Welcome to Gaia! ::

"YEAH!" Kazuhiko beamed. "Mizu-san can help us with that I bet!"
He was getting very excited about this entire prospect. "I bet that would hurt Konton too."

Shiori smiled. "Because you've broken through my walls. It's like breaking into someone's house uninvited. I'm going to make sure you're not coming in unless I decide so." she nodded firmly, looking up at him. "Besides, it's fun to see you squirm. You're the Ou. Not that I care, but it's sorta rich watching you be something other than dignified and composed."

Morrigan gave out another soft cry, hands immediately latching onto one of Konton's arms.
This was bad... She had never seen the bone like that. It was practically glowing.
"Ai-Ai-Ainsu," she choked, milky white, "D-, don't do it, don't!! T, this world, oh Goddess don't!!"

"She'll reject you...." Morrigan's eyes widened.
s**t, Konton WAS right...
"You're becoming everything she hates! What are you doing, Ainsu?! What are you thinking?!!"
She was starting to struggle, frantic. "Don't let it out, Ainsu, you'll destroy this world entirely!! Don't do it!!" she begged, "Konton's already started to take my power! I'm barely at half strength..." she lamented, her eyes desperate. "He's going to use me as a trap, hurt Kazu-kun with some sort of poison, take his powers.. Please, PLEASE, you CAN'T let him win!!"
She found her nails starting to dig into Konton's flesh, trying to keep herself supported in the air. "He'll kill Kazu-kun!! If I die, and he's safe, that's ALL I care about, Ainsu, PLEASE!!!"

Kazuhiko smirked. "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he flitted over to Watari, peering over his shoulder.
003 had a bit of competition.
"What if I get it in his EYES?!!"

Shiori blushed. "Invited? When? Since when did I invite you in, Aled-kun? And so what if I do? It's always good to humble a man." she shook her head, looking down.
She was smiling slightly.
"Besides, it won't do to have you picking on my weaknesses while I'm defenseless. I need some sort of weaponry."

Kazuhiko nodded. "But his eyes would work too, right? What about his head? He can't LIVE without his HEAD, can he? And his tail, we better freeze and break THAT off right quick. Better yet, let's just freeze ALL of him and crush him to bits!" he decided bitterly. "Can we put flower extract into the nitrogen too???"
The boy had been cultivating quite a few while waiting to save his mother. "Momma's gonna LOVE them..." he murmured, hovering over the soil and smiling. "Look! Mizu-san, look! You get to see how pretty the flowers REALLY are..!"
He was right.
Unlike anything he had ever seen, these flowers in particular gave off a radiant, smoke-like blue glow, almost blindingly bright.
"You should see the Tree." he added cheerfully. "Momma's gonna be so proud..."

Shiori smiled. "Allergic to anything?" she suggested slyly. "Anything make you intolerably itchy?"

"You'll take the rest of my powers as well, and I would rather die than desert my tribe." Morrigan answered curtly. "I haven't changed my mind. And you're a demon! You HATE Po-ar and any of his lineage---why should I believe you? You're going to poison Kazu-kun!" she snapped, trying to contain her fury. "You KNOW he and I share that weakness!"

Morrigan shivered, but it wasn't with fear.
"When I get out of here, and I will," she spoke very deliberately and slowly, "I'm going to make sure that you're completely obliterated."
She was absolutely furious.
"You're not going to so much as lay a finger on my son." she warned, "You can try, but you're only bringing more trouble to yourself."

Kazuhiko giggled. "Alright. Well maybe you should put in an extra reserve FOR flower extract." he suggested. "If the flowers were that strong alone, the concentrated extract will be even MORE damage!" he declared happily. "Mum's gonna be SO proud... and if I have to, I'm gonna bring Cernunnos out!" he declared. "I'm bringing Daddy of the Forest out, and HE'S not gonna be pleased with Konton at ALL!"

Shiori thought for a long time. "One plant, most people get it except the lucky ones."
She was talking about a Tarnbsei plant very similar to poison ivy.
"Annnd.... lemme think, anything else?" she paused, biting her lip.
Really, it was a matter of whether or not she wanted to tell him.
"I don't eat poultry." she finished. "I'm not allergic but it tastes gross. Itching powder? I'm not sure."

"Oh don't you dare. I'm going to court a better alliance with him than YOU have." Shiori threatened lively, pushing him a bit. "You use that on me, I swear you're going to regret it. I don't know how. Maybe one day you'll wake up with a gas-mask strapped to your face that's connected to a septic system somewhere." she smirked. "You do it, I swear, you're never going to get a good night's rest again!"
Shiori was never one to break a promise, either.
It was one of those weaknesses she didn't like disclosing, and even moreso to Aled.
"And no." her smirk began to fade slightly into a smile. "I don't like poultry. I'm a daughter of the sea, Aled! Lobster, shrimp, fish, clams, oysters, crabs, whatever swims in the sea, I eat it. Unless it's poisonous. Then I wisely avoid it out of respect. I like vegetables, a lot. I'm not that big on red meats either, really, but that's probably because it was always easier to fish than to kill a farmer's animals and try to avoid the law. I don't eat rabbits either. Too cute. Umm..... Let me think... I've always wanted pets, really. Not sure what I'd start with. Turtles are cute... I used to watch sea turtles hatch when I was little. One of my favorite things...--Oh. Wait. Things I hate. Right. Um... Jellyfish. Beautiful, but I've been stung too many times. Can't say I've ever enjoyed it. Scared of the bigger fish that eat Tarnbjins. You know we have a host of those... But they taste delicious."
She was starting to eye the covered trays of food, wondering what might be underneath.
"I don't eat turtles or dolphins though." she decided after a moment. "Again. Too cute, and they've both helped me before. Can't eat your allies, right? I wonder if Muchinko's alive? I used to swim with him a lot.. Ummmm... OH! I love bacon. It's essential. Don't really eat much other pork though." she mused. "Hn... I THINK that's everything."
But it struck her kinda odd that she was being this open at all.
It had to be the longest paragraph he'd ever gotten out of her....
Well, that wasn't her cussing him out.
She noted this, and sought to make amends.
"But what I hate most is you." she decided promptly. "You're too secretive for me."
Even if she was too secretive herself... usually.
"And you're pompous, and you think you can just go around and take what you want without asking. You're terribly rude and full of yourself. I can see why you're Ou, but believe me it's no compliment."
Ping!
Ok. That evened it out.
She still had to remember her sharp side. She couldn't let this guy dull her down.

Kazuhiko nodded. "Sounds good. So you fire the extract first? Would he turn to stone?"
Yuki nodded. "Most likely." she agreed. "Watari-san, come over here and take a look at this. I added some of the extract of the Tree of Life to Po-ar-kun's blood samples... I saved a bit, to try and find a cure. It worked. We could have fed him a few handfuls and he would've been right as rain." she blinked. "They negated the magic of the rogue cells entirely."
Kazuhiko grinned. "That's exactly what Mum needs then." he whispered softly. "We'll be able to get her out after all!"
"Perhaps." Yuki nodded. "But it took about twenty minutes to activate---and this was directly into the bloodstream. If she ate leaves, it would have to be digested, absorbed, and neutralized... Can she do that around Konton?"
"No." Kazuhiko frowned. "Gimme a shot, I think that'll help. Give me a couple actually. She might need a lot."

Morrigan shook her head. "I refuse to believe that." she growled quietly. "You think you've taken all my power? Bullshit. If anyone has, it's Kazuhiko, from the minute he was born. I don't mind, though. He'll use my edge and slice you down the middle." she closed her eyes for a moment, smiling darkly. "He'll ensure you pay your due finally, and finish what Po-ar-kun and I couldn't." Her eyes opened, bright blue-green spheres glittering with something akin to madness. She knew when her words were no longer her's, but that of prophecy's; this confidence drove her to the brim with a wild joy and fierceness, a determination that renewed her from the very bottom of her stomach. She stared up at Konton without even the slightest tinge of fear, eyes gouging deeply into him.
"We already froze you once. I don't doubt they'll do it again."
What bravery, or perhaps foolishness. After almost a week and a half of torture, she was still holding out.
After breaking her twice, he had to admit she deserved a hint of admiration. She had held out remarkably longer than the last time, and still wouldn't budge from her position. She had faltered perhaps twice in her stay here, times where she was perilously close to breaking; somehow she had sprung back.
When they did come back to rescue her, Morrigan could very likely become a liability.

Morrigan wrinkled her nose and huffed. "Is this really the ONLY way a demon like you can control me? Pitiful. I suppose I'll oblige you both." she mused nonchalantly.
She felt invigorated. Kazuhiko was going to figure a way out of this, she knew it.
Wherever he was, he had the edge of both his parents on his side.

Kazuhiko smiled. "I can use portals." he reminded. "How much leaves and bark do we need? And patches will work perfect." he agreed. "I'll slip them on Mum as soon as I see her. Can we use the other leaves on Konton too? DEATH LEAVES!" he cried loudly, throwing his hands in the air. "Or should we use life ones? Oh, and yes, Mum's definitely injured, she's been there a while." he reminded. "Konton wouldn't let her go even a day unscathed."

Shiori smiled. "I like secrets as much as the next person, but you are too secretive towards me." she decided quickly. "How many enemies DO you have?"

Shiori thought for a while, biting her lip. "Favorite foods. If you had a pet, what kind ideally would you have? Why DON'T you have any pets around the palace? Your parents always did..." she mused. "How'd you learn to make tea? Anything. Tell me anything I don't know about you."

Morrigan watched them closely, grim but strangely buoyant.
At least Ainsu would be alright.
But what was Konton going to do with her?
"You must be running out of punishments." she mused after a while, looking up at him.
Part of her wanted to remark she thought he said he'd break her, but it was better not to tempt him. It just struck her odd she'd survived this long without hardly a scratch.
Two days was a record for her.

Kazuhiko tilted his head. "What ELSE do you know Da?" he flitted over to him. "The life leaves don't hurt them?"

This seemed to be a big deal to Kazuhiko. "Then I know how to get there!" he declared suddenly, eyes widening. "It'll be JUST like getting to Momma Cerridwen's realm in the World Tree back home! Except HERE, we're going to FIGHT!" he declared eagerly. "How long do we have to wait Da?!! Mom's WAITING for us!"

Shiori smiled. "Charming. Rice, hmm? No, not very grand, but it shows a more humble side to yourself. Simple. Even crazy people have pets.. but... I would want a big dog." she decided after a while. "If I wanted a little dog, I'd get a cat. I used to have a cat when I was little. Tomichi! He was the sweetest little bobtailed thing. Hopped." she smiled mostly to herself. "I've been too poor to feed a dog and myself, but I would've loved to have one. Great protection..."
She had a pretty good idea of a prank already.
"So...hm... what else... Can you dance? Can you sing? What's your favorite song? Did you ever have nerdy moments growing up?"
She delighted in the thought of someone so self-assured showing weakness in some respects; but intellect was important to her.
"Can you cook? What CAN'T you do?"

Morrigan watched Konton closely. "I most definitely am caught." she muttered, quite bitter about it. "But I am also the wife of your enemy, and an enemy in my own right. I would have thought you'd try to scare me more than you have."
Ugh, moments of brutal honesty.
Sometimes they worked for Mor, sometimes they didn't.
"Not that I don't mind!" she bit her lip momentarily, "I'm sure we're both enjoying this little break, but I guess this isn't as bad as I thought."