<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Apollymi]

Yugi was making his rounds and sending more clarifying text messages. In that time, Maki showed up also around the front entrance, content to wait out whatever madness had brought them here. In the meantime that text that went straight to Shutara's secondary phone made her smile at it from the other end. She was already in a private waiting room that couldn't be seen into it, for personal safety reasons, she'd just step gently outside the line of the single camera in the room and accept the invitation. Done deal, heading for the kitchen~ Shutara sent a text and moved around the crowd at the front.

Meanwhile, in the ktichen, Kaguya was being offered a ladyfinger which she accepted with sparkling eyes. "Ara~ I get kitchen snacks and I'm not being chastised for not helping must be a great day in Mi-chan Land~" Kaguya teased. "Arigatou~" she offered Igris. "I can't be mad, Iggy made those... so I left him in charge of dessert♪!~" Miko chirped. Beyond that she was also finding out that Igris had been using mages for cooking. "That's actually a pretty reasonable idea. Full magical world bullshit go♪!~" she said having those infantry set down all those lasagna she'd put together. "I need those all melty and combined. Don't burn it♪!~" Miko chriped the orders and then looked at herself. "Probably shouldn't do a dinner party dressed as a maid huh?" Miko asked of the world at large. "Oh and careful, Kaya... last time I saw him, Renny was running around here ass naked with nothing on but a collar and leash♪~" Miko added quite proud of herself. Kaguya in the middle of stuffing her face immediately was set on edge. Meanwhile that group by the door would be having Yugi talk to them, including Enju and Shutara who heard the bit about where they were exactly. "Dude could you two be any more fucking edgy?!~" Shutara claimed. "Still I guess ignore that text... and good to see you, En-nee~" Shutara said while hip checking her fellow Air Gear cast member. "Yep, good to see you, I guess this really is just a weird day. Is there gonna be more alcohol. I am too sober for this..." Enju said, still that chimera of hers was quiet enough for her to enjoy her drink just the same.

Meanwhile, Makima would be walking into her office to see... something rather interesting, but very normal just the same. Kasumi was sitting behind the desk of the Chairwoman, in a lap, bouncing rather steadily. And freezing in pure fear as she realized the door was opening and Makima was entering. 'I'm going to lose my life today... and my job too...' she thought only to continue the movement afterwards. Kasumi had a reddened face and knew she was going to die, might as well go out with a bang. And Gojo was with her, yep, definitely dead inside. Oh well if she was going to die anyway she might as well. "Hi-pyon open up the vault. Toru-pyon, gather 250 B-rank Essence Stones, 2500 C-rank Essence Stones and... I don't know, 90 percent of the D and E rank ones... we definitely have too many over all," Makima said as she looked at the desk. "That took less time than expected. She seemed a bit too skittish, good boy, Hi-pyon!~" Makima mentioned as she'd be taking a minute to step into the shower and clean herself up, only to emerge in a dress shirt, and slacks with a loose tie and those System pumps she'd been given earlier, business casual. Well, she also had another stop to make.

[Bloodedge]

Shortly after Yugi reentered the building and clarified their current location, there were a few stray reactions. Aki took a longer-than-normal drag from his cigarette. Yuto was aghast. Shutara, who appeared around the time he started speaking, questioned the Players' edginess. Enju seemed to be in a similar state of calm to Aki, asking about alcohol. "Yes, that forest. Without the ghosts part," he said first, only to see Yuto freaking out over the sight of midnight-black ants and knights hauling furniture. "Oh. Well... I guess those guys are kind of ghosts. But they're our ghosts. You've got catching up to do," he corrected. "It's not completely an edgy decision. We're here because of all the death in this area. The biggest reason is... hopefully on the way," was his answer to Shutara. "There could be alcohol. Our junk items are better than normal human shit. Pick your poison, I guess," he said to Enju.

Meanwhile, Ren was actually getting himself together, equipping clothes and the like. He loosely listened to all the explanations going on, managing to stop himself from... attacking Shadow Soldiers that were casually walking around. Ren wasn't the only one pausing a rash reaction, though. Back at the Hunters Association, Kasumi was back to riding in Hiruko's lap when Makima and Gojo stepped into the office. She seemed to be putting herself through some mental hoops, but it apparently wasn't enough to stop her continued rise and fall ─ though Hiruko noted a bit of a hiccup as he sat there most casually. "Oya? Bravery, or abandon?" he wondered of Kasumi. "And that was a very short vacation. It's been... four? Five hours?" he questioned when Makima and Gojo moved inward. Ah, but there was an order delivered. Hiruko was to open the vault. From that desk, he could do so with the press of a button... but there were quite a few oddities taking place. Of course, he'd wait a few minutes until Makima returned from her shower to worry about that. "Does this have something to do with the imaginary computer screen I've been seeing for a while now?" he inquired as Gojo was throwing massive piles of Essence Stones into... nonexistence, apparently.

[Apollymi]

The Aokigahara, was something well known to the Japanese populace. it was a place where a number of people were known to have ended their lives. Apparently there weren't ghosts, but the pure black creatures moving around could be likened to ghosts, and they apparently belonged to the Players. "Uh-huh, so... if this is the thing you couldn't explain in detail before," Shutara said as she looked around. "I now understand why," she said. She'd seen them for a total of a half an hour before and she wasn't sure three hours would be enough to understand what was happening here. Meanwhile, Enju was being told she could basically have a refill. Even if what they had to offer wasn't good, it was without question better than nothing, "I'm drinking whiskey, so if you could fill me up again I'd appreciate it~" Enju mentioned before looking at Shutara. "I saw the black things. I don't know how we got there, but I was around for that explanation. Enju mentioned as she took the last sip of whiskey from her glass. In the meantime, Miko had changed out of her maid outfit, but not without Kaguya snapping several pictures for herself, she was now seen wearing a comfortable oversized sweatshirt, which wasn't quite oversized enough, it fit more like a mini-dress and was a deep purple color. She was also wearing thigh highs and was otherwise barefoot for her own comfort. Being dressed enough for comfort in her own home... she looked at now complete dishes and had the whole kitchen forward smelling like an Italian restaurant.

At the same time, Kasumi had thrown herself to the wind so to speak. She'd gone back to bouncing after a momentary hiccup or two, and when asked about it by Hiruko she said... "Abandon... If I'm dying I might as well die happy. And I am dying..." she murmured softly. Whether Makima intended to kill her or not, this moment felt like an odd sort of social suicide. The object of her quiet affection in the same room while she was doing something else... that had to be a nightmare scenario she'd not lived since middle school. "The vacation isn't over... though it could be and I'd feel like I had done what I'd set out to do," Makima said. By the time she emerged from the shower dressed in more appropriate attire she could only chuckle. "Call it an intermission," Makima claimed. Only to hear from Hiruko that he was seeing an imaginary computer screen. "Hoh? That's your invitation to dinner and the house warming. She said she'd left a few off her list, I guess she wouldn't have left you off it..." Makima said "Menu~" she opened up her own actual screen to check on Hiruko's progress, she'd not actually looked before, "Sou ka, that explains it. You're really close to getting your own room. Though if you press the acceptance it will teleport you directly. You should come, they're cooking apparently, and showing off their new home base. Even though it isn't fully furnished just yet~" Makima mentioned. She walked into the vault and picked up a few choice items equal to the amount of Essence Stones she was gifting to Miko. A raijuu core, chimera pieces... some strange fabrics taken from phatoms, and a few phantom beast cores. "There that should do for his personal arsenal... I do have one more stop to make, it's a special treat for both of them~" Makima mentioned with a knowing smirk on her face.

At the same time... the goddess of Death, Irkalla was sitting on her throne, looking at an odd screen in front of her. It was something she could read, but not something she'd ever seen before. "What a unique thing... this must be an invitation from them... but how does it work?" she pressed accept and on both ends of the connection a small deathly tremor would be felt. It wasn't physical, but instead magical. As a connection between her realm, and the world of Gaia tried to form with enough stability for her to pass through... "Ah, how neat. It's going to take a little while, without ripping a hole through the realms though... Metis would understand it a bit better but, if I look a while I should understand it too..." she said her eyes focused on the opening. Perhaps she could help? She'd spend the next few minutes playing with it.

[Bloodedge]

"Pretty much, yeah. I meant to mention it earlier. It's just one of those... more badass to show when telling things," Yugi chattered about the reveal of Shadow powers. At the same time, he was perusing the shop for something alcoholic. Enju wanted whiskey, so he'd be looking for that. As Yugi had come to expect, the prices were rather annoying. "Yep. Pocket change for human stuff that I guess qualifies as top-shelf-ish? But all the good shit is actually expensive. Crafting options, though. Could open a Shadow distillery or something," he rambled. Enju would soon enough have an entire crystal decanter tossed her way. "So... you both summon ghosts and..." Yuto started speaking, only to be interrupted by Aki of all people. "Don't bother. It doesn't become any less weird as you start following along. And I think they thrive on the outlandishness of it."

A short while later, something even more outlandish was happening. The ambient sounds of the dead had been present in the background since their arrival, as it had been when they were surrounded by Hollow Knights and the like. Now, Yugi was registering something more distant... and its source was something resembling a Gate, but no larger than a coin. "Oh shit, dimensional tear mechanics," he presumed. Being the nerd he was, Yugi could hardly resist reaching out to that portal and... casually thrusting his finger into it for a test. If he found nothing wrong there, he'd immediately try for something else. "Wait... can this be like a death glory hole? I'll fucking do it."

All the while, Hiruko was letting Kasumi believe she was making the final decision of her life. Well, he couldn't let her keep thinking that... but he wouldn't stop her just yet. "Sou ka. Make sure you go out with a bang then, I guess~" he teased. From there, he'd simply wait for answers from Makima. The invitation he'd left sitting there was to dinner at the fresh home of Makima's newest ridiculous pets. Hearing that he'd soon have his own room, Hiruko quirked a brow. "Doesn't make much sense, but neither does anything today. If they're working on the place and I get a room for nothing, I guess I should bring some gifts as well. I'll tag along with you first. Do you think they're Ferrari people or Lamborghini people?"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, what was going on with Yugi and Miko was the sort of thing that wouldn't be allowed to exist in a way which was easily digestible. He claimed that it was the sort of thing that had to be shown, and she could believe him, based solely on the confusion currently being presented at seeing what he had going on. "Uh-huh... I think on that note, I'm going to find myself some kitchen snacks~" Shutara claimed hands up in the air as she casually moved around ants and other creatures. At the same time, Yugi was claiming a few things about alcohol and Enju was hearing them all. "I've only ever had top-shelf human stuff, I'm pretty sure the same applies to everyone except you two potentially. Don't sweat it too much~" Enju claimed. Aside from being a whiskey drinker she didn't really care too much, and the whiskey choice was only because it'd already been made. Soon enough a decanter was being tossed her way and she'd be catching it and accepting it. "Sugei, if you had a bar I'd show up~ let me get a second glass~" she claimed honestly. As she poured herself a drink. At the same time, she planned to trade some liquor for a cigarette, she didn't smoke all the time, but enjoyed doing so specificallly while drinking.

After Enju left that lad to his glory-seeking, he'd be discussing things like the huge nerd he was. Soon enough Irkalla would be feeling a bit more from her end of the long and stretchy portal. "Oh, so it's definitely a connection from my realm to theirs... that's Nergal, huh?" she said feeling Yugi's mana from one end after a few seconds of his poking. She'd be sending her own back through it with an extend hand, pushing against the formation of the connection, forming a path which was widened and made sturdier by contact with her own mana. Perhaps she could strengthen the connection by reaching through?

Meanwhile, Kasumi was being allowed to assume her impending doom. So... with Hiruko's teasing, she'd just continue on her way. If she was to go out with a bang, she supposed she'd finish working herself up to one final orgasm. Her body tightening and loosening around his shaft while that orgasm built up in her loins. It would take a few minutes around the time that Makima was collecting items, she'd be slamming herself down that final time and moaning a happy orgasm. "The rooms are for people closely bonded to them. Fifty percent will get you a room key, and you started at 45 percent. I even watched her drop you a million gold just to test the System's functionality," Makima mentioned giving Hiruko more information than most but it was necessary given some other aspects she'd be mentioning soon. "Toru-pyon has one already. I am different the key I got is to their room. And you having a key is definitely something that would be aimed for, she might be targeting you in a way that is technically friendly but more aggressive than normal, for her at least. He told her she could waste fifty Resonance on it. As for what kind of car they'd like, they're teenagers who I am sure aren't even old enough to drive. They want me to send them into a Dungeon with something that flies, that's the kind of crazy they are..." Makima pointed out. Still, she didn't mind if he joined them on the way. Dropping a couple of teenagers a sports car was about par for the course, for Hiruko. Makima assumed he wanted to be dropped by the dealership on his way to the Aokigahara Forest.

[Bloodedge]

"Fine, but I'm going to be disappointed that you're going to get something not me shoved in your mouth," Yugi quipped while envisioning a ladyfinger being pushed into Shutara's face. Once she was gone, Yugi turned his attention primarily to Enju. He figured she'd enjoy the whiskey produced by the System; items that came from their shop hadn't gotten anything less than a very positive reaction thus far. Yet another was on its way now, as Enju tried the new whiskey and immediately sought a second glass. "Weird, but alright," Yugi said, easily producing what the white-haired woman desired. What he revealed was not quite glass, but a similar crystalline structure to that of the decanter.

Once he'd done that, however, Yugi became laser-focused on that portal which undoubtedly connected to Irkalla. When he inserted his finger, there was originally nothing... until a sensation of incredible mana washed over him from that point of entry. Yugi gave himself an assignment right then and there. He'd find out what kind of moment this had the potential to be in the simplest way possible: by forcing his dick through the gap in reality. Obviously that act and the one before it were similar enough.

Meanwhile, Hiruko could virtually ignore Kasumi in favor of hearing Makima further explain things that... still didn't make total sense to him. The more he heard about those teens, the more lost he was overall. What an interesting conundrum this was for someone whose work focused on formulating strategies. "I got a million? Well that gives me all the answers I need... whether it makes sense or not~" he commented. They may have been teens incapable of driving, but that never stopped Hiruko from enjoying a Ferrari in his younger years. Ah, but a warning came from Makima as well. Some explanation about Resonance, presumably a thing between the two teens, involved a potential waste of 50% on Hiruko himself. That wasn't entirely clear, but Gojo had more of an explanation. "That's pretty big. He was pretty pissed about an accidental 30% loss when I ran into Little Thumper~" he said, giving Hiruko a bit of clarity. "... Sou ka. I think I've figured it out. Are you heading out now? I might need to borrow some of that magical storage space. Asucchi, are you almost done? We might have to raincheck~"

[Apollymi]

Yugi had a bit of sass to offer Shutara as she ran off towards the kitchen. He claimed to be upset it wasn't him being shoved into her mouth and that was rather surprising. Shutara had been familiar with Miko for most of that girl's teen years so far, she didn't often shove food into the mouths of others. "Just gonna weave that right in, huh? Though I'm now concerned, Mi-chan doesn't often just shove things into other people's mouths, must be great~ Still catch me when I'm back in the country officially we'll talk~" Shutara claimed. At the very least she'd be significantly less busy given the appearance and newfound openness of Miko, though that anyone else would realize that immediately. And like that she'd be off and approaching a kitchen where she would indeed be greeted, by singing and by Miko aiming to shove, a ladyfinger in her mouth, instead of allowing Igris to... be the knight making an offer. "Oooh I feel a new air♪~ GOOOOOOOOO OOOON AND EXHAAAAALE♫!~" Miko was singing a song that most assumed she didn't like, while ushering others around the kitchen several complete pans of lasagna lined up along with several more prefectly buttered and cheesed pans of garlic bread.

While Yugi aimed to place his cock into a hole in the fabric of space and time. Enju walked over to Aki while pouring that second glass. She be pouring it along with a fuller one for herself before approaching Aki with a smile. "So... I don't often smoke but I do like to when I drink. And you look like you could use a good drink. Want to trade~" she offered the man a cup in exchange for a cigarette and would be content to enjoy herself. At the same time, Maki watched as Yugi pulled out his manhood and aimed to place it into that hole. "Ain't no way!" she said quickly before turning around to walk off. Maybe the kitchen was where women belonged at least temporarily so they didn't have to witness this kind of craziness. At the same time, The person on the other end of that path, felt a rather interesting pulse from the other side. "Oh? An offering... no, humans don't think about it that way... but, it could work to strengthen the connection and give me enough spare energy to finish the connection myself," she gave thought to her plan and reached forward. She wouldn't make contact physically but the pull of her mana and the demand for release would definitely be present. She sat at the other side, mouth open and ready to receive, he was rather tasty.

As for the goings on at the office, Makima had officially gathered everything she needed to from the vaults She put away her presents and was more than willing to begin moving. "Yes, they are quite reckless but I find that to be a function of youth," Makima said about the million gold dropped into Hiruko's personal account. That happened before he was even made a target oddly enough. Meanwhile, the explanation of the trouble Makima had technically gotten Hiruko into was given and clarified by Gojo. Makima could only chuckle at the name 'little Thumper' such a cute name for a little monster of a girl. No matter, Hiruko was getting ready to move and that final slam of Kasumi's body came with his question, "Hai♥~" she moaned her content. That was a great one, which left her body practically vibrating around him for just a second. "Just... let me..." she started to pick herself up while trying not to make eye contact with anyone present. Makima found it amusing. "Did you realize you're not going to die, yet? Or is this a part of the game?" she questioned only to have Kasumi look far too relieved in that moment. "Oh didn't realize it. Oh well, just keep it to yourself~" Makima said in that light tone she often used. A wobbly legged Kasumi began making her way for the door, bowing and still not making eye contact. "Hai. I... will go back to work now. Have a good time!~" she offered as she left on those wobbly legs of hers. Meanwhile, that young brunette was remembering something important while she was in her own Inventory. "Box is open!♪~" Miko chirped as she paused her directions to look at Hiruko's tab as well... and remember to slide him a new phone. She'd sit it, in the pocket of his pants which were still equipped and send it a message. Woops, I meant to send this earlier but I was distracted (|||⇁_⇁) Welcome to early System access and hope to see you at dinner (⸝⸝¬`⩊´¬⸝⸝)

[Bloodedge]

What did Enju intend to do with an extra glass? Well, after receiving it, she seemed to be manifesting a desire for camaraderie... or at least an exchange. She looked to Aki, requesting a cigarette in exchange for a fresh drink. "Huuu~" he exhaled smoke and looked at the crystal glass of gleaming whiskey. "Gotta be some good shit. You tried one of these yet?" he asked. Aki reached into his coat, retrieving the opened pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket to let Enju grab her own smoke. At the same time, he let his active cigarette hang between his lips to free his other hand ─ which he'd use to take the glass. "You workin'?" he asked ever so casually.

Meanwhile, it seemed Maki was content to leave the room while Yugi crammed his dick into a dimensional rift. Yugi didn't mind; she was the least likely to enjoy such shenanigans. There wouldn't be anything truly entertaining happening anyway. Instead, Yugi felt a magical pull in his groin ─ one that didn't involve any physical contact at all. Yugi's brow furrowed when he realized what was happening yet again, but that couldn't stop the forced explosion of seed right into another dimension. "Godfuckingdamnit!" he griped even through ejaculation. "Touching it isn't supposed to be optional for this fucking part!"

Kasumi was finishing her second round of the evening as Hiruko was content to leave with Makima. Even when she vacated his lap, however, Hiruko couldn't just get up and leave ─ not yet. No, there was an unexpected weight and vibration in his pocket when he was busy pulling his pants up. "Oya?" he questioned upon reaching in for a phone that didn't exist before. "Another gift?" he inquired further. With a totally new phone, Hiruko already had his first message to view. He read it quickly before slipping sunglasses back onto his face ─ even past midnight. There was a long silence from Hiruko during that very brief reading. "... Pfft~" he snickered. "Alright, I'm ready. I'll swing by Lamborghini and snag four. Can one of you carry two for me? Just until we get where we're going."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough, Enju was indeed trading a glass of liquor for cigarettes. As for the goodness of those smokes, no... she couldn't currently comment. "What's in this decanter is definitely something outta this world~" she said happily. "Haven't had a smoke yet... one of those habits that comes from specific actions," she said. With that proper trade in place she reached for the cigarette took it, and placed it into her lips to dangle for a second. Once the second glass was one from her hand, she retrieved a Zippo from her shorts and rolled it with one hand. Before she answered, she'd take a deep drag, savoring a smoke that was somehow both tasty and felt good inside her lungs. That first draw felt like it was fixing something in her lungs and esophagus and that simply didn't seem right, but also wasn't something she was going to question. Instead she'd be exhaling that smoke and then responding. "Not anymore, I might be retired by now. These open Gates really hit the business hard... I haven't had a job like that for quite a while~" she said so easily did she switch that tone in conversation. "Are you working, would be the question, most wouldn't have time for midnight dinner in a forest~" she said almost amused by the setup. Even so, she'd enjoying at a casual pace and ready to offer a toast if the circumstances were right.

Meanwhile, one of Yugi's bondmates had decided she was definitely not going to be part of his magical world glory hole scenario, and stepped out to find something else to do, or someone else to talk to. Beyond that point, from Irkalla's end she received exactly what she'd been going for... an expulsion, extra energy to funnel into the creation of this opening between realms. "Yum!~ It really is good. I have to find out what it is~" she said. All the while that portal would be strengthening all the way through, beginning to pulse and widen past it's initial phase and into something more akin to a window. Yugi's griping would go unnoticed by most.

Meanwhile, Kasumi had excused herself and gotten to know some odd truths about the way that the Hunters Association Higher ups actually worked. Though she was still dying from embarrassment, at least her life and job were technically still hers. She'd be sitting back at the desk, sighing her relief and letting go of a breath that she'd not known she was holding. Makima for her part in this was soon amused by his righting of himself as he found a phone in his pocket and questioned getting more gifts. "They are quite free with things they have access to in the System," Makima stated honestly, but that reaction let her know something specific. "Ah, she texted you..." she decided. Hiruko's response was one of the smoother ones, not Gojo's aghastness or her own amusement, though Makima did truly enjoy those little faces she attached instead of punctuation in most cases. Beyond that point it seemed Hiruko was settled on his cars of choice, wanting either Makima or Gojo to hold on to two of the cars for him. "I'm am sure either of use can hold on to them. There doesn't seem to be an implied limit on what the System can hold on to," Makima said. "Now are you going to go car shopping while, I go see Kaiba Seto?" she asked making it known where she intended to go for her stop for the kid's shared present. All the while, Shadows were moving about, setting places at the tables after they were set up, and preparing for dinner to be brought in by other Shadows.

[Bloodedge]

Immediately after their exchange of items, Aki found the System whiskey to be precisely as Enju purported: out of this world. It had strength, but was also impossibly smooth. He didn't have a single reaction to drinking it straight, no ice at all... and that was strange to Aki. "That's dangerous," he commented simply, knowing what smooth drinks tended to do to him. As for Enju, she considered herself 'retired' from her shady line of work. Aki considered himself in a very similar position. "I wanted out anyway. Not too difficult a task when you awaken as a B-ranker and there's no A or S-rank in the gang," he said calmly between sips.

All the while, Yugi was removing himself from the portal, seeming none too pleased about the results. In fact, one might even hear the lad grumbling as he put his cock away. "Fucking bullshit. Gonna have to teach an old ass goddess what a glory hole is supposed to be," he complained to no one in particular. He'd be grumbling all the way toward the longest table the Shadow Army had ready, which was already being set up for dinner. A head nod accompanied by a scoff informed a couple of Infantrymen that the chair at one extreme should be taken away. When it was, Yugi spawned a throne at that location instead. Meanwhile, Hiruko stood up and left Kasumi at the desk. There was one part about his departure yet to be mentioned. "Asucchi, you're in charge while we're both gone. You've got my number if anything important actually comes up in the next few hours. Ja~" he bid, choosing to answer Makima while heading for the door. "I hope I can get access to storage soon. I could really use it. Kaiba Seto, huh? Yeah, I'll pick a few things up while you're taking care of that. I met with him a few weeks ago; there's nothing left for us to talk about."

[Apollymi]

An exchange happened and it had two working young adults drinking and casually conversing... about life smoking cigarettes that felt like they were good for health. How interesting. Both had previously known a more, criminal lifestyle and both were casual about it. "Isn't it?~" she claimed about that whiskey while taking another sip from her glass. She was holding that cigarette in the same hand between two fingers, seemingly amused by the strength. "The smokes are great too. I could pick up a proper habit again with these... I'll have to get some for myself~" she claimed seemingly amused. Ah well, they could both be drunk this was without a doubt a safe space, she knew that by the way the Players operated. Speaking of operations, it would seem that Aki had freed himself by simply being the strongest member of his gang. He'd wanted out... that made him, Yakuza. That made a decent amount of sense. "Sou ka, at least you were the strongest... things get complicated when the boss spawns higher than you. Lucky me, ours wantd to transition... mostly anyway~" she said with a tiny upturn of her lips. Makima was going 'straight' long before this Hunter business came up, even so... the transition was much easier than it could have been especially with the position of power that'd been granted.

While two chattered and got to know each other... Yugi was apparently quite displeased by the oddities surrounding the Death Goddess. Sex, wasn't something undertaking purely for fun in her generation. And she didn't spend enough time with humans to develop such tendencies. She couldn't... given her unique constitution. Still, that was a different kind of goal for the lad to have, what he could have now... was an increase in Intimacy, a whole 7 percent just for trying to reach out to her, and helping her stabilize the portal. At the same time, Hiruko was finally preparing to properly leave, he left Kasumi in charge and she immediately stood up and bowed, "Hai, I'll do my best and hope nothing happens! Have a good trip!~" she said. Perhaps it was too much to ask for an uneventful night. Perhaps she could manage it though. At the same time, Makima thought to give Hiruko the understanding she'd been missing. Perhaps filling in the blanks would be much easier for him, but she was prone to spoiling her pets a bit. "From my understanding and their general complaints. Intimacy is the quantification of how a Bondmate feels about their Player. So... it's the Bondmates who are in control of how fast, slow or odd that kind of progress is, they can help it along, try and anticipate what will get them positive outcomes but... the deck is in your hands~" Makima mentioned. "Also, you're pretty close, 50 gets you Inventory Access, and most of their noted activities give five to ten percent, maybe more if you manage to be one of the ones who can spawn an event for them to participate in, the little one doesn't turn those down, even when they aren't with her own Bondmate~" Makima gave that information in passing as they moved along.

In a rather short amount of time after exiting the Hunter's Association, Makima would find herself standing in the entry way of Kaiba Corp, where she would be compelling a desk worker to let her in to see Kaiba Seto. She didn't care that it was the middle of the night, nor did she assume she'd be bothering or waking him at all. "I will speak to Kaiba Seto..." she asserted without hesitation. This poor desk worker didn't know what to say... and found themselves quietly arguing before picking up a phone to make a call. "Kaiba-sama, sorry to interrupt there is someone here to see you." that poor worker said.

[Bloodedge]

The Bondmates were becoming acquainted with one another while the Players focused on setting up and finding proper placement. Two former murderers were drinking and smoking the time away before dinner, with Aki shrugging over being stronger than his boss after awakening. "I wouldn't say that. The big boss is probably stronger, but I hear he never cared about certain types. No skin off my back either way. Wish I could get the skin off though," he mused absently, thinking he'd like to rid himself of a rather sizeable tattoo on his back. Yugi was already sitting at a grand dining table awaiting the arrival of everyone else. The first to approach the table was, oddly enough, Yuto. "Ano... should I call everyone else? Or move anything around? I'd like to be useful in exchange for the meal. I can wash dishes!" the young man asserted. Yugi seemed quite indifferent. "No way. I know who's doing all the dishes."

With some final tidbits of important information given to him, Hiruko was on his way out alongside Makima and Gojo. Not long after, he made his way alone to the Lamborghini dealership nearest to a building known as the Kaiba Corporation, where many a technological marvel were produced. While Hiruko was picking out four cars, Makima herself entered the building and... kindly harassed an innocent worker. To that person's credit, they did only what they were supposed to in a situation... but Kaiba Seto was rather busy in his office, and wasn't fond of late interruptions for no good reason. When he answered the call, that would become clear. "Am I suppose to care? It's late, and I told you not to buzz me for something unimportant. This better be good."

[Apollymi]

Bondmates were becoming friendlier and friendlier by the moment. A pair of former hired killers were chatting over the conversion to normal life, while drinking expensive booze and smoking cigarettes that were way too good. Apparently, he'd only been stronger than the man immediately overhead. His big boss was likely stronger but didn't care to chase him down, he apparently wished he could get rid of the marking on his back though. Enju had heard tales of several Yakuza who wished to do the same upon securing their retirement in whatever way they had. Several things were closed off to them, due to policies against tattooing including the national pastime of public shared bathhouses. They could only go to Yakuza owned bathhouses and that was likely not something one wished to do if they 'left' the organization. "Eh? You ended up with one of those... that sucks. But... Hunters and their abilities made some strange stuff possible. I heard a guy had his removed by a healer. It... scarred like a bitch and hurt like hell... but he thought it was worth it. Maybe eventually there will even be a healer who doesn't have to reinjure someone to fix 'em up. My favorite bartender is waiting on something like that~" she said willing to offer a bit of hope in exchange for nothing else. What she couldn't know, was that there was at least one dedicated healer on this roster who was S-rank and that one of the Players technically qualified as such in a very strange way. Speaking of Player oddities old Yuto was trying to offer himself up to help. At the same point, the young women occupying the kitchen were being shoo'd out as Miko gave a crash course in her last 24 hours and sent them out while she finished up with the last touches on dinner and the shadows. "Mi-chan, says that dinner will be out in a minute or two~ She doesn't know if you want to make a spectacle of it, but now is your time to interject~" Kaguya said. "Also guests don't do dishes~ You didn't get invited to dinner at midnight to clean up~" she offered Yuto having heard his plea. Whether anyone was paying attention or not that dimensional gap was growing by the moment, extending to be something more like a doorway than a window.

Meanwhile, Makima found herself standing at the front desk in the Kaiba Corporation Headquarters, speaking to a desk person she was sure didn't fully unerstand their responsibilities. If it had been her place of operation, a high priority guest likely would have been at least mentioned in the first few breaths of speech. Ah, but... that was also fine, she could practically hear irritation in Kaiba Seto's tone through the phone when he spoke to this employee. "Hai, I know sir. And I really wouldn't bother you normally but it's... Shidou-kaicho here to see you," the worker said eyes shifting towards Makima who allowed her lips to gain a smile which she was sure terrified that poor man more than anything else in his life. As his eyes soon shifted away completely and he seemed to be fighting the urge to close them while waiting to hear what Kaiba wanted done about his late night visitor. Makima stood there reading that situation for what it was... some times where much more predictable than her newest pets had led her to believe the world could be.

[Bloodedge]

"Hard not to," Aki said about ending up with a tattoo on his back. He knew it was possible to have them removed by Healer-types in a much more effective way than old tattoo-removal methods, but just as Enju said, there were some connected annoyances. At this point, he imagined Miko would be able to fix him without any scarring. Maybe that would take a bit more time and development, but he wasn't going to fret over it either way. "Not too big a deal. Only problem is that I can't find a nice girl and go to onsen without... well, you know. Incidents and shit," he rambled. It looked like the Shadow Army was finishing their placement of tables and chairs, though... some were off in size a bit, much to Yugi's annoyance as one who could see all the finer details. Speaking of Yugi, he was presently having a brief exchange with Yuto, one of Miko's lower Bondmates. That one always wanted to be useful, but if anyone was going to wash dishes after this big dinner, Yugi knew who it'd be. As for dinner itself, Kaguya came with an announcement from Miko, and an opening for Yugi if he wished to take it. "This one here is on dick-cleaning duty~" he joked... sort of. "No spectacle here. There's already a pretty big one on the way. If timing works, everyone'll see it. Take a front-row seat."

At the same time, Kaiba Seto was hearing that a very important guest was visiting his company... but that information came all too late. A bit of deafening silence ensued from his end of the line, but he sounded no less like a grouch than always when finally answering. "You're supposed to open with that. Log out of the main terminal and escort her to the office," he ordered. Why did that employee have to log out of a terminal? Well, perhaps the young CEO intended to send someone else to that station. Or... perhaps there was something else that would be revealed when they reached the office.

[Apollymi]

Not being marked by a Yakuza gang was pretty difficult. Some even marked their women, which was also a problem. It would seem that, Aki couldn't find himself a nice girl and a nice onsen to go to, because of that tattoo issue. "There are a couple around with some private baths and the like that could be used to settle in. I'll give a few recommendations~ As for the nice girls... I'm sure you'll be introduced to plenty~" Enju offered. Rather suddenly an extra voice appeared, making that tattoo on her arm and shoulder tingle as her formerly quiet chimera decided to speak. "We should go sit... I can smell it the food!~" what a fat thing she had connected to her... as such she began to wander towards the table. It was really easy to do that sort of thing. Meanwhile, Yugi and Kaguya were having a quick intermission. She took note of one of Miko's softer Bondmates and decided the girl was extreme regardless of anything else. Either she was choosing hardass, borderline abusive battle junkies... or people so soft they were offering to do dishes at a midnight dinner party. Little did Kaguya Know Miko's extremes went way worse. For now... she smirked at Yugi. "Oya? Is it after midnight already? Should I have gotten into that maid uniform Mi-chan slipped out of a few minutes ago?~" Kaguya said teasingly. With no word bad, Miko would begin sending shadow soldiers out with salads and garlic bread to place on the table and others to place different things.

Meanwhile, Makima stood completely unbothered by the nature of her late night visit to Kaiba Corp. That poor desk worker was going to lose so much today, she wasn't the type to rub salt in the wounds. Though she was at least lightly amused by the squirming in the seat while Kaiba left a pregnant pause before speaking again. Directions were given, they were to be followed. "Hai sir. Right away!" claimed that poor desk worker. He wasn't even properly allowed to breath a sigh of relief, but still he didn't question his directive. He logged out of the main screen he was on and then stood and bowed. "Right this way..." he claimed while leading Makima and Gojo towards the elevator. Once everyone was inside, they'd be taken up to Kaiba's main laboratory and office on the highest floor. Leaning against a desk a blue haired girl with an orange necktie and a short ponytail to one side was standing. Her eyes a pure blue color trained on an elevator. Late night house calls from the Chairwoman of the Hunters Association, were stressful and she'd forgotten to bring a pack of smokes with her. She was already pressing two fingers into the left side her head, as if dealing with Kaiba wasn't enough trouble for a single person. When the door opened, that same desk worker announced themselves, "Kaiba-sama, Shidou-kaicho has arrived." He stood off from the elevator with a bow, willing everyone else to walk past him so he could disappear back downstairs as quickly as possible when all of this was over.