"Not permanently," he echoed in agreement, because he was sure that her choice of wording was intentionally leaving the very large loophole of temporarily with her full awareness.

With the rest of the house empty of its other residents, Bakura left the Ring where it was on the table as he followed Pepper to the living room. It was a guilty relief, being able to temporarily separate from Zorc's oppressive presence within it. He could still sense the demon, since the creature was not wholly bound in the Ring alone, but it did change the dynamic.

The ghosts hissed irritably at him for it, angry pinpricks of that resentment digging at him as tangibly as the sharp gold spires... but then it abated as well. They didn't like Zorc any more than he did. They understood the concept of Zorc being the necessary evil.

"That sounds like the setup for a high stakes game," he scoffed.