Plots: Serious, silly, random, oh my!

[TeChameleon]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Eddie moved to keep Asami from leaving, getting in his path, and gave him a flat look. "You... don't actually hear anything I say, do you?"

"Alright, I'm going to be blunter than I wanted to be. The one time I've been vaguely alluding to as going badly? All three of the split-ees exploded after too long apart. Or maybe getting too far apart. We never did find out, and I for one, even though I just met Aiko, do not wish to have to squeegee her remains off the ceiling."

Eddie drew himself up to his full height... all four feet, four inches of it... and pointed dramatically.

"So, on that note, you stop trying to drag one of the Aiko-thirds away for no reason..." he pointed at Asami,

"You stop trying to chase your other selves away because you're neurotic..." he pointed at sigil-Aiko... and deflated a bit, as there was no-one else he actually felt the need to do a dramatic stabbing point at. He settled for vaguely pointing at sigil-Aiko again, instead. "You can have all the standards you want once we've re-united you, or at least ensured you won't split further, in a significantly less surviveable fashion, your imperial highness."

The title was delivered in strictly neutral tones- Eddie had grown up in an era when idiot nobility wasn't exactly uncommon, and manners had been drilled into him. Respect the position, not the person, if it came down to that.

"On that note, I wouldn't mind checking on our drug-dealing demonness. With magic being the way it is, there's a chance she would have been altered in some fashion as well, or be in some other form of difficulty. Failing that, well, no dealer wants a reputation as delivering bad product. We may be able to coerce some help from her." He gestured at Darko.

"If you have some way to bring others with you on your crosstown jaunts, I would like to go with you; I am immune to succubus charms, and strong enough to prevent harm to us from other sources." he said simply.

"If Darko and I do go, though, for the love of all that is holy, please do not split up; based on my past experiences, it could kill Aiko in an incredibly horrible fashion. Since it's dream related, if you do, in fact, have a trustworthy succubus to approach, do not let your pride prevent you from accessing what help you can." he finished.

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
"Asami, no. We need to keep the Aikos together to keep them safe. We don't want them to die somehow from getting too far from each other." Mary echoes Eddie's sentiments.
"Plus I can take you back to my home whenever, and we'll need all of you for that." This is PREP, absences can be excused for heroic purposes. And it is a four-hour trip. Mary isn't strong enough to create a portal.

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Mary and Juibi are probably right to doubt the wisdom of seeking out the succubus who may have had a hand in causing this whole mess. But Darko is really finding it hard to concentrate with all this talking- he can barely hear himself think.

"Okay, I hear you. But I've actually talked to some very nice drug dealers, and demons... don't really worry me." He's read his Grand Grimoire and Dictionnaire Infernal. Plus, his magic won't let anything too bad happen to him.

Although Darko really isn't sure about Eddie's thoery that the three Aikos might blow up if separated, he immediately latches onto the plan of him going with. It's an excuse to get out of here, and assuage the fears of his friends regarding a solo succubi expedition.

"Yeah, you can come with me Eddie! My Theatre is open to the public, you can travel along. We'll zip on over, talk to this Circe, and be back before you know it!" It won't be that simple. It never is. "The rest of you can go with Mary and we'll meet you there."

It's a plan!

Is it a good plan? He has no clue! But it's a plan!

[Rebonack]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Wow this sure is becoming a chaotic mess in a hurry, isn't it?

That's fine!

Juibie doesn't mind one bit!

"Sounds like we're coming up with a MOSTLY solid plan maybe!" Juibie declares. "No exploding the Aikos and Darko and that guy are going to insist on bugging the creep that maybe caused this."

Which is probably not going to be helpful.

Mary needs to stick around with Aiko if she's going to be visiting her mom. Which means SOMEONE who has some familiarity to succubus should really tag along with Darko and That Guy.

"Okay, if you two are insisting on going to harass Circie I'm going to tap out Bismuth once this period is over and cover classes. She would be PEEVED if Darko went off on some adventure and she didn't get to help. PLUS! We learned a whole lot about demon stuff from Mary! We'll be your second best choice if she's busy trying to get Aiko put back together."


[Undertree Manor]

One of the major upsides to not having eyes as such is that efforts to blind you really don't make that huge of a difference. Lex' vision is pretty blurry and indistinct to begin with, but he mostly identifies his surroundings by smell regardless. Even with his vision momentarily impaired it really isn't THAT big of a problem.

He can feel and smell the fire blazing on these creatures so his fire potions really aren't going to be that useful right now. Instead, he pulls out a frosty colored potion and chugs it, letting it slosh around inside him for a moment before letting the chamber inside him fill with icy fluid and spewing out a blast of freezing liquid all over the mummies many times greater in volume than what he actually drank.

The mummies don't seem to like the freezing blast in the slightest. The closer of the two is frozen in place, though it's quickly thawing out. The second rushes toward Lex and tries to hack into him with a burning sword!

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Very Bad Day]

Bap!

...You know, they really downplay how much getting hit in the face with a giant paper fan actually hurts. Especially when swung with the intent to make it so. It's really a credit to sigil Aiko that she's not reduced to tears by the blow.

...More a credit to the older Aiko that she was able to get her hand in the way in time. And that despite the stinging orange welt appearing in her palm, she also doesn't seem to be surprised or upset.

Sigil AIko jumps belatedly, stepping back away from her counterpart's outstretched hand. "...How on earth did you-?"

"Anybody who knows Asami knows exactly when he is going to lash out in a rather childish way." The older Aiko explains, lowering her hand. "And you clearly did not want to be smacked. You would have asked me to intervene if you knew it was coming. So intervene I did."

"...Yes. Well. Thank you." Sigil Aiko clears her throat and returns her attention to the ongoing debate around her, which... sounds to be very nearly over already, even without her input. For the most part, the plan seems sensible enough; go to Sekhmet, ask for her help putting her back together, and try not to get separated in the meantime. Really, that's just about what common sense would say to do in this case anyway. Left to her own devices, that's almost certainly the choice she would make.

...But she does have a few notes.

"All due respect, Eddie, but it does not seem especially likely that our separation would cause us to explode." She points out. "Particularly as we all came into this world separated by a distance of at least half the campus. While I would still rather avoid our separation as a matter of convenience, let us not go exaggerating the dangers of it."

"...And on the subject of danger." She broadens her attention out to Darko and Juibi. "On principle, I must again forbid going to the known drugmonger and criminal for help on this matter. Or, at the very least, that if we must we send people more capable than a trio of students. I refuse to throw you in harm's way unnecessarily and further refuse to allow you to throw yourselves in harm's way for my sake. You do not have to come with Her Highness and us to her abode, but you are not to go to Circe. Is that understood?"

Koko, meanwhile, continues to hide behind Asami, and will still let herself be dragged away if the star-child attempts to pursue that course of action. If not, she'll switch to hiding behind Mary, still wanting to keep someone between her and her counterparts. "...She's so bossy, I don't like it..." She whimpers, to whoever's ear is closer to her.

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Asami is struck with awe at Old Aiko's block, staring on with wonder. "T-that's incredible! Smart Aiko-senpai, I don't think you realize how extraordinary your power is." He pauses, crossing his arms and looking at everyone. "Which is exactly why I can't allow the Aiko-senpais to rejoin. Not to mention forcing someone to be somewhere against their will is a crime, and it doesn't sound like they're all in agreement on sticking together." He tilts his head back towards Koko.

With that being said, he continues on to the library before suddenly pausing and turning back. "Oh! And Darko-senpai, if you're going to do something unbelievably stupid, at least have the sense to remember to use that buzzer I gave you."

[TeChameleon]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

"Yup, not a single word I say." Eddie said to Asami's retreating back. He wasn't sure how to get the smaller boy to listen without actual physical violence, which he was reluctant to do on a mere possibility.

On the off chance that anything he said actually got through the selfish brat's head, he added "Forcing someone to go places against their will is a crime, yes... unless they present a danger to themselves or others, which is a distinct possibility based on my past experience, or unless they are not in a rational frame for making decisions, which is also possible- at the very least, from the reactions I am seeing, her imperial highness is not acting as she normally does, which heavily implies an altered state of mind."

He waved a hand at Sigil-Aiko. "You say that spontaneously exploding because of separation is unlikely... would you say it's more or less likely than waking up separated into three component parts, none of them where you went to sleep, one of them a completely different species and another significantly older?"

... he was pretty sure one of the Aikos was older, at least. She was visibly different physically, anyways.

Then Aiko imperiously demanded that he not put himself in danger, and he swivelled he head to offer her an uncomprehending stare.

When this failed to produce any results, he said "Danger..? What da...", trailing off and transferring the stare to the others for a moment, then looking back at her questioningly.

After a long moment, something seemed to click, and he muttered something about organic maternal instincts being more trouble than they were worth, before he interrupted himself by starting to laugh, disbelieving chuckles at first, escalating into
actual, full-blown peals of laughter.

Once he had regained control somewhat, he sighed, then tugged off his hood, revealing his stone skin and little-kid face.

"Hi." he said. "I'm Eddie. I'm a stone golem, and there is, to the best of my extensive knowledge, literally nothing a succubus can do to cause me lasting harm. I have yet to find a physical force capable of damaging me to any appreciable extent, I am fireproof to natural, dragon, and infernal fires... even superheated plasma... and literally do not have a reproductive drive, so..."

He waved a hand vaguely, wishing he had some form of chain or something to demonstrate his strength on. "I am also possessed of sufficient strength to wave my arm through a succubus as if she wasn't there. Striking power is, of course, commensurate. And I am very fast. If someone is under my protection, they are protected."

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Very Bad Day

Darko immediately perks up at the idea of Bismuth coming with. That does sound like a lot of fun! But then sigil Aiko goes on her rant about why they shouldn't go after Circe. Which brings up some very reasonable points- the only problem is the attitude they're presented in. He narrows his eyes at her.

"I hear you your majesty, but you don't actually have authority over me. You can't forbid me to do anything." The only people Darko is beholden to is the Wizards. He could elaborate on how he's not worried about danger, since his magic would certainly stop anything too awful from happening, but that's not a conversation he really wants to have at the moment.

But then Eddie... bursts into maniacal laughter? And starts elaborating on how powerful he is. Which serves to do the opposite of reassure Darko.

Is an indestructible somewhat mentally unstable stranger with very stubborn views on mental health really the kind of person he wants to go on a journey with? Especially one involving the Theatre? Darko has a horrible mental picture of Eddie deciding that the Wizards are a bigger worry than Aiko's identity crisis and going on a side quest to deal with them. No, nope, not worth the risk.

",,,on second thought, I may not actually be stupid this time," he says, giving Asami a nervous grin, "Maybe we leave Circe for another time and I can just come with to see... Her Highness?" He has no idea who that is. Probably someone helpful though!

[Halae]

[Undertree Manor]

One of the major upsides to not having eyes as such is that efforts to blind you really don't make that huge of a difference. Lex' vision is pretty blurry and indistinct to begin with, but he mostly identifies his surroundings by smell regardless. Even with his vision momentarily impaired it really isn't THAT big of a problem.

He can feel and smell the fire blazing on these creatures so his fire potions really aren't going to be that useful right now. Instead, he pulls out a frosty colored potion and chugs it, letting it slosh around inside him for a moment before letting the chamber inside him fill with icy fluid and spewing out a blast of freezing liquid all over the mummies many times greater in volume than what he actually drank.

The mummies don't seem to like the freezing blast in the slightest. The closer of the two is frozen in place, though it's quickly thawing out. The second rushes toward Lex and tries to hack into him with a burning sword!

[Undertree Manor]

Bless Lex for being such a good distraction for them. From her position atop the fence grate, she twists the spear in her hand to hold it like a javelin and shifts her feet to get as much windup as she can without dropping off the top of her absurdly thin platform.

The spear will soar through the air like an incredibly huge arrow towards that second mummy, guided by the power of her essence and her martial arts, to spear through its upper torso, likely taking it through the shoulders and neck.

[bc56]

Aiko's Very Bad Day
"I agree with Aiko, don't go looking for trouble, no matter how powerful you are." Mary looks at the assembled group. "Wow there are a lot of you though. Maybe we should split up. Mum doesn't like being surprised by crowds."
Herself, three Aikos, Juibi, Asami, Eddie, and Darko make eight. That's a lot, even if they are all concerned about Aiko.
"But you still shouldn't go looking for Circe, she's bad news."

[Rebonack]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Juibi, being an immensely mature and well adjusted slime dragon, sticks her tongue out at Aiko when she's forbidden to do anything about the succubus drug dealer.

"We cooooould just mind our own business and let Mary and Aiko chat with Sekhmet," Juibi suggests, sounding WAY more serious than she has at any point in this conversation thus far.

Is that a good idea?

Or a terrible one?

"But that really wouldn't be any fun, would it?" she asks no one in particular, giving a little bounce and a grin. "Obviously this is a DEEP and PROFOUND mystery that we've all been caught up in! Our fates as Protagonists are all intertwined in the unraveling of this strange mystery! No idea how we're going to do it but it'll be fun! Also I still think we should try the big group hug plan first."

That is, assuming, Koko isn't being bodily dragged away by Asami in the near future.


[Undertree Manor]

You know what's a great way to prevent a mummy from stabbing your ally?

Hitting them with a spear hard enough to take them clean off their feet.

The mummy is launched away from Lex before any stabbing can take place, the dragon blowing a raspberry at the undead as it goes. Then he cranks the dial on the side of his crossbow, loads a bolt into it, and fires a thermal catalyst bolt at the frozen mummy.

When said bolt hits said mummy the alchemical concoction reacts violently, blowing the mummy to bits in the process. The other mummy seems to be busy getting back up, pulling the spear out of itself and looking-

Well.

Not mad.

Maybe determined?

It swings its sword at Skye, sending an arc of blazing flame wooshing toward her.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Very Bad Day]

"I will reiterate; I am not hugging that succubus until she has had a-" Sigil Aiko begins, only to turn in Koko's direction and notice a suspicious lack of succubi to reference. "...bath." She finishes bemusedly, staring at where a comically blinking outline would be if they lived in a more cartoony world.

"She left with Asami." Older Aiko helpfully informs her.

"...And you didn't stop her?"

"It was not entirely clear whether I should. Asami presented a valid point in that-"

"Of course you should have stopped her!" Sigil Aiko continues, exasperated. "Regardless of how we go about our reunification, we're going to need her nearby to accomplish it. To say nothing of her input and consent."

"Yes, those were clearly non-factors." Older Aiko agrees.

"...That is not how I meant that, and you know it."

"...Ah."

Sigil Aiko takes a deep breath and straightens her hair. "...Very well. New plan. Rather than send our second team after Circe, which I am sure we can all agree is an unnecessarily risky venture, you will instead focus your efforts on retrieving Koko and bringing her to the rest of us. Her Highness, Juibi, and we will proceed to Brignole Manor, where we can do some preliminary testing on the nature of our schism and perhaps even partially mend it." She reaches into her pocket and starts fumbling around in it, pausing as she removes her coinpurse and keeps looking for something else. "We will be available to contact should the situation develop."

Older Aiko gives a little nod, pulling her phone from her own pocket. "I have it here."

"Oh, good." Sigil Aiko nods. "...And one last thing." She turns her attention to Darko. "I appreciate that the distinction is largely theoretical, but yes, I absolutely can forbid you from pursuing any course of action I see fit. What I lack is the mechanism to enforce said forbidence. If you attempt to circumvent it, I am sure you would find it quite simple, but know that you do so without my approval and with the prospect of reprisal. Is that understood?" Her attention briefly flickers over to Eddie. "And that applies to you, as well, mister golem." Juibi, at least, gets off without the lecture; a tongue-sticking in response to an order is certainly rude, but at least not an open indicator of defiance so much as displeasure.

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Come on gang, lets split up!

Luckily, everyone was distracted talking amongst themselves, which meant it wasn't even necessary for Asami to run and wear Koko out. Given they had some time before they reach the library, he turns back towards Koko to see how she's doing.

"Yeesh, can you believe those guys? Everything's some quest to them! Its like no one in this school cares about how anyone else feels ever. I frogging hate this school..." Asami complains, shooting a smile at Koko, "So... How do you feel about all that talk of rejoining with Aiko-senpai?"

[quillpleasant]

Family Reunion

It's a fine morning, and Atya's stomach is a pit. Between the recent murder, her other election woes, and a certain upcoming paternity test, things have been... complicated. Not for the first time, she wishes that she was as heartless as a lot of people expect her to be, because that would make this all a lot easier.

But sadly, Atya does care, which is why she's all the way in Inside today. She's seeing some people in the afternoon, and it's not something she can just go to directly. Who knows who might be watching? No, she has to take a roundabout route, and there's a disguise in her bag for added security. But while she's going this far out of her way, it only makes sense to pick up a gift to help smooth things over. As much as that's even possible.

Do people bring baked goods to a paternity test? Atya has no idea, but it seems like the right thing to do. And look- here's a handy bakery shop now.

Atya breezes in through the door of the Draco Street Bakery. The blonde elf is dressed down today, wearing a simple tanktop and cargo pants with a backpack over one shoulder. It wouldn't make sense to put on a fancy outfit if she's going to be changing into a disguise anyway. Of course, anyone who keeps up on politics would certainly recognize her as one of the mayoral candidates, but it's fine if she's spotted- she has a plan for that too.

Raising an eyebrow as she surveys the overly large decor, she heads over to the counter to see if there's any shopkeeper on duty to answer her questions.

[Keeper]

Family Reunion

Naturally, behind the counter is a dragon. A very large dragon! Possibly the largest dragon Atya has ever seen unless she's ever met Megeshi or any other stereotypically bus-sized dragons. But those dragons weren't wearing a frilly apron and chef's hat and rocking the 'jolly town baker' look if she did meet them. Probably.
"Mornin'. Can I get you anything?" asks the dragon cheerily in his usual deep voice.

[TeChameleon]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Eddie, had, as usual, miscalculated his audience. When his usual adventuring sales pitch went over like a lead balloon, he shrank back a little, and when Darko tried to back out completely, he sagged into himself, doing his best not to go into a failure spiral. Even so, though, his brain kept working. I was welcome in this theatre until I revealed myself as a golem... but I think Darko saw that I was made of stone when I got too close to him in the library, so maybe that's not it... power level, maybe? So he thinks I might see something? Well, if I... he thought.

"I could wear a blindfold through the theatre, if that would help?" he offered out loud to Darko, his voice smaller and far less confident than it had been a moment ago. Granted, a blindfold wouldn't impair his ability to see magic in the slightest, but that wasn't something he was about to share for the moment.

He gave Juibi an uncertain look. The little golem really wasn't sure what to make of a talking slime dragon; while she was clearly intelligent, she was also something completely new to him, which would normally be a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, he didn't feel like this was an appropriate time to get to know her, which mostly just left him feeling awkward and unsure of himself.

Then Eddie nodded to Mary. He could understand not wanting sudden crowds, although he still didn't really see why he should worry about this Circe character.

Finally, he got lectured by Sigil-Aiko. Upon being called "Mister Golem", he corrected her in a mild voice. "If we're going to insist on titles, then I am properly Dag Wentim Filias Edmond Lapis, second Baron Hamilton." Granted, he was pretty sure that particular barony had been considered extinct for more than five hundred years, but he figured that since Aiko was an exiled empress, they broke even.

"Although I do agree that your succubus self should be retrieved- even if you are not in danger of unplanned rapid disassembly, I do not think this separation is doing your mental health any favours." he added to Aiko. He hoped that, on the chance that Darko actually was willing to travel with him, that he had a phone, as Eddie did not, at least not yet.

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Darko stands by silently as Sigil Aiko presents her plan. She's right that going after Circe is probably a terrible idea. And although he's not happy about any of this, he has enough sense to realize that everything she's saying has sound logic behind it.

"Y- yeah okay. Get Asami and Koko back. Should be easy," he mutters. Just have to convince Asami of something that she doesn't want to do, and haul back a crying girl who doesn't want to be there. Easy, and definitely not something that makes Darko want to sink into the earth.

Then Eddie says the thing about the blindfold, and Darko looks over in alarm. Did he... offend the golem somehow? He had only brought up the Theatre as a way to get places quickly, so there was really no need to go there at all now. Still, he should probably explain that whole situation to Eddie at some point.

Just not right now.

"Okay, Eddie, follow me and we'll track down Asami. He shouldn't be that hard to find. As for the Theatre, I can show you around some other time. Ready to go?" Darko is practically vibrating with eagerness to get away from the crowd, even if he's not looking forward to the inevitable argument with Asami.

---

Family Reunion

It takes Atya a second to register the dragon as a real living creature and not an oversized animatronic of some kind. She hadn't guessed the shop's name to be so literal. But she hides her surprise with a smile and nods in greeting.

Atya's aware that dragons exist, but she's never seen one before. And although there were undoubtedly many different kinds across the dimensions, she hadn't expected her first sighting to be one that was so... well... cartoony.

Still, better that than a giant horrible monster trying to eat her face off.

"Hi! Yes, you can actually. I'm not the best at... bakeries," she says, waving a hand vaguely. "Liquor stores are more my area of expertise. Uh... what would you recommend to get for someone who maybe hates you, definitely doesn't trust you, and might be receiving some terrible news soon? As a like, icebreaker, condolences for the fucked up situation kind of gift."

She pauses. "Yeah, she has kids too. Like... one year olds? Can they eat bread? They can eat bread, right? Or... cupcakes?" God, how does she know so little about children?

[Keeper]

Family Reunion

"Um." Well that is certainly something. Rowan turns, bending all the way down to dig something out of the bottom of the case. The problem with being quite tall. He lays the item on the counter - an apple pie.
"There's nothing more honest than an apple pie. And uh." He slaps a few extremely sugary cookies on there too.
"I um. Dunno about human kids but it's probably fine?" Rowan suggests, totally pulling the 'I'm just a dragon I dunno about humans' card to avoid admitting he doesn't know the answer to the question either.

[quillpleasant]

Family Reunion

"Oh wow, apple pie. My mom used to make that, I think," says Atya, staring down at the golden crust for a few moments. That was a whole lifetime ago, and yet the smell somehow brings her right back for a moment.

"Yeah, this is perfect. Love honesty. Do you bake everything yourself?" she asks, passing over her card. "I could never have the patience, my cooking skills are more like... burnt salad, you know?" Luckily she has someone to do it for her.

[Keeper]

Draco Street Bakery

Rowan nods and starts wrapping everything.
”Everything’s made here, yeah. The pies are all me specifically. Pies are kind of my thing. Blueberry is my own recipe, but it doesn’t have the same vibe Apple does in this context I think.”
Luckily dragons have adapted to using credit. Honestly it’s a lot easier; when you may not have hands it’s a lot easier to set up a credit account than carrying money.
”Trust me, when the need arises you can get good at cooking fast.”

[Halae]

[Undertree Manor]

You know what's a great way to prevent a mummy from stabbing your ally?

Hitting them with a spear hard enough to take them clean off their feet.

The mummy is launched away from Lex before any stabbing can take place, the dragon blowing a raspberry at the undead as it goes. Then he cranks the dial on the side of his crossbow, loads a bolt into it, and fires a thermal catalyst bolt at the frozen mummy.

When said bolt hits said mummy the alchemical concoction reacts violently, blowing the mummy to bits in the process. The other mummy seems to be busy getting back up, pulling the spear out of itself and looking-

Well.

Not mad.

Maybe determined?

It swings its sword at Skye, sending an arc of blazing flame wooshing toward her.

[Undertree Manor]

Skye hops up from her place on the face, doing a front flip over the wave of fire to hit the ground running to close the gap with the mummy - she expects it to try and counterattack her charge, probably with an overhead or similar swing, and to account for that once she gets close to it she suddenly pivots her feet, twisting over to the mummy's shield side - a shield is a great defensive tool, of course, but it's also very large, and it's easy to use one to foul up whatever attack the user is making by suddenly giving the opponent cover.

And in that cover, Skye intends to punch the mummy in its stupid face, essence channeling enough power to make it as deadly as any of her spear blows.

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
"For what it's worth, I forbid you from looking for Circe too," Mary adds. "Good luck finding Koko, come to [this address] when you've got her."

She beckons to Juibi and the remaining Aikos. "C'mon, we've got a train to catch."

[quillpleasant]

Draco Street Bakery

"Yeah, apple seems... boring but in a nice way," offers Atya. Hopefully boring is what's needed right now.

"You'd like my roommate- she's also good at cooking, and, uh..." She was going to say big but that might come off as insulting. "Strong." Better, but still weird. Atya nods, leaning her forearms on the counter. The size of this place makes her feel like a child at her mother's inn again.

As Rowan rings her up, the door opens with a chime as Simon slithers in, his coils keeping him upright as he taps away at his phone. "Hey babe! I was going to run some errands but I thought I'd stop by here first, see if you needed anythiaaaaAAAAAAAA!"

Glancing up, his eyes had alighted on the elf, and his voice rises to a high pitched squeak as he instantly shifts into his tiny orange form, one of the faster transformations Rowan's seen from him yet. Dropping his phone, he backpedals so quickly that he knocks a chair over, which he swiftly proceeds to duck behind.

Atya glances over with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with him?" she asks casually.

[Keeper]

Draco Street Bakery

Rowan actually starts in surprise at that visceral a reaction. He squints at Atya, picking up his cake peel from where it rested against the counter.
"Do you know this person, Simon?" Is he the person she said she might be giving bad news to?
Hmmm. "I guess there might be something familiar about you."

[quillpleasant]

Draco Street Bakery

Atya starts to shake her head in confusion- she certainly doesn't know any dragons. But then...

"Simon? I've known a Simon, but he wasn't a... kobold?" She peers at the small orange figure hiding behind the chair. For his part, Simon bares his needle teeth and hisses.

"Did she send you? Is this because of what I did? Because it was completely justified, and there is no way I'm letting you guys ruin things for me again! My life is good now! Good!" he rants, voice high with anger and fear.

Atya blinks, then shakes her head. "No, I'm drawing a blank. None of that makes any sense to me," she says, glancing at Rowan to see if he has any insight. She also seems to have no idea that the cake peeler is in any way a threatening object.

[Keeper]

Draco Street Bakery

Oh no stressed Simon is extremely cute. Rowan should never have been given the power to make people adorable tiny lizards.
Rowan slowly walks around the counter and attempts to protectively pick up Simon and definitely not hold him like a stressed cat. He does know one thing that Simon has said was Very Bad aside from his death.
"Is this a family thing?" he whispers as softly as he can but he is a nine foot dragon and being quiet is hard.

[Rebonack]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

"If it's all the same, it sounds like this is a going to be a long and boring train ride. I bet you can handle it just fine without me," Juibi replies, feeling like she's going to be something of a... hmm.

Fourth?

Fourth wheel?

Between Mary and the two Aikos.

If this was going to be some sort of ADVENTURE she was all for it but if it's just going to be sitting and talking awkwardly? No thanks.

"Good luck you guys! I hope you solve your mystery!" she says before tucking up in a big ball and straight up rolling away down the hall toward the Dungeon Cuisine class. Zooooom!


[Undertree Manor]

As Skye is winding up, Lex takes another deep breath and blasts a wave of freezing vapor out of his mouth again! It isn't quite as spectacular as the first batch since he had just chugged the potion. This is just the leftovers. But it should still be enough to freeze the mummy's feet to the ground right before it has a chance to try to dodge Skye's incoming attack!

Sure enough, the one-two punch (of which only one is an actual punch) turns out great! The mummy gets sealed to the ground right as Skye swings, making a dodge nearly impossible. Skye strikes with enough force to spin the mummy's head clear around backwards! Typically this would be lethal but we're talking an undead fae here. Now unable to see, it makes a few wild sword swings that probably won't accomplish much.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

[Koko]

Koko hasn't left Asami's side since they stepped away from the crowd, but she only gets closer as the questions start, clinging to the boy's arm with both hands.

"...I don't think I'd mind so much if it was just Babaz-chan." She says after a moment. "But Aiai-chan is... well, she's so mean. And I don't like saying that, but she really is. Where does she get off, bossing everyone around like that, anyway? I bet being merged with her would feel all gross. I can't imagine she's very happy. People who treat people like that usually aren't." She frowns. "...And now I feel a little bad for her."

[Sigil and Aged]

"...Hm." Sigil Aiko watches bemusedly as Juibi rolls up the hallway. "...I like her." She notes after a moment. "Compassionate. Intelligent. Honest. It is rare to meet someone of such a demeanor at this school. Surprisingly so, given its intentions. I am sorry to see her go."

"We will see her again at another time." Older Aiko points out.

"Well, yes. But it seemed worth pointing out. When this is all over, we should find some means of honoring her. Perhaps a gift?"

"...I will look into it."

Sigil Aiko turns her attention back to those present. "Right. You have your assignments. Darko. Lord Hamilton." She gives the two of them a short, stiff bow. "Goodbye for now, and good luck."

With that, she and her older counterpart turn around and start to depart with Mary, walking in sync with each other.

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

[Koko]

"I can't imagine they agreed to those names," Asami notes, raising an eyebrow at Koko. "Anyways, I don't think you'll really feel anything about it after the fact. You'd just be one person, same as before. That's the theory, at any rate."

Asami blinks in musing, continuing on, "There are better places to put your sympathies, ya know. You could accomplish a lot more as three separate people than you can as one. But 'Aiai'-senpai seems to only care for her own struggles. You should just try not to think about her, and all."

[quillpleasant]

Draco Street Bakery

Simon does not resist being picked up, and he hangs in Rowan's arms, glowering at Atya. For her part, the elf just stares them down with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, it's a family thing," mutters Simon, "Rowan, this is my older sister. One of them." It could, theoretically, be a lot worse.

Atya blinks at the statement, then bursts into laughter. "Wait, what? You don't expect me to believe..." She looks torn between incredulity and amusement. "You're not actually Simon. You're a... weird little dragon. Wait, how do you two even know about Simon? Is this some kind of prank show, or... what?" She raises her arms in confusion.

"You dummy! Obviously I shapeshifted!" shoots back Simon, to which Atya just screws up her face in disbelief.