Plots: Serious, silly, random, oh my!

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
The train stops at a small port town, mostly dedicated to fishing; here, Mary gets off and heads straight for the docks. She leads the Aikos aboard a boat, and more waiting occurs, before it sets out, arriving about an hour later at a fishing village on a tropical island. From here, the demon princess sets out on foot onto a jungle road, not much more than a dirt track, out to a beautiful white sand beach and then back into the forest a short distance to a clearing where a house stands. It's a stately three-story building in Victorian style but clearly with modern amenities; a garden sits on one side of the house and on the other, somewhat behind it, is what appears to be a workshop with blocks of stone stacked in neat piles.
"Finally! We're here "

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

At the edge of a clearing, Asami laid face-up with her head against a tree, snoozing peacefully as drool trickles into her hair. She changed out of her gakuran, and into more feminine clothing, namely the skirt Shekmet had a golem get for her when her clothes got sprayed with soda along with a Sonic tee and her purple light-up sneakers.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

The trip up to the house is mostly made in silence by the two Aikos; neither of them seem to be really absorbing the surroundings, apart from a few polite bows directed at passersby from sigil Aiko (or Aiai, as the older Aiko took to calling her right after getting off the phone).

Aiai looks up at the house as they approach and gives a noncommittal "hm". So this is how Sekhmet lives while she's on the mortal plane? It seems... passable. Not quite as excessively opulent as a palace, nor as humble as your average house. It seems designed for comfort, first and foremost, which is a reasonable goal for what she would essentially consider a vacation house.

She pauses as they reach the front door, looking over to Mary and her older self, waiting for one of them to take action. Mary lived here, so she could walk right in, but since she most definitely wants to get Sekhmet's attent-

knuk-knuk-knuk

Aiai raises an eyebrow as Babaz, rather less patiently, reaches out and makes use of the knocker herself.

"...That is what you wanted me to do, correct?"

"Well... yes. I suppose." Aiai stares straight at the door and assumes proper posture, in anticipation of being let inside.

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
"Huh? What's he... Er .. she doing there?" Mary wonders, seeing Asami asleep by the tree. She doesn't interfere. She doesn't want to have to deal with Asami right now.
When Babaz knocks, Mary steps around her and opens the door. "It's unlocked," she says, "MUM! I'M HOME EARLY! I BROUGHT SOMEONE WHO NEEDS HELP!" she shouts, stepping into the foyer.
There's a pause. "She'll be down in a second. Unless she's out."
They don't have to wait long.
"Maweeee!" a high-pitched voice squeals. A tiny demon toddles into the room, happily smiling even as he stumbles into a crawl. Behind him enters his mother, as supernaturally gorgeous as ever, and covering it up as much as she can, as usual. "This had better not be another ploy to get out of... Who's this?" Sekhmet stops. "How about you come in for some tea."

Meanwhile,
"Hi little guy," Mary scoops her baby brother up. "Have you been having fun today?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Asami was awoken by the knocking, rubbing her eyes and weakly raising herself. It takes her a bit to fully get up, walking into the manor just after Shekmet enters the scene. "Speak up, Brignole, I don't think they heard you on Jupiter. Hm?" Asami's sarcastic facade faded near instantly as her eyes caught sight upon the demon toddler. She approaches the child, and consequently Mary. Asami immediately attempts to pat Mary's baby brother on the head. "Hi! I don't believe we've met. Asami desu!" She remains playful with the toddler a moment longer before suddenly stopping. "Ah," she says in realization, stepping back, "I'm being really rude, aren't I? Ojama shimasu." Asami bows apologetically, afterwards scanning the room for where she's supposed to leave her shoes.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

Sekhmet should have no trouble recognizing Aiko. Or noticing that there are two of her present, even if one of them looks to be older than Sekhmet herself (if only going by physical appearance). A fuller explanation can wait until they get inside, but it should still be immediately obvious who it is Mary's brought home and that she does, in fact, need the demon queen's help.

For her part, Aiai seems to be pointedly avoiding interacting with Mary's little brother, or Asami, for that matter. The most they seem to get out of her is a brief, downward glance, confirming that she can at least percieve them, but for whatever reason finds them sitting beyond the need to be addressed. Babaz behaves similarly, only moving to block Aethelred from running too far past the front door if he tries, but otherwise not commenting on either his presence or Asami's.

"...Tea would be lovely, thank you." Aiai says finally, giving Sekhmet a polite smile and stepping inside.

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Bloodplunder Residence

"I'm sure she's very nice- despite her biting my journal," says Darko, pulling out the book and examining the damage critically. The cover is made to look like a plush rabbit, and there's a tear in one of the ears now, but some needle and thread should make it repairable.

He kneels and looks the goat in her eye. "Stinky-chan, you should know better. How would you feel if I ate your journal? Where would you write about your relationship drama and goat secrets then?" he says, in a mock serious tone.

Getting to his feet, he grins at Koko. "So, whereabouts can we find your Nana?"

[Earl of Purple]

Aiko's Bad Day Bloodplunder Residence

A simple tug is all it takes to get Stinky-chan to let go of the journal; it's not the first time she's tried eating something she shouldn't. Likely won't be the last, either. She bleats in response to Darko's accusations, and leans into Koko's scritches. This may result in Koko stumbling as the nanny goat tries to occupy the same space as the person giving her fuss.

Nana is probably in the house; there's a support network of retired adventurers and they usually come over for tea at this time, to make sure she's not having any issues.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Bloodplunder Residence

"Hey! No! Bad Stinky!" Koko scolds, seeing the goat munching on the ear of journal. She looks over to see the damage herself, and of course, in the intervening time; stops fussing over the goat.

And as such isn't paying a whole lot of attention when she's subsequently bowled over.

"Kya!" She protests as she falls over, sliding away from Stinky. "Hey! Stinky-chan!" She scolds a second time. "You don't have to be so rude!"

...Oh, well. At least Darko doesn't seem to be upset.

Koko lifts herself off the ground and dusts herself off, pointing toward the house. "Nana should be home." She explains. "Or back soon if she isn't. Or maybe Hope's here. Or Aigo!"

...Well, maybe not Aigo. He'll still be at school, probably, unless he found a coincidental reason to skip classes today, too. But that won't stop Koko from getting excited at the prospect.

"Come on!" She beckons, bounding up to the house. "Let's go say hi!"

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
"What are you doing here, Asami?" Mary asks. The baby just grabs at Asami's hand with his pudgy little fingers.
As for a place for shoes, there's a mat just inside the door.
"I'll put the kettle on," Sekhmet says, apparently unconcerned with the increasing number of uninvited guests, "Right this way." She leads the Aikos (Mary is keeping an eye on Asami and won't follow unless she does) into the kitchen and hangs a kettle over the fireplace, which lights with just a gesture. "Now, what happened? Where's the rest of you?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

Asami smiles, replying to Mary, "I heard you guys were coming here, so I decided to catch up."

Asami puts her shoes on the mat and follows behind the Aikos. At Shekmet's questioning, Asami spoke up, "The other Aiko-senpai's with a friend of mine. Said they wanted to test if they can fly."

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

As soon as Aiai spots the mat for shoes, she quietly deposits hers, as is only polite for a guest. Babaz, however, passes it without comment.

Aiai's veneer of politeness drops, however, as soon as Asami mentions what her counterpart is doing. "She what?!" The sigil-covered empress demands. "And you didn't stop her? She could get seriously hurt like that! Or, gods forbid, killed!"

"Aiai. Calm yourself." The older Aiko cautions, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Even at our most reckless, we would not be inclined to jump from a high place, or else test ourselves in a brazenly unsafe manner. It is even possible, given the change in anatomy, that she may have actually discovered an ability to fly, as well."

"Do you know that?" Aiai looks back up at her. "How do I know she isn't a splatter on the ground, right now?"

"...I suppose you do not." She gives her younger self a gentle squeeze. "But no amount of yelling will change it if she is. I suggest you put it out of your mind."

"You know I can't do that." Aiai paces back and forth worriedly. "I need to do something, I should never have left that idiot child alone... you still have our phone, right? And-"

"And contact with Lord Hamilton, yes." Babaz finishes. "And that is how you know Koko is fine. He promised he would keep an eye on her and keep us informed. I, for one, trust him on this matter."

"We met him today, how can we possibly trust him that much?!"

"He is also our only means of interaction with Koko, as of this moment. Either we can trust him, and she is fine, or we cannot and there is nothing we can do regardless."

Aiai opens her mouth, then closes it again, seeming to realize how futile it would be to argue. "...When we are done here, we are going to call him for a complete report." She mutters. "Or... wait, Asami, could you-"

"Are you about to try to give Asami an order?" Babaz asks, raising an eyebrow.

"..." Aiai lets out a sigh and shakes her head.

"I thought not."

Aiai takes a deep breath and returns her attention to Sekhmet. "...My apologies for the outburst, your imminence." She begins again, folding her hands in front of her. "That was... most unexpected and disturbing news."

If Sekhmet's watching their auras, she might have already partially deduced what's happened; between the two of them, about eighty percent of Aikobaz is present, with the remaining twenty elsewhere. If not, the actual details are soon to follow; Babaz gives a short but detailed account of the events leading up to Aiko's trifurcation, starting from her use of the wand that morning and ending with their arrival at the manor. Aiai remains silent throughout the explanation, doing her best to regain an air of regal stoicism.

[bc56]

Brignole Manor
"Asami! If you hadn't dragged her off, she would be here and we wouldn't have this problem!" Mary snaps at the star girl. "Pah!" the baby in her arms cheerily chimes in, waving his hands threateningly.
Sekhmet frowns at the outbursts (both of them) but quietly pays attention to Babaz' description of events. "I can't say I've ever heard of succubus essence splitting someone, but if you bring your missing piece here, I can see what I can do. It, uh, might be caused by some internal conflict within your mind. If that's true, we'll, uh, have to resolve that before you can be reunited."

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Bloodplunder Residence

Darko hides a smile as Koko gets knocked over by the goat. This animal is a menace! A cute, relatively harmless menace. He offers his hand to help the young succubus get back to her feet.

"I don't think she's listening to us," he jokes, sticking his tongue out at the goat.

Replacing the journal in his pocket, he follows Koko's gaze to the house. Yeah, they probably should go say hi to the people here- there might need to be some explaining if they don't know about Koko's condition. At the thought, Darko feels a sudden shyness. These people don't know him, and have no reason to trust him. What if they blame him for what's happened to Aiko? Maybe bringing her away from the others was the wrong choice?

He blinks, dismissing the worries. All he's doing is what he thinks is best, so if it ends up being wrong, then he'll live with the consequences.

"Sure, yeah! Lead the way!" he says, following Koko just a step behind.

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

Asami crosses her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. "I thought as much. That Aiko-senpai was very upset around Aiai-senpai. I don't think its unreasonable at all to believe she'd act unpredictably if brought here."

Noticing herself becoming tense, Asami makes an effort to loosen up slightly as she looks towards Aiai and Babaz. "With that being said and your concerns disregarded, I think the best course of action is to learn as much about you two as possible. Having some insight into how each of you thinks will make resolving conflicts easier, desu ne?"

Asami suddenly shoots an intimadating glare at Aiai, taking a threatening step forward. "And you can use this time to figure out how you're gonna apologize to yourself, too."

[Earl of Purple]

Aiko's Bad Day Bloodplunder Residence

Stinky-chan follows the two to the house, before deciding to find out what's in Koko's pockets, with her nibbly lips and tongue.

The front door is unlocked, and leads into a small foyer. The single door leads into a hallway, with the living room to the left and kitchen to the right, and then at the far end three bedrooms and a bathroom, as Koko knows. There's voices coming from the living room, and four pairs of shoes are on the shoe rack- Nana's black Mary Janes, Hope's large steel-toed boots, a pair of delicate beaded moccasins and a pair of very, very large canvas trainers.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Bloodplunder Residence

"Hey!" Koko objects as Stinky-chan's search turns up a leather pocketbook, tucked into her blazer. "Stinky-chan! That isn't yours! Leave it alone!" Almost instinctively, she pulls away toward Darko, interposing him between herself and the goat to prevent any further kleptoantics.

Fortunately, they're not far from the door and she can probably get them both inside before anything else happens.

"Sorry about that. I guess I should have warned you she takes things." Koko grimaces.

Her attention then turns to the shoe rack, poking at the oversized trainers with a curious, quirked smile. "I don't think these are Aigo's..." She mutters. "Oh! Nana probably has guests over! We should probably go say hi!" She then starts toward the living room, not really paying too much attention to what's being said until she gets there.


Brignole Manor

"Yes, we have hypothesized much the same." Babaz agrees, giving Sekhmet a little nod. "And ran into similar bafflements, as well. It seems our physiology responded to the essence in a rather unique way, much as it has to other magical substances."

She then turns her attention to Asami. "That seems like a reasonable course of action." She agrees. "Until such a time as we have Koko present, all we can do is prepare. We may as well do exactly that."

Aiai, however, seems singularly unimpressed with Asami's attempt at intimidation, and simply gives her a cold, withering glare. "One does not simply apologize without finding genuine fault in their actions." She says simply. "To do otherwise is to cast doubt on the sincerity of all such concessions. It certainly would not help to attempt to fabricate such a thing without any clear idea of what the fault is meant to be. I will not be doing what you ask of me."

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Bloodplunder Residence

"She really likes eating books, huh?" chuckles Darko, moving protectively in front of Koko. Now that his own diary is secure, he's ready to thwart any more of Stinky-Chan's attempts at property destruction.

Once they're inside he waves a hand dismissively at Koko's apology. "Don't apologize, I've never had my stuff nibbled by a goat before. Cool new experience." Even annoying experiences can be good, since they broaden your horizons. Darko's horizon being rather limited, that's something he especially likes to do.

He glances about, taking in the many pairs of shoes. Hm... there's possibly several people here. Darko isn't the best with crowds, but hopefully there won't be too much arguing this time- although he's prepared to have to do a little explaining as to who he is and what's going on with the Aikos. Not that he really knows the answer to either of those things.

"Alright, let's go!" he says, projecting as much confidence as he can as he follows her deeper into the house.

[Earl of Purple]

Aiko's Bad Day Bloodplunder Residence

Koko recognises the lounge. There's Nana's favourite armchair, covered in fur blankets, with a wooden side-table next to it, a mug of kumis on top of yesterday's newspaper. Over there is probably the sofa, though it's hard to tell with the visitors present. There's Hope's armchair, a battered old thing with ripped leather covers and a bodybuilder's magazine open on the arm. There's the chair that Aigothurz prefers to use, a low stool that can easily be picked up and carried elsewhere. On the wall is the television that Hope brought in, that nobody else really uses, and the PlayStation2 she got it for.

Three people are in the room; one is sat in Nana's favourite armchair, an old lady wearing a pink cardigan over a flowery dress, a large flail cradled across her lap. Koko recognises Nana Bloodplunder, pretty sure. The other two are new; a delicate elf wearing a barkcloth sleeveless top and a pair of leggings, long silver hair bound with a daisy chain and oak-brown skin; a large scar is down the left side of their face, hence the eyepatch. The remaining eye is violet. Next to them is the owner of the very, very large shoes; a half-ogre, wearing a black hoodie and a pair of jeans, his hands in the pouch. He's apparently an albino, with incredibly pale skin and hair, and wearing a pair of sunglasses indoors. All three turn to look as Koko bursts into the room, Darko shortly behind. "Aikobaz? What're you doing here? You're supposed to be in school. Are you feeling OK? You're not sick, are you?" Putting the flail aside, Nana stands up and heads over, ready to check Koko's temperature.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Bloodplunder Residence

Is she sick? Well, there are two schools of thought on that.

On the one hand, Koko is being very strange compared to her usual self. Not just in that her appearance has changed; Aikobaz didn't have wings, a tail, or horns when she when she left the house last weekend, and she almost never wore her hair in pigtails like this. Similarly, it's not very Aiko-like for her first response to Nana to be one where she runs up and wraps the old woman up in a hug, or to have a hige grin on her face the whole time. So by comparison, something is very definitely going on with her.

At the same time, there's nothing going on that would more normally indicate sickness; she's rather sanguine just this moment, but not feverish, she isn't sweating or shaking any more than she normally would (apart from the excited bouncing on the balls of her feet), and while there's no way to test her appetite or digestion right now, there's no signs of distress that would indicate an upset stomach or anything similar. So apart from her physical changes and aberrantly good mood, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her.

For her part, Koko just stands there and keeps her arms around Nana for as long as she will allow, or until she's addressed.

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Bloodplunder Residence

Darko looks around curiously. He's not actually been in many people's homes before, and his memory of his own is hazy at best. But this place seems rather cozy and inviting. A far cry from the crumbling Theatre, at any rate.

The people are a little more intimidating. The albino half-ogre looks like he could swing Darko around one handed, and everyone knows that if you've got an eyepatch you're not to be messed with. Even the old lady seems dangerous- who just casually holds a flail? Darko swallows heavily. Hopefully they're all as nice as Koko is expecting.

Since the young succubus doesn't seem to be making introductions, Darko steps awkwardly forward, giving a little wave. "Hi everyone, my name is, uh, Darko the, uh... the... Darko." He clears his throat. "I go to PREP with Ko- with Aikobaz, and... well, there's been a situation."

He shuffles his feet nervously. What the hell is a PS2? "Somehow Aikobaz has become three people, and she doesn't know why, and nor does anyone else, and the other two want to figure out how to combine back together, so they've gone to see someone named Sekhmet, but this one, uh, her name is Koko, she doesn't want to go back, so I brought her here because I thought it would be a safe place to talk things through, so I hope that's okay." Darko takes a deep breath. Did he miss anything? Is that half-ogre going to snap him like a twig? He smiles nervously as he awaits their response.

[Earl of Purple]

Aiko's Bad Day Bloodplunder Residence

Nana won't stop the hug any time soon, that's for sure; she's always willing to hug as long as the other party wants or needs to. She's got a very firm grip for an old woman, and is far stronger than one would expect of a little old lady.

"Good morning, Darko the Darko. I'm George, from the RARS- uh, Retired Adventurer Rehabilitation Society. This is my partner, in every way that word applies, Lathelelle Daisybloom. We're here to check in on her highness, make sure she's got everything she needs and she's not having any trouble." The half-ogre has a deep voice, as one might expect, and smirks a little at Darko the Darko- though it fades into seriousness as he continues to speak.
"Thirli has told us, George, she's not making any claims of royalty. We shouldn't refer to her as such, she doesn't like it. Do you want to be thrown through the window again?" Lathelelle frowns at their partner, before turning back to Darko and smiling gently. "My lover looks far scarier than he is, Darko. Please, don't be afraid of us. I'm... not sure how we can help with Ms. Aikobaz, though. I could try a minor divination, see if they're still connected; would that help?" They don't know what's been tried before and what is known about the split, partly because Earl wasn't always following the scene.

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
Brignole Manor

"Stay out of this Asami, you've caused enough damage. You don't get to disregard their concerns." Mary steps between Asami and the others in a gesture to shield them.

Sekhmet looks disapprovingly at Mary arguing with Asami, then back to the Aikos.
"Have you been torn about anything in your recent past? Or is there an upcoming decision you're conflicted about? If we know what caused the split, we can work towards fixing it."

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

Asami raises an eyebrow at Mary, an innocently bemused look on her face. "How do you expect me to respond to that?" she asks curiously, scratching her head, "I don't agree with you, but... I'm not really the type to, uh, go at it like you guys."

Asami steps to the side of Mary, musing with a troubled look on her face, "Honestly, I think this is the best way things could've gone. I mean, Aiko-senpai was up to something stupid and dangerous. I can't help but feel like if things went as planned, something terrible would've happened."

Asami shakes her head before looking to Babaz. "But that's besides the point. Babaz-senpai, when confirming your identity, you recalled a move in some game, something logical. While the other one brought to mind something emotionally significant. They further had trouble memorizing their agenda when I questioned them. They couldn't remember what class they had at a certain time, only that they shared the class with Aigothurz." Asami raises a finger to her chin. "Babaz-senpai, I'd like for you to examine your ability to feel subjective experiences, beyond just having knowledge of them."

[Morty]

[On the Dragons' Trail]

Finding information about the wood-dragons has proven surprisingly difficult. They're either elusive or no one has taken the time to study them in-depth. The danger they present might have been a factor. However, Ambrosia does eventually get a name: one magister Esterchaze Pouver, a dwarf sorcerer and academic.

It appears that his last known location is a small library that's a branch of a large university, located in a town inhabited by short folk with abundant and curly hair. However, should Ambrosia go there, she'll only find a bored-looking woman with dark skin and tattooed face, reading a book.

[Ironsmith]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Brignole Manor

With the conversation going in multiple different directions at once, Aiai and Babaz find themselves talking at the same time, addressing two different subjects and two different people, in a show of multitasking that would likely make Aiko envious if she wasn't performing it.

"A day does not go by when we are not conflicted." Aiai explains to Sekhmet. "Nor a moment when we are not strained. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, as has been said." She holds up a finger in Mary's direction, anticipating the obvious objection. "Which is a source of strain whether you recognize my rule or not." She lowers her hand again and stiffens. "...More specifically, I suspect the decision to use the essence in the first place may have qualified as a sundering event, given our differences in perspective on the matter."

Babaz, meanwhile, looks down at Asami, one eyebrows raised. "...Chess. I recalled a sequence of moves from a game of chess with our sister. That one in particular had significant emotional implications as well. I- or rather, we- ended the match feeling frustrated with how thoroughly we had been trounced, yet admiring our sister for having managed it and having been a good sport about it. Is that what you are looking for?"


Bloodplunder Residence

"Oh, right, Thirli!" Koko giggles, burying her face in the woman's cardigan. "I keep forgetting that's your name. It's such a pretty name, too! It sounds like 'girly' and 'burly', which is nice." She looks up from her chosen snuggle spot long enough to greet the other guests. "Hi, George! Hi, miss Daisybloom! You have a really pretty name, too!"

George, apparently, will just have to live with being left out of that category.

And then Lathelelle suggests divination.

"I... oh." Koko grimaces, digging her fingers into Nana's cardigan. "I'd rather you didn't. Using magic on me makes all itchy... it was okay when Darko did it because he's really quick and careful at the same time, but, um..."

Well, she doesn't want to imply Lathelelle won't be quick and careful, but it looks like she just did. Hopefully she's not upset over that.

[quillpleasant]

Aiko's Bad Day

Bloodplunder Residence

Darko smiles as the retired adventurers introduce themselves, his nervousness ebbing a bit. Despite their fearsome appearance, these guys seem nice. And after all, the Wizards look pretty scary too if you don't know them, so he can't judge.

"It's very nice to meet all of you," he says politely. Wow, retiring from adventuring with your true love. That seems like a pretty cool life goal.

But he's distracted by something that Koko's said. "Oh... I didn't actually use any magic. I just tossed some smoke bombs and we ran, and then to get here I asked one of the Wizards to bring us. Don't wanna take credit." Of course, it doesn't take a genius to realize that he's either mistaken or in denial about this- there's no way they got up to the bell tower that fast without magic.

"But maybe if you used the divination on the other two? That way it wouldn't affect Koko directly?" he suggests. That might still make her itchy by association, but it could be worth a try.

[bc56]

Aiko's Bad Day
"If you don't want to argue, then don't dismiss people's concerns out of hand," Mary snaps at Asami, "And do you really think this is a good outcome? Aiko did use the essence and something bad did happen, and can you honestly say that splitting her into three people who each can't function on their own is better?"


Sekhmet considers the two answers. "I don't think either of those could be the root cause," she says, "It would need to be something pervasive and severe." She once again frowns at the others arguing, although this time she's more focused on Asami. Then she turns to the Aikos. "She does have a point. You seem to be the moral center of your self, and you seem to be the rational center. I, uh, assume the missing part is your emotional side?"

[[brackets lover]]

[Aiko's Bad Day]

Asami nods with Babaz's answer and frowns when Mary further instigates.

Shekmet's declaration earns a nervous smile from Asami, who chimes in, "With all due respect, Shekmet-sama, this all seems like just surface-level evaluations. I'd like to offer some hypotheses of my own, if I may." She crosses her arms, a musing look on her face. "We know that the split occured concurrently with Aiko-senpai's use of her dreaming technique. We also know that each Aiko-senpai purports to have made different choices within the dream. This adds up, right? Alternate futures and all that? But this calls into question how Aiko-senpai would be effected by the succubus essence that's merely part of a dream. I posit that the physical changes present in the emotional side and Babaz-senpai aren't the result of succubus essence directly and rather brought about by themselves. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team has dialogue saying Luigi in the dream world is just a representation of how Luigi sees himself, and that's how there are a bunch of different luigis in the dream world. Now, if we apply this logic to Aiko-senpai, she must've been projecting herself into multiple strong personalities. So, rather than being isolated parts of Aiko-senpai's complete personality, you may just be parts of how Aiko-senpai sees herself. Cause if you think about it, if you reduced someone down to just their morality or emotionality, they wouldn't be capable of basic skills like walking or talking. Wait a second..."

Asami raises a finger to her chin, deep in thought, "This means the three of you wouldn't make a complete Aiko-senpai, either. If I'm correct, you'd be missing that part of Aiko-senpai that she doesn't see herself as. There may be more fragments of Aiko-senpai than what we've seen..."

[Earl of Purple]

Aiko's Bad Day Bloodplunder Residence

"If they were here, I could. My magic isn't harmful or particularly long-ranged; what I was going to attempt is an old trick I picked up on identifying and analysing ongoing magical effects, particularly enchantments and curses. I could demonstrate how benign it is by using it on someone else, first?" Miss Daisybloom (or perhaps not 'miss' as they have a partner) shakes their head at Darko's suggestion.

"Magic makes her blood glow, or it did afore the split. How did you feel when you split? Itchy at all?" Nana wants to know if magic was involved in the split, if Koko remembers it. She frowns a little at the remark on her name being nice. "It is a nice name, but... I like it when you call me 'Nana'. You're maybe not related, but you're part of this family, nevertheless." Thirli will end the hug and boop Koko's nose thrice with the word 'nevertheless'.
"That... would make things a little more complex, I think. The physical reaction to magic... Is not something I have much experience in." Though the fact that Koko's blood isn't glowing right now would suggest that there's nothing magic to detect, at least.

"If Darko was able to ask a wizard for teleportation to get here, they should have been able to detect such anyway. I have rarely met an experienced wizard that did not have a load of passive spells out to find out things they can later let slip to seem mysterious and all-knowing to those forced to deal with them." Unfortunately George doesn't realise the kind of wizard Darko is used to dealing with.