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"I'm not being unkind, I haven't filed for a restraining order or anything," Eli protested, feeling it wasn't quite fair that she was siding with Dacj yet again. Not that there was a real conflict, but Dacj'd tease as much as she could get away with and Kamiko's subtle encouragement didn't help--but he was comforted by the nuzzle, and wondered if she and Dacj weren't just in league to tease him about it. He'd believe it...

Dacj was very careful to grab pizza with just her hands and not in her clubs as she was sorely tempted to do, but it really wouldn't be nice to tease Eli too much, she decided as she settled back onto one of the couches munching happily on a slice of pepperoni. "Sounds like you're about ready to open up a little cart in the park and hawk your cold delicious snacks, Krypto," Dacj said with a chuckle. "Summer's a great time for it." She looked down at her tentacles as the Lyte did, speculative as she pondered her options. "If you adapt the skates, maybe...I'd be more worried about balancing on them, it'd hurt something awful if I nicked a tentacle with an ice skate blade."

Eli shuddered--but in sympathy this time. No matter how much he disliked (and feared) his little sister's wriggling limbs, the scenario she described he wouldn't even think of wishing on her. "Maybe slide around the ice without skates? But no one else could wear them either, really..."

"You should!" Dacj encouraged, in between bites. "Snowcones! That's what you should do. Super easy and always tasty in the summer heat." Her eager tone indicated her personal interest in such a venture, and no doubt if called upon to assist she'd be more than happy to help herself to the product while she worked.

Eli settled in on the couch beside Kamiko, rather enjoying the atmosphere, tentacle-monster-sisters present and all. It was almost a bit worrying to think of living in this place with just him and Kamiko and Krypto...well, he supposed if he got around to calling in his companion Lytes the place would start to fill up pretty quickly.

It was much later when the pizza was demolished that Mena eyed the others. Phoebe was already lightly napping, leaned up against her younger-but-bigger-sister Dacj. "I think it's about time your sisters and I head home, Eli," she said, going over to give her son a hug, and one for Kamiko as well. "Don't stay out too late on the first night, eh? Have fun, kids."

"We'll try," Eli said with a chuckle and a wave, as Dacj took it upon herself to carry the still-snoozing Phoebe out, yawning herself as she went. Mena gave one last wave and that was it--his family was gone. Just him, and Kamiko...well, and Krypto. "The night is young!" he said, raising a fist with a grin at his girlfriend. "Let's go see what it'll be tonight."

He'd watched the screen standing behind her chair, green eye and brown eye scanning over the data carefully. He agreed with Kamiko's assessment, though he was interested to see Mena'd added in parameters for tracking magic--looked like all the lamiak were where they ought to be. Eli had to wonder if it would pick up something trying actively not to be detected though...he'd have to ask his mother later.

He offered her a smile. "Sounds fine to me. I'll follow your lead, Kamiko-chan."

"All right," he said goodnaturedly, catching the tiny object in the palm of his left paw-hand, and headed back up the stairs--and then to climb even more stairs to get to the roof. Eli fixed the "walkie talkie" to his ear absently, and wondered briefly if it tapping into his "neural sensors" would allow Elti to speak, or if that was too mystical a bond to be picked up by technology...and then he had to snort at his own thoughts. "Mystical" indeed.

He'd reached the roof before he bothered to henshin, sparkles emanating from the brooch pinned to his chest. Unlike most Contractors, he didn't have a set outfit--really the ostentatious mahou-ko outfits were for show, or for confidence. The only thing transforming did for him was add an aura of disguise for those not aware of his identity...and the kuppy took off his glasses. He didn't really need them for vision correction, but he liked the look of them. Wearing them out for a night on the town was just asking them to get broken though.

There was a nice breeze going this fine summer evening, and he'd gone to get a better look at the gargoyles on the corner of the building. Eli thought they were maybe a bit much, but they did look to be functional water spouts...

He half jumped at ninja-entrance and did step backward (several steps, to be honest) as Kamiko landed in front of him, black tightfitting outfit rustling both in the breeze and carrying the momentum of her flip. The moon was full, and he could see Kamiko very well.

He was vaguely conscious of reaching up and removing the 'thought-talkie' from his ear, because the small part of his brain that wasn't reduced to gibberish realized it might be best if Kamiko was not perfectly aware of exactly how stunning she looked. Eli remembered seeing sketches, not of this, but of other proposed superhero outfits for Kamiko, and blushing madly at the time. The reality was so much better than he'd ever imagined.

Not that, uh, he'd done a lot of imagining on that subject... (Pure thoughts! Pure thoughts!) He could've sworn he heard Elti giggle, somewhere deep within their bond.

But Kamiko's outfit did not leave very much to be imagined, and he was finding his struggle to keep his thoughts clean very difficult. He also was fairly sure he was forgetting to breathe. He felt something warm and liquidy sliding down onto his lip, and when he went to brush it off he realized it was blood. His nose was bleeding. It was really, actually bleeding. Disbelief warred with practicality, and the desire to not choke on his own nosebleed won out, as he pinched the lower part of his nose, tilted his head slightly forward, and tried to look nonchalant. Eli was fairly sure he was failing at it.

"Lovely sigh--I mean night. Really great," he said hurriedly, offering her the best smile he could muster--which, even given his predicament, was still a pretty brilliant smile.

She was hoping to surprise him with her outfit. Well, she could consider herself successful, that was for sure...he was definitely surprised. Pleased. Mortified. It was a very confusing mix of things. (And wait, his mother had been in on this?!)

Eli valiantly tried to focus his eyes on Kamiko's face despite keeping his head ducked down to combat the nosebleed, and her leaning forward did not help one bit. Her chest was barely covered, and the slightest flickering gaze downwards yielded an eyeful--look at her face! Her face!

He took the handkerchief gratefully and blessed whatever mercy there was in the universe that she was so willing to believe the innocent explanation, and hurried after her as best he could still trying to stop the nosebleed. The kuppy didn't think it was safe to put the "thought-talkie" back on--not yet anyway--so he opened his brooch and slipped it in there before jumping across the rooftops after Kamiko. He switched sides on the handkerchief and was encouraged that the bleeding seemed to have stopped. "How's it look out there?" he asked finally, barely trusting himself to say that without mucking it up somehow.

He debated with himself, and realized if she was out of view he could probably keep his thoughts well enough to hand to justify the communicator being on, so he went to fish it out and put it on just in time to hear her directions to him. Across the street it was then, he thought, jumping across the divide effortlessly and then let himself down the side of the building, taking up position in an alley the twin of Kamiko's position.

"In position," he said, and then the crowd came. He had a few tricks of his own to spot the potential trouble-makers, cracking open his hard-won shields ever so slightly to read the passersby. It wasn't difficult to tell who was up to no good when you could tell what they were feeling. His method of capture was a little more suited to his talents--prodigious use of non-sparkley magic (he was more than capable of being stealthy if he so chose) to place purses and wallets back where they ought to be; invisible binding ropes that wrapped around the guilty parties and dragged them back into the alley--actually an idea gleaned from Dacj's tentacles, oddly enough.