Moments of Epsilon

[Creator_Drake]

Despite her smile Niri could feel something was off, Myriad wasn't acting like she thought the Legion would. She fired another Hell Water at Myriad only just as her danger sense came too late. The first shell exploded upon her back, sending her stumbling forward. Her scales appeared unaffected but the grimace on her face showed that it hurt. She wondered how Myriad could have- her eyes widened in realisation as she suddenly broke into a sprint towards Mary.

'So you want to play it that was? Well alright then.' Just as she neared Mary she flipped of the dragon, whipping her tail against Mary's back as she spun, sending the girl forward step right into the charging shell bodies. Niri fired another Hell water from her palm at the shell body closest to Mary as it tried to veer away, causing it to explode and chained 2 others with it. Landing the Leviathan fired another quick shot at Myriad before turning on her heel and leading the last few of the shell bodies towards the pillars on by the wall opposite Myriad, firing quick shots behind herself blindly to deter their momentum...

[Fanfic Fetishist]

The first shell body hit dead on, but the others were not as successful. Three shell bodies slammed into Mary, exploding against her and pounding her into the floor. The dragon groaned softly, slowly pulling herself to her feet as Myriad deflected the Hell Water, one of her shell bodies slumping over but remaining intact.

Mary cursed inwardly. Clumsy, she thought. Have to do better than this.

Myriad quickly glanced at Mary and herself, assessing the situation. We're all large Pokegirls, but Niri's had better training and is much more agile, especially with compared to my shell and Mary's dragon form. We have to be careful about this...

A shell body which Myriad had released as an observer came up to Mary as she was picking herself up and Niri finished detonating the last of her bomb bodies. "Go mist form," Myriad whispered through the shell body, "and keep pounding her with sonics. I'll draw her fire and tank her attacks."

Mary nodded, her draconic form swiftly dissolving into a ghostly cloud. Myriad quickly bulked up her shell with new bodies, her spherical form growing as the eyes of the bodies facing Niri began to glow, firing lasers at her.

[Creator_Drake]

'Well, shit.' Seeing Mary take on a mist like form made Niri grimace before she hid back behind the pillar. Wondering what to do next she noted the distance between the pillar and the wall, and got an idea. Quickly she shimmied up the distance, feet to the wall with her hands against the pillar. She turned around so she was facing the ground, legs holding her tail from hanging; shame the same couldn't be said for her breasts but she could deal. Holding the position easily Niri began thinking of her options.

'Alright, now things are getting a little more challenging. Neither of them have gotten close to grabbing either part of my bikini, but I haven't been able to grab either of theirs too. With Myr I need to get past that defence of hers fast enough to grab her top then bring it back to Drake before she can react. Mary will be alot more difficult, I need to get her back to her original form to grab her panties. And since both are working together if I go after one the other will attack. Looks like I'll have to use some of the moves Drake taught me, and maybe some of the ones we came up with. But first...gotta see how things play out...' She was good for the moment but she knew they woulod find her eventually. Thankfully Myriad was directly ahead of the pillar so she wouldn't have seen her move. Now all that was left was the waiting game.

Just as Pestilence had called him, Drake remained unflinching as the explosions resounded in the chamber, merely continued to whistle a jaunty tune as he vaccummed. His clean-up was a little more noticable now, but it still wasn't much compared to the entire pile.

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Mary completely shifted to her mist form, now just an imposing female face in a cloud of glowing ether.

"Keep your attacks precise, Mary," Myriad said. "One slip up and we end up forfeiting this."

Mary nodded, and opened her mouth. "Behold the Hosannah Chorus," she intoned, singing a single, steady note. A powerful wave of Sonic energy shot out of her mouth as Myriad fired beams of ectoplasmic energy from the eyes of the shell bodies facing Niri...

[Creator_Drake]

'Double crap. I'm So gonna hear it from him about letting my opponent getting the first move...' Being in her position, bracing herself between the wall and pillar near the ceiling, Niri couldn't see Myriad's attack, but she could certainly hear Mary's announcement and the single steady note. The Leviathan didn't know if the other 2 actually knew she was so high up and not hiding behind the pillar they were facing, but she knew that getting hit by that attack would not be good. Hearing the note itself was already making her feel her strength being sapped, any more and she would lose her grip.

Making a brash decision Niri decided to screw hiding if she were going to be discovered anyway. Gripping the pillar tightly she pushed off the wall, flipping around the top of the pillar, quickly changing her grip as she moved. Bracing her feet on the other side of the pillar before gravity could bring her down Niri launched herself into the air, twisting as she neared the apex of her jump. Curling into a ball she spun as gravity pulled on her, Niri dug deep as she morphed her tail mid air. She knew this was a risk but no risk no reward right?

She smirked even as she was hit by Myriad's eye beams, timing her spin to have the greatest amount of momentum.

"Take this!" Niri called out as she slammed her fully morphed tail on top of Myriad's shell...

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Myriad had seen where she was hiding, purposefully misdirecting Mary's Hosannah Chorus attack to lure Niri out. She fired ectoplasmic eyebeams as fast as she could, several striking Niri as she spun in midair. When she saw Niri's tail coming down, she tried to move out of the way, but she had made her shell too big. The physical attack hit her head on, twenty of her shell bodies shattering on impact. She staggered back, trying to quickly reform her shield.

Mary, for her part, let out a panicked "Eep!" at the success of the attack and reflexively lashed out with a far too strong Penance Gaze that went out of control, heading for Pestilence. Elohim held out her arm and took the attack for her sister, shuddering as the potent suffering quickly flashed through her system. The legendary showed no sign of pain other than a grimace and closing her eyes.

Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap... Mary thought, cursing her carelessness, grimacing as she looked over to her mother and aunt, shifting back to human form without realizing it.

[Creator_Drake]

Feeling her strength return Niri morphed her legs back quickly. She breathed deeply, transforming that quickly always took a bit out of her but the risk paid off. Scrambling to her feet she leapt atop Myraid as she tried to reform her shell; this was too good a chance to miss! Going through the hole she made, Niri landed on the real Myriad before quickly slipping her top off, making the legion's breasts bounce from the motion.

"Nice." She quipped as she leapt away, shaking off a pair of shell bodies that had grabbed her. Pumping her legs with haste she slid behind the now human Mary again, distracted by her slip. Flipping up Demi's dress Niri grabbed Mary's panties and slid them down despite the girl's protests. Niri rolled to the side as a shell body tried to tackle her, a prize in each hand. Looking at the 2 however, Niri discovered that Mary and Myriad was smack dab between her and Drake.

"Well, this'll be interesting." Meanwhile, Drake had been calmly vaccuming until Mary had fired her Penance Gaze. Blinking as he stopped moving, he took a deep breath before closing his eyes, sending feelings of calm through the bond.

"Mary, keep your focus, the game has yet to finish." He spoke calmly with warmth, eyes still closed he resumed vaccuming.

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Myriad swore angrily as Niri burst into her shell, yanking her top off before she could bring her tentacles to bear. She hugged her plushie over her chest, her top disappearing from her shell bodies as Niri slipped away, the Legion swearing up a storm. A couple shell bodies tried to grab Niri as she left the inner shell, but the Leviathan managed to slip away.

Mary cursed herself for letting her mother get hurt by her wild shot. When she heard Drake talk, she and Natsume looked at him with a start.

But... doesn't hitting someone other than Niri mean that I was disqualified? she thought to Drake. She eeped, however, when Niri grabbed her panties and yanked them off. She flashed a glare at Niri, Myriad landing next to her.

Time to try something different, Myriad thought, manifesting more and more shell bodies. I may not be able to do all the stuff Replicators can do with their clones, but damn it, if Mary and I go down, SO DOES NIRI! She seperated all her shell bodies at once and sent them after Niri, Mary firing a powerful Penance Gaze through the bodies as well...

[Creator_Drake]

Drake 'heard' the thoughts Mary sent him but remained silent, letting off on the calm feelings he was sending her as it seemed it was no longer needed.

Niri, seeing as the horde of shell bodies closed in, eepped herself. Ducking under the Penance Gaze Niri sprinted in a dead run towards Mary once more. Twisting to back-hand the first shell body th Leviathan began a series of back-flips, leaping over Mary as she did earlier, using her tail to send Mary into the horde of shell bodies. As she landed however one of the shell bodies tackled her legs, sending Niri tumbling to the ground. Hands still holding her prizes she began rolling towards Drake, doing all she could to dodge Myriad's shell bodies.

A triplet grabbed hold of her tail, breaking the Leviathan's momentum. Thinking quickly and seeing how close she was to him, Niri took both garments in one hand then tossed them towards Drake, before she was consumed by the purple dog-pile of Myriad's shell-bodies.

Time seemed to slow for the girls, and not by Chronos' doing, as the garments sailed through the air. They watched mesmerised as they began to decend, the seconds passing through an eternity, the garments splittint from one another. Time then resumed as the top landed in Drake's outstretched hand which closed into a loose fist. The Panties on the other hand, landed on Drake's head with a soft plop, making him stop his vaccuming as he looked at the garment. Closing his eyes as he released a breath through his nose, he idly turned the vaccume off for the moment as he plucked Mary's panties from his forehead. The vaccuming was just over half-way done.

Turning he address his girls.

"Alright you 3, game's over. Myriad, please let Niri up." He looked at them calmly, keeping his mind blank to not tip off anything to Mary through the bond.

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Myriad's shell bodies swarmed Niri, grabbing for her clothes. She watched in horror as Niri threw the stolen outfits sailed towards Drake. Making a lame jump, she tried to grab them out of the air, only to land on her face. When Drake caught the clothes, one with his hand, the other with his face, she cursed, thumping the ground once, and stood up, dusting herself off. She dismissed the shell bodies, going over to help Niri up.

"Not bad," she said, smiling. "Good match." She turned towards Drake, folding her arms.

Mary gulped nervously. The calm feelings being set to her helped, but she was still nervous about what she percieved her failure. Tugging at her dress, she stood near Myriad, awaiting Drake's word.

Natsume stroked her chin thoughtfully, thinking about the contest.

[Creator_Drake]

Niri gave a huff when Myriad dismissed the bodies but accepted the help up, and nodded at Myraids words. Aside from that though Niri was happy, she won! In her mind she was doing a dance at her victory, that massage was all hers! Mary and Myriad would get their chance another time. Even as she re-adjusted her top after Myriad had loosened them, it didn't take away the smile she wore as kneeled before Drake, waiting for his verdict and assesment.

Drake meanwhile had turned around to face his girls, face calm and unreadable as he leaned the vaccum against his leg. He could feel Mary's nervousness coming off her but still but still kept his mind blank. He wasn't going to reveal everything right at the get-go after all.

"Alright, overall that went pretty well, and I mean that for all 3 of you. Niri; you were able to adapt as Mary and Myriad changed tactics, thinkin on the fly. Myriad; you were the first to admit that you and Mary needed to work together in order to take Niri on and got Mary to work with you. And Mary; you were willing to work with Myriad to accomplish the assigned goal and discovered on your own a loophole of sorts in the rules, given when you took your battle forms." Niri sat a little straighter at the praise, puffing out her chest a little more for Drake's viewing pleasure... but this wasn't all.

"However-" She knew it. "-that doesn't mean there weren't mistakes as well. Mary; while changing to a battle form was smart,you charged in first thing after taking your dragon form which allowed Niri to ground you with her Water attacks. Myriad; while amassing more shell bodies for higher defence can help in some situaions it leaves you slow and vulnerable to attacks like the one Niri pulled. And Niri; you let Mary and Myriad control the pace of the game which is partly what put you in the posisitons you were in. While you did retrieve your targets the method used was risky and was not how I taught you." Niri looked away with a sheepish pout.

"You've pulled stunts like that before and crazier-"

"Because you and I both know I have the means to survive almost any situation, so I can take that risk and come out alright regarless of what happens. You on the other hand Niri, don't, which is why I've been training you as I have so you DON"T have to take the risks I do." His tone was calm and he didn't raise his voice, but his tone was enough. Niri looked at Drake a moment turning her gaze downward, giving him a nod.

Drake took a breath before placing his hands in his pockets, giving a small laid-back smile as he looked at each of the girls in turn.

"But overall you all did good although, because Niri unknowingly broke one of the rules of the game she was disquali-"

"WHAT!?! How am I disqualified?! I got you what was required AND I didn't get pinned! You didn't say I couldn't toss them to you!" Niri was flabbergasted; she had won hadn't she? HADN"T SHE?! She wraqued her brain for any clue to how she could have lost but she was coming up with nothing. Drake remained calm despite Niri's shriek of outrage, facial expression unchanged.

"I know that Niri, that wasn't the reason for you disqualification and taking out one of the very goals of the game." Niri leaned forward slamming her hands on the floor, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Then WHAT?!" Drake looked at Niri with that soft smile that would infuriate her at times.

"Guess. Take a breather to calm down, and think on it. The same goes to everyone here; what rule did Niri break that disqualified her?"

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Niri gave a huff when Myriad dismissed the bodies but accepted the help up, and nodded at Myraids words. Aside from that though Niri was happy, she won! In her mind she was doing a dance at her victory, that massage was all hers! Mary and Myriad would get their chance another time. Even as she re-adjusted her top after Myriad had loosened them, it didn't take away the smile she wore as kneeled before Drake, waiting for his verdict and assesment.

Drake meanwhile had turned around to face his girls, face calm and unreadable as he leaned the vaccum against his leg. He could feel Mary's nervousness coming off her but still but still kept his mind blank. He wasn't going to reveal everything right at the get-go after all.

"Alright, overall that went pretty well, and I mean that for all 3 of you. Niri; you were able to adapt as Mary and Myriad changed tactics, thinkin on the fly. Myriad; you were the first to admit that you and Mary needed to work together in order to take Niri on and got Mary to work with you. And Mary; you were willing to work with Myriad to accomplish the assigned goal and discovered on your own a loophole of sorts in the rules, given when you took your battle forms." Niri sat a little straighter at the praise, puffing out her chest a little more for Drake's viewing pleasure... but this wasn't all.

Myriad smirked at her own praise, holding her plushie in front of her chest. She just nodded her head, acknowledging the compliment. Mary smiled, pleased that she had managed to do something right.

"However-" She knew it. "-that doesn't mean there weren't mistakes as well. Mary; while changing to a battle form was smart,you charged in first thing after taking your dragon form which allowed Niri to ground you with her Water attacks.

Mary cringed. She was well aware that she had limited combat experience, and as she feared, it showed. She resolved to do better in the future.

Myriad; while amassing more shell bodies for higher defence can help in some situaions it leaves you slow and vulnerable to attacks like the one Niri pulled.

Myriad nodded. "Yeah. I've had that problem before, in the Anger Desert section of the Pit. Lots of mock battles there," she said, admitting her faults. Natsume's eyes widened in surprised. She had heard that the Nine-Ringed Pit was nothing more than a den of debauchery. Were there places to train in Lucifell's home?

And Niri; you let Mary and Myriad control the pace of the game which is partly what put you in the posisitons you were in. While you did retrieve your targets the method used was risky and was not how I taught you." Niri looked away with a sheepish pout.

"You've pulled stunts like that before and crazier-"

"Because you and I both know I have the means to survive almost any situation, so I can take that risk and come out alright regarless of what happens. You on the other hand Niri, don't, which is why I've been training you as I have so you DON"T have to take the risks I do." His tone was calm and he didn't raise his voice, but his tone was enough. Niri looked at Drake a moment turning her gaze downward, giving him a nod.

Drake took a breath before placing his hands in his pockets, giving a small laid-back smile as he looked at each of the girls in turn.

"But overall you all did good although, because Niri unknowingly broke one of the rules of the game she was disquali-"

"WHAT!?! How am I disqualified?! I got you what was required AND I didn't get pinned! You didn't say I couldn't toss them to you!" Niri was flabbergasted; she had won hadn't she? HADN"T SHE?! She wraqued her brain for any clue to how she could have lost but she was coming up with nothing. Drake remained calm despite Niri's shriek of outrage, facial expression unchanged.

"I know that Niri, that wasn't the reason for you disqualification and taking out one of the very goals of the game." Niri leaned forward slamming her hands on the floor, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Then WHAT?!" Drake looked at Niri with that soft smile that would infuriate her at times.

"Guess. Take a breather to calm down, and think on it. The same goes to everyone here; what rule did Niri break that disqualified her?"

Mary and Myriad looked shocked at this. Both began to think, trying to figure out what they did wrong. Natsume was the first to speak.

"The pillar," she said, making a guess. "When she hid behind it, it counted as leaving the room."

[Creator_Drake]

Looking at Natsume from the corner of his eye Drake held a small smirk.

"You're on the right track Natsume, but the pillars are part of the room so Niri's strategy in using them was legitament. Try again; think over the rules again and try to apply them." He gave a quick look to the Primes watching.

"How about you 3? Care to guess?" He knew the reason why of course but he wanted to see how far they would go. It might also help Natsume discover some of the hidden lessons within the game.

Niri on her part bit her lip as she thought. As Drake had asked she had taken a deep breath to calm herself down; she was still upset of course but the breather helped a little. When Drake commented on Natsume's guess she began thinking in earnest; the pillar! It had something to do with the pillar...

[Fanfic Fetishist]

Natsume was pleased she was on the right track, and lowered her head in thought again, as did Mary and Myriad. Mary and Myriad went over what Niri did in the fight, trying to figure out what she did wrong. Mary knew it had to have been before her Penance Gaze shot went wild and hit her mother, but what, she couldn't figure out. Myriad found herself at a loss as well.

Natsume was the first to speak again. "To admit one's failings means you are willing to learn. Drake-san, I am sorry, but I find myself at a loss. I believed I had the answer, but you pointed out its mistake."

"Yeah, I got nothing either," Myriad said, shaking her head.

Mary shook her head. "I could have sworn that I was the one disqualified. My Penance Gaze shot went wild and hit mother..."

The gathered Primes said nothing. They knew the answers, they just wanted Drake to confirm it, since it was his show.

[Creator_Drake]

He gave the girls a nod before turning to Mary.

"I may have said that you couldn't hit anyone, but I said nothing about someone taking the hit for someone else. The attack was aimed at Pestilence and had the attack hit, that would have counted for disqualification. Although, because your mother shielded Pestilence and took the attack for her, she made herself the target; I may have said hitting anyone besides Niri was against the rules but I said nothing about someone taking the hit for another. However because Niri disqualified herself before that happened Mary, you wouldn not have been penalised had the attack actually hit." Walking up to her Drake gave her a chaste kiss before placing her panties in her hand.

"Everyone starts at their own place Mary, there is nothing wrong with your level of experience. It just means we know were to start and what to focus on." He gave her a smile before kissing her again. He then made his way to Myriad and did the same for her, kissing her and handing her back her top, he did sneak in a hand to cop a feel.

He came back around and Niri a kiss herself before stepping back.

"The reason why you were disqualified Niri was because you caused damage to the room without knowing it. Myriad, if you could send a shell body to the top of the pillar Niri hid behind you should find a series of claw marks in the stone from when she swung herself around." Niri just gapped at him in surprise.

"But-How?" Drake simple tapped one of his ears while smiling.

"I told you before Niri that I have good hearing."

[Fanfic Fetishist]

He gave the girls a nod before turning to Mary.

"I may have said that you couldn't hit anyone, but I said nothing about someone taking the hit for someone else. The attack was aimed at Pestilence and had the attack hit, that would have counted for disqualification. Although, because your mother shielded Pestilence and took the attack for her, she made herself the target; I may have said hitting anyone besides Niri was against the rules but I said nothing about someone taking the hit for another. However because Niri disqualified herself before that happened Mary, you wouldn not have been penalised had the attack actually hit." Walking up to her Drake gave her a chaste kiss before placing her panties in her hand.

Mary blushed, grinning happily. She discreetly put her panties back on, and gave a grateful look for her mother. Elohim just smiled benevolently, nodding to her daughter.

Natsume seemed surprised by this, and stroked her chin thoughtfully. She gained more and more respect for Drake's wisdom every time he spoke...

"Everyone starts at their own place Mary, there is nothing wrong with your level of experience. It just means we know were to start and what to focus on." He gave her a smile before kissing her again. He then made his way to Myriad and did the same for her, kissing her and handing her back her top, he did sneak in a hand to cop a feel.

Myriad smirked a little, blushing as she put her top back on. She felt a little better about the fight now, and was glad she did as well as she did.

He came back around and gave Niri a kiss herself before stepping back.

"The reason why you were disqualified Niri was because you caused damage to the room without knowing it. Myriad, if you could send a shell body to the top of the pillar Niri hid behind you should find a series of claw marks in the stone from when she swung herself around." Niri just gapped at him in surprise.

"But-How?" Drake simple tapped one of his ears while smiling.

"I told you before Niri that I have good hearing."

Myriad blinked, sending two shell bodies up to the pillar. Natsume floated up as well to look, and gasped.

Elohim chuckled. "There was a slight crunch of stone when you launched yourself, Niri," she said. "With Mary's Hosannah Chorus active, I'm not surprised nobody heard it."

Myriad slapped herself in the forehead, chuckling. Natsume shook her head, marveling.

[Creator_Drake]

Niri looked at Drake as her lip quivered a little, before gazing down at the floor as her dorsal fin drooped. Drake looked at her with a compassionate gaze before embracing her, the Leviathan instantly wrapping her arms around his torso. She didn't start crying but Drake could feel the turmoil she felt for her failure at something so small.

"It's alright Niri, these things do happen." She gripped him tighter, pressing her bosom against his chest more.

"I know, but I was so close! If I hadn't overlooked something so small-"

"Niri, stop, there's no need to go so far. Yes it was overlooked but Niri you said it yourself, it was small and with your focus on your plan it's something that can happen to anyone, even me at times." Pulling back he cupped her chin and made her face him.

"Now come on, I wanna see my girl smiling again. Tell you what..." he came close to her ear and whispered to her, smiling. Niri blushed a deep violet but smiled nonetheless before squeeling as she picked him up, hugging him close to her body. Drake merely laughed aloud as he was lifted off his feet and returned the kiss Niri gave him with equal affection.

Letting him down Niri smiled beautifully at him and he smiled back. He then turned to Natsume as she came back.

"So, have you been able to guess the other lessons that were part of this game?"

[Fanfic Fetishist]

((Added the entries for Yami Bake Samurai and Skunk to the primary Epsilon topic.))

Natsume glanced over at Mary and Myriad, seeing the Legion and the DemiElohim talking to each other, overhearing them discussing where they went wrong in the fight. Myriad was clearly taking the lead in the discussion, Mary mainly listening, occassionally contributing her own thoughts.

She closed her eyes, thinking over everything that happened, and then spoke.

"I may be wrong... But here is what I think," she said. She pointed to Mary and Myriad. "The first lesson was teamwork. The Legion was the first to realize this, and start coordinating the attacks." Natsume shrugged. "Fairly obvious, but the lesson was there. The second lesson, I believe, was precision. DemiElohims are powerful, and Legions can attack in all directions, but you gave the directive to not damage the surrounding area or any of the spectators. The three of them needed to be very precise and controlled in their attacks, or they would be eliminated from the competition." The Yami Bake Samurai folded her arms thoughtfully. "The last lesson... It took me until you chided Niri for her mistake to realize it, and I may be wrong... but I believe the final lesson was to maintain total awareness of your surroundings. If Niri had been watching herself better, she might not have damaged the pillar. Plus, the three of them had to remain within the borders of the room."

Natsume nodded. "Yes. I believe that is what the lessons were meant to be. However, if I am mistaken, then I will accept that and learn from it."

[Creator_Drake]

(and I have read both, well done)

Drake listened pensively as Natsume spoke, eyes closed while idly stroking his chin. When she finished he was silent for a time as a smile slowly grew, nodding to himself as a bright chuckle erupted from his mouth.

"Hmm, teamwork, precision, awarness; yes, they are all lessons I was striving to teach. Well done, Natsume although, I never said they were to be in any particular order. Nonetheless you have completed the challenge I set forth, with each lesson named integral to the lives we live. To work together and compliment one another, covering each others weaknesses and moving as a well-oiled machine, teamwork is crucial as we venture in this dangerous world for without teamwork we share no bonds with other people and will have no one to call upon when we need them most." Opening his eyes Drake held Natsume's gaze with his own, his eyes cradeling her attention and focus.

"Precision; to land attacks with accuracy, to have control over the power you hold, for the more control one can weild the more power an attack can hold without waste. As you yourself said, 'Maidens like Mary and Myriad hold power and versatility yet without precision their attacks do nothing more than waste energy. And this precision must be held regardless of situation, you can't always wait for your opponent to put themselves on the traditional playing field, nor can you afford the time needed to reorient yourself if your perception has changed." He stood a little straighter, Niri subconsciously doing the same as she watched, knowing what he spoke of but listening nonetheless.

"Then there is awareness; to know of what goes on around you while you focus on any particular task, a lesson that is difficult for some and hard for many to master. To be aware of what your opponent might be planning, their position as well as your own on the field, the emotional states of everyone involved, there are many aspects that must be taken into account and I will be the first to admit that it can be very difficult for some to learn this, and harder for many to master, but it is doable." He gave a slow nod to himself before turning back to the pile of debrie he still had yet to finish cleaning up. Starting the vac he moved it in one hand while the other was placed in his pocket.

"So, as promised you will recieve your reward, perhaps later today I imagine. Now, just because I asked for 3 lessons doesn't those were the only ones to be found. In particular there is one lesson that in some cases has a deeper importance than teamwork, precision and awareness combined. You witnessed it in the way Niri acted through the game, when Mary discovered the loophole and when Myriad changed tactics." He turned the vaccuum so he could clean the area past the Yami-Bake Samurai.

"It's something that's integral in every situation you find yourself in and can help you no matter the circumstances. The question is..." He brought himself closer so he could lean towards her ear. "...can you guess what it is, Nat-su-me-chan?~" His voice had turned into a hushed whisper, a deep tone that implied many things but specified nothing...

[Fanfic Fetishist]

When Drake spoke, Natsume allowed herself a small grin. She was glad that she had guessed the lessons learned, and approved of the thought. They were all important ones, indeed. His explanations made sense to her, and were well explained. She liked him more and more, and hoped that he'd allow her to go with him on his journeys. More and more she felt that she could achieve her destiny under his teaching...

And at the mention of reward, she remembered what Niri had said earlier about his massages, blushing brightly. She giggled briefly for a momoent. She mentioned another lesson, and gave the examples. She began to think of the other lesson, trying not to let her mind drift to the reward. The enticing whisper didn't help her focus.

But then she realized what the fourth lesson. "...Adaption. To be able to adjust to any changes in the battlefield, and alter your tactics accordingly," she said softly. "Teamwork, precision, awareness, and adaption. Those are the lessons."

Pestilence stroked her chin thoughtfully. "You and War will get along famously, I think," she said to Drake.