[Event] It couldn't last forever.

[helpusduelist]

[The lights going out had certainly surprised Henry, but he had been prepared for such a thing. He didn't fully understand the "electricity" that this place seemed to have, and thus, lacking that understanding, he had decided to prepare in case it disappeared.

Just like it had now.

Candles in that old-style holder and lit, Henry at least had some visibility despite the pressing darkness. Making sure to store away the others (at least after making sure Eleanor and Jack had ones themselves) he's started off into the Campus, looking for anyone lost in this darkness to help them find their way back to their dorms, or wherever else it was they wanted to go.]

Comments

[helpusduelist]

Why is that?

[...and suddenly, Henry shifts his shoulder a bit, glancing over to give the building a skeptical look.]

...

[SIGH.]

Harriet and Jack are fighting again.

[fluffydeathdealer]

You can't mother them forever. Leave the children to themselves.

[It's utterly deadpan.]

[helpusduelist]

The problem in this case is that if I try to leave them to themselves, I'll come back to one having eaten the other. And I have no idea which will be in what position.

[He rubs his face a bit, sighing.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Let them sort it out on their own. If they end up eaten, it's their own fault, and they'll come back anyway.

[helpusduelist]

[...You know what, he's not even going to try to explain this. He's just going to lean back against the log and cross one leg over the other and close his eyes again.

Sigh... the two of you.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

If you want to go check on them, I can hardly stop you. But, I might stay here for a while.

[helpusduelist]

You're right, in a way. They'll have to have it out eventually, I might as well let it happen. If they're going to make peace between each other, it's only going to be without my interference.

[fluffydeathdealer]

Honestly... a King really is the most powerless of all beings. Heheheh...

[helpusduelist]

Ironic, isn't it? All I can really do is try to put things in motion, I often can't ensure they're done with my own hands.

[fluffydeathdealer]

It sounds like a hard life. Maybe I should take you home after all... Hmhmhmhm...

[helpusduelist]

[That gets a laugh, of all things.]

You're welcome to try, but I warn you, I'm not a simple tame dog.

[fluffydeathdealer]

[He grins broadly.]

That's fine! I'll just seal you into something that can't bite and keep you safe.

[helpusduelist]

[Instantly, Henry's body shifts subtly. Bakura might not pick up on the cues, but it's the difference between a soldier relaxing cautiously and one completely alert. Not entirely obvious... but enough for those who know how to look for it.]

Seal me into something, eh? That's an interesting choice of words.

[His voice is calm and almost casual, but he's paying full attention to everything Bakura has to say now. He has a very bad feeling about this.]

1/2

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Bakura's mentioned it easily enough to people before. Why should he hold it back now? Sitting back, he stares into the flames with a grin.]

That's right... you don't know. I'm not just a Millennium Item Collector...

[His lips twitch slightly.]

But I told you when we made our deal, right? If Ryou dies because of you, then I'm taking your soul. Did you think I was joking?

2/2

[fluffydeathdealer]

Here!

[Drawing the dice out of his pocket, he tosses them over so they land on the ground near Henry.]

You guys have special powers, right? What do you feel from those?

[He wants to know. Can Henry feel the small piece of Bakura in those things?]

[helpusduelist]

I thought you were fully serious. But that doesn't mean that I knew how you intended to do such a thing.

[Henry eyes the dice, then reaches over and picks them up carefully. Immediately, the Dark Magician is hissing warnings in his head, about there being something very wrong with them. Henry questions him about specifics, and after a moment of the spellcasters chittering, they all chime in with the same answer.]

I feel you mixed with a darkness that's rather uncomfortable to me.

[fluffydeathdealer]

That's one of my special abilities. 'Parasite Mind'. That soul fragment of mine is a remnant from a by-gone time. The most it can do is manipulate the dice themselves.

The other one you might find more interesting. Parasite Mind is a complement to the 'Soul-Body Transfer' that allows me to remove the souls from bodies and transfer them to other hosts. It's my special punishment!

[Of course, he isn't going to mention the difference between the two. Parasite Mind can be used freely.

The Soul-Body Transfer requires a game to be in play.]

[helpusduelist]

[Henry's fingers play with the dice lightly. He's tempted to let the Dark Magician do what he wants and try to break whatever's in these things, because that is a very unnerving idea, but shakes his head after a moment. That would likely not go over well.]

I'll remember to bring my own dice to any games we play.

[He tosses them back over, his eyes glimmering dangerously.]

So what's the catch to that Soul-Body Transfer of yours?

[fluffydeathdealer]

Catch? Why would you think there's a catch?

[His voice is low and dangerous, an amused smile twitching at the corner of his lips. He catches them with ease, tossing them lightly in his hand. Part of him wonders if he can even return those fragments to his soul any more. They might as well be dead.]

[helpusduelist]

Because you're not a fool and not the type to hold back when you're about to die. If there was no catch, you would have used it against Malik instead of coming to us. Or, if you couldn't because of that Item, then you would have used it when Rosenkreuz was trying to take your head off. Wouldn't you?

[fluffydeathdealer]

Keh-!

[He tosses his head, his hair just barely missing the fire, and immediately moves back a short way to make sure that he doesn't accidentally set himself on fire.

That would be such a bitch to deal with.

Scoffing, he folds his arms over his chest and draws his knees up again.]

You see too much...

[It's agreement, despite his grouchiness.]

[helpusduelist]

I am a king.

[He continues.]

As for actually telling me... you did say you would answer any questions I had for you, didn't you? And leveling the playing field by giving us information on your skills would go a long way to making our side more comfortable and would be quite a bit of evidence for your desire to keep peace between you two and us. Keeping peace between us means that there's less conflict and no one is getting stabbed again.

[And by "no one," he means "you two."]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[He senses that quiet undercurrent of 'you two are dead if you fuck with us'. But fine, then. This isn't a battlefield and he doesn't care to ruin things right now. Besides... isn't it more fun if the other person agrees to the highest of stakes?]

Tch... Fine then! While I can fuse part of my soul at any time... To transfer others, there's a caveat.

That Soul-Body Transfer is a 'penalty game' ability. To use it, the target needs to have either lost a game or been rendered unable to play after agreeing to join it. Technically, any competitive activity counts as a game as long as it's acknowledged as one... But it still requires that victory.

[helpusduelist]

Interesting... So, then, how had you intended to take my soul if I refused the game?

[It's nothing more than a curiosity question. Henry had made the deal, so if Ryou died under his protection and Bakura came back for the game, he wouldn't have turned it down. He's just genuinely wondering.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

You agreed to the terms. Are you telling me you'd back out?

[It's a simple answer from a simple mind. The idea of someone refusing to fulfil that agreement is ridiculous.]