TKaG, Chapter 3: Holy Bonding/(Semi)Naked in the Hot Spring

[Mnar Secundus]

- snip -

Clarence's mind went blank for a second. Again. Strangely enough, or perhaps not, his first thought was: I've got to stop blanking out like that. It could get me killed in the next battle. Then his actual thinking abilities recovered their functionality. Laura had just ... Co je ten termín ... asked him out, hadn't she? Well, it shouldn't surprise me that much. She did kiss me. But surely she wasn't serious? Nobody could possibly ... Not with someone like -
"Cut that out right now." Boali felt very stringent.
"But ... I ... It can't -" Clarence felt a noise growing in his mind. Laura's hand was on his cheek, her eyes boring into his own and capturing them irrevocably. He didn't want to change anything to this moment, but still realized that it needed to be done; but if he accepted, Laura would have to put with him, and he would have to reveal himself to her completely, and ... The red mist of biological tissues disintegrated by mortar strikes rose up in his mind, wrestling with the radiance that was trying to fill it. Surely I can't expose her to this ... this filth?
Boali gave him a metaphorically resounding mental slap - the Demon host dimly realized that he seemed to require a lot of those. "I said cut it out. I can't put up with this kind of shoujo-esque reaction from you of all people, not when we're sharing a mind, so stop loathing yourself and accept her proposal. You love her, don't you? So don't delay the ship. This isn't a romantic tragedy."
She gave him a slight push.
Clarence put his own hand over Laura's, finally managed to say, "I would be honored," and leaned forward to kiss her softly.

[Charmera]

- snip -

Clarence's mind went blank for a second. Again. Strangely enough, or perhaps not, his first thought was: I've got to stop blanking out like that. It could get me killed in the next battle. Then his actual thinking abilities recovered their functionality. Laura had just ... Co je ten termín ... asked him out, hadn't she? Well, it shouldn't surprise me that much. She did kiss me. But surely she wasn't serious? Nobody could possibly ... Not with someone like -
"Cut that out right now." Boali felt very stringent.
"But ... I ... It can't -" Clarence felt a noise growing in his mind. Laura's hand was on his cheek, her eyes boring into his own and capturing them irrevocably. He didn't want to change anything to this moment, but still realized that it needed to be done; but if he accepted, Laura would have to put with him, and he would have to reveal himself to her completely, and ... The red mist of biological tissues disintegrated by mortar strikes rose up in his mind, wrestling with the radiance that was trying to fill it. Surely I can't expose her to this ... this filth?
Boali gave him a metaphorically resounding mental slap - the Demon host dimly realized that he seemed to require a lot of those. "I said cut it out. I can't put up with this kind of shoujo-esque reaction from you of all people, not when we're sharing a mind, so stop loathing yourself and accept her proposal. You love her, don't you? So don't delay the ship. This isn't a romantic tragedy."
She gave him a slight push.
Clarence put his own hand over Laura's, finally managed to say, "I would be honored," and leaned forward to kiss her softly.

Laura heart skipped a beat when he accepted. She was so used to rejection, so conditioned to thinking that no would could like her, could care about her, that she fully expected him to refuse. She supposed she wouldn't have blamed him had he done so, she had shown herself to be rather cold and distant, two traits people didn't tend to like in girlfriends. She wasn't too sure what Clarence saw in her, though it hardly mattered in that moment.

But instead he was going along with this. The pure joy nearly made Laura smile, though it wasn't quite able to, the expression not coming as easily to Laura. Instead her expression just visibly softened as Clarence touched her hand. Her eyes lit up as he leaned forward, her heart racing at a hundred miles per hour. She received and returned the kiss, her hands moving to embrace Clarence fully. Again, she had the same desire to stay like this forever…

Once the kiss ended, Laura felt rather light headed. The rush leaving her feeling… odd. She wasn't quite sure how she would have described it… Perhaps bliss…

She kept Clarence in her embrace, not willing to let him go now. She wondered briefly if she could keep him in her arms forever.

Thats… somewhat creepy…

Shut up. Laura replied mentally, her voice instantly turning icy at the interruption. Go into my memories or something. I'm going to need some time with Clarence.

Jim sighed exasperatedly Let me know when you two are done with your Romeo and Juliet crap…

Laura's thoughts instantly snapped back to Clarence as if nothing had happened. "So… I don't suppose you have any experience with… this?" She asked.

[The Floating Island of the Sleeping God]

-Mother of Snip-

Krouse was about to say something else, but was cut off by Jack, who had overheard Laura and Clarence's loud declarations of feelings and romance and all that junk. Everyone else in the car had likely overheard too, but Jack was used to getting away with antisocial stuff because he was an old person. He turned to Krouse and Miranda.

"Now, I make no claims to being an expert on the subject, and I know we cut Clarence a little slack in social situations, but I'm fairly certain that the standard protocol," he raised his voice a notch, loud enough now to be heard By Clarence and Laura, "is to get a damn room." Voice still slightly raised, he continued. "I don't know if they're actually that socially incompetent, or if they've actually been passive-aggressively ignoring the hints some of us in the group have been dropping that they might want to take their clumsily prepared hormone soup of a relationship somewhere that we don't have to watch them vomit rainbows and cupcakes on each other." He continued as Krouse slumped down in his chair, head in his hands, embarrassed by proxy. "But then, what would I know about romance? It's not like I had a long, happy marriage or anything. I'm sure it's much better to declare your feelings in a clattering steel box full of weirdos like us who interrupt tender moments with tirades on how they feel about your relationship than it is to do it literally anywhere else on the train." He settled back into his seat, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"So...subtlety is a thing, you know. If you wanted them to stop, you could have been a little more polite."
"Oh, absolutely I could have. The thing is, that wouldn't have been nearly as fun, would it have?"
"You are a terrible person, you know that?"
"Yes, but I'm a wonderful demon."

[Hetland 2]

Jackie instinctively raised his hands peacefully in a defensive manner at the 'too good for Anuragini' remark, but put them down immediately afterwards due to Anuragini's entrance. Jackie knew a grand total of jackie-shit what they were saying, but he presumed that Conrad was implicating him somehow judging from Gini's glare. Jackie telepathically sent a message to Conrad, but intentionally gave no outwards indication of doing so. "Compare Lightheart to Anu. Ragini." Damn it I mucked up again. "They're close to opposites. My taste in women is mine. Besides, you'd probably shoot me if I was after Anuragini anyways. Although, Lightheart's probably going to shoot me anyways... You get the point. You're a father and you wouldn't let me be Anu-ragini's date." Goddamnit I did it again.

Jackie suddenly had an idea. One as roundabout as ever. "...Well, I hope this works." Jackie reached into his coat since Gini seemed to have irritation directed at him and was glancing away somewhat. Suddenly Jackie hastily whipped out two (illusory) cigarette packs of the same brand in Conrad's jacket and dropped them out of the train window, clearly trying to be hasty to avoid being caught with them by Anuragini. And here's the roundabout part: Since he's avoiding being caught, if he's caught he'll likely be presumed to be the one smuggling packs and maybe even tempting Stern. So she would either notice or not notice. If she doesn't notice, nothing happens. If she does notice, Jackie has a good chance of taking blame since he's usually a prick anyways and possibly removing some blame from his superior who was already caught with smokes. Or Jackie's plan could backfire and Anuragini gets madder and Jackie gets wounded by one of the two people infront of him and is left without dating help. Or some other result, Jackie wasn't 100% sure about the situation anyways.

Just another day in the live of Johnny Nutrin.

Anuragini whipped around, seeing Jackie toss the illusory packs of cigarettes out the window, and within seconds, two thin walls had slid out of nowhere, constricting his throat. She began yelling furiously at Jackie, "How dare you! My daddy was on a perfectly healthy path to reco..." Conrad held up his hand, speaking in a even tone. "Anuragini, I've been smoking since before you were born. While its doubtful I'll ever fully kick the habit, I've been smoking significantly less than I'd normally be. In fact, Jackie's actually been helping me limit the amount of cigarettes I smoke, in exchange for dating advice. I've even got down to a pack every week. Besides, Thomas said hi to you. Go say hi back. I'm not done talking with Jackie."
Anuragini stared at her father, trying to pick apart what he'd said for evidence that he'd been lying. She sighed and looked away sheepishly, the walls releasing their hold on Jackie's throat and dropping him back into his seat. "Fine." She left the room, shutting the door behind her. She avoided Thomas's eyes for a second before looking up and giving him a grin. "Heya."

[Nekronia]

Anuragini whipped around, seeing Jackie toss the illusory packs of cigarettes out the window, and within seconds, two thin walls had slid out of nowhere, constricting his throat. She began yelling furiously at Jackie, "How dare you! My daddy was on a perfectly healthy path to reco..." Conrad held up his hand, speaking in a even tone. "Anuragini, I've been smoking since before you were born. While its doubtful I'll ever fully kick the habit, I've been smoking significantly less than I'd normally be. In fact, Jackie's actually been helping me limit the amount of cigarettes I smoke, in exchange for dating advice. I've even got down to a pack every week. Besides, Thomas said hi to you. Go say hi back. I'm not done talking with Jackie."
Anuragini stared at her father, trying to pick apart what he'd said for evidence that he'd been lying. She sighed and looked away sheepishly, the walls releasing their hold on Jackie's throat and dropping him back into his seat. "Fine." She left the room, shutting the door behind her. She avoided Thomas's eyes for a second before looking up and giving him a grin. "Heya."

Jackie suddenly started being choked with magic by the Indian with enough force to slightly rise from his seat. The thought running through Jackie's mind was quite clear. ALL ACCORDING TO KEIKAKU ...wh- Translator's note: Keikaku means plan. YOU ARE BEING STRANGLED RIGHT NOW. IS THERE REALLY NOTHING ELSE G- Well I'm mildly aroused right now. Does that count? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Walter spent this time reflecting on the fact he has been sent to Hell after his death.

Jackie wasn't entirely sure where said plan was going to lead, but he was pretty sure that this was good. 90% sure. ...85%. He carefully listened to Conrad's words in order to be able to play along or use them at a later date, although it was a bit hard with blood being cut off to the head. Once the situation was diffused and he was released, Jackie was about to cartoonishly stuff his arm down his throat to begin an over-elaborate point about how minor smoking is compared to their daily activities, but Gini had already left. John took his hand out of his mouth, smokeshifted the saliva out the window (STOP LITTERING) and rubbed his neck where he was constricted.

He wasn't quite sure where to go next due to having very little idea of the specifics of the Hindi conversation, but did his best. "So... uh... that happened. ...Would that count as a 'yes' to assistance, or..." Jackie didn't really know how to continue. "...I'm not good at this straight-forward thing." Oh, is that why you're circuitous so regularly? No, it's because the indirect way is usually the best way. Always worked best for me, anyways.

[Charmera]

Jackie instinctively raised his hands peacefully in a defensive manner at the 'too good for Anuragini' remark, but put them down immediately afterwards due to Anuragini's entrance. Jackie knew a grand total of jackie-shit what they were saying, but he presumed that Conrad was implicating him somehow judging from Gini's glare. Jackie telepathically sent a message to Conrad, but intentionally gave no outwards indication of doing so. "Compare Lightheart to Anu. Ragini." Damn it I mucked up again. "They're close to opposites. My taste in women is mine. Besides, you'd probably shoot me if I was after Anuragini anyways. Although, Lightheart's probably going to shoot me anyways... You get the point. You're a father and you wouldn't let me be Anu-ragini's date." Goddamnit I did it again.

Jackie suddenly had an idea. One as roundabout as ever. "...Well, I hope this works." Jackie reached into his coat since Gini seemed to have irritation directed at him and was glancing away somewhat. Suddenly Jackie hastily whipped out two (illusory) cigarette packs of the same brand in Conrad's jacket and dropped them out of the train window, clearly trying to be hasty to avoid being caught with them by Anuragini. And here's the roundabout part: Since he's avoiding being caught, if he's caught he'll likely be presumed to be the one smuggling packs and maybe even tempting Stern. So she would either notice or not notice. If she doesn't notice, nothing happens. If she does notice, Jackie has a good chance of taking blame since he's usually a prick anyways and possibly removing some blame from his superior who was already caught with smokes. Or Jackie's plan could backfire and Anuragini gets madder and Jackie gets wounded by one of the two people infront of him and is left without dating help. Or some other result, Jackie wasn't 100% sure about the situation anyways.

Just another day in the live of Johnny Nutrin.

Anuragini whipped around, seeing Jackie toss the illusory packs of cigarettes out the window, and within seconds, two thin walls had slid out of nowhere, constricting his throat. She began yelling furiously at Jackie, "How dare you! My daddy was on a perfectly healthy path to reco..." Conrad held up his hand, speaking in a even tone. "Anuragini, I've been smoking since before you were born. While its doubtful I'll ever fully kick the habit, I've been smoking significantly less than I'd normally be. In fact, Jackie's actually been helping me limit the amount of cigarettes I smoke, in exchange for dating advice. I've even got down to a pack every week. Besides, Thomas said hi to you. Go say hi back. I'm not done talking with Jackie."
Anuragini stared at her father, trying to pick apart what he'd said for evidence that he'd been lying. She sighed and looked away sheepishly, the walls releasing their hold on Jackie's throat and dropping him back into his seat. "Fine." She left the room, shutting the door behind her. She avoided Thomas's eyes for a second before looking up and giving him a grin. "Heya."

Thomas inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a slight grin back. "So… this break… this vacation I suppose." He said, dancing around the thing he really wanted to talk about. He wanted to ask how she was after the battle, if she was okay. He noticed the whole cigarette thing with her father, and would have said something about how killing a purple demon with cigarettes would be like trying to drain a sea with a bucket. But he knew it wouldn't help. He had been in her shoes before. "What do you think it'll be like?" he asked. "I mean, it sounds fun, and I suppose we could all use some time off…"

Thomas was also dancing around the issue of his actions during the battle. He could still see that mans face melting off, vividly. Flesh sloughing off to expose blackened bone and eyeballs bursting... While thinking about this it would seem as if the demon host was a million miles away, looking into space…

[Isle of Lithonia]

-Mother of Snip-

Krouse was about to say something else, but was cut off by Jack, who had overheard Laura and Clarence's loud declarations of feelings and romance and all that junk. Everyone else in the car had likely overheard too, but Jack was used to getting away with antisocial stuff because he was an old person. He turned to Krouse and Miranda.

"Now, I make no claims to being an expert on the subject, and I know we cut Clarence a little slack in social situations, but I'm fairly certain that the standard protocol," he raised his voice a notch, loud enough now to be heard By Clarence and Laura, "is to get a damn room." Voice still slightly raised, he continued. "I don't know if they're actually that socially incompetent, or if they've actually been passive-aggressively ignoring the hints some of us in the group have been dropping that they might want to take their clumsily prepared hormone soup of a relationship somewhere that we don't have to watch them vomit rainbows and cupcakes on each other." He continued as Krouse slumped down in his chair, head in his hands, embarrassed by proxy. "But then, what would I know about romance? It's not like I had a long, happy marriage or anything. I'm sure it's much better to declare your feelings in a clattering steel box full of weirdos like us who interrupt tender moments with tirades on how they feel about your relationship than it is to do it literally anywhere else on the train." He settled back into his seat, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"So...subtlety is a thing, you know. If you wanted them to stop, you could have been a little more polite."
"Oh, absolutely I could have. The thing is, that wouldn't have been nearly as fun, would it have?"
"You are a terrible person, you know that?"
"Yes, but I'm a wonderful demon."

Karlson chuckled a bit at the kiddos' antics, and walked over to Laura and Clarence, a smirk on his face. "Okay you two. Although I'm all for romance, I suggest maintaining some decorum when you're in public areas. Not everyone enjoys your love as much as you guys do."

He sent them a telepathic message, his mind-voice actually giving a hint of kindness and sympathy. If you two want some time alone, there's a large guest room in Yuri's hot springs. I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending it to you for a while.

But I suggest you both make use of it sometime while we are still there. Otherwise, you'll find it even more difficult to pay attention to anything but your lover when you are in public or in combat. And I cannot lose either of you, not yet.

As he finished, the train finally came to a stop, just outside the Onsen. And...

It was a relatively large complex, with three interconnected buildings. The westernmost was rather large, having inside a large pool with a slide, and even a separate wave pool. The middle building was the main attraction, housing the main entrance and the Hot Springs (there being a male, female, and even a mixed gender hot spring for the more adventurous). The easternmost building contained several floors of small rooms, bedrooms really.

And outside of the main entrance stood Yuri, in a bright blue dress. She called out as the passengers disembarked, "Welcome, children of Lucen, to my humble abode. Come in, come in."

She lead them inside the main building. The furnishings were simple, but homey. A small fireplace was in there, along with some wooden chairs, a large table, and a desk to the far end. On either side of the desk lay the male and female springs, and just behind it lied the entrance to the mixed gender spring.

Yuri addressed the assembled again. "While you are all here, you may drop the formalities. We are here to relax, and enjoy one another's company. So, your officers are more of your equals here than anywhere else. Still, if they give a command, I suggest you follow it.

"Now, treat one another with respect. And, you may go anywhere you like here. Just make certain to stay within sight of these buildings. It is a dangerous world out there now, and even I cannot guarantee your safety in these woods.

"So, go and have some fun now. In about two hours, you may come back here, and we will have lunch prepared for you."

[Hetland 2]

Jackie suddenly started being choked with magic by the Indian with enough force to slightly rise from his seat. The thought running through Jackie's mind was quite clear. ALL ACCORDING TO KEIKAKU ...wh- Translator's note: Keikaku means plan. YOU ARE BEING STRANGLED RIGHT NOW. IS THERE REALLY NOTHING ELSE G- Well I'm mildly aroused right now. Does that count? ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Walter spent this time reflecting on the fact he has been sent to Hell after his death.

Jackie wasn't entirely sure where said plan was going to lead, but he was pretty sure that this was good. 90% sure. ...85%. He carefully listened to Conrad's words in order to be able to play along or use them at a later date, although it was a bit hard with blood being cut off to the head. Once the situation was diffused and he was released, Jackie was about to cartoonishly stuff his arm down his throat to begin an over-elaborate point about how minor smoking is compared to their daily activities, but Gini had already left. John took his hand out of his mouth, smokeshifted the saliva out the window (STOP LITTERING) and rubbed his neck where he was constricted.

He wasn't quite sure where to go next due to having very little idea of the specifics of the Hindi conversation, but did his best. "So... uh... that happened. ...Would that count as a 'yes' to assistance, or..." Jackie didn't really know how to continue. "...I'm not good at this straight-forward thing." Oh, is that why you're circuitous so regularly? No, it's because the indirect way is usually the best way. Always worked best for me, anyways.

Conrad patted his shoulder and whispered into his ear., "As long as you don't tell her I'm still on two packs a day, I'll help you." He gave a grin, revealing the fact the mouth that was eeriely similar to the one on his face when Memoir was still possessing. He quickly realized that he was grinning and closed his mouth, returning to his usual frown.

Anuragini whipped around, seeing Jackie toss the illusory packs of cigarettes out the window, and within seconds, two thin walls had slid out of nowhere, constricting his throat. She began yelling furiously at Jackie, "How dare you! My daddy was on a perfectly healthy path to reco..." Conrad held up his hand, speaking in a even tone. "Anuragini, I've been smoking since before you were born. While its doubtful I'll ever fully kick the habit, I've been smoking significantly less than I'd normally be. In fact, Jackie's actually been helping me limit the amount of cigarettes I smoke, in exchange for dating advice. I've even got down to a pack every week. Besides, Thomas said hi to you. Go say hi back. I'm not done talking with Jackie."
Anuragini stared at her father, trying to pick apart what he'd said for evidence that he'd been lying. She sighed and looked away sheepishly, the walls releasing their hold on Jackie's throat and dropping him back into his seat. "Fine." She left the room, shutting the door behind her. She avoided Thomas's eyes for a second before looking up and giving him a grin. "Heya."

Thomas inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a slight grin back. "So… this break… this vacation I suppose." He said, dancing around the thing he really wanted to talk about. He wanted to ask how she was after the battle, if she was okay. He noticed the whole cigarette thing with her father, and would have said something about how killing a purple demon with cigarettes would be like trying to drain a sea with a bucket. But he knew it wouldn't help. He had been in her shoes before. "What do you think it'll be like?" he asked. "I mean, it sounds fun, and I suppose we could all use some time off…"

Thomas was also dancing around the issue of his actions during the battle. He could still see that mans face melting off, vividly. Flesh sloughing off to expose blackened bone and eyeballs bursting... While thinking about this it would seem as if the demon host was a million miles away, looking into space…

Anuragini paused thoughtfully, "I wonder. Well, considering the officers, I suspect it'll be some hellish training ground." She gave a small chuckle glancing back at her father.

As she was introduced to Yuri, she glanced at Thomas and whispered, "I stand by my call."

Karlson chuckled a bit at the kiddos' antics, and walked over to Laura and Clarence, a smirk on his face. "Okay you two. Although I'm all for romance, I suggest maintaining some decorum when you're in public areas. Not everyone enjoys your love as much as you guys do."

He sent them a telepathic message, his mind-voice actually giving a hint of kindness and sympathy. If you two want some time alone, there's a large guest room in Yuri's hot springs. I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending it to you for a while.

But I suggest you both make use of it sometime while we are still there. Otherwise, you'll find it even more difficult to pay attention to anything but your lover when you are in public or in combat. And I cannot lose either of you, not yet.

As he finished, the train finally came to a stop, just outside the Onsen. And...

It was a relatively large complex, with three interconnected buildings. The westernmost was rather large, having inside a large pool with a slide, and even a separate wave pool. The middle building was the main attraction, housing the main entrance and the Hot Springs (there being a male, female, and even a mixed gender hot spring for the more adventurous). The easternmost building contained several floors of small rooms, bedrooms really.

And outside of the main entrance stood Yuri, in a bright blue dress. She called out as the passengers disembarked, "Welcome, children of Lucen, to my humble abode. Come in, come in."

She lead them inside the main building. The furnishings were simple, but homey. A small fireplace was in there, along with some wooden chairs, a large table, and a desk to the far end. On either side of the desk lay the male and female springs, and just behind it lied the entrance to the mixed gender spring.

Yuri addressed the assembled again. "While you are all here, you may drop the formalities. We are here to relax, and enjoy one another's company. So, your officers are more of your equals here than anywhere else. Still, if they give a command, I suggest you follow it.

"Now, treat one another with respect. And, you may go anywhere you like here. Just make certain to stay within sight of these buildings. It is a dangerous world out there now, and even I cannot guarantee your safety in these woods.

"So, go and have some fun now. In about two hours, you may come back here, and we will have lunch prepared for you."

Memoir appeared out of nowhere behind Yuri and his usually wide grin seemed to grow even wider. "Hello, sexy, having a... nice day?" He had his hand around her throat and dragged his tongue against the back of her neck. "I missed you. Did you miss me? Did you? Did you? Did you? Did you?"

[Mnar Secundus]

- snip -

Clarence had stopped being confused as to how the situation had developed this way: instead, he was focusing on the fact that he had Laura in his arms. For someone who had better technique than him at close-combat, she felt surprisingly light and fragile. If it ever came to wrestling, he thought distractedly in some unpleasant part of his mind - this still being Clarence -, I could handle her no problem, knives or no knives. She smelled very nice, too, and he wondered briefly how this embrace would feel with Red Demon senses before remembering that Boali probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much as himself. Whatever. Maybe he could just allow himself this small instant of slacking ... Clarence held Laura even tighter for a moment, intoxicating himself with her touch and her smell, then relaxed when he felt that she had something to say.

Laura's thoughts instantly snapped back to Clarence as if nothing had happened. "So… I don't suppose you have any experience with… this?" She asked.

The Demon host's muscles contracted involuntarily for a heartbeat before he remembered that he really didn't want to hurt Laura at this point. Crushing the nervous impulse like an ant, he replied hesitantly, in a hushed voice. "I'm afraid not. I couldn't exactly ... afford to think about that stuff initially, and ... after that, well, I simply couldn't think about it at all."

Clarence's previous experience with romance, sex and intersexual, non-platonic relationships in general was quite a simple affair: there was rape, there was sexual slavery, and there was prostitution. The first two had been a matter of course in his ancient paramilitary force. Clarence, being too young at the time to really feel the need for sex in the first place, had never tried either, though he had had to defend himself from rape several times; as for the third option, even if he had wanted to use prostitutes, he had had no money whatsoever, nor enough food, water or any other commodity to spare as a bargaining chip.
Moreover, Clarence had been a nice kid originally. He couldn't stand to see the sex slaves, some of them younger than himself, being ... getting ... And he couldn't save them, not by himself, not without trying to kill every single one of their owners and inevitably failing ... So one day he had taken his AK and had headed to the cages and - And what? His mind went blank.

Ah. My head. Drop the topic. He suddenly realized that his vision was unfocused and his fingers trembling slightly against Laura. Drop. The. Topic. Clarence couldn't lose this, this moment, this contact, this relationship, not for anything in the world, not even for the world which he was in a position to wager. So he put his glancing headache out of his mind - although it was quite strange, he didn't use to have those - and desperately reached for the nearest reply he could find. "What about -"
However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Jack's comments.

- snip -

Thank you. This was painless. Well, it was painless for Clarence - for Churchill, however ... The Demon host's hand almost left Laura's back for the ceramic knife strapped to his ankle. It was good for everyone involved that he didn't quite get to that point: Boali got there first.
Suddenly looking up from her feigned sleep, she glanced over at the older Demon with a raised eyebrow, only to overlook him with the kind of supreme contempt one would not have expected from a handicapped little girl and speak directly to Krouse in an icy tone. "Oi, you. Your Demon is being a nuisance. Can't you put a leash on the thing? I would have expected a man who went through World War II with medieval weaponry to be better behaved. Apparently standards aren't slipping quite as much as people say."

[Charmera]

- snip -

Clarence had stopped being confused as to how the situation had developed this way: instead, he was focusing on the fact that he had Laura in his arms. For someone who had better technique than him at close-combat, she felt surprisingly light and fragile. If it ever came to wrestling, he thought distractedly in some unpleasant part of his mind - this still being Clarence -, I could handle her no problem, knives or no knives. She smelled very nice, too, and he wondered briefly how this embrace would feel with Red Demon senses before remembering that Boali probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much as himself. Whatever. Maybe he could just allow himself this small instant of slacking ... Clarence held Laura even tighter for a moment, intoxicating himself with her touch and her smell, then relaxed when he felt that she had something to say.

Laura's thoughts instantly snapped back to Clarence as if nothing had happened. "So… I don't suppose you have any experience with… this?" She asked.

The Demon host's muscles contracted involuntarily for a heartbeat before he remembered that he really didn't want to hurt Laura at this point. Crushing the nervous impulse like an ant, he replied hesitantly, in a hushed voice. "I'm afraid not. I couldn't exactly ... afford to think about that stuff initially, and ... after that, well, I simply couldn't think about it at all."

Clarence's previous experience with romance, sex and intersexual, non-platonic relationships in general was quite a simple affair: there was rape, there was sexual slavery, and there was prostitution. The first two had been a matter of course in his ancient paramilitary force. Clarence, being too young at the time to really feel the need for sex in the first place, had never tried either, though he had had to defend himself from rape several times; as for the third option, even if he had wanted to use prostitutes, he had had no money whatsoever, nor enough food, water or any other commodity to spare as a bargaining chip.
Moreover, Clarence had been a nice kid originally. He couldn't stand to see the sex slaves, some of them younger than himself, being ... getting ... And he couldn't save them, not by himself, not without trying to kill every single one of their owners and inevitably failing ... So one day he had taken his AK and had headed to the cages and - And what? His mind went blank.

Ah. My head. Drop the topic. He suddenly realized that his vision was unfocused and his fingers trembling slightly against Laura. Drop. The. Topic. Clarence couldn't lose this, this moment, this contact, this relationship, not for anything in the world, not even for the world which he was in a position to wager. So he put his glancing headache out of his mind - although it was quite strange, he didn't use to have those - and desperately reached for the nearest reply he could find. "What about -"
However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Jack's comments.

Laura would have said that she too didn't have much experience in the Romance department. Throughout most of her life, Laura had cultivated the reputation of the "Ice Queen", so she wasn't exactly the most likely candidate to date. Plus her foster parents kept her on a tight schedule of study and work, even when they were gone. However none of these thoughts came out, because Laura immediately read the signs, she knew Clarence well enough to tell when he was close to an episode.

No... Not now...

Suddenly her entire expression changed in an instant, hardening like ice. Her mood did the same. She made a quick plan in her head to quickly bind his limbs using frozen tea water and then cool his brain to the point where he falls unconscious. However for now she kept his embrace, but her own muscles reacted, ready to slip from his grasp at a moments notice.

- snip -

Thank you. This was painless. Well, it was painless for Clarence - for Churchill, however ... The Demon host's hand almost left Laura's back for the ceramic knife strapped to his ankle. It was good for everyone involved that he didn't quite get to that point: Boali got there first.
Suddenly looking up from her feigned sleep, she glanced over at the older Demon with a raised eyebrow, only to overlook him with the kind of supreme contempt one would not have expected from a handicapped little girl and speak directly to Krouse in an icy tone. "Oi, you. Your Demon is being a nuisance. Can't you put a leash on the thing? I would have expected a man who went through World War II with medieval weaponry to be better behaved. Apparently standards aren't slipping quite as much as people say."

She was actually thankful for Jacks interruption, as it seemed to move Boali to action and pacify Clarence. Though she'd probably have to reply with something snappy too to keep up apearances. However thankfully Karlson came over too, Laura letting go of Clarence and sitting up strait in his presence.

Krouse was about to say something else, but was cut off by Jack, who had overheard Laura and Clarence's loud declarations of feelings and romance and all that junk. Everyone else in the car had likely overheard too, but Jack was used to getting away with antisocial stuff because he was an old person. He turned to Krouse and Miranda.

"Now, I make no claims to being an expert on the subject, and I know we cut Clarence a little slack in social situations, but I'm fairly certain that the standard protocol," he raised his voice a notch, loud enough now to be heard By Clarence and Laura, "is to get a damn room." Voice still slightly raised, he continued. "I don't know if they're actually that socially incompetent, or if they've actually been passive-aggressively ignoring the hints some of us in the group have been dropping that they might want to take their clumsily prepared hormone soup of a relationship somewhere that we don't have to watch them vomit rainbows and cupcakes on each other." He continued as Krouse slumped down in his chair, head in his hands, embarrassed by proxy. "But then, what would I know about romance? It's not like I had a long, happy marriage or anything. I'm sure it's much better to declare your feelings in a clattering steel box full of weirdos like us who interrupt tender moments with tirades on how they feel about your relationship than it is to do it literally anywhere else on the train." He settled back into his seat, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

"So...subtlety is a thing, you know. If you wanted them to stop, you could have been a little more polite."
"Oh, absolutely I could have. The thing is, that wouldn't have been nearly as fun, would it have?"
"You are a terrible person, you know that?"
"Yes, but I'm a wonderful demon."

Karlson chuckled a bit at the kiddos' antics, and walked over to Laura and Clarence, a smirk on his face. "Okay you two. Although I'm all for romance, I suggest maintaining some decorum when you're in public areas. Not everyone enjoys your love as much as you guys do."

He sent them a telepathic message, his mind-voice actually giving a hint of kindness and sympathy. If you two want some time alone, there's a large guest room in Yuri's hot springs. I'm sure she wouldn't mind lending it to you for a while.

But I suggest you both make use of it sometime while we are still there. Otherwise, you'll find it even more difficult to pay attention to anything but your lover when you are in public or in combat. And I cannot lose either of you, not yet.

"Apologies sir." She replied in her normal tone, impassive and distant. There was almost an imperceptible blush on Laura's face, as she remembered that there were others around, not to mention her commander. It was somewhat embarrassing for her to be so emotional in front of her commanding officer and her colleagues. It was hardly befitting her role in the group as the always calm and logical Laura and it was not benefiting as a member of their unit to be so unprofessional. She wouldn't be surprised if they trusted her less as a result of this new development.

Then there was Karlson. Laura had always had an odd desire to impress him, to not disappoint her commander. But Laura felt she had somehow done so just then, though it was a somewhat irrational feeling. Though she was reminded that she would have to talk to the man soon...

Still, she was falling in love with Clarence, so despite the fact that public displays of affection should be limited, she was of course still determined to have this relationship.

She was then surprised by Karlson's kind voice, unsure of exactly how to respond to it. Was this some sort of test? No... It seemed sincere.
"Yes sir, that might be best for all involved." Laura replied to him telepathically. "Also, sir, can we talk... later?"

As he finished, the train finally came to a stop, just outside the Onsen. And...

It was a relatively large complex, with three interconnected buildings. The westernmost was rather large, having inside a large pool with a slide, and even a separate wave pool. The middle building was the main attraction, housing the main entrance and the Hot Springs (there being a male, female, and even a mixed gender hot spring for the more adventurous). The easternmost building contained several floors of small rooms, bedrooms really.

And outside of the main entrance stood Yuri, in a bright blue dress. She called out as the passengers disembarked, "Welcome, children of Lucen, to my humble abode. Come in, come in."

She lead them inside the main building. The furnishings were simple, but homey. A small fireplace was in there, along with some wooden chairs, a large table, and a desk to the far end. On either side of the desk lay the male and female springs, and just behind it lied the entrance to the mixed gender spring.

Yuri addressed the assembled again. "While you are all here, you may drop the formalities. We are here to relax, and enjoy one another's company. So, your officers are more of your equals here than anywhere else. Still, if they give a command, I suggest you follow it.

"Now, treat one another with respect. And, you may go anywhere you like here. Just make certain to stay within sight of these buildings. It is a dangerous world out there now, and even I cannot guarantee your safety in these woods.

"So, go and have some fun now. In about two hours, you may come back here, and we will have lunch prepared for you."

Laura was glad to see Yuri again, though besides a slight nod of greeting she didn't indicate this. She listened carefully to what was being said, and then telepathically contacted Clarence. "It seems nice... Hopefully we can get some privacy in the room Karlson described and the springs sound somewhat relaxing."

Thomas inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a slight grin back. "So… this break… this vacation I suppose." He said, dancing around the thing he really wanted to talk about. He wanted to ask how she was after the battle, if she was okay. He noticed the whole cigarette thing with her father, and would have said something about how killing a purple demon with cigarettes would be like trying to drain a sea with a bucket. But he knew it wouldn't help. He had been in her shoes before. "What do you think it'll be like?" he asked. "I mean, it sounds fun, and I suppose we could all use some time off…"

Thomas was also dancing around the issue of his actions during the battle. He could still see that mans face melting off, vividly. Flesh sloughing off to expose blackened bone and eyeballs bursting... While thinking about this it would seem as if the demon host was a million miles away, looking into space…

Anuragini paused thoughtfully, "I wonder. Well, considering the officers, I suspect it'll be some hellish training ground." She gave a small chuckle glancing back at her father.

As she was introduced to Yuri, she glanced at Thomas and whispered, "I stand by my call."

Thomas smiled playfully, "Would you care to make some sort of wager on that?" He responded telepathically once Yuri had finished. Honestly he wasn't too confident about this not being a trap, but he had a slight weakness for gambling and risk, surprisingly similar to Herbert in that regard.

[Nekronia]

Conrad patted his shoulder and whispered into his ear., "As long as you don't tell her I'm still on two packs a day, I'll help you." He gave a grin, revealing the fact the mouth that was eeriely similar to the one on his face when Memoir was still possessing. He quickly realized that he was grinning and closed his mouth, returning to his usual frown.

Jackie-Ass
Well, duh. Already promised that so I'm paying the same cost here for more success. ALL ACCORDING TO KEIKAKU. Translator's note: Keikaku means plan. The youth nodded politely, and accepted the terms with an indirect statement at a normal volume so any dealmaking couldn't be deduced without context. However, it was also a genuine suggestion due to noticing Conrad's grin. "Alrighty then, we should probably go now. I, er, get the feeling something violent and-or chaotic is going to happen relatively soon so it'd probably be best to get away from the massive vehicle." Jackie stood up and brushed himself off, double-checking he had all his limbs on and waited to leave with his superior. Why do you suspect such an event? Stern SMILED. ...Now go watch the obligatory schedule orientation or whatever the shit goes on so I can know what's up. Excuse me? Get out of my body and listen to Queen Lillysbian talk before I stab you, please. Sir, you can't stab me if I'm inside of you. No, but I can stab myself until you succumb and leave. GO.


Walt Didny
Walter unmerged with his usual suit (yes, he comes out so rarely that I feel the need to reiterate what he looks like), and left before Jackie to attend the 'obligatory schedule orientation or whatever the shit goes on'. It certainly was a welcome change of pace for the good doctor Gottschalk, and- oh for the love of Gott he slipped again, this time on ice. Do pr-..! This has been a public service announcement to not wear formal shoes while outside on a frozen day.

He stood up, brushed himself off, and limped into the building to receive the orientation. Walter paid close attention to the white demoness's words, of which he was present for the majority thereof. Rubbing his new bruise from the recent impact, he made sure to note and doubly note the important schedule at hand. It was quite improbable that such a break would be had again in any reasonable timeframe, so Walter made sure that it could be enjoyed to its fullest extent if possible. Although, there certainly was the troubling possibility that his host would ruin any sense of relaxation otherwise possible for the familiar. Memoir seemed to be working on that task already with great diligence. However, despite the usual insanity and discomforting goings-ons that even the pacifistic scientist had come accustomed to, he folded his hands in his lap and calmly waited for his host to arrive as there was not much else to do at the moment. Both Jackie and Walter were separately of the same opinion that this could very well be the least tranquil vacation either of them have ever had in their existences.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Memoir appeared out of nowhere behind Yuri and his usually wide grin seemed to grow even wider. "Hello, sexy, having a... nice day?" He had his hand around her throat and dragged his tongue against the back of her neck. "I missed you. Did you miss me? Did you? Did you? Did you? Did you?"

A deep and rough, but still obviously female, voice rang out, "Piss off, you twisted fuck!!!"

A loud gunshot rang out, and Memoir's now headless corpse fell to the ground behind Yuri. The queen turned around, seemingly unphased by the events. "Come now, Katie. There is no reason to get so riled up."

The source of the gunfire walked out from her side-room off to the right. She was of average height, but was pretty well-muscled for a woman. She was tatted up on her arms, and a crescent-shaped scar marred her face, but nevertheless she maintained an overall sexiness. A bad girl/mercenary look to be sure, but hell was this brunette fucking hot, even in her sports bra and camo pants.

She put her massive, smoking pistol back in it's holster on her belt, and walked over to Yuri. The queen smiled, running her fingers through Katie's hair as the woman first wiped down and then kissed her neck. "But thank you for the attentiveness, love."

Looking to the gathered, Yuri introduced the woman as, "Kathryn Jade, my dear wife."

Katie nodded politely to the others, and Yuri continued. "As I said, you all may go wherever you wish one. Just be back here in two hours for lunch."

"Apologies sir." She replied in her normal tone, impassive and distant. There was almost an imperceptible blush on Laura's face, as she remembered that there were others around, not to mention her commander. It was somewhat embarrassing for her to be so emotional in front of her commanding officer and her colleagues. It was hardly befitting her role in the group as the always calm and logical Laura and it was not benefiting as a member of their unit to be so unprofessional. She wouldn't be surprised if they trusted her less as a result of this new development.

Then there was Karlson. Laura had always had an odd desire to impress him, to not disappoint her commander. But Laura felt she had somehow done so just then, though it was a somewhat irrational feeling. Though she was reminded that she would have to talk to the man soon...

Still, she was falling in love with Clarence, so despite the fact that public displays of affection should be limited, she was of course still determined to have this relationship.

She was then surprised by Karlson's kind voice, unsure of exactly how to respond to it. Was this some sort of test? No... It seemed sincere.
"Yes sir, that might be best for all involved." Laura replied to him telepathically. "Also, sir, can we talk... later?"

...Laura was glad to see Yuri again, though besides a slight nod of greeting she didn't indicate this. She listened carefully to what was being said, and then telepathically contacted Clarence. "It seems nice... Hopefully we can get some privacy in the room Karlson described and the springs sound somewhat relaxing."

Karlson sent back a thought-reply to Laura's question. Of course we can talk later. How about during lunch? You and I can go to my personal loft where we can talk and eat in private.

As for Yuri, she replied, As you wish. If you desire, you may go there one, and no one shall bother you. But it is open for you both at any time. She also sent Laura a mental map of where the room could be found, so that the girl and her lover knew where to go if they needed alone time.

[BlackDeath27]

Raven slepted in a empty train car away from everyone else. It wasn't because she didn't trust anyone it was because she had been having nightmares of being killed by the holy spear. Each time being worse then the one before, and this time she woke up screching at the top of her lungs. Then her eyes shot open to only look at Aria grim face looking back her from the adjacent seat. "That make number three today Raven. You may fear death, but know it doesn't fear you or fear taking your life. I'll be back just try to get some rest even if you don't have to sleep, a scared solider is a useless dead soldier." Aira walked out to the next car to find Conor to see if he would be willing help Raven.

Finding him near his demon she looked over the demon host." Hay kid I need you to help my host she needs your help. Will you help her?" Aria asked in demanding voice.

Seeing the demoness in his car, Conor gratefully excepted her request with his usual emotionless face. Why she came and got Conor is beyond this author's perception, I mean, he's literally emotionless by request, but then again, what do I know? Besides every facet of Conor's being. I digress, Conor rose to his feet. "Anything to get out of this frozen hell-hole." He said dryly, addressing her as he stood.
"Will you be alright just hanging out here, Pouton?"
Pouton waved his hand dismissively behind him, nearly falling out of the window as he lost his balance. Then he grinned hysterically and jumped out of the window. Conor felt a strong pang in his stomach as it felt like his spleen was being ripped out, an experience he knew of only because of Memoir. Then Pouton rolled in from under Conor's chair, getting caught up in the blanket, that Conor dissipated, clothes becoming his standard hoodie and cargo pants. As Pouton got up and ran toward the window again, Conor caught him by the arm and looked him in the eye sternly. Pouton returned the glare and said, "I don't appreciate you going too far away from me."

Conor rolled his eyes and left, following Aria back to Raven's car.
"Hey there," he started, fingers rapping gently on the door. He crossed the small room lightly in very few steps and sat down next to her in her seat. "Aria got me," a gesture in her direction, "what is it?"
His face was creased worryingly and he looked at her slightly confused, but mostly worried.

After they had sat in silence Raven fallowed everyone out to be debriefed on the spa. Only then did she speak to Conor." I was wondering if you had some free time would you like to spar with me while we are here at the spa?"

[Charmera]

Memoir appeared out of nowhere behind Yuri and his usually wide grin seemed to grow even wider. "Hello, sexy, having a... nice day?" He had his hand around her throat and dragged his tongue against the back of her neck. "I missed you. Did you miss me? Did you? Did you? Did you? Did you?"

A deep and rough, but still obviously female, voice rang out, "Piss off, you twisted fuck!!!"

A loud gunshot rang out, and Memoir's now headless corpse fell to the ground behind Yuri. The queen turned around, seemingly unphased by the events. "Come now, Katie. There is no reason to get so riled up."

The source of the gunfire walked out from her side-room off to the right. She was of average height, but was pretty well-muscled for a woman. She was tatted up on her arms, and a crescent-shaped scar marred her face, but nevertheless she maintained an overall sexiness. A bad girl/mercenary look to be sure, but hell was this brunette fucking hot, even in her sports bra and camo pants.

She put her massive, smoking pistol back in it's holster on her belt, and walked over to Yuri. The queen smiled, running her fingers through Katie's hair as the woman first wiped down and then kissed her neck. "But thank you for the attentiveness, love."

Looking to the gathered, Yuri introduced the woman as, "Kathryn Jade, my dear wife."

Katie nodded politely to the others, and Yuri continued. "As I said, you all may go wherever you wish one. Just be back here in two hours for lunch."

"Apologies sir." She replied in her normal tone, impassive and distant. There was almost an imperceptible blush on Laura's face, as she remembered that there were others around, not to mention her commander. It was somewhat embarrassing for her to be so emotional in front of her commanding officer and her colleagues. It was hardly befitting her role in the group as the always calm and logical Laura and it was not benefiting as a member of their unit to be so unprofessional. She wouldn't be surprised if they trusted her less as a result of this new development.

Then there was Karlson. Laura had always had an odd desire to impress him, to not disappoint her commander. But Laura felt she had somehow done so just then, though it was a somewhat irrational feeling. Though she was reminded that she would have to talk to the man soon...

Still, she was falling in love with Clarence, so despite the fact that public displays of affection should be limited, she was of course still determined to have this relationship.

She was then surprised by Karlson's kind voice, unsure of exactly how to respond to it. Was this some sort of test? No... It seemed sincere.
"Yes sir, that might be best for all involved." Laura replied to him telepathically. "Also, sir, can we talk... later?"

...Laura was glad to see Yuri again, though besides a slight nod of greeting she didn't indicate this. She listened carefully to what was being said, and then telepathically contacted Clarence. "It seems nice... Hopefully we can get some privacy in the room Karlson described and the springs sound somewhat relaxing."

Karlson sent back a thought-reply to Laura's question. Of course we can talk later. How about during lunch? You and I can go to my personal loft where we can talk and eat in private.

As for Yuri, she replied, As you wish. If you desire, you may go there one, and no one shall bother you. But it is open for you both at any time. She also sent Laura a mental map of where the room could be found, so that the girl and her lover knew where to go if they needed alone time.

Laura sent the telepathic equivalent of a nod to Karlson. "Thank you sir." She replied, then received the telepathic response from Yuri and gave a similar telepathic thanks. She moved back towards Clarence afterwards. She wondered if she could still do romantic things in public via telepathy. She would test this idea later, for now she merely sent him the telepathic Map from Yuri and another telepathic message. "Are you alright? Back in the train... you nearly..."

Susie
A nearby door opened slightly, revealing a little girl with long brown hair and an expression of mild annoyance. Though she was as cute as a button, her eyes conveyed an age, a wear and tear that a little child should not have. She looked at the group, not recognising any of them and raising her eyebrow. She walked over to Yuri, looking up at her.

"Queen Yuri, who are these people?" She asked telepathically, giving a healthy amount of respect in her mental voice. One of the few people she did respect was the white demon. She gave a cute little yawn after asking that, though she definitely did not intend for it to be cute.

[Isle of Lithonia]

Yuri looked over at Susie and gave her a warm smile. Ah, Susan. These are the Illuminati that I told you about. As I mentioned, they'll be your new comrades in arms against Yahovim.

Turning to the rest of the persons, she gestured to Susan. "This young lady is Susan Marya Ivanov. She will be the newest addition to your group. In spite of her looks, she is older than all of you," she turned to Karlson, "Even older than you by a year, Prince."

Karlson grinned upon hearing that. But in spite of her looks, he knew that there was quite a dangerous fighter hidden beneath her seeming childishness. He walked over to Susie, and held out his hand. "Well, Susan, I'm Prince Karlson, head of the Illuminati. I'm glad to have you join us, and I look forward to see your abilities."

[Achidyemay]

Seeing the demoness in his car, Conor gratefully excepted her request with his usual emotionless face. Why she came and got Conor is beyond this author's perception, I mean, he's literally emotionless by request, but then again, what do I know? Besides every facet of Conor's being. I digress, Conor rose to his feet. "Anything to get out of this frozen hell-hole." He said dryly, addressing her as he stood.
"Will you be alright just hanging out here, Pouton?"
Pouton waved his hand dismissively behind him, nearly falling out of the window as he lost his balance. Then he grinned hysterically and jumped out of the window. Conor felt a strong pang in his stomach as it felt like his spleen was being ripped out, an experience he knew of only because of Memoir. Then Pouton rolled in from under Conor's chair, getting caught up in the blanket, that Conor dissipated, clothes becoming his standard hoodie and cargo pants. As Pouton got up and ran toward the window again, Conor caught him by the arm and looked him in the eye sternly. Pouton returned the glare and said, "I don't appreciate you going too far away from me."

Conor rolled his eyes and left, following Aria back to Raven's car.
"Hey there," he started, fingers rapping gently on the door. He crossed the small room lightly in very few steps and sat down next to her in her seat. "Aria got me," a gesture in her direction, "what is it?"
His face was creased worryingly and he looked at her slightly confused, but mostly worried.

After they had sat in silence Raven fallowed everyone out to be debriefed on the spa. Only then did she speak to Conor." I was wondering if you had some free time would you like to spar with me while we are here at the spa?"

Conor had sat with Raven comfortably, not really awkward at all. He hadn't really care that she didn't answer his question right now, he understood, and like a dog he sat there attempting to be comforting based on his presence alone. He reclined backwards and closed his eyes, listening as the train slowed down. He walked before Raven out of the car, occasionally looking back to make sure she was there. It was an interesting introductory period and, speaking of interesting, Conor was wondering where Pouton was. He couldn't be that far away or they'd be in pain right now.
If Conor had more of a sense of humor, he would probably have made a joke about fight training in the most relaxing place in Montana, but Pouton wasn't there and Conor genuinely thought that he might be able to enjoy himself for once. But, to fight Raven without Pouton would simply be impractical. Pouton.
Yes?
Where are you?
None of your business!
Your business is my business...
*mental eye-roll*
Get back here.
Not without the magic word!
I don't want to play your games now
Nope! The correct answer was "please", I would have also accepted "shazam"

He looked tiredly to Raven and replied, "I don't really have my familiar on me, why don't we wait together in the hot spring until he gets bored with hiding and comes back? Then we can spar, 'kay?"

"

[Charmera]

Yuri looked over at Susie and gave her a warm smile. Ah, Susan. These are the Illuminati that I told you about. As I mentioned, they'll be your new comrades in arms against Yahovim.

Turning to the rest of the persons, she gestured to Susan. "This young lady is Susan Marya Ivanov. She will be the newest addition to your group. In spite of her looks, she is older than all of you," she turned to Karlson, "Even older than you by a year, Prince."

Karlson grinned upon hearing that. But in spite of her looks, he knew that there was quite a dangerous fighter hidden beneath her seeming childishness. He walked over to Susie, and held out his hand. "Well, Susan, I'm Prince Karlson, head of the Illuminati. I'm glad to have you join us, and I look forward to see your abilities."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Susie's face, though it did make her look any less grumpy. She was actually being treated like an adult rather than a little child, which did wonders for her current mood, though she knew it wouldn't last. She took his hand, shaking it, the kinetic exchange giving her an incredibly tiny amount of energy. She always got a bit of kinetic energy from any physical contact of any kind, though from things like handshakes it was too little kinetic energy to be useful. "Good to meet you too... sir." She replied, "Most people call me Susie, if you prefer it."

[Isle of Lithonia]

Yuri looked over at Susie and gave her a warm smile. Ah, Susan. These are the Illuminati that I told you about. As I mentioned, they'll be your new comrades in arms against Yahovim.

Turning to the rest of the persons, she gestured to Susan. "This young lady is Susan Marya Ivanov. She will be the newest addition to your group. In spite of her looks, she is older than all of you," she turned to Karlson, "Even older than you by a year, Prince."

Karlson grinned upon hearing that. But in spite of her looks, he knew that there was quite a dangerous fighter hidden beneath her seeming childishness. He walked over to Susie, and held out his hand. "Well, Susan, I'm Prince Karlson, head of the Illuminati. I'm glad to have you join us, and I look forward to see your abilities."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Susie's face, though it did make her look any less grumpy. She was actually being treated like an adult rather than a little child, which did wonders for her current mood, though she knew it wouldn't last. She took his hand, shaking it, the kinetic exchange giving her an incredibly tiny amount of energy. She always got a bit of kinetic energy from any physical contact of any kind, though from things like handshakes it was too little kinetic energy to be useful. "Good to meet you too... sir." She replied, "Most people call me Susie, if you prefer it."

This lady will prove interesting, for fucking sure. Karlson gave Susan, no, Susie, his famous half-smile. "I will do that then, Susie.

"Now, I'm off to the mixed springs. Anyone want to join me?" He pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a touch of his fingers.

"Ah, the springs would do me some good, Chris." Yuri began heading over to the springs with him, her face slightly more, well, excited than normal.

Seeing the two going alone, Katie grimaced, pissed that Yuri would go naked alone, in a spring, with a guy, and a supposedly horny one at that. She rushed over to the two, and clasped Yuri's hand in her own. "Fuck it, I'm going with."

Karlson and Yuri laughed at the butch's crazed jealousy, and her face went red with anger. Fuck that Succubus!

[Charmera]

Jack was somewhere in the crowd, invisible not by choice or with his power but by his lack of presence. Most people in the ground seemed to ignore him or acknowledge him only in an awkward sort of way, as if remembering he had been with them for a year yet still feeling like he was a stranger. He struggled to think of one of them who he was at all close to. It was nothing personal, just Jack never seemed to make an impression, always seeming to be "that guy". And to some degree it made sense considering his skill-set and his demons power, but it was somewhat lonely at times. He wondered if in years to come if they somehow survived and succeeded, would he be remembered? He'd imagine the others might, but he couldn't quite see himself being remembered. He supposed it was a testament to how good he was at blending in.

Quit whining... Jane piped up. If your so lonely, talk to someone.

I'm not whining exactly... just.... musing. Perhaps I like it better this way... Jack replied. Jane mentally rolled her eyes in response.

[Nekronia]

Jackie was sprinting at the door, preparing to enter dramatically. He hopped up a bit and started sliding on the icy path, causing him to speed at the door in an excessive display. Unfortunately, John forgot about one of the complicated magical defenses of the white demon's building: Doors don't open unless you turn the doorknob. The manchild rammed into the door and got thrown back onto the icy pavement, slamming his head on a hard bump. The stunned youth got up and opened the door calmly and normally as though nothing happened, despite the impact being pretty loud and obvious. He raised his hand to speak to everyone, and did so confidently and without hesitation.

"WE MUST BEGIN AN EQUINE RACE AND LEARN THE WAYS OF EXPLOITING THE MAGNUS EFFECT SO THAT WE MAY FOIL THE PRESIDENT'S PLANS OF ACQUIRING THE NINE PARTS OF JESUS CHRIST'S CORPSE AND ACHIEVING DOMINATION OVER THE WORLD VIA THE ARCANE POWERS THAT SAID CORPSE WOULD GRANT. CHANGING HORSES DURING THE RACE IS NOT ALLOWED. CRIME IS NOT ALLOWED, BUT BRINGING WEAPONS IS. ALSO I'M NOT PARTICULARLY SURE WHY THEY'RE CALLED THE NINE PARTS OF THE SAINT WHEN THERE'S TEN. THE PRESIDENT HAS ALREADY ACQUIRED THE HEART, SO WE MUST HURRY BEFORE HE TEAMS UP WITH THE SENATOR WHO IS EXPLOITING NANOTECHNOLOGY, SON. THANKFULLY, I HAVE TAKEN THE LIBERTY OF ESTABLISHING A MAP OF THE LOCATIONS WHERE THE FRAGMENTS OF THE MESSIAH ARE LOCATED, AND DISTRIBUTED..."

Oh god damn it, not this ranting bullshit again. We had enough of that the last time Jackie had brain damage. Walter sighed, shuffled over to his host, and merged to heal the problem. The host rubbed his head while trying to to get his mind straight. John pulled out a script out of his coat and started flipping through it, trying to find his place. Did that, did that, already talked with him, did that, apparently I did that, did that, didn't get maimed yet... oh, there we are. Jackie threw the notebook behind himself, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. He smokeshifted the blood on the back of his head into his stomach to get rid of it, then addressed any concerns relating to his outburst: "Alrighty, I'm back."

While Walter was giving a recap of Yuri's primer, Jackie looked around to deduce the other happenings. He noted another dead Memoir on the floor with a comically large blast through his head, and noted the buff chick in a sports bra and pants walking away with a comically large handgun that was recently fired. Boing. ...what? Nuuuuuuthin'. Sir. No. I haven't done anything. Should I stop doing nothing and do something? JOHN. NO. ...Call me John one more god damn time and I will stab you I SWEAR TO GOD



Then Jackie wandered over to a vending machine then stole random snacks with smoke powers and proceeded to wonder what to do next.

[Mnar Secundus]

Laura was glad to see Yuri again, though besides a slight nod of greeting she didn't indicate this. She listened carefully to what was being said, and then telepathically contacted Clarence. "It seems nice... Hopefully we can get some privacy in the room Karlson described and the springs sound somewhat relaxing."

Laura sent the telepathic equivalent of a nod to Karlson. "Thank you sir." She replied, then received the telepathic response from Yuri and gave a similar telepathic thanks. She moved back towards Clarence afterwards. She wondered if she could still do romantic things in public via telepathy. She would test this idea later, for now she merely sent him the telepathic Map from Yuri and another telepathic message. "Are you alright? Back in the train... you nearly..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he answered reassuringly. The strange headache he had been suddenly plagued by was disappearing quickly, too. "It's just ... I don't know, I think it's best if we don't dwell on my lack of romantic past for the time being."
It was disheartening that he had seemed to bother Laura despite his efforts: he had felt her tense up when he had started losing control, and doubtless she had been thinking up ways of putting him down. Clarence had the intuition that this kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen in romance. Well, I suppose it's good that she hasn't lost her edge.

Then, as he stepped out of the train and walked towards the hot springs with Laura at his side and Boali on his back, he adressed Karlson: "I apologize, sir. It was just a ... a spur of the moment, I suppose. I assure you that this will not affect my combat strength."
Resuming his conversation with Laura, he added, "Yes, it does look pretty comfortable, doesn't it? And with this much space, it would indeed be strange if we couldn't find anywhere for ourselves. Then again, we do have Jackie on the team." Clarence shuddered at the thought of the manchild lurking around the hot springs in his shadow form. "At times I wish we could use holy wards and the like. Anyway, for the time being, shall we join Mr. Karlson and the Queen?" He smiled lightly at the young woman, trying to make her understand that he was really out of the woods for the time being.

Meanwhile, Boali was growing bored. She didn't have anything to read, and she would have felt bad interrupting Clarence's time with Laura just for some conversation - of all people, the little girl was the one who understood best just how desperately Clarence needed this relationship. She proceeded to observe her other teammates' shenanigans for a while, chuckling at Jackie's speech, before thinking about something: she had never carried a crutch before, since it couldn't follow her when she fused with Clarence and she couldn't ask him to manage such a cumbersome device 24/7. But with Jackie's power ...
The little girl tapped Clarence twice on the shoulder, signaling that she wanted to get down, and he crouched to let her awkwardly step down from his back. After that, she slowly walked up to Jackie and told him with a half-grin: "Hey, Funny Valentine. I have a favor to ask of you." It felt vaguely wrong, somehow, to ask anything of Jackie, but it couldn't be helped. "Would it be possible for you to make me a crutch, please? I'm sure there's enough scrap material around."

[Charmera]

Laura was glad to see Yuri again, though besides a slight nod of greeting she didn't indicate this. She listened carefully to what was being said, and then telepathically contacted Clarence. "It seems nice... Hopefully we can get some privacy in the room Karlson described and the springs sound somewhat relaxing."

Laura sent the telepathic equivalent of a nod to Karlson. "Thank you sir." She replied, then received the telepathic response from Yuri and gave a similar telepathic thanks. She moved back towards Clarence afterwards. She wondered if she could still do romantic things in public via telepathy. She would test this idea later, for now she merely sent him the telepathic Map from Yuri and another telepathic message. "Are you alright? Back in the train... you nearly..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he answered reassuringly. The strange headache he had been suddenly plagued by was disappearing quickly, too. "It's just ... I don't know, I think it's best if we don't dwell on my lack of romantic past for the time being."
It was disheartening that he had seemed to bother Laura despite his efforts: he had felt her tense up when he had started losing control, and doubtless she had been thinking up ways of putting him down. Clarence had the intuition that this kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen in romance. Well, I suppose it's good that she hasn't lost her edge.

Then, as he stepped out of the train and walked towards the hot springs with Laura at his side and Boali on his back, he adressed Karlson: "I apologize, sir. It was just a ... a spur of the moment, I suppose. I assure you that this will not affect my combat strength."
Resuming his conversation with Laura, he added, "Yes, it does look pretty comfortable, doesn't it? And with this much space, it would indeed be strange if we couldn't find anywhere for ourselves. Then again, we do have Jackie on the team." Clarence shuddered at the thought of the manchild lurking around the hot springs in his shadow form. "At times I wish we could use holy wards and the like. Anyway, for the time being, shall we join Mr. Karlson and the Queen?" He smiled lightly at the young woman, trying to make her understand that he was really out of the woods for the time being.

"Fair enough. Theres nothing worth dwelling on in my past either." Laura commented, though she did have a slight curiosity about Clarence's past and the feeling that opening up might be good for him. However, for now opening that can of worms was not the best idea, not when things we're going so well. "Let me know if you feel uncomfortable and we can always change the subject. Opening old wounds is the last thing you need on this vacation."

"Don't worry about Jackie bothering us either, if he does try anything, I'l freeze him alive." She remarked coldly, then took Clarences hand. She tried her best not to make her hand ice cold. "I'm not about to let anything get in-between us during this break." When he mentioned following Karlson, Laura nodded. "We probably should. Do we just take off our clothes or is there a changing room or something?" Laura asked.

[Nature-Spirits]

It was a pleasant enough train ride for Sander, for the most part. He passed most of the time staring out the window at the bleak landscape, leaning his head against the chilly glass. He was not his usual cheery self, and a smile hadn't graced his lips since boarding the train and cloistering himself at the far end of a train car as far as he could get from everyone else.

Oh, don't be so sullen, Stephanie remarked abruptly, finally unable to bear it any longer. One would think you're depressed. What happened to the boy I used the know? The one who smiled and greeted everyone with an optimistic tone, the one who constantly had a bounce in his step, the one who wanted to adopt every stray cat he ever saw? What happened to him?

There was a long pause before the blond-haired boy listlessly replied, He died.

An indeterminate period -- ten minutes? Thirty? -- went by before Stephanie said, in a soft tone very rarely heard from her, Sander. What's wrong?

Sander sighed. Stephanie.... I killed people. Definitely two, probably three. And I would have killed Raven, too, if circumstances had been different. I can't... can't stop thinking about that battle. I can remember every moment in perfect clarity, you know. And what I did... what I thought... it makes me sick. Who I became.... I don't like it. Not in the least.

He felt warm arms encircle him in an embrace, and the ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. Don't. You don't have to explain anything to me, because I understand. You don't have to blame yourself, because I was just as much responsible as you were. You don't have to relive those moments, because I share those memories along with you. That's the nature of our contract -- we have a symbiotic relationship. We help each other, we draw on each other's strength, and together we bear the weight of what we've done, what we will have to do. Never forget that.

Sander didn't have to even nod. Stephanie knew that he understood, just as as she knew that a single tear had welled up at the corner of one of his shining blue eyes and slowly rolled down his cheek.

---

Dana was writing in her journal. She knew that she should be socialising with her fellow Illuminati, but she couldn't bring herself to speak to anyone; so she resorted to the written word. In a journal, she could say anything, and it would all remain between her, the paper, and Bader. As her hand moved across the page, black ink flowing from her fountain pen to mark the page with her slanted, somewhat jagged cursive, Bader remained silent in the recesses of her mind. She knew that he, too, was reflecting on the battle in his own way, and she respected that; if he needed to use some obscure corner of her head to hide away from the world, she wasn't going to object. Everyone had their own coping methods, and she recognised that actually being in a live battle had opened up some old wounds for him. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that the little Syrian boy had grown up in a warzone; that he had died with a gun in his small, scarred hand, expecting to be accepted into Paradise everlasting only to be thrown right back into another war.

Eventually, she found that her English had morphed into Greek, and faltered for an instant before continuing. Though her fluency in English was superior to that in Greek, the latter was her mother tongue; and not only that, but it spoke to her of the Mediterranean, of delicious food and warm days, of a large family and its laughter, lasting well into the night until the stars shone above them and the moon cast rays of silver light on the black seawater. She had never spoken Greek with the other hosts or their demons, so it was perhaps the only facet of her life that had not been touched by the cosmic war that she had found herself embroiled in not so long ago.

And it really hadn't been that long, now that she thought about it. Their year of training had felt like an eternity, and the battle had seemed to go on forever, but looking back she realised that all of it had, in fact, been fairly brief. And there's still such a long road to travel. Sighing, she finished her paragraph and, after giving the ink a moment to dry, shut the book and returned it to her bag.

---

When Sander got off the train and joined the rest of his comrades in the main building, he remained behind everyone else, and only smiled at Yuri as he leaned against the back wall of the room. He ignored Memoir and Jackie -- having grown quite used to their antics at this point and not being in a mental state where he could bring himself to care -- and was mildly surprised to note that Yuri was a lesbian, but he showed no outward emotion. He knew he would have to put his cheerful persona back on before someone noticed his less-than-happy mood, but no one was looking at him for the moment, so for the time being he remained silent and stone-faced. He didn't even acknowledge Susie.

When he saw Karlson, Yuri and Katie go off towards the mixed gender spring, he glanced over at the male one before returning his eyes to the mixed gender one. Well you know where I'm going, announced Stephanie inside his head, before she erupted from his body in a swirl of black fabric, heading at a quick pace for the entrance to the mixed spring. Well, I guess I'd better go too, the boy thought as he pushed off the wall and his face lifted into a smile. As he went into the entrance, his eyes fell on Karlson. Damn, that man was hot. His smile widened -- it was genuine now -- and he quickened his pace somewhat.

---

As Dana got off the train and she entered the building, she scanned the room unconsciously. She immediately picked out Thomas's blond hair and glasses and went to go stand beside him before she saw him with Anuragini. She faltered, then settled on standing alone, a few metres from them. She instead focused her attention on Yuri, listening to the white demon attentively and nodding now and again to show that she was listening. She paid no mind to Memoir or Jackie, since they were both minor nuisances in her mind, and smiled when Katie was introduced.

Following Susie's appearance and some of the others heading off towards the springs, Dana walked over to the small, girlish woman and nodded to her, smiling. "I'm Dana. Susie, right? Nice to meet you." The girl held out her hand, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand.

[Charmera]

---

As Dana got off the train and she entered the building, she scanned the room unconsciously. She immediately picked out Thomas's blond hair and glasses and went to go stand beside him before she saw him with Anuragini. She faltered, then settled on standing alone, a few metres from them. She instead focused her attention on Yuri, listening to the white demon attentively and nodding now and again to show that she was listening. She paid no mind to Memoir or Jackie, since they were both minor nuisances in her mind, and smiled when Katie was introduced.

Following Susie's appearance and some of the others heading off towards the springs, Dana walked over to the small, girlish woman and nodded to her, smiling. "I'm Dana. Susie, right? Nice to meet you." The girl held out her hand, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear with her free hand.

Susie noticed the other girl, having no real impression of her. Susie nodded, extending her small hand and shaking Dana's, her grumpy face not relenting. "Yup. Susie." She replied, looking up to her face. She hated having to do that, it emphasised how small she was... "Or Susan. Honestly I don't really care which you use." After shaking Dana's hand, she put hers to her side "So... Dana..." She continued, vaguely remembering she was one of the names she had been told were part of the Illuminati. "I heard you guys had your first real combat mission as a team recently." She said, curious about that mission.

[Nekronia]

Meanwhile, Boali was growing bored. She didn't have anything to read, and she would have felt bad interrupting Clarence's time with Laura just for some conversation - of all people, the little girl was the one who understood best just how desperately Clarence needed this relationship. She proceeded to observe her other teammates' shenanigans for a while, chuckling at Jackie's speech, before thinking about something: she had never carried a crutch before, since it couldn't follow her when she fused with Clarence and she couldn't ask him to manage such a cumbersome device 24/7. But with Jackie's power ...
The little girl tapped Clarence twice on the shoulder, signaling that she wanted to get down, and he crouched to let her awkwardly step down from his back. After that, she slowly walked up to Jackie and told him with a half-grin: "Hey, Funny Valentine. I have a favor to ask of you." It felt vaguely wrong, somehow, to ask anything of Jackie, but it couldn't be helped. "Would it be possible for you to make me a crutch, please? I'm sure there's enough scrap material around."

Jackie nodded and didn't really give off the impression of being passive-aggressive or hostile in any way. In fact, he seemed rather nice for the time being. "Sure! Just gimme a sec." He jumped into the nearest trashcan, disappearing inside of it again. He started throwing random garbage out in the air that poofed into nothingness. Water bottle, soda can, paper, another water bottle, chewing gum, cigarette carton, pancreas, c- Wait that was mine. Jackie's arm cartoonishly stretched out of the trashcan and reeled the organ back in. A few moments later, Jackie left the garbage bin and walked over to a chair, turned it into smoke, and made a quality wooden crutch with padding on the top and a grip on the bottom and everything. He left the unused portion of the chair as a three-legged stool. He handed the fresh item over to Boali. "Alrighty, here you go. If you need it adjusted, just let me know and I'll fix it, Johnny. Wait... Johnny..." Suddenly, he collapsed onto the floor laughing after realizing the coincidental hilarity in what he said. Ah, there's the Jackie we all know and love.

Johnny Joestar is the protagonist of the story that Funny Valentine is the antagonist of. Jackie isn't laughing because his own real name is John or that he became antagonistic towards the one he referred to as the protagonist, he's laughing because Johnny Joestar is paraplegic and can't use his legs while Boali's can't use her leg due to it being missing.