Duel Terminal
7th Librarian

Chapter 13: When You Adult About The Card Games

"You…don't have your deck."

"I don't. It's still at the dojo."

"You don't…have your deck."

"Look, I need time to center myself and Master Zane is right - I'm treating the game as a burden and my deck as a tool. Some time away from it is what I need right now."

"Is not Duel Monsters the medium by which we will deal with the difficulties of the world?" Sumire asked. "Or have you taken my suggestion and decided to invest in a sniper rifle?"

Lero rolled his eyes. "No, Sumire, we aren't murdering our way through our problems."

"If our problems attack us, throw us into life-threatening dangers that they themselves fall victim too, is that not murder with extra steps?"

"She's got a point, you know." Marik said. He was sitting on a chair reverse-style, chin resting on his arms. "Kinda of why I tried to assassinate Little Red's dad via proxy."

"I do not understand why you just didn't tip the odds in your favor, Uncle, instead of risking the lives of your subordinates."

"Magical doo-dads don't like trading hands unless it's a fair fight - their rules, not mine. And besides, pretty sure the Pharaoh got a kick out of watching the Rare Hunters getting screwed over. He seemed really disappointed that his duel with Lumis and Umbra wasn't an actual death match, right, Kaede?" Marik said airly, then blinked when he didn't get an immediate response. "Uh…Kaede?"

Kaede was staring at Lero like he was some kind of monstrosity that had crawled out of H.P. Lovecraft's imagination with a nice suit. "You don't have…your deck."

"Yes, we've established that, Kaede." Lero said gently, but seeing that she just stared at him, he shrugged and turned back to Sumire as he helped himself to a cookie. "At any rate, I couldn't stay up there forever. Letting you run the company for just one month is hard enough - I can't leave my wife to do all the work."

"I do not have the same problems as you do, Bellerophon. For one thing, I have a large wave of popularity to ride from the Bride Tournament as opposed to being challenged in filing in your father's shoes. For another, my Board of Directors is actively helping me." Sumire reminded him. Unlike Lero, she was breaking her cookie into eighths somehow and eating it a slice at a time.

"You don't have your…deck."

"You know, saying it with different emphasis on it like that doesn't change the fact it's true." Lero said mildly between bites. "And, Sumire, I'm the head of R&D - I'm part of that Board of Directors, I should be doing my job and helping."

"Tesla is doing fine."

Lero raised an eyebrow at the mention of his assistant director. "Uh-huh."

"She is under budget."

"You know how she does that? She skips on cleaning supplies and uses Monster energy drink instead. Stuff cuts through grease, rust and dust like a hot knife through butter." Lero said dryly. Seeing Sumire's eyebrows jump into her hairline, he laughed. "She's a great innovator and idea-woman, Sumire, but everything beyond that she needs some oversight. Which is what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Be that as it may, husband, you do not have to return to work just because of duty and obligation. While you are much improved, I can still feel you are unsteady in some ways. You have an obligation to help save the world and create children."

"We also have our biggest product launch in less than three weeks, using game mechanics I personally designed, which is also celebrating Duel Monsters 50th anniversary. We have our faces and showpieces even without Rosie, but among the many things you are, Sumire, you are not a showman. You don't have the charisma to feed into the energy the launch party is going to have. But I have the years of training and experience in just that." Lero pointed out firmly.

"I will enlist Verthandi-"

"Sumire, this is the 50th anniversary of Duel Monsters. It has to be me or no one - it is that important. It's what people will expect, because I'm still my dad's son. You've got a lot of approval thanks to the Bride Tournament, Kaibaland Tokyo and more, but you still don't have the pizzazz or chops to call yourself a duelist." Lero didn't back down when she crossed her arms, gaze narrowing. "I also know that you're smart and moral enough to admit that this is true and not get petty over it."

Sumire glowered at him, but it faded quickly into mild irritation. "Must you be so smooth with your words and cunning in your knowledge of me?"

"I must." Lero replied with an easy smile. "It's why you married me."

"You know that is not-"

"I'm being facetious, my dear wife. And speaking of wives, I need to find the Irish one with all the knowledge. Was there anything else that happened in my absence? Y'know, aside from your joyride to the other side of the planet? Any word on Rosemary?"

Sumire huffed, her lack of results apparently grating on her. "None as of yet. We have ruled out anything sinister, but finding two women in the whole world is not an easy feat. Now that Kaede has returned, I may enlist her to help me with internet searching."

"...do I get a say in this?" Kaede asked.

"No. That is called being the First Wife."

"Computer searches are great, but I think you need a wider net," Marik pushed himself off his chair. "I've still got some contacts in low places…or with fingers in low places at least. I can ask around."

Sumire blinked at him in surprise, while Lero just gave a grateful smile. "Thanks Marik. That would be amazing. Let me know what I can do to help too - for now, I'm going to find Chloe. Do you know where she is?"

"Library," Kaede waved her hand. "Someone - and by someone I mean me - introduced her to Neil Gaiman and she's been binge reading Sandman all morning."

"Have I mentioned that you have the best taste?" Lero asked, with a charming grin.

"Isn't that what you said to me the last time we watched Robot Wars?" Sumire pointed out.

"Or Jackie a few months ago when she sent you the new album of that rock band you both like?" Marik put in.

"Or Verthy this morning after she picked out what color shoes you should wear with that suit?" Kaede's eyebrows arched in amusement. Feeling his cheeks darken in embarrassment, Lero coughed and muttered his leave before escaping. But not before overhearing the sounds of Kaede and Sumire giggling together. The idea of them connecting and getting along, simultaneously warmed his heart and terrified his balls into hugging close to his body.

The library was - as befitted its name and purpose - silent when he entered. It had undergone a peculiar transformation since Sumire and the whole business with the Signers had begun. Since his father's accident, the shelves had lain dormant, untouched for years until the only ones to observe them were dust bunnies. Picking up a good book had taken a backseat as Lero had struggled to keep I2 afloat, and in any case, it would have felt wrong to pick up a Funny Bunny comic, or one of the massive encyclopedias about ancient Egypt without Maximillian Pegasus to run to with every thought that popped into his head.

Now, the research areas at least, were being regularly used, books turned in and out of the shelves, poured over and studied for any information that might be of use to Lero and his newly forming harem of Signers. The dust had been all but banished, and he had caught the other women using the less academic sections too in their downtime - though Jackie had insisted that she hadn't been reading the trashy werewolf romance, and had only needed it to squash a spider.

Chloe was very much 'in the zone' as Lero liked to think of it. Reclining against the arm of one of the couches, with her feet tucked up under a blanket, in a position that Lero knew from experience would lead inevitably to butt numbness in a few hours. A jaunty pile of Sandman comics sat on the floor beside her, and her eyes were wide as she scoured the pages, absorbing every detail she could manage. She did not notice or even blink as he sat down on the end. She did kick however as he tweaked her blanketed foot to get her attention.

"If I lose my place because of you, I'm going to scream so loud your eyeballs will pop." Chloe warned him over her comic.

"Sure you will," Lero said dryly. He sat down across from her. "I need your help, Chloe."

"Do I have to put down the comic to do it?"

"Well, we do kinda need to talk about Signers and Crimson Dragon stuff."

Chloe huffed a bit, marked her place with a Toon Dark Magician Girl bookmark and set the comic aside, sitting up to look at him properly. "Alright. Where are we starting?"

"How do you talk to the Crimson Dragon?"

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "I dunno."

"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Lero asked. "Aren't you a Duel Priestess?"

"Yes, but that's only because I'm literally the one left with the capability to be so - kind of how like I'm also a Signer." Chloe explained with a sigh.

"Yes, but given how this religion seems to be genuinely magical - cause, you know, you built a fully-functional human body while homeless and listening to your god - you might have a means to talk back to her." Lero pointed out.

"I got most of my information from her from dreams and some old alchemists I was directed to." Chloe said with a shrug. "You can pray to her, like everyone else."

Lero chewed the inside of his lip. "I don't think I can. I'm hardly religious and am just too tied up in material matters. The company, my marriage, Signers, Chrysaor, all that stuff lives in my head. I can't just shove it all away. And given how all my magical experiences have been ones trying to kill me, plus the last god I interacted with cursing me to die - it's going to be hard to trust in something I can't interact with directly."

To his surprise, Chloe smiled at him. "Well, at least you're very self-aware about yourself. And that's a good thing. A religion that empties you out so they can fill you up with whatever they want isn't a very good one. Faith isn't meant to answer all your problems, it's meant to keep you floating when you think you're drowning."

"Soooo…."

"Well, admitting your own shortcomings and troubles is the first step to gathering some faith. But it takes years and effort and we're a bit short on time." Chloe said, drumming her fingers on the table as she thought. "History says that Signer Kings were able to commune with the Crimson Dragon, that the whole family could cause her to appear on Earth almost at will. And with just our dragons, we managed to call enough of her that she could shove Ra out of your body. So that's the quickest and most expedient route."

Lero sighed and sank back onto the recliner. "So far, I have Jackie and Verthy as Signers. You and Kaede have dragons, so it's kinda obvious who's next on the docket. But c'mon - Chloe - this isn't a fantasy story - good, healthy relationships take time, effort and patient compromise. I can't just have one of you sit in a waiting room while I do the other."

"Wasn't Kaede hurling herself at you when you got home the other day?" Chloe said wryly, laughing as Lero looked embarrassed and turned to study the zig-zag pattern on the couch. "She's resolved a major crisis for herself - and in turn resolved herself to being a Signer. She's determined, that one."

"Yeah, but… a crisis I knew nothing about. I knew about Sei - it's part of why we broke up; she felt she was too close and stuff. But I didn't know anything about how it was eating her up until I got home. Years worth of time." Lero said slowly, still staring at the couch. "If I couldn't notice something so obvious as a friend, how can I be a good partner?"

Chloe sobered up at the seriousness of his tone. "You can only learn, and promise to do better in the future. That's all anyone can do."

"And what about you? I don't know anything about you except I'm the last hope for your clan, your faith and your god. You gave up a decade of your life to help a man you didn't know existed."

"I did so because I burned myself trying to get revenge. When I didn't think I could go on, my faith was there to make me take that extra step. It was not easy, but it was worth it."

"Really? You have no higher education, no career, no income, no address, nothing at all to cement your existence." Lero turned to look at her, his violet eyes sharp. Not unfriendly, but sharp and she couldn't help but compare them to a jungle cat. "You were banking on your potential Signer King being a good person, willing to take you in and even believe you."

"True." The Duel Priestess admitted. "It was a gamble in more ways than one and the dice really haven't stopped rolling yet, either - the odds just got better. But those circumstances weren't your fault, Lero - it was the fault of the people who attacked my clan and who killed my family. Everything after that was just my choices, poor and angry as they were."

"Yeah, but that's a lot of weight to put on a man. And to be honest, Chloe, my feelings towards it are colored by that history. By the fact you've bet everything on me. And by the fact you're walking a path you didn't have a choice in." Lero said. "That is a lot of baggage for any relationship and I'm concerned that it's going to make anything romantic we have forced."

She felt her elevation of the man rise a bit. Most people wouldn't have the self-awareness to admit they couldn't have faith because of material concerns, let alone have such a keen awareness of their potential relationships beyond the bedroom. He was a honest man and her heart ached in joyful pain at that; history oft showed that the honest men found the crown the heaviest.

Still, she could at least relieve some of his worries. "I appreciate the concern, but while I admit being a Signer isn't something I wanted, I was going to be involved in some way. I was supposed to give birth to one of the next Signers."

The sharpness in Lero's gaze winked out to be replaced by some rather adorable confusion. "Umm…say that again, but with help files?"

"Simple logic. If my clan had survived, the next Signer would have been in sixty years, which means if I had grown up and had a normal life, they probably would have been one of my kids." Chloe explained. "Despite what fiction says, the Crimson Dragon usually doesn't pick young people to be Signers. It picks adults. Most Signers were in their thirties or so. Also, a little vision during the day I took my initiate vows might have hinted at being a mom."

"Oh." Lero said and she could just about see his brain processing all of that. "That seems kind of…awkward. I mean, you get ready to dedicate your life to a faith and god tells you your job is to produce a kid whose going to risk life and limb to save the world."

"Some people might consider that a blessing, others a curse. I kind of wavered on it before deciding that my kid becoming a Signer was probably not much more dangerous than, say, joining the military, getting a job in construction and so on." Chloe waved away his concerns with a dry smile. "Besides, my future kid would be a candidate; it's up to the Signer King to pick his harem."

"Phrasing it like that sounds like I'd normally have to go through women like picking lotto numbers."

"Or just bedding them."

"Or just be - hey!"

Chloe laughed. "It's not too unfeasible - there's a story about one King just going through the candidates every night one by one until the set was complete."

Lero huffed. "Major relationship of soul-sharing and high-stress formed on the basis of a one night stand. How did that King meet his end?"

"Died of old age, surrounded by great-great grandchildren. His name was Koka Conde Mallma and he was the previous king before the Dark Times. He saw the Ushbaki Taiyu through the Atlantean War and lived nearly three hundred years - most of that time was spent in retirement with his Signers. There's no historical evidence because of the Dark Times, but most of the more powerful families in the clans liked to claim descendancy from one of his Signers. And he had at least sixty kids, so…" Chloe couldn't help but smile as Lero's jaw progressively got lower and lower during her little speech. "Hey, you can afford it!"

"Sixty kids -" Lero shook his head before running a hand down his face. "Okay, I have a lot of questions - how did he live that long? What are the Dark Times? Does the Crimson Dragon make all the women hyper fertile? Is Verthy going to have to start her line of maternity dresses early?"

"Part of the gift of being a Signer is that their bodies get a general overall enhancement - healing, metabolism, strength, endurance and so on. You won't be lifting cars above your head, but you can hit your physical prime faster and it lasts until you die." Chloe said. "The Dark Times are the aftermath of the last Signer War five thousand years ago. The Signers from that generation all vanished under mysterious circumstances and took their city, Seibal, with them. We lost everything - records, leadership and more. It's just a giant blank spot in our history."

Lero winced. "And you all spent five thousand years rebuilding it and now…"

"It could have happened at any time - one of the major churches or modern society could have discovered us or someone could have done a crusade. But regardless of what we've lost, we can take the pieces and make something new." Chloe assured him, a calm smile becoming wry. "Speaking of which, the Crimson Dragon does seem to increase fertility for the Signers - but -" She continued as Lero made a strange noise of worry in his throat. "Only after the war is won. So unless you and Verthy haven't been practicing safe sex, neither she nor Jackie are going to have a baby on the way."

"Good, good." Lero breathed a sigh of relief. "At least we have contraception and the like - I can't imagine what would happen if the Signers were all pregnant when the war came…"

"The Crimson Dragon probably doesn't like to think of that either- all of the stories say none of the Signers had their kids until after the war."

Lero considered that. "Do the Crimson Dragon's Signers always win against the Crimson Devil's Speakers, then?"

"I don't know - the stories I do know only go back about a hundred thousand years and this war has been raging since before humanity walked the Earth. My Pa once showed me a fossil from a Tyrannosaurus Rex that had the Head Signer Mark engraved on it."

"...there were dinosaur Signers." Lero said flatly in disbelief.

"Magic is just as old as the Earth, Lero. It's been part of nature and life here for as long as life has been. After all, the odds of this rock floating in outer space in the infinite universe underwent enough change that it was capable of producing sentient life has to be astronomical." Chloe said, waving a finger at him. "And isn't that, in and of itself, something truly magical?"

Lero didn't have a clever or indeed coherent answer for this, and simply reached for the minifridge at the end of the couch, pulling out a cider and offering it to her.

"...no expensive white wine spritzers? Thought you were a Pegasus."

"Sorry, I'm five and like fizzy things."

TTTTTTT

"Hey, can we talk?"

Rosemary, startled by the voice in her doorway, jerked and just managed to snatch a cup of tea from her lap tray before it went tumbling away alongside coloured pencils and her adult colouring book. Still hot even through the bandages on her fingertips, she hastily set it back on the tray before looking up at her guest. "Maja? Um - sure, come on in."

Maja slithered in, but with none of her usual passion on her face. Even her hair and Rare Hunter robes were limp, as if something had drained her of all the willpower she had. She scanned the little, slightly-bigger-than-cubicle-sized room the Darkborn were using and seeing no available space, seated herself on the part of the bed Rosemary didn't occupy. "You know, being one of Lord Chrysaor's squeezes, I thought you'd have gotten some better digs."

"I'm not what a 'squeeze', Maja. I'm his friend." Rosemary corrected her, flushing slightly when Maja gave her a 'I know you're smarter than that' look. "I'm not, really - even if he was interested in me, he's not so much as made a move or said so. And I think he's too nice to try and drop little hints."

"Sure, Lord Chrysaor's sweetness and sunshine, but c'mon, you don't think Daiyu taking a vested personal interest in us both and putting us through the wringer isn't a hint that we're going to have bigger roles?" Maja said, holding up her own hand to show her fingertips had Band-Aids as well. " 'Cause, if not, having us punch those bags for hours and hours has got to be some kind of violation of the Geneva Convention."

"I get the point. But if anyone would be one of his Signers, it'd be you," Rosemary argued. "You have the dragon."

"And you're a Darkborn. I have zero magic powers and am in the minority here."

Rosemary just shrugged. "I'm sure we'll get an explanation at some point."

"I hope so. I'm not sure what this Signer business is about, but it seems important." Maja said, cocking her head at Rosemary. "You seem to know something about it - you didn't so much as blink when Daiyu started talking about us being potential ones."

"I've…heard about it. Someone I knew was involved in the same kind of thing. A central leader, some kind of selection process and dragons." Rosemary swallowed the painful lump in her throat. Lero died to his curse, denied a destiny, a future because - because he had risked everything to help her, to save her. He was to be Signer King. She was to be his.

But pretty was the only thing she was good at and so she swallowed that alongside the lump. Maja was here for help; this wasn't about Rosemary. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I've got a mission against a high-profile target. And I'm not sure it's something I can handle." Maja said and then snorted. "Look at me, trying to ask for reassurance that I'm a good thief - not exactly helping you make the moral choice."

"You're obviously a good thief," Rosie felt the words leave before she really had time to think them through. She saw the other woman's eyebrow arch and felt her cheeks turn pink as she continued to say whatever came to her head in an effort to dig herself out of this socially awkward nightmare. "You're a Rare Hunter. They don't just let anyone become a Rare Hunter. You had to be a…well I suppose 'professional' isn't the word. Umm…established? Known in certain circles?"

"Please stop - you're going to hurt yourself." Maja said, but she stuck her tongue out, and Rosemary felt her awkwardness start to evaporate. It was just Maja. She wasn't her mother. Or a wealthy contact she had been told to flirt with. She did not care that she was behaving less than perfectly. "But yes. You have to have a reputation."

"Right…so you must be good," Rosemary concluded, her point now feeling weak from her rambling. "I mean…what's the biggest heist you've done before?"

"It's not about that for Rare Hunters - big scores are easy - just yank a few boxes off the shelves and book it. And it's not Ocean's Thirteen, either. We're predators, stalkers and ambushers. The duel is as much a prize as the cards are." Maja said, crossing her arms. "It's not as noble as it sounds - plenty of bottom-feeders beat-up kids. Lord Chrysaor is against it, though."

"That's…good," Rosemary said reflexively, finding her polite smile locking into place. It took a forceful reminder that she wasn't any better than Maja at the moment - being a Darkborn was as much a crime as robbery or murder. "So - why me? I have no idea how to do what you do. Not unless you think you can seduce your target. Or you have to escape via a fashion show."

"Ugh, don't even suggest that - my parents were about two steps away from pimping me out once they realised I didn't get the family smarts, the family charm or whatever." Maja said with a dismissive wave. "But you…you have confidence about you. And I saw your Bride Duel Tournament - you had billions of people watching you and you dueled like they weren't even there. The place I have to hit is this big reveal event and it's one thing to wear the robe in a dark alley and take someone one-on-one, but to do it in front of all these people…"

Rosemary regarded her curiously. "Why is that a problem? If you're going after someone's cards, why does it matter what these other people think? Unless you think they'll stop you?"

"Naw, bystander syndrome is a big part of my gig; especially with rich people - can't risk tearing that fancy dress or snapping a heel. It's just..I need to dress up and look pretty. And that's just to fit in. To get to my target and get the opportunity for the steal, that's damn near impossible." Maja flopped back onto the bed dramatically. "I can't even use my real name for clout - my parents would be all over me."

Rosemary understood that all too well. She didn't dare poke her nose out of the compound at the moment - even if Daiyu had chased Amane away, there was no doubt in her mind her manager would be prowling around with a pair of binoculars just waiting for a chance to snatch her back. "Well, do you have to be obvious about the steal?"

"Huh?" Maja twisted her head to look at her, blinking in confusion. "Well, thievery doesn't really have a uniform requirement, I guess."

"That's not what I meant, but it's a start." Rosemary explained. "I know your usual routine is to announce yourself, all dramatic and imposing. And that's good for most things, I bet. But if you're crashing an event and need to duel this particular person, I don't think you should worry about getting them alone - you should just make them want to duel you. That way, even if it is in public, no one will suspect anything until the last second."

"I suppose…" Maja pursed her lips in thought. "How would I do that? This target's a headliner and I can't just march into the afterparty demanding a duel - I'd have to get through the queue first!"

"So appeal to them. Ignore the idea that anyone else is there. Dress to engage them, whether you want to enthral or antagonise. Wear an act along with the clothing - do they like someone boldly challenging them? Or are they quick to jump at the chance to duel someone who's beneath their skill level? Do they have something they want, even if it is your body? Or a rare card you have? Remember - people only see what they want to see. Give them just a few pieces and they'll fill in the blanks with whatever makes the most sense to them."

"Hmmm…I could that. My target's a big name and she's looking to make it bigger." Maja said, eyes focused on the ceiling as she thought. "Just went through a big break-up, too. So she'd want some positive publicity."

"That's your angle. Find her ex, snare them if you can or find a person just like them. Bait her with it, make it a spectacle. Odds are good that her pride won't let her back down. Push her buttons right and she'll be challenging you to duel without anyone thinking it's just more rich people drama." Rosemary said with a clap of her hands. "You could even spin it so you're the victim, meaning getting the cards you want would be easier with peer pressure."

"Naw, I'm not that good an actor. Too bitchy to ever be weak like that. Plus, I'm stealing some magical mojo or other. Lord Chrysaor says I'm not actually hurting anyone or stealing souls, but the public event is really the only time we can get this close to my target without it being suspicious." Maja said, sitting herself upright. Flipping her brown hair back over her shoulder, she smoothed it out while giving Rosemary a grateful smile. "You're pretty smart, you know? I'd never have thought this up - I was still figuring out how to go in guns blazing."

"I'm glad I could help. My whole life has been a scripted one and its nice to find that it wasn't all nothing and it could help a friend." Rosemary felt her heart seize for a beat at the slip of her tongue.

Maja just grinned and slugged her on the arm. "'That's good, cause if we're friends, than can you help me dress up for this stuff? And make-up? I need stuff that looks good, but I can ditch or wipe off without too much hassle."

Rosemary felt a smile - a true smile - slip onto her face. Finally something she actually knew how to do. "Show me what you're working with."

TTTTTTT

"So I was a vampire and a queen?" Serenity Mouto regarded her daughter with skeptical eyes over her mug of tea. "What, was being one impossible thing not enough for this evil me?"

She winced as Kaede threw a sweet at her. "You weren't evil, Mom. You were just…intense. And looked like you had seen some shit-"

"Language."

"-but that doesn't make someone evil."" Kaede unwrapped another sweet and popped it into her mouth. "Anyway, that you kicked my ass-"

"This me could, too." Serenity said with a dry look at her. "Whose photo is still on the 'Family Board Game Champion' spot in the hallway for six years running now?"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "It's not statistically possible to win Uno that many times - you must be cheating."

"I never cheat. I just believe in the Heart of the Cards."

"That's Dad's schtick!" Another sweet bounced off her shoulder. "Stop stealing his IP!"

"Fine, it was the power of my friends believing in me-" Serenity laughed and caught the third sweet as Kaede huffed. "Hey, Aunt Tea would be really salty with you for interrupting me one of the speeches!"

"She'd just roll her eyes and say she was never like that - only that Uncle Joey exaggerated too much in all the letters to you he wrote." Kaede corrected her mother. "How is Aunt Tea doing these days, anyway?"

"Good. Still choreographing amazing musicals for Hollywood. She likes to moan about her being past her prime, but she's got four years on me and she's still the only woman I know who can put both her legs behind her head and get them out without medical help." Serenity said wryly. "Was asking about you - wondering what your career goals were and what universities you want to be in - she said with her connections and your ballroom skills, she can get you some good scholarships."

"Uh, yeah…" Kaede looked down at her tea mug. "About that, Mom…"

Serenity paused, then closed her eyes and sipped her drink knowingly. "You don't want to go to a university, do you?" When her daughter nodded, the older redhead smiled. "Your dad owes me a spa trip now."

"Mom!" Kaede gaped at her in shock.

"Hey, hey, if you had gone, I'd have had to go with him to ComicCon and you know I don't like crowds, so it's a win all around." Serenity said, waving away Kaede's confused shock as she drank more tea.

Kaede gave her a grumpy look. "Why am I not surprised you and Dad had a bet about this?"

"We do because one, your dad is a gamer at heart and I like gambling. And two, we worry a lot about you, sweetie, and sometimes, making a game out of worry is the only way we can cope." Serenity said gently. "We want you to have a long, happy, healthy life. But you've never seemed to really want anything like a career or long-term plans."

"I know, I know…" Kaede chewed her mother's words over, looking at the tea mug again. "I still don't know what I really want to do. I know what I like, but I think if I tried to make what I like into what I do, I'd wind up hating it."

"Mmm." Serenity agreed sagely. "I get the feeling you've found something in this Signer thing, though?"

"It's the first thing in a while that I've felt like I've actually wanted. To have the magic dragon, to demolish cruel people, to risk my life in duels." Kaede gave her a shrug. "I grew up not wanting to be Yugi Mouto's daughter, but here I am, doing the same things he did."

"Except your dad and uncle stumbled into it, they didn't go out looking for it." Serenity pointed out and Kaede went a bit red in embarrassment. "You've always been a risk-taker, Kaede and not in the 'Where's the roller coaster?' way. But the 'back-alley bareknuckle brawl' way. One thing to be an Eliminator, even I know your act isn't really an act for you. But a Signer - I don't want you be doing this just to get a fix; that attitude could get you killed."

"I'm not. At least…I don't think I am any more," squirming in her seat, Kaede reflected on the last forty eight hours. "I had the opportunity to leave it, Mom. To give it all up and let someone else take it, because I didn't feel worthy enough…like I'd cheated my way into it. If I was in it for the risk, why would I have willingly wanted to give that up like that?"

"Because you have your dad's sense of guilt." Serenity replied. "And I watched that incident with Sei eat at you for years, Kaede. I'm glad you found some closure for that. But now you're telling me you have to marry Lero and have a baby - and so do five other women. All the while all these gods and devils want to kill you all. This is…a lot to take in. You've always been little miss independent and now you're okay with becoming a part of a - a harem? Polycule? Is there another new socially correct word for this now?"

"No, you're fine. I don't even know what we're going to call ourselves." Kaede admitted.

"Do you even still like Lero like that, Kaede? You guys dated when you were teens and despite what you two may have thought, that's not a real relationship. And you broke up because you were feeling constrained." Serenity pushed. "If it was hard enough with just the two of you, how hard is it going to be with seven?"

"I don't know. We're going to figure all that out," Kaede had chewed over that very concern much since the trip back from South America. "But…I know he's the one I want to figure it out with. If having him means I have to share him, I'm okay with that."

Serenity stared at her and then shook her head with a smile. "You're a bigger woman than I was at that age. And braver, too."

"You dove into the ocean to save your brother from drowning while he was tied to a giant anchor days after you had eye surgery!"

"That was different, sweetie. It was one moment in time, but this Signer stuff - that's for life. You just finished telling me you can't give up once you seal the deal." Serenity said quietly. "This…scares me, sweetie. I can't help but think that one day your dad and I are going to wake up…and you won't be alive anymore because a giant monster crushed you. Or some religious nut shot you for believing in a false god." Her hands kneaded around her tea mug a few times. "Just…help me, Kaede. Tell me why you want this. Tell me why it's good for you."

That brought Kaede up short for a moment. She stared at her tea again, but the tea leaves held no hints to her future or solutions to her present. The silence between them thickened and then she exhaled slowly, picking at the first loose thread that floated through her mind. "You know how Raymon broke up with Jessie after that tournament? And she's been running around since then doing everything she can to distract herself?"

Serenity nodded and Kaede continued. "I know Lero would never do that to me. Hell, I know Sumire wouldn't let that happen to me. No matter how crazy things get, he's not going to just blame me and ditch me. They're all amazing people, Mom - Verthy is rich and noble, Suimre's got more letters after her name than the alphabet, Rosie's the most gorgeous thing on the planet - and you know what? I know that if I said I didn't want to go to university or wanted to be an Eliminator full-time, they'd support me. And the only thing I have to my name is Dad's legacy. That's it. And that acceptance, that patience - makes me feel safe. That I don't have to chase some kind of impossible bar as Yugi Mouto's daughter or fight the whole world to make a career like Jessie. They'll trust me."

Serenity considered that before meeting her daughter's eyes. "And it doesn't hurt that they have so much money, it'll never run out? That their 'roughing it' is a normal family's idea of luxury? Your words sound sincere, Kaede, but it also sounds like a good way for you to coast and not actually 'do' anything. And you are so smart and fierce, I can't imagine you sticking your head in the sand."

"I won't." Kaede shook her head. "I swear I won't, mom. I don't know what I want to do with my life. And I know that worries you, because I'm twenty and I should be figuring this stuff out. But I swear I will. I just…need to look for it."

She squeaked as Serenity slid out of her chair and gave her a hug. Then she yelped as her mom poked her in the side. "Hey!"

"Whatever you decide, your father and I and this shop will be here," she reminded her. "And for the record, we don't expect you to have your life figured out at twenty. Your father certainly didn't!"

"Of course he did," Kaede rolled her eyes, rubbing her side. "He was dueling competitively and helping to run this store in his downtime."

"That's not figuring it out, my girl. Trust me!"

TTTTTTT

Being one of the richest and most powerful people in the world meant Lero had a direct line to a lot of other rich and famous people who could let him cut through a lot of chuff. So on one hand, going straight to the founder of Lucinda Medical was the easiest way to get what he wanted without any strange or odd questions.

On the other hand, explaining to one of his father's best friends that Lero wanted to find religion via medical science was bound to raise at least one eyebrow.

As it was, video calling Arceno was more of a matter of figuring out the time differences between Japan and Italy and ensuring he called before the older man was too busy and after he'd had his morning coffee - age had not dulled the man's waspish tongue.

Thankfully, he had timed it right and after a few initial, basic pleasantries, Lero had jumped right into what he wanted.

"A bit of an unusual request, my boy."

Lero just smiled wryly. "A self-deprivation tank is an unusual request to the world's largest medical conglomerate?"

"I'll rephase - a bit of an unusual request from you, young Pegasus." Arceno said, fingers drumming on his cane. "For what purpose do you need it?"

"To talk to my god."

Arceno, for his part, didn't even pause in his finger drumming. "We have a prescription for that."

Lero blinked in confusion. "I know they say religion is the opiate of the masses, but…"

The older man smiled. "It's not a medical prescription. It's alchemical, for our more…discerning and unique clients."

"And you can talk to gods with a drink?"

"After a fashion. Psychotropic drugs have been a part of world religions since time immemorial - altered states of consciousness mean altered perceptions of the three dimensions in which we see the world. Whose to say that this does not allow our limited senses to grasp that which is intangible? The divine, the soul, spirits and phantoms - they exist in a realm that blurs with ours as it is." Arceno said, pointing at him with a casual finger lift. "Some would argue Duel Monsters itself is a religion, the cards and duels a way to commune with that which is beyond this world."

"I can't exactly argue with that. I mean, we've used Duel Monsters to get to other dimensions before." Lero admitted. "But lying around in a drug haze probably won't be good for me or what I want to do. Unlike other people, my god is physically present in this world. I just need to turn my focus inwards to talk to her, I hope."

"Mmm. A logical plan." Arceno agreed. "I shall inform our Japan branch to supply you with what you need within the hour, young Pegasus. You may keep it as long as you wish, though I encourage you to both listen to the doctor's instructions about it and read the manual."

"Of course. Dad still likes to share the story about the employee who couldn't figure out how to do microwave popcorn and the fire it caused. 'It was a microwave to hell, Lero-boy, to hell! Flames spewing out everywhere, sparks crackling like snakes and a smell so foul I had to destroy my suit!'" Lero mimicked his father's tone, prompting a laugh from both men. Then Lero sobered a bit. "Um…Arceno - about my dad."

"Your father still slumbers, Bellerophon. But we have finished mapping his brain," Arceno informed him. "That means we can now start running tests and the like to see what inside it is causing the coma. Rest assured, the moment he is awake, you will be informed."

Lero let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding in "Thanks, Arceno."

"Of course, young Pegasus. Now, I have things I must attend to. Your tank will arrive shortly. Good luck. And if you need any further help, you know where to find me." Arceno said and hung up the call, leaving Lero staring at the Funny Bunny background of his desktop.

He knew this was the only way he could hopefully get in touch with the Crimson Dragon, but he couldn't help but feel a looming sense of dread at this idea. Not at speaking to the Crimson Dragon - the deity had already involved herself with him, saving his life several times now and more. But at the thought of being in the tank.

In the darkness that would isolate him from the outside world. And then the rest of his senses would be stripped away, one by one.

Was that what his dad felt now? Conscious, but separated? No way to interact with the outside world, knowing it is passing you by? A void in which you scream into eternally and not even hear your own echo? Isolation so deep, so all consuming that even your body was taken from you?

The dread curdled into cold fear they froze his guts and Lero buried his face in his hands, trying to focus on his breath and hiding in the darkness of his palms. He could feel the panic attack building, the stress sparking back and forth as it tried to catch into a paralytic blaze.

Twin ripples of concern disturbed the storm, stopping its building intensity and casting some calm over him. At the same time, his office door opened to admit Jackie. The biker was looking at him with concerned irritation, though Lero could see why - Artemis was behind her, herding the American duelist into the office like a border collie with a wayward sheep.

"Doggo is pretty aggressive when she wants to be." Jackie said without preamble as she entered. Catching sight of his face, she slid around his desk and sat down on the edge.

"She's trained to fetch someone if she thinks I'm having a panic attack." Lero said, letting out some air and trying to force himself to relax.

"She was almost faster than the link." Jackie said in mild amusement. Her lips twitched into a smirk as Verthy into view, sliding around the door in a mix of haste and grace. "Correction, she is faster than the link."

"I was doing my hair and I have a lot of it!" Verthy said with a mild huff, cheeks flushing. Lero couldn't help but laugh at why - her ringlets that framed her face were hanging wet and straight, looking like pink noodles sliding around her front. Even through the giggles, his breath still felt tight in his chest, and he buried his face in Artemis's thick fur as she pressed her head into his lap.

"...so are you going to be okay with puppy cuddles, or do you want pus-"

"Jackie!"

"What would you rather I called them, Oujo? Naked Sexy Wife Cuddles? Boobie Squishes?"

"I'm begging you to stop."

"Candy Floss and Chocolate Fountain?"

"...were you just racist to yourself?"

Lero could not help but giggle at their conversation, which he suspected had been Jackie's intention the entire time. A shadow fell over him and he felt Verthy's gentle hand on his back. "Hi…sorry to interrupt your shower or whatever."

"It's nothing I can't handle, my love. But thank you for the apology all the same." Verthy assured him sweetly, hand rubbing up and down his back soothingly. "How are you feeling? Can you talk to us about what made you so panicked?"

"Yeah. I just...it was overwhelming." Lero lifted his head off of Artemis, scratching behind the retriever's ears as a thanks. Verthy was looking kindly at him, while Jackie was still on the desk, uncertainly crossing her arms and looking hesitant. Not surprising - panic attacks were a bit like seizures - if you weren't trained to help, they were scary. And if you could feel what they did to someone at the same time they did, it was probably downright frightening. "To talk to the Crimson Dragon, I'm getting a sensory deprivation tank. I'm hoping it will let me look inward enough to use this link we're supposed to have. And I just started thinking what it's like for my dad…and it got to me, I guess."

He sat there, feeling a little silly now that he spoke his feelings aloud, as Verthy continued to stroke his back and shoulders.

"...I'm not a doctor…" Jackie said slowly, as though unsure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "But I thought…well…that being in a coma was different? Like…you're not just losing your senses, you're not even aware that you've lost your senses…does that make sense?" Her lips twisted in an annoyed frown, at odds with the fierce fiery flames on her mask. "Sorry. I'm shit at consoling people."

"No, it's fine. I get it. But the Lucindas say we don't understand a lot about comas - people have woken up and stuff, but everything conflicts. Some said they were perfectly aware, but couldn't do anything. Some don't even realize they were out. Some thought they were sleeping." Lero said, stroking his upper arms as a chill ran through him. "I just hope Dad is sleeping."

Verthy pulled him more fully into her arms, so that his head was resting against her chest. The steady beat of her heart was soothing. "He's probably dreaming he's by a poolside, with cabana boys bringing him red wine as he watches the sunset…with Funny Bunny in the next lounger."

"Heh. Probably rereading all the back issues of Marvel Comics, too. You know he tried to buy them off Disney a little before his accident and they wouldn't let go? He was so grumpy about it - I thought for sure he was going to challenge Mickey Mouse to a duel over it all." Lero said with a small smile.

"Why didn't he?" Jackie asked, snorting in amusement. "That mouse needs to be taken down a peg and lose some billions."

"Bad experience, Jackie?"

"Wouldn't let me into some rides because my mask was 'not family friendly' and because it's not 'medically necessary', I got to talk to some security guards when I got…defensive about it."

Verthy stared at her, then looked at Lero. "Bellerophon?"

"She got into a shouting match with an entitled mother in the line behind her and wound up on a reddit thread and a bunch of youtube videos."

"Dammit, Sky Horse!" Jackie growled at him, a half-hearted kick nearly sending slipping off the desk. "Tell it my way! That's the right way!"

He laughed again and he felt Verthy smile, her arms squeezing him. The German woman sounded pleased. "Well, if we're going to be telling stories, we should be doing it in style. Lero, darling, do you have to do your sensory deprivation right away?"

"Um….not really, no."

"Good. Jackie, go find yourself a swimsuit. We are going to park Lero and his charming puppy next to a pool, get something delicious to drink and trade silly stories and have fun together."

"...I get to find myself a swimsuit?"

"That is what I said."

"Good."

Lero didn't like how maliciously pleased Jackie sounded and opened his eyes as she left. "I feel like you will regret that word choice, Verthy."

"Oh, please, Lero, Jackie is a grown woman and she will probably just pick something out a little risque - you heard her poor attempt at humor earlier…"

"A kiss says otherwise."

"You're on. And my victory will taste sweet."

TTTTTT

Next Chapter - Lero gets to do what so many want to do, but can't and talk to his new god! Meanwhile, Dark Virtue begins to make good on their promise to investigate the Numbers. But they aren't the only ones involved - the Luxiel Church has made it its mission to protect humanity from anything it deems an Aberration but the difference between a guardian and a tyrant is how you look at them…

See it all in - Those Puppet Strings Pull Both Ways