Chapter 337: Competing Flames

As Kat was patting Kamiko on the head, the shorter succubus released a content sigh, before leaning in to hug Kat. Kat for her part, also let out a sigh, but one filled with semi-reluctant acceptance. It would seem, that instead of a partner for the task, she had picked up another little sister somehow. The constant flashes of a pouting Sylvie in her mind imploring her to take good care of the girl didn't help… because the first one was more than enough for Kat to accept her fate.

"Is there anything else to go over?" asked Kat

"Hmmrh?" mumbled Kamiko

"I think I've gone through all of the abilities unique to me. What about you?" asked Kat

"Um, yeah I have as well…" said Kamiko "Um, I guess there is just your demonic flame and aura if either of them have any weird effects…"

Kat groaned internally. *Weird effects are basically my life.* "Yeah, both of mine fit under that category."

Kamiko turned her eyes towards Kat, and Kat was certain they were larger as they gazed up at her with hope. "Really?" asked Kamiko, putting a shocking amount of weight into the question.

Kat continued patter her head. "You know none of us can lie right?" asked Kat.

"Well… yeah but… my parents really needed to help me with that, a lot of people aren't as honest as me despite that fact and I was tricked quite a few times by creative wording. I just had to make sure you know? I mean… not that I don't trust you of course it's just… um… I also have strange effects on my aura and demonic fire…

"The fire one isn't so rare, it's cold instead of hot, but it's still really unusual. Nobody else in my family has that power and I can't really practice it with them because they don't have my cold resistance so it's actually really dangerous to test it with them you know? I mean… I tried to practice when I can but yeah… and they can't even really show me because the heat gets to me really quite fast so…

"We just sort of have to awkwardly try to balance the temperature in the room, which is horrible because I don't really have the control for it and neither does my sister so it has to be my parents and they are rather busy so… yeah"

Kat's hand froze on Kamiko's head. "Um… I'm sorry" said Kamiko after a few seconds of silence.

"Oh, no, no I'm sorry you didn't do anything wrong… it's just… I'm a bit confused" said Kat

Kamiko tilted her head to the side bringing Kat's hand with her a bit. "Well, see, actually I have cold fire as well… but I also know I have resistance to heat"

"Really?" said Kamiko, confusion leaking into her voice "I'm not sure I've heard about that…"

"Well, I can prove part of it" said Kat, summoning a small ember of purple fire and moving it towards Kamiko, inviting her to make her own judgement. Kamiko raised her hand slowly, but with a confident set to her face. It looked rather adorable, but her shaking hand made Kat feel kind of bad for some reason. As Kamiko's hand touched Kat's flame she held it there for a few moments.

"Can you turn it up a little?" asked Kamiko

Kat nodded, and pushed more power into it until the flame engulfed all of Kamiko's hand. "Hmm, yeah I can feel the cold. It's nothing major to me. I'm sure you can make it colder of course but… yeah I don't see why you'd have any heat resistance when you clearly have cold fire like me…

"I mean, I guess it's possible but I wonder if it has something to do with your fire, or maybe your race? I mean it's clear that you aren't quite a normal succubus, or maybe I'm not? Either way, you aren't quite the same mix as me, we have enough major differences to make that clear…

"On the other hand, it might just be another one of your abilities? I don't know if I've ever heard of someone just having resistance to both hot and cold though, that's rather unusual? Or is it… I guess I never really asked because everyone I know has hot fire and the corresponding immunity…"

"Kamiko" said Kat, but there was no response, and Kamiko continued to speak.

"Am I the weird one then? Maybe it's stranger that I have cold fire and no heat resistance. I mean, everyone I know has it, but… they also have fire that burns you so I just don't know what is actually the outlier…"

"Kamiko!" said Kat, dismissing the flame as she did so.

"Oh" said Kamiko snapping out of her rant. "Um… sorry? I… I just get really excited you know? I didn't mean to ramble so much… sorry" Kamiko was practically wilting before Kat's eyes and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

*I just wanted her to stop thinking that she's the weird one. I had a feeling she was going to go down that route and start insulting herself, she does it shockingly frequently for such a cheery girl.* 

"Hey, it's ok. I just didn't want you to berate yourself. Please don't feel bad. I wasn't trying to stop you speaking just… not bad things about yourself" said Kat

"Ok!" said Kamiko saluting towards Kat. *Why does she know how to salute? Is this just a universal thing?* "Sorry about being a downer. I don't normally get caught in a downward spiral like that I just got a little downhearted about my fire. It's a major hang up because I can neither practice nor control it"

Kat nodded. "I understand. I don't really know what I'm doing either, and my practices were few and far between really. What… um what colour is your fire by the way?"

Kamiko smiled and summoned forth a soft pink flame. It was lighter than her hair by a significant margin. It looked like those pale pink roses that have just the slightest dash of colour in them preventing them from being white. Kat smiled as well "It's a beautiful flame Kamiko"

Kamiko blushed and shifted but kept her smile. "Nah, mine is nothing special really, it's still a red derivative and it's so close to white because of my frost affinity. It's not as cool looking as your powerful purple fire. I mean sure technically it's still a red derivative but really everything is more or less, and it's such a deep colour"

As Kamiko gushed Kat enhanced her eyes. Kamiko had yet dismiss her flame, and Kat looked at the details. Nothing she could see made her feel like it was less 'full' of a colour. There was a slight difference in colour between the base and the edges, as if the pink bled of slightly towards the edges, but as Kat put her hand in it and carefully moved it around, she could feel no difference in temperature.

*Which… honestly isn't that glowing of a recommendation considering I hardly feel temperature differences anymore but… hmm, I don't actually know if there is a difference in my own either… it's not like I can test it really. I can't feel my own flame and I don't feel very comfortable asking my friends to feel the difference.*

"As I already said. I think your flame is a lovely colour. A bit like fresh roses" said Kat

"What's a rose? I mean… I get from the translation that it's a plant of some kind, and I can like… almost get a picture of it in my head but not quite, because it sounds like it's a cross between two others sort of, when I hear it… if that makes sense?" said Kamiko with a pout.

Kat just shook her head. "Sorry I don't really know why that is the case. They are a very nice flower from my home dimension"

"Huh, I didn't know you lived outside the Hub. That's a bit unusual is it n- oh…" Kamiko trailed of slightly.

"What's wrong?" asked Kat

"D.E.M.O.N.S told me not to ask about it. Which… is a little weird not going to lie… but I guess that's just how it is if you live outside the hubs? I bet that means it's somewhere really cool with all sorts of neat things" said Kamiko happily.

*Well, I think Earth is pretty normal but… maybe it would be cool? I mean… do these guys have projectors? Entertainment? Surely, they must… then again, I haven't exactly looked around and whose department would that be anyway?

Maybe it's a mix? Or Greed just sells whatever stories looks good? I never really thought about what they do for entertainment? Is that horrible of me? Should I ask Kamiko? Would that be a really stupid question?* Kat bit her lip slightly as she considered the question, and debated asking.