"I love you." Nobody had ever expected to hear Musume, who could generously be described as 'rage manifested in aggressively stabbing form', say those words aloud. "I promise, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Nothing else matters to me in the same way that you do. No matter what I have to do, I swear to always come back to you. Shhh!" A hand flashed out to silence an onlooker to the drama. "Don't talk, not yet. We're having a moment here." Beauty fell short in the face of this unparalleled perfection as both eyes glimmered with powers both damned and divine.
"What's happening in here?" Living with people who had ridiculously early starts to the day usually involved waking up at around the same time because evolution is fickle about loud noises in the dark while you're asleep. Living with one bathroom meant that you had to get up even earlier to avoid your brother maliciously occupying the toilet and 'forgetting' to open the window. Luckily, Jack already had a solution to that and it was currently the object of significant confusion.
Musume is enamoured with her coffee. It was uncomfortable how close she was to proposing to the mug and running away into the sunset.
"... Is it still hot?" Personal feelings about the post-human shell aside, Jack appreciated anyone who could stand at a discrete distance with a jug of coffee and a good sense of the best time to pour. Sighing exasperatingly, Phantom carefully poured a fresh cup for the newcomer. "Why'd she stab you this time?" Like Musume, Jack knew the burden of intense rage that was the price of containing Red Nova, and the Tender Hands was used so often that he could recognise the handle at a glance (not that there were a lot of other candidates).
I interrupted her proposal. Both eyes scoured the heavens as Jack processed the reasoning. True, it was far from the divine irritation that usually triggered Red Nova rage. However, coffee.
"Sounds fair." Musume currently had the mug pressed to her bowed head and the distinct impression she was trying to make telepathic contact. "And the reason you're here at this ungodly hour?" As Akiza was the only person who had to deal with fallout if she was late to anything, Jack was kind enough to let her use the bathroom first but he doubted the pair were at Poppo Time to discuss the weather.
"Turns out that crazy pants here is a firestarter." Taking a deep breath of caffeinated steam was the most wonderful part of the morning. It really helped soothe the soul in preparation for all the idiots that would be along later. "Gonna ask Akiza if she's got any advice on this one." Glancing from a cracked eyelid, she knew how unlikely that was. "You got any ideas?" Burning Soul man might know something. Couldn't hurt to ask.
Jack looked between the pair and tried to figure out at what point between his bedroom and the kitchen had slipped him into a crazy parallel world. Unless there was something in his coffee that didn't belong there... No, a careful sip didn't taste anything he shouldn't have expected. Except for that hint of nutmeg, which came as a pleasant surprise. "You lost me." He admitted.
Standing up, he took a refill on his coffee before taking it (and himself) back to his room. I wish you would stop calling me that. Phantom checked the levels left in the cafetière to make sure there was enough for the good doctor.
"Why?" Taking hold of her wrist, Musume forced a refill on her own cup. "Starting fires with your mind makes you a firestarter."
"I don't want to hear that you've been starting fires." The other fiery lady with flaming hair entered amidst the sharp reprimand. "Phantom, it's nice to see you again." Although her words went to the carrier, Akiza's gaze went to the pot in one hand that still held enough coffee for her.
A pleasure, as always. But clearly not as great as being handed the first cup of the day. Din wasn't exactly a nightmare. Nightmares tended to end once you woke up. Din was the complete opposite – you woke up and knew that it was coming, there was nothing you could do to stop it and no amount of pills in the world would be enough to keep him at bay. Getting enough caffeine and adrenaline inside was the easiest way to ride out the day and there was no upper limit when it came to the diminutive genius. And I will try to prevent Musume from... starting fires. She ended tacitly.
"Hey! I'm not the one who starts fires, she is!" Three pairs of eyes informed Musume that trying to pin the blame on someone else was usually the first move of an arsonist. She also had the right (or, more accurately, wrong) type of crazy in her shining eyes.
"And I suppose you're also not the one who does the stabbings?" That was a little harder to shake off since there was still a sword sticking right about where an appendix would have been.
"Look, you tell her. Go on." Thrusting an authoritative finger from Phantom to Akiza, she tried not to let the embarrassment overwhelm her. This was more mortifying than Jack walking in on the romantic moment between her and her coffee. "She lit a candle with the power of her mind."
As maybe the most potent Psychic Duellist to walk the earth, Akiza duly recognised that not all powers were visible and not everything was known about the human condition. As a subservient figure more commonly found cleaning up the spontaneous chaos generated around Musume, it was difficult to imagine that Phantom was anything more dangerous than the average kitchen appliance. Especially when she had Hoshi perched on one shoulder.
My brother would refer to this look as 'land pirate'. She explained to the questioning glance. But make no mistake. She is the captain. 'Captain' Hoshi meowed appreciatively as a cold finger rubbed the spot behind her ears.
"Uh-huh." She gave Musume a steady look. Real scary stuff. A socially anxious ghost being driven around by a lazy cat. Call the army.
"Do you really think I would get up this early if it wasn't important?" That question shattered the innocent air surrounding the accused and Akiza gave the question the unbiased consideration it deserved. "Ask her." Musume demanded almost out of spite. "She says autistrics can't lie. Ask her what happened with the candle last night." Or early this morning. Whenever it was that shadowy creatures started messing around with natural causality.
"Autistic people can't lie." Akiza agreed. "Not usually." Spectrums being what they were, a few of the higher-functioning conditions could do it but not many. All the symptoms that Phantom had on show indicated that she was unlikely to be in those rare few. 'Land pirate' was hardly the sort of career that people who could pass for normal would aim for. "What happened with the candle?" If she asked a direct question, the best that Phantom could do was refuse to answer. Outright lying was impossible.
Hanging her head lower, Phantom seemed to whisper something to the cat sniffing at the side of her helmet. Nuzzling affectionately, the feline commander gently shuffled down an extended arm and across the table. Unburdened, the land pirate shrugged helplessly. Yes.
"Yes, what?" At least Din was a nightmare she knew how to handle. Musume seemed to spawn problems at an exponential rate.
I lit the candle. Leaning gently to one side, she waited as the Tender Hands was retrieved. Having a useable weapon to hand was a good idea at the best of times. When it came to Signers and whatever new phenomenons she was exhibiting, keeping a tight grip on any available magic swords was the least that should be done.
"Musume, I'm sorry for doubting you." But not sorry for that smug look. It was dangerously Jack. Taking a seat at the table, she gestured for Phantom to fill the last chair. "Now, what do you two talking about?" This was good coffee but she'd really have preferred to have this conversation over much different drinks at the end of the day.
"Crazy here had a candle, I put it out, she turned it back on with her thoughts." Now that smug was edging towards the brother who knew when fancy dinners were meant to sway his favour, would run up the bill and then bail. Musume was all the worst bits of the brothers with a nasty Izinski tint thrown in for bad measure.
"With your thoughts?" Hardly the most unbelievable tale she'd heard. Rumour had it that an experiment over at Morton's facility in America had involved trying to use delta brainwaves to trigger latent telekinetic abilities in the human brain. From what she had heard, it mostly involved shooting his friend with paintballs. "Is this a new thing or do you not worry about lighting?" That raised a small smile.
It is a... recent change. Phantom admitted. There was no way to avoid drawing a parallel between the sword in Musume's grip and the emergence of this new development. I am... have never been pyrokinetic before now. It would have been an exceptionally useful ability over the years. Forget instant revenge, she was imagining all the free heating it could have brought.
"Do you know what triggers it?" Swearing was not a habit she could practice working alongside Din. For one, it would have required words significantly stronger than 'fuck' and she didn't have time to invent them. Additionally, there weren't enough hours in the day to fill the necessary quota. "Please tell me it's not emotions. I don't think I could handle that right now." Nascent Psychics were among the most dangerous people Akiza had ever met. Fear, shock, anger. Any intense emotion could wreak havoc on the world around them and there was plenty of fear, shock, and anger when you were suddenly your own worst enemy.
I... do not know. At that moment, there was nobody else she could have wanted to talk to. Akiza knew psychology and the dangers of uncontrolled emotion and Musume knew about keeping dangerous powers in check. I did not even know I could... do... this.
Akiza instinctively looked around for the mechanic attempting to charge her double for a service that didn't even need. "Yeaaah." Following that distinctive inward hiss of bad news, Musume was now adopting the tone that managed to convey that those brakes would need a special order and wouldn't be ready until at least next Thursday. "Good chance that it's a new thing."
That did occur to me. Phantom admitted. Across the table, the Izinski's had a quick conversation via tense glance that mutually agreed to not pinning the blame on any one person right now but there would be fewer stabbings moving forward. This is... an unsettling development.
"I can imagine." Facing Din was going to be a little easier with the knowledge that she was able to provide a better support figure than she had found. "I'll take the day off. We can figure out what's going on and help you learn how to control this."
… … … You have no idea how much that means to me. Sadly, Akiza did. Unless there was physically visible evidence, people with different needs were more likely to receive derision than assistance. That brief gap between her running away from home and joining the Arcadia Movement had been marred by the cruel ostracisation of society to anyone different. But... it would be best that you retain your usual routine.
"Screw Yliaster and the ICC." Sniffing in pride, Musume wanted to hug her mother purely for sticking it to authority. "Working with Din means I can take an entire week off before anyone starts asking questions. I get triple overtime. Do you really think that they're going to fire me?"
Dr Izinski. That impossible smile conveyed such gratitude and appreciation that Akiza could feel the murderous jealousy growing to her left. I am not as concerned about drawing attention as I am about leaving Dr Din unsupervised.
It would have been laughable had it not been a dreadful reality. Akiza was not the only person he was willing to work with – Din accepted anyone who was assigned to assist in his research – but there was a balance between not accepting his bullshit and keeping up with his intellect that few people could manage. Maybe because anyone who judged his intellect based on his squalid and disturbing appearance tended to act like the work was beneath them and then suddenly had to learn evasive manoeuvrers from an improvised sling and vials of corrosive acids that should have never reached his lab.
"I've gotta meet this guy." Whatever plans that Yliaster could have, whatever calamity Aion had foreseen, thoughts of Din and Musume joining forces unanimously involved backdrops of fire and ruined cities. It was the sort of energy that could answer the question 'how could this get any worse' while the lava-spiders started eating babies and the meteor storms began annihilating human civilisation.
"If you think you can manage until I get back this evening, I'll let you get on and we can continue once I'm done with work." She gabbled out the excuse before her despotic daughter could get an inch closer to an apocalyptic encounter with Din. "Until then," Standing up, she rummaged through the universal kitchen drawer of spare bits. "Catch." Phantom snatched the packet from its travels and gazed at it with all the appropriate confusion.
"You want her to start more fires?" Well, shit. Looks like the lunacy came down from both parents.
"It's only some matches." Useful for when the electricity went down or you just needed a soothing bath in the evening. "What's the worst that could happen?"
An unknown and untested ability spirals wildly out of control and I accidentally burn alive everyone within a kilometre diameter? As far as Phantom's logic extended, she'd survived long enough without this power and didn't want to start prying into areas that were best left alone. She'd learned that lesson several times already.
"Then you should get on with finding out how it works before you lose control and that happens." The compassionate doctor had lapsed into the sort of doctor who'd just heard the phrase 'I did my own research' and was resisting several urges to retaliate. "I'm sorry this has happened to you, truly. But trying to pretend that it's not is more dangerous than figuring out how it works. And we all know that it could be dangerous," Psychic Duellist since childhood, host of a god and a demon one bad decision away from a global apocalypse, and the only person simultaneously smart enough to figure out how to break into a Shadow Duel and idiotic enough to not realise spiting Musume might lead to unpleasant repercussions. "If you think it would be safer, I'm sure that Musume is willing to take you camping in the mountains until you get a handle on it."
"Hang the fuck on," Any attempt at outrage fell dead as she realised she'd just sworn in front of her mother. "I don't like camping." That was the most pathetic excuse in the world that day. Nobody had to check, it didn't have to make the news, everyone else in the world simply had that lacking feeling that their bullshit fell short of the new top scorer.
"You can fly." Akiza was starting to smell toast cooking as the unnatural complications continued to pile atop one another and demand her attention. "Cheapest commute I know." As long as she kept high enough not to draw attention. Having to juggle the ICC and an enquiry about the flying woman people kept seeing was an extra problem she didn't want to have to deal with.
I will do my best to keep to a small scope. Calculating risks was a hilariously easy task when those markings on Musume's face flared up like warning lights. Curling her palm closed, she mulled over the enormous responsibility that the concealed package represented with a grim air.
"And what's your problem now?" Catching up on the enthusiasm of solving a massively crippling mental development convinced Musume that she was actually capable of solving anything else that came up.
Nothing. Phantom insisted. I just... really hate homework. Musume instantly broke into great bellows of laughter as Akiza could only bring herself to sigh and roll both eyes to check her brain hadn't made an escape while she slept.
"Seriously though," All laughter aside, she could only guess the real mental state inside the armour. Phantom had had at least several hours with the reality of this new power and days with that of her newfound state. Akiza was operating under a diagnosis roughly equivalent to a new Psychic with severe ongoing traumas and significant grief damage. "If you need me to stay, I'll stay."
Go. Her patient gently insisted. I think I will be quite alright. If she lost control, Musume was nearby to end the problem by whatever means necessary. Otherwise, she was fully prepared to wait until the evening before continuing a slow, careful exploration of this new side of herself.
"Okay." Arguing with a patient who didn't want help was a fruitless exercise. Insisting on discussing the problem could even exacerbate the issue until it was worse than it had begun. "Don't let Musume do anything I wouldn't do, let Jaden and the twins know what your plans are for the day and I'll see you this afternoon." Shit, she was going to be late! Schedules at the SRC were designed to accept a moderate amount of flexibility but leaving Din unattended for even two minutes seemed to be taken as an acceptance that chaos could reign.
After her camping outburst, Musume was wise enough not to push the issue of leadership until the good doctor was outside. "I fucking swear, you do anything bigger than matches and I won't be held responsible for my actions." Which wasn't the avoidance it would be for most people. She was fully willing to admit that the actions would be her responsibility but anyone trying to impose responsibility had best be prepared for the long haul.
You are remarkably efficient at solving problems. She murmured quietly as the 'when you want to be' screamed itself out from the subtext.
"Yeah?" Angry eyes narrowed as she tried to find a challenge in the compliment. "Try me." The resulting predatory smile reminded Phantom that – despite arguably being the more intellectual of the pair – she was far from being the brighter.
"Hey." Now that Akiza was prepared for the day, Jack was ready to occupy the bathroom until he had reached some level of perfection that existed only in his mind. As such, Crow had to settle for the consolation prize of being able to use the kitchen without interruption. Musume was technically in attendance but had mastered the art of giving the clear impression of exactly how little effort she intended to exhibit beyond breathing and, it had to be said, that was facing some budget cuts. "Tell me that coffee's still hot and I'll love you forever." There was enough left in the cafetière for one final, sanity-saving mug.
Musume gingerly pressed a couple of fingers to the glass with a frown. "How about tepid?"
"Anything drinkable is good enough." After the night he'd had, Crow was willing to take cold brew. Sleep hadn't been particularly easy since his brief excursion into the Netherworld during the Pegasus Trinidad Tournament but the casual brutality of the otherwise drab Mr Willis had stuck with him long after their meeting. Taking a life wasn't meant to be done as lightly as placing a lunch order or easily talked about as the weather forecast. "What brings you here this early?" Taking a sip, he grimaced unpleasantly. His coffee was on the verge of reaching room temperature.
"Wanted to chat with Akiza before she went to work." Crow had thought he'd heard their voices but hadn't wanted to intrude. Besides, his bed had been warm. "We're going to catch up again once she's back."
"Fair enough." At least that freak in the boilersuit wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Need my help with anything?" A look of surprise crossed that marked face. "Jack's going to be forever in the bathroom. We could probably make a fair stab at the meaning of life." He jerked a thumb over a shoulder to where the wooden door was going to remain closed for a good while yet.
"The clock keeps making a weird noise." Having the mechanical contraption eternally ticking in the background eventually reduced it to less than background noise. Even on the rare occasion that it needed maintenance, the precision clockwork was so perfectly crafted that it barely changed pitch. "Got any ideas?"
"I'll give it a look." Crow and Lyndon had fairly different areas of expertise but both were mechanics. Crow could probably figure out what was wrong, even if he didn't know how to fix it. Opening the heavy door that lead to the annexe, he was instantly welcomed by the regular metallic heartbeat. Even though the measure could be heard throughout the building, thick insulation around the room kept a low limit on what leaked out and was the same reason the laundry machines were kept in the room.
Flicking the lights on revealed the perfectly working clock as the bait in the trap and a lumpy pile of laundry as the eerily motionless outline of the single person he didn't want on the same continent as himself. "Hey!" The door had already swung shut behind him and Crow could hear a chair being dragged under the handle. "What sort of sick game are you playing?"
No game. Certainly not mine. The helmet tilted back against the wall as she evaluated him. I asked Musume if she could help me... discern the reason for your scorn toward me. It appears her solution is to throw us both in here. There were several reasons she could think of but people didn't usually need that many.
"Open this door, right now!" Pounding his fist against the door did nothing but make his smallest finger hurt. "I've got better things to do with my time."
"No chance!" Tucked against the far side of the door was letting her hear every word he said. "I'm not letting either of you out until you figure out what your problem is."
"She's nuts and I need to take a piss!" A remarkably succinct version of events but apparently not good enough to earn his freedom. "Okay, you want to know the truth?" He glared at the armour until his anger filled the room. "You don't take us seriously. It's all some big game to you and weren't expendable as long as you get the answers you're looking for." Silence followed his words, broken into exact slices by the tick-tock of the courtyard clock.
My mother will only be alive for approximately twenty more years. Staring at the clock mechanism while discussing mortality was ironic icing on the piles of excrement that was her life. Maybe thirty years, if she is fortunate. My brother will last another eighty, at most.
"Yeah, people age. I get it." Jack had panicked for hours after finding a single grey hair. Well, lighter blond hair. It had taken two days for Yusei to explain the difference. It would have taken an hour if Crow hadn't been there to help. "What's that got to do with anything?"
I had plenty of hours inside that jail cell, while Aion was trying to... erase Akiza. Had anyone but Trudge come to take her away, she would have resisted in the same terrible fashion as had happened at the docks. Time enough to consider... the ramifications of what I... what had... One hand removed the front of her helmet as it turned to look directly at him. Surrounding those deep blue eyes was an even deeper hue which was barely discernible from the armour it was contained within. This.
"Don't expect me to feel sorry for what happened." Not that he could think of a reason for sympathy. "Musume told us how it all started, it wouldn't have been any different it if had been any of us instead. Sounds like you got off lucky. Don't have to worry about getting hurt or tired ever again." And claims that she preferred her new form didn't exactly add up to any problems that he could see.
What about thirty years from now, when my mother is buried in the ground? Cerulean orbs flared from the darkness. Fifty years after that when my brother has breathed his last? And what of the fifty after that? Or the next fifty? This is not a game to me. And, even if it was... And then Phantom let out the secret she had been holding inside for far too long. Signers cannot save the world.
"What are you talking about? We saved the world twice! Three times, if you count Ark Cradle." Arguably, it was only New Domino City they saved at the time but the Meklord Invasion had been averted. With time pliable enough for Yugi and Jaden to be at risk, nobody was really sure if preventing the cataclysm still counted or not. "Don't you dare say otherwise. We nearly died, every time."
Yes. You did. Highly restricted data detailed their fated battles against the Dark Signers but there were scant details about the temporal incursions by Paradox or Z-One. If she hadn't eavesdropped on the private exchanges between the three Kings of Games, she wouldn't have learned the full scope of the adventures. But you still do not understand. Signers cannot save the world. They can only prevent its destruction.
"Excuse me if I don't see a difference." On the solitary occasion Jack had opened up about his Duel with Carly, he had mentioned the devastated world the Dark Signers had sought to create. Fire and brimstone, barren landscapes, everyone either dead or enslaved. No mention of seeing cats, which would probably sway Phantom to his side if he mentioned it. "Humanity was still alive and well, last time I looked. Tell me again that we didn't save the world."
Staring him dead in the face, those unyielding eyes looked at every inch of his determination. If you saved the world, why am I here?
"Because Musume likes to interfere with things she'd best keep her nose out of." Hogan wit for the win! Phantom hadn't managed to smother that smile before it could flicker out.
How many wars have there been in the last eight years? How many people go hungry while others grow fat? Extortion, theft, abuse. Was there... Has there even been a single day when they stopped? Crow saw her point as much as he fundamentally disagreed with it – humanity was flawed and imperfect but setting an example to being better was as much a part of saving them as slaying any demon.
"I don't care if you think we're only keeping everything ticking over – I am going to save my friend." It was difficult to trust her but the only other person who might be able to help was Leo. It would be like asking Jack for mechanical help: technically possible with far more effort than was necessary. Swallowing, Crow forced himself to utter the question: "Can you tell me anything about freeing Pearson from the Netherworld?"
I really wish you had not asked me that. Replacing the mask plunged her face back into darkness. I have read the full report on... what happened to Robert Pearson.
"Tell me something I don't know." Bolton knew nothing, Crimson Mefist was long gone and even the site the warehouse had been built on was now buried beneath a new building. Not even a body remained to bury. Crow was beyond grasping at straws, he was trying to catch specks of dust with his eyes closed.
There is a... possibility... in which... She hadn't displayed this level of struggle getting words out before. Robert Pearson... could be... saved.
"Yeah, that's the pl," Oh. No, not like in his plan. Crow was hoping to set him free from eternal torment. Phantom was implying they could go a step further. "That's not possible. A fire killed him. He's dead." Necromancy and one carpenter aside, most people tended to have clean concepts of life and death. Except he was the reincarnation of an Incan priest and was currently talking to a living ghost while an unborn maniac guarded the door.
A fire. During – yet not caused by – a Dark Duel. An oil lamp had fallen over. One of several interesting facets she had noted while checking every detail of Crow's background. It is... possible that he could... return as he was. Maybe on the brink of death with severe burns covering the majority of his body and toxic smoke in his lungs yet maybe as alive and well as he had been at the start.
"How?" He didn't dare hope. Not before she more fully explained her claim. But maybe he could dare to hope that there was hope to be had.
All... nearly all magic... has essentially two components: a force and a focus. Much the same as physics except more people understood physics. In any case, you will require sufficient force to reach... wherever Pearson may be. And to find him, you will need a focus.
"What if I did a Shadow Duel?" It filled both criteria: brimming with raw power and with Pearson's ace monster as a medium.
Darkness is inherently... greedy by nature. Using it to save Robert Pearson would require more to be lost than you would gain. With the Dark Signers gone, Crow was unlikely to find anyone who could pull it off. They would need to wager enough that risking Pearson's resurrection was an acceptable loss by comparison.
"Great. Looks like I'm back to praying again." A studious pause reflected off his words until he caught on. "You can't be serious!" From the instant that he had seen Pearson alive and tortured in the Underworld, Crow had uttered at least two dozen prayers a day. None of them had been successful.
A few months ago, I would not have been. Begrudging agreement was the only sort that Crow knew from several people in his life so he knew the tone well. But your family has a... disturbing habit of encountering deities in various forms. Petitioning one... may bear unexpected results.
"At the rate we're going through them, that won't be for five or six more years." When he later reflected back on the conversation, Crow would realise that he was complaining that literal gods were only infrequently intruding into his life. Nobody else in history had probably had the same complaint. "If you think one'll be able to save Pearson, can you help me figure out how to find them?"
Me? She let out a bitter laugh. That is not possible.
"Why the fuck not?" Renewed anger flooded through him. "You and Leo are practically obsessed with this stuff and the only one he knows about is unavailable. Wait, can Musume help?" If she could cross over to the Spirit World by herself, getting into the Netherworld would be easy with the creatures inside her.
No. Fear resonated through the single word more effectively than a lion ripping at his throat. If Musume goes to the Netherworld, the balance will shift in favour of Puka Supay. She will be worse than dead and humanity will be doomed.
"Then why won't you help me find another?" People had been searching for god – any god – since the beginning of history and Crow was acting as if they could have it done by next week.
Because gods require faith. Wrapping her hands around the back of her helmet, she tilted backwards to stare through the ceiling with disdain. If there was anything looking down on them, she wanted to make sure they knew her feelings. And after all I have... after everything in my life, I do not have faith in gods. Knowledge, understanding, even belief. But not faith.
Epicurus had asked the question hundreds of years before any of them had even been born. If a god is all-powerful, then why does it not stop evil? If it is able to stop evil but does not then how can it be all-good? After everything that she had read and seen, Phantom could no longer bring herself to have faith that any god would stoop so low as to prevent human cruelty. But she knew first-hand how human cruelty would claim to be doing the work of gods.
"That's the best you've got? Pray to gods you don't believe in?" Billions of people had tried that before. There was little indication they'd ever been successful. One too many of those wars she had mentioned. "Are you sure that a Dark Duel couldn't do it?"
It would work. She shrugged, invisibly in the darkness. Only if you are... can accept the loss of one Duellist and the cost of, There was a silent pause as she ran extreme hypotheticals. Around two, three hundred sacrifices. Five hundred, tops. A couple of thousand at the outside. Signers were premium stock and would be hampered by additional levels of pricing.
Great – his options were limited to mass sacrifices or divine intervention. "Fine," Crow grunted. "If I can't find any other leads, I'll think about it." It was a hopeless task to begin with, what was another layer of impossibility? Maybe he'd have to wait a few years to get the sort of answer she was suggesting but that only gave him more time to figure out a method to achieve his goals his way. "I can't believe that Musume brought you over just to get us talking."
Oh. She did not. I have... She faltered, unsure of the best approach to the situation. It appears... Since my... I can... Crow watched her struggle to quantify the problem. If Musume had felt it important to get out of bed early for, it was either dangerous or time-sensitive. With her current occupation as a guard outside, it was probably the former.
"Don't worry." Phantom had done her part in reaching out. Crow could at least try for a little sympathy. "Yusei's father got some weird powers after he died and helped save the world."
Those blue eyes solidified and focused on the revelation. I would like to hear that story.
"Maybe some other time." For now, he had more pressing matters. "Hey, Musume!" Knocking on the door, he wondered what she'd make of the conversation. Or (he sarcastically took the advice) if the Crimson Dragon could put him in touch with some colleagues. "We've kissed and made up. Can I come out now?"
"Shit bluff, it's only been twenty minutes." Heartfelt reconciliation took at least forty when people were at odds, even she knew that. "Try again later."
"Hey!" Pounding on the door only hurt his other little finger. "She's not going to let us out." Glowing eyes shone up at him in pity. "Shut up." She didn't need to speak to highlight the obvious understatement. "Shit. I really need the toilet." He'd been expecting a quick look at the clock mechanism followed by a brief planning phase while he visited the bathroom. A further twenty-minute wait was going to push several limits. Unless, "Do you have a way out?" He was meant to get all buddy-buddy with Phantom anyway. Maybe having her lead a daring prison break would be enough to convince Musume to back off.
Of course. Sliding upright, she scooted him aside and laid tender fingertips against the wooden grain.
After a few seconds, he felt compelled to speak up. "Nothing's happening."
Hush. Winking sent a flicker of contrasting darkness spiralling outwards. I am not talking to you. Clearly, only the people she wanted to could actually hear Phantom. Creepy. Another flicker of that gaze gave him the impression that she somehow knew what he was thinking. Yep, definitely creepy.
"The fuck?" Hearing profanity on the other side of the door was a welcome distraction. "Fuck off." A plaintive cry sounded from near the floor. "You're not getting in there, she's get the fuck off me!" A scuffle sounded and the door shot open before their jailer could seal it again.
Standing with her sword in one hand and a hissing ball in the other, Musume had a suddenly guilty look on her face. "Phantom, take the cat." Shuffling past at speed, Crow started his search for a divinity with an open prayer that Jack wasn't in the bathroom. "Yes!" At least one god liked him because the door was open and waiting.
Come here. Cooing affectionately, she gathered the suddenly defenceless Hoshi against one arm and tickled her under the chin. Good job. You are wonderful. Yes, you are. Very wonderful.
"You ambushed me with a cat?" Musume would have started stabbing if the feline wasn't in the way. Regardless of her feelings for the creature, she didn't mean to do it any real harm and had been bluffing when Phantom had burst out. Now, its co-conspirator was a different matter entirely. "Sneaky bitch." She grunted angrily as the sound of flushing toilets and running showers sounded down the hallway. "Did you and Crow really make up or do I have to throw you in a desert with him?"
We... reached an understanding. Phantom said diplomatically. It was neither true nor a lie.
"Do you really think that's his best chance?" She'd heard Crow's side of the otherwise private conversation. "It's not like there's an agency he can email to set a date."
True. Wry amusement rang in her tone. But I have faith in him.
Oh come, all ye faithful,
Oh come, all ye faithful,
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