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Touta Konoe      Underneath the hastily developed capital lies a sprawling underground labyrinth in which if one becomes lost, he will never return. Or so the legends say.

     Acting as the location for which the Warpgate to the Multiverse is located, the cavern is a large network of caves that are located beneath the UQ Holder base. At least 1.7km in distance (likely more than that) the caverns are large enough that waterfalls and lake-like bodies of water can be found. What looks to be the remains of a large castle like structure also is housed within its depths

     Upon arriving one can hear the sounds of creatures snarling within the darkness, with only enough illumination given by a small set of lights that appear to be making a path. The path has a sign giving specific instructions on how to avoid very specific creatures such as lake monsters, overgrown spiders, wyverns and the like. Though once you follow the path you see that it's pretty secure even if the noises in the darkness are a bit daunting.

     Upon exiting the cave through what looks like a well on finds themselves on an island. In the distance you can see a large tower that goes all the way up into the clouds, but the island itself is a rather traditional japanese building with several structures throughout the island. This is Fairyland Hall, https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/uq-holder/images/3/3a/Fairyland_Hall.png/revision/latest?cb=20171107075021

     After appearing walking around you see a plethora of individuals menacing individuals in suits that would remind any Japanese citizen of Yakuza, though upon Mikoto's arrival she was courteously greeted as they lined up on both sides of her creating a path for her to get through, stating that she was 'Aniki's guest.'

     One of them leads her to a guest room. A very traiditional japanese style room where a table has already been prepared with tea and snacks for her to nibble on while the person informs her that 'Aniki' will be with her in a moment. Needless to say, 'Aniki' does in fact appear. A young man with spiked-black hair that Mikoto would be pretty familiar with, though in definitely less familiar attire. He looks like some sort of European server at a restaurant or just a butler of some sort. It's completely different from his usual casual attire. Though once he arrives you can tell from that smile he's the same person.

     "Mikoto, you made it! Hope it wasn't too hard to find." He sits down on the opposite end of the table as he takes a bit of tea for himself.
Sumiko Despite Mikoto's romp off the main course to 'play' with the oce-I mean, Wyverns, she (with a few scratches and some tatted clothing) managed to find her way to the place.  Greeted by men that she found would be more familiar working for Majima, she didn't seem too bothered by it.  It was also easily noticed she'd been not in a normal housing situation for a few days.

She of course bows in greeting to the men, knowing her manors.  She accepts their explanation, which doesn't seem to phase her too much.  Lead to a room, the snacks were more than enough to sate her for the moment, eating and drinking what she could before Touta arrived.  

She was kneeling at the table when he came, she looked up from her position and sort of gave a sideways glance towards his attire.  Then she realized that it made sense, he either WORKED or RAN this place.  It'd be weird if he wore his adventuring gear around here.  

"Hey Touta, thank you again for the help," She says, casually, but more so that he didn't feel embarrassed for her thanking him again, but she does provide a bow. "It wasn't hard, though I did totally get 'lost' to see the Wyverns.  I couldn't believe it...and they're so cute!"
Touta Konoe      There's a hand that goes to the back of his head as he places his tea down, "Don't sweat it. It's what friends are for. Still, I've had a few people go through the caves from the Multiverse but I think you're the first to call Av- the wyverns cute. They usually don't cause too much trouble since the other monsters are apparently more tasty for'em."

     With the obligated greetings out of the way though his face gets a bit more serious than his usally easy-going demeanor as he tries to get into a more serious mode. "So what's the deal? I'm hearing all of a sudden you're going from magical girl trying to save people into trying to get at your uncle. Then this whole thing with the Paladins? Even with you telling me everything so far its still kinda hard to believe. But uh...If it's okay do you mind if I listen to your side of the story?"
Sumiko Mikoto sighs a bit, looking up towards Touta with a tired face.  "I never claimed to be someone to save people, I just wanted to prevent others from suffering my pain...in the end I suppose I'm just a selfish person who wants to live without the obligate part of this deal.  You all assume I was full of ideas about right and wrong.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to go hurt people or on a rampage...in fact I want to avoid becoming a witch at all costs for the same reason I want to prevent others from sharing my pain.."

"But it's also because I couldn't forgive myself for doing what that witch did to me.." A beat, "So really...it's just selfish again.  Sorry to get people the wrong idea.."

"As far as the whole situation...maybe I should explain the entire story.  Touta, do you know what my wish was?  I think I said it before, but I want you to really think about what I wished for."
Touta Konoe      Touta has to think back to her question. "I...Don't think you ever told me face to face what your wish was. I think I have heard through the grapevine or maybe indirectly but I don't think you've ever told me about what it was that you wanted."

     This is the part that makes him feel a bit embarassed if not a bit awkward, "Sorry Mikoto, I'm usually pretty good with things but if you've told me before I don't know the full story, and I don't want to guess at something that might be so personal to ya. But if you're willing to tell me, I'm promising you'll I'll listen to everything you have to say. Say whatever you want to say however you want to say it, and don't feel ashamed to say it. Okay? I'm not the Paladins or the Concord or the Watch. I'm just me and you're just you. So tell me your story and I'll listen with open ears." He might not know the full situation of her wish, but he's come to understand how powerful wishes can be. So he tries to reassure this girl that no matter what she's said or done that at the very least he won't judge her.
Sumiko "When I was five years old, my father died.  My FIRST father.  My mother died in childbirth.  I did not see much of my father, he was too busy working himself to death to support me.  Maybe he resented me, because I looked like her, or because I came at the cost of her...maybe not.  I don't know, I didn't get to know him well."

"My uncle was the one that watched me, he...well wasn't exactly what I'd call responsible, but it felt like he wanted me around.  He told me I looked like his sister.  That...being my mother.  Then...one day, when father died.  My uncle took me on a trip to Tokyo.  I didn't leave."

"I was given to an orphanage.  I do not know if you know how they work in Tokyo, but..." she sucks in a breath, "It's terrible.  The laws of Japan are made so that it's impossible to actually adopt.  The caretakers were cruel and neglectful, and the other children took their frustrations out on each other.  I was easy pickings, being the youngest."

"The only kindness I got were from animals, who I seemed to have a natural affinity with.  It didn't matter what kind, rats, birds, stray dogs, cats who had no owner.  I guess we all had something in common...we were unwanted, unloved, and alone."

"Until one day a strange cat came into my path.  I think you know how the story goes from here.  He used my desperation, my desire to get out...and I wished for a family."

"I woke up to a family who loved me, a family that...I never had.  I had no worries over where my next meal would come from, I had everything I could ever want...and all that I ever needed.  Sure,, he was a busy man, but he LOVED me...my new mother LOVED me..."

"Until a witch took that away from me because likely I was shirking my side of the contract...I don't have any proof that that bunny-eared asshole did it, but after finding out that witches are formed from Magical Girls..."

"So that man, that uncle of mine I tried to kill...he abandoned me to die.  When his life got better he never even bothered to try and find me.  He moved on, forgot about me because I wasn't /his/." She hisses.  It clearly hurt her a lot.  "And now he and everything he got gets to continue. I thought, maybe If I let the witch do it he'd get to know how I felt."

"Then the Witch couldn't even do that...so I decided that I would just end it myself, in a single stroke.  He wouldn't suffer, but I'd get SOMETHING out of it.  I was stopped, of course...maybe they were right to do it.  Rean and Staren, I am sure Lilian was doing it for something else." She says bitterly.
Touta Konoe      Touta sits and lets Mikoto speak her tale. It's a tough story to listen to but probably even harder to tell. So even if she gets emotional he doesn't try to immediately offer support or anything. He'll let her say her piece, and everything she needs to get out before doing anything. By the time he's done there's very little change in his expression though. He's still somewhat serious but its hard to tell if he maybe pities her, thinks she's stepped over some sort of bounds.

     Touta gets up from his seat as he walks over to Mikoto's side of the table. He gets on his knees to go eye level with her and finally he raises his hand...To pat her head.

    "I don't know what it's like to get thrown in an orphanage or how hurt you felt by your uncle. But...If anything, if just a little I think I can understand how you feel about losing your family...Losing people you care about. A couple years back my parents and I had an accident. They both died and I got taken in by this woman who was a friend of my parents. She's a totally terrible parent, I had to learn to cook just cause she was so bad at it. But she treated me well. Took care of me like I was her own without a complaint, even if I did butt heads with her alot. One thing I always nagged her about was leaving the village we were in, it was a tiny little place in the boonies. Totally different from Mitahara! So she told me if I could ever kick her ass I could leave. Just so you know, she's probably still tougher than I am riht now...There was no way I was gonna beat her back then. But a teacher heard about this and wanted to help us so he gave me a ring saying that if I had her put it on that she'd weaken a bit so I could beat her..."

     His faces goes silent for a moment as his eyes get lost in thought, "Turns out the only person he was helping was himself. I ended up convincing her that it was a gift for her and she put the ring on. The next day when my friends and I went to take her on, that teacher used that ring I gave her to slice her apart and beat down my friends. He even ended up putting a blade through my heart, and this was before I was immortal...*Sigh* That teacher was someone I trusted and he used me to hurt someone I cared about...He abused my trust with her just so he could collect a bounty. Mikoto, I can't tell you that what you tried doing is right...But if I was in the same shoes and saw that jerk again I can't say I wouldn't try turning his face to mush. Still, maybe it's a bit selfish of me to say but I'm glad you didn't kill him...I feel like it would have changed you..."

     He reaches for his tea again from the other side of the table as if trying to break up the mood. "Well, that's something in the past now. What's important is what you'll do moving forward. I remember you saying you had a plan in mind on what to do from here on out, so let's hear it."
Sumiko Mikoto was surprised by the head pat, looking down for a moment and trying to hide a slightly flushed face.  "What are you doing?  I don't think it's the hardest tale out there...but it's mine, you know?" She says, regaining some composure when he goes into his story and listens.  

"I'm sorry to hear that...I can't imagine how you feel..." she says, head down after a time.  It was still pain, pain that you could feel.  When he says he couldn't judge her, she nodded.  "Yeah, I don't judge people their choices like this.  It was mine...I chose to do it."

"But I can't help but feel angry.  I might have been wrong...and it's not being stopped.  No, it's being stopped while Staren shouts about how you're wrong.  He's never lost anything in his life, he doesn't understand how we feel...and then to sit there and scream about he gets to do it because /HE/ has power..." She looks grim for a moment.

"Lilian too, sitting there with her smug little smile.  Her better than you tone, and talking down to you.  Treating you as if you're nothing, while also talking about how you're in the wrong for not wanting to stick to the bad deal given to you.."

"Maybe Staren is right though...I need a stronger power to do what I want." And to knock the smug look off of Lilian's mouth.

Sighing, getting that off her chest, she speaks again, "I talked with Majima-san, he knows a guy I can get into contact with to do some work.  Build up my finances and reinvest smartly.  Be a little smarter this time about managing things.  Probably going to have to do some ugly things but...eh."

"No not anything like /that/.  Majima-san and I were very clear there, and he was worried I was the one asking about it.  Yeah, I don't even have the right figure for that, and those older men who do...ugh.." She shudders, "Some people are just sick."

"I also need to talk to Lezard...I think I might know where these Witches are coming about, and why they're focused on my pain specifically.."
Touta Konoe     Touta seems oblvious to any flushness that Mikoto's giving off. Though when she apologizes to him, he smirks, "It's fine, it's fine. Wasn't trying to get sympathy from ya. I just want you to know that at the very least I'm not oblvious to how it feels to have something like that. I get where you're coming from, /especially/ with Staren. It's amazing that he can be all around the Multiverse but still be in his own little world when it comes to respecting other peoples' views. That said he still does make good decisions sometimes so I can't completely fault him..." He lets out a distasteful sigh at the thought. "Not that I dislike the guy, but he can really rub you the wrong way."

    As Mikoto brings up the topic of 'power'. He nods his head to each reference only to put his arms over each other in contemplation at the end as if to try and make an appropriate statement to it all, though he raises an eyebrow obliviously when she mentions things like /that/.

     "So, I totally get where you're coming from.

     I decided to check out all these places in the Multiverse because I thought it might make me a bit stronger or smarter. It'd give me something that'd help me back home with my own problems...But if I learned anything about power it doesn't mean you're in the right, it just makes it easier to reach a goal...Might isn't always right. If anything people with power gotta be held more accountable which is why I was surprised to hear Lilian was threatening you. Still, that also means just because you had the power to take down your uncle..." doesn't mean that you should have.

     Touta slowly gets back onto his feet looking out the window for a moment before looking back down at Mikoto, "Mikoto, can I be honest with ya? I'm gonna use your words for a second here...I know you wanna get out of a bad deal, to get stronger, but it sounds like you're going to put yourself through hell just to try and make things happen. I don't know much about that Majima guy but I know that if you're going to be getting 'ugly' work from a guy who was willing to bust up a hospital just to start a fight as your friend I don't think you should. Besides is doing those kinds of jobs worth the cash?" He looks down where her soul gem would usually be, he could only imagine how those jobs would affect her mentally over time. That all these ugly jobs would do to the shape of her soul. He didn't want that for her. if anything, he would want to try and give her something...Another purpose. Something that could bring her a bit more joy or reason than just to get more powerful.

     "I got a proposition for ya. See, Fairyland Hall might be an inn but uh...Because of a few circumstances we have an orphanage on the island and with all the expanding we've been able to increase the amount of kids we can take in, the only problem is we don't have enough staff...And I think someone with your experiences would be great to look after the kids every now and again to make sure they're behaving. If you took it we could guarantee boarding, food, even give you a paycheck...Probably not as much as Majima's 'ugly' jobs, but if you're looking for some finance tips we have someone right here at the inn who can throw you through a crash course on how to invest. Plus, I'd always be nearby so if you ever need some help with your gem I'd always be close by..."

     He coughs into his shoulder for a moment as he then scratches the back of his head, "I guess that's a lot to throw at you at once. Not like you need to give an immediate answer either but I just want to throw the offer out there. While you figure it out though, I'll also see if I can throw my weight around a little to see if we can find someone in the Multiverse who might be able to help you power up free of charge!"
Sumiko "I do not think it would be a good idea for me to be around children who have hurt like that.  Thank you for the offer, but it'd be a bad idea...not now anyway.  I know I have some things to work through.  Maybe my path will take me through the worst thing possible.  Maybe I'll become what I hate, or worse..."

"But I'm a timebomb as I am now.  You know it, I know it..." She sighs, "Just because you put a bomb somewhere safe, doesn't mean it won't eventually go off.  In this case, it'd be like a nuke going off.  I have to learn to be the master of my own fate...instead of coasting in on others."

"Also, Majima...he's become almost like a father to me.  The man was there for me where I was in my depressive spiral after I found out the truth... he and Rean showed up on my door and tried to break me out of it.  He protected me from the Inquisition's assassins when there was that scare about the black ship stuff.."

"I know what the Yakuza are, Touta.  You don't grow up in the places that I did without knowing how they work, and what they are.  It's despair that I have to control.  Or at least, that's what I'm starting to think it is.  Not negative emotions, but despair itself...if I can control that if I can LEARN to control that.."

"Besides...power for free?  There are no such things...everything has a price tag."
Touta Konoe     Touta tenses when he hears what she has to say about herself. That she's simply a bomb waiting to go off. He grips his hands into fists as he waits for her to finish as if he's about ready to explode with emotions of his own. He had even wanted to say he was just referring to looking into a way for her to get stronger without charging her, but saying as such now would feel like a cop out of sorts. So when she finally finishes there's only one thing he feels the need to say,

    "I get if you don't wanna work here, and if you trust Majima I won't stop you there either. Hell if you actually trust him maybe I'll be more willing to, but I promise you that I'm not gonna let you turn into /that/. I'd rather take in so much of that weird magic that I turn into a witch myself before I let that happen... I got your back Mikoto, not just me either, Rean, apparently Majima, and more... If you feel like your gonna blow we'll try to defuse you. If you feel like there's a time where you can't control that despair yourself we'll help. Just know you're not by yourself anymore alright? We want to help you...Even if you make a mess now and again."

     He stops for a moment as he blinks a couple of times in surprise at perhaps how serious he himself had got. "Uhm, anyway...Don't sweat it alright? And stay as long as you need to. As long as we got an open room you can crash here. It'll help you save money right? Plus, it'd put my mind at ease if I knew you were close by if you needed a hand. That okay?"
Sumiko "Don't ever wish for that...and don't ever say that.  I don't want to become a witch...but I'd never forgiven myself if someone who has all of this...and who is looking after children were to never come home..." She can't finish the thought.  "It doesn't hurt to want to help others, but you can't slit your own throat to do it."

"Hmmm...Alright, but I'll feel guilty if I just mooch off of you for completely free...so if I'm here I'll at least spoil your kids rotten and do some chores around here for ya.  However, I'd warn your customers that I don't work here, so if they give me lip..." she makes a fist.
Touta Konoe     His serious face sorta turns into a somber yet sly, 'Look who's talking face' when she tells him not to say those things. "Good. Then we'll both just stay the way we are then. As for the kids, I'm glad to hear that. I'll introduce you to some of them tomorrow as well as the rest of the staff, uhm...also there's another Multiversal guest we have here as well. But uh, fair warning don't take all her words to heart... As for accomodations you can stay here for a while, we won't be in season for a while so till then this room'll probably be open. Though once we do we'll probably have to move you to Employee Housing. But for now, why don't you get a good night's rest or something okay?"

     Touta extends his hand her way to seal this deal of yet another Multiversal Guest that was making a home in UQ Holder.
Sumiko "Let me guess, she owns the Wyverns?" Mikoto says, with a half-grin, taking the hand and giving it a firm shake.  "I'd rather bow, but I understand the custom.  My father had one of his trusted people look after me and prepare me to take over his stuff...so ya know."

"Hey, three squares (or so) and a roof are good for me.  Bonus points for washing machines." She says, with another grin.