<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

At the far end of the table, Aki was being told to get a couple more glasses of whiskey into his system. He'd burn the flame of youth if he did so, Enju alleged. "Pretty sure there's enough of that flame here to burn down the country already. Unless that was an offer, I'll..." Aki paused there, glass held to his lips as he realized he wasn't too far from the amount of deviance presented here in general. "... Never mind. Guess I do belong here," he decided. Perhaps he was still quite separate from some others, though... like Amamiya Ren, who was nonchalantly rubbing his erection beneath the table by now, as though preparing to fill that chalice.

Meanwhile, Yugi was becoming more excited by the moment. The grin on his face was twisted even as the death goddess's hand rested atop his head. He could barely contain himself at this point. "There's something you need to know..." he said to Irkalla. "If sticking my dick into a dimension hole is gonna give me a chance to fuck a goddess through it... it's worth the risk. If I fail, I die... or find out how to get a new dick because the old one let me down!" he announced with absolute confidence. In a matter of moments, Yugi saw something that left him wearing the toothiest grin of his life... and something else making it grow even wider still. First came the System notification, which shouldn't have wasted its time making acceptance optional in this case. After that, there was Ashikaga Himeko herself, wearing a dress he was already willing to make a little more white, so to speak. "... Ooooh─hohohooh~" he muttered, somewhere between manic laughter and some sort of spasm. "Brainface, I hope you can fucking hear me. With every fiber of my being. I accept!" he stated to establish the route. "Now... I'm not sure whether I should ask if all goddesses take offerings, or ask why you've got the name of a Greek Titan while being the sister of a Mesopotamian Goddess. So... I'll shoot both."

[Apollymi]

Aki outed himself. Graciously as ever though after realizing exactly where his mind was going, he admitted he belonged among the crew of deviants. "Good man~ Might be a good offer, dunno what kind of time I got yet, number exchange though~" she offered with a cheeky smirk. "Play nice♪~" Miko chirped happily. All the while she could also hear Ren rubbing his cock under the table. She should say something about that but she was soon distracted by Yugi ramblings which did that sort of thing to her in general. Irkalla claimed that he could lose his meat in a dimensional rift and he claimed he'd do so and then die or figure out how to fix it because it'd let him down. Miko looked at him and nodded. "I'm pretty sure I could regrow it for you... though I don't completely understand dicks so... it'd always be hard♪~" Miko determined. It was not like she'd alllow her partner to be dick-less even if she didn't care about the genders of her partners in general.

Ah but such playful moments wouldn't last. Ashikaga Himeko made her way into this space and a laugh escaped Yugi which was damn near manic. Miko turned and looked at his face and saw something interesting there and the sound itself completely stole her attention for a few seconds. "That noise is crazy... don't start♪~" she muttered herself. If she'd not been allowed to act up, no one else should be doing so. That emphatic acceptance had Makima grinning like a madwoman, eventually simply resting her head in her hand and being completely bemused. 'A route already... these kids would conquer the world by themselves in a week if left to their own devices~' she thought pleased beyond reason. "System spawning one of those routes... alright weird that you'd accept that aloud but, that's about normal, well for the ones who don't stop because of the face..." Himeko said while opening her arms and watching as her younger sister ran into them. "It's been ages... I missed you~" Irkalla explained. Well, there were several reasons she'd not been back, not that she couldn't go back under the circumstances. "Ah, it hasn't been that long for me. I am sorry I left the way I did though," Himeko whispered to the lass. Before averting her attention back to the children in their shared throne. There was something very odd about them and now that she was physically looking at them she was even more confused. "I'm a goddess of wisdom, I stopped taking unsolicited offerings eons ago," she said without thinking knowing full well her face showed nothing but pure irritation even though she wasn't actually upset. "As for the other question. Some idiotic father god, once thought it was a brilliant idea to split his first born child in half because he couldn't keep his dick in his pants and needed to hide what he'd done. Because we shared the same name... eventually our souls would have combined back into a single body. As we are both autonomous individuals... we changed our names and settled across the world from each other. Metis and Miwa. And when the pull didn't stop... I left the world, easy enough?" she responded. "Oh? You found a single person here who can sustain you...that's interesting, we didn't think you'd actually get married~" Irkalla said quietly. "Benefits of selectivity... he also isn't stupid and that definitely helps~" The woman said. "No, I still don't like it. I can't identify their soul types and it's bothering me," she said aloud. It was like there was something missing from the equation, a variable that made it impossible to solve and all answers were coming up blank.

[Bloodedge]

According to Miko, she could probably regrow Yugi's cock if he lost it in some dimensional rift, but her lack of true understanding would result in a perpetual erection. "... So just like it's been for the last two days? That works. More reason to ram it in dimensional plot holes," he decided. Yugi would try to keep himself steady during all these exciting turns of events, but between Miko acknowledging his crazed moment and him noticing Makima's... it wasn't going to be easy. "Fuck that. It's about full crash-out time~" he chanted.

Himeko's understanding of things was a breath of fresh air in a polluted world. He'd always admired her mental capacity, among other things... which he'd have to mention after Himeko herself brought up the normal reactions to her expression. "Fuck that too. The face is a huge part of what I'm here for. Scholar brain, MILF body and permanent bitchface? I'll sign every fucking dotted line related to that shit!" he announced firmly. As for the 'offering' he spoke of, the wisdom goddess had long since abandoned taking them unrequested. Yugi seemed completely impassive on that matter, if a little dismissive. "Of course you did. Big brain, don't want to sort through whatever stupidity is bleeding through somebody's mana. Also war goddess from old times, dealing with human offerings that keep getting weaker and weaker as people abandon their battle-ready bodies for combat tactics that just miss the mark anyway. And... half a goddess designed─probably on purpose based on how father gods usually do dumb shit─likely trying to avoid becoming the big one that consumes the small one. I'm catching the vibe of... if we remain equivalent in proximity, a consumption we might still not be able to avoid will instead become a merger. We in the right ballpark? I'm not backtracking on that offering, by the way. You've already got a route; it's already a consideration for you," he rambled. There was still a general purpose Yugi held for those introductions, but he viewed Himeko's route as something that required a strong start, lest he doom himself to agonizingly slow development of it. This had to be done for science, for progression... and for the sake of a pubescent dream he'd yet to let go of. What was a bit of a brain-flex when such things were on the line? "And you're not being totally honest. You say it's bothering you. It really is, but... you also get off on the idea of getting that one extra piece of information that'll make everything slam together and explode into the big picture you've finally figured out."

[Apollymi]

Miko was fairly certain of her ability to regrow appendages, that being said she wasn't sure it'd be exactly the same as the person was used to initially. "Well, act up but... I can and will abuse you if you make me do something complicated♪~" Miko chirped as if that was a threat of massive proportions. "Why would it change?" Tae couldn't help but wonder, she'd been mostly quiet and absorbing information but... there was no way she wasn't going to understand Miko's healing abilities as a senior person in the same field. "Oh? Because the way I understand things seems to effect the way they heal. Like... the last time I regrew an arm the person became ambidextrous," Miko explained of herself. "Whoa! We need to talk more later... remember that," Tae told the girl who nodded. "Hai hai, box it♪~" she'd come back to Tae and her questions at some later date for now... there was an observation that made her body go still.

Yugi was one of few people in this world who could talk and end up with Miko's undivided attention, even if he wasn't talking to her. For Himeko she gained first the knowledge of this lad appreciating all aspects of her person, including her rather bitchy disposition. That was a good to know, she wouldn't bother with anything elsee. At the same time, Himeko was doing two things, she was listening to the lad's pontifications and watching the pulsing of Miko's mana as she tuned into his words completely. So odd, more so than that though, was the odd amount of rightness the lad had in his thought processes. He wasn't exactly right, but he was close enough that it was actually quite refreshing. An increase to his Intimacy would show a ten percent overall growth. "That isn't a bad way of thinking. Good brain, mostly correct, details are off. That's also normal, human understanding of magical world interaction and history are... compromised. Still your lack of backpedaling doesn't matter in this case. I made a deal... I'm not the type to break my word. Contracts can be renegotiated but trust is different. I lived watching that kind of dysfunctional shit, I won't do it to something I spent all that time making the human way," Himeko said in a fairly straightforward manner. "You made a child the human way?! That's barbaric!" Irkalla looked genuinely shocked by that news. Still... there was nothing else to be done about it. The lad could build his Intimacy all he liked, and engage her brain but she had her own words to uphold. "It was admittedly terrible and I hated everything surrounding it. It is so hard to keep one together when you understand magic already... and she came out all small and needy. Though babies are quite cute," Himeko said earnestly. As for the lad's last words she looked at him with a crooked smile, another five percent increase occurred. He was quite right... she was always looking for the things to complete her thought processes. "You must be quite bored. On second thought, I'm bringing someone else to dinner... that was a pretty open plus one right?" she asked of Miko who chuckled. "Hai!♪~ Another place setting♪~" she called and all watched as another shadow brought out another place setting. A phone call was being made, to a very specific person and whenever he picked up she'd be talking impatiently and being demanding. "Oi. Old Man, get your ass over here. Something freaky happened and I need exposition!"

[Bloodedge]

"Knot," was Yugi's single-word response to Miko on the topic of her doing something complicated. If she was going to threaten abuse, he'd threaten massive overstimulation. With only that, he was quite content to move on and address Himeko ─ or rather, have it pointed out that his logic was missing some key notes. "Off details, huh? Guess I'll just have to expand the board then. We dealing with a trifecta here? Goddess of Wisdom and War, but... general magic mechanics at play. Soul stuff? Soul stuff. Mind, body, soul... body as a vessel, mind as a..." Yugi hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words to complete his thoughts. "Battery? Generator? Some kind of fuel thing. In that case, those other things both lead to the ultimate problem: trash soul, useless mana! Oh! OH!" He paused again while getting momentarily lost in the excitement of realization. "You!" he interjected to single-out Irkalla. "Mana offering, then chair. Before that... mana offering, then rift opening... and before that, offering and then gear! Creator deities! Which means... YOU!" Once more he interrupted himself, pointing down the table at Ai. "Tinkerer shit! Creative type! Orgasm, mana surge and a deposit! Big surge, big creative idea! That's you!" He pointed right at Himeko last. "Wisdom goddess, swap creations for inspiration! You gave up because everybody's a dumbfuck who can't have or provide any good ideas! OH YES!" he announced triumphantly, finding that if he was somehow off with this train of thought, the entire system made no sense.

Ah, but there was more. Himeko was a goddess who used mana for whatever purposes, but she was also committed to human values since inhabiting this world. There was something else, but he didn't consider that matter important right away. Instead, he focused on her very soft rejection of an advance. "It does matter, because you already mentioned having 'a conversation' about something. Based on the fact that the System already accepted you, and the fact that you haven't given a hard dismissal, you're planning to make it work. You basically haven't told your husband anything about what you are, or how the world probably used to work thousands of years ago. Right now, you're just taking a raincheck until your affairs are in order. That's fine, but not a reason for me to stop," he rambled. "Oh, but I have a condition too. You can't tell your daughter about any of this. Not the route, not the System, not us, and not about the other stuff I'm going to mention soon."

After a few minutes in the castle, Himeko decided there were too many variables. She needed exposition through someone that wasn't her husband. Neither Player had an issue with her choosing another extra to bring along. Her outgoing call was immediate, and answered almost as quickly as it was made. Before the 'old man' at the other end even had a chance to speak, Himeko made her demands. A large, ivory pair of doors appeared next to Himeko only seconds later ─ not a single word of acknowledgement given. When those doors opened, a large hand clad in a fingerless black glove was revealed, followed by a red leather jacket with its sleeves rolled to elbow height. Next came the head of that man on the phone ─ a silver mop of unkempt hair framing a face that was old, yet also impossibly youthful despite its gray stubble. "Whoa! Haven't used one of these in years! I'm gonna lose my touch if you keep leaving me hanging, Nandumu~" said the man who most would already recognize as one Albertus Animusphere. Before anything else, he was standing in front of that still-open door, both arms stretched wide. "Better late than never! There's more than one of my babies here! Come on! Who's the birthday girl? Bring it on in!"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, in response to abuse Miko would get...a knot. "That's not a threat," Miko pointed out. Something like that sounded like fun, it also sounded like the magical version of how they spent most of their early day together. No matter, she was tuning back in, Yugi's tangents hadn't gone anywhere and after having his thought process praised gently, he carried on. Expanding upon his thoughts, and getting a more complete idea. For Himeko it was actually fairly brilliant to see. A steady climb in that Intimacy would be happening, totally 7 percent by the end of his rant. So many little pieces were lining up for him, she couldn't help but smile By the time, Yugi was pointing out things he already understood base mechanics, Irkalla was clapping her hands together, "Yosh! I knew you were clever~" she seemed amused by him. Meanwhile by the time he pointed to Ai she managed to look surprised. "Whoa! Just throwing me in here..." she said though what he had to say made her think and she could only nod. "Yeah, that is... basically how it works," she mentioned sheepishly. A quick glance her way from Himeko would occur in that moment. "Sou ka, she's going to flip about that..." Himeko decided, knowing that the blonde girl had been mentioned by her daughter as a good target for upsetting Kaiba Seto's control over tinkers. Given what this group appeared to be, Hunters of various ranks, high potentials and loose associations, Himeko could only conclude this was the starting lineup of a guild ran by the two sitting in the main throne, with the full backing of Shido Makima. At the end of his rant he came to a conclusion about how things worked for the wisdom goddess and why she'd given up on random offerings and gone for potency over quantity. She was shocked for a moment, and Miko would fill in that gap, as the 'Oh yes' at the end of that sentence sent a torpedo straight into her ear, brainstem and down to her loins. "Fuck you♪~ Talking like that so close to me♪~" she complained as she shifted somewhat uncomfortably. At the same time, Himeko was chuckling, "Very clever, I really do like you... you aren't one of mine right?" she looked at him again, closer still... no she recognized him now that she was pushing past her initial problems with his mana.

Beyond that point, his thoughts about how they matched up and her lack of a firm no were also processed. "Your System might not have morals or anything beyond magical matching mechanics," she said. "Also you're thinking too small... not used to... just not how it works here," she pointed out another flaw in his logic. He had all the information to come to the right conclusion. That the mechanics that created this world were still in active use, and thus were also still at play. She'd leave him with that, and not comment on anything else, if he was content then as long as she knew she wasn't going to flirt back he was fine. "Too public a figure to play that kind of game," she pointed out. Some things were too big to be secrets and some people were too important to hide. That was simply a part of how things worked. As for his condition she raised a brow, "Oh, so that's on purpose. That's a war tactic not just an inconvenience. Does Ishigami Daisuke being unknown as a variable really bother all of you that much?" she asked almost quizzically her eyes shifting over to Makima. "Hm, i always thought you could basically see through me, good to know that wasn't just paranoia..." Makima mentioned. "Deflection," Himeko said but that as fine. "I don't tell my daughter things she doesn't ask. Knowledge is useless if you don't know what to do with it," she pointed out. "But I also keep my word, she won't hear anything from me about it," she said hands up.

Ah but one more dinner guest was apparently coming as the thought processes were getting out of Himeko's control. Who would she be calling, a pair of white doors showed up. And now it was Miko's turn, to go completely still. "Ooooooooooo-oooooo♫~" Miko sang. Eyes sparkling hands clapping together as a prayer was uttered. To Seimei, to the universe, to her parents for making sure she was alive to see this sight. Strangely enough, Miko wasn't the only one having a moment, no... Makima was aghast, and then a sudden little manic chuckle escaped her, "Kyah~" Makima covered her mouth and murmured, "That's Albertus Animusphere!" she mumbled into her hand. Her eyes locked on Miko curiosity and potential all over the place. Himeko rolled her eyes like a rebellious teenager, but begrudgingly went over to hug her grandfather. "No one is leaving you hanging... I just refuse to deal with random puberty, caused by you..." Himeko said. "Too late." Miko uttered quietly. Irkalla for her part in this took a moment to recognize what Albertus actually was, "Ooh!~ Mom talks about you! Is that how birthdays work here? I just walked here... whatever, Irkalla!~" the death goddess mentioned showing another person she could technically touch.

[Bloodedge]

Intimacy with Ashikaga Himeko was growing rapidly. In a matter of minutes with a few speeches and points made, he nearly had her at the Concubine threshold. Miko's interjection earned her a slap to the upper part of her ass while Yugi moved right along. While he delivered that in an unnecessarily casual way, Himeko sought confirmation that he wasn't 'one of hers' as she put it. She was a wisdom goddess; he'd leave her to figure that out for herself. She seemed to reach a conclusion before addressing the System's nonexistent morals and him... allegedly thinking too small. "The System has about as many morals as I do, but... you probably know the rest of that speech. Anyway, too small? No way. Not how it works on this version of Earth, sure... but separating the two doesn't make sense. The way things 'used to work' has to be about the original planet... but if you're thinking that way, I'm guessing you were also born on MagicEarth and didn't personally experience 'Earth Prime' or whatever enough to make it a consideration..."

Yugi was beginning to ramble again, but he managed to catch himself this time. Himeko mentioned how much of a public figure she was, loosely addressing the negative potential of a scandal. "What a coincidence. I also can't afford to play that kind of game ─ not yet anyway. I'm watching your interest shoot up to a critical point already, though. It shouldn't be long before you figure something out. Oh, and on the path to that discovery... you'll soon be able to have a room established in this castle ─ one you can teleport to and back from through the System. That thing you're about to feel? It's something human technology can't track at all. Without being one of us, someone wouldn't even be able to pick up anything inside this building... or the building itself, unless they come all the way here and look at it~" he explained while attaching a phone to her dress within Inventory, leading to its appearance in her bosom. As for Ishigami Daisuke being an unknown variable, Yugi scoffed mockingly. "That's not a variable. That's a controlled substance," he insisted.

Yet another show-stopper was soon within the castle. Anyone living in this world for the past 30 or so years had reason to know of Albertus Animusphere ─ especially after the Gates started appearing. Here he was, random, eccentric as he's always been, opening his arms to greet two goddesses ─ one of whom he'd never encountered before. "Oh come on! Let the kids breathe a little. It'll be good for her, and she's a radical girl!" he said to Himeko as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Irkalla took a bit longer, even pausing to wonder if his words were true to how birthdays worked here. Albertus's second arm continued moving to usher her into a group embrace. "No way, but wouldn't that be the grooviest thing ever? Come on now! Bring it on in, Kalladumu! Let an old man get a good feel for ya'!" he insisted. It seemed Albertus Animusphere had no concern whatsoever for the situation Himeko called him for. If it held enough actual importance, he was sure she'd bring it up anyway.

[Apollymi]

A casual slap to Miko's ass after she launched her complaint made a little chirping squeak leave her lips. "Eeep♫~" but that wasn't thanks nor was it negative. She was prone to such behavior anyway, and by her own logic in her own house, she'd act however she wanted. At the same time, a certain watchful gaze was set upon the Players. Miko was easily recognizable but the fact that she didn't immediately act on her knowledge meant she was hiding something from people present. After looking at Yugi for a while longer she realized that she knew his mother as well, and by logic knew who his father was... and in that moment she understood why the Players were setting up a super secret base in the middle of a forbidden zone. It made quite a bit of sense. "Not one of mine... I grew up here with both of your mothers though. After looking past the part I don't get," Himeko settled on those words alone. "That is a fair way to think about it. Names wrong... ideas right. Still the workings of the world are the same. The understanding is different... I am a little too young to have seen the previous world." Himeko explained... "The first three... they knew the other one. And the Old Man I guess," Himeko said seeming almost huffy about it.

Beyond that point, more explanations came from the lad, along with the sudden appearance of a new cellphone in Himeko's clevage. She pulled it out, she inspected it. It was... dark. A fusion of magic and technology with more reach than even things Kaiba Seto was currently producing. "He's going to have a fit," Himeko muttered. "Sou ka, so everyone here is on the list of people who can see and feel the oddities of magic and mana that spawn from the System. Definitely a guild start then...with a few farther along than others. Those with rooms and the like are already permanent fixtures..." Himeko's thought processes were moving forward quite easily. The missing pieces though were swirling in her head, too many possibilities to find the one that fit. Instead of looking for it... she did what the wise often did, consulted an expert.

Albertus Animusphere entered this abode with a grand amount of gusto and Miko was practically shaking in her chair. Prayers offered to her favorite god and parents she sat entranced like an excited child at Christmas with the biggest present being slowly brought towards her. "Forgive me if I don't necessarily take parenting advice from you... I know your other kids remember," Himeko pointed out. Both she and Irkalla were pulled into little side hugs while their grandfather got a feel for him. "I like him... I was just invited to dinner~" Irkalla explained of herself squeezing in and feeling the same odd sort of familiarity in her mana that she felt when making physical contact with the two Monarchs. "Also I called you here not just because she appeared here, but because of how that happened. What are those, Old Man... because I don't recognize the soul types and I know their parents... it's driving me crazy," Himeko pointed out. "Do you need to get a feel for it, because I VOLUNTEER!♪~" Miko said, shooting the first of any shot she could to get herself into physical contact with Albertus Animusphere.

[Bloodedge]

According to Himeko, she'd grown up with the Players' mothers... both of them. If Yugi ever encountered his mother again, he'd have some choice words for her about that unknown past connection. Now wasn't the time for that, though. Whatever the case, it seemed Yugi was indeed on the right track with his musings. That extra bit wasn't cause for another Intimacy increase, but he supposed only so much headway could be made in a single meeting. Ren, however, was making more and more... and positively oozing as he slowly pumped his shaft beneath the table. Still, no one was eating yet. The food didn't seem to be losing temperature at all, however ─ likely due to some more of that ridiculousness, Aki believed.

Albertus Animusphere was finally reunited with a granddaughter he knew, and finally able to encounter one that he didn't. The former refused any of his parenting advice after knowing about his other children. Albertus was playfully shocked, but equally dismissive. "Oh come on! I'm batting an awesome average! Look at your mother. And the kids from Ana! The other two were... environmental issues~" he claimed in a lighthearted tone. At the same time, the arm Albertus had around Irkalla was moving ─ hand absently exploring her breasts, abdomen, rear, and even her crotch. "Mm. No transition problems? The whole barrier-hopping thing can get kind of weird. Ki made you tough stuff!" he praised. Ah, but Irkalla's appearance wasn't the reason he'd been brought here. The true reason involved... a familiar brown-haired girl who was currently volunteering herself for molestation. He finally tore his attention away from the two goddesses to see something far too old for either world... twice. "Whoa! Why two?" he asked first, albeit to no one in particular. Shaking his head in disbelief, he answered Himeko's curiosity simply. "Monarchs. Little ones, but wicked! It's like they're the kids of A҉s҉h҉r҉a҉e҉l҉
, but... also not. And here I thought he was missing from the group after what old Velber did. That's dangerous. Radically dangerous~"

[Apollymi]

Ashikaga Himeko had grown up on this world after what could have been considered a rebellious and youthful explosion in the magical world. In that time, the mothers of both Yugi and Miko were friends of hers, as she... took comfort in a few people that she didn't think were stupid in human society. What Yugi didn't know was it was already in Makima's plans to reunite him with his mother... after figuring out who she was it took only a second to realize yet another variable could be brought into line by this lad's acquisition. No matter, today had been a day of pure gain for Makima. And at this point she'd let the children do almost anything they wanted.

Meanwhile, a playful and dismissive conversation about parenting and an introduction to the younger goddess were occurring simulatenously. According to Albertus he had a good average... Himeko's own mother was one of his better kids and the ones he'd had with his current wife were all good, only two had been 'bad' and that was pretty good. "I can't play with averages... I only have the one. And I don't have the ability to keep myself calm enough to make another... so I'm not doing that. Especially not in this environment," Himeko said. After pointing out her curiosity, she slipped out of that hug, knowing there was nothing wrong with her form except for things that had always been wrong with it. "Mom really did, do a good job. I never had a problem and I just walked over here... the path was stable with a bit from both sides, it just took a while to open up," Irkalla mentioned. When he asked why two, in a rhetorical fashion. Miko could only shrug, it had to be both of them. "It had to be both of us..." she said simply, that was what the System had said to them at the start. Together or not at all was the jist of those early messages, still his explanation was that the pair of kids in front of him were Monarchs but little like the children of a name spoken that had a chill running down Miko's spine even though she didn't catch it. "Weird, I didn't hear that, still felt nice in my ears though♪~" Miko chirped about that name. A scoff came from Himeko. Monarchs were old mentions... historical in nature... "Ugh, I hate it." she said again. "You really should feel me out, make sure I'm not too dangerous♪~" Miko stated with an odd amount of firmness. "This is the kind of puberty I'm definitely avoiding..." Himeko mentioned with a roll of her eyes as she went on to take her seat. "Monarchs? For real, like from the old stories? Old Man, a title shouldn't be enough to make them feel the way they do... but I won't just hold up dinner anymore..." Himeko stated as she went to take one of those new seats near where Irkalla would be making her way back to.

[Bloodedge]

Himeko had only a single child by her own admission. Albertus knew that to be true, but also knew there was a little more to the situation. As such, he merely looked her over, withholding some tidbits of information that may not have even been relevant. "You could have more. It'd be easy. It's not all the environment," he said plainly. Either way, Irkalla was perfectly fine after moving to this side of the world. Himeko's situation was its own type of madness, but lo... there was a brunette giving details and still, at least seemingly, offering herself for inspection. "Had to be both, huh? And you couldn't hear the name? Did anybody?" he asked, looking around to see shaking heads from people like Yugi and Aki. "Gnarly. Oh well! You're not dangerous, kids! Not directly anyway~" he said, reaching out to place a hand on each Player's head and ruffle their hair. The kind of 'puberty' Himeko intended to avoid with her own daughter was of no issue in his mind, but he'd leave her to her parenting decisions.

What Albertus wouldn't do, was miss the food making that marvelous smell. "Definitely Monarchs. Totally that one. You smelled this food yet? It's Italian... but it smells like something the Sul'vani made. Oh! Is there some for me? Where should I sit?" he asked, looking at plates of lasagna across the table and breathing in a wonderful aroma. "Mel would love this. I was supposed to treat her to something like this ages ago. But anyway... don't get too caught up on how weak you think a title can be. The bigger the holder, the bigger the title... but it goes both ways. Monarch of Shadows? That's colossal!" he said. Yugi had been silent for several moments, but one thing stood out above all else. He looked to Albertus, looked to Miko, then looked to Albertus once more. "Meru? As in Kujaku Meron? As in SumMom?!" Once more, he was eyeing Miko... as though intending to reach some silent agreement about their progress as a unit.

[Apollymi]

According to Albertus, Himeko could have more children... given his knowledge of things, she believed him. Even so, it wasn't a primary interest of hers. Perhaps she would, after the other one was grown up properly and looking after herself completely, "That's definitely a later thing... I waited fourteen millennia on the first one, a decade or two isn't really an issue," Himeko said as if it was a perfectly reasonable thing to say, or like her being 14,000 years old wasn't ridiculous to hear aloud. No matter, it would seem that Albertus was moving on to technically the matter he'd come here for, inspecting of the Monarchs of Shadow. His question about hearing his words, had a whole host of young women shaking their head no, even Makima and Himeko hadn't caught it. "Nope, that one has to be on the forbidden list," Himeko concluded. It was gnarly that no one had heard him speak that particular name, but he'd concluded the kids weren't dangerous on their own. Incidentally a hand placed atop Miko's head, while comforting wasn't the kind of inspection she wanted. In exchange she pouted when looking up at him, "Not what I meant at all... still like it though," she chided. 'Himbos and the straight-laced always take a weird amount of point making...' Miko thought with pure childishness playing across her face.

Whatever the case, it was confirmed that the pair were Monarchs as he knew of them in the olden times. Still as Albertus observed the table, Miko heard a word she'd never heard before, such was completely unusual around Albertus but knowing he was part of the magical world shenanigans made her pay a bit more attention. "Don't know that word, but I made this out of System ingredients," Miko offered. "Me either but... Bread!~" Himeko was happy enough to just have a seat. But the mention to 'Mel' and her apparent enjoyment of such food made Yugi look to Miko and Miko in turn look to Yugi. There were three 'freaks' at this table, one of them was jerking it quietly underneath and the other two were staring at each other, sharing a quiet mental communication about the nature of their next conquests. This was a cooperative gaming experience, and they'd both take all they could get and gorge on it. Not a single moment of extra thought was given at the mention that came from Yugi. Miko was on board, completely, eyes sparkling with delight and pure unadulterated deviance. "SET ANOTHER PLACE♪!~" she chirped and once again shadow soldiers began sitting out another place setting. SumMom could go anywhere she wanted too. "Bring her!♪~" Miko asserted with just as much excitement as she'd had about Albertus himself. Makima on the other hand stared at the pair of children and their absolutely outrageous behavior... and one of those unhinged smiles crossed her lips. 'Kujaku Meron too?! Could this day get any better?!'

[Bloodedge]

"Nothing wrong with that! Take it at your own pace. I know you'll make the hell out of it if you decide to go for another one anyway!" Albertus encouraged. "You too! You gotta show me the first one!" he added for Irkalla. Shortly afterwards, he was looking down at the brunette whose head lay under his hand. She was quite stuck on a greater form of physical contact than what he offered, but he didn't seem too bothered. "I know what you meant. I'd call it weird to hear that kind of forwardness from a human, but... that grandmother of yours was something else too. We'll talk~" he said. With that, Albertus would have seated himself for dinner... but it seemed he would instead be sending another 'invitation' first. Of course, the agreement to discuss matters was seen quite specifically by the System.

[BOND ROUTE UNLOCKED]

Bond Route: Albertus Animusphere

Intimacy has reached 25%.

Route Activated: Eternal Blueprint

Objective: Deepen connection with Albertus Animusphere.

Current Progress: 39%

Reward Unlocked:
- Skill: Structural Reweave (once per day, rewrite or enhance the core mechanics of one existing skill)
- Passive: Architect’s Flaw (greatly improved ability to perceive and exploit structural weaknesses in inanimate objects, barriers, and constructs)

Accept Invitation?
[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

An agreement between Players didn't require words. They both knew the woman named Kujaku Meron. Though neither had reason to know how powerful she was, none of that mattered at all. Miko announced the setting of another plate on the table, and Yugi began shaking his leg. "I'm gonna need to borrow a bucket before the night's over," he commented. At the same time, Albertus was closing the door he used to enter the castle, looking around with open senses. "Let's see, where's the lovely lady?" he wondered. "Definitely the kind of ass you can see from halfway across the world," Yugi joked. "You're not wrong, kid! There she is!" With that announcement, Albertus pinched a spot in space with both thumbs and both forefingers. He'd proceed to pull both hands apart as if opening a zipper two ways at once. That act would tear a hole in space to reveal Kujaku Meron, wherever she was at the time. "Mels! You're not in the bath again, are you?"

[Apollymi]

There was an oddly wholesome relationship between Albertus and Himeko. Miko could feel it in the words that they shared with each other. He was such an oddly encouraging individual, he claimed her next would be awesome and also wanted to see whatever Irkalla created first. "I don't even know if I want to do that... but if I do... I'll show you~" Irkalla decided. She wasn't the type to make a baby for no reason, she had no desire for that kind of thing and the only people she'd even been able to touch were the two children at the other end of the table... she'd also be taking her time with anything else she wanted to do. Miko pouting face got to see a vision from above of Albertus Animusphere which set her heart at ease. Apparently he'd understood what she meant that they would talk later. He found her forwardness a bit odd but apparently her grandmother had been a bit weird too... "Not surprising Obaa's always been a bit on the strange side. Nice to know it landed... I was working my way through a list... I guess I'll try the others on someone else♪~ Also blame him... my filter disappeared because of him♪~" Miko retored happily. Ah, but life was full of rewards for Miko, as she happily listened to the start of a Bond Route activation. A wicked little grin spread across her face and there was nothing present in her but smug indignation. "First of all Brainface, I've been waiting to accept since I was seven... this didn't need permission. I ACCEPT♪~" Miko sang. She was wiggling in their shared seat happily listening to a read off of some rather impressive skills.

"I'd say look what you did to our baby..." Kaguya started only to look to Ai who nodded. "But, we've all heard that rant before. Mi-tan's gone feral~" Ai commented almost absently. "Still somehow better than the silence..." Shutara commented still quietly star struck herself, when she imagined being sandwiched between two men, which wasn't very often she didn't even think these two were an option. As for Yugi's commentary about needing to borrow a bucket, Makima was busy holding that cracking face of hers back as Miko's happy little confirmation hit the wall. "You're going to have to get your own bucket. I still need mine~" makima joked along just the same as she seemed to be developing the teens pension for joking behavior. Whatever the case a dinner plate had been set for another person, and said person was being looked in on from across the world. She was walking through a park, snow fall fresh around her. Warm hat on her head and a large sweater hanging down to her hips. She had on special leggings, fuzzy boots and long white fluffy hair. "Albie, I've told you about doing this... you'll scare the humans~" she said, not in a bath but obviously willing to just step towards that opening in space. "I was just on a walk trying to decide betwen dinner and the gym, why?" she asked, always willing to make time for this particular man.

[Bloodedge]

"Is that a thing now? I didn't know that was a thing," Albertus observed of Irkalla's decision. A Creator who didn't think about producing children was very strange in his era. However, old as he was, he believed in letting the future generations make their own way. "Well hey, I'm sure whatever you decide to do is gonna be great! You've got your own dominion for death, right? I bet it's radical!" he said. Meanwhile, Yugi was lamenting his lack of a bucket over the potential for Kujaku Meron's arrival in addition to what he'd already gained today. According to Makima, he'd have to get a bucket of his own; hers was still needed. "Well fuck it, we'll get a pool in the backyard!" he decided.

Albertus had known the grandmother of Iino Miko quite well. He remembered holding Miko as a baby about a decade and a half before the present. She'd blossomed quite well, and... assuming she was as much like her grandmother as her visuals implied, his involvement was entirely determined by her decisions ─ which seemed to lean heavily in the yes direction. That aside, he paved the way for Meron, who was out on a walk as opposed to how he'd found her last time via this method. "Aww man, I was hoping for the bath. Anyway, no point worrying about the humans. They get enough random portals popping up every day now; no problems," he insisted. "Don't make the decision! Dinner and workouts are right here; these kids are having a party or something! Come on through! There's some sick-smelling lasagna over here, and two of my grandkids Ya' gotta meet 'em!" he suggested. While this wasn't a party of any sort, Yugi had no issues with that claim.