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[color=hotpink]"Ah, hello Kitten. I'm Akiko."[/color] Akiko smiled softly towards the almost childlike catgirl. It was there that she started to talk about something called Deepground, something Akiko had never heard about. HUDs were only slightly familiar to the bard, but something called Deepground was completely foreign to Akiko. [color=hotpink]"I'm kind of the party's bard, right here. We're scaling the tower, and I'm on my own personal quest. If you don't mind, you could be... hm...?"[/color] It was at about that time another girl had appeared to join the cast of characters, calling herself Lin.

[color=hotpink]"Ah yes, another girl to add to [i]his[/i] growing harem."[/color] Akiko snarked as she pointed towards the boy, realizing then that he still hadn't told the party his name. [color=hotpink]"You still have yet to introduce yourself to anyone, by the way."[/color] She let that hang in the air before looking back down at Smitten Kitten, extending a hand to her. [color=hotpink]"Care to hang out with me for a while? I promise I won't bite~."[/color] Akiko said with a trusting smile, one that could definitely do no wrong, though her eyes looked into Smitten Kitten with a mischievous [u][color=red]glare.[/color][/u]*

Regardless if Kitten took it, 'Touka' would start to explain the mechanics of a Serei to the group, followed up by a newcomer named Cait, though she probably wouldn't join the party as they continued trying to ascend up the Tower. So Serei were just fabrications of summons? Interesting indeed, though Akiko wondered if they had another purpose. Might be a good question to ask Cait and Touka before everyone got too comfortable.

[color=hotpink]"Is that all Serei's do? Not that I don't like the nekomata here, she's quite cute, but I'm just curious for the rest of the party's sake."[/color] Akiko inquired, grabbing her potion and uncorking it to get a quick whiff of the contents.

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* gonna mark times I use Critical Past with a red underline.