"Alright, later, then." Honestly, Aiko didn't mind breaking into a Cafe Musical right then and there; it'd been something she'd always wanted to try as a sort of social experiment crossed with an elaborate prank. The look on people's faces would be priceless. But right now it looked like the waitress was back with their orders, so it'd be best to save that for later.

She nodded to the waitress, slid the croissants closer to herself, and began to add in the sugar and creamer.The thick scent of the drink wafted around the area as she stirred. Leaving that to cool for a moment, Aiko cut off a small piece of one of the croissants, spread some jam on it, and placed it in her mouth; it wasn't bad at all, though she had certainly tasted better. "Well, yes, it's quite good," she agreed without much change of expression, but broke into a grin at the last statement, waving her fork around in small circled. "Aww, I'm glad you're enjoying my company, at least."

+++

Crisis Sonata immediately halter in her tracks as a blur sped past them and Breaker's hand slipped out of hers. Much to her surprise, another Alter Ego had entered their little scene, and with a gigantic Negative in tow, too. The man gave the Negative an icy zap, asked for alcohol, introduced himself as Midwinter Envoy, then rushed along as if nothing had happened and he hadn't just given two kids a nice gargantuan monster to fight. Oh, how polite. In any case, at least the appearance of this mysterious Alter Ego had somehow convinced Breaker to push on towards to fortress, as well as given the two of them a bit of an opening act as well.

Starting to feel excited again, just a little bit, Crisis summoned her spears with a quick flick of the wrist. "Yes, well, this is certainly a fresh change of pace, hm, Breaky? Don't worry about me. When have I ever let you down?" she snickered, and pointed all her weapons at the Negative. Breaker's bullets continued to graze its wings, but it was too quick for him, and none of the shots was enough to send it down. Pointing a finger at the Negative, Crisis sent one spear to follow it and hopefully lasso it up or at least confuse it enough for Breaker to hit more easily. "You can thank me later," she muttered, and kept her other spears on ready standby to impale the thing the moment it dropped.

Along the way to the takeout store Greg had in mind, he passed by a small but quaint cafe, its nice but not overly fancy exterior illuminated from behind by the warmth within. For a week now he'd be planning to treat his parents to dinner there as a special occasion, but there never seemed to be enough time. Plus, money was an issue. A restaurant of this nature couldn’t be too expensive, but still, it would blast a sizable hole in his savings to provide a lovely meal for three. Of course, he had been toying with the idea of not getting anything himself, but it didn't feel proper. That dinner would be a celebration of the King family versus the world that so often snared up its members, and any stinginess would only blunt its meaning. Just as soon as Greg had arrived, he was gone. Half a block more was his destination.

-=-=-

Quicksilver Seraph continued to observe as the two alter egos remaining by the forest brought out their weapons. Floating spears and a pistol, if her eyes served her correctly—not exactly monster hunting material. The girl's attire further discredited her ability; even Ironclad's poor eyesight could see the girl's halo of hair and flamboyantly colorful, alluringly cut garb. Though in the back of her mind she was sure that two egos could handle a beast like that on their own, her spirit was crying out to give them help. “We must assist them. If they are hurt, it will fall on Envoy for bringing it here and us by extension.” She readied her bow as Ironclad muttered coldly, “Not like they couldn't just regenerate.” A scathing look from Sera shut him up; he hated that about her. “Ironclad, you will help.” He crossed his arms, creating a hair-raising scraping sound as blades drew across armor. “I'm not running out there again.” When she pointed her weapon to the nearby ballista, he truculently rolled his blazing orange eyes and stalked off to activate it.

After putting on a special glove connected to the machine, it roared to life and Ironclad began to direct it by moving his hand. Once he had a bead on the huge creature, which was currently being peppered by Breaker's guns to little effect, he clenched his hand and the gigantic crossbow fired. At the same time, Quicksilver Seraph loosed an azure corkscrew arrow. The two projectiles sailed through the air, and though the bolt was faster, the magic-infused arrow would seek its target.

Oblivious to the incoming fire, the negative continued to fight Fantasy Sky Breaker and Crisis Sonata. As the single Staccato Blade came near, the avian behemoth batted it away with a talon, only to squawk in annoyance as Breaker's bullet pierced its wing. Neither attack seemingly had much effect; Breaker would need to land a couple dozen more shots like the one he just inflicted to loosen enough feathers to send the negative tumbling out of the air. Meanwhile, it appeared that Sonata's full repertoire of lances might be necessary to bypass the negative's keen defense and land a vital strike.

At that moment, however, the huge, jet-black ballista bolt shot by Ironclad from the fortress walls screamed past the negative's torso and buried itself in a tree at the forest's edge, nearly reducing it to a pile of splinters. Startled but unhurt, the monster turned in the direction it came from only to receive an azure arrow to the chest. An agonized shriek resounded across the plains as the projectile detonated in an explosion of blue energy, rendering the negative distracted and stunned—perfect for a simultaneous onslaught from Sonata and Breaker.

A mile away, Seraph grinned.
“You missed.”
“Mine don't home. And I haven't got the eyes of a bloody eagle.”
“Hawk. I have the eyes of a hawk. I thought you'd know; you spend so much time staring into them...”
“You're unbelievable.”

Kenji couldn't help but grin as he finished consuming his sandwiches, no matter what mood he was in he always felt better after eating a few of these. Normally he only ate here after a long day or whenever he was feeling down but a change of pace was nice every now and then. He didn't admit it openly but this was the first time he had actually brought anyone with him to this place, it was weird but he could get used to something like this. At least that's what he wanted to think but the more he thought about it, the stranger it felt to be here with others.
His attention went back to Aiko as she spoke of the food, arching a brow seeing her expression but when she waved her fork he grinned and nodded before finishing off his soda.
"Alright I hope you'll remain in my company for a bit longer Aiko-san since I still want to hear your singing," Kenji said standing up. "I know a place that's pretty quiet and it's not too far."
Kenji dug in his pocket and pulled out the money, he pulled out a few extra dollars for a tip before setting it on the table.
"I'll pay for this, when you finish meet me outside."
Kenji walked and over paid for their meal before walking outside, he leaned against the outside wall and crossed his arms letting out a long sigh.
Once he was outside Kenji squinted a little as a familiar face caught his attention for a brief moment, he looked into the small crowd for a full verification but he lost the person who looked like a young man.
"....was that...Gregory?"
He was pretty sure he just saw him when he came out, he didn't want to say he stood out but his appearance was a bit different from the others, not that he personally could say anything. Aside from other Yankee's his blond hair made him easy to pick out in a crowd.

---

"It's not worry and you don't want an answer to that," Breaker said glancing over at her after she sent her spear up. "After everything you put me through, you still owe me."
Breaker grit his teeth as he put a new clip into his guns, while Sonata readied her spears he kept a steady gaze on the creature trying to predict it's movements, however before he could raise his guns again the creature's attention was distracted by attacks from the fortress, Breaker glanced in their direction before turning his attention back to the negative as it took the hit. At the very least they were helping with the problem one of their own caused at least that's what he assumed seeing he ran in that direction, perhaps choosing the fortress wasn't that bad a decision. Breaker quickly raised both his guns as the creature was stunned before he took in a deep breath letting a bit more of his magic out.
"Guess I should put in a bit more effort," Breaker mumbled.
His eyes narrowed a little before he pulled the triggers repeatedly sending a barrage of bullets through the creature, he watched it screech and continued firing keeping his shots relentless until he tore it's wings completely, he dropped his clips and slammed new ones in before he continued firing waiting until the creature eventually fell to stop firing.
"Sonata it's all yours," Breaker said dismissing his gun. "Hurry so we can head towards the fortress."
Breaker shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced over at her before looking back at the fortress, whoever was there knew they were there now but he couldn't see from here who occupied it.
He turned his attention back to the negative, it could be new ego's as he didn't know Midwinter Envoy and he sldo didn't know their were fortresses which ego's occupied.
Annoying as this walk was he at least learned something new.

"Alright, then. I'll see you there." Aiko took another sip of coffee; it was still warm, and she still had half the other croissant left. She thought Kenji could eat pretty quickly, but then again, she wasn't exactly the biggest eater ever. In this case, it was a bit frustrating; Aiko rushed to finish her food and decided to just take the coffee out, as it was in a paper cup anyway, and glugging it down barbarically would only burn her tongue. Whatever. Kenji looked pretty happy about eating out, at least. Aiko lifted her drink off the table and pushed the door open, walking out as the bell rang abovehead and the waitresses bade her goodbye.

Just as she stepped out of the small cafe, Aiko saw that something had caught Kenji's interest, and she followed his gaze to a shock of blond hair just disappearing into the crowd. The natural kind of blond hair; it was easy to tell it apart from dye. Hmm, come to think of it, wasn't there a foreigner from their school with hair that shade? Maybe that's what had held Kenji's attention.

Aiko would've liked to call him over (Gregory was his name, right?), but he had already gone, and Aiko shrugged it off and went over to lean against the wall next to Kenji, casually sipping at her coffee. "Mm. Seen something?" she prodded, though she was already quite sure he had.

+++

It looked like the distraction (of course it was a distraction on purpose) had succeeded, and one of Breaker's bullets hit the Negative's wing in full, though even that did little damage, loosing a few feathers then leaving the thing on its damned flying rampage again. Crisis, unfazed, received her fallen weapon mid-air and aimed it to strike again when a bolt suddenly whizzed past them, narrowly missing the enemy and sending the edge of the forest into a spray of wood splinters. Before anyone had time to react, a second projectile struck the Negative square in the chest, shortly exploding into a blinding blue flash that drew out long screeches from the creature. Crisis hissed, all the points of her Staccato Blades aimed at the thing.

"Urgh. Horrid," she muttered under her breath, and the accursed monster only screamed louder as Breaker's bullets struck its wings one after another. Eventually the light faded and a dull thud resounded; immediately Crisis shot all her spears into the beast, head to tail down its spine, and when it continued to screech she stabbed it over and over until it was silent once and for all. Thank goodness. Silence had never sounded so good.

The job finished, Crisis dismissed her weapons with a sweep of the hand, and they disappeared neatly in a row as she turned to face Breaker with a grin back on her face. "Heehee. Someone's finally excited, then," she noted, walking past him to head to the fortress. "And when did I owe you? In any case, I suppose we can call it even now that I helped you out and skewered Mister Party-crasher over there." She motioned to the body of the Negative behind her.

Kenji continued staring into the crowd watching where Gergory had gone, he didn't stop watching the crowd until Aiko came out drawing his attention back to her. He wondered if she noticed Gregory as well since she was looking in the same direction but he put it aside. At least he planned too until Aiko asked him a question, which made him close his eyes in thought for a moment. He was pretty sure that was Gregory but he was long gone by now and he wasn't going to chase after him just to say hello.
"I'm pretty sure I just saw Gregory...but he vanished..." Kenji said before leaning off the wall. "Anyway let's get moving the place isn't too far from here. Let me know if it's too out of the way."
With that Kenji confirmed he was going the right way before walking forward, as he did the crowds seemed to thin a little the further he went.

Eventually Kenji came to a stop at large playground surrounded by a brown fence except for the side he currently stood on, it was a small playground with very little, a few swings, a sandbox, a turtle like object that kids could play under. Kenji put his hands on his hips and nodded firmly as he noticed no one was around, even the people from the crowds was gone, the place almost seemed deserted if not for the houses on the other sides of he fences.
"This place is far from most of the schools except ours, and most of the couples here are elderly so only their grandchildren play here on weekends so it's normally empty on the weekdays and mainly during the summer. It's a good place to take a nap on a school day, especially under that turtle...not that you should do that of course," Kenji said shrugging with a smile.
He walked over to one of the swings and sat down on one of them gripping the chains before staring at Sonata, grinning a little.
"There are places like this all over the city, some free in the morning," Kenji said smiling. "Anyway there aren't any interruptions here, and the people in the buildings don't pay too much mind here, at least without a little incentive so can I hear your singing now?"

---

Breaker watched Sonata finish the creature letting out a small sigh glad to see the creature finally dead, knowing this was all brought on by that man he hoped not to see Envoy again anytime soon, something told him getting involved with someone like that would lead to more trouble and he had enough next to him. However he remembered he was heading towards the fortress he had just run too so that probably wasn't going to happen. Speaking of trouble he noticed Sonata walking toward the fortress speaking with him. He followed after removing a hand from his pocket as they got closer to the fortress, he wondered where all that energy she had came from and was there a way to turn it off, while he contemplated that he remembered that he hadn't responded to her.
"It's not excitement, I just want to get home to peace and quiet," Breaker said. "Also we're nowhere near even, you took away my peaceful walk we'll be fully even once I'm alone again."

Breaker came to a stop at the gates, he knew the fortress was big from a distance but it seemed double that size once he made it to the actual structure. Staring at it now he was pretty sure there would be no less than an army in there. Breaker's eyes narrowed as he thought of that possibility, dealing with people would be a whole other matter compared to dealing with negatives. Personally he'd rather deal with the negatives, they normally had a one track mind, people were a bit more unpredictable, they could lie which is one thing the negatives didn't do. He supposed that was the only good thing about the negatives but decided to stop thinking about it as he found his thoughts were actually complimenting negatives. With them being the third thing on his list of hated things he couldn't allow his thoughts to actually look kindly at the things. Breaker glanced over at Sonata as she had moved up the list but he wouldn't openly say that, she'd probably ask what the other things were or something else bothersome.
"Keep your guard up," Breaker mumbled to Sonata. "Try not to draw if they don't."
Breaker took a deep breath before he reached forward and slammed his fist on the gates of the fortress repeatedly trying to draw the attention of the people inside.
"Hello my name is Fantasy Sky Breaker!" Breaker yelled crossing his arms. "I'm here with my...."
He trailed off looking over at Sonata for moment before turning back towards the fortress.
"My nuisance/fellow traveler."
He made sure to actually say and enunciate slash so she could be perceived as either or by the parties presented, though he was partial to the former himself but that was for another time.
"I've gotten myself a tad lost and discovered your residence. Would you mind giving me a bit of direction? I'm heading northeast specifically and I mean no harm. I'm alright with you yelling it from up there, just so I can get home faster!"
Breaker took a few steps back and brought his hand to his throat, he didn't yell that often so it hurt a little to do it again.
"Who even resides here," he said his voice a little hoarse.

Bagged takeout in hand, Greg was in the process of retracing his steps back to his family's apartment. About a third of the way through, he chanced to look up at the sky. Though of course his ability to judge the time wasn't perfect (anything, though, was better than his ability to judge the age of others), he was fairly sure that it was about five-thirty. The sun was just starting to hide behind the city buildings, playing a game of peek-a-boo with him as he walked past the obstructing structures. While some families preferred eating at this earlier hour, he knew that his father would want some to to himself to catch up on daily events after work. Dinner usually occurred anywhere from six to half past six, so Greg gauged himself to be a little early. With this in mind, he decided to take the longer way home; the food would have to be reheated anyway after the walk, so there was no harm in it.

Fifteen minutes later he was strolling by a lengthy brown fence when he heard voices on the other side, one male and one female, obviously not trying to remain quiet. Usually this playground was deserted this time of day, and Greg guessed by the others' disregard for secrecy that they knew it too. Though normally not one to pry, he judged the voices to belong to adults, and couldn't help but wonder if anything unusual was taking place, so he sidled up to the edge of the fence.

Wrong again. Not adults, but a boy and girl about his age; actually he recognized them from school. “What a coincidence,” he breathed. Aiko and...Ken-something. If he interfered he'd have to avoid addressing him. As he watched discretely, it appeared that Aiko was about to do something, if her warm-ups were any indication. He wondered exactly what, but decided he had better show himself before they discovered him—he wasn't the most covert at the moment, and it was perfectly reasonable for a couple who thought themselves alone to be very upset at someone spying on them. He rounded the corner of the fence and gave a short wave with his free hand. “Hey there! Am I interrupting something?”

-=-=-

A minute passed before any noise at all could be heard beyond the huge, heavy doors. Rough, metallic footsteps resounded from within, growing in intensity as they approached the entrance. The door shifted somewhat as it was gripped from the other side, was silent for a brief moment, and then uttered a protesting creak as it was wrenched open with great force.

Inside, a dozen feet from Fantasy Sky Breaker, stood Quicksilver Seraph. Cast from behind by torchlight and illuminated in front by the afternoon sunlight, she herself radiated beauty and serenity. She was unarmed, with fingers clasped across her waist. Though her bow was nowhere to be seen, her eyes shone with the same sort of azure energy that had characterized the corkscrew arrow that discombobulated the negative. She seemed regal, which was appropriate for the fortress she inhabited. Smiling warmly, she gestured for Sonata and Breaker to come inside.

Once they had crossed the threshold, Ironclad released the door and sauntered, clanking with each step, to Seraph's side. As the door slammed shut thunderously, it became obvious that despite the enormous contrast between Ironclad and Seraph -friendly warmth versus disdainful cold, flesh versus metal, blue and purple versus black and orange- the two were rather close. The metal warrior wiped a trace of molten fluid from his cheek and began brusquely, “You really need us to tell you which way northeast is?”

Seraph sighed and weighed in. “What my colleague is trying to say is, how can we help you? I don't believe we've met. My name is Quicksilver Seraph, and this is Ironclad. You may know him.” A few hundred feet behind them and to the right, Midwinter's Envoy suddenly emerged from an alcove, flask in hand. He watched from afar.

"Mm, alright, then." Aiko sipped at her coffee and took one last look at the bustling crowds before tailing Kenji away from them. She'd been right about Gregory, then; it was too bad she wasn't able to grab the opportunity and add a member to their small party.

Aiko and Kenji's current path took them further and further away from the buzz of the heavy crowds of Tokyo and into what eventually appeared to be a residential district. A quaint park sat in front of them now, surrounded by short brown fences and filled with kids' toys that sat very, very still. The area was deserted except for the two of them, strangely; it mustn't have been a rush hour. Also, she hadn't really been listening to Kenji's explanations; she was uninterested in why he chose the place, really, as long as she had a good song on her single track setlist...Maybe something that would make him fall asleep anyway.

"That's all very nice," Aiko said disinterestedly to Kenji's little speech as she sauntered to the turtle she thought she might have heard Kenji mention earlier. "Alright then, prepare yourself! You're about to attend a mini concert," she grinned, and opened her mouth for some vocalization, just a quick set of do-mi-so's in ascending keys. She made it a point to go as high as she could, just to show off, maybe; she liked the sound of high pitched notes when they weren't too strained. Although she wasn't really in best form today (the coffee made her mouth feel sticky and generally unpleasantly rough for notes), she still wanted to make sure she stole the show.

Just as she was about to let loose the first miserable note, however, a call caught her attention, as well as Kenji's, and she turned to the direction of the voice with a small frown on her lips. The frown quickly turned into an O of surprise as she saw--guess who--Gregory at the park fence, watching them from next to it with his naturally blond hair and everything."Why, hello there, Greg," she chirped immediately, breaking into a welcoming smile and gracefully waving him over. "I was about to give Kenji-kun over here a personal concert, but you're certainly welcome to join in!"

+++

"Aww, you're no fun. You should make more friends," pouted Crisis Sonata as she and Fantasy Sky Breaker made their way to the looming castle, dark and intimidating but also emanating this suppressed air of both darkness and excitement (in Crisis' case, at least). It was also gigantic, which only made things all the more fun. Honestly, though, Crisis hadn't bothered to imagine an army in this stronghold until Breaker made that comment about weapons, to which she scoffed and responded, "Oh, don't worry. I'm much more amicable than you are."

As they arrived at the intimidating doors of the fortress, Crisis crossed her arms and watched, amused, as Breaker pounded on the heavy metal and screamed out his (slightly offensive) introductions. She decided to ignore that nuisance comment and focus on how amusing it was to see such a serious-faced guy yell out so loudly with his voice cracking in so many places. He was obviously not a yelling type of guy, and it showed in the hoarseness of his voice afterwards. "Don't push yourself too hard now," she teased him.

Breaker's efforts were rewarded by the sound of heavy iron footsteps and the slow creaking of the monstrous doors as they slowly opened to a large room and a single woman who welcomed them with warmth, nothing of the military unit Breaker seemed to expect. The woman radiated beauty and calmness even as she simply stood and motioned for Crisis and Breaker's entry, and maybe Crisis couldn't help but feel a cross between envy and admiration for the other female. Just five seconds of standing and doing nothing and she already seemed like a nice person.

Crisis whistled as she walked into the building, glancing at Breaker over her shoulder as she stepped inside. "Nice home you've got here, miss," she said flatly as the doors loudly shut behind them; she wasn't sure if her words were heard at all above the din. To her surprise, another familiar face had entered the scene; a large armored man stepped away from the doors to stand by the woman's side. "Ohh, hello, Ironclad." Crisis clicked her tongue and grinned; her grin only grew wider as the strange man from earlier made an appearance in the corner of her eye. "My, my! What a party we've assembled here."

Kenji moved back on the swing arching a brow as she started practicing her notes, it took a moment for him to realize she was warming up and leaned forward a little, nodding seeing her hit a high note. He admitted he was impressed there was no way he could hit a note half that and though he wasn't sure what to say to a mini-concert he was looking forward to at least attending one.
Now that he was taking a moment to actually observe his surroundings he admitted that more time had passed then he thought, he didn't think it was too late but his concept of time wasn't necessarily the best so he could be off but the sun did seem a bit lower in the sky at least.
Kenji turned his attention back to Aiko seeing she was about to start, he leaned forward folding his hands together waiting with anticipation, he held his breath and...nothing happened.
He released the breath he was holding and looked over as his attention landed on Gregory, he arched a brow seeing he had found them instead but waved back with a small smile.

Kenji motioned to the swing set next to him as Aiko spoke to Gregory presenting a seat for him before bringing his hand back to the chain of his own, he felt a knot in his stomach for a moment and brought his hand to it. His eyebrows twitched for a moment and he closed his eyes taking a moment to let it pass, once it did he let out a small sigh before looking back at Gregory. He didn't want to move from his spot but he knew he wouldn't be able to linger indefinitely if he was feeling like this, for the time being he would just push it down as he was positive there wouldn't be another opportunity like this. The pain aside he started to wonder if he should pick up takeout after seeing Gregory with some, he didn't want to cook when he got home. Regretfully he realized that wasn't an option as he had just paid for a meal and getting take out meant spending more of his money which he had little of now.

"Come on and take a seat Gregory-san it's free ya know so no reason to turn it down," Kenji said raising a finger and winking at him. "Actually I think it's free I mean if Aiko's as good as she says there might be a listening fee...if that exists anyway."
Kenji brought a hand to his chin for a moment, he was pretty sure that didn't exist but the other reason he didn't go to concerts was the costs. Now that he thought about it what he said was silly so he just waved his hand in front of his face dismissing the idea.
"Never mind all that, go ahead Aiko-san."

---

Breaker watched in silence as the doors opened deciding not to comment on Sonata's comment about friends, his guard remained up as he watched the doors fully open before his eyes landed on Seraph. The moment his gaze met hers he felt his guard start to drop as he wasn't expecting someone like that to be standing on the other side of the door, her outfit was extravagant and he was pretty sure she was glowing for a moment though that may have been the sun. She welcomed them unarmed which only made Breaker even less cautious as he stared at the beautiful women in front of him. Though his face remained blank his body language showed he wasn't as tense as he walked in, however he quickly regained himself realizing he was inside and his guard went back up especially when the doors closed. That shot came from this fortress and if she was owner of it that meant what hit that negative came from either her or her order which was enough to remind him not to get too drawn in.

"I'm not sure I fully agree with your...friendliness after seeing what you did to that negative," Breaker said before Ironclad entered his vision.
A sigh escaped from him as the man stood next to Seraph and he came to realize the two of them seemed to know one another, he was really starting to question his luck today. First he ran into Crisis Sonata, then he ran into Riot Lily and now he was in a fortress which doors were currently closed with Ironclad who even negatives seemed to avoid. He was starting to wonder if Seraph was some kind of trap, her radiating appearance causes a person to let their guard down then Ironclad steps out and just ruins their day, he seriously contemplated this possibility before Ironclad spoke in his normal manner. He closed his eyes regretting not just going back into the forest again but opened them when Seraph spoke to them. The two had a good balance at least he was willing to admit that as she came in and spoke to them formally introducing herself after Ironclad's...comment. Breaker stared in silence glancing over at Sonata as she spoke and drew his attention to Midwinter Envoy who he turned his gaze from immediately returning it to Seraph.
Since she was being so hospitable which no one he encountered had done so, which caused him to glance over at Sonata for a moment he decided to return it.
"Nice to meet you Quicksilver Seraph, my name is Fantasy Sky Breaker and she..." he trailed off motioning towards Sonata. "Can introduce herself."
His attention moved to Ironclad for a moment before looking back at Seraph.
"Yes I....know Ironclad," Breaker said deciding to just leave it at that. "Sorry I can't share in Sonata's enthusiasm but it's been a long day."
He was also normally like this but he saw no reason to brig that up, and in the end he was actually relieved that someone was willing to help him out but he didn't let it show, once he was back home then he could fully relax and wind down.
"Your help is appreciated," Breaker said. "I'm trying to get back home and the northeast exit of the forest is the route I normally take. Once out I can find my way home pretty easily, even without help I'll eventually be able to get home as a...landmark will present itself but repercussions will follow if I wait too long. In short yes I need to know which way is northeast."
Though he said the majority of the sentence entirely in monotone he was serious about returning home and it showed in his eyes if anything else.
"That and the sooner I find the exit the sooner I can get away from...other matters."

“Thanks, guys.” Greg smiled broadly as he methodically seated himself near -but not too near- Kenji on a playground toy. He rested the takeout bag on the ground, waited a moment to see if anything tipped over, and then partially reclined himself. With his hands behind his sandy blonde head, he looked into Aiko's eyes. “Surely only a marvelous singer would deign to perform a personal concert in such a mundane venue,” he said, putting his expansive vocabulary to use. “I am honored that you'd allow me to be here.” After Kenji spoke again, he gave a theatrical bow, inclining his head and placing a hand over his chest. His face was the very picture of sincerity, almost comically so. “Yes! Pray begin.”

-=-=-

The molten eyes of Ironclad flared up, indicating he was about to reply with a no doubt scathing retort. Before a word passed his lips, however, he tilted his head to Seraph on his left, whose face was marked by an admonishing frown. Faced with such an expression, Ironclad seemed unable to speak—it was obvious that Seraph held some sort of power over him. A keen observer might even guess (correctly) that he, the cold, malicious metal warrior, had feelings for her. How uncanny!

Quicksilver Seraph, meanwhile, was observing that Breaker seemed on edge and and Sonata appeared mocking. It was clear to her that both were expecting some sort of conflict. She couldn't blame them; the azure magical force that had blown a hole in the negative and allowed Crisis Sonata to end its miserable existence would be enough to intimidate anyone. Turning away slightly and staring into the neutral ground, she responded, “We all must perform acts we would otherwise avoid to survive. Midwinter's Envoy has cruel luck when it comes to negatives; he journeys far and wide, ever at work, and always seems to draw them near. I cannot thank you two enough for helping to rid us of this one.” The room was illuminated, both literally and metaphorically, by her beaming, grateful smile. “Northeast lies to your left as you walk out of our doors, but we would be poor hosts indeed if we let you do that without proper acknowledgment of what you've done.”

At this, Ironclad gestured with his head for he and Seraph to speak alone. Simultaneously dreading what he was going to say and wondering if he might have a rare helpful insight, she turned her back to the other alter egos and leaned in close to hear him. “I admit these two may be capable warriors,” he conceded in a whisper like the drawing of a blade from its scabbard, “but are we sure we want to furnish them your hospitality?” His usage of 'your' was particularly prominent, but Sera was glad he was at least being honest. “We could have slain the monster on our own. Egos kill things like that and worse on a daily basis. They don't need incentive to be here; they need directions away." Seraph considered his words, a sort of blend of her expectations, callous and thoughtful both. “I'll think about it.”

She didn't think long, for as she turned back to face the egos, she was talking already. “We won't try and keep you from your journey, but if there's anything you might need before you depart, do not hesitate to ask.”

In the background, Midwinter's Envoy pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning on and walked farther away, clearly disinterested with the newcomers.

Aiko watched Greg carefully as he accepted their offer and sauntered over, plopping into a swing next to Kenji. He was certainly very noticeable; the color of his hair stood out in a crowd, as had been proven earlier, and he was quite tall, with a face you couldn't really forget. A decidedly foreign-looking face. This certainly made an interesting audience, Aiko decided with a grin. Telling herself that she really needed to get into it now, Aiko dipped her head in a deep theatrical curtsy. "Absolutely free entertainment this afternoon, no strings attached, mmkay? So both of you just sit back, relax, and have a good time."

Having finished her vocalizations, Aiko skipped straight ahead to the intro of the song she had in mind, weaving the tune with vocables to set the mood. Ending the last, low-sweeping note of the introduction she lightly closed her eyes and began with the sombre notes of a ballad, some cheesily sad song about lovers having to break up or something, the usual subject of sombre ballads. Although she personally found the entire thing very corny, she put an effort into making it sound sad and tear-jerking, maybe too much effort to some people. Aiko was a very dramatic person, and she took pride in that as she walked around the area with blue notes tumbling and floating from her lips, her arms waving around in the air with every emphasized word, every lamentation straight from the heart of whatever depressed singer wrote this stuff. It was all a little over-the-top, though it couldn't be denied that Aiko did have talent, and maybe she could be just way too happy with that sometimes.

+++

Fantasy Sky Breaker himself didn't seem very thrilled by the whole ordeal, but at least he made a point. Startled by her own forgetfulness, Crisis Sonata immediately lowered herself in a long, deep bow, saying, "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Crisis Sonata!" As she stood back up, she gave Breaker a mischievous side-glance. "And yes, it has been a long day, though enjoying or loathing it really depends on your outlook on life, don't you think so, Breaky?"

At the mention of the Negative Midwinter's Envoy brought along, Crisis crossed her arms, a finger tapping. "Well, yes, we could see that," she said, sending a sharp sideways glare at the man skulking at one of the room's many doorways. "In that case, though, were you the ones who shot it down? We'll have to thank you immensely for that."

After an obligatory declaration of hospitality from Quicksilver Seraph, Ironclad brusquely took her away for a bit of a "private talk." Shrugging nonchalantly, Crisis turned to face Breaker with a smirk. "What a fancy place, eh? Makes you feel like a little itty bitty spot in a huge wide world." She glanced at Ironclad and Seraph, engaged in deep conversation. "Though it looks like someone doesn't want us snooping around. Oh well. I still think we should grace this lovely castle with our presence for a little longer."

Without waiting for a reply (more of a retort, really, knowing Breaker), Crisis bowed to Seraph and Ironclad again, now that they had come out of their little secret talk. "We appreciate your hospitality," she said. "Even if Breaky here is in such a rush, I think it'd be a waste not to take up this offer. Isn't it a long walk home, Breaky, wherever that is? I think we ought to take a rest in these lovely people's home, since the opportunity so graciously stands before us anyway."

Kenji looked over seeing Gregory not sit next to him but he shrugged a bit assuming it was shyness and looked back over at Aiko. His attention didn't stay on her long as Gregory started speaking...well differently. Kenji rubbed the side of his head not entirely sure what was going on with their manner of speech, he wasn't sure if they were joking or if it was something serious but he decided to just watch for a moment. Whatever happened Aiko seemed to respond to it so he assumed it was fine and leaned forward a little seeing her begin. He folded his hands together his eyes widening as he watched with an almost childlike curiosity making sure not to miss a moment of her performance, especially since it was free.

He wasn't sure about songs like these but he couldn't deny that Aiko did have a very good voice, it seemed like he was watching the whole thing on tv but with better quality. It really was like a mini-concert, thinking about it he wondered a little about the people he passed every day, Aiko had a wonderful voice and Gregory stood out on his own and he was pretty sure he was a foreigner. He didn't think too much on it but he probably passed interesting people often, Kawaguchi perhaps being one of them. Looking at Aiko now he wondered a little about the few people he knew, but just as the thought came to mind he quickly put it aside making sure to keep his focus on Aiko. After a moment he could feel his eyelids start to get a little heavy as he listened, he gave his had a quick shake not wanting to fall asleep and blinked a few times.

---

Breaker glanced at Sonata deciding not to comment on her outlook on life and just kept his attention on Seraph and Ironclad, looking at the two of them they seemed...he didn't want to use the word close necessarily as he didn't know them but Ironclad looked...different in a way when he stood next to Seraph. He didn't know how to put it in the words since he wasn't close to him but he didn't seem as...imposing for some reason. He wasn't sure why and he didn't think it worth the time to wonder so he put the thought aside as he listened to Serpah. When she smiled he ended up turning his head slightly his eyes squinting at the brightness, did she radiate light? He really started to wonder if Seraph actually glowed in whatever she did but he focused his attention fully forward again deciding the thought itself was silly.

Though he was thankful the directions he ended up glancing at Sonata not sure why she said 'we'll' he wasn't immensely thankful for the help since it was their companions fault it had happened. In the end he didn't voice his opinion and watched as Ironclad and Seraph turned and started talking to one another in private, he couldn't hear what they were saying but he assumed Ironclad may not want them there, going off his demeanor and he couldn't blame the guy either he wouldn't want someone in his home, if this was his house.
"I like my itty bitty spot," Breaker said responding to Lily's comment on the fortress. "I don't blame him for not wanting us too, its not like any of us are friends, we're almost strangers in a way. Casual acquaintances at most if a title was necessary."

Breaker looked over at Sonata as she responded to Seraph, he was wholly intent on just walking away and leaving them to their affairs hoping Sonata would stay.
However hearing Sonata mention staying and especially the 'we' that was included in her response he closed his eyes crossing his arms taking a moment to consider what just happened. He was pretty sure that was just entrapment, he could have politely refused that was completely an option and Seraph was even kind enough to offer it. After what Sonata just said if he responded no now it wouldn't just be a polite refusal and he would probably sound like a jerk.
Breaker considered that he may be over thinking the whole thing but the gates behind him were currently shut and he was in a bit of a mood so he didn't trust his words fully.
In the end he had no intention of ever returning here so he wondered if it mattered if he was rude but Seraph had welcomed them with kindness and probably was the reason Ironclad wasn't commenting openly at the moment. Breaker opened his eyes and ran a hand through his hair before he spoke again.
"We didn't do much but if you'll have us it's appreciated," Breaker said. "In the end we won't meet in such a way again so I'll take the opportunity."

Truthfully, Greg had heard better. To expect excellence of a schoolgirl, though, was totally unfair of him, so rather than criticism he put up an appreciative smile. “Lovely, Aiko!” His praise was somewhat marred by his unintentional mispronunciation of her name: 'aye-ko'. Still, his countenance was genuine. “You've got the makings of a star! Though I enjoyed your performance, I'm not going to make you strain yourself for an encore.” Now that the miniature concert was done, if Greg remained here he would be forced to make small talk, and when his audience was anything more than private it was no easy -or interesting- feat. “Gotta get this food home to my folks. Take care of yourself, Aiko. You too, Kenji. Be seeing you.” With that, Greg made a rather abrupt departure.

-=-=-

Ironclad turned his back and stalked off, clanking with every step. Overall, he was not unlike a walking armory, and his sudden departure characterized him with about as much hospitality as one. “Knock yourselves out. No, really; if you care to spar, I'm good for it any time.”

Seraph ignored him, pleased that her guests had decided to stick around after all. “Divine! What will it be, then? The mess hall? The lounge? A general tour?” She had her own opinions of these two, which she had so far kept to herself. This Crisis Sonata character seemed childish, preoccupied with teasing Sky Breaker. The latter, however, didn't abstain from jabbing back at her, indicating that there was more going between them than banter. She saw reflected in these two an earlier version of her own relationship with Ironclad; two egos entirely opposite, somehow connecting. Though normally one to dismiss cliches, particularly when it it came to relationships, Quicksilver Seraph supposed that perhaps opposites did attract, after all.

Aiko continued to weave through the notes of the ballad, walking around the park and watching Kenji start to nod off in the corner of her eye. She wished it were polite to stare, because it would be extremely entertaining to do that now. This guy really was as sleepy as his rep said he was; one song and he was having a bit of trouble staying in the waking world. Gregory, on the other hand, sat up straight with the countenance of someone at an actual formal concert; Aiko wondered if other foreigners were so uptight, though she hardly really thought so. She finished up the entire performance with a final long note, and made another overdone bow afterwards.

She was about to check if Kenji was still awake, but was distracted with Greg's praise. His accent marred his pronunciations, but praise was praise, and she nodded to him with a conceited grin. "Why thank you. I do try." To her surprise, though, Greg got up and excused himself right afterwards, as if he'd come just to hear her sing. A very flattering prospect, but a bit upsetting nonetheless; she was hoping for a lengthy three-way bonding time; sure, she still had Kenji with her, but he wasn't exactly the most excitable person in the universe. A balance of character was always good to spice things up. "Hey, hold on..." Aiko started, but Greg had already disappeared around the corner. Sighing with a shrug and shaking her head, Aiko spun back around to face Kenji.

"So much for him, then. Hey, Kenji-kun, you still awake?"

+++

This was only getting better. Crisis Sonata had driven Breaker into a corner, and she was honestly surprised at how well he swiveled his demeanor around to make it sound like he was in on it too. Either Breaker actually was curious about the fortress, or Crisis had done a great job of boxing him in; she smugly accepted the latter as the true information.

if anyone was more against the idea than Breaker, it was Ironclad. The Alter Ego just went off and stomped away with a sorry excuse for a farewell; Crisis considered calling him back and insisting on his company (it would be something to see him clash with Breaker), but he'd made it clear that the only thing he was interested in at the moment was bashing heads on one of his metal armor plates from his immense collection of them. Instead, Crisis bit her cheek and mumbled, "What an irritable chunk of steel."

In any case, Seraph, at least, seemed thrilled by their acceptance. Suddenly Crisis was hit by the actual idea of actually seeing the rest of the huge castle; the possibilities seemed endless. She took a deep breath and put a hand to her chin, admiring the designs on the walls and the ceiling around them for a moment. "Hm. It certainly is a lovely place; I can't decide. Do you have any personal recommendations? Anything you want to see, Breaky?"

Kenji was almost fully asleep but as Greg praised Aiko he was quickly brought back to reality, he shook his head rubbing his eyes before he looked over at Greg seeing Aiko had finished singing. He had heard most of it but near the end her voice started to grow distance as he almost slumbered, from what he did hear though he thought she was very good. He didn't listen to that many singers but he liked it at least, he looked over at Greg as he turned and walked away bidding farewell to the two of them. Kenji raised a hand as goodbye as he had a feeling he would yawn if he tried to say goodbye right now.

Kenji was almost fully awake when Aiko spoke to him, hearing her he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with a grin.
"I drifted off for a moment but I'm awake," Kenji said wiping an eye. "Oh that doesn't mean I didn't like your performance, it was awesome I got absorbed listening to you. I'd imagine you must be in a club or something that lets you use your voice. Not that I know that many clubs but I assume that's the case."
Kenji stood up and brushed off his bottom before he stretched and let out a long yawn, he was glad he didn't fully fall asleep but he had to be careful.
"Do you have to be home anytime soon Aiko-san? If not I'd like to return the favor for the performance, what I caught anyway. Besides I'm not sure if we'll converse like this again so I'd better do it now before I forget."

---

Breaker watched Ironclad walk away feeling a bit of envy at being able to leave the present company, and as much as he wanted to move away from Sonata he wasn't going to choose sparring Ironclad as a viable option. He enjoyed his body being intact and his organs where they were, however he was tempted for a brief moment.
His attention went to Seraph seeing she was happy the two of them were staying, it was hard to hate her when she was like this, not that it stopped Breaker but it was much harder than with Sonata who he glanced over at hearing her mumble something.
Breaker wasn't sure how to answer Seraph's offer, he didn't where to go but he didn't want to go to mess hall there were probably people there, and the lounge was probably the same.

Sonata spoke pulling him from his thoughts, he was going to ignore it but he heard 'Breaky' meaning she had directed a question in his direction. He closed his eyes wondering why the question had been sent back towards him, wasn't she the one that wanted to stay? Breaker wondered if he could say 'the exit' and get away with it.
In the end though he knew which one to answer, one that wouldn't move them into one area for an extended period where he'd have to be near more people for a long amount of time.
"How about just a general tour around the place," Breaker said opening his eyes. "Though I'm curious of what a lounge would be like in a fortress, I think a look around would help as I don't think either of us have been in such a place before. I don't really make a habit of visiting the homes of others and I'll admit I expected Ironclad's home to be...well made of Iron though I didn't bother to think on it too much. To answer your question Sonata no there is no particular place I want to see, aside from my own home but I'll attend to that later."

"A general tour it is," Seraph replied with enthusiasm. After making a slight bow, she turned and strode with surprising speed toward the nearest door. As the three egos moved across the marble tile, hidden designs on them drawn in a clear substance that reflected torchlight became apparent for brief moments. The stones of the walls, though congruous at a distant, proved to be very unique upon closer inspection, made of different materials and in different fashions. If either Breaker or Sonata paused to take count, they would fine a total of eleven distinct styles. One of those styles was a dark sort of gunmetal gray stone hastily and scratchily embossed with the same starlike shape present on Ironclad's chest; another bore a lilac tint and smooth, artistic carvings. Evidently the bricks reflected those who had made them, each different but all constituting in part the grand structure that housed them all. The torches, though blazing with mundane orange flame, featured braziers crafted of bronze, simple and without ornamentation.

Quicksilver Seraph led her guests through a stone archway and into a merrily lit chamber floored by forest green carpet. Bookshelves comprised a whole wall of this room, while another was dominated by a huge, unlit fireplace. Afternoon sunlight streamed in through thick, glossy windows reinforced by wrought steel. Numerous couches and tables, all spaced evenly and symmetrically, sat in the room's center. Unlike the formulaic arrangement of the furniture, all sorts of paraphernalia littered the place randomly. Books splayed open, stacked on a side table, or simply sitting with bookmarks lay everywhere. Various plushy cushions resided haphazardly across the couches, clearly moved on the whim of those using the room. Two of those room-users currently lounged in the chamber, both unfamiliar egos. One, an obese young woman in elegant dress, sat with her back to the entrance, totally absorbed in a book. The other, an old, mustachio-sporting, bespectacled gentleman with skin the color of teak, looked up from a mug off coffee as they entered and bestowed them with a slight wave.

"Here we have the lounge. Just lovely, isn't it?" Seraph sang, clearly taking pride in the comfortable chamber. "Allow me to introduce Millennium Ichor Muse, usually called Mim, and Undertow. Friends of ours who, like us, dwell in this fortress in return for service or payment to the local Land Lord, Viral Talon. There are ten of us here total, twelve if you count Viral Talon and Mouth of the Void. Best not talk about that last one. Ready to continue with the tour, or would you rather remain here a little while?

Almost no sound was made as the saber of Ironclad slid through the sand-filled bad, cutting it cleanly in half and spilling its contents back onto the sandy floor. The miniature indoor colosseum was Ironclad's favorite place to be. Like a snake after striking, the metal warrior's blade recoiled, returning to its sheath with a faint shtck. A few dozen feet away, another alter ego began to clap slowly. This scrawny, blonde-haired boy armored in leather for maximum mobility could best be described as a weasel in terms of looks, and as every bully had his or her toadies, Heat Crash was Ironclad's. Though also possessed an affinity and delight for combat, Heat Crash lacked the strength and endurance necessary to master it. Though at first a common victim of Ironclad, Heat cleverly maneuvered himself into the status of crony, doing favors for his 'friend' and generally currying his favor. In time, Ironclad had even started thinking of Heat as a friend as well. Now the two were common sparing partners, as Ironclad endeavored to improve his companion's fighting capability to acceptable level. "Lay it on me," Ironclad called, and Heat Crash plucked a slab of wood from the sand and chucked it at him. In a flash, Ironclad's claws appeared and both flew up to meet the projectile, turning it into a spray of splinters in the time it would take most egos to block it. "See?" He resonated, gesturing to the shards of wood. "Your turn."

-=-=-

"Hey, Greg!"

Still thinking about Aiko, Gregory hadn't noticed his a friend headed in his direction. "Ando! Didn't see you there. How was the game party?" The other boy, his own age and a Japan native as well as a huge video game aficionado, gave a shrug.
"Not bad. We played shooters for a while before we started in on fighting games. As usual I kicked the guys' asses. At least they tried, though, so that's good."
Remembering getting totally stomped by Ando the last time he played him in Street Fighter IV, Greg couldn't help but sympathize. "Not bad! Hey, catch you later."
"You too! See ya, man."

As Greg placed his hand on the door to his apartment complex, a brief vision surged through his mind. He saw fearsome metal claws ripping a small log into jagged shreds, savage and visceral. For a moment, Greg staggered, almost falling against the door. After shaking his head, he rubbed an eye with his free hand and entered, wondering exactly what had just happened.

Aiko giggled. Too bad; that was so close. It would've been funnier if he were asleep, and countless windows of opportunity would've opened for childish pranks and such...Well, whatever. Maybe next time. Presently Aiko began to twirl a lock of her hair in her fingers in sarcastic abashment, crooning, "Aww, you flatter me, Kenji-kun. I'm more of a solo-type though." One would think that Aiko was the type of person to join as many clubs as possible, but when it came to performance, she preferred being the main attraction. Groupwork didn't suit her, it seemed.

The latter offer caused Aiko to raise her eyebrows. "Hm. 'Return the favor,' you say?" she repeated with a sly edge to her voice. "Color me intrigued, then. What do you mean by that?"

+++

Breaker seemed particularly thoughtful at the moment; at least he tried to be polite to certain other Egos. Meh. Staying formal was boring anyway. Crisis broke into a grin at the obligatory homeward statement, clicking her tongue. "Oh, Breaky. Just pretend this is your home for now. It's a rather stunning home, in any case." She nodded gratefully to Seraph as she took the first step. "And thank you, Lady Seraph. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated by both of us, I'm sure."

Crisis walked quickly to keep up with their guide's speed, though her eyes skimmed over the brick walls as they went; they seemed to hold a special kind of iridescence to them. It was certainly a special building; on the inside, it seemed hardly foreboding and more mystical, really. Even outside the context of watching Breaker's reactions, Crisis was starting to be glad she took Seraph up on the offer.

The party's first stop was the lounge, as Breaker wanted so badly to see, and Crisis was surprised to see other Egos inside the building. In the first place, it might have been foolish for her to assume that Ironclad, Midwinter's Envoy, and Quicksilver Seraph lived in the gigantic castle alone, but that tended to be the connotation when the doors of a fortress are opened and you are met not with an army but with a small number of Alter Egos. "Yes, lovely indeed," Crisis chirped, and bowed to the other two Egos in the room, regardless of whether or not they were looking. "And it's nice to meet the two of you lovely people as well! As for that last question..." Crisis looked over to Breaker with one eyebrow up, an amused smirk on her face. "I'm eager to see the rest of the place, but I feel as if Breaky here might want to look around the lounge he was oh so curious about."

Kenji grinned offering a nod to returning the favor as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a cellphone, it was a simple flip phone with a bit of wear and tear but it got the job done at least. He opened it and started to dial a number, he didn't say it but he could understand going it solo, but he figured it was a shame all the same her voice wasn't being shared with more people.
He stared at the number in his phone before looking back up at Aiko as he hit the call button and brought the phone to his ear.
"I know a guy who-" Kenji started but stopped as a voice came from the other side. "He picked up sooner than I thought hey it's Yoshida, yeah...listen do you mind if I-"
Kenji stopped talking as the person on the other side started talking, he arched a brow before his eyes widened for a moment and a weak chuckle escaped from him.
"Oh was that today? I thought I had five days left."
Kenji moved the phone away from his ear as the person's voice exploded from it, he held it out as the man yelled through the receiver though most of it was unintelligible.
Kenji held up a hand and muttered a silent 'sorry' to Aiko before bringing the phone back to his ear.
"Ahahaha right right I'll have it for you by tomorrow," Kenji said. "Yep I'll work on it all night...no I won't sleep, you should have more faith in me. Yes this is Yoshida Kenji, what do you mean that's why you can't? Look I'll call you tonight...okay bye."

Kenji hung up his phone and let out a long sigh, sticking it back in his pocket he walked over and sat back on the swing before waving a hand in front of his face.
"Never mind Aiko-san how about I just owe you a favor," Kenji said smiling a little. "Though there's not much I can really do, oh I could lend you my notes...well technically they're not my notes and you may not need them. Never mind that if you think of something just let me know, if I forget just remind me it'll come back to me eventually."

---

Breaker followed behind Seraph his attention moving to Sonata at the comment of a home, he turned his attention forward again deciding to ignore both parts of what she just said. He still wasn't sure where this 'both' came from, there was no 'we', no 'us' and he didn't even want a 'they', if he was being honest he still wasn't happy about the you've from earlier at taking down the negative. A you two wouldn't have let such a bad taste in his mouth, but hearing that reminded him the two had work together and used...teamwork to take down the creature. Breaker brought his hand to his mouth at the mere thought of this, but he lowered it knowing he couldn't let it get to him not with the other two standing nearby.
He made sure to look around since he was already here and on the tour, there's some kind of designs in the marble tiles and he wasn't sure if he was seeing it correctly but even the walls seemed to be made up of different material, one looked especially familiar but he decided not to pursue it.

When they reached the lounge Breaker looked around the room not failing to take notice to the two inhabitants currently residing here, his facial expression didn't change but he was impressed by the size and look of the place. The fireplace added an ambiance that even Breaker noticed, he wasn't into places like this but he could see why someone wouldn't mind spending time here.
Breaker heard Seraph introduce the two ego's and saw the man wave out of the corner of his eye but he chose not to respond and looked over at the bookshelf, when Sonata spoke to him he walked away and headed towards the bookshelf. It was a silent answer indication he didn't want to move quiet yet, he walked over to the bookshelf and eyed the books before he grabbed one off the third shelf and opened it.
"You stay here under a landlord," Breaker said turning a page of the book. "I didn't realize such a system existed, I assumed everyone had their own places of residence but I suppose I never bothered to look into it either. Going off Sonata's personality and what I assume is a musical hobby I assume she lives alone."
Breaker shut the book and made sure to put it back in the same place he had removed it from losing interest in the contents.
"If not than I may feel a bit of sympathy for anyone that get's to interact with her all the time," Breaker said before turning back to Seraph.
"Why don't we continue to the next place," Breaker said. "You have my attention at least."

“Very well.” After answering Fantasy Sky Breaker, Seraph briefly stepped around him to address the other two egos. “I expect you'll both be participating in the games tomorrow?”
The gentleman shook his head softly. “Last time got so competitive. I think I'll sit this one out.”
Without so much as looking up from her book, the young lady scornfully chimed in, “Not on your life. I don't have anything to prove, and if I did, I wouldn't have to win anything to prove it.”
Seraph rolled her eyes and turned around to leave, the only sound of her movement the soft swish of cloth. She looked back to make sure her guests were following. “That's Mim for you. Always so full of herself.” Though she spoke in a low voice, there was more bitterness to her words than friendly chiding. “Shall we press on?”

Next stop, on the other side of an entrance to a grand, square-spiral staircase, was the food court. This fairly large chamber, with rows of stone pillars, wooden benches, and torches beneath a low ceiling, was unoccupied. Some clanging and hissing from behind a nearby oaken door, however, indicated that preparations were being made for dinner. One wall was dominated by a long, spotless counter, totally devoid of anything but light. Another side of the chamber seemed devoted to various barrels of all sized, from casts to jerkins, laid on their sides and tapped. The whole structure evoked a semblance of crispness, order, organization, and partition, not unlike the function-over-form divisions of a military setup. “We don't really do snacks,” Seraph admitted. “Aside from the whole frugality aspect, there's health to be considered. Of course, some egos still find ways to pack on the pounds.” It was fairly obvious who at least one of these gluttonous egos was. “Drinks, however, are free for all. Help yourself.”

Seraph did so herself. Leading the way over to the wall of drink, she steadily became aware of a low noise that increased in volume the closer she drew. Upon arriving at the stacks of liquid containers, she found Midwinter's Envoy sound asleep, slumped against a pillar, flask in hand and clothes in disarray. It was difficult to tell if he was passed out from overindulgence to alcohol or simple fatigue. Sera ignored him -plainly this had happened before- and opened a nearby value. Cool, refreshing mint tea poured from the spigot into her ceramic drinking cup, uneven stacks of which were interspersed at regular intervals along the wall.

Aiko raised an eyebrow at the call; clearly Kenji's carefree mannerisms had repercussions after all. Whoever was on the other end of the line sounded less than happy with whatever it was Kenji was lacking this time. "Oh, I'm fine with my own studies, thank you," she scoffed, and eyed his phone, which he had stuck in his pocket. "And who was that, hm? It's sounds like you're in quite a deal of trouble, Kenji-kun." This would certainly be an interesting topic for gossip. Little details into other people's lives always interested her.

++

Honestly, Crisis Sonata was surprised that Breaker did actually decide to stick around for a while. He'd never come across as a bookworm to her. Then again, maybe all serious and quiet people liked to read. Boring. Shrugging, Crisis sat back into one of the chairs in the lounge, crossing her legs and glancing between the room's inhabitants. At the comment about living alone, she sniffed and waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Oh, enough about me. Let's talk about you," she said sarcastically, without really agreeing or disagreeing with Breaker's inference.

In any case, he lost interest with the lounge pretty quickly, and soon Crisis was forced to stand lazily and wave the two residents of the castle goodbye, again not caring whether they payed her attention at this point. The lady seemed pretty focused, and focused people were no fun. As for the man...Well, whatever. Quicksilver Seraph walked pretty fast, and she didn't seem the dilly-dallying type of woman. The question she had posed to the other Egos, however, intrigued Crisis, and she found herself asking as they entered the kitchen, "What are these games you speak of?" As she asked, Crisis took a cup from the stacks and paused, deciding on what to get. Her stare lingered questioningly on the sleeping Midwinter's Envoy for a moment, but she overall concluded that it was best to ignore him because they were on tour.

Kenji pushed off the ground actually swinging a little as he listened to Sonata, he supposed she didn't need any help with it then. He wasn't the best person to really assist anyway so he was partially relieved that wasn't a problem. When she mentioned the phone Kenji stopped swinging and closed his eyes for a moment, honestly he didn't see a reason to say anything but it wasn't as if it was a big secret at least to anyone that knew him. He opened his eyes and stood up from the swing before responding to her.
"Well I suppose there's no harm in telling you and you did get to witness some of it," Kenji said rubbing the back of his head. "It took a bit of effort but I got permission from the school for some part time work after getting the blessing from my parents. That call was about work, I just got the days confused so he was a bit angry with me, it happens all the time so it's no worry. I figured I'd be able to get something from them to repay you, I still can...but I'll have to deal with my boss and I'd rather not so i'll make it up another way."
Kenji put his hand on his hips and grinned a little bit.
"I mean if you have the free time why not get a little work in you know, I like having some extra money in my pocket too."

---

Breaker followed after Seraph glancing over at Sonata seeing how she responded, he shrugged his shoulders not really interested in the answer and shoved his hands in his pockets as they made their way to next area. Some event seemed to be going on tomorrow, he wasn't sure what the games were but judging by the two responses it was going to be short two people, a part of him wondered if it had something to do with Ironclad or this Mouth of the Void.
He caught the change in Seraph's voice when she spoke of Mim, he watched her for a moment but turned his attention forward again. He wasn't sure what she had against her but he supposed living together in a place long enough can cause differences to surface.

When they entered the food court Breaker was starting to wonder if Viral Talon had this constructed in such a way, it wasn't bad to look at it but he wasn't sure about the spiral staircases, he hated the monotony that came with going up and down them. Putting the thought aside he glanced towards the door hearing food being prepared, he wondered if other ego's were in there preparing the meal but before he could ask Seraph informed them there weren't any snacks but they were free to get something to drink.
Breaker decided not to pass up the opportunity and followed behind her, he noticed Midwinter Envoy but casually stepped over him going over to get some water.
He stared at the liquid in his glass before taking a sip, he offered a small nod afterwards as it wasn't bad, granted he drank from a spring earlier so it wasn't much of a comparison but that was beside the point.
"Whatever the games are it seems those two didn't want to be involved," Breaker said glancing over Sonata before looking at Seraph. "I may be off with this but I assume some of that competitiveness comes from Ironclad."
Breaker took another drink of the water finishing it off before wiping his mouth with the back of his glove.
"I assume the ones cooking are people who also reside here? I can't help but find it strange seeing so many in one place, working together."