{Tara's POV, a day after Martha sent the letters}

Looking around, I hummed as I saw how antsy mom and Asia were. Today, we were going to head into the Familiar Forest. At the moment, we were waiting for Issei, who we were going to smuggle into the forest, then fuck right off afterwards before anyone knew better. Incidentally, we were also smuggling Asia in. Neither of the two were officially part of Rias' Peerage, neither were they Contracted to her. Technically, neither was I, but considering I was her blood related daughter, I had some leeway.

Though, we'd been waiting for a few minutes, and my usual sparring partner had yet to appear. (Where the hell is he?) Issei was usually punctual, so this was sorta strange to be honest.

It was while I was thinking about it, that I felt a familiar presence coming closer. For a moment, I was confused. I recognized it as Issei, yes, but he felt different. He felt... More if I was being honest. It hardly took long for me to recognize why that was. (So, he's gotten a bit more draconic huh? What's that make it, 7%? 10?) I was curious about the changes I'd felt, but when the door opened, and Issei came in announcing his presence, I could physically spot some differences. (The tips of his hair are going red, nice color, he's grown... What, an inch or two? His pupils are a little more diamond shaped, not all the way yet, but getting there.) I sniffed the air for a moment, and mentally nodded the next. (He smells more like a dragon too.)

There were metaphysical changes too, changes that made me excited. (He's passively leaking mana now. Not alot, hardly enough to even be compared to a Low Class Devil, but enough to signify that his magic is going to get stronger.)

I was tempted to make Issei fight me now, just to see how much stronger he'd gotten, or what else had changed, but a mental whack to my head stopped me. [Your instincts are acting up, get control of yourself.] I mentally scowled, then did just that, picturing myself whacking my draconic instincts on the snout with a rolled up newspaper. The indignation that came from my instincts amused me, but I got it done. [Good.]

I rolled my eyes at that. {Thank you mother.}

Her snort rang through my mind, making my lips twitch. She'd gone back to doing whatever she had been doing after that, and I turned an eye back to the real world, watching as Issei gave mom and Asia short hugs. I raised a brow when he turned to me, holding an arm out as I looked at him. "Just gonna ignore me like that?"

Issei scoffed at that, and moved in to give me my hug. "We both know if I ignored you, you'd break my bones."

Suddenly, the familiar gauntlet of the Old Gecko popped up. [Not like she does that daily or anything.]

"Well, yeah, but that's different." He had a point there. "She'd do it with FEELING if I did that, instead of just because its fun like usual." And wasn't that the fuckin truth?

[... Good point. That's not even accounting for the fact she's a female. 'Hell hath no fury' as they say.] Normally, I'd be offended at that, and on some level, I was.

Though, I took in the weird tone Ddraig had said that in, and remembered something. "Isn't your old mate in the Familiar Forest?" I was pretty sure I'd heard that at some point, but I think I'd only been paying that conversation half a mind.

Issei blinked in surprise at that, breaking out of the hug to look down at the gauntlet. [Yes... Yes she is... Hopefully she's asleep when we visit, the boyo isn't ready for someone of her caliber being pissed at me/him.]

"Huh, why me?!" I snorted at the panic on his face, which earned me a betrayed look. "Tara-chan, that's not funny!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It is to me."

Issei huffed, but before he could respond, the Old Gecko chimed in. [Your little moment aside, I may have... Accidentally destroyed her home during one of my disputes with Albion. She'd lived in that mountain for centuries, and I had forgotten it was in that direction at the time... She never forgave me for that... The make up mating had me fearing for my life though.]

I blinked at that, the image of Ddraig dying by Snu Snu was both highly amusing, and super disturbing. I wasn't used to the concept of having sex as a dragon either, so that just added to the disturbing bit. Just thinking of how that could work made me shiver, and violently chase the thought out of my mind. "Anywaaay! Forest, go, now." Might've been laying it on thick, but oh well.

Issei seemed happy to move on, and the Old Gecko didn't seem to have anything else to say, so he went back to Issei's soul.

We all gathered around Rias, who was checking the time, nodding afterwards. "Alright, if we go now, we'll be cutting it close, but still be on time." That was good. I wasn't sure what would happen if we were late, and wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know either. Looking over to a fidgeting Asia, who was dressed in a snug lavender turtle neck, a light blue skirt with stockings, Rias smiled. "It'll be fine Asia-chan, you've already taken the train, so we can just teleport in, get a Familiar, then leave. We won't stay long enough for anything to happen."

Yeah, we'd prepared for this, taking Asia and Issei on the train a week back , so we wouldn't be breaking any laws. Issei and Ddraig had been curious about seeing Hell, but Asia had been worried. Even after knowing it wasn't all fire and brimstone, she was still worried about the dimension itself, which made sense. Asia, despite being indoctrinated, was still Catholic, and believed in the big G. Her being unsettled with Hell was just common sense.

The resident nun gave Rias a weary smile, and nodded. Seeing that, mom wrapped an arm around her, and brought her into her side, Asia squeaked at the sudden action, especially as her head rested on mom's tit. She'd been getting used to mom's sudden bouts of affection, but she hadn't gotten used to them yet. "It'll be fineee baby, if anything happens you'll have mama there to protect you!" She followed that up with a kiss to the top of the blonde's skull, laughing as she did.

That made Asia blush as red as mom's hair, and look down, away from all our eyes as she did the finger thing Hinata does in Naruto. It was adorable as shit, and mom absolutely loved it. "H-Hai, Okaasan."

The sound mom let out was a mix between a 'squee' and 'cute', and she practically suffocated Asia in her breasts as she enveloped her in a hug. "Ah, you're just the cutest thing!" Watching Asia squirm in mom's grasp, flailing about like a drowning person, would always amuse us.

I smiled at the sight, and saw Rias' lips twitching, showing she was trying not to laugh at the scene in front of us. Seeing the look, my sister came over and leaned into my ear, which was totally unnecessary, but she did it anyway. "One of these days, I think I'll need to Reincarnate Asia solely because mom might kill her on accident."

My mind came up with chibi versions of mom and Asia, the former shaking the latter as her soul floated out of her mouth. Martha must've been looking into my thoughts at that moment, because I could feel her surprise, as well as hear her choke up in the library. That, combined with the original image, made me bark out a laugh. That was just too hilarious not too.

Rias, unaware of my thoughts nor that Martha was choking upstairs, laughed with me. Issei, who had been in range to hear Rias, who doing his best not to laugh, he really was, but he eventually gave in and joined us.

The laughter got mom's attention, and she freed Asia from her possible death, raising a brow at us while Asia breathed the sweet air. "Whatcha laughing at?"

Rias and I shared a look, and responded in sibling unity. ""Nothing."" Issei just laughed harder at that, getting even the Old Gecko to chuckle a bit.

Mom rolled her eyes at us. "Keep your secrets." Humming, she looked down to the nun, then at Issei and us. "So, we good to go now?" Mom was right, we had just been waiting for Issei, and the kid was here now so we should've been free to go.

Confirming that, Rias nodded. "Yeah, we're good. Should we use the room, or my own circle?" After a brief chat, we decided to use Rias' circle, since she was right here, and we didn't need to go anywhere. Another nod, and Rias snapped her fingers, her circle forming beneath us.

And with another snap, we were gone.

Over the years, I'd gotten used to teleportation. It helped that I was both used to moving at high speeds, and had the physiological advantage of being a dragon. To a minor level, Issei had the same advantages, just to a far lesser degree. Mom and Rias were Devils, so they were fine.

Asia on the other hand? "Wah!" The poor girl had nearly busted her ass as we came out of the port. I had no idea if it was the sudden change, if she just landed wrong, or her natural clumsiness, but it happened.

Thankfully, mom was by her side in an instant. "Whoa there, I got you baby." Asia however, might not have been as thankful.

Once again, she was once again buried into moms tits, being suffocated as per usual. (Seeing this trope in real life is weeeird. I mean, it's funny as fuck, and I can see the value of fucking with people like that with my own tits... Wow that's open to interpretation...) I mentally checked just in case Martha was in my mind, and nodded when I confirmed I was alone in my mind. (Anyway, it could be fun, though I don't really have people to do it too.) Which was true.

I could do it to Koneko, but that was because she was my daughter and I would be failing in my motherly duties if I didn't mess with her like that.

Gasper was an eh... He was a trap, but still a little boy. I'd feel like a pedo if I shoved my tits in his face, so he was out.

Kiba was also a no, because he was a boy.

Akeno would most likely take the chance to fondle me, and while I was up for some fondling, I didn't see her that way.

Rias was my sister, so I could do it to fuck with her, but that was just one person.

Issei was an ehhh. I'd practically raised the dolt, but putting him to my tits would feel weird, so he was a no.

There were Futaba and Irina though, both in the 'little sister' category, so I'd probably do it to them. (Just need to deal with Futaba's Palace, which will be somewhat soon given The Thieves dealt with Kamoshida.I know Futaba's Palace is supposed to go on in July, but I'll see if I can get that moved up for a bit sooner. With me there, we should be fine, but I'm not sure how her Palace might've changed over the years...) I frowned at that, but shook it off. (Doesn't matter. I'll be there to make sure everything goes fine. If Martha's thing goes good then we might have some more backup.) That made me feel better... I blinked. (How the fuck did I get here?)

Sometimes, I had no idea just why my mind just said 'hey, that's an interesting train of thought' and jumped onto it like it was covered in strawberries, it just did. I rubbed my chin in thought, and idly tuned back into the conversation around me. Rias was telling us how the whole Familiar thing was meant to go, and that we'd just know when our Familiar showed up.

Mom and Asia were curious/looking forward to what could come up, while I was just here out of random curiosity. I didn't exactly care if I found a Familiar, though I wouldn't mind if I found one. "Now we just need the Fa...-" Rias stopped to blink at something, looking confused at whatever she was seeing.

Mom and Asia caught it when she stopped talking, but I was already looking towards the source of the interruption. When I saw what it was, and felt a tug on my magic, I blinked, surprised at what we were seeing.

Coming out of the bushes was this little pup, a mix of a Doberman with its general body structure, and a Husky with how poofy its fur was. Said fur was a red similar, if not the exact same shade of my hair, ruby red eyes to add to the fur, and black claws. The pup was a good foot/.3ms tall, nearly twice as long, and looked absolutely adorable! The pup and I had locked eyes, and after taking a step towards me, I slowly stepped towards it.

It was a slow thing. I didn't want to startle the little one, so even though I wanted to just Flash forward and hug the little baby, I had to wait. Hugging the stuffing out of it could come after we bonded.

When the two of us were close enough, I slowly crouched down, and looked the baby in the eyes. It did the cute sideways tilt dogs do, ear flopping and all, and we just stared for a few moments. Eventually, it made a decision, and let out this cute 'woof', that I took as a sign. So, reaching out, I put a hand under the baby's chin, scratching the smooth hide. The pup happily accepted the scratches, and leaned into me, making me smile. "You're my Familiar huh?" The pup let out another 'woof', making me grin.

I stopped scratching for a moment, and picked it... Him up, bringing him closer to me. As soon as he was close to my face, he let out a tiny puff of fire, hardly enough for me to feel anything, which seemed to make the baby excited if the speed his tail wagged was any indication. Though, thanks to that, I guessed he was some kind of Hellhound... Which made me have a wicked thought. "I'm gonna name you Natsu."

In the background, Rias snorted.

The little Hellhound pup in my hands didn't understand, and just happily barked at me, licking my nose. I smiled at him, and let my magic reach out to him. His own inherent magic latched onto mine, and my magic circle appeared beneath us. A weird thing about those was they would show up during things like Rituals like this, recognizing what we were doing because of magical shenanigans. I'd only gotten to see it when it flickered in and out, but now that it was fully here, I got a good look at it.

It was an electric gold, which made sense, and had an outer ring of random Runes that I didn't recognize, and my emblem in the middle. From what I could see, said emblem was a golden dragon curled around a massive sakura tree, golden petals falling here and there. It was simple, but it was me, so I was fine with it.

That aside, my magic circle glowed for a few moments, then I felt the bond form, and recognized the new portion of my mind that signified our bond. Normally, that'd be where me and my Familiar communicated, but given by the bunch of feelings and general concepts I was getting, Natsu didn't know how to speak... (He's a baby after all.) I didn't exactly wonder why a baby Hellhound was this close to where we were supposed to be, but he was mine now, so the reason didn't matter anymore.

I looked at my Familiar for a bit, smiled at the goofy look on his face, then nodded as I stuffed him between my tits. His fur tickled bit, so did his squirming, but he seemed to be happy being surrounded by 'comfy meat', so he was fine. It was even better because he could just look up and lick my neck whenever he felt like it, it was great!

A choked laugh reached my ears, and I blinked. Looking to the source, I saw Rias trying, and failing, to hold back a laugh. When I raised a brow at her, she lost it, and started cackling. Mom hadn't been much better, and was openly laughing her ass off. Issei was going along for the ride, while the Old Gecko was just radiating amusement.

Asia, sweet and innocent Asia, had no idea what the fuck was going on. I ignored them all, and just booped Natsu on the nose, earning my finger some happy licks. I had my baby boy, their immaturity was of no consequence at all.

{30 minutes later}

After I bonded with Natsu, and my sister and mother were done laughing, we went off in search of Asia and mom's Familiars.

The meeting with the... 'Thing', will not be mentioned. It will be forgotten till my end of days, and no one will bring it up ever again. That abomination didn't deserve to be remembered, so it would not be.

Simple as that.

After that 'thing' was done with its whole thing, we fucked off and started wandering the forest. Issei had gone off on his own, looking for something away from us, being guided by Ddraig as he did. He was fine so far, but I'd keep my senses on him.

Seeing all the weird things was fun, there'd been some Imps doing the Cha Cha Slide, and I ended up giving them music to do it with. That was fun, but we moved on to other things, like seeing some weird birds fly around doing bird things, some Slimes being Slimes, I'd disintegrated one when it got too close, I'd seen enough Hentai to know Slimes were not to be trusted.

We'd passed a bunch of stuff, but eventually, my mom and Asia's Familiars showed up.

Mom's was first, and when I saw it, I just STARED at it. I knew Pokemon was a franchise here, so they couldn't be a thing in reality, but I'd swear up and down that a motherfucking Breloom had stood in front of us. The claws were thinner and longer, it was more of a grayish green, the cap looked bigger and had a bunch of weird mushrooms growing on it, scars dotted its strong legs and tail, looking just as reptilian as my dragon form was with 'scales' and 'fur' going all around its body, but that was a Breloom! It was a pretty fucking tall one too, standing at a good 3ms, which was crazy to me. The thing was a fucking dinosaur(Imagine a Therizino as a Breloom), and I was fucking loving it! {POKEMON ARE REAL!}

My twin took a moment to question that, but instead of asking me to clarify, she just dived into my senses. I let see what I saw, and I felt her blink. [... Huh... I'll be damned.]

{Right?} I was expertly keeping my 'what the fuck is going on here' moment in my mind, which may have bled over to my sister, since I could feel her be just a bit more confused then she should be. {I mean, really, what the actual fuck?}

[... I'm just going to go back to what I was doing before, and not question if there is a llama god somewhere around here.] I blinked at both the message, and feeling her turn away from the link. The rude bitch had just left me to the insanity, how dare she!

"Hmm." I looked at mom, who was sizing up the Breloom with an inquisitive look, while the Breloom met her look with one of its own. It was while they were doing that, that I noticed both of them subtly tensing. It didn't surprise me when they both dashed towards the other, legs meeting in a clash. From there they got into an impromptu sparring match.

It was interesting, I mean, wasn't everyday you see a dinosaur plant thing fight your mother... (How is this my life?) That normally rational thought was shunted away by my baser thoughts that were excited to see a dinosaur plant thing that looked like a Pokemon fight my mother.

The fight went on for a bit, but eventually it stopped. Mom and the Breloom, I didn't care what its name was I'd keep calling it a Breloom, jumped a meter away from the other, then nodded. "Yeah, you're cool." The Breloom huffed, but nodded at her with a smirk. "Let's get it done then." Moving towards the other, mom brought a hand up while the Breloom tipped its cap down, letting her palm it. The Gremory circle appeared beneath them, signifying the bond being formed. When it was done, mom and the Breloom smirked at each other. "We're in for the long haul, Metria." The Breloom, Metria, roared out in acceptance.

After that, we walked around at bit more, looking for Asia's Familiar. Asia seemed enchanted by Metria, while the big prehistoric Breloom and I were interested in the other. She knew I was strong, and seemed interested in seeing just how strong, while I was interested in her in general. Natsu didn't seem to understand what was going on, and just watched as he radiated interest, all the while Rias was watching this go on with an interested look in her eyes.

A bit of wandering later, and my nose was graced by the scent of something like me, just different. (Is that...) Looking off to the side, my eyes met another pair of draconic eyes, eyes that belonged to a small purple dragon perched on a branch. I hummed as we stared at each other, evaluating the other. I knew he wasn't here for me, I could tell he'd angled his body towards Asia, but I was going to make sure the little hatchling was good enough for her. Taking Natsu out of my breasts, I gently handed him over to Rias, who gladly took the pupper.

Keeping my eyes on the hatchling, I Shifted into my dragon form, much to the surprise of the ancient Breloom, the hatchling, and my good boy. Natsu wasn't scared at my change, so either he instinctively knew, or he didn't care. (Thought for later.) That thought, I narrowed my eyes at the dragon. "*Are you worthy?*"The little dragon still held the stare, but did his best to look threatening, lightning flickering around him in a show of force. I just raised an amused brow, letting my own lightning dance around my body.

He blinked, and tried to up the output of his lightning, making my lips twitch at the attempt. "*I can protect a human! I'll protect MY human!*" My eyes narrowed at that, and I aimed my tail at the tree next to his, firing off a Byakurai as I did. My bolt tore through the tree, as well as a bunch behind it. The hatchling huffed, and fired off a beam of his own at another tree, charring it, but not outright destroying it. Once again, I raised a brow at the little dragon, wondering if that was supposed to impress me. Apparently, he didn't like how uninterested I was. "*I can do it, I swear!*"

I cocked my head to the side, idly wondering if this was how Ddraig saw me. "*And how do you intend to prove that?*"

The growl he let out was adorable. "*Teach me! I'll make my Human good!*"

Thinking about that, I ignored the thoughts about how I'd might need to treat Ddraig better if I was like this when I was younger, and wondered if I could teach the little hatchling Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic since he was attuned to Lightning. (Eh, why not?) So, with a nod, I agreed. "*Very well.*" The hatchling perked up, but I made sure this little shit understood his place. "*Mess up, and I will show you TRUE lightning.*"

"*Yes, Madam!*" The address made me smile, and I shifted back to my human form, letting the small dragon fly over to Asia, curling around her shoulders protectively and nuzzling her cheek.

They bonded a bit later, and she named him Sakurai.

Asia was not good with names.

When we were ready to go home, Issei came back with an egg. None of us were sure just what was in the egg, but it was apparently reacting to him, so we were going to have to wait for it to hatch before we learned what his Familiar was.

{Tara's General Narration over a month}

Our Familiars were welcomed by everyone with open arms. Ddraig appreciated having another dragon around, one who recognized him as the 'grand and creature of destruction' that he was, while I just said he wanted someone that'd listen to him boast about stupid shit.

I ended up learning that the ancient Breloom was called a Korigal, which wasn't better then Breloom, but it was whatever. Metria was fun, especially with mom and I teaching her Renewal Taekwondo, I was even teaching her some of my Dragon Style since she could use bits of it. Our styles, added with the fact she could control plants to an extent, let out spores that could fuck people up or put em to sleep, as well as just being strong in general, was setting a foundation to making her stronk.

Natsu loved his new environment, and we loved him in turn. He needed some potty training though, but thanks to our bond, he learned not to piss and shit in the house after a week, which was a miracle. He was a good boy, and after we got him some toys, which were Enchanted to be fireproof after her scorched his first one and his bed, which led to Martha just saying 'fuck it' and fireproofing the whole house, he was an even better boy.

Issei's Familiar hadn't hatched yet, but it got a bit warmer, so it was probably going to hatch sometime soon. We'd also found out it was some kind of Wyvern thanks to Martha throwing diagnostic spells at it, so that was cool.

Futaba loved the fact I'd named a fire breathing dog 'Natsu', and was looking forward to meeting the little pupper. I'd set a few days for heading over to Tokyo to introduce the two, as well as Kurusu. Martha was going to be meeting the casts of P4 and P3, so it just made sense that I'd go meet the MC of P5, right?

I had an idea of how I wanted to play it, I wanted to do try the Uruhara route, the 'unassuming but obviously important character that knows more then they should.' Now, if I was going to STICK with that route, I didn't know, but I'd find out later.

Familiars aside, things were slowing back down for a bit, but they'd picked back up a week in. Some Stray Exorcists and Stray Devils were starting to filter in more often, and we'd even run into a rogue Magician too. It was slow, there had been a 4 day peace period from the first Stray, but then it turned into 3 as the weeks passed. Now, a month later, and we'd run into something every 2 days. It was starting to get annoying, especially since Sona and her Peerage hadn't come back yet, so I had to help out on watching our Raven's Nest...

It sucked since I was one of the best to do that, given my natural perception of time was faster, so I could just pay attention to a bunch of shit at the same time if I wanted, but it annoyed me cause everything else would be at .75x speed. I still did it, but it was times like those that I was happy Natsu was fluffy.

That'd been all that was going on, and because of the idiots coming into our territory, Martha and Rias were convinced someone was making a move since this happening NOW was too much to be a coincidence, I felt like I deserved a vacation. That, and since my sister had decided that she had projects that were more important than playing schoolgirl, I decided to 'quit' school like she did. On paper and in the teachers/students eyes, we'd still be going, but in reality, we'd be dropping out. It was fine since we were both smart enough to graduate whenever we wanted, and would do so later.

With more freedom, which was going towards doing whatever we felt like, we got a bunch more shit done. I'd managed to make a couple of new moves for my Renewal Taekwondo, my Slayer magic, and my Dragon Style, based off of Sairaorg's Dance of the White Tiger, and Kick of the Red Phoenix. Ironically, the dragon move gave me some trouble, I didn't know whether to keep it as an air pressure thing or substitute it with lightning or magic, so I'd just mixed air with lightning... It was a process, but I was getting there.

Outside of Kuoh, things were happening. Uncle Ro and Azalea were getting closer, and it looked like the Potter looking Fallen would move in with him and Futaba by next month. That was good since she'd be closer in the even she was needed, and depending on how far they took their relationship, then they could end up married by the end of the year. That was super generous, but that was what I bet on, so I'd wish it into existence.

Futaba had progressed in both her magic, as well as her quest for information on Shido's cabal. She'd managed to make Dark Magic constructs, they weren't as solid as they should be but it was progress, her Chaos Magic was sort of lagging behind due to not having any targets to work on, but that would change eventually.

Sera had told us about some weirdos finding a bunch of Devil Summoning fliers, so there was a cult out there that kept summoning Devils, and she had to deal with the paperwork of a cult being exterminated. It made for strange dinner talk, because that's when she dropped by, but it was fun.

Some of the Church's swords were stolen, I refused to acknowledge them as Excalibur, because there was only one no matter what anyone said, so that was a thing. Irina told me she and Xenovia could end up being assigned to the case, so her trip here may or may not happen, which was sad, but I'd accept it and wait for a better chance to kidnap her later if it came to it.

Anyway, enough time passed, and now I was ready to go meet the leader of The Phantom Thieves, who had dealt with Madarame.

Because what better time to introduce myself then on the day of a Change of Heart?

{2 days before Martha meets the P3/4 cast}

With everything done, I gave myself a quick once over. My hair was free and looked like a silky red waterfall, my bang covering an eye like the weeb that I was, my choker visible because I felt like it. A light blue crop top sweater that cut off just beneath my breasts, which exposed a bit of my black sports bra. My midriff was visible to all, showing off my toned abs, while my bottom was covered by booty shorts that hid fuck all, showing my legs, while my feet were snug in my flat tops. I was dressed like it was Summer, and I gave no fucks at all. I was hot as hell, and the world deserved to know it... (Hmm... This is either Rias' fault, or my own for being a dragon... I'll just blame both.) I nodded to that thought, and looked around for my baby boy.

Natsu, knowing I was looking for him, barked out a happy 'bork', a strange noise but one I'd gotten used too. I blinked at where I heard it, and brought a hand up to my head, feeling the familiar texture of his nose booping the hand. (How did I not notice he was up there?) It didn't feel like there was a puppy on my head, but then again I was used to having horns heavier then him sprouting from me, so that was probably why.

Anyway, with Natsu accounted for, I made my way out. No one from Rias' Peerage was there to see me off, they were all out and about dealing with the Strays, and knew I would just port back to sleep, so saying by would be unnecessary. Though, the home wasn't empty despite that. "Oi Tara-Nya," Looking over my shoulder, I met Kuroka's gaze. "Can ya get me some sweets? Tokyo had some meowvarlous goodies that mama's been missin."

That was easy. "Sure. Preference or want me to surprise you?"

The former fugitive tapped her lips in thought for a bit, then nodded. "Dango is nice Nya." True, very true. "Other then that, go wild Nya." I nodded at her, and with one last look at a sleeping Asia and Cynthia, the latter had been worn out by Kuroka and had pretty much forced the former to nap with her, I walked out, and made my way to Tokyo.

{10 minutes later}

Flying was always a great way to relax. The skies, when there weren't planes around, were peaceful. It helped that I could always just take time to think about stuff, let my mind wander now instead of at random times like an airhead. At the moment, I was thinking about my instincts, and the talk Ddraig and I had about them. (I get it, I really do, but I didn't expect being a dragon would be like this.) The Old Gecko understood the 'issue' I'd had, and his explanation made sense.

Some parts of a dragon's mentality easily fit in with me, while the weird things like suddenly wanting to fill a lair with gold and treasures, showed up so suddenly. It had to do with my human mind not being able to fully incorporate my new draconic instincts, so at some point I'd created a representation of them in my mind that was responsible for my more baser aspects. He was pretty sure the older I got, the more I'd fully assimilate those instincts into myself, so it wasn't a problem, just a thing that was just there. (It says something that being 'just there' when I'm referring to a dragon in my mind is a normal thing to me. But then again, I'm a dragon flying to Tokyo with a Hellhound pup on my head.)

Speaking of, I took a gander into the bond between my Familiar and I, and smiled at the sheer excitement radiating off of him. My precious demon dog enjoyed flying with childlike enthusiasm, which made sense given he was a baby. I didn't know if he'd end up growing out of it, but I hoped he didn't. (Flying wouldn't be as fun if it wasn't enjoyed.) Even Martha enjoyed a casual flight every now and then, so if somehow the little bundle of joy on my head grew out of it, I'd lose my mind.

That aside, I was above Tokyo now, so the time for thinking was over.

Looking around, I spotted a good place to land and went for it. After landing, Shifting back, and bringing out the leash for Natsu, I walked out of the park, and made my way to Yongen-Jaya, my baby boy happily bounding around as he took in the new sights and scents. (Now, let's hope he doesn't slip the pyrokinesis collar. I'd rather not have to book it if he set something on fire.)

{15 minutes later)

(Not sure why I worried so much.) Natsu had been an angel compared to how I thought he'd be. He was full of energy, and was prone to trying to set things on fire, mostly his toys, but throughout the walk, he was perfectly behaved. Sure, he sniffed at everything, pissed on a pole, hunted a squirrel that didn't seem to have an ounce of self preservation, but he was a dog, so that was expected. I thought he'd try to set something on fire once or twice, but the collar hadn't glowed once, so he hadn't. (I must be doing this thing right then.)

That made me smile. And that smile just grew when the scent of of coffee and curry reached my nose. (Right. Let's... Wait...) Looking down, I blinked when I remembered Uncle Ro's thing with animals. Natsu was still a puppy, but he was still a dog, and they shed... (First stop, Futaba.) I knew he let the cat stay, but I'd rather not have to deal with an irate uncle if Natsu did something.

Knowing I was thinking about him, my Familiar looked up at me, tilting his head as he did. I cooed at the sight, and after giving him some scratches, smiled at him. "Let's introduce you to your Aunty Taba, how's that sound baby?" Natsu sent feelings of anticipation and joy, along with giving me a happy bark, so I knew he was fine with this. "Kay, off to the gremlin we go!" And so we did.

After locking the door behind me, I let go of Natsu's leash, letting the little pupper loose. He knew not to do anything that'd earn him a timeout, so I wasn't really worried about him wrecking anything, and since I knew he couldn't set anything on fire, he was free to do whatever he wanted... "Nani the fuck?!" And apparently that was bolting straight towards Futaba's room, seemingly when the door had been open...

I blinked for a moment, then nodded. (Well... That happened,) Futaba's laughter started ringing out, so I had a good idea of what was going on, especially with Natsu bursting with 'new human, nice human' thoughts. So, making my way towards Futaba's room, I let my smile stay as I heard Futaba shouting 'nooo', 'that tickles', and other stuff.

As soon as I reached her open door, I didn't look in, because I had no idea what that'd do, and instead closed it until it was just cracked open instead of being fully open. That action seemed to make Futaba recognize that Natsu wasn't the only one here. "Tara-neechan! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I wasn't ready for this encounter!"

I snorted, and rolled my eyes, not that she could see that. "That was the point Futaba. Surprise dog wouldn't be as effective if you knew it was coming."

There was a 'huh' from her, and I felt like she nodded. "True, true... Could've dropped a hint though."

"I could've, just didn't feel like it."

Her huff amused me. "Rude! What if I was having some quality Futaba time?" That answer? Not so much.

I rolled my eyes again, ignoring the pleasant feelings coming over from my Familiar. "If you were, I would've been as obnoxiously loud as I could, scaring the shit out of you."

My youngest sister figure squawked in indignation at that. "That's messed up, reallyyy messed up Tara-neechan."

Shrugging at that, I told her just how I felt about that. "Tough."

Futaba snorted, making me laugh. "Fair." We laughed for a bit, just taking in the relaxed atmosphere. "Anywaaay, how long ya staying?"

"I think I'm going to relax for a few days, go look for a spa or something, maybe even help out Uncle Ro. Who knows, maybe some eye candy will get the old man some more customers."

Things were silent for a bit, which confused me, but she responded after a bit. "... Today's one of your 'I'm a living fetish' days, right?"

I blinked at both the question, and what she called it, but knew what she was referring too. It didn't help that she was right, even if the way she said it made me both pleased and a little disturbed. "Yeees?"

"Mwahahaha!" Out of all the reactions I was expecting, the one I got wasn't among them.

"Futaba?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you laughing like that?"

"Tara-neechan, I'm 100% sure you're in a M for Mature skin right now, right?"

Looking down, and seeing how much cleavage the boob window of my crop top... (I don't think I have to go further then that.) Looking back up, I nodded, not that she could see it. "Yes, I am. What's the problem here?"

Futaba barked out a laugh at that. "'What's the problem' she says. Tara-neechan, you're sex on very very VERY nice legs,"

"Thanks."

"Your welcome. Anyway, back to what I was saying... Give me a sec... Uh... Right! You're sex on a leg/thigh fetishist's wet dream," That was an unnecessary addition. Like, really unnecessary, even if she was right. "Like, we're family and all," Oh god, I knew where that was going. "But if we didn't have the familial connection we've forged over magic, blood, sweat and tears, I'd totally try to tap that." And I was right... Goddammit.

For a moment, there was silence. I knew what I was getting into talking to Futaba, so I really had no one to blame but myself. "Futaba?"

"Yes, hot sister of mine?" I could HEAR the old man grin on her face.

"Why are you the way that you are?"

There was NO hesitation in her response. "Incest is a very popular tag for a reason. The line 'Not by blood' is an even bigger one." I let out a long suffering breath at that. "Mwahahaha!"

I sighed again. (Who did I annoy to be blurssed with Futaba?) Wasn't the first time I'd asked myself that, and it wouldn't be the last.

{Tara's General Narration}

Futaba and I spent some time talking about random stuff after that, we spoke about anything that popped into our mind at the time. She filled me in on what she got on Shido, a whole fucking LIST of dudes that were on the bottom of his cabal all the way to the guys in the middle. She was working on the guys who were just below the big bad himself now, but those guys apparently had some good security, so she was taking her time between checking them out, and doing whatever she felt like.

Mom's gift was really a blessing in that department since Futaba was living the life, a permanently AC'D room, enough money to buy manga, subscriptions, games and movies whenever she wanted, and a nice comfy room.

Really, Futaba was living the dream, and I was in no way shape or form, jealous...

I wasn't!

I atleast had the fact that I was a sexy dragon, one that could beat the shit out of a majority of enemies, over her. Puny human, que draconic chortling.

...

Anyway, we talked, and after enough time passed, Futaba told me that Kurusu and his buddies had just come back, and were all at Leblanc. I grinned at that, and after telling both her and Natsu to behave, I got ready to make my introduction to the cast of my favorite game.

It was showtime!

Or, I think it was. I forgot if that was his catchphrase or not. But I knew what I was talking about!

{Akira's POV}

/You know, this is going over way better then I expected./ And it was. Sakura-san had given me no reason to doubt him, but I was worried about how he'd react to my friends. Ryuji could come off as a bit brash and maybe a bit antagonistic if someone rubbed him wrong, Yusuke was a bit... Eccentric, was what my mind came up with, though atleast Ann was the most social of us, so I wasn't worried about her.

I had been fully expecting for something to happen, but it hadn't, and that was great! "It's thoughts like those that prelude trouble, Partenaire."

I took a moment to realize that yes, that WAS a statement that could signal something happening, but this was real life, a cliche like that couldn't happen... Right? "- This round's on the house." My caretaker's voice cut through my momentary panic, and I met his look when he turned to me. "Kid, come on and he...-"

Suddenly, the bell rang, signifying a new customer coming in. "Yo Uncle Ro, the best Sakura is hereee!~" We had already been turning towards the newcomer, but that had nearly made me snap towards the voice faster then my casual turn would've allowed.

When I, and my fellow Thieves, laid eyes on said newcomer, I was pretty sure we were all staring. In front of me was probably one of the most... 'Blessed' women I'd ever seen. Her outfit, if it could even be called that, showed off a choker, generous amount of cleavage, highly toned abs, muscular but highly smooth thighs, and an overall figure that just screamed 'I'm hot and I know it.' Looking up, which was a somewhat surprising experience for me, I met an ocean blue eye, the other covered by brilliant red hair, which all came together on a soft yet firm face. (Well... Daaamn.)

I could feel Arsene agree with me, but then he suddenly 'tensed' when the tall and dangerously hot woman met my eyes. "Careful Partenaire, something is off with this one."

I blinked at that, and was about to question it, when Ryuji put his foot in his mouth. "Ho-Ho-Holy shit, you're hot!"

"RYUJI!" The sound of Ann's hiss/scream was heard by all, just as well as the sound of jabbing him in the ribs was, and I sent a silent prayer for the former track star when I heard him wheeze.

Thankfully, the woman didn't take any offense, and she just laughed. "Damn right I am!" She smirked at all of us, then turned to Sakura-san... I blinked again, and my sudden thought was proven correct. "Look at you Uncle Ro, expanding your clientele to the next generation. Feeling the creek in your bones yet?"

Sakura-san snorted at that, which was an interesting reaction to me. I'd been getting used to the stern but somewhat soft personality of my caretaker, but this was new. "This is why your sisters are my favorite."

The obviously over exaggerated gasp that came out of this new Sakura made me wonder if she took whatever acting classes Ann did, because yikes. "Le gasp!" I was physically feeling pain now even though it was obvious this was a joke. "And here I was about to offer my services!"

Boss wasn't amused, and just raised a brow at her, before shooting a look at... Me? "That's what I have him for."

Blinking, I processed the fact I was just conscripted into labor... (Wait, too intense.) I processed that I was suddenly roped into an entirely sudden conversation with someone I had no prior experience with. (That sounds better.)

Waving that away, I gave boss a look of confused betrayal, and he just scoffed. "Don't got all day kid, come on." Turning away from me, he looked at his niece(?) "Your usual?" After a quick nod, Sakura-san proceeded to get to work, shooting me a look that basically said 'well? Get started.' I sighed, gave Morgana and my bag to Ann, and started helping him prepare the coffee.

As we did that, my friends took some seats, while the newer Sakura took a seat between Ann and Yusuke. Being sat on the counter, Morgana showed himself, and was momentarily stunned when he saw the redheaded woman, nearly as much as Ryuji was. "By the holy salmon..." That... Ok.

I mentally patted myself on the back for keeping an eye on the woman, because for a moment, I saw the woman blink, making me freeze. It was small, an 'if you blink you'll miss it' moment, but I saw her eye shift towards Morgana. She'd understood him. It also struck me that she didn't seem surprised that a cat came out of a bag. "Note to self, get the sweets for Kuroka... Eh, I'll do it later."

I had no idea who that was, but at the mention of sweets, Ann perked up. "Need some recommendations? I'm the go too gal for that kind of thing."

The Sakura woman hummed, then nodded at Ann. "Sure." Another blink, but this one was more of an 'oh yeah' one. "By the way, if it wasn't brought up by the sack of bones over there,"

"I'm literally making you coffee."

He was ignored. "Names Sakura. Sakura Tara." Now I had a name, which would be good if I needed to look up information on her later.

Though, given the squeal that came out of Ann, I had to wonder if that was necessary. "Dammit Ann, what the hell?"

Ann whipped her head at Ryuji so fast I was worried she might snap it. "'What the hell?' Don't tell me you DON'T recognize her?!" Seeing the blank look on my first allies face, the resident fire user let out an exasperated sigh, turning to Yusuke right after. "Come on Yusuke-kun, YOU'VE got to recognize her, right? Please say yes."

The blue haired artist looked at Ann, and I think it was clear that he hadn't exactly been paying attention, seemingly more focused on looking at Sakura Tara. "Hmm? Did you say something Takamaki-san?" Even Morgana was confused about what was going on, but that was fair.

Seeing how no one understood her, we were treated to the sight of Ann pinching the bridge of her nose, practically oozing exasperation. "Boys."

All of us males blinked at that, while Sakura Tara nodded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I feel you. Though at the same time, my friend group is pretty much all Estrogen, aside from like, two guys."

"Yeah, your court is kind of like my ideal."

(Her what?) I was pretty sure the rest of the guys had that same thought, because that just seemed strange.

It looked like the Sakura woman hadn't expected that, because the momentary look of confusion on her face was genuine. "Ok, how the hell do you know about THAT?"

Ann blushed, and we were all paying attention now as she fidgeted in place. "W-well... Uh... I, may or may not be Following your Grandmother." A strange thing to say, but ok. A nod from the redhead got Ann to keep going. "And when she posted your mother, as well as you and your sisters modeling her clothing, I might've decided to Follow the four of you too."

Apparently, this didn't seem to phase the redhead, since she nodded with a smile on her face. "Makes sense. Want me to Follow you back?" If I didn't see it I wouldn't have believed it. Ann's eyes widened to comical proportions, and she practically scrambled to get her phone out.

After the scramble was done, and they were apparently now Following each other, Ann asked something that made us blink again. "So... Do you think you could give me some tips about modeling?"

(Damn, who is this woman? She's apparently famous, has a 'court', and is a model good enough for Ann to ask advice of? What's next, secret billionaire?) For some reason, that thought stayed with me, and I had no idea why... But then another thought came, and I put the conversation in front of me on the back burner, and focused inwards. /Arsene, when you said something was 'off' with her, what did you mean?/

My Persona hummed in my mind, giving the impression he was scratching his chin. "It is difficult to describe. She seems Human, but at the same time, she feels to be bigger. It's a marvelous disguise, but a Phantom Thief such as I would not be so easily fooled."

Thinking about that, I listened to Ann and the Sakura woman talked fashion, which had Ryuji zoning out to lalaland, while Morgana and Yusuke were listening in, the former because two attractive females were speaking, and the latter because he seemed to actually be intrigued by the conversation. /So, any ideas on just what we're dealing with?/ I was weary of the woman, she was an unknown who had dropped small tells that would have been missed by anyone without the abilities of an expert thief.

"Hmm... Use your Third Eye for a moment." Trusting myself, I focused my metaphysical eye...

And nearly had a heart attack at the BLOOD RED aura surrounding the Sakura woman. I was used to Shadows being dangerous, Third Eye was a godsend when it came to knowing what fights to pick and which ones to avoid until we were stronger. And with the sheer viscosity of her aura, I was pretty sure Sakura Tara could be a dangerous opponent on par with the Palace Rulers... (Or an ally... But how should I...-)

"You're a Martial Artist? Like the 'whabam', 'whatchaaa!' Kind?" I nearly dropped the brew I was working on at that, because I really had no idea what Ryuji just said.

Tuning back into the conversation, I heard and saw the Sakura woman snort, while boss chuckled by my side. "She's a damn good one too. My sister, Tara's mother, as well as her twin all trained with Old Man Masaru." Another name I didn't know, but knowing more about my caretaker's family was nice. "One of the deadliest and most accomplished Martial Artists in the world, but you'd never expect for him to have a soft spot for his daughter and Granddaughters."

There was a silence in the cafe after that, and I felt Arsene's disbelief, as well as my own, spike. ('Deadliest Martial Artist in the world?' Did we suddenly get dropped into a Shonen Manga when I wasn't looking?!) That really was the most reasonable answer, because what the fuck?

"Yeah, Gramps is the shit." Sakura-san snorted. "Plus," She leaned back a bit and waved a hand over her abs. "Looking as good as I do took work. If that work meant I could punt someone through a couple of walls, then that just makes it all the better."

As my mind took in that comment, Arsene decided to chip in. "Well, there's your in, Partenaire." It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant.

And thinking about it, he was right. While we were in the Metaverse, we had an instinctual understanding of how to move, how to fight, and how to improve... But we didn't actually have any proper forms. (Just how much could we improve if we actually trained?) Getting actual training would not only help our stamina, which would translate to being able to fight for longer, but with actual training, we could make the next Palace, as well as our excursions, go so much smoother. (Now I just need some way to bri...-)

"That sounds badass! Could ya teach us?"

(Or Ryuji could just ask her. That's apparently an option.) Arsene chuckled at that.

The surprise Martial Artist hummed, looked at Ryuji, then Ann, then Yusuke, and finally at me. She seemed to be appraising us all, but I couldn't help the feeling of being stared at by a massive beast. "There's potential... Eh, fuck it." Ignoring the cheer that came from Ryuji, she brought her phone back out, and displayed her number and chat ID. "Lemme know when you guys are free and I'll teach ye the way of the badass."

The moment she finished speaking, the world slowed down, and the familiar feeling of a new Confidant being formed, surged.

"I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Queen of Swords Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that should lead to freedom and new power."

For a moment, I saw the Tarot of a woman sitting on a throne of clouds, an impassive face that spoke of judgement looked down at me, sword raised high while people in shackles begged at her feet.

Then the moment passed, and it was go...- "Hmm, interesting." It felt like there was ice in my veins as I heard that whisper. It was so low that I didn't even think Ann or Yusuke, who were right next to her, heard it.

But I did. And as I looked at her, my eyes locked with amused sapphire eyes, but for a moment, I thought the eye that was covered looked different. For a moment, I thought it was slit, not like a cat, but of something more... Primal.

Then it was gone, and her eye was normal again... But we both knew I saw it, and given the wink she gave me, I was supposed to have seen it. "A gentleman I may be, but I would like to say I told you so." He really wasn't helping my internal crisis.

{Tara's POV 30 minutes later}

Walking out of Leblanc, I grinned to myself, while mentally cackling. He hid it well, but I knew I'd freaked him the fuck out. (Wasn't expecting the Confidant thing, but hey, more incentive for me! I'll need to make sure my schedule is flexible enough for me to drop in whenever they're ready, but that should be easy. No school means more time for plans. Plus, I can just port or fly over whenever I want or need to, so that makes it easier to interact with Akira and his friends... Speaking of.) Taking my phone out, I shot Rias a text that I'd found a friend that spoke fashion speak.

Ann would be fun to talk too, and I was looking forward to helping her strut her shit. I would openly admit she was pretty, and she initially seemed like my type, I just didn't know if she would be attracted to another woman. (I could still try though. And hey, if something comes of it, then good for me. If not, then oh well.) I hadn't actively looked for a girlfriend/mate, but that didn't mean I'd say no if I found one.

Ryuji radiated 'bro' energy, so I was also looking forward to getting to know him. (Plus, Kiba, Issei and Sairaorg could appreciate another guy to talk too when he's brought into the fold.) No idea when that would be, but it'd happen eventually.

Yusuke was going to be... An experience. The guy was also fashion forward, and was interested in the modeling Martha, Rias and I had done for Grandma. The inspired rant he went on after seeing the three of us in different styles of Kimono, Togas, and even some fancy dresses, one of which I was sure was a reference to the art of Erza on a throne... I kept that one... Because reasons. (Though, maybe I should bring it out again?) The artist had saved a few photos of our shoots for inspiration, it was blatentely obvious he had no idea about the innuendo he'd spoken, so I was kinda curious about what kind of inspiration he'd have if I modeled for him... (I wonder if having a painting of myself made is too vain... But I don't actually care though.) I really didn't. If I wanted a painting of myself done, I'd just tell him.

Morgana was a strange one. It had taken him a few more sentences, but he eventually realized that yes, I understood him. When he did, he clammed up for a bit, sharing a look with Akira, who gave him a discreet nod. He went back to talking after that, but made sure to keep an eye on me.

Then there was Akira. I tapped my lips as I thought about The Fool, highly amused that he'd seen something. My senses told me he did something when he looked at me then paled like a vampire, but I didn't know what he did. (My choker should keep my draconic nature hidden, but I don't know if he saw through it... Well... Actually, if he did, he might've freaked out, so he probably doesn't know.)

That aside, I was sooo looking forward to having fun with The Phantom Thieves.

{Akira's POV 6 hours later}

Laying back into my bed, I let out a sigh that was a mix of alot of things. Relief that the day was done, joy at Yusuke's induction party,(Ik this happens on 6/11, but it makes more sense for this to happen if not on the day of Madarame's CoH, then the day after. Akira and Ryuji will go to Kichijoji on 6/11.) Melancholy about the things we talked about, and weariness about my new confidant.

Despite having the 'party' with Yusuke and the rest of my friends, I hadn't fully relaxed. It was hard to do that when someone suddenly appears that throws me off of my game. "Let this be a lesson Partenaire, keep your guard, if not always at the ready, at an acceptable level so you can properly react to sudden events such as what happened today."

He had a point, and I knew that, but I just had to ask. /Where are you getting all this advice from?/

Arsene's smirking face suddenly flickered into existence in front of me, a disembodied head like a Jack-O-Lanturn, scaring the hell out of me as he did so. Now, I did NOT scream, no one would ever convince me that I did. "Bwahaha!" I glared at the Pillager of Twilight, and stretched my back, which was currently in pain since I'd fallen of my bed. My glare reduced his laughter to low chuckles, which eventually stopped. "Remember, while I am you and you are me, I am also a cognitive being with quirks and traits that are my own. C'est pourquoi je t'ai appris le français quand tu t'es réveillé." My glare faded at that, recognizing the truth in that statement.

I hadn't known French before my Awakening, no one in my 'family' knew it either, so Arsene's words weren't exactly that hard to believe. /T'es quand même une salope./

My True Self snorted, fading away. "Do insult yourself more, Akira, it truly goes to show how much you love yourself." I huffed at that, Arsene laughed that mocking cackle of his.

Before I could respond to him, I was reminded that I wasn't alone in here. "I'm pretty sure there's a saying about insanity and responding to the voice in your head."

Looking over to Morgana, who was perched on the desk by the stairs, I rolled my eyes. "Considering you have your own voice in your head, I'm not sure you have any ground to stand on."

The Not-Cat shrugged, and laid down. "Eh, it is what it is." Point. "Joker," My eyes hardened as his tone changed to a serious one, and I knew what he was going to bring up. "She knows." It wasn't a question.

Sitting on the side of my bed, I clasped my hands together, and nodded at him. "Yeah. A few hints, words that wouldn't make sense to anyone except up, and the fact she could understand you. She definitely knows. It doesn't help that she appeared today of all days." The analytical part of my mind recognized it was too big of a coincidence for someone that knew who we were to show up the day Madarame confessed.

Morgana nodded, understanding the point. "The questions we need to ask are 'How much does she know?', 'What will she do?', 'What CAN we do?', and 'What DO we do?'" All good questions.

In response to that, I had to shift into the mindset of the leader of The Phantom Thieves. "Let's put together everything we know first, then go from there." Morgana nodded, then Joker straightened and took stock of what we knew. "Name, Sakura Tara. Family, Mother, Grandmother and Grandfather are all people that we can look up, Sakura Sojiro is my caretaker, so we can ask him about her and that side of the family now that we know about her." That would be an easy thing to do considering we'd met her, as well as obtained her number and ID, so it'd most likely come off as someone wanting to know more about their new friend.

"There's also the option of asking the woman in question."

It took me a moment to recognize that he was serious. /And why do you think that's a good idea?/ He had to have had some reason for saying that.

I wasn't surprised when he did. "While she has caught us flatfooted, as well as having the advantage with knowledge, she doesn't seem to be a malicious person. She comes off more... Whimsical, to me." That made me frown. Those people were the worst to have an information advantage since they were unpredictable. "While that is true, you are making a presumption that she has harmful intentions."

/She might not NOW, but who's to say she won't suddenly change her mind?/ That was a viable concern when it came to people that marched to the beat of their own drum.

Arsene hummed for a bit, then mentally shrugged. "We may not know, but that is all the more reason to learn more about her to gleam her personality." Point to him.

Taking my focus off of my True Self, I looked at Morgana, who was watching me think. "What do you think, Mona?"

He seemed to already have an answer ready. "Personally, I think we should try to get to know her. She represents an unknown that could not only provide us with a boon in the form of actual training, but in the form of whatever hidden aspect makes her so dangerous to you." I processed Morgana's point, and had to begrudgingly agree that he was right. "Plus, the phrase is 'Keep your friends close, and enemies closer.' At the moment, she might seem like the latter, but who knows, maybe she'll turn into the former given time." Another really good point.

My mind churned for a bit, listing pros and cons about getting closer to her, but I eventually came to the same conclusion as my Persona, as well as the more experienced thief. So, nodding to both Morgana, and Arsene, I went on. "Her Grandmother is a fashion designer famous for her 'Ascalon' line of clothing, various other lines, and even accessories. That means she'll have resources like a vast amount of money at her disposal." The fact she was rich could've offset her whimsical nature, or exasperated it. Though, given how boss lived, I didn't think it had any negative affects on her.

Moving on. "Mother is a faculty member of Kuoh academy, a prestigious institution with a high rate of graduation and a good percentage of their alumni are able to earn well paying jobs or good positions in government, education, and medical institutions." I was pretty sure my favorite Doctor of Death was a Kuoh alumni, but I wasn't entirely sure about that. "Sisters, a blood related twin by the name of Sakura Martha who supposedly keeps her in cheek at school, but we have no information from the source herself, so her personality is unknown. Then there's the adoptive sister Gremory Rias. From looking it up, it's said the Gremories own atleast one major corporation, but they may own numerous others." The fact that the other sister was from a highly wealthy family, as well as their other connections, made for a formidable picture.

"Truth. However you should not let your prejudice color your perception, Partenaire."

Giving my thanks to the Persona, I went on. "Rias Gremory, not enough information to get any accurate read on her." That was all we'd had on them, but given I only had a few hours to look things up, it was natural. Going through Twitter posts was tedious, and made my mind go numb the longer I'd done it.

"Source of information of our activities, unknown. Threat assessment, very high but conflict can be easily avoided. Mentions of Martial Arts, video footage provided by Ann and physical fitness corroborate her being a threat to us outside of the metaverse. Showed recognition at creating an Arcana being formed...-"

"WHAT!" I stopped my assessment, and looked to Morgana.

His jaw was hitting the table, his eyes wide in surprise. "Yeah. When her Arcana, 'The Queen of Swords', was created, she said 'hmm interesting.' Plus, she looked directly at me after it was done, and I could swear the eye covered by her bang was different." Morgana blinked at that and looked thoughtful.

"That's... That's not one of the major Arcana. I don't recognize it."

I nodded. "Yeah, neither did I. So before I was done helping Sakura-san, I looked it up. It's meant to be a minor Arcana, but if it's read in the future, it could mean 'Showing you the way.' Whatever that means. She's dangerous, we don't know how much she knows, how strong she really is, or anything else. But, given what you and Arsene have decided on, I'm going to give her a chance. Whether she 'Shows us the way', or GETS in the way, will be shown in the future."

Morgana nodded, and I once again, straightened and regained my position. "She can be an ally, we know that, but we'll need to thread carefully with her. There's something different about her, something we haven't encountered before. When I checked what her Arcana does for us, the rank 1 ability seemed vague, but it gives me some idea of what we might learn from her."

"Really? What's the ability?"

"It and I quote 'Shall make it slightly easier for you and your party to make it to your destination.' What that means can be open to interpretation. If we want our destination to be, let's say a safe room, will we instinctively know how to get there quicker, or will it be safer? If it works either of those ways, then her confidant will make our expeditions in the metaverse safer for all of us. It might even work in mementos." And it really would. The ability to find Safe Rooms would be massive, and make our expeditions easier if we weren't exhausted.

"Interesting. Very interesting. Alright, now that we've got that settled, it's time to fill in the team." I nodded, and opened up the Phantom Thieves group chat.

-Thieves Den-

Joker- Is everyone up? Me and Mona finished going over the newest Confidant and want to let everyone know what we've come up with.

Skull - Oh shit! She became a Confidant? When'd that happen?

Fox - I would also like to know when the moment occurred.

Panther - Me too! I was right next to her and I didn't notice anything weird.

Panther - I think. I might've been distracted by thinking of shopping for gym clothes to be honest.

Skull - Whoa, you're going to the gym? Did seeing Sakura-san make you jealous?

Panther - Shut it Skull! Its called being inspired!

Panther - Anyway, aren't we supposed to be talking about something important?

Skull - Oh shit, yeah! My bad, you're good to go Joker!

Joker - Good. Now then, from what we've gotten, Sakura-san seems to be different. Instead of one of the Major Arcana, she has and noticed as it did, awoken to a minor Arcana. 'The Queen of Swords', an Arcana that may 'Show us the way.' Which her 1st rank ability does just that. 'Shall make it slightly easier for you and your party to make it to your destination.' Morgana and I have thought of the implications, and I'm curios as to how her future abilities will support us.

Joker - As for when it was made, the Confidant was formed after she offered her number and Chat ID.

Joker - However, after her Arcana was revealed, she said 'hmm interesting.' She looked directly at me as she whispered that, and winked with her covered eye.

Joker - After that, she went back to the conversation before I could say anything about it. This combined with her hints that she KNOWS who we are, paint a picture that's quite risky.

Fox - Hints? What do you mean by that Joker?

Joker - Over the course of the 30 minutes she was there, she dropped numerous hints in the form of words that wouldn't mean anything to people that weren't us.

Skull - Really? I didn't even notice them.

Panther - Me neither. Though I wasn't really paying too much attention to the subtle stuff.

Skull - Yeah, you were fangirling pretty hard there Panther.

Panther - Was not!

Skull - Were too!

Joker - Guys, control yourselves please.

Panther - Sorry Joker.

Skull - My bad man.

Fox - That aside, I hadn't paid much mind to the talking either if I'm to be perfectly honest. I was too absorbed in the images that my next work would be based off of.

Panther - To be fair, I expected you to ask her to model for you.

Fox - I believe I've apologized for my conduct enough.

Panther - You have, I just thought you wouldn't have been given enough inspiration with just pictures.

Fox - Ah, that you are somewhat correct in.

Fox - However, I believe I should attempt using them as material first, and only asking Sakura-san if I cannot make progress with the pictures alone.

Skull - And if she says no?

Fox - I have the feeling she would appreciate being painted. I am unsure as to why I feel that, but I do.

Panther - I can see it. Plus, she models too, one that likes being appreciated, so I think she'll say yes.

Fox - Ah, it is a wonderful thing to have a supporting opinion.

Joker - As amusing as this is, it's getting late. So for now, I think we should call it a night, and wait for tomorrow. We can talk more about this then and when we're all together. For now, let's all get some shut eye.

Panther - Got it!

Skull - Heard you loud and clear!

Fox - Goodnight to all and swell dreams my friends.

[Omake - A new pawn. 'Igor's' POV]

(This... This was unexpected.) The Game had been progressing smoothly so far. The Trickster had been gathering his allies, while my Wildcard had been causing quite marvelous chaos. (Yet, a wrench has been thrown into the works.) Thinking of the Dragoness that became The Trickster's newest Confidant made a frown mar my facsimile of Igor. (Philemon's barrier should've kept denizens of the supernatural world clueless of the happenings of the Velvet Room and its Wildcards. The barrier was made by and empowered by a god, so how exactly has a young dragon bypassed that barrier?)

It had come as a major shock at first, the Game was solely for Humanity to deal with, so when a non Human had become the Confidant of The Trickster, I had nearly destroyed something. But when I'd taken the time to peer into Reality, to look into the situation, I could see and feel the hands of Fate involved in this. The Caretaker to The Trickster had a family history that seemed absurd.

There had also been the issue that the cousin was obscured from my sight, the daughter's were hidden from me, and the Grandparents were just as obscured. Without physically seeking them out or seeing them, I could not gleam information about them. It was infuriating, but after taking time to think, it was simple to come up with a plan. (The more The Trickster bonds with this Dragoness, the more I will gleam from her. It shall take time, but eventually, The Trickster will grant me the keys to a new and formidable pawn.)

I had no worries about the Dragoness, it was obvious she was but a child. A young dragon stood no chance against a God such as I.