Crimson Flame
Skinner35
PlatinumSkink
Alas, the few hours that Akiko had before these 'Umbral Games' began. Not much time, sure, but it at least gave her enough mileage to get a good headspace for what her plan was. Though, this was a whole new world that she had very little grasp of. Robot cops, wild delinquents, everything was just a bit chaotic right now, and way too much for her to easily adjust to. She knew that she'd at least need someone to help her get through this, what with her own passive nature not being the best for many crimes other than jaywalking, and that'd likely get her nowhere. Still, she had just a bit of time, and she laid back against whatever bed she had in this temporary waiting room before fumbling around with the cards in her hand. Ornate and collectible, sure, but with a flash of light one of the cards vanished, leaving Akiko with just two cards, the Eleonor and Monkey ones specifically.
"Lorelai?" Akiko asked the air in front of her. "You're not gonna freak out, are you? I'm a bit afraid of using cards in worlds unknown to you, so..." Her voice trailed off. Probably not the time to overexplain what was going on, or at least not yet. "I wanted to see you before I got in over my head on something."
"You have no need to worry. I am...aware, somewhat, of events that transpire around you." Her Serei answered upon being summoned, wearing nothing more than a disarming smile and a long, heavy dressing gown fitting the late hour. Familiar with the girl who summons her, it was a thick garment and displayed little beyond Lorelai's own figure, but they were well enough acquanted not to bother hiding such. Moving to the bed she sat beside the cat girl and rested a hand on her knee. "While I have no care for thievery and crime, pillaging a hostile territory is not outside the scope of my abilities. Yet still, I find your concern over these matters to speek well of your character Akiko. I have given my card well, of that I have no doubt."
Akiko blushed for a moment. "I mean, you're basically my knight. I'd be rude to not address your concerns with these sorts of matters." She sat back up on the bed and rested gently against Lorelai's shoulder. "Even if this whole place is some sort of illusion created by beings unknown, I'm just glad I can have good partners in times like this. Better than any person that Rose could be, anyway." The cat girl chuckled under her breath. "I mean, who gets captured naked in the middle of a forest, right?" She looked up at her knight, a size difference being clear from that alone. "... though, I guess I can't say much. At least I spent it with someone that'd keep me safe. Better than what the alternatives were."
"Ah yes, the ones who traveled with the Crimson Hound. Having seen this Rose I don't hold her in high opinion, but I must concede it is rather easy to wind up bereft of clothing and senses when around an aroused Luxonne. Thankfully the card you possess is kind enough to spare you that...intensity." The knight reassured her summoner, sliding her arm around Akiko's shoulders and holding her closer. "Now that you possess us, we would be hard pressed to deny you even if you opposed our morals, but knowing you put such care into your bearing does stir even my retired soul. If you require it, you need only order it and Durgan and I shall see these games won with a city wrought to rubble. You need not sully your paws."
"Mass destruction would be a way to cruise through thi- wait, was that a pun." One eyebrow on Akiko's face was raised, pulling up her hands and resting her tail between them, before she just, lowered her arms. Her tail gently floated down into Lorelai's lap without so much as a single noise. "... heh. Nice pun." The cat girl gently pushed herself off of Lorelai before her outfit changed like magic, just becoming some sort of pajama set as she leaned back into the knight. Now she was a fair bit better dressed for the situation. "... you spared me your intensity? What's that like?"
There was a noticable twitch in the knight's demeanor, her eyes fixated upon the tail with a hand open as though to reach for it, but an act of sheer iron willpower stayed her from laying a finger upon it. She worked her jaw, straining for words while her summoner changed her attire into something more suitable for slumber and settled against her, pulling the tail mercifully away from her grasp. "Ummm...ahem, you could say I have a zealous streak for family and country. Add to that, I'm well aware I'm not the brightest of candles, and I have a habit of pursing my issues with a perseverance that most would call foolish. But such is my way, and it had led me to much happieness after a long and arduous road. If I was any less driven I dare say I'd have lost Eleonor entirely."
The knight titled her head back, releasing a heavy sigh as she fell into the bedsheets, pulling Akiko alongside her. Turning onto her side, both arms now curled around Akiko, not so much pulling her tight as she simply enjoyed the feeling of holding another. "Perhaps one day you shall find something worthy pursing at all expense. If you are fortunate, you will find one who shall pursue you, and in turn, shall be united with only half the sacrifice on both parts. A blessed ending we all can hope for."
At first, the cat was scared to move within Lorelai's grasp. clearly unfamiliar with some of these feelings. But as Lorelai spoke, she began to understand something about the knight and herself that they somewhat had in common. Though it was definitely painstakingly obvious that Akiko was a tad uncomfortable in the situation, she gently shuffled closer to Lorelai, and slowly but surely, her arms slid around to hold against the knight. She was on her side, shuffled close up against the busom of this knight she'd only met recently, but she knew that she was safe and protected. Loved, even. It was something that she hadn't felt in a good long time, and she was here feeling it now. Her tail crept up to the knight's arm, wrapping around her wrist gently. "... I... might know what I want to pursue, Lorelai..."
Slowly, as though earning the trust of the genuine animal from which Akiko drew her ears and tail, Lorelai felt her summoner relax against her. Her breath grew steady and there was no longer the flustered flutter of her heart beating as thought it would fly from her chest at the slightest unwanted touch to her arm. The Knight's expression brightened upon feeling a fluffy curl upon her wrist and she shut her eyes to better savor the tactile sensation. "You don't need to share it with me if you are not ready to. Simply hold on to what you desire and affirm your beliefs in the face of coming obstacles. So long as your actions carry you closer and you can still claim to be worthy of it in your own eyes after all you've done, then you can live truly without regret."
"You are blessed with the aid of both a knight and a lady to help shoulder this burden, so rest easy, and know that you shall not face the 'morrow alone while you still reside in this Tower." Lorelai said, curling inwards to lay her chin atop Akiko's head, finding the comfort of the moment drawing them towards the same inevitable land that awaits all the weary and tired.
A sigh of relief was all that Akiko had released. There wasn't anything more for herself to say about that. She was at peace with her own thoughts, or at least, she had a plan for the far future, though she did have a plan for tomorrow. She knew her goal, and she needed Durgan and Lorelai's help with it. But until then, she smiled. Not a fake smile, either. A genuine smirk of actual excitement.
