{Tara's POV a few days later}
Looking towards the sliding doors, I hummed as I smelled the scents of my guests. The scent that smelled like steel was obviously the former android, something that was both cool and somewhat crazy. (Being fleshy when you weren't fleshy had to have been a strange experience.) The next scent was like Lavender, which gave me no clue as to who it was, but the underlying hint of water told me it was probably the Fuuka woman. Then there was Naoto, the scent of gunpowder was very faint, but she had a gun on her, so it was most likely her. She also smelled of peaches, so her shampoo must've been good. (Maybe I should ask her about it?) That was a thought.
But it'd stay a thought for a bit longer since the three women had reached the front door. It was still early, not even 9:AM yet, though it was close, but it was nice to know they were here now. {They're here.}
[Good. You're sure you're up for this?] The tone she said that in made my eye twitch.
I settled for rolling my eyes, and sending over some annoyance. {I CAN teach people, Martha.} We'd come to an agreement with the two generations of Persona Users. Martha would be teaching them every Monday, Tuesday and Friday about how to use mana, while also providing them with Moon Dew Tea to help the process along. The issue though was the three woman ahead of me would be here while their friends were being thought, so they'd obviously be missing out.
Sure, they could be given a Teleportation Room so they could join the others, but I had a better idea. I was going to be visiting/staying in Tokyo for a bit, I could go back home whenever I wanted, so it made sense for me to teach the women what to do. Sure, I couldn't do the normal stuff, but that didn't mean I couldn't teach it, especially when I'd read the stuff Martha wrote.
[I'm not saying you can't, Tara. I know you can. What I'm referring too is your intention to commit to a seemingly long term project such as this.] Ah, so that was it.
After meeting the Thieves, as well as becoming a Confidant, I ended up changing the plan. I'd be spending most of my time here, visit Kuoh to get some mother daughter time, auntie niece time, or to just hang out with my friends when I wanted, and to sleep, but the most of my time would be here. I was interested in seeing just how much I could help the Thieves, especially if it meant I could buff them up enough to make Futaba's Palace a cakewalk, I'd do it. (And it's not just to see if I could get a Persona... Even if that'd be badass.) I doubted I could get a Persona, even with all I'd forgotten about the series over the years, I knew they came from a part of oneself that they denied... And given I knew who I was, knew there were no regrets in my life, no hidden facets that I shoved to the back of my mind, I knew I by all rights, SHOULDN'T be able to get one.
Didn't mean I didn't want one. {Yeah, I'm good. I can pop over to Kuoh whenever I want or need to, remember?}
[I doubt I could ever forget such a thing, Tara. Just making sure you are going to go through with this.]
{I am. Plus, I won't have to go kick someone's teeth in every time a Stray shows up. Though, let me know if Sairaorg drops by for a spar with me, I'll get sorta bored without anyone to fight with.}
[Very well. Have a good time oh sister of mine.]
I snorted at that. {Love you too Martha.}
[I as well Tara.] And with that, she went back to doing whatever she had been before she checked in.
With that done, my ears focused on the chatter coming from the women outside the room. "So far, these living quarters are proving to be satisfactory. However, it would be prudent to examine the rest of the home before conclusions are made." If that wasn't Aigis I'd eat my tail.
"You have a good point, but considering this is a Sakura property, I doubt they would allow it to fall into disrepair or any state of neglect." Naoto sounded cool, I'd probably like her.
"Mhm... The atmosphere is quite nice here... Nicer then my flat. I think we'll enjoy staying here." The soft voice was Fuuka, I'd probably have guessed that without using the process of elimination.
"It IS ni...-" Naoto trailed of when she slid the door open, revealing the room I was in.
The room I was in while I was partially transformed, laying under a kotatsu, my wings were wrapping me up underneath the cover, making me look like a golden burrito... With horns and scales peeking out under a very comfy kotatsu. "Hi, how are ya?" Naoto, Fuuka, and Aigis just stared at me, fucking baffled.
Eventually, Aigis walked up a bit, and gently slid the door closed. "It is ok, the dragon woman under a kotatsu does not exist, she cannot hurt us." I choked on a laugh at that, not expecting the meme to just be thrown at me. "It's just an auditory and optical illusion." That made it worse.
"... Aigis-chan, I don't think that's going to work." Fuuka had the right idea, though I was tempted to port away just to fuck with them.
A sigh stopped me from going through with it, and the door slid open again, revealing my new tenants. I'd seen her before, when all their Persona's decided to ping my 'fight' radar, but looking at her again, I had to admit that Naoto was hot. (Ba-dump goes the dragons heart.) Long dark blue hair flowed and stopped halfway down her back, a velvet blue cap that complimented her hair, light gray eyes that looked done with the situation, and a really nice figure. A light blue jacket with the three buttons all buttoned up, a dark blue tie over a buttoned up white dress shirt, that hid a bust of C at the smallest, a black belt fastened on light blue slacks, black flat top heels finishing up the outfit.(Detective Naoto if you want an image.) Add the fact that she was a mature woman, albeit one shorter then me at 5'6/1.6ms, which wasn't a negative at all, and I felt my dragon instincts stir. (Well... Glad you agree.) My instincts went back down at that, happy I acknowledged a potential mate.
On her left was another woman, one with short blonde hair, blue eyes, a golden strapless dress that showed a decent amount of cleavage, a dark blue dress that fell a bit below her knees, and some nice slip on slippers. Just looking at her wouldn't tell you she hadn't been human, she looked and smelled it, though underneath her seemingly natural scent was one of steel. (Pretty, but not my type.)(Still Aigis, just a bit taller and sort of older)
On Naoto's right was another blue haired woman, though her hair shorter then Naoto's, and was way lighter. It was set into a braid that hung over her shoulder, and ended by the side of her breast. The white dress she wore covered her form, though the glittering necklace brought attention to her neckline. Her legs were covered by long black stockings, and black slip on slippers similar to Aigis' finished her outfit. (Again, pretty, but more in the waif sense, so another miss.)(Lohan de on Pinterest)
I idly noticed they all had one of Martha's Storage Bracers on them too, but the reason for that was obvious since they didn't have any luggage with them. The three looked at me, and I met their looks with a grin. letting my tail come and slide out of the back of the covers, waving it at them. "Hi, I'm too lazy to get out from under here, so this is the best you're gonna get for a bit."
They stared at me again, but Naoto just sighed, and walked into the room, looking around as she did. The room we were in was pretty much the livingroom, it was big, nice and comfy, similar to one of those old inns.
The other Persona Users walked into the room at this point, also looking around. Though, Aigis mostly kept her eyes on me, even going so far to come over to me and crouch down by my side. We stared at each other, and I blinked when she ran a hand against one of my horns. I wasn't expecting that, but I didn't stop her. "Hmm..." The other two noticed what was going on now, and I held back a laugh at the incredulous look on Naoto's face, and the interested look on Fuuka's. "One would most likely make a fortune for selling genuine dragon horns."
Blinking at that, my response was sorta automatic. "How do you think Grandma's so successful?"
Aigis paused, turning to look at me with a look of 'ah' in her eyes. "That makes sense... But shouldn't that be painful? Losing horns and scales?"
"Well, yeah, but I've gotten used to it. It helps that they grow back with time." Regrowing scales felt like little itches, hardly worth my attention. Horns were more annoying then they were painful, and depending on the limb, it ranged from eh, to pain is painful.
The sigh coming from the hot detective caught my attention, and I saw her pinching the bridge of her nose, looking away as she did. "Suddenly things make much more sense."
"Mhm." Fuuka didn't really seem to care about that. "How does that work? Were you born, or hatched? What about Martha-san and Sakura-san?"
Humming, I leaned into Aigis' touch when she started feeling the spot my horns grew from my head, and decided to answer the older Navigator. "In order, it just does, born, Mar-little bit more to the le... Yeah, there- Martha and I were born twins, mom was humaaa...-" Normally my horns weren't sensitive or anything, but apparently no one told Aigis that. (This is nice.) The former android was suddenly massaging the sweet spot between my horns and skin, and it was like I'd taken a dip in a spa. (How's no one ever found this?) I had no idea, but melting into a puddle felt like a good idea.
While I was experiencing a dog or cats dream, Fuuka hummed in the background, amused at what she was seeing, while Naoto just sighed. "This'll be an interesting experience." I heard that, but I didn't care at all.
{30 minutes later}
While I'd been getting pampered, the other two women had gone off to get settled in. Aigis had stayed, fascinated with my horns, and her fascination had only grown when Natsu padded out of the kotatsu. The Persona User had taken one look at my Familiar and basically taken him as her own, so he was napping in her lap, not a single care in the world.
Eventually though, Naoto and Fuuka had returned, and the former was looking serious. "While this has been unexpected, I cannot deny this could be a good thing." An eye focused on her, letting her know I was listening. The detective sat by the door, while Fuuka had come over to sit by Aigis' side, interested in Natsu. "There are some questions I would like to ask, will you answer them?"
That was simple. "Shoot. I'll probably answer anything to be honest." Naoto smiled at that, and I could feel my instincts perk up. (Okay, I get the idea. Sexy detective is sexy, calm your tits.) My draconic instincts huffed at me, but quieted down.
The detective nodded, then started up the questions. "The first question I have is this," Her focus on me was slightly intimidating, but I'd been on the other side of worse. "Do you know who this new Fool is?" And she was going straight for the jugular.
Martha hadn't told them about Akira, she wanted Naoto and the others to figure it out themselves so they could have an actual reason for knowing about him other then 'someone told me.' Though, I wasn't my sister, and I didn't exactly care. "Yup. Met up with em a few days ago. He's staying with my uncle at the moment, literally squirreled away in his cafe's attic." Saying it aloud, it really was fucking hilarious.
This savior of Humanity was living in my uncle's attic.
That statement outright stumped the three beauties in the room, and I cackled. "I'll introduce you to him later, now, next questiooon!~"
Naoto snapped out of her dazed state, and kneaded her forehead. "Ok... Not what I was expecting, not what I was expecting at all."
The blue haired Navigator turned to, and raised a brow at the detective. "And just what were you expecting, Shirogane-san?"
"..." Naoto didn't exactly say anything, but a few moments later, she sighed. "Just not that." Fuuka smiled at the exasperated woman, then turned back to petting Natsu. As that happened, my sort of crush looked back to me, then nodded. "We'll need to take you up on that offer later." I nodded back, not minding that, and also mentally patting myself on the back for getting the old man even more customers. I was practically supplying him the majority of his new coffee and curry addicts. "But moving onto the next question." Getting serious again, Naoto stared at me, and I stared back. "The training we need to access our Persona's, will you be assisting us, or will it only be Martha-san?"
Another good question, one that yet again, gained both of the more docile Persona User's attention. "I can help. We'll probably want to set up a schedule, a half hour or an hour before breakfast, an hour or two sometime in the afternoon, then a half hour or another hour before everyone conks out for the night. I'm not sure when, or if you'll want longer or shorter sessions, but I'm just saying."
Naoto seemed thoughtful, while Fuuka and Aigis hummed at that. It was the only blonde in the room that spoke up next. "Would it be possible to begin this training now?" The look in her eyes was one I recognized. She wanted power, not for the stereotypical villain reasons, but to protect.
I grinned at her, but stopped to look at Naoto first. "We can start now, but do you have any other questions?"
We were all looking at the detective now, and she met our looks with a calm one of her own. "This last one will be enough. How long do you intend to stay here?"
That got me humming. (I actually don't know.. Huh...) Taking some time to think on it, I realized there were a few answers here. I could stay until the endgame, help The Phantom Thieves with everything that got in their way, then leave when all was said and done.
I could stay until we finished off Futaba's Palace, then leave, but I didn't think I'd go for that. As a Confidant, I had the ability to strengthen the Thieves as a whole, not only in real life with my training, but with ranking up as a Confidant... Which I had no idea how that worked, since my 'deal' was with the group as a whole instead of with just Akira, but it was what it was.
The other option was to just do what I wanted, when I wanted, and fuck off when I felt like it... Which was something I wasn't going to do.
Out of all those options, the only good one was the first one. (Plus, helping them get stronger doesn't really have a downside.) If there was one I hadn't seen it. With that thought, I let my thoughts slow back down, and gave Naoto my answer. "As long as I'm needed to be honest. I've got my deal with them, a deal I'll be seeing through till everything's good."
The attractive detective and I stared at each other for a bit, then she nodded, smiling as she did. "That's all I need to know for now." Getting up, she pat her legs, dusted her cap, and looked around. "Now, I believe we have some magic training to start?"
Both women by my side looked excited at that, and I couldn't fault them. They were going to learn magic, going to work on getting back powers that let them fight Demons and Yokai and everything in between. It'd be weirder if they didn't get excited about getting magic under their control. Seeing that, my lips curled into a grin. "Martha set up a room for that, I'll show you."
{5 minutes later}
Sliding a door open, I walked into the Warded and Enchanted room my sister made when we stayed here before. I was going to have to key the new tenants in later, but that was a future Tara problem.
The room looked the same as it had before, a 30x30x30 room that seemed like Urahara's place, but instead of being a mountainous or plain area, it was a nice grassland with its own wind and stuff. The 'sky' had been Enchanted to reflect what was going on outside, so there was a sun and moving clouds up there, making it hard to tell this place was underground. It was Warded to high heaven, so I could go wild here and things would be fine after a few hours.
Which was good, because I had a few methods of training that my sister didn't utilize, but were equally as effective. (Though, I'm not sure if Naoto could survive if I hit her too hard... Shame.) I might've been crushing on her, but I could still break her bones if it came to it.
Speaking of the detective and my other tenants, I looked over my shoulder, and nearly burst out laughing at the looks on some of their faces. Naoto looked like her brain was trying, and failing, to process the fact she was about to enter a grassland while inside a house, while Fuuka was blinking with a look that said 'wait, what?'
The only one that didn't seem phased was Aigis. The former android just looked at the area, nodded, then walked in without a care in the world. Her nonchalance at the scene made me blink, and to my unspoken question, she replied. "I have climbed a tower that was more of a modern art piece then it was a building, a tower that had the manifestation of death at the top. Nothing can really surprise me, nor surpass that in my opinion." I took a few seconds to process that, then shrugged. She had a point.
Aigis' acceptance brought the other two out of their stupor, and into the new grounds.
They all looked around and took in the sights/scents, while I went further in. I had an idea on how to start their training, but wanted some space. {Hey, quick question.}
[Yes?]
{Are you doing the standard stuff you did for Futaba, or anything different?}
My sister was silent for a moment, but she replied without too much pause. [The same as for Futaba. What do you plan to do?]
{I'm going to set up a Den, and see how they react.}
Martha hummed, and I could feel the curiosity coming through. [We'll compare methods either a week after, or when results come through.] That was fine with me. [And have you ensured they have taken their Tea yet?] Blinking, I thought about the last half hour, then realized that no, they hadn't drank it. My sister recognized that, and rolled her eyes. [Remind them to drink it before you begin their training.]
{Gotcha.} I knew I had another kotatsu in my bracers, and a bunch of other furniture and stuff like that, so I'd set it up so they could drink their tea. {What about you? You've got S.E.E.S today, right? Or is that tomorrow?}
[You were correct the first time. I'll be beginning S.E.E.S' training today.] That was interesting. I was the only one with a member of the Investigation Team, so I could probably run into something different with Nao...- [Oh?] I froze. [Do I detect some affection there dear sister?] Shit!
I was really starting to rethink this 'no secrets or walls between soul linked sisters' thing. {Well... Uh... She's hot?}
My twin snorted, and her amusement was growing. [She is also physically a few years older then you.]
{Ok, and? I'm a dragon, age is literally nothing. Plus, that's physically. We both know mentally that that's another story.} And it was. In that aspect I was older then Naoto, which made this dynamic weird because I was both younger and older then her at the same time... However that fucking worked.
My sister didn't address that pat, but instead chose something else to dive into. [I wonder what Mother and the rest of our family will think about you finding your first crush.]
Oh hell no! {I can and WILL stab you in the tits!}
That stopped her for a moment, we both knew her massive MILF milkers were sensitive, mine were too to a lesser degree, so getting them hurt was a bitch to deal with. [... I can take it.] The urge to murder was rising. [Oh hush you over dramatic hellion.] My tail thrashed at that, and I was tempted to use our link to port over and duct tape her mouth shut.
Unfortunately, that was the moment the other women noticed something was up. "Sakura-san, are you well?"
Looking at Fuuka, who was both curious and a little worried, I set aside the smug bitch leaving my mind, and decided to pay more attention to the here and now. "Martha's just being a smug bitch."
The group blinked at that, prompting Aigis to speak. "So there IS some form of telepathic communication between your sister and yourself." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
"Ah!" Fuuka's sudden response, as well as the little clap that came with it, surprised us. "Is it a twin thing? People have always said twins are slightly telepathic with one another." For a moment, I was confused on just who these 'people' were.
Sure, I'd sort of heard that before, but I'd never actually met twins back in my old life, so I had no idea how true that was. "Sorta. There's more to it then that, but let's go with that." I could already tell there were going to be some questions about that, but I'd deal with em later. "She reminded me about the Moon Dew Tea, so real quick, have you three drank it yet or do I need to get some stuff?" The three shared a look, and after three shakes of their heads, I sighed. "Alright, I'll be right back."
That said, I Flashed out and materialized in the kitchen. I had a bunch of stuff in my bracer, but I didn't actually have a teapot.
After getting that, and some cups, I Flashed back to the grounds, earning some startled jumps at my reappearance, but I didn't mind them. Bringing out my spare kotatsu, I set the table with all the necessities we'd need. Moon Dew Tea was easy to make, easy enough for me to do it even without actually caring enough to learn Tea Ceremony or stuff like that. Akeno would say that was blasphemy, but she was a Half Fallen Angel turned Devil, so she didn't even have a plank of wood to stand on.
As I got everything set up, I spoke to the women who were watching me. "I know she delivered packages with Moon Petals, take em out for me while I set this up." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed them all reaching for their bracers, and hummed when they set three boxes down onto the table. I went through the motions of making the tea, which helped me think about stuff, stuff like my plan for the Thieves, as well as my new tenants. (Akira's fine with an hour or two group session three days a week, which should be fine, though I'm not sure how that'd work as a Confidant. Would the chance to work with all of them help me rank up with Akira? Or do we need one on one time?) It was a little weird to apply game terms to myself, but I'd dealt with weirder ever since I was reborn. (As for the women, they don't seem to have any issues with me, and I don't have any with them. We'll probably get along fine.)
I'd already thought about my crush on Naoto enough, so I shooed any of those thoughts away.
I eventually finished the preparations, adding the petals into the tea, blowing out a relatively warm flame to heat the pot, amusing myself with the reactions I got for breathing fire, then poured the pot for my tenants. With that done, I set the pot down, and looked at the Persona Users.
Naoto looked like she was documenting everything, the look in her eyes was similar to my sister's, but fundamentally different. They did the same thing, it was the process that was just something else.
Fuuka seemed excited, which was fair to be honest. I wasn't sure what she was more excited about though, me breathing fire, or the silver tea that looked similar to the moon. I fully expected to be asked about the process of making the tea so she could do it herself.
As for Aigis, the former android looked interested in what I'd just done, but more of a passing curiosity instead of an 'I need to know how that happened.'
Taking in their looks didn't last long, and when I finished, I walked away from the kotatsu, and Shifted to my more primal form, ignoring the breaths the action caused. I padded the ground around me, then laid down afterwards. Looking at the now smaller forms of my new tenants, I mentally grinned at how tense they all were. "The tea won't drink itself, so I'd advise drinking it now. I can wait." I mentally smirked at the way Naoto closed her eyes and did the count down from 10 thing, at the awe and appreciative gleam in Fuuka's eyes, the simple acceptance and blatant interest that Aigis directed at my draconic form.
Eventually, Naoto finished counting down, and decided to take a seat at the kotatsu, gently picking up her cup, deciding to just deal with the 15m tall dragon later.
Aigis and Fuuka joined her a bit later, and they began drinking their tea. I knew it was going to take a bit for them to finish their drinks, so I closed my eyes, and rested my head on one of my paws. Checking up on Natsu, I felt that he was still asleep, I'd stuffed him back under the upstairs kotatsu, and he'd hadn't woken up. I was starting to think he'd grow into one of those 'sleep like the dead' characters, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
Aside from my baby boy, I decided to return the favor and take a peak into Martha's mind. Idly noticing my sister's unannounced presence, I mentally rolled my eyes at her, I kept my mind on my Enchanting of Genesis, not entirely bothered at the more active presence of my sister. Well that was nice atleast. Ideally, the next form would work out as I'd envisioned, yet I'm morbidly curious about what a failure of this particular Enchantment could create. That was sorta fucked up though, wasn't this one meant to be a living thing or something?
[Yes, and?] It said something that she was curious about how a living thing could get fucked up. [Again, and? I've worked with magic that'd leave our enemies as disease ridden corpses that not even maggots would infest.]
{... Point.} My sister copied my earlier action and mentally rolled her eyes at me. That aside, my magic carried out my will, wrapping around Genesis, as well as the numerous Enchantments layered upon her frame. Dunno when she started referring to her weapon as a her, it would be appreciated if my thoughts were my own during this moment, but this was Tara, so I wasn't hoping for much. {Ok, that's rude.}
[I don't particularly care. I'm busy at the moment.] I huffed at that, but got the message, receding from her mind, and fully settling back into my own. [Thank you Tara.] I sent some random muttering back, and she left the link, more amused then she was a few moments ago.
Her aside, I just took in the sun and wind on my scales, the grass beneath my paws, and the scent of earth flowing through my nostrils. Relaxing as a dragon was always just so peaceful, and I knew my daughter and niece enjoyed it as much as I did when we laid in the about it, I realized I should check when my daughter wanted to come over, it would suck if she ported into the home, and I wasn't there to meet up with her. (Hmm... After the training session is over.) Mentally nodding at that, I let my thoughts wander for a bit.
Said wandering took me to strange places, I had a thought about Metria laying eggs or having a live birth, which was a result of me thinking about how long it'd take for Natsu to reach his maturity. My thoughts could and would go to strange places if I let them.
Thankfully, my tenants finished their tea before I had other mildly disturbing thoughts. "We're ready, Sakura-san."
Opening an eye, I saw that yes, they were done. Smiling, I raised my head and looked at them. "You've all read the meditation technique Martha wrote in her book, right?" A trio of nods met my question, and I went on. "Good. Take a few minutes to get comfortable and enter a meditative stance. When you're ready, I'll tell you when to start."
It was nice to see that no one kicked up a fuss or anything, and instead followed orders to a T.
When I saw they were ready, I hummed. "Now, Martha has her own theories on how to work ones mana and stuff, but I've got my own ideas. I'll be using one of those ideas today, and we'll see how effective it is." I got some looks for that, but didn't worry about them. "Granted, she probably already came up with this idea, but might not have decided it would be as effective as some others. Depending on how effective it is, she'll probably go for it with your teammates."
They seemed thoughtful at that, and Naoto asked what they must've all been thinking. "And just what is this method you intend to use?"
It was a simple question with a simple answer. "I'll be having you three meditate in a mana saturated environment. With all the magic in the air, your inherent magic should spark to life, especially when you've just drank Moon Dew Tea. It sounds like the result should be a no brainer, so it'll either work, or it won't." Naoto and the others saw the logic that I was using, and accepted it. "Ready?" After a few moments, my tenants nodded, and it was time to start. "All right, we'll be down here for a half hour minimum, if you need or want to stay longer, let me know." And that was the last announcement I made before I started. "Lightning Dragon's Secret Art," The air gained the scent of ozone, lightning ran up and down my form, and my Magic Circle flickered into existence for a moment. "Dragon's Den!" The sound of thunder washed over us, and in the blink of an eye, everything changed.
A brush of grass would conduct charge, the air smelled of static and lightning, clouds started forming inside the grounds and blocked out the sun, all the while the ground took a blue tinge. My Dragon's Den was my AoE move, everyone had one so I made one too.
The ability was a simple one. I spread out my mana throughout as much of an area as possible, letting my element charge the area. The less power in it, the more I could spread it, while more power meant less territory, but more control and damage I could do in that area. By covering the entire grounds, I could cause everything to take a charge, even if it couldn't/shouldn't be able to. But if I wanted to, I could focus it into a 50m radius where if I wanted it to constantly rain lightning from nowhere, then I could do that. That wasn't even considering the constant voltage anyone in my Den would experience at max power... I could also shut someone's brain off, cause ya know, Bio ELECTRICITY, but that was neither here nor there.
As it was, this was the lowest setting where the worst that could happen was a small shock, weaker then normal shocks, and frizzy hair. Nothing that'd endanger my tenants..
With my Den active, the Persona Users looked around, wide eyed at the change in scenery, as well as the electricity flowing everywhere and on everything. I didn't want them to get too distracted, so it was time to get them started. "Alright," Their attention was on me now, which was good. "Time to start meditating. Move a few meters away from each other, 3 or 4 would be fine, then sit down." No questions, just full focus as they did just that. "Feel the magic in the air, let it flow around you while you focus on your own mana." The three of them closed their eyes, and started meditating.
With them doing that, I kept my senses focused on their presences, and waited for any changes. Persona's were interesting to my senses. Depending on what they were based off of, their presence differed. The ultimate examples would be Izanagi-No-Okami and Caesar. The former was like reality strained to accommodate him, even if it was slight, while the latter felt like staring at a mountain whose peak was hidden by the clouds... (When the fuck did I get so philosophical?) I had no clue, but it was what it was. Anyway, I sent over confirmation that I was starting their meditation, getting a response similar to 'ok' from my sister.
It was a few minutes into the meditation that I felt someone's presence start to change. My eyes were instantly drawn to Aigis, the former android had suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree to my senses, and the sound of a shattering glass confirmed what was going on. A slight intake of breath from the former android preluded the development around Aigis, a band began revolving around her, a band with a massive shield in the front, and two smaller shields on the sides. The band began to formation of shields slowly revolving around her, safeguarding her. (Well isn't this interesting?) It wasn't a full manifestation, but it was a sign in the right direction. {Yooooo!} My twin's eye twitched, but I ignored it, she finished Enchanting her weapon so I was free to be loud. {Look.}
Understanding something was different, she moved into my senses, and saw what I saw. [Well, that is promising.] I snorted at the understatement, making a few sparks coil around my claws. [4 minutes in and some of her Persona has manifested, I'll jot that down for when it is time for S.E.E.S to be trained.] I idly nodded at that, not exactly caring about any of that. Martha stayed in my mind as the session went on, but was mostly there to check up on the progress the women were making instead of talking. It was comforting to have Martha in my mind, not even doing anything, just being there was nice. [It is also nice when you do the same, Tara.] I smiled at that, sending reassuring feelings along the link.
We stayed like that for a while, simply observing the session as the minutes passed, and at the 10 minute mark, another manifestation made itself known. The sound of shattering glass and another slight gasp signaled the appearance of a stylized glass sphere enveloping Fuuka, disconnected glass wings idly hovering behind her. Interestingly enough, I couldn't feel passed the glass. I could SEE Fuuka, but I couldn't FEEL her. [Fascinating. I wonder if she could be scried.] I didn't care about that, and just kept my eyes on the newest addition to the trio.
Martha was taking notes, piggybacking on what my senses were telling her, adding things from her own conclusions, while I watched with an interested gleam in my eyes. This was something new after all.
It was at the 14 minute mark that the sound of shattering glass rang out again, another gasp just like the women prior to her. Looking at Naoto, I noticed the sharp helmet that covered her head, the red and white cape thing that floated behind her, as well as the sheathed sword that was now resting on her lap. The helmet and cape thing didn't register as something too special to my senses, but the sword? The sword radiated a small bit of light, combined with the scent, and I was convinced it was a low tier Holy Sword at the moment.
I took that all in, then nodded. {Want me to wait a bit? Or should I rouse them now?}
My sister hummed, debating the options for a few moments, then responded. [At the 20 minute mark. We don't know if these manifestations will be lost when they return, so I want to get as many notes as I can beforehand.]
{Kay.} So I waited. I used my senses to help Martha get as much data as she could, and let the clock count down.
When it reached the 20 minute mark, I roused the Persona Users. "Open your eyes."
Aigis was first, seemingly ready to move at the drop of a hat. Fuuka came next, nearly as attentive as her teammate. The last was Naoto, her eyes hidden by her helmet, but I could see the shift in her posture.
The three of them took in the changes surrounding them, Aigis smiled at the revolving shields, Fuuka happily felt the glass providing her safety, and Naoto gently unsheathed the sword on her lap. I could tell they were enamored at the manifestations, but I felt like there was something more to it. "Quick question," They all looked at me, and I went on. "You all gasped before everything manifested. Was that because you felt your mana, or was there another reason?"
The women shared a look, even though it was difficult to tell with Naoto, then they all nodded. I didn't understand what went through that look, but I got an answer. "I heard her. It was short, but I heard Athena."
Fuuka and Naoto nodded at that. "Yamato Sumeragi was pleased to be reunited with me. I had the feeling she wished to say more, but we're nowhere near there yet." The fact she said 'yet' pleased both Martha and I alot.
I hummed, and looked over to Fuuka, the one who hadn't said anything yet. Fuuka met my look, and smiled. "Juno's happy she can be by my side again."
Taking that all in, I could tell my sister was interested in more information, so I went ahead and asked what she'd want me to as them. "Now, there are 10 minutes left. Do you all want to go for the full hour, or take a break after the 30 minutes has passed?"
The three shared another look, and after a couple minutes of silent debate, which surprised the both of us since Naoto hadn't been a member of S.E.E.S, they agreed to go for the full hour.
{Tara's General Narration}
After the next 10 minutes of meditation, we went into the practical parts of their training. It was there that we learned some interesting things.
For Naoto, she could only use the beginner stage moves of her arsenal. She could fire off a few Koga's with her sword or hand, but that would leave her tired. She could also use Cleave, which was obvious given the literal fucking sword, but that had nearly knocked her on her ass afterwards, while also making her manifested gear flicker in and out of existence. She needed 5 minutes to recover enough to not conk out then and there, and for her gear to not look like it'd disappear. By the end of the session, she could use 5 Koga's and 2 Cleaves.
Her gear was another thing too. Her helmet protected her from sudden flashes, so a surprise Flashbang would do fuck all against her. Her cape thing looked like it could be used to defend with, but given the fact this was the first session, we weren't going to jump right into combat practice. Her sword though, as... 'Weak' as it was, could actually damage my scales. They held enough to not be pierced, but I was still surprised they could damage scales with the same resistance as some prized gems. It helped that the thing didn't actually get chipped, and just vanished instead.
For Aigis, she was in the opposite situation. Aigis could use 4 Sukukaja's, back to back, and have enough juice in her to use her Physical abilities like Kill Rush or Swift Strike once or twice before being too exhausted to go on. By the end of the session, we learned that her buffs lasted for 10 minutes, her Physical Skills could shatter my scales, and actually hurt a bit. In statistics, she could do 1-3% damage against me with her attacks, which was crazy when we remembered these were her weakest attacks.
As for weapons, Aigis found she could freely manifest her guns for longer now, and could fire mana bullets now that she was actively using it. She would get tired from firing too many, but that was an interesting thing to know.
Then there was Fuuka. Her abilities were fundamentally different, she was a Navigator after all, but we all got a surprise with her abilities. Firstly, the glass sphere she was encased in was fucking TOUGH! With her permission, I hit the damn thing with a Triple Kick, and it took it! Granted, I hit it at 1/4th of my power, but it held without a fucking scratch! I could rend steel with that much power! I was so surprised that I almost didn't avoid the globes of water that attacked me.
Thankfully, I did. That was when we learned Fuuka had automated defenses in the forms of the glass wings. They were more then decoration, and seemed to be responsible for keeping Fuuka safe. With more testing, we learned they could fire 20 globes of water that could punch through stone, and steel given enough blasts. Fuuka couldn't control them, but that was probably an inexperience thing.
Aside from that, Fuuka was able to mess with technology, managing to hack into Naoto's phone and pull up anything on it without much issue. It was crazy, and something Futaba would probably be jealous of. That, or call it 'hax.' It was either or with her.
After the hour was up, we went upstairs to have breakfast, and talk about plans for the day.
Naoto was going to meet up with some of her contacts and start investigating the Mental Shutdowns. From there, she would see about finding any trails she could before coming back for the next training session.
Aigis and Fuuka were going to split up, the former going to meet Azalea, Martha had thrown the Half Fallen under the bus and provided directions to her home, to learn anything that'd help her love interest, while the latter was going to head to Leblanc. She didn't have a set goal, settling for relaxing and letting whatever happen happen.
As for me, I was going to direct Fuuka to Leblanc, hang out there with the old man for a bit, then fuck off and do whatever I wanted. I'd probably end up dropping by some sweet stores for Kuroka and Koneko, but aside from that, no idea what I was gonna do today.
{An hour and a half later}
"Alright, look here you smug motherfuc...- Don't laugh asshole, you're in range to get bonked by a very long stick!" My brow twitched as Ryuji just kept laughing, and I felt the urge to stab him in the dick with my pool cue, rising.
I turned my glare back to Akira, who grinned as he pushed his glasses up. The Erza Glare didn't work on him, and I was annoyed as hell! (Protagonist bullshit!) I huffed at him, then turned back to the pool table.
Akira had a talent for analytical thinking, which made sense given his other side, and found the best ways to hit the right ball in order to get it in the hole, or set up for a multi shot for his next turn. "So, ready to lose, Sakura-san?"
Another twitch. "I want you to remember you've agreed to have physical training by me." There was a moment where he seemed confused, then the statement ran its course, making him blink, and Ryuji stop laughing. Seeing/hearing that, I grinned at the leader of The Phantom Thieves, as well as Ryuji. "Yeees, you will suffer, and I will laugh at your misery." I was petty, but no one ever said dragons were an understanding sort.
"Uhh... Tara-chan?" Looking over to Ann, who was scooting away from Ryuji, I raised a brow at her. "I'm not counted in that... Right?"
I waved her off. "You're good Ann-chan." She let out a sigh of relief, making me grin. "We of the superior sex need to stick together and all that." Ann laughed at that, making my grin grow a bit more since her laugh was nice to hear.
Today was looking to be a good day. The training session had gone great, Fuuka had decided she love Leblanc, and I even got invited to hang out with Akira and the gang. I was just slightly sad that Yusuke wasn't here, he was apparently working on his art, and I was more interested in what he'd come up with, then I was sad that he wasn't here. (If it's good, I'll buy it off him. My hoard needs paintings... I think.) Paintings weren't things I actively cared about, but my instincts could decide differently.
That aside, I turned back to the table, and got ready to take my shot. I was going to beat the smug thief if it was the last thing I did!
{An hour later}
The time fucking around in Kichijoji was great, I felt sorta closer to the Thieves, and we got closer in general. I even managed to convince them to have a session at the gym today so we could work on their forms and shit. They had to go home and get their gym clothes and stuff, but now that they were here, it was time to start the grind!
Bringing out my bag, I started taking out my gym clothes, and undressing when they were out. I'd decided to wear baggy clothes today, but they weren't exactly the best to work out in. It was after I took my bra off that one of my newest students spoke up. "Ok... That's ridiculous."
Turning to Ann, who was blatantly staring at my tits, I raised a brow, something I was sure was one of my default reactions. "What? Jealous?" I grabbed a handful of my girls, hefting them up a bit as I did.
To my surprise, Ann snorted. "Hell no. I don't even know how big those are, but I don't have the right body type for them. Plus, those have to be killer on your back." Blinking at that, I had to concede that she was right.
Well, half right. Thanks to my physiology, I didn't have back problems. "True, you've got the lithe but curvy frame down pat." Grinning as my eyes roamed her form, they stayed on her legs for a good bit since she really did have some nice legs, legs I was getting an eye full of since she was down to her bra and panties. (Mine are still leagues better though.)
Ann saw me staring, and blushed as she started to put her gym pants on, making me sigh. Hearing that she shot me a slightly embarrassed, but even more flirtatious look. "You do know you've got thighs to die for, right?"
Now that got a laugh out of me. "Oh I know." Deciding to see how far I could go with Ann at the start, I let go of my tits and turned a bit, giving Ann an over the shoulder look as I slapped my eyes. "Not the only thing to die for about me."
Seeing her go damn near tomato red made me laugh my ass off, a laugh that was fueled even more after she hurried to get her bra off and her sports bra on. That laugh turned into an outright cackle as she bolted after I spanked her, getting an 'eep' out of her before she booked it out of the changing room. It had been just us, so I had no issue being as flirty as I was. (If I try to go out with Ann I'm going to have so much fun.) She seemed to be easy to tease, and by the hint of arousal I smelled from her before she ran, she was atleast Bi. (Alright girls, we gotta chance!) My draconic instincts did the equivalent of a 'okay', but that was fine.
Anyway, I finished getting changed, my hair was up in a ponytail, a Heart Kreuz sports bra made by Grandma's company and blue yoga pants that hugged my legs perfectly.(Blatantly basing this off of art by castell on Danbooru. Lots of 'art' there.)
Putting everything in my locker, I grinned and made my way out of the changing room.
I had new victims to torture after all.
{Akira's POV}
"It's just strange to be honest. I mean, what are the chances of someone like that being related to Boss?"
Ryuji rolled his eyes at Morgana, not bothering to respond, while Ann answered him. "What are the chances we'd ever wander into another world?"
There really wasn't a good response to that, and Morgana knew that. He seemed about ready to reply with something at the very least, but seemed to catch a case of cat catching his tongue. Looking towards where he was staring showed the reason why, and I couldn't fault him. "Ou la la." I was in full agreement with Arsene. Ryuji and Morgana were as starstruck as I was, while Ann was just staring, a hint of red flowing to her cheeks.
The reason for our sudden lack of coherent thought was obviously the last member of our day out. The eldest Sakura sibling had started the day in baggy clothing, so I'd momentarily forgotten about what lay beneath, but with the sight in front of us, I was reminded why my male mind was attracted to her form, despite having a little more then a crush on the resident doctor.
Sakura Tara walked towards us practically radiating confidence and sex appeal. She knew the effect she was having on literally everyone, and reveled in it. And to be fair, she was right too given her figure was undeniably attractive.
While we were staring at her, my newest Confidant smirked at us, then looked at Ann, her smirk growing as she did. "By the way, they're a J."
Now, my monkey male brain was still catching up to modern times, but that sudden announcement whacked me back to the stone age. "... You will need many a cold shower today, Partenaire." I numbly agreed with him, while using all of my available willpower to not eye the Sakura's breasts.
I noticed Ryuji and Morgana didn't connect the dots, and that Ann was now blushing like mad. Seeing that, Sakura laughed. After her laughter died out she turned to the rest of us, humming an appraising tune. "Good enough." Clapping, she brought our focus back to the here and now. "Here's how this is going to go. For the first 5 minutes we'll be doing stretches and light workouts, don't want anything to get pulled or cramp after all." That made sense. "Afterwards we'll spend the next 25 minutes doing general workouts and weight training. The final 30 minutes will be the actual training, which for now is going to consist of me working with you to figure out just what styles you all are more suited for. I've already got some ideas, but they'll be confirmed later. This schedule is subject to change if we spend more then an hour here, but we'll get to that if we come to it."
So far everything she said made sense. (A month should be enough time to see improvements, minor they may be, so if there are enough, I'll talk with everyone about doing 2 hour sessions.) Another factor was how this would work with our Confidant relationship, but I'd cross that bridge when we reached it.
"You got all that?" The three of us, Morgana wasn't involved in this so he had no reason too, nodded. Sakura grinned like a shark, and I was suddenly worried. "Good. Time to grind!" Very worried.
{An hour later}
(Not sure what I was worried about.) The session had gone well. Like, really well. The light workouts were just that, stretches and other low energy exercises meant to get our bodies ready to actually workout.
After that we used some of the machines, weights, and even the mat to do what Sakura had recommend. She was a good instructor, telling us what the purpose of a particular exercise was, how it helped our muscles develop, and the best diets that'd help the results of our exercise show themselves quicker. She really was a wealth of information when it came to this, and despite my suspicions about her, she was already proving to be a good ally if our training sessions had short and long term gains.
The last half hour of the session was the most noteworthy though, and had given me ideas on how our escapades as Phantom Thieves could be improved. (If we could work on our styles more, then the enhancements we get in the Metaverse are going to make us real threats.) I could feel Arsene's agreement, which made me grin.
Sakura had recommended us to different styles that fit our body type, as well as our style. Thanks to Carmen, Ann was recommended Capoeira, a Martial Art based on dancing, something Ann was now a professional at.
Ryuji was recommended to learn Judo, an art that would help him grow in all aspects, while probably helping with his injury. It wasn't exactly suspicious for her to notice Ryuji's knee was injured, but the thoughtful gleam in her eyes, was. I didn't know what it could mean, but I'd keep an eye on her.
The recommendation she gave me was Kickboxing, something called Sanda to be more specific. I didn't know that Kickboxing had different variations depending on the country, nor the fact that apparently the type I'd been recommended had been made by the Chinese, but I was finding that Sakura was more then she appeared to be everyday. "It helps that she is quite the eye candy, eh Partenaire?"
I rolled my eyes at the Old Thief, but didn't outright deny it. We both it would be a lie anyway. /Yes, but you have to admit, her expertise in this is amazing./
"True, very true. From what I can tell, you have already gained some form of improvements just from this one event." I blinked, the first session had already gotten results? "Why yes, it has. Similar to the therapist you have began bonding with, your reserves of Spiritual Power has grown, a minuscule amount to be sure, but it has still grown. The Lion's share of the growth has gone to your stamina and durability though, which is quite a boon to be sure."(+5HP, +2SP)
Thinking about that, the grin I'd already had on my face had grown even more. (And this is just the first session too!) I was now officially looking forward to these new meetings.
"Whatcha thinkin about Akira-kun?" The sudden interruption surprised me, but I recognized the voice.
Turning towards the speaker, I saw Sakura back in her baggy clothes. She had snuck up to my side at some point, I hadn't noticed when, and was just giving me an amused look. I shook off my surprise, and gave my new... Teacher(?) an answer. "Just thinking about this." I didn't have to specify, she knew what I meant given the nod I got. "This was good, better then good to be honest. Just makes me interested in seeing how far we can go with this." And I really was. Beyond the opportunity to get stronger, as well as the chance to know more about my new Confidant, I enjoyed my time here, the feel that I was doing something to better myself. It was similar to my enjoyment of studying, just more physical for this.
She smiled at that, then hummed after. "Then I'll be looking forward to seeing you more often, eh Akira-kun?"
I returned her smile, though it felt more like a smirk. "Right back at you Sakura-san."
The redhead rolled her eyes at me. "It's Tara you discount Hentai protagonist."
Arsene burst out laughing, while I felt my lips curl up. "Tara-san it is then." In the back of my mind I could feel the familiar feeling of a Confidant rank up, as well as a new ability being given to me.
I had no idea what it was at the moment, but I'd have Arsene tell me later.
[Omake - Thoughts? Thieves' POV hours later]
-Thieves Den-
Joker - So, thoughts on Sakura-san's training?
Skull - Awesome!
Panther - I'm still a little sore, but its a good kind. I'm kinda looking forward to the next session too.
Joker - Same. She knows what she's doing, REALLY knows I mean.
Panther - Right?! I didn't even know those bicycle machines were so comfortable.
Skull - ... Maybe that's because you just don't go to the gym?
Panther - Hush you!
Mona(Akira's just relaying what he's saying) - That aside, were you okay Panther? You came out of the changing room looking like you were burning up at the end of the session.
Skull - Now that he mentions it...
Panther - Don't worry about it! Like, at all. Just don't! It's girl stuff, and therefore classified!
Mona - ?
Skull - ?
Joker - ... Moving on.
Joker - Arsene told me my SP, Stamina and Health went up after today's session, what about you two?
Skull - Captain said the same thing! Sure I had to deal with him constantly trying to get me to flirt with Tara-san, but he eventually got there.
Panther - ... Uhuh... Anyway, Carmen told me that too. Not the flirting thing(She lied as easily as she breathed) but the boosts thing. She's also interested in me learning Capoeira, said it would be my duty to be the best femme fatale I could be.
Morgana - ...
Skull - ... Oh...
Joker - ... Moving on x2.
Joker - After today's session our Confidant rank grew, and the new ability seems to affect us all.
Joker - 'Improvements of any kind are slightly easier to be made by you and your companions', is the literal wording.
Panther - Whoa... Even though it says 'slightly' isn't that kind of strong?
Mona - Yup. Especially the first word considering 'improvements' can mean alot of things.
Skull - Duuude!
Skull - We could totally cheat the system!
Panther - ... I don't think years of studying would make you smarter, cheat or no cheat, Skull.
Mona - What she said.
Skull - Oh come on!
Skull - You're with me, right Joker?
Joker - I think it's safe to say we'll continue our training sessions with Sakura-san.
Panther - Agreed.
Mona - I can't exactly join in but I'm in favor of this.
Skull - Guys?!
Joker - That's good.
Joker - That's the last thing we had for today, so I'll talk to everyone tomorrow.
Panther - Night Joker! Mona!
Mona - Goodnight Panther!
Skull - I see how it is!
Joker - Night.
Skull - I'm going to get you guys back for this, I will!
Skull - You'll remember it as the day you provoked the mighty Skull!
Fox - ... Did I miss something?
No idea who I'll pair Tara with.