Nakushita

[The Grand Duchy] Labyrinth of the Primordial Bloom [FINISHED]

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@DoubleChecker@Book @Red Hood @pkken

When the Skeleton moved then spoke, it sent a shock through Penny's entire system as it was the last thing she had been expecting as it nearly sent her reeling back into her seat. Leaving her stunned and flabbergasted long enough that she wasn’t able to answer his question or even get a chance to introduce herself properly before Valeriana took control of the flow of the conversation. Once the Proctor had exited, Penny had started to hold up a finger so she could start her introduction now that there was an opening, but she was interrupted by Vaust’s approach and introduction as her finger and hand slowly sank down while he spoke, an uneasy feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure what was more dread inducing, Vaust or the living Skeleton. She started to work up to introducing herself in response to Vaust only to now be interrupted by Vetreus. A disappointed frown spread across her face while she listened to what Vetreus had to say as it sounded like a slight chastising.

Before she could counter back the dragon now introduced herself as Penny watched its slow approach all while it eyed up her precious flattened bagel. Meeting its look with a slight bit of suspicion of her own. A small frown formed on her face as she glanced down at the bagel before lifting her eyes to meet Griselda. Reluctantly and sheepishly handing over the flattened bagel to the tiny tyrant with a small sigh as it wasn’t as appetizing after what had happened. Not to mention after such a grandiose introduction and request she found it hard to resist and deny Griselda. With that over she prepared to speak once more, lifting her head up to address the others at long last.

Only to realize the others were already up and heading towards the carriage as she still hadn’t even gotten a chance to introduce herself let alone speak. Letting out a disgruntled sigh, she quickly followed after the group as she trailed behind until they reached their transportation. Not finding an opening to say anything between Vaust's menacing presence and the others chatter. Observing the reaction of those around them as they journeyed towards their destination.The uneasy feeling she had remained regarding Vaust and his intimidating aura. Penny did appreciate the two men stepping aside to allow Esther and her to enter and get situated first however so that was a point in both of their columns finally. Though she found that slightly more difficult than she had anticipated with Esther being quite tall for a Fae and with rather substantial wings which Penny had to watch out for while fitting herself in beside her. Trying her best to avoid taking a wing to the head or trapping one of Esther's wings behind her if she sat in the wrong spot. Finding a spot she felt would work she had wedged herself as tightly as she could into a corner trying to leave as much room as possible.

Now with some time to think, she realized because of how late she had been, not only had she not yet introduced herself or gotten to speak a single word. But she also didn’t even fully know what was going on or where they were supposed to be going or what they were supposed to do. But she thought it wise that she didn’t voice or admit this fact and instead go along with it and pretend like she knew. It was already bad enough she had embarrassed herself upon arrival, so it wasn’t a good idea to pile upon that poor initial meeting and sour the others impression of her any more then it had been.

[The Grand Duchy] Labyrinth of the Primordial Bloom [FINISHED]

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Penny had a habit of being late, but this time she had really messed up as the meeting was surely well underway. Sprinting full speed as fast as her legs would take her she tried to make up time. She had made the mistake of stopping for some subsistence after seeing some baked goods that had caught her eye. What she hadn’t been counting on was the long line that took much longer to process through then she had anticipated.

She had selected the finest bagel she could find from the plethora of baked goodies. Which now hung from her mouth as she was finally approaching the final stretch as she made her way through the academy. Finally able to see the heavy door of the meeting room she was supposed to already be seated in.

Instead of slowing as she approached she picked up speed, the door getting closer and closer. It was only when she was inches from it that she realized it was not opening as she smashed face first into it with a loud and prominent thud. fFattening her precise bagel which now fell to the floor from her mouth.

Even after the impact she remained standing, her face marked red from the blow. She was slightly dazed but otherwise physically fine. The real tragedy was what happened to her bagel she had waited so long to get. Its flattened remains at her feet as she bent down to pick it up. The moment she did so the door slid open as she stood there flat bagel in hand.

After an awkward pause of a few seconds Penny entered the room without a word with a stern expression on her red marked face. Taking a seat at the table she took a slow look around the room to take in all of the current occupants. She had hoped to have tried to sneak into the room as unnoticed as possible so no one would know how late she was. But it was clear that plan went out the window the moment she misjudged the door.

It was only when she laid eyes on Fei Liu did they linger longer than the rest. A skeleton was a weird choice of room decoration but she wasn’t one to judge someone for their interior decoration choices. In the middle of her inner thoughts she had forgotten to introduce herself or utter a single word since she had arrived.

Symphony on High

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"I knew I should have asked for a sick-ass banner as part of the contract negotiations"
— Oros The Greedy

Whether Vermilion's reaction or remarks bothered Himiko, it didn’t show on her face as it remained neutral and expressionless even while Vermilion spoke. Letting her finish everything that she had to say as she sat in complete silence. Her golden eyes focused on Vermilion with an unblinking gaze, it was only when she had finished that her gaze drifted away. She gave the Golden Trove a brief glance that lasted a mere second as a flicker went through her eyes as they turned towards the bird upon her finger.

“A pity, but it is what I anticipated and expected from Gemini, but there is very little you can hide from these eyes now” Her gaze turned back towards Vermilion as her golden eyes began to glow with an intense brightness. Making use of her Eye of Aigorost for the first time to increase her knowledge and gleam more information about Vermilion.

Eye Of Aigorost -100 mana

Tilting her head aside as she spoke her eyes returned to their normal golden color“If so easy it is to collect me, why wait until later, we both know you far outclass me, the longer you wait the more time you allow for me to grow stronger” propping her head up with her free hand as she reclined back herself. Despite knowing the power difference between them, and the reputation of Vermilion, Himiko showed no fear or uncertainty. Her convictions remained strong regardless of the odds or the situation as she did not fear her own death or even failure. She had crammed down those thoughts and emotions deep into her core long ago.

“Soooooo….honestly speaking, I’m far from being the biggest concern you will have to worry about, there is already a greater danger to Gemini within Gemini’s ranks, not to mention your misguided belief that this operation will eliminate The Hand, at most you’ll only be removing a finger while paying an equal or greater price if things go sideways which I have a feeling is going to happen rather soon” Her tone matter of factually, her remarks straight to the point without a shred of emotion. Viewing what Vermilion was doing while the intense battle inside the Golden Trove was underway as a waste of time for someone of her skill and caliber.

“We both know this situation will only end in one of two ways, either you kill me and stop me, or I kill you and proceed with my crusade…though I suppose there is a third option if I get extremely lucky and win by some miracle and you survive, I get to scramble that little pretty brain of yours to get all those sweet secrets you keep to yourself and turn you into a powerful ally, but that is a pipe dream…so my choice should be obvious by now, I’m not going anywhere, I live for my crusade and I would die for our crusade….” Even after her answer, Himiko remained seated and showed no sign of open hostility. Her golden gaze remained fixated on Vermilion, head still tilted and propped up with her free hand, her Endless Eclipse remaining perched upon the index finger of her other. She did not make the first move, instead allowing for Vermilion to respond or make it herself.

Time was on Himiko’s side, and the longer she kept Vermilion busy the better. Even though she had originally come to gather one of the three artifacts from Time Keeper, Cerberus or Orion she had been presented with a new opportunity. She knew she wasn’t ready to face off with Vermilion one on one, but she was one of Himiko’s primary targets for her own personal goals. If it meant having a chance to eliminate one of her biggest obstacles here and now to get to one of the three artifacts she was willing to take that risk. It wasn’t every day you could take out two birds with one stone.

Footnote

23 | Female | Depraved | Oros The Greedy
Persuasion and Reason | Handgun, Handgun | Physical | Weapon Special
Heart Of Gold | Deal Maker
Geothermal Release | Fire | Obsidian Of St.Helen
[ Slow (4), Damage X (6), Blink (4), Shield(4), Craft (2), AoE (2), Scatter (2), Full Enhance (4), Heal (6), Ignite (4), Fever (2), Transplace (8), Restrain (4), Homing (2)]
DAMAGE: A | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: C | 1000
Eye Of Aigorost -100
PHYSICAL:D | ARCANE:D | CHAOS:E | 900

Symphony on High

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"You know I can hear you right?"
— Oros The Greedy

Having finished addressing her team, she turned her attention back to the demon. Giving a subtle shake of her head “There will be time for that once we arrive at our destination, as for assessing my Endless Eclipse, I’m in concurrence”

…
…
…
…

Once they arrived at the Golden Trove, despite the suddenness of the relocation Himiko remained stoic. Her eyes shifted briefly around the area of the Golden Trove taking in as much information as she could about the current situation that was unfolding between The Hand and the alliance of factions. It was clear that things were already well underway with the fate of the battle still up for grabs. Between the dragons, dead and wounded weretigers and the reinforcements still flooding into battle it was a loud and chaotic scene.

Even through the chaos that would have distracted or drawn the full attention of most. Himiko gave Ayana a sideways glance for her comments until her attention shifted towards the source of a new voice. Remaining silent as MDP announced their name before retreating behind Pink Pounder for protection. Himiko remained where she stood, her gaze not moving from the woman in the red dress. Nor did she respond to her initially, giving a small dismissive wave of her hand in Ayana’s direction. That would look like to most a simple dismissal and allowance for Ayana to leave the scene. Which was partially true, but Ayana would know what Himiko expected from her once she did make her way from the action.

Once that was done, Himiko slowly and wordlessly approached Vermilion Veronica’s table, her Endless Eclipse remaining perched upon her shoulder. Pulling a chair over she took a seat directly across from Vermilion, crossing her arms over her chest she closed her eyes. “If you are so worried about the outcome, why sit out here relaxing while others do the heavy lifting, besides you'll have bigger problems then just The Hand ” pausing briefly before she continued “I could care less who wins or comes out on top from this battle, if Maverick, Gemini and The Hand all tear themselves apart I wouldn’t shed a tear” Her tone steely and cold being straight to the point.

“I doubt we will find any common ground, nor would you ever agree to a compromise as what I desire is not something you’d be willing to give me, nor is what you desire something that I’m willing to give you, so we both know how this is going to end, however I must warn you, the Himiko Yoshikawa that you knew and are so confident in dismissing is not the one that sits before you now…..” Her eyes finally flickered open as she uncrossed her arms before pulling out her abacus, she emitted a brief golden glow entering her esper form at long last.

This time was different, the form she had idealized within her mind as the esper known as Sovereign was gone and replaced with that of a new form The once golden hair was gone along with the white jacket, black hat and the mask she had once donned. Truly shedding her former persona once and for all and her new true identity taking the stage. Holding up her right hand, her Endless Eclipse fluttered from her shoulder to her index finger as her golden eyes stared directly into Vermilion's. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, you see, you are not speaking to ‘Himiko Yoshikawa’ or the former esper known as ‘Sovereign’, so how about I introduce myself properly” Her tone and face were both emotionless as she spoke. Glancing towards the bird upon her finger it took her a moment until her attention turned back towards Vermilion.

“You may refer to me from this point onward by my true title, a title I’m sure you are quite familiar with, yet still new to you…that of Oros, Oros The Greedy….now with that matter out of the way, how do you wish to settle this...”

Footnote

23 | Female | Depraved | Oros The Greedy
Persuasion and Reason | Handgun, Handgun | Physical | Weapon Special
Heart Of Gold | Deal Maker
Geothermal Release | Fire | Obsidian Of St.Helen
[ Slow (4), Damage X (6), Blink (4), Shield(4), Craft (2), AoE (2), Scatter (2), Full Enhance (4), Heal (6), Ignite (4), Fever (2), Transplace (8), Restrain (4), Homing (2)]
DAMAGE: A | SPEED: D | SENTINEL: C | 1000

PHYSICAL:D | ARCANE:D | CHAOS:E | 1000

Symphony on High

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Himiko stood her ground, she showed her first sign of some kind of emotion and reaction. Her golden eyes half closed, she stared straight at Ayana for a brief moment while she went about her ritual. She wouldn’t admit or acknowledge that there was a pleasing quality to the stone massage, but she didn’t have time to mess around. She slowly brought up her right hand in no real rush until she grabbed a solid hold of Ayana by her cheek. Pinching it with a tug, stretching it out in the process as nonchalantly possible.

“I don’t have a desire to buy a new washing machine, if you are worried about being a depraved esper then you are late to the party, we are long past the point of being labeled depraved, they label anyone who disagrees with their narrow world view depraved…”

Giving her cheek an even stronger tug as she reached up her left hand to take off the tinfoil hat and crumpled it in her hand. “I’m not taking on that frauds persona, Oros the Mad does not belong in this world, this is my world, the world of Oros the Greedy, do not concern yourself with my relative we have more important things to take care of, we can deal with that later”

Hearing the Pounder’s arrival back to her position as she glanced over her shoulder upon the sound of his voice. She finally released Ayana’s cheek as she turned to face him she tossed the crumpled tin foil over her shoulder towards Ayana. Her emotionless gaze found the abacus in his grasp she reached out and took a hold of it giving a small nod. “Yes, this is it, you have done well…now we wait for our transportation”It felt good to finally have it back in her hands, it was something she valued far more then just as her Grimoire, a piece of her past she still held dear. She felt a new sense of power rush into her now reunited with it and her Endless Eclispe now her gaze shifted towards MDP and locked onto her.

“They wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you if you had something they wanted, the goal isn’t to hurt them, the goal is to collect the artifacts that two of them have, if you are able to collect either one without having to hurt them then be my guest, but Orion or Cerberus don’t seem like the type to allow that so easily or without a fight” Even though she hadn’t been present when MDP had expressed her concerns to Pink Pounder, it was almost like she had been. Though MDP’s body language was easy enough to read since she had returned with the Pounder.

Himiko took a moment to lean her head towards her Endless Eclipse perched on her shoulder as she gave a nod of her head “We might be in luck, it would seem that Cerberus has found herself in some trouble, as has Orion, it will make our job easier when we arrive, Cerberus has already had to resort to some of her trump cards” Her golden eyes glowed as she seemed to be gathering up information even as she stood before them even if she hadn’t been at the battlefield, she had still felt Cerberus’s power in use. The more power that Cerberus and Orion had to burn through before they arrived the better.

“What is the ETA on our arrival to the battlefield” Speaking to Bookman without looking at him with a nonchalant tone, her gaze remained with MDP and Pink Pounder as they awaited the next course of action now that Himiko had regained her Grimoire and with it, her newfound potential power,for the first time her Endless Eclipse and Grimoire were at her disposal.

Symphony on High

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OH NO ROS WHAT IS THIS ROUND 3

"Wait a minute.....Ayana? but that's not possible, I'm Ayana! is that why you wanted me to leave, to replace me with a new Ayana! Just wait until I tell Duncan! you can't just replace me with a new one!"
"Honestly, I did not know, but you have to admit they are just as cute as you the original, oh wait that's right, you are the second Ayana aren't you..."
"Second...? what do you mean the second Ayana.....that new Ayana is the second Ayana! now get rid of her, there only needs to be one Ayana, me the honored one!"
"Oh...so you didn't know...? there was an Ayana before you, this new Ayana is the third and you are the second, though I should have expected this reaction, you Ayana are all pretty similiar"
"WHAT?!?!?! that's not fair! I'm the one and only Ayana! the honored one! that's all that matters, those other Ayana do not count and are nothing like me! I'm leaving! I have to find my friend Duncan anyhow!"
"Careful on your way out...for real this time right?.."
"Oof!!!"
"These different timeline Ayana are being quite a hassle...one is bad enough"

When he corrected her, she didn’t make any remark back, nor did she show any reaction to it on her face. She had meant what she had said whether or not Bookman understood what it had been in reference to. A contract that had been unspoken and one she had formulated with her own mind that needed no binding paper agreement once the handshake had been initiated. Hearing the restrictions and the details of what Bookman wanted made it clear who and what she would need to accomplish this difficult mission. Neither Cerberus’s pendant or Orion's grimoire would be easy things to acquire without the right tools at hand.

That was of little importance for now however, now was the time to make the first move and take advantage of the added resources and backup she had never had the benefit of before. Even if Bookman did not understand her choice in who she had selected, there had been no mistake on her part. She knew who she wanted and had made sure to acquire their services. Not even Bookman's initial skepticism about her selections had any effect on how sure she was about who she had picked.

Remaining seated as her selections made their grand entrance, only then did she avert her gaze and turn it towards Pink Pounder and MDP as they entered. Bookman was right about one thing, they needed no introduction to Himiko. Despite having never met either before, Himiko knew exactly who both of them were and knew what they could do. She also knew about the disagreements that they had with Gemini in the past. Insights that had been gleaned from her Endless Eclipse. She gave Bookman a dismissive wave of her hand breaking her silence to clarify an answer to his question.

“A little bird told me they were the two that I needed for this job…”

Her train of thought was interrupted by another presence she had felt coming from the hallway even before she had heard her. Himiko knew who it was as she let out a small sigh soon after Ayana made her Oof. It was only then that Himiko stood up from her seat upon the bed and moved across the room, with a smooth glide-like step until she had reached the western horse girl. A small glance towards Ayana’s hand that hovered near her pistol as she confronted Bookman. Without a word, Himiko brought her hand up to Ayana’s cheek, caressing it briefly as if she felt relief to see her safe and sound. She looked her in the eyes before pulling her hand back and gave her a flick in the dead center of her forehead. Taking a step back as she spoke to her long-time accomplice.

Despite the complete lack of any emotion or facial expression, Himiko was quite pleased to have Ayana back and in one piece. She would never say it or admit it openly, but she valued Ayana's contribution and skills and her loyalty to Himiko. She didn’t have many friends in this world, but if she had to list at least one, Ayana was the closest thing to it.

“I see you are unharmed and up to your usual antics, now listen here, this is important, Sovereign no longer exists, that charade has come to an end, now the esper known as Cerberus has taken up the mantle and dons her jacket, do not call me that any longer, you may call me Himiko or by my new true title of Oros,as for the brain chips if Gemini was going to put a chip into anyone’s head you would have been the first…” Himiko addressed her directly in front of the group before lowering her voice so only Ayana would be able to pick up what she said with her horse ears.

“What is wrong with my spending habits….”

Turning now to face Bookman and her two new compatriots “Very well, Pounder, MDP, we can discuss our plan in more detail as we travel to our destination, once I reacquire my grimoire and we can begin the operation, I’m sure you are quite eager to get even with Gemini and Orion in particular so how about we make them realize they should have acknowledged us…” Spreading her arms apart as her golden eyes glowed yet her facial expression remained emotionless as did her tone.

Symphony on High

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OH NO ROS TIME AND SPACE HAS RIPPED OPEN AGAIN?!?!?!?!!

"Its great being back in my own world...now where did Duncan run off too"
"You are still in the wrong place, I have no clue how you ended back up here a second time"
"What are you doing here? you aren't Duncan....I could have sworn I took a right turn at the fork in the road...don't tell me you are lost as well?"
"You can't be serious, this is my universe, there is already enough misplaced Oros as there is, now skedaddle before I have to ZA DANKU you back were you belong"
"Rude! you don't even look like you could play basketball, but fine I'll be leaving now and I won't be coming back, I won't get lost this time around for the third time!"

Himiko brought her right hand to her shoulder as she let the bird move from her fingers to her shoulder. Silent as she listened to the demon's final contract and all that it had to offer to her. Her golden eyes remained on Bookman the entire time, not once did she look at any of the words that made up the contract. Whether it was further details about what resources would be given to her, or otherwise it wasn’t important at this moment. Whatever else the book held could be worried about at a later date.

“Very well, that complicates the picture slightly, I’ll make note of Timekeepers current usefulness as I prepare future plans, however if the opportunity presents itself I will gather the artifact in his possession if it means the best chance of success, keeping in mind your current needs of his services"

The situation with Timekeeper slightly complicated what he wanted from her and may limit her opportunities to get her hands on one of the artifacts. Which meant Orion or Cerberus would likely be easier targets to pursue and would be targets of priority over Timekeeper for the time being. Even with that said she kept her options open, you never know when the right opening presented itself and would serve up one of the artifacts on a platter. If that chance ever came up with Timekeeper she would take it with no regret.

Even if it meant having a year contract that she had to adhere to, it would be well worth the price. She cared very little about The Hand, but it at least meant they would stay out of her way for the most part in exchange for her staying out of their way. Limiting potential threats and leaving her to focus her full attention upon Gemini, Maverick, the Inquisition and whoever else she deemed needed it.

What was important was getting out of this prison and returning back to the task at hand. Now with her Endless Eclipse and new found powers and the extra resources now at hand she could implement her plan with great prejudice. Gemini had made a mistake letting her live and throwing her into a cell to be ignored and forgotten about. They would soon learn that they should have listened to her when they had the chance.

Though the esper known as Sovereign perished due to Gemini’s failure, Oros The Greedy had taken her place. She reached her hand out one final time and took Bookman's hand into her own with a firm grip. Her face still emotionless, her golden eyes glowing as they stared into Bookman’s as if she was looking through him. It was time to leave this place and unleash her new powers upon Pax Septimus as she saw fit. Whatever help she got to serve as her own personal guard or crew was better than going at things solo. Even if she found some of them displeasing at any point, she knew she could still find a use for them. Being able to exchange them made it flexible and allowed her to adapt to situations as they arose. Allowing her to prepare for specific situations and put the people with the right skills into the right places for the right missions.

“Make it five out of five…”

Symphony on High

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OH NO ROS TIME AND SPACE HAS RIPPED OPEN

"Ow! who put that door there.....you aren't Duncan...Oh hey that's a pretty little bird,is that your Endless Eclipse? NO FAIR! all I got was a rock and people thought I was crazy!"
"Wait...what are you doing here, get back to where you belong before you hurt yourself, all it takes is getting one little Endless Eclipse then all your relatives start to pop out of the woodwork.."
"Fine....but you are going to owe me! ow....."

Himiko held out her hand before her, her golden yellow eyes staring deeply into the bird now perched upon her fingers. Immersing herself in the endless black starry void, as if she was staring into an entire galaxy. Appearing as if she was staring into the far off distance, she said nothing, nor did she blink. In this moment she felt like a piece of her she had been missing had finally been reunited with her. She for the first time was truly and wholly complete, a new found level of power was at the tips of her fingers. It sent a surge throughout her entire body and she had never before felt this alive.

It took a while, but Himiko finally pulled her gaze from her Endless Eclipse to acknowledge Bookman and his new contract. The flicker that would sometimes show within her eyes now being a full on golden yellow glow. Her emotionless face tilted to the side as she took her free hand and started to twirl a strand of her long red hair with her index finger. “I suppose I owe her that much at the very least for the help she has given to me thus far, so I will agree to that deal, however…” pausing as she stared into Bookmans eyes, or better yet as if she was staring through him entirely. Her free hand stopped what it was doing to reach out and clasped Bookmans once more as she inched her face closer.

“If you sought these artifacts, why not take Timekeepers when you had the opportunity, you and I know that it was no mistake that you showed his name on that contract of yours when you first arrived, which means he either came into possession of it afterwards, or you chose not to take it at that time…”

Releasing his hand as she pulled back and reclined returning back to business “As for resources, what do you have to offer, if you are after something from Orion, Cerberus or Timekeeper it simplifies things slightly that only one artifact is needed as it increases the chances for a moment of opportunity arising, even so it may take a decent amount of resources as they are all quite problematic in their own unique ways..” Her eyes drifted towards her Endless Eclipse staring into it once more “It does allow me to test out these new found abilities….but until I’m able to reach my full potential I must proceed with thoughtful preparation and assistance”

Symphony on High

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Watching the terms of the contract change to terms that she found more agreeable she heard out what he wanted to clarify in silence of her own. Even if he had not acknowledged it directly, it was clear that whatever powers her Endless Eclipse possessed and would grant her was of great concern to The Hand. They could have kept her Endless Eclipse to themselves, but The Hand was smart enough to use it to their advantage. Enough that Bookman had sought her out to come to terms that would protect them from her while being able to unleash Himiko,...no, Oros the Greedy onto the rest of Pax Septimus. Sure they sought to use her, but it also opened the door to her using them. It wasn’t a one way street if she played her cards right and made the most of the opportunity, both sides could gain something from one another.

Getting her hands on her Endless Eclipse was an important endeavor, even if getting it would tie her hands when it came to The Hand. It was a compromise she was willing to make if it helped make her ambitions a reality. Despite the drawback of the contract it still meant that the rest of Pax was open game for her to do what she pleased. She was after the head honchos of Gemini, Maverick and The Inquisition and if coming to terms with The Hand made her goal easier then it was worth the sacrifice. The newfound powers that her Endless Eclipse would grant her would elevate her to a level far beyond any she had experienced and bring her goals ever closer to fruition.

With a small shake of her redhead, she broke her silence. “No I understood the conditions, and understand them now, that is not an issue and I see no deception” Her yellow golden eyes drifted towards the contract, she paused for a brief moment to ensure the terms met her wishes while crossing her arms. “I find the updated terms to be agreeable and fair”

Feeling satisfied with that clause put into the contract she had no issue in agreeing to this second contract. Leaning across the table to close the gap, there was a brief pause before she clasped her hand with his for the second time. Putting more strength and firmness into her grip then she had the first, never breaking eye contact with Bookman. “You are quite fortunate as I have nothing but time on my hands, now that we have that cleared up and that contract out of the way, what else do you wish to discuss, hopefully it's as interesting as the first two…” Pulling her hand away as she let herself fall backwards, plopping herself down on her bed in a seated position awaiting his next words. Sure she was selling bits and pieces of her soul one contract at a time, but she was intrigued by what else Bookman could potentially put on the table.

Symphony on High

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Himiko choose not to interject into his line of information he was revealing piece by piece. She remained stoic, her expression neutral but her eyes focused on the demon and the demon alone. A flicker of recognition sparked through her golden yellow iris at the mention of Aigorost. It felt like she knew who and what Aigorost was, as if she had been aware of its name all this time, like it had been a part of her since birth. She knew she hadn’t heard this name spoken to her before, nor had she ever seen it throughout her entire life. Even so, she felt an unusual sense of familiarity which felt comforting in a strange way she had never felt before.

Even when Bookman presented her with her true title, she didn’t feel a sense of shock or surprise. What did surprise her was how it felt natural, it felt right, it felt like she had known this all along, even though that title and name had never graced her lips or mind prior and this had been the first time she had heard it. That was who she truly was deep within her core, Himiko Yoshikawa was truly Sovereign no more. In her place stood Oros, Oros the Greedy.

Once it had all sunk in, Himiko closed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as her mind mulled over the overload of information it had to digest in quick succession, piece by piece so she could come to a determination. Once she was composed and had made her determination, her eyes shot open as her gaze met Bookmans once again.

“Interesting, I did not know Demons could feel fear, let alone the Hand…do I truly scare you that much? Oros the Greedy huh? that has a nice ring to it...” Tilting her head aside as she put her right palm against the side of her own neck cracking it. “Though it is kinda a pain in the ass that you went and found what rightfully belongs to me before I became aware of it, you were smart to have done so, if I had found it first I would have very little trepidation about who I turned it against…whatever this Aigorost desired or not”

She exhaled a small sigh as she straightened her neck, running her hand through a long swathe of her red hair. “As for Cerberus, that fondness was no trick, I have a soft spot for Cerberus even now as we speak, we are more similar than we are different, but she is not ready to accept her reality and break free of her chains, she is content to serve those who have done nothing to punish the one responsible for the death of her mother, It's not that I wish to harm Cerberus,not to mention in her current state it would be quite difficult to do so with my current abilities, but it may become necessary if she chooses to continue her current path as a Gemini drone and finds herself in the way of my ambitions which hopefully snaps her out of it” Giving her long red hair one last flick as she brought her gaze back upon Bookman as a flicker went through her eyes.

“As for Oros the Mad, I had the displeasure of making her acquaintance, though some of her words and behavior now become clear after this revelation, it does not surprise me she comes from somewhere out of this world” Her eyes glanced down towards her arm that Oros the Mad had cut off upon their first meeting in reminiscence giving her hand a few flexes.

Her eyes glanced down at his outstretched hand as she put past memories behind her “I will agree to this arrangement, but I would like to add a clause to it, if the main leaders of the Hand aim to cause me harm at any point I want it to void said contract so that I may defend myself, if that is agreeable then I have no problem making a vow to not turn my Endless Eclipse upon them or make use of it to assist others who have that desire” extending her own hand out to him as she made her counter offer as her gaze never left his. She felt it was a fair deal, even if she didn’t like the fact they had forced her hand by holding her Endless Eclipse hostage. It complicated things, she didn’t like to be restricted, but if Bookman’s information was even remotely accurate she could not pass up getting her hands on it. She needed more power if she was going to make her ambitions a reality and if it meant some sacrifices she would just have to make them.