Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

As she left the water, Charles took note of her hair. What he said specifically was it was exciting? That was a strange word to choose, of this Angelica was certain. Even so the hairstyle itself was one she'd come to like quite a bit and as it was naturally curly this style was one of the best she'd ever experienced. "Really, thanks, I think..." she said accepting the compliment at face value. "I used to think it was pretty boring or maybe childish, but I like it this way..." she mused. The curls themselves seemed to be almost naturally occuring the longer her hair got, tightening up so that it wouldn't drag the floor, though she still found herself playing with the curls themselves from time to time. Once upon a time, a night had been spent braiding it long so it could be measured, while Jeanne told her stories of how she and her sisters did each others' hair most days as they couldn't be bothered with their own heads.

Still the moved on and lunch was upon them. In a moment so relaxed as this, Angelica suffered quite the mishap, she approached a freshly cooked fish with too much enthusiasm and was forced into the slow cooling mouth process of breathing with something burning her tongue. All the while, Charles laughed at her but in a way that she took as uniquely good natured. "Ha...ha...ha..." she mumbled out having cooled the food enough to chew and swallow, she heard out Charles words and found him to be in a rather good humor. He even called her cute, she blushed. How could she not. She managed to look away with her nose turned up in the air. "Obviously, it was a matter of curiosity, Chuck. I wanted to try something new!" she claimed as if it was a perfectly good explanation, but it was mostly just her trying to cover a bit of her more rushed actions. She'd obviously gotten caught up in the moment a bit. "It is good though... just really hot!"

[Bloodedge]

"Childish?" Charlemagne questioned. To think of something like a hairstyle as childish was, while not a new concept to him, a little strange. Hair was far from what made one childish, and those giant spirals were far from boring as well. "It's definitely not boring, and what makes a hairstyle 'childish' anyway? I'd associate that hairstyle with you alone long before I thought of it as something a kid would wear. You've kinda made it your own thing. Besides, I can't imagine it being straightened in any way. . ." The more he thought about the ridiculousness of Angelica's hair, the more he imagined never seeing the end of it if it were uncurled. He'd pay a hefty sum just to find out exactly how long it was, actually. "Hmm. . ."

Charlemagne's random hair-ogling aside, there was a very important and hilariously overzealous consumption of fish occurring. With all the work he'd been doing, Charlemagne hadn't experienced a laugh so thorough in literal years. Angelica tried to play off the situation as a matter of curiosity, which she couldn't really be blamed for either way. "Yeah, I get it. I mean... it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more conservative, but... I get it. Glad you like it regardless! Your tongue still work?" he questioned, finally calming down from the laughter and leaning in various directions as if to get a glimpse of Angelica's tongue.

[Apollymi]

Apparently Charles thought to question the childishness of her hairstyle. It was one more commonly seen on children and curly hair tended to lean towards more immature faces and bodies. Much like pigtails it wasn't considered something which could be pulled off by mature individuals. He claimed he only truly associated the style with her and he didn't think it boring. "Thanks, I guess it's childish because it seems like the sort of things only kids get away with. Or maybe more like the kind of thing adults would force onto a kid and then call immature as they got older? I thought maybe I'd been clinging to it a bit but I think it suits me. It was braided before.... and long enough to wear like a scarf to keep it from dragging the floor," she expressed of it straight. It hadn't been that since but it was rather fun indeed at the time. Her face was still rather red and it was completely Charles' fault for being so sweet about something as simple as her choice in hairstyle.

As for the matter of her overzealous consumption of hot fish, Angelica could see the future humor in the situation. Charles words about it lightened the mood quite a bit and beyond that he seemed so genuinely happy in the moment she couldn't have taken that from him. Instead she played along seeming to take his advice. "Of course, Charlie. I am the epitome of caution," she claimed while sticking her tongue out for inspection. "I'm pretty sure it's fine... it only feels a little weird. I'll have another bite in a bit," she claimed.

[Bloodedge]

As for the alleged childishness of Angelica's hairstyle, Charlemagne didn't believe it was worth any additional thought. It worked, so she should keep it. Charlemagne could hardly imagine it in any other style, but lo, Angelica claimed she once had it braided and... used as a scarf? The mental image of such a thing was nonexistent, yet somehow intriguing as an idea. "Huh. I'd pay to see that too," he commented, failing to realize a slight verbal leak from his earlier train of thought.

While rolling with the humor of her minor mishap, Angelica claimed to be the epitome of caution. Alright, that was normal. What wasn't normal at all, was the sudden extension of her tongue. Nothing was off about the action, nor were there any implications to it, yet Charlemagne was taken aback for reasons he didn't previously expect. Another thought was worth silencing, apparently. "Um... yeah. Looks fine. Holy Princess, mouth closed, good idea," he rambled. At this point, Charlemagne was sure he'd be avoiding a third mug of beer; the second one was obviously affecting his brain in a way he'd rather avoid.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, he'd pay to see the braided hairstyle she mentioned, but in addition to something else. She didn't know what he was talking about but assumed he'd mentioned a partial thought he'd not shared fully before. "Oh? Really? It seems a bit extreme to me, but you'd have to find me someone else willing to braid it and those people are few and far between," she said with a firm nod. Jeanne had been a very special kind of person, and she doubted others would feel inclined to do such random and girly things without prompting.

Whatever the case, she rolled with the humor of the moment, showing her tongue even for good measure. Strangely, Charles seemed to be spacing out a bit and doing some strange amount of rambling. This wasn't totally abnormal for him, though such behavior always seemed to occur when he was thinking too much about some random thing or another. "Maybe you should eat Chuck, you seem a bit spaced out..." she mentioned. Of course that could be taken a ton of ways but she meant it totally innocently. "Surely an experienced adventurer like yourself can manage it without nearly burning off your tongue~" she teased just a tad. She saw nothing wrong with his words and thus didn't feel the need to call him on them. They weren't that abnormal to her.

[Bloodedge]

And so, a dream was deterred. The person who once braided all that hair was surely Jeanne d'Arc, considering the hairstyles typically found in that strange family. Only one hailed as the Queen of Saints could have the patience to do all of that; he'd never find anyone else both willing and capable to do it. "Ugh. Way to tell me it's something I'll never see, Angie. You're a terrible dream supporter," he complained.

Spaced-out was one way to describe Charlemagne's current predicament, he supposed. If nothing else, it was a surefire way to avoid the actual issue. He didn't think anything off about being urged to eat; in fact, he thought it to be a good idea. Charlemagne was no heavyweight drinker. A few bites would probably help the beer settle or... something. "Yeah. I should probably just do that," he said while reaching out to take the stick from Angelica's hand. She was right in assuming he could take a bite without burning his tongue, if only due to burning his tongue a thousand times before. To do so, he first had to prepare. The once-bitten fish was hovering in front of Charlemagne's face as his lips puckered to blow. Slowly but consistently, his breath caressed the steaming piscine creature to cool it gently over several moments. By the time he took a bite right next to the opening created by Angelica, it was hot, but not burning─ just as he preferred. "Hmm. That should be better. That's caution at work," he said, offering the fish once more.

[Apollymi]

"Really? I didn't think it was that much terrible news..." she said seeming not to understand why he thought it was something which couldn't ever happen. As far as Angelica understood her current life situation, eventually she'd be able to leave this place and perhaps hang out with Jeanne again. If that happened, she'd likely braid her hair for her again among other things...

Whatever other things, she needed Jeanne for, one of them was definitely explaining something to her. Of course, it had mostly to do with her current level of interaction with this young man. Right here and now she watched as he went about eating this particular kind of fish with a strange amount of care. Actually she watched as he pursed his lips and blew gently on the fish. There was nothing in this action, it wasn't sexual in the least, but she was certain she shouldn't be watching him as intently as she currently was. Her brain had begun to wander around the softness of those lips and the sensation of that same kind of breeze across her skin she wasn't even sure entirely where she wished to feel it, but she was quite certain it'd be pleasant. Ah. She was still staring and quite silent. She should probably say something, about the time she noticed she did the only thing she could, she accepted the fish back and prepared to take another bite. "Show off," she murmured mostly to save face. She'd immediately begin blowing on a different spot near by to try this supposed action.

Her lips pursed only after her tongue gently traveled over them. A breeze left her lips innocently as she gave a few seconds worth of breath under the hopes of cooling the fish to a more appropriate temperature. Of course, she could only test it one way, with a gentle bite. Her mouth opened, her perfect teeth showed and then sank into the flesh of this creature pulling away an appropriate bite size only to manage to get it into her mouth without literally setting it on fire. This time around she could at least taste the food properly and she took no issue. "Caution is pretty good," she said after she finished chewing. She offered the fish back to him and they could continue to eat.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course you didn't. Stay innocent, Angie," he insisted. Wherever Jeanne d'Arc was, he believed she could be no friend of Aincrad's residents even if Father An had somehow been wrong about her apparent heresy. Little did Charlemagne know, he should have given advice such as 'stay innocent' in a more serious manner, and long before he did. Why? Well he wasn't aware of how she received his act of cooling the fish, but he would soon be aware of how he saw it from the other side. . .

Angelica called him a show-off. That wasn't unusual at all; she'd always been the type that would huff in moments like that. What was unusual, was... well, a growing list of occurrences around Angelica since they met this day. Here and now, he watched her blow on the fish just as he'd done. Alas, it wasn't a fish he saw, but something he shouldn't have been seeing at all. Why was such a simple act as blowing so very sensual? Why was he thinking this way again? Charlemagne was ignorant of the fact that something unusual may have been happening to him on a spiritual level, but maybe that had little to do with it anyway. His stare was brazen and nigh-endless, lingering on the blonde's mouth even while she offered him the fish once more. "Uh..." he muttered. Snapping back to reality, Charlemagne found a finger pointing at the corner of his own mouth, just below the bottom lip. "You've got a little um..." The statement didn't need finishing. He intended to point out a speck of food residue on Angelica's face. Of course, he also intended to look away, but that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. No, he was going to take the fish and bite directly into it, not once looking away despite knowing he very much should.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, Angelica should stay innocent. She didn't think she'd delivered him bad news, and had no idea what Jeanne would be like upon meeting her again. Of course, she held firm in her belief that the girl herself wouldn't really change. Her base personality was too kind and her mana always felt far too pure even to Angelica for her to think anything could have actually corrupted the lass. She knew she'd been called a heretic but she didn't find out about that until after she was gone. She'd gone quite a while without talking to her father after that, feeling rather strongly that he'd been mistaken. She planned to take it upon herself to apologize to Jeanne whenever she saw the girl again, but much to her own chagrin she'd never come back. "Bleh," she managed. She didn't know what she thought about maintaining innocence in social situations, but she knew she wasn't really maintaining any here.

No, she'd watched this man blow on his food and hadn't known what to think about it. Perhaps they should have had more open conversations between them? They were doing very similar things and it should likely be considered odd between the pair of them. Neither of them had shown as much of this problematic interest in the opposite sex as they were currently showing each other right just now. Whatever the case, she managed to get through her bite without incident or so she thought. Apparently given Charles words and gestures she managed to actually get food on her face like a child. She huffed again, this time mirroring his finger point to his face and finding a bit of fish there. She'd drag it up to her mouth and eat it as well just a moment of mere microseconds did her finger have contact with her pursed lips and open mouth. It disappeared by the tip only to reemerge cleaned of the resident fish pieces. "Well it isn't my fault. It was good..." she finally managed. Such an innocent statement, nothing was truly meant by any of her actions but she couldn't know the effects of them.

[Bloodedge]

Hell. Without a shadow of a doubt, Hell was to be the final resting place of Charlemagne. All along, he'd known he should be looking away after pointing out that fish on Angelica's face. Even while biting into the fish again himself, he stared unabashedly as the most perverted thing of all time happened right before his eyes. He saw it, he studied it, and he... liked it. He wasn't supposed to like it. It was just a finger sliding casually between lips that looked to be cloudlike in texture. Wait, he shouldn't have thought that either! Worst of all, he shouldn't have that sinful feeling appear in his swim trunks.

Of course, Angelica had to top it all off with an unnecessary statement. It was good, she said after doing something so incredibly suggestive. That tingle he felt was suddenly something far more powerful and... frightening. "... Yep. Fish is good. Too good," he stated nervously, shoving the remaining fish in Angelica's direction. He had to run away, and there was no time to explain why. As such, an immediate sprint carried Charlemagne into the tent before he managed to... pitch a second tent, so to speak. Diving and falling inside, Charlemagne rolled into a seated position and proceeded to furiously press down against his own groin. Something really had to be done about that thing and its insolent sinning.

[Apollymi]

Whatever strangeness occurred for Charles, Angelica managed to let go of her own obsession briefly enough to just enjoy the food. Of course, she couldn't be blamed for what happened next, including the lad before her taking his bite but then giving her the fish and running off into his tent. That was strange. Angelica would take another bite, blowing on it gently but at least acknowledging the strangeness of this situation. "Chuck, are you okay?" she asked of the lad as she went on to take her bite and wait for his answer. Of course she seemed to be enjoying herself but this lad had been on edge since she'd told him about their future marriage. Perhaps it was too much to spring on an individual or perhaps he was having strange feelings and didn't know how to deal with them. She knew she was experiencing a similar problem at least.

Angelica would remain confused for a second or two, depending on the answer she receieved she might be heading over to the tent to check in on Charles. Of course, he seemed like he wouldn't really want help if he wasn't doing anything truly important. Perhaps he thought he'd missed some cool mark, or got some food stuck in his teeth or something. That seemed pretty reasonable given the lad's rather sudden exit and his love of being 'cool'. She could see him running off to avoid appearing uncool, though now that she was thinking about it, running off at random was a bit startling, definitely not whatever cool was supposed to be.

[Bloodedge]

There was certainly no coolness to what Charlemagne was doing at present, but he couldn't let himself care about that at the time either. He didn't have anything stuck in his teeth. He didn't think he'd missed an opportunity to be cool. He thought a thousand things that immediately shot from brain to crotch, providing all of his body's energy to the latter. This was officially the third time today, and he refused to let himself succumb to the treachery of his own hormones. Why were they even active so suddenly? He'd seen Angelica a hundred times, and nothing was unusual about their interactions today. Nothing had changed about her either, at least in terms of what he could see. What else could be a factor?

Whatever it was, it was a mighty force indeed. So mighty in fact, that he couldn't fight it; running was the only option. Sadly, he could only run so far... and that running would leave him offering no response when Angelica questioned his wellness. Too much focus was being used in a desperate, foolish attempt to push down an erection. Just like that, all the thoughts Charlemagne managed to escape today rushed back furiously, the old joining the new in an unstoppable medley of sin. "Go down, go down, go down, go down!" he chanted in repeated murmurs, still pushing away as if that would ever help.

[Apollymi]

Ah the simplistic ideas that Angelica had within her mind weren't at all what was going on with Charles. He hadn't even answered her back. She decided to give it a few moments while staring over at the tent and taking a few more bites of fish. She'd chew and look over ear most focused, but there were no words. Her chewing and swallowing and biting would eventually come to a gentle pause. She'd place the fish near the fire but not over it, to keep it warm on its stick while she chewed the rest she'd eaten and make sure she cleaned off her face.

She stood then and began walking over to the tent genuinely worried about the lad given his rather abrupt exit. "Chuck, you're not answering me and if I'm being honest here I am starting to worry," she said as she approached the tent. Still, it was a shut in space, and she wasn't completely brash, she wouldn't just enter in case he wasn't decent. Though she'd easily gotten naked in front of him, she wouldn't want to embarrass him if he was changing. "Seriously, are you okay?" she asked from outside. She knew she wasn't the only person with problems and that she wasn't the only one of the pair who didn't truly understand how to approach their current predicament, still... she didn't mean to upset him at all.

[Bloodedge]

In going from Charles to Charlemagne, he'd become touted as one with an iron will. Conquering the Labyrinth had to require something along those lines, right? Wrong! That had to be some cruel, in-advance joke of the universe, as the only thing similar to iron on him currently was his irritable prick. He even knew pressing down on it would do the exact opposite of help, but it was a desperate reaction, and once he started doing it... it was difficult to stop. Simply put, it was... pleasant.

Now, where Charlemagne's brain resided presently was rather clear; it could be found in his swim trunks. Not being in his head, however, would work to his detriment. Charlemagne didn't give any consideration to Angelica's concern, or the extent of it resulting in her approaching the tent. There was only room in his consciousness for... irrational rationality. Pressing against his groin was creating pressure, which worsened the problem. Its every twitch resulting in a rubbing against his trunks, which worsened the problem. What then, was the logical solution? He'd have to stop pushing, and he'd have to prevent that brushing sensation.

This obviously meant his best course of action was to pull down his shorts, let his rod be free of contact with anything, and lean back to relax while it finished being such an annoyance. "Ahh~" he sighed. He heard Angelica's voice and the question it presented. What he didn't realize, was how very close it sounded─ thus how close Angelica was to the tent. All would be well. Indeed, all he needed was a couple of minutes for that pulsing annoyance to subside before he could think up some excuse and emerge. Now then, what sort of excuse would he be thinking of? It was best to use the time he had for that purpose. . .

[Apollymi]

Charles had seemingly reached a state of minor relaxation. At least that was what Angelica could tell from the feeling of his mana. He'd been a bit... all over the place all day but she figured he was just under a bit of stress. The mana of humans often spiked a bit aroudn her anyway so it was something she learned to ignore for the most part. Still, she seemed almost acutely aware of the dissonance of Charles and only wanted him to feel better. Of course, she also didn't want to pry and she was pushy but she tried to respect his boundaries. This left her in quite the conundrum.

Charles had fled her side for reasons unknown. He was now in a tent all alone seemingly more calm than he had been. And she was standing outside of it a look of concern on her face as those giant curls of hers bounced gently as she tapped her foot. "Chuck, I'm going to need an answer out of you, or I'm coming in there!" she declared. Well, what else was she to do? It wasn't as if she could let him stow away for the remainder of their date. She didn't even understand truly what was going on with him in a moment like this. So, the only way she had to find out was to be direct, though she didn't want to infringe upon his privacy. This was the best she could do. If she received no answer this time, she'd have no choice, but to push back the flap of the tint eyes closed so she didn't impede upon his apparent need for privacy which she noted by his method of changing clothes.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, Charlemagne would reach ultimate reprieve. All he had to do was sit there and let his erection fade into nothingness for a minute or two. Much to his dismay though, Angelica had a different sort of plan in mind. She spoke of needing an answer, lest she enter the tent. If that wasn't enough of a warning to spark action, nothing would be. Immediately alert, Charlemagne's mind raced. What could he say? He couldn't just say he had an erection that needed to die, lest he invoke the weirdness of an allegedly-normal mana transfer. That was a level of sin he needed to run away from as quickly as possible.

So then, he needed an excuse, and quick. The erection couldn't be mentioned. He couldn't claim to be indecent, lest he risk Angelica brushing off anything silly and entering the tent anyway. What would work? Well, Charlemagne couldn't think of anything appropriate in time, so his declaration was simply... "Uh! Kinda struggling here!" Perhaps that was among the worst things to say for a successful diversion? Well, it was the best thing that came to Charlemagne's mind at the time. That would do the trick, right?

[Apollymi]

Ah to be inexperienced and religious. It was an interesting thing that one of these individuals saw a mana-transfer as potentially normal while the other saw it as a sin. If they were both less occupied by the strangeness of their bodies and thoughts they likely would have wondered over why they were taught such vastly different things about how interactions between them was supposed to work. Angelica had the most valid excuse, her interactions with others were limited, but Charles was having a difficult time and he had access to others to get advice from regularly. Weird though that was, it seemed he'd found his relief for at least a moment.

He was exposed within this tent, but Angelica's ultimatum had come with a strange reaction. The lad had claimed to be struggling within the tent. She could take that a thousand different ways. Considering the amount of trouble he'd apparently had getting dressed perhaps this was simply a normal amount of trouble. Her hand was on the flap of the tent already given how long that reply had taken him, so she was ready to push it open and make her entrance. In fact she was almost in the middle of the motion. A gentle breeze coming as she would have pushed with a bit more force if he gave any kind of strange action. "Is it the kind of struggle you need help with, I can come in if you want..." she stated plainly as she pushed at the flap prepared to either enter fully or do an about-face if he decided he didn't really need help.

[Bloodedge]

Maybe that stupid line Charlemagne offered would somehow work in his favor and deter Angelica's approach. For several moments, it didn't seem she would be bursting into the tent. Angelica instead posed another question, but lo, there was something entering the tent with it. A breeze crept in from the slight opening in Charlemagne's tent. That could have been fine. It would have been fine, but Charlemagne's current problem was a severe one. He felt like he could explode at any given moment, and even something as simple as a breeze could set him off.

In fact, that breeze posed a great danger. Just when he would have offered a response to Angelica's question, the gentle caress of wind against his bare groin decided something else would be happening. It all lined-up perfectly with the images flooding his mind. Had it been any worse, he may have suffered ejaculation right there in the tent. He didn't, of course... but it was close, and the satisfying sensation was notable. "Ahhh~" was all he managed, basically sinking into the futon at his tent's center. How was he meant to answer? He couldn't even remember the question already.

[Apollymi]

Charles was experiencing a rather strange time. Apparently, at the same time Angelica was sure he was having some sort of difficulty and because of how she was, she wished to help him. That being said, he wasn't exactly forthcoming with answers or anything in a moment like this. Her hand on the tent she'd begun pushing it open causing a little breeze only to not hear a real answer from the lad and instead hear a noise she wasn't sure how to quantify. Strangely, it sounded nice to her ears and she didn't immediately move away. She wasn't sure why but she felt like this but she found herself paused. What was she supposed to say? Hadn't she just asked him a question? Why wasn't he answering.

"Listen Chuck, I need to know if you need help or something..." yeah that probably wasn't exactly what she meant. Still, she felt like maybe she was witnessing technically something that she shouldn't. What was she supposed to do though? She couldn't really stop herself. Admittedly there was a bit of heat in her face and it was taking a great deal of patience not to just burst into the tent but that was partly a thing of curiosity. There was something about this barrier between them that was a bit mysterious and strangely entertaining to her in some way. Perhaps it'd be a good way for them to talk about the odder moments of their interaction without it being completely awkward for either of them?

[Bloodedge]

Angelica still hadn't entered the tent. Charlemagne had a bit of a mishap with his previous statement, but luckily, it seemed to work in the end. By his calculation, he'd bought himself another minute or so of reprieve, so long as he remained lucky in this endeavor. At least that breeze wasn't too long-standing. What was this now, though? Angelica needed to know if he required her assistance. Well, there was one way she could help. . .

Wait, no! That was exactly the thing he was trying to avoid; why was he thinking more about it now?! Something had to be wrong in the world for these thoughts to appear so suddenly. "Uh... I don't think you're really able to help with the kind of problem I'm having," he said, believing that to be sufficient enough. He fully believed she was more than suited to 'helping' him get rid of the current issue, though he certainly couldn't have that happen. This world had magic and all sorts of crazy things; Hell had to be more ridiculous than his old world could imagine.

[Apollymi]

Angelica didn't have to open the tent up, Charles finally managed to speak eventually and claimed that his problem wasn't one she could help him with. She gave a sigh and sat down in front of the tent with her back to it. Strangely enough she was content to continue just to be close him. That was strange enough to her for her to take a deep breath seeming content to wait on whatever was going on with Charles to subside. "I don't know what kind of problem you're having..." she mentioned seeming to think about it more. "But you feel a bit different today mana-wise. I mean, most people have their mana spike around me so I usually tune it out but I was really excited to spend time with you so I am pretty aware of you right now," she explained her own thoughts without enough words to convey how she felt presently. "So I am little worried maybe how you're feeling is my fault, since I kind of sprung the idea of marrying me on you. I've also been feeling a bit different but not in a way I think is bad. I'm pretty excited about it to be honest but I'm not really used to feeling that way..." she explained. Of course she didn't know enough about human feelings to completely relate the potential disparity in his mana to his 'deviant' desires. She also didn't know how to quantify her own feelings about it as such either. In her own mind she was just hyperaware of Charles as a... man. Not just someone she chatted with a lot.

Now her thoughts became wider spread and instead she figured she'd managed to freak him out with the talk of marriage and perhaps her presence. She knew that something was trying to reach out to her and she been feeling a bit strange lately herself but it wasn't something she truly understood. Perhaps she should discuss it with someone. The humans themselves would help a great deal with her potential feelings about Charles, but she was versed enough in the use of her mana that she didn't feel frightened by whatever power was reaching out to her. Still, she could contentedly watch the crackling fire and the fake sky as she processed her own thoughts.

[Bloodedge]

Of all the things one could do while sitting in a tent with an unwanted erection, Charlemagne was fated to enter a surprisingly deep conversation. The things he'd been doing lately were probably a bit off-putting to Angelica, based on her own starting words. That wasn't good. They were on a date, and if he thought beyond his own situation at the time, this had to be Angelica's first experience of the sort in... ever. "Ah... sorry, sorry. I'm being the most uncool guy ever today. Your first date probably sucks," he mused, staring into the blankness of a tent's ceiling.

Charlemagne was pretty sure why his mana felt different to her; it was probably zipping all over the place since that first misinterpreted conversation. It may have been Angelica's fault, or it may have been completely his own. Maybe all those adventures had hyper-tuned Charlemagne's senses, and he was latching onto the divine mana of Angelica with his own soul? That would make sense of his perverse thoughts─ a lack of mental strength to resist the call of one's spirit made sense. "Nothing to worry about, Angie. It's not your fault. I'm not even against the marriage; who would be? I told you, my issue with that is that you could probably make a way better choice. But, if I were being selfish..."

He decided there was nothing else to say in that regard. Instead, Charlemagne sighed and sat upright. That problematic erection was going nowhere fast, but their discussion was distracting enough that it probably didn't matter. "Anyway, I was just dealing with a... thing. It's not important. What's got you feeling weird and excited at the same time though? That doesn't sound like a normal combination," he said, though as of today, Charlemagne could consider a few options. . .

[Apollymi]

Angelica experienced something strange in the moments she sat outside his tent. According to Charles, he'd been the most uncool guy ever today and he thought her first date probably sucked and as such he was apologizing for his behavior. This was heartwarming behavior, mostly because Angelica hadn't said anything about today being bad at all. "Listen Charlie, you have nothing to apologize for," she said in a manner most certain. "I don't think you've been uncool today just odd. And I also don't think this date is bad or anything like that... I've been having a lot of fun actually," she explained of her current thoughts and situation. They'd done so much together, he taught her how to adventure and given her something worth doing and even got her a new pet for the day. As such she couldn't do anything but be pleased by the current trajectory of the days events, in spite of the oddity of certain moments within the same time period.

Angelica was certain she was at fault for how Charles felt in some manner, but he was so willing to take blame and try to assure her that she couldn't help but be pleased by the whole thing. It was definitely a positive mark in his own case. It was rather strange that he managed to be such a kind person, but not truly realize how she saw him the way she did. He even claimed he wasn't opposed to the marriage he just thought she could have made a better choice. "Thanks Charlie, but I am more sure every moment I made the right choice. I was given some good advice about such things once, and I believe in this, you're allowed to be a bit selfish about me," she said her eyes closing gently. Ah what was that advice? Well, once Angelica received a set of four life rules and the final one was one which sang to her entire soul. She took that one into consideration when choosing Charles as her future husband and she'd continue to use it when ti came to their interactions.

Moving on, as Charles obviously didn't want to spend too much time talking about whatever had him so out of sorts, it seemed that Angelica's words about her own feelings were heard and Charles was left curious. He claimed such a thing to be abnormal, and she was certain it was. Still, she didn't keep anything from Charles and as such was willing to share with him the strange connection she was sure was trying to be made. "I've been feeling someone brushing against my consciousness for the last few days. It feels so familiar I'm sure it's... my mom," she rambled just a bit. "I think she's trying to reach out to me. I can almost hear her voice when I concentrate but... it always sounds so... muffled I guess. Like trying to make out what someone is saying while your head is underwater. No matter what I try or how I try it, I can't make the voice sound any clearer...." she mentioned. Then a few seconds passed before she said a few more words. "Still, it's pretty exciting... I don't remember much about my mom but I remember her being comforting and I think I could use any advice she could give me, given my limited contact with other women," she said explaining both her excitement and weirdness.

[Bloodedge]

"Well it's good to know you're having fun, but a date is supposed to end on a really good note. If it starts getting weird at the end, I've messed up. Look at us now, chatting from opposite sides of a tent flap. Most people are doing uh... very different stuff at this point in a date," he said, deciding it best to avoid mentioning the specifics. Angelica was clever; she could surely reach some conclusions herself... though hopefully not too many. It was bad enough that she kept reaching the same conclusion over and over, that being one about her choice in future husband.

Apparently, she once received some key advice that spoke to her decision. Said advice somehow led her to believe he could be selfish regarding her. Surely she didn't even know what he meant, at least not completely. The way Angelica viewed the thing called 'mana transfer' remained strange in Charlemagne's mind. "Must be some powerful advice. I can't be that selfish, though. I don't want to do something that's only good for me," he declared. If he were ever to truly believe he was the proper choice, their disagreement would halt immediately. Alas, there had to be a better option out there somewhere. Still... it was hard to do anything but go with the flow, when said flow led to such an outcome. Maybe that was the more recent thoughts controlling his mind, though?

Whatever the case, Angelica went on to explain her strange feeling. It actually had nothing to do with his own unusual thoughts and reactions, but instead involved what Angelica thought to be her mother. Strangely, he'd never considered who the Holy Princess' mother may have been. If some sort of transmission was being attempted from beyond Aincrad however, it made sense that she couldn't hear it properly. "Aincrad is really dense magically. It's sealed from all perception outside, so if she's not inside the structure. Maybe try it from the very top, or the very bottom? She has to be using some crazy power to even reach here from outside, so either of those extremes might give the extra push necessary? Or maybe try meditating? I hear mana stability is supposed to help a ton with stuff like that."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles it was good for her to be having fun. Beyond that he claimed that dates shouldn't get weird at the end and that it was likely a bad sign that he was on the other side of a tent flap having a conversation with her. Dates were supposed to end on high notes according to him. "Well, it's not like the date is over yet or anything... it's not like there isn't time," she explained. She began to understand that whatever was in Charles' mind was likely something to do with enhanced bonding or maybe even mana transfers, but he seemed to be against the latter. Even so, Angelica wasn't necessarily opposed to anything.

As for Charles he still seemed to be in a point of disagreement about his being the best possible choice. But that being said Angelica was sure, and that was all that truly mattered, she was sure he'd come around on it since he wasn't disinterested themselves. "The fact that you are even considering all that you are about fairness or rightness of the situation leads me to believe that you wouldn't do something that was only good for you. You have to stop thinking of yourself in such low terms Charlie," she said giving her own advice. "And the advice was great..." she said with a wistful smile coming to her lips. There was a certain advisory role that someone like Jeanne could give any random person and make them feel a great deal better. It was one of the traits that made Angelica believe the lass was one of the best people anyone could ever encounter in the entire world. To be honest she saw Charles and Jeanne in a similar light, one just happened to be male and thus more for her own attention.

Moving on, Charles had a few things to say about the ways she girl could achieve the goal of seeking out the voice which was brushing against her consciousness. In all honesty there were several bits of information in his speech which she wasn't aware of, including the outward mana density of Aincrad. "I didn't know it was like that... I can't sense the density outside at all... but I suppose it would make sense," she said. It was likely strange that she had no idea about the weight of this place spiritually, still there were a few bits of information that would make sense. "Still the top floor or bottom floor and meditation are all things I haven't tried yet..." she mentioned seeming to entertain the ideas. "Actually, I know my mana isn't necessarily stable, it is probably a great deal larger than the average persons, but it never truly feel stable," she claimed. She figured it was because she was young and mostly inexperienced. Her own creations had been getting better over time and her jewel-crafting had been getting better with practice, even so she'd noted certain imperfections in jewels created by her mana in which they seemed to have almost swirling fractures and imperfections... which she assumed had something to do with her lack of calm while creating. "Those are actually great ideas, thanks Charlie!~" she said seemingly excited. Actually, if Aincrad couldn't be perceived from the outside, perhaps that was why Jeanne hadn't been back to say hello in a long time. It was a bit rude to hide a country from someone who used to practically live there. Something else she'd take up with her father some other time.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, it wasn't as if this date had come to an end or anything. There was plenty of time to make sure it ended on a high note, in spite of how Charlemagne viewed the current situation. As for what that high note would be... he didn't want to think about that. He had to think wholesome things, platonic things. No... how was that supposed to work? They were engaged, so dates should not be platonic. On the other hand, nonplatonic behavior invited more extremes, and he was already having a difficult time in his own consciousness. Where was the line in this religion?! Were people expected to be at arms' length until marriage, only to consummate said marriage immediately after the event? What did it mater? Exclusivity could be determined beforehand, right?

Oh. He was probably just looking to justify his own perverse thoughts now. That wasn't good. Angelica believed he wouldn't do anything just for himself, and here he was, mentally seeking excuses for his sinful ways. "I dunno. I don't think I've had a selfless thought all day. Well, except that one, but even that has some selfish reasons─" he murmured.

Angelica didn't know about the barrier around Aincrad? It was strange how little she was privy to as the Holy Princess. Maybe an overprotective father was to blame for her odd situation. Alternatively, maybe her being stuck in Aincrad was because of the barrier itself? Perhaps something about her acclimation, or lack thereof, was at fault. It was at least worth consideration. "If your mana is unstable, I couldn't tell. I can feel you from anywhere in Aincrad, even right outside. Any fluctuations from you just get kinda drowned-out. If it's like that though, I definitely suggest meditating. A clear mind opens up your sixth sense, so it should at least make hearing that voice easier. It's like..." Whoops. Charlemagne had to silence himself immediately, as he knew what meditation was comparable to. Heroic Spirits summoned as Servants, when receiving mana transfers, could awaken secrets hidden deep within their Saint Graphs to obtain greater power. That wasn't something he wanted to throw out there at all! "Yeah, meditation!" he said finally. At this point, it was probably a better idea for Charlemagne to put his junk away. Difficult as it was to deal with, he would have to stand for the purpose of pulling up his trunks. Yes, if he did that, he could just keep standing in the tent until it went away naturally. It was a genius idea!

[Apollymi]

According to Charles he hadn't had a selfless thought all day. That was unreasonable to Angelica, "I don't think you get to decide what counts as selfless for you considering..." she mused. Of course Angelica would feel that way given what the lad was doing before this date of theirs. Working pretty much exclusively for the last three decades. It wasn't like he'd live forever and regardless of what he thought he was definitely doing more for other people than himself. As such in her own mind he was allowed to be selfish.

Beyond this point Charles claimed that he couldn't tell her mana was unstable. He claimed to be able to feel it from all over Aincrad. That made sense enough to Angelica, she was a pretty powerful entity. "I don't know much about meditating though... I've tried concentrating but it always gets broken. People keep needing to talk to me when my mind is close to clearing up..." she mused. She'd been told something about that once but what was it? It was so long ago... she had to continue to think about it. Father An had given her a run down about what her life would be like. That she'd eventually make things, and get married and receive mana and then she would reach a state of clarity to know what to create properly. Oh, that was a good idea maybe. "Wait is this like the thing that is supposed to come after a mana transfer?" she exclaimed sticking her head into the tent in her excitement and coming to see something she wasn't expecting. Charles, trying to put on his shorts, oh he was naked. He'd covered himself up before so she assumed this wasn't something she was supposed to see. But now that she was seeing, she couldn't really see why he was being modest. Now she was confused by a lot of things and neither moving further in nor out. That being said, her face had reddened just a bit, why wouldn't it, she'd probably just seen something she wasn't meant to see.

[Bloodedge]

"Easy for you to say. You don't know how selfish the stuff in my head is," he replied. It seemed every thought in his mind this day had some sort of selfishness applied to it. Even the moment he stopped arguing with Angelica about their engagement was steeped in selfish and sinful ideals, whether he'd admit that or not. Of course, he wouldn't admit it.

Angelica apparently knew very little about meditation. That came as no surprise, considering her life in virtual solitude within a virtual utopia. He could easily walk her through the process of meditation as he understood it, just as one meditated over Artifacts to bond with them. It would be a time-consuming process potentially, but it was better than... the thing he was refraining from mentioning─ the very same thing Angelica sadly came to the conclusion of. Was he talking about the state of being meant to follow a mana transfer? Well... yes, though he didn't want that understood prior to meditation being achieved. It was all too late, though. Worse yet, just before he answered and finished pulling up his trunks, Charlemagne saw something truly terrifying. Angelica's face had entered the tent, and... there he was. Fully erect, trunks only up to his mid-thigh, and eyes resembling those of the suffocating fish they'd seen earlier. Charlemagne was frozen. What was he to do? She was staring at him, he was staring at her, and his johnson was saying hello. Did he have anything to say? Well... "Um. Yeah. Something like that. Uh... hello. Fancy meeting you here─?"

[Apollymi]

"I mean I don't, but you could also just tell me. I am pretty sure I am a fair judge here..." she claimed in a somewhat sarcastic manner. She honestly thought there wasn't much that Charles could do that could be called selfish. Even if he was being selfish, he was normally so selfless that taking something for himself was far from anything Angelica could consider bad. He needed to live and enjoy his life, she believed this true of everyone including herself and she knew Charles to be one of the most helpful individuals to exist, a little fun wouldn't hurt anything.

Or so she thought. Once in the tent she was seeing Charles in a way she hadn't before. Naked, but she was also not at all off put by the situation. One might call that innocence but she would call it something else entirely. Her confusion about his modesty combined with the fact that he was staring at her as well... this a rather tense situation. He spoke on it the way he always did when something awkward was happening and she recognized it as such, "Yeah, I got a bit worked up, kinda rushed in... should I apologize? I mean I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy or anything. I mean I don't really get the need for privacy but I will at least try to respect it," she stated. Yep, she was still staring she still hadn't moved. This was a very confusing thing for her, she didn't want to make him more uncomfortable but she also wasn't sure if it'd be rude or confusing for her to back out like she'd done something wrong. She was pretty sure she'd done nothing wrong.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne would have considered giving Angelica a response. He could have at least mentioned how many of his 'almost' decisions were free passes to sinful thoughts, but alas, there was a situation at hand which required his utmost attention. What was that situation? Naturally, it was Angelica. To be more specific, it was the fact that she was now partially in the tent and seeing the source of his sin. What could he do?

A better question would be: what would he do? Angelica got herself worked up and barged in. That was fine. She had no reason to apologize. She wasn't intruding on any privacy he needed for any wholesome reasons, so if anyone was meant to apologize, Charlemagne was that person. "I-I uh... well," he stammered. She was still staring, and so was he. Charlemagne couldn't tell whether this moment was more awkward or surprising, but it was surely a great deal of the latter. "I-it's not your fault! I should apologize, right? Or... I don't know! Do I explain this? It's not what it looks like?" He was attempting a few things mentally, and one of those things flew out of his mouth. It may have been exactly what it looked like, if it looked like he'd run off to hide a not-so-random erection. That excuse however, just seemed like the most natural thing to say.

[Apollymi]

There was some strange things happening in that tent right now. Angelica was still staring at Charles and Charles was still staring at Angelica. Both seemed to be a bit flustered but neither had moved properly out of the way nor had they tried to fix this situation. But there were at least words being shared between them. Angelica considered that good given that Charles was standing with his pants half up.

Ah, but his words were ones she wasn't sure how to address initially. He claimed she didn't need to apologize, he wasn't seeking privacy. He thought maybe he should apologize or perhaps explain and said it wasn't what it looked like. But what did it look like? "I don't think you need to apologize either. I am not off put, I am just confused. I might not truly understand modesty, but I don't know what I think this looks like. I guess to me, it just seems like I walked in on you changing, which is only something that concerns me because you wanted privacy for it earlier," she explained of herself. "I don't have a problem with your nudity or anything like that which is probably for the better, considering..." she stated seeming to only see positives in any situation. "But you seem to be more worked up about this than I expected in general so... yeah, that's pretty much it." Her words finished but she was still staring. His manhood was out but she didn't feel odd about it. There was nothing wrong with him physically so she didn't understand his modesty and she had no ill feelings about him so she didn't find his nudity offensive. Maybe this could be less awkward. "So should I just finish coming in... I mean I don't really want to back out..." she explained of herself. If he wasn't being private and there was more to explain perhaps they should just talk together and have it not be so weird.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, Angelica didn't feel very weird at all about the current predicament. That made one of them. Charlemagne felt stranger than ever before, though it wasn't entirely due to the awkwardness. Something about being exposed while looking at Angelica was calling out to him. Was this the work of devils in his soul? Maybe he was a heretic, as some members of Aincrad assumed after he cleared the Labyrinth. Whatever the issue was, that stiffness wasn't going away even as the blood rushed to his face.

Even so, he allegedly had no reason to apologize either. Angelica didn't understand his modesty, nor did she really understand why he was hiding in the tent with his junk out overall. One of those things was all but a lost cause for her. The other, however, he could somewhat explain. It could even be considered the same as his earlier unspoken answer. "It's not so much modesty as it is uh... trying not to sin. And now I've flashed the Holy Princess. God above, I'm going to Hell─" he concluded. Charlemagne still wasn't putting that thing away. What was even the point now? The sin was there; Angelica could literally see it. One might wonder why she didn't understand why this was so very wrong. A more worldly individual would instead wonder why Charlemagne did think it wrong, but Charlemagne was well-traveled... not worldly. He was long-since trapped in the teachings of Aincrad through the Templar Order, and this turn of events was surely damning for him... right? More importantly, what could being in such a sinner's presence do to Angelica? She was probably too holy, too pure to be affected by proxy. With that being his assumption, at least the sin was only his to bear. "Well... you're already here. Might as well finish the date before I'm chauffeured off to the lake of fire."

[Apollymi]

Finally an answer. According to Charles this wasn't a matter of privacy, he'd simply been trying not to sin. According to him, he'd flashed the Holy Princess and doing so was somehow about to send him straight to hell. She wasn't truly indoctrinated and didn't really know all the nuances but she was pretty sure being walked in on naked wasn't exactly a sin. "Chuck, you're going to need to calm down," she said presently. Ah she was invited in properly and as such she came in fully apparently to finish this date before Charles thought he'd be carted off to hell. "I am the Holy Princess yes, but if seeing you like this is a sin on you, then me being naked in front of you earlier is a sin on me, and I don't think that is how it's meant to work," she explained seeming to find some pretty wide holes in his logic.

"I am pretty sure for something to qualify as sinful it has to have either a bad intention and negative effect. Nudity isn't negative and it doesn't cause me any problems," she explained of herself. "And I think it would be more negative to think of this badly long term... it can't be a sin for two married people to be naked," she finished up. She didn't want him to feel bad about being walked in on. "So don't go claiming you're sinning over something like this... I don't think it's a sin at all," she finished up reassuringly. Of course she figured it might not be taken that way but Charles might have been holding himself to inhuman standards.

[Bloodedge]

He needed to calm down, did he? He may as well, since the heavens were not a place he'd be visiting whenever this life ended. On the other hand, Angelica had some decent logic in her rebuttal. If he was sinning now, she was sinning earlier. Well, Charlemagne would count that sin on himself as well, since he was watching. "I'm gonna chalk that earlier one up as blasphemy on my part," he countered.

Everything sinful had bad intentions associated, Angelica insisted. She was obviously missing the point of an erection, Charlemagne thought. "This thing is bad intentions!" he said, freely gesturing at his own groin before pulling the hairs on either side of his head. Quite the rant was coming in the following moments. "It's all devil stuff! See the Holy Princess naked once time, keep looking on purpose, spend the rest of the day turning everything into a dirty thought and... and... and liking it! And! The marriage thing doesn't apply! We're not married, and not married people shouldn't do married people stuff! Sex is married people stuff, and it's the only thing that's been in my stupid head all day! I need to confess! Do we do confessions here? Bloody hell, I can't even get religion straight. Are you the one people confess to if we have it? Because saying 'forgive me mommy, for I have sinned,' is just gonna be another thing I have to confess for when it's done!"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, the earlier moment was a case of blasphemy. Angelica disagreed but there was more at work then she could know. Soon enough after she'd tried to dissuade him of feeling any unnecessary guilt, the lad went on a tirade. One which left Angelica staring at him with wide eyes. The words he put together gave her strange feelings, he by his own words thought thinking about sex with her was some sort of sin, and he'd been feeling and thinking about it all day and even liking it as an idea. His words seemed to hitch on the idea that they weren't yet married and as such sex was something which should have been off the table completely apparently including his thoughts. He wanted to know if there was confession, and as far as she knew, the answer to that question was no. People often consulted priests or higher ups for advice, but not just to confess to any 'sins' they committed. She wondered what sort of religion would even bother asking people about what they thought they did wrong, instead of simply offering them methods to do right. All that aside it seemed that even confession was something which would end in his going to hell because of the way he'd begin the phrase of his confession.

Angelica couldn't help but stare at the lad for several seconds seeming to see him as a bit broken in a moment like this. He seemed to have been dealing with a lot all day and she could somewhat understand. She felt better knowing that she wasn't the only one suffering from their attraction and weirdly sexualized moments. But in thinking about it, she felt like anyone would tell them it was normal to feel this way. "Charles, take a very deep breath look at me and hear me out, okay?" she asked seeming to be on the verge of some great breakthroughs, her right hand reaching out to his cheek in a comforting manner as she searched for eye contact. "You're always helping me out so I am going to help you think about this," she said. "Is Bradamante going to Hell?" she asked in a straightforward way. "Because by your logic marriage as a thing determines the goodness and confines of sex and love. So by your logic someone like Bradamante would be going to Hell for not being married and we both know she's too good a person for that. I don't believe she would be cursed to hell for loving a man she is most definitely involved with. Given this I don't think you are either... maybe you're just interpreting these rules for sin too harshly. Because if your body and mind didn't react at all, how would you even commit to and consummate the marriage in the first place?" she asked. All of these things were logical to her. And Charles had obviously taken his thoughts on sin and marriage way farther than they could have ever been intended. "I don't think confessions are a thing, I don't know why you'd tell someone else and not just God what you thought you were doing wrong, but I don't think this is wrong. But if I was taking your confession, I'd tell you to take it easier on yourself. We're going to be married, us being attracted to each other cannot be bad. If it was so there are married couples who are going to Hell simply for loving each other and I don't think God should do something like that..."

[Bloodedge]

While Charlemagne was busy spiraling into insanity, Angelica grasped his attention in a very, very interesting way. Charles, she called him. That was an oddity worth taking note of in its own right. His name was originally just Charles, so many people still called him that... but not Angelica. To her, he was Charlie unless she happened to be upset in some way, in which case he immediately became Chuck. Hearing that particular name pass her lips was possibly the oddest thing he could ever imagine. "Who?" he asked instinctively. Whatever the case, she successfully grabbed his attention.

Was Bradamante going to Hell? It was always possible, though he personally doubted she would. Much to Angelica's point, he didn't imagine being unwed and sexually active in conjunction would be damning for someone of Bradamante's quality. Could he claim the same purity, though? "Well... Ruggiero might have himself a reservation," he said absently. "Though I guess maybe I misinterpreted a line somewhere. Honestly, some of it does become blurred based on uh..." He paused there, unsure how to explain his previous world experiences. "A very similar religion I knew before Aincrad. I wonder if I should ask Father An for the specifics," he said as if he were having a conversation with anyone other than the beacon of holiness herself.

Luckily, confessions were probably nonexistent in this world. Those were always a stupid and unrealistic idea in the first place, and if he had to confess to Angelica, he'd probably just die and accept Hell on the spot. Angelica's voice was tantamount to that of God's own will however, so her council was worth adhering to. A few deep breaths, and Charlemagne managed to calm himself for the sake of rationalizing things. "Alright. I get what you're saying, though I'm pretty sure the stuff I keep thinking about isn't holy at all. This conversation isn't helping me not think dirty stuff either─"

[Apollymi]

Apparently Charles didn't recognize his own name when spoken by Angelica. She found herself chuckling just a little at the reaction but she knew she didn't often say his name in such a way to him. Why would she? They were friends, he was Charlie or Chuck, mostly dependent completely upon how fast she needed to spit his name out, which was directly correlated to her current level of anger, but that did not matter. "You, I called you by your actual name because I need you to hear me, yeah?" she said before she started her own explanation of the situation.

Moving on, apparently Ruggiero might be the one going to hell. "That kind of implies that only men are going to Hell and I think that isn't a good way to think about things," she said finding the male thought about that to be a bit more defeatist than she expected given men seemed so content to run off and die for no real payoff for themselves. Regardless he seemed to agree that maybe he was overreacting just a bit. "Definitely misinterpreting something but I think if you want an interpretation, you'd be better off asking Archbishop Turpin. I feel the need to remind you in a moment like this that Father is the one one who explained mana-transfer to me and you already have a problem with how I understand it. It might be a generational thing..." she said offering that advice freely, that last phrase being one she borrowed from another person. All the while her hand remained against the side of his face. If she was being honest, after touching him she didn't really want to stop the action at all, so why bother?

Whatever the case Charles seemed to understand what she was saying. Here and now he claimed he didn't think his thoughts were holy and that he wasn't being helped into not thinking dirty things. "Well, I am not sure why it should be considered dirty in the first place. I also don't really see it as an unholy act, since the end result is the ability to make and do new things," she said seeming to have a different understanding of sex all together than normal people. Of course, that was likely the fault of her father, but human understandings of sex weren't necessarily wrong either, there had to be some sort of middle ground to be found eventually.

[Bloodedge]

Of course, Charlemagne's name was used in proper form with purpose. There obviously had to be something to it, though he knew Angelica could have grabbed his attention just as easily by calling him Chuck. Her doing that always made him assume he'd done something wrong, or at least consider the chance he'd done so. Using that method also would have been less weird, but that didn't matter much.

As for men being the only ones going to Hell, Angelica wasn't too far from a realistic conclusion. "Well if the way guys talk around each other is any indicator... I'd be willing to believe that to some extent," he mused. There was a great deal of filth in conversations among males, so it went without saying what was on their minds. Charlemagne could at least confirm what sort of thoughts were on his mind today. Actually, Archbishop Turpin was probably the most stand-up guy in the world, as far as Charlemagne was concerned. "I guess he'd be a good one to talk to. I don't want even more confusion between mana transfers and sex. I could end up like you if I got sucked into that kind of lecture!" he joked. Jokes aside, there was something exceedingly strange in older individuals if Angelica's thoughts on mana transfer were any indicator.

For instance, Angelica didn't understand why his thoughts counted as dirty. Well, a mana transfer wasn't at all like intercourse. It was at base, but there were so many nuances not observed. "Trust me, it's dirty. That's the difference to a mana transfer. It's not about the mana exchange at all; it's about... well... feeling? Two people just make themselves feel good for no reason other than to just do it. If I remember, the exclusivity clause was something about mana pollution though. I don't fully get that part; I guess it was an anti-demon thing?" While Charlemagne wondered this, he came to realize there was a hand upon his face. When did that get there? It was yet another thing tugging away at his soul for reasons he couldn't understand. He found himself staring at that hand, wondering why Angelica found that form of contact necessary. Maybe he should have been wondering instead about the strange occurrences in his own Saint Graph, both triggered and amplified by every moment of contact with Angelica.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, there was a a difference between the way men spoke to women directly and the way they spoke of them in the quiet of places. Of course, Angelica figured people were more comfortable around their friends and that made sense to her, she'd heard about some women being much more direct than others, but she hadn't exactly run into such a person herself. Still, she remembered the advice she'd been handed down and the explanation of it, "I don't know that many people but what I have heard indirectly about things women say to other women leads me to believe the difference isn't always as big as you think," she said leaving that alone.

Ah, but there was more to be said by Charles in a moment like this, including a joke about how he didn't want to be further confused. "Yep, just looking out for you~" she mused seemingly able to see the humor in her own misunderstanding as caused by chats with her father. And that statement was accompanied by a gentle tap on Charles face. Of course, on the matters they were actually talking about a key difference was explained. According to Charles what was dirty was that people engaged in sex purely for the feeling of it. Mana transfers were done for empowering things and as but the mana-transfer that happened from sex was an afterthought because it was more about the feeling. He also had something to say about exclusivity being about pollution so it was likely to do with demonic influence. "Again I don't see a problem with doing something to make yourself feel good, nor would it be bad to think about so long as you aren't hurting anyone," she said seeming to give the latter half of his statement a bit more thought. "Well that is probably the simplest explanation to give people who can't sense mana on their own," she said. "It's a bit like oooh adding things to tea. If you add honey it will be sweet. If you add sugar, it will be even sweeter but if you keep adding in other things there eventually won't be much of the original thing left and it will be completely different and probably inedible," she said her understanding of mana was rather simple but she could tell that from sensing other people.

[Bloodedge]

According to Angelica, there may not have been such a large difference between guy talk and girl talk. There was reason to believe that. On the other hand, Charlemagne had reason to believe that gap couldn't be bridged as easily as one thought. There were a few exceptional cases on either side, at least. It wasn't as if he intended to dive deep into the differences of private conversation. Doing something like that would require hiding in a room of only women, and that would likely have some terrible results for entirely different reasons.

Upon claiming he wished to refrain from becoming like Angelica, Charlemagne received a tap to the face. The tiniest jolt traveled through him on a spiritual level in that moment, though the contact itself could barely be registered. What was that sensation though? Was he entering some mythical second puberty? Whatever it was, he noted the occasional pulse of his manhood synchronizing with his heartbeat. Little did he know, this happened due to his heartbeat harmonizing with surges of his Spiritual Core. How strange. All of that occurred while Angelica spoke positively about things he understood to be sinful. Not harming others was the main thing one wanted to avoid, and that was the only stipulation Angelica put on the rightness of something. Ah, but there was more of an explanation to come from her.

Pollution of mana was a true danger. It was compared to blending tea with additional flavors, which diluted the tea to an unrecognizable state if one added too much variety. Charlemagne could think of many analogies which fit the same purpose, so indeed, it became something easily understandable. "Huh. That makes a lot of sense. I feel like I should consider it weird that you're basically telling me to keep thinking dirty thoughts, but... it makes sense," he surmised. For all intents and purposes, the Holy Princess' beliefs were meant to be taken as the wisdom of God. That much was once implied indirectly by Father An himself, so perhaps it wasn't a free ticket to Hell if he kept mentally replacing the objects she'd been interacting with all day with himself, applying the nudity he'd seen only once now to every instance. Though... that justification may have been a little extreme, it could only maybe be sinful for the length of an engagement, right?

[Apollymi]

The words she'd spoken to Charles seemed to have calmed him down more than a little bit. For this Angelica could only be thankful. Even though she was quite inexperienced in matters related to human interaction, she knew with certainty that she didn't want the man she was interested in, feeling bad for being equally interested in her. All the while Angelica felt the gentle pulses of his mana which felt higher quality than it had the last time she'd seen him. She couldn't quite place that feeling herself but figured he was likely just starting to develop past the limits of humanity. She'd seen such a thing happen before so it wasn't completely out of the question.

What was more, Angelica could count another victory this day, her explanation of the problems of mana pollution seemed to be something that Charles could understand. And as such he seemed to calm down quite a bit. Good. He was a bit prone to spastic behavior when he went on tangents and a bit of calm would do him good. He claimed when he finally spoke that what she said made sense even though he saw it as her encouraging him to continue thinking dirty thoughts. "Maybe it's more weird that good people have implied shame about natural thoughts and feelings," she commented seeming to think that was more the right answer. In this case, she wasn't weird, he and any other good person who felt bad about sexual thoughts was weird, because she was certain that shame could only negatively effect the outcome of something which was supposed to be good. "Now then have we averted a crisis? Do you have more mana related questions? Anything else I can help you with today, Charlie?~" she said all the while a gentle smile crossed her face. She now had a new understanding for Jeanne d'Arc, coming to understand in a moment like this and her earlier help of Bradamante how much fun there was to helping someone else. Just the same she put no space between them and it seemed that his nudity was all but forgotten by her at least for now, given his emotional crisis had outweighed the sexual one.

[Bloodedge]

In fairness, Charlemagne had been calmed by a significant amount. He really needed to do something about that habit of freaking out so much. Angelica was, however, among the few who could always successfully bring him back to reality. Ah, if only he could manage the amount of composure she had... apart from the unbridled fury. Maybe her mentality was partially to blame for the amount of sense she made. Alternatively, maybe her unfamiliar understanding made her wrong about this too. That was less likely, given the words of Father An regarding her beliefs. Maybe Charlemagne was best just taking everything she said at face value?

Whatever the case, he was relaxed─ at least most of him was. Parts that weren't to be considered relaxed weren't worth discussing, but apparently mana-related questions were the topic of choice. Interestingly enough, those things were technically related. Was Charlemagne aware of that? Not really. He was, however, aware that something strange was happening. The longer Angelica's hand was in contact with his face, the more he felt... strange. "Would it be weird to say I'm not sure? Something feels weird, and I've got no idea what it is. I know it's something to do with mana. That's about all I know. I'm not even sure if it's yours or mine, or... something else. Any insight?"

[Apollymi]

The moment between Angelica and Charles was rather interesting. It seemed he was indeed calm well except for his manhood. But that wasn't currently the topic of discussion, Angelica offered to answer any of his other questions and it seemed that he had one related to mana. Or rather a supposition which required her input. He thought he'd been feeling strangely and that mana had something to do with it, and he wondered then beyond that if Angelica had any thoughts or ideas about it. she was touching him presently and hadn't wanted to pull away, she'd also touched him earlier and felt oddly about it. His mana was quite different from what she'd gotten used to of him and felt more like what she remembered Jeanne being like after that woman won her Holy Grail.

"Hm, as far as I can think about it. You feel a bit different today..." she said that hand which had been planted against the side of his face became a finger which drew rather casually down the lad's jaw. He had nice bone structure as well. "Your mana and the mana of most other people usually feels indistinct unless I am concentrating, or one of you is having some sort of fit," she said wondering if it would make sense, she decided for another analogy. "A bit like knowing birds are chirping but not being able to pick out a single bird call..." she said. "But now it feels like it's just outside of a window instead of off in the distance, if that makes sense," she said. "That being said it isn't Evil or tainted or even very different just more pronounced I think..." she said seeming to understand it that way. "It is possible for humans to surpass their normal boundaries, maybe you did something you didn't know could change you and are in the midst of an evolution?" she said carefully. That would make sense.

[Bloodedge]

When Charlemagne questioned whatever strange mana-related occurrence surrounded him presently, Angelica seemed to have an understanding of it. At the very least, she'd taken note of the strangeness. Charlemagne felt different all day, according to the blonde. It wasn't that he'd become anything different; instead, he was simply... more? The analogy presented made sense, though not the effect itself.

He knew of even humans having some ability to evolve in this world. By Angelica's own explanation however, it was something he'd liken to the few who acquired Holy Grails in the old way. Jeanne d'Arc was one such individual, but Charlemagne hadn't claimed one of his own. Was this perhaps what the process of being chosen for the Holy Grail War felt like? He didn't have a clue; those things hardly happened anymore. Even when they did, the results were far from what they once were. "I can't think of any reason I would be evolving. The things I've been doing lately haven't even been challenging; it's just been time-consuming. Honestly, I haven't trained much or changed anything I've done. The most unusual experience I've had was meeting with you, and that's only because it's been decades since we last hung out," he rambled. Encountering Angelica didn't seem like a reason for evolution. Perhaps it could be called an automatic trigger for male puberty even well into adulthood, but evolution? That sounded ridiculous. "Angie, you're not some kind of living Holy Grail or something, are you? Because I'll start yelling 'it's people' every time I see one of those things if you are," he added, taking the extra initiative to poke Angelica in the cheek repeatedly.

[Apollymi]

In the discussion of their mana related exploration, Charles claimed that he'd done nothing to evolve at all. He'd not claimed a holy grail or even participated in anything which could be considered challenging. According to Charles his most recent tasks were only time consuming and as such the most interesting thing he'd done in ages was have contact with Angelica for the first time in a few decades. "I mean would you know if you'd done something worthy of evolution? Maybe there is a goodness scale and you've crossed the line of it?" she said. Little deeds should be counted as they added up at least that was the thought.

Of course Charles took his thoughts in a completely different direction. Here and now he wondered if Angelica as a person counted as some sort of living Holy Grail that he had contact with, Angelica gave that a bit of consideration in all supposed seriousness even with his comment about grails being people. "Well, given that Jeanne said grails take the sacrifice of lives from the holy grail wars I am sure they count as people regardless, at least in that case," she said seeming to find that statement logical. "As for me I am the Holy Princess, and while I doubt I should be compared to anything like a Holy Grail, I do have a high tier of Divinity so it is possible for me to affect things around me a bit," she said but she wasn't quite done yet. "But why would the amount I affect you have changed over thirty years. The only thing of interest I've done in ages is make adjustments to my floor... that is hardly something that would make me affect you. I wasn't doing so before to my knowledge," she said giving her head a gentle nod. Still her hand hadn't truly left this lad at all and in the midst of his speech he'd begun poking her face as well. She was less annoyed by this than she likely should have been but took it as permission to poke the lad more. Her fingers also poking his cheek since he was content to do something like that to her.

[Bloodedge]

"Well I can't say for certain, but I can say that if any of the stuff I've done lately meets the criteria, I think a lot of people would evolve," was Charlemagne's retort. He'd truly done nothing but busywork in all the time he'd been adventuring recently. There were perhaps a few exciting moments, but it was nothing to write home about. If there was some threshold he'd reached, regardless of the reason, he wished there was a way to know for certain.

As he recalled, there was something about sacrifices feeding into the Holy Grail's wish-granting ability. Why that made them count as people was a little on the nose, but he supposed there was some logic to it. Either way, there was a strange implication to be taken from the idea. "But if they count as people by that logic, and you're claiming similarity to a Holy Grail... does that mean you sacrifice people? Do people sacrifice people to you? Are you actively sucking my soul, and that's what I've been feeling?" How much of Charlemagne's questioning came from a point of honest concern or curiosity? Hardly any of it, really. He'd basically discredited the idea of Angelica having that sort of effect on him, though not entirely. He did believe she had some sort of passive effect on him today. What that effect was, would be considered the mystery.

There were no apparent reasons for Angelica to affect him, nor for him to be so suddenly enamored by her. The latter could at least be justified as a situational thing, but it didn't seem so simple at all. "I can't remember being affected by anything you've done, but... oi!" In the midst of a serious conversation, there was strangeness. He'd been casually poking Angelica's cheek, and now, she was poking his in return. He absolutely had to poke her more, so those movements of his forefinger became more focused, more purposeful and more plentiful.

[Apollymi]

Charles had interesting thoughts about his developments and by proxy the potential developments of society. Did he really think whatever work he'd been doing was so insignificant? Well it might have been. In truth, Angelica didn't really trust her father to know and understand the best uses of people when sending them out to do tasks. She assumed that given Charles' personality he might have been sent on work which would have counted as errands that more arrogant or lazy people wouldn't be interested in doing. "Maybe but not all evolutions require a lot, just specialization," she mused. She knew in particular things like crafting simply got better through trying to craft more, as such she held it in pretty good confidence that one might be able to evolve while doing something relatively simple. Maybe humanity just hadn't figured out fully how to surpass their limits in such a way?

Moving on, Angelica compared herself to a Holy Grail, only in the fact that she possessed Divinity as a skill and could likely affect people around her in various ways. This was an idea Charles ran with going on a short rant and questioning whether or not Angelica was managing to sacrifice people and maybe sucking the soul out of Charles in the moment. A haughty little scoff escaped her in the moment. "Get real, Chuck, I would do no such thing. And I am sure if I was doing something to you, it'd definitely be on purpose!" she declared while continuing to poke the lad.

Of course over the length of time of their discussion they were both just poking each other with increased vigor. In response to the increased vigor of Charles, Angelica managed to do more herself seeming to move her finger around in a circle in the spot she poked. "Oi nothing. I don't do things to you... this doesn't count, you started it!" she claimed continuing to poke him. Of course it was rather relieving that she didn't think herself responsible for any pain mental or physical being caused to Charles. She wouldn't want him suffering on her account, she liked him quite a bit. Charles nudity also went unnoticed but the slight pulses to Charles mana were something of note.

[Bloodedge]

"Sure, but doesn't that usually come with Skill acquisitions and stuff like that? I haven't had anything like that happen either," he explained. If he happened to be entering an evolution without even a Skill upgrade or unlock, he'd be quite upset. That was no way to live the isekai life. A more appropriate thing would be to find out his soul was actually being syphoned by Angelica, and that their union would result in such an evolution necessary to defeat the Demon Lord... or something along those lines. Now that was how one ascended in a fantasy world!

Angelica wouldn't be the type to sacrifice, and she'd only perform acts of soul-sucking on purpose... apparently. That last part was an unnecessary addition. What would be the point? Well, depending on the method of execution, it probably wouldn't be so bad. Terrible thought. He should erase that one, right? Or... perhaps not. Whatever the case, Angelica's poking vigor increased in wake of his own, and she went on to claim this was something he started. How ridiculous! Obviously, he hadn't done a thing! "Don't go blaming me! You touched first, I responded!" Charlemagne countered. In that very moment, he had a second forefinger joining the mix. He'd be poking both sides of her face, and apparently ignoring the fact that he'd stopped holding his trunks up in the process.

[Apollymi]

Charles questioned the lack of skill evolution to go along with his changes in base. Angelica gave that a bit of consideration, all while still poking the lad only to come to a different set of conclusions. "Don't humans have to put in a lot of thought to skills since they can't innately use mana? It could be what would be a natural set of skills might not manifest until your mana is finished with whatever it is doing..." she said. That seemed reasonable enough to her. Humans and other beings that didn't naturally manipulate their own mana were relatively hard to understand. As such she could only make educated guesses about the nature of his evolution. Even so she didn't see it as a large problem that he had no new skills currently, he might have needed to achieve a better understanding of his new mana source before he was able to do things like manage his skills.

But there were other things escalating that required more direct attention. Here and now, Charles decided to poke her with two hands, blaming her for initiating contact and claiming it wasn't his fault. "I patted you, to calm you down. You poked me, aggression is your fault, Chuck!" she claimed as she continued. Oh? He'd upped the ante with that second finger. Angelica wouldn't be left behind that second finger began to poke poke poke his exposed chest as well. What was he going to do about it. She didn't know, they were a bit too caught up in the moment and without his hands holding up his shorts he was probably closer to nude than he would have generally appreciated.

[Bloodedge]

"It's not like humans are that limited. Humans can use mana if they can learn; there just aren't any innate abilities to humans. It takes a lot of thought, focus and ability to learn something new, but evolutions are completely conditional from what I've seen. I've evolved a couple of Skills randomly so far, and it's all happened in conjunction with any change to my Saint Graph," Charlemagne explained with relative certainty. He was pretty sure that any evolution open to him would come with some sort of change, something he'd be fully aware of. Whatever was happening, it was either something far too early to warrant ascension... or too far beyond human understanding to be perceivable to him. The latter, of course, seemed like he'd have to do something ridiculous to achieve it.

The poking continued. Between Charlemagne and Angelica, there were four fingers rapidly pressing against skin. Angelica however, had taken to poking his chest with her second digit. To counter such a thing, Charlemagne began poking at her abdomen with both fingers. "Oi! You still touched first! What I'm doing is just normal progression, so it's still on you!" he insisted. All the while, there seemed to be no ending in sight for this random poke-war of sorts. Charlemagne wasn't going to stop, and it seemed Angelica was content to react at every turn. With that being the case, he supposed the war was on.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, humanity wasn't as far behind the curve as Angelica surmised. He seemed to understand enough of his own development to acknowledge a few of his own skills which had managed to evolve over the course of his current existence. That was good as far as Angelica understood it, she personally thought it was a bit weird that humans had to go through so much to get new skills or develop magical abilities, but hard work wasn't something to shy away from either. "I get it I guess," she said carefully. "There is a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with learning to do something overtime and putting effort into attaining things. That much I understand..." she said seeming to remember her own happiness at the accomplishments surrounding her creations to be something similar. "Still it could be smaller changes that would fly under your watchful gaze~" she said seeming to find that thought a bit funny.

What else was funny? Well, Angelica found herself being poked even more readily, this time in her abdomen. Muscled though she was, perfect was her figure still she was, ticklish. She laughed continuously having to take deep breaths between happy squeals as she continued to poke at the face and chest of Charles. "Listen here Chuck...hahaha!" she laughed hysterically, "A gentle pat on the face is nothing compared to this....hahehehehahaha!" she laughed more. "Torture! hahahahahahahahah~" she couldn't help it. She was continuously laughing at that was all his fault too. Her face was turning red, her eyes were sparkling, she hadn't even given up on poking him completely but now felt the need to try and defend her abdomen with one hand lest she laugh herself to death.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica was right about a sense of accomplishment accompanying skill acquisition and the like. Charlemagne had been much more satisfied overall with the abilities he sculpted for himself than he'd been with the random upgrades, though... there were some caveats to that. When his actions caused the upgrade to a Skill he'd developed, he knew the ultimate joy of growth. As for these apparent 'smaller changes' that may have escaped his notice, he hadn't a clue what they could be. Angelica seemed privy to some knowledge he didn't have... though she also seemed privy to something else.

To be ticklish was, in this case, to be vulnerable. As Charlemagne poked at her abdomen, Angelica laughed. Suddenly, there was a sharpness to his eyes, a gleam and a temporary air of seriousness and great intent. He could see a path to victory and infinite prestige! Even his voice was affected by this revelation, sounding deeper and more certain when he next spoke. "Hoho~? Ticklish, Angelica Edelfelt? Your fate is sealed!" he announced. With that, Charlemagne entered a state of focus that belonged in extreme combat. This focus proved useful in bypassing defenses, which was precisely what he used it for as Angelica aimed to guard her abdomen from his assault.

[Apollymi]

There were many things going on with Charles that weren't really clear but Angelica was sure none of his developments were bad, even if they were currently unexplained. Of course, all of this was put aside as they discussed the nature of accomplishment. She was sure he could understand the goodness of that and beyond that she felt it was unlikely he'd receive anything he didn't deserve and couldn't use, he simply had the wrong thoughts about himself. Even so, she believed in him, so eventually she'd convince him to believe in himself a bit more...

But that would be later, when she remembered. Right now, she was panicking, or rather laughing. Of course those things were synonymous given the fact she was being tickled in a manner she couldn't even begin to understand. So thorough and complete was this tickling that it came with even more concentration and a deeper voice and use of most of her name. Charles' face was so serious in a moment like this, eyes sharpened in concentration as he claimed her fate was sealed... oh no. That made her feel strangely inside, but it wasn't bad so it was almost immediately overridden by the extra bit of fear which was involved when someone was being tickled. She tried to mount her defense but found single arm being surpassed by use of Charles hands. She was still laughing hysterically having to abandon her poking to try and defend herself more completely. "Wait...hahaha...please....heheheh.... I can't....ahahahahahaha!~" she couldn't stop laughing and even when trying to protect herself she found herself backing away just a bit. Maybe a bit of space between them would allow her a moment or two of reprieve? Why not, it wasn't like he could chase her right just now.

[Bloodedge]

Would space allow her reprieve? Absolutely not! Charlemagne had the path to victory just ahead of him, and he was going to tread it by any means necessary! Angelica could only retreat so much before she had to vacate the tent. Before such a time came, she would know true torment by method of his extended fingers. Sadly, only one of them realized why Charlemagne couldn't give chase. Which of them was it? Well... it wasn't Charlemagne.

In his current state of having the upper hand, it was only natural that Charlemagne continue moving forward to 'attack' so to speak. Of course, he would soon realize why retreat was a good idea on Angelica's part. When he released his swim trunks earlier, they'd fallen around his ankles. Stepping forward even once resulted his forward foot being caught in said trunks. His poke assault reached its abrupt end by fault of a trip which sent him falling forward. Oh. This was going to become awkward again, wasn't it?

[Apollymi]

Ah, and the laughter and hijinks continued for a little while longer. Though Angelica thought the lad wouldn't give chase given the fact that his shorts were down around his ankles, she miscalculated. How could she not? How could she know that a human male who was winning at something like tickling wouldn't be kept from the prized squeals of his prey? Well she found that out here and now as she tried to back out of his grasp and he tripped forward over his shorts. This would lead to an interesting situation.

A still giggling Angelica would fall but it was nothing note worthy. Instead what was note worthy would be the fact that Charles had landed atop her. She was still giggling just a tad and trying to get her breathing under control still she couldn't help but comment, "You were really serious about that, huh Chuck? No foresight?" she asked seeming to find the whole thing amusing. That being said, she also had no problem with what would be extended physical contact between their forms. In truth she was nothing but comfortable with his body against her own and given what she was like she didn't feel embarrassed about it. As such the only awkwardness applied to the situation would be Charles doing.

[Bloodedge]

Foresight? If he had even a speck of that, Charlemagne would never have landed himself in the current situation. What situation? Well, it seemed he was face-first in the princess' bosom. Previously dealing with fingers to the cheek on both ends of their epic battle, Charlemagne was now forced to deal with oversized marshmallows smothering him from either side. This was the perfect time to start freaking out. This was the penultimate sin or something, right? People always said the worst things felt best. . .

If he had the foresight, he would have stopped this. He would never have taken that damning step forward. In hindsight, he was glad no such clairvoyance existed in his Saint Graph. If, for some reason, this would be the event which damned him, there was no point backing out of it. It could be a simple pitstop to the heavens before falling into the pit of Hell. Apart from the potentials, it wasn't as if he could remove himself anyway. He was dazed, but far from confused. There was no place for wondering why, how, or what to do. HIs body wouldn't move, and he couldn't question its decision. Maybe he'd be smothered to death? That would be alright.

[Apollymi]

There was no foresight in Charles and apparently also no desire to move once he'd fallen. Angelica lie, still giggling with the lad on top of her his face buried between her breasts as he was mostly completely still. Strange, she expected that he would have scrambled to get up super quickly. Perhaps he was worried about more going wrong than right in such a situation. Perhaps he'd simply resigned himself to this particular form of embrace. Just the same her right hand met the back of his head carefully giving it a gentle rub. "It seems like you didn't think it through there, Chuck...." she mused seeming to find something quite amusing even while she wasn't being tickled to death. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of us..." she said.

Even though she said it, she actually didn't mind the way he was, but his not moving was a bit worrying. It'd be pretty awkward for her if he managed to smother himself to death while denying even his normal inclination to move away from her. Ah, so what would she do instead of moving him off her or anything like that. The grip over the back of his head became another arm also wrapped around his body her left leg entwining with his as she used the leverage of her right to flip them, both. Another obvious wrestling move their positions were effectively switched and she was now atop him pushing up to give him air. "Chuck you shouldn't be trying to smother yourself like that, it seems a bit dangerous for you..." she mentioned. Though she'd put no real space between them her bosom was still over his face just not so much that he couldn't breathe. That little flip had put strange thoughts in her head again. He had such a firm body and it was so warm pressed against hers for that brief moment. "Are you alright?" she asked.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne had no need of something basic and foolish like movement anymore. In a single and accidental moment, he'd discovered a path to nirvana. Oddly enough, he truly believed that was the case, deep within his own consciousness. He wasn't even aware of the hand on his head. He wasn't sure what Angelica was saying. He was occupied, mentally falling into an abyss from which he could never return. He was surrounded by the darkness found in Angelica's cleavage, but there was only light in his eyes.

Soon, he was no longer in the same position. His limp body felt no sensations as it was flipped by unknown means to a place beneath Angelica. She was on top of him now in a very suggestive way, considering his lack of clothes and presence of erection. That didn't matter either, as now her breasts were weighing down on either side of his face instead of his face being pressed into them. Oh. He could register something being said now... sort of. Should he not have been trying to smother himself? He wasn't even trying. He was, however, willing to accept whatever fate presented itself. "I've reached the end. I give up," he said, truly feeling in the moment as if his soul and body were separating. One such as Charlemagne would assume that feeling was in his head, but no, there was some merit to it. Sadly, few humans would ever recognize the sensation of their own soul literally expanding due to contact with a divine being. Maybe Charlemagne himself would understand the feeling one day.

[Apollymi]

There was a lot of physical contact taking place here and Angelica took the liberty of moving herself about, now atop Charles in a way to avoid giving him any unnecessary injuries. Her entire body hovered over his abdomen and she'd aligned herself to be in front of his erection which was erect against her bottom from this angle. She was still leaned against his face but she'd drawn her chest up a bit and was propped up on either side of his head. The words Charles shared were a bit worrying as such she backed off just a bit so she could look him in his face.

"Easy there, Chuck..." she mused while looking down at his face. Hm, she might have liked looking at him from this angle for reasons she was not yet ready to explain. Still, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his forehead. "I'd tell you to calm down but you don't seem to be overly worried. But that is kind of more worrying than a freak out..." she stated honestly. "In other news though... your mana feels different right now... like it's getting bigger?" she expressed her understanding of this moment. Did contact with her do this to him? It didn't feel like anything was wrong he just felt a little bit different. Actually the difference in the feeling was something she was made curious about, something she wanted to inspect in a more direct manner, was there a way to do that? There had to be, right? Angelica looked down at Charles face seeming to give that a bit more thought than she likely should.

[Bloodedge]

And so, Angelica was talking again. Why? There was no reason to take anything easy. He could officially call this the end, whether of life or simply of life as he knew it. The end was not near; the end was here. He could embrace it fully and know true peace in these final moments. Luckily for him, Angelica wasn't telling him to calm down or think rationally. Obviously, that ability was officially long gone. She could worry all she wanted. There was peace in the universe; nothing could go awry ever again.

Ah, something was said about his mana. It was getting... bigger? Was mana some sort of euphemism in this case? If so, it would make more sense to him. Something was certainly becoming notably bigger, as Charlemagne noted the first thing he felt as being soft flesh against his manhood. Ah, right, he didn't have trousers on. Oh well. That didn't matter anymore either. "Yep. Bigger. That's normal," he said. Charlemagne had entered the most serene state of being he'd ever known, for reasons he couldn't fathom. "You know, I thought being Holy Emperor wouldn't be so bad. That's selfish. It'd be pretty cool overall, though. Everything's cool. . ." he rambled.

[Apollymi]

Charles was experiencing something strange, of this Angelica was certain. What was more he happened to be completely out of it. He was eerily quiet and calm. He seemed to have reached a state of peace mentally, his body wasn't quite on the same wavelength. Well, that wasn't exactly true, he was pinned beneath Angelica mostly unmoving aside from the growth of his manhood behind the softness of her rear. That was an interesting contrast of sensation. Angelica's own 'instincts' as they existed made her shift against him just a little as if settling into a point of greater contact. "I feel like you took that a way I didn't mean it. I do understand the basics Chuck..." she said seeming to find something rather strange about the entire situation. "I meant your actual mana feels bigger, though I am pretty sure I can feel it through..." she gave it some thought but didn't mention it though her body did shift once more. Why was she doing this? It wasn't really in her nature to tease or anything like that.

She remained staring into the lad's face as he began to ramble. What was he talking about in a moment like this... well his general acceptance of becoming the Holy Emperor. He claimed it wouldn't be so bad, that it was somehow selfish of him but it would be cool. Everything was apparently cool. "You aren't being selfish... I am," she explained of the moment. True enough, she'd basically chosen him to be her husband because he was the person she liked, accepting that in anyway wasn't selfish of him. The choice itself was selfish of her, made without any regard for anything else he might have had going on, or any other person who might have liked or loved him. "Are you really alright with it? It's still a job and has responsibilities, and you'll have to marry me..." she mused. She was fine with marrying Charles, and he seemed fine with marrying her in moments like this but it would be bad for him to become discontent at some point. She didn't want that for him but given their time together already she was certain she'd like him long term.

[Bloodedge]

Maybe Charlemagne did take that last clause in a way Angelica hadn't intended. If that were the case though, what was that movement she felt? Surely body language and verbal language were to be taken together, right? What she spoke of and what she physically reacted to had to be one and the same. Ah, but there was more to be said. Angelica had actually been talking about his mana, which she could feel through... through what? Either that wasn't said, or Charlemagne missed it while mentally floating through the cosmos itself. Oh well. He was pretty sure whatever she said was cool. . .

His thoughts of becoming Holy Emperor were selfish, but not according to Angelica. In her opinion, the selfishness was hers to bear. Did that make sense? He wasn't sure. Charlemagne didn't have the presence of mind to judge, knowing what made it a selfish moment of acceptance for him. Yes, it was a job and had its own responsibilities, but so was everything he currently did. Yes, he'd 'have' to marry Angelica, but that was the main appeal that made his acceptance selfish. So then, what could be said about becoming Holy Emperor? Now that his brain was taking a backseat to his Saint Graph, Charlemagne could apply some real, functional logic stemming from the soul. "That sounds... cool. So damn cool. . ." he declared with a calm certainty.

[Apollymi]

Charles seemed to be totally accepting of their engagement at a moment like this. Angelica for her part, was fine with accepting it (it'd been her proposal after all), but was also worried on his behalf. Just the same there was a base instinct at play here which couldn't truly be ignored. Even those little twitches of her hips as she stared down at his face weren't things truly within her control. She felt a strange amount of desire in a moment like this to know what it was that had changed about Charles' mana and her natural inclinations gave her a strange way to find out.

So then, what would she do? She'd lean forward into Charles face those curls around her cascading around either side of him as she found her gaze pointed at his lips. "I still don't really understand cool... in this sense, but it sounds like a good thing," she mused. Well, if they were to be married she should at least get to know him on more than just their names and activities right? That seemed right. She inched her lips closer and closer towards his as her body came to relax against the firmness of his chest. She was so soft in a moment like this but that wouldn't stop her actions this time. "Going to do one of those brash things now, okay?" she asked, not quite as brash as she could have been but still she leaned into his face to place her lips against his. Why not? The idea of getting married said such a thing was likely to happen anyway, knowing about it ahead of time was a good thing in her own mind.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica didn't understand coolness, and that was fine. He knew. He couldn't expect her to fall into social norms when being socially nonexistent to the world. This was cool, that was cool, everything in creation right this moment was... cool. That was how Charlemagne currently saw reality. Something was missing, but he wasn't quite sure what. Oh well; that was fine too. "Cool is always good. It's... cool," he stated.

Everything was cool, but that was not limited to the things Charlemagne already knew of. On the horizon was an unforeseen turn of events, which all began with Angelica leaning against him more so than she'd been doing previously. She was going to do something brash, though she'd prefaced it with a question. Didn't that just remove any brashness to the act? Well, no. The question didn't even have time to receive an answer before Angelica acted, and oh what an act it was.

Earlier this very day, Charlemagne vowed to lead Angelica beyond the walls of Aincrad, that she might see the real stars. He never expected to be the one viewing them instead, but lo, the moment his lips were met by hers, his eyes widened and an entire galaxy flowed into his retinas. What an unrecognizable sensation it was. There was a spark of some sort, not simply from Angelica, but from within Charlemagne as well. His lips puckered from instinct of the body, but also instinct of the soul. Something within was swirling furiously; Charlemagne felt it deep within his torso and all through his groin. What was it? Whatever it was, it was pretty darn cool.

[Apollymi]

Cool was always good, apparently. Perhaps one day Angelica would understand the meaning of cool. Whenever that actually happened, she'd be sure to make her understanding known. Until then she was coming to a different sort of understanding. She'd announced her intention to behave brashly. She'd settled against the firmness of Charles' chest with the softness of her own, and she'd brought their lips together. In meeting in such a way she was given a newfound understanding.

She'd kissed him, which she knew to be a brash action, but it was also the one which felt most natural. She wasn't as caught up on socially normative behavior, so the action itself was one she committed to without any extra thought. And after their lips met, it seemed that Charles was at least receptive enough to have his own lips pucker to meet her. Ah, this was it wasn't it. In bringing their lips together in such a way she had a more complete understanding of him in the moment. She couldn't compare it to anything else. For her it was like watching a sprinkling of dust be sucked inwards and shot out as light. How interesting... Those little shifting motions of her hips became a bit more prominent in the moment but it was no conscious effort on the part of Angelica. No, she was simply doing what felt most natural to her in the position she currently occupied.

[Bloodedge]

A swirling galaxy of stars was all that registered in Charlemagne's field of vision. All the while, there were only two places he could feel on his own body. Against his lips, he felt a soft warmth that his mental state could equate to a star closer than all the others. It transferred into him enough heat to survive the vacuum of space. The other sensation he had was through his manhood, which continued to be rubbed against by Angelica's backside. Her movements didn't make sense to him, but he also didn't realize he, too, suffered a shifting of the hips.

At that end of Charlemagne, there was not a star... but something of a black hole. Something was keen to pull him inward with a force even light could not escape. Would it get what it wanted? The movements of Charlemagne's body seemed to think so, though his mind was still absent. He was currently lost, following a nebula-like trail toward a cluster of stars that seemed connected to him somehow. In doing so, he was riding that same star that kept him warm. Between his journey and that black hole, Charlemagne would either be torn apart, or find the perfect form of harmony to recollect his physical state, as he hadn't a single clue where that had gone.

[Apollymi]

There was a natural set of actions taking place as their lips and bodies remained in such close proximity. Angelica felt warmth and softness as she kissed Charles and the gentle movements of her hips were also responded to by movements of his hips. That was odd, she was sure he'd been so hesitant to do anything, he'd called himself selfish but at a moment like this there was nothing selfish about his actions. She was certain he was going with her strange and brash demand. Here and now she had an understanding of this feeling of his mana and its apparent evolution.

It was nice. Nothing about this could be considered wrong by Angelica and as such she felt no need to pull away from their current endeavor. She continued to kiss him the movements of her hips shifting ever so often, so much so that with his own movements the lad would find himself against the bare skin of her rear between her and her bathing suit without much extra work involved. Something about the direct contact between their skin was exciting, the more of it she got the more of it she wanted. Was there a way to progress? She wasn't sure, even so the contact between their lips couldn't stop even as she needed to breathe. The answer was obviously to open her mouth and take a breath or something like that...

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, one answer to breathing was an open mouth. Charlemagne had gone for no such thing, as he'd never ceased breathing through his nose. Doing that much was a bit shallow, though; perhaps it would be in his best interest to take a deeper breath or two as well. Sadly, his mind had no place for that either. Why? Something was tugging him by the soul. Slowly was he beginning to realize that his path through an envisioned cosmos was not split between a star cluster and a black hole. Somehow, some way, that cluster was within the black hole itself.

Oh... he had a better question with that realization. Was it the gravity of a black hole which pulled him in, or was it the appeal of the stars within? Discerning an answer was impossible, but one thing was certain: Charlemagne was being pulled by the groin. No. No, there was more happening around his groin than just that. The constant rubbing he'd been feeling was no longer against some fabric, at least not exclusively. The previous feeling was solely rubbing against the underside of his manhood, keeping it pressed against... flesh on the other side? Yes, that was certainly flesh he felt. The moment he came to realize this sensation, Charlemagne seemed to... activate in a way. It was a similar feeling to the moment Angelica's lips met his, but more part of a long-term chain-reaction of some sort. His Spiritual Core behaved as if it were molting, or even... opening itself to accept something already around it, and more beyond that. How could he describe it? Well, he couldn't... but he wasn't of a mind to think he had to either.

[Apollymi]

What was happening? Angelica wasn't sure but she was becoming more and more certain of something. She'd been saying all day she'd made the right choice choosing Charles, and while their bodies made so much contact with each other she was certain that this was the truth. Her hips continued moving against his manhood, she could feel it pressed against her rear and against the fabric. It was rubbing against her and the sensation of pulsing mana was something her body seemed to demand.

She seemed to be almost out of control of herself in this moment, her movements aiming to draw from him more of that mana she was feeling. It was a strange thing to consider but it was her natural inclination to continue moving against him. She wasn't quite certain why but it felt like the right thing to do and unlike Charles she had no problem with acting as her body demanded of her. When her lips pursed against his again she felt the strangest jolt of sensation against her sex as she rocked her hips agaisnt his body. That was something she should continue to try and feel and as such she continued rocking herself against him, kissing him and getting lost in the pure sensation of his mana in this closed in space. Yes, this as nice, she wouldn't stop, it... she liked it far too much even right now to want to change anything about the way they were moving.

[Bloodedge]

The meeting between these two could only become stranger and stranger still. Charlemagne's mind, soul, or perhaps even both had long since separated from his body. Even so, the most powerful sensations of the flesh remained. Angelica's lips continued to make contact with his own, which responded in kind. Her hips continued moving against his manhood, which seemed to have its own consciousness with all its reactive flexing. At some point, the combination of movements between them would result in Charlemagne's member planting itself in the crevice of her derriere.

Ah, it seemed that was precisely what happened in one particular moment. Such was a moment that Charles would temporarily synchronize mind, body and soul once more. Some sort of utterance escaped him then. It was not, nor was it ever intended to be, words. What passed from his lips directly between Angelica's was more of an exhale trying to become a proper gasp, yet sharing too much of its owner's shock to make the transition. Though it was nothing coherent or purposeful, it remained a proper translation of Charlemagne's existence at that exact time.

[Apollymi]

As time passed between this pair, Angelica was given a new sensation. It was the feeling of Charles manhood, flexing between the softness of her cheeks after it made its way to such a place. A little moan left her in a moment like this, much like the gasp that escaped Charles. It was such a nice feeling she could almost say it was divine. She couldn't really help it after all, they were so close together and now pieces seemed to be slotted against each other. Not fitted together but so close she could almost feel a pulsing of her insides a call of her depths which she couldn't have likened to any other feeling she'd ever had.

It was a pleasant sensation so it gave her no thoughts about what was happening here. Of course, with it came those continued movements and that gasp of Charles was swallowed up by the girl like its own form of delicacy. How long would such rocking last? She didn't know, but those pulses from her core seemed to be growing in frequency as she rocked her hips against Charles. The feelings of his phallus sandwiched between her cheeks seemed to be something calling to her, harmonizing... forcing her own feelings as well. She found herself inching closer and closer to something strange. This was nice, it was good, she'd continue until it was great or until something else stopped them, maybe that building pressure in her body would be the thing which made them stop?

[Bloodedge]

Ah yes, harmony. That was what Charlemagne was headed toward in some roundabout fashion. It seemed he'd soon reach it, though not before further evolution of their strange endeavor. Somewhere within Charlemagne, something forced his movement. There was already the repeated shifting of hips, but suddenly, the rest of him was no longer some limp shell of a human body. Specifically, his arms became mobile. There was a desire, a need for additional contact with Angelica's flesh, and his hands would find that contact on either side of her lower ribcage.

Simplicity in its finest form was what he found, though still a complexity remained. Speaking of inching toward something strange, that happened to be the complexity Charlemagne experienced. He knew what it was, yet he knew nothing of this variant with a strong magical pull applied. He knew in general what to expect, yet he had no idea what would truly happen in a matter of moments. He knew, more importantly than anything else, what was calling to him. So close to his groin was a gateway to paradise. He could feel it during certain movements, offering its embrace in such a teasing way. Teasing though it was, even something so simple was drawing from his loins with a greater intensity than he could ever imagine. Perhaps that meant something more than one would think?

[Apollymi]

This pair of indiividuals were indeed experiencing something strange. That thumping from Angelica's loins was being balanced by the feeling of Charles' groin. Moreover the lad seeming to be feeling his body quite a bit more. Why? Well he was reaching for her. She could feel his arms underneath her ribcage holding her closely. That was nice. Yes, she definitely liked that sensation as well as the hips of both individuals seemed to be working. Even Angelica in a moment like this seemed to understand that this act had begun to simulate mana transfer in the way she understood it. If her body was anything to go by, she was feeling exactly the way she should for the endeavor and she'd eventually come to feel that sudden clarity in mind and increase in body.

Still she didn't want to change how she was doing this particular thing. As her lips moved against Charles, her hips continued shifting. Each movement seeming to send little jolts further and further up her body. She was sure something was there, she only had to continue right? Nothing she was doing now counted as wrong, given Charles was even contributing more as time went on. His mana was starting to feel less strange and more stable and that feeling between her legs seemed to be building more and more. It was almost there... whatever there was she was sure rubbing herself against him could potentially finish the job of this particular action and leave them both feeling... better. So she allowed it, closer and closer her body traveled a path to a pleasure she didn't understand as she took advantage of all the skin they had touching and everything else.

[Bloodedge]

That imaginary nebula Charlemagne had been traveling through had its truth revealed. What he traversed was the path to Heaven. Whatever the truth of Heaven was, he felt in the depths of his soul that it resided inside Angelica. How would he get there? Well, there was one surefire way. When entering a place, one had to use a door of some sort. Her mouth had been like a window to see through, but the door itself... he could only enter one way.

Sadly, it was unlikely that Charlemagne's soul would fully become one with Heaven this day. He could feel the unearthly pull on his manhood from within Angelica's core, but that pull in conjunction with all the rubbing and his long-term arousal was... quite the dangerous combination. Whether that mythical push from within Charlemagne got what it wanted or not, the pull of Angelica's being would get what it demanded. If Charlemagne had the mind to do so, he would have avoided spilling the seed of his loins into the Holy Princess' bikini bottom, but alas, any ability he had to stop was gone. There were mere seconds before Angelica had to deal with a fair bit of... spillage around and between her buttocks.

[Apollymi]

Perhaps they wouldn't become one this day, but they'd definitely connect in a strange way. Whatever manner Charles understood their interaction in, Angelica understood it a bit differently. She wasn't truly aware of the way their connection was forming, but she did feel closer and closer to him as her body aimed for a certain sensation. She couldn't have properly explained what she was going for in a moment like this, but eventually it would be reached.

The pulsing of her body called to Charles, enough that their bodies probably should have been joining properly, but instead a certain expulsion would be happening before their loins could be joined together like two halves of a puzzle. Of course, this would also come with a certain strange feeling for Angelica too. After that spillage from Charles loins her hips came to a stop as she felt a certain seeping slickness from her own as she seemed to reach a certain threshold she didn't immediately understand. "Ah!~" relief, but there was mana being shared between them now, leaking onto her skin from him and going onto his from her and in that moment there was clarity. And in the clarity she heard a voice...

"Little one, you can finally hear me!" there was excitement and a certain brightness. In her mind's eyes she saw a deeply tanned woman with dark colored hair which faded into a deep blue color. Her eyes a jeweled deep blue as well as she stood in feathered garb looking at her seemingly pleased but also exasperated.

[Bloodedge]

In conjunction with his own expulsion of fluids, there was a foreign moisture upon the top of Charlemagne's tool, and upon his pelvis to boot. That swirling sensation within his torso had become something more akin to a heartbeat. It seemed to be more specifically reaching out than anything else now. How was this the case? Charlemagne couldn't know, but it was undoubtedly a thumping that synchronized with Angelica's pulse. He hadn't passed any physical barriers, but that imaginary gate in front of him was now one with a key inserted. All he had to do was unlock it, open it and step inside, but lo... there was something else in front of it.

Charlemagne saw four figures in total. Behind the gate was that cluster of stars now visible in a form resembling Angelica. An obscure figure was larger than the others and stood in front of Angelica, while another silhouette stood aside. The final figure he saw was not so intangible as the previous two, and that one was speaking in a distinctively feminine voice. This apparent woman seemed to be facing Angelica when speaking. Who was this person, and why was he hearing some distant-sounding words from a figure so close? Perhaps more importantly, Charlemagne wondered who the other two were supposed to be. He didn't recognize a single one of them except Angelica, and she was beyond a gate he'd only just inserted a key into. Whatever the case, he could only sit back and perhaps observe while some strange link formed between Angelica and himself.

[Apollymi]

Everything made sense to Angelica right now. The voice that had been reaching out to her for the last few days finally reached her. Her eyes widened at the sight of this woman and she knew deeply her connection to her immediately. "Mom!" she seemed really excited by the prospect and the confirmation. She could finally see her mother and she was finally able to hear her clearly. All of it came to her in a singular moment, she'd have to be sure to thank Charles for his help in this, though it'd likely embarrass him a bit. "Yes, I suppose that is the way you would see me... though my name is Astraea," she said with a gentle smile coming to her face. "I have been trying to reach you, but from where I am but it feels strange..." she mentioned seeming to be past the point of her confusion but finding her daughters countenance to be so very interesting.

"But... I..." there were several questions floating around in Angelica's head not the least of which was why her mother was trying to reach her now and why she'd waited so long to do so, and a million other things. "You have many questions, but time here is limitless but also limited..." she explained. Her voice was so calming her reasoning seemed to reach Angelica's heart easily seeming to cause the girl to be much calmer than she normally showed herself to be when she was in such a situation. "So... why? Why now?" she asked seeming to find the woman reaching out to her to be strange after such a long time. "Oh? Well, the Mother recently handed us a gift, and I am about to leave this place I've been locked in for most of the life of this planet," she said carefully. "Before I do that, I wish to hand you what should be yours, the Authorities I have which are most suited to you..." she said. "Mother? Authorities?" Angelica's words came as a curiosity and her mother looked at the lass and her tongue clicked gently. "Yes, Authorities the absolute power of divinities over specific things. In your case, the Authority I have for you is Justice. The next generation should have their turn and I wish to be free as I freed you," she said seeming to come to a few strange understandings in a moment like this while looking upon her daughter. It was quite strange to Astraea that her daughter didn't know of the Mother nor did she understand the nature of her being, perhaps that was why she felt so dispersed when she tried to reach out to her?

[Bloodedge]

Mom. That was the first word Charlemagne could perceive fully. In this odd ethereal form, the only thing he could do was attempt to enter the gates. Much to his chagrin, the larger silhouette stood in his path at every turn. The other silhouette remained aloof, granting him no reprieve as the final figure conversed with Angelica. 'What is happening here? This was cool a second ago, but this is pretty lame,' he thought while being halted yet again.

On the more pleasant side of things, Charlemagne felt far more stable now. The only strangeness he knew besides what appeared in his mind's eye, was that unusual calling. Bypassing that gate was not something he simply wanted to do─ it was something he needed to accomplish. As for the reason, he didn't have one. It felt as if Charlemagne himself was a construct, complete in its own right, but only made better with an addition held by Angelica. 'How am I supposed to get past this giant thing? I really need to get through this gate. The one I can see is Angie's mom, so... Who are these other people?'

[Apollymi]

Angelica was being given information that didn't really make sense to her. According to her mother, there was an Authority which was the ultimate power of a divinity and it was being given to her. She'd been trying to reach her for this purpose and she'd been freed as Angelica was... "But I really don't get it. Why did you say the Mother like it's a title? Why am I receiving an Authority? And I'm not free I'm stuck in Aincrad," said Angelica. This was not the news Astraea expected. She didn't know what she expected but the idea that her daughter was locked up somewhere and didn't even truly grasp what she was, made her look more concerned for a moment.

"It is alright, little one. The Mother is a title. She is 'The Mother of the Gods' the one who gave rise to the Seven. But this is all a lesson I would have expected you to have, as a Goddess of similar quality. There isn't enough time for me to fully explain it to you..." she said carefully. "As for why you should receive it... it is your birthright. It belongs to you more so than any others. You are my daughter and thus most suited to being Goddess of Justice in my stead," she explained carefully. Angelica managed to look surprised. "Wait wait wait, you can't make me Goddess of Justice I don't know enough stuff. I've been locked into one place forever I can't be justice I don't even understand it!" she exclaimed seeming to find that to be a very serious problem. A small smirk came to this woman's face as she opened her arms and enveloped the blonder lass in her arms. Such a feeling made Angelica quite calm and she took a deep breath. "You've been through something I didn't expect, but Justice is supposed to be blind. Your stars will guide you and the light you possess shall shine through. It was never my intention for you to be locked into a place, I didn't want that for you..." she said calmly. "For that I apologize. I cannot right that wrong, but I am sure there are many others that yet require your attention," she said to the lass. "I don't know... I'm really brash and people think I'm not really friendly. I don't know if I should take something like that..." she said to her mother. "The fact that you've given thought to how you behave means you are more suited for it than the last person who took control of it as a concept. Do not worry so... you can take your time to fully learn and mold this concept to your understanding. This world below hasn't known Justice unfettered by Wrath in a long time... so the kind of Justice you will create will be what is needed grown and furthered by you and not tainted by old world ideals," said Astraea. All the while they were touching and as Angelica accepted her new role, her body gained a brighter glow as Astraea's seemed to dim quite a bit still the connection between the two goddesses' remained strong.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne had a limited number of options for his singular goal. Whatever he did had to land him on the other side of that gate. The largest of the figures present kept getting in his way, though. What was he to do? Stop and think was the answer he went with. Of the three non-Angelica figures, only one was impeding him. The visible one paid him no mind at all. That final one over to the side seemed aloof, as if waiting for something. That one was a smaller silhouette that appeared feminine based on what he could make out. She was the most mysterious thing about this scene, having no visible involvement at all.

'Hmm. Maybe that one could help me out? She's at least not helping this big guy get in my way, so... it's worth a shot,' he thought, deciding to move toward that individual. In doing so, the larger silhouette shifted again. It wasn't interrupting Charlemagne's progress toward the extra figure, but it was still blocking his potential route to the gate. That still wasn't the disturbing occurrence here. The figure he approached moved away from him with every step, seeming to keep the same distance from him that Angelica had. 'Oh. Not my friend? Alright, that's... weird.'

[Apollymi]

In all of this conversation Angelica seemed to take a few things from the conversation with her mother. The first of which was more understanding of what she was, a born goddess not just 'Holy Princess' or some sort of partial Celestial as she had been led to believe. There was the talk of plural goddesses including her own mother who was the goddess of Justice and someone called the Mother who birthed 'The Seven' which made it sound like there was some sort of strangeness surrounding the singular god religion she was taking part in. What else was it? Well there was a confirmation and apology from her mother about her current life situation, it wasn't what she wanted for her. The idea that her mother had been trapped somewhere wasn't something she knew or understood. There seemed to be a lot of things missing from Angelica's education. Just the same Astraea seemed to trust that the lass would become a proper embodiment of Justice claiming that it was supposed to be blind and not involve 'Wrath' as she put it. This was a lot to take in but there was comfort and warmth from her mother in a moment like this and Angelica given what her life was like found herself easily accepting her mother's words and the warmth provided by contact with her.

"I still don't understand, how am I supposed to grow Justice and how will I know if I am right?" she asked this brought a gentle pat from the woman against her back as she gave the only kind of advice she could in a moment like this. It was both advice of a practical physical nature and that of a metaphysical or magical nature. "Practice, the growth of Justice will be influenced by what you put into it, what you do with it. And none can truly know if they are right they just have to trust in their ideals and standards... As long as you do not go against the feelings provided by your deepest root, you will only do what is right," she said to the girl. This she knew as she'd grown and created her from nothing and she'd grown into this beautiful thing she was. "But what about you? If I take this on what happens to you?" the girl asked of her mother. This was the first time they'd spoken in a thousand years, she didn't want to fully accept her new role if it would mean the end for her mother. They'd only just met. "You have no need to worry for me little one. I will not die for handing this over, and by giving it to you our connection will be strengthened. You will need only reach the same sort of meditative state to continue speaking with me while not so obviously engaged in your mana transfer," she mentioned causing a blush to appear on the face of Angelica.

"There is no reason for shame here nor anywhere else. The acts you are engaged in answer the Call of Creation, it is simply the nature of Creators when together to find someone to create with, you seem to have found someone who does exactly that..." she stated. Ah, the elders of this world were all just a bit strange weren't they, but at least Angelica was right to assume they weren't doing anything considered wrong. Strangely, as those powers she gained from her mother settled within her person, Astraea began to shift her form quite a bit. She became paler the deep color of her blue hair shifting as well to a lighter color. Her more elaborate clothing was shifted into much simpler Greek style dress with a large blue jewel at her right hip as she handed over the majority of herself to her daughter and took from her a bit of something more normal. "Now, while you grow Justice into what is needed, I will participate in what I believe the mortals call 'retirement'. I will always be here to counsel you, but the scales are yours now, determine their balance as you see fit, but do not turn a blind eye to slights past nor present," said the woman who pressed her lips against Angelica's forehead and stepped away from the girl taking a good look at her. She saw in her lots of what was meant for the one she was originally creating but also much of herself. Least of all she saw the influence of the last but that was not important to the current time. The girl would find her way in this world and eventually they would come together for a more familial talk. Ah she could tell her more later, she guessed there would be some time in the near future. Still there was a nagging thought, what had the man who'd taken Luviagelita been thinking? Why was she so uninformed and what was being planned here? Well from the perspective of Astraea that was for the girl and her new creative partner to find out. Done were the old gods meddling in the world humanity built.

[Bloodedge]

The gate ahead was something Charlemagne had to pass through. A large figure was constantly in his way, and a smaller figure would only move farther away as he tried approaching it. What was the issue here? He moved around to test out different approaches, and noticed something very curious. If he drew closer to the gate and Angelica, that mysterious figure approached. It seemed to only be as far from him as he was to Angelica. At the same time, the farther he was from the gate, the farther Angelica seemed to be. Was his goal the gate itself? Clearly, if both Angelica and the mystery figure boasted distance relative to his location, standing in the gate would have them on either side of him. With that being the best assumption to roll with, there was only one obstacle. . .

That large figure had to be removed from his path. The only surefire way Charlemagne knew would deal with such a hefty obstacle was to defeat it directly, so... out came his sword. He cracked his neck a few times, rotated his shoulders and stretched his back. Based on the size and feeling of that thing, it was going to be a doozy. "Yosh! Time to let loose I guess! C'mon big guy!" he taunted.

[Apollymi]

While Charles decided to fight what appeared to him within this vision, Angelica found herself accepting the new aspects of herself. Her mother had said many things but she'd not been trying to influence the girl's thoughts. Angelica took this to mean she was supposed to figure out some things on her own and now she had the tools to do that. Her mother also claimed that retirement was what she was after and her form changed fully indicating she was now someone else. She wondered if she'd find her mother elsewhere being worshipped for something else. She wondered if it was actually possible for this Goddess of Justice thing to work out. Even so, she felt the power transferred into her person and made peace with it. "Okay, I guess if I can still talk to you it won't be so bad. And Chuck was talking about getting me out of here so maybe I'll see you around..." she said happily.

"Maybe indeed. Do not worry, little one. You have everything you need and you are clarity beyond this world's understanding of the word," she said giving the girl a nice pat on the head as their bodies began to properly separate. "I will see you later, Angelica..." she stated and as she did, consciousness began to return to Angelica in the moment. She found herself in a tent, still on top of Charles a tear falling from her eye.

[Bloodedge]

One answer was all Charlemagne needed to succeed. If he could take down the oppressive silhouette, he could enter the gate ahead. He'd slain greater foes than this thing, so he expected no issues. How wrong he was. The moment Charlemagne charged forward, he was subjected to a pressure the likes of no other. The silhouette had only raised a hand for Charlemagne to fall into some unknown abyss. Moments later, he was surrounded by darkness. Then, moments after that...

Charlemagne woke abruptly, his consciousness once again within his own body. The details of that journey was a blur to some extent, but now he was fully aware of himself. He could feel the placement of his phallus as Angelica remained atop his body. What had they done exactly? Well, he knew whatever had been done had reached conclusion... at least for him. "Eh? I thought I was somewhere else..." Charlemagne mumbled, strangely coming to realize his breath was slightly labored.

[Apollymi]

When Angelica awoke she was still straddling Charles, his manhood pressed against her rear. Even so, she felt really good. Her whole body felt energized and she seemed to be rather calm in spite of everything that happened. She spent a few moments looking down at Charles and he remained out of it for a bit longer than she did, but eventually he jolted awake and she smiled down at him. "Charlie! You're awake!~" she chimed seemingly happier than she should have been about the whole situation. Everything was fine and now she had things to figure out and so much to do.

His words implied that he thought he'd been somewhere else, which made Angelica look at him curiously from her perch. "Are you okay? I think I was somewhere else for a little bit. I saw my mom!" she said with all the happiness that came with that statement. Oh, right she should probably get off him, she had at least the grace to look abashed. "Oops, I'm sorry you're probably really out of it. I should move..." she murmured preparing to extricate herself from his lap and give him the space he needed to properly come back to himself.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, so he had been out of it for a bit. Given Angelica's first words when he regained consciousness, Charlemagne figured that strange dream was a real occurrence. She claimed to have been somewhere else as well, and further claimed to have seen her mother. Oh? Now that he thought about it, he'd seen something similar. "Tan, dark blue hair, weirdly inviting?" he questioned, recalling a few key features of the woman Angelica addressed as 'mom' in that odd space.

Either way, Charlemagne was sure that was all real. He'd seen Angelica, he'd seen her mother, and he'd seen... who were the other two? Astraea had no connection to him, but had one to Angelica... whom he'd technically been connected to at the time. Maybe he couldn't see the other two because they were connected to her as well? That didn't make much sense. "Who were the other two─" Charlemagne wondered aloud while propping himself up on both elbows. As Angelica hadn't moved yet, he didn't rise very much at all. In the effort to do so, Charlemagne felt that strange rubbing around his manhood again. That alone was enough to stop the lad in his tracks. "... Oh. That explains what was happening before. Wasn't expecting that─"

[Apollymi]

Charles upon hearing what Angelica had to say gave a strangely accurate description of her mother. She'd been under the impression that the space in which she met her mother was some sort of familial link or subspace they shared by virtue of their connection to each other. It was interesting that Charles had seen the same woman she had and had seen enough of her to fully appreciate the oddity of her being. "Hm, I didn't know you could see her. Well... she acknowledged your existence but I figured that was just because of how I ended up there..." she mused seeming to feel a bit shy about it.

Speaking of feeling shy about something, there was more words coming from Charles but they didn't all come out given she was extricating herself from his lap at the time and thus moving the lad out of the folds of her cheeks. Ah, that was likely a little embarrassing somewhere but, her mother had told her she had no reason to feel shame. She'd take that lesson to heart and easily separate them, easing herself back and eventually fully separating them and offering Charles a hand up. "I only saw my mom. If that space works like I think it does, you'll only see people you're spiritually connected to parents, spouses, children... that sort of thing. Though I can't be sure because well, I've only ever been in there that once," she stated clearly. Still... that gentle glow on her body was rather obvious even to her inside of the less than well-lit tent.

[Bloodedge]

"Well yeah, I could see a lot. She was talking to you, you were behind a gate, some big guy was getting in my way, and... there was some girl," he explained as best he could. The large male figure was problematic, but he was made most curious by the female figure. "I couldn't see more than a shadow of those two. That girl felt important, though. She kept moving away when I got closer, and getting closer when I moved toward you. As much as I tried to pass through the gate. I wondered why you didn't even look my way," he continued. That entire ordeal was stranger than anything else he'd ever done.

Soon enough, Angelica shifted a sufficient amount to grant Charlemagne some moving room. He didn't seem very bothered by the position they were in. Indeed, everything else he'd seen recently took precedence. "So since you didn't see them, there's no telling if they were connected to you or not. I mean, I'm not connected to your mother at all; that had to be a you thing. Well... unless it was her I saw. Who'd that big one be then?" Charlemagne was rambling again, wracking his brain for some semblance of an idea. The mysteries were unending without something to latch onto by way of evidence. Perhaps he was best ignoring the whole thing until something else came up? "Anyway, it's good you got to see your mom finally. I barely heard a thing she said, but she sounded nice."

[Apollymi]

Charles relayed an interesting amount of information. He claimed that he'd seen a lot, Angelica and her mother, a guy blocking him from crossing some gate which kept him away from both of them. And another girl who moved closer to him the closer he was to Angelica but farther away the closer he went towards her specifically. It was truly a strange thing to hear but terribly interesting long term. He thought the girl might have been important, and he'd wondered why she hadn't even looked his way. "Ah, yeah... perhaps a space like that has some oddities. Or maybe there is something special about how you saw it which made us see different things? I knew what was calling to me, maybe lack of understanding was to blame for not being able to make it further?" she offered. Angelica was many things but she was no profit. All she had to go on was supposition based solely upon her own experiences and understanding.

Their combined supposition had them come to the conclusion that Angelica seeing her mother was why Charles could also see her. That was pretty firm as thought but it was also possible he could see her for other reasons. "Well my mother was the Goddess of Justice so it is possible you had some other connection to her whether you were aware of it or not," she said humans liked ideals so it was likely her mother was worshipped even indirectly for quite a while. "As for the big one, it could have been a lot of things, some god, a familial connection you don't know about, a physical manifestation of a piece of your psyche... there are many options," she mused having separated from him she was a bit discontent. She wanted to be closer again, but that seemed a bit pushier than she wanted to be after behaving so brashly in the first place. As for the rest of his statement she gave it consideration. It was good that she got to see her mom but that came with many other questions and not many answers.

"Yes, I saw my mom and she told me she's retiring and that she was handing over her Authorities to me making me the new goddess of justice... I feel like what you saw is way more interesting than me trying to decipher what my mom was saying. Though she was nice and way more forthcoming than I even expected," she said smiling about the situation. She could have rolled a bad mother and was happy she wasn't. Still it was strange it seemed her mother didn't know what was happening with her but was still willing to trust her with divine power.

[Bloodedge]

The issues Charlemagne had could have been more easily sorted if he and Angelica had seen the same thing. Sadly, there was no such luck. She'd met with her mother, and he'd been a bystander to the event while dealing with two unknowns... and some random heavenly gate. Lack of understanding was a massive understatement in his case; this was the most confusing thing ever! Moreover, it was apparently possible that he did have some connection with Angelica's mother. Why? She was the Goddess of Justice. "Ah. I guess that could make sense. . ."

. . .

No it didn't! That was the most random and shocking information to ever pass Angelica's lips! Without hesitation, Charlemagne sat up in outrage. "The what of WHAT?! Uh, excuse you, Luvia! Did we forget there's a limit on how much random 'what the hell' stuff we can tell a single person in a day?! What's this about random gods and becoming random gods in a weird spacey place?!" Impossible. Sometimes, Angelica was absolutely impossible. The most ridiculous things were said in the most casual tone, as if others were expected to match her level of weirdness. This wasn't news that could be accepted at face-value and brushed under the rug; it was literally world-changing information that could never be broached as a normal discussion.

[Apollymi]

Charles thought the things Angelica said could make sense. Of course her words made sense she was a fairly logical individual. Even while they sat in a tent and discussed their strange celestial conversation space, she was content to believe in the things she'd been told. Ah, the singular head nod she gave wouldn't be enough, because in the same moment, Charles completely lost it. Apparently something she'd said was completely out of line.

How far out of line? Far enough that she'd been referred to as 'Luvia'. No one called her Luvia anymore. She almost demanded everyone call her Angelica she wanted her given name completely forgotten by any means necessary, even in pet form. "Who?" she asked with the exact same inflection Charles had when she'd given him the same treatment earlier. The outburst of Charles was met in kind by Angelica in a moment like this, she seemed to think it strange that Charles seemed to be so stunned by the information. Was it really so outlandish? Well it wasn't like she would have said it without cause, "Well excuse me, Charles, I thought we had an entire conversation about the evolutions of beings just a few hours ago. How was I supposed to know that my mother being the Goddess of Justice, retiring and deciding to hand me that the things she had control over was going to be life changing information?!" she exclaimed. She gave it a few seconds of thought and sighed shaking her head with the moments consideration. "Actually, saying it out loud like that, if I heard something like that from someone else I'd have thousands of questions. Actually did, I talked Jeanne's ear off about the whole Holy Grail thing..." she said her own hands up in the air. "But mom wasn't lying, she said her name was Astraea and I can now feel those Authorities she gave me I have a skill now called Protection of the Scales and that came directly from her... she also said my education was lacking though," she said confirming that information within herself. She'd seen Charles sit up and now they were once again sitting across from each other looking dazed. "But I don't get it, what else is crazy about this?" she asked seeming to truly be lost. It was after all not like she'd call her mother a liar or anything but the information that her mother existed wasn't life changing to her at all.

[Bloodedge]

No shortage of ridiculousness was allowed today. In a single sentence, Angelica had given reason to question what was widely regarded as the one true religion, the one path to righteousness and the one history of this world. How was there another god? By Father An's teachings which allegedly came from a singular divine entity, the time known as the 'Age of Gods' had long since come to an end. There was supposedly only one who could influence the world, and that was due to all others treading the wrong path and/or losing status as divinities. How was there an Authority to pass on at all? Things didn't make sense. Why was this information able to fly under the 'one true' God's radar?

Though Angelica snapped back with the same intensity and birthname use as Charlemagne himself, even she came to realize the shock value of her own declaration. Her mother wasn't lying; of this he was sure without Angelica even claiming as much. There were few other logical reasons for that supernatural occurrence. As for what was crazy about this, well... where should he even start? "Well firstly, we're told that at the end of the Age of Gods, the whole pantheon crumbled. One god remained, took on the name God, and is the sole overseer of this world. All others claiming godhood are false, but... I saw your mother. There was nothing evil about her, I'm sure," he stated. Charlemagne was deep in thought, considering all the potentials and ramifications of Aincrad's actions. In the end, it all looped back to one thing. "What if we're mistaken? What if God is mistaken about being the only one left? It would mean... It would mean a lot of things might have been punished for the wrong reasons! What about Jeanne d'Arc? We know how she was. If we can look into this, we can prove that whole situation was a misunderstanding. There's no undoing what happened, but it could clear her name at least!"

[Apollymi]

The problem of this world as far as those of Aincrad would understand it, was that a long time ago the Age of the Gods came to an end and only one remained. Of course, the existence of Angelica's mother made that untrue and beyond that Angelica herself also made that untrue. Ah, but that wasn't all... according to Angelica's mother, there was a mother of the gods who'd managed to free them all somewhat recently, but she hadn't stated what 'freedom' was when it was achieved by Divine beings, nor had she explained how they were locked up in the first place. Charles' first words made her face shift a bit. Is that what the Templars were being told? She didn't talk to her father that much and his teachings to her were more suited to her than that. "Hm, I think there are a lot of things being confused. According to mom... 'The Mother' of the gods, not her, freed them the way my mom freed me. That implies that if I had stayed with my mom I would have been locked up wherever she was before she reached out to me... it also implies the existence of several other divinities," this was what Angelica had to say about the first part of that.

About the second though, it seemed that there indeed may have been some sort of misunderstanding. Actually, if there was more than one Divinity remaining then it was likely something really bad. Charles brought up Jeanne d'Arc and Angelica could only look more excited than ever. "Mom did tell me not to turn a blind eye to any slights against Justice past or present," she said giving it a bit of thought. "I always thought it was weird she was declared a heretic. There was never anything about her that implied she was anything but good," she said of Jeanne. Even now she took that woman's advice to heart and missed having her around. "Looking into it would be best, she deserves to not be remembered negatively," she said happy about the prospect. Even so it seemed like a lot to undertake even step by step. How would they even begin going about looking into such a thing if everyone here already assumed the worst? "I want to do this, Jeanne deserves better. But how do we go about it? Jeanne is 1000 years out of the minds of most people," she said carefully. Such a situation as this required careful planning if Angelica was thinking about it right. They couldn't just be completely open about it, she doubted even Charles wouldn't have been skeptical of her, if he'd not been there to witness her interaction with her mother.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica spoke of some divine being called 'The Mother'. If he was remembering properly, Charlemagne could attribute that sort of title to one of the oldest religions in this world. "That sounds like Faith of the Seven. The Mother, The Father, The Smith and uh... the other four," he said, recalling little about that old belief. "That's one of the oldest belief systems ever. If it's a matter of being locked-up, and even that group is in there, there has to be way more to it than we understand."

Damned be thoughts of sin and impropriety, or anything else negatively applied to recent occurrences. Charlemagne stood and pulled up his trunks, behaving as if nothing had ever happened. More important than anything right now, was the list of realizations. If Angelica was to apparently inherit the aspect of Justice, surely she'd be first in line to clearing Jeanne d'Arc's name where possible. Lo and behold, her excitement was apparent once the plan was mentioned. "I thought it was weird too. I mean, I always figured it was a misunderstanding, but most people are willing to just follow the herd! We could right a huge wrong here!" he stated. How would they go about it though? "Hmm. We can't just bring this information to Father An with nothing but hearsay. I got it! If we can get some records together and compare them to old religions, maybe we could link Jeanne's 'demon' to one of the gods? Combining that with what we now know about your mom, we can debunk any assumption that we're talking about some demon!"

[Apollymi]

The Faith of the Seven was apparently an old religion, which worshipped seven entities with titles like 'The Mother' and 'The Father'... She supposed that made sense. If the world was initially run by divinities and they initially had separate aspects like the one her mother just passed to her, it was assumable that each had some large part to play in the initially crafting of the world, as they knew it. "You don't even remember all of it and I was never told of it, there is probably a whole lot that is misunderstood. My mother also apologized to me, she said it wasn't her intention to see me locked into any place," she kept spewing information from that conversation, giving it a true bit of thought. Her mother's intention as a person locked up was freedom for her, which meant that this circumstance she was in wasn't one her mother would have wanted for her. That was some what comforting but it also created a very tiny feeling of unease. There was something about the idea that her mother didn't want this for her, which implied that blame should be placed somewhere else.

Whatever, there were more important things directly. The clearing of the name of Jeanne d'Arc for starters. Charles went about putting on his shorts with no real issue. He seemed to be done with any potential shame or awkwardness in favor of going for the change in Jeanne d'Arc's status. According to Charles it would be bad to bring this before Father An without any evidence. That was probably true, it would be bad to come up with just words like, 'Yeah, I talked to my mom and gods still exist so obviously you've messed up!' that was a huge potential problem. "Yeah, everyone was willing to say she was a heretic afterwards, but she'd never done anything but be kind before. I always found it strange how quickly people were willing to ignore everything she'd done before," said Angelica. Though she knew death to be the sort of thing that wasn't necessarily permanent it was still quite rude for people to talk bad about someone just because of 'heresy'. This was becoming especially true if it turned out that 'heresy' technically couldn't exist as a thing. Instead if it was just an understanding to be cleared up and they had the evidence to back it up, then it wouldn't be so much of a big deal. But apparently Charles had an idea. He claimed that if they could get some old records together and link Jeanne's supposed 'demon' to whatever divine entity she was connected to that no one knew about then they could clear her name. "That is a pretty good idea. Aren't you about to move into where she used to live? Maybe you could find something there? If not then there is always the archives right? They are supposed to have a bunch of information about all of the activities of Aincrad," Angelica said. She'd been made aware of that sort of thing, but she couldn't just leave her floor so she'd never been to any of those places, even so it'd likely take only a short amount of time relatively speaking to look into everything.

[Bloodedge]

One would expect a person who'd been trapped in a space themselves to want no such thing for their child. Interest in that matter was waning, however. There was a chance to salvage an age-old situation involving Jeanne d'Arc, and doing so would save many people in the future as well. How many people may have been wrongly sent to execution due to misinformation? Poor Janessa may have taken hundreds of innocent lives in her time. . .

By the time his shorts were properly situated, it seemed the two had reached an agreement. Both knew Jeanne d'Arc had not been the type to be swayed by evil. In fact, her title 'Queen of Saints' probably made her immune in some way. Charlemagne always believed there had to be some mistake, but he'd never acted on that belief. Now, there was something solid that could make up for lost action. "Humans are always quick to follow the group. If 99% believes one thing, nobody wants to be the 1% in the corner," he explained. Now then, how could they go about taking action? Angelica spoke of archives, which he happened to have an easy connection to. Floor 98 was his group's new home. As he had to go there anyway, he could simply bring Angelica along. "Everyone should be in the new place by now. Ivy's the one with archive access, so we could always ask her to pull up the details. Besides, didn't you want to meet more girls? Two birds, one stone!" he said, extending a hand to Angelica. Of things to be done here, they only had to snuff out a flame, collect Angelica's apparent pet fish, and do something about that... monstrosity. It could all be handled in a matter of moments, then they could move on.

[Apollymi]

Beyond the points made, according to Charles, humans didn't like standing out from the crowd. If most of a group thought one way, then the rest of the group followed suit. Angelica found this news to be a bit jarring if she was honest, mostly because it didn't make logical sense to her as a person. "So if the majority is wrong, then everyone is wrong and nothing gets fixed?" she asked in summation. That seemed like a good way for an entire species or civilization to end up wiped off the map. Perhaps there were other factors at play. Humans were pretty weak for the most part, perhaps they were more like animals who lived in groups, being socially accepted was safer than going it alone?

Regardless there were only a few minor things to do, as Charles extended a hand to Angelica she took it. More than happy to move on and perhaps do something meaningful with her thousand year existence. Ah, and Charles even had an idea for what to do about the information they needed. According to him one of his members had access to the archives and probably had access to the information they needed that was great. Said member was also a girl, doubly great. "Yes! That sounds exciting. The only girl I know besides Jeanne is Brada, which is fine but I'd like to meet someone else!" she said seemingly excited.

The end of their endeavor, Angelica was dressed in her usual attire once more with her packed bag over her shoulder, a small coin collection of the things called 'Septims' which seemed odd to her and she couldn't exactly figure out why. She'd hold that one away and keep going on about their adventure to clear the name of Jeanne d'Arc.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, Angelica had a very reasonable view on mankind. Herd mentality was humanity's undoing time and time again, and there was little to be done about it. Regardless, attempts would be made... but first Charlemagne would make a different sort of attempt. They both wanted to clear the name of Jeanne d'Arc, and Angelica wanted to interact with more women than just Bradamante. As such, they eventually dealt with matters at the campsite and recovered their normal state of dress.

With all else done, they were on their way to Floor 22's teleport gate, where they would be transported directly to the 98th floor. Much like Floor 100 and Floor 99, this location held one of the major structures of Aincrad. In a brightly-lit mountain range, tucked into the lower half of a smaller mountain, was the Diamond Palace. It was another very shiny building of great stature, which Charlemagne didn't mind nearly as much as Angelica's original abode... or the Ruby Palace. Décor aside, he expected the other members of his Party to be floating around somewhere. On the other hand... he wasn't a massive fan of the walls to his house being diamond. "You know, there was a whole urban legend about Floor 98. 'The walls are made of diamonds,' they said. I hoped it was a metaphor, but... I'm not really sure what I expected after seeing the two floors above this one. Not yours, of course! Well... not after you've fixed it up, at least. I'd rather move up there; this place is too bright for gemstones."

[Apollymi]

And to the 98th Floor they went, finding themselves at the former abode of one Jeanne d'Arc. Both of these individuals wanted to clear the name of that particular woman, making sure that for future generations she wasn't known as something so very dark as a heretic. Whatever the case, the came to floor 98 and Angelica took in the visuals of it and nearly gagged. It truly was one of those strange sights that she couldn't like. Walls made of diamond with a rainbow sheen in it. Charles even had something to say about that, claiming that there was a rumor that the walls up here were made of diamonds and he'd hoped it was untrue. "Yeah, this place is just as gaudy as the other floors. I am kind of scared to even go looking at like floor 97," she claimed though it was mostly in jest.

Like the other floors she considered that the space had good bones, but it definitely needed a face lift. "I had a similar conversation with Jeanne once, she didn't seem to mind the walls so much but she hated that the building looked like a church. I started working on being able to modify things because I wanted to help her feel more at home here. I am sure I could actually fix it up for you guys, if you want," she said carefully. She doubted Jeanne would want to live here again after what had happened, but she was a always a better person than she needed to be, so Angelica always wanted to extend similar kindness to the lass. And now she'd just easily change the look of it for Charles and his peers as a sign of good will and to keep them from having to live in a hideous place.

As for the members of Charlemange's group, several were floating around a bit, including Bradamante, "Our fearless leader finally returns! And... Angie! Hi!" she seemed pretty excited by the prospect. Mostly she'd already settled in and was just waiting for Charlemagne to return. Several others were floating around including Janessa who had on a large hood and managed to look a little gloomy out in the brightness of this area. Angelica looked up carrying a fish and waving with the other hand. Already there was an improvement. And Bradamante's loudness might have meant a few others stirred at the sound of her. Several others were quietly moving about having determined that the lands themselves weren't cursed or anything like that.

[Bloodedge]

Needless to say, the visuals of Floor 98 left much to be desired. Charlemagne wasn't a fan of the main building from outside, and though Angelica spoke in a joking tone, she seemed a hair's breadth away from disgust. He couldn't tell for certain if she was, but he couldn't judge any great distaste in a diamond building. Apparently, Jeanne d'Arc herself wasn't fond of the venue either. Such was how Angelica began dabbling in magical design and restructuring, however she managed to do that. Well... apparently she managed by being born a demigod, as Charlemagne understood things. "Right, demigod stuff. That all makes sense now. I just thought your Skill choices were really eclectic," he mused.

Moments after the realization of a lifetime, Bradamante became the first member of the Party to greet them. What great fortune, that it was her instead of Renaud or... Roland. Speaking of Roland, he'd been the first to appear in Charlemagne's mind. "Please tell me Roland just happens to be on another floor. I'll have a heart attack if one more surprise hits me today," he said immediately, sparing Bradamante a wave as greeting. Prior to any answer Bradamante had, however, Archbishop Turpin joined the fray. He'd been nearby enough to approach upon hearing the blonde girl's shouting, and it just so happened that he had the necessary information. "If only you could be so lucky. As fortune would have it, he and Renaud have gone back to bashing each other's heads in. Make use of the time while you have it." With that said, Turpin bowed in a somewhat casual manner toward Angelica. "My Lady," he said. "Strange. You seem to resemble the princess, but... surely I'm mistaken. I'll just have to forget everything I'm 'not' seeing. The Father needn't know what my tired eyes misinterpret."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, he thought Angelica's skill choices were eclectic, but they apparently all made sense now as 'demigod' stuff. A chuckle slipped from between Angelica's lips at the assertion. "My skills aren't that odd... and think of how much happier you'll be in a not weird looking diamond church!" she mused seeming to find the word choice there to be a bit funny. Ah, whatever the case, Bradamante was busy about to spill the beans about the issue of Roland and Renaud but it seemed she'd be beaten to the punch by Archbishop Turpin. And that man had quite a few things to say, the first of which was that the men in question had gone back to beating each other up, and as such they weren't really problematic in the moment. "That. What he said, but only Roland would really be a problem," said Bradamante. That was interesting news, a sigh of relief came from Angelica before she was addressed directly by Turpin.

A little bow and a casual statement happened in this moment. He was tired was he? Obviously he wasn't seeing this land's princess just casually walking around with a fish in a bag with a young adventurer. She looked at this man and couldn't help but earnestly appreciate his words. "Well aren't you a surprising amount of fun Archbishop Turpin. Obviously, any resemblance I bear to this princess is purely coincidental. That in mind, I thank you for your discretion and I hope you manage to get some rest," she said seemingly pleased just the same. Charles at least had a good sense for people, and though she'd apparently hurt the feelings of a couple of his men, she found herself able to get along with more than she didn't. Whatever the case, this conversation made Bradamante look at the pair oddly. "Oh? Angie are you sneaking out?" Bradamante whispered, which made Angelica chuckle. "Well, no, not really. While I didn't tell anyone what was I doing, I was also never expressly told that I couldn't so..." she said said with a casual shrug. It was sort of a letter of the law, versus spirit of the law kind of argument. Still it wasn't like any one could have expected her to live alone for a thousand years with the only point of contact in her life being servants and her father, that would just be odd.

[Bloodedge]

When told Roland would be the only problem, Charlemagne could only disagree. While Roland would undoubtedly be the most outlandish issue they could face, Renaud was not to be taken out of the equation either. "I'm not so sure about that. That brother of yours has his moments. Besides all that, I picked up a new skill the last time we were all together, and uh... he's been hounding me about a match whenever I've got free time," Charlemagne said, tentatively scratching his scalp.

Moving on, it seemed Angelica's presence would pose no issues in Aincrad's chain of command. He expected as much; Floor 98 was occupied by a good bunch of people. There was more purpose in this trip than keeping Angelica from the 99th floor, however. What they needed here and now was information. While catching up and performing non-formal introductions, they could have the necessary information brought up. All they needed was... "Say, where's Ivy? We need her to look into something that might help a lot of people in the past and future."

[Apollymi]

Bradamante was soon enough informed that Renaud was going to be a problem because Charles had a new skill which he likely wanted to face in active combat. Ah, that made a decent bit of sense. Her older brother was an interesting man, and Bradamante knew what he was like when he had combat on the brain, which was a lot more of the time than most would have admitted to, "I see... good luck with that. I would have just kept it to myself. It works for me to simply not tell him about any of my new skills and avoid active combat," she gave as a general form of advice. Yes, her brother would even face her in combat, so when she had no intention of actively combatting him, she kept her developments to herself. Speaking of... "Did you find that ring properly useful?" asked Angelica. Ah, Bradamante's eyes brightened at the mention. "Of course, I was going to drop it off with you but since you're here..." she was trying to work it off her finger but Angelica simply shook her head. "No, I made it for you. You should keep it, you might need it..." she said with a shrug. She was just happy the girl found it useful.

Bradamante couldn't help but smile. Angelica was a very nice person once one got past the outer visage. A lot of girls were like that though so it was easy for her to adjust. She simply smiled at the lass, "Thanks Angie, you're awesome!" she offered before moving on to Charles question. "Is that actually a question? Ivy, upon arriving immediately went to find a study or library. She wanted to have a peek at anything that may have been left behind," she offered with a point towards the building. "Down the main hall... a big set of doors on the left, you can't miss it." she said moving right along. The library in this building was a room lined with large book shelves and a large window covered by that same rainbow like stream of light. It was pretty open with large tables and one big desk on a daius in the middle of the room. This was a place used as a general study by Jeanne d'Arc and was now where someone like Ivy was sitting studying the papers left strewn across the desk. How interesting this place was in the context of being the home of a 'known heretic' it didn't seem like she had any thing scary or negative going on with her at all.

[Bloodedge]

If Renaud could be trusted to do one thing, it could always be believed he'd seek challenging combat. A companion with a new Skill was the perfect opportunity for exercise, apparently even if said companion was his own sister. "I'm not too sure you have to hide your stuff from him. You could probably get away with just turning him down," Charlemagne claimed. Surely even Renaud would respect Bradamante's wishes of avoidance.

A brief exchange occurred between the women present─ something about a ring given to Bradamante by Angelica. Turpin took his leave in the meantime, having a few individuals to meet with and... likely distract at the teleport gate. Charlemagne, on the other hand, awaited the location of Ivy, who'd apparently already found the library. That came as little surprise. "Already, huh? I should have figured," said Charlemagne. "Alright, thanks. You guys can keep chatting if you want. I'm going to bug Ivy," he continued. With that, whether joined or alone, he'd be heading into the main hall and keeping track of all doors to his left. As he walked, he decided to call out as well. "Ivyyy! Alle alle auch sind frei!"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, Bradamante had the freedom to turn down her brother's combative nature. While that might have been true to some extent, even Bradamante couldn't always escape the lad's whims. "Listen, he's my brother and I of all people know I could just say no, but then I'd feel guilty. He's always so happy when he's fighting, like he's having the best time ever. My way is better, guilt free~" said Bradamante. At the same time, Charles basically dismissed the group to keep about their activities and Turpin decided honorable as he was, to run interference. At the same time, he had something of a small shadow, a white haired woman in the gloomy hood was keeping an eye on him. She'd help him out too.

At the same time, Angelica and Charles went searching for this person called Ivy. Ivy was in the library and upon hearing the call of her leader she looked up from the table she'd been pouring over to speak to him. "We are all free yes. But it's still a library Charlie, shush~" she said softly. She stood up from behind the desk to see the lad with a blonde lass who was definitely the Holy Princess. Strange, she didn't figure that one got to walk around very much. Ah, and she was carrying a fish, it is likely she'd been out for a while now. Father An didn't seem like the type to sanction field trips so... teenagers being teenagers was a pretty obvious thing. She'd have nothing to say about that. "On a walk there?" she asked almost sarcastically as she gave a subtle bow and waited for why she'd been searched for.

[Bloodedge]

Upon calling out to the one named Ivy, Charlemagne received a response from within the library. He was... shushed? Ivy claimed it was a library, implying that he should be silent. Interestingly enough, he'd yet to even enter the room when she said those things. In fact, upon offering his reply, he still refused to pass the threshold into the library... all to drive home the point he'd make. "Well, Ivy, it just so happens that I'm not in the library! Pehh!" he countered, tongue protruding from his mouth. Actually, there was more. As he looked into the room where Ivy busied herself, Charlemagne had a realization. How could she shush him here?

"Hey wait a minute!" Ah yes, Charlemagne was prone to strokes of genius every now and then, and now was such a time. "This is my library! I can make all the noise I want!" he shouted triumphantly. With that, Charlemagne sauntered into the room with his head held high, making sure he made as much noise as possible. "Laa la laa~♪" Jokes and bothering Ivy aside, there was much purpose in this visit. Ivy took immediate notice of Angelica. Though all members of the Party had encountered the Holy Princess before, that had been a more brief and official meeting. Now was the time for a proper introduction. "Pleasantries first. Angie, Isabella Thorne. Ivy, Luviagelita Angelica Edelfelt," he said with a very unnecessary amount of emphasis on full names. Sure, this was an informal introduction, but that didn't mean it couldn't be hilarious in Charlemagne's own mind! "Oh, and we're here for all your secrets. You've got information we need, and we'll resort to any amount of torture to get it!"

[Apollymi]

Of course Charles was willing to split hairs. Not in library, the library belonged to him... etc. These things didn't matter to Ivy at all, the woman in her armor just managed to look up from the papers while shaking her head. "Spirit violation. You know what this space is, and you are choosing to be cross to its existence..." she said, something she said often when something violated the moral background of a rule without violating a rule in and of itself. It was an ethical violation. Though she was nowhere near serious about calling him on this, since she had nothing better to do and it wasn't like anyone here was studying or anything of the sort. Angelica stood with Charles noting this discourse. She wondered if this was simply how they behaved as friends. There didn't seem to be any given animosity between them and Ivy gave off an almost sisterly vibe if Angelica was being honest.

Ah, speaking of that the pair of them were introduced to each other, very formally. Rather, the pair had their full names given and both had similar almost disgusted looks upon their faces. Ivy was the first to speak in a moment like this seeming to regain herself more quickly. "Why are you like this about names, Charlie?" she asked. "Ivy, call me Ivy I assume we'll see you around a bit more often and that is fine with me," she offered. "Angie, nice to meet you. I also don't know why he's like this..." she offered and then both women looked to each other and chuckled. A shared bit of understanding and then they moved on rather easily. Apparently information was needed and torture was on the table to receive it. "I don't think you have the heart for torture... she might though," she said giving a wink to Angelica. "What do you want to know? I ask while we stand in the middle of a library..." she said still sarcastically. After that sentence finished Angelica decided she truly liked this woman, she didn't seem to take any nonsense but also seemed to be at base a good bit of fun. She could appreciate her at face value and looked forward to getting to know her a bit more.

[Bloodedge]

"Am not! I've got nothing against the spirit of a library. As I recall though, you were one of the people who decided I'm in charge of stuff around here. It is therefore my solemn duty to make it as inconvenient for you as you make it for me, even if that's by holding it over your head whenever possible!" he said to the platinum blonde, one forefinger wagging as if he were someone's nagging mother.

As for why he decided to deliver names the way he did, well... there was little to it. To him, they each had the sort of name one would find in a documentary about some old western kingdom in his original world. He was also acutely aware that neither of them particularly fancied being addressed as such, and lo... instant bonding! "I can answer both of you. Because this," he declared without specifying what 'this' was at all. Instead of wasting valuable time with something like an explanation, he moved on to the purpose of their visit. Whether Charlemagne had the heart for torture or not was of little consequence, but the need for information was. "We need... something you probably won't find in here. Basically, we're here to abuse having a connection to the recordkeeper for top-secret information. We need to know every little detail about Jeanne d'Arc ─ specifically her trial and execution."

[Apollymi]

Oh it was a matter of inconvenience. Charles claimed he didn't like being a leader and as such would make it inconvenient for everyone else. Everyone else, knew he was best suited to the task by his own actions so they were at an impasse. Here and now Ivy managed to look at the lad with piercing green eyes and only smiled. "A small price to pay for a good leader. I'll remember my ear plugs from now on~" she mused as if it was the perfect reaction to his claiming of the library and making it inconvenient for her. She could easily ignore any loud noises in the library and what was more she would be sure that Charles had to keep up his end of their arrangement.

Moving on from that point there was the information concerning how he chose to address both Angelica and Ivy when introducing them to each other. He claimed 'this' without real explanation was the reason. In the moment, Ivy seemed to understand. He gave them something to bond over. A leadership tactic to keep awkwardness to a minimum and build moral. "Always committing to being a good leader and complaining about being chosen as a leader. These actions are so contradictory sometimes~" she teased. Ah, but then the joking matter was over, what Charles and presumably Angelica wanted from her was information. Information concerning the trial and execution of a long gone heretic. Of course, Ivy, or rather the base form of her Braith had a great deal of knowledge about Jeanne d'Arc historically. Her curiosity was piqued when this was the name mentioned but she also became rather serious. "We've been assigned to this floor for less than a few hours, and you already have me looking into a thousand year old case. It isn't like such a name is renowned even beyond the scope of this..." she said whirling her finger around, using purposefully vague words to refer to the world at large as she figured this particular princess was well and truly native to this particular place. "Hm, you talk like you know something the rest of us don't," said Angelica. "Oh? Perceptive. I know a lot of things, some aren't necessarily true in our current context. Some are more true than others..." she stated. "Still, if you really want me to look into it, I will... I am interested to know how lore treats this particular individual, but you'll have to agree to me looking it up on my terms," she mentioned casually. But such was her usual way of things. It was a warning to Charles that she was likely intending to go about finding the information in a way which wouldn't be considered direct. After all, she wouldn't want anyone to know she'd looked into this information directly. She wouldn't be signing into the Archives but she could still gain access in another way.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, the torment he put people like Ivy through was a worthwhile exchange for leadership qualities. He could easily agree to that, except... "Fair, fair. Whenever somebody's ready to step up and be that good leader, I'm sure all of this will be dust in the wind," he claimed. As for the immediate bonding between Angelica and Ivy, the latter attributed it to his personal qualities as a leader. Disagreeing had never been easier for Charlemagne. "Friendship isn't leadership. That was friendship," he corrected.

Now then, what did Ivy have to say about their need of information? Well, first came a jab at what was required, alongside a nonspecific reference to the world she, and he, came from. Angelica was unaware what they could specifically be talking about, but Charlemagne would continue that matter regardless. "Give it a rest, Ivy. Stuff doesn't always play out like that. You know as well as I do, there's usually some magical mumbo jumbo going on, or even a full misrepresentation in the version we know." So many things they knew as 'history' in the other world were present-day events for them here. By name alone, many of them were in danger of the most interesting and chaotic futures... but things didn't always go the way one would expect.

How did it all translate? No one knew for certain, but Charlemagne would seek his own destiny. He knew Jeanne d'Arc to be of a similar mind, but sadly, her fate had been the same. Maybe their discovery would be similar, yet slightly different from the history books they once knew? One could hope at this point. "I'm not too sure it's something you should admit to being interested in, but I'd be lying if I disagreed with you there. What are the terms?" Charlemagne asked. Only a breath later however, he had a second thought. "Wait, why do I care? I'm not the boss of you; do what you want."

[Apollymi]

"Oh? So willing to step aside if a rising star better suits the situation? You aren't making yourself sound less qualified Charlie~" she explained the situation to him as best she could. Her leader seemed to be unaware of the qualities which made him a reasonable leader, but anyone who'd worked for someone or done a group project before in school already knew, which was why his group operated around him the way it did. He called his ability to strengthen bonds between Angelica and Ivy friendship not leadership. "Those things aren't mutually exclusive Charlie, the quality applies to both~" she claimed which would only go to the type of person she was and how she saw the world in general. Perhaps what Charlie actually needed was a confidence boost, the gorgeous princess at his side was sure to do wonders for him if he ever fully acknowledged that situation the way he should. As far as Ivy could see right now, they were well on their way to being a proper couple.

Ah, she was supposed to give this a rest because things didn't always play out as normal. That there was magical stuff involved from time to time and not all stories were the same as they were before. "That's true enough, but usually when magic is involved something is weird, and usually a lot worse than it is being given credit for," she said calmly as ever. Several heroic tales had played out strangely. She knew for instance that this world's 'King Arthur' was 'Queen Artoria' she'd heard several mythological beings were real and had lives that played out according to their legends. But she'd also heard things like the world was once one place and it broke apart forming all the different nations and continents currently on the ground. Life was strange in this world that was certain. At the same time Angelica heard everything said but some of it made sense and others of it didn't. Still, she'd listen and try to piece it all together.

At the same time, Charles claimed to want to know her terms, before deciding it didn't matter because he wasn't the boss of her. He also claimed Ivy probably shouldn't have admitted being interested in things like that. "Idiosyncrasies in knowledge are always worth exploring. I have to retain some form of objectivity or I can't be a good recordkeeper. That being said I realize that she was actually a person you knew," she explained of herself. Of course, she had other parts of his speech to address. "You are definitely the boss of me, whether you are willing to admit that or not. But if you don't care how I do it... then I'll be back in a few minutes~" she said giving a salute and bow before a strange portal opened up behind her, after a light glow around her person. She subsequently turn around and walk out seeming to be quite excited. "That was a strange conversation. I like her though... but I am really confused," claimed Angelica. Several sentences spoken seemed to make little sense to her. What was lore? What kind of strange knowledge did other people have, were they clairvoyant?

[Bloodedge]

"Well I... you..." Charlemagne was suddenly stammering, working his way through some sort of response to Ivy's claims. How could he continued to drive his point home? There had to be some way, right? "Shut up!" was all he offered in the end. Yes, that was the perfect comeback. Rather... it was all he could come up with.

In Ivy's experience, including magic in what they once knew as history made things weird and... worse. Charlemagne had a different experience, though he did know what she meant. Several thoughts passed through his mind in the form of memories, both from stories and from his own life. "That's just the stuff people hear about most. Besides, it was all during the Age of Gods. Everything was worse then," he said solemnly. Charlemagne himself had lived during those times. He knew many historical and mythological stories that sounded like child renditions of events happening before his very eyes. Those however, were a long time ago. Similar differences in the past thousand years or so had not been leaning in the same direction with such frequency.

Whatever the case, Ivy had her habits when addressing lore and the like, and she was allowed them. Whatever she wanted to think about the situation was fine with him. If it hurt no one, he had nothing negative to say. Of course, he did have an opposing opinion about being the boss of anyone... but that was an aside. Ivy was off to accomplish the task regardless. Once she was gone via her personal teleportation method, Angelica made known her confusion as well as her thoughts about Ivy. "I think she likes you too, but what's confusing you?"

[Apollymi]

Charles stammered through a reaction, ultimately ending to tell the woman known as Ivy to shut up. She would of course, but not without grinning like a woman who'd just won the lottery. All of her initial's life training as a lawyer said that when someone got that kind of flustered they were incapable of properly arguing a point. It was a fair tactic to use to force people into admitting things, and the words themselves leaned directly into what she meant. "Whatever you say, Charlie~" she teased just a little. As for his take on the Age of the Gods and its associated problems, she could only agree. "I wasn't around during that time, but tales of spoiled divinities creating chaos for mortals unchecked does indeed sound like a way worse time than right now," she mused. She couldn't argue. Many legends said crazy things about gods, destroying places because they were upset, changing the forms of people they'd wronged, introducing death as a punishment for hubris... ah, but all of that couldn't be true either. There was always extra information between the lines. And that was what Ivy searched for. As she descended through her own method of teleportation she'd find herself without trace of movement on floor 79, within the deeper reaches of the archives. She was moving through those alphabetized records until she found those pertaining to Jeanne d'Arc. In these walls covered in books and files she would soon be perusing a rather sordid and highly classified tale.

At the same time, Charles was stating that he thought Ivy liked Angelica too and wondered more directly over her confusion. "Ah, that's a relief. I am trying my hand at still being myself but having better introductions!" she asserted. Regardless she managed to look a bit abashed as she explained her point of confusion. "I didn't know why the word lore was used in that context. And it also sounds like Ivy and maybe you too, know things no one else does... so like are you guys like clairvoyant or something?" she asked about two things at once. Ah, well, that was out there and they did need something else to do. She could trust Charles to explain things to her in a way she'd understand them, they had that sort of relationship after all.

[Bloodedge]

With only Angelica and himself in the library, Charlemagne heard questions he didn't expect to be presented with at this point in a 1,000+ year-long life. He supposed however, that if he was going to actually marry the Holy Princess, she deserved to know the truth eventually. He'd be better off telling her that sort of thing beforehand. As such, Charlemagne pulled two chairs away from a nearby table, placing them beside each other, angled slightly inward. He sat in one, and patted the other briefly. "Ah... right," he said, seeming to almost dread the fact that this topic had come up. Life in that other world was so very long ago, yet still so precious a memory. Things were simpler then. Yes, people like him were living a dream in a magical world... but there was so much more to it than that.

"We're not clairvoyant. Well..." Charlemagne paused. Toward the end of his date with Angelica, he wondered if he was developing some form of Clairvoyance. Alas, that had nothing to do with the current topic. "I should say no form of magical foreknowledge is going into the stuff we say. I guess, if you're sure about the whole marriage thing, there's something I should tell you."

Charlemagne had never intended to keep his previous life a secret. On the other hand, he hadn't a clue how to even broach the topic. Now was as good a time as any, he thought. "So, Angie. Imagine... life in this world suddenly ended for you. Ugh, wait. That sounds morbid, doesn't it? I mean... imagine you wake up tomorrow, and nothing's the same. Close your eyes. You've been born all over again, all your memories intact, but you're a completely new person. You're born to new parents in a world with no magic. Because magic and magecraft never existed, people who wanted to start fires used methods like what I showed you earlier... but eventually, humans found better ways to do everything. Instead of doing so much, someone creates a little thing that fits in your pocket, which could make a little fire you could use to ignite something else. The world has no rideable flying creatures, so a couple of guys threw together a bunch of wood and fibers with wings, all to be more like birds. Even that evolves beyond those two guys, with future people making even bigger versions of it out of metal that could carry hundreds of people at a time. Instead of mana, devices of all sorts use the energy of burning coals, then fuels, then motion, then lightning that someone learned how to harness without any magic at all!" Once more, Charlemagne had started a tangent. This one, however, was no rant. He was recalling human innovation from his original, nonmagical world, and he was doing so with the twinkle of fondness in his eye. "Just think. Can you imagine that? Can you see yourself falling asleep right now, and waking up to something extraordinary like that?"

[Apollymi]

In the Archives, Ivy had started reading and taking notes. The things she found most interesting about this deep dive into Jeanne d'Arc's story wasn't the things recorded but the things that were removed from the records. For instance, the records weren't entirely clear on the sort of heresy she was being accused of, it claimed her soul was tainted in some way, but it was missing the how. Jeanne's own testimony about events had been stricken. Names and dates and explanations of her whereabouts leading up to her return to Aincrad and talks with Father An were erased. There were claims that she colluded with devils, but no proof of her actually doing so. There were claims she was interacting with 'demons' reinforced by things she said at her execution, but the words she said during her execution were redacted. As she read multiple accounts from multiple view points, the same kinds of information were missing. The assignment she was on for Aincrad, why she was found to be a heretic, what she said while she was being executed, why they claimed she was unrepentant. "Propaganda. This much redaction is usually done to preserve the image of someone. But in the context of this story, what is missing is the most important details," she murmured to herself. It wasn't just across the official documentation either. Even witness accounts taking at later times which claimed she called out to demons removed the name she spoke and even certain words she said.

Ah, but while Ivy did a deep dive into the history of Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution Angelica was given a long sit down talk. Apparently Charles had something to tell her and instead of coming straight out with it, he went on a bit of a tangent. She closed her eyes and listened to his words and all of it sounded quite jarring if she was being honest. She knew that the humans existed for the most part without magic, but even they had some exposure to it. The idea of completely non-magical world and all the advancements that came along with it, were quite wonderous but also frightening. "I can't really imagine anything like that... I get that magic isn't necessary but that whole thing sounds like it would be completely foreign to someone like me. Like I already have a thousand more questions about things just based off of what you've said so far," she explained of herself. Still she wouldn't stop him. "But you can keep going I do want to understand," she offered. This was the sort of kind a girl like Angelica was, even when she didn't understand she wanted to in some way.

[Bloodedge]

Unsurprisingly, Angelica had some difficulty imagining the scenario Charlemagne gave. Even with the media and imaginary magic in his original world, actually conceptualizing something like this world was nearly impossible. That is, until it became life. "Don't worry. There are a lot of nuances to those developments. I don't expect you to get a complete visual, but just imagine how surreal it would all be to you," he added. Nevertheless, there was purpose in his musing. "Now, think about all the things you know in your current life ─ all the things you would still remember when you're reborn into this new world. You start growing up, and you realize... you've been reborn with a name you once heard in a fairy tale or read in a storybook. You're born as..."

He took a moment to think. There were so many stories that could be told, but nothing he figured Angelica would know for certain. As such, he had to make something up. "Let's veer off into the imaginary for a sec. In this world, Angelica Edelfelt exists only as a story. She was the Holy Princess who built the most extravagant palaces all within a floating empire in the sky. She eventually became the Holy Empress and broke a magical seal that kept her bound to the empire itself, and all her abilities became the cause of awe and inspiration for many generations to come. This is the story you heard before being reborn into a world of technology. As you grow up in that world, you learn that you are Angelica Edelfelt from the stories. The problem is, the world doesn't work on magic. You know who you are, and you know those stories are supposed to be your life. You come of age, and you still build those palaces. You cut the stones, you build the framework with your own hands, and you become a legend for doing all that without magic. Or... maybe you find out the stories you knew were wrong, and you were just the person making blueprints for someone else to build. Maybe you just get all the credit. Maybe breaking a seal and escaping a floating empire is actually the story of how you were some shut-in princess in a tower, who finally wandered outside to tell her story after becoming an adult. Maybe it happens exactly like it did in the stories, but instead of doing things with magic, you were the first to build a machine that could accomplish those things for you. You know what to expect, but the reality of it couldn't possibly be the same. It might not even happen at all, really. Maybe you even realize Angelica Edelfelt is, in reality, a man named Angeal. That last part isn't really important, but it could happen."

[Apollymi]

Ivy continued reading through various tomes taking note of things said, unsaid and redacted and came to some rather annoying conclusions. The missing information was too great for anything considered airtight in either direction. But the problem with that was, how little there was left to draw conclusions from. It was almost like everything missing was missing so that only a specific conclusion could be drawn. Everything missing from all forms of information all seemed geared towards the story that was told. Jeanne d'Arc as a heretic and was executed justly. But if that was the case, why was there no records of her saying heretical words? Why wasn't it listed what actually happened to lead anyone to believe she'd been engaged in evil? Why were her last words redacted? Why were the words she spoke during her execution removed completely from the records? Why wasn't there an account of the things collected from her body, though it was mentioned at least once that something was left by her corpse and it wasn't simply her mystic codes? 'Hm, it is starting to seem like you may have experienced one of the worst endings this world had to offer... and none of us even get to know why...' she mused to herself. She finished making all of her copies and drawing up her notes to point out the problems so that even someone like Charles and Angelica could understand the problems with what she found. What they would do with that information she didn't know, but she'd make sure they got it.

And now there was quite a bit of information going into the mind of Angelica. She wasn't supposed to imagine it completely there were a lot of smaller things that went into this otherworld shift. But she could take this thought exercise of Charles' at face value. She was to imagine knowing all she did about this world and being born into the other one. She was to think about what it would be like to know the story of her life, while living it. That sounded a different sort of crazy. How many of your actions were your own in that case? Did you do the things you were destined to do? Or did you do something completely different and try to avoid it? "There are so many problems with all of that... not the least of which being, I'd be extremely upset if I randomly became a man!" she said firmly. Ah well everyone had a sticking point or two. "But I think I understand. It sounds like it'd be pretty rough though, how much of what you do would be your own choice then? Do you aim to go for what should be your storybook happy ending? How do you avoid just locking yourself up somewhere because you know potentially how you're supposed to die, or something like that?" there were so many potential issues and this kind of life sounded very frightening over all. Still she wasn't sure why this was where the conversation had gone to. "But beyond all of that, I can imagine being reborn and confused but Charlie why are you telling me all of this, and is this still connected to my original question?" she asked. If it was, she could only see his answer being one thing and that was kind of scary in a different way as well.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica immediately took issue with the idea of being reborn as a man. He wasn't sure how to explain a video game in a world that didn't have such technology, but it was due to such a thing that he knew many, many people in this world were born as something they preferred looking at on a screen. Regardless of the issue she first mentioned, Angelica thought the technical foreknowledge would make things rather complex. How much of one's life was their own choice? How should one approach having that information? Knowing multiple individuals who reincarnated into known historical figures, that was something he once spent a long time thinking about. "That's easy, isn't it? I think the best way to deal with it, is to not deal with it at all. Approach life the way people always should: however you want. If something's going to happen, knowing about it beforehand shouldn't affect things in day-to-day life."

Now that his belief on the matter had been shared, there was one more question for Charlemagne to deal with. In short, he could say yes, the scenario mentioned was directly related to Angelica's original question. It was never that simple though, was it? "Well, see... that whole technological, nonmagical world I just made up? I didn't make it up. That's where I was born the first time. I woke up one day, fully conscious as a newborn baby named Charles. That's it. Just Charles. I grow up, live the life of an adventurer then clear a Labyrinth and find out my name has been upgraded to Charlemagne. Charles the Great. King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor... leader of the 12 Peers. That's a story from more than a thousand years before I was born. He led one of the greatest empires in history, died of a fever, and was only given sainthood afterwards. But... that's not me. My name is something I can't even say. Charlemagne. That's what comes out every time, like this world is forcing me to conform to what it wants me to be." Things had gone a bit dark, almost brooding, but Charlemagne cracked a smile at the very end. He always had a habit of applying such carefree reactions to serious topics about himself, but this wasn't meant to be about him anyway. "Can't be bogged down by stuff like that though, right? That's how it is~"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles the main issue that Angelica took with the other world life 'foreknowledge' was something best left ignored for one's own wellness. He claimed living as you wanted to was the most important part. She looked at him with a raised brow after a statement like that, "It's admirable but also terrifying. I also don't think it would be that easy to just do so, I don't envy anyone that," she said giving it a bit of consideration. She couldn't say what she'd do with any amount of foreknowledge. It all sounded completely foreign to her.

Moving on from that, hearing out the darkness of Charles about his life so far. He claimed to be from that non-magical human engineered world. He also claimed that he knew of what his own life was apparently going to be to some extent. Though several words and phrases didn't make sense. Whatever his name had been while he was in that non-magical world, he wasn't even allowed to say it. That seemed a bit sad in truth. He was over 1000 years old here, but it still seemed a bit unfair that he couldn't even use his original name. "That sounds like a scary amount of information to have about your future. And it also sounds like all of you guys who are from that other place should probably be in a support group to help each other," she said giving a firm pat to the lad's head. He managed to smile and claim to not be bugged by it, but it still seemed like the sort of things that needed friendship to overcome. Given what he said about this other world and the context clues from earlier conversations, it seemed like even though they might not have been present many might have already had knowledge of the kind of life and end Jeanne d'Arc would have faced. Moreover she wondered if Jeanne was aware of any of this information herself. The blonde lass she'd known for her early life never seemed very bogged down by anything at all. "Huh, that other world life thing probably explains why Jeanne said her older sister was Artoria Pendragon... I guess I never really questioned something like that as a thing," she said frowning while she thought about it. How many other people lived lives separate from family and friends that could identify them and use their original names or whatever other random thing. Being able to commiserate about shared experiences seemed like something that would benefit all who came here with memories of another world.

[Bloodedge]

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Not for most of us, anyway," Charlemagne assured. "See, without magic in that world, humans had crazy imagination. People would pretend there was magic and all sorts of crazy things like that. A lot of us even dreamed of being in this kind of situation. Isekai, or different world is something my generation always thought about. What if we could be watching television or playing a game, and suddenly we're in that world?"

Charlemagne paused once more. He'd come to realize there was a way to explain video games and the like to Angelica. For the sake of context, he had little choice. "Oh! You know about Servants, right? Imagine Projection Magic being used with a device that could broadcast the visual all over the world. Imagine that being used to make a play, just for people to watch. That's television, or TV for short. Now, imagine that being interactive, so anyone out there could take control of a Servant and do anything they want within the projection. The projection could be as small as a single room, or as big as an entire world or... universe, really. That's a video game. The most popular game of my era was called Age of Eternity. It was so incredible, so massive, and had so much freedom. People like Jeanne played it, and a lot of them became the characters they created. It's the general consensus that being really into the game is what made a lot of people end up here ─ some random magical effect bleeding through the world or whatever. It gets weird with people like me. I didn't have the device to play, so I got into the card game instead. For that... imagine Servant Cards that don't physically summon spirits; they just have numbers and imaginary effects and abilities applied, and you do math to figure out who wins. It's more fun than it probably sounds."

Ah, he was rambling again. Never had Charlemagne been in a position to explain this double life phenomenon to someone else, though. Beyond all that, there was always more to it. His inability to speak his own name was something that stopped being bothersome centuries ago. One remaining oddity, however, was that the world didn't hold others to the same standard. Regarding the sibling relationship between Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria Pendragon, he and many others had much knowledge of the situation. "Hoshimi Emi. She and her sister, Hoshimi Eri, were pretty famous for broadcasting themselves playing Age of Eternity. They were the top-ranked cooperative players across the world! No surprise, they're two of the strongest people I've ever seen now that we're all here. As for the support group... I guess it technically exists? Most big figures in Chaldea are from the world I was first born in."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, living in the world without magic wasn't very bad for everyone. Humans were full of imagination. Angelica could understand that type of jump, she was a girl bored most of her life, she spent a great deal of time imagining random things and waiting for the next little leak of information or the next big adventure. "I understand imagining a different world. Not even a completely different one but just one where what you are presently isn't what you always have to be," she said honestly. That little bit of information made the most sense to her after all.

Charles also went to explain how video games worked, and this was strange but also made sense given his points of reference. "That sounds like it could be fun. Something like that would have at least kept me entertained over the last thousand years," she said feeling like maybe this was the highlight of mankind. She'd already noticed how very ingenuitive mankind could be given their wood built houses and the like. Beyond this according to Charles, he was an oddity as a person who ended up in this world. He hadn't immersed in this videogame activity, he was a person who played a card game. Though it sounded kind of boring he claimed it was not, which only made Angelica chuckle. "Well it is good that you realized that sounded boring. But I suppose if paired with a bit of imagination such a thing wouldn't be too bad. Children would enjoy it at least," she said giving consideration to it which she thought was fair.

Ah, and then more important things yet appeared. The talk of Hoshimi Emi and Hoshimi Eri who were Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria Pendragon. Both of them played this game that Charles spoke of, broadcasting themselves as a team. She wondered if it was hard for them being transported to this world without each other at the same time? Age of Eternity was also an interesting concept. There was an Age of Fae, an Age of Gods, and now an Age of Man, what sort of thing could call itself eternal in the face of such fleeting ideals? Moreover Chaldea apparently housed a great number of people who ended up in this world through these accidental means and that was interesting to find out. "I see, that sounds really weird, but at least you know where to find other people. But... why do they as sisters have the same name and different second names?" she wondered, this custom of inverted naming wasn't one she'd heard before.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, you get it. Actually, with your personality and circumstances, you'd have fit right in. You'd be such a geek," he said in an oddly affectionate manner, going so far as to laugh at the notion. Regardless, it seemed Angelica did not think too negatively about the world without magic. She even thought it sounded like fun, much to his expectation as one who knew how she entertained herself. Video games would have undoubtedly made the last thousand years incredible for someone like her. "If I could invent games here, I'd find you something to play. We could even have a match," he claimed.

Sadly, Charlemagne couldn't invent video games; he'd never been that savvy. One thing he could easily accomplish though, was the creation of a card game! Explaining something like trading card games to someone with no concept of them could do it no justice, but he could easily fabricate a couple of 30-card decks. "It's enjoyable for more than just kids. I've been playing card games since I was one, and I still played until I was transported here. I was... I think 17 at the time. Humans only got an average of 80 years or so on that planet. You know, I could find a way to fabricate some cards if you'd like to play a match. I remember a lot of Jeanne's Skills, so I could make a strong deck around her if you'd like. It might not hold up to the Astraea deck I played, but I could always try out a different deck instead. Hmm..."

Charlemagne seemed to be giving legitimate consideration to creating trading cards just for Angelica to learn about his world's games. Ah, but there was more to discuss. He'd given the names of Jeanne and Artoria from the other world, but he'd failed to realize Angelica had no reason to understand the cultural difference in naming methods. "Ah, my bad. Hoshimi is their family name. In the region I'm from, we address people by their family name. Family comes before the individual and determines status. It's what people are most likely to recognize you as. Actually, it's rude to address someone by their given name unless you're very, very close to them. There are also honorifics. For example, Jeanne is a bit older than me. If I spoke to her, I'd call her Hoshimi-san. She'd likely put -kun on my name the same way. As the Holy Princess, you would be called Edelfelt-dono by pretty much everyone."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, given both Angelica's circumstances and her disposition she would have fit into the modern world he came from. That was nice to know, and at least she had some base of information to work with concerning those from the other world overall. It also explained several differences in personality with the people she'd come across. "Hm? I don't know... I still have my normal interests," she claimed seeming to understand at least a little the slightly negative connotation surrounding the word geek. Ah, but there was more, Charles claimed if he'd invented games here they could play.

It was explained some extra things. Apparently, he'd played card games his entire life in the other world. He even claimed that he'd been seventeen around the time that he'd been transported. That made him sound quite young in Angelica's eyes, but then he explained that the average lifespan on the other planet was a meager eighty years. "80! How did anyone get anything done? That's the age of relative infancy..." she exclaimed seeming to take issue with that number alone. She'd calm down only a moment later having fully processed the rest of the information. "Wait, Astraea is my mother's name..." she said seeming to find it to be an odd coincidence that he'd mention playing a deck which consisted of cards themed around her mother without her ever having said the name aloud.

Beyond those points there were even more social things to discover. Among their limited lifespans, humans had developed some rather complex social norms. This included only referring to each other by their family names in the area that Charles had come from, unless they were really close. And adding honorific suffixes to names when speaking to people. "That sounds like a lot to remember. And I don't think I'd like that sort of reference for myself," she said. That much was obvious given her earlier conversation with Ivy.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah? So do the rest of us," Charlemagne said, fully throwing himself into the category of geek. Most everyone had interests that could be considered normal; that was just a matter of society's overall views. Those who had many outliers, however, would always fall into a specific social class. Ah, but 'geek' wasn't exclusively a social thing. She looked about his age, so she'd have been in high school as well. "Though you'd only have been a geek under the surface of it all. Your looks, status and demeanor would have put you at the top of every social chart imaginable, even without magic and divinity. You'd probably have a high chance of being the sad type, surrounded by people but no less alone for it."

Depressing facts of social standards aside, Angelica expressed shock regarding human lifespans. To this, Charlemagne raised a brow. "80 is old where I'm from. By the time someone is that age, they've gone grey and wrinkly. Remember Ganelon from our Party? I'd place him somewhere between 60 and 80, visually. As for physical ability, that age puts most people in the ballpark of... well... Father An," he said, whispering that last bit.

One might have assumed the day couldn't get any stranger. At least, that would have been the case if Angelica didn't claim Astraea was her mother's name. Charlemagne's eyes widened. Tanned skin, deep-blue hair and an inviting aura that sent hundreds of teenage boys into their bedrooms or bathrooms after opening a pack of trading cards. How did he not notice immediately? He'd never seen the woman's face in that vision, but everything else about her so perfectly fit the card he played a thousand times. "Wow, I'm pretty dumb. I've been playing with your mom for months!" he stated. In the wake of uttering one realization, he had another. That sentence... didn't work. "Uh! I mean... well, you know what I mean," he added. "Anyway! I'm sure it all sounds weird, but it's just normal in that area. Now that I think about it, Edelfelt-dono would probably be uncommon. Someone outside Aincrad might call you that, for instance, but the people here would more likely call you Oujosan. Princess. Hime from more direct servants like... well, me."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles the world he lived in would have placed a pretty high standard upon her looks, demeanor and even her social status. Every kingdom had princesses so that sort of thing was likely a bit more common than normal. In a world without magic, she supposed the best one could do was look for physically attractive people. Whatever the case, Charles had some rather depressing things to say about life for those types in high society and strangely it resonated with her. "That doesn't actually sound too different from my life now, aside from the lack of magic to amuse me. I'd hope someone like that could catch the same break I did and end up someone fun to hang out with, like you and Jeanne were for me," she said giving it a bit of thought.

Moving past the sadness of being of high social standing and the few types of people capable of crossing the gaps to help the princes and princesses of the world. There was the matter of aging in that other world. According to Charles the age of eight left people looking at least as old as a man called Ganelon, whom she recalled being a much older than she would have enjoyed looking at long term. Whatever the case the actual physical ability of such people was more in line with the Holy Father, which was terrible by her own standards. "So without magic people in that age range have nothing going for them really? I mean aside from being old and presumably living fulfilling lives," she said as the extra thought which was added to avoid the harshness of her general assessment. Becoming basically physically useless didn't seem at all good.

Oh and the mention of the name of Angelica's mother, seemed to move a memory. Apparently, Angelica's mother was the star of a card deck played by Charles in his previous life. The amount of excitement he seemed to have about it, and the embarrassment of his word choice mad her giggle just a little. "Hehehe~ I did know what you meant. You do know it's always funnier when you try and fix it?~" she asked only managing to stifle giggles. And then there were other alternative use words and phrases. Ah, she liked the way those ones hit her ears better than any of the others she'd heard. "Okay, voting for one or both of those, they hit the ear better," she said giving a firm nod. As she said these words a portal opened up at the same place it'd been before in the library and out stepped the woman previously introduced as Ivy. She was tugging on one of her gloves and casually tossing locks out of her face. What exactly had she done when leaving the 79th floor?

[Bloodedge]

True enough, the state Angelica would find herself in if she'd been born into his world was much the same as how she lived now. That was no way for anyone to live, Charlemagne believed... but he wasn't the only one to believe something like that. "You're not alone there. There's no need to worry. In that world, people like us have a way of finding each other. In a crowded room, someone who doesn't feel a sense of belonging can easily find out who else has that same feeling. With just a little push, there's a friendship blooming right before your eyes," he said, knowing the day he met Angelica was a somewhat similar situation to the given example.

Aging in both worlds had a few caveats, but there was an easy comparison to make. "It works pretty much the same. Like what we were talking about earlier, people in different environments age at different rates. Humans on the lower world here age quickly, so they die quickly. Where I'm from, there's no mana density in the atmosphere or the people. You get somewhere around 80 years, and you do with it what you can." That was about as detailed an explanation as he could give. Frankly, he was still without full understanding of this world's aging mechanics. Charlemagne lived day-by-day just as he always would, thinking ahead only to the next adventure or milestone, but never to the end. That was how he found happiness.

Maybe he shouldn't have bothered trying to correct what was said about Angelica's mother. If Angelica could find some amusement in his antics though, it didn't matter if he made a mistake or two. "I realize that now, yeah. It's really easy to get used to people who... react differently to that sort of sentence, is all," he clarified. As for the preferred titles Angelica would accept from his homeland, there was no further time to speak on the matter. A portal opened, and out came Ivy. She'd been true to her word that only a few minutes would be taken for the trip. "Sketchy business that doesn't have to be sketchy all done? What'd you find?" he asked of his comrade.

[Apollymi]

Ah, apparently friendships found their own way in this other world. That was an interesting notion. For someone like Angelica in her own understanding divine intervention of some sort would likely be necessary for two people to find each other. Whether it just be happenstance or a friendly push in the right direction by friends or family members. "That makes it sound pretty good, I was wondering about that part," she mused.

And then there was the matter of aging. According to Charles in a world without mana density at all, they managed to still live to eighty. "That actually means those sorts of humans are to be given a great deal of credit. Those here are exposed to mana and have much shorter lives sometimes from what I hear in those kinds of places. Maybe there is a bit more complexity to it in that world," she said giving it a bit of careful thought. Regardless she had the rest of her thoughts confirmed a great deal.

According to Charles some people would have had a much grander reaction to the way he phrased his previous sentences. "That sounds pretty strange overall," said Angelica. Though she'd encountered many an innuendo today, she didn't figure this was the sort of thing which everyone would be privy to. That aside there was the return of Ivy which was greeted by Charles and then by Angelica. "Welcome back~" she mentioned. A smirk came to Ivy's face as she looked to the princess giving a bow. "Thank you kindly, and you Charlie. Caution is the eldest child of wisdom. Or so the saying goes, and in this case, I am rather glad I won't be attached to looking into this. I am far less important and much easier to get rid of. I'd rather not add my name to any hidden targeting lists," she offered as her real reason for going about business she could have done legitimately with an amount of caution which was likely seen as extreme. "I found out basically nothing but by doing that I am able to make a few inferences if you'd like to know," she said quietly. "I should also say given what I've found out, I think you should be very careful with whom you approach any questions regarding all of this." That was the sort of warning she'd give in a moment like this. There was a sudden seriousness which left Angelica thinking. This woman seemed to very serious suddenly. She'd not be gone an entire hour or anything of the sort, what could she have discovered in her readings about Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution which would have set her on edge.

[Bloodedge]

Apart from connections made between awkward humans, apart from the surprising lifespans of those who had no magic, and apart from Charlemagne's misuse of innuendo time and time again, there was a small beacon of hope for past, present and future. With just a few key pieces of information, they could absolve Jeanne d'Arc of sin even retroactively. Ivy had returned from her trip to the archives, talking of caution as the offspring of wisdom. "And paranoia is the oldest enemy of faith. You're being really weird for someone who just did their normal job," he said while rising from his chair.

As expendable as Ivy considered herself, Charlemagne wondered what would place her on this alleged 'targeting list' she spoke of. She was the recordkeeper; looking into old files like Jeanne's could be considered a pastime of one with that title. Alas, it sounded as if she hadn't really uncovered a thing. Surely there was something in the file; Ivy just didn't know what she was looking for exactly. "It's fine if you didn't find anything out of the ordinary. We can get by with the basics," Charlemagne insisted. Ivy went on to say more, though. Caution was to be exercised when questioning anyone about the information she had, but why? It should have been no big deal. "Alright, you're being kinda weird now. What could you have found out that has you wanting to be so careful about it?"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles paranoia was the oldest enemy of faith. This was likely considered to be true, but Ivy had a very different take on that sort of thing, and she always would considering what she was before she came to be in this world in the first place. "I was a law student, Charlie. Skepticism is healthy, history has proven that blind faith has ended more lives than any singular paranoid person ever could," she said with all due stoicism. In this case, Angelica found herself agreeing with both of these people. The world would be a bad place if too many people were paranoid the same way the world would be a bad place if too many people blindly believed in every falsehood.

Moving on from that point apparently she was being strange, and they could get by with just the basics because they figured she didn't really know what they were looking for. Or at least this was how Ivy interpreted that statement. A sigh left her as she went ahead to gather her thoughts. "It isn't necessarily about what I found, it was about what I didn't find..." she explained carefully. "Jeanne d'Arc was interrogated initially for Conspiracy regarding a demonic presence. But it doesn't say what kind of demonic presence. It also says she was eventually found guilty of that crime, and of becoming a demon herself and executed. We know she was burned at the stake but that manner of death is quite uncommon. She also wasn't executed by Janessa nor was she interrogated by Olivier. Olivier wasn't yet here but Janessa was..." she explained of the situation. The more she spoke the more small twitches were occurring about her face. "There is also less information in these documents than what even school children were taught of this back home," she explained, taking a breath. "Now I should say I have a lot of skill at interpreting data. And I've spent a lot of time doing it. I expect things like certain witness names, the supposed demon's name and even certain aspects of the crime to be redacted when reading documents like this. It is commonly used to protect the privacy of others, not utter the name of evil..." she was gesturing with her hand as if the list of reasons was wide. "But there are also no records of her testimony. No documentation of any reasons she might have given for anything and no quotes for anything she said. Even her last words were stricken completely, and abridged for lack of a better term. Basically if you read this document at face value only one conclusion can be drawn," she explained the situation as calmly as she could. "The reason I am being so cautious about it, and the reason you should too, is because it just doesn't feel right. And in these kinds of scenarios behind a screen it usually goes down hill fast. And it's also not just the documents concerning her directly. Everything from around the same time period has similar redactions. No actual testimony about the event, no character witnesses, no offered explanations. All of this information at face value says an entire floor of her peers watched this girl get burned to death and no one felt anything about it, and that worries me." she said. Angelica heard her out and the words and the feeling behind them sounded true, and she walked over and handed the two of them her notes on the matter.

Strangely the notes she handed over were detailed and seemed to at least have a few clues about the redactions based on the spacing of letters and that sort of thing. The word Jeanne was initially noted as calling out was something redacted, 5 letters. Name of the Executioner redacted 8 letters 7 letters. Name of the person who claimed to know she'd colluded with demons, Redacted 6 letters 2 letters 4 letters.

[Bloodedge]

So quick to admit her past was Ivy. Charlemagne understood her point, though he'd gained an opposing perspective over time. "Nobody's talking about blind anything. I've been adventuring for a millennium. The problem with people being too critical causes more deaths than you'll see in a court case. It spreads, festers and trickles down until your type sees the defendant in a murder case, who doesn't even realize himself that it all started six generations before he was born," Charlemagne rambled. If there was one thing he could be called too critical of, it was being too much of anything. Blind faith, extreme paranoia... both were terrible choices in reality. As such, he'd take whatever information she had at nothing more than face value, and he'd work from there.

So, what was it she found? Apparently she found less than what should have been. Jeanne was brought in under suspicion of demonic influence. That much was known by all. She was found guilty of becoming a demon in human flesh. Once more, this was common knowledge. She was burned at the stake, an uncommon form of execution. Charlemagne took a mental note of that one for later. Janessa was not the executioner, which was something else he'd put a pin in mentally. Having less information available than they had in the other world was of no concern to him. He'd seen first-hand how many points in 'history' were nonexistent in this reality. What were the matters of greatest importance though?

A testimony from Jeanne was omitted, along with her final words. Any take from other individuals was also missing, and upon viewing Ivy's notes, Charles came to realize this included three redacted names. Interesting. Now that he had the copy in front of him, he'd address concerns as he had them memorized. "That's a lot to take in, and definitely more than what we were looking to get from this. If I were to try rationalizing this, I'd assume Father An had Holy Fire used against her. If the belief was that someone as pure as Jeanne became a demon, Janessa's methods would have corrupted her directly. The Father could have refused to hear her testimony if he thought she was too far gone, which I'm guessing would be the case with the level of execution chosen. Hmm. These three names being omitted is annoying. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out who the executioner was; they'd be one of Liv's immediate predecessors. The one making claims... might not be too important, but maybe it is." In the end, Charlemagne sighed. The one piece of information they were looking for was not here, though there was a sample and some method of potential discovery. He placed the notes of Ivy on the table, along with both his hands as he began to lean. "This is what we're looking for. Five characters, one name. Everything we know says it's a demon, but... I'll tell you. Angie and I have ample reason to believe all the other gods aren't actually gone. We came to you so we could hopefully find the name Jeanne called out while burning. If it matches an old god and not some demon pretending to be one, we can clear Jeanne's name and save other people who'd be executed for being reached out to. We might have nothing but empty letters now, but if the executioner is still alive, maybe we can get some answers from them."

With all that rambling done, Charlemagne pushed himself away from the table. It seemed the day was fated to become longer still. That was fine. He even had a few thoughts regarding their next moves. "I'll keep caution in mind, but that's the focal point here. I think our best bet is to speak with Liv and find out what we can about whichever executioner was there that day. Thoughts? Objections?" he asked, looking from one lass to the other.

[Apollymi]

The moderates approach was what Charles took, this was also what Ivy expected. As a person who reached this world without knowing what gaming or co-op was like in their previous world, he'd taken to understanding things in a rather neutral way. Ivy had a different sort of opinion, some things couldn't be neutral, but she also wouldn't be the one to explain what it was about the framing of those documents she found so disturbing. To do so would get in the way of the developing opinions and she'd learned a long time ago, some people needed to learn the truth for themselves. The conclusions she came to based on her own experiences might have been flawed, but within the frame work of a story with an antagonist they made sense. "You know most of us like you because you have opinions like this... It isn't like I'm completely jaded Charles, I am just not completely innocent either, " she said finding herself smiling in spite of the situation. All she could think was his youth and innocence were showing and that she wouldn't be the one to ruin it for him. Even when this would have been in the context of the game she wouldn't have been the one to potentially spoil the story for him, even if it was a little obvious where it was going.

So then, what did Charles bring to the table of discussion. A rationalization, one which ignored any potential for someone to be an antagonist in the situation. Such was a point in favor of his innocence. All things said did make sense, if Jeanne d'Arc was indeed a demon. But the fact that he was even bothering to look into this situation meant he had more than his own gut feelings to ponder over. "Those do all sound like legitimate reasons for the missing information, a few of them I thought of myself..." said Ivy. Of course, she'd also come to a very different conclusion about that information but she took a step she doubted Charles would take in his own understanding without proof. As for the missing names she had a little to add. "I didn't have enough context to piece together the missing words. I am capable of it when the rest of the information isn't so redacted, but I can't say I know enough about the person as she existed here, nor enough about her history to pull potential names," she said. As for his plan in general, figuring out what name Jeanne called, and then figuring out how was the one in charge of the execution of Jeanne were all reasonable. "Liv is a good choice. She came in a bit after that and doesn't have any lapses in memory. I have no objections to that choice for consultation," Ivy mentioned willing to leave it at that. Angelica also nodded. "I don't see it as a problem either. I don't know this person directly, but I think we can trust Ivy's judgement," she said affirmatively. "You're too kind. Coldest room in the building, in case you're wondering where to look for Liv, east facing windows," she said in offer of where that woman might be.

[Bloodedge]

"Well if you ask me, you're leaning too far to one side. That's my opinion. Cynicism killing wasn't an opinion; it's something I've been seeing happen since before I came here." For a moment, Charlemagne seemed to be reflecting negatively on many things. The truth of it all was that Charlemagne lacked innocence, but held himself to a certain standard of equality. Too often had he seen what absolute belief in either direction did. The purest and most corrupt beliefs were at war always, and both were often misguided in the end. While someone like Ivy sought some form of antagonist to prosecute, Charlemagne left open the remaining possibilities until something concrete appeared.

So, what if she came up with those same excuses? Her approach was far from terrible, often being of much use. In dealing with the woman for so long though, something was notably... missing from everything she said? Charlemagne had an inkling of that being the case. "I'm not the one looking to prosecute someone. If you've got something else, now's the time," he said plainly. Whatever the case, he could immediately assign one name that may have fit the most among those missing three. Perhaps the most notable feature of Jeanne d'Arc during what he knew and saw of her prime, was her ability to inspire... which created many followers, but few more than... "Gilles de Rais. He was Jeanne's most loyal follower, almost to a point of worship. He disappeared one day for some reason nobody knew. That last name has a pretty good chance of being him, I'd say. Considering how close he was to Jeanne, Aincrad might have something on him as well."

With all that said, Charlemagne was ready and willing to progress. Olivier would be the next one they spoke with as agreed by the trio, but there was one thing missing before that could be done. With only one set of directions, it seemed any seriousness in Charlemagne had become lighthearted outrage. "Eh?! I've been here for like two minutes! Do you expect me to search the whole east wing until I find a cold spot? Details, Ivy!"

[Apollymi]

Charles made the claim that Ivy might have been leaning too far to one side. He'd been around a while and had seen things go worse for the types of individuals who lived in paranoia and held it close. Not for one generation but for several. In answer to such a thing Ivy could only nod, "I respect that... I would even say that it's likely true without context, playing Devil's Advocate on my own behalf..." she said seeming to have made that little pun completely accidentally. Well, lawyer brain was one thing, but what she had a problem with was much bigger than a single event, perhaps that was too obvious. But such was why she tried to convey the information she gave more neutrally than she would have if it had been her own interests and not an investigation being held by two involved parties.

Admittedly, trying to be neutral about the information probably gave away quite a bit that she disliked something she found. She wasn't really trying to hide anything but she also wasn't trying to influence. The ethics in this particular situation were rather hard to navigate. By her own ability to understand them she was going to have a difficult time regardless. When asked if she had anything else to say, that such was the last time she gave it a fair bit of consideration. Would it be ethical for her to tell her own thoughts on this situation without any evidence. To say an individual conducting an investigation from a point of neutrality would be a bit too much like witness tampering. She didn't like potentially doing that as an idea, "Apologies, it'd be a conflict of interest to say more. Though in this case silence seems to be just as important as what is actually said," she murmured. Something about that statement resonated with Angelica. She wasn't quite sure why though... perhaps it was her mother explaining the justice needed blindness which led her to believe that Ivy might have been trying to avoid an emotional plea which could have given a specific direction to their investigation.

Moving on there was the matter of a certain name having popped up in the head of Charles. It referred to a follower of Jeanne d'Arc called Gilles de Rais. Given the number of letters in her assertions, that should have indeed been the name of the witness against Jeanne. Charles claimed he'd gone missing a while ago but that Aincrad might have information on him. Something about that man had come up in one of the last moments of study that Ivy had done by her original name. The Briar Scholar had watched a mock trial based on the Medieval trial of that man who'd been convicted of being a child serial killer. She'd watched as one of her classmates planted reasonable doubt in the minds of a fake jury about this man's innocence of crimes he'd confessed and had witnesses of directly. Her stomach turned. If there was magical world anything involving that man, and he was anywhere near the level of depraved that the records made him out to be... "If you go looking for a man with that name, take one of the combat specialists with you," she said as a matter of advice. Her instinct didn't like such a person existing properly in this world... and that whole scene she'd once watch play out, was definitely one of the things that had contributed to her writers block.

Oh well. As she gave silent consideration to those details she was told Charles needed more details about the whereabouts of one of their comrades. East wing facing windows and the cold termperature weren't enough for him to go by, he claimed. "Oh, well it isn't like I went with her or anything Charlie. Her habits say she is probably on one of the upper floors maybe the highest. Besides, even if you can't sense for her, I am pretty sure Angie can with the information I gave," she said looking to Angelica. the blonde lass had been deep in thought but, cold mana towards the east wing... yeah, she could feel that. "She's right. Top floor, east wing... room at the end of the hall."

[Bloodedge]

"Trust me; my home country set me up for that sort of thing a long time ago. It's nothing to worry about, though. I'll take your viewpoint into consideration, if nothing else," he assured. When one of his comrades spoke, he listened. Though he personally disagreed with Ivy's approach, her counsel was valuable nonetheless. Such was ample enough reason that he wished to hear whatever additional information Ivy had. Sadly, she had nothing more to share... or rather, nothing more she decided to share. Conflict of interest? Whatever truth was behind that silence, the omission resulted in Charlemagne's eyes narrowing just briefly.

So, Ivy knew something she would not tell. He wouldn't pry, but he wouldn't forget. Charlemagne turned away without further hesitation, intending to head toward the palace's eastern wing. Hesitation occurred only when Ivy decided to give some warning. It wasn't what he'd been hoping to hear from her, but it was... something tangible. Gilles, if sought, should be approached only in the company of a powerful combatant. Luckily for Charlemagne, seeking Gilles was not on his list of things to do. "We're going to Olivier. Find out whatever you can about Gilles' disappearance before Jeanne's trial. If you manage anything, send it through Astolfo or Anais," he said flatly. No more time would be wasted. Charlemagne would make his way toward the east wing by Angelica's direction. He had nothing more to say, so he'd focus on doing. What could have been missing? Whatever it was, Olivier would be sure to shed some amount of light on something.

[Apollymi]

A statement of former life was one of the many things which didn't come often from Charles. Ivy recognized this for what it was, and in the moment gave some consideration. Understanding the nature of political intrigue was one thing, being prepared to actually deal with it was another. This much she understood. "I do trust you, but this isn't a view point so much as it is an instinct," she said which was absolutely true. Her ability to interpret information was a deviation of her instinct as a Saber two of her skills used in tandem likely would have led to a very specific kind of conclusion, but the point of looking into cold cases was fresh eyes. She didn't wish to taint the ideas being formed in other people's minds and change their ethics to balance around her own.

Ah, but he at least caught on to her lack of true expression. Even when explaining her stance on it, there was a marked change in Charles mood. It was pretty obvious to any who knew him, as he spoke the names of several of his comrades without their normal affectionate shortenings. Ivy herself realized this, but there was nothing she could do to change it. Instead she walked back over to this desk and began looking around. The information from Charles that Gilles de Rais was one of Jeanne's direct underlings meant there was probably a bit of information to be found here. She'd then go to the main library and cross reference it. "That is fine, I'll send someone else with the information as soon as it's ready..." she stated a small bow occurred as she watched the pair leave.

And indeed both of them were leaving, though Angelica managed to give the other woman a strange look, as if questioning what she'd done. And the only thing she did in response to such an imploring look was shrug. Hm, it was very strange to see such a reaction but she seemed to know it was as she saw it the right thing to do. She wondered what that girl knew of the situation that she formed such a strong opinion about it from so little time. She wondered what Charles was feeling about it that he'd said only that and aimed to leave just a few moments afterwards. As they walked up the stairs of the east wing, the temperature began to drop rather drastically. She didn't have much to say so she decided to question something instead. "What's going on in your head right now?" she asked seeming to wonder what his point was more than Ivy's. She had pieced together at least a bit of that woman's logic by talking to it, but Charles reaction was strange to her considering the shift in his mood.

Whatever the case, there was a room on the top floor of the east wing experiencing some minor renovations. A man who seemed to be quite dead within his brain was arranging curtains, while another was being used as a chair while directions were being given. A very calm woman sans the hat she normally wore atop her head was sitting in a room with an open door. "That's uneven, straighten it out. I have no intention of having crooked curtains." she demanded much to the men's immediate regression they began fixing things as she said. Looking in on the room it was about half finished all the while sharp blue eyes seemed to be taking in the work being done here.

[Bloodedge]

Once out of the library, Charlemagne's eyes were forward constantly. Maybe he was swimming through his own thoughts, or maybe he wasn't. Either way, there were tasks ahead that could settle so many matters, they had to be done no matter what. Any mood-based baggage would have to be set aside whether he liked it or not. Ah, but what was this? Angelica spoke by the time they were ascending the stairs. What did she have to say? She questioned the goings-on of his mind for some reason. That was pointless. They had something to do; there was no use picking his brain for other matters. As for what was actually on his mind, well... a lot of things. What he'd give would only be what mattered. "Figuring out what Olivier knows about her seniors. Until she came along, Grand Inquisitor and Executioner were the same position. If she knows about her predecessors, she might know which one was in charge during Jeanne's execution. If she doesn't, we'll go to Janessa. If either of them knows, and that executioner is still alive, we'll go straight to them."

The answer he gave was straightforward, keeping with the plan ahead of them. Nothing else was of any importance. There would always come a time when one had to shut up and do their job, and now was such a time. Whatever secrets lay beneath this whole ordeal, he'd uncover them. Apparently that uncovering would begin in a very cold room, within which the blue-haired inquisitor sat upon some poor sod as she often did. It was to be expected that she'd resort to veritable slave labor just to decorate her room. Much like other things, that didn't matter one bit. "Olivier," he called out, stepping into the open door and standing erect just beyond the doorway. It seemed Charlemagne would be skipping pleasantries and introductions, for whatever reason he had to do so. "How much do you know about the former inquisitors?"

[Apollymi]

Angelica was presented with an answer to her inquiry. This one wasn't the type of answer she was looking for. She could piece together the plan herself by virtue of how they chose to go about things, but perhaps the lad was once again too far in his own mind. Or rather he'd decided to speed up his process knowing that Ivy had reason to feel particularly on edge about a case 1000 years old or more. "We both know that isn't what I meant, but fine... I suppose work first," she said calmly. Having made her understanding of the situation known, the approached that cold room and she found its contents strange.

A young woman sitting on top of a man's back, giving orders to a different man she was using to decorate her bedroom. This all seemed rather efficient to Angelica so she had nothing to say about it. However Charles seemed to be thinking something rather direct Olivier at the moment was sitting atop a man and managed to look a bit shocked. In most of the time she'd known Charles he only referred to people with full names when he was some kind of upset. "I don't know why you're talking like that but whatever it was, I didn't do it," she said clearly. Oh, she understood the mood shift, but she'd been around quite a while so it was obvious she could interpret moods better than most. She peeked over her shoulder and saw the princess and her brows drew together. There were many questions, but she supposed she'd start by answering the ones presented to her by Charles.

"I know quite a bit. Former Inquisitors were also Executioners. They did the job of extracting confessions from the sinful and carrying out the execution orders of the ones under their purview. High profile criminals tended to have an extra layer or two of tape to go through but usually one could potentially interrogate, judge and execute a person in a single day." she expressed. "Usually it is a job that passed down to families or people with particularly strong, instinct skills and high tier holy magic," she explained. "Or with the ability to use certain holy artifacts or weapons," she finished up that part. "Anyway, I became the Grand Inquisitor after my predecessor apparently went crazy after performing an execution. I became grand inquisitor but it didn't sit right with me to kill someone or something that wasn't armed and fighting for their lives. Punishments are fine but I'm not much of a murderer outside of war-type situations. Obviously he was suffering from job stress so I pushed for the jobs to be separated, and someone who could stomach the killing was instated to take over the role of Executioner," she explained of herself shifting on her seat at the man she sat upon seemed to be quite uncomfortable to her rear.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne had never fully been in support of Olivier's methods. To each their own, he believed, but he sometimes wondered if the men she used as furniture had done anything to deserve the torture. Well... obviously not all of them considered it torture, so there were few times he could say anything. This time however, he paid no mind to the man upon which Olivier sat, nor to the one she made a worker drone of. He looked toward Olivier and Olivier alone, awaiting the answer to his question.

Before an answer, came a statement. Whatever happened, she didn't do it. It couldn't be said that anything happened, really. As far as Charlemagne was concerned, he once again came to realize something he'd been saying for years upon years. Alas, it didn't matter. He didn't even have anything to say about it. Questions needed answering, so he continued to wait for one.

Ah, a stroke of good fortune! Olivier claimed to know quite a bit about her predecessors, even going so far as to give the backstory of her immediate senior. The explanation he'd just given to Angelica was offered as well. The tale of how Olivier herself altered the position was inconsequential, but the amount of knowledge she knew brought forth hope that she'd know which of her seniors he sought. Actually... he recalled hearing whispers of the previous inquisitor going mad before Olivier was given the position. There was a lot of hearsay around that one, yet nothing concrete. "Good; my memory's trustworthy. I have two questions. First, who was the one in charge of Jeanne d'Arc's trial and execution? Second... are they alive?" If Olivier had a solid answer to his first question and an affirmative one to his second, Charlemagne figured they would make quick work of this case. Surely one who witnessed that execution first-hand would have the information they sought, which would put them on the path toward finding out if Jeanne worshipped a demon... or just another god.

[Apollymi]

Ah it seemed they were in luck. Olivier her strange methodology with men aside, was one with information which could help in their search. Hearing Charles questions it seemed she had some answers and reasonable background to give. Ah, being inquisitor, judge, and executioner was a bit too much for any one individual and someone had been made crazy by doing too much. Olivier in the opinion of Angelica was a kind individual, thinking of the stress of work on individuals instead of piling more responsibilities onto them. Beyond that there was extra information, and Olivier found herself shifting around to face the pair as they had the rest of this discussion.

"On a mission I see..." she said first and foremost. Ah, there it was, the mention of Jeanne d'Arc. Though Olivier never had the pleasure of meeting that woman, it seemed she'd left quite a mark on a lot of people. This alone was reason enough for her to be a bit wary. "Those questions are pretty easy to answer. The man who was responsible for her interrogation and execution was Geoffroy Therage, my immediate predecessor," she said carefully. "It was judged by 'The Holy Father' for those red tape reasons I mentioned earlier," she said giving that information freely as she did anything else even with Angelica standing there. She'd used quotation marks on her hands when saying that title but she was always against calling that man such a thing. She knew exactly who that girl was, but it wasn't her business whatever take she had on her father's behavior. Everyone had to learn the failures of humanity sometime, even the girl locked in her tower. "As for his status, he's alive. I've been keeping him on my prison floor in a cell, as comfortably as possible. He's... broken inside, but I don't find him to be dangerous to others, only himself. If you're going to see him you'll understand what I mean," she expressed in the moment. "Also if you are looking into this, you're going to have to tell Astolfo he still doesn't know. He's looking for her now and Janessa and I didn't have the heart to break it to him," she said carefully.

[Bloodedge]

"As usual," Charlemagne said in response to Olivier's first assertion. He was almost always on some sort of mission. This one just happened to have nothing to do with Father An and his orders. Regardless, Olivier turned about to share information while facing her two visitors. Geoffrey Therage was the inquisitor/executioner they sought. With that information, it became clear that he was the very same man who'd gone mad, but... was he alive?

Yes. Apparently, Geoffrey was still alive even after succumbing to madness. Olivier had incarcerated him after determining that the only person he endangered was himself. This was good. Geoffrey may have been crazed, but if he had memory, there was a decent chance. If nothing else, perhaps they could even rely on one of their own. "As long as he remembers, it's fine. Janessa could get what we need from him, even if he's gone mute," he said. Ah, it seemed Olivier thought something was more imperative than seeking the former executioner. Astolfo had yet to be told of the whole Jeanne d'Arc ordeal, and had even been seeking the woman since their arrival. She and Janessa couldn't bring themselves to tell the lad who knew Jeanne most directly. "Let him keep looking for now, unless you've got the spare time to keep an eye on him afterwards. He might even be sent our way, if there's anything else coming our way from the archives." Without a doubt, informing Astolfo would require some... Astolfo surveillance, as it had once been called. The bubbliest of their ranks would not take kindly to the knowledge, and he'd have to be kept under watch to avoid massive incident. "So, unless you're willing to keep him chained-up until the investigation's done, I want to meet with Geoffrey. Show us to him."

[Apollymi]

It was the case that Charles was normally on missions, but it seemed like this wasn't the type of thing that Father An sent him to investigate. Upon seeing the pair together she made a few assumptions about the princess and Charles and figured that the lass might have wanted his help in determining what happened to the supposed saint. Whatever the case, she gave the information he wanted and Charles immediately implied that he wished to meet the man. His words about those memories seemed to insist upon even using Janessa to find out what they were if he couldn't properly communicate them. "Oh? That is a pretty extreme measure," she claimed knowing that whatever happened with Jeanne d'Arc was a thousand years ago. The sudden interest in the case was strange, but there were many reasons it might have come up.

Case in point, Astolfo, the pink haired femboy who knew Jeanne d'Arc personally. Apparently, if one was going to tell him about it, it would need to be done with the aptly named 'Astolfo Surveillance'. This must actually be extreme. "I mean I have some free time, but I might want Janessa for that as well... " she said. She fully thought herself capable of caging the lad if necessary, but he'd been through something and she was quite sure her methods wouldn't completely keep him away from whatever he planned to do. Janessa should be around to make sure he couldn't move if such a thing were taken into account. "Fine, I'll take you... both I assume?" she asked. It was strange to see the Holy Princess walking about, but she was confident nothing would occur that they couldn't take care of while she was with them.

She stood soon after, that man who'd been her chair was placing boots on her feet and then handing her her hat like some kind of whipped zombie. "Make sure that curtain goes up straight and finish up in here," she said while walking towards the door. There was no teleportation method for Olivier so she'd walk with them to the teleport and off to the floor she kept her prisoners.

[Bloodedge]

"It's an extreme situation," Charlemagne offered in defense of the limits he'd go to. This opportunity could not be allowed to slip through their fingers. It had been too long since Jeanne's execution, too long without justice being properly served if they were on the right track. They couldn't let things like craziness or Astolfo's antics interrupt the process. The latter could have been managed, but even Olivier claimed she'd need Janessa for that. "There's no point wasting the manpower now. I'll tell him later myself if I have to," he said. Interestingly enough, Charlemagne had enough influence over Astolfo to forbid him from taking action. Of course, Charlemagne wasn't aware of that himself. If he had been, perhaps Astolfo would have known the truth ages ago. . .

Seeming to prefer the idea of not wrangling Astolfo before it was necessary, Olivier agreed to lead the way. She assumed both Charlemagne and Angelica would be taking the trip. She assumed properly. "Both, yes," Charlemagne confirmed. With Olivier going on to order her 'servants' around to cover her absence, Charlemagne stepped out of the room to wait. Ideally, this Geoffrey person would at least be capable of recalling and regurgitating information for one of his biggest spectacles. If not, they'd have to resort to something rather unpleasant. . .

[Apollymi]

"Obviously," said Olivier. She didn't know what brought about this interest in the case of Jeanne d'Arc, but she knew that if Charles set his heart on something he'd do it. There was always the possibility that the woman had done nothing wrong, and if that was the case, then people should likely be happy she was a saint and wouldn't just kill everyone involved as an act of vengeance. Whatever the case Charles claimed it wasn't worth wasting manpower to keep Astolfo in check. That made it sound like she should be preparing for battle, like the rest of this was only a formality of some sort, "Alright, but good luck keeping him out of it while you're actively looking into it," she said. It was somewhat surprising Astolfo wasn't currently in Charles' company.

Moving on from that point, there was the matter of both of these people being involved in the investigation. Olivier gave a casual glance towards Angelica and took solace in the fact that she didn't seem as odd as Father An, who probably would have never been involved in something like this. Of course, as they made their way to the prison floor, Olivier made a few statements. "I'll take you both straight back to Therage's cell, but there are quite a few cells between the start of that hall and the end where he is. I wouldn't make eye contact, and ignore any cries for help... I know that last bit is against most people's better natures, but prisoners are for the most part self-serving, they'll abuse any attention they're given," she explained of the situation. Angelica nodded her head at the explanation. It made sense she supposed. Whatever the case they entered the floor and Oliveir began to walk.

Cat calls, threats and all kinds of pleas came from the mouths of those currently being imprison. Olivier usually ignored them and so she had no problem, figuring her advice would be taken she kept walking towards the end of a hallway which seemed to get darker and darker as they approached. At the last door, there was a padded room with no sharp objects allowed inside. This was the cell of Geoffroy Therage. "Here you two are, I'll wait here. Remember he's pretty messed up..." she said not knowing what all the expected to get from this man as far as information was concerned, but he was one of the few people Olivier managed to feel bad for during her time as Grand Inquisitor.

[Bloodedge]

Olivier was right. So long as this investigation was ongoing, Astolfo was a danger to the 12 Peers' ability to function within Aincrad. Him learning of Jeanne's absence and the reason behind it would put them all at risk of exile, which would effectively end the current mission. That couldn't be allowed, so Astolfo would know only when there was time to rein him in. Moving on, Olivier escorted Charlemagne and Angelica to the floor from which she operated, passing through the place of imprisonment with a few words of warning. She had multiple individuals under incarceration. They would be making noise of all sorts, including cries for help and the like. Charlemagne didn't need to be told such things should be ignored; he trusted that Olivier would only lock someone up with good reason. Whether she used them as furniture for good reason or not was still in question, but that was not a relevant topic at the time.

So, onward they went. As the group passed numerous cells, Charlemagne could hardly tell who each individual was calling out to. Well... the cat calls were obviously not intended for him, though some of them were the most concerning to hear. Continuing forward, he assumed Olivier was more than used to that part, and simply hoped Angelica managed to tune it all out. Pleas for help, however, were very... strange. He heard one particular man barking about his innocence, but... he knew that voice. That individual was an important figure among the Saxons, formerly belonging to Fierabras' group. Innocence was not something that man knew. Regardless, they would soon enough be approaching the final cell which... looked about on-brand for a madman's place of imprisonment.

Olivier made it clear that she would not be joining them in the room ahead. There was such darkness, the only figure he could make out was one shifting about in a corner, their form obscured by shadow. There was a... scratching. Charlemagne couldn't tell what was happening exactly, but he assumed this Geoffrey person was clawing at the padded wall. "Legendary understatement," Charlemagne said, casually pointing out a cliché as he stepped into the room. "Shut us inside," was the final thing he said to Olivier. Only one foot in the door on Charlemagne's part, and the older male within stopped his incessant scratching. Geoffrey sniffed the air. Something had his attention. "The Father visits? Has he learned his future, so bright and so dark? The child, the wife, the temptress? Which is it he brings with him?~" Geoffrey rambled, seeming to have immediately shifted a great deal of his attention toward Angelica.

[Apollymi]

They moved through this hall and various pleas and things were heard. Angelica for her part in this procession had her vocabulary increased by a vast array of words one wouldn't hear in her position. Some of them weren't even being yelled at her, and were things she understood to be directly related to the kind of dominating presence given off by one like Olivier. 'Step on me, general!' and 'You can use me as a chair, I gotta way better seat than my back!' and 'You'd look less bitchy with something in your mouth!' All of those sounded horrendous as things to say to people. If they weren't locked up for whatever they did, they likely deserved to be punched directly in the mouth for sheer audacity, by Angelica's standards at least. Though admittedly the things they yelled at her were no better. 'Come back, those tits are my salvation!' and 'I'd give my life to lick her feet!' followed by, 'Feet?! FEET?! I'd lick her shitter if she'd let me!' The voices went on and on, but Angelica could only process words she didn't know and become more confused by them. She'd have to ask someone about a few of those, and the confusion was visible across her knit brow though she said nothing about it.

Ah but she took Oliver's advice and looked nowhere towards them. Until they reached the dark room where a man was busy scratching at the walls. Apparently Charles wanted to be shut inside and Olivier wasn't the type to question orders from the man she chose to take them from. "Sure, easy though... he's not really a danger to anyone else but he's still pretty fragile," she said and after Angelica crossed the threshold she shut the door behind them. The first words out of this man's mouth were ones which didn't really make sense. The only people in this room were Charles and Angelica. "The Father isn't here. And those titles feel a bit weird to hear..." she finally managed. Well, it was best if they didn't upset this man while trying to get out of him the information they wanted. Why he assumed the father had come to visit she couldn't know.

[Bloodedge]

Someone who proved dangerous to themselves was one to be approached with care; Charlemagne understood that well. In this case, he definitely couldn't have Geoffrey even trying something before they got their information. His order to lock them in the room with this man was based on that logic; he wouldn't allow an escape route. Not even two seconds spent within the cell, and Geoffrey's madness became clear. He started talking about the Father, presumably Father An. Attached to that mention was an allusion to Angelica, questioning her identity within the scope of a specific list. Child, wife and temptress were given. Well... she'd technically fit the first bill, but Father An was not here, as Angelica herself pointed out.

"Weird? No. True? Yes." Geoffrey spoke again while moving himself away from that dark corner. He stood, but he slouched. It seemed he was a rather tall individual, strangely muscular for someone imprisoned for nearly a millennium. He was soon visible beyond the shadows. His skin was tan, his hair long and grey. Facial hair was arranged embattled upon his lower jaw, and a deep scar was carved over his closed right eye. "The Father is here. Here." Upon repeating himself, Geoffrey glanced in Charlemagne's direction. His right eye opened then, appearing with a red ring instead of being amber like his other eye. "Heavenly Father, hallowed be thy... ho? Mother? Hard to say."

Geoffrey was moving about the room while Charlemagne visually inspected the walls. This man seemed to have a pension for symbols. He had repeatedly drawn a hexagon with four lines through it, their alignment just between a cross and an X. Strange... That seemed slightly familiar, and Charlemagne couldn't tell why. "I've never been anyone's mother, or father for that matter. Anyway, we've got questions. Do you remember Jeanne d'Arc?" Charlemagne asked. Geoffrey had returned to inspecting Angelica more directly, appearing infinitely curious about her for some strange reason. Even his glowing eye held a special alertness to it. The moment Jeanne d'Arc was brought up, though, Geoffrey became... excited? "Mother?! Yes, Mother was beautiful! Beautiful like Child here? Yes, but too much! Too much for man. Therage saw, but could not see! Took his eye for being unworthy, Mother. . ."

[Apollymi]

This day was bound to get more and more confused as it went on. The symbols on the wall as well as this man's crazed looking visage all spoke to some great disturbance. He seemed to be rather distraught about everything and even decided to correct Angelica's word choice. He claimed what he said was true. Actually the look of that was strange and Angelica found herself copying it into a gem of equal size and shape. Whatever the case, it was something weird.

As they moved on from this point, Charles took this man's attention and referred to Jeanne as mother. It was strange for Angelica to hear it wasn't the first time she'd heard a reference to mother, but it wasn't exactly the same thing. "My mom mentioned the Mother but it definitely wasn't Jeanne. And I am pretty sure everyone would have known if Jeanne had a kid, she loves kids..." she said logically. Beyond that this man claimed his eye was lost as a consequence for seeing something too great. "This really doesn't make sense," apparently there was a reference to Angelica as child. If this man was thinking from his perspective as formerly attached to Father An that at least made sense. "I don't think Jeanne would have wanted you to lose an eye, she's not that kind of person," Angelica mentioned while she fiddled with that new jewel in her fingers. What kind of information could she and Charles even get out of this man. His words were cryptic and seemed to be illogical at base.

[Bloodedge]

"Jeanne never had children. There were some people who looked a bit like her, but they had to be more distant than that," Charlemagne added. He knew Jeanne had at least three siblings, and that she was the youngest of them. If their order of birth held true in this world at all, it made sense that one of the others would have children before she did. "No children, Mother. Child is Child, Father is Father, Mother is Mother. No children between," said Geoffrey. This man really wasn't keen on making sense to anyone speaking the common tongue.

More importantly, there was the matter of his eye and the apparent cost of gazing upon... Mother, as he put it. Jeanne wouldn't have taken anyone's eye, but perhaps some other force did? "Unworthy, unworthy! Too good for Therage. Eye must go," he stated. Something was in that eye─ something beyond humanity. Charlemagne had seen that hue of red before, but... that didn't make sense. Moving on, there was still a question yet to be fully answered. Maybe those crazed ramblings could be counted as enough. "Jeanne d'Arc. You were the executioner that day. You're someone who would know what she said at the stake. The records say she called to a demon. . ."

The moment Charlemagne spoke of Jeanne calling out to a demon, Geoffrey sprung into action. He darted toward the young man, grabbing him by the tunic with speed that surprised even the seasoned adventurer. Those eyes contained fury for a moment. Why? "Father! Holy Father knows? Holy Father... will make many mistakes. Plans gone astray, one life... twice lost! Mother knows Devil, Devil does not know Mother! No. Nexus. Nexus, Mother. Ask Child, Father! Child knows Nexus, Nexus knows Child! Nexus knows Father, but Father, no... Father does not know Nexus. But Father knows Child! Mm!" Geoffrey had begun nodding, as if anything he said made sense. There was even a smile upon the old man's face toward the end of his speech. "Father knows Child, Father knows Wife and Temptress. Wife, Child knows Nexus. Father can know Nexus, but Temptress... Temptress knows Devil. Temptress knows Devil, and Devil will know Nexus! Mother kill Father, Father kill Father. Nexus watching, waiting. Child and Wife, key Father! You see?!"

[Apollymi]

Alright, confirmation. Jeanne didn't have chilren, well Angelica knew that too. As for others who looked like her, there was an explanation. "One of the last times I saw Jeanne she mentioned finally seeing her eldest sister and claimed that she had quite a few nieces and nephews because of this," she said, that was a fair enough point. But it wasn't one which would be allowed to sand very long.

Geoffroy finally had words to share about 'Mother' as he called her and what she said. What she knew and what she was connected to. And while none of it really made sense his actions seemed to imply that Jeanne had nothing to do with demons from what he could tell. He also claimed child was not a reference to the Holy Maiden in anyway. No it seemed more specific than that. From what Angelica could gather this reference was directly for her. Ah, but what was this? He implied that the Holy Father might know and used a word that Angelica had never heard before. "What's a Nexus?" she asked, that didn't sound like the name of a demon, nor did it sound like the name of a god. It sounded like a thing, maybe a proper noun thing but a thing none the less. Though the rest of this man's words implied that Angelica knew of the Nexus. Yeah, that really didn't make much sense.

"I really don't see. This doesn't really make sense... but it sounds whatever a Nexus is it isn't something that could be considered god nor demon." If this man was telling the truth as his jumbled mind interpreted it, it was obvious that he saw some kind of plot coming in the future and that he was at least remorseful about the death of Jeanne d'Arc.

[Bloodedge]

Nexus was a name repeated multiple times. This was not the first time Charlemagne heard of it. No, he last heard it mentioned... well over a thousand years before. In a moment, he could hear Jeanne d'Arc calling out to the Nexus He could hear it because he'd heard that word spoken in her voice before, oh so long ago in another world entirely. The Nexus was a feature in Age of Eternity, something that appeared in the video game as well as the trading card game, albeit in different ways of course. He only knew it to be some sort of interface for the video game. In terms of the card game, however, he could explain it fully. "The Nexus was... something in the card game I played─ the one like this world. There were rare Nexus cards that could alter the outcome of an entire match. If you had one, you could only have one in a 40-card deck; that's how powerful they are."

What he knew of the Nexus was that it was a powerful thing, but it was not a god by any means. Even the game he played contained cards with listed divine attributes, much like Astraea... Angelica's literal mother. How queer. "Nexus cards were applied to the entire playing field, so... a location? Is the Nexus where the other gods are stuck?" Charlemagne wondered. "Gods, no. No gods. Nexus, no gods. Child is right, Child knows. Wife knows better. Child of Father and Mother... also knows better, but not Child. Must find Wife, but Temptress! Father is weaker than Mother; Father must know Temptress. Nexus, too much for small Father. Too much for big Father! Father... is not big Father."

The ramblings were making less sense by the moment. At some point, Geoffroy had claimed 'Father' and 'Mother' had no children between them. Now, he claimed they did? "Let go of me. What are you even talking about? You just said mother and father don't have children!" Seeming to respect Charlemagne's wish, Geoffroy did indeed release him. Of course, that came with a slap to the back of Charlemagne's head as the man stepped away. "Stupid Father, stupid! Weak, stupid! Wife, teach Father! Mother, Father, Child but no Child! Simple! Cold devil woman less stupid than weak Father!"

[Apollymi]

Something powerful. That was the description of the Nexus. Charles seemed to have some sort of understanding of it, but it apparently wasn't enough of one. He claimed it was a thing a deck was only allowed to have one of, because it was so strong. "Hm, that sounds strange, I don't know what that means enough from a statement like that," Angelica said, it was a hard concept to wrap the mind around. Luckily they weren't in this place alone the man known as Geoffroy seemed to know that the gods weren't stuck in such a place he claimed it to only be the Nexus. "I don't think the gods are quite so stuck anymore anyway. My mom said she was planning to retire, that she was using her link to me to leave. She said it was a gift from the Mother. Not Jeanne, but whoever that was originally," she said drawing back on former knowledge but still not really having enough to go on. It was kind of annoying.

Regardless Angelica was starting to understand when things this man said referenced her instead of anyone else. Well, that was odd, perhaps he meant whatever Angelica would grow up to be would have a better understanding. His logic didn't seem to be rooted in normal time progression. Still that man's words also didn't clear it up enough for Angelica. "You said you weren't the only one who came from that other world. And that some got here a different way, would they be able to explain it in a way that made more sense? Because the only part of this speech I kind of understand right now, is that you and Father are somehow similar or equivalent in his mind and I am not sure why that might be the case either," she asked after Charles had been released though slapped in his head. Most of what Geoffroy said didn't make sense, but perhaps more context clues would help them figure out exactly what was going on between all these people using similar names and title. "Whatever the case, it sounds like Jeanne definitely wasn't praying to any sort of demon. Which makes sense, because Jeanne was never innately religious she just wanted to help people," she said of the woman who was known as a saint. Or rather The Saint.

[Bloodedge]

"It's something like... Imagine a human wielding a Divine Artifact against a group of kittens. That's the sort of power a Nexus card could have," Charlemagne explained, knowing there were very few players who even managed to acquire Nexus cards. He had one to his name, and he'd never even had the chance to play it even then. Regardless, Angelica presumed the gods were not 'trapped' within this Nexus as Charlemagne figured. Her mother did claim the gods were set free. Perhaps they were stuck there previously, and were just successfully leaking out? "Hmm. Then maybe they were there? Maybe one of those gods was linking to Jeanne from the Nexus, and she─OW!"

For the second time, Charlemagne had been slapped in the head by Geoffroy. This time, it was enough to cause an impact and leave him rubbing the point of contact. "Why?!" was all he could say. "Father stupid. Weak. Child, also stupid. Wife better. Find Wife, less weak Father. Less stupid. Think, stupids! Wife, Temptress, find! Nexus with Mother!" The way Geoffroy said those last words, Charlemagne couldn't be sure what he meant. What order were those words meant to be in? Whatever the case, Angelica was onto something with the idea of asking others from his original world. "You know what? Yeah. Let's ask Olivier, or I guess... cold devil woman. Maybe she's got some direction," he said, moving toward the exit. In that time, Geoffroy looked toward Angelica while addressing both visitors. "Trust Therage. He knows you can know~"

[Apollymi]

Apparently the power of the Nexus in Charles understanding of it was nearly absolute. Even so, that didn't actually make sense to Angelica either. Of course, it would only come to make more sense as time went on, but she wouldn't get to know that. No, because right at the moment, Geoffroy was insulting them both. Ah, but that only came after another smack to the back of Charles head. "I think those hits are a sign you're on the wrong path in your thinking," said Angelica. She could potentially see why someone would do that. Especially with Geoffroy being properly incapable of communicating his thoughts in a way which made sense to anyone talking to him. He had to do whatever necessary to get his point across.

According to the man they needed to find Wife and Temptress. Wife to Angelica seemed to be a reference to herself though apparently not as she was right now. Perhaps this man had more than just the past jumbled up in his head. And he was actually trying to give instructions but he couldn't because his mind was currently wrong? Yeah, Olivier had described his as 'broken' perhaps it was his mind that broke and made him seem insane? That seemed logical. Whatever the case, it seemed that Olivier was the person to ask more direct questions and Charles equated her with the 'cold devil woman' but didn't receive a smack for it. "Why cold devil woman?" asked Angelica.

Olivier was at least paying attention so she was ready to open the door when they reached it, all the while Angelica had a sentence hit her ears that made it seem like this crazed man had some level of faith in them. Perhaps, if they figured this mess out they could get Jeanne to talk him down, it might help him to know she didn't hate him. Ah, whatever the case, Olivier found herself replying to the question she'd heard as she opened up the cell door. "Because he has a unique understanding of the natures of people he has contact with... do neither of you sense it?" she asked of them seeming to have no problem being straight forward the nature of her being in case they weren't aware. She had a little test ready if neither of them truly understood her nature.

[Bloodedge]

"I think these hits are a sign that my brain is too stationary," Charlemagne insisted. At this rate, his brain would enter a continuous game of pong, bouncing between either side of his skull for all time to come. They had all the information they could get from this man either way, so Charlemagne was content to leave him alone. Of course, that didn't occur without Geoffroy offering some parting words to the pair. He knew they could know? What a weird way of speaking, though that was the most sensible thing Charlemagne heard from him thus far. "If everything else he said was like that, I'd have a way better time getting his weird message."

Olivier was quite the attentive jailer, as always. Before Charlemagne even knocked or called out, she was opening the door and letting them out. She even had an immediate response to Angelica's curiosity, at least the one involving Olivier herself being called 'cold devil woman' by Geoffroy. That man clearly had a unique understanding of others and... probably everything else, based on his general mannerisms. Now then, what was this thing about Olivier as the cold devil woman? There was something to sense, but she felt the same as always to Charlemagne. He'd never noted anything evil about her, despite her questionable methods, so the epithet of devil made no sense to him. "The only thing I sense here is the prisoners. Everything else feels normal. Well... except her," he mused, nodding toward Angelica to point out her strangeness as of late. "Though apparently, I'm also weird today. What's the deal?"

[Apollymi]

"Well maybe it'll get moving?" Angelica offered though it was mostly jest. At least they seemed to be capable of moving on from this point. They'd be greeted at the door by Olivier without much incident or even needing to alert her to their return. It seemed she was indeed attentive, but if she wasn't she would have died a long time before now. It was part of her instinct to be so aware of her own surroundings. Whatever the case, after leaving the space she shut the door to the cell behind them looking in on Geoffroy and shaking her head. This poor man was in a bad way and there was never any way to fix it, that she could find.

But there were more important things on the list right now. According to Charles he felt nothing odd about Olivier. She felt to him as she always did and he only knew for a fact that Angelica felt strange and that he was weird because Angelica told him so. Ah, that would make a bit of sense. A small bit of information would come from Olivier about the things she'd come to understand. "Mana signatures are acknowledged by individuals strangely, in the case of most normal humans, their mana sense ends up connected to whatever ever sense they've trained the most. To me, you smell a bit different, slightly stronger, a bit like her and like someone else, but I can't exactly place it," she said her nose up in the air. "Meanwhile she... smells like the open sky on a starry night. That probably doesn't make sense but that's what I'd equate it to," she said with a casual shrug. "As for what about me, it's easier to skip the questions, both of you touch the mark with your senses active, you'll understand," she said with completely related posture. What mark, the visible one right above the start of her cleavage visible to all.

Angelica looked at the lass, she was willing to play along and reached out with one finger, leaving room for Charles to also touch the mark on her chest. When both of them touched it, a pulse would occur, which was more akin to a minor leak. Cold would be the feeling but it wasn't just cold, it was like running into a head wind in the middle of a blizzard and the blizzard was consciously trying to tear you apart, literally trying to destroy everything it could even through that finger. Of course it wouldn't actually happen but that was the source of Olivier's power. Angelica's eyes widened as she looked up at Olivier, whatever that power was, felt... opposite of what Angelica was herself. "What is that?" she asked seemingly confused by the contradiction between the woman who was so nice to her, and the obvious destructive power within her body.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne knew of the various manifestations taken by one's sixth sense in this world. He'd encountered those who saw, those who smelled as Olivier herself could, those who heard, and those like himself who just... felt. According to Olivier, the oddity of him was that he smelled a bit like Angelica and... someone else. The former made sense, considering how the day had gone thus far. The latter... well, there was no sense to be made of that at all. Maybe it was one of those strange figures, or even Angelica's mother. Whatever it was, there was little need to consider it at this exact moment.

Both he and Angelica were instructed to touch the mark Olivier bore. Charlemagne knew it to be connected to her power somehow─ some form of blessing or protection perhaps. Strange though it was to reach out for something placed there, it was hardly worth arguing when Angelica was already in motion. Charlemagne's forefinger reached the other side of that mark. From it, he felt something that very much fit the bill of Olivier's personality. It was cold, abrasive, even dominating in many ways. If he took out the connection to Olivier, he could equate it to something else. What was it? "It's..." he started in the wake of Angelica's question. "Wrong. I think? It still feels normal, but if I had to look for something weird, I'd compare it to a Demonoid."

[Apollymi]

Words shared about the nature of their beings and what they felt like currently was something they should just sit on. Olivier thought it was familiar and she would know in an instant if she felt it again, but it was one of those things her senses likely ignored for whatever reason. That was fine though, they were able to move on from that and to the main event of their encounter. It seemed that the most shocked of the pair was Angelica that much was to be expected. She wanted to know what it was but was confused by it. Charles likened it to a Demonoid, but seemed capable of ignoring that little itch in his mind as he connected it to Olivier.

"It isn't wrong. I am not fully certain, but I do know the evil of this particular power. It is conscious and very much for the destruction of as many things as possible. In fact, it tried to destroy me at first," she said quizzically. "I didn't know what it was at first, because I was at my base just a very talented human hunter. My sense of smell was heightened but that was a matter of skill, this however is something that was given to me," she said about the mark on her chest. "And I am almost certain it is demonic in nature, but I am not evil, at least I don't think I am. So, I think those words aren't quite synonymous," she said carefully. But all of this being the case would be quite odd. Why was she allowed to exist in what should have been purely holy knights as a major person of influence if her power was evil by everything other people were being taught about it? "Regardless, I've found that Geoff, doesn't lie, even when his words don't make sense initially," she expressed. Angelica looked astounded. "I might have to ask my mom some questions. Though I don't feel like she's bad that power feels like its in opposition to me... I can't really explain it," Angelica said. "There are several things that say opposites exist in balance. There is nothing to say those opposites have to work against each other," Olivier expressed her own personal philosophy. "After all, I get along with Renaud and he is all fiery. But that is getting a bit off topic, did you have some other question?" she said with a wave of her fingers. Of course, this was probably a lesser contradiction than the idea of demon and relative angel. But perhaps there was something more to that comparison as well.

[Bloodedge]

Olivier insisted that the feeling he got wasn't wrong at all. Her power was something evil with a consciousness of its own, and an apparent history of destructive tendencies. To Charlemagne, none of it made sense. He'd seen her Skills activate dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Never had his own ability registered it as evil, demonic or otherwise. Demons, aggressive monsters, even humans with negative intentions─ all were easily felt by Charlemagne. "But I should have felt that. It doesn't make any sense," he claimed, pulling his finger away and staring into it curiously.

Geoffroy was not a liar, according to Olivier. If anyone could say such a thing with certainty, it was her. As such, him addressing her as 'cold devil woman' was to be considered accurate, crazed though he was. Maybe it was a good idea for Angelica to ask her mother, but even that left the question of how. This mention of balance was sensible, so maybe the answer was simpler than Charlemagne thought. Perhaps Olivier's power was worth considering the finer details of. It was always possible that her Mystic Code was fabricated in such a way as to replicate demons, or even localized their base power to fight against them. He'd seen that sort of thing in a few manga series; it wasn't too farfetched. Regardless, Olivier left herself open to receiving additional questions. "Just one, I think. You played AoE, right? What was the significance of the Nexus in lore?" he wondered, having only the trading card game as solid reference.

[Apollymi]

There was something to be said about Charles senses not realizing the nature of Olivier's powers. She didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, but she wondered then if he'd noticed the others in their group. "You might want to sharpen your senses a bit more. I am far from the only one to possess a power that Geoff would call 'devil' even within our group," she said though that wasn't meant to inspire fear. "But I am sure if you know what you're looking for it will be easier for you to notice from now on, even from us," she said seeming to think this was all fine. Regardless, there was a bit more to be done here and she'd opened up the floor for questions.

Strangely this lad chose to ask about the Nexus, and for a moment Olivier was a bit dumbfounded. She spent a while processing that particularly inquiry in her mind for a second or two before she could begin the answer. "Oh, right... you played the card game... it's weird knowing that not everyone who comes here has the same base knowledge," she said seeming to shake away her surprise just a bit. "The lore importance of the Nexus is a bit ambiguous, so I'll tell you what it does and you can decide for yourself what you think it is," she said seeming to not know what to do to explain it. "The Nexus is everything to you, it's how you touch the world. You need to upgrade your Mystic Codes or evolve skills. Nexus. Do you need to make sure you can reach safety? Nexus. Do you need to clone your Mystic Code because of a hardcore world event? Nexus. Literally the Nexus is all things you could need. It even pings you if you're near something that could potentially help or change your build," she said giving it a bit more thought. "There was even a rumor that a VR update would make it speak to you so...." Olivier's words didn't really make sense to Angelica. One of those otherworld things that didn't quite click in her mind, but she would be capable of summarizing it. "So the Nexus is a Supreme God to others who entered the world the same way you did?"

[Bloodedge]

"But that's still not right," he interjected. "My Skill is automatic. I don't go looking for devils; they just register to me whether I want them to or not. If I don't sense it the same way, there's something different about it. Maybe it's you..." Charlemagne's musings would continue internally for some time. Apparently, others in their group were similar to Olivier. There was no way he could miss multiple counts of demon influence and the like, so he now had something to consider long-term.

Consideration would have to take a break, however. Charlemagne had only experienced Age of Eternity's card game, so Olivier had information he could never know without a player of the video game handy. She described the Nexus as... everything. Interface, tooltips, even core gameplay systems were encompassed by the Nexus. Angelica's opinion was uninformed, yet still consistent with where Charlemagne's mind had taken him. She considered the Nexus a supreme god of some sort. Charlemagne was thinking much the same, but not that it entered the world in the same way they did. No, he thought maybe the Nexus and the One God were the same individual. "Or... maybe Jeanne came to understand that the Nexus is God. What if she knew that, and it not being a title known in this world was cause for assumed heresy? I mean, it would sound like a completely random name to anyone here, but it would make total sense to someone like Liv or me right now... right?"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles his skill was automatic. As far as Olivier was aware automatic skills were kind of rare. She only knew a couple of other people who had them, one of whom was Ivy. "Perhaps then its something in the way it is coded that makes those of us who are on your side not ping you," she said giving a bit of a shrug. It wouldn't really matter to her long term, she didn't plan on crossing Charles or anyone connected to him. And she was more than capable of keeping her basic instincts under control.

Charles thinking seemed to align with Angelica's maybe Jeanne had discovered that the Nexus was god and maybe that is why Jeanne called out to it. But Nexus was a name which was foreign to those born in this world without knowledge of the other, so it was easy to conflate things. "Okay, so if that's the case, then everything surrounding Jeanne was a misunderstanding that we have to clear up?" said Angelica. Olivier seemed to be thinking this whole thing over and her opinion was a bit different, "That sounds like a lot of loose ends but I suppose there are worse things that could have taken place than a misunderstanding..." she said calmly. Admittedly she found that kind of thought pattern a bit optimistic considering, she supposed there was nothing wrong with not assuming the worst either. "So if you guys have everything you need from here, you want to get out of here? This place isn't exactly the most welcoming to end up having a long conversation..." she mused willing to escort them back so they could a more relaxed conversation as they tried to figure out what to do about Jeanne d'Arc.

Just the same during the time of his interrogation on the floor which the team of Charles found their home, Ivy was looking through the writings surrounding the immediate library. During her search she came across a journal belonging to Jeanne d'Arc. This lass was rather meticulous noting down her thoughts and feelings surrounding Aincrad and all activities about it. Included in this journal were notes concerning the Holy Grail, Nexus and something referred to as Ascension. It also noted changes in behavior of people like Gilles de Rais, and bits of information concerning various other entities that might eventually be useful for others who might come in contact with Holy Grails to have. She read this to its completion and after leaving a few notes in margins for the others. She came across Anais who was wandering about and gave it to her to pass along to Charles along with a quickly jotted message about where Ivy could be found if she was needed again.

[Bloodedge]

There were a few potential reasons for Charlemagne's dysfunctional ability, including nothing being dysfunctional about it at all. Regardless of that situation, there were more open possibilities for the Jeanne d'Arc situation. Charlemagne had always entertained the idea of miscommunication being at fault. Now, he had ample reason to believe that was the case. Olivier seemed a bit more skeptical, but if she had no point to argue, there remained only a single assumption to roll with. With that, they could move on... apparently to a more suitable location, by Olivier's suggestion. "I don't think we need anything else. I've personally had more of that guy than my brain can tolerate for one week. Let's get out of here."

Charlemagne would continue mulling over this mystery while they moved about, having a bit more brainpower to work with once they weren't surrounded by the ambient noise of prisoners. At some point, this matter would need to be brought before Father An. Some certainty was required before then, but Charlemagne felt they were onto something solid at long last. "Hmm. There's something missing. A connection? If we're assuming Nexus is something like a super 'system' god, what's the connection to the missing gods who... aren't actually missing? I don't think the connection is necessary to clear Jeanne's name if we're right about the Nexus thing, but I'd like it to still make sense. . ."

[Apollymi]

They were all clear about leaving this place and thus they travelled back down the path they'd come and Olivier led them back towards the teleport so they could head back to floor 98 where they called it home. She didn't know much about the actual move but figured it was at least in part responsible for why Charles rekindled his interest in the case of Jeanne d'Arc. "It wasn't so bad, I just feel like his words came out in an a way that made them unclear," said Angelica about the former executioner. Seemingly unable to come up with a better way of describing it. As they emerged from the prison and into more open and quite space, everyone seemed to be capable of thinking better.

Hm, apparently in addition to the Nexus being a god, there was still the overlying issue of how it connected back to the not so missing former gods from the age of the gods. It would be Olivier who had just a bit to say about it, and though she wasn't entirely sure the information would be helpful maybe it was something Charles could use as a point to continue working through things. "Well, gods stopped being normally seen in the world at around the same... maybe there was an event that made it so... I mean, continents and countries used to rise into the sky leaving behind normal unclaimed land. It wouldn't be too far fetched for a couple of places to exist outside of what we can see and sense. Ana might be more helpful though, she isn't human so her understanding of the world and history aren't as limited as ours are potentially," she offered a place for him to go look into this new information. Of course, they'd made it back to the floor and she was now free. "Nice spending time with you both, but I should probably make sure they haven't messed up my room. You know where to find me if you need me," she said giving a quick bow to Angelica and casual salute to Charles.

Of course, Anais was currently looking for Charles and emerged from a hall opposite the one with the library clutching a book and note in one hand and a single lit candle in the other, the light of which was glowing stronger the closer and closer she got to Charles. Ah, there he was, she figured she'd just misplaced him within the new floor, not that he'd been somewhere else originally. But now that he was back she could approach. "Oh? There you are, I have things!" she said seeming pleased to find the person her items were meant to be given to. She was a tall lass in black and white robes in a hood with antlers. "Oh, that's what she meant..." mused Angelica. She'd seen everyone before, and she hadn't really thought about what this girl's species had to be the first time she'd viewed her.

[Bloodedge]

"It wasn't bad for you maybe. Guy tried to knock my brain out!" said Charlemagne. He couldn't have been more satisfied to be away from that crazy old man, nor more satisfied to reach Floor 98 after hearing all that background noise from the prison. Olivier went on to address the Age of Gods' end, how divinities disappeared basically all at once. Charlemagne remembered that era, or at least what was likely the biggest turning point. "Hmm, yeah. I remember the White Titan battle, when King Gilgamesh announced the Age of Man starting. Some of the major gods from that time period had fallen off, or even become evil gods. Things got pretty dark and combative after that. One of the last things I remember is Albion disappearing. That's about the time I cleared the Labyrinth, while Jeanne was still occasionally here."

Seeking Anais was the idea suggested by Olivier. She would be a good choice, provided she could be found easily. Olivier would be returning to her room to manage her... workers. "Alright, good luck with your slave campaign," he said in passing. Now then, it was probably in his and Angelica's best interest to locate Anais. Luckily for them, no searching was necessary, as it was her voice calling out during Olivier's leave. It seemed she'd been looking for them, or at least him, and had something to offer. Perhaps Isabella had found something of merit after all? "We were just about to go looking for you. Olivier thinks you can help. What kind of things?"

[Apollymi]

"Jump start it," said Angelica seeming to enjoy the joke. "Perception in this sort of situation is key," she claimed seeming to enjoy a bit of fun at Charles' expense and was happy the mood had lightened quite a bit. Ah, but it could only stay light for so long, so she should have been trying to enjoy it regardless. Beyond their general conversation the end of the age of the Gods was mentioned. This apparently involved fighting a 'White Titan' and a declaration from King Gilgamesh. After which Charles details became hazy and he remembered the disappearance of a country. "I also remember that, it was right after that happened that Jeanne said it might be a while before she came back, she was going to find her sister," Angelica chimed in. Strange how some of these events seemed to be rather closely related.

Hearing these words from this pair, Olivier seemed to be the type who would easily put some things together. Jeanne d'Arc was apparently a very busy girl who managed to pop in and out of Aincrad and in and out of several major events. That didn't bode well as far as she was concerned. The more prominent a figure the worse it was likely to get as they dug into her life. Whatever the case, Olivier was wished good luck. "Hardly needs luck at this point Charlie," she said before disappearing. In the same couple of moments the girl with the antlers appeared and she'd been the one that Olivier had told them to find for more information. This had been strictly speaking because of her outside knowledge but surely she might have something else.

And lo, she seemed to be coming with her own information as well. She looked tentatively surprised and a bit embarrassed though she seemed to gather herself back to normal pretty quickly. There were, quite a few reasons for this in particular but none of them really mattered when she had something to do. "I don't know what Livvy thinks I can help with but I am willing to hear it out," she said seeming surprised her name had been mentioned so randomly. As for the things, she held them out with wide eyes. "These. I ran into Ivy, and she said this first person chronicle was full of information related to the topic you were looking into as well as many other things. She said you might want to read it. And that she marked a few passages you might find specifically interesting. She also went back to the Archives to look into someone specific, she said you would know who," she said handing over the book. The words used to describe it, and what it actually was were very interesting. It was, Jeanne d'Arc's journal. A chronical of her time and dealings with Aincrad, mentions of Holy Grail related mechanics, and general explanations of the Nexus, the end of the Age of the Gods and her own personal thoughts about several events that seemed to have something to do with the way several things happened in the world.

[Bloodedge]

"Hard to perceive anything when your brain is knocking against the back of your eyeballs," Charlemagne countered. On the matter of the Age of Gods, Charlemagne himself hadn't been present when it officially ended. By that time, he'd cleared the Labyrinth of Aincrad. Someone had actually passed along a note of its ending soon after he first snuck Angelica out of Floor 99; he even remembered thinking the timing was interesting. The gods fell, Charlemagne's workload increased tenfold, and then... a millennium passed to lead him here.

Olivier left, and Anais entered. She was willing to hear what was needed of her, even though she wasn't aware why she could be helpful. Moreover, what she had was indeed something from Isabella. Documentation in the form of a journal was brought to Charlemagne's attention, with a special note that Isabella had begun looking into a specific person. Ah, she must have been digging into files regarding Gilles. Charlemagne was soon flipping through the book he received, taking note of the marked ones to find things of great interest. "Holy Grails transfer ownership. I get that; Father An took Jeanne's and repurposed it after the execution. There's... here," Perhaps the most intriguing thing he saw was mention of Jeanne's Holy Grail specifically. A brief passage spoke of a white room and a disembodied voice through which one gained the right to Ascension. The Nexus was brought up, either in reference to the room, or in reference to the voice... or both? It could have been both. "Further down here, the Holy Grail is called a 'Key'. Sounds like the door it opens is the door to Nexus. I'm guessing anyone who wins a Holy Grail war could use the grail to reach the Nexus. Ani, anything you know about Grail spawning while I've been busy with other stuff? I was never sent to collect one for some reason─"

[Apollymi]

"Bleh, no complaining. Think of the goodness," mentioned Angelica. They found out a host of information even if they couldn't rightly make sense of it yet. And if Charles had to take a few slaps to the back of the head to find out the information, so be it. Well, that sounded more intolerant than Angelica was, but it was all in good fun. What wasn't fun? Well, this apparent journal belonging to Jeanne d'Arc. Charles rather quickly thumbed through the pages and as he did, Anais took the opportunity to properly introduce herself to Angelica.

"Hi, I'm Anais. I'm an Elafia and part of this group," she said offering a bright smile. There was something strange, though Anais had recently come out of her social shell, it was a bit unusual for her to randomly introduce herself to someone else. Still, Angelica seemed to be pushing some strange buttons with everyone today. "Angelica, nice to meet you," she said in response. This lass had managed to clear up one of Angelica's questions and was rather forthcoming and welcoming. It made her appreciate her quite a bit. Moving on it seemed that Charles did indeed find some things of interest. The Holy Grail is a 'key' used to reach a white room which is sometimes referred to as the Nexus and also a term for the disembodied voice there. When there finally came a question it was directed at Anais about the Holy Grails spawning while he was busy. "Hm, well I can tell you no one has managed to get into anything called the Nexus that would have been the biggest news ever," she said carefully. "According to the groups they seem to spawn once a decade or so, the Father ends up sending teams out to retrieve them," she mentioned. She wasn't on any of the teams, but she'd heard people talking about going out and gaining grails. But she hadn't really heard of any Holy Grail wars taking place, actually that was a bit odd.

[Bloodedge]

If Holy Grails were truly the way to access the Nexus, Aincrad had dozens, even hundreds of doors waiting to be opened. If they could just get their hands on a Holy Grail through the proper channels, the answer would be simple. Actually... Father An was the rightful owner of Jeanne's grail based on the system she explained in her journal. If he could access the Nexus through it, perhaps he could discover that the Nexus and God were one and the same.

Anais claimed no one in Aincrad had managed to enter the Nexus. As he recalled though, the Holy Grails of Jeanne and some others were all quite different to the majority seen in Aincrad and various churches. There must have been some key difference to them internally. "It must be a quality thing. The one on Floor 100 is bigger and fancier than all the others. Maybe the smaller ones have the power, but not the privilege?" he wondered. Each decade, a Holy Grail manifested in the world. Charlemagne knew full groups were being sent out to claim them every seven years or so, which seemed about right for any potential long searches. Sadly, it seemed Anais hadn't been on the list of seekers. "You didn't get sent out either, huh? That's a shame. I guess we'd already have our answers if one of us had been sent to get one, we'd have our answer already. I was just thinking we should talk Father An into using the main Grail. If he sees the Nexus and realizes it's God, everything will be done. Angie?" A question presented at the end was simply a name, merely seeking an opinion on the matter. At about that same time, though, Archbishop Turpin was walking toward the group.

"Well, you may not have to wait. The Father has sent me a message to collect our Holy Princess once again. Specifically, he expects to see you as well," he said with a particularly devious glance in Charlemagne's direction.

[Apollymi]

Perhaps they should have been considering how strange it was that they'd never been sent to collect a grail. Perhaps Father An simply found this group more useful to have close to home, but surely capturing a Holy Grail should have been considered a thing of great honor. As far as anyone else knew they simply didn't have the power to open or gain access. "Maybe, I guess it seems pretty reasonable. There are very few people who've managed anything with the Holy Grails they earned and they are considered pretty extraordinary," she said having at least heard about the other winners of Holy Grails before she ever made her way to this place. But that also made sense given that she'd grown up in a forest of Carthage, which spoke of Albion.

Regardless she couldn't think of any of them that had been sent to retrieve the Holy Grail. "Hm actually thinking about it honestly, you never hear much from people about that sort of thing either," she said about the collection of Holy Grails. When one considered it should have been an honor and that men who took pride in battle should have wanted congratulating on their tasks, it was a bit odd that no one who went to retrieve them ever really had anything to say about the task. "I don't know. I mean it seems reasonable..." but whatever else she was going to say was lost as Turpin made his way to them. Of course he claimed that her father wanted to see both her and Charles, and Angelica's eyes widened quite a bit.

"Oops. Well, I mean it's probably fine," she claimed more than willing to accompany Turpin and likely Charles. "Charlie carry my fish. I don't want to get found out," she said handing over the bag she'd been carrying around. No one would bat an eye of an Adventurer was carrying around some strange new pet, but Angelica didn't want to have to answer any strange questions. "Alright, let's go," she said assuming she'd managed to hand off the fish properly.

[Bloodedge]

Now that Anais mentioned it, it was strange that no one sent to collect Holy Grails had much to say about the adventure. Charlemagne wasn't the most accepted member of the Templar Order by the internal members, but he was on friendly enough terms with many to hear stories of conquest. That was the sort of talk one expected to fill taverns and the like, but... he'd only ever heard of the victory itself. "That is weird. I've never thought about it before now. Wasn't Ganelon sent on one of those quests once?"

In truth, the member of their Party named Ganelon had been sent on a few Holy Grail quests. Never had the male mentioned more than success, just like other cases. Sadly, there wouldn't be much time to consider why no one ever spoke of the journey itself. Turpin arrived for the sake of taking Angelica... and apparently Charlemagne as well, to Floor 100. That didn't sound like something to be done at any random time, but instead right away. Charlemagne sighed, wondering if his excursions with the Holy Princess had been discovered. Whether that was the case or not, he took hold of that darn fish bag and hung his head. "Ugh. Fine, fine. You know I hate when someone is sent to escort me to the Ruby Palace? I especially hate it now for... so many reasons," he complained. Regardless of Charlemagne's gripes with the situation, Turpin would be leading the way to Floor 100 posthaste.

It seemed the Holy Father couldn't afford to wait very long anyway, as he was undoubtedly worse for wear compared to the last time he was seen by the future Holy Emperor and Empress. He still sat in his throne, already-white hair having thinned to a point of near-baldness. His teeth appeared rotten, his breathing heavily labored, and the one eye he didn't have covered by a gold mask spanning half his face was sunken. Father An had the look of a man who couldn't even lift his own dinner fork, and he probably couldn't half of the time. There wasn't much time at all. . .

[Apollymi]

Ah it seemed that Charles also hadn't encountered anyone who would talk about the completion of a Holy Grail war. That was strange, Angelica gave a minor frown when thinking about it, "Jeanne had nothing but stories to tell of the Queen Artoria Pendragon fighting in her Holy Grail war, it is weird the men don't talk about them," she said seeming to find it odd. But it wasn't just odd. It was naïve. They didn't even get the chance to properly realize this even after the mention of one of their ranks, Ganelon actually going on a few such expeditions. Whatever the case, both Angelica and Charles would be led away.

"He did go on a few, but there's no time now. Good luck both of you," said Anais as she was now faced with the mental problem of figuring out the reasons people wouldn't talk about victories and not coming to good conclusions. Unlike many others, in her original life, Anais had been apart of a family that was highly involved in the government. She'd seen the fall out of the Prime Minister of her country and didn't like when people didn't talk about things to everyone because it implied an amount of secrecy she'd learned to be fearful of. Whatever the case, she supposed she'd talk to Ivy when that lass returned and take up any potential issues with her. 'Maybe I should wait a while...' she thought putting off a specific conversation for some other time.

At the same time, Charles took the fish from Angelica complaining about being summoned and escorted to Father An. "Listen here Chuck, you don't get to complain to me about being summoned. I am always summoned and always escorted. I have no sympathy." claimed Angelica that lightly haughty attitude of hers already making its return. Still she didn't look any less annoyed by the entirety of the situation until of course they made their way to the actual Ruby Palace and saw what was left of Father An. Her eyes widened at the sight. The man a few days ago said he suffered a fall, and now it simply looked like he was falling apart. She was aghast, "Why didn't you get someone to heal you after that fall the other day?" she was genuinely worried. Regardless of her other inquiries and the like she was a decent human being and though she didn't see eye to eye with her father, she didn't want to see him come to harm.

[Bloodedge]

As heavily as Father An breathed, the wheeze of every individual inhale could be heard from the moment one stepped into the throne room. It was a shocking sight to see, especially by Charlemagne who'd seen him just earlier this same day. "Wh─... What happened?!" He couldn't stop the question from escaping him. The Father hadn't been in the best condition a few hours before, but it looked as if he'd been melted. There were lesions on his face, and a dullness to his one visible, albeit sunken eye.

The immediate concern of Angelica and Charlemagne was noted. It took a few moments for the Father to manage words. "... You needn't worry for me. The word of God is spreading, and that is all that matters, my children," the elderly male stated. There was no healing in this world that could help him. In all actuality, there was no amount of healing in any world or reality that could save him now. He had another plan, though.

"I will be well. The light of God will consume me, and I will be better for it. First... our concern must be the future. Angelica, my daughter. Forgive this old man for not coming to you directly. I'm afraid I've fallen under the weather," he joked, coughing in the wake of the statement. Always quick to address the more important matters, he moved on rather quickly. "Days ago, we spoke. Have you decided?"

[Apollymi]

Both Charles and Angelica seemed to be exceedingly shocked by the visage currently being shown by Father An. The man literally looked like he had a single foot in the grave and it'd been dangling there for the last 40 decades. Whatever the case, even though it seemed to pain him to breathe and speak he seemed content to do so. All the while Angelica seemed to have a pained expression which played across her face. Whether or not she disliked her father from moment to moment, she wouldn't have wished what looked to be active decay upon enemies much less family.

First thing was first, the claim that he would be enveloped by the light of god and be better for it. That sounded like he thought he wasn't long for his current life. Well, people died all the time, that wasn't so much a big deal, when he'd come back he'd likely still mostly be himself so perhaps he simply planned to pass along the torch so to speak before his current end was near. What was more he came with something of a joking apology about not coming to visit the lass. She managed to look a bit shocked. She was surprised he even managed to remember that she'd spoken about him visiting her, and used his current condition to excuse himself and it was a rather potent excuse. "Well, it wasn't like I was worried about the visit or anything. You can take your time, it isn't like my floor is going anywhere..." she managed while twirling one of those smaller curls like a child caught between her moods. Of course, there was the reason the pair had actually been summoned.

And that had to do with the conversation Father An had with Angelica in the days prior to this one. He wanted to know if she'd decided. "I was decided then and I haven't changed my mind," she said in a manner which was markedly softer than she'd spoken to him before. After all, he seemed to be having quite a struggle already, how could she be anything but nice to her ailing father? She wasn't a monster.

[Bloodedge]

Whatever happened with Father An, it had to be something beyond comprehension. It was virtually impossible for someone to decay so much in a few hours, unless they were cursed by some strange method. One could assume the Father hadn't been anywhere outside of Aincrad, and Charlemagne hadn't sensed any demonic or evil presence nearby. Maybe he had been around for so very long, his body was no longer able to sustain itself even with mana aiding the process? That was about the most sense Charlemagne could make of this situation, but An himself insisted that it was nothing to worry about.

Angelica claimed she wasn't worried about the visit, and that An could take his time because Floor 99 wasn't going anywhere. To that, he laughed, weak as it was. "Children. Always so foolish. Spare this old man your ego, child. I will see your creations with my own eyes soon enough." The promise of Father An seemed very certain. Incapable as he was now, he was so sure he'd look upon Angelica's creations eventually─ even though he seemed to have a foot and a half in the grave.

A smile crossed the decrepit old man's face when Angelica reiterated her certainty. She'd take Charlemagne as her bridegroom, establishing him as the Holy Emperor. "Then it's settled. Carolus Magnus, you will be Holy Emperor, the right hand of our Lord. The coronation will be tomorrow morning," he stated. Charlemagne was standing there, fish bag in hand, baffled by so many things─ the least of which was a lack of request for his own opinion. Well... he had all but decided to seek the marriage, but the rest was almost another matter entirely. "If I'm being honest, I'm likely to hand it off to someone more suitable at my earliest convenience. I'm not sure that's what God wants."

Oh? Handing off the title of Holy Emperor when one could first do so? The notion was so selfless, so noble that very few humans would ever think to do it. Mortals were always such selfish creatures, it was so refreshing to meet one willing to serve a greater purpose than themselves. "Haah... Rest assured, child. That is exactly what God expects of you," the Father assured. "I have only just sent you and your people to Floor 98, but I'm sure the two of you would be more comfortable getting to know one another better. Haah. That's what the kids want of their betrotheds nowadays, isn't it? Take my blessing, and... spend the rest of this time on Floor 99. I think... you two might be better for the bonding experience."

[Apollymi]

That weak little laugh was somehow both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Father An had been a pretty inattentive parent for the duration of Angelica's life, but as he tried to muster his normal type of bravado in response to her contrary outburst she managed filial piety. A love and respect specifically reserved for someone who was parental in nature. "Hmph, I said it was fine," she mumbled, seeming to miss the connective mention of creation. This man was in a strange way. She definitely should have been able to tell if he'd been cursed and to her he seemed to be aging rapidly. As far as her new understanding was concerned he also wasn't experiencing anything that could be considered contradictory to what he deserved so maybe this was simply what happened when ones lifespan outgrew their mana.

Moving on from that point, with Angelica confirming her desire to marry Charles, her father seemed content to make the necessary declarations. Charles would be her husband, but even when being conferred such an honor he managed to claim he would give away the title to the most suited individual. According to Father An, god expected no less of him, which implied to someone like Angelica that Charles was the kind of person who wouldn't rest on simply title but instead leave governing of the kingdom to those most suited to it. Which was fair enough... by her own approximation. According to An, Charles coronation would be the next morning.

He also claimed that Charles and Angelica should spend some time together getting better acquainted on Angelica's own floor. How strange, her father didn't seem the type to allow such a thing, but Angelica wouldn't exactly argue against something she wanted. It wasn't like she wished to part with Charles after spending all morning with him. "I think that seems kind of soon, but I don't really mind. Seriously though, get some rest and have someone tend your wounds..." Angelica said with a genuine amount of care and concern for her father.

[Bloodedge]

"... Eh?" Of all the things to happen after his weird experiences of the day, Charlemagne was expected to spend the night on Angelica's floor? That settled it. Something was wrong with everyone who naturally belonged to this world. Basically, he was a worker. His boss had just decided he'd be marrying his daughter off to Charlemagne in the morning, and stranger still, he essentially instructed that they spend the night together beforehand. In Father An's eyes, these two hadn't even gotten very familiar. Why was it a good idea to send them off together?

Of course, it was also very soon; Angelica wasn't the only one with an opinion like that. What Charlemagne considered reasonable was a long-term phase of dating, a lasting engagement, then a marriage, and then living together. This was too much even for his original world's modern expectations, but... he couldn't say no to an old man who was obviously dying, who'd also done nothing but help him along his way for a thousand years. He'd been told to take the Holy Father's blessing, which always meant one thing. Charlemagne stepped up to the throne, taking a knee and taking An's hand into his own. "Good. You'll make a fine Holy Emperor. Take care of that girl. She's an especially fiery one; something I'm sure she gets from her mother," the Father joked further. Charlemagne nodded before rising and descending from the throne.

Turpin was awaiting the completion of Father An's business with these two, so whenever they were prepared, he was ready to escort. They'd both be headed to Floor 99 it seemed, so it would be his pleasure to inform the others on Floor 98 of Charlemagne's absence. Along the way, he'd also be ready to clear up a misconception on Angelica's part. "The Father has no wounds. He's been tended to already," the Archbishop claimed.

[Apollymi]

The pair seemed to hear out what the Father had to say as he obviously approached death's door at a pace most would call urgent. Regardless, Charles approached paid his respects and then moved away soon after hearing whatever thing that Father An had to say in relation to Angelica. And that would be all. The man would be left to continue rotting away as the pair both seemed stunned and headed back towards their respective floor. Archbishop Turpin would take care of alerting the others to why Charles would be gone for now, and what was more had something to say about Father An's state. He claimed the man had no injuries. "That seems weird, though..." Angelica paused. She looked upon Father An and not thought anything foul of his current decaying state. It was surprising to witness and maybe even seemed a bit random, but her newly developing powers didn't say anything was amiss. "It's not like I have any idea how old he is maybe older human life is just truly fragile," she concluded.

Regardless in her personal opinion it seemed almost wrong to bring up anything related to the past while apparently watching the man age at rapid pace. At this point she figured it might be better to simply let Charles make all the necessary changes after her father was resting peacefully. Whatever the case when they split with Turpin they'd be on floor 99 and Angelica would be reaching out for her fish. "Hm, I guess I'll be making this one's habitat today," she mused looking at the little fish. If her Father really did plan to see her creations she'd make sure they were good at least.

[Bloodedge]

En route to Floor 99, some disturbing news was shared. Turpin insisted that nothing was amiss with Father An, at least in terms of injury. Charlemagne knew Turpin could have healed any ailment, curse or wound, so his word was always believable. What could the cause have been? "You're curious?" the Archbishop asked while stepping up to the teleport gate. The rest, he'd say once the bridge to the Sapphire Palace was ahead of them. "The Father is old. Our checks say that's all there is to it. Nothing ails him, and there is no explanation as to why it all happened so suddenly. He woke from a nap only an hour ago, and he immediately began rapidly advancing in years. The Bishops can't make sense of it," he explained.

What a strange situation. As Father An himself claimed though, he'd soon be enveloped in the light of God. Whether that meant he'd be healed or taken from this world, or even reincarnated, Charlemagne couldn't tell. He firmly believed all would be well in the end regardless. Alas, he couldn't bring himself to address the matters they'd been looking into. As Angelica reclaimed her fish, he sighed. "I couldn't even say a thing about the investigation. Ugh, this is going to become a bigger problem for me, isn't it?" he asked the universe as a whole. Angelica wasn't the only one entertaining the idea that Charlemagne himself would have to make changes. Father An had the look of a man who shouldn't even be alive here and now. Would he even make it to the coronation, or even the wedding ceremony? It seemed unlikely. . .

[Apollymi]

Still there were more interesting things to learn yet. After reaching the Sapphire Palace bridge, they were informed by Turpin as a matter of their shared curiosity that the Father was simply old. He'd apparently woken from a nap and simply aged rapidly. None of the Bishops could find anything wrong with him. He wasn't cursed, or ailing in any way, simply aging rapidly all at once. One couldn't really know why such a thing would occur now rather than at some other point in time. But the actual mechanical issue of aging wasn't something any of the people in this world really understood. "It doesn't really make sense for it to start randomly happening after more than a thousand years of him being seemingly in perfect health," said Angelica. "But I suppose there could be a pretty normal explanation for it," she said having given it a bit more thought.

Moving on, it seemed that Charles had quite an issue. He also hadn't thought to bring up the potential issues that they'd been looking into. "I don't think it will become a bigger problem for you. You do want to fix it, and it will be within your power to do so," she said carefully. "In truth I think it is a bit unnecessary to burden Father when he already looks as if the whole of the world as collapsed atop him," she said. Ah, she probably should have phrased that differently, but still her point stood. Righting the wrongs of the previous generation was something for them to do, her mother had all but said that, so she had no issue taking it into her own hands eventually. Speaking of her own hands, she was now holding onto that adorable little fish of hers, and she was happy to have it again. She'd take great care in making sure it had a fun place to live, while she thought over all of the information for the day.

[Bloodedge]

"No, it doesn't. I literally saw him right before I saw you today, and he looked no different than he did thirty years ago," Charlemagne said, knowing Father An never seemed to age a day in all the time he'd known the man. There had to be some reasonable explanation for what was going on, but... if the Father claimed it was nothing to worry about, he'd take the decrepit old man at his word. "Well, if it's that time... hopefully he's done all he wants in this life. It's rare for anyone to wither away of old age here," he stated in the most delicate way he could manage.

Luckily, this world had different rules for death and the like. Watching anyone pass away was always sad, but having concrete evidence of life after death was always refreshing. "You know... in the world we come from, nobody really knows if there's life after it all. People die thinking that's the end of it, and then... never mind." In the midst of a deep clause, Charlemagne shook his head. What did he think he was about to do? Give a eulogy for a man still hanging on? As randomly as Father An aged to near-death, he could possibly spring back to life the next day. He could spare the man's daughter of any unnecessary testimonies. Besides, they had many other things to think about. "I guess I wouldn't mind having to deal with it myself, if that's how it has to be. It'd be difficult... A lot of people would need proof, but we are really close to the answers."

At this point, the trio would reach the end of the bridge. Archbishop Turpin stopped to bow at the other two. "I think this is as far as I go. Though it was a pleasure escorting you both, I have to meet with the others. Ganelon was especially antsy about being clued-in on everything, so I suppose I'll be getting my vocal exercises for the year done today."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles mere hours ago the Father had looked unchanging from thirty years prior. The sudden shift was rather jarring to all, but with the Father being so cavalier about the entire experience of his aging, it was hard to believe anything was amiss. For ones of high faith, the end wasn't something to be truly saddened by. And in a world where rebirth was basically a guarantee, it was only sad to lose the person you know for a moment. Hm, perhaps that was something to consider as well, "Rare, but not completely unheard of, maybe high density Mana can only do so much for you at some point," she offered her own imaginings. She figured it was something like balancing your mana inside with your mana outside which would keep one's body intact, but the older one got the harder such a thing was to maintain. Yes, that made a reasonable bit of sense.

Moving on from this point, Charles stated that in the world he was from, no one knew of the afterlife. Given all the other things Angelica had learned about that world and its already limited lifespan that probably made everything way worse for people. "That place sounds more frightening every time you mention it," she said giving a firm nod of her head. It was still wonderful, but all the nuances were starting to make it seem like the development of technology wasn't truly worth the loss of magic. Beyond this point apparently Charles didn't care if he had to deal with the Jeanne d'Arc ordeal himself but claimed that many would need more proof. "Well, on that front we've gathered quite a bit already and are likely gathering more. I don't think it would be too difficult with everything presented properly to make sure everyone knows how the world actually works and how to avoid condemning others for things they don't understand," this was Angelica's thoughts on the matter. Actually from conception, the problem here was no one knowing the name that Jeanne used to communicate with god and one of her own apparently turning her in for consorting with demons when that was likely not something that actually happened. If so that person either knowingly or unknowingly set in motion something terrible that didn't need to happen.

Still at the end of the bridge Turpin stopped and bowed. He claimed to have enjoyed escorting them both but claimed that at least one among Charles group wished to know the details so to speak. It seemed quite odd for a man to be so interested in the social development of his peers but perhaps his being older meant he had the same kind of interest in Charles that the Father did, and wished to see him excel? Whatever the case, Angelica smiled at Turpin. "It's always a pleasure chatting with you Turpin," said Angelica honestly willing to let the man go on about his supposed business. She didn't know Ganelon very well, but had the unique feeling she had enough older people in her life already, and thus didn't envy the man the task of having to speak on it. "I started growing tea leaves, if you find those vocal exercises a bit too stressful," she mentioned casually. This man appreciated her artistry she had no issues being nice to him, nor any of the people in Charles chosen group, honestly even strangely Roland, though she'd rather not speak to that one directly.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne could understand why Angelica considered his world frightening. She'd grown up in a world that knew no true death, had magical answers to any and everything across numerous walks of life, and so much more. Being transported in the other direction would have to be some sort of nightmare. "It's pretty terrifying, yeah. The world isn't so bad, but I think a lot of us who come here end up with another fear. It leads to a lot of... hang-ups," he mused. Charlemagne wouldn't purposely mention any more than that, erring on the side of hope instead of cynicism.

They did have quite a bit of evidence toward the truth of Jeanne's innocence. Charlemagne could feel it; there was just one final stretch toward finding the Holy Maiden unequivocally above reproach. Everything could work out for the better. "You're right. It's pretty exciting, isn't it? Jeanne was such an awesome person; there's no way she deserves this legacy. Unless I know for certain that she was a heretic... there's no way that judgment is going to be part of my reign," he said with absolute certainty. If he was to be Holy Emperor, he would not be the sort to besmirch the name of innocents. Surely none cold be so innocent as Jeanne d'Arc, he believed.

Turpin would be leaving the two alone, it seemed. Upon looking toward the rising Archbishop, Charlemagne once again noticed an interesting glance being sent his way. 'If he doesn't stop giving me the "bro" look, I swear on everything. . .' Regardless of his thought process and the furrow of a single brow, Charlemagne bowed in return to one of his most trusted companions. "Good luck dealing with Ganon. I've never been a fan of him when he's like that. When he hits the helping phase, give me a shout!" he said about the oldest member of their group. Turpin chuckled and turned from the pair. "As you wish. I'll probably be back for the two of you in the morning. Depending on the number of questions I'll soon be dealing with, I may need that tea after all. Farewell."

With that, Archbishop Turpin crossed the bridge once more. He'd enter the teleportation gate and return to Floor 98... where he'd undoubtedly answer several hundred questions for the rest of this night.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, his prior world was indeed terrifying. And when changing into one of this world, it came with 'hang-ups' she wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean exactly, but it sounded like the transition to the magical world also wasn't very easy for everyone. That would make sense. If you're used to something it is reasonable to be frightened by a complete shift in the way things worked. Angelica could at least understand that, she imagined she'd end up with quite a culture shock even just leaving Aincrad once, she couldn't imagine moving to a world where no one was magical and everyone died at an age she couldn't even properly remember being. "I don't think I understand hang-ups, but I can understand how a switch in either direction could be shocking. I don't envy any of you who've had a less than easy time adjusting," she stated plainly.

He then went on to talk about the potential restoration of the legacy of Jeanne d'Arc which was an exciting topic indeed. "Yeah, she was one of the best people I ever met. She was really nice to me even before I was as agreeable as I am today!" she stated seemingly proud of her own progress and having enough self-awareness to know she wasn't an easy person to approach or get along with initially.

Moving on from that point, Turpin would be leaving claiming he'd take care of answering all of their companions questions and like. He also assumed he'd be the one who came to get them in the morning seeming to think that he might need that tea. "Alright, I'll make sure to save you a cup," Angelica said. She wasn't sure what kind of strange hype would end up surrounding the potential marriage of Charles, but figured it would have a similar effect to the 'girls' night that Jeanne always spoke of. Whatever the case they'd soon be alone again and Angelica was content to figure out where she wanted to place her fish tank and the like while happy to share her space with Charles. "Is it weird that I think this is a bit of a relief. I was having a lot of fun and I wasn't sure when I was going to want to be alone again..." she stated about the coming adventure. Just the same she ended up leading the lad back up to one of the towers which would lead to her bedroom. She carried that little fish in the bag looking around at walls while deciding where she'd be placing her new friend. "What do you think, Charlie, does it need sun? Or should I tuck it into a shady corner?" she asked about the habitat. She was content to begin creating it right away.

[Bloodedge]

"I don't blame you for not understanding it. It's something you'd only have think of if you've already made the switch. Or... only if you get attached to the new life," he rambled. As one who didn't have an abundance of friends in his original life, Charlemagne quickly came to prefer the experience of living in this magical world. There was always the question, however, of what one would do in a certain situation. "So... you're sure about the marriage then? I remember hearing from the Roland situation that you don't want a soldier who'll just go out on a job and die."

Charlemagne would continuously go back to questioning their engagement and how acceptable it was as an option. Though he'd already admitted to it fitting within his own desires, there were circumstances that could undoubtedly make it a bad decision on Angelica's part. She was right about becoming far more agreeable since the time she'd known Jeanne d'Arc. With that in mind, there was ample time to decide on a more guaranteed situation for her own future. If she was going to stick with her decision either way, she had to at least be made aware of the concern he'd been talking about. "See, here's the thing. Those of us who come here from that other world... don't know why it happened. None of us know if we'll ever end up going back. Some of us want to return, some of us don't, but we don't know whether we'll all just randomly teleport back to our original lives one day or not. We could be married today, and I be a high school student in Ibaraki tomorrow," he explained.

Of course, things were only made stranger in Charlemagne's opinion as Angelica led the way to her bedroom. Propriety was just thrown out the proverbial window time and time again with her, and he somehow still wasn't used to it. On the other hand, he also wasn't a fan of parting. They'd been having a pretty fun time all day, so it didn't truly matter where they were while chatting and whatnot continued. Apparently, this was also where Angelica intended to erect a home for her fish. She wondered if it should be given sunlight, or be left in the shade. Given the number of those things Charlemagne could over the centuries, he had far more information about them than he'd like... but just enough to share some knowledge. "It's Dawncatcher for a reason. You said this floor has a day/night cycle, right? I'd suggest putting it near a window that lets the morning sun in. I assume that's East on this floor, but I dunno. Is it?" A fair question, he thought. Angelica was prone to what he considered to be strange decisions. Maybe her floor's sun cycle was a North/South exchange for some reason. It wasn't like it would really matter either way.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, worries about hang-ups only came from switching worlds and getting attached to ones new life, so he didn't blame her for not understanding it. Angelica could only nod her head at the information. It made sense at least, even if it wasn't completely something within her realm of understanding. Hang-ups for Charles though always seemed to come back to this question of marriage. He asked bringing up what he heard about her turning down Roland and the situation surrounding it, she gave it a bit more thought and began to explain herself. "Yes, I am still sure about marrying you. I said that to Roland when I wasn't as good at expressing myself. The life of a mindless soldier just fighting blindly because they like to isn't something I am interested in," she explained better her taste. "If you died because you went off, I can figure you died in defense of someone, not because your ego or bloodlust fueled you into something unwinnable. So basically, I want to marry a man I can respect. Who would do the right things, not necessarily just for themselves, but for everyone. And you're that kind of man so I don't have a problem with it," she explained fully with a sigh. "That is to say, I am not saying Roland or Renaud are bad guys, but their kind of attitude isn't to my liking. Not for someone I'd have to put up with, talk to, or be with..." she explained her taste in the strangest way but was assured that Charles was the type of man she preferred. "Besides, I think you're cuter than them." she said. Ah her type had to be strange indeed, it wasn't like the world truly created ugly people.

Ah with that bit down and their walk continuing, they ended up nearing her bedroom and discussing the issue of beings from other worlds. Apparently Charles and others like them never seemed to know if they were going to end up going back. If they get attached it could be that they were wed tomorrow and the next day he'd be back in Ibaraki, because the mechanism that transported them to this world was an unknown. "Well in that case, you should make sure I know where to look for you and how to find you. If one can be teleported one way, one could be teleported the other. And the idea that it might happen at random, is more of a reason to enjoy every moment before it happens. I haven't known any place beyond the walls of this fortress, but I am sure if my husband disappeared, finding him would be a grand adventure," she offered seeming to think of it in terms of the here and now. By her own approximation they could just disappear. "As for a game plan, that might be something to ask the Nexus, as the god of the world it should understand that mechanism a bit," she said making sure they kept their options open. She had no intention of having Charles slip away from her, nor would something as simple as another world be enough to keep two people who enjoyed each other apart. She simply didn't believe it.

As for her fish, apparently it was called Dawncatcher for a reason and should be placed facing the rising sun. "Sun rises in the west on this floor, and sets in the east. Not sure why but it's what I am used to, and why this room is set up the way it is..." she said pointing out the direction of her bed facing away from the rising sun to avoid waking herself. Just the same, she didn't bother doing something crazy like building a tank near the window. No, she walked over to the wall and interfaced with it magically, changing a large section of the wall into a hollowed out window of thick glass. Her magic allowed her to use a blue colored gem and fill it with water of the same temperature as the bag and then she switched to a green gem which she used to create some small plants in the bottom of it.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica clarified the reason she once claimed to be against the 'soldier' types. The reason she'd rejected the advances of Roland and Renaud was their propensity for combat that would see them killed for their own egos. A better description of Renaud had never been given. The same was not so true of Roland, but it was always possible that he meet a similar fate... especially after he went crazy due to that rejection. Any random woman could cause Roland's death at this point, especially if she gave him the time of day even once. Indeed, he wouldn't let himself die for any reason like that. If Charlemagne were to let himself fall, it would be when there was no better choice. Hearing Angelica say it as a matter of her opinion, however, was a bit embarrassing. Charlemagne was left looking away, rubbing the back of his head, and then hoping his face wasn't visibly red when he was called cuter than the others.

As for the potential of otherworlders returning to their original world, Angelica brushed it off as something easily solved. So long as he made sure she'd be capable of finding him, it was fine? How was he meant to do that? It sounded rather on-brand for her demanding nature, and even sounded serious enough to be considered a proper challenge. "I doubt that's possible, but I also doubt you're giving me much choice. Guess I've got questions for the Nexus whenever we find it," he said, believing there was no point in arguing with the resolute princess about realism.

On Floor 99, sunrise occurred on the western horizon. He couldn't even consider that very strange, considering there were some North to South, some South to North, and some even permanent day or permanent night throughout Aincrad─ especially in the Labyrinth for the lattermost occurrence. More important than when and where the sun rose and fell, was the fact that Charlemagne would soon be witnessing something for the first time. He'd never seen the process of creation Angelica went through─ only the result of her craft. It was similar to what he'd seen done by the great Pharaohs in Egypt, yet simultaneously very different. It couldn't be called Magecraft. Indeed, this process, simple though Angelica made it seem, had to be the true Magic of legend wielded by few. "You really are a divine being," he thought aloud, hardly able to stop the natural inclination of sitting at the bed's edge to watch.

[Apollymi]

Charles didn't have much to say about the words Angelica spoke regarding her personal tastes. Of course, he also didn't disagree so she took it as an acceptable line of thinking. In fact, the lad seemed to be a bit abashed to find out the information she shared. There was a rather sudden devious light in her eyes as she considered that she might enjoy the fact that he didn't seem to realize such things on his own. They were in for an interesting future, of this Angelica was certain.

Speaking of the future, she'd told Charles he should look into making sure that she could find him if they found themselves in his world. She didn't plan on giving him up, nor did she think they could be anything but happy. "You should have at least some questions for the Nexus regardless. You're the one from the other world, surely you have your own curiosities. Just pass that one along for me and make sure we won't get separated for too long. I feel like the world would be a lot less frightening with someone to help me out with the apparent adjustments," she claimed. Little did she know adjustments would both be great and small not that it was something she even considered realistic.

Something else not realistic, Angelica's ability revolving around creation. She had a very specific way of doing things, but she quite enjoyed it. Just the same, it seemed that Charles was quite surprised by the action. She supposed no one had ever watched her do such a thing, and his verbal confirmation that she was a divine being was something she didn't expect. She did blush pretty intensely at this moment looking over her shoulder at the lad while changing the shape of the upper wall to allow her to drop the fish into the tank. "I mean yeah, we've always known I was at least divine. But I am definitely not the only person who can make things magically," she said seeming to find his astonishment strange. Surely he'd seen others in his travel who could do such things.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, there's a lot to ask. I'll make sure that one's high on the list when the time comes. Right after we find out if Nexus is God or not," Charlemagne assured. The top priority was solving the issue of Jeanne d'Arc's execution, which he supposed would take a backseat to the apparent coronation of himself as Holy Emperor. He could almost see the peace so many would experience once false heresy claims were silenced for good. Soon, they'd have that moment. First, they had to go through the motions of... the coronation.

Even before that, however, there was the strange situation of being in Angelica's bedroom and watching her form of creation. Each of them had cause to blush within a matter of moments of one another. Here and now, it was Angelica's turn from something as simple as a compliment. Charlemagne wasn't buttering her up or anything; he was just pointing out a truth he'd noticed. "No, you're not the only person able to do that kind of thing. I've never seen anyone do it like that, though. I'd compare it to Pharaoh Ozymandias's constructs, but it's... different. There's something really appealing about it. Ozymandias's constructs are hard to look away from because they're so incredible, but yours is something I can't look away from because... well, I can't even explain it, really. I just can't watch anything else."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles there would be a lot to ask of the Nexus while figuring out if it was god or not and Angelica could only agree. That being said, her own query was moved to a high spot on the list which made her happy. Though there was his coronation to deal with in the near future, there was still time for them to consider the details of questions to ask the Nexus and clearing Jeanne d'Arc. "That should probably be the first question. But the explanation of it that Olivier gave implies that if its functionality is similar to what is was for you on the other side, then it is definitely a god that only a few people have direct access to," she said having come to an easy and logical conclusion. Following that same thought, she was sure that Holy Grails were something that couldn't just be gained by anyone, because if they could be, she was sure the other gods wouldn't have been locked up anywhere.

It was a complex state of affairs with a bunch of different aspects that she couldn't quite work out just yet. It was almost as if the details of it, weren't enough to put together the entire story. Ah, but it probably wasn't helping that they were both easily embarrassed in front of each other. Right just now, Charles had only the most interesting things to say about her ability to create things magically. He even compared her works to those of the Pharaoh Ozymandias. He claimed that he couldn't help but watch hers for some unknown reason but they weren't intimidatingly perfect like those of the Pharaoh. "Ah, well... thank you, Charlie~" it was such an honest appraisal she truly didn't know what to say. She liked having her works appreciated, and she didn't know that letting someone see the process would be something she fancied so much. Perhaps that was just Charles though? Yeah, probably that. The bag the fish had been in disappeared, turned into a pearly looking gem which she also dropped into the tank, too big to be swallowed it would work as a decoration of sorts. And just like that her little tank was finished. She joined him at the end of the bed and sat down looking at her new tank.

[Bloodedge]

As many questions as there were for the Nexus, Charlemagne believed he was starting to get them in order. There were still many more that he had, but most of them were such a jumbled mess, he didn't even know where to start. Of course, the true start had to involve locating and acquiring a Holy Grail by the old methods. If he could enter a Holy Grail War properly, that would be easy. Maybe Ganelon would be willing to give some answers. . .

Sadly, Ganelon was presently in the business of getting answers instead. On Floor 98, Archbishop Turpin was yapping and yapping, never ending the process of answering to their most elderly companion. One could only hope Ganelon would soon be a boon to their plan, as he tended to be so many times before.

Charlemagne gave the most appropriate explanation he could manage as to how he viewed Angelica's creation process. If he were being fully honest, he couldn't tell how much he even cared about the thing itself. Creations had a knack for carrying the signature of a God of Creation's soul, so one from the old world could consider viewing the product synonymous with viewing the craftsman. Charlemagne had no knowledge or concept of this, naturally. Maybe there was something more than normal human appreciation, maybe there wasn't, or maybe the answer was... both. He didn't know the answer, nor did it matter to him. Angelica sat beside Charlemagne atop her bed eventually. She'd so recently offered her gratitude for the appraisal, but he had no need of it. "If you wanna thank me for something, help me make that Diamond Palace less... diamond-y," he joked. Now that he thought about it though, what would the point of that even be? "Though I guess I'm supposed to be moving up right after moving up, huh? Father mentioned his plan to eventually choose a Holy Emperor ages ago. That would put... both of us on Floor 100, right? So the Diamond Palace would be up to those guys unless they move up to this one. . ."

Ah, Charlemagne's memory was not quite in-line with the whole truth. If he became Holy Emperor and married Angelica, their place of residence would indeed be Floor 100. Floor 98 existed for the sake of Aincrad's greatest power, formerly Jeanne d'Arc, currently Charlemagne, and in an ideal future, simply the group he'd brought along with him. Floor 99, however, was a very exclusive thing. Floor 99 was the home of the Holy Father's child/children. In the event of a Holy Emperor ascending, it would be the children of the Emperor and Empress who inhabited the Sapphire Palace.

[Apollymi]

While the Archbishop entertained the masses of Charles' party, Angelica found herself having a strange amount conversation with Charles. It seemed he didn't want to be thanked formally for his appraisal of his work, but instead wished to have the floor his people inhabited modified for the sake of it being less diamond-y. His word choice was rather entertaining and Angelica couldn't help the laugh that slipped from between her lips. "Hahaheheh~ Yeah, sure I can do that. Even if you aren't going to be there all the time, I am sure no one fancies diamond walls or anything. I am sure I could at least make it suit you guys a bit more," she said calmly. "Actually I developed this skill for that reason in the first place so I'd be more than happy to make it somewhere you guys would enjoy living," she mentioned happily. Actually it would be a great thing to work on. A place for Charles' friends to call home that they could enjoy looking at and living in.

Speaking of plans to make a Holy Emperor out of Charles, he knew that he'd be living on the 100th floor when that happened. "Yes, we will be, Father told me I could move this floor up, if I preferred it to his 'Ruby Palace' which obviously is definitely a thing that is going to happen. But maybe I'll make a few modifications to that as well so no one has to live in these strange gemstone palaces," she said in direct contradiction to her own skills which revolved around jewels. Rather she thought they could have more appeal than base walls and the like. Even though it was Angelica who wanted to get married, she hadn't even thought about the express nature of child-rearing or anything like that. She was simply looking forward to a few choice adventures with Charles in the future. And anything else after that would simply be extra.

[Bloodedge]

Even if Charlemagne wouldn't be living on Floor 98, he was almost certain the others would consider the Diamond Palace an eyesore as well. If Angelica could do something about it even for their sake, he'd be grateful for it. Alas, that was a decision he'd leave to the group. "If you're going to do it, do it for them. I guess I should be glad I never moved my stuff in, or I'd be moving it again right now... and then again tomorrow. Your dad has the weirdest timing for stuff," he mused. Apparently, the Skill Angelica used for creating and modifying things was acquired for the sake of making her own living space more appealing. He remembered her mentioning something like that earlier. Whatever she did with Floor 98 would be interesting to see, if nothing else.

Ah, his memory did not mislead him. He and Angelica would be ascending to Floor 100 apparently with the ability to move the Sapphire Palace up instead of taking the Ruby Palace. That was a relief; the Ruby Palace was not very appealing. "Oh, good! I don't know about everybody else, but the Ruby Palace always felt really creepy to me. I'm not one to question the design sense of old people, but it really doesn't fit what I used to believe something 'holy' would look like."

The two were alone. They had spent the last chunk of their evening in the company of others. Silence was unbecoming of their time together, but they normally had something to do at all times when together. Seldom was there a moment of utter relaxation. What were they to do with it? Actually, now that Charlemagne thought about it... "So. Weird question. I just realized, what do you even do for fun when you're alone here? You can't just be making stuff all the time, right? I'm in your world for a change, so what's your downtime like?"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles, he hoped that she would make the alterations for his people not just for him. She nodded her heat at this finding it rather amusing. "Of course I would do it for them. Everyone deserves to live in a place they don't think looks gross," she said with a firm nod. "You don't have to tell me about his timing. He's always been rather strange, his summons always happen at weird times for me too," she explained of her life at this present moment. Still, she couldn't help but be happy with the turn out of the day even if her father was approaching death. The future seemed bright and that along with the fact that he'd likely return made the whole thing pretty inconsequential overall.

Moving on Charles seemed to have his own gripes with the Ruby Palace as well. Seeming to enjoy the knowledge that the Sapphire Palace would be replacing it at the head of their little struction. A smile came to Angelica's face as she heard out his explanation. He thought that place creepy, she thought it disgusting for various reasons. "I have no idea what thoughts anyone else has about holy, but I hate the shape and color of that place. It's like the red of it isn't bright or clear enough so it just ends up looking oppressive," she said giving a firm nod. She wasn't much of an appreciator of rubies. And the ruby palace seemed to lack the kind of clarity and gleam she would have preferred in that color of gemstone.

Beyond their discussions of her father's apparent horrible taste in building design, there was the point that Charles had no idea what Angelica did with her spare time. That was fiar, she was over 1000 years old she had to have found some ways to amuse herself that didn't always involve others. A shrug came from the lass, "I do normal stuff I think. I have a small library so I used to do a bit of reading. Most of them are children's stories though so I lost interest in it a long time ago. I can play a couple of musical instruments so I do that sometimes, I took up gardening a long while ago with some interesting results, I have animals I care for, uh... I ride some of them, I also do like archery for fun sometimes. I play games too," she said happily. "I could show you some stuff if you want to see..." she mused. He'd taken her on an entire trip today, she was a bit behind in showing him the sorts of things she did while she was alone.

[Bloodedge]

"That's just more reason to tell you about it," he said. Angelica knew about her father's horrible timing in her own case, sure, but there was some merit to sharing the story anyway. "It's not just you. Over the past few centuries, I can't even count the number of times he's called me to a quest right when I was planning to do something else. That thirty-year wait between visits wasn't exactly random, you know?"

The Ruby Palace was among the most terrible designs in all of Aincrad. There was the upper chamber, which he'd always known to float above the palace itself. That was where he assumed Father An rested, and perhaps where something else of great importance was kept away from the eyes of visitors. That place seemed leaps and bounds better than the palace itself. Charlemagne wondered if it would remain despite floors 99 and 100 being switched. "Oppressive is a good word for it," he agreed, thinking it looked like the location of a boss battle in some game or television show.

What habits could Angelica have to fill her downtime with? She had so much of it, so surely there had to be something. She listed the former habit of reading, and the more current pastimes of music, gardening, animal care, archery, and games. That was a pretty full roster; most couldn't claim to have so many options. Angelica offered to show him some things. He wasn't opposed, but he seemed more interested in the fact that she had ways of enjoying herself than anything else. "Wow, that's actually a lot. You don't have to show me anything right now, if you don't want to bother. I was just wondering, since I just realize... when we meet, it's normally a pretty instant trip to another floor. We explore, we do stuff, then we separate. It's weird for us to be sitting around without a bunch of background noise. I didn't even realize it at the lake earlier, but... I had enough noise in my own head to make up the difference then─"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, they could just commiserate about her Father's terrible timing. At this point, she could only sign, it was a bit relieving to know Charles didn't intentionally put so much time between his visits, while also being a bit annoying to know her father was the reason she didn't get to see her favorite person as much as she would have liked. "Well, it's good to know you weren't just hiding away or anything," she managed seeming a bit sheepish knowing she'd reacted badly to the long gap in his visits. "I only really talk to him once every few decades. He'll summon me and say a couple sentences then say I can go. It's always really strange, because I don't really ever know what to say," she mentioned wondering if they suffered from similar generational issues with her father.

Oppressive was apparently a good word to describe the Ruby Palace. For her part in this conversation, Angelica couldn't even well why she disliked it so much, but it was displeasing to her eyes in a way she couldn't have vocalized if she tried. A nod of her head occurred at Charles' agreement but they moved on rather easily. Apparently her 'hobbies' were surprising. He didn't know she had so many of them and was shocked only because of how their meetings of coming together and exploring usually worked out. In this case, Angelica managed to look a bit sheepish. "Well, I liked those kinds of adventures. And I didn't figure anyone would be really interested in the stuff I did here to amuse mysefl. I mean you see and do a lot more interesting things than playing marbles or gardening... I never thought it would matter to anyone much what I did when I was alone," she explained. "I don't mind showing you though. I think I've done some interesting and cool things... like raising my familiar," she explained of her activities that she actually thought might be interesting to other people. She didn't have enough socializing to figure out what about her life would even be remotely interesting to anyone else, but she'd definitely show him anything he wanted to see.

[Bloodedge]

Upon reiterating why he'd been so absent of late, Charlemagne noted something strange in Angelica: relief. Why that was the case, he didn't fully grasp until she spoke of him not just hiding away. "Of course I wasn't! Who does that? That's not friendship," he said. Disturbingly, Charlemagne learned that Angelica's conversations with her father were even less frequent than his visits. He at least managed to make contact multiple times per decade, until the most recent three. What a strange parent-child relationship that had to be. . .

It didn't make sense that Angelica assumed her hobbies would be anything but appreciated by others. After all, shared hobbies was what brought people together... but he supposed she wouldn't know much at all about building companionship, what with her three total examples of friends. "That's pretty sad. You should give more credit to your own tastes. If you like something, people who are, or would be your friends, are likely to enjoy it too. That's friendship," he insisted. "Besides, the stuff I do might be interesting to you, but it's just life for me. I've never had time to figure out if I like stuff like marbles and gardening. I've never learned an instrument, and I never even found my own Familiar. I didn't even know you had a Familiar!"

In the midst of his tangent, Charlemagne hyped himself up to see the sort of reality Angelica lived in. Tonight was the night their lives became entwined, whether he knew it consciously or not. At the very least, he understood that well enough to stand and prepare for a journey of sorts. "So, let's have at it then! This date's not over yet. Show me your world!"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles he definitely wasn't hiding away. He even made the claim that doing so wouldn't have been friendship. How strange. Angelica considered them friends before now, based on what she'd learned about friendship from Jeanne, but it wasn't as if she had many friendly exchanges to go by. Most people were servile or in general a bit dismissive. Her father being at least a little of the latter and also not really taking much interest in her. "Hm, I hadn't really considered it in great detail," she said seeming to give it a bit of thought. She at least knew her relationship with her father was strange after noting the amount of doting and care that people like her servants placed on their children. And by hearing childhood stories from Jeanne d'Arc and Bradamante. She'd also observed quite a bit of children playing with each other and determined from the outside what that sort of thing was like. It was the type of thing that made her wish she had siblings to share her interests with.

Beyond this point, Charles mentioned that she should give credit to her own taste. That hobbies could be shared with friends and they could use them to come together. Well, she knew that at least a little. But at the moment aside from Bradamante and Charles she didn't see a great many people in her day to day life. Apparently Charles hadn't gotten around to any hobbies like the ones that Angelica were into it. "Oh? Well, you have to find something that amuses you... take a little time for yourself," she said. Of course there was the matter of him not having a familiar or knowing about hers. "Well, my familiar is an odd story. I hadn't really thought much about it, but you should definitely get one. They are great!" she seemed happy about that.

They were going to be off soon, he stood seemingly interested in finding out what her life was like. Oh, she'd begin walking outwards giving a hand to Charles as she headed for a small grove off to the eastern side of her tower. There were coniferous trees there and some small birds moving about between them. "Junipero." A large owl creature as big as Angelica herself swooped down from the forested area. It was an interesting thing, and as a creature seemed to be highly intelligent and stood before Charles and Angelica giving a gentle bow to his master. She was really proud of this particular creature, "So I planted a junpier berry and then when it grew it sprouted an egg. And Junipero popped out as a little chick. So my familiar," she said seemingly very proud of herself.

[Bloodedge]

"I don't blame you. Most people don't have to consider it," Charlemagne said regarding friendship as a notion. For normal people who weren't basically shut away from the outside world, companionship came as natural progression to like-mindedness in many different ways. Had Angelica experienced even a normal childhood, he was sure she'd be fine. Oh well. Better late than never, he thought.

Angelica urged the male to find something that amused him. He could take that advice, but frankly felt he didn't need to. Shaking his head, he offered an explanation. "I don't really need to. I have a lot of things that keep me going already. Sure I'm busy with adventures all the time, but it's something I wanted to do. I only wished for more time to hang out with you, all my pals, and all the other people in Aincrad─ even people outside this place. I haven't seen any of the Round Table Knights in centuries..." he mused. Moving on, Angelica claimed he should find himself a Familiar. That... wasn't so easy. "I haven't found much time to look. I did find one I wouldn't have minded before, but I ended up letting someone else claim it. They had signs of Devouring, and I didn't need it. Nothing I really click with has shown up since."

Having his hand taken and the path ahead carved by Angelica, Charlemagne was in for an interesting little story. Angelica called out 'Junipero' once they left the palace, beckoning a rather large owl with a similar look to someone he'd once met... but that aside, the story behind it was ridiculous for multiple reasons. First and foremost, Charlemagne stifled a bout of hysteria. "So... you grew it from a juniper berry, and you decided to name it Junipero? That's so childish!" he said, finally bursting into laughter. Charlemagne was eventually supporting himself against his own knees, a tear falling from one eye to soon be wiped away. "That aside, what?! That's not normal at all. You planted a berry; nobody would ever expect an owl to come out!"

[Apollymi]

Oh? Apparently people don't normally have to consider the types of things that Angelica did about making friends. She supposed she was quite unique in only having a limited amount of interactions with other people. Beyond that point, Charles himself didn't necessarily want a hobby of his own, instead just more time to spend with Angelica and his other friends. That was really thoughtful of him. He even mentioned some other types of people he hadn't had time to talk to, "You really haven't been able to go out a lot lately huh. I am sure you'll come across some time to meet up with some old friends," she said about both Round Table Knights and his own friends. His only other thing was about familiars apparently he came close to having one, but gave it to someone else to claim so they wouldn't die to the condition of the 'devouring'. "Aww, that was really nice of you," she said about him giving one up. "I'm sure there's something somewhere even better suited for you," she stated.

Of course, she went on to introduce Charles to her familiar. It seemed that Charles was having a strange time and then suddenly laughing. Apparently the creatures growth from a juniper berry and being called 'Junipero' was a bit too on the nose for him. "Quiet Chuck! It's not childish. It's a great name," she said giving the creature a hug while shunning the lad. "You're the best Junipero. It's alright. Your name is awesome~" she said meaning it truly. That being said, Charles seemed so genuinely amused, so she wasn't really upset with him either. Ah, but there was more, apparently more exciting was the actual problem with how she created this familiar of hers. "Well, it wasn't like the berry was an egg. The tree grew and the egg grew from the tree when it bloomed. Then I took care of the egg," she explained how it actually happened. 'Creation' was likely a lot more than one could realize. "Actually they grow from the tree a bit. See..." she said pointing into the branches at the small litte round chicks which were chirping. Mostly recently hatched as well, it seemed to take awhile but they eventually sprouted as well.

[Bloodedge]

One day, hopefully soon, Charlemagne would have the free time to socialize. He didn't want to go another thousand years with little interaction, so he could only hope being Holy Emperor was less demanding than being an adventurer. He would also hope that a suitable Familiar showed itself eventually. What if he contracted the Devouring one day?! Just thinking about the potential made him wish he'd looked harder, but Charlemagne realized it was just the sort of thing he'd only be concerned about while consciously thinking of it. In a matter of moments, that near-heart attack would be all but forgotten. There was still hope for a really cool Familiar, though. . .

Speaking of really cool Familiars, it seemed Angelica managed to score one. This Junipero of hers was objectively awesome, he thought... though the name left him reeling. "Liar! It's the most childish and hilarious thing I've heard in ages!" he said, abandoning his knees to hold his aching abdomen. "No, no. It's cool, really. Junipero is awesome... but Angie. I can't. You're such a kid!" he continued. The laughter wasn't stopping no matter how he tried. Even acknowledging how ridiculous the situation was, Charlemagne couldn't stop thinking about Angelica's naming choice. He even looked up at the other owls spawned from these alleged 'tree eggs' and continued laughing. "Oh. There's babies. Let me guess... Junipera, Juniperu... and the littlest one Juniperi? How's that, Angie? Am I in the ballpark?" By the time this question was offered, Charlemagne couldn't handle it anymore. He fell into a seated position, then onto his back where he proceeded to roll back and forth, kicking at the open air. "Aha! Gahahahaha! I can't believe you!"

[Apollymi]

Charles was still laughing. It was so strange. Angelica spent a lot of time with Charles and yet she'd never seen him so very amused by anything. It was like the naming choice for her familiar was the single most amusing thing he'd ever heard in his entire life. He made several points and in defense of his thoughts he wasn't wrong exactly. Angelica had rather childishly chosen the name of her pet, but it'd also made a great deal of sense. And he did agree that the pet was awesome. But apparently he saw some sort of contradiction in her, given the childish name of her pet and her general demeanor. "I am not a kid. It's... complicated!" she was playfully exasperated. Still, she couldn't bring herself to stop the lad from having his fun.

In fact, he was soon rolling on the ground after pretending to interpret the names of the others. The names he went through were all actually options she'd had before she decided Junipero for her pet. She wouldn't be admitting that though. No instead she would give a casual snort of her nose and turn it up in the air. "Hmph, I'll have you know I didn't name the rest of them, in case someone ever came here and wanted one," she said only to soon after giggle herself. This man was acting hysterically and it was actually good to see him so relaxed and happy considering how very stressed he'd seemed earlier. "Alright. I'll admit, I did choose it a bit whimsically. But I'm not changing it, it suits him..." she said her hands on her hips.

[Bloodedge]

She wasn't a kid, she claimed. That was very true. Just at a glance, one could easily say Angelica Edelfelt was beyond mature... physically. "You're not a kid. You're right. Anybody could look at you and say you haven't been a kid for a long, long time. It's sinful, really. But..." He had to take a moment for composure. Several deep breaths were taken before Charlemagne could finally force out another clause. "Your decisions have preteen written all over them! It's cute, but hilarious!" he said before more laughter emerged.

Ah, the humor. It took everything he had just to sit upright again, which he managed while Angelica mentioned never naming the other... juniper owls. At least she finally admitted to the hasty naming of the first, though. All things considered, Charlemagne had no issue with the name Junipero; it was just the most amusing thing ever. "It does suit him. I'd even call it a good name, it's just... knowing the story behind how you got it is way too funny. Ah. I think I almost died. Why'd you spring that all on me at once?"

In the midst of recovery, Charlemagne had a strange realization. The arm clutching his side was still fitted with a vambrace. He hadn't even moved his belongings to Floor 98; he had no way of becoming more comfortable on this floor. Here he was though, clad in full adventure gear and without a clue how he'd be sleeping when the time came. "So, two questions. First, where do I sleep here? Second, you wouldn't happen to have some guy clothes floating around somewhere, would you?"

[Apollymi]

Angelica wasn't a kid, and Charles seemed to be almost painfully aware of that. He even managed to mention it, though all of his laughing. Seriously, she'd never seen someone so amused by something, but when he finally managed another sentence afterwards he claimed her naming notions were 'preteen' in nature. She wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it sounded like it should relate to immature in some way. She would have been upset about it, but he'd also claimed it was cute but hilarious. Apparently, the combination of cute and hilarious wasn't a terrible thing. She still managed to scoff, "Well, I'm glad you found it so funny..." she managed. Of course she was pouting but her face was also a little red. He thought something she did was cute and that was apparently enough to keep her temper from flaring up too much.

After he finally managed to get himself together, Charles admitted that he only found Junipero's name so amusing because he understood the context of his creation. He also agreed that it suited him, which made the bird itself stand just as pridefully as Angelica did with its wings crossed over its chest. As for why she'd sprung this information on him, or his potential death she could only scoff. "Oh please! I did nothing to you, how was I supposed to know a simple explanation of my familiar would leave you rolling on the floor holding your sides?" she asked as if it wasn't at all reasonable.

As for his strange realization Charles asked two questions one of which seemed to be a bit strange to Angelica the other of which made sense if one considered he hadn't moved any of his clothes from one place to another. She gave him a strange bit of brow raising as if she was considering the right way to answer his question. "I assumed you'd sleep with me. That makes the most sense," she said giving a nod of her head. A combination of things lead her to such a simple conclusion. When girls came over they generally shared her bed. If Charles and her were to be married there was nothing saying they couldn't share a bed and actually everything implying that they should. And it wasn't like she'd banish him to some other corner of her palace when he was staying with her. As for his clothes she gave a casual shrug. "I make all my clothes. I could probably make you some too, if you wanted. As long as you have some idea of what you want it to be like," she finished up looking at him seeming to be remembering the size and shape of his body and deciding several things which she probably shouldn't have been doing, like the idea of placing him in a skin tight top because he was muscular and should show it off.

[Bloodedge]

Finally, the laughing fit was over. Now that he could experience calmness again, Charlemagne could uphold a normal conversation. If he'd dealt with that state of hysteria for much longer, maybe he would have actually died from it eventually? He'd always heard that sort of thing was possible... but no matter. A small amount of additional laughter was all he suffered from then on, brought about by Angelica's huffy state. "I'm not sure how you should have expected that, really. Still... ouch. I haven't had a laugh like that since I figured out the best way to calm Roland down," he stated.

Two questions were presented, and for them he would get two answers. First came the matter of where he'd sleep, which was... about what he should have expected. Angelica seemed to believe it was only sensible that he sleep with her. Something about that sentence was provocative in a certain way. Charlemagne also thought the rest of that notion was obvious. "I'm guessing you don't mean there'll suddenly be a second bed in your room," he said with a sigh. Surely she meant to make him wither down to a fragment of a soul. Whatever the case, clothing was something she addressed just as casually. Angelica's creations were not limited to building and landscaping; it apparently extended to clothing and the like as well. Of course, the offer for clothing came with the condition that he know what he'd want it to be like. "Literally the worst question ever. Something cool, but I'm not picky at all past that. Well... I guess something comfortable? I can sleep in anything, but it feels weird to be relaxing in a proper building with all this armor and padding," he said with a casual shrug.

[Apollymi]

According to Charles he hadn't laughed like he just had since figuring out how to calm Roland down. It was mentioned by Bradamante at some point that Roland occasionally became crazed. She said one of the female knights once beat him into submission but there was apparently a funnier way to get the job done. "Do I want to know? I am kind of curious..." she said almost quizzically. Well, if it was really that funny, it was almost necessity that she know. She deserved a gut clenching laugh or three.

Moving on from that point for a moment, there was still the issue of sleeping arrangement. Apparently Charles thought to mention a second bed within her room for him which made her shake her head gently as he sighed. "You ask me some of the strangest questions. Of course I mean for you to share my bed, does that not suit you?" she asked but was that really a question? No. Not really. Charles would have to come to terms with them sharing spaces. It'd likely be better if every night they spent together wasn't necessarily plagued by awkwardness. In Angelica's own opinion, she'd have no problem sleeping beside Charles, and it would likely be a great comfort to her.

Ah but his clothing, apparently she'd asked a bad question. He just wanted something cool, comfortable, not padded or armored for his time relaxing inside buildings or at leisure. She could at least understand that. She spent a few seconds looking at him seeming to settle completely on that idea of putting him in a skin tight top. But she could go for his comfort as well. Something a bit stretchy and some looser fitting pants? Yes, that seemed right. As she gave it thought, she was forming magic within her fingers, creating a gem which would explode in her hand after a few moments and into her hand would pop the clothing which seemed to fit the necessity of Charles' desires. The shirt was crew cut skin tight for him and made of something like breatheable silk. The loose pants a shade of grey to fit with his general theme though she wouldn't mind a pop or two of color at some point. That could wait she supposed. "Here." she offered as if she hadn't done a thing in the world. Both pieces would fit his form and she thought fit his list.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica's curiosity would undoubtedly be answered. Surely she'd heard of some methods used to stop Roland's rampages, but she obviously knew nothing of the most surefire method. Roland's madness was triggered by how easily he fell for women, and how easily his advances were apparently rejected. As such, the easiest method was to show him a woman that didn't reject him. "You remember Astolfo, right? I'm not sure if you've seen him since that first meeting, but a certain situation resulted in Astolfo wearing a skirt. He still wears it," Charlemagne explained. Of course there was more, but he thought nothing else had to be said.

No, there was no thought in Angelica's mind of producing a second bed. She fully expected that he'd share hers, and on the night of their first date no less. Propriety was strange in this world. Where he'd come from, that sort of thing was regarded as the most inappropriate thing one could do by the previous generation. Here he was in this world, though, Angelica's father had literally sent him into the situation. So then, did it suit him or not? Well... after earlier events of the day, it was hardly worth arguing. Whatever trip he would make to Hell, if any, was assured already. "I'm not even going to try. Fine," he conceded.

As for comfortable clothing, it seemed Angelica hardly required much consideration. She conjured a gem, from which she spawned a set of clothes presumably suitable enough to his form. Given how capable she was when attempting anything he'd seen her do thus far, he assumed there were no mistakes. He didn't get a solid look at the clothes, but he did begin fiddling with his vambraces immediately after taking them. "Thanks a ton! I haven't slept in a real bed in years, so I definitely don't want to fall asleep in armor... again."

[Apollymi]

Astolfo? Astolfo... that was the individual who used to spend a lot of time with Jeanne d'Arc. Angelica remembered seeing that one a rather feminine looking pink haired man. Who Charles stated wore skirts and the like to give Roland a target for his strange advances which would calm him down as he wouldn't be directly rejected in the way his crazed behavior normally forced women to respond. So, he was really so crazed in such a state, that even appealing to a pretty man would do? "Hehe..." Angelica covered her mouth. Mumbled laughter slipped between her fingers. "Tehehehehe~" Oh well it wasn't going to stop. "Bwhahahahahahahaha!~" there it was, a full laugh of monumental proportions. To have discovered that this worked and to simply keep someone on hand just to make sure it did, was utterly ridiculous. "Haha... that's great. Really, truly great," she murmured. Ah, though Angelica did get it just a bit. Among the group of people Charles hung out with at large, she found in order of cuteness the group to be Charles, Turpin then Astolfo for her personal taste in men.

It took a few more moments of suppressing giggles but eventually the only sign that Angelica had almost been hysterical was the gentle redness of her cheeks. It was fine, there was no one around but Charles. Speaking of, he seemed almost defeated when accepting their sleeping arrangement. "I.. ah..." she paused. "I have adjusted so much to the strangeness of your sensibilities that I figured I would spend at least a few minutes explaining the logic of the situation to you," she said. "Or are those the 'hang-ups'?" she asked. Perhaps a bit more understanding of his upbringing would lead to less tension overall.

Whatever the case, after handing over those clothes Angelica was immediately thanked. Apparently, Charles hadn't slept in a bed in a long while, and beyond that he claimed that he didn't wish to fall asleep in armor again. Literal years since he'd had a comfortable nights sleep. That sounded horrid. "It wasn't really a big deal, Charlie." she almost huffed in response to the thanks she received for such a simple thing, but she gave it a bit more thought. "Hm, I suppose you would miss out on the comforts of home if you're always away," she said. "So, while you're here feel free. Make yourself at home, use all the luxuries and enjoy yourself," she said seeming to roll into the role of hostess with relative ease. His vambraces were being removed, so she figured he planned to get comfortable immediately. Perhaps she should respect his sensibilities and turn another way to avoid embarrassing him too much. Never mind that she still remembered earlier and wanted to surprise herself with his look. No. This was obviously for Charles' sake.

[Bloodedge]

Just as he anticipated, Angelica found the solution of Astolfo to be worth a fit of laughter. Charlemagne had always been against the pink-haired male wearing skirts, but even he couldn't discredit the usefulness of an anti-Roland defense. If only Astolfo learned how to stop lifting that skirt for no reason at all. "Isn't it?! It's... not so incredible to me on a day-to-day basis, but it's always great to see Roland stopped. Everything else is just wrong, but at least there's that." Charlemagne was not exactly filled to the brim with hard opinions. Perhaps he had at least one for each of his companions, though? Yes, that was likely the case... and this was the hard opinion reserved for Astolfo.

Apparently, Angelica found some weirdness in his refusal to argue their sleeping arrangement. In Charlemagne's opinion, it should have been expected by this point. "There's really not much to it. I just don't even feel like fighting it at this point. And... yeah, I guess you could call it a hang-up. It's considered improper. Before I came to this world, I was considered too young to drink alcohol. Two teenagers sleeping in the same room, much less the same bed, is heavily-frowned upon. Though, public displays of affection was also something that would get you weird looks at a minimum. Other countries used to joke about mine considering it lewd to even hold hands in public," he explained. Charlemagne wasn't sure if Angelica would gain any proper insight from his speech, but those were a few things about his original upbringing worth noting.

Whatever the case, he was instructed to make himself at home. Considering what had already transpired today, it wasn't even worthwhile to care about disrobing. Angelica seemed completely unfazed by that sort of thing anyway. As such, his vambraces hit the floor, and his faulds were soon to follow. Onto the greaves, Charlemagne sighed. "I'm not even going to pretend I'm used to how nonchalant you are about everything. But, it's hard to resist a bed fit for a princess. I'm pretty sure my last bed was made of straw or something," he mused. With that, Charlemagne had rendered himself armorless and moved straight to discarding his tunic.

[Apollymi]

Astolfo in a skirt was apparently sometimes a problem, but not always. At the very least, the usefulness of letting him run about in such a rambunctious way outweighed the negatives of it. Still, the idea that someone could be sated, even temporarily with the idea of someone just not saying no to them was a bit ridiculous. It would probably be better for him to simply learn to deal with his feelings better, but she supposed she couldn't really blame anyone for how the reacted to things at least initially. More interesting than that though, was Charles' apparently firm opinion about the situation. He seemed much more the type to 'live and let live' but the skirt wearing Astolfo was an opinion for it.

Moving on, Charles refused to argue with Angelica about sharing her room and bed with her. Apparently, it was connected directly to his odd hang-ups. According to the type of society he was originally from their behavior would have been considered improper for some reason. Even things like holding hands were frowned upon to the point of it being teased by even other cultures. This would cause nothing but utter confusion in Angelica. "So, you're telling me that your home world lacks magic and humans have to make their entire existence meaningful in less than ten decades, and beyond that someone has decided to enforce rules that would make it difficult to start meaningful relationships as early as possible? Who does it benefit to live this way?" Angelica questioned. It was completely ridiculous to her to enforce social norms which would keep two willing participants from being happy. It was like the entirety of society was decided on a weird fault of a singular individual's taste.

Oh well, she'd have to continue thinking on how very backward that was as a way to live later. Right just now, she was busy fighting with herself about staring down the lad as he seemed to come so shamefully close to completely abandoning modesty. She didn't exactly watch but her attention was drawn by movements and the falling of his garments. Those armor pieces were like singing of birds that marked the start and ends of the day. Charles thought her amount of relaxed attitude around things like nudity to be odd, but couldn't resist the call of a bed. "Straw? That sounds terribly uncomfortable. My bed is made of giant swan feathers... probably not the softest thing, but definitely better than straw..." she mused as she stole a few glances. "As for my attitude, I don't see any reason it should bother me. Talking to my mother let me know I am probably not too odd in this regard. She seemed completely to disregard anything resembling shame when discussing how I ended up able to talk to her," she said giving it a bit more thought outside and preserving her own surprise.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica couldn't be blamed for how she viewed the social norms of his old world. Many members of his generation would consider her preaching to the choir, as a matter of fact. She once again raised some fair points, and as for who received the benefits of that lifestyle, well... "Hmm. I'm pretty sure the only people who even get satisfaction out of it are old people who only have a few years left themselves. Humans project a lot where I come from," he said simply. About that time, he slipped out of his tunic while rising from the ground.

As long as Charlemagne didn't think too much about it, he didn't care about the state of his own clothing. Had they been on an adventure in a strenuous situation, he'd never have cared in the beginning. Here he was now, though, loosing his trousers and fully prepared to dawdle about briefly in only a pair of boxers─ at least for the amount of time it would take to don whatever Angelica made. All the while, he heard talk of Angelica's bed and her mother's teachings. "I have no idea what giant swan feathers are supposed to feel like, but it's not the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of. It's still weird, and so are you. You're still living among humans with very different ideals. By majority rule, you're the oddest person I've met in over a thousand years. But, that's alright. Everyone's different somehow; it's something to appreciate. I wouldn't change it for the world."

[Apollymi]

Angelica asked a question based on her own understanding of the way the non-magical world worked. It seemed there were no problems to be taken with her understanding. No assumption she'd made in her tirade had been called untrue. Instead, projection was the name of the game when it came to humans. They lived vicariously through their children and only came to enjoy the unceasing problems they caused others as they reached their status as elders. "That seems stupid. And like a good way to never have someone speak to you again," she said simply, in her opinion these elders of the non-magical world were problematic if they went along with this nonsense. This was especially the case, since they had to be young once. The idea that someone would make a world which aimed to keep the young down was ridiculous, it went against everything that Angelica felt in her heart. Passing on the torch, leaving the next generation with good values so they could make their own decisions, seemed like a better way. This was especially true when humans of the other world considered their limited lifetimes, but perhaps the rest was a trick of mortality. Being alive and knowing that death was coming but not knowing what death would equate to, likely caused a great deal of strain on humans, she could see that potentially.

There were many things Angelica could have chosen to focus on, and she'd been trying not to have any of them be Charles' form. But she was failing at that just a bit. He seemed so keen to strip out of his clothing and she was keen to steal glances. His form quite attractive to her, she knew she should be averting her gaze soon enough to ensure her surprise. Imagine her dismay when he so easily stood around in just his boxers to have part of this conversation. She could have had several things to say to it as well, but he'd gone and said something sweet. Even while pointing out the strangeness of Angelica and the openness of her attitude, he was accepting of it. In fact, his words were that he wouldn't change it. That made her face flush. and she found herself twisting a little lock of hair while turning her nose up a bit. She was caught off guard for just a moment. "Hmph, well if you feel that way about it. I'll just keep being me..." she said affirmatively. Even if she was odd, if her soon to be husband didn't care too much she had no reason to care what anyone else thought of her. She could be happy knowing he understood her. The thought alone gave her a terribly warm feeling inside.

[Bloodedge]

"It is pretty stupid," Charlemagne agreed. "Mind you, it's not like they're all like that. It's also technically good in a weird way, at least short-term. A lot of young people do grow up and separate from their elders to get away from that attitude, becoming their own people. That's pretty wholesome until... some of those same people become old, and become the same way," he stated. The world was one big, convoluted mess of growth in different directions, whether one was viewing Charlemagne's original world, or the one they were in currently.

Charlemagne wasn't going to be standing around in his skivvies all day or anything. While they spoke, he was stepping into the pants he'd been given. His pace was casual, almost as if he didn't care at all. Once he'd gotten into them, there was a surprising amount of comfort to be found. Charlemagne hadn't sported a pair of relaxing pajama bottoms in so many years, he couldn't even begin to count them. Ah, but then there was the shirt─ the shirt he flung over his head as if to don it, slipped both arms into, and... immediately failed to successfully pull over his head. Angelica was claiming she'd keep being herself, and in that same time, Charlemagne was blinded by that black, silken garment. "You shouldn't ever be anything else, but hey, uh... does being 'you' include being able to help me out a bit? This is uh... a way smaller shirt than I thought it was at first─" he said, one arm kept extended overhead with a hand flapping about.

[Apollymi]

Agreement. Charles also thought it was a stupid way to live. It was not just a simple complementary understanding either, he came with further elaboration. Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for those oppressed by the previous generation to move away and not all parents were bad. She'd heard something like that from Jeanne. Her parents sounded very involved in the lives of their children. "That change in attitude seems counterproductive to living happily, they should have stayed wholesome," she said seeming to not understand how someone goes shirking authority, to being so full of themselves they think their own should be obeyed.

Whatever the case, she was now watching as Charles very casually slid himself into pants. That was probably for the best. Her own hint of embarrassment manifested in her turning away, but Charles's words made her look back to find the lad basically trapped within the black shirt she'd made for him. The corner of her lips would lift into a gentle smile as she stared at him. She found it rather funny but was also immediately distracted by that exposed torso of his. She took a deep breath and swallowed seeming to try and clear her thoughts while taking a few measured steps closer. "Yes, I suppose I would help you out there, trapped as you are~" she teased. She was careful, but not really. She couldn't really resist reaching out pulling the twisted pieces of shirt straight but having their skin make contact at various intervals. She'd help his head through the neck hole and stretch her arm so that he could find the one he'd missed. Her own body rather close to his as the arrangement would allow him to poke his head through. She was working with almost blankness behind her eyes, she shouldn't be like this but... he was so nice to look at and touch. Obviously he was distracting her.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, Charlemagne could only agree with the princess's train of thought. He, too, believed it would have been better if the elderly didn't randomly inherit the flaws of previous elders. Alas, that single negative allowed the other side of the equation to shine more brightly. Perhaps this was what many viewed as necessary evil. "It does suck. I don't think it's such a terrible thing, though. It's easier to appreciate the good things about the wholesome side when the other half exists like it does," he stated. Charlemagne occasionally managed a prolific line or two; it just happened to occur this time while he was trapped under a shirt and presumably looking anything but cool. . .

Death by embarrassment was a thing many people wondered about. Did it exist? Would anyone ever find out? Well, Charlemagne more specifically wondered if he could implode due to being too uncool. It seemed he couldn't, as there were few things less cool than his current predicament. Luckily for the Templar Knight and future Holy Emperor, Angelica had him covered. He could almost hear her laughing at his expense. In his head, at least, she was. Strangely, he soon felt contact against his skin in moments he would normally deem unnecessary. Why could he feel her on his torso when all she had to do was help find the hole in his shirt? "Um─? Having trouble out there?" he wondered aloud. Either way, his shirt was eventually straightened enough... and he could satisfyingly feel the neck hole of it slipping over his head. "Ahh~!" Finally, freedom! Charlemagne's head emerged from the confines of that shirt, and he proceeded to pull it down over his torso. Oh. Suddenly, his trapped state made sense; the shirt was like another layer of skin! "Huh. I wasn't expecting a compression shirt. I didn't think I told you about the workout," he said, assuming the shirt was created for the sake of fitting his pre-sleep workout routine... which he'd probably never actually told her about.

[Apollymi]

Once more, he agreed. It would seem that Angelica's understanding of social norms in that non-magical world were at least less convoluted than her understanding of the world in general. Charles seemed to be on a line of prolific thought, even with his head covered by tight black fabric. He claimed that it was terrible but that the wholesome stood out more against the grotesqueness of the previous generations folly. "I can't argue that... it seems pretty sound," she said seeming to think that maybe it did make the good among the bad stand out as shining examples.

What didn't stand out as a shining example of anything good was her current fixation on Charles's body. Of course, she'd never denied being interested in him, and as such she felt he shouldn't find her activities that odd. Of course, it was more or less just a matter of her own contact with his skin while she helped him into his shirt. He questioned on her on her work but she remained mostly nonchalant about her activities. "It is taking a bit of doing, but it'll be worth it," she mused. And lo, his head popped through and she stepped back, watching as that second skin covered his exposed flesh and she was pleased. This was exactly the look she'd imagined and she couldn't have been happier to see it. Her unabashed staring would only be interrupted by some more speech from Charles. What was he saying now? He wasn't expecting what he called a 'compression' shirt and he hadn't told her about his workout. "I made that shirt because I thought it would look nice on you... I was right," she said plainly. "What's a workout?"

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne was infinitely satisfied to finally have his head through the shirt, going so far as to sigh contentment and stretch just to break it in a little. He wasn't going to harp on why his skin was being touched here and there. If anything, something about skin-to-skin contact with Angelica was far more pleasant than any random contact with others. Perhaps that had something to do with divinity, or something else he couldn't possibly understand in full.

He hadn't mentioned his workout routine to Angelica at all. How did Charlemagne acquire confirmation of that? She said the shirt was made because she thought it would look nice, and furthermore thought she'd been right. Charlemagne didn't even have a chance to react to that embarrassment, as Angelica immediately brought into question what a workout was. The shock value alone made him halt mid-stretch, staring, blinking intermittently, mouth slightly agape. "Well... it's conditioning the body. Some people do it to get stronger, some do it to make themselves relaxed, and some do it to hone their skills. Humans have to do that sort of thing for growth; our bodies are in a constant state of flux."

[Apollymi]

That nicely fitted shirt was one thing, and the comforting feeling to skin to skin contact was another. Angelica was already at least a little aware of why she seemed to enjoy the contact, as it gave her skin light tingles letting her know it was a pleasant interact of mana which she enjoyed in addition to the contact just being something she likely would have sought regardless. Beyond that point though, it seemed she'd managed to surprise Charles. Was it with her comment about his attractiveness in the attire she'd made for him? No. Not it was not, instead the man simply seemed baffled by the fact that she didn't understand the idea of working out.

Of course, it made sense that she had no idea what that was. Her own form didn't change after puberty had properly set in, and she didn't gain weight or lose physical power at all. Only her magical power seemed to fluctuate at all. Regardless his following explanation seemed to be quite odd to her ears. Everything he explained humans doing for the sake of physical conditioning could be accomplished in a single physical and magical interaction. "Hm, maybe it is the human thing, but that all seems like you could do it with a Mana Transfer and achieve the same end result," she said in the straightforward and socially abnormal way she said most things.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne offered his best explanation of workouts and their purpose, only for Angelica to receive it in a very strange way. What was she thinking of it? Probably something he'd be further baffled by, if he had to make assumptions. Only a brief silence ensued before Angelica affirmed just what he'd been thinking. She claimed the results of working out were all things acquirable via mana transfer. She certainly wasn't wrong, given what he knew about Heroic Spirits... but it was such an Angelica thing to say regardless of the facts.

"I─ well... yes," he accepted. Mana transfers were undoubtedly a method of achieving the same results as workouts, probably with additional benefits to boot. On the other hand, it wasn't like a mana transfer would have been a viable option. "But, mana transfers require other people and all that jazz. Working out is something you can do by yourself, and gives a really rewarding feeling at the end. Besides... mana transfers don't mean the same thing nowadays, remember? It's not like someone can just go out and ask someone for one, unless they're a Heroic Spirit talking to their Master," he explained. Surely someone of Angelica's status had no use of physical activity to sustain herself. Surely consistent mana transfers would allow anyone with enough mana quality to sustain themselves without exercise, but that wasn't a reasonable thing for humans to expect at all. Most wouldn't have even been capable of utilizing a mana transfer properly anyway. . .

[Apollymi]

Charles was unable to rebut the way Angelica thought about this workout that he explained. Mana Transfers would indeed cover all those things, but it seemed she'd forgotten how tied up humans seemed to be about the entire thing. Right, those words seemed to be tied directly to the human emotional bonding aspects of sex in general. That was fine as well, that also didn't technically change the way she thought about it. In fact a simple wave of her hand would occur. "Humans are simultaneously far too simple and far too complex," she claimed.

"Though I suppose there are merits to things done for one's own interest. I understand it for things like archery, but my body is how it is... Though I find yours pleasing so, if this working out thing is part of that, I wouldn't try to talk you out of it," she said with a casual shrug. There was an entire tirade in there somewhere. You know, concerning the fact that mana transfers were thought of oddly, and the fact that exchanging mana strengthens both individuals so long as their quality is similar. But there was the fact that humans couldn't really perceive mana in the same way. Perhaps honing their bodies was a way to show themselves as readily available even when their magic couldn't show it off for them.

[Bloodedge]

Simple, yet complex, was a rather effective way of addressing all humanity. Humans could be either at the perfect time, and they could be either at the most imperfect time just the same. It all depended on the moment, the situation, and the individual in question. "You're not wrong," Charlemagne agreed once more.

He was beginning to pick up his discarded articles and gather them all into a pile to carry along. His trousers were folded and placed atop the tunic, greaves atop that, and lastly his faulds and vambraces. Of course, some choice words by Angelica were a source of returning embarrassment. Was that the cause behind the skintight shirt? Suddenly, one of Charlemagne's braces hit the ground. In an effort to quickly save the moment and pick it up, more pieces of armor fell due to his leaning. "Eheh~" he laughed almost nervously while scrambling pieces back together. "Yeah, I guess I'll keep that up."

In a matter of moments, Charlemagne managed to gather his things anew into a proper stack. With all that talk of working out, Angelica confirmed her own state of physical stasis. Even with that being the case, he saw only positives to the idea of a good workout. "I think it's still worth trying either way. I mean, mana transfers can't always be the answer, right? Light workouts and yoga are a staple for just relaxing. Nothing like a good muscle stretching to start the day off, or to wind down from it."

[Apollymi]

Angelica was told her thoughts on humans weren't wrong. Of that she was already certain. Their lack of understanding and use of Mana meant that most humans weren't able to sense their own matches. Beyond that their social norms would keep them from harmonizing with another mana source enough to make them work and then there was the matter of their fleeting attraction and the rest. It seemed like a compounding issue as far as she was concerned but she wouldn't bother with it yet. No instead she was treated to a bit of clumsiness on Charles's part as he lost hold of his items because of something she said. He was so easily embarrassed she couldn't help but be amused a gentle chuckle leaving her lips. "Easy there Charlie, I don't really think I'm the teasing sort but you're making it far too fun~" she mused seeming to find his entire demeanor in moments like this rather adorable.

Ah, beyond that point the merits of workouts were apparently starting off the day with energy or being able to wind down at the end of it. Light work outs and yoga were a claim of his. "Yoga?" that word wasn't one she was familiar with and as such she needed an explanation. Whatever the case, she'd just as easily let Charles show her something like that and take it up if she found it interesting enough. She'd mastered many things, and even so, she would have fun doing anything if Charles was involved.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica expressed that she wasn't the type to tease, implying that she felt inclined to do so only because he made it fun. Charlemagne's eyes narrowed just slightly, curiously even. Was she not the type? He'd argue that she had the energy for it, and maybe she would have been if she knew more than a handful of people. Life functioning a bit differently for her could have made the Holy Princess essentially his school bully. "I'm not too sure about that. You've got your moments," he said almost huffily.

Charlemagne went on to list the minor benefits of workouts and yoga sessions that he thought anyone, of any species, could reap. In doing so, it seemed he'd rendered Angelica curious again. She questioned yoga as if it was a new word for her entirely. How strange. "Huh. That's surprising. I always figured Jeanne had to be doing yoga in her free time. Maybe she was, but... anyway! Think of yoga like an extended form of meditation that involves stretching and breathing techniques. You'd probably consider it another thing that could be done with just a mana transfer. You meditate, take on different ─ usually stretchy ─ poses, and really sync up the mind and body. You can use it to center yourself, or just to loosen up physically. It was considered really healthy in my old world, and in this world it seems to also be good for mana flow."

[Apollymi]

Charles seemed to be a bit disheveled. He went on to make the claim that she had her moments when it came to her nature. Hm, was she actually the type to tease outside of situations where it seemed like fun? She wasn't sure, perhaps, if she'd been a bit different the nuances of her personality might have shifted. But as it stood, she only seemed to find teasing Charles fun because he was so very soft in moments where he was paid a compliment. Ah, but she couldn't know that was a way of life for some in the world Charles came from. Without magic people tended to be a different sort of eccentric with their personalities. "I think it's safe to blame you for that, but it doesn't sound like you're complaining~" she mused. Ah well it was fun to bother Charles in the oddest sort of way. Maybe that would be a thing she asked about some other time.

Beyond this point, it was apparently an observation of Charles that he thought that Jeanne had to be a participant in yoga, which he described as stretches of various natures that on his side of the world were physical things, but on this side seemed to help with Mana flow among other things. A form of meditation and stretching is how it was described. Angelica's mind processed that information and came to one singular conclusion. "That just sounds like a way to prepare for a mana transfer..." she said, seeming to find human avoidance of a thing to be really strange. This couldn't all just be because of Father An's teachings either, this seemed to be rather deeply ingrained in people like Charles. "As for Jeanne, it was interesting in how she took care of herself, but I figured all that stuff was combat related. I couldn't bring myself to ask about it at the time, though she mentioned such things being pretty normal for the way her family functioned. Something about being antsy if she sat still too long," she said thinking of a moment or two where she'd seen Jeanne up early practicing arm and leg movements and swinging around a blunt instrument while lightly talking to herself. Only to sit down in a few different poses and have her mana shining. Actually, perhaps that was what he was getting at, though her mana was like that in general and particularly so when she'd mentioned the shift in her relationship with 'Sieg'.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I get the blame," said Charlemagne. It wasn't as if Angelica had a ton of options for placing blame, but naturally, it would be expected that said blame came his way, if anywhere at all. Was it worth taking? Well... no, not really. He was set up by Angelica herself, which in-turn created the situation she wished to tease about. In a roundabout way, that would make her to blame, right? Right! Alas, Charlemagne figured it wasn't worth stating; she'd find some way to flip it around regardless.

Now then, how would Angelica receive the information he gave about yoga? He'd anticipated a comparison to mana transfer, but instead, she presented the idea of... yoga as preparation for such. How she reached that conclusion, he didn't know... though he could understand it in a way. The mana aspect of sexual endeavors had to reach a new level entirely if one or both participants had the enhanced mana flow from something like yoga. "That's... I─" What was he even supposed to say? In the end, he had nothing at all. As such, he moved on to the topic of Jeanne, and of course the confirmation that she utilized yoga for whatever purposes. "Knew it," he said triumphantly. "I used to think it was the most obvious thing ever."

Jeanne d'Arc did always have a particular glow about her, well beyond the mere visuals and personality ─ though surely she had an abundance of each. Charlemagne returned to a state of thought, forgetting the whole topic of yoga and mana transfers in favor of an ingenious idea. They had both been experiencing some very strange mana-related phenomena as of late, so maybe a bit of centering could help them both out a bit. "You know, now that I'm thinking about it... we should do that!" he said suddenly, thinking a bit of yoga would be a grand idea. . .

[Apollymi]

"I'm glad you understand," Angelica murmured. It should have been obvious to everyone that Charles would be to blame for her shifts in mood. It was all the better if he recognized this fact himself. Even so, it didn't seem to be a great sticking point for the lad regardless. In a few moments they'd moved on, and at least for her part in this, Angelica had managed to think only of the future of Mana Transfers. Deciding that the base level of human had to do some great amount of preparation to get ready, she seemed to come to terms with the skittishness of Charles around her. In addition to coming to understand the potential added aspects of mana transfer herself.

Apparently, Charles thought the idea of Jeanne doing yoga was the most obvious thing ever. If the Mana related understanding was anything to go by, many likely associated such a thought with the warm feeling of her mana and her accompanying glow. Though Angleica had a better understanding of the long term issue with Jeanne feeling divine, she also only barely understood its functionality. "She is quite the appealing person. Though I mean that in general, not just her mana," said Angelica about Jeanne in a way which implied she saw nothing odd about talking about another girl in that way. Whatever, it mattered very little overall.

Apparently getting his thoughts together on the subject made Charles offer to do it. Now what he could have meant by this, obviously it was yoga. But... Angelica was already misunderstanding the full purpose of this exercise that he mentioned. Even so, she'd do nothing but accept, maybe it would end in a very specific way and they could 'know' each other as their bodies and souls seemed to want to do. Yes, this was all fine... "Alright, if you want," she mentioned. Ah, she should probably change, she wandered back to her bedroom creating a straight bridge from their current position to the tower which housed it via a gem. Then she made her way over to her closet and figured Charles would follow as she figured out what she wished to wear. She'd strip out of her clothes and going for a less ornate outfit with stretchy pants and a top for compression similar to Charles, though the pants were blue and the top was white as per her general color scheme.

[Bloodedge]

Understanding wasn't exactly what he'd call the situation. In Charlemagne's opinion, he was more... forfeiting. The absolute travesty that was having a belief-based discussion with Angelica had been visited enough times this day, and he wanted to avoid yet another awkward miscommunication that led to embarrassment. "Sure, Angie. Whatever you say~" he said, chuckling. It was worthwhile to let the princess keep her belief from time to time.

Strangely, Angelica shared a similar belief to his own regarding Jeanne d'Arc. They, and many others, could easily agree upon the Holy Maiden possessing an unusual and unquestionable radiance. Of course, Charlemagne would have agreed long before anything akin to mana came into question, but... that was another matter entirely, and an ancient one to boot. "Huh. I wasn't going to say that, but yeah, I agree," he declared. With that, he was content to move on from that topic before it became strange on his part.

As for the ingenious idea of a yoga session, Angelica agreed without issue. He hadn't really partaken in yoga since a few old shared experiences with Olga, one of his companions. Charlemagne didn't have a ton of experience, but he figured he could function as a guide for beginners. As they ascended to the tower again, he gave great consideration to how things would start. He was already dressed well enough for yoga, but Angelica... oh. It seemed she was a step ahead. The place Angelica had been leading them to was a closet, and by the time Charlemagne realized where he was, Angelica was haphazardly discarding her clothes yet again. Charlemagne gulped and, almost regrettably, stared without halt. Soon enough, she was dressed in something similar to his own getup. Something about a skintight top on a buxom woman was the epitome of sin; he now understood that fully. Ah, but there was something else he'd noticed. "Alright... not even gonna talk about how you casually go for full nudity anymore. You're pretty um... full, though. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would cringe because you didn't put on a sports bra."

[Apollymi]

Charles's agreement in this case seemed to be a bit less genuine than normal. He wasn't understanding her point, he'd simply given up. But that wasn't something that Angelica would really think about too much. She'd decided a while prior to this one that certain things didn't need to be forced all the time. She had plenty of the future to make sure Charles understood her nature and the effectiveness of his own existence against her. Yes, she'd make a hobby of that next more than likely.

Moving on from her new hobby of teasing Charles to garner the strange reactions he had to offer, he offered another of a different sort. According to his own thoughts, he would have said something similar about Jeanne d'Arc ages ago. Or rather he had no desire to say such a thing though he agreed with it. "People are so strange," she said without further questioning taking place. In her humble opinion, it was an objective truth that Jeanne d'Arc was one of the most attractive people on the planet, for looks, for mana, for personality, she was just good. A shining beacon of light in a world of darkness. Why anyone would have a problem saying so was beyond Angelica's comprehension. She gave it only a few passing moments of thought as she ascended to her own closet once more and began rifling through to change into something more suited to this supposed workout.

As she did so, Charles chose to comment, not solely upon the fact that she had no qualms stripping naked in front of him, but about her choice in attire and in particular a missing article of clothing. A bit of extra thought ensued. He talked about her fullness, which she attributed to her figure and claimed that most would have been upset about her lack of 'sports bra'. What strange words, she knew what a bra was, but she figured those were a matter of decoration not functionality. Another thing she never thought to question past its visual appeal. "Bra? That thing like the bikini top? I figured those were just for decoration, something to match with underwear for whatever reason. Do they have some other function I don't know about?" she managed to ask as a point of genuine curiosity.

[Bloodedge]

People are strange, Angelica said. She'd likely had an additional line of thought about his admittance, though it wasn't pressed further. Good. He had no qualms admitting to Jeanne's quality as an individual, but as he was rather officially engaged to Angelica, addressing that topic in detail was an awkward idea. Besides, there were more important things to deal with... like the return of surprise nudity on Angelica's part, which he felt more inclined to watch than ever before. Strange ─ it was becoming easier by the moment. Could it have been the exposure during downtime? Maybe Angelica had some sort of passive effect as a Celestial, something like a succubus of a holy nature? What a ridiculous thought, he decided. . .

More imperative than the nudity in terms of conversation, was the lack of a sports bra. Of course, Charlemagne himself had no issue with it after everything else he'd seen. Something about that decision, however, registered as odd in the back of his mind. Little did Charlemagne realize, the discussion had him staring at Angelica's compression top... or perhaps not so specifically the top itself? Wherever his eyes were, his mind was elsewhere. Angelica didn't even understand the purpose of a bra beyond fashion. "Well... fashion was an afterthought for those things. Originally, they're for support. You know, that thing someone like you doesn't seem to need because gravity doesn't affect you or whatever," he said, waving one hand about in the air. "But the more well-endowed a human woman is, the more gravity's going to make her... assets sag. I guess they eventually decided to make them look fancy for... reasons."

[Apollymi]

The strangeness of people aside, there were many a great thing being discussed. For instance, Charles seemed to be a lot less shocked by Angelica's random bouts of nudity. Perhaps she'd shocked him enough with it earlier that he simply had no more surprise left to give. Or perhaps he was now getting used to seeing her naked and as such he wouldn't take the nudity as personally as he seemed to initially. There was something a bit bittersweet about that as a thought, but she figured he was easy enough to bother that it was likely just something he was trying not to actively think about. Yes, she'd think that instead of anything else.

And then the shift in conversation, took them towards the subject of 'bras' those pieses of clothing worn under clothes. Apparently, they weren't just for decoration, they were originally intended to fight the effects of gravity on the forms of well-endowed humans. Angelica knew herself to fall into such a category but she had at least two female friends so she wouldn't have gone her whole life without the realization. "Hm, that is another one of those backward things I think is weird. What is the point of having them be bigger if you have to create a thing to make them keep their shape? Mana is stored there so it's not that I am unaffected by gravity, it's just that my body doesn't really change," she stated as if this was just personal fact of her existence. She also felt no strain in her own body over its parts so... if she were to talk to a normal human she achived the best of both worlds. "They've also never gotten in the way of any activity I've undertaken, so I assume I'll be fine regardless," she stated firmly. She performed archery, ran with animals even flew with her familiar and none of those things had made her endowment seem like a punishment so she assumed she'd be fine for whatever exercise Charles had planned. "Anyway do we need anything in particular for this?" she asked, knowing that she could and would make anything necessary to help along their movements toward a convergence between their bodies.

[Bloodedge]

On the topic of bras, Charlemagne's eyes seemingly couldn't be drawn away from the obvious lack of one on Angelica. Moreover, she considered it strange that larger breasts being incapable of keeping shape was common. She said something odd ─ mana was stored in breasts? Charlemagne knew breastfeeding infants was somehow a way to ensure a child's mana stability, and that it was a possible source of mana transfer where possible... but why were her words so specific? "What do you mean 'mana is stored there'? It's not like that makes much of a difference. Or is that one of the many Holy Princess things that a lowly human like myself wouldn't understand?" he wondered.

Apparently, Angelica's endowments had never impeded her in any way. Why was he not surprised? Anyone should have been shocked to hear something like that while looking straight at the veritable melons affixed to her torso, yet Charlemagne could hardly be surprised by any claims she made by now. "Of course you'll be fine. Why wouldn't you be? I've given up even trying at this point," he said with a shrug. Moving on, Angelica wondered if they would be needing anything else for the activity of choice. There was one thing worthy of note. "Space is always a plus. Aside from that, a couple of floor mats, maybe meditation incense? The 'natural' light here is great, but if you'd personally prefer something more serene, that'd be fine too."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that most of Charles attention was focused on Angelica's chest. Angelica for her part in this, saw nothing wrong with the excess attention. To the contrary, she found it to be a good thing when she considered they would be getting married and needed to like each other more than just a bit. Beyond that it seemed that he didn't truly understand the same basics that she did of mana and how it was stored and used throughout the body. His words about her claims that mana was stored within her chest seemed to be very skeptical, or rather uninformed. "I figured the basics of anatomy were the same, so long as the body is humanoid in form, the differences I know are about mana exchange..." she said giving it a bit more thought. "It was explained to me as a matter of mana exchange and distribution," she clarified wondering why humans weren't given these same lessons if they were being told not to exchange mana readily all the time. It seemed necessary for them to know the ins and outs to avoid doing so accidentally. "The chest on women is where most of the mana of their bodies is stored. It is there in its purest form and circulated around the rest of the body. By that logic a woman can give a pure mana transfer without exchange directly from there. It is what the humans call breastfeeding," she explained. "That was a part of my regular education though so I am very confused about human bodies work. I was led to believe it was similar just less pure in nature," she finished her cursory explanation.

She didn't know that the kind of information she gave was likely completely foreign to someone like Charles. She had more technically in her knowledge base, and a lot more than that missing from her understanding of the physical nature of humans. Perhaps, over the course of the day they could come to some general understanding which would leave both of them with enough information to fully understand how their bodies worked. The size of her breasts and the lack of hinderance they gave her were something that Charles wouldn't argue, he claimed to have given up. She could do nothing but shrug at that information. Whatever the case, the needs of this form of exercise were soon explained. It was very simple yet very complex. "Space, atmosphere, incense? I don't know about the incense but... I think I have a good space in mind. Ooh, and it's my newest completed project," she mused, using a hand to motion Charles along as she led him towards her recently completed observatory. It functioned properly as the stars dotted the skies of her floors. It magnified and projected them around the room, giving it the appearance of the starry night sky with a gentle haze. When the moon was out it was far brighter inside, but here and now it was more or less like a dim twilight. But the floor was large and open and she used a blue gem to create the mats on the floor side by side a bit more than arms length apart. This was the kind of space she imagine would be best. "Would this work?" she asked as if it was a perfectly normal thing to wonder.

[Bloodedge]

By Angelica's explanation of things, one would be led to believe breastfeeding was something a woman could just... do. Charlemagne was expected to accept a great number of ludicrous things today, it seemed. He knew very well that humans had no such ability, yet here Angelica was, talking as if it was natural as breathing. "Breastfeeding. That thing that someone who's recently had children can do, in the case of humans. You make it sound like someone could just squirt milk out on a whim... and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you mean," he said with a deep sigh. Ridiculousness was no stranger when these more serious talks occurred between them.

Whatever the case, Angelica would soon be leading toward another room: her observatory. As Charlemagne stepped inside and witnessed the feint traces of stars littering an overhead dome, purplish streaks of light flowing through and all, he wondered what Angelica thought when he mentioned space as a requirement. In thinking about it, he laughed. "Not exactly what I meant by 'space' there, but... wow," he commented. Regardless of any misconceptions or lack thereof, he found the observatory incredible and more than roomy enough. Once Angelica set out a pair of mats, all was nearly perfect. "Don't get me wrong, it looks perfect. No incense, but that's fine; the atmosphere is more than anyone could hope for. So... apparently the best start is called Child's Pose." Upon stating the first pose, Charlemagne claimed a mat and descended to his knees. Once in that position, legs together, his back and arms both extended forward until his forehead touched the mat. "This is your go-to for resting and refocusing between other poses. Relax your back, stretch, and take slow, deep breaths," he explained, peering through his eye's corner as any instructor would.

[Apollymi]

There was an air of disbelief. There seemed to be such a thing all the time when Angelica spoke to Charles about her understanding of things. Here and now, it concerned mostly how her body functioned and how she assumed human bodies functioned. The lack of purity in their persons apparently made it so only women who'd recently had children could properly offer mana directly from their bodies. That was strange information to have, in fact that was all but confirmed. Her next words to Charles were an affirmation of her own point, "Yes, I definitely can...but it's just liquid mana though I suppose it could be used as sustenance," she said giving it no more than a passing thought. If humans weren't taking mana from women into men, she doubted their mana exchanges were anywhere near the level of equality they should have been.

Just the same, she showed Charles to her observatory and got an interesting take. This wasn't what he meant by space, but wow. He liked it then? A large smile crossed Angelica's face as she stood a bit straighter seemingly quite pleased by the appraisal. "Hm? Well, I knew you just meant like floor space," she said. Her words in the moment were mostly an observation as she continued to listen for Charles appraisal. She was eventually rewarded with more words. It was perfect, with good atmosphere, and that was good. She couldn't help but be pleased that he enjoyed her space so much. And now they were moving on to exercise. It was still a teaching moment so she took in Charles getting into this position, and committed its name and purpose to her memory, making the assumption that she might want to do something like this again. "Okay, weird name but I can let that go," she said, standing before her own mat, she'd lower her self to her knees making sure to relax as she stretched towards her fore. Eventually her forehead would meet the mat and her arms would be stretching. There was a mimicking of the same position she'd witnessed and she felt the movement of mana within her body as another way to cement the position to her memory.

[Bloodedge]

Liquid mana was what Angelica claimed would certainly come from her breasts. How much more was he expected to take in? Saying it could be used as sustenance was no surprise, at least, but Charlemagne wondered why there was such a difference between Angelica's knowledge and the information all others had to work with. Could it be considered right for the Holy Princess to have additional knowledge of the world's functionality, just because of her position? That didn't make sense. Maybe there was more to it than that. "That's news to me, but alright. If we get around to those adventures and I wind up dehydrating in a desert, remind me to keep a cup handy for your mana milk or whatever," he joked.

It had taken a while through all the random discussion, but they were finally progressing to a bit of actual yoga. Charlemagne started with a simpler pose as example. Angelica seemed to fall into said pose rather easily, and... oh. Though late, Charlemagne quickly realized why yoga wasn't the best idea for his attempts to remain platonic in the day's endeavors. Suddenly, he couldn't even comment on the name of certain yoga poses if he tried. Why was yoga sexual?! Had it always been? No, surely he just hadn't gotten his mind back in order yet. "... Yep, that's the pose. Just... deep breaths a few times, then move into the next: Downward-Facing Dog." Actually, some of the names were a bit provocative as well. No matter; he'd already signed both of them up to do this. One may as well commit, right? From the starting position, Charlemagne kept his hands planted firmly on the mat, lifting himself from the hips until his feet were also flat on the floor. "Hips up and back, away from the shoulders, weight evenly distributed through the palms. If it's too much on your wrists to start, I hear it's fine to use your elbows instead. Either way, slow transition and lots of deep breathing."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, the things Angelica had to say about her bodily functions were news to Charles. Surprise crossed the blonde lass' face in this moment and she couldn't hold it back. "I am very worried for humanity. For people so content to avoid mana transfers and with all sorts of weird rules, it seems like you're missing a lot of information that would help with the confusion," she mused seeming to once again chalk it up to an issue of humans and nothing more. Charles had asked her not to compare humans to animals but they seemed to be living off almost pure instinct just as animals did. They were not making it easy for her to believe in them, and then there was a joke, which she couldn't take as a joke for one simple reason. "Why would you need a cup?" she asked. This was an expression of sheer curiosity. She figured, that it would be much simpler if he wanted sustenance to take it directly. She would if she sought it.

Too bad, for now what she sought was this form of exercise. With the slow, deep breathing and the movements of her body, she could definitely feel her mana shifting about within ehr body. This first position settled it near the base of her person. Seeming to allow it to build up a bit. And then the next position came at a proper pace. More instruction was given and thus she glanced to her side to take in the newest position. She was given quite a bit of advice about how to raise herself. And she managed to do so, shifting from elbows then wrists. She kept her weight balanced and breathed easily during the transition. Her bottom up in the air she breathed and felt the mana of her form shifting downward or rather upwards into her torso form its present angle. All of that was fine. "These names are really weird... but I don't think I mind this. I also understand the mana flow," she mentioned between long breaths. The breathing was definitely part of it, of this she was certain. Humans were to be given a bit of credit, even if they didn't understand the basics they seemed to understand some more minute things.

[Bloodedge]

Concern for humankind was something Angelica had frequently, so it seemed. Of course, she had knowledge of mana that humans simply weren't given, or perhaps had forgotten long, long ago. Charlemagne remembered hearing mention of some mana-related tribute to divinities during the Age of Gods. Perhaps there was much more to that than he even realized. There was apparently also more to the whole magical breastmilk matter, or even Angelica's lack of concern for things many considered ridiculous. Why would he need a cup? What a question. "I feel like the answer should be more obvious. You're now suggesting one of the lewdest things ever, and it makes me wonder where the line in the sand even is. Next you'll say something about navels and anuses both being feeding tubes for people," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Perhaps the best and worst idea Charlemagne had today, was the yoga session they were currently participating in. He was already watching Angelica in a very precarious position, and from an almost upside-down angle, he would now be watching her rear rise into the air. She first supported with her elbows, then her hands. Maybe he should have claimed elbow support was the better way? No, what was he thinking?! This was yoga, not some peepshow! Well, somebody probably should have told the rest of his body that. The pants Charlemagne currently wore were also a bad idea for fending off the erection he'd soon have. "Yep. I can feel it too; trust me," he said. Oh, the mana was certainly flowing in him as well. To keep himself as hidden as possible, Charlemagne returned to child's pose while explaining the next step for Angelica. "Next is the plank. From the current position, just straighten your body, like the end of a push-up. Imagine the back of your neck and spine lengthening." With that explanation given, Charlemagne continued to rest where he was. He'd be needing a minute... or maybe a few. Surely Angelica taking the plank position would give him some reprieve, though. . .

[Apollymi]

Angelica's concern for human kind would only grow over time. Actually, the more they spoke the more worried she was that humans were overly limited in life, based on things like lewdness when it came to things as natural as mana transfers. She'd even been given an example of such strangeness by Charles as he discussed the option of taking said mana straight from the tap to be a matter of utmost lewdness. "I feel like those lines you are talking about are made up, and sticking to ones determined by someone else doesn't really make sense. Make your own, I'll make mine and tell you when something is weird, and then we can figure out how to live with those together. It would be much less draining that way," she mentioned as she continued to breathe in this strange position. Yet again, she'd be hearing words which made her believe that all humans needed a refresher course on how bodies operated. They'd obviously lost a lot of information and had started making things into taboos that shouldn't be by her own approximation. "Navels are where one gets their first mana from before they are born and can accept it in other ways. Anuses are the method in which to accept mana directly without having to give any of your own away. I thought all this was common knowledge, I am starting to wonder how humans function at all without knowing these things," she explained. And so her randomly open attitude began to make more and more sense.

As they discussed life, bodily functions and future happiness, there was still an exercise routine going on. Charles was apparently feeling the movement of his own mana, that was only natural as it had gained quite a bit of intensity since their earlier meeting. She could say much about it, "I'm sure you can feel it, it's gained quite a bit of vigor since a while ago," she said completely innocuously. Of course, it could be taken a sexual way, and she was talking about his mana, but this was a complete accident on her part. Now she was simply thinking of lengthening, as she stretched her body at an upward angle and support it with her arms horizontal, which to its credit managed to stretch both her body and her mana out along its intended path. By the time she was fully within the position, she'd be in a few with the angles and curves of her body showing differently than before. "This name is also strange," was her only comment as she kept taking those deep breaths.

[Bloodedge]

"Everything is made-up at some point. Boundaries usually exist for a pretty good reason. You say your way would be less draining, but that's the exact opposite of how conditioning works," Charlemagne stated. He'd seen enough times the result of going against established methods all at once. He could concede to making an attempt, but too much urgency probably wasn't a good thing. "An outright 'no' wouldn't be fair though, so, I'll keep that in mind," he added a few moments later. Of course, a few moments after that, Charlemagne was told something almost disturbing. Navels being one's first source of mana from the mother made perfect sense, event translating directly into human understanding... but the way Angelica described the purpose of anuses sounded very wrong. "... Anuses what? Listen, I'm not sure how you're wired, but that's where human excrement comes from. What you're saying sounds like some pervert's fever dream."

Ah yes, his mana had gained some vigor since a while ago. Surely it had, considering the amount of vigor he felt elsewhere. "Mhm. I'm definitely feeling vigorous," he said, almost as if that could be called a bad thing. In all actuality, Charlemagne could do with a lot less vigor at present. As he expected however, having Angelica switch to the current pose helped... for the few seconds before he took note of her form again. Why did she have to be the type whose curves showed even when her body was fully straightened? He'd have to stick with child's pose for even longer now, but... moving on. "Strange is that the next one is called the Four-Limbed Staff pose instead of the plank. Keep what you're doing now, but bend your elbows at a perfect angle until you're parallel to the floor. Knees to the floor is an option for beginners, but otherwise only hands and toes touch the mat."

[Apollymi]

Charles seemed to have some interesting ideas about boundaries. Angelica respected the limits he set forth but had issues with her understanding them as they applied to the world at large. "Boundaries should be determined by people who they apply to, taking peer pressure from dead or old people is not something I am willing to do," she clarified her point. She would respect any boundary that was established by Charles, but she had no intention of bowing to something random she heard. Of course this was only a few seconds displaced from a statement concerning bodily functions which made her gasp. "Chuck only animals can't use all the mana in their bodies. If you are telling me humans expel mana they take in as waste you are confirming my humans are animals thoughts," she explained in the moment. The idea of expelling mana from ones body without it being useful to someone else was almost blasphemous. Animals did it but they were simple creatures. Humans aimed to be more complex but still had such primative body functions. That was gross and ridiculous. Though in hindsight some of those prisoner comments made a bit more sense.

Regardless they would soon be assuming new positions. All while Charles commented on the vigor of his own mana. She could assume he did not fully understand his own body."I am beginning to believe you don't understand that such is natural thing that doesn't require inborn shame," she mused. Perhaps they didn't understand enough how their bodies worked to relax about the sensations natural to them. Ah, another moment of weirdness as she took the new position. The previous position was much more suited to this new more complicated name. "This is a plank, Chuck. Who named these?" she asked. Her breasts where hovering over the ground. Her backside visible in the moment oh the curves of her form were glorious, and so was the strenght of her lean muscles as she balanced and breathed.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, I get that you believe that, but that doesn't make it any easier. You try breaking a thousand year-old habit overnight," Charlemagne suggested. Such things weren't changed very easily, effort or not. "Besides, calling it peer pressure is a bratty thing to do, don't you think? It's worth at least entertaining the idea of wisdom instead of assuming another way is always better." While Charlemagne spoke, he remained in child's pose without so much as a muscle moved. There was no getting around the physical issue, even while sharing his perspective of old and new working in unison. Alas, the conversation eventually became one about humans and what Angelica believed were their animal-like tendencies. "Whoever told you that, was wrong. If it lives and breathes, it produces waste. That's been the case in both worlds I grew up in, though far less frequent here," he said, seeing some semblance of what Angelica spoke of through the infrequency of restroom visits in this world.

The alleged vigor of Charlemagne's mana continued to be a matter of discussion. On his end however, there was a very different meaning... which Angelica's words still happened to apply to. "You would say that. I don't think we're even talking about the same thing anymore," he stated plainly. Of course, his mana itself was flowing more intensely today than ever before. Moving on from that though, Angelica insisted that the new pose was a plank. Charlemagne laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly. "It should be. I used to think it was the plank, but apparently not. Anyway, the next one is the Cobra. Chest up, the rest flat on the ground. Keep your arms as they are now, and try to keep the navel drawing away from the floor." While he explained this pose, Charlemagne decided to take it himself as well. Surely he could continue hiding his groin with it pressed into the mat, right? Right... apart from the fact that he was now applying pressure directly to it while keeping an eye on Angelica. What a stupid idea that actually was.

[Apollymi]

It wasn't easy to break a thousand year old habit. Hm, she hadn't given much consideration to that, but she also didn't think she had many habits that needed breaking. "Hm, I don't know about that... I don't think I have too many habits worth breaking," she said knowing that her own happiness was a primary objective for her. Moreover apparently it was to be considered bratty that she referred to the advice about boundaries. "Well, assuming wisdom just because the words come from someone older when everyone can potentially live for thousands of years doesn't really work for me," she explained. "Besides, at some point you'll have to make your own decisions, its probably better to do so from personal experience rather than let someone else's prior experience taint your potential ones," she expressed. Of course, she didn't argue against being a brat nor having a bratty way of thinking. She believed fully that it wasn't in the best interest of anyone to simply live as previous adults lived just because they lived that way.

On to the matter of waste, apparently everything produced it. Even at less frequent intervals than Charles knew from his previous life. "I have never done this waste thing, so maybe it was that way to start with? I was just told animals do the waste thing by father so my inference is made by omission," she tried to be generous with this thought but it was still looking like humans were more like animals than people, at least given how Angelica understood people. The other option for this in Angelica's mind was that only weak people had the bodily functions of animals, but again this was something which seemed to effect everything from hang out times, to sex lives and as such should be something more generally understood. But she wasn't so obtuse that she didn't assume it was a matter of her understanding.

Beyond this there was the actual exercise taking place here. And she could feel the movement of her own mana and sense that of Charles as well. He claimed that he thought they were talking about different things. She was quite sure she was referencing the state of his mana and by virtue of that the reaction of his body. Was this not an easily understood thing? She'd have to think about it. While she did that, she would hear that her own thoughts about this plank were at least shared by Charles. She was drawing upward and her navel was off the floor, this basically exposed her whole chest in its tight shirt and the rest of her curves were still visible. Ah, but it felt delightful as her spine seemed to be stretching quite a bit and she could feel the mana welling up in her chest. "I'll forgive the other one, this one feels nice~" she chimed seeming to enjoy this 'cobra' stretch.

[Bloodedge]

Between the two of them, there were as many disagreements as there were agreements. Here and now, they were facing the former situation. Angelica refused to accept the wisdom of elders simply because anyone could live thousands of years. Charlemagne, on the other hand, couldn't view things like that at all. "It's not about the age, but about the experience. Even a child could be more experienced than an adult in some ways, and no matter the person's age, it's worth leaning on someone else's understanding when you don't have personal experience of your own. Not every mistake is one you can learn from. Taking into account what someone else has been through isn't just going to taint your own potential experience. You can use it to walk your own path with guidance... if you do it right."

With that long-winded explanation of perspective out of the way, Charlemagne settled into a new position at long last. It may not have been the smartest thing he'd ever done for achieving a goal, but it served half its intended purpose. He wasn't going to question how Angelica went from knowledge of animal excrement to an understanding of humans being the opposite; that was a path hardly worth treading. "I guess that's one way to make a leap," was all he said regarding that topic. Now, there was something else on the table... or rather, mat.

Angelica had taken the cobra pose and found it pleasant. Charlemagne could very much agree, having actual strain to the middle-back from time to time. "It's a really good one. Keep it for a bit if you like, but I'll go ahead and explain the Tree Pose for next. The next one is a standing position. Hands pressed together as if you're praying, straight posture, one leg lifted with the foot pressed against your other leg's inner thigh. It's for balance and core, so focus even more on breathing when you get to that one," he explained all while trying to remain perfectly still. It would probably be a good idea for him to look away from the princess at some point, lest he be incapable of rising from the floor at any point. It certainly wasn't working out for him currently, but again, he had hope for the upcoming pose. . .

[Apollymi]

There was quite the explanation incoming from Charles. He claimed that age wasn't a sole factor. That instead of that one should remember that anyone with more experience could be used as a point of guidance about an experience one didn't already have. She supposed she understood that. And it wasn't as if she was completely against taking advice, but in context of what they'd been discussing before, interpersonal relationships, marriages, sex and the like, it definitely seemed like the sort of thing not to let anyone else's opinion shift thought patterns. Perhaps then this would end up being another thing she had a better way of expressing her thoughts about after some time had passed? "Hm, there is a lot there, but still there is something in it I don't like... I can't figure out what it is yet though... so I'll think about it," she said clarifying her own thoughts in the moment. She did this sort of thing often, but when she came back she usually had her own ideas fully worked out, even if it took her quite a while to work through it. It was interesting at least, when they agreed on random things but disagreed on others, it seemed to be a matter of active versus a passive upbringing and small things like life knowledge based solely on a magical world and the other based in a technological one.

Moving on, the omission of Father An, in Angelica's education, was stated to be one way to make a leap. She didn't think it was that big of a leap. In all actuality there was a bit of technical truth to how she thought of humans and compared them to animals. It simply wasn't ideal or polite to do so for the most part. "It wasn't a leap, it was a logical conclusion... Humans are weird," she stated for whatever count of times that was for the day. She'd always thought humans were weird, and nothing seemed to be changing that logic very much. In fact the more she learned directly the weirder she thought they were. But there was still exercise, and since she liked her current position she would keep it for a time and was advised to. According to Charles this position was a good one, but he was explaining and moving on to the next. In theory it sounded like more exercise than any of the lying positions. Of course, along with it came more breathing and the like, but she imagined it would be very good for pushing mana about ones body. She'd take it into consideration. "That sounds a bit more like meditation," she said.

[Bloodedge]

As always, Angelica would carry on by holding the current topic in her own mind. She'd eventually come up with something keeping to her side of the disagreement; that much could always be expected. For now, it seemed they would remain at an impasse. "Of course you will. I'll wait for it," he said, strangely as if looking forward to the moment. Frankly, he was. It was always interesting to see when the shut-in princess hardened a belief she already held firm. She had an interesting quality of rationality for one with so little human interaction.

Angelica further insisted that no leaps had been made. Yes, there was logic in her assumption based solely on the information she had. On the other hand, it linked directly to her comparison of humankind to common beasts. "Humans are weird, but so is everything if you're looking at it from an outside perspective. You're weird," he responded. Angelica obviously wouldn't be changing her perspective on humanity any time soon, nor should she have to. In fact, Charlemagne was sure she'd only think humans were stranger after meeting more of them. Even the way she carried herself had always been distinctly inhuman, though... there were a few who considered themselves human, that perhaps she might have more similarities to.

Whatever the case, there was a comment about the next pose. In many ways, Angelica was completely accurate. The pose he mentioned was more for the mind and soul than the body, though it did have its physical advantages as well. "It basically is. Most of yoga is meditation. This stuff just stops the body from getting in the way. Tree Pose should be more potent as meditation after conditioning your body and mana with the others before it."

[Apollymi]

Charles claimed he'd wait for whatever it was that Angelica came up with. One of the many things she enjoyed about him, was the amount of patience he showed, even when her entire purpose was to argue with him about some random point or another. They had these varying opinions on many things, but when it came down to it, he was always willing to hear out her thoughts on topics. It was one of the things she found most relieving about him. Not that he would just go along with whatever she said, but that he would hear her out even while disagreeing with her, it was a point of charm.

As she thought over the point she seemed content to hold, other things were brought to her attention. For instance, it was claimed by Charles that humans were indeed odd, but she was also. She gave that a bit of thought. She likely seemed weird to others, but she always figured that was a matter of them not meeting people like her. Of course she wouldn't discount that which made her different from others, "I'm different," she said with that hint of brattiness which always seemed to be in the background of her speech.

But that also didn't matter, they moved on to exercise and she finally lifted herself from her floor stretch to take the position of a tree. Doing so, she lifted one leg to her thigh and placed her hands before herself palm to palm. Her breathing became easy and she seemed to find balance without issue at all. She could feel her own mana buzzing about and felt that it would be rather easy to poke the connection between herself and her mother. "Hm, I could have used this days ago when I was trying to figure out how to reach mom, no matter, it will make it pretty easy I guess," she mentioned. Ah, yes, deep breathing and the like, perfect posture the curves of her body now practically radiating her mana which was being moved about by earlier exercises. Angelica felt at peace.

[Bloodedge]

Different, Angelica insisted. She made it seem like the difference between 'weird' and 'different' was like the difference between night and day. Charlemagne saw it differently. "That's just saying weird without saying weird!" he countered. There was no getting around a simple fact; by majority rule, Angelica was more weird than the humans she spoke of. Also by majority rule, one could say humans were perfectly normal, and her teachings were beyond unorthodox.

Moving on yet again, it seemed time for Angelica to take the next pose. She stood, her hands came together, and one foot rose against the other leg. As Charlemagne observed this, he found himself rising from the floor without even deciding to do so. Slouching, he stood, with no regard to the state of his lower body. It seemed something about that mana coursing through Angelica had taken over his very will. He'd been staring with an excuse, having to keep track of her yoga poses and all, but that notion was dust in the wind. Her mana was almost visible to him, and of course... its most vibrant points were around the curves of her figure. He'd never escape this sort of situation, would he? In a way, Charlemagne could say that marriage couldn't come quickly enough ─ at least the awkwardness of it all might fade away. "I'm guessing you could have used this to do anything you wanted," he said absently. "Maybe even end the world if you wanted. Or make a new one. . ."

[Apollymi]

Charles had some hard opinions about the nature of the word weird. He claimed it to be concisely implied by her use of the word different. Of course Angelica saw it differently. "Hmph, you only think that because humans are weird," she said, mostly in jest. Ah, she'd gone back to teasing strangely enough. At the end of it all, she did see the slightest difference between the words and understood her implications. For her, it didn't matter how many humans thought she was an oddity, because that whole numbers game just led closer and closer towards the idea of them being animals. Not that she saw all humans as animals, she simply found it strange that they had so many animalistic qualities.

Whatever the case, she'd changed her pose and after commenting on the nature and ease of her mana use, returned to her breathing exercises. Of course, in the same moment, it seemed that Charles was content to observe. She found nothing odd about this, and figured simply that as the one teaching this he wished to make sure she was doing everything properly. What was more, she didn't mind his eyes being on her at all. She was unbothered by attention from Charles, and if she was being honest was quite fond of it. What was more, even with her eyes closed, his slouching and the swirling of his mana was something she could sense. He really was dealing with quite a lot for someone who seemed so content to ignore his own urges so often. Still, she'd use his comment to keep their conversation light, "I am sure I could use it for many things, but I don't think my personality aligns much to ending things. Making things seems to be much more fulfilling to me," she confirmed.

[Bloodedge]

Naturally, the ever so bratty Holy Princess had an immediate comeback for the male. According to her, he only thought the way he did because humans were weird. It was such a simple, even childish comeback to hear, and yet... he couldn't laugh at it. He would have laughed, even should have laughed, but... it wasn't happening. Why? Simply put, Charlemagne was busy. . .

Indeed, his blatant staring had taken precedence over all other things. There wasn't even a need for meditation or yoga of his own; simply observing Angelica seemed to put him and his mana at peace. Well, that wasn't entirely true. His mana was in anything but a peaceful state, seeming more keen on thrashing about within the confines of Charlemagne's body ─ almost as if it would one day break free and seek Angelica of its own volition. All the chaos of it gave Charlemagne the strangest low ache of a feeling within. Ironically enough, it was something he felt in his manhood... which left him completely ignorant of the sensation due to what he felt already. "Uh-huh. . ."

There was probably a point somewhere in Charlemagne's mind, even if it didn't manage to pass his lips. He could definitely say creating things was more in her nature. Looking at her now, anyone with sense could tell she had the capacity to create a thousand children. Wait... why was he thinking about children? That was random. Obviously it had something to do with the name 'child's pose' from the position he'd taken most often today. Speaking of yoga poses, he still had to mention the next one. "Right. Triangle Pose. One foot steady, the other out to one side. Extend the second leg until your legs together make a triangle, and uh... lean toward that foot... until you can touch it. Other arm straight in the air, neck turned so you can look straight up as well... I think."

[Apollymi]

Oddly enough, her witty reply didn't come with any particular sass back from Charles. That was quite odd, she might have thought she'd gotten one over on him, but she was certain it should have been worth a laugh, a rebuff or at least another call of her being bratty. Ah, but no such thing came, still she was certain his eyes were on her, perhaps she'd take a little peek through her thick lashes to see what was going on with Charles in a more direct manner. "Are you alright there, Chuck?" she asked in a thoroughly teasing manner. Though to his credit he did go on to explain the next pose. She took one last deep breath after her particularly nice time in such a meditative stance, and then began to follow his direction.

The leg she had raised, lowered and straightened. She extended it out to the same side it was on. Once her legs were wide. Her body easily found the position it needed and her arms seemed to rotate of their own accord until one was reaching for her toes on the extended side, while the other reached up for the sky. Her head eventually turned and she took in the views of her settling starry sky. All was at ease. And the feeling of her mana seemed to have reached about to her throat as she exhaled while looking upwards. "I don't know if triangle is the right name for this, it seems a bit too much about the legs," she mused just as she had commented on everything else. Her limbs felt long her body felt stretched and she was beginning to feel an interesting pull in the depths of her being. As if a certain emptiness existed along side her current mana movement. Hm, that sensation was at least familiar, it felt a bit like it had when she'd approached Charles directly to kiss him. Ah, was this that thing her mother spoke of... the 'Call of Creation'. She'd need a bit more time to be certain.

[Bloodedge]

This was not the first time Charlemagne had entered such a trance today, and it probably wouldn't be the last by his approximation. Currently, it would be very difficult to think he was 'alright' as Angelica asked. In a way, he'd never been better. That could be called an untruth just as easily, though. "Yep. Just peachy," was his verbal response. It didn't matter if he was being teased, nor did anything else in the world matter currently. Little did Charlemagne realize, he was once again spiritually seeking a goal. His mind could process it as well, albeit separately. Ah, but what would that mean in the end? Basically, nothing.

Another pose was on the horizon ─ one which Charlemagne would keep under great scrutiny. What a wonderful idea. He didn't imagine there would be much appeal to a simple sideways stretch of that nature, but there was a hefty amount of it for sure. Charlemagne's head turned sideways just to follow Angelica's movement, and there it sat for quite some time. "... Yeah. It's got legs. Hips, chest... stuff," he blabbered. "They should call it birthing pose." Why did those words pass his lips at all? Well, Charlemagne didn't know. Maybe he'd find out eventually, or maybe... he'd go the realistic route and continue drawing blanks for the foreseeable future.