[Kristen]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

Yes, and see how far he got And she would likely have the same fate. Keep in mind that Pheles is weak when compared to the absurd entities that make up the Guze no Ou that our local Flame Haze share. I think its safe to assume that the power of the Tomogara contracted is directly proportional to the power of Flame Haze. Given what they are fighting against, Kazumi would be squished like a bug, even if she manages to fire of a spell by accident. It seems even Shana / Margery/ Wil can't stand up to the leaders of Ball Masque one on one. What on earth would Kazumi do there.

Kazumi is not a fighter, never was and never will be, unless she sees Yuuji mutilated in front of her - she might start wishing for revenge then ... until that happens, i can't see any power she would possessed anything else than wasted, unless we are talking healing or something of the sort. The typical backup character in RPGs, whom everyone fights tooth and nail to protect and that dies as soon as enemy bothers to look at it.

Keep in mind that the problem with that kid was that he was too immature and rushed into the battle, getting killed in the crossfire. He did manage to kill that clock Tomogara.
I don't think that it's fair at all to judge Kazumi's potential based off of her present power at all. Everyone else is weak before contracting. Look at Shana. She couldn't lay a single hit on that tomogara and eventually needed to use cunning to hit it. She couldn't rely on her skills.
And Kazumi has a fine fighting spirit. She stood up to Shana in the battle of war, knowing full well that Shana has a sword and could kill her easily. Love is a battlefield.

Currently Pheles is concerned about one thing - the task Johan entrusted to her before she left, which was something she couldn't tell Shana and co. And i will bet you a cookie it wasn't to seek a contract with Kazumi. Also, agreeing not to eat humans while she was with Johan does not mean she actually cares about the balance. And if she really wanted to hunt other Tomogaras, she alone would be far more effective then when joined with Kazumi. There is no benefit (that i would know of) in a contract for Tomogara that is weak enough to reside in this world on its own without disturbing it.

The benefit in a contract is the lack of need to feed yourself power of existance. You just devour one person, and you're set to go. There also could be hidden benefits revealed. Like, all Tomogara seem to be focused on one style of fighting or another, and have certain abilities and weaknesses. Could becoming a flame haze destroy those weaknesses?
And no, I think as a Tomogara, Pheles doesn't care about the balance at all. But as a lover, she really wants to listen to Johan's desires. That's why she stopped trying to pull him out, that's why she killed him so he could become a mystes, that's why she journeyed with Wilhelemina. Johan desired balance, I pretty sure.

I feel you are assigning too much desperation to linger near Johan to Pheles. She may well be "desperate" to meet him again, but i can't picture her ever wanting something as superficial of a solution as you proposed. You seem to sugar-coat and simply the whole deal a lot, in my humble opinion (Both regarding Pheles wishes and Kazumi's prospects as a flame haze).

I probably am sugar coating it a lot. After all, I really don't think this is going to end up happening. I just think it is a possible route to a true and happy end (At least in my mind).

And since Pheles is weaker than whatever Guze no Ou had contracted that kid ...

Not necessarily. It is quite possible that the Lord of Guze that contracted her was not interested in becoming a Tomogara. After all, to just be born in the world should require a tremendous amount of POE for any Tomogara, and then they have to maintain their existance.