Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

Though she'd already been weird about Yugi's name choice for her, Miko decided to make things stranger still by explaining herself. She liked sounds; that much was clear. The name he gave her sounded dynamic, multi-faceted even. It was exactly that, in truth... but Yugi wondered if he would even bother explaining the details. "Unnecessary amounts of explanation. Fine. It's got a number of meanings I guess. Either way, it's a name. No complaints means it's what you're stuck with whether you know why I'm using it or not. Well... you were gonna be stuck with it regardless," he stated plainly while sliding a thong up the girl's legs.

By the time he was making proper progress, Miko was questioning an utterance Yugi made for his own sake. She didn't know if she liked that statement without the context? Well, that was interesting to hear. Most interesting was the first response Yugi had to the statement. "Good thing I didn't ask if you liked it, huh?" he asked without a moment of hesitation. For just a second, Yugi didn't intend to give her an answer at all. Alas, there was no point in keeping it to himself now. "You've got anime character feet," was the only detail he offered. His thoughts had nothing to do with the way she moved, but everything to do with what he was seeing. No matter. Up and up that thong went, eventually sliding its way comfortably onto Miko's hips as she lamented the idea of forced eye-contact the next time this happened. "So, when you give that warning... do you think I'm going to just decide to cancel the plan? Because that's something that would make me cancel the plan. You don't have much choice but to find another alternative if you're so opposed to my idea. Anyway... best part coming~" he said, seeming rather excited to ready the thigh-highs. "As God intended: one at a time! Leg out, go go go!"

[Apollymi]

Miko would once again be told of her, 'unnecessary information'. Yugi was much more mentally present than most people, but she still felt the compulsion to explain herself. "I can't promise not to complain, without all the information," she pointed out, but as long as he understood that it was fine. In truth, a few people had nicknames for her which she didn't fully understand and if she ever did, she'd definitely give someone an earful about it, but that didn't mean she'd force them to change it or anything. Miko saw the act of giving nicknames and pet names as one of those odd standards of intimacy, she enjoyed it even when the name itself was some sort of inside joke. She'd likely just be miffed that no one bothered to say directly what their issue was, but such was the difference between her and others. She wasn't a person who took hints or made them. She wanted directness and tried for it herself, even while being skittish.

Just the same the dressing process continued mostly without hiccup. This was mostly because her focus was on the things being said according to Yugi, he hadn't asked her if she liked it, but that also wasn't the point. Miko hadn't said that bit for him, that was for her, basically her understanding or not her own emotional status. "That observation was for me, question was for you..." she said chirped back. Still, her actual question was answered. She had 'anime feet', that was an odd thing to here. "Uh-huh..." she murmured as her panties were slid up and over her hips without issue. He really did do that with a practiced motion and an amount of care which should be considered odd for a teenage boy to possess. Still, if she was weird, that was weirder. 'Maybe my therapist is right and there are plenty of people weirder than me who are just better at hiding it...' she thought to herself. As for why she told him about her impending freakout, "I don't know, but if a freak out is coming, you were warned!~" she explained of herself, briefly mostly because new excitement was in the lad... about thigh-highs. Demands were made. Leg out, one at a time. This was the best part... "Oh, you're weird too. Well, weirder..." she murmured softly. Still, Miko truly was nice to a fault. Whatever he got from this, she'd do as he asked. With pantines properly in placed she stepped back, just a little and extended her leg in front of herself. This changed the angle just slightly and she would watch with an even less obscured angle as the lad had his fun. Oddly enjoying how excited he sounded. "Hm, maybe a compromise..." she murmured thinking through the best possible options for both of them getting their desired outcome.

[Bloodedge]

All things were right in the world of Yugi at present. One pair of panties out of the way, and he could comfortably move on to a more exciting part: ornamentation. Nothing could truly compare to a set of thigh-highs placed upon the right pair of legs. As she was now, Miko certainly had the right legs for the position. Before he could move on and equip the thigh-highs however, an exchange was fated to take place. Miko explained that her observation was for herself, while the follow-up question was meant for him. That made no difference to Yugi. "Don't care. You said it aloud; you're just as open to responses as I was. Deal with it," he replied.

After all that, Miko prepared to have her thigh-highs donned while calling him weird ─ even weirder than she was. Whether true or false, such a clause would get only one form of response from Yugi. What she called 'weird' was something he viewed very differently. "I prefer 'cultured'. Not important; leg now," he snipped. Once that first leg was extended, Yugi kept himself planted on one knee, that singular piece of fabric held open by both hands. So slowly did he slide the article up. Toe to heel, a gentle curve, ankle to calve, and finally... he reached the knee. That was the moment things could truly become great ─ the moment he could roll it up Miko's actual thigh for maximum satisfaction. The bit of contact between his knuckles and her thigh was worth enjoying to the fullest, and he'd do exactly that with one thigh-high and then the other.

[Apollymi]

Before anything of great importance happened, Yugi pointed out something missing from Miko's logic. She'd said her words aloud and thus couldn't rightly expect someone else to know what she was saying for herself and what she was saying for him. Openings like that applied in both directions, so she supposed, "Fair point," she uttered willing to concede when the points made enough sense. Of course, that didn't mean that she'd forgotten anything of great importance. No, she'd simply be willing to understand that her habit of quiet mumbles and sentences were potentially going to be commented upon. That was fine over all... she supposed.

Moving on from that point, Yugi's apparent thigh obsession wasn't something Miko expected. It was an oddity, not one she judged harshly but simply one she didn't realize existed in such a way. According to Yugi, he preferred the term 'cultured' to weird in this case, "Noted," she mentioned before that leg was extended. On one knee Miko watched as this lad slowly but surely moved that thigh-high up her leg. It shouldn't have been so interesting to watch but it truly was, until the time of the knee, which would cause her eyes to widen. All the way up they would go but she could feel his knuckles brushing against her thigh and her pulse speeding up in her throat. Her face was hot, she had to be the same color as a tomato by now, still, she was strangely into this view for reasons she couldn't understand. Maybe one day, she'd do this while sitting down since he wanted eye contact and maybe if he spoke a bit it'd be less intense for her? Or maybe it wouldn't be that at all. 'This is so intense, I swear I can feel him touching me and I know it shouldn't really be that sexual...' she mentally mused while providing the other leg at the appropriate time. She'd let that happen as well while quietly whimpering. She really didn't know if she could do this while looking directly into his eyes. That felt like it would end in her pinned beneath him in some way. She wasn't sure why but it was such a vivid image in her head she was sure she could feel her loins pulsing because of it. At some point she'd definitely have to open her eyes and erase the image her mind had created and hope they were almost done.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, Yugi would be found not wasting a prime opportunity to enjoy himself. Miko proved herself quite useful for that; he'd hardly let a thing slip since they met. One couldn't complain about remaining on track for their own preferred hobbies. Ah, and this was no simple matter of enjoying sliding those thigh-highs up her legs. Miko brought to the table her own little extra pleasantries ─ namely a bit of whimpering as her brain processed current events in its own way. Her line of thinking was correct as well. If the right thing happened at the right moment, Miko would undoubtedly find herself beneath the lad for another round. Fresh on a new level, he had all the stamina to go another set of several hours.

Alas... they did have another quest to complete now. If nothing else, Yugi could restrain himself for the sake of moving on. Such would be possible so long as nothing ridiculous happened, but it wasn't as if personality matching lent to that ideal very well. "If you go from whining to moaning, we're gonna fail the quest," he warned. Nevertheless, Yugi would continue until both thigh-highs were slipped onto Miko's legs. Only then would he rise, step back, and fully appreciate a moment most brilliant. With a hand to his chin and a glint in his eye, he gave Miko more than a single once-over. "Hmm. Heels, full garter, and bustier. That would really finish the whole look. Yeah... and a choker. Can't go wrong with a choker," he rambled. All he had left now was Miko's bra, which he supposed would be the simplest part of the set. With that put into place, they would be free to go about finding a suitable place to camp. The System's last quest alert gave Yugi reason to believe they'd be in this strange realm for more than just a day. . .

[Apollymi]

Miko's mind was racing. There were too many options for how this could turn out and as if she needed any more stimulation, Yugi had some words to add to her mental flashes. Apparently, if she went from whining to moaning they'd fail the mission. "Don't say something like that... I'm trying to be good right now!~" she complained. She knew of their time limit and an impending problem. She also figured that if the System was forcing them to understand how to make a camp and wanted them to get materials they'd likely be here for a while and might need these skills later. Soon enough he was finished popping up and stepping back to have a look. He had musings to offer about other pieces to place on her person and complete the ideal look. "Sou ka, I'm just doll-like in general then huh?" she questioned almost absently. It took everything in her person not to shrink away from the visual scrutiny, but still she managed not cover herself up or squirm, but only just barely. "If you want me to wear those things and you pick them out for me. I'll let you put them on me~" she added. She wasn't one to deny someone their specific kind of fun, nor was she at all put off by the idea, aside from their current time constraints.

Speaking of, she'd be waiting for that bra to be put on her. Her arms moving to allow it, and then the subsequent clipping or whatever which would lead to her need to adjust her breasts within cups in ways she never had to. Whenever that was done she'd be ready to put on her own clothes and put together the look she'd like to have. She hadn't thought about the combat potential of her clothes initially. She'd likely be flashing this man her ass periodically if she moved too much, but maybe that wasn't a bad thing at all. She remained in the tiptoe position and would be ready to finish dressing herself whenever that last article was donned. The end result being, her in a white pleated mini-skirt. A lilac colored top and a short purple and gold cloak with a hood and a pair of short heeled black booties.

[Bloodedge]

"Yep. Trying... and barely succeeding. Good thing I'm completely made of willpower," Yugi claimed. As for Miko being a doll of some sort, the specific reference eluded him... but he could imagine where that thought came from. "A sex doll maybe," he mused, hesitating thereafter for a moment of slightly deeper thought. "Hmm. No. Those would be boring," the lad corrected. It seemed the additional items Yugi thought might work on Miko were fully acceptable, provided he be the one to put them on her. "Fine. If you'll 'let' me put them on, I'll 'let' you take them off. Sexually," he retorted.

Once he finally had Miko's bra equipped, Yugi hovered around long enough to watch the girl dress. He didn't imagine she previously wore anything much more revealing than her school uniform, which was... frankly well beyond modest. The current miniskirt, however, was almost something expected of the stereotypical streetwalker. Maybe she'd acquired it based on her previous understanding of her own physique? Whatever the reason for something so short was, there would be no complaints from Yugi. In fact, as he finally slipped on his own shirt, the lad had a very specific and slightly deviant suggestion to make. "So yeah, I think you should take the lead. I can watch your back, and the enemies will never expect the healer to be on the frontline. That's my latest big-brain idea."

[Apollymi]

"You're made of sarcasm!~" Miko chirped back. Yugi wasn't made of willpower. Neither of them was, the only thing keeping them remotely on track would be their investment in making a home base so they could continue their 'exercises' of choice unimpeded. Still, something about this kind of banter wasn't anything Miko was willing to let go of. She'd only just barely managed to continue speaking which in turn managed to distract her from a completely obvious appraisal. She'd also been flirting relatively successfully. At the very least she wasn't told one didn't make it. "A sex doll would be boring and balloon noises make my skin crawl..." Miko agreed. She didn't know if the lad wanted the information concerning the fact that people often chose her outfits for her, using her as a relative doll. One of her best friends often called her such and her aunt would buy her clothes and make her put them on simply because she wanted to see her in them. "Really, you'll let me strip? I don't know if I have that kind of energy..." Miko murmured almost sarcastically. There was an implied confidence to taking clothes off while dancing about.

Miko was the type to choose modest clothing for herself. Even so, that same line of though after having her bra equipped left her with something else entirely. A short skirt, her thighs lightly exposed and a tighter shirt than she was used to. It wasn't uncomfortable just she wasn't sure this was okay for her. She knew that Yugi was watching, though and as he had nothing to say about it, figured she had to look, alright at least. What he did have was a suggestion which made Miko almost painfully aware of how short her skirt was though. She should take the lead. "I mean, I guess no one expects the healer in the front. That would normally be suicide. Thuogh I never choose healer with the intention hanging out in the back or anything..." Miko murmured. This was a reasonable idea, if nothing too scary was going on, besides she did trust Yugi so it wasn't like he'd not already seen the show. "Okay. That's fine, but I only have basic survival skills and Judo on my side..." Miko fully admitted her shortcomings, even if they weren't actually that short. And with that she got quiet, she was listening to figure out if there was actual running water within a reasonable distance. This lake was one thing, but they should be aiming for something different when looking for a spot to set up a base. Once she caught the sounds of a trickle she headed towards it... slipping past the lad to head away fromthe lake towards its feeding source.

[Bloodedge]

"You've got no idea," Yugi replied immediately. It wasn't a sarcastic effort of him to claim large amounts of willpower. In truth, it took everything he had to avoid specializing in sexual assault. In a way, they'd make it through the dressing process and start their quest properly because he had such restraint. Moving on from that topic however, talks of sex dolls came up. Miko agreed that such a thing would be boring, and it seemed neither of them appreciated the sound of balloon rubbing. "Right? They should have made balloons out of better material. It's not as bad as chalkboard scratches, but it's fucking annoying nonetheless," he added. Things they agreed on were quite strange, but Yugi appreciated the moments... much like he appreciated the idea of Miko stripping. Ah, but she thought differently, believing she didn't possess the right 'energy' to do so. "Obviously you don't know the secret every man learns as a rite of passage in this society."

Following his suggestion that Miko take the lead on their trip, the girl mentioned her choice having nothing to do with any intentions of staying at the rear. Yugi figured as much. "Obvious. You'd probably freak out all the way to your own grave if you thought you were being a mooch in the Party. Nothing to worry about," he stated, stuffing both hands knuckle-deep into his pockets. He'd actually watch her back during the journey ─ even in more ways than simply watching her backside. Off they went, following Miko's sense of sound as Yugi acknowledged the girl's alleged skillset. "It should be fine. Agility is going to be tied for my second-highest stat, and I won't be far behind anyway... because reasons."

[Apollymi]

Apparently Miko had no idea what the lad was made of, and she could agree. Well, at least a little, given that they were managing to actually get through the dressing process without him ending up inside her. Oddly, enough that was something she had to fight against herself about, given she'd much prefer if they were having sex over most other aspects of daily life at this point, but that wasn't to be immediately. But what was to be, was an agreement about the odd sounds that balloons made, "It's definitely up there! Very few things rank higher on the bad noise list!" Miko agreed happily, it was odd to be making friends with someone over something like that but it was quite enjoyable nonetheless. Moving on from this, her talk of not having the right kind of energy for the situation of stripping, Yugi offered advice learned by men, that was interesting. Her male companion didn't often share such information with her, so she might as well, find out... "I'm listening..." she offered gently, more than willing to take whatever kind of advice she could get, even while feeling like it might not exactly fit her current demeanor.

Beyond these points, Miko was being told about herself by a lad who'd only known her a short while. She couldn't help but look aghast as he claimed he understood she wouldn't be standing around. He even claimed that she'd likely kill herself before allowing herself to appear as a mooch. She went wide eyed and immediately began blushing, "Well, I'm just a give and take sort of person..." she commented. This was one of those moments where she felt a bit attacked, "Still, if it's nothing to worry about... I'll try my best," she mentioned. Well, this girl trying her best was always good, or maybe that wasn't the right word for it? But at the very least, she'd do what she said. Still, she'd let him know the kinds of things she was capable of before they encroached upon any creatures, if only to let him know the kind of person she'd likely be about it. "Reasons, is always such a deep word..." Miko commented hearing him and knowing that they used it in the same way. Whatever the case, her sense of sound led her close to a stream, she could hear more and more clearly as they moved. What would such a place be taking them towards, she didn't expect a real clearing or anything like that but close enough to be in walking distance of the water, a fair bit of level ground, and maybe even some kind of natural coverage from at least one side, would be... preferable.

[Bloodedge]

An ancient, untold secret was passed silently down from one man to another ─ not through interaction, but through a series of conditions in life. Today, Yugi would be breaking an unspoken vow of silence on the matter. Why? Well, life had already taken a thousand leaps today; standards would be thrown out the window. When Miko asked, he answered with full, unadulterated confidence. "Easy. Fake it 'til you make it," he said simply. Yugi had long since reached a conclusion about that old phrase. "Technically speaking, if you fake it long enough, you'll even lie to yourself eventually. At that point, you've just successfully changed yourself into whatever you decided to be in the beginning. Simple strat."

As they wandered in pursuit of what Miko heard, Yugi kept his eyes open. There were flickers of light at the clearing's edge, sporadically spaced before the tree line. He saw them, but initially decided to ignore the matter... for a bit. That remained the case until they drew closer to the wooded area. At that point, it became clearer to him what those lights were. It was no form of bioluminescence. Instead, it looked more like... electricity. Before entering the forested area, he took an extra, long step closer to Miko. "Stop moving," he urged. Those sparks were coming from some form of creature: a small quadruped with crackling fur and likeness to a fox or some sort of feline. There were about three of them silently stalking as a group, until two slowly split apart to let one slowly approach in a more direct fashion. "Animals. Magic types. I don't think judo is going to help against what I'm seeing over there." Shortly after Yugi's speech, the lonely creature was just within range to be acknowledged by the System. As Players, both Yugi and Miko would be able to see a display over its head upon identification.

[TARGET IDENTIFIED]

Name: Static Prowler
Type: Beast
Rank: E+
Status: Hostile
Condition: Stable
Special Note: Generates minor electrical discharge through movement within its environment.

[Apollymi]

Miko would soon be receiving some of the oddest advice she'd ever be given. A girl would have told her to make little changes, do something and give herself a confidence boost. But no... she was receiving the advice of generations of men, as interpreted by the most legitimate genius she'd met in quite a while. And what did he have to say, she should... 'Fake it, until she made it...' this game with an extra bit of explanation as well. One which Miko heard and it made her brows gently furrow. "Uh-huh. I feel better hearing something like that... I'll box it," she mentioned. Why it made her feel better wasn't important, basically she now thought that men were a special kind of neurotic, but playing pretend until something potentially worked out wasn't the worst way to build yourself up.

Miko was walking heading towards the sounds she was hearing in search of a proper place for them to set up base. The twinkling lights in front of her, weren't exactly detailed to her. But she could hear something along with the sound of flowing water, that she hadn't quite separated enough yet to be sure of. It wouldn't be until the approached the forest and Yugi spoke that she'd stop, on a dime when he told her to. "Oh... that's what it was..." Miko commented, "I could hear it, in the background of the water, but it sounded like..." she paused because of the system identification which noted them as being 'Static Prowlers'. "Static, yep. Really detailed name choice, but if they give electric shocks... do we try something magical instead of physical?" she wondered. She knew they were moving around and had apparently decided to hunt the duo of teens as an afternoon snack. Oh well, that wasn't the worst thing, though these animals didn't look like anything they'd see in Japan on even on Earth for that matter, so perhaps this was a different planet, but 'Earth-like'? Well, that was something to set aside for a moment or two.

[Bloodedge]

Static Prowlers, as named within the System, were seemingly on the hunt. Miko halted her movements just as Yugi spoke, claiming to have heard the creatures ─ or specifically the static discharge they produced. Yugi had to agree that the choice of names was quite... terrible. Ah, but he had a decent look at the one that was close enough to register. That thing wasn't an animal; it could have only been alien. Perhaps then, there was a reason for the awful name? "I'll give the name a pass. It's probably translated for our sake by the System," he said first and foremost. A keen eye remained on that lone creature, but Yugi's periphery never let go of the others. Small disturbances in the grass didn't align properly to the light breeze. Strangely... they didn't seem to be taking the form of arc he'd expect of an ambush predator. No, these creatures had much greater distance from their targets.

Miko wondered if they should try something magical as opposed to something physical. In that moment, Yugi scoffed and quirked a brow. "Oh yeah, let's try one of the spells we totally have access to. The fuck have you been hiding?" he chided. "There are three. Smart, but no more intelligent than normal ambush predators from what I can tell. The one we can identify has to be the scout... but the other two are really... far out. Seventy meters or so maybe?" he said with a bit of hesitation brought on by further thought. "Movement within its environment, huh? Maybe... Oh. Yeah I don't fucking like that. From that far out, they're going to hit us fast ─ really fast. We should probably, maybe... climb a tree. That won't be getting rid of it though, huh? If they're so clever, they'd just give up chasing until we're vulnerable again. They probably couldn't manage much inside the woods, but then why would they wait until we're almost in the woods? Something's dumb here, and I'm not sure what it is yet. . ."

[Apollymi]

Yugi was willing to give a pass to the naming of this creature, as it was likely alien and it's name was probably translated for them by the System. "Fair, translations are almost always terrible," she said knowingly. As a person who consumed media and games and a person who was a native Japanese person, she knew of the horrors of translations errors and what it did to the understanding of others. Ah but that had more important things to deal with, when questioning these creatures and their ability to deal with them, Yugi pointed out their lack of magic and wondered if she'd been hiding anything. "Well, I am not hiding anything. I was just thinking I could like scream and potentially disorient or stun them. Small animals don't usually like loud noises," she said having a pretty reasonable line of thought for her initial assumption and knowing she could add magic to her own voice.

But there was more information incoming. Yugi could see the other creatures and had observations to make about their hunting pattern and potential intelligence. As for his observations and the creatures movements Miko could think of a couple reasons to avoid chasing something too far. "Well, they are kind small, maybe they don't want to eat and run home?" she mentioned as a person who liked her snacks in her personal space as well, this made the most sense. "If they are going to get a running start, we'd have to know we could outrun them or go for the trees ourselves... hiding is an option but that doesn't really neutralize that threat and just wandering into the woods might also expose us to something else..." she thought about the directions on what to do. She didn't have a plan but there were too many potential issues to sort though... all the while she had to assume their predators were trying to close in on them.

[Bloodedge]

According to Miko, she wasn't hiding any sort of secret spell. She could, however, use her ability to scream with a bit of applied mana to disorient the creatures as one would normal animals. Yugi considered the validity of that, but ultimately decided he didn't like the idea. "I wouldn't bank on that being a good plan in the long-run. Besides the fact that they have to spend their whole lives hearing McDonald's Sprite in their ear, we don't know what that sort of noise might attract. Too risky," he argued.

His disagreement aside, Yugi was shuffling through his own mind to find a functional plan. There were too many unknowns in a potentially dangerous situation for his liking. Regardless, they had to do something. There was also something absolutely stupid ─ probably related to Yugi missing a factor. When Miko mentioned the creatures not eating and running home, he came to a realization. "Oh... a fucking den," he said. The beasts were likely hunting closer to home, finding whatever strays wandered out of the forest. "Territorial? Probably territorial. Or rather... something closer to scavengers? They might tire themselves out with all that movement ─ you know, like how cats are sensitive to static... but not like that. Anyway, plan! Try climbing the closest, tallest tree... but do it badly. Don't go any higher than the trunk," he said. At that point, Yugi seemed equal parts excited and nervous, laughing as if to calm himself down by doing so. "We're just gonna... casually trick the monster predators trying to kill us. No big deal, right? Climb the tree. . ." As Yugi spoke, the apparent scout of the group was getting closer. The more it moved, the more speed it gained. The more speed it gained while moving through mana-rich grass, the more electricity could be seen building in its dark fur. Yugi's theory about their functionality was technically on the right track, but survival was the important thing here and now.