pink haired girl hopped through the door first, her form changing into that of a pink haired girl with a weirdly placed bow on her forehead holding on to nothing. Her face looked a bit dopey but she smiled widely and seemed to be a visual girl match for Saika. "Oh? I'm dumb. It's fine." Miko said wondering if Kaguya would have known before anyone crossed. Next came a girl who crossed over and became white haired with angry face. She was a bit terse but once she was across her eyes looked to Miko as well seemingly pleased and then back to Kazu and Yuuya. Last that pink haired girl crossed over, stepping out in full confidence even with her eyes covered. She'd become a blonde with her hair up in a ponytail to the side. She was wearing nothing but a button up shirt open over an impressive body and had blue eyes and matching panty and bra set beneath. "Oh right, I was at home before, I forgot that part..." she said as if sleepy. Their bodies were back but obviously not human anymore.

[Bloodedge]

According to Miko, that look was very prominent in her family. She, her mother and her aunt all had the same look. Kazu didn't need to hear that much; his mind still hadn't returned to one of a functional society member. "I can't tell you all the places my head is going right now. I might need therapy," he mused. More importantly though, there were three total strangers presently accompanied by King Solomon. Kazu could at least keep wayward thoughts at bay long enough to find out what was happening here. Miko didn't seem to recognize this group, though she alleged they were familiar. Perhaps they were Munetsuchi natives? It wouldn't be the first time Kazu saw something out of place in an area, so the culture mashup wouldn't have been worth much commentary.

In a matter of moments, all curiosities would be answered in a roundabout way. That trio stepped through the door, proving they were individuals who originated on this side of the world. There was no other excuse for that blonde and her state of undress, which Kazu had to consciously avoid looking at for the sake of propriety. Miko's words implied a knowledge of identities after the group's form change. "Uh... friends of yours?" Kazu wondered while rubbing the back of his head.

[Apollymi]

The female members of the Nara family apparently all shared a visage, which wasn't really that uncommon in this world, but perhaps the extreme was only rivaled by one other group of similarly faced people. Regardless, Kazuhiko offered the fact that he might need therapy and couldn't even explain all the places his mind was going. "You aren't the only one... I swear I've been on a bender since we fell," she admitted of her own problematic behavior. She supposed she could find nothing wrong with the way his thoughts worked she had similar ones most times, but... there was another problem incoming.

Rather problems. Three individuals came through that door and each of them was one recognized by Iino Miko. They would always be, given they were her closest friends in the entire world. She'd not seen each of them in over three hundred years and she was happy to see them, but also knew that given whom they'd been seen with a certain amount of debriefing would be necessary. "Hai, they are my besties. You're looking at the other members of Shuchi'in Academy Student Council... well current and former... Ai-sen already graduated," Miko mentioned. Pointing at each girl in turn. "Hayasaka Ai, Totsuka Chika and Shirogane Kei..." she offered. "And this is Kimura Kazuhiko and Tenjo Yuuya...." she said making all necessary introductions. "Also I had something I meant to talk to you about but it kind of got lost with the other stuff going on and didn't seem too relevant at the time but... it seems like its going to become relevant pretty soon." she said to Kazu directly in hushed tones. The girls in questions looked around and were still dealing with themselves. "Oh? This looks like something juicy, so are you... or are you not... the secret boyfriend?!" Chika exclaimed pointing at Kazu as if she'd found some big secret.