The Eternal Sanctum (Holy Knight Headquarters)

[Apollymi]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832359795_013d7e3084_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2mYfoKM)


The Eternal Sanctum is the Headquarters of the Holy Knights as established by Jeanne d'Arc. Any knight who ascends from the lower world could potentially call this place their home. It is tucked into the entrance of the Cedar Mountain which itself is a place of great repute. It still holds a tinge of mystery and is connected to the previous world. The buildings and current design were the work of the Great Pharaoh Ozymandias, and the Pharaoh Nefertari. There are many expansive walk ways connecting several different observatories and towers which contain all the knights could need. It is concerned a central hub and is decorated both inside and out by golden and ivory back drops amid lush greenery. The lads are fertile and are often used to grow crops and share. The 'kingdom' as it is thought of, could easily run itself and live apart from everything but has a warm and jovial theme. When one ports directly to the Eternal Sanctum they show up on a lower platform at a central plaza which one could follow the main entrance up or take one of many divergent paths out into the greater lands or into the overlooking mountains.

[Bloodedge]

A bounded field manifested within the Eternal Sanctum's vicinity, though not at the structure itself. Six were meant to be present in this appearance. Ah, but there were seven. Charlemagne, the new King of the Eternal Sanctum as dictated by a recent connection with Jeanne d'Arc, brought with him a group of five... as well as a stolen horse currently being kept by Astolfo. "You already stole the horse. Why would you bring it to another country, on a completely different level of the world?!" Charlemagne asked, much to the pink-haired male's dismay. Astolfo would be found embracing the horse by its neck, holding on for dear life. "It's a good horse! Look, it even answered my whistle! It's mine now!" he argued.

With a sigh, Charlemagne removed his sword from its resting place. They were a brief walk away from the sanctum itself, so he considered this the perfect spot to leave behind all weapons. Considering the Holy Knights were likely on high alert, he didn't even expect to make it all the way. As such, Charlemagne sighed deeply. Ailen, who had no weapons to speak of, spent this time inspecting the flora already within sight. "Hmm. It seems I was right. Not only is the atmosphere different; it even has an immediately noticeable effect on ordinary plant life. This will certainly be worth further observation."

[Apollymi]

The group of three lasses and three men had appeared in a new place. There was a general look towards Charles before they'd all departed, and even the girls in the group agreed that this armor upgrade was cool. All three of the girls would soon enough be taking in the sights, each of them feeling and seeing something new for the first time. "Oh, mana density up here is fairly high," was Sakura's first observation. "Ah! This looks like a cool place actually like dwarven ruin spilling out of the mountains!" were the words of Yume who seemed to be quite surprised. At the same time it would be Anais de-equipping her sword to slide it into her magic bag while also having a look around. Of course, it was quite new but it probably wouldn't be needed for a little while yet, they were here to appear friendly after all. "Oh? I might like this place..." she mused. By her own feelings this land was quite nice, it also gave her a very calm feeling.

They probably looked like a strange group of tourists, aside from the fact that Astolfo had brought with him the horse he'd already stolen. Charles chose to question it and received a very Astolfo answer for his trouble. This of course, brought a bit of laughter to the rest of the group including Anais who could only try to deescalate the situation. "Charlie he did already have it. Arguing the point of it is just an unnecessary headache at this point," Anais stated honestly. But the words of her mentor and his immediate observations were things she'd listen to as it was something she needed to be part of in some ways. "Yes, it should be pretty interesting... this place feels really nice. And I've heard the individual islands up here vary a lot so we could see a lot of interesting things," she said. Though Anais didn't go out very often, friends of hers had seen a great deal of the world and she was technically happy to be taking her first steps towards the same kind of wandering.

[Bloodedge]

Interestingly, Charlemagne and Astolfo were the only members of this group to have prior experience in Finis Chaldea. Charlemagne had almost forgotten that detail until seeing and hearing the others' reactions. "Oh, right... I'm old as dirt," he griped. Oh well; they surely wouldn't have much time to enjoy the atmosphere. As such, it was best that they take time to appreciate it all while they could. As Anais claimed, there was nothing but headache to be found in arguing about Astolfo's stolen horse. "You're right. Astolfo, drop your..."

Why did Charlemagne hesitate? There was a simple reason. So soon after their arrival, there was a mighty weight applied to the area. Charlemagne knew the feeling quite well. What they were all being subjected to was the fury of a dragon, felt from all the way in the upper sanctum. "... weapons. Now," he finished. The Holy Knights knew their headquarters had been entered. The one called Siegfried especially had been made aware of their arrival, even sooner than Charlemagne anticipated. Soon enough, someone would be seeking them; of this he was sure. Who would it be? He didn't have a clue, but he doubted they would be anything resembling friendly.

[Apollymi]

Arguing with Astolfo wasn't something which should be done most of the time. He in general lacked logic and it was much easier to let him do whatever thing his heart desired as long as it wasn't actually hurting anyone. Moving on, Charles had a gripe about being old and Anais could only shrug. "Come on now he can't be that old..." mentioned Yume who seemed to have no idea about the ages of other people in this world. "Ages can go pretty far, I'm over 300 myself..." she mentioned to Yume who found it startling. "Shut up! You've been here 300 years plus?!" she seemed to be in disbelief but that would have to wait.

"Ooooh? Someone is furious. That's making my skin tingle..." she said about the rather sudden pressure. "Yeah... it is definitely doing that, I really don't want to meet the person giving off that sort of vibration," she murmured her ears were already twitching. If she'd been alone she likely would have gone, but she was a knight she couldn't just abandon ship. Oh well, they were already here, it was too late to turn back and regroup. Instead they'd be left unarmed and waiting, until of course someone started coming into view. A young woman with long purple hair dressed in white and red was carrying with her a giant almost papal staff but she seemed to be moving at a pretty casual pace.

As she approached a rather strange group of people would come into her vision, with only a couple of recognizable faces in the group. How strange, the absolute fury radiating off the man in their main compound made much more sense now, didn't it. "Oh? I don't know what I expected but I didn't expect this!" the woman seemed to be calm and collected but strangely excited. There was a gentle twitch in her unoccupied hand as if she truly wished to fight. Well, they'd been on high alert for a while. Jeanne had gone missing the previous day and now they were coordinating and trying to find her.

[Bloodedge]

Yume had been in this world for only a day, and thus didn't have any expectations of aging, so it seemed. To be surprised that Anais lived in this world for a few hundred years, she wasn't helping Charlemagne's thoughts about his own elder status. There were fossils younger than him. No matter. If he didn't keep focused, he and the others could become fossils themselves. The Holy Knights functioned as Finis Chaldea's enforcers most times, and the group could have only grown more vast and powerful in the last thousand years. Siegfried already seemed to be in a different league than what he recalled. At least that feeling wasn't getting closer just yet.

Ah, but there was one encroaching upon him. Would it be a familiar face? Yes. A purple-haired holy woman walked along, and Charlemagne stepped away from his sword. She was one of the more dangerous individuals to catch oneself in combat with. Perhaps she would be fair? Sadly, her aura said otherwise. How strange. Something about her visage currently was more familiar than Charlemagne expected, but that was of little importance. "Martha..." he said. Charlemagne would take the front, stepping out ahead of Martha and cutting off the most direct path toward the others. If she attacked unexpectedly, he'd be on the receiving end. "We're here to talk."

While Charlemagne went with the straightforward approach, Astolfo finally abandoned that horse. He was content to ignore everything else happening, all to creep his way around to Martha's rear. What was his purpose? Well, Martha was always too voluptuous a target to ignore, so he meant to throw himself against her backside and fill his hands with her sizeable breasts. "Martha my goddess! Goooood morning~!♥"

[Apollymi]

Friends wouldn't be able to catch up for a little while. It was fine, but Yume now had a different concern after knowing how long that Anais had been in this world. Three hundred years was a long time to live, she should have been surprised the girl could even recognize and remember her. This was a magical world, but how much did one need to hang on to their own memory to not accidentally let go of someone they knew for less than a decade in their previous life?

Well, she'd ponder that question while someone apparently called Martha approached with the full intention of beating someone up. This was obvious even to someone as combat inexperienced as Yume. Anais seemed to be on high alert as if getting ready to move or surrender at a moment's notice. Tension seemed to be at an all time high, and Sakura was watching with rather wide eyes. Martha as she was called chuckled but it didn't necessarily seem like a happiness that reached the entirety of her face. "Yeah, that's probably not going to be a thing that..." Her sentence came to a close a bit prematurely. Actually, she'd done the worst thing she could have. She decided after scanning the group that Charles was the target to take but, in so doing Astolfo would easily do the thing he was always going to do. He broke the tension. In this case, he was rubbing himself against her backside and fondling her chest while greeting her. "Asta, cut it out. It's been years and while you aren't on the list you're definitely ruining my entrance here~" she chimed. Ah and what had been a fist twitching and ready to strike became some well spaced almost tickles to remove the handsy French man from her person.

While this took place Anais maintained a bit of curiosity and since she'd recently become quite used to asking questions as they appeared in her head, she had one for her friend. "Yume, was he like that over there too?" she wondered absently. "Hm, well he's more like the guy who gives the rocking hugs, not enough to be completely weird, but enough that if you thought he was out to get in your pants you'd question it. He's nowhere near as handsy as you though..." she mentioned to elafia, who had nothing but a reddened face as she came to remember some rather strange behaviors of hers. "We're not talking about that..." she countered quickly.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne could do nothing but try his best for immediate diplomacy. Sadly, it seemed Martha had no intention to follow the same path. He was completely unarmed, but prepared to defend himself by other means if necessary. Martha was among the more dangerous Holy Knights he knew of from before. Ah, but there was a stroke of luck called Astolfo in their group. Charlemagne could heave a sigh of relief after being the center of Martha's focus, leaving her opening to Astolfo's antics.

Astolfo could consider himself lucky as well. Since Charlemagne provided distraction so easily, he was able to have a very nice feel of a physique so dearly missed. Martha was always a treat to grope, even now as she complained and fended him off. The pink-haired lad was laughing furiously within moments, yet he continued reaching out again and again even after jerking away initially. "Boooo! You're ruining my entrance! That's no way to have a friendly reunion!" he whined. While that little exchange was going on, Charlemagne crossed his arms and lowered his guard just slightly. Astolfo was always good for that sort of thing, though his methods and everything else remained questionable. "So... if you have a moment to consider not attacking unarmed visitors, maybe I can start telling you how we're not your enemies? I'd rather get that part out of the way before Sieg's rampage starts."

[Apollymi]

Charles and his group seemed to catch a break, because of the antics of their patron pink-haired chaos master. Astolfo managed to take a person from obviously ready to beat someone to death to a giggling mess upset about her ruined entrance. He continued to try to grope and harass her but she didn't seem to take it very personality. One would notice this about the lad repeatedly. Regardless of the circumstances these kinds of greetings were technically normal for him. "You brought an enemy with you, it's your fault not mine," she said. Martha was at least willing to consider the only person in the wrong here might have been Charles. But there was a reasonable enough explanation for that, one which was perfectly rooted in logic which she would explain.

Regardless, Charles lowered his guard a bit and started talking... all while the tickling of Astolfo continued to force his eventual release of Martha's person. Sakura watched that exchange and wondered why that was what Astolfo went with as a diversion and then concluded that either he was some sort of genius or he was simply crazy. Either way, he had some pretty useful life skills. "First of all, I was willing to assume you were the only enemy in the group. Second, I am a saint and still a knight, I would have either let you arm yourself or fought on even terms," she said looking up with a tinge of seriousness. Did she know that it was worse for others if she fought without a weapon? Yes. But... it would have been honorable combat which was all any of the codes she followed demanded of her. "Besides all of that, you can say you're not our enemy, but it's been a millennia since I saw you last Chuck. And you stayed with the enemy after what happened with Jeanne so, believing you isn't exactly logical. Sieg's rampage is probably going to happen regardless so you better talk fast, there are only a limited number of people even capable of stopping him..." she explained of her current stance. "He's over a millennia old? Life in this world is pretty crazy..." Yume mumbled to Anais, the elafia nodded in response to that.

[Bloodedge]

An enemy? Oh, right; the whole point of this ordeal was that they would be considered enemies by the Holy Knights. Well, that wasn't wholly the case for Martha; she only considered one person an enemy. She and Astolfo would not agree, however. "I didn't bring an enemy. It's a good horse!" he insisted as if the horse was being blamed.

Charlemagne might have to let Astolfo keep the horse after all. The other male was doing quite a bit to cut the tension early, whether intentional or not. Regardless of intention or lack thereof, Charlemagne didn't have to immediately fend off one of the more threatening Holy Knights before the guaranteed problem of Siegfried. "You mean arm myself and fight on even terms? It hasn't been long enough for me to forget what you're like without a weapon," he scoffed. To Martha's credit, her belief was not wrong. Their perspective had him on the side of their greatest enemy for a thousand years, but there were so many more details the Holy Knights didn't have. "I can stop Siegfried; I just won't like it. Anyway... here," he said, casually tossing the Holy Grail toward Martha. That was something best dealt with as soon as possible. Besides, he could use it as a conversation piece and the proof of his coming story. "You know what that is?"

[Apollymi]

Martha was shocked, for several reasons not the least of which was apparently the idea that Astolfo thought she was blaming his horse for being an enemy. She had a quick look at the horse wondering if it was male or female, and upon making her discovery she only had this to say. "I know the relationship between people and their mounts are none of my business but if you honestly think I see a horse as an enemy you might think I'm as crazy as you are," she said. Given the random assortment of people in this group the only old faces were Charles and Astolfo. And of that pair only Charles was problematic, as far as she was concerned everyone could have simply been coerced into making this trip or didn't know the truth of the lad. It wasn't in their nature to harm any who didn't mean harm in the first place.

Moving on, Charles spoke of arming himself to fight her on even terms which made the woman look a bit embarrassed. She thought she was going to actually get to fight. She snapped as if she'd just barely missed an opportunity. "Shoot, I never get to have fun anymore," she grumbled as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. At the same time, he claimed that he could stop Siegfried he just wouldn't like to and tossed her something she recognized and caught after flailing about sightly. "Oi oi, I don't know what you think Siegfried is but... This is a Holy Grail. We haven't seen a new one in ages! Where the hell did you get this? And if you won it, why did you come here? You'd have been better off trying King Gilgamesh or the Pharoahs or hell at this point even the trial by combat that would have come with appearing in Albion," she said. Well half of those people were currently missing, but why he chose to appear where people wanted him dead was not the most brilliant thing that could have been done.

"Oh, there are Holy Grails plural?" this was a question of Yume. "Hai hai, we found out yesterday that they are supposed to spawn in regular intervals and be fought over on the lower world so that people can lift their kingdoms, countries or themselves to this level, and interact with the Nexus. But the person in charge of Aincrad had been... taking the grails while they were in more manageable forms and hoarding them. So Charlie's that he won from the Labyrinth is probably a bit of shocking news. His having it also gives him the right to be up here so..." she murmured to her friend to keep her up to date on natural situations. At the same time, Sakura was quite impressed at this tactic had worked and that Anais had managed to retain such information the previous day while being in an obviously distressed state.

[Bloodedge]

"Oi!" Astolfo yelled immediately. "I don't know what you see as an enemy! As far as I know, gorillas and horses just don't get along," he continued, offering a rather pointed jab at the intimidating physical capacity of Martha. Bending at the waist, he took himself to eye-level with her posterior, an extended forefinger on a path toward it. "Really soft for a gorilla, though. Like really soft! What sort of troop did you come from?"

Martha had every reason to recognize a Holy Grail, and it seemed she even recognized it as different to the one Jeanne once possessed. The topic of Siegfried aside, Charlemagne could move on without an additional explanation. Good. It was for the best that he move on to the more important parts. "I got it in Aincrad. I thought it was given to me by Father An when I was coronated as Holy Emperor, but it apparently belonged to me since I cleared the Labyrinth," he explained. "Which he did by himself!" Astolfo added proudly. "Y-... yeah. Anyway, you're targeting the wrong guy. You're probably thinking I'm the guy who's lying to people about what happened to Jeanne, but I was one of the people being misled. The Father is the problem here. I saw Jeanne a little while ago, by the way. She's fine; she and some others apparently got trapped somewhere. I didn't get a lot of the details. I came here for help. Being An's 'second sacrifice' got me dropped out of Aincrad, so I need to find it again. I've got people still there, and a bone to pick with the Father after he tried to hijack my soul yesterday morning."

[Apollymi]

Astolfo's logic or lack thereof, served to make him the actual target of any aggression real or playful. At the mention of the term gorilla a small vein above Martha's left brow began to twitch gently. That staff she hed was planted in the ground rather swiftly thereafter. And by the time Astolfo was aiming to poke her bottom and question what kind of troop she came from, she was aiming to twist her knuckles against the side of his head after pulling him into an aptly ordained headlock. She would remain rapping against his brain for the foreseeable future while Charles explained about how his grail was obtained.

According to his own words, he'd been misled as well. Astolfo chimed in to mention that he'd cleared the Labyrinth by himself which caused another question from Yume. "Is that a big deal?" she asked seeing how proud Astolfo seemed to be about that fact. "Hai, the Labyrinth is a super hard dungeon it takes a lot of different skill types to get all the way though it. The only other person in the history of the Labyrinth to clear it alone was Jeanne d'Arc. But given the whole of Aincrad was told she was a heretic it was assumed that it wasn't actually meant to be possible to clear it alone and that she could only do so by colluding with demons. I was attempting it on my own and I'd only gotten to floor 70," she explained of the situation. "But groups began clearing it a while ago... most by 'any means necessary'." she finished that explanation to Yume who could only frown. "Is this world demon racist?" she asked quickly. "Until yesterday, it was assumed that anyone with a demonic presence was evil... those things were innately synonymous. But there are exceptions to everything, a few in our group give off those kinds of vibrations but aren't bad," Anais explained.

All the while, Martha had stopped moving and heard out Charles story. How was she meant to react? The lad had nearly gotten his soul broken, she'd never heard of that happening before, but it didn't sound good. Even so, she wasn't sure how much she should actually feel for him. The whole thing felt a bit suspicious regardless of his circumstances. He'd even claimed to have seen Jeanne recently and that she and some others had gone missing but they were trapped no details. "You realize that story is a bit too convenient right? You happened to be misled for over a thousand years, despite being from the other side and having the extra knowledge you went along with it. You happen to be the secondary person to get tossed out and didn't see it coming. You get put back together again and happen to see Jeanne after, she's gone missing form here. And now you just happen to be looking to get your friends out of that same horrid place and you're seeking our help? Beyond it being overly convenient as an explanation for both your absence and your continued connection to a corrupt organization, we don't have any way to corroborate that you've actually seen Jeanne nor do we have any proof that you weren't the one doing the things. You get it right? You know how this looks?" At the end of Martha's speech Sakura gave a firm nod. She liked this woman, her thoughts were rooted in logic and all the information she listed was solidly what happened regardless of the extra details. "I mean that is a logical assertion but it isn't really fair to Charlie, he was looking into what happened to Jeanne, several in our group were helping with it," that was Anais's stance on the matter.

[Bloodedge]

Eventually, Astolfo would always land himself in some sort of headlock. One might consider that at a certain point, he considered it an acceptable greeting from some of the women he knew. The lad was a giggling mess even while having Martha's knuckles ground into his head, even as she kept up a conversation with Charlemagne. As for that conversation, of course Martha didn't believe a word Charlemagne said. He expected as much. "Of course it sounds too convenient. That's how evil mastermind plans work," was his initial rebuttal.

There were many things to take into consideration regarding this story. Of it all, there was one particular part he needed to debunk. Yes, he was from the other world where many of these things were part of history. On the other hand, however, he knew how skewed history became when this magical world was involved. "King Arthur is a woman who lives during the same time period as King Gilgamesh, Charlemagne, and the pharaohs Ramesses and Nitocris. Anseis de Carthage is the deer girl right over there," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder toward Anais. Next, he pointed at the grail still in Martha's hand. "The Holy Grail? You're holding one of at least several hundred right now. Don't start preaching to me about how I should have expectations based on a history that isn't anywhere near the same as what our world thinks. I've been through a lot of things, dealt with this crazy world for a long time, and a whole millennium doesn't compare to what I've had to go through in the past 48 hours, so don't tell me I should have seen anything coming!"

Charlemagne was getting a bit riled-up. Didn't he have every reason to, though? Something was very annoying here, and he hadn't yet realized what it was in the midst of a paused rant. Many people from their world came to realize historical figures were living their lives on this side, or even were those figures themselves. Some, however, came to realize in a very direct manner how very different the stories were. Moving on, he'd yet to address the other alleged inconsistencies of the story. "And I didn't just randomly stumble upon Jeanne. I used the grail and spoke to her within the Nexus. She even burned the hell out of me before we could have a conversation. But... ignore that. Ignore all of that, because I've got one big problem right now. You know the Jeanne that appeared after she was killed. You probably know the story of how it happened. So tell me, what part of that story mentions me at all? Because here's the fun part: I was in the middle of a war with the fucking Saxons while it all happened! Check your history on that!" Ah, Charlemagne understood what the annoyance was now. Three of the six people in this group were from Aincrad, yet he was the sole target. Why? He'd easily take the blame for negligence in the aftermath ─ he'd even take it for ignorance. He would not, however, let a belief that he directly did anything to Jeanne d'Arc stand.

[Apollymi]

Apparently the convenience of his appearance and all of that was to be attributed to an evil mastermind sort of plan. That may be the truth but even if it was the case, then he still hadn't been conscious enough of multiple aspects of this situation. What was more a tirade was on the way which would bring a slight end to the rapping of knuckles over the head of Astolfo. He took issue with the inconsistencies of history and this world, given the time span and several other things. She disagreed with that point but could understand the confusion. From what she'd seen in a technical sense, the overlap of these people was mostly concerned with extended human lifetimes and nothing else. But... logic wasn't going to work here and she was sure of that by the time the lad restarted. She took issue with different things the lad said at this point including the idea that the organization he was with had hundreds of holy grails but not nearly that number of king worthy candidates among them. It simply wasn't possible truly. But a real show of emotions didn't a lot of things and firstly it made this whole situation a lot less staged then it could have been. Martha's eyes hadn't left the lad and she was busy hearing him out. He'd obviously been sitting on whatever emotions he had going so she'd let him finish. Sometimes people needed to vent, and given he wasn't armed she'd allow it.

Anais looked over at Charles and realized that he'd been bottling that up for a bit. She'd warned him about his invasive thoughts, but she supposed this woman seemed well trained enough to handle his potential emotional breakdown. At the same time, Yume had to question something but as the lad was on a tirade she didn't want to interrupt. "You've been through something traumatic, obviously and I am not unsympathetic," she clarified. This was of course the truth, Martha held a healthy skepticism for all who didn't return after the death of Jeanne d'Arc and very few would above such criticism. Even so, the Jeanne who returned was very different but still very much herself. "The Jeanne who came back had taken are more pragmatic approach, but she was still herself, you've seen her so you know what I mean. I am aware of the work of a certain man named Charles against the Saxons, but I think you are also forgetting that the lower world broke apart. As for Jeanne's story, she mentioned directly that 'Father' person and Gilles being directly enemies, still she didn't know who else as in on it and all from Aincrad were to be treated as hostiles until their alignment was determined. The only exception to that is whoever Angelica is, she saw her as another victim..." Martha mentioned all these things were logical. "I would also have you know that people from Aincrad periodically attack Holy Knights including the Sanctum itself," Martha clarified. Given the more visceral emotional response she was willing to believe Charles didn't directly have anything to do with what happened to Jeanne, but him not understanding the hostility seemed a bit off.

[Bloodedge]

A moment of mentioned sympathy came from Martha, but Charlemagne paid no mind to it. He'd been watching her all along, and there was no outright agreement in the woman's face. He wondered what would pass her lips next. Apparently, she wouldn't immediately attribute the name 'Charles' to him when speaking of the man who fought the Saxons. How ridiculous. "So while you're talking about expectations based on history, you're not going to believe it was Charles Martel who fought the Saxons? Right," he griped. As for Jeanne insisting that all from Aincrad were to be treated as hostile, apart from someone named Angelica, Charlemagne had a few more words to offer. "Angelica is my wife, whom I'll be going to break out of Aincrad whenever I can get the point across to you and everyone else here."

Apparently, members of Aincrad often attacked the Eternal Sanctum. Why that was a point worth mentioning, he didn't know. "If you expect me to know about that, you're wasting your time. I spend way too much time being sent out on missions to know the comings and goings of anyone outside my own group," he stated plainly. "But if that's supposed to be a point toward me being sketchy, I raise you the fact that our first move upon arrival was disarming ourselves. Anyway, this isn't going anywhere. Nothing I say outright is going to prove anything to you, and nothing you say is going to suddenly make me a bad guy. So, you tell me what gets the point across before Siegfried comes down ripping the mountain apart just to listen even less than you are. Our weapons are on the ground, you're holding my grail, and the closest thing to an attack we've tried was Astolfo molesting you. What else do you want?"

[Apollymi]

Charles was beyond upset, maybe even more upset than he seemed to be initially. But, strangely Martha had become quite used to dealing with these random changes in mood and emotion, she could navigate it easily enough though Charles himself seemed to be cross with her directly. "First off, everyone fights the Saxons. Secondly, I said Charles, I don't know which one, it's far from an uncommon name around here, Charles Martel, Charles Henri Sasson, Charles of Aberdeen, are all Charles I have met, that doesn't count any number that do or don't exist presently..." perhaps she was getting a bit too worked up about this whole thing. She wanted to believe Charles, but they were already on edge. No one was going to accuse her of not doing what she was supposed to in the face of a potential threat.

Beyond this point apparently Angelica was Charles's wife, that was odd. The lad didn't seem the type to ever be anything other than star struck by the kinds of girls he'd have interest in. Maybe she was pushy? That was likely. He claimed there was no middle ground to be reached her because he wouldn't suddenly become the bad guy and they wouldn't suddenly believe him. It was obvious he was under pressure here, if he acknowledged Aincrad as an enemy then his wife and his people were in enemy territory, she could sympathize and she might even want to help but... things were too complicated for that kind of trust to be extended currently. They were at a bit of an impasse but there were others around others to break tension and start conversations that might actually help. "This is confusing," Sakura finally stated. "Char-kun expected a bad reception but is somehow upset that he is getting one..." she started. "And this lady seems logically skeptical as expected," she considered. "With both sides having clear reasons for their current distrust and clearly understanding the issues at hand I don't understand why things have escalated," she explained.

Ah, that was true enough but Sakura's almost alien nature made it easy to forget the part of being human that was so perfectly normal to the others present. Yume had been quiet for a while and she'd be able to help out in her... invasive sort of way. "Oh? That's easy... human emotion," she concluded. "This one was lightly disappointed that she wasn't going to get to fight someone and the whole group is on edge because their leader is missing. No one wants to be the reason something bad happens while she is gone," she concluded. "And he feels angry by the implications that he had anything to do with the bad things that happened to Jeanne d'Arc. Actually his heart is practically shouting that point," she concluded. "Plans don't account for human emotion, it's almost unpredictable," she explained in the moment. "How you do that?" asked Anais. "I can read hearts... strong emotions are really easy to interpret," she explained. "Sou ka, arigatou gouzaimasu~" Sakura shared with Yume, she'd gained some understanding. Humans were too driven by their own emotional states, they couldn't consider just the logical portions of these sorts of endeavors. "Box it. Charlie can you prove you've seen Jeanne? Their last orders say those from Aincrad are enemies, with no proof that Jeanne approves they can't be agreeable. At this point she's only doing her duty," Anais offered her opinion after hearing everything. Though Martha didn't know what else to ask for, good faith was all fine but without Jeanne they could only work based on their previous orders.

[Bloodedge]

Everyone fights the Saxons. That was a rather true statement, but few had ever fought them as he did. To hell with the others named Charles This or Charles That; where was there a Charles who would have fought that war? "Uh-huh. And I'm guessing all of those guys also have a light attribute that was able to purify them? Or did you think baptism was an innuendo? Last I checked, Sanson can't do that. Maybe that other Charles could have done that while also dividing the land? Hell, maybe it was a whole group of guys named Charles working themselves to the bone just to send TEN THOUSAND Saxons packing across the continent!"

This conversation was going nowhere fast. Worse still, Martha wasn't giving him an answer. No, it was Anais who spoke instead. Perhaps he could provide some form of proof that he'd met with Jeanne. Yes, that would certainly work, all for someone to claim that still wasn't proof that she held no animosity toward him. "Proof, huh? Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe the burn marks on my back that definitely happened before we came to terms? That totally proves we didn't have a fight to the death, right?" he asked rhetorically. "That might work. And you're right; she's just following orders." The longer this conversation went on, the more annoyed Charlemagne was becoming. When planning their arrival, there was one thing he decided he wouldn't do. Alas, it was seeming more likely by the moment. If the problem was following orders, there was one very easy thing he could do. "Or maybe we can just skip all the pointless back-and-forth and just go with a new order?"

Just then, that overbearing surge of power made its appearance again. A shadow was cast over the group, belonging to a large pair of black wings eclipsing the sun. Those wings collapsed and vanished, just before a smaller figure became clear in the sky above. Ah, Siegfried was here after all. Eyes that were normally forest-green boasted an amber glow as that tall male came crashing down with a massive greatsword drawn. Just as Charlemagne expected within moments of their arrival, this one would not stop for an exchange. As such, Charlemagne had to leap away from an encroaching downward slash of that monstrous weapon. That leap landed Charlemagne right beside his own sword, which was quickly pulled from the ground. "And step four: throw away the plan," he grumbled.

[Apollymi]

Apparently the feats of those fights against the Saxons were ones which should have alerted people to the Charles it was who did the thing. He could say that, but that was completely unreasonable. It wasn't as if anyone knew a single man caused all that, sure if that was information known that might have led to a specific outcome of thought but it didn't. As far as anyone knew, the only people who could turn back an entire army alone like that were Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria Pendragon. She could have pointed out in this moment that the details of that were not really out and about given that it happened around the time Jeanne d'Arc was missing the first time, but he wasn't really hearing her anyway.

When the elafia girl spoke again she thought offering proof that he'd seen the woman. This was a reasonable enough thought, there were quite a few things that would work as actual proof. Charles even went on a little tirade about the burns on his body that happened before they came to terms. "Actually..." Martha started only for the lad to go on being particularly snarky with everyone. In truth, the fact that he was still alive after being burned would indeed mean he wasn't seen as an enemy. Jeanne had the Authority of Vengeance, so even if she died he wouldn't have survived the ordeal either. Therefore if he was burned by her and still breathing she'd changed her mind, it would have indeed offered proof. But with his mood already established as bad he wasn't about to listen to her... and there was a different problem on the horizon. "You said you didn't want to do that," mentioned Sakura as she seemed to understand what he meant. At the same time, Anais seemed to be in motion, because her silent protector felt the threat coming long before she saw that looming shadow. She grabbed the back of Sakura and Yume and moved them both behind herself as a giant shadow loomed overhead. And by the time it landed she was standing in front of both of them. "Are you doing this by yourself or should I be armed too?" that was the question wasn't it.

Martha had also felt him coming and gently tossed Astolfo from his headlock while pulling up her staff and flipping out of the way. "Sieg, we talked about this, you should let me handle this sort of thing..." she offered. Knowing his eyes were already golden which meant he was nowhere near calm enough. She was trying to avoid this sort of combat for the most part. It was mostly a matter of emotion and she understood that no one would be ruined by Jeanne being missing as Siegfried. "You're fast," Sakura noted. "Sumimasen, I don't know if you're actually squishy, I just reacted." Anais offered those words but it would be Yume who looked a bit stunned. "I am squishy, I went full mage, my physical stats are abysmal. But that guy is so angry I can't tell what I am feeling... it's like prickling across my skin!" she said seemingly amazed that anyone could be so upset. She'd been spiteful earlier but this kind of emotion seemed inhuman.

[Bloodedge]

Whatever the conversation was about to lead toward, it wouldn't be happening now. Charlemagne officially had the Dragon Knight to deal with. Luckily for him, his own attitude was at the perfect point to do so. While he prepared himself, there were words from Sakura. He did indeed say this was not what he wanted to do. "No, I didn't. But how many times has it mattered what I want lately?" was his response. Siegried charged without a word spoken. With the other man's strength and the weight of that blade, Charlemagne could only manage a parry with both hands if he meant to do so in a reasonable time. As blades clashed, he offered his response to Anais. "Just stay back!" he yelled.

Meanwhile, Siegfried had taken to slamming his sword down upon the smaller male repeatedly. Each strike was parried even as the clashing sent ripples through the air. This wasn't a situation he could let Martha handle by any means. "I'm not entertaining the words of a traitor!" the large man growled. Charlemagne took the slightest moment of distraction to slip beyond Siegfried's sword, taking a full offensive which resulted in numerous slashes finding the man's legs, torso and arms. Visually, he was out for blood... but he knew Siegfried. "Do I really have to bring you down just for your ears to open?" Charlemagne wondered.

Astolfo had been released, but he didn't stray very far at all. The pink-haired lad stood between Martha and the others, observing the battle as if it were a source of entertainment. "Oooh! I always wanted to see this fight! Back in the day, it could have been a nice scandal! Annie, get the camera!" he said excitedly. He didn't know if anyone else was worried about the ongoing kerfuffle, but he certainly wasn't ─ even though Siegfried's energy was becoming less 'human' by the second.

[Apollymi]

"I mean those things were a bit different," mentioned Sakura who didn't understand why Anais had apologized nor general emotional state of Charles. But, she'd grown up in Munetsuchi and perhaps the physical aspect of exercise would help him calm down a bit. If that didn't work there was another way, but he'd probably be skittish about it. Whatever the case, she'd hold that thought in her mind while watching the fight. "Hai hai," Anais managed she was still on high alert but that was a matter of a lot of energy being tossed around and rolling off people giving her weird vibrations.

"I don't really think he's a traitor. You really could have let me finish talking to him first, but maybe this will be good for both of you," Martha mentioned. She was a martial artists, she understood the honesty of physicality more than most and as long as no one was about to die, she'd probably let it go. After all, Charles also wasn't really seeing the other side of reason given his own attitude. "So, is this going to be alright?" asked Yume as she watched blows rain down with extreme force and then the subsequent strikes which happened methodically with speed. "It will be fine. As much as I hate that the plans never work out we're kind of used to it at this point. The talking part always goes wrong, but Charlie won't lose a fight..." she stated. Martha's eyes turned to the elafia girl who seemed to have quite a bit of faith in the lad fighting.

At the same time, Astolfo seemed to be quite excited to watch this fight. The pink haired lad claimed this would have been a scandal before and he obviously knew both of these people fairly well. "I don't have one... and I am not at all interested in a scandal of any sort. But you're also always like this so carry on I guess," she mentioned seeming to be beyond the meeting new people and fighting them to assert dominance. She was sure such an instance would have been nothing but fun for someone like Renaud. "Jea-nee did say he would be the most upset, I think I understand..." said Sakura as she watched the fight. Things of passion were much easier for her to grasp as far as human emotions were concerned.

[Bloodedge]

Martha didn't think the 'former' Holy Knight was a traitor. Siegfried wouldn't listen; he could hardly even hear. That may have mostly been the fury of a dragon welling up inside, but it could have easily been blamed on the constant ringing in his ear as Charlemagne took the offensive and caused Siegfried to parry quite close to his own head a few times. "We carry the same sin, you and me," the black-haired male said. Siegfried hadn't a clue what he was talking about initially, but he'd know soon enough.

"Don't lump me in with─" Siegfried started while aiming his free fist toward the smaller male's torso. "Shut up!" Charlemagne interjected. He had a free hand as well, which he used swiftly to divert the other's fist. In that moment, a seemingly stray slash caught Siegfried's ankle, effectively toppling the giant. Charlemagne could finally tower over the Dragon-Knight. What would he do with that ability? He'd antagonize. "You know what I actually did to Jeanne?" he asked. Siegfried was made curious, but not for long. Charlemagne would be telling the rest while grabbing those long, silver locks. "I did the same thing you did! I wasn't there!" With that, there was a very well-placed knee colliding with Siegfried's face. The large knight was knocked away by the impact, though rather quick to recover himself. The strangest thing to him was that Charlemagne managed to injure him at all, given his unique constitution. "So how does that work, Siegfried? Who's the traitor if you've got two counts to my one?"

On the topic of scandals, Astolfo scoffed. Anais would never be able to appreciate such an amazing scenario, yet the current situation could be no such thing. Well... it could in his imagination, at least. "Calm down! This one isn't even a scandal. This is the super special shounen development battle!" he said, spewing more nonsense by the moment... sort of.

[Apollymi]

Everyone was watching the ongoing fight with bated breath. Charles seemed content to antagonize Siegfried and while that occurred the man was subjected to several blows. 'That's not right...' Martha thought while watching this fight. It seemed rather intense, and while she expected something relatively close to a fair battle this one didn't seem very fair at all. This thought was similar to one held by Anais, who figured Charles might have forgot that his entire existence got an upgrade, but maybe this was a reasonable time to figure it out? She had a pretty good idea that she could actively heal most damages caused to either party with way more quickness than she would have been able to previously. She also had way more energy than she needed to expend upon the activity.

"Oh? I can't quite place that emotion... I don't quite ge..." then Charles continued to use words against Siegfried and it clicked in the mind of the girl. "Never mind. but guy emotions are really weird," she ended her observation at that. Self-loathing as experienced by both of these individuals resulted in both lashing out in very interesting ways. One was looking for someone to victimize to vent and the other was content to bottle his up until it exploded outward. Strange but she understood how they got there even if the exact feeling of it was a bit different. Whatever the case, Astolfo called this a shounen development battle. How pointed, but also very strange. "I am as calm as I always am," Anais uttered, which was true. Though her words and actions always seemed a bit skittish she could buckle down and do whatever needed to be done most times.

[Bloodedge]

Once upon a time, there was a saying about poking sleeping dragons. It had become something of an analogy, but it had once been a very literal thing for a very serious reason. Charlemagne was presently poking the dragon within Siegfried, whether he meant to or not. The tall knight had already been halfway to a transformation before arriving, and he now seemed to be developing scales over a surprisingly broken face. "Were you always an insufferable bastard, or did you get that from your Holy Father?" he hissed. "Were you always a close-minded monster, or did you get that from being turned into Fafnir's overcoat?" Charlemagne countered.

Then and there, Siegfried made a decision. He couldn't let himself become the dragon Fafnir and endanger the other Holy Knights and their headquarters. Luckily, he had an emergency method to avoid such situations. There was a Skill called Disengage, which could tap into even Siegfried's smaller mana reserves to affect himself and his opponent, effectively resetting the conditions of battle to the beginning. He would be uninjured, and his transformation would be reverted as well. Charlemagne witnessed the reversal of scales and injuries, but he didn't want that outcome. Little did he realize, his desire in such an emotional state was no mere desire. As essentially the God of Order, his decision to keep things as they were halted Siegfried's Skill activation, with only a flash of red in Charlemagne's eyes to show what occurred. Ah, but that meant Siegfried's transformation was still underway. "What's wrong, Sieg? Time to take the coat off?" Charlemagne wondered. All the while, Siegfried was sprouting more scales, growing claws and fangs, and even increasing in physical stature a bit.

[Apollymi]

This fight seemed beyond personal, so much so that the jabs these two people took at each other caused visible wincing from all the women present. If they weren't already fighting, well... it definitely wasn't about to stop. "Yeah, both of these people definitely came from our world... those are beyond fighting words," Yume mentioned. Anais could only nod, "That is definitely pretty rough," she confirmed. it would be Sakura who heard the words and looked confused. Of course, among these people she would surely express her confusion because both of those 'jabs' seemed to be pretty solid observations. "Why are those statements rough? They seem to be pretty reasonable conclusions based on the information given..." she said looking at all the women present and obviously expecting some sort of explanation.

"Are we really about to explain trash talk to a young goddess? I feel like that might be sacrilege or something?" Anais followed up but she was rubbing the side of her head. It wasn't as if she hadn't been involved in quite a bit of sacrilege earlier today. "It's definitely something but I feel like this trip could get pretty awkward if she doesn't understand..." mentioned Yume. "Definitely awkward," confirmed Martha. So then they remained looking at each other as they decided how best to explain the truthful observations as the trash talk they were. Anais would quietly end up bringing up the explanation of the situation that had happened earlier in context. "So you remember earlier when Astolfo observed that I was, as my previous self a midget? Well, that is like a way to refer to really short people. And while I may actually be observably short, its rude to point it out as humans have a lot of things they are sensitive about," she said. Sakura was nodding and following along. "Those two chose two things they didn't like about themselves, based on knowing each other and spewed them at each other with the intention of hurting, thus... it isn't just an observation it is meant to evoke an emotional response," this was the end of the summary given by the pair. "In conversation it is generally not considered human polite to say those types of things to each other... even friends might bump heads over things like that, make sense?" asked Martha finally. "Sou ka... arigatou gouzaimasu," mentioned Sakura. For her this explanation amounted to, humans who knew the truth of themselves didn't necessarily want other people telling them those truths. It was also apparently a reasonable tactic to use such harsh truths to pick a fight. Okay. Just the same everyone noticed something magical had happened but no one could really place what it was except Sakura. And Siegfried was in the middle of transforming so it was getting a bit dodgy though Charles didn't seem like he wasn't winning still.

[Bloodedge]

Siegfried's growth was something capable of threatening the Eternal Sanctum in its entirety. Charlemagne didn't seem very worried about it at all, though he was beginning to understand what happened mere moments ago. "Were you trying to stop it? Why? You wanted to take out the 'traitor', right?" he questioned, stepping even closer to the man who would soon be a full-fledged dragon. Those eyes of Charlemagne's were becoming red once more. Perhaps it was time he tried using a newfound power with purpose? "If you're not going to commit, don't bother drawing your sword. You can't kill me. Fafnir can't kill me. Stop trying," he demanded.

In that moment, Charlemagne enforced a rule upon the world, temporary though it may be. So long as Siegfried could not overcome Charlemagne, he could not express his aggression. The dragon traits of Siegfried receded quickly, and his eyes became that deep shade of green once more. He would wonder for some time how a person like Charlemagne could silence Fafnir. While he did, Charlemagne sheathed his sword. The fight was over, so Charlemagne could say something he'd been holding in the entire time. "You know what else I wasn't planning on doing? Mentioning that I'm the king here now. The plan involved getting you people to listen, without creating bad blood by forcing it. This is stupid. If we came to attack, we would have attacked. We're here to get help doing something you all want to do anyway. So, if we're done with this, who's ready to finally listen?"

[Apollymi]

Charles kept poking at Siegfried having figured out that the man was trying to stop his transformation he questioned the decision. He went on to make a rather bold claim which more or less became a rule. Siegfried couldn't kill him. Fafnir couldn't kill him. He was ordered to stop trying. If Charles earlier uses of power were any indication he'd probably just locked this man's aggression towards him behind his own mental and physical skills. That was interesting. The man had deep green eyes and seemed to be rather calm where he was, "Are you okay? Do you need healing?" this was a question from Anais. If everything was fine now, she'd actually do something useful for a while.

Just the same, Charles asked if everyone was ready to listen, because he came here for help. He was also not going to mention being king here and he thought the whole situation was stupid. These points were fair, but no one in this situation was wrong in a technical sense. "How are you king here? And if you actually can manage that sort of thing, why do you think you need our help?" these were a pretty logical set of questions asked of the lad as Martha held out his grail to return it to him. She'd been willing to hear him out the entire time, his attitude was the one developing negativity just by virtue of simple questioning. All the while Sakura was content to watch the lad and wonder if he actually felt better. She was learning quite a bit about human interaction and how emotions seemed to work on and in their minds. It was odd, but Charles was quite good for this sort of thing.

[Bloodedge]

Siegfried had been succinctly, albeit surprisingly, bested this day. He never imagined Charlemagne being an easy enemy to defeat, but he also never imagined being defeated by the lad with ease. To top it all off, one of Charlemagne's comrades spoke up to question his wellbeing. "I'll be ─ hngh ─ fine!" Siegfried insisted. Charlemagne looked at the fallen Dragon-Knight, realizing he'd taken injury that should not have been possible under normal circumstances. Ah... Charlemagne was a different sort of entity now, and even possessed armor and a weapon from divine beings to boot. "Heal him," he said to Anais.

Stepping toward Martha, he received a pair of questions that were sure to come about eventually. Now that a discussion could be properly held, he'd explain. "The Nexus is God. I went there, where I met Jeanne, and I was made king because I was apparently supposed to be in the original timeline of this world. Nothing else has changed. We didn't get married or anything, though she'll probably return with a child that apparently comes from her Holy Grail. It's also my kid, but not like that," he said to silence any additional ignorance-induced fury from Siegfried. During a brief silence, he took hold of the Holy Grail again. "The help is for two reasons. First and foremost, we can't just go to Aincrad, as you probably know. We're here because this is a central place we can use to try locating it. And yes, I can do a lot now. That doesn't matter. I told you Father An tried to hijack my soul; I meant he took a chunk of it. From what I heard in the Nexus, he's walking around with my face, my name, and a weird beard that I can't wait to rip off his chin. There's still a chance he can keep pulling on my soul, though, so I'll take all the help I can get."

[Apollymi]

Anais offered healing which she was bound to do simply by virtue of how she behaved. It seemed that initially Siegfried thought to deny the offer but Charles said she should so she went with that. She looked at the Dragon Knight and gave a gentle apology as she looked over his injuries. "Sorry," she murmured. Ah, now would be an interesting time, Anais would be using a more advanced version of one of her skills. It was a strict healing spell which had been renamed, Ethereal Incandescent Cloud. Within her hand a small flame would be formed in the candlelight associated with her 'spirit animal' for lack of a better term. But instead of leaving it floating, she manipulated it with her fingers, reaching out with her hand to touch the Dragon Knight. Doing so, she found herself guiding the flames which did no harm and only increased mana flow and stitched up wounds gently around his body. It would take much less time for her to do so this way and with a more direct interface she was able to easily make sure no signs of his injury remained.

At the same time, Charles began explaining the whole of the situation to the group at large. Jeanne's would have been king, he was, and it was something the Nexus who was god decided needed to be a thing. They changed nothing else but they'd have a child together but it was Jeanne's Holy Grail and they didn't make it the way humans did. Martha heard this information and her face scrunched up. She seemed rather obviously terse but it wasn't because of what was said but instead the outrageousness of the world. How could some things be so normal and other things be so crazy. "Why can't people be normal?" this was all Martha had to say. Someone had stolen Charles's face and his soul and was apparently using it and he couldn't just fight them because he could end up absorbed. She sighed. "Still, that seems like a problem and if we can possibly even partially help I see no reason we shouldn't," she said. The cup was gone from her hands now and everything seemed to be mostly still.

[Bloodedge]

Siegfried hadn't taken legitimate damage of that nature in a very long time. He thought everything would be fine, but it seemed he couldn't even keep himself together properly. Charlemagne urged his companion to heal the Dragon-Knight, even after a rather aggressive encounter. How queer. Well, he had little choice but to accept healing, and he had no immediate animosity toward the deer girl. Silently did he sit and feel the envelopment of warmth from an unusual flame of recovery.

All the while, Siegfried could hear Charlemagne's explanation of recent events. He was king of the Eternal Sanctum, and already sire to its coming prince or princess, though not via any sexual contact. This magical world did the craziest things at times. Martha thought to ask why people couldn't just be normal. That happened to be a question Charlemagne had been wondering the answer to repeatedly as of late. "This is normal now. Just get used to it," he said. Moving on, Martha was keen on the idea of offering assistance after hearing the details. He recalled her having reasonable political standing among the Holy Knights as one of few saints, so he cared not for other opinions. "Then let's get to work already," Charlemagne demanded. Already, he was taking steps toward the sanctum. Enough time had been wasted; there were things to do.

Astolfo would follow Charlemagne's every movement while pulling his new mount along, but what had the elf Ailen been up to? He seemed to have paid little attention to that entire battle. Instead, the elf chose to pick a few nearby plants and store them away for study in the near future. At present, he was inspecting a simple blade of grass, standing near Anais as if he didn't even realize she was otherwise occupied. "This is truly marvelous, you know? Many of the decoctions made on the lower world could have even this grass as a base, and they would be made better for it. It's revolutionary, really. I do wonder if all the lands up here are so rich in mana. This could change alchemy as we know it, even if that is not the case. I'll even have to inform my mentor."

[Apollymi]

Siegfried settled down into the healing process and didn't seem to have any complaints. Anais for her part seemed content to manipulate the warm mana around him and force its interactions with his body to heal his wounds. This was quite strange, in touching him so directly she realized his physical constitution was a lot higher than a normal being. If Charles had chosen a more human target to vent on, this could have been a much more serious situation. She gave thought to that gentle reminder to come later all the while a conversation carried on between Charles and Martha. The latter wanted to know why things couldn't be normal and Charles claimed that this was normal and to get used to it. Martha decided the last forty-eight hours had been particularly deterimental to the lad's psyche but didn't see it as her place to interfere.

Martha had been alive for a long time and every new thing introduced was getting more and more ridiculous. Maybe sometime after this adventure it was time for her to be a normal person, and forget about outlandishness. They started heading for the Sanctum and Martha, Sakura and Yume would begin walking along as well. "You want to get to work, what exactly do you plan on doing? Tracking a moving hidden, target isn't exactly within the knights expertise..." she asked in a straight-forward manner. He was quite committed to getting help, but what did that actually mean. A crunch for time was one thing, but he didn't even know where the thing he was looking for was, and the last time someone did something like that it was Francis Drake.

While that happened, Ailen was content to speak to Anais as if she wasn't currently busy. Considering her ability to multitask, she had no problem addressing him while placing the finishing touches on the physical form of Siegfried. "Hm, I suppose I didn't consider it. I've lived in this realm most of my life, though within the bubble of Aincrad. According to what's written in Jeanne's journals all the lands up here have varying degrees of mana density and it has an effect on both the wildlife and people. It was a problem the early grail holders had to combat to keep their weaker constituents alive until they adjusted. But the lands seemed to adjust naturally, but that probably means each place here has its own climate and thus plant and wildlife variation. It really could change a lot of things you've already taught me, Shishou," she mused. Finally finished she withdrew her hands from Siegfried and looked him over her ears twitching as she tried to spot anything forgotten or any anomalies? "Does anything hurt? I felt like that one was better for those kinds of wounds, but there was a chance it could have felt pretty invasive, sorry," she apologized and waited for the lad's answer. If it was satisfactory she'd stand.

[Bloodedge]

Now that the annoyance of the day had been dealt with, there was nothing left to do but plan the search. Charlemagne walked confidently toward the sanctum, believing none who saw them would be quick to think negatively with the escort of Martha. Along the way, Martha questioned his plan. How would he execute the location of Aincrad? Knights were indeed not equipped for reconnaissance of this scale, but as a long-standing resident of Aincrad, he knew things most knights didn't. "I kept living there for the last thousand years. I know some things," he said. Finally, Charlemagne set foot in the sanctum. In doing so, he thought to address a few more specifics. "There are a few ways we can find Aincrad. If not by geolocation, we can find the next potential location of a Holy Grail. Certain groups of Templars are sent out on a regular basis to locate them. If we can find where they're going, we can find where they're going back to," he declared.

Meanwhile, Ailen continued rubbing a blade of grass betwixt his fingers. Such plentiful mana could be found in the simplest of plants here, the elf was excited to begin experimenting. Anais explained what she knew of Finis Chaldea and how mana density worked in the upper world, and he became even more interested by the moment. "Really? Hmm. One would expect that at this elevation, biomes would be less likely to change, not more. That truly speaks to the quality of magic present here. I'd like to see the beasts as well. When you have time, we should explore and make some new discoveries together. We'll both go at it as students for once," he rambled. Moments later, Siegfried was beginning to move again. He'd been treated by the elafia in a very succinct fashion ─ more so than he remembered receiving healing from most dedicated healers in the past. Strange, however, was her method of application. A few twists of the shoulder, a few cracks of the neck and a rotation of his previously-slashed ankle, and Siegfried was able to determine his wellness. "That's good. I am in your debt," he said. From the look of things, it would be best if they caught up with the others. Yes, he'd do that; there would be no point in keeping uninformed when the vengeance of Jeanne was an apparent option.

[Apollymi]

As they walked it was mentioned by Charles that living within Aincrad for a thousand years led to him knowing some things. Martha avoided being snarky though it was admittedly hard for her. Given the lad didn't seem to know very much by his own words even a few minutes ago. Yep, she'd keep that thought to herself. Moving on from that part though, there was the issue of how to find it. They could either use geolocation or track down the next Holy Grail. Regardless of the next step taken, "So either we wait to figure out where it rotates around, or we... look for a Holy Grail? The only time I've heard of a Holy Grail being tracked down was the one found by Galahad, her squire and Percival," she stated clearly. "We haven't even seen one spawn since then..." she finished speaking. Of course, it made sense if Aincrad was busy tracking down Holy Grails all the time then none would have really heard of any spawning anywhere, given their...nature.

At the same time, there was some pleasant conversation taking place between mentor and apprentice. He seemed surprised about the changes to the land and wildlife, but there were curious things to discuss. Anais would address this as she put the finishing touches on the healing of Siegfried. "Several of landmasses didn't start out up here... and were shock treated to it. The ones that started out up here though have to be really interesting too..." she explained of the situation. "I'm sure there will be time. We're adventurers still. I'll look forward to learning with you, Shishou~" she mused happily. And with that she watched as the Dragon Knight stood to his full height and got a feel for his physical form. "Iia, don't worry about it. I'm glad you're alright," Anais mentioned. She'd also turn to head towards indoors. Being part of the discussion was likely good for the group and quite important.

[Bloodedge]

Frankly, Charlemagne thought the better option ahead of them was to find the next Holy Grail... or any location one could easily expect to contain it. Finding Aincrad based on its rotation had far too many variables, and would likely take longer than the years he expected finding a Holy Grail to take. Ah, but there was more to the finding of a Holy Grail. True, only three had been credited with its discovery before, but that was a long time ago. "Well, it helps to know what we found out earlier today. A Holy Grail doesn't just spawn as it is. Before it's a grail, it's a child with extraordinary abilities and potential on the lower world. That's why they haven't spawned. It seems Aincrad only sends a select few because they're the ones allowed to know they're raiding villages and kidnapping children who are about to transform," he explained. "If we approach it that way, I think there's another thing we can accomplish too. . ."

The others had begun walking as well, with Siegfried believing he would be replaying his healer of the day, even as she insisted that he not worry about it. Obviously, she hadn't been much of a knight for very long. Oh well. Ailen, on the other hand, was given additional reason to be excited. He hadn't even begun to consider what would happen to a risen land compared to those that began in the sky. "Ah, that will be excellent! It would be most worthwhile to see how things have changed in a land not originally on this level. I already find myself theorizing how a flourishing land such as Munetsuchi would develop within one, two, even three to three hundred years. The possibilities are beyond imagination. If that friend of yours decides to raise lands of his own, I hope I am able to study them beforehand. I'd like to use that as reference, if such an eventuality should present itself."

[Apollymi]

Charles gave some information that no one who didn't know was ready to hear. He gave the information concerning the nature of Holy Grails before they became cups. They were children with extraordinary powers who were having their home villages raided and were being kidnapped. "That is terrible," Martha said. Of course, she didn't know that information because why would she, but the idea of raiding villages and kidnapping children would seem like a bad idea to anyone with a conscience. "But I guess it does explain a certain problem we always have while trying to help people that have obviously been having a bad time," she said. Actually, now that she thought about it, a lot of lower world place seemed to hide their children whenever anyone in armor happened to be around. She supposed this explained a lot. And there were lots of places which used to have people in them, that they found abandoned and empty across the land. Sometimes people move or bad famines and the like are issues, but it was a bit too consistent. If however one was to link all of these problems together it would be quite easy to assume what happened in certain places.

It seemed that Anais didn't fully understand the nature of the truly knightly types. Perhaps that was true, her own group went for honor, but most things that happened between them happened between friends. She didn't think about things in such strict terms. Regardless there was the exciting conversation about potentially flourishing new places as they rise, which was rather interesting indeed. "Hai, I'm sure would be fine with it. It also isn't likely a lot of places have risen so it is possible to get ahead of the curve and likely find a place as it rises or fairly soon after," she admitted. "I do wonder about Munetsuchi, it is already in exceedingly good condition compared to the lower world, it would be quite interesting to see if creatures or plant-life gained some additional things by rising into a more generally mana dense area..." she commented. Having come back in time another small thing about Anais could be noted. And that was, even with the distance between them she'd heard the entire conversation between Charles and Martha thus far. Knowing this information made it rather obvious why she couldn't really sleep ever. "What other thing are you trying to accomplish?" she asked picking up from there immediately. Yume seemed to finally snap back into the conversation. "Wait, are we skipping over the kidnapping thing?" she asked likely because she was very new to the world. "I was kidnapped like that... I'm not a Holy Grail though, so I am pretty sure whatever method they are using to do this isn't full proof. I am also very sure that the more destructive raids only happen in places that won't give up their children..." she offered but that didn't make the situation any better to Yume.

[Bloodedge]

The tale of Holy Grails being children in their original forms was believable, as Charlemagne somewhat expected from those who frequently visited the lower world. It had been his assumption since learning that information for himself, that there had to be some signs in places near grail acquisitions. "I figured that would be the case. Sadly, we never got to see the signs; at least I haven't. I thought all those missions were being given to me because I cleared the Labyrinth and was the only one who could do them, but it was probably just to send me specific places and keep me stupid," he griped.

Soon enough, Anais and Ailen were with them once more. Siegfried joined as well, content to listen and mull over the information being shared during these planning stages. It was Anais who wondered aloud what Charlemagne's additional plan was. Well, he'd gladly tell her and everyone else... after an interruption from Astolfo. "Does it involve the beach episode we still haven't got?" the lad wondered. With his thought process broken, Charlemagne sighed. "... No, Astolfo. No. Aincrad is the reason Holy Grails haven't been spawning for the last thousand years, after only a few of them. They're basically a myth to the lower world now, right? If we take down Aincrad, we take down the thing stopping the Holy Grails. Why not let the people know they're real at the same time, with a bang? Father An sends down groups of seven. I say we take seven, we find the kid, and we call it a grail war. Once we've taken that group down, we can access Aincrad with their portkeys. Seven go out, and seven take on Aincrad."

[Apollymi]

Charles hadn't seen very much as far as signs were concerned. According to him, it was likely the case he was being sent out to be kept in the dark. Martha could understand if he was being sent out but not really looking around he may have missed things. Thinking about the amount of time it took place over it was a bit suspicious, but if he had no reason to trust then his ignorance wasn't necessarily a sin. Actually, it was fairly similar to the practices in ancient civilizations of keeping human sacrifices happy so that they would be pleasing to whatever god they were being killed for. "Even seeing things on the inside if you aren't assuming anything bad is happening it wouldn't have made sense. I remember that kids showing up in the orphanages and people talking about finding Holy Grails were being talked about around the same time... and I didn't see the connection and I grew up in one of those orphanages," Anais added. There wasn't really anything that group could have done... to help him realize it sooner.

"Why?" Anais mumbled. She was comforted knowing that Charles at least also wasn't prepared for Astolfo's antics. Moving on from that no, no beach episode but instead there would be a likely slaying of whatever seven An sent down them, capturing the potential kid and letting everyone know that Holy Grail Wars were still a thing. "Ah, like a Holy Grail War restart... get people moving towards a goal again," Anais thought of this and figured it would be fine. People from their own world were likely to remember wanting to get them if they played the game. And it would bring more diversity to this upper world, that would be better for everyone and keep the lower world from getting stagnant. "I don't know much about the extra time this whole thing took but keeping another kid from being kidnapped and other people from dying over kidnapping is a great idea at base," was Yume's opinion. "Hm, I see no problems with this either, aside from figuring out where it will show up and if or how we can get there before anyone else..." Sakura mentioned having thought through some other possibilities.

[Bloodedge]

Regardless of what Anais said, Charlemagne gave himself partial blame for all that happened. He was ignorant and therefore inactive. Even being thrown into a position of leadership, and separately a position of high responsibility within the organization, he counted another massive failure on his part. "That doesn't matter. Hindsight is 20/20, but I could have seen something!" he insisted. Not to cry over spilled milk, though, he stepped into a conference room of sorts, as remembered from his time spent in the sanctum. "This is still here? Cool." Inward he went, taking a seat at the edge of a long dining table. Charlemagne remembered having a few meals over meetings in this very room. Now, there would be just a meeting. "So, here's the next stage. Based on the last Holy Grail Expedition in Aincrad, I'd say we've got about three years to find what we're looking for. But..."

Charlemagne did have a thought. Sakura's singular concern was identifying and being the first to locate whatever Holy Grail would be appearing, which was inline with his idea. "I was thinking about that too. There has to be a fast way of finding them, right? Those expeditions go out like clockwork, but I've never heard of anyone doing recon beforehand. I'm going to be checking with the Nexus again later, so I'll find out if another plan I have works. Since we know the grails can connect those who've earned them, even if they no longer own a grail, I wonder if the Nexus can help us find the next grail. If that works, that's one problem taken care of. If not, we'll have to do a lot of searching. Either way, we should work out a Party for when the day comes, and probably train within that group. We've got some of the best healing and buffing I've ever seen through Annie and Asta. We'll need some heavy hitters if we want to take down the kind of defense Holy Templars will bring," he gathered. In the group he brought along, there were two relative unknowns. As such, Charlemagne's gaze traveled between Sakura and Yume. "If either of you is willing to fight, what are your combat strengths?"

[Apollymi]

Charles would continue to beat himself up over his overlooked things. Anais understood this to some extent, she did similar things when her mind was too quiet. As such she was content to let the lad have out at himself as he navigated the Holy Knight Headquarters as if it were second nature to him. Well, he had mentioned being here before so it was hardly a problem. All the girls ended up inside the room Yume seeming pretty pleased. "This is really impressive," mentioned Yume. "Yeah, Aincrad's leader's tastes are so dated. I'm like super amazed by everything I've seen lately," Anais commented. She'd eventually take a seat at the table and so would the other girls. Sakura sat at Charles side, and Yume sat to Anais's right giving the elafia girl a strange sense of de ja vu. Martha would sit nearer to one of the windows and look at this group while thinking things over.

According to Charles the expeditions out of Aincrad didn't do recon, so it was likely some way to track the appearance of a Holy Grail through another. His main plan was to ask the Nexus to help them locate it. He also went on to suggest potentially building a party with the currently avaliable resources. Of course, both Anais and Astolfo were included automatically for their known main abilities and Yume and Sakura were asked about their potential interest in fighting and or ability to do so. Sakura would have to think about it, but perhaps in letting Yume go first she might hear something worth commenting on. Yume thought about how to best phrase her own abilities given what she'd heard from these people about the knights of this other place. "Well, I am wearing an old fire god, so I am pretty sure I count as a magical fire person. Well, it could be anything but fire is an easier starting point. I can also force people to experience their own Karma and I am pretty sure I'm a Demon Demigod so... I am probably partially immune to Holy things while being fairly good at harming them if standard RPG mechanics work the way I assume they do..." Yume mentioned. "I also don't mind fighting, though I will admit to building full mage so I didn't spec for any physical combat," she admitted fully. "Box it." Anais found herself murmuring. "Oh? You're still doing that? Is there a mystery you're working up to?" asked Yume who seemed to understand that strange habit of her friend.Why did Yume count as a Demon Demigod? And why could she use other elements and fire... and apply Karma, it was a lot. Admittedly the girl was the almost perfect 'Black Mage' to Anais's 'White Mage'.

Sakura was still giving it some thought and looked at Yume. "You could definitely harm something purely holy, so long as you overpower it. I don't really know how my skills translate to combat yet. They've been upgraded a bit since the last time I played with them. Though their base function hasn't really changed so I know I can absorb mana based things and it won't have an effect on me. I can also appraise it, I also can't be poisoned, intoxicated or mentally taken over... I can also bind things," she said seeming to not understand what just happened. Anais would soon be rubbing her head so would Martha as she looked down at the group. She wasn't ready for all she was hearing today.

[Bloodedge]

Perhaps one of the most important things they could all know now, was the combat abilities of Yume and Sakura... assuming one or both of them intended to join the coming expedition. Each one had an obvious power, and even greater potential from what Charlemagne could now tell. However, it was only Yume who seemed relatively certain of her own applicable uses. Apparently, that ancient god she was somehow wearing was one of fire. As a 'Demon Demigod' as she called herself, Yume also believed she would be very effective against the Holy attributes of Templars. "That sort of thing normally varies a bit, depending on the person and their specialization. Being immune to Holy powers would be helpful, but if you have to fight someone who specializes the way I do, your demonic powers won't work either. That's still a trait worth having; just a warning that something of that sort could happen," he advised. "Controlling karma, though... that's very useful, considering what these people have done. . ."

As for Sakura, it seemed she hadn't recently tested her abilities. Charlemagne couldn't blame her for that, considering the girl's true age and... propensity for study. Ah, but her abilities themselves were potentially very useful. After a long silence, her elf father spoke for the sake of adding to the discussion. "And the potential to alter reality. I'm not sure if you forgot that, or haven't realized yet. Sorry if it's the latter," Ailen said, even knowing exactly where she gained such an ability due to a certain someone... well, never shutting up about it. "... Right. So Astolfo is replaced as our strongest control option?" Charlemagne replied, much to the pink-haired male's dismay. "Waah! No fair! We're definitely doing a beach episode if I'm gonna be chopped liver like that!"

Thrice, Astolfo brought that up. Charlemagne was beginning to wonder what actually happened during Astolfo's alleged trip to the moon. Alas, he would never truly question it for fear of the disturbing truth. Right this moment, for some strange reason, he felt even asking about the moon at all was a terrible idea. Oh well. "So anyway, we have five. Who are the others going to be? We could use someone with damage-dealing ability, and maybe a hard defense for any unexpected mishaps or secret weapons."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles it would be most beneficial of Yume was immune to Holy type abilities. Yume gave it a bit of consideration and logged away the rest of his words. Demon powers wouldn't work against the truly specialized, this meant that Charles was likely the best target for figuring out what abilities of hers could work on those types as she created them. "Hai hai, Charlie... you mind being a target while I figure out what kind of magic I can make work with those constraints?" she asked him as if it was a likely scenario. Actually now that she was thinking about it, she was pretty sure she could keep people from wanting to attack her at all which would likely be pretty useful for making sure she didn't catch a random holy blade or anything like that.

Beyond the mentions of Sakura's about her own powers, one of her fathers was present to remind her of a certain thing another one was always talking about. Well, Mugen did see her skills and abilities most often so if he saw the potential of such a thing then it definitely existed. She remembered hearing it, but she never felt the desire to try it at all, perhaps with battle on hand she could think of something like that to use. "It's okay, Otou-chan, Oyajii... says that a lot and while I've never tried it... I also never really had reason to. I'll probably be able to do it," she concluded. In the spirit of keeping peace and other such things, Anais began formulating a plan to keep Astolfo from mentioning this beach episode he wanted so badly, not that she minded it as an idea. "Sa-chan definitely has full CC," these were the words of Yume which made Anais nod. She definitely fully understood several different kinds of things which could be done with the ability to use one's mana on others, especially with her most recent... studies. 'There there, Shishou...' Anais hummed in her own head. Mugen seemed like a super doting parent, but also exactly the kind that would make it hard to share custody of a single child.

Whatever the case, Astolfo would be ignored for the most part at least for a while, as Martha seemed to catch up to the rest of the conversation. "Sorry, I was trying not to have my head explode, a shield or rather highly defensive person, the best option I've seen in a long time is the new guy, Tenjou Yuuya, he's got a barrier that puts even my personal defense to shame..." she gave the option as one to consider. As for damage dealers... "Well, if what you're looking for is damage from here, there are really only two options and they're both sitting in this room..." she mentioned motioning between herself and Siegfried. Sakura looked at both of these individuals for an exceedingly long time and in the manner she did seeming to study things. "Onee-san, should be the one to come with us... something really good will happen if she comes with us," she commented as if that made any sense at all.

[Bloodedge]

It would be best for their selected group to spend time training with one another, so the idea of enabling Yume's testing was appealing to Charlemagne. "That's fine. I've got a few things to figure out as well, so that sort of thing will work for both of us," he said. Based on his own skillset, Charlemagne had a few curiosities regarding this new evolution. With Yume being a demon of some sort, she was on the list of optimal training partners for his new developments.

Sakura did know of her potential for affecting reality. Though she'd been told, she had yet to make an attempt at doing so, as Ailen figured. She expressed belief in her ability to make that particular ability work, though the wording was something Ailen disagreed with. "Probability isn't an issue. You can do it, likely in a more effective way than we imagined," the elf assured.

As for their final two members, Martha suggested a name he wasn't familiar with. The sound of that shield was quite good, as were Martha's suggestions normally. "If it's as strong as you make it sound, that could be useful for setting up camp while we're out. If it's strong enough, we may not have to worry about watch rotations very much. I like the sound of it," he said. Moving on from there, Martha claimed the best damage options were the two individuals sitting in this room. He seemed quite surprised by that, expecting just a bit more from the group's offensive capabilities. Of course, a lot of offensive output did always come from the Round Table. While Charlemagne gave that fact consideration, Sakura suggested Martha. "That would be my personal choice as well," he said for numerous reasons. The group didn't need a potential dragon rampage to worry about, and the return of Jeanne would not be very good if he happened to be absent at the time. Besides... "I don't intend to leave my post," said the Dragon-Knight. "Martha should indeed go."

[Apollymi]

Apparently Charles was pretty accepting of the idea of being a partner for Yume as she tested and worked on her new abilities. This was considered a good thing by Yume as she still wasn't entirely sure what all she was capable of yet. "Hai hai," she said seemingly pleased. Anais would soon be looking between the two of them and making a light bit of a suggestion. "If you two are going to train together, please be mindful of your beyond human capabilities. While I am a bit more certain of being able to heal your injuries, I'd rather you not stress me into testing the ability," that was all the advice she had to offer on the subject.

Moving on there was a fair bit of assurance offered by Ailen to Sakura and it was an interesting thing to observe. For someone like Yume the wholesomeness of Sakura's father was a thing worthy of envy, even while she was being actively doted upon as well. Still no one could get between that girl and her happiness, and they watched as she mulled over his point and nodded her head. "Hai, I'll think about it, and show you what I come up with!" she said seemingly excited by the prospect of sharing such things. Moving on from that point, there was the matter of the shield person or rather a person capable of conjuring a strong barrier. Charles noted it might be good for their decreased watches which had several potential good things associated with it now. "Hai, that would be pretty nice," Anais mentioned, though she knew her own place in doing things like watch rotations she often didn't sleep so it was fine for her anyway. Beyond that point, it would seem that Martha was being volunteered for the last spot in the group. She both expected this and didn't given the less than stellar welcome between Siegfried and Charles. Of course, what she didn't expect was for the initial suggestion of it to come from one of the girl's she didn't know. "I... expected it to be me. But... I didn't expect that kind of choice. I want to question it but I get the feeling I shouldn't... It doesn't matter really though. I don't mind going..." she said seeming somehow confused by the nomination. But since, Siegfried didn't want to leave his post she was fine with that as well.

[Bloodedge]

Anais's warning was expected by Charlemagne. Even he realized his capabilities were nothing like they were even a day before. That battle against Siegfried should have been much more difficult to win, if only by virtue of the Dragon-Knight's defensive power. From what he heard of Yume since her appearance earlier this day, he'd have to put forth a great deal of effort in a training session. It wouldn't be a light sweat kind of day, but putting too much on Anais would do no one any good. "Noted. No stressing the healer," he said. Just then, Ailen chimed in as well. "It really shouldn't be an issue at all. I've already seen numerous herbs that could be used in place of magical healing. Though they will probably be quite bitter..."

While Ailen was being an active part of discussion, there was the matter of Sakura's development. Always quick to accept belief was the young goddess, even now that said belief was in an unprecedented ability. "I'll be looking forward to it. Whenever you do, I'll make your favorite," he said ever so casually. Nevertheless, it seemed this group had their seven. Charlemagne still had to confirm their ability to locate the Holy Grail using his own, but first, Siegfried had something to say. "Charles..."

Ah yes, they hadn't achieved proper closer after that little disagreement earlier. Frankly, Charlemagne would have rather avoided Siegfried entirely, even now. That could sadly not be the case. "What?" he asked. "I'd like an explanation. You're the only one to reportedly see Jeanne since she left for Uruk. Do you have any idea where she might be?" Now that he was being asked directly, Charlemagne leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and wracked his brain. He hadn't thought to ask amid all the hullabaloo. "Good question. I wonder if..." he mused. There was a Skill he hadn't rid himself of yet, acquired from Jeanne herself. "I could ask the angel. . ."

[Apollymi]

Apparently there was a no stressing the healer mandate in place. A frown came to Yume's face as she stuck out her tongue at Anais. "Mi-chan's always so cautious~" she teased just a bit. Of course she would do but, that didn't matter. Anais was not going to let these two almost kill each other and patch them up at the cost of her own energy, when they could just exercise a touch of moderation. And it seemed that Ailen had a reasonable enough additional idea to contribute, leading to him speaking once more. His suggestion was one which resonated with Anais, "Hm, that would be worth learning... there have to be some things not worth delving into the newest form of my healing ability to fix..." Anais mused. She'd definitely take the time to learn a potion like that. "Ewww, nothing bitter!" that was Yume's immediate response as it always would be. "Show some restraint and you won't have to know how bitter it is a pill to swallow, Ka. gu. ya.- senpai!~" Anais mentioned, but there was something ever so slightly menacing about the way she looked at her friend while saying it, which would be noted by Yume.

Moving on, father and daughter seemed to be having a happy bonding moment. He'd look forward to her doing a thing, and he'd make her favorite when she succeeded at it. Sakura was still quite young and this would become rather obvious, as her favorite meal became her leading motivation for trying to figure out how a reality breaking skill would work. "Hai!~" Sakura's eyes were sparkling. Whatever her favorite was, it was truly her favorite and she'd definitely work hard to get it. It almost seemed all would be well again but, apparently Siegfried still had questions.

His curiosity was obvious. At base his main interest was still what happened to Jeanne d'Arc, and her being missing was rather still a big problem for him. After a less than friendly exchange, Charles thought of asking the 'angel' which sounded strange to all the women present. But he'd easily find himself being answered by that same voice, while Sakura spoke about something else. "I also saw her... but that was within the Nexus," she explained the lost details. Where ever Jeanne actually was, her consciousness had been pulled to the Nexus she was already elsewhere. Where that was though, was a complete mystery.

'Oh? Back so soon? Shouldn't you be busy by now?~' that voice said at the prodding of her consciousness. Of course those same electric blue eyes seemed to be peering into the depths of a pool with no perceivable bottom to view a great deal of information through this particular link.

[Bloodedge]

"I doubt there would be much learning to it," Ailen stated. "I believe it is mostly information I've already shared with you, just applied as theory. That is... unless I missed some details in that lecture. I suppose that is always possible; I seemed to have developed a habit of hopping around mentally whilst trying to teach. There are some decoctions I could take before lessons to make that less of an issue," the elf rambled.

Charlemagne spoke of some 'angel' in regards to discovering Jeanne's whereabouts. How strange; she once spoke of angels for quite some time. "Angel?" Siegfried questioned. "Yeah. I unlocked some sort of Skill yesterday that lets me uh... sorta acquire Skills at the highest possible rank. I'm not sure what the limitations are, but I got Jeanne's connection to the angels," Charlemagne explained. Though that alone was strange, Siegfried took note of Sakura's words as well. She, too, met Jeanne within the Nexus? He wasn't aware others could be brought along. "And how is it you were there? I don't recognize you or a few of the others; I'd like to know who you are."

Meanwhile, Charlemagne was answered by that same voice he heard within the Nexus. According to her, he should have been busy by now. How ridiculous. 'It's not like I'm just sitting around twiddling my thumbs, is it? This is busy! Anyway, I want to know if you have any idea where Jeanne is right now... and why you don't seem surprised at all that I'm calling again.'

[Apollymi]

Ailen had much to say concerning the potential of learning this new form of potion. According to him, Anais probably wouldn't need to do much learning just applying her learned knowledge to practice. This was all contingent on the fact that he hadn't actually skipped something during the lessons he'd given. He claimed to have developed a habit of hopping around mentally. He claimed he could take something for that, but... "Iia, Shishou, I don't really mind learning in a more random fashion. Besides I count myself as still learning until I am sure I can do something, whether I understand fully how to do it or not," Anais mentioned. Of course, this didn't seem that odd, to anyone else, except Yume. Yume who heard this conversation and completely understood it and was now sitting sideways staring a hole into the side of Anais's face. "Oh, must be all that exploring... or did you finally find another teacher as full of wayward questions as you?~" Yume asked. "Obviously, you found one as invasive as you!" was the snap. They had previously been in different grades, but Iino Miko was well known for being ever so slightly disruptive when she had a burning or line of questions on her mind. This added with the knowledge of how the girl was 'learning' now, made it a point worth teasing and she watched as Anais's face turned a bright shade of red. "There you are~ " Yume mused seeming to find this easily flustered version of the girl to be more normal.

But the conversation would move on, as it always did. And at this point, Charles was explaining that he had the ability to gain skills from others and gained in seeing Jeanne her ability to connect to the Angels. The explanation itself was a bit open-ended but he seemed to cover the basics. Beyond that Siegfried didn't recognize a few people in this group and wanted to understand how Sakura had been within the Nexus enough to meet Jeanne and who she was. Sakura had no human sense of what could or could not be outlandish to say. She also had no direct desire to hide her understanding of anything so she spoke the truth. "I'm Tohsaka Sakura. My mother is the goddess of Arcane Wisdom and she presides over Munetsuchi were Char-kun and his friends fell. I cleansed Char-kun's grail... and made a different one of my own in the process. Because I cleansed it and I was there when he went the first time and we are connected by the soul. I can go where he goes and the same applies in reverse," she explained of the situation and her being.

There was an interesting conversation happening between Charles and the Angel within his mind once more. And to the angel's credit she seemed to be in quite the good mood. 'Oh? What an interesting change in attitude~' the voice said seeming to find it amusing but she wasn't really judging, far from it in fact. 'I know exactly where Jeanne is... there are very few things that could keep me from knowing that information,' mentioned the voice, as for the lack of her surprise at the ringing of her there were two possible answers. 'Well, I am not surprised. I left the link open on purpose...' she stated rather clearly, leaving out the fact that she was also clairvoyant to more than a small percentage.

[Bloodedge]

"Hmm. That is an excellent way to view the situation, I must agree. Learning is something that never truly stops. Even the foremost expert of something may one day discover a better way of utilizing their knowledge. Wisdom is infinite, after all," Ailen rambled further. With that, there was an odd exchange between Anais and the apprentice of Mugen. It was obvious they were comrades of some sort long before meeting in Munetsuchi. Their relationship seemed rather interesting. "You have such a powerful chemistry between you. Once again, it seems he was right about the next generation," the elf observed in no real detail.

Sakura was quite the mystery to Siegfried, but not for long. He expressed his curiosity in a direct manner, and she answered... somehow in an even more straightforward way. This girl seemed incredibly blunt to be one of Charlemagne's associates, but ah, she was the child of a goddess living in the lower world. Their meeting had presumably been a very recent one which involved being bound to Charlemagne by their very souls. "So it wasn't a simple intrusion that let you in. Understood. I thought there would be another matter, not that you two were... connected," he said, refraining from assuming the nature of their link.

All the while, there was a discussion happening in Charlemagne's mind. The angel noted his change in attitude, as people kept pointing out. Once more, he couldn't see it the same way; it was a natural development based on everything happening constantly around him. Whatever the case, the angel knew of Jeanne's location. 'Alright, so where is she?' he asked. There also existed the information that this angel kept herself connected to him, for whatever reason she had. 'So you're, what, a stalker angel? You're probably not going to get anything from being connected to me. I don't plan on keeping this Skill either.'

[Apollymi]

Ailen was an elf of rambling words and quips. "Hai!" Anais mentioned seemingly pleased. Yume paid him a decent amount of attention knowing that he was in the rotation of mentors she'd eventually encounter and knowing that Anais was his apprentice. The truth of that information let her eventually shift her staring eyes away from the girl to take a real look at the elf. Now that she was thinking about it and actively doing so... this man was exactly the type the girl would like. Ridiculously tall, good-looking, clever with a gentle demeanor. Actually, she had a strange mental image of the short girl she knew, bossing this man around and it made her chuckle. "That's great! Wisdom is infinite... I like that~" she mused softly. "Oh and while you're already this way... I should mention that I may or may not have accidentally mentioned your middle school reign of terror aloud so... that Bird Emperor may or may not be really excited to speak with you~" she added knowing that this would both soften the blow and strengthen it quite a bit. "Of course he's right and she and I go way back, also I haven't forgotten you didn't answer my question," she mentioned once more still unhappy with the lack of answer concerning the girl's secret boyfriend. "Why? Why would you do that?! I was under the radar. I could have lived my whole life with no one ever knowing about that!" Anais mentioned seemingly more embarrassed. She wanted to die. No... too extreme she wanted to bury herself beneath her hood and disappear into the floor.

Meanwhile, it seemed that Sakura's bluntness had gotten Siegfried the answers he wanted but that he'd also simply left his curiosities at that. It was odd to Sakura but she didn't find anything wrong with the way she'd phrased her statements. "Iia, i wasn't intruding, I went along..." she said, still her head tilted to the left as she considered the way he spoke. Was he also not talking about something? Hm, well there wasn't anything particularly strange about this humans seemed to not think about things the way way as everyone else. And this man was a dragon and though the dragon probably didn't think in such a withdrawn manner perhaps he wasn't whole yet? "Oh, wait... you did something interesting before but Char-kun stopped it... what was that you were trying to do?" she asked referring to the moment he'd tried to revert his quickly approaching dragon transformation.

At the same time, the conversation Charles was having with the angel in his head was both long and short. It seemed that she'd not immediately answered his question leading him to ask it in a much more direct manner. 'Right just now, she is on the 10th floor of what will eventually be known as the Tower of Babel,' she explained. Ah, but what was this? He asked if she was a stalker angel? And claimed that he would not be keeping the skill that left her linked to him. 'I think you would be surprised at the information someone like me might find useful,' she claimed while chuckling. 'Also you already let me in, you keeping the skill is irrelevant,' she mentioned with something bordering amusement. 'I do not aim to harass or persecute, nor are my thoughts surrounding you... obsessive,' she spoke those words very carefully.

[Bloodedge]

The eyes of Anais's peer were eventually set upon Ailen, as if to appraise him. He knew not the reason for this, but that made little difference. In truth, her being on this journey was a bonus to his own attendance. He was going to be delivering lessons to her as well, so it was best that they become acquainted at some point. She seemed more than learned enough for a first day, so he could consider her an official student of the Myouou as a whole. Qin was also brought into the conversation as one who had a particular interest in Anais's past, as new information had been presented. "I've just come to realize there is another learning opportunity here," he mumbled to himself.

There was no intrusion on Sakura's part. Siegfried had been wondering if there was some sort of workaround to entering the Nexus, but that was clearly not the case. Regardless, Sakura wondered about something he was intending to do during the earlier battle. That was an easy explanation. "It was a last-ditch effort I keep to stop the dragon Fafnir from taking over. The Skill is called Disengage. It has the ability to reset battle conditions to a state of zero," he explained. In hearing this, Ailen cut his eyes toward Sakura. As per usual, she was asking the right questions to have a most favorable end result.

Meanwhile, Charlemagne received his answer. Jeanne d'Arc's current location would eventually be known as the Tower of Babel. More importantly to Charlemagne as an individual, it seemed even ridding himself of the Skill would not loose his connection to this 'angel'. Actually, he found that to be a positive. What if he had use of her guidance in the future, but also needed to acquire a different Skill? 'That's good. Maybe I'll need to call again after I ditch the Skill. You've been helpful so far, so I can't complain. Anything else I need to know before I start ignoring the fact that someone could be watching me at any moment of any day?'

[Apollymi]

Anais and Yume were having a conversation which seemed to be about schooling to anyone who wasn't already privy to the adjustment they'd made in their lives. That being said there was a conversation which needed to be had when no one else could hear so that the teasing of Anais could reach its peak. In this moment, it only seemed to be light and about the choices of the elafia girl. "Your question is completely ridiculous it makes no logical sense," Anais finally managed. True enough in her own mind the idea of her even having a secret boyfriend was purely fictional in the minds of her friends who seemed to think she had a lot more going on in her life than she did. "Of course it is logical, circumstantial yes, but still logical~" Yume teased. She had a whole list of incidents which individually might be explained away, but surely Anais didn't have an answer for every single point on the list. "Hm, what are we learning... he does that deep in thought thing that's always really interesting to see," nudged Yume into the Anais's ribs as she motioned with her eyes towards Ailen after breaking her initial eye contact. It was very interesting to think about what changed the ideas. "Sorry still reeling over how invasive of a species you manage to be less than 24 hours after you were summoned into the world!" mentioned Anais. "It's a gift!" Yume claimed. But if Anais was being sarcastic she wasn't actually in a bad mood, which was good.

There was a conversation happening between Sakura and Siegfried which seemed to be full of vital information. According to the Dragon Knight, he'd been attempting to use a skill he called disengage, which would have allowed him to return the battle status to zero. She looked at the man and gave those specific words a great deal of thought, and then a rather large smile broke out on her face. If one could easily set battle conditions to zero as a goddess she could probably do something much greater. As a child of all of the people she was sired by, she really could break reality. She didn't care for last-ditch efforts to stop something from happening, it would be much more useful if one could just keep things from happening at all. Yes... it would likely be considered a control skill of an ultimate tier, disengage but without anything expended. Disengage, but with no real drawbacks. "Arigatou gouzaimasu..." she said perhaps she should be nice. It seemed small gestures went quite a long way with people especially these sorts of people. Yes that would do just fine, she'd begin work on her skill while bringing to the forefront of her mind a very specific memory she wished to give the knight who wouldn't be accompanying them on their adventure.

Charles on the other hand would be asking a very open ended question of the 'angel' he now shared a connection with. Though he'd been given exactly the information he sought, he'd not been given much else. He even claimed that it was a good thing she could keep an eye on him as he might not know when he might need to call upon her again. 'Anything else you need to know?' she repeated that part of his sentence as if giving consideration to how to answer him. 'I figure you need to know eventually that how you ask these questions directly changes the way they're answered. I am too old a creature to be given so much leeway with my word choice~' she said giving that bit of advice. 'But, generosity is something I am capable of, so you should share the information that the missing leaders of Chaldea are also within the future Tower of Babel... per the special invitation of King Gilgamesh. Jeanne was not targeted this time and is under the watchful and protective gaze of many...' she noted. 'Oh, and just because history doesn't make sense thorough the window you are currently looking, does not mean it is untrue...' she added right there. As a person pushing towards certain means and ends she understood the usefulness of such statements.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Ailen had become lost in thought over a certain learning opportunity. Though he commented on it aloud, he spoke only to himself regarding a personal learning experience. The other two could benefit as well, but it remained primarily a topic of self-interest. He could discover the true dichotomy of the apprentices on their individual learning journeys, and thus begin to theorize matters regarding future apprentices. "Hmm. I should keep watch and ensure they both grow as necessary. When the other three appear, this should be very intriguing. One might even wonder how many differences and similarities will be between them, and between them and us," he mumbled additionally.

Meanwhile, Siegfried gave Sakura the information she requested, and her response was a smile for some strange reason. She even went on to thank him. What a strange girl this was, asking the oddest of questions and then thanking someone for simple answers. No matter; Siegfried wasn't put out by having to give said answer. "If you believe thanks are necessary, I will accept. You're welcome," he said, choosing honor over confusion. Perhaps that answer was something she needed for her apparent reality-warping ability. If that were the case, maybe giving that explanation had done some good for the others. Alas, Siegfried's primary concern remained the whereabouts of Jeanne.

Speaking of her whereabouts, Charlemagne now knew where she and some others were. Of course, that knowledge would be given only after the angel made another claim ─ that his method of questioning determined the answers he'd receive. 'So you're fickle,' he scoffed. Oh well. He didn't care about any of that, wanting only the answers. King Gilgamesh had apparently called upon other major figures in Chaldea. What the angel added about history was noteworthy, but currently of no concern. 'Right. Got it,' he said. With that, Charlemagne spoke aloud once more. "Jeanne isn't missing. She and some others are on the tenth floor of a tower with King Gilgamesh. It sounds like there's no real danger," he said, much to Siegfried's immediate relief. "Truly? That does put me at ease... though a bit of warning would have been lovely," answered the Dragon-Knight. "Yeah, well warnings don't seem to be as popular as they used to be."

[Apollymi]

An interesting conversation was developing between Anais and Yume. Both of them were individually the apprentices of two interestingly different individuals, and their own individuality had them living two very different forms of life. "It's a curse," was the reply of Anais to Yume's assertion of her invasive nature. "No it's not. Curses are way worse... even now you're just really happy to see me. Happy you may have helped me... happy that someone else with you understands you~" she poked at one of the people she knew best in the world with relative ease. Too bad the girls' argument would come to an end as they heard the semi-constant murmurings of Ailen. Both girls gave pause and looked up at the elf as he seemed to be well on his way to a strange amount of observation of them. "He knows we can hear him right? We could take notes..." Yume mentioned seeming to find it amusing. "Yeah, he does this, I think it is part of his normal thought processes..." Anais confirmed. Though admittedly he didn't do so much of it while they were alone together. Perhaps it was a quirk? One which only popped up in public? Yume leaned into the girl and had a thing to whisper. "I know you're really into ASMR but the tall gorgeous rambling teacher is a little on the nose don't ya' think?" she asked, which only made Anais sigh. "I've met the rest of them... it's so much worse than that for me..." Anais admitted.

At the same time, Sakura was learning about the logic of these upright knightly types. The ones who'd landed in Munetsuchi had also been uncommonly polite with upright ways of doing and thinking things which she found a bit confusing, well, except Astolfo. This man was another not understanding why she'd thanked him, but accepting it just the same. She was busy on a couple of planes of her mind. In one she was crafting a skill and in the other she was busy piecing together a memory. This would continue for a few minutes as she quietly awaited Charles speaking again. Speaking of Charles, the angel he spoke with was brought down to a single descriptor, fickle. 'Maybe. Words are important, they are especially important while searching,' she mentioned as if this would make more sense. An announcement was soon to happen, with Charles quickly moving on from the things said in his head to address the information she'd given him. At this news, Martha finally spoke up again, having apparently regained the rest of her mind, "Ah, I will make sure a message gets to the Pharaohs, Albion and those left within Uruk. I am sure they are just as worried as everyone else," she mentioned having been among the first to go help try and figure out what happened to such a group of leaders.

[Bloodedge]

While the next generation of Munetsuchi's wisdom acknowledged their teacher's ramblings, things were progressing elsewhere in the room. Charlemagne reached the end of his discussion with the alleged angel ─ a conclusion that came with a bit of snark on the latter's part. Regardless of the angel's temperament, Martha believed it was worthwhile to inform some others of the disappearances. She could do so if she pleased; it wasn't as if he intended to depart this very day. "Go for it. We'll need a bit of time to get everything together, and I'd like to meet Tenjou before everything's settled."

With all that said and done, Charlemagne finally stood again. There was much to do, including another visit to the Nexus. This night would be the one that determined their plan's functionality, and the next day would be the start of a long journey toward their desired goal. Alas, there was a curiosity remaining in the male. "Has my room been taken?" he wondered. That was such a good room, he'd take his place there if it hadn't been claimed in the past millennium. If nothing else, he'd be able to enter the Nexus peacefully from there. Having a solid location to rest would also enable a bit of wandering. After all, he hadn't been to the Eternal Sanctum in a thousand years. Taking a more literal walk down memory lane would surely be good for decompression after the past couple of days he experienced.

[Apollymi]

Apparently among the things that Charles wanted to do, he wished to do, he wanted to meet Tenjou and speak with him before anything else. Though Martha was also approved to go do the other activities she planned on doing. "Yeah, I'll figure out where Tenjou wandered off to and send him your way while I am out," she said. That lad was one who would be invaluable and maybe mentioning that she was going to go as well would help out. She didn't know if he'd been up to anything in particular but he was a helpful guy so he'd likely be interested at least a bit. But there was also Charles's last question before Martha could vacate. Was his old room taken? Well, the answer to that was surprisingly, "No, it hasn't been taken. It's just like you left it," she said knowing how Jeanne was currently it was a bit odd that she hadn't either destroyed the room or let it be taken by anyone else. But her general desire in this world was to make sure all the Holy Knights had a home, and this was it. Or maybe it was a hint at that tsundere nature possessed by her less than amiable self? Whatever the case, he likely would have gotten a much warmer reception from the lass, even in her present state, if he hadn't felt like Father An upon their meeting.

Moving on, Sakura assumed they'd be going soon, and this was fine. She was keen enough to follow Charles but first she had something for Siegfried, "Sie-nii..." she looked to the dragon knght and motioned his face downward a bit. He was quite tall and if he accepted she place a hand upon his head, conferring to him one of her more recent memories, the one in which she was hugged by Jeanne d'Arc. She figured he might enjoy that, even after finding out that she was not in the same sort of danger. It would have that same sensation associated with it, as Sakura concluded the woman gave nice hugs and he probably felt strangely about her leaving without being able to tell him. She also fully acknowledged her future closeness to this man given his relationship to Jeanne d'Arc whether anyone else fully understood it yet or not. After that she'd simply head off with Charles, curious about his room within this rather immaculate building.

[Bloodedge]

"Good. I'll be at my usual haunts," Charlemagne said to offer guidance for the eventual arrival of Tenjou Yuuya. First and foremost, he had to vacate this stuffy old meeting room. Ah, but that would be held off just briefly by another matter. Charlemagne wasn't too surprised that his room hadn't been taken; it was in a very advantageous spot for anyone potentially untrustworthy. What he didn't expect, was the fact that it hadn't been tampered with since the day he left it... over a thousand years ago. 'Tsun,' was all he thought after several moments of hesitation. "In that case, there's something I should grab. Whenever you're back, meet us in the training yard at dawn," he said prior to taking leave.

Meanwhile, Siegfried was approached by Sakura once more. She addressed him affectionately in a manner befitting one's sibling figure, as he recalled of a language he never learned much of. Noting only her view of him from that utterance, he looked to the girl quizzically and moved toward her. She was motioning for him to lower himself, which... he found rather suspicious. Siegfried experienced such a thing normally when Jeanne herself was the one gesturing, and that had a very specific purpose. Well, this girl gave him no reason to believe she was literally insane, so... he lowered. Her hand reached his head then, and a vision entered his mind. For a moment, it was not Sakura standing before him, but Jeanne, offering a very real and very familiar embrace. How did this girl produce such an event? He wouldn't question it. No, he could only appreciate the gift he was so randomly given. Beyond the vision, however, he seemed mostly unchanged ─ if only far less aggressive-looking than normal. "You have my thanks. Enjoy your stay," he said, bowing to the young goddess. To the others, he offered welcome. "You are all free to whatever open rooms you please. If any of you have need of a training partner during your stay, I offer my services."

Charlemagne left the room with only a wave, but it seemed he wouldn't be alone. Sakura had also taken her leave, and he realized she was walking along with him down the corridor. She could have gotten a room of her own for the duration, yet... he doubted that was going to happen. Did he mind the thought, though? Not really. "Should I even be surprised at this point? I'm guessing you're not just on your way to find an adjacent room."

[Apollymi]

Charles claimed he would be at his usual haunts. If Martha was thinking about it correctly she could give some accurate directions to Tenjou when she found the lad. Of course, it wasn't just that, it seemed the news that his room was both unoccupied and still intact seemed to bring about an odd reaction from the lad, though it wasn't spoken of directly. She also wondered about that, but she figured it was simply a matter of Jeanne having nothing against Charles. "Yeah, I'll send him your way when I come across him and I should be back by the morning as long as no one needs me for anything else," Martha mentioned. She wasn't the type to abandon anyone, even if she was just visiting to deliver messages she'd be sure to help out whenever she could. And with that she got ready to properly take her leave but not before she witnessed the rather odd exchange between Sakura and Siegfried.

He may not have had a full understanding of the way she approached and spoke to him, but Martha's original nationality let her know exactly how friendly this girl actually was. The only thing she couldn't know in the moment, was exactly what she did by patting the Dragon Knight's head, she figured whatever it was gave him something he'd not really had recently, peace. He went on to welcome the lot and let them know they could have unoccupied rooms if they wanted and access to him as a training partner if they desired. Sakura smiled as he bowed to her but that was all. "You're welcome and thank you... see you around~" she said seemingly pleased with her own actions. And then she followed out Charles.

Charles seemed to be rather intuitive this day, but chose to question if he should be surprised. He asked about the idea of the girl finding her own room and she looked at him in a rather confused manner. "Why would I do that?" she asked. It was completely foreign as a concept that she'd purposefully separate herself from him. It wasn't necessary nor did she feel like it would be beneficial in any way. Oddly enough Charles likely wouldn't be alone in this sort of situation. Anais was quite certain she was about to be sharing whatever room she chose with at least one other person and it was possibly two given Yume's previous life habits.

[Bloodedge]

The moment they were instructed to take whatever room they pleased, Astolfo knew exactly where to go. He had a room of his own long ago, but that didn't matter. He knew where Martha's room was. If she wasn't going to be there for the night, he was going to wait around for the morning... and perhaps rummage through her unmentionables, diary, or whatever else he found within. Ah, what a night he had to look forward to! To make things better, he even still had the horse! What more good could come of this day?

On the other hand, someone like Charlemagne could only wonder how much weirder today could become. Sakura had gone completely native in terms of their connection. Of course, they had spent every waking (and sleeping) moment together since his arrival to Munetsuchi. At this point, even he might consider it weird to separate. Ah, and there was the pregnancy thing mentioned by the Nexus. Two women were carrying children of his, one that he just met and one being the crush of his relative youth ─ neither was his wife. How terrible. The one currently in his company, he didn't even take issue with. He did, however, have a massive problem with how little he minded... but Sakura didn't have to be on the receiving end of that. "Never mind. It was a stupid question," he said. From there, Charlemagne continued up a winding staircase in a tall tower. A climb to the top, followed by a short trip down a connecting corridor, and he just about reached his room. Ah, but there was something strange just before reaching the door. Another door that he knew belonged to one Gilles de Rais was black from burning, yet his own was in pristine condition. It was so strange that nothing had been done to his own. "The tsundere is strong in this one," he mumbled with a sigh.

Ignoring the oddness of his room being left alone, Charlemagne walked inside to see things just as he remembered. The room was adorned with tapestries depicting tales of valor and righteousness. An intricately carved and glowing crystal orb was suspended above the bed, radiating a soft, ethereal light that bathed the room in a gentle luminescence. Polished armor and a gleaming sword rested against one corner. Rays of morning sunlight would later be able to filter through frosted glass into the east-facing window ─ something Charlemagne always enjoyed about this room for its gentle waking properties. "Tadaima..." Charlemagne whispered after a long, deep breath of familiar air.

[Apollymi]

While Astolfo wandered off, Anais finally stood and when she did Yume immediately joined her. They would begin walking along as Anais considered the kind of room she was looking for. As opposed to Charles desire to high east-facing windows with frosted glass, Anais's mild stroll would lead her towards something nearer to ground level with a western facing window. On the western side of the building given her own preferences. Just the same Yume would begin to speak again apparently finding this whole thing rather interesting. "So, we just break now? We catch up?~" she mused as Anais stopped in front of a room. "Yeah, that sounds about right," she mentioned. It had an open door and thus was marked unoccupied. It was homey, warm with an amber colored ball of light hanging in its ceiling. Though there wasn't much by decorations, it included a tapestry of a large tree and some greens, oranges and golden hues. It had a larger bed than her standard fully made that could easily fit two people, even her giant of a mentor wouldn't have his legs hanging over the side. Why were king sized beds basically standard in this place? Well, given the size of the Dragon Knight perhaps it was meant to make anyone comfortable and given his relationship with Jeanne d'Arc, maybe she or others accounted for sleepovers? "My room at Aincrad was really really bad. This one is only lightly decorated and is way better. It feels so much better... Does it work for you, Shishou?" she found herself observing and wondering assuming her elf mentor hadn't really wandered off at all. And she stepped into it finding it to be easy on all of her senses while giving her a view of a deep forest that the sun's light set behind. Nice... she liked this. There was a little desk unoccupied with another smaller globe of light atop it. And even several small sconces if she decided she needed more light along the walls. Beyond that the slight tint to the deeper frosted glass kept the light from feeling overly intrusive. She'd also chosen this spot because acoustically less sound reached it, so she might actually be able to rest, at least a little. It also seemed less prone to traffic.

Meanwhile, Sakura watched Charles go through several sets of emotions as they walked through. He apparently thought his question was stupid and she lightly agreed. "It's just that I said I'd stay with you and I meant it," she said seeming to find his questions surrounding them odd. Perhaps this too was part of his emotional instability and she should prod a bit to find out how he was actually feeling? She also saw the door obviously blackened by Jeanne d'Arc's own hand and heard the comment made about it. "I don't completely understand that statement, but given what she had to say about him, I would say he can't call this place his home anymore," she seeming to understand that Gilles was at least partly responsible for the current less than charitable state of Jeanne d'Arc and that he'd likely been someone she trusted deeply.

Moving on, she'd find herself walking into the room that apparently belonged to Charles. it was quite the room if she was being honest. A bright window, bright light, and even tapestries and armor set up. It seemed to scream mentally of someone who wanted to be a knight and do the right thing. It also seemed to feel rather accepting of him in the moment a very nice and open space which welcomed him home. "Sou ka, did you miss this place, Char-kun?" she asked the lad. His mind was an interesting place, and so was this room. She'd be seen curiously inspecting tapestries and the general feel of this room.

[Bloodedge]

Just as he said he would, Ailen followed along behind Anais. He was still rambling, but had recently been reduced to total incoherency while his mind raced. There were so many possibilities on the horizon, what more could he do? Far too many advancements were worth seeking, and so many of those advancements were gravitating toward Anais, as well as Mugen's new apprentice. Ailen was absolutely astounded. He couldn't even be considered conscious to the masses, until Anais said something to him directly. Only then did the elf realize there was a bedroom in front of him. "Hmm?" he said immediately. Ah, she wanted his take on the room. It was a bedroom, and therefore acceptable as a form of shelter. Apart from that, he didn't think much of it. "If you find it sufficient, then I can only agree. It is certainly easy on the eyes, but I am not very picky... in this case," he added. Elves tended to exude an aura of aristocracy, but Ailen would be taking a different approach while accompanying his apprentice. So long as she was satisfied with a situation, he took no issue with anything.

Sakura was only doing precisely what she said she would, as she pointed out to Charlemagne. "You did say that, and you've been doing that. Ignore my being weird; I'm still getting used to all this stuff," he said. Charlemagne wouldn't be trying to alter the mannerisms of a goddess. Just as he once told Angelica, however, he also couldn't change his own outlook in a short amount of time. "Feel free to just... not acknowledge me doing a 180 like that. It'll probably be easier to make adjustments with more exposure," he suggested. Right away, Charlemagne partially regretted that statement. Did he sign himself up for something he'd later hate? Maybe... or maybe not. Time would tell regardless. First, there was a question from Sakura, asked while he stepped inward to approach that glowing crystal. "I didn't have much time to give it thought, but yeah. This was my second home before Aincrad. When I wasn't in France, I was here with Jeanne and the others. Now that I think about it, it's weird that I haven't been here in a millennium. Though... it's also still weird looking back on a millennium of life for me. I remember when this kind of stuff was just fantasy."

[Apollymi]

Anais and Yume were having a very normal conversation the former about her weird choices and finding this room acceptable before she asked for the input of her mentor. In this case, Ailen had been rambling pretty consistently, though not in a way where everything he said was even completely understandable. Anais found this interesting as she'd only truly observed this amount of speech from him like this when they were talking the very first time. His words stated that he wouldn't be picky in this situation and that if she found it satisfactory then all was well. "Hai hai..." she mentioned going over to the door, she'd move her hand toward an obvious place meant to hold her hand and bind herself to the room from the inside. It was hers for the duration of her time here. While she did this, Yume flopped on her bed and decided to speak. "So, are elves here like the high fantasy ones?" she questioned Anais directly, with that raised eye brow and upward inflection. A not so veiled hint that she wanted to know if she should be expecting full aristocratic, downward gazing tall people. "Tact. A little bit of tact. I only know two... and as far as I can tell, they are really tall people with acquired tastes and high fantasy troupes applied..." she answered honestly. "Though to be fair I am pretty sure the two or three counting the one have visions of can be considered eccentric," she added, which seemed to make Yume relax quite a bit. "That was tact... that question could have been way worse~" she admitted. "So then are you sharing my room?" she asked of the girl. "Maybe, probably... just a bit. I can always just go to Mugen-sama's room instead, but I'm not really tired or anything so I likely won't be sleeping any time soon. Besides you've been here 300 years, and I've only been here a day, you missed me," she admitted in a strangely off-handed manner.

Moving right along, Sakura was alone with Charles noting that she was only doing what she said she would. He acknowledged this and claimed he was being weird and that she should ignore him because he was still getting used to everything. He claimed she should also probably just ignore his flips in attitude as he tried to adjust, she couldn't really agree to that. "Iia, I don't think I should ignore it. It isn't that weird, I just don't understand its cause," she commented, aiming to be reassuring. She'd already mentioned he could take from her what he liked and she'd accept even his mood-swings as he tried to come to an understanding of his elevated existence. He apparently found the length of his life rather odd to consider. Some humans had this problem and that was normal as far as she understood it. The length of lifespans in this world were determined by the power of the individual, so some might not live very long at all, and he apparently didn't expect to live so long and have so much time pass without coming back to a place he liked. "Sou ka," she murmured seeming to gain some understanding of his plight. A life this long was previously considered a fantasy and now he was dealing with the fact that he'd ignored something he'd enjoyed and friends he'd had for a thousand years instead of simply dying in a fraction of that time. "I suppose having a fantastical amount of time in which to live is probably pretty overwhelming," she mentioned being quite young herself she didn't think about it much. Her parents had also lived combined for probably more than 20,000 years total. She didn't consider her life in terms of time but instead in terms of desires pursued, actions taken and things created.

[Bloodedge]

The raven-haired lass wondered if all elves classified as... high fantasy. Though Anais urged a bit of tact, Ailen thought nothing of it. In fact, had he known what she was talking about at all, he would have been able to share some insight. "I'm not quite sure what 'high fantasy' is, but I suppose a bit of eccentricity is to be expected from my kind. High societies always function as such, in my experience," he stated, recalling all the time spent in his original homeland. "If it interests you, Asakura-hime, you may feel free to consider it a study. I could always provide whatever information you may be lacking on elves of all sorts."

In the meantime, Charlemagne was busy reaching out for that orb floating over his bed. It just so happened to be a thing he had need of, or rather a desire to take along. Sakura used this time to disagree with a recent statement of his. She didn't think it was worthwhile to ignore his changes from one approach to another, stating that she simply didn't understand them. "I don't mean literally ignore it. I just mean... ugh, never mind," he grunted while reaching up for the orb. Once he reached it, he pulled it down and sat at the bed's edge for the time being. "Got it!" he exclaimed. Moving on from that, Sakura seemed to understand the matter of lifespans being a bit jarring. "Tell me about it. I'm trying to take it all in stride, but that's not even important right now. I should be thinking about getting back to the Nexus tonight, finding out how we're actually going to approach the Templar situation. That's something I should probably do sooner rather than later."

[Apollymi]

Even with the lack of tact presented by the question posed by Yume, Ailen was content to give his input based solely on how it was explained by Anais. It was pretty clear information and she took it with a gentle nod. Of course, his follow-up on that included the idea that she could consider it a study and he called her 'Asakura-hime' Her eyes widened and she found herself looking at Anais who'd also taken a seat on her bed along side the girl in the moments after claiming the room. "Okay... I'll let you know when I'm ready for that, study," she said seeming to be a bit surprised. "Oi oi, Mi-chan does he know he's like nerd smooth?" she asked of the other girl. "I don't think he does... I've been having that same thought a lot today," Anais mentioned as she also looked at Ailen with wide eyes. As for the rest of her statements, Anais could only chuckle. "I did miss you. Actually, after we fell into Munetsuchi and I started talking to everyone there after getting over being traumatized and deciding not to be traumatized I...." Anais stopped talking and looked up. "Ah, I am so dumb sometimes. I can't believe I missed that," she murmured only to readjust. "Oh, that has big missed test question energy~" mentioned Yume. "Yeah, yeah... I understand something I missed before while talking to Ho... I mean Mugen-sensei," she murmured almost slipping in conversation. "Anyway, I kept thinking it'd be really nice for any of you to be here because you'd understand why it was cool. I'm really happy it was you though, I do need my pushy VP," she mentioned seemingly at ease.

It seemed beyond the conversation occurring in Anais's room, there was a different sort of one happening between Charles and Sakura. There was some confusion taking place between them and it ended in Charles wanting her to forget something related to their conversation. She likely wouldn't, but she determined that this part of human interaction needed more work on her part. She needed more clarity. Whatever the case, he managed to get that glowing orb and pull it down which made her look at him and it strange. "What is it?" she asked genuinely curious about its nature and why he was so excited to get his hands on it. Moving on from this point he was indeed not settling very well into his extended lifespan but he didn't have time to think about it much. According to him, he needed to get thinking about his Templar problem and get back to the Nexus. "Well, you can always go to the Nexus you need only use your grail to do so. As for your Templar problem, I can only give logical sorts of advice," she said quietly. "Regardless, I'll go with you and we can start trying to figure it out..." the young goddess mentioned. She was oddly devoted though she mostly saw this from an outside perspective, she'd still help whatever way she could.

[Bloodedge]

"As you like. Unless my direct apprentice is in need of my full attention, my services as an instructor are always available to you," Ailen declared. Such would be how he treated any and all apprentices under the Myouou, bar Anais herself. Speaking of Anais, she was soon to have an unspecified realization ─ something to do with an earlier discussion with Mugen. "Tohsaka-san tends to have that effect in conversation. He can be deceptively vague at just the right times... or the wrong times. Frankly, it is often difficult to tell. One might wonder if it's a matter of demon kind, or something more unique to the individual. Perhaps a bit of both? I could understand the likes of him being an exceptional case even among similar entities, but there is so little understanding of devils that a proper conclusion can't be reached. Hmm. Asakura-hime is among their ilk now, but she would also be an invalid subject due to her strong similarities to him. If the differences could be found, however, perhaps it would be worth some investigation. I suppose time will tell," he rattled on.

Now that Charlemagne had his orb, Sakura expressed curiosity regarding what it was. He found it interesting that she didn't somehow know automatically. Ignorance of a magical object was interesting to see from the lass. "Huh. Weird; I somehow expected you to know everything about anything magical." Charlemagne took a moment to pat the space beside himself, offering a seat while he held the orb, deciding it was better shown than just explained. "Check it out! This is one of those magic tools used to determine elemental affinities, but it's been tweaked by some artisans. It works more like a generator and converter now. See?" he asked while funneling small amounts of mana into the object. That soft glow it radiated became a warm light similar to that of the afternoon sun, filling the room and spreading a sensation of serenity throughout. Deep inside, however, there was a splotch of black from his current input. "That's what I left in it a thousand years ago. If I did this long enough now, the room would probably go dark or something. Anyway, I promised I'd give this to Bradie ages ago. I just never had a chance to come back here for it."

With that explanation out of the way, Charlemagne held the orb out in case Sakura wished to toy with it for herself. He knew visiting the Nexus would not be difficult, yet part of him feared the answer. So few things had gone his way lately, what would he actually do if they had no way of locating the next grail? Regardless, Sakura's claim of accompanying him was something he nodded to. "Right. Even if we don't get the answer we're looking for, we'll make something work. I shouldn't be so worried about it."

[Apollymi]

Ailen's words about his availability were noted. Actually, it was about expected that someone would commit pretty heavily to their chosen apprentice and in truth Yume was happy her friend was finally being chosen on her own merits. "Hai hai..." she replied. It was interesting hearing her friend some three hundred years in her own future still sounding so very much herself except in a few choice moments. Beyond this, according to Ailen, Mugen had a habit of being vague and his meanings only popping up way after the fact. Anais believed that based on her own experiences alone. The continued ramblings thereafter were also noted by Anais even as she continued conversing with her friend. "I don't think he's vague, maybe we just think similarly," Yume mentioned. "You definitely think similarly... and you're definitely vague unless you are purposefully trying to get a rise out of me or anyone else..." Anais mentioned. "I still knew you missed me," Yume countered. "Yeah, yeah... I did. Shishou, I have a couple of friends who probably fall into that category of devil connected or demon kind. They're a bit abrasive but they'd likely talk to you, Liv would, though she is admittedly very eccentric..." Anais mentioned. "I don't know if I like the way you said that..." Yume mentioned. "Liv is the Grand Inquisitor... she's like Roze on steroids," she gave context to her friend which made the girl's eyes widen. "This world is so interesting. I'm glad I am here where a random Holy Knight type is a demon connected dominatrix. I didn't know I needed this much honesty in my life," Yume noted happily, though that last bit made Anais look at her though she didn't immediately question a thing which she wanted to know.

Meanwhile, Sakura was learning about something new. Though he thought it was odd that Sakura didn't just know what something was, he still rather excitedly explained the item to her in detail. Her eyes were sparkling as she heard out this explanation and she found herself rather amused that humans had come up with such a thing. While he explained he funneled minute bits of mana into the thing and had it glow with the warmth of midday. "Sou ka, that is pretty interesting... I like it," she mentioned taking hold of the thing and giving it a gentle inspection. "Also each of my parents have a different area of expertise. The ones I spend the most time with I have the most general knowledge concerning their areas. Otou-sama is the one who specializes in magical tools, because of what he is, but... I've seen him least. And humans in Munetsuchi make different kinds of progress since they bring their children to the Tenshukaku for evaluations like that..." she replied. As a goddess Miwa was actually fairly hands on as far as her people were concerned. At the same time the mana that Sakura passed through the orb seemed to pick the darkness out of it, leaving it purely that midday sunshine feeling.

Moving on from this point of interest, Sakura handed it back to the lad pleased about its existence. She'd agreed to go with him and Charles had nodded. He claimed that even if they didn't get the answers they were looking for they'd figure it out. "It's fine to worry a bit, but I'm here to help and look after you if you need me to," the girl said still offering herself as she would. This entire situation was interesting and though she had no personal stake in it, she saw Charles's desires as worth looking into so she'd help him achieve his goals.

[Bloodedge]

The similarities between Yume and Mugen were only made more clear. Yume believed Mugen wasn't so vague after all, which proved only that she thought very similarly. "I would presume that is exactly the case. You mentioned being summoned earlier. I assume the method by which it was done, likely resulted in summoning you because you were the best suited to Tohsaka-san. Given his ability, I am also willing to believe the selection pool was... impossibly massive. There could be no better fit," the elf declared with relative certainty. As for the friends of Anais, Ailen considered himself officially interested in meeting one for study. "Hmm. I may wish to meet this 'Liv' person. I assume she is one of the friends you have in Aincrad?"

After Charlemagne's brief demonstration, Sakura did indeed take that orb into her own hands and begin fiddling with it. All the while, she explained why her knowledge of magical items was not as absolute as he presumed. Her fathers each having an area of expertise was to be expected, given their separate titles and their title as a group. How she learned from them, and why she lacked in one area, was also sensible. "Ah. That's almost sad, but also pretty cool. I mean, you like learning new stuff, right? There's loads of stuff like this out in the world; you'll get to see it all firsthand!" he encouraged. With that said, Charlemagne took up the Holy Grail once more. He wasn't sure if now was the time he wished to visit the Nexus again. In truth, he'd also been considering use of the Nexus to speak with Angelica again. There was much to discuss, much that he couldn't or wouldn't address before. Having Sakura around for that would be awkward, but he wouldn't keep her from the more important things like the Nexus's next questioning. Perhaps he'd just make two trips today. . .

[Apollymi]

Ailen was showing himself to be quite the clever individual. In Yume's case, she'd been less exposed to him before hand and found his assertions to be both insightful and fairly close to the exact truth than most would have been able to come to with just the base information. Her mouth opened in a little 'o' as she quietly assessed that information. "Sugoi, sugoi! I haven't seen that in ages~" said Anais as she saw the genuine surprise and understanding on the girl's face. "What?! I mean it is really good. I mean... I expected brilliance but even by just knowing Mugen-sama and knowing I was summoned that's a pretty perfect summary of it," she said. "Yeah, I was a bit worried about it when he mentioned it, but he said using me as the catalyst he'd get someone good or no one at all... it seemed like a lot of variables, but he seems to understand things pretty differently," Anais mentioned. "Different is about right, I went from a date in the afternoon to... well new world studying," Yume mentioned and Anais's eyes widened. "Oh don't look like that. As a warning that trash is floating around somewhere right now so don't go being too nice if you stumble across him..." Yume warned in a rather straightforward way. In hearing this several things came into understanding in Anais's mind surrounding how she'd gotten here. "Sumimasen, it sounds like it was bad, but you seem pretty much over it..." Anais mentioned. As for Ailen and Anais's friend she could confirm that information. "Hai, Liv is one of our friends and one of our group. She's great! If a little extra abrasive but I don't think you'll have a problem with it, Shishou..." she mentioned. "And you... Mi-chan seem less surprised than you could be, did you get bad vibes and not share?" she asked immedately.

While Charles and Sakura talked the lad listened to what she had to say about her lack of knowledge concerning magical tools. Of course, he seemed to take the information in a very interesting way. He said it was almost sad, that seemed to be connected to the idea that she didn't get to spend as much time with one of her fathers as she did all the others. But he said it was also cool. He noted that she liked learning and as such could learn about things like this orb first hand all on her own and that should be exciting. It was a nice thought and they were kind words. Sakura didn't need comforting, but she liked those words he spoke. They caused a straight warmth within her chest something similar to the excitement she got from talking to her parents, but also very different. "Hai! I do like learning so I look forward to seeing something new. Arigatou gouzaimasu!~" she said seemingly pleased and lightly blushing, yes that was right.

[Bloodedge]

Brilliance, Yume called his realization. Ailen thought it was no such thing. "Hardly so. I've known and learned from him for a very long time. Understanding even some of his methods is a thing of respect, not of my own mental acuity," the elf insisted. Moving on, Anais referred to that friend of hers as 'a little' abrasive. Well, he had no issues with that; he'd grown up around elves after all. "It should prove no issue. There is a certain member of the Myouou who may be considered the same. Perhaps two, actually. . ."

Charlemagne continued mulling over the Holy Grail, wondering if he would by some way overstay a welcome by making multiple trips in a day. Perhaps that would just be something he asked when visiting the second time? Now that he thought about it, Angelica would probably be bothered if he had her called upon twice in one day; she already had to keep herself hidden in the Labyrinth. Indeed, it was probably best to put that part off until later. "So I'm thinking it's best to head there now. There's also something else I want to do, but... that can wait. That probably should wait." Even as he spoke now, Charlemagne was being enveloped by the grail's light. It would be only a matter of moments before everything surrounding him was that familiar blank room, but there would be one oddity. That middle-aged man that had previously been known as the Nexus's physical self, was no longer present. One could look in any and all directions and see nothing, though the sensation remained the same. Perhaps he just didn't manifest visually each time?

[Apollymi]

"Iia, it isn't just that... it's hard to explain though," Yume mentioned. Simply knowing and respecting Mugen wouldn't have been enough to get that kind of understanding out of the situation that spawned her in this world. It was smaller pieces being placed together in the right order that brought along such a conclusion. Yes, that is how she would describe it. As for the rather aggressive question posed to Anais the elafia held up her hands in surrender while looking stunned. "Waah, it's nothing like that at all... well not from what I remember anyway," Anais mentioned giving it a bit more concrete thoughts she gave her observational opinion on the boy known as Miyuki. "In a world without magic, I couldn't say he gave me bad vibes or anything like that..." she said carefully. As she remembered the blonde boy her friend had been dating wasn't aggressive or mean or even directly twofaced or anything like that. In fact if anything he always seemed to be exceedingly nice, except like all the time. "It's just, well as Astolfo put it, I was a midget. And I saw everyone from the perspective of looking up at them while not being seen very often myself. Shirogane-senpai never really relaxed, not even when he was around people he claimed were his friends," she said carefully. "Ulterior motives aren't so easily disguised here as intention radiates when you can feel mana. As a regular human though I could only go by what I saw, and if you can't relax around friends or your girlfriend then... why? It made me a little uneasy, but that could have been me running for student council president against him when he had a full year left that made him that way when I was around," she said with a careful shrug.

Yume looked at her and appreciated that thought pattern, one in which her friend wouldn't have kept her from any happiness she could have found. She also understood why she wouldn't have said anything. It could have potentially been received negatively, with her seeming jealous or even manipulative for trying to point out something that she couldn't have proved. Yume felt she wouldn't have done this, but also knew she was reactive as an existence so she didn't fault her friend for taking the cautious approach. "That is, such a diplomatic answer. But you're right. He definitely had ulterior motives. They probably wouldn't have been considered bad altogether but I don't do manipulative people...it irks me. I also don't like people who believe rumors without confirmation," Yume admitted. And Anais could only nod her head, she ended up extending an arm around the other girl not used to being the bigger person but comforting her anyway. She now had a general idea of what could have happened but wouldn't press for details. As for the other 'abrasive' member of the Myouou, since both girls knew Mugen counted as such, Anais had a pretty good idea about the other one too... if history was to be taken into context, and strangely so did Yume, "It's the Bird Emperor isn't it?" she asked. "Definitely, he's one of my favorite historical figures but I feel like he's super imposing too..." she said. "Just like the little empress used to be~" teased Yume, which once more made Anais blush.

All the while, Charles and Sakura seemed to be moving towards the formation of a plan. What was more she was sure she was experiencing some strange emotion after being encouraged by Charles. She wasn't even sure why it mattered or what she liked about those kinds of words coming from him. Still, she appreciated them and could go on to help him as happily as she always did. In the moment, she'd find the golden light eminating that would take her to the white room of the Nexus. Of course, while being in this room again this day she'd find herself seeming to think it odd that the middle aged man wasn't here but remembered hearing in their earlier conversation that he'd been a disembodied voice. "Char-kun, maybe you should just say something," she added knowing it wouldn't be the oddest thing done here.

[Bloodedge]

Within the Nexus, there was infinite strangeness. The person they would have expected was no longer present. He had been called a previously-disembodied voice, but Charlemagne assumed that was a thing of the past. Alas, Sakura advised that he say something. He wouldn't have the time to do so. "You needn't be confused. The power reserve used to maintain the form you know, has been expended. There is no need to worry," spoke the voice without form. Charlemagne found this manner of speaking... strange, in an almost robotic way. No matter. "... Oh. Alright, that answers whatever questions I had on the confusing side. As for the reason we're here, though... we want to know if it's possible to find the next Holy Grail through you."

For only a few seconds, there was silence. The Nexus had not yet been asked such a thing, but there was indeed a favorable answer to the question. "It is possible," the Nexus said eventually. "I believe you are also curious how Anu manages. I may answer that as well. Anu's method uses the Power of Order in a well-understood manner. As he sees changes to Order as he originally established it, he can see the rifts in fate that may be attributed to my keys, the Holy Grails. You, who have possessed Order for so little a time, could however find the grails as well. I may grant you the power to sense the Nexus's mana as it flows through the world. If you follow it, you will be nearby when the link forms and the child nears its hour of waking."

[Apollymi]

The Nexus was an infinite white space, but as far as Charles and Sakura knew it contained the Animusphere man. According to the disembodied voice though nothing was amiss. The physical form had its energy expended for whatever reason. "Sou ka," Sakura said aloud. Within she wondered if it regenerated naturally or if it would be quite some time before she was able to reappear. Actually, she'd really enjoy the ability to talk to her grandfather or great-grandfather a few more times.

Moving on from this point it seemed that the Nexus had an explanation for how Anu was able to track down the Holy Grails and why the method was only mostly perfect. He looked for things that went against his established order because it was designed by him he could see the inconsistencies. It made sense that there were occasional mistakes with such a method given that there were quite a few things that could be considered against Anu's established order, Charles's elafia friend being one of them, potentially anyway. Even so, Charles only had this particular power for less than a day, but apparently the Nexus could give him a workaround for trying to find the thing he was looking for. "Ah, a sensory ability might be nice," Sakura confirmed. She could see its usefulness. There was also something she considered a bit more practical, though she wasn't really sure if it was or not. If they had a timeframe to work with it would also narrow down any inconsistencies and help them get where they needed to be in a timely manner.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne had his answer, and it was even easier than he expected. He could be led essentially directly to the next Holy Grail, though he and the others would have to follow some trail to do so. That was fine by him. "Sounds like an adventure. We can use the time spent traveling to train and be ready for the battle. That is, as long as everyone is willing to go on a journey for uh..." Now that he thought about it, Charlemagne wasn't 100% sure about the time this would take.

Luckily, the Nexus had many answers. "Roughly two years, it will take. In two years, the child will be complete. The trail will be stronger to you as the moment encroaches. Once you leave this place, your senses will include its energies," the Nexus answered. Charlemagne hadn't expected such incredible ease, but there was another question on his mind as well. "Cool. One more thing I want to know is whether I can keep calling someone to this room or not," he said, which prompted an immediate response from the Nexus. "Of course. The summoning you witnessed before is something you are just as capable of, so long as there is a connection between you."

What a perfect answer that was. Even more than before, Charlemagne was sure he'd be returning the next day. For now though, he'd take solace in knowing the plan for this new group's adventure. So... he looked toward Sakura once more. "That's it then. I was thinking about taking a walk, or just relaxing until everyone's ready. Interested in either of those? Or... maybe you wanted to do something different?"

[Apollymi]

According to the Nexus the journey ahead of this group would be approximately 2 years. This wasn't a very long time in the grand scheme of things, to Sakura it was longer than her present life time, but she didn't care how long such a thing took. She was here for this and to fully meet the other goddess. After all the necessary information was given, Sakura could be happy knowing that all would be well. Moving on from this point and whatever other plans Charles was making to summon someone here again, she was pleased. Charles spoke of maybe taking a walk or relaxing and that was an interesting thought, "I'd enjoy a walk or just relaxing. I've never been to this level of the world before so I'd like having a look around while I think about the skill I'm working on," she said looking to Charles and extending her hand. "I'd also like to hear about your friends, I'm curious..." she mentioned knowing she didn't know so much about him but figuring he likely wouldn't just talk about himself. She decided it might be better to extrapolate from extra information. What kind of people did he trust? Who did he build his bonds with? What kinds of things did they all enjoy? These were interesting things to consider.

[Bloodedge]

Sakura had an interest in both things mentioned. With her specification of being new to the upper part of this world, Charlemagne figured it would be beneficial to both of them if a little walk was taken. That extended hand was taken, and he looked out toward the empty space of the Nexus. "Then I'll show you around. This is one of the best places to be in Chaldea; I think you'll like the scenery," he said. Only a few more words would be spoken within the Nexus, and they were for the Nexus itself. "Thanks for the info. I'll be back later."

With that, the whiteness around them faded. They would be immediately returned to Charlemagne's room in the sanctum. They could go for a walk, though Charlemagne wondered why it was his friends Sakura was curious about. "My friends? Well... alright. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Let's get going," he urged while taking steps toward the room's exit. If anywhere was to be first on the list, it had to be the sanctum's primary courtyard. As such, he led down that winding staircase they so recently ascended. "Why that, though?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Charles was pretty excited by the prospect of showing her around and Sakura found such excitement infectious. "It sounds fun," she said as calmly as she always spoke but she still seemed rather pleased. She kept up her movements as they found themselves leaving the Nexus with thanks issued. "See you later," she offered the Nexus not knowing how long it would be before she returned but still being a rather respectful person. Inside of Charles room the lad was already pulling her forward and she was eagerly joining him, passing out of the room descending the stairs and headed towards the outside.

As they moved he claimed he'd tell her what she wished to know but he did express some curiosity about why she was interested in his friends. She obviously had several reasons for this, and the first of them was rather simple. "I'm interested in your friends because they're your friends. I don't have any of my own," she mentioned this strange and slightly sad fact like it was empty but that was simply how she was. "Besides how other people interact is always interesting and you're interesting so, the people you are close to are interesting to me too.." she said as a strange bit of logic she shared with at least one of her fathers. She kept up her pace as she looked around and her eyes were studying the whole of this place. Whoever created it had done an amazing job, the architecture was truly gorgeous.

[Bloodedge]

And so, the two were on their way while Sakura clarified why she wished to know about Charlemagne's friends. The young goddess claimed she had no friends of her own, so she wished to know about his. "Hm. That's a surprisingly dumb thing to hear from the child of a wisdom goddess," he said without much hesitation. In the first part of Sakura's explanation, he already discovered a blaring issue. "You have your own friends. If we don't count as friends now, I have a huge issue with pretty much everything we've done since meeting," he added. "Annie and Astolfo also consider you a friend, I'm sure. If they didn't... they'd have probably said something to me about you being with us."

Soon enough, the pair would be seeing the courtyard in more than just a passing glance. Charlemagne remembered many training sessions, impromptu or otherwise, happening in this very location. Thinking about it now, he realized how very similar Aincrad could have been. "I've trained harder here than I ever did inside Aincrad. A couple of my friends are real monsters in combat, though, so it feels really weird to admit that," he mused absently. Sakura did say she wished to hear about his friends; combat prowess covered at least three of them at a basic level.

[Apollymi]

A surprisingly dumb thing to hear? Charles and Sakura walked and he took issue with her understanding of friendship. This was strange to Sakura. She could look nothing but baffled as the lad asserted that she had her own friends. According to Charles if they weren't friends then he had a huge problem with everything they'd done since meeting. Sakura gave that some thought, looking truly perplexed why did it matter what they'd done so far? All those things were done simply as a matter of her own curiosity, there was no altruistic motivation she wasn't being kind the entire time she was just doing what she felt like doing. Even if he took her actions as kindness was that truly enough to count as friendship? Beyond this he claimed that Anais and Astolfo also counted as friends. He claimed they would have objected to her coming along if they didn't. "I really don't understand..." the girl mentioned. "Friendship doesn't seem to be such an easily accessible thing... nothing in anything I've done nor my motivations likely count as friendly so how have I made friends?" she asked truly not grasping this concept at all. Maybe it needed more study, or perhaps there was some nuance to her previous actions that she didn't understand? That was at least sensible. Social cues were often missed by her so she could be very much missing something.

As they walked Charles took a trip down his own memories. He recalled training in this place being much harder on him than it was even in Aincrad. He qualified this statement by claiming it was odd since a few of his friends were combative monsters. Strangely there was a fair explanation for why he might feel that way. "It actually makes a lot of sense that you might feel that way," she said carefully. "You were here when you were much younger and less experienced. The gap between those you trained with here and things you were doing was much greater than it could be after you were an established adventurer and Holy Knight. Experience builds upon itself and bodies can hold memories. So as your body gained experience it was less stressful on you, regardless of the monstrousness of your newer experiences," she said. She smiled then, "Wu-papa is good at explaining that kind of thing, combat difficulty is at least partly a thing of underdeveloped instincts, as those grow it becomes easier to fight and move, so it shouldn't be too weird that you found fighting here much more difficult than fighting in Aincrad," she finished.

[Bloodedge]

It came as no surprise that Sakura lacked an understanding of friendship. Just the same, Charlemagne expected her to fall short of understanding how she had friends now. How had she managed? The answer was easy to Charlemagne, and probably easy to the others he figured saw Sakura as a friend. "I hate to tell you, but you're wrong. Friendship is that easy. Maybe you view a friend as someone you know for a long time, have a lot in common with, and build a lot of memories with. It's not that complicated. Sometimes, a friend can be someone who was just in the right place at the right time. Friends can be made in a single moment over one tiny little thing. It doesn't even matter why you did anything. You were there when we were all in a strange place, not knowing who to trust... and you made yourself trustworthy. That's all it takes," he chattered.

Moving on, there was a minor misunderstanding about something else Charlemagne said. Sakura claimed he was experiencing less difficulty after moving to Aincrad due to his own growth, but his intention wasn't at all to speak of difficult or stressful training. "I get what you're saying, but it's not like that. I don't mean it was tougher here; I mean I worked harder. Every day, I was getting up to make myself better. It just felt more... right. All the training felt like it was worth it, so I kept pushing myself more than I ever have since. If anything, the stress has actually gone up because of people like Ren, who is one of the more battle-thirsty friends I have at Aincrad. Fun to fight, terrible to be on the 'exciting to fight' list of. Liv is similar, but... different."

[Apollymi]

Charles being the kind of person he was, went on to explain friendship to Sakura and she spent the moments he spoke processing his words. She was wrong, that was fine she could learn and understand. Friendship is easy? That didn't make sense. He gave a few hypothetical and direct examples of how and why friends could be made. Even for the case he listed with potentially himself, Anais and Astolfo apparently she'd simply been in the right place and trustworthy. That truly didn't make sense in the mind of Sakura at all, there was no real logic applied to it the way that Charles explained it. Maybe she was thinking about it all too hard, maybe she was giving too much credit. That seemed likely, "That isn't logical at all. Is friendship illogical?" she questioned this as if it was outrageous. She began to quickly run though what she understood and it would come out as a rambling dissertation of understanding. "Friendship is part of people's every day lives and it doesn't even have to make sense to anyone involved in it," she started seeming to think about it a bit more only to continue. "The continued existence of humanity baffling," she stated in the most alien way she'd said anything. "Friendship doesn't make sense. People don't seem to understand natural biological functions, they let emotions get in the way of their normal thought processes, their ability to solve problems isn't based in logic or even completely on instinct. It is like they are randomly put together and told to do stuff and they may or may not be able to accomplish it," she murmured. She was curious about people and wanting things to make sense but it seemed that intellect and feelings didn't necessarily mix and that half of human life was spent randomly? Yes, that sounded right. "Yet, they are happy, confused, excited, strong-willed, and oddly aligned..." she finished. None of that was negative and would eventually culminate in a single idea. "Humans are weird."

Sakura's understanding of people was being expanded upon all the time. She was always willing to learn though she was admittedly confused by most of what she'd learned in the last few days. Watching Charles and his friends interact at varying degrees of animosity was strange, what was more she wasn't quite sure she understood the distinction between friends and enemies. Apparently though, Charles didn't think his life was tougher here, just that he had a different attitude and mindset while being here. Sakura could surprisingly understand that with relative ease. "Self-gratification and marked or noticeable improvements are easier to understand. I get that..." she said. "It sounds like it was fun," she summarized. He apparently had a friend he called Ren who was battle-thirsty and a friend called Liv who behaved similarly but different. "Those people sound interesting, how are they different?" she wondered. "And is the Ren one just looking for a challenge because that is pretty normal when people like fighting, it's motivational," she said seeming to understand the basics of such mindsets.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne was incapable of understanding why Sakura thought friendship should be logical. At its base, it was an emotional thing, and there was little to no logic in emotions. Why did she think it had to make sense as a study? "I might have a way to help ease you into it," he said just after the girl's rambling. "I swore myself to Angie, but I still did what I did with you, even after it wasn't necessary to keep myself alive. What logical reason would I have to break a promise?" he wondered. Though it could be stated that the vow itself was illogical in this world, there was more to Charlemagne's point. "And even if the promise itself was illogical the way you see it, why would I make it? It's simple. There's no need to care about what makes sense and what doesn't. Why are you goddesses so happy when someone sees the things you've made? You already know what you're capable of, right? Why do you need validation to be satisfied? That sounds like an emotional response to me," he concluded.

Humans were weird. Goddesses, too, were weird. Matters of perspective aside, there was surely no one who could claim the likes of Renaud and Olivier were anything but bloodthirsty. Ah, but Sakura wanted to know how the two were different. That one wasn't so easy to explain. "Mostly... Renaud is a relaxed guy when he's not fighting, and occasionally a little crazy when he is in a fight. Olivier... sometimes seems more like it's her goal not to fight someone, but to keep them 'beneath' her, if that makes sense. They're two different types of dominant, and two different types of frightening. But... they're both incredible combatants," he explained as best he could. "And yes, Ren is looking for a challenge because he just wants to improve. He's a pretty stand-up guy if you can look past the maniac on the surface. Liv too, really."

[Apollymi]

There was more to Charlemagne's explanation. He apparently had a way to ease her understanding a bit and she was always willing to accept extra thought exercises so he started with a few known and simple facts. He'd previously sworn himself to Angelica but he'd broken that promise even when it wasn't necessary for him to keep himself alive. That wasn't a very logical promise to make in the young goddess's opinion even less so after she'd spoken to Angelica directly. But he was apparently ready to face the idea that it wasn't a logical thing to do and he'd done it anyway. His argument was, that what was logical and what wasn't didn't matter when emotions were being brought into the forefront of focus. He even brought up the idea that goddesses enjoyed being showing the things they made and the idea that they didn't need validation since they knew what they were capable of... maybe but she saw that last part a bit differently. "I can see the logic of this explanation, though not all of it," she said working through it. "I can understand emotions and logic seem not to mix at base. Even decisions based on emotion and lack of logic when mixed together can be rationalized even if they are illogical. But I don't think showing creations is completely a thing of emotional validation, though I fully admit to being happy when my works are appreciated. It is an instinct..." she said. "Creators, or Gods and Goddesses as they are in this world, are literally here just to make things... as I am one without a parent chosen purpose, showing things I make gives me happiness but it also helps me figure out what I like making," she said finally. "Though that does make me wonder if that is a trait of those born as divinities initially. Besides your map you haven't really tried making anything yet, do you feel inclined to?" she thought to ask about it, wondering if the lad would too show such an inclination after doing something. Such logic was why someone like Angelica wanted someone to see the things she'd made even without knowing fully that she was a goddess. Granted this experience could be considered similar to human ones in a specific case, she wouldn't know about that sort of thing as she was far too young.

Beyond this there was the difference between the two battle-oriented friends of Charlemagne. One was apparently good-natured and relaxed while not in a fight but crazy while in one. The other, the woman seemed to fight to make sure people stayed beneath her as he put it. Actually that difference was very understandable. "I actually understand that difference with relative ease," she said seeming to equate one to Sun Wukong while the other one was like her father the Emperor. Yes, the difference between them as well as their personalities at base made much more sense. "They sound fun," she said a small smile appearing on her face. Different sorts of people making friends with each other, establishing connections... this was always fairly interesting to her. She didn't truly understand it, but often really wanted to and now she was getting the chance to more directly study and involve herself with such things... it was pleasing to her.

[Bloodedge]

There was some amount of understanding after Charlemagne's explanation. Even so, Sakura equated the happiness of a goddess when praised for their creations to instinct. If she was going to do that, Charlemagne figured she could make her way toward a full understanding. "Instinct is a good word, I think. Not for the goddess thing, though I'm sure that works, I can't say from any point of experience. In general, though... it's instinct to do what makes you happy, isn't it? Humans don't come with that sort of greater purpose. Humans get to go through life with no guidance, no instinct other than to live. What more is there to do than... whatever makes life good?"

Sakura went on to ask if he felt inclined to create anything. Truthfully, he had no such inclinations, but it also wasn't a foreign concept to him. "Not at all. New things are made every day by so many different people and creatures; I don't feel like it's necessary for me to contribute. Though, it's not like I wouldn't. Creativity is a good expression of self; I'm no stranger to it. The last thing I remember making was my little cabin back home. There wasn't any magic used to spawn it from nothing; the wood was chopped and the glass windows were made. It was tough work, but so satisfying to see finished. Humans get that kind of feeling too, y'know? It's not just god instinct; it's called feeling accomplished."

Never had Charlemagne stopped walking while they spoke. Soon enough, they would be vacating the courtyard and entering a path between two sections of forestry. There were benches at certain intervals, and what appeared to be street lamps of a magical nature ─ ones that seemed to attract nearby luminespires to their posts. As the twilight approached, the luminespires were beginning to collect and offer their light bit by bit. All the while, Charlemagne and Sakura were rambling on about the former's comrades. "They are fun; all of them are. You'd probably like Ivy as well. She's the one you'll find tucked away in the library more often than anyone else. Well... anyone besides Turpin, but he's the Archbishop, so the reasons are a little different."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Sakura's understanding was not yet complete, but that Charles saw an opening to make it so, as such Sakura listened intently as they walked and took in all the information he had to offer. Instinct was a good word, he claimed, though he knew not how the goddess sensation worked, it was apparently instinct to do what makes you happy. Hm, she hadn't considered that, she definitely wouldn't do things that made her unhappy. Humans apparently didn't have an inborn greater purpose they were chasing so they were just making themselves happy, and on top of that only had base survival instinct. Well, the survival part was rather open to interpretation in Sakura's mind but she understood this part of the conversation. In fact, as the thoughts processed a bit of light seemed to dance around her eyes. "Sou ka..." she murmured. "That actually makes sense, I hadn't considered that humans didn't have greater purposes so their driving motivations seemed foreign," she explained of her own thought processes. But if aiming for what made you happy was the base line, then she had a newfound base understanding of behavior. "Arigatou gouzaimasu," she said, knowing it would help her continue to understand the connections between people. It already explained quite a few things.

Meanwhile she'd managed to slip in a question directly about Charles into their conversation. It seemed he didn't feel the need to contribute to works because of all the things that were already being made. He claimed he could but he saw his creativity more as a form of self-expression. He also claimed there was great satisfaction to be gained from building his house and that humans felt it too, as a matter of accomplishment. "To build without magic is an interesting thing... what was it like?" she asked excited on his behalf. The idea of Charles building a house with his hands out of pre-crafted materials or turning those materials into specifically what he wanted them to be was more like Alchemy in her mind. But she wondered what his vision for such a thing was, and fully understood his desire for such a large personal project.

Moving on as the light of the day began to fade, there was a lit pathway between two bits of forestry. Sakura looked at these lights with wonder thinking them quite nice on the eyes and good use of natural entities to accomplish a specific task. "Sugoi, those are nice~" she murmured about the lights as they began their trek down the path. As for his friends he had another called Ivy who was an avid reader. That was interesting she indeed sounded quite agreeable to Sakura but everyone she'd heard about or met did seem so, even Astolfo. Turpin was apparently an Archbishop and that sounded weird she wondered about that next. "People who have imagination or enjoy learning are always interesting... reading but what is an Archbishop and why would he be in the library for different reasons?" she asked Reading, writing, research were about the main uses of written information. Stories for the sake of imagination made sense, for information made sense but what kind of job would have connected to a library.

[Bloodedge]

Surprisingly to Charlemagne, he managed to say something Sakura understood. He'd been wondering if that little speech would have the desired impact. "Really? Huh, I figured I'd have to keep coming up with stuff before you had any idea what I was talking about. No offense; it's just that our values are very different," he said just prior to waving away the girl's gratitude. She had no reason to express thanks so repeatedly, so he thought to say something about it being sent his way. "You don't have to thank me for that kind of thing. That's the point of discussion, isn't it?"

Upon hearing about the building of his cabin, Sakura expressed her curiosity. Of course she would; this was the sort of thing she had an obvious interest in. He doubted she had many things to reference in terms of non-magical building, but he also believed she could find the enjoyment in it as well. "It was a little strenuous. Personally, I feel like there's no beating that kind of satisfaction, though. To do something the hard way and have it all come together as you wanted, well... it's just great. I'm not even really sure how I can explain it. You should try doing something analog and see if you like it too," he suggested, knowing there was no real way in his mind to quantify the experience.

As for his friends, more curiosity was still to come. As it seemed, Sakura really did intend to learn about Charlemagne's comrades. Turpin's job title was now in question. How would he go about explaining that, and what it had to do with Turpin's presence in the library? "A bishop is something of a guiding figure within the church. They, to a religion, are like what your dads are to your homeland I guess. Archbishop is the one above others, of course. Anyway, he's in the library so much because he has to help other people grow and learn. He ends up tutoring a lot, whether that has anything to do with his actual job or not. Honestly, it's probably more because he's obsessed with helping everyone in whatever way possible."

[Apollymi]

Charlemagne showed surprise at the idea that his explanation had been understood. He claimed he meant to offense but that their values were very different. Sakura looked at the lad strangely and gave only a minor shrug. "I don't think the values we possess individually are very much a problem in this case. The points you made were rooted in logic, even if the topic itself wasn't logical I can follow it," she confirmed. She figured knowing this information might make it easier for them to talk, similar to her own choices in explanation. Beyond this point, he claimed that she didn't have to thank him for what he'd said, it was part of discussions. "Hm, if you say so... information I find useful is kept though and expands my understanding, so the gratitude was legitimate," she explained her own reasons behind why she thanked people that explained things to her.

Moving on there was the matter of his little cabin which he claimed to have built himself. Sakura was quite curious about all aspects of it but he seemed quite satisfied by the end result and the stain? It gave him a special kind of satisfaction. He claimed she should try doing something in the analog manner herself at some point. "Hm, I wouldn't know what I wanted to make if I did it analog. It'd require a lot of thought before I was sure... though I still will, maybe I'll do something small first to figure out how it might work," she mentioned. "In the same way... I think you should try eventually making something magically, it's a good exercise in both thought and magical control. I think you'd also be pretty good at it considering your more novel approaches to problem-solving," she explained. "I find it quite satisfying making something I imagined exactly as I imagine it," she explained that form of real satisfaction. Perhaps then he'd understand her general excitement surrounding the extra things that pleased her mentally.

Their conversation seemed to progress with relative ease. Sakura found it pleasant that he was content to answer her questions, about himself, his interests and even his friends. Bishops apparently had similar job functions to her fathers within Munetsuchi. That was interesting... an Archbishop would have been considered a high guiding figure and his friend Turpin was apparently a nice enough person to help others with their studies constantly. "Sou ka, that's really nice and good-natured, though it also sounds a little self-sacrificing," she said of Turpin. She didn't dislike what he was doing, though it did leave her with questions about human sensibilities. "So you have friends how like to fight, friends who like to dominate, loyal friends, helpful friends, educated friends, and kind friends..." she said. It was a wide array of people for a single person to know, but it seemed like it was a nice and balanced group.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne's application of logic was something solely presented for Sakura's sake. He didn't have a reason to think of things that way, nor did he believe it was best. "I guess it was logical, but my overall point is that logic doesn't need to be part of anything. I was just trying to think of a logical way to say logic doesn't always matter. A little redundant, but whatever," he meandered, seeking some amount of finality to the point. "Besides, ignorance can actually be bliss if you let it be. Why did I do this thing? Who cares; it was fun. That kind of stuff," he added.

The conclusion Sakura came to was exactly what Charlemagne felt on the other side of the equation. "And I wouldn't know what to make magically. Magic defies human logic, so I guess you could say we're trading places between emotion and creation. Me making something with magic would involve a lot of thinking outside the box," he countered. "Though I agree it would be pretty cool to do. Let's both try something different!" he said, seeming just slightly excited for future experimentation.

One thing was certain: Charlemagne's friends were a varied group of individuals all working in unison. Turpin was among the kinder ones, but Sakura was correct; he was a very self-sacrificing person. "Yeah, but... that's just how he is. Everyone looks out for each other, though, so it's all fine," Charlemagne explained, moving right on to a missing archetype found within his group. "Oh, and then there's people like Bradie, the more... 'wholesome' people. Yeah, I'll call them that. They're hard to explain, but just imagine Astolfo and Annie without Astolfo's... Astolfo-isms."

[Apollymi]

Emotions weren't always logical and that was something that Sakura could understand. She could leave that part of their conversation happily though she couldn't agree with one thing. Charles claimed that ignorance could be bliss, he had the idea that one didn't need to think about why they did something if the end result was that it was fun. Sakura's mind took a few bits out of such statements. The justification for doing something was then simply because it was fun... one of her fathers would have called it doing what their soul wished, but if humans understood that conceptually then they were going about it a very weird way.

Moving on, Charles claimed that magic defied human logic so he also wouldn't know what to make. That was strange to Sakura s well, given the more magically inclined humans and former humans she decided to help a bit by observation, "Magic might defy human logic but not human imagination... I feel you would have an easier time making something magically if it was something you imagined that your human mind couldn't make work with logic and tools," she explained. "For me it would be like reverse thinking, starting with my end product idea and trying to figure out how to do it without the tool I know to be easiest to use," she mentioned understanding the difference. "Still, it seems like it would be fun so I'll show you what I come up with~" she said happily, knowing the pair would each have something to show for their efforts some time in the future.

And then there was his friends. Turpin as he was called seemed to indeed be the nice, but self-sacrificing type. It was good that they looked out for each other, in such a case, Sakura would assume that Charles's friend group functoined more similarly to a large family. And what was this, he claimed there had been a missing type of person, Bradie? How was apparently wholesome. And wholesome in this concept was described to be like Astolfo and Anais but without the Astolfo-isms? "Sou ka, I think I understand it. The happy but platonic closeness without his non-human personality and behavior?" she said seeming to understand why Astolfo was odd, but not having any problem with it. Anais was also fairly nice and clever which made her want to get to know the other girl as well.

[Bloodedge]

It seemed Sakura had nothing more to say about their starting topic. That was fine with Charlemagne; he'd never been a fan of such scholarly topics anyway. Ah, but they'd never be quite done, would they? She did have something to say about his effort at creation. Perhaps she was missing a few details, hence her belief that it would not be so difficult for him. "It's not so simple. The problem is not thinking about the would-be mechanical side of things. Besides that, I'd have to think of something that isn't just based on something else. Inspiration doesn't just happen," he countered.

Regardless of their differing opinions and the finer details of his friend group, Charlemagne found himself thinking about the future. Sakura was along for the ride now, and would presumably remain for quite some time to come. What was actually in store for him, even them? Charlemagne couldn't be sure, but he determined it was not worth too much concern right now. As such, he instead nodded to confirm the behavior of those like Bradamante. "Yeah, something like that. Those are all terribly weak descriptions of who those people really are, but I think it's a solid gist for their personalities. You'll have to meet them for yourself though... in about two years─"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles his problem with magical creation would be not thinking about the mechanical aspects. "Hm, that is a strange problem... I'll think about it for a while and see if there is a good way to explain it," she said giving it a fair bit of thought. When she wanted to create something she simply made it and because of how magic worked it did so with the intention. "No, wait, I got it... you said it a minute ago. You should use the emotional part not the logical part to create with magic, which I guess means I should be using the logical part not the emotional part to try something analog," she said finally. Yes, that would work, she could do something with that. "As for inspiration it is much easier to come by than you might think," she said with a casual shrug. She understood that inspiration could be sparked by many things including and not limited to sexual activity but she was beginning to wonder about the nature of human interactions that they had sex for fun, but tied themselves to a single partner, but also didn't use sex for the extra mental clarity it could bring. It was quite the disharmony of thought but she'd decided that such a lack of equilibrium was innately human.

Moving on from this point apparently Charles had given her a bit of a generalization about his friends. He claimed that it was a simple way to think about it, but if she really wanted to understand she'd have to get to know them, when they met up again in two years. "Two years isn't so long a time, I do like the idea of knowing them and we'll be out with two of them anyway so I can get to know them too..." she said seemingly pleased by the prospect. She'd never really made friends before, she'd have to tell her father about this, Ailen was the most concerned about her social development.

[Bloodedge]

For some reason or another, Sakura was content to continue seeking the answer to a problem Charlemagne didn't consider very problematic. No matter; she was consistently behaving in such a way regardless. This time, she came to the conclusion that he should apply emotion to creation, while she should employ logic when crafting. Despite how strange Charlemagne thought her harping was, the conclusion did make sense. "Yeah, that should do the trick. Making something manually isn't all logic, though. Put some emotion in it too; it'll help. Projects of passion are always better," he declared. Speaking on the topic of inspiration, Sakura claimed it wasn't so difficult to find. She would say that. "Sure. Whenever it's time to decide what I'm making, I'll just pull my junk out and fix all my problems," he said sarcastically. He still couldn't fully grasp why sex was an answer to so many things, but he'd come to learn how it brought inspiration from nothing at all. One would assume that was the primary factor behind Sakura's assertion.

Still on the path, the pair would eventually stumble upon a location Charlemagne never saw the completion of. Nestled within the castle grounds, there existed a serene garden. It was a place of understated beauty and contemplation. As they entered through iron gates, a sense of tranquility embraced Charlemagne. Neatly arranged rows of vegetables, herbs, and fruits painted a vibrant tapestry of life and sustenance. Leafy greens stood tall alongside sturdy tomato vines. Fragrant basil and rosemary bushes released their aromatic essence with every passing breeze. Plump strawberries peeked out from under their protective leaves, inviting a sweet indulgence. The garden's pathways, lined with mulch, were well-tended and easy to navigate. Bees and butterflies danced amid the blossoms, contributing to the garden's harmony. Wooden trellises climbed skyward, heavy with plump cucumbers and beans, showcasing the thriving abundance. A small water feature provided a gentle, soothing soundtrack as it nourished the plants. This garden was a thing Charlemagne knew of ages ago during its inception, but... apparently Jeanne had that magic belt from Gilgamesh for far longer than he assumed. "Oh, wow... I never saw this place finished. It's a lot more vibrant than I thought it would be. Magic is awesome. . ."

[Apollymi]

Project of passion were better, stated Charles. That was an interesting thing to consider, Sakura understood the idea of passion projects. Her fathers seemed to all have something that well and truly interested them, Ailen specifically had Alchemy as his main passion in life. She didn't know if she felt that way about anything though... perhaps she'd discover something she enjoyed that much. She was named Queen of Passion, which was an odd thing considering she couldn't say she felt the emotion associated with it very much. "Sou ka..." she murmured giving a great deal of quiet contemplation to her thoughts on what passions were in truth. Moving on from that point, a sarcastic sentence passed Charles's lips concerning inspiration, it made Sakura look at him oddly. "Well yes, it would fix most problems... especially where issues of thought are concerned. Maybe I'll explain it to you later..." she stated. Knowing the lad wouldn't really want the explanation in the moment.

Moving on, they approached the gates of a little secluded garden. It was quite an interesting thing to see but also very tranquil and peaceful. It seemed it was here specifically for the purpose of food growth but it was also very mana dense and magically balanced. "It is very vibrant. It feels very nice here and it has a good balance of elements, Jea-nee is quite good at practical but artistic space. Otou-chan will enjoy this..." she said feeling traces of Jeanne's energy around this space. As far as her own understanding was concerned this was definitely one of her personal works, it made her wonder if the lass went about it by hand or if she decided to fully utilize magic to make it work for her.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, right; Sakura completely failed to get a grasp on sarcasm. Perhaps he should have thought about that beforehand, so he wouldn't be standing there pinching the bridge of his nose. "Umm. Well..." Charlemagne mumbled. He couldn't tell her. No way was he going to dive into the leagues-deep pool of madness that would come with explaining sarcasm to someone who thought only in logical terms. With that in mind, he moved on instead. "I don't think it's an explanation I need. Somebody should explain sarcasm to you, though. Not me. Somebody specifically not me," he concluded.

As they entered the garden, Charlemagne found himself finally releasing Sakura's hand, which he failed to realize he never let go of before. He had to meander a bit and take in the sights this garden provided. For a place of produce, it was well-put together enough to dwarf many a botanical garden. Sakura seemed to agree, even stating that her father would enjoy the garden. "I'm sure anyone would. This place was already great when it started, but this is next-level," Charlemagne stated whilst reaching out to pluck a fresh tomato from its vine. Right away, he took a bite from the flawless fruit, which spewed its juice onto his mouth and chin without fail. "Ah, that's good! I don't know if produce in your homeland has the same problem, but up here, there are no pests to worry about in gardens. In my old world, we had to use a ton of chemicals to make this happen. We couldn't eat those chemicals either, so all your fruits and vegetables would have to be washed before you could eat them. I'm not sure if the lack of them is Chaldea or the belt that grew these, though. I guess it doesn't matter."

[Apollymi]

Charles didn't remember that Sakura didn't get sarcasm. And seemed at least lightly agreeable to her explanation, until he wasn't. There was a claim by the young man that he didn't need an explanation but that someone, specifically not him, needed to explain sarcasm to her. "Sarcasm..." she said the word but it didn't necessarily have meaning in her mind. Okay, she'd find out what it was eventually, she'd ask someone she thought could answer her question. "Alright, I'll ask someone else later," she said seeming fine with information he kept for himself, or not wanting to explain something specific. Information trades were much more normal to her, so she had no problem with the lad not wanting to get into the details of his thoughts with her.

Moving on from that Charles had apparently seen this garden only at its start. He agreed that her father or rather anyone who would like this place. "You're quite right, usually food gardens aren't so well organized..." she mused. Her own father grew a lot of things himself but this was also a nice and tranquil space. In the meantime he let go of her hand which was quite odd in the moment. Not because she wouldn't have gone with him, but just because it'd been such a warm fixture since their time in the Nexus most recently. Sakura was left to ponder the feeling while looking around. A few times she could be seen opening and closing that hand as if confused by the sensation of it. Whatever the case, Charles was content to eat directly from the garden in a rather excitable way. His words implied that his original world didn't have the necessary means to keeping pests away from food crops without it being problematic for consumption. "Most creatures won't eat mana rich food. They aren't strong enough to digest it without being strong themselves. So the only real pests in this case are magical creatures..." she explained. "But you can send a group of adventurers out to handle most of them, or put in plants that would keep out undesirable things... Otou-chan says that things only attract what they need, so anything in our lands that seeks something is given it," she explained.

[Bloodedge]

Luckily, Sakura wasn't pushing for any further explanations of sarcasm. She took him at his word, intending to ask someone else about it later, much to Charlemagne's satisfaction. "Thanks. That's way too much for me to unpack," he said. It was then that Charlemagne began digging in, enjoying the first fresh tomato he'd experienced in ages. Moreover, this particular garden had a quality of edible flora that went well above and beyond the norm. "You should grab something; it's all delicious!" he suggested.

Even while his face became covered in tomato juice, Charlemagne seemed perfectly capable of keeping up a casual conversation, almost as if he didn't look like a goofball. As he continued to munch, Sakura brought up the magical pests that existed in Munetsuchi above the more normal critters most would know of. Oh, he knew of those more than he'd like to admit. As an adventurer himself, Charlemagne had quite a few obscure quests under his belt. He was even visibly cringing at the memories brought up by that mention. "Ugh, I remember. With my skillset, I've been the only one capable of taking some of those quests. I've seen more Glean Shadows than any one person ever should. Don't tell me you have those things. They only come out at night, and daylight is the only kind of light they run from. No other adventurer around had the type of Holy affinity I did for a long time. It was terrible. I might have preferred goblins, or even wyverns."

[Apollymi]

"I get not wanting to be the one to explain something..." she said. Truthfully she understood this better than most things, but it wasn't important in the moment. No, Charles instead thought to tell her to have something to eat, that it was all good. She believed this information so she began looking around the gardens for something she might like to eat. She'd find herself picking a strawberry which looked rather ripe to eat.

While she tasted this her eyes widened it was quite good, these fruits weren't easy to find but she quite enjoyed the taste of it. As she ate though, Charles spoke of a creature she'd never heard of, but she logged away the information about them in case it would be needed later. She found herself quietly licking her lips and shaking her head from left to right. "Iia, we don't have anything like those, the main problem with crops in Munetsuchi is Demiguises..." she explained. "They are like small white monkeys, they are herbivores, and rather tame, but they really enjoy picking crops while people aren't looking. So, they have to be corralled and relocated, but its kind of difficult because they can turn invisible and see the future so capturing them requires some skill. But we can't let them be, because if they eat too much they grow into these really scary monsters that have to be killed and their difficulty level increases too much," she explained of the types of things people dealt with in Munetsuchi. "Also this is really good... I should have Otou-chan grow some..." she mused seeming to like the idea of having these from time to time.

[Bloodedge]

Sakura commiserated. How strange. After all the explaining she'd done the past day or so, he figured she always wanted to be the one explaining things. She seemed very willing to spill half of her brain any time the opportunity presented itself. Perhaps, however, that was all in Charlemagne's mind. Maybe she even found it annoying to do so much explaining. He'd seen those genius types responding to others' questions as if they were annoyed by the stupidity. Could she have been one of those people? He didn't dare to think; going own that route would have made him quite the inconvenience thus far.

Munetsuchi apparently had no fear of Glean Shadows, luckily enough. At the very least, Sakura had never even heard of them. They did, however, have Demiguises. Those creatures sounded like something he'd seen before, quite a long time ago. He'd never seen them grow into more monstrous forms, but he had seen them in their normal states once or twice. "Is that what those are called? I remember a guy who was terrified of them for reasons he couldn't even explain. Maybe he'd seen them become monstrous; I never have," he replied before taking another bite of that tomato. Sakura commented on the strawberry she'd chosen, claiming she should have her father grow some. "You mean strawberries in general, or these strawberries? Berries are awesome regardless."

[Apollymi]

Charles's thoughts about Sakura's commiseration were way off base. She truly didn't mind being the one to explain most things, actually anything she understood. She also enjoyed learning new things truly. The only thing she didn't want to explain currently was the future as she saw it. She felt that she didn't have the necessary experience to be that forward, but that was fine, as far as she understood it there was definitely someone better suited to that sort of attitude.

Apparently, the creature that Charles mentioned was quite a pest, Demiguises were bothersome but for the most part cute and harmless. "Yes, I think they are cute... but I've heard some people talk about them. Apparently, it is unnerving for a non-human type creature to have the sort of sentience that would allow for clairvoyance of any sort. They can also disappear at will, which likely contributes to them being frightening," she said seeming to have a logical reason to be fearful. "But I think they look like little old men, until they turn into monsters," she mentioned. Ah, now that she was thinking about it, she'd make a small version of one in her hand to show what it looked like when it became a monster. At scale it it was dozens of times larger than the monkey, bipedal with large teeth and a scary disposition. "They also crave flesh when they are bigger so that could contribute to the factors which would evoke a fearful response," she said as if that wasn't at all nightmare fuel. As for her choice between these strawberries or just strawberries... "I suppose these are very good, so that'd be a specialty thing, but I think this might taste pretty good with my favorite so I might want just regular ones. Fruit is good in general..." she said as if it made perfect sense.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne was due for a bit more detail about the creatures called Demiguises. Sadly, it was something he could have gone another thousand years without seeing, and he'd have been better for it. Ah, but no, Sakura just had to offer a visual of their transformed state, proving exactly why many people were terrified of them. In seeing the imagery for the first time, Charlemagne fell silent and stared for several seconds. "That... is the most disturbing thing I've seen in decades. Maybe centuries. It's definitely terrifying, and if they eat flesh, I completely understand how people are afraid of them. I'd personally like to never see one again," he spoke. The sight of that thing even managed to ruin whatever appetite Charlemagne had, so the remainder of that tomato was thrown into the air and subsequently taken by a creature looking the part of a bird, but with equal features of a dragonfly. That thing could enjoy the remains, as he would not.

Moving on from the night terrors, Sakura claimed strawberries would blend well with her favorite. There was a mention of that from her elf father earlier, though nothing specific came of it. What could it have been? "What's your favorite? Also, I forgot the hint that your dad cooks. He wouldn't happen to be the type who'd make whatever your favorite is for everyone, would he? Because uh... if I'm being honest, our food isn't going to be the quality you'd expect as someone who grew up in a palace. We can all cook, but we can't... cook. You know?"

[Apollymi]

According to Charles this creature was one of the most disturbing things he'd ever seen. Sakura looked at it intently for a few seconds... she didn't see it. Of course, she understood that what she would fear and what humans and their ilk feared were very different things for the most part so she pulled the little thing apart as quickly as she'd made it. "I don't find it frightening, but maybe it is an individual type of fear," she mused. Perhaps she should ask others if they also found it disturbing. It seemed that Charles wouldn't be completing his tomato instead feeding it to the garden in the form of a bird that flew off with it. Hm, that was odd. Sakura continued eating the rather large strawberry that took a few bites to get through completely unperturbed.

As they moved on, it seemed that Charles was curious about what her favorite food was. She supposed though it'd been mentioned earlier they hadn't gone into great detail about it. He also asked about her father and his cooking. He claimed that most within the group could cook but it wouldn't be the same level of food she was used to consuming. She actually was left a bit curious about whether her father would cook for the group or not, she'd never asked him that, and she'd never had friends before. "My favorite is almond tofu," she mentioned as if this was a normal thing. Perhaps it was known, perhaps it wasn't that didn't much matter in the long run. "Will Otou-chan cook? I don't know... he's nice but I don't know if he would just to do so... though I have friends now so that might change the overall outcome. He was pretty concerned with that aspect of my development," she said seeming to be thinking about the whole of it. Ailen was an elf and an alchemist she had no idea if he would have naturally made her favorite dessert for everyone or if he'd only make it for her. "As for cooking, I don't think that will be so much a problem... his apprentice would be just as capable as a cook as Otou-chan is..." she said with a nod.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course you don't think it's frightening. Your dad was just casually mentioning how you have the ability to affect fate; I doubt there's anything that could frighten someone like that," Charlemagne countered. Of course, he was also not quite frightened by the visage of a Demiguise, but he had a few reasons. Charlemagne had encountered many things more terrifying than those, even though that was an image he found terrible to look at.

What could Sakura's favorite dish be? Charlemagne held a moderate amount of curiosity, but he would not be left curious for long. Almond Tofu, she said. He would have considered that a very obscure thing, but... he remembered something. Sakura had once commented on the flavor of almonds, in a very specific memory that left Charlemagne stunned to speechlessness for a moment. "I... oh. Almonds, yeah. Gotta like those uh... nuts," he blabbered. Perhaps it was best that he stick to the matter of cooking and eating. Sadly, Sakura had no real answer as to whether her father would cook for everyone or not. She did, however, suggest that Anais should be an equally capable cook to her mentor. "I guess we'll all get to find out eventually. Annie, though? I didn't figure an apprenticeship could involve that many skills. Well, I guess everything lately has been something most people would call excessive. I shouldn't be surprised at all."

[Apollymi]

Charles apparenlty thought it wasn't very odd that Sakura wasn't afraid of the creature. He pointed to her casual ability to potentially alter fate as being among the main reasons she likely couldn't be rendered fearful. "I don't know about that... fear seems to be directly connected to emotional responses, I figured it was a matter of logic not ability," she said seeming to find the assertion odd but she did understand how he came to such a conclusion. It was interesting to consider at the very least.

Beyond that point there was the matter of her favorite food. It seemed Charles seemed to find something odd in that but ones favorite foods were simple enough to explain. She looked at the lad with a raised brow at his statement but since he was content to move on to matters of cooking she let it go. Her strawberry finished the remaining stem disappeared from her hand. Of course, this wasn't really a problem as it seemed that Charles had some interesting thoughts about the amount of cooking Anais would be doing. "It isn't too excessive, to become the apprentice of one of my fathers is to become the student of all of them. Anais, is Otou-chan's direct apprentice and he is an elf so the amount of skills she could gain are quite numerous simply because of how long he's lived and how much he's learned. Cooking and Alchemy are quite similar at base and require the same principle knowledge to do well..." she said simply.

[Bloodedge]

Even fear was something Sakura related to emotional responses. Charlemagne couldn't have disagreed more if he tried. She presented herself as one who applied logic to all things, yet Charlemagne thought logic leaned to the other side in this case. "That has to be some weird goddess logic. Fear in humans always boils down to survival instinct. If something feels like a danger to your life or livelihood, you're supposed to be afraid of it. Fear makes you stronger ─ it helps you overcome a dangerous situation," he replied, knowing fear was one of the many things that kept humans alive in times of danger. "What would a reality-bender even have to fear? You don't seem to make emotional connections, so I doubt you would feel fear on someone else's behalf either."

Charlemagne took the time to wipe tomato juice from his chin. In that time, Sakura explained that Anais was the apprentice of Ailen, and was therefore the student of the entire group. That sounded like a very busy schedule, but Anais did always seem to be the model student type; she would probably be enjoying herself. Of course, there was also the... interesting way things were done in Munetsuchi. Combined with Anais's sudden change in physique, and the fact that he'd seen Sakura actively undergo a similar transformation, he figured her method of learning had to be a topic never worth bringing up in conversation. "That's a massive can of worms I never intend to open," he said while scratching his scalp. As for alchemy's similarities to cooking, he supposed there was no room to argue at all. "Huh. I guess that's one of those things you never think about, but it super obvious when you hear it. Well... if your dad doesn't make it, I'll find out if Annie can at some point. It sounds pretty good."

[Apollymi]

Goddess logic. That is what Charles thought of Sakura's equating fear to an emotional response. He claimed in the same statement he would have instead called it an instinctual response, to threats to one's survival and livelihood. He claimed that one was supposed to fear in those cases and that in those cases fear made one stronger, to overcome the dangerous situation. She looked at him strangely but then she gave it a bit of thought, she could understand why he thought that the case, but since humans didn't all react to the same stimuli it would be harder to give that association. "I'll have to observe it more. It still seems more emotional than automatic considering the number of humans who routinely ignore survival to do other things," she said having thought of several instances where humans chose to act against the necessities of survival for reasons she did not entirely understand. Moving on from that, there was the matter of the apparent lack of emotional connections formed by Sakura herself. There was a fairly logical response for this, "I don't think my abilities have much to do with it. The people I am already emotionally attached to can more than take care of themselves. I don't have to feel fear for them and even those who are more mortal would make their way back eventually, so fear for them is unnecessary," she explained of her own logic. Her parents were gods or god tier beings living on the lower part of the world, there wasn't much that could even hurt them. Fear for others surrounding things like death didn't happen because she understood death as a mechanism already.

And then she watched as Charles wiped tomato juice from his mouth. Her explanation of the studies of one like Anais seemed to go far enough for a general understanding. But for whatever reason Charles didn't want to go into more detail about it. He used a phrase which caused confusion on the face of Sakura, "Context says you don't want to talk about it more, but why a can of worms?" she asked genuinely not understanding that particular statement at all. Beyond that matter was dessert and the claim that if her dad didn't make it then he'd find out if Anais would or could. Whatever the case he was keen to try it and she would enable him a bit in a rather innocent way, "I mean you can still do that if you like, but if Otou-chan only makes it for me, I'd share it with you..." she offered. It was her favorite and it would be good if she allowed him to have some too. Besides she'd be getting it based on finishing her new skill and that was at least partially Charles fault so she could easily share her reward with him.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, it was made clear that the two would not agree. Sakura still believed fear to be something emotional, and still, Charlemagne was firm in his belief. "Emotion overpowers instinct. Where do you think courage comes from?" he questioned rhetorically, seeming to carry a tinge of annoyance toward the continued topic. Sakura had further explained her standpoint, touching on 'emotional' connections and why she did not know fear on behalf of those important to her. It all sounded ridiculous to Charlemagne. As a human, one who held emotional connections in high regard, the concept of such things were far too foreign for him to accept. "That doesn't even sound reasonable to me. Anyone can run into a bad time. People might come back when they die here, but that doesn't mean they'll..."

He paused there. The longer such discussions went on, the more bothersome they were. Yet again, Charlemagne found himself having to accept the differences and move on. "Never mind. It's not worth it," he said with a deep sigh. With all that swimming around in his brain, another jab came in the form of a question. Why a can of worms? In the world he'd come from, Sakura would easily make herself one of the most bullied individuals in any school... and she might not even know what was happening. "It's just a saying," he responded. Charlemagne was soon walking again, taking a longer path toward the sanctum to enter from a different place entirely. Along the way, he processed the offer for shared almond tofu. Even in his current state, Charlemagne's values remained the same. "It's your favorite. I couldn't ask for any off your plate; you're obviously excited for it."

[Apollymi]

Emotion overpowered instinct, that was courage according to Charles. Emotions also overpowered logic... Sakura was confused by humanity's extended survival. If a singular kind of thing could override both their natural instinct to survive and their natural ability to think it seemed like humans made themselves very easy targets for turmoil. Humans were now emotional wrecks fighting both logic and instinct for feelings. Were they truly trading both factual depth and instinct for simple sensations they couldn't rightly explain? Whatever the case, she'd remain listening intently right up until Charles stopped talking mid-sentence. Whatever his thought pattern was, he didn't deem it worth continuing. He seemed almost frustrated, that was odd. Was it simply a matter of not knowing? A matter of being for so long a person developing he didn't imagine what it was like to not have to? Or perhaps it was closer to his own understanding than that, and he thought of someone like Jeanne as changed by the experience of her death... though that was obviously her personal choice given her status as a witch. Perhaps it was all too magical and too opposed to his known truth, for him to deal with mentally... that seemed like a reasonable hypothesis. "Sou ka..." she murmured seeming to understand such a topic was somehow touchy for reasons she didn't truly understand.

Moving on, they'd begun walking again... this time taking quite the long path to head into one of the other doors. According to Charles though the 'can of worms' bit of his statement was just a saying. Oh, so it was a colloquialism related to a topic one didn't want to go into depth about. She could understand that... she might even like it. Perhaps that could be added to her statements later... yes, that made sense. Until such a time as that, the lad seemed content to turn down the offer of sharing her favorite food with her. "Well of course I am excited it is my favorite," she said seeming to think nothing of it. "But I offered and that is different from asking. I've never shared with anyone before and I decided to share with you... You said we're friends and friends share, especially things they like and are their favorites," she explained her logic almost childishly. It was strange to turn down something offered freely. Stranger still to claim friendship while not committing to the actions that friends do.

[Bloodedge]

Onward they went. Charlemagne had nothing more to say along the more serious topics previously discussed, and it seemed Sakura wouldn't bother addressing matters further either. He much preferred the idea of moving on with the given plan, first by getting what fresh air he could before finding rest. The next day would be a busy one. Ah, but first was the insistence of Sakura that she share her food of choice, as she offered and they were friends. Friends did share, yes; she wasn't wrong about that. "Of course friends share. That doesn't mean they take advantage of each other. Fine. If you insist," he said. Even an offer would be rejected at least initially, provided it seemed like a burden. Since Sakura was so insistent, however, he had little choice but to accept... if that became necessary.

What Charlemagne needed at this point, was a familiar bed. He didn't dawdle very much even while taking a more scenic route back, making his way into the room and casually discarding armor segments, shoes and tunic at the door. This life had become exhausting overnight, and it wasn't slowing the pace at all. The only thing he could feel comfortable doing was falling backwards onto a mattress and letting out all he could in one deep breath. At this point, he just wanted it all to be over. He was still holding the Holy Grail in one hand, staring into the empty chalice with only a desire to move forward two years. This would have been an excellent time to have Clairvoyance, he thought.

[Apollymi]

Friends shared but didn't take advantage. What counted as taking advantage? Well, Sakura was sure she'd figure it out eventually, if not through action then through lack of it. Perhaps she'd end up asking someone else, she was amassing quite a long list of questions for someone in the future. "Okay," she said seeming to have internalized something but she wasn't sure what. Charles seemed rather tired and would wind up back in his room stripping himself of armor and laying in bed which he basically collapsed into. She watched him do this wondering what he was thinking, still she was content to observe. She looked around the room and wondered if he only sat between the bed and the desk. It looked rather uncomfortable, there was a window and a tapestry with nothing beneath it and she began imagining something in her head. "Char-kun, can I make something in here?" she asked, wanting somewhere to sit which was more to her liking but deciding it would be better to ask to avoid overloading the lad in the way that his previous statement implied that he could be.

As one set of people settled into bed, the elafia Anais seemed to be reaching fever pitch. She'd sat around catching up with her friend for quite a while, and Yume to her credit claimed the girl's bed in a seemingly relaxed manner, but Anais had already begun pacing back and forth over and over again. It seemed that after the sun went down the girl had gained quite a bit of energy and Yume was watching her move back and forth across her room like a ping pong ball. "Mi-chan you still get the zoomies late night?" she asked the other girl as she relaxed. "I don't have the zoomies, I just..." she paused noting her movements and everything else she ran a hand through her hair. "I need to go on a walk, get some fresh air, think... I can't really sleep at night and being inside is making me antsy," she explained. "So yes, still zoomies."

[Bloodedge]

Once Charlemagne finally found his place in bed, his mind nearly blanked. A quick snap to reality occurred only when Sakura spoke, bringing attention to the fact that she hadn't made any immediate movements herself. How strange. Charlemagne had almost gotten adjusted to the girl being all but attached to him, yet there was no such reality now. Oh well. She wished to know if she could make something within his room. "Huh?" he said initially. Of course, he continued in the very next breath. "You can do whatever you want," was the conclusion. After seeing creation firsthand, Charlemagne was admittedly somewhat interested. What exactly did she wish to create in his room? Time would tell momentarily, so he wouldn't be closing his eyes just yet.

Meanwhile, someone like Anais seemed entirely incapable of closing her eyes. The elafia showed a certain hyperactivity common to her people, and apparently normal for her even before transition into this world. Yume wasn't the only one observing this burst of energy; Ailen was present in the room as well. As a brief exchange occurred between the girls, the elf loosed various buckles upon his ensemble. By the time Anais spoke of getting fresh air, Ailen was meandering around the room with only a pair of trousers to cover his flesh. "The elafia are a nocturnal people. If you already had the disposition for a life lived after dark, I imagine your case is even more astounding. Imagine becoming a vampire," he joked, seeming ready to discard his trousers as well. "A solid draught could do the trick, if you would prefer it to activity."

[Apollymi]

Sakura had done what she thought was the right thing in the situation and asked Charles about making something. Much to her thoughts about the situation he told her she cuold and she then turned and looked around the room. She took in the look and motif of various items and the colors within it. She imagined within her mind a very specific piece of furniture which would match the decor of his room but also give her somewhere very cozy to sit while the lad slept or rested for the night. She was oddly content to observe him and in the moment he was content to observe her. She stood thinking about it for a few moments and then it began, she created from her thoughts, a high backed throne like chair with woods and colors which blended with the room she was currently standing in. It was slightly dark but had a brighter red, upholstery and a great almost handcarved detailing about it. She looked around the space and at the thing after it was made, within a little corner which gave her a clear view of the bed and she sat within it being certain it was quite comfy. "There, I think that both fits and is what I was going for. Should I make any adjustments..." she asked. This was his space... he'd claimed she could do what she wanted, but she wanted him to be happy with the look of his space.

At the same time, Anais came to a halt of only because she was being spoken to, but those movements continued soon after, even as she watched her mentor begin stripping away his clothing. Anais looking at the man was noted by Yume who also looked at the elf and wondered how she'd ended up part of this, but being rather happy with the outcome here. "I don't want to think about being a vampire. I still like the sun a little..." she joked along. "Well, I just did most of my thinking and compo.... work at night before... I was always the last one to sleep," she admitted, pausing her thought in the middle. Meanwhile, Ailen offered a draught, so that the girl could calm down and probably sleep. "This world is doing weird things to me, do all the men here just strip at random. I feel like my expectations are being set rather high," Yume mentioned having met two of these people. She was still unabashedly staring, her friend had chosen quite the attractive man for herself. "It did weird things to me already," Anais claimed as she passed the girl and they high fived immediately, this was winning they were certain. "I should get some sleep, Charlie is such an active person... we're going to have to be up early for whatever he planned and training," she said knowing what she should do. "What were you thinking, Shishou?" she asked of the man. "I wonder if it's the cure for zoomies, also I'm being Mi-chan's little spoon, it is our most coveted position~" she teased gently while getting up and stretching knowing that there was a certain amount of sharing that was about to take place here. She was still watching as her friend couldn't calm down and knowing if left to her own devices she'd be a zombie by morning.

[Bloodedge]

As Charlemagne wondered what Sakura would be making, Sakura herself mulled over the creation. The male didn't have to wait very long to have his answer. Spawning from mana alone was a throne, which Sakura had previously been discussing the idea of within the Nexus. Much to her credit, it was a fascinating piece of furniture that surprisingly looked like it belonged instead of being some random thing thrown into the room. Even so, Sakura asked if she should make any adjustments. What could he even suggest? "Well it's not like I can say it needs improvement. I can't imagine it being any better than it is," he commented. Ah, but there was one other thing to address. "I guess that means you're not sleeping. Do you really plan on sitting in this room all night?"

Ailen disrobed, and Yume strangely commented on how freely he did so. That was strange; he figured Mugen would have her more well-adjusted than that. "I would not want to make you believe men of this world are just prone to taking their clothes off. Sleeping is a time of high mana flow, so being nude while sleeping with another is excellent for the passive exchange and acclimation of mana. As I intend to be in contact with someone, I will not have anything in the way of my output," the elf explained. "It also ensures that no additional steps need be taken if a more thorough transfer is desired. I have much knowledge to give, so I intend to do all things necessary for maximum efficiency. Does this offend you?"

With that said, Ailen's breeches were pulled down as well. Once again, the elf was standing around with his rod hanging loose as if nothing was amiss ─ as Anais was sure to be used to by now. Speaking of Anais, she brought into question his train of thought. A simple potion would possibly do the trick for her sleeplessness, but he knew not how intense her situation was. "Hmm. Perhaps an older, rudimentary sleeping potion? A terraria, three waterblooms and two lifeleaves should do well enough, while also ensuring a restful sleep due to the latter ingredient. For a quick craft, it would produce the closest effect to my chambers at home without wasting too much time or resources. It should produce enough for multiple people as well, if you are both so inclined."

[Apollymi]

Sakura finished her work and found herself looking at it and then him and the rest of the room. It seemed she'd done what she intended and actually made it fit into the décor of the room with relative ease. Charles apparently had no negative commentary to make about it, and as such she could only smile. She took a few steps towards that throne she'd created and sat within it, crossing her legs at the knee and looking over to Charles. "I could get up and go for a walk later, or I could join you while you sleep," she mused about her night. "I am not tired but I would prefer to remain within close proximity of you," she said thoughtfully. Sakura had been honest when she explained she didn't need to sleep very often. Besides the normal things, she was still considering an adjustment to her skills to create one which actually altered reality as a combat skill. That could take a little while to come up with.

Ailen was a very interesting elf. He claimed that sleeping was a time of high mana flow and as such he preferred nudity. He also claimed to have a lot of potential information to give and wanted to make himself completely available for that potential exchange. He didn't intend to give Yume false expectations but this was his general take on this. "That was all very logical..." said Yume, her eyes shifted to Anais who without words would only nod to affirm the girl's thought. "I'm not offended, actually you being so uniquely you is quite refreshing, carry on, Ailen-sama," she admitted. She was less than twenty-four hours in on a new life after all... an adjustment period was to be expected. "Also for the record I definitely know someone who will randomly throw all of his clothes off, even in public, even in the middle of the day. It is especially bad if he sees an attractive woman and is turned down... that's my warning to you. He's a good guy just a little..." Anais swirled a finger around her temple. Though she'd never been on the receiving end, she thought to relay that information to her friend.

As for the potion the man intended to give, Anais heard the list of ingredients and understood. "Yes, that seems like it would be fine. I'm just a bit antsy but if I could calm down I could easily go to sleep... probably especially true if I am being the middle of this sleep sandwich as implied by Kaguya-senpai's wishes..." Anais mentioned. "Yay, it's gonna be different though huh? You're actually big now... not just our little big spoon~" mentioned the teasing girl. "I'll take it too... " mentioned Yume who saw nothing wrong with sleeping potions given her own sleeping medications and the like. The world was such an interesting place. Given the decision, Anais decided to get ready for bed instead of anything else, while Yume watched the naked elf and her friend who was surprisingly comfortable in such a situation even as she'd begun talking off clothes herself. 'I guess all that exploring did quite good for her development,' she said a devious smirk. 'I wonder if her other habits still exist?' she found herself questioning. She supposed she'd find out in the morning.

[Bloodedge]

Sakura presented the idea of going for a walk or join his sleep throughout the night. In the meantime, she took a seat atop her newest creation. Charlemagne was still watching; the old man in the Nexus was right. Sakura had a small frame with a certain 'unreal' voluptuousness to it. There was an unearthly appeal to her sitting in a chair so large, and the moment her legs crossed, his eyes were drawn down her form. With a light pinkening of the cheeks occurring, he looked away rather quickly. "Well, good luck with that. It sounds like a boring time, but as long as you can keep yourself entertained, go for it," he said with eyes on the Holy Grail once more.

Meanwhile, Ailen wondered if he managed to put off a student somehow. No; apparently he hadn't. In fact, Yume expressed satisfaction at the thought of Ailen being so 'himself'. Something strange was added, though. "Sama? You are not some random subject in Munetsuchi; there's no need for such formality when addressing me. I'm just an alchemist," he insisted. Ailen then recovered the bag normally attached to his ensemble, removing from its extensive innards a single, almost dead-looking herb, three seafoam-colored flowers that seemed eternally moist, and two blades of a peculiar grass. "Sleep is a chapter three objective of the Alchemist's Path. You're familiar with these ingredients, yes? Perhaps you could tell me what we must do with them. Asakura-hime, would you care to participate as well? It is a rather intriguing process despite how simple it appears based on ingredients alone. Perhaps you'll take an interest in alchemical practices as well."

[Apollymi]

From her exact position Sakura could easily observe Charles, as such she saw the pinkening of his face as he watched her legs cross. Interesting, when she'd seen her sister sitting like this, she didn't know if she had an audience or not. Even so, it seemed to exact a pretty direct reaction from Charles. She didn't understand why this was, but understood what it was. Still the lad didn't truly comment upon it, she supposed this was more like him than most things. "I won't be bored, I have a bit of thinking and compartmentalizing to do. I also wish to think over my skills..." she mentioned as her hand rose and she found herself sitting in a position similar to her demon father her hand resting against the side of her face as if she was amused, and sitll she was rather unabashedly watching Charles. "I can amuse myself, there is no need to worry... Oyasuminasai, Char-kun~" she murmured to the lad.

Meanwhile Ailen showed a very interesting outlook, specifically taking issue with the form of address that Yume chose for him. She was one of his students though not his direct apprentice he somehow decided she didn't need to address him as formally as she chose to. Yume found herself looking at Anais who had removed her boots and was now stripping her hood and unlacing her corset. "Just an alchemist? Isn't that a bit... easy-going?" she asked. "Shishou is just like that... I had the same thought," mentioned Anais as she also seemed to be comfortable enough to strip down to just a pair of green lace panties. A smirk came to Yume's face as she heard the sentence spoken by Anais, it was very much like her friend to give such a reference to someone she liked, thinking of their relationship made her choice of address that much easier, but also dripped to an extreme of a different sort. "Suit yourself, though you should also loosen up on me a bit then, Ai-aniki..." Yume said having remained utterly relaxed throughout. "Still so extreme," murmured Anais. "No idea what you mean, Mi-chan~"

Moving on from the extremes of people like Yume there was the matter of the potion. Anais was familiar with the ingredients and as such found herself very staring at them for several seconds. how should that combination be handled? When asked if she would participate Yume stood between the pair of taller individuals and nodded. "I can catch on pretty quickly. I don't think this sort of thing is boring, it's just not my personal best subject~" she mentioned easily. In that time Anais looked at the ingredients and came to a conclusion, "A waterbloom and a life leaf, ground finely, add another waterbloom and the terraria, continue for course grind, and then the last waterbloom and the last life leaf, roughly ground..." she said recalling how the combination of items could be used to make a potion in a mortar without the need of additional liquid ingredients. "Yeah, that seems about right for making it a liquid while retaining the use of the other ingredients and allowing for it to have the effectiveness throughout," she said a hand under her chin seemingly in deep contemplation.

[Bloodedge]

According to Sakura, she had much to do that would keep her from boredom. He supposed she did previously express an intention to develop whatever Skill her father referenced, and there was probably a bit more to do as well. He couldn't hate the drive, the willingness to develop right away. In fact, there was nothing Charlemagne wished to do over leaving her to the work of it. "Right, you did say something about that. Good luck with that," he said in the end. With that, Charlemagne finally set the Holy Grail aside. His eyes closed, he breathed deeply, and he spoke some final words. "Mm. Oyasumi."

Just an alchemist. For the most part, that was how Ailen would forever identify himself. He was not some great king, some hero, or some legend. All he had ever been, was an alchemist. "It is only the truth. I've never strived to be anything more," he stated. If nothing else, it seemed Yume would honor his request at the cost of insisting he lose formality as well. Would he do so? Perhaps he had something worth producing. "Hmm. Very well. Asa-hime? Or perhaps something else. Hmm, something feels slightly wrong even shortening it. I dare not disregard the truth just to acknowledge friendlier terms. Perhaps I'll have to workshop something..." the elf rambled. Regardless of how he'd address Yume, the potion he intended to see made was something she intended to at least observe. What she had to say, however, was perhaps not as accurate as she believed. "You may be surprised. Given the rate of development I assume you'll be following, you should find alchemy quite easy. It does stem from ancient teachings, which you already show an affinity for. It may just take some time," he claimed.

Anais processed the method she believed would produce a decent sleep potion. Her method was spot-on, even featuring a few adjustments Ailen himself once made to the process. "Precisely! The waterbloom in the mixture must have three different textures. They are eternally moist, and thus require no liquid to create a drinkable potion. Adding the other ingredients one after another will blend them more efficiently into the waterbloom, which functions as our base in addition to the primary ingredient. It may be a bit thick as a mixture, but if that bothers either of you, it can be consumed as tea when heated to a more fluid state. Now, would either of you like the honors?" the tall male asked while producing a small mortar from that same bag.

[Apollymi]

As Sakura settled into her night, Charles finally released his grip on his Holy Grail. He wished her luck and tried to drift off to sleep. As such Sakura watched him while thinking about things, and as such her day would continue for the next few hours. While that occurred Yume and Anais were busy learning in a more direct way from Ailen though not without Yume being her usual invasive self. It seemed that Ailen didn't have an immediate alteration to her name that he liked. What an oddly familiar situation to go through... "Deja vu," murmured Yume as she looked at Anais. "Now that you mention it... we did have a similar conversation," Anais admitted. She'd had a very hard time figuring out what to call one of the older girls in their friend group given how outstanding she always seemed to be. And settled on senpai as a matter of familiarity. "You should tink of one too, if you're going to be calling me by my new name as well," she offered the girl. "And you're senpai now so you should scrap that too..." she said further imposing herself upon the group, rather her desire was to be accepted and not placed on unnecessary platforms, in this group it was her desire. "Now you're just being difficult..." Anais claimed. "Not at all, you're out here calling people things like Livy, Ivy, Charlie and Rey..." she pointed out the girl's affectionate ways of referring to her new friends. "Still pushy but fine, give me a minute," Anais's most pushy former friend was breaking through barriers in her psyche and she'd not even been here for a day.

Moving on from that it seemed that Ailen though that Yume might have an easy time figuring out alchemy. She didn't necessary doubt it, but she had a different kind of talent to most people regardless. As such when asked, she volunteered, "I'll do it. Mi-chan did you mean those terms like cooking ones?" she asked of her particular instructions. "Hai..." Anais mentioned knowing the girl would want the attempt. Kaguya had always been the type to try things in a more hands on fashion, one might call her impulsive, but as she generally had a lot of skill and luck someone like Anais would be more inclined to call her a 'natural genius'. Given the produced ingredients and Anais's instructions she could easily follow along with the stated recipe without too much problem, even without knowing the full specifics of the information. One really wet flower and one life leaf went into the mortar to be ground until it was quite fine, strangely done with the girl's left hand. This would be followed by another bloom and the terraria, done with her right for course texture. And then the final waterbloom and the final life leaf... crushed only with enough force to break them up. It seemed that the mixture was one which was completed just by the mixing which made this particular potion more like mixing up cake batter. After she was done she looked at something roughly the consistency of thick gravy... "Like this?" she asked.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, the issue Ailen was having happened to be familiar to the black-haired girl. Context clues implied that Anais had been the previous one to go through such a thing, not to Ailen's surprise at all. If anyone should have gone through a similar thing, she was that one. Their likeness thus far had been strong enough for that to be obvious. "Of course. I should have expected as much. At any rate, I may keep that one until something better comes up. Apart from your similarities to Tohsaka-san, I know very little about you. It may appear in the spur of a moment," he presumed.

Yume was the one who expressed a desire to craft their potion. She wanted the firsthand experience, did she? "As you like," said Ailen. He then observed as Yume went about mixing the ingredients into the mortar. Strange was her method, but it seemed to be working marvelously nonetheless. Ailen watched with growing intensity while she worked the pestle around, her hands switching between one addition and another. By the time she questioned her success, Ailen was leaned over the girl's shoulder, a hand upon his chin and a quizzical expression upon his face. "Goodness. That's a rather unorthodox way of doing it. One would normally keep one consistent motion with the pestle, adding the waterblooms at specific intervals to accomplish the varied textures. Your method of using different hands to grind at different intensities seems to have bypassed the normal care required when blending it all together. If this isn't your 'best subject' as you say, I'm excited to see what you'll do better. I haven't even taught you anything yet," he babbled.

[Apollymi]

The likeness between Ailen and Anais was uncanny and odd. This was especially odd for Yume to realize as she didn't know the girl's full habits in this world, but knew this elf was her match in oddity and seeming familiarity. Maybe Anais had managed the unicorn way, and found a man who matched her wavelength. It was an interesting thought, and it seemed that Ailen would be keeping his current name for her and she could only chuckle. "Hai hai, get to know me a bit and let me know what you come up with~" she mused in her usual tone. "And you?" she asked of Anais. "Yuyu... yes that one works I think..." she said. Anais was quiet as she spent a while thinking of a nickname for the girl that was properly affectionate but also fit her current motif. "Yeah... I like that, a lot actually. It's nice to feel included~" Yume mused. She didn't know when she became attached to affectionate references, but she quite liked it in the cases of her friends and Mugen for obvious reasons.

Moving on from that, there was her actual potion making. She'd taken it just to see if she could, and with the explanation of it given by Anais she didn't think she'd do badly. Strangely, Ailen was looking over her shoulder seeming to assess her work. When she asked he claimed that her method was unorthodox. He explained what orthodoxy would have entailed and she decided it wasn't really her style so long as her outcome was what she wished it to be. "Unorthodox is my signature. I figured I could do it, thanks for letting me try! I'll do my best to show you about my best subjects~" she mentioned seemingly quite proud of herself. "I also knew you could do it. I was curious about your chosen method but I've never seen you fail at anything you try... congrats," she offered her friend with a gentle hand against her back. "Yosh! Now, how are we divvying this up, because I don't think I'm okay with the texture, and warm bellies are good for sleeping~" she added. Whatever was chosen she could easily use her own magic to heat up this drink to an appropriate temperature.

[Bloodedge]

"That is the plan," Ailen said, agreeing to properly know the student of Mugen before making any name-based decisions regarding her. There was a chance of that occurring whenever it was his time to teach her, which would be... some time after Solomon, whenever that happened. He wasn't very worried about the timing at all; he had an apprentice of his own to stay focused on.

Moving on without much thought dedicated to Yume's form of address, Ailen concerned himself with her unusual method of potion mixing. The human mind was such an interesting thing, always producing these unexpected solutions that may have been considered foolish wastes of an attempt by most others. Ailen, however, did not see this as such. By putting faith in herself, Yume managed to remove the margin of error entirely. Dealing with percentages in the mixing process proved annoying for many young alchemists. As for the offer to show her better subjects, Ailen had admittedly gone a bit native. Had he heard something of the sort from Anais under the right circumstances, he would have made a few assumptions... but he didn't have such an understanding of this girl. "Hmm. Was that a legitimate claim? I may have gone mad of late, but it sounded more like a flirt than an academic offering," he mumbled. Whatever the case, Yume wondered what would be done with the potion to divide it amongst them. Her claim of disliking the texture was... strange. "Is that so? As Tohsaka-san's apprentice, I figured that would be the sort of texture you enjoyed by now. Though maybe it is a little thicker than one would expect of that. Ah well. As I said, it can be drank as tea. Preparation is much the same, or... perhaps more like melting wax. I have no need of this decoction, so the two of you may approach it however you wish."

[Apollymi]

An agreement was reached and Ailen and Yume would be getting to know each other for a while yet. It was nice for Anais to see considering this pair was past and present among her more favored individuals. Moving on from that, the elf questioned whether or not the girl's claim of showing him her better subjects was legitimate. He'd apparently gone a bit mad and might have taken her statement as a flirt rather than a legitimate academic offering. A wide grin spread across Yume's face, "All that exploring~" she mentioned seeming to have been in good fun. "In truth, it was probably both... I've noticed since I've changed most things I say sound flirty, but I assume that is because of the conditions that began this new life of mine~" she said seeming to have come to a rather close conclusion. Whatever the case, she didn't mind her current activity. She'd already accepted the truth of this new life of hers, and as such she wouldn't be too hung up on the details.

Moving on, it seemed that the brew created by the lass would be shared by the pair of girls instead of the elf himself. "Hai hai, come on, Mi-chan time to pull something magical out of that bag of yours..." she claimed. "Well, it isn't really magical but I do have that covered," mentioned Anais, who stepped away to reach into her own magic bag and pulled out a small kettle and a pair of matching clay tea cups, which were actually created by the lass herself. She had a total set of 13 for the peers but just two and the pot would be used now. Two portions would be poured into the tea pot from the mortar by Yume who would then pick said teapot up in her hand and hold it there with the tiniest of flames appearing in her palm. A gentle warming would take place and in about thirty or so seconds a gentle bit of steam had begun rising. "That's more than a fair bit of mana control too," Anais nodded her understanding. Her friend had really gone full mage. "Odd, I would have expected a comparison to butter or something else edible, but alright. Says you who managed to handicrafts in the magical world~" she mentioned noting the nature of the set. "Eh, well, I had to do something with access to a forge as an armorer's squire, and pottery was a nice tactile exercise," mentioned Anais who liked the craft because it was hands on. And then tea was poured into two cups one of which bore an image of a little stag and the other a flame like filigree. The flame one was handed to Yume when it was finished and Anais obviously took the one which looked as if it belonged to her. The girls then went about smelling said drinks and taking their first sips and something about the drink felt oddly familiar but also very different. Like magical chamomile and spearmint... was this sleep potion, sleepytime tea? Well it was probably fine that it didn't taste horrid, given they were supposed to sleep after drinking it.

[Bloodedge]

Something both serious and flirty had left the mouth of Yume. With that being the case, she was sure to fit in with any of Munetsuchi's high-standing members. Ah, but there was something else interesting noted by the lass. She claimed to be this way since taking a new form. There were so little references for how her ilk were changed by transferring to this world, but there was now an obvious similarity to something known on this side. "I see. So it is very similar in concept to standard reincarnation, which can alter the personality much like a clone given different perspective on similar life experiences. Interesting. I've never had the chance to look into that sort of thing. Of course, we never had many residents of Munetsuchi who came from the other world. This changes things quite a bit," he chattered, seeming to have fallen right into another tangent of self-discussion.

The rambling of Ailen continued even while Anais and Yume went about preparations to drink the latter's first decoction. He would eventually be mumbling incoherencies yet again while taking a seat on the bed. The elf's right leg crossed over his left. He seemed rather relaxed for a man sitting in his birthday suit, in the random bedroom of an unfamiliar location to boot. Where had his mind gone by this time? Well, there had been quite a leap. "Some of those blades may have been even more useful. Yes, that would make it possible. Additional study may be something I have to focus on, even more so than I initially thought."

[Apollymi]

"Reincarnation? Yeah, something like that... I birthed myself today using Mugen-sama's mana," said Yume. "It's weird though, you'd think Munetsuchi would have a whole bunch of people like us in it. Given what life is like on the other side and all the random disappearances..." she mused, knowing that it was a huge phenomenon on the other side to play a certain game and potentially go missing. Though she'd disappeared right off the street with her then boyfriend which had to be a less popular way of ending up on the other side. "Hai, but it seems a lot of people don't end up in places that align to their original homelands. Like me first living in the forest, or Charlie who is also definitely our age and time and Japanese being born as a Frenchman..." stated Anais. "Also this tastes like sleepytime tea..." she said while drinking out of her personalized cup, her heartrate and twitchy body seeming to relax between sips. "Yeah, definitely... I'm surprised that after tasting it you didn't dump like 3000 gallons of honey in it like you normally do~" teased Yume who made the eyes of Anais widen. "Yeah well..." she seemed almost sheepish for some reason. Whatever the case, they could drink their brew while Ailen seemed to be in deep contemplation. Neither of them would be interrupting his thoughts, though both would hear his ramblings and keep them in mind in case they had something to offer.

"Must have found a whole bunch while doing all that exploring~ You didn't make this cup for me did you?" asked Yume who looked at the design on it and though it rather suited her. She also couldn't resist teasing the girl about a habit she was sure she still had in a different manner, given the way her heart reacted to the thing about honey. "Iia, I made and kept the set for our direct adventure group. That one cup belongs to Rey, but I don't think he'll mind. I should probably make some for this new group depending on how long our time together is. Though I don't have a forge to fire them in this time... though I never considered using magical fire to make them before... they might come out with better attributes if I did that this time..." she said giving it some consideration. "What blades, Shishou?" Anais asked as she finished her tea and placed her cup back on the desk beside the other things. She'd rearrange and clean them later.

[Bloodedge]

There was much to study in terms of whatever changes Yume underwent. To already be similar enough that Mugen chose her, she still had room for alteration after receiving his mana. How much changed? What facilitated the changes? These were things to wonder, and Ailen hypothesized how he could have begun the studying process. Of course, his ears were still receiving all words shared between Anais and Yume, even while he continued chattering to himself. As such, Ailen did hear and process a peculiar discussion about honey. "The fault is probably mine. My mana quality is likened to that of honey," he mumbled.

With that said, it seemed the elf was quick to move on. He was eventually addressed directly by Anais, who wondered what manner of blades he was speaking of. "Hm?" he said initially, being brought out of a mental tangent the likes of which this world had never seen. "Ah, it's nothing worth any true concern. I saw some blades of excellent quality grass earlier. I thought that if used as a filler, it could actually enhance lifeleaf's healing properties to allow greater generation and metabolizing of mana within the self. If it worked as such, it would have been easy to see precisely how one changes between forms, as Tohsaka-san's mana is likely still processing in her body. We could have seen the how, why and when of every aspect. But... that is of little importance; just a passing curiosity. Perhaps I'll commit to studying something of that nature later."

[Apollymi]

While the pair of girls conversed Ailen randomly admitted that it was likely his fault the girl felt no need to add honey to her tea. His mana quality was that of honey he stated. And the mouth of Yume opened into a little 'o' shape as she realized how very honest one had to be to just say something like that aloud. "Aww, I really don't get tired of that~" Anais mentioned seemingly pleased by the sight. "So, we're really not going to talk about your new dietary needs and all that honey you've been taking in, Mi-chan~" teased Yume. Of course, Anais let this roll off her in this instance choosing to move on without addressing it only leave Yume sipping a sleeping potion while looking at the girl most deviously. Iino Miko might have been one of the most upright individuals in their friend group. Her deep dive into school harem debauchery was a work of art which needed to be dissected and understood. It was for science!

Meanwhile Anais was listening to Ailen mumble on and discuss how he could have used the grass earlier and some life leaf to study the difference between Yume's current form and her previous form. "Sou ka... that actually sounds fairly interesting," Anais mentioned. She knew what her friend was, what she looked like and what her base form had been like the last time she'd seen it. But a human girl was a very different ball game from what she was right now. "Mi-chan what will your secret boyfriend think of all this honey you've been drinking?" mentioned Yume as she finished her cup and went on to place her cup down. Finally it seemed Anais would snap. "I don't have a secret boyfriend and we're not talking about my fucking diet!" she finally snapped. Such a snap only made Yume giggle. "Oh? Mi-chan swears now... that's interesting. So, Daft Punk?" she followed up. "I am not Daft Punk... I do a lot of ghost writing and composing under a pseudonym and I was under an NDA... I don't have a secret boyfriend. I make music for other people to perform and background soundtracks for different media..." she finally confessed. "And the swearing is Olga's fault... she gets really easily annoyed while she's working..."

[Bloodedge]

By sunbreak the following morning, little had changed around the Eternal Sanctum. There was, however, a dark-haired young man clad in black armor walking around the courtyard aimlessly. He wasn't simply meandering, of course; it was he who was meant to meet with this Charlemagne person and join some adventure for the Holy Knights' queen or... something. He'd been wandering about for quite some time, expecting the summons from Martha to mean someone would meet him by sunrise. It seemed that was not truly the case.

No, the sun's rays had been cast over the sanctum for about twenty minutes, and Charlemagne was nowhere in sight. Had there been an eyewitness, one could easily say the lad never left his bedroom. Well... there was an eyewitness: Astolfo, in a way. The pink-haired male had been standing in the hall, twiddling his skirt while awaiting the rise and emergence of Charlemagne. In more recent minutes, he inched closer and closer to the other male's room. Would he knock? No. His careful approach was not intended to wake Charlemagne, but instead to abuse the knowledge that Sakura was sharing that same room. Perhaps he'd hear something scandalous upon reaching the door. Perhaps he wouldn't even have to make it all the way. That would be quite the entertaining hit to his senses indeed, Astolfo thought.

In the meantime, Ailen had been lying awake in bed for the better part of two hours. His position never changed, but his mind was racing. There was something about the previous day... something very bothersome. It was such a random, casual mention of a thing, but what was it? Butter. He'd never heard of such a thing in such a long life. What was it? He had to have one of those two provide some answers.

[Apollymi]

Making a return late in the night, or rather early the next day, was Martha, who'd done the things necessary to notify the other areas of the impending threat of Aincrad and passed along all necessary messages about Jeanne and the other missing leaders of Chaldea. Yes, all was well and she'd even managed to leave the proper message for Yuuya who she saw as she approached the courtyard around daybreak. "Yuuya, good morning," she greeted the lad as she joined him, to ease his mind as he waited around.

In the meantime, Astolfo outside of Charles door was one who might hear something but what would it be? Well, Sakura due to her own words hadn't slept. She'd spent all night watching Charles sleep, thinking over her skills and changing the functionality of one and occupying that chair that she'd made to enjoy in the space. Still as time carried on, she found herself watching the first approaches of the sun's rays and as such shifted her own position. No longer would she sit, no... she'd rise to enter the lad's bed. When he woke he'd find the girl straddling the entirety of his body but studying his face particularly. She was close enough to him, that their body's would gently be touching as the sun rose. He'd not asked her to wake him, and as such she wouldn't but she would watch carefully.

The night carried on in random fashion, after the confession of Anais and her gentle snap that pair of individuals would find themselves in bed. Anais pressed against Ailen's fore with her backside and Yume pressed against Anais's fore. The girl had cast away her magical clothing and would be found sleeping against the other girl quite naked. And over the course of their combined sleep one of Anais's hands would be found clutched onto Yume's chest, quite comfortably. What a strange pair of girls they were sleeping in such a comfortable fashion together as Ailen laid in bed with them apparently thinking about something he'd lost in his overall thoughts. A gentle pulse of mana from the finger tips of Anais would leave Yume squirming against her body as she woke. She's have a few words to share, "Mi-chan... that tickles," she murmured. "Oh, a few more minutes... I'm not ready yet," murmured Anais as her hips wiggled just a little against Ailen but that hand... oh that hand had taken to a bit of gentle molestation. As if the feeling of mana beneath it stirred some sort of strange instinct the elafia had long sense forgotten.

[Bloodedge]

As he wandered about, the final member of the adventuring party was greeted at last. The very same Martha he parted with on the previous night, had joined him in the courtyard before any of the others. "Ah! Martha-san!" he said, both brows lifting as he turned to greet the woman. Yuuya was still relatively new to this world, and an unusual case to boot. "I thought everyone was going to be longer. Though... I also thought someone else would be here by now. Am I early?" he wondered, refraining from the reveal of how long he'd been walking the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Charlemagne was due for an interesting morning. Though he did not wake with any immediacy, there was the familiar sensation of a person atop him in those final resting moments. In this case, his soul reacted without requiring his body's consciousness. A natural drive to prepare for mana transfer affected his body directly. Charlemagne's groin reached a state of firmness, and his mana reached a state of continuous flow before his eyelids even began to shutter. "Mngh," he grumbled, shifting in place as much as possible under the circumstances.

Another was finally waking in the bed shared by Ailen. Yume had taken to squirming as well, commenting that something tickled. Ah, he could feel the source by proxy. Tall as he was, Ailen's arm had been slung around both lasses throughout the night, so he was in rather close proximity to the moving arm of Anais. There was an alteration of mana occurring as well. Oh? Was he to forego thoughts of whatever this 'butter' thing was? It seemed there was some extend of a transfer progressing. Assuming that was the case, Ailen threw himself into the fray. While Anais occupied herself on one side of Yume's chest, Ailen's arm shifted until his hand could claim the other. There was a certain harmony to the movement of two separate hands. In fact, Ailen even employed his mana in a similar way to Anais. Obviously this was the path chosen by the two girls.

[Apollymi]

Martha joined Yuuya in the courtyard and was greeted in a strange but oddly familiar way. Having once been a Japanese person herself such references were quite rare to hear in this world but also quite pleasing to the ear. She went over to stand around with the lad and couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't know the habits of Charlie's newer friends... but he isn't a super late riser or anything... Astolfo will likely show up with him, so it will be fine, you aren't early," she explained to the lad. "Are you nervous Yuuya?" she asked of the lad wondering if she might have been better off just summoning him here this morning instead of telling him about it ahead of time.

At the same time, Sakura was feeling strangely as she watched Charles approach wakefulness. Of course, it wouldn't be his eyes opening or anything like that which alerted her to his shift towards consciousness. Instead it would be the movement of his mana to answer a rather natural inclination caused by her close proximity. His strange shifting made her do much the same, as she found herself easily rubbing against his hardening manhood with her core even though her clothes as he seemed apt to move it about. Perhaps he'd wake soon, and it was his intention to wake in the way she understood waking to work. Though that did seem quite outside his normal understanding of things, so perhaps not? Regardless she wouldn't be adjusting her position and would be where she was making physical contact with his groin as he approached wakefulness.

The squirming of Yume was about to become something rather fulfilling to the way Anais considered her movements. Why? Well there would be an addition to her continued squirming as Ailen's hand also joined into the fray. Poor Yume had barely registered the first hand's use, the second caused her eyes to pop open as she bit down on her bottom lip just a bit. "So... I know why she's doing this..." she murmured softly as a squeeze seemed to pulse the mana within her chest just a bit sending jolts down to her loins. This was way more intense than she remembered it being, even just a week ago. "There are so many questions, why does it tingle? And why did Ai-aniki join in? Why first thing in the morning with you..." she questioned directly still squirming. "Three hundred years, world cold and hard... soft... warm," Anais murmured. "Unfair... Ai-," a gentle pause happened and Anais's hand stopped moving for a second as she fully actualized her situation. She had a really bad habit of waking without realizing what she was doing at the time. "Oops, still nice though~" she commented squeezing once more, oddly she didn't move her hand at all... no it'd been far too long since she'd held this one, she wouldn't be letting go immediately. "Gomennasai, Yuyu..." she mentioned her eyes opening as she looked into the other girl's face. "Gomen, Shishou, this isn't what it looks like," she commented knowing that it actually wasn't what it looked like for once.

[Bloodedge]

Yuuya wasn't early, claimed Martha. That was far from the truth, considering how long he'd been around... but at least the current moment wasn't considered 'early' by Martha. "Ah... good," he said with a relieved sigh. In truth, the younger male was quite nervous. Still so new to this world, he wasn't sure of his own usefulness to seasoned adventurers, knights and the like. As for whether he was nervous or not, well... he was. "Eheh─... is it that obvious?" he wondered. While presenting that very question, Yuuya was rubbing the back of his head. "I'm still getting used to it all. Being relied on while still being new to the whole 'other world' thing is pretty weird when some of you have been around for centuries."

As Charlemagne began to stir, things only became worse. In his original life, he never thought himself much of a pervert compared to others who lived on the internet and consumed certain types of animated media. Now, he had apparently developed a breeding kink that required no input from his brain. That settled it. Even being semi-conscious enough to recognize that grinding sensation in his lap was enough to prove one thing: Albertus Animusphere was a pervert. While Astolfo had been approaching the door with the intention of listening for something, what he'd hear would be a bit... confusing, perhaps. "Wuah!" was the sudden utterance of Charlemagne, blurted out in the same moment his eyes opened. What was that supposed to mean?

More confusion spread in another room as well. When Yume spoke again, she wondered why there were tingles in those foreign touches... and why Ailen joined the effort of groping. In that moment, Ailen himself became confused. Was this so unusual? "Hm? Should I not have gotten involved?" he muttered, curious. Anais woke properly soon after. It seemed she'd been unconsciously making such contact with the other girl, yet it didn't stop when she realized it either. With that being the case, Ailen also continued. Ah, but she claimed this wasn't what it looked like. "I don't really understand. This is what we were discussing last night, isn't it? The hour of waking is when one is most susceptible to a more efficient mana transfer than normal. Both giving and receiving are at an all-time high when one first becomes conscious, so I assumed you were either experimenting with that, or indirectly teaching your friend here. I thought to make things more obvious in the latter case, and easier in the former. You also make it sound like this should stop, but neither of you seems particularly interested in that eventuality."

[Apollymi]

Yuuya in Martha's opinion was still a bit skittish in this world. Even so, it would be fine for his long term development to go along with this group. As an aside, it would also be good for him to go out and see the world potentially and make some more friends. In answer to the question of his admitted nervousness Martha could only gently chuckle. "Not too obvious, but I can tell..." she mused gently choosing not to tease the lad for his earliness or anything else for the moment. "Not to worry though, if the conversations happening yesterday are anything to go by, there is a girl in this group who only appeared here yesterday... you won't be alone as a world rookie or anything," she offered the lad that bit of information. "Besides, being in this world for a while can change some people, it's good for them to have interactions with people from the other side," she said trying to ease his mind a bit. She didn't know if she was truly succeeding at that, but at the very least they'd be able to chat a bit and pass a little time.

Somewhere time was not passing however, was Charles's bedroom. Sakura was atop him, rubbing gently against his erection as he woke simply by virtue of her placement and the innate desire she had to do so. She looked at him as he gained consciousness almost quizzically. She didn't know how he expected to wake but he seemed almost surprised by this particular turn of events. "Ohayougouzaimasu, Char-kun," she murmured as if this was the perfect thing to say at the time. Just the same she lowered herself gently against his erection grinding a little bit. Still she was studying his face, Sakura was strangely both intuative and figured he may not wish to take immediate advantage of his erection and thus she didn't force the issue, but she was rather obviously making herself available if he wished to do something before they left the room, as he was one for privacy.

While a private pair was making progress another set of people were having a conversation which was rapidly becoming embarassing for one of it's members. Anais still had a whole handful of one of Yume's breasts and Ailen had another. The lady of the hour was being molested by two people which she strangely didn't mind at all, aside from simply finding it to be a bit bizarre. "Shishou..." Anais was a mix of emotions all of which she would soon be having to explain. Ailen for his part explained what he thought was happening here and it was all very reasonable, both of these girls thought this. "I didn't know there was anything special about waking. And for the record though it was unexpected, I don't actually mind this amount of intimacy from you, Ai-aniki~" Yume mentioned. "Also, Mi-chan you're kind of cute when you're thinking..." she said while peeking at the elafia's face. "But the embarrassment is only going to get worse the longer you think about it," Yume mentiong in a knowing fashion. "Shishou, I think you are giving me a lot of credit I don't really deserve today," she murmured softly. How she was squeezing the other girl's chest as a complete matter of comfort like she could fall into the activity specifically to hid herself behind it. "All of those thoughts you have about the situation are very valid and it would be amazing as an explanation and even better as excuse if I had thought of any of them," she mentioned. "In truth... I... just like playing with boobs. I didn't have any plans for it, and it was kind of reflexive as a reaction from me. A habit of my other self that reurfaced under the specific condition of waking up next to such a familiar presence," she admitted. This whole ordeal was no experiment or explanation, she was simply fondling her friend because it was something she would have done, had done in the past and would probably continue to do because it felt nice... with nothing else in mind. She explained this while feeling embarrassed, abashed, and slightly aroused. This world was doing strange things to her libido.

[Bloodedge]

The group he was to meet with contained a person that appeared the previous day. Something about that was more comforting, but also less so. Yuuya had reason to believe they were expected to explore a very dangerous path. What if he and this other person were throwaways? No, Yuuya wasn't one to think that way. If anything, he'd figure very little was expected of him and the day-old party member. Maybe it would be a good growth opportunity that also unveiled the higher-tier challenges of the world. "I think that's comforting. It's a little strange though, isn't it? You made it sound like we were going out to do something incredible, but two of seven people are still new here. That's the part I'm just weirded-out by, but I figure I'm just missing something."

In the meantime, the ever-curious Astolfo would only hear stranger noises beyond Charlemagne's door. It certainly sounded like something interesting was happening... at least to Charlemagne himself, as his were the noises Astolfo heard repeatedly. Little did he know, Charlemagne was so audible only because he was still waking up ─ and to a double-layered grinding sensation against his groin to boot. If he didn't have pants on, he'd be in clear danger. Perhaps he was in danger regardless. After all, Sakura did continuously live up to the moniker of 'temptress' even while making no effort to do so. One of the most difficult things Charlemagne ever experienced was trying not to partake of the goddess. All she did was greet him, and he was throbbing. Well... maybe it was the rubbing. He hoped it was the rubbing, but he couldn't be certain. "A─... ohayou," he muttered. Had Sakura made the decision to assault him while he slept? Was this her response to the previous day? He could only assume as much. In Charlemagne's mind, this wasn't something given as an option, but instead a decision Sakura may have made.

Ailen gave an explanation for the functionality of mana in one's waking hours, and both girls seemed to process it easily. Yume claimed she had no qualms with this morning. That was about what he expected of Mugen's apprentice, given that man's approach to most exchanges. "I would assume so. Even without your particular leaning, most would quickly deduce that there are no negatives. Theoretically, even those who would somehow be against it may find themselves quickly experiencing a change of heart, likely before even acting against the other person or persons..." he rambled. What of Anais, though? According to the elafia, her decision had not been one made for such purposes. She simply... enjoyed fondling breasts? Well, of course she did; everyone should. "That is also sensible. You are friends, so you have a great deal of contact with one another. It should only be natural that your mana aligns so positively, and that you would do something like this as almost instinct." As Ailen began to explain, he temporarily removed his hand from Yume's chest. Doing so was necessary, that he might acquire the leverage to rise and hover over both girls. With that done, he had a hand upon the bosom of each. Both would be thoroughly groped as mana flowed from his hands solely to stimulate. With that, there was more explaining to do. "You see? In the course of a single night, the difference in acclimation to my mana is not so vast between you, though one has already internalized it previously. In the newer case, that will not last without proper transfer, but this is the unpraised potential of simple, extensive skin contact. This remains partly conjecture, but I think it is worth believing that your friendship is reason for this desire. Remember, you are most fit to receiving mana. A woman's breasts are the most consistent providers of mana known to us. Even as I apply my mana to both of you now, the primary result should be priming you to expel yours in offering."

[Apollymi]

Martha and Yuuya were having a very interesting conversation. He could apparently take comfort in not being the newest person on a quest like this, but he also found it odd to be included. Martha supposed all of that made sense, but there was a fairly reasonable explanation for that sort of thing. "New to the world specifically sure, but people from the side of the world that we are from have a decent understanding of things like magical world combat, due to media and fantasy on our side. Having someone like that even if they are mostly new is always an interesting thing," she explained. "Besides, when building a party for a specific task you need solid people, not just flashy ones, but ones who are good at what they do... it doesn't matter much when they appeared if that is what you're going for... I am sure you'll understand as you get to know Charlie," she gave that bit. "Also you're not alone in thinking some things quite weird, I still do... I was a school teacher on the other side and adjusting to life while remembering that one can be quite strange," she offered the lad that information so he wouldn't feel so out of place within this group. She doubted many were living very exciting lives if they came from the other side, so their need for cooperation was still something rather ingrained in their method of thinking, it was after all a very human trait.

At the same time, Sakura was found leaning over Charles and greeting him for the morning. He seemed to be quite stricken and she wasn't entirely sure why. Even though his own thoughts may have made him believe othewise, she truly didn't have any ulterior motives when joining him aside from watching him wake. How strange he seemed he was very much awake in some senses of the word. Just the same she settled against him and smiled just a bit. "You seem to be awake now... did you want to do something with this..." she questioned adding a little grinding motion to make her point. "Or open the door?" she asked knowing that Astolfo was outside of it but not really caring one way or another.

At the same time, a lesson was being given in an odd way. Anais and Yume were informed of the associations with Mana Transfers early in the morning. Yume was told of her choice and the theoretical idea that even if one had a problem after the start of the experience that one would be likeliest to change their mind given mana related urges. "That makes sense, I never actually want to stop her once she starts up... and I always find a bit of contact rather endearing~" mentioned Yume. Oh, yes her words were still way flirtier than they needed to be but that wasn't actually a problem given the current situation. Ah, but there was still the matter of Anais's personal reasons for her particular activity. But even after Anais confessed to simply wishing to fondle her friend she found no reprimand. In fact, Ailen was moving his own form hovering over the two of them making Anais's heart beat rather rapidly in her chest. "Oh? That's really nice... we both really like that don't we~" Yume found herself teasing even while squirming just a bit. Anais found herself doing the same, she wasn't often on the receiving end of being groped, in fact, she couldn't actually remember being groped this way at all. But that was right, she was still hearing this lesson even as she was red-faced and embarrassed and it did make sense that she would enjoy such contact based solely on this being her friend and being the type that aimed to receive mana. Though... "I am pretty sure this sort of thing is well beyond the normal human understanding of friendship... even so I was prone to this sort of activity to start with so I suppose it could be confirmed if mana had such an effect from one world to another..." she murmured softly also seeming to think about it. "Well, according to Mugen-sama low level magic can appear on our world. He thought my mom was a person capable of divining the weather and the like. If something like that happens, a developed boob obsession for you isn't too far-fetched..." she said. "Especially when you consider what the rest of us look like by comparison~" she chimed knowing that smaller people recieved and Miko had been the smallest and always the molester of their group of friends.

[Bloodedge]

Martha declared that Yuuya had something to offer, simply by being from the other world. He supposed it was an easier transition than one could have expected the other way around, and he did enter this world with something of a guide sheet. He could at least keep the group safe through the night, even if they did encounter something none of them could defeat. "H-hai. I'll do whatever I can to help. Also, I didn't know you were a teacher. That must have been very strange when you found a way over," he mused just to keep up the idle chatter. Truthfully, Yuuya wasn't even aware of how others entered this world. His case was a very peculiar one, discrediting any video game-related disappearances known in the world they came from.

While Charlemagne struggled within his own mind, Sakura decided matters needed to be a bit worse still. That erection she'd been moving against was brought into question with another obviously conscious movement. Charlemagne could do naught but gasp at the sensation. Did he wish to do something about that, or open the door? That had to be some sort of trap from the universe. As always, he felt there was a way he should answer. Would that be what passed his lips, though? Of course not; it never was in these cases. Besides, honest as his body was at the time, he couldn't even dream of lying to the person who could feel his true response against herself. "That's not fair. Every time I even think about saying no, it feels stupid... like it's the wrong idea. Do you even expect me to say no while you're rubbing against it?"

In the meantime, Ailen was experiencing a very different conundrum. Well... that wasn't right; there was no issue at all. There was, however, something both Anais and Yume were expected to be doing at this hour. Alas, that had nothing to do with him. This group and their journey was in no danger for a bit of divergence, and these two would be better for a bit more knowledge, as always. According to Yume, both parties were pleased by Ailen's approach. That was consistent with his earlier assumptions, though for Anais, that much was obvious before. It seemed even Mugen had something to contribute to the hypothesis. If he entertained the idea that Yume's mother had magical capacity, it was likely true. "There must be some merit to it. Tohsaka-san is usually correct in his assumptions, even if the rest of us never realize why," said the elf. It seemed his groping would not halt even for an unrelated discussion. Soon enough, Ailen was concluding his example by squeezing each girl's nipple twixt his forefingers and thumbs. By doing so after all that stimulation he expected both of them to expel mana. "Even with your slightly different types, I would expect both of you to be at similar production levels from this. Though I do wonder exactly what the difference should be. . ."

[Apollymi]

Yes, Martha had been a teacher, specifically she taught high school history, but that was neither here nor there. No, it was much more important that Yuuya would help others and that he had a very interesting thing to say about the method of transfer. She looked at him oddly, "Huh, I guess you haven't talked to a lot of people yet. I'm sure you'll find many people have different ways of ending up over here, but a lot come from various ties to Industrial Illusions," she commented. She had more to say though specifically about her own circumstances, "Yes, I taught high school history in Japan, but going from that to a baby and child in a magical world was an adjustment," she explained of her own situation. "Still it's good that you'll help. I won't say you have to... you can still decide that for yourself," she said knowing that the lad could make his own decisions. But in her opinion he seemed like he could use a bit of socialization and Charles was good for that sort of thing.

While two people engaged in small talk, Charles and Sakura were going through an interesting wake up routine. The lad and his throbbing manhood were being rubbed against ever so gently by Sakura, but she'd done this strictly as it felt like the most appropriate physical reaction. In truth Charles seemed almost distressed and his words implied a certain amount of discomfort. "I don't know why it isn't fair," she expressed as a true moment of confusion. "And you could say no, taking into account what you've said and done in the past two days and in taking care of your emotional stability, I consider it a high possibility... even if I do not understand all of the nuances," she explained of the moment. There was also the person outside the door to take into account and he seemed to have a much more urgent response time to things than she was used to in her personal life, as such she was giving him quite the ability to back out of their current interaction. She remained against him because it was a rather comfortable place and she was raised to bask in things that gave her comfort.

At the same time, Ailen apparently believed in the potential for Mugen's right assessment of a situations variables even while he didn't have any reason to know of it. That would mean that somewhere in the subconscious of Anais, was a desire to possess mana which lead her to surrounding herself with large breasted young women. That was a lot of unpack of her own mentality but she supposed it wasn't a bad thing so she wouldn't feel bad about it. "I suppose it makes sense, and Mugen-sensei does seem to know a lot about way too many things..." she said thoughtfully. Ah, but there was quite the tingling sensation in her chest, and she felt as mana was released from the tip of her nipple as it was twisted. Yume also felt a strange amount of building sensation as she would experience a similar sensation at the same time. Both released just a bit of a spray not too intense, but both also felt it in their loins. "Aah!~" both girls managed only to leave Anais red faced while giving thoughts to that sensation. "You know, as a teen girl I feel like I should really be more worried about that happening and feeling nice, but I really can't be bothered," Yume mentioned. "Yeah, I had the same thought the day before yesterday..." mentioned Anais. "Oh, did Mi-chan have a busy first day as an apprentice too?~" asked Yume seemingly more flirty than she was before.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, Yuuya was still lacking a great deal of information regarding this world. Most transfers apparently related to Industrial Illusions, a massive media company within their original world. "Sou ka. For a while, I figured everyone had a similar method to mine. Were people actually teleported here?" he wondered. "Actually, I'm very ignorant about everything. Even since coming here, I only really know this place and the forest," he continued. If drafted for this upcoming journey, he could at least learn quite a few things about the world and its functions. For instance, Martha spoke of becoming a baby in this world. To Yuuya, that didn't make any sense at all. "I'm willing to join, if everyone will have me. There's so much I don't understand yet. I think it would really help me be useful to more people if I go along."

Simple human reasoning was not something Sakura understood; that much had been clear all along. Charlemagne may have assumed, however, that the difference in existential quality between them was obvious. He may have become divine recently, but nothing had been done to his mind. Mentally, he was just a human male being propositioned by a goddess. In no way was that something very friendly to free will. "So... in case you need to know, that whole transformation didn't change my brain or anything. Since when is it normal for a human to turn down a goddess? It literally feels wrong, even when I do it. Saying no feels like deciding to drink orange juice after brushing your teeth; you know it's going to end badly!"

Meanwhile, Ailen succeeded in another minor study. Both Anais and Yume expelled mana from their breasts, neither seeming very different compared to the other. In terms of quality comparison, a test was required. While both girls were commenting on the experiences so new to them, Ailen was lapping at the teat of Anais, then Yume. A few moments bridged the two, that he might truly sample each offering before starting another mumbled tirade. "Hmm. How strange. It seems Tohsaka-san was incredibly thorough after all. Even I didn't expect such density... complexity, even. It is worth giving a great deal of credit that I, who adjusted to this sort of arrangement early in life, have managed to acclimate my apprentice by a lesser amount over a longer period of time. Though perhaps that is a matter of being newer to this world, and having less outside influences before the first exchange with Tohsaka-san? There are quite a few variables. It does seem my apprentice is still developing at an alarming rate. There is also that additional core in the works, which compares to the ancient being in terms of being a secondary routing path similar to the existing connection between Myouou and apprentice. The other three may show similar signs if this pattern holds. One might only wonder how long it will be until we encounter the third. . ."

[Apollymi]

The method Yuuya used to get to this world was actually quite rare. That being said, he didn't seem to understand the lives of most of the people who'd ended up here. Martha could easily clarify this, and that would likely help his understanding. "Actually, I think most people were teleported here, any who retain their memories seem to have been pulled over, so many are making the best of a very strange situation," she explained. Some people wouldn't have imagined being here. There were more than a few people who tried at life here like it was a video game completely only to discover that their actions had lasting consequences and effects and that they didn't get to simply do over something they messed up. Such was life. "I also think it's good for everyone to get out of the places that they know and see some different things. This world is huge and there are all kinds of interesting things to see... I am actually pretty excited about this particular adventure," she mused. It'd been quite a while since she'd managed to leave this place with a goal in mind that wasn't specfic to her saintly qualities. "I think you'll find you're quite useful even before then, but I think it will definitely be good for you to get to know some more people," she advised. Still a bit of a teacher she thought it would be good for the lad's social development among other things.

At the same time, Sakura was learning how Charles still saw himself and the reason he didn't see himself saying no to the girl as she sat atop him seeming to study his face quite a bit as he expressed himself. His mind was according to his own words very much still human and he felt wrong trying to turn down a goddess who was propositioning him. Interesting. She didn't see her actions as propositioning him, that would have required more intent on her part. "Sou ka, well you can make the decision, though my parents encourage me to do what feels right as a matter of balancing my spiritual, physical and mental needs. After waking is one of the best times to engage, you can metabolize better and give better..." she explained of her own understanding of physiology versus psychology. "It isn't normal for a human to turn down a goddess, but it is a matter of personal will as I understand it. Humans are very prone as I see them to ignoring their instincts and desires for emotional reasons. Though I find that confusing as emotional stability would come with the actions denied," she explained of her current understanding. "I also don't understand toothbrushing... I've seen it done, and I assume it is hygiene related, but human hygiene is odd to me," the girl murmured. Still her hips weren't removed, he'd not actually made a decision at all, so she didn't know if she should be putting space between them or getting closer, thus she maintained.

Ailen was first thing in the morning, answering his curiosities with the two girls who'd shared a bed with him in the night prior. Both expelled mana and he went on to taste of both of them. Yume for her part in this found unusual arousal in the moment and Anais did the same though given her past few days it felt fairly normal. In fact, the elafia girl was intently listening to her mentor ramble seemingly transfixed by his words, both sets of her ears gently wiggling. "Oh? I'm complex? Interesting... Mugen-sama is also probably distantly related to me, if that information clarifies things for you, Ai-aniki," she added for the sake of expanding the information he had. "Also, this is like romance novel steamy doctor visit yeah? You're really into this~" mentioned Yume in a teasing manner. "We're really into this, you're still squirming,~" mentioned Anais. "Yeah, well your ears are wiggling~" teased Yume. "I know, I can't help it... it's just so easy to concentrate on... you don't even know..." Anais mentioned, she'd nearly died when Solomon was speaking, Ailen's voice was smooth and homey to her, she could literally listen to his ramblings all day. The elf known as Ailen had sampled of both students and both of them had their own senses on themselves and each other and as such seemed to be thinking about a great number of things. A third student was also being hypothesized, while noting alarming developments. "Additional cores? Can you play multiple characters?" wondered Yume, in terms which were familiar to Anais. "Hai, you can... actually if you came over here as yourself you might already have one," mentioned Anais who began to wonder if this world worked the way that most things did and Yume's base self was saved after her evolution.

[Bloodedge]

For the foreseeable future, Yuuya would be learning about others' experiences reaching this new world. He didn't know how long it would be until the others appeared. Perhaps something would slow them down... or even speed them up. For example, Charlemagne and Sakura were once again at an impasse of understanding. Apparently, the best time for debauchery was just after waking up. Of course it was. What other ridiculous things would he hear moving forward? Time would tell. Whatever the case, Sakura could claim this was a matter of personal will all she wanted; that didn't mean his decision would suddenly feel right. "No, that doesn't work. The way it feels, it's like... oh! Imagine you've got the inspiration to create something. I imagine the feeling is the same as if you decided not to make anything at all. Does that make sense as a comparison?" he wondered. Still, Charlemagne had given neither firm positive nor firm negative response. Frankly, his true answer would be something between, based on his ever-conflicting desires. As for the matter of toothbrushing, he figured it was something foreign to Sakura. Since ascending, Charlemagne hadn't observed a need for such things either. "It is a hygiene thing. In my world, if you don't brush your teeth, your breath stinks. It was a bacterial thing then, so probably something about mana waste in this reality. You brush with a paste that smells nice, but the taste clashes with a lot of stuff you might have for breakfast."

Meanwhile, Yume was expressing the idea of being somehow related to Mugen. Strange though that was, Ailen couldn't be too surprised by the idea of Mugen being connected to the other world. He was, after all, a current product of the Void. "That does simplify things a bit, yes. Of course, all things can only be so simple when he is involved," he asserted. Something about this arrangement was compared to a certain novel genre, which they both seemed to take interest in. Though Ailen was ignorant to the details of this exchange, he did have something to say about it. "Steamy doctor visit? That sounds strange, but if it is acceptable, I suppose that's alright. And, yes, it is likely you both have multiple cores currently... even if the others are not yet active," the elf explained further. Now that the topic had shifted a bit, Ailen recalled what he'd been mulling over after waking. There was little chance to bring it up before, but now was as good a time as any. "So... what exactly is this 'butter' thing?"

[Apollymi]

As the pair outside continued to chat about the world and how one entered it, Sakura and Charles discussed matters of will and action. Charles even took to making one of his numerous examples to try and have the girl understand his stance on the workings of his body versus those of his mind. He compared how he felt now, to... having the inspiration to create, and then simply not doing it but retaining the feeling. Sakura gave herself a bit of time to process that as an example and she knew what it felt like to be inspired and she understood what it was like to choose not to make something, combining those two things was odd. "Hm, that sounds terrible. It is a working example I understand it..." she murmured but she was still rather inquisitively studying the lad. "But it sounds like self-torture," she explained. His words to her sounded like he was causing himself mental pain by not going along with what he spiritually or physically wanted for no discernable reason. He would cost him less time to seek relief in this case than it would for him to argue with himself about it and that made it more confusing to her as he seemed to be moving with a sense of urgency. Beyond this point, the lad did explain tooth brushing which was a matter of bacteria where he was from but he assumed was something mana related here... "It is probably more like a stagnation of mana which should be in constant flow. Food has its own mana so it going in and pure mana going in should be causing it to flow. It not flowing could potentially pose problems... even if humans don't understand it this way," she said though she was the short of being how didn't have those kinds of problems because her mana was perfectly regulated.

Mugen was a complicated existence with a complicated apprentice. The knowledge that Yume was somehow related to Mugen in a roundabout way did clear things up but also didn't, she expected this... "I could see that... Mugen-sama is quite complex~" she mused. Ah, but all of that paled in comparison to this man's random hearing of the girl's combined conversation. What was a steamy doctor visit? Well... Yume had that one covered too, much to Anais's dismay. "Oh? That is like a common trope in smutty novels. A set up for a hot older guy to end up with some young inexperienced girl. He asks a bunch of innocuous questions under the pretense of curiosity and it becomes a whole romantic entanglement~" she expressed of the general plots. "Though in your case, the curiosity is really honest so it's probably better~" Yume finished up. "Hai, definitely better..." Anais confirmed. "And I have at least three counting my active one by my own count, she probably has at least two... weird but not something to stress about when we have cool reveals to do later," Anais confirmed. Oh... but Ailen had a question, what was butter? Yume who'd been amused and beyond entertained by the general conversation managed to look a bit shocked. Anais seemed to be in stunned thought and nervous laughter would come... "Hehehe~ Butter? Really? Have you been thinking about that since tea time?" she asked looking directly at Anais and making the girl squirm with the intensity of her gaze. "You know... people don't really eat normal foods here so I am not really that surprised... I've actually not had it in anything or seen it myself since being here..." she confirmed only to begin the actual explanation. "It's a milk product, from like regular bovine creatures. Basically it is milk fat, separated from the liquid and kneaded into a semi-solid at room temperature, fairly low melting point. It can be spread on bread, eaten in rice... used as a fat for cooking meats... it's really good for flavors," she explained of butter.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, Charlemagne managed an analogy Sakura could understand. This time, however, she addressed the truth of it all in a form that was difficult to take head-on. Self-torture, she called that behavior. She wasn't wrong. It was torturous, and for a time, it was only the lesser of two evils. One evil had been all but removed as of the previous day, however. What was even holding him back now? Well... nothing, really. "Yeah, it sort of is. That's partly the point," he murmured. Naturally, his body had yet to stop giving its answer. Charlemagne himself was hardly even distracted enough by the talk of dental hygiene. "You know, five minutes ago, I thought you were about to just do something without asking. It was weird to see you not do that," he said after a few moments of silence, as if that somehow would have been the better alternative. Actually, that outcome would have made dealing with it all far easier.

While the discussion continued, Astolfo managed to begin opening Charlemagne's bedroom door ever so slowly. It had been some time since he heard any important noises, so he thought to sneak his way in and perhaps witness the afterglow. Luckily for him, the position of Sakura's body would keep Charlemagne from seeing... but he could see. Sakura was clothed, and it seemed Charlemagne at least had on trousers. Could they simply not wait? That was an interesting thought to have. Whatever the case, Astolfo crept his way deeper into the room, where he'd wait to see if there was actually anything sexual happening here or not.

All the while, Ailen's curiosities were being answered one after another. These two knew of a trope involving attractive, older men, and inexperienced girls. It sounded absolutely scandalous the way Yume put it, but it also sounded rather accurate to his situation with Anais. Alas, there was no pretense between them, bar a few flirty exchanges. Was that something worth exploring with greater purpose? He'd taken a moment to remove himself from both girls, rising up and holding a hand under his chin. "I see. In that case, should I assume enforcing the trope is something you desire as an act of play? I suppose that wouldn't be very farfetched, if so. I believe my mentor once exemplified such an attitude," the elf mused. Moving on, there was also an explanation given about butter. The thing in question was a product of milk, which made it an incredibly useful thing this world should always have. Upon hearing about it, Ailen could only be surprised that it wasn't a massive deal in this world. "Really?! That sounds incredible! We must have this produced; it would do so much for so many! Even as I consider it now, there is an entire archipelago connected to Munetsuchi which could desperately use the mana something like this 'butter' could provide! It could change the world as we know it."

[Apollymi]

Sakura's understanding of this mental and physical battle of Charles was according to the lad himself, accurate. He was torturing himself and it was apparently the point. How strange, she'd seen people submit themselves to the will of others rather easily, but never had she imagined a person would torture themselves simply by not making a decision. "Torture like that does not make sense to me, and does not seem like it is good for you. But I am not judging," she mentioned heartily. Still she was placed atop him and her senses were rather open so she was more than a little aware that someone else was in the room with them even if she'd not turned around to deal with the person in question. It was tangibly more important for her to understand Charles's moods so their conversation would continue. He claimed, that he'd expected her to do something without asking, that it was weird of her to wait... "I could have," she mentioned of just doing something. "But I did not ask ahead of time how you wished to wake and you seem to have established boundaries," she explained of their situation as she saw it. His hang-ups were obvious to her, even if she didn't fully understand them. She'd been quite frank and straightforward, but she was still mostly just trying to look out for him. "I would not want to commit to anything that would cause you more mental or emotional anguish... so I was willing to leave such decisions to you... If you'd prefer I make them, I can do that as well, though if there are lines you do not wish to have crossed you should state them," she explained. "It is also the case that you do not seem to wish an audience for such things, even if you would be alright with any actions I took..." she said carefully. "Honestly it is quite the challenging path but I won't fail to navigate it, once I understand all the variables," she told the lad. She gave him a reassuring rub to the top of his head leaning over him and shifting her body just a bit. She offered him nothing but acceptance, but he seemed to have a rather complex way of understanding their relationship, it demanded the development of skills which she didn't already have. It was interesting.

Meanwhile Anais was also being given a very thorough look at her own psyche through the books she once partook of, interestingly enough there was an open offer of such a thing being exemplified through their interactions as a form of play. Would she like that? 'Hell yes we'd like that! Do it! FUCKING DO IT!~' her internal voice practically screamed at her. In being something she was so obviously interested in, Yume could almost hear those communications clearly. "Hoh? That's surprisingly honest, given your body language. Still more excited inside than outside~" she mentioned. Anais was currently tapping her fingers together and red in the face but looking rather skittish. "I'm pretty sure I'd be interested in that Shishou," she murmured. And that was all she'd say about it, she was going to die of embarrassment one day, of this she was certain. "Are? That's such a cute reaction!" Yume mentioned only to be caught by the bits about butter. Anais had a good understanding of it, and anyone from their world would, butter was a staple. But according to Ailen, it would do wonders for a certain Archipelago. He claimed it would revolutionize the world. "Butter is delicious and given how mana works I even understand your excitement," she stated as he sat up. She finally did the same and so did Anais. "It isn't really that hard to make, though it'd need to be made by milk producing animals with high body fat content to be effective. We did it once as a camp craft... magical animals are a bit odd for it though. I suppose even though it's done in our world with simpler creatures it should translate," she mentioned of the process itself. She was glad she could help but it was a rather interesting potential problem.

[Bloodedge]

"No. No it doesn't," Charlemagne agreed. He definitely wasn't some sort of masochist, at least not in any way he understood. Maybe he was more like a person using a compass to traverse the moon? No, something about that thought sounded stupid; he didn't even know why an analogy appeared then. Either way, his earlier thoughts about Sakura's approach didn't seem off at all. As things sounded, Sakura would have easily begun something of her own accord. Charlemagne's first thought was about how wonderful an idea that would be. Alas, she did nothing because she had no directive from him? How strange. "That sounds more like a slave. Or... a maid," Charlemagne said with a sigh, ending with an averted gaze due to the mental imagery. There was a slight redness to his face, but he cleared his throat and carried on. "Ahem. Anyway. You can make your own decisions, you know? I already said I don't feel right saying no. It couldn't stress me out any more than what I do to myself already," he clarified. While Charlemagne was having his vision more obscured by the leaning of Sakura, Astolfo was hiding himself behind the latter's throne. This conversation was an interesting sort ─ one that, in Astolfo's mind, made Charlemagne the submissive-leaning sort he figured the lad would be eventually. What a shame; maybe another day would see the dog Charlemagne showed himself capable of being during those wars. Still, this was a worthwhile watch.

Anais's mana flow gave Ailen all the information he needed, and Yume was there to confirm his suspicions this time. "Hmm. In that case, I should warn that nourishment of the soul would be the healthiest approach to what your Party will soon undertake. In my 'professional' experience, being in the field does not allow for growth until the task at hand is complete. You should both keep in mind that preparation is key to situations like these," the elf spoke. Of course, there was also another thing that fueled the current agenda. 'Butter' was a little more complex than he imagined, requiring a specific form of creature's milk, based on Anais's claims. He did need to know more about that to make any headway. "It would also be infinitely helpful if one of you could offer me more information about this butter. I would like to see it produced in Munetsuchi. Surely that is something either of you can do."

[Apollymi]

Charles might have thought he wasn't a masochist, but it seemed to Sakura that he was at least an emotional sadist who directed most of his pain-causing antics inward. It was basically the same thing. Regardless, he seemed to think that her words about waiting for his decision made her like a slave, or a maid and such a confession came with a reddening of his face. She looked at him even as he tried to clear his throat and move past it, and smiled, the smile she used when she felt rather suddenly capable of taking advantage of the lad. He liked that idea did he? "You left me in charge of looking after you, such a term could apply, Char-kun~" the girl gently teased. She was more than a little aware of Astolfo moving around in this room, but at this point if Charles hadn't noticed it was beyond her conception of their friendship for her to make that part obvious. What was more, Charles claimed she could make her own decisions, "Saying no to one's soul shouldn't feel right, but you still don't really understand that part yet..." she murmured close to his face. "But fine, if it would upset you less to not have to make the decision... I'll do it for you~" she affirmed. Her own understanding of the world was much better than Charles as a higher tier being, she could easily make all the decisions that his human brain and free will wouldn't allow him to. These things would in fact, balance his soul and likely help his mind and body function better, whether he realized it or not. With Astolfo properly hidden behind her throne, she sat up straighter those dark clothes of hers beginning to turn into strips around her body as her flesh and active mana circuits were revealed. Those glowing red lines along her body had a very specific function and would entice the lad in truth. A single hand of hers shifted down his body in an effort to free his manhood and thus leave her in prime position to begin the act the lad desperately needed to undertake.

At the same time, Ailen seemed to be showing quite a bit of himself in a singular moment. The smile that crossed Yume's face at the elf's 'professional' opinion was likely demonic in nature. More so than that, the words made Anais blush and her heartrate shift immediately. "Hai, Shishou..." Anais managed. Just the same her soul was screaming. 'HOT! THIS IS HOT! Our, Shishou fits this role perfectly! And then, we can be what we want!~' Sinais mentioned. Anais supposed a slightly devious older man with a bit of authority was exactly the kind of person her inner devious self liked the idea of manipulating, in sexual situations. She could blame her reading list or many other things, but ultimately her own soul was making easily attainable demands and arguing against things that made her happy was not ideal. This whole thing was a bit taboo and that made it better, didn't it? "Hoh? I didn't know you had it in you, Ai-aniki... " mused Yume, that little bit of kink a tiny bit of darkness, and Yume could see herself enjoying Ailen's company. This man really made her friend's soul sing and that was a positive no matter what. "And I always knew you'd end up lost in the sauce~ I'm watching you, Mi-chan~" she teased the girl just a bit which did nothing to stop her. This was all fine, actually there were only a handful of people in any world that Anais could be this comfortable around and her invasive friend was one of them. "I have that information for you, Shishou~" Anais said leaning upwards and offering her lips to his without much hesitation.. Yume had no intention of giving the information that Ailen wanted mostly because she wanted to see her friend have such a moment, she'd come such a long way from the shy girl she'd been before who couldn't even give a small speech with people looking at her.

[Bloodedge]

The term could be applied, said Sakura. Which one? Well, the two weren't incredibly far apart when viewed objectively, bar the latter's pay and... the very interesting uniforms between them. "Eheh... yeah, I'm sure it could," he muttered abashedly. Sakura claimed it shouldn't feel right to disagree with the soul, which he frankly agreed with after the past few days. Still, his life would be very different if his soul had different desires recently. "I'll bet. It feels like it should feel wrong," he said. Of course, there was little else in his mind worth saying. Why? Well, Sakura's decision had become obvious. Her clothes were unraveled in a blink, and so was Charlemagne's sense as he stared endlessly into unguarded flesh. Sakura was already reaching for his manhood. Those trousers hardly stood a chance, nor would they be receiving any defensive assistance from Charlemagne, who was willing to let the lass do whatever she pleased.

Meanwhile, there were a couple of different reactions to Ailen's mannerisms. Anais seemed to take things an exceedingly positive way, while Yume appeared to draw the line at a form of intrigue. "You shouldn't be so surprised. When one marries a goddess, one eventually discovers a need to be more... flexible than most," he asserted. It was only natural to develop a certain quality of deviance in such a case. Ailen may not have been so open in his more perverse qualities than other Myouou, but that changed nothing about what lay underneath. Whatever the case, Anais offered the information he required about butter. It was without hesitation that he leaned forward to claim the knowledge directly from her lips. It was not often that Anais had knowledge to give, but she was quite forthcoming with it when there was. Good; this was meant to be very much a give-and-take relationship.

[Apollymi]

The maid versus slave debate was one which would leave Sakura questioning things, but perhaps the girls would have some better understanding of that sort of thing. No matter what, she'd make sure to look after the lad, it was her current chosen duty. "Hm, I'll look into if you want~" she mentioned. Having already moved into place while taking her clothes off, she decided to address the matters of soul which Charles seemed to be missing. "I was told that to starve the soul was to starve the self, and this includes not just nourishment in the magical sense but experience and desire," she explained as she raised herself. The way goddesses functioned was truly a thing of wonder, she was already fully able to accept him and after lining herself up would lower herself in a single, smooth motion. "So take all you need~" she offered herself once more. Ah, this enhancement to his manhood was quite delightful. Sex had been fine and fun before but now it was something beyond enjoyable. Her nether pulsed around him as she began to move, intent to take her first meal of the day. If Charles struggled to make the choices right for his soul, Sakura would do it for him and thus preserve him for the return of Angelica. Their audience was of little consequence to her as well, she liked watching and assumed she'd also enjoy being watched...

At the same time, Yume was finding herself developing a new hobby by the day. She watched the approach between Ailen and Anais with wide eyes. Girls often shared stories with each other, but it was very different to see, and know you would get to experience it one day. "Flexibility, huh? I find myself into so very different things in the last 24 hours..." she was teasing but watching intently. This was kind of hot. Anais had gently parted lips and Ailen had leaned into her. Their bodies were arranged in a way that she could see all of the coming contact. They were two fit, and lean individuals, but she found herself studying both of their forms. Maybe she did like a few girls? She felt strangely about Miwa and now she was feeling equally strange after spending the night snuggled next to Anais. Actually, there was a valid mana related explanation for this, human sexuality was so weird to consider, still she wasn't sure if she was ready to make a leap like that yet. But... she'd definitely watch.

At the same time, when Ailen's lips met Anais's she moved her tongue forward into his mouth. She needed to give him all the information she had in her mind about the production of butter. Doing so first would allow her to sink in and enjoy the moment. She could also feel Yume's eyes on her which had a strange effect. 'We could seduce her too!~' Sinais mentioned. It was such a strong and heartfelt thing that Yume felt it and knew that her friend had already gone quite native, or maybe... she'd always been that way. Yume was... flattered, her face blushing, "Eh? I feel like I wasn't supposed to hear that one. I didn't know you were gonna go Jinx on me, Mi-chan~" she murmured lost in thoughts and the sight. "Inside voice is inside for a reason, but now you know~" Anais mentioned breathlessly as she broke a rather intense tongue kiss with her mentor. "Anything need clarifying, Shishou?" she asked quickly before diving back in, this was mostly just because she'd tasted honey again and wanted more. 'Still, I suppose if I was going to try...' Well this was an evolving thought. If she had sex with the man version of her friend and the girl version she could probably figure out both her sexuality and her general preferences besides the obvious one she had for Mugen. It would also help her deal with her residual feelings and shyness surrounding Miwa, and... Anais was her friend and seemed to be a bit devious beneath the surface, they could definitely enjoy themselves. It'd be so taboo!~

[Bloodedge]

On the long list of things Charlemagne needed to know, Sakura's willingness to research slaves and maids was not present. He could have gone the rest of his life without hearing that, and he would know peace. Now, however, he'd be plagued randomly by mental images that could only be called dubious in nature. "Uh... right. Yeah, keep that in mind," he said. Why did he say that? He shouldn't have said it aloud. Oh well. Sakura went on to address starvation of the soul and self, though the chance of Charlemagne retaining the verbal message lowered in the same moment Sakura lowered her body into his lap. As always, his mind blanked with haste. This had suddenly gone from something he couldn't say no to, to the best decision he could have made consciously. There was hardly any thought involved in the movement of his hands, which landed on Sakura's hips and settled there. His hips seemed to be forcing their own movement beneath the lass, much to the observant Astolfo's surprise and satisfaction. Perhaps the dog was here after all? He'd stick around to find out.

Ailen's lesson would be coming along well in the same timeframe. When Anais's tongue entered his mouth, the influx of information had him visualizing the creation of butter. From simple milk with little else done, this golden, spreadable thing could be made. It all occurred during the swapping of saliva as Ailen's tongue swabbed against Anais's repeatedly. Being observed by Yume was of no consequence, naturally. In fact, it would not have mattered to Ailen if she got herself involved. Three connected mouths was nothing new, after all. Ah, but was there something in need of clarifying? Well... "I suppose once more for retention would be wise. It would be terrible to ruin the process due to misinformation," he said. Interestingly enough, Anais was moving toward his mouth again regardless. That would undoubtedly be welcomed with lip and tongue alike, while... something else occurred.

There were three knocks upon the door of this room. The likes of Ailen and Anais would not be able to hear it, as the knock did not truly exist. No hand would be found on the other side banging away, nor would there be a person at all. For Asakura Yume alone, a gentle knocking sounded.

[Apollymi]

Charles seemed to think her line of thinking was worth keeping. That was different... well, there was no reason to consider it much now. Whether the lad retained the things she said or not, didn't truly matter as she was now doing what she wished, starting off the morning the way all in creation who did so should, by correcting the flow of mana in her body and Charles. This was of course done through sex, but a morning spark of wisdom, triggering the brain after sleeping and all that was all technically great for everyone. Besides that, she found that Charles mind was confused, his emotional traits tormented, but his body... was honest. She found herself looking down at the lad as he met that smooth movement with the shifting of his hips. She'd look down at him that almost demonic smile crossing her face as she began the gentle rise and lower of her grasped hips. A gentle backward arch would leave the lad buried within her but experiencing various tightness throughout his shaft. All the while her own motions began moving her towards a casual morning orgasm.

At the same time, Yume was watching two nerds flirt and considering her options. While her liking and understanding of Miwa felt complex, her close female friend already had a thing for her and... her mentor was apparently open and slightly manipulatable. This could be an interesting experience regardless of what would happen. At the very least she could figure out the nature of a bit of girl on girl action. Besides that... there was quite a bit of nerd energy to their sexual endeavor. They truly fell into their roleplaying with little to no hesitation. Ailen even seemed to be a top tier enabler, giving the elafia a reason to continue prodding his mouth. 'This really is nerd romance novel hot! I didn't know I'd be interested in something like this...' At the same time, Anais was lavishing strokes of her tongue along Ailen's while her ever moving hands would find themselves tracing the roots of his blonde hair tugging gently. She might be a bit too into this, but there was nothing wrong with getting absorbed in a lesson. She'd make sure the process of butter making was super clear, in the initial parts of this exchange only to continue moving her tongue and lips against Ailen's. Whatever the case, she was far too absorbed to hear actual knocking, she definitely wasn't hearing the supernatural knocking.

Actually, that sound also went unnoticed by Yume for just a moment. In fact, it would be the second and third knocks which finally made Yume's eyes shift away from the pair. "Why would someone be knocking? I didn't sense anyone nearby..." she questioned. Ah, but still she wouldn't interrupt the pair, no instead blue flames had her donning her clothing and going to answer the door while leaving the pair to their lesson though not without a backward look which really made her consider ignoring it to join in.

[Bloodedge]

That smile returned. Every time Sakura wore it, it was akin to some murderous villain prepared to eviscerate an opponent. For some reason though, Charlemagne thought it was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen. Was he actually some sort of degenerate? Well, that was probably the case by now, if not some time before. It didn't help that his body was currently doing whatever it wanted. He was almost unconsciously thrusting up against Sakura's undercarriage while her back arched to alter everything he felt during penetration. Oh, this wasn't going to last very long at all, he thought. What sort of issues would he encounter this time? Would it be another occurrence of early conclusion, only for his body to decide it wasn't done? In watching Sakura's expression change and seeing the movements of her body via periphery, he could only assume that eventuality. Ah, but there was so much they should be doing ─ he just didn't seem to care now that his body was active. Why could that be? Charlemagne could only wonder.

All the while, that knocking would not be heard by Anais, nor Ailen. It seemed they would not have registered it even if it were real. Ailen's tongue was met by Anais's, the latter's fingers entwined in the former's hair as his hand wrestled her neck gently from the rear. He clearly had no need of additional information regarding butter. Alas, it seemed they were both just... back to some casual exploration. One could easily assume Yume would soon join the fray, but she was heading toward the door while mentioning some sort of knock? He hadn't heard a thing, but that didn't matter either way.

As for the knock, Yume would soon discover that an open door would not lead to the hallway. Behind it would instead be an entire realm belonging to King Solomon, a grand and ethereal structure. Its architecture was a blend of intricate patterns and towering columns, adorned with symbols of power and mysticism. The temple radiated an otherworldly glow, with cascades of golden light cascading down its façade. Arcane sigils and symbols were etched into its surface, exuding an aura of ancient knowledge and arcane might. The interior was a labyrinth of grand chambers and hidden passages, each resonating with the echoes of Solomon's mastery over magic. Overall, this realm seemed to be a place where the convergence of magic and history intertwined in a mesmerizing spectacle... and high up a great orichalcum staircase was the man himself, awaiting the ascent of the girl he summoned.

[Apollymi]

Sakura was busy moving her hips and looking at Charles. By her own approximation he liked what he saw, the movements of his body implied he liked what he was feeling. Human emotions truly didn't make sense to her if the outcome of his boundaries was keeping him from something that made him happy. By her own approximation he definitely wasn't considered anything close to degenerate but perhaps he had different standards for his understanding. Whatever the case, she was happy to move the way she was, feeling a rather deep penetration and feeling gentle pulses that would push her body closer and closer towards bliss. Her own pacing was steady and she found herself easily matching the lad below her. Withdrawing as he did, and pushing forward at the same time, for maximum penetration which sent sensation tingling through her body. She found herself bracing a single hand against his chest as her angle changed once again and she leaned forward, she pressed her lips against his willingly aiming to invade his mouth with her tongue.

Ailen and Anais were both rather deeply involved in what they were doing. From butter to deviance, Anais had found herself taking advantage of the opening provided by her mentor to calmly explore. She knew her friend well enough to assume she would join, if she felt like it, and had the strangest feeling given her earlier response that she would feel like it. But soon enough she was claiming there was a knock at the door and no one else could hear it. 'Oh? I figured he'd be more... abrupt than that...' but figured no harm would come to the other girl. So, just the same she'd continue knowing that Kaguya wasn't the type to throw open a door with people already in it. That kiss Anais was engaged in, only became deeper as she though of the act of nourishing her soul, by... indulging in her mentor.

At the same time, Yume slipped the door open just a crack and stepped out making sure not to flash the people inside. And when she turned around she saw a ridiculously arcane looking space the likes of which she'd never seen before. "Sugoi! I've been a demon one day and I've been summoned... I wonder by who?~" she knew Mugen's room, she would have felt his energy and she doubted he would have cared about appearing in front of either Ailen or Anais at this point. So... who was this, assumably one of the other Myouou, still, she'd remain skeptical, openly gawking as she made her way up the stairs. "This place is amazing!~ So magical my skin is tingling~" she claimed. she always did enjoy a full mage, if nothing else, she and whoever was here could bond over that. As such the dark haired girl with her teal eyes ascended white steps approaching a seated male who was becoming clearer and clearer to her eyes by the moment. 'No way!' she mentally chimed.

[Bloodedge]

The moment Yume passed the threshold of that door, the path was sealed. She had entered a realm set within a very different time-space, becoming incapable of interacting with the outside world. At the top of that staircase she climbed was a male with flawless, tan skin, flowing wavy locks of white that featured a golden ethereal glow, and eyes a similar shimmering gold to what one might find within the Holy Grails' liquid. "Shinomiya Kaguya, or even... Asakura Yume. Welcome," spoke a voice that resonated throughout the dimension. Its tone was heaven, its cadence a choir of gentle spirits in a tranquil oasis. "Forgive my intrusion. I'm afraid your path is set, and you mustn't veer from it. Your friend would be fine, but I believe... in this timeline, you were soon to decide Ailen was worth experiencing."

With that said, the king of this realm rose from the throne. He stepped forward just once, not reaching the first step, but leaving enough space to be joined where he stood. "I did not call you to stop that decision. I called you to to offer my teachings, that you might make that decision without altering your path of enlightenment. The choice is still yours, however," he added. "I am Seidou Myouou: Solomon. Along the path of enlightenment, my alignment is Wood. If you wish to accept what Ailen offers, it is recommended by your path that my teachings are explored first. Oh, and don't fret over time. This realm is set apart from Alaya. You could spend years here, and lose only seconds there."

[Apollymi]

As she walked up the steps and took in the sights, Yume was greeted in a manner which made her stop moving for just a moment. Hearing wasn't even one of her better senses, but within this realm she was certain that voice was rubbing against her soul and making her loins ache. Why did anyone need a voice that smooth? And to go along with such a smooth voice, the man also had an amazing visage. He was literally something straight out of a manga series, and probably her favorite of such people. "I am pretty sure you can call me either of those things... or a pet name, I do like those~ I don't really mind," she managed though the rest of his sentence implied that he knew quite a bit about her previous thoughts. She shouldn't veer from her path and the choice was hers... that was nice. "Yeah... I am a bit prone to being impulsive and in fairness, my mind has gone a lot of weird places in the last 24 hours. This world is doing some interesting things to me," she admitted. Right just now for instance, she was glad to have been stopped because she was sure this man would be well worth entertaining regardless of what he taught.

Maybe she really was slutty? She had just been considering having sex with a female friend and her mentor just because it looked hot. And though she'd completely thrown herself into the idea of studying in this group and ingratiating herself into the harem lifestyle it seemed to be quite a treacherous path suddenly. Moreover she apparently didn't even need to worry about anything, taking this step first, through Solomon would allow her exploration and give her what she needed to proceed. Apparently she was even outside of time/space and didn't even have to worry about missing out on her morning thoughts. Her mouth opened in a tiny o as she expressed her surprise. People kept surprising her lately. "That's really nice of you, Solomon-sama, yoroshiku onegaishimasu!~" the girl offered taking the last step and finding herself staring at the man. She was glad she'd not gotten completely lost in his voice but she was sure she only translated the gist of that conversation. "Seidou Myouou... huh, I'm going to have to tell Miwa-sama that her taste is immaculate~" she said in an odd way that was a compliment as she stared into golden eyes. She could do this...

[Bloodedge]

When Solomon spoke, Yume halted her movements. That was nothing out of the ordinary. He knew the reason well, but would not bring unnecessary attention to it. According to Yume, he could address her by either name, or some pet name. "You do seem quite fond of those. Over time, you will accumulate quite a few. As for your impulsiveness, it is nothing to be concerned about. Be true to yourself. The Myouou will make sure your path remains true by staging interventions like this one," the male explained. These apprentices were free to decide new things for themselves whenever they wished, but without that conscious decision being at play, these interruptions would occur.

According to Yume, his actions were nice. Solomon could not agree to that notion, though he understood why the conclusion was reached. "Think nothing of it. I knew this moment would come. This is the allotted timeframe for our meeting, as it was always going to be," he said. There were many things that required his involvement, many of them having much to do with the Myouou apprentices. Yume would only be the first he met with so directly, though another had already received his invitation. "You have much ahead of you. The potential you hold is no less endless than your teacher, but you've yet to determine practical ability, correct? The ability to create a Living Artifact has already been discovered. Since that is the case, you are already on your way. I can teach you how to... hmm, let's see... in the most understandable terms I can manage, evolve any existing Mystic Codes. For clarity since you never observed that video game, Mystic Codes are the foundation of all matter ─ the lines that make up a soul, if you will. Your every form is comprised of many code lines, as is every tool and every blade of grass or speck of dirt, in various amounts. I hope that makes things clear enough without sounding too technological for you."

[Apollymi]

Solomon's words and phrases implied that he had both foresight and hindsight as powers. He claimed she seemed fond of her pet names and would end up with quite a few... she already had at least three she was willing to answer to, what was a few more when it made her happy? Moreover, he even claimed she could continue being her usual impulsive self, that the Myouou would simply stage interventions to keep her on her path to enlightenment. "Sou ka, so all of you are massive enablers... I got it," she stated summarizing the general point and feeling better knowing that her 'bad' habits wouldn't be something which caused problems.

Moving on from that point, apparently she should think nothing of Solomon's kindness. He was always going to interfere at this point if it was a point he needed to, interesting. There was also the matter of the practical application of her magic and abilities. She'd already learned to make Living Artifacts, that had to be in relation to her clothing which was something she did on a whim but it was something she thought repeatable regardless. Ah, well that was how the world considered things. She got an answer to that which started off pretty clear but became a bit of a technical mess within her head. Her face scrunched up a little and she would soon be found pressing her thumb between her now furrowed brows. "That sounds a bit techy, but just let me..." she gave a bit of thought to his words. 'Ai-chan, where are you... I need my techy-senpai!~' she mused. She needed a comparison to work with evolution, she understood evolution but as a matter of science. "Second class is difficult for me but I can work with it..." she murmured. "So Mystic Code is like the building blocks of the world. So more like... atoms or DNA... I could work with that as a comparison. And you can teach me how to evolve them and that will help me with my practical abilities?" she wondered if her understanding was off somewhere. Though there was also the possibility of that comparison not making sense inside the world at all, but... she had a feeling that wasn't the case.

[Bloodedge]

To call the Myouou a group of massive enablers was, frankly, quite accurate. Solomon would not be the one arguing that point. In fact, he'd been an enabler long before appearing in this world. These apprentices would all be met with the same treatment, left to become far more of themselves than they imagined was necessary. "That could easily be said. We do hold freedom of learning in high regard, and we wish only for all of you to be the most you can be."

Moving on to more immediate matters of learning, it seemed his explanation of Mystic Codes was lost midway through. He knew this girl had issues with technology, but there was always the hope that his words would be sensible regardless. Alas, that was not the case. Yume did, however, have another comparison to offer in exchange. She equated Mystic Code to DNA. That did work, though Solomon also had another backup for her lack of technological understanding. "It does work that way, yes. More detailed and to your understanding, however, would be that you are a character. Your personality, your abilities, everything about you is written down, but the body you inhabit is the sheet. When you develop a Skill, it is added. When you grow, it is detailed and given to the Game Master, which could be considered the 'true' you within in this case. Imagine you've entered a tabletop game, but your entire character is limited to one sheet of paper. What I can teach you, is essentially how to fit more into that single sheet. The same logic applies to Artifacts, but the Living Artifacts... I'm sure you can understand why those are different. A character is only complete when they are detailed enough, yes?"

In Solomon's hand, there appeared a simple bracelet of sorts. He thought it best to show an example of this lesson, so he held it between Yume and himself. With that, his speech continued. "Orichalcum. Ring-shaped. Unbending. Let's imagine these are each details of this anklet. It is just an object in that case. If I were to add lines that added mana circulation, an activatable spell, and any number of other things, this simple object would develop a soul of its own. It is the exact opposite of the Living Artifact you've made, in essence. Kudos for turning a primordial deity into a dress, by the way."

[Apollymi]

Solomon like the other Myouou that Yume had met, was full of honesty. Apparently he took no issue with the idea that he and the others were enablers and their purpose was to make sure the apprentices became the best they could be. Interesting, they didn't seem to be trying to change their abilities or existing potentially destructive personality traits. No, they were keen to let them grow to be the 'most' of themselves. "Sou ka, interesting..." Yume murmured.

It seemed that Solomon had an even better example to ease the already stressed mind of Yume. He explained the development in terms of a tabletop game. She could definitely understand that... it also helped that she'd likely remember everything this man said for the rest of time, given the smoothness of his voice. His words made more sense than most things and by the time he asked about it, she was more than willing to agree with him. "Hai hai, that's a way better comparison, and it's one I understand completely. I can work with it~" she mused knowing that if she thought about her own expansion like a character sheet she could easily build herself up and learn from Solomon how to advance herself further.

As this point progressed she was given a more visual example. An object which had a defined purpose but that would become more with the addition of affixes and magical abilities. it would go from just an object to an Artifact. In this explanation he explained that this was the opposite of how she'd made her clothing and gave her a bit of congratulations on doing so. She beamed a large smile spreading across her face. "I'm glad that can be appreciated. It was mostly just trying something but after doing it I understand what I did, and... I understand what you're saying too..." she mused. If a plain thing could become more complex it would be easy to develop items to make her magical usage easier or more varied in addition to some other things. She began thinking about the potentials as she waited for Solomon to continue his explanation.

[Bloodedge]

"Ah, good. I'll remember to lead with something like that next time," Solomon said in regards to future teachings. Shinomiya Kaguya was one who would have been better off in this world, as opposed to one so full of technological advancement. As he saw it, her natural magical abilities were far above average. If she'd been given a computer, however... things would have gone quite differently. "Though there is also the possibility of avoiding verbal explanation entirely. I thought only to ease your transition a bit by going about it in a way you'd be more accustomed to. If you'd like me to adjust my methods more toward the standard way of Munetsuchi, I can do that as well."

With that anklet in hand, Solomon offered the fullest explanation he needed to for Yume's understanding. She followed along perfectly, but there was one thing unmentioned: the object in his hand was already a Living Artifact. "What I said was the truth. This anklet has already been given the properties I mentioned. Would you like it?" he wondered. Whether she answered yes or no, the anklet vanished from Solomon's hand to appear instead on Yume's left ankle. If she didn't want it, she could rid herself of it at will. "Whether it is an evolution in yourself, or your ability to evolve something else, I can teach you. Do you have any questions, or preferred form of study? I will adjust myself to either and answer whatever I can."

[Apollymi]

Solomon enjoyed that she understood his explanation and claimed to lead with such examples in the future to ease her understanding. "Hai hai, I appreciate the consideration~" she mused. Though she would have eventually worked out a way to understand it which applied to her modern life, it was much easier to contextualize the way he'd presented the information most recently. Moreover he claimed that it was always possible to give her the information in a more direct manner without speech and at those words a grin spread across her face. "Munetsuchi is a great place!~ I've been mostly adjusting aside from my current weirdness with other women, that part might take a bit of time..." she said giving it a great deal of thought. "Though, I have already realized the full breadth of such teaching and it's definitely the coolest way to learn so feel free to nourish my soul... Yeah that's the way Ai-aniki put it~" she admitted gracefully. "Though you do still have a really nice voice so you don't have to stop talking to me~" she flirted unabashedly. How much more interesting would school have been with private lessons being implanted directly into brain spaces sexually by attractive teachers who were quite frankly great at sex?

Speaking of great teachers, Solomon's lesson was taken at face value. At the very least she understood fully the information he was offering as well as by the mention of him giving the anklet the properties he'd mentioned its status as a Living Artifact. "Sugoi! Of course I'll take it... souvenirs from you guys are next level~" she admitted, as the anklet settled around her unoccupied leg space. How interesting, it truly had its own sort of feeling as compared to her hat and the dress she wore already. As for what he offered an evolution and the knowledge of it was what he offered, whether it was of herself or something else. He also wished to know if she had any real preferences, or questions. "I am pretty devoted to this path as a full magical girl, so I don't really want a weapon, I'd rather make due with something innocuous but active use... I haven't thought of anything really yet, so I'd take a bit of advice on how to make that happen. I'd also like to know some ways to fully utilize my Living Artifacts, I want to make sure they don't have things that I am wasting..." she said knowing what she was looking for in a general sense. "I am still exploring so I'm not too picky about how... I'd like to experience the way you like it so I can figure out if it's also the way I'd like it~" she said knowing that her sexual experiences were rather limited, but she could clearly tell each of these men were very different in their own approaches and she'd enjoy them as is and then nudge them if she found herself needing a bit more.

[Bloodedge]

Yume seemed very invested in the method of learning utilized in Munetsuchi. For that, she could not be blamed. As for her 'weirdness' with other women, Solomon could offer a clarity most other Alayans could not. "That is understandable. Sexual preferences on Gaia are somewhat confused. Naturally, biology will always win, but that does not mean mana transfer between members of the same gender is to be considered odd. Miwa and your friends are compatible with you. Compatibility is all that matters in this world. From there... it's all about what you could enjoy," he explained. Whatever the case, her interest in learning from Solomon was made perfectly clear. She wanted her soul 'nourished' but urged him to continue speaking. Very well.

While Yume gave her explanation of preferences, Solomon focused on altering the platform they stood on. His throne would soon be gone, replaced by a bed of similar design. On either side, however, there were portals to other spaces elsewhere within the realm. One led to an office, another to a modern Japanese-style house interior, and a third opened to a spring amid forest trees. With that, four options were before Asakura Yume. "To say 'Magical Girl' is potentially disturbingly accurate. Perhaps you'll find yourself taking that quite literally? Whatever your choices entail, my advice is to make your Artifact something comfortable. A swordsman should have a sword, but an artist should always choose the brush or easel instead. It is a Living Artifact, after all; it wants to fulfill its purpose. So long as that criteria is easily met, you will have no issues. Now, the venue. . ."

[Apollymi]

Yume had been learning a great many things since coming to Alaya, among them various understandings of sex and sexuality. Solomon had a bit of input which would help the girl feel a bit less... awkward in her day to day life. Apparently, nature tended to win out, but... compatibility was more important than parts. Mana sharing and by virtue of that sexual activity, was something which could happen between the girl and anyone she was compatible with regardless of gender and wouldn't be considered odd. "Sou ka... I think I feel less weird about it now... so thanks. I'll explore it at my own pace," she confirmed.

Of course, beyond this point there was the matter of her actual lesson, and where it would be delivered. Solomon's throne turned into a bed and several portals appeared around apparently giving her access to a variety of potential different places to experience him. She looked into the portals, and found them interesting. She could see her friends liking these rooms and she could see herself experiencing them for various reasons. But in the end, the girl stimply slipped into Solomon's former throne now bed and grinned. "I like comfort and in my infinite childishness I always wanted to be a magical girl, I can't help but live my dream~" she mused. There were multiple tiers of meaning to her words, but in this case, it was simply the perfect response. Speaking of perfect responses.... "I think this place is worth the experience. Don't hold me to it though... I could always change my mind later~" she teased gently. At the very least, this man could definitely show her what he had going on for himself. She took the general opinion that all the Myouou would have some interesting personal habits, and she was keen to learn Solomon's for the sake of figuring out her various preferences.

[Bloodedge]

"That would be for the best. You should never do things in a way that is uncomfortable for you. As you've seen by now, it's not good for the soul," Solomon said regarding the girl's pacing decision. Her former boyfriend's primary issue was one of comfort, in a manner of speaking. Regardless, that lesson was one already explored in Mugen's company; Solomon wouldn't harp on it very much.

Now, with four choices ahead of her, Yume only had to select one. Which would she go for? While expressing her dedication to being a magical girl, she moved toward the bed instead of any of three portals. What an interesting decision. Considering the amount of time she was able to spend in this realm, he did not yet do away with those portals. As Yume herself stated, changing her mind was always an option. Even visiting every space was technically possible. "The bed, eh? Your alignment to your friends is very clear," he said, knowing of a particular comrade of hers who would eventually find this same bed. With that aside though, Solomon stepped toward the bed as well. His robes were falling away from top to bottom with every step, initially revealing that the body of a magus was not so neglected as media often implied. "Or perhaps it's an existing compatibility with me. Honestly, there's no telling even for me at times. Mystery is as strange as the name implies, I'm afraid."

[Apollymi]

There were quite a few words shared about the nature of comfort in this world. Yume was encouraged to do things in the way that was comfortable and reminded of a particular person who'd not done such a thing. She supposed that was the baseline issue of his life given the huge difference between his legitimate virtues and his base personality. "Hai hai, doing who and what I like, when I like and being unapologetically me. Got it!~" she mused knowing full well that this was a rather easy leap for her to make.

Moving on from that Yume was left to watch Solomon ascend to the bed and... speak of her decisions. Apparently she was quite well aligned to her friends. "Lots of things are clear..." she murmured as she took in his visage as he exposed himself. Top to bottom, a gorgeous face, golden magical eyes, dark skin and a massive amount of silvery white hair. Exposed and muscled chest, not quite extreme, but far flung from the 'feeble mage' motif. Her eyes continued to travel as she heard him speaking of Mystery and not being sure if her choice was an alignment to her friends or a compatibility with him. "It's yes. My current observation says that the Myouou and their apprentices are working on very similar wavelengths. I considered earlier that Ai-aniki and Mi-chan were almost interchangable to me aside from their gender differences and slight personality differences. And Mi-chan uses the same phrases to describe me and Mugen-sama... I could make casual guesses about everyone else's apprentices based on that~" she said. Oh that was probably divining at work. Using her own body as a tuning fork and he observations of the men to figure out who their apprentices might be if they were connected to her and Anais was... a rather amusing thought. But... also one for later, given she was now, staring down tall, dark and handsome, well, soon staring up again, though soon up again though she was quite unabashed. "This is without question the best type of schooling~" she teased, as her own articles of clothing began melting away leaving her strangely with only an anklet on around her ankle and that glowing halo over her head.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, Yume had begun inspecting the man. Though he expected as much, her behavior since being Shinomiya Kaguya had become notably less reserved. That sort of shift would serve her well moving forward, just as her understanding of connections would. She expressed her gatherings related to Myouou and their apprentices, surmising that each pair thus far was interchangeable. Mentally, she should have reached a point of assigning her remaining friends to any Myouou she knew. "You're quite the linchpin, aren't you? You're on the right track. These things are all accurate, and that is the level of compatibility expected of our apprentices. It's quite similar to the way twins work, really," he mused.

In a matter of moments, both parties would be without a single article of clothing ─ bar Yume's anklet and halo, if those counted. The girl's dress faded away, and by then, Solomon's were gone as well. Suddenly, there were two very nude, very contrasting people staring at each other's bodies. Yume claimed this process was the best type of schooling, and Solomon had a separate observation to make about her, now that the view was unobscured. "Interesting. You're very similar to Miwa, you know? It's almost uncanny," he said, though what he meant exactly would not be mentioned. Solomon did have a plan in mind for the lass, all starting with something normally selfish in this world. "Lie down. I'd like to first acclimate myself to your specific energy, to avoid any potential clashes between our attributes." Should Solomon's words be heeded, Yume would find his magic at play the moment her body found itself in a new position. Solomon was one who often abused the functionality of mana. As such, a small, magical ring would appear around each of her nipples. Those rings would close gently at first, clamping and vibrating over time. The purpose was one she would have recently become somewhat familiar with ─ one that primed her body to offer mana.

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Yume's thoughts about the connection between the Myouou and their apprentices was right on track. She was even referred to as a linchpin of sorts, and oddly it wasn't the first time she heard such a thing in reference to herself. "Hai hai, linchpin is an accurate description, at least if you asked Mi-chan about my school related activities~" she mentioned. This man was seeming like the most likely to fully understand her nature as a school girl. For the Myouou and their apprentices to function spiritually in a manner similar to twins made this world a strange place indeed, but that wasn't worth the extra thought. She'd already dismissed her extra thoughts about cursed tags, and with Solomon still talking it could easily leave her head again.

Yes, Solomon was still speaking this time of hre resemblance to Miwa which he called 'uncanny'. Yume didn't really see that... there must have been a bit of contextual information missing from her understanding in this case. Still the man asked her to lie down and who was she to do anything but what was asked of her in this particular situation. She wondered if he knew his voice was almost more compelling than its meaning? He wanted to make sure they were properly compatiable, that was fine. And beyond that she found two clamp like magical rings surrounding her nipples and they began to vibrate in a sensation not unlike the pulses which came from the fingertips of Ailen or Anais. Her mouth opened in that little oh but a moan escaped as well. "I understand," she murmured. "Even knowing this world sees this backwards, this is more exciting!~" she claimed. What direction would this be going? She found herself squirming just a bit. This wasn't the kind of knowledge she expected from somoene born int his world, it worked a little too perfectly for her to assume he didn't know exactly what those clamps were. She didn't imagine herself wearing such things, but... that was part of the pet play thing she seemed to be rather into.

[Bloodedge]

Pet play was not something one would find on Solomon's personal list. Those rings of his had a certain purpose, but if Yume wanted to interpret or assign other ideas, he took no issue with it. In fact, one might find Solomon more flexible than most Myouou, at least in the metaphorical sense. Yume would be discovering that in her own time, but for now, they had some preparation to do. Those rings served the purpose of activating mana flow within the lass. As Solomon joined her in bed, he did so from above. Both hands reached out to caress down Yume's sides, slowly dragging down and pulling her mana along with those movements.

In addition to everything else, Solomon found one statement worth clarification. Yume found excitement in spite of the perceived fact that this world had things backwards. Ah, this was before she knew the truth. "The backwards one, is actually Gaia. These methods come from Tera, the original version of Earth. Through the loss of understanding regarding mana, humans ─ those who inhabit Gaia especially ─ have inverted the purpose of foreplay and other such things. Here on Alaya, what I am about to do by my own machinations will be considered selfish by many," the tan male explained just as his hands reached Yume's thighs. Her legs would soon be spread as Solomon lowered himself. His face soon rested between her thighs, lips brushing against her sex. He could feel the prickle of mana against his skin. That feeling was all he needed to know the time was right, so it was without further ado that Solomon pressed his lips into the girl. Use of tongue did not occur immediately, but after a few focused quivers of his lips, there was a brief protrusion and upward lap. In that moment, he seemed slightly surprised. "Hmm. I expected something on the spicier side. This is unusual."

[Apollymi]

Yume would continue to take a few liberties with her thoughts. She'd already been encouraged enough by the Myouou she'd met to feel less inclined to question her own thoughts and interpretations, this was especially true in sexual contexts. She knew the two worlds held opposing views about how was giving and who was taking, but this would be expanded upon as she felt moisture welling gently between her legs. Of course she was having this sort of reaction, it was all very exciting wasn't it? "Uh-huh, I do get that but selfishness is a fundamentally different thing to those like us. Feel free to be this kind of selfish, all you like~" the girl flirted in this way. She'd discovered the previous day that she was quite interested in all forms of sexual encounter she'd been involved in, including giving oral sex because it simply felt right to do.

Soon only a moan would be escaping her lips as Solomon's met her lower ones in a rather unique manner. It was truly as if this man intended to kiss her loins after he'd separated her legs and she couldn't have found a reason to argue against it if she tried. Once his lips began moving it wasn't for a few moments until she felt a tongue traveling along her folds in a single lap. She almost squirmed but her body relaxed instead. "Not spicy huh? I didn't think to ask about that sort of thing yesterday... I have the basic information about the differences in mana quality in my head though... surprise is usually good though~" she mused. She did have a bit of a curiosity about it though now that it was on the list of things she didn't know about herself. It was also something she'd look out for, in her various aspects of study.

[Bloodedge]

Naturally, selfish acts as perceived by Alayans was viewed very differently by the citizens of Gaia. Kaguya urged Solomon to keep those 'selfish' tendencies, which he would gladly do as one who knew the values of both worlds. Yume seemed pleased with the beginning of their meeting, so he was committed to continuing. Ah, but there was first the discussion regarding her particular flavor, which Solomon found strange given her demonic Spiritual Core. Whatever the true meaning behind that was, Mugen may have been to blame somehow... unless Shinomiya Kaguya was another sort of anomaly. He'd have to keep all senses open for additional information, but the details could wait until later.

For the time being, Solomon was content to focus his efforts once more. He was done talking, so his lips pressed into Yume's nether again. This time, his tongue protruded and remained extended. One lap wouldn't be enough for either of them. As such, he took on a dragging motion, up and down. He'd be as an animal taking water, and indeed he would drink as one did. This was no simple consumption of mana, but an absorption of higher quality than normal. His own mana circuits would be bursting as a mix of energies flowed through. All the while, mana directly from Solomon himself was sliding down his tongue to intermingle with Yume's. It wouldn't take long at all for the adjustment to occur, but he supposed in the spirit of humanity, he'd take a bit of extra time between the girl's legs. After all, he was quite sure this was a first experience, and thought it best not to let it go to waste.

[Apollymi]

Solomon had no other words to share immediately, and Yume might have found herself missing his voice a bit. Too bad her own was now slipping from between her lips as his tongue began to move between her folds in earnest. This really was great, she found herself lightly squirming but relaxing further into this man's advances as she felt the gentle build up to something great. Her other senses weren't dulled either so she realized that this was still an exchange of mana... though not quite at the normal rate... it felt nice spiritually and physically. "Ah!~ This really is great!~" she found herself moaning. She truly couldn't stay still found herself propped up on her elbows looking down into the face of the man who was so artfully licking away at her loins. For a first time experience, he was setting her expectations rather high. Every action he took further confirmed for the girl that she would definitely continue to enjoy her life in this world.

Ah and then there was something rather interesting. That sensation stroking at her loins was rather intense, it was building rather quickly any little thing could send her over... actually there was one thing which would likely contribute to it guaranteed. If she happened to meet those golden eyes at any point while she stared down she'd definitely feel that building orgasm flood her loins.

[Bloodedge]

The one thing Yume was missing would probably not be something she found absent from a meeting with any Myouou. She would, however, find a difference from one to another. Such was the case with all things, but her most prominent fetishized behavior was a special case indeed. Mugen was the one she aligned to. Only he could deliver the sort of penetrative glare which set this girl's soul ablaze, and only he would go out of his way to do exactly that with only said glare. Alas, Solomon was not unreasonable. He knew Asakura Yume would be one who used eyes as literal windows to the soul, whether she came to that realization herself or not.

So then, what would he do with that knowledge? Well, she had been the one to call out his enabling tendencies earlier. He'd enable her, of course. Those lavishing tongue-strokes slowed to a single upward drag with additional applied pressure, Solomon's tongue cupping to let her moisture pool atop it like a shallow bowl. In doing so, he simply... looked up to meet Yume's gaze. His was again not the mighty, demonic variant someone like Mugen delivered naturally, but there was a similarity in how observant the two were. A heavenly calmness took the place of demonic wrath, though it still seemed to view the soul instead of its physical shell.

[Apollymi]

Yume had Kaguya's obsession with prolonged eye contact. Even in this form, she found herself seeking it unconsciously. Was it just about the look? Not really. It wasn't even a particular type of eye she was trying to catch. If one asked her, she'd say she sought honesty in eye contact, whatever that actually meant. Her whole understanding of others came from looking in their eyes, and it'd not led her astray for the most part. So as her loins were given a magnificent exposure to the tongue of Solomon and that building pressure persisted, she started down her own body and eventually after one more pointed and pressure filled lick found the man starting back at her.

There was a calming look in those eyes. Their golden color, belied an interesting amount of clarity and understanding. There was peace found in those eyes, one unlike the glare of Mugen which belied intention and possessiveness. No... she looked into these eyes and she saw understanding for the whole complexity of her being and her life's trifles and that was... different. Her heart thumped, her loins tensed and released and more mana spilled directly from her into the man's waiting tongue. Her eyes closed, and she moaned her contentment. "Ooh!~ I ah... that is definitely something," she said as her eyes opened up to the mysterious ceiling of the subspace and then travelled back down to the man below her. Tall, dark, handsome, flexible and tranquil... she had a feeling that for the most part sex with this man would be intense, but not in the aggressive ways of one like Mugen, in fact, she'd consider them oppositely aligned for various reasons, not just the tingles in her skin currently.

[Bloodedge]

Lo, a simple glance was all it took to send Yume over the edge after a menial amount of buildup to the grand finale. Solomon had been seeking the girl's mana, and she certainly delivered. It pooled onto his tongue by the end of that upward stroke, and he drank of it. One additional trip down allowed him to partake of the additional expulsion as well. In doing so, Solomon quickly became well-acclimated to Yume's... rather unusual mana. "Something indeed," he said, albeit for very different reasons to Yume's original statement. "It's certainly the mana of a demon. However, there's a uniqueness to it that I can't quite place. I should say, the Myouou will gain as much studying you as you will learning from them."

With that said, Solomon rose from his place between the girl's legs. This wasn't a form of mana he could risk consuming too much of when a transfer in the other direction was intended. "I'll regrettably have to disappoint you. I can't keep that up, lest I be incapable of properly providing mana and knowledge to you. One more drink, and I'm afraid I'd be giving you more of your own memories instead of a lesson. We'll have to do something else..." he said. Even so, Solomon rose onto his knees, clearing residual fluids from his face with a thumb ─ which landed the rest against his still-protruding tongue. A small amount more would pose no issue, after all. "Though I'm willing to assume you'll take no issue with a personal study of mine at a later time?"

[Apollymi]

Solomon was speaking once more as Yume recovered from her most recent orgasm and a rather pleasant experience with oral sex overall. Definitely on the list of things which could be counted as fun, though with the man receiving mana from her in this way, she could definitely see the potential of becoming almost needy waiting for the next phase, though she did quite enjoy this one. Perhaps, she'd enjoy being worked this way over and over again? Whatever the case, Solomon observed that she did indeed possess demonic mana though it had some sort of unique quality. "Well that is good. I wouldn't be sure what is unique about it myself but... if I can be useful in that way, I won't argue~" she teased while she quivered ever so gently. That last lick might have been the sort of thing to ruin her life, even so, she'd be taking quite a lot from all of her teachers and her personal mentor, if they took a bit from her it would only be fair.

Still she was quite the observant one, as such she was watching as Solomon took to his knees cleaning his face and dragging the remainder with his thumb towards that still extended tongue. "Wow..." she murmured. That might have been one of the most erotic things she'd ever witnessed. He was saying something about needing to move on for various reasons. And claimed he'd be disappointing for the moment. Ah, well, she supposed she couldn't overindulge every time she did something. He even asked if she would take issue with another study of his later on the subject. "If you'd like to add me to your plate, I am happy to be studied, especially like that~" she said in her same flirty voice. "We can continue though... I am all about having fun, but learning things is important too... and I tend to take the more proactive approach~" she mused as she shifted her form into a slightly more upright position. "You can give me that lesson, in the way you like.... I'm still a bit curious~" she mentioned knowing that this man could offer her information in a couple of different ways and she'd accept them because she understood how they worked. Besides, he was absolutely gorgeous and turning down such a thing didn't even register as an option in her head.

[Bloodedge]

Of course Yume had no qualms with being a useful study topic among the Myouou. Given her personal enjoyment of cooperative exploration, it could only be a positive for the lass to be observed such a way. Such was the benefit to many who came from Gaia to this world; the deviant side was easily unlocked or enhanced in most cases. "I'm sure you won't have reason to argue either. You may even find that it is not always about the study, in some cases. Your very own mentor is such a case," he said with certainty. Mugen, as he was, had never been one to avoid things that would simply provide enjoyment. Demons seemed especially partial to that sort of thing.

The flirty statements from this one were unending. She spoke of being added to Solomon's plate and studied ─ an agreement he expected even if in a slightly different manner. Given the amount he had to teach, Yume would also be receiving an invitation to his realm for a more extended stay. "Well, in the future, you may find yourself having to study abroad for at least a term. I'll be sure you have a ticket before leaving," he assured. Moving on, Yume spoke of taking the proactive approach to things... just before expressing that he could provide the first lesson however he wished. How strange. "Oh? That's not very proactive of you at all. You may find it beneficial to make your own decisions, as you will sometimes find that luxury taken from you. Besides... there may occasionally be a third option granted to you, even if you select one of the original two. Such things are quite common here."

[Apollymi]

Solomon spoke of the lack of study as a motivation for studying in a few cases. The desires of her own mentor were indeed similar to that, as were her own in a different sort of way, "Hai, Mugen-sama is definitely a proponent of doing what you feel like doing," she murmured. Even so, it was quite exciting to have such people interested in her without the stigmas she'd had attached to her previously.

Moving on, it seemed that she'd be given a ticket to return to this place as it was apparently part of her future to study abroad a bit. Her current trip probably counted as such, even so... she'd like the ability to see and hear Solomon at some other point. After all, if Miwa had one particular talent she'd call it her ability to choose gorgeous men of various flavors. "Hai hai, I'd love to find myself back here for an extra lesson or two. I did always want to go abroad, but I also wouldn't want to miss out..." she mentioned. Being a demon was in essence being rather selfish. She didn't mind her own behavior and seemed to desire a bit of everything. That being said, it seemed she was somewhat contradictory, as a person who offered to take her lesson as Solomon wished to dispense it. "Iie, it's still a very proactive approach. I've only been at this a day or two~" she mused. "Still, if I should decide some, I'll make sure to keep the advice in mind. A mystery third option always sounds like fun. And I figured eventually I wouldn't be fully capable of choosing with personalities being like they are..." she said seeming to be giving a bit of thought to her current desire. She'd already learned a couple of different positions she liked and enjoyed in a more aggressive sense. She was willing to leave this one in someone else's hands so she could figure out how else she might like it. Perhaps she'd be better off choosing a little in this case, and learning something else as well?

"Alright, I know what I want right now... you can give me this first lesson like this..." she mentioned spreading her legs a bit wider and lying back once more. She'd gently use her fingers to spread her folds. "And then if I need a bit more we can try out the desk in that office space... that always seemed like it'd be fun~" she mused having made a decision of some sort while leaving herself open to her more impulsive nature a bit later. "Oh, and you can surprise me with one of your choice of toy... that seems like a spicy third option~" she finished up more than willing to get into the next round. In truth, Solomon could likely get away with doing about anything and she'd have a good time, but she supposed she couldn't always leave it up to someone else, she had much to consider and fun sex with Solomon and her lesson weren't the most ridiculous decisions to make.

[Bloodedge]

Yume countered that her decision remained impulsive. How strange. "A firm opinion based in atypical logic. That's certainly a demon trait," he mumbled. Regardless of Yume's viewpoint, a decision was soon made. She spread her legs, and she spread her lips to receive offering as such. Solomon found this posture a bit ordinary for someone like Yume, but it was indeed rather early for her. She also brought up the idea of a 'spicy' third option involving his choice of toy. It seemed the young demoness was not at all lacking in mental acuity. In truth, Solomon had been planning exactly that.

That desk was brought up while Yume waited for their beginning. Of the options outside of the bed, Solomon figured that one would be her choice. More importantly though, he would soon be proving her right regarding the earlier toy-related assumption. Solomon moved toward the available space below Yume, simultaneously materializing two very different objects with his mana. One of the two was a small sphere, and the other was a rather phallic tube of sorts. Since she knew of toys, Solomon presumed Yume knew exactly the purpose of said objects. "Naturally, the purpose will remain the same regardless of the form. As the student, you are allowed some liberties," he said as those items floated just overhead. They were constructed of Solomon's mana in pure form, easily made within this realm of his creation. In leaving the choice of form to Yume, Solomon aligned his tool to rest its tip betwixt her parted folds. He wasn't the aggressive sort, but he wasn't waiting either. Solomon's shaft crept its way into the girl's body ─ gradually, yet decisively so. Ah, but there was even more to this exchange, though that would come to light later.

[Apollymi]

Yume's opinion was described as 'atypical but firm' that seemed to be a fairly accurate description of her in general. "Hm, yeah, that sounds about normal to me, Mi-chan would agree..." she said of herself in this particular case. She didn't know such qualities were demonic, but she supposed it would make sense that beings that opposed the current world order would be considered in such a way. Beyond this point it seemed that her thoughts about the spicy third option was correct, and more magical toys were produced. While she understood the purposes of the two objects she couldn't help but find it more than a bit amusing given the places she'd seen such things.

'I'm getting the Raizen special today!~' the girl mused within her own head. Aloud she found herself pointing towards the more phallic of the devices and commenting absently about the nature of that presented choice. "Liberties? Interesting, I'd say a shadow took a few liberties with me yesterday, this is fine though, I think I'll like it, Mon-sama!~" she said giving the man a flirty little wink. Of course, this action would be given a bit of pause as the man made his entry into her being. It lacked the sort of aggression she would have expected from Mugen, but it also wasn't timid at all. Her nether would grip at the man in pulses as he sank into her, it wouldn't cause her immediate end, but would instead be a great push towards that eventuality. Almost like the lack of intensity just created a greater build up instead... how interesting.

[Bloodedge]

Yume had some liberties taken as opposed to offered previously, as anyone who knew the first thing about Mugen would expect. Solomon would take far fewer of such liberties, but fewer didn't necessarily mean none. Besides, Solomon had the luxury of foresight as a matter of course. "I'm sure you will. I've seen a certain lack of orthodoxy in you... soon enough," he stated.

With two options floating above her head, Yume selected the one most likened to... well, that which was currently gliding its way into her. One might even consider it an exact replica in terms of length and girth. If that was her choice, she was free to claim it as she pleased. The other, however, was brought to Solomon's hand. "I'm sure you will have no issues with taking larger quantities of mana, being his apprentice. Think of it as a portable apparatus, or... one of those strange variants of the Gaia tool ─ the one with a spray function," he spoke. Deeper he dove. Solomon wouldn't be halted with ease, nor would he descend all the way as some others would. No, he instead halted all forward progression at the halfway point. From there, Solomon's hips would begin to piston back and forth at a markedly casual pace. What of that sphere he held, though? It seemed to be molding itself into a more compact form, contorting and extending into something within Solomon's imagination.

[Apollymi]

According to Solomon he saw a certain lack of orthodoxy in the young demoness. She grinned upon hearing this, "I do live to surprise~" she flirted. She had no idea what sort of thing she'd be doing, but she was always one to try something for the sake of it being interesting. What was more, Solomon took hold of the thing she allowed to remain and she having freed her hand reached towards the more phallic device. she held it in her hands seeming to inspect it as Solomon upon reaching the halfway point within her body began to piston around within her person in a way which she found distinctly satisfying. He even claimed that one had a spray function and that he thought the girl capable of taking on a large quanity of mana.

"Oh? I suppose he does like to indulge like that... I find myself a bit curious too~" she mused. She seemed like she was about to make one of those strange decisions. Knowing that the phallic thing had a spraying function, she thought to tease her own throat a bit. She knew it felt nice and it was plenty well enough to be uniquely stuffed from both ends. And there was whatever, Solomon was doing with his former gag. "Though I am a bit curious about what you'll be doing with that... I am always up for a bit of a surprise~" she mentioned as she slipped that phallic thing into her mouth teasing her own former gag reflex with a single hand and that tool while watching Solomon pump himself in and out of her body at the halfway point at such a casual pace. It was so odd, she found herself keeping up strangely with his work her body almost demanding more as her hips began to shake just a bit. Yes, a liberty or two was nothing bad, and Solomon could take his own as well.

[Bloodedge]

Ever the flirtatious one was Asakura Yume. Her delivery repeatedly reminded Solomon of a particular goddess, and then some. Solomon snickered. "Then surprise away, for all your days if you must. Most will agree that it is one of your charm points." With his particular form of foresight, Solomon saw many certainties. Of those related to this lass, few things could be more guaranteed than her general disposition and its effects on the masses.

There were five cycles of Arcane Wisdom in this world, but there were six walks of life in cosmology. Of those walks, Solomon embodied humanity. As innovation was the hallmark of mankind, Solomon was perhaps the most innovative of the Myouou. Yume may have been privy to the details, but things would become a bit clearer as time passed. She wondered what he'd be doing with that additional item. Just after expressing that curiosity, Yume had that cylinder between her lips, and Solomon kept himself occupied between her folds. This, however, was meant to be an effort to provide knowledge and mana. Just as he previously had Yume geared toward offering, he'd now have to shift her toward receiving. With that being the case, he eventually morphed that sphere into a plug that tapered toward the tip, sporting a stopper at its base. "Here's your answer. It's time your mana shifted in the other direction," he said. With the additional space offered by shallower penetration, Solomon was able to reach down and press that newly-shaped object into Yume's backdoor. All the while, her direct consumption of that mana cylinder would likely be getting around to the first small lesson ─ one explaining the true purpose of orifices, and thus how an anal insertion would function in this case.

[Apollymi]

This group of adults was oddly encouraging. Though Yume formerly Kaguya didn't seem to seek such approval, gaining it made her feel particularly confident. She wasn't abashed nor did she have low self-esteem to start with, still, she quite enjoyed the words spoken by Solomon in a different way than she enjoyed the praises offered to her by her own mentor and even the others she'd had contact with. She supposed in this case, that her actions and words were acceptable as always and as such became even more comfortable within her own skin. Maybe this kind of encouragement was actually what she needed? That was something to consider, for later at least.

For now, there was the matter of the man moving in and out of her body pushing her closer and closer towards orgasm while she fellated an object. Of course, in the case of a magical world, doing so wouldn't simply be a stimulation of her throat but also one of reward granting. Beyond that there was the matter of Solomon's works and his insertion of a small plug like object into her bottom. He claimed it was time to reverse the flow of her mana. Ah, so instead of offering she'd be taking... that made a decent bit of sense if she was to be learning, and the spillage of the object into her mouth and throat explained the extra uses of different orifices and their varied purposes beyond the pleasures presented by them. Strangely she could claim to feel such a reversal within herself, her body seeming to pulse with the demand of being filled as she removed that phallic object from her mouth. "Sou ka, this really is the best way to learn... and surprisingly tasty," the girl mentioned licking her own lips and then the tip of that object. "Is that apples... but like concentrated. Oh, it's like... apple butter!~" she nearly squealed. Miwa truly did have immaculate tastes.

[Bloodedge]

With the first sample of Solomon's mana offering its teachings to Yume, she removed the apparatus from her mouth to comment... not on its lesson, but on its flavor? That certainly was a human thing to do; she'd still not lost that part of herself. The likeliest scenario was that she never would, much like the others. Ah, but there did remain the slight difference that was her existence as a demon. Whatever the case, Yume's point of interest was made clear. Apple butter? He'd never heard that comparison before, but he could fully understand why. "I always wondered if the mystery flavor could be found as something exclusive to Gaia. You've given me knowledge I could not gain here. For that, I owe you my gratitude."

With that said, Solomon made the final push of that plug, wedging it fully into the lass. Just like the other tool, it was Solomon's mana in solid form, and thus would contribute to the information entering her body. All the while, his hips were pumping to work at her loins. "I can only wonder what Mugen has managed to teach you thus far. From the looks of things, there must have been quite a lot. What might the specifics be, though? It would be wasteful to repeat lessons when there is so much more to teach."

[Apollymi]

Yume was capable of doing something rather interesting in this interaction. She managed to give Solomon information he didn't have about the taste of his mana. In truth, given that Ailen didn't know about butter when Alchemy seemed to be a lot like cooking, she figured that there had to be quite a few mystery flavors floating around in the world. Things that people didn't know or understand, especially if they were already from this world, "Sou ka, well, given Ai-aniki didn't know about butter, I am not surprised that anyone wouldn't be able to identify apple butter," the girl mused seemingly pleased. "Still, always fun to solve a mystery... even accidentally~" she teased seeming to find the whole thing pretty fun.

Ah, but beyond the fun that plug found itself fully in her rear and Solomon began to question her previous lessons. He could only wonder what she was taught by Mugen in truth she was given several basic bits of understanding and a few more specialized things considering her first choices after making herself. "Hm, I learned a lot of things..." she said shuffling through that chest in her mind back to yesterday and figuring out what would matter in this case. "I learned, in general how to make myself. The importance of names, a bit of the old language of the Ancient Ones...uuuh----ah~" she paused seeming to feel rather nice pretty quickly enough that it distracted her just a tad, mostly because there was mana tingling in her rectum as well as his shaft moving about in her nether. "I learned how the cycles work, I learned how souls work in a general sense, a brief history of the world, how magic can potentially show itself on Gaia, how to look at my status and the basic function of my hat as a magical item... Oh and the things I let the hat teach me," she said in general. "I also learned a bit about the inmon but that was a bit more practical..." she managed to pull all of it together.

[Bloodedge]

Ah yes, butter had yet to be discovered in this world. Many humans of Gaia had transferred to Alaya, but rare was it that any of them found the time or ability to bring multiple innovations over from their original world. Butter would soon find its place here. Apple butter would be more difficult to discover, as it was unlikely many would think to cook an apple on Alaya. "Fruits, though commonly eaten, are not commonly used to cook in this world. As for butter... well..." There was something Yume was better off knowing fully, and it was best she know it before her first adventure. Solomon would keep that in mind while the girl listed all the things she'd learned thus far.

Many things, Yume learned. She learned of Spiritual Core conception, from the sound of things. She knew of names, she knew an ancient language that would serve her well in the future, she knew of the cycles governed by the Myouou, and she knew about a few different magics. Credit was to be given for managing the full list in spite of that brief hiccup in speech. Solomon never ceased gliding to and fro within her folds, but the lesson he had next was not one she'd receive that way; there would be no increase of depth just yet. "Then you are missing one truth beyond the cycles. I must also tell you of this," he said, leaning closer to her face only to stop beside that phallic object. Solomon took the girl's hand, moving that item closer to his own face briefly. Gently did he blow on it from there. In doing so, Solomon filled it with fresh knowledge. The Myouou served a purpose beyond the cycles. Each of them, Miwa included, governed a realm of cosmological rebirth. As for matters of butter and other staple ingredients found on Gaia, he would impart the knowledge of food customs in Alaya. One would find basic animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and the like were considered lesser, devoid of mana. Many who inhabited this world refrained from consuming them the same way Gaia's humans shirked the idea of eating insects and worms. Nutritional value was a matter of mana, as all things were.

By the time Solomon finished blowing on the tool, it radiated a gentle glow. His eyes averted from the apparatus, shifting toward Yume as he spoke through still-pursed lips. "There. That should contain enough information for your understanding. Have at it," he suggested. Now that the additional tasks were done, Solomon could focus properly on his own movements. The pace of his thrusting hadn't changed since the beginning, but Yume would now find herself entered a bit more deeply. Was it everything? No; Solomon kept the value of humans. While others utilized their ability to race for hours on end, Solomon continued treating these interactions as a marathon.

[Apollymi]

Yume was busy receiving a rather interesting amount of stimulation from Solomon. It lacked the high intensity of her previous mentor but something about it was still rather enticing if she was being honest. Almost as if the slower build-up was aiming her towards something hugely gratifying. Apparently fruits weren't commonly used in cooking in this world though they were eaten. That was weird. Perhaps she'd have Anais make jelly and other such things the girl enjoyed as a matter of introduction? "Hm? Is there more missing context?" she asked wondering if that sentence had a true end or if it would be part of the batch of her next lesson.

Speaking of lessons, she learned that while looking at Solomon the man would gently blow upon that toy she'd previously been using causing it to have a golden glow. Before doing this he claimed there was one more truth of the Cycles he planned to share among other things. But Yume's eyes were instead drawn to pursed lips blowing on a phallic object and her moved hand. "Mon-sama you might be a tease~" she chimed, having found something about the visuals and words she received to be strangely erotic. This world really was doing strange things to her sexuality. Still, his instruction that she should have it, would cause the extension of the girl's tongue which would playfully flick the object first. "Hai hai~" she mused as it sank slowly but surely back into her mouth. Oh? She'd taken to doing something a bit different this time, mimicking the movements of the man within her depths with the object in her mouth while also still lavishing it with visible strokes of her tongue ever so often. Well, she might as well practice everything as she tried to gain knowledge of all the things he wished to share. The Cosmological Connection of the Myouou including Miwa herself. The food based customs of this world which were rather strange.

Just the same, Solomon was steadily plunging but the depth wasn't yet as full as it could be. Such a thing was almost teasing in quality of his actions but still being rather gratifying. Weird. Perhaps there was something to enjoying these slower paced actions every now and again? Right now, this was a fine thing to have happen and she was content even as she felt the slightly deeper push, ah... he was inching towards his goal instead of going straight forward. Interesting.

[Bloodedge]

There was more context to Solomon's word, but it would be delivered into Yume's mouth instead of her ears. In preparing that lesson via the object meant for insertion to Yume's mouth, Solomon was called a tease. He supposed it was easy to understand how she reached that conclusion. "It was the simplest way of reaching the desired outcome. Though, you're free to see it however you like, if that suits your preferences," he said. Perhaps some of the apprentices fancied the idea of seeing the Myouou interact with one another. Perhaps Yume was on that list? If so, she could have the joy of that mental image.

Moving on, Yume went about absorbing the necessary information while Solomon slowly delved deeper into her loins. His core seemed to be moving in a snakelike manner, though his thrusts made no clear progress individually. It was only every several pumps which saw even the smallest amount of forward progress, though his every thrust had a certain gyration meant to explore the inner walls he found between the girl's legs. "I take it that information is sufficient enough?" he asked of the girl whom he currently observed thrusting knowledge into her mouth at a very familiar pace. Was she mimicking his thrusts? It seemed so. Oh well; she was probably best off experiencing that sort of thing for the future anyway. With that in mind, what could Solomon do but continue that very gradual increase of depth?

[Apollymi]

Solomon might not have thought about his preferences. He claimed that she could see what he did according to her own preferences if she saw his actions as teasing then so be it, because it fulfilled his necessary purpose. She couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm still figuring out those preferences~" she teased gently of course she took no issue with what he did. And though she wasn't as into the idea of 'boy-love' as some of her peers... she could see a bit of appeal in the hints at such things. And with that she'd gone back to placing knowledge into her body through her mouth and a rather phallic shaped object.

She seemed to be having a pretty decent go of her current activity. She was finding something strange though. In mimicking the movements of Solomon she was plunging deeper and deeper into her own throat. She realized her normal gag reflex wasn't quite what she expected in dealing with Mugen, but all the information about her new form and body didn't really cover this particular aspect. Is this what it meant about accepting? Ah and there was also a gyration occurring in her depths which she was sure found itself touching places inside of her person which left her gasping for air and removing her pleasuring device from her mouth to speak. "Ah~ Yeah, definitely a bit more than sufficient~ But it's not just about the information, the experience is top notch~" she claimed before busying herself again. The depths of her throat began to tickle as well as the quivering of her own womb. It was always there so very close she was sure that the building release would be one of the most gratifying things she ever experienced. She just needed a little more, a bit more depth in either direction truly. She might end up accidentally triggering her own orgasm in her mouth.

[Bloodedge]

Whenever Yume figured out those 'preferences' of hers, he was sure the whole group would know. Solomon may have seen a few samples in her future, but that was no business of his or anyone's presently. Some things were able to change based on the decisions of certain people. Would Yume be such a person? It wasn't impossible. "Well... I certainly wish you luck with that discovery," he stated. All the while, one of Solomon's hands was making its way up the girl's midsection in a gentle, gliding caress. The human form was a thing to appreciate in a very physical manner, and Solomon would do so.

Ah, but there was a minor conundrum in the body of Yume. Given that pace and 'shallow' insertion, she'd not yet reached climax. Such was a product of Solomon's plan, as she had much knowledge to gain, and would benefit from a more potent singular Spark of Wisdom. Perhaps one stacked atop another would do the trick? Yes, that should work very well. His task was to teach her ways of evolving herself and the things connected to her. At the end of it all, her greatest tool would be inspiration, which she'd have to understand in greater capacity. Solomon would be waiting for Yume to bring about her own end, via her mouth if that was the route she'd take. Only then would he respond with a thrust meant to kiss the womb's entrance. Such an eventuality would be joined by his own expulsion directly into Yume's core. A greater spark would join the understanding of Mystic Code overwriting, layering, and all things between. If the Spark of Wisdom and her own ingenuity served well, Yume would soon be capable of bringing a leaf to a swordfight... and winning by wielding the superior tool.

[Apollymi]

Solomon had nothing but well-wishes for the girl as she discovered things called preferences. She would do nothing but smile and agree as she worked herself and was worked steadily towards an orgasm the likes of which she'd never seen before. She found her throat contributing to the throbbing sensation in her loins as the shallow strokes of Solomon seemed to help push her further and further along the path but not over the edge. No... such an edge would be met, only after she did the same thing with her own throat, that blissful relaxation and extra lubrication that came with the first part of her orgasm would only grow though.

It seemed that Solomon had been waiting and a final plunge against her recently relaxed muscles tapped against the entrance to her womb which restarted that same feeling at a multiplier she couldn't have found a proper expression for. "Aaaaah~" she moaned her contentment but it wasn't all, as Solomon also emptied himself within her causing a wave like spark to flush her entire body. She was left tingling with her mind and body buzzing with sensation and completely relaxed. She received a great influx of information about writing Mystic Codes and all its particular applications. She could do a great many things with that kind of detail and all she needed to understand was the effectiveness of layering. "Oh!~ That was a lot~" the girl moaned. She was coming to terms with a lot of things, not the least of which was the information itself as well as what she took from the experience.

[Bloodedge]

The moment Yume made things work for herself, Solomon offered the influx of knowledge he'd been waiting to deliver all along. Yume seemed more than capable of processing knowledge in such bulk, with or without the Spark of Wisdom. In having the spark, however, he believed she would manage something even greater. Frankly, she hardly needed this lesson ─ it would just be a marked improvement. Many individuals could accomplish the structural improvement of tools and the like, simply by knowing how to channel their own mana. With this information, however, Yume would be able to manage much more... and for far less.

One comment followed the girl's orgasm. She claimed it was a lot, though not with any specifics. She could have been speaking of the information, the sensation, or any and everything between. Alas, Solomon was not one who would press for information. The only important matter was whether she processed the new knowledge well or not. "It was also necessary," said Solomon, who only managed to continue pressing against the girl's cervix with additional lunges. "I take it you now understand how much power the spark boasts? In the right situation, one can overpower many. Quality is something you may wish to strive for, even though it is not always superior to quantity as some like to think. I should apologize for forcing the wait, but that was a necessary step in an impromptu lesson. Normally, things would go very differently between us."

[Apollymi]

Yume's one comment was that something was a lot, but Solomon didn't seek clarity on what she meant by that. Instead he chose to comment about the necessity of what he'd done. Explaining that the quality of an orgasm sometimes outweighed the need or usefulness of multiple ones. This of course, wouldn't always be the case, but it was good information to have nonetheless. "I understand," she found herself saying as the man continued to knock at the end of her body, or rather the gateway to the end. As for her complete understanding she could and would summarize to make sure she fully understood the lesson.

"Basically, you can have a more potent reaction to the influx of knowledge if you take it as one large dose over time instead of several smaller ones. The quality of a single burst can make it easier to compartmentalize and actively use the information given," she mentioned. "Oh and you don't have to apologize at all, I'm impulsive and you could have done that just because you wanted to and I'd still enjoy it~" she said, having come to term with one of those strange preferences. Still that feeling against her cervix had her moaning with gently. "Though I am admittedly curious about what you would have considered a more normal course," she mused. Ah, the feelings themselves were still delightful and she might be inclined to seek them as well from time to time.

[Bloodedge]

Though neither party showed any signs of halting, Yume took the time to regurgitate the information she took. What she gathered was about as accurate as things could be, even if it was a matter naturally full of caveats. "Precisely that. With an open mind that can accept both of these truths, you will find yourself with a versatility that is rivaled by few. As all things begin with mana transfer, ensuring that you have the quality of transfer best suited to the situation will change the way you approach all things... for the better."

In the midst of his response, Solomon closed the distance between his body and Yume's. That hand he'd been exploring with had settled itself upon her breast. Since she was actively speaking instead of using that mana apparatus, Yume's mouth was free enough to receive his own between verbal exchanges. Solomon pecked her lips quite a few times ─ seeming to synchronize those actions with individual thrusts. Ah, but there was a question Yume obviously expected an answer to, wasn't there? What a shame. "Regrettably, I must disappoint you. That answer would classify as a spoiler, I believe. You'll know the norm when the time comes. For now, do what you can to enjoy the present. That is how the impulsive behave, no?"

[Apollymi]

Yume's assertions seemed to be correct. At the very least, Solomon confirmed her thinking was on the right path while expanding upon it. There were always caveats but it seemed she had a reasonable understanding and could take the extras mentioned by Solomon and work on herself and everyone else. "Hai hai, I'll make sure to remember that~" she said.

Ah, but though the lesson had been delivered it didn't seem like they'd be stopping. No, Solomon moved into the girl, kissing her lips multiple times as he continued to speak to her. He also continued that tapping against her cervix which sent pleasurable sensations throughout her body in the moment. Well, if he wasn't moving she saw no reason to do anything but continue accepting. In fact, her legs moved to wrap around his waist as he pushed forward. "Oh? You're keeping me from spoilers Mon-sama? Such a tease~" she chimed in her most flirty way. Still she didn't seem to be particularly upset. In fact her legs finished closing around his body and her arms were soon extended around his shoulders as she pulled him into her form properly. What nice contrast their skin and forms had! "Good thing I'm impulsive and this seems more fun than worrying about what I don't know~" she teased gently. Ah well, since he'd already pressed his lips into her, she leaned into his again, she aimed to deepen a kiss and find out what kissing him was like, given his already present differences. She'd allow her tongue to trace his lips and seek entry in a slightly more demanding way.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, it seemed Solomon was a tease. For a lack of spoilers to be the cause this time, he could accept the title. "If keeping the timeline stable is teasing, then I suppose I am a tease. You'll just have to deal with that~" he quipped right back. "Though if you're into the idea of visiting alternate realities where the restrictions of this timeline don't apply, I suppose I could indulge you," he added. Yume seemed more than capable of tolerating such a thing, though Solomon didn't seem entirely serious in his suggestion.

What he was serious about, however, was continuing the lesson at hand. Yume seemed quite interested in that part as well, considering she'd since taken to latching onto the male with legs and arms alike. With that done, he couldn't have taken up more shallow strokes even if he wanted to. How strange. Solomon hadn't been expecting a sense of intimacy from Mugen's apprentice, but perhaps it was another matter of her humanity. Whatever the cause was, Yume blamed her impulsiveness. "Well, I won't fault you for seeking the more fun alternative. A little demanding, though, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. Frankly, Solomon took no issue with the girl's approach. She could grasp and clench all she wished, and in fact, her effort to kiss him was one Solomon himself would have soon initiated himself. Strange though it was that she began this exchange, that mobile tongue was not something he'd deny. If it was entry to his mouth Yume sought, Solomon would acquiesce while his own tongue was waiting to greet the potential intruder.

[Apollymi]

There was much at play in the life of Solomon. Apparently history's wise king had the magical task of keeping the timeline stable. And he was currently doing this by making sure that she didn't get spoilers? Interesting. "Joke's on you, I'm into that~" she replied. True enough, she found herself enjoying innately the teasing natures of others regardless of how they presented themselves. Dealing with this form of teasing was far from the worst of things she'd ever encountered, besides she figured she'd eventually have her questions answered and while she wasn't the most patient person, she wasn't exactly in need of spoilers. As for the indulgence of a visit to one of those odder timelines. "Pin that... might be interested later for research purposes... this is more entertaining now though~" she admitted. Well, the seriousness or lack thereof, present in both of these people might lead one to questioning if they really intended to do anything other than continue their current session at all.

Ah, there was something rather intimate was taking place and it was the choice of one like Yume. She'd locked Solomon into herself and was content to seek more from him, before their lips met properly he claimed that he didn't blame her for seeking her fun, but mentioned it being demanding. Strangely, that wasn't said as if he had a problem with her actions. "Are? Isn't that your fault... you told me to make my own choices~" she teased just a tad. "And I am a lot demanding if you ask the right people~" she mentioned knowing how her friends understood her actions. In fact, she'd almost berated Anais the previous day to the point of her properly snapping. Oh well, that didn't matter, they accepted her for all her attributes, good and bad. And now... Solomon and his own peers seemed to be doing the same for each of them and their... eccentricities. Speaking of those, her tongue would reach the inside of Solomon's mouth and find a partner for the dance she wished to participate in. She'd thrash about in his mouth while her hips wiggled against him. Lessons might as well continue, information might as well be shared, and well... whatever else happened, would happen. This was the way in which Yume had taken to living her current life.

[Bloodedge]

Yume was into the teasing aspect of their current conversation, it seemed. She really was embodying a couple of monikers previously given, though that was no direct business of Solomon's. She also seemed mildly interested in indulgence at the cost of entering another reality. She claimed to think of that eventuality for research purposes, and indeed, it would be interesting as such. "I don't think much pinning will be required. At the rate you're going, you may just want to remember it's possible to keep the timeline stable by taking a few extra steps," he advised. Yume was one of the more likely potential culprits in terms of dismantling established events. She could always just avoid doing such a thing, however.

Apparently, her demanding behavior was his fault. He could accept that... somewhat. He did instruct her to make decisions of her own, but his suggestion had nothing to do with the truth of Yume's personality. "You're splitting hairs. A few of the others would probably... 'punish' you for something like that," he mused. Mere moments later, they were linked by more than loin and limb. Lips were pressed together, and from that came the wrestling of two tongues. There was much more to teach the lass. What would come now as Solomon continued to assault her three orifices with his mana? Well, she did still need to understand the functionality of magical abilities in this world. Mortals of this era could mostly resign themselves to magecraft alone. Perhaps the full breadth of knowledge regarding magecraft would inspire her true magic? They'd both just have to find out, Solomon decided. In the meantime, he'd finally make the additional push to visit her womb properly. Solomon presumed she'd yet to learn of the womb's true magical abilities, given Mugen's propensity for overlooking such 'minor' details. Perhaps he'd have to be the one teaching that as well. . .

[Apollymi]

Apparently, of all the things she was learning, Yume simply needed to remember that a few extra steps could help her keep the timeline as it was. She wasn't really the type to care too much about smaller things, but if it was a matter of keeping her friends on track she'd make a note of it. "Oh? You mean like popping up out of nowhere to make sure I learn your lesson when I'm supposed to, instead of deviating~" she surmised. This current process was already called an intervention, she assumed at some point she might easily be able to tell how to interfere. She was the Vice President of the Student Council, it was her duty to make sure that the proper facilitation took place.

Moving on, their teasing conversation had come to the point where Yume blamed Solomon for her rather pushy behavior. While she knew that this was her nature at base, it didn't mean that he wasn't to blame for its current showing. He even cheekily added that she was splitting hairs and that others might punish her for such actions. "Oh? The idea of that gives me shivers~" she mentioned without saying the kind of shivers she was being given. Of course, their mouths met and tongues were dancing. All three of her holes were currently occupied and beyond that... there was a push further towards her womb by Solomon. Those shivers in her canal became much more intense as she felt what was likely one of her favorite sensations to date. She couldn't help but moan into Solomon's mouth while he poured more information into her. Magecraft? Oh... there was a lot to that and she was getting a lot of it. She could organize all of that pretty easily, and would contiue to moan and shift her hips towards her current intruder. She would meet his thrusts while her tongue danced in his mouth. It was quite nice, this kind of closeness.

[Bloodedge]

Elemental manipulation. Form manipulation. Enchanting, infusing, purifying and healing. Much like magic, magecraft had a vast array of uses ─ nigh infinite in number. The only thing limiting magecraft was logic. On the other hand, there was an unknown truth to magic as well. While logic limited magecraft, it could be used to enhance magic by strengthening what one's imagination brought to life. The planet of Tera was the origin of magic in this world. Magic continued in Alaya, but tapered as the gods lost their hold. In the world of Gaia, magic held no weight. It was the indirect combination of Alaya and Gaia which could save magic moving forward.

These were the facts delivered unto Yume directly. With every tongue-thrash, there was knowledge. With every jiggle of that tool in her rectum, there was a supporting example. Soon enough, Yume would find that each thrust would come with Solomon's own physical experience with magecraft-related experimentation. Of course, that experience came in the form of liquid mana that would fill her womb. Strangely enough, Solomon would soon find that interacting with that thing called an inmon would prevent an otherwise inevitable eventuality caused by his mana. How strange; perhaps he didn't have to explain something else after all. From the look of things, there was no undoing the yin-leaning path Yume had been set on the previous day.

[Apollymi]

There was all kinds of information pouring into the mind of Yume. How magic worked on all levels, not just simple things she'd already figured out like spellcasting and elemental conversion... no, this lesson included all kinds of advanced magical theory. She learned the truth of her magical girl lifestyle... that if she was using magecraft she could apply her imagination to its logical base and expand upon it. And conversely, if she was using her magic which was based in imagination, then applying logic would allow her to push it beyond the simple means of her working imagination. It was actually quite revolutionary as a thought and she could do much with this information.

Not that it was her primary focus. No, how could it be, when the information being fed into her mouth was given more examples from the magical device in her rear.... and then as the final piece, his rod was busy forcing the physical experience of such magical manipulation into her memories. "Ah!♥~" she moaned her happiness. There was so much flowing through her head, being given to her senses and reinforced into her body. It was truly delightful both as a sensation and as information she could use properly. She couldn't have actually been happier to be receiving the information she was at present. In fact, eventually her body would begin to convulse properly around Solomon as she reached climax from his combination of efforts.

[Bloodedge]

Once all that information had been delivered into Yume's body, the time had come to solidify all she knew. She'd already been informed of the difference between flow of time here, and the flow outside. The pair's session would continue for some time yet. Alas, that alone would not be the whole of Yume's stay here. Whenever the lass was sated, there would come a time of wandering the realm, discussing various topics, and generally living as normal. Of course, Solomon would never be one to limit another's experiences ─ especially one of the apprentices. Yume's interests would be explored in accordance with her whims over the course of several days.

In time, Solomon sat upon the throne of his realm once more. Chunks of earth were floating around as if the center of gravity was the throne itself. What of Yume? Well, the girl's actions were her own. Over a week had passed, but it would amount to less than a blink in the outside world. She could do as she pleased, regardless of what that meant. The only important thing by this point was that Solomon make one offer to the girl, regardless of her activities in the moment. "Do you feel you've learned a great deal this past week?" he wondered aloud.

[Apollymi]

Yume found satisfaction with Solomon and a great deal of things to study independently once their loins separated. The man himself, never seemed to keep anything from her, and allowed her a certain amount of freedom with which they explored his realm. He answered her questions and allowed her to experiment with her own curiosities and magic. She spent a week or more figuring out the more practical uses of her magic and having a good time in his company in all the ways such a thing happened. Mind blowing sex, and personalized driven lessons she'd been having quite the good time.

In her time here, she'd even made herself a strange woodwind style instrument which she'd been fine tuning the enchantments of while sitting casually on the arm of his throne. She'd done a great deal of things, and her new found instrument was one of her favorite tools. There were a few others she'd make use of by this point, but it might be her favorite thing. She held a deep look of concentration while she stared at the item she'd created. He was saying something again? "Umhm, I learned lots of things, Mon-sama. It's really weird how much time has passed, but I can't say I haven't enjoyed every minute of it," she mused as she twirled that instrument around in her hand. "I also feel like everything I learned as a really practical use, my understanding feels more complete now, I think~" she added soon after. "At the very least, I am going to be an amazing mage!~" she said with a certain amount of confidence.

[Bloodedge]

Yume sat at Solomon's immediate side, tweaking one particular Artifact of her own creation. He noted a particular attachment to that piece, and rightly so as it was immaculately constructed and quite the useful tool. "You favor that one? You have a good eye for Artifacts already," he commented absently. Her gifts did clearly lean in the direction of forbidden, but much like her mentor, Yume appeared to be a jack of all trades who sacrificed no potential mastery by fitting everything into a core theme. Her growth would be magnificent.

Much had been taught, and much had been learned. Even Solomon himself managed a few discoveries during this recent week, having a few reasons to make another adjustment to the current situation. Of course, that change would not affect Yume herself... not yet. Those three portals still existed around the throne. All three took the form of closed doors as Yume shared her excitement over her magical potential. "You will be one of the greatest mages of this era, certainly. Your magical signature is written in its own realm, visited only by the likes of your mentor, Miwa and... Sakura currently. Remember to do something with that core building inside you. Earlier, Ailen addressed you formally as a princess. Do you understand why?"

[Apollymi]

Yume sat herself atop the arm of Solomon's throne adding to her flute an enchantment which could multiply it at will, up to a certain number of devices. Her aim in doing this was a particular kind of multiple control aspect but she hadn't tried it out yet. Though she figured it would work after she got in a little bit of practice with it as an instrument. It would be, musical, magical and destructive which was a perfect combination. "Hai hai, I might use it as my favorite. I think it will be easier to learn than the biwa, though... I do plan to learn that one too. I might have to get Mi-chan's help with that though... her musical expertise might make it easier~" she chimed seeming not to think too much about it one way or another.

Ah, but there was a matter of all the other things. She'd learned a great number of things and she'd helped him figure out some things. Whatever else he wished to use her for, she'd likely let him. He even claimed she'd be one of the greatest mages of the age, with her magic being the sort which had only been touched by a very few number of people so far. "I don't know... that's a pretty interesting list so far~" she said of the group who'd touched the domain of magic which already belonged to her as a person. She could easily see a few others making use of it, if they wanted. As for his question about Ailen and his term of address for her, she hadn't really given it much thought, nor had she thought about the long term thing being done with her core, but she had a few ideas. "Yeah, the core thing is a work in progress. It might need a little extra before I decide what way I am going with it, but no worries, I won't just leave it~" she said. "As for what Ai-aniki calls me... I figured he was one of those focused on the truth people and saw me as consort and all the other random relations I technically have with Mugen-sama, in that case it would make a bit of sense, is it something else?" she asked wondering if there was a nuance she'd missed in her own creation.

[Bloodedge]

"The biwa? That's quite the undertaking. If you learn it, you'll likely have an interesting time doing so. It will definitely serve you better in this world than in the other ─ especially if you intend to use it magically." In light of such a random instrument being on Yume's mind, Solomon enforced the seeking of one's desires in all regards. Such was the core of creation and destruction alike, if one took the time to reach the base of either.

Regarding the list of those who dabbled in the Forbidden, Yume shared her opinion on the lot. The four who made that list were so similar in structure, yet so different in execution. Each of them had the power to shape the world, and Yume herself was only on day two in said world. That core they spoke of wouldn't even be necessary, as there was something about her existence beneath the core which called to destiny itself. Perhaps the same could be said of all five apprentices, though... three were yet missing. Well, that was a problem soon to be solved. First came the matter of how Ailen addressed Yume. Her assumptions were correct, though there was indeed a bit more to it. "Miwa is the Goddess of Arcane Wisdom, the certain Empress of Munetsuchi. By that assumption, Sakura is the princess, and there are five kings. That is objectively false. There are five Kings of Wisdom, but not five Kings of Munetsuchi. In Munetsuchi, there are only four. Zheng calls himself an emperor due to his own former status as the Emperor of Qin, but in truth, the Emperor of Munetsuchi is none other than Mugen: Miwa's truest husband. If Miwa were to disappear, his would be the right to rule. As such, you are the first to be considered queen consort, which warrants the title of princess alongside Sakura. One could even say that you are the leader of the Tenbu in the same way Mugen stands above the Myououbu. You may even use that privilege now by knocking on these three doors. You'll understand the weight of these words eventually."

[Apollymi]

Yume was being encouraged once more. Ah... this time her interest in the biwa was being touted as interesting and likely good if it was something she wished to use magically. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she considered potentials and possibilities. "Eh? Well, if it could be that good, maybe I'll get Mi-chan to give me a quick lesson, hm? Cover all the basics~" she said with a flirty smile. Ah, she supposed doing such a thing would put her right in the sights of one like Anais but that wasn't really a problem. In the week she'd been in Solomon's care she'd decided to have a bit of fun potentially exploring that particular route.

Beyond the point of her own interests, she would be getting the answer to her question for clarity. It would seem that the line of descent in Munetsuchi was indeed very clear, but that beyond that point there was a very clear delineation between the various Wisdom Kings. Yes, they were equal in their application to the status of Wisdom, but with Miwa as Empress of Munetsuchi only one of them was truly Emperor... and that was Mugen. Yume could understand this from a couple of different points of understanding. After all, there was something particularly appealing about Forbidden Knowledge and in truth even a goddess would have trouble keeping track of anything else. Sakura's placement as princess because of her direct relationship to all Kings made sense, and Mugen's placement as above the rest of the Kings given his placement so directly next to Miwa was the reason for this. Her placement as 'Princess' was because there was a certain truth to her being so directly connected to Mugen, and it had to do with the potential for her to be Queen Consort under the same circumstances which would leave Mugen in charge of Munetsuchi.

"Sou ka... that is a bit of a leap, but I suppose the old imperialist ways of thinking make that a sensible bit of understanding," she commented. As for the doors she was now looking at them with a smile on her face. As for the three doors there was an idea which popped into her head. After the hours of conversation she'd had with Anais in the days prior to this one. She knew what kind of organization the Tenbu would end up being. And while her placement was above the other three... there was a different kind of truth to their placement. One which made more sense in context of a modern world and one which would lead the Tenbu to functioning a bit differently from the Myouou, that that all of that was completely clear. She was only working with a little bit of conversations and some hints, but this world and the magic in it, seemed to answer to the demands of those who knew what to ask for. So why not? Why shouldn't she do the thing both she and her friend actually wanted. "But you know, Mon-sama... Mi-chan mentioned that she missed her 'pushy' Vice President..." she said as she raised a fist to a specific door and knocked four times. "So, I'm not really using a privilege just facilitating the start of a meeting like I always do~" she said with that same flirty tone. She'd proceed to knock on the other two doors the same way. The order was done in such a way as to connect back to the decision made by Anais, but that was barely a conscious effort. The Treasurer, the Historian and the Secretary... people who were very familiar to her.

[Bloodedge]

Yume had only one remaining requirement here in Solomon's realm. She needed only to knock upon that trio of doors after receiving his most recent explanation. First, though, she pointed out the imperialist view connected to her position within Munetsuchi. "I can see why you view it that way. However, these methods aren't based in imperialism. Rather, imperialism comes from the notion of kingdoms feeding off their monarchs. Your mana is the third-closest to Miwa, and is therefore among the most capable of sustaining Munetsuchi and all its residents. Take that as an early pseudo-lesson; the great emperor himself can teach you the rest."

As to not step on any toes with other Myouou, Solomon silenced himself there. There was much to Asakura Yume's position that could not be quantified in societal terms and logic. That, however, was not his lesson to teach. Yume's penultimate lesson from the five Myouou would tell her all she needed to know, but first would come the matter of those doors. It would be the work of a 'pushy' vice-president which paved the way for three others in sequence. "It seems she's reacquired exactly that. On the other hand, you'll find there are many cases in which one title does not supersede another... though one from Gaia may expect them to. Those doors will open in sequence, and the perfect group will be assembled in due time. You're free to go as you please. Remember, Ars Paulina remains open to you as well. Perhaps we'll even see one of those esteemed 'meetings' here one day."

[Apollymi]

Yume received in the moment a slightly expanded lesson. It would appear that the connection to imperialism was superficial. Instead Solomon explained that Yume currently possessed mana more like Miwa which would lead her being able to sustain Munetsuchi and its people in her place if need be. That was an odd way for that sort of thing to work. "So, more like top-down communism... a benevolent dictatorship?" she summarized her understanding in a way which was likely considered odd. But she remembered that the Emperor of Qin, from the gushings of a young Iino Miko, imposed his will upon his little piece of the world and in so doing created a near utopian society. It was interesting that such a lesson would be his to give, but that was also fine. "Ah, well... it looks like I'll be taking that lesson around the same time as Mi-chan at this point... so, I suppose I'll hold any extra questions~" she mused. Yume wasn't truly concerned with that aspect as she was content the way she was and had no misgivings or desires concerning her current placement in this world.

It seemed that Solomon was mostly content to leave that topic as well... but instead of anything normal he commented on the return of the pushy Vice President who was content to do do the job that she was made for. "Hai, she really did. I'm really glad she's actually happy to see me. I had such a hard time reading people before, it might be overly relieving being able to so easily now~" she explained. Ah, that was something else she'd figured out about the nature of her abilities through the use of Solomon's lessons. But that didn't matter at the moment either. Apparently the perfect group would be assembled by her machinations and she could go if she wished. Well, there was also the addition that she could return to this place whenever she wished. "Oh? Well isn't that nice... I'll make sure to stop back and check in if I end up with some strange questions related to my magical or evolutionary advancements~" she teased gently, she'd step a bit closer to Solomon standing between his legs and peck his lips as she prepared to depart. "And you might have to prepare an epic meeting table, or that bed. I think they'd be excellent~" she chimed about a future meeting of the Student Council.

Ah, but what of the next person to appear? A young girl with a shapely build sat in a white uniform dress with a dark colored high collar. She had an ashen complexion which was complimented by her large blue eyes. Her desk space was surprisingly very clean and exceedingly well organized. Every pen in place every paper with perfectly aligned edges and even her mouse was spotless and placed delicately. She signed looking through a spread sheet which caused her to click the button on the mouse rather hard as she ignored her phone vibrating across her desk. 'I wonder if there is a way to explain it to Kaguya-neechan without it seeming odd? I wonder if she'll be mad because I didn't tell her about my suspicions? She deserves to know, but I don't want her to be mad at me...' she curiously pondered. Each of the lines in this spread sheet made her scoff as she complied the numbers which let her see something very specific in her family's spending habits. She was pulled from her thoughts by a set of knocks at her door. It's number was odd, and not one chosen by very many people. "Kaguya-nee, I...." a pause occurred because as she opened the door she'd simply disappear.

[Bloodedge]

The political views of Gaia were disturbing in this world. Each form had a functionality that stemmed from magical rule, but all the major concepts were lost to the wind. As such, there were several blurred lines and impossible translations. "More communism, less dictatorship, and an afterthought of imperialisms, I suppose. There's hardly a way to quantify it fully ─ at least not without giving an entire lesson far too early for you," Solomon concluded. Yume would learn that lesson eventually, and indeed, it seemed to fall perfectly inline with Anais having the same experience. The two heads would not be separated when governing became a topic of discussion for them.

It seemed Yume's soul-scanning abilities had grown since she entered this realm. There was never a doubt that she would be the type to use different teachings in various ways, turning one instructor's lesson into an improvement what she learned from another. She couldn't have been more aligned with her mentor if she tried. As for the preparation of a meeting table or bed in the event of entertaining multiple apprentices, Solomon figured he had no need. "I believe it won't be necessary. There are some exciting avenues ahead of you all. Be ready for them," he urged. Meanwhile, the first of three doors was opening on this side as well. That small lass from the other end would be rocketed through this reality as a spark of light, trailing out into the subspace and disappearing into the ground. Solomon's eye followed its path even while his lips pursed against Kaguya's. He knew the journey that one would take.

[Apollymi]

Apparently a true explanation of governance couldn't be reached on the terms that Yume already understood. Given the magical nature of the world, she could accept that her general thoughts about it wouldn't make sense to the new logic of this world. Given his honesty during the time they'd spent together, she could take Solomon's word that the nuances weren't easily deciphered. "Hai hai, waiting on the bird emperor's explanation~" she mused seeming to find it funny.

After their kiss ended she stepped away from Solomon seemingly pleased, whether she saw or felt that particular door opening didn't really matter in the long term as she obviously had something she should be getting back to. "Ja ne, Mon-sama. I'll look forward to our exciting future~" she mused as she disappeared and found herself back in the hallway of the Sanctum. As for the girl who'd slipped in, her life would lead her to a certain set of dungeon depths were she'd be born as part of a brood of a creature called a Queen Terratect.

At the same time, that second door she'd knocked upon held behind it in a modern bedroom setting, a girl sitting atop said bed. She looked as if she'd been sleeping recently but instead of that her bed was covered in stray pages. She seemed to be organizing something of a scrap book, with decorative pages and pictures strewn about. In the middle of a certain page there was a picture of five girls one tiny brown haired girl in the middle. A black haired girl with a large bow to her right. To the right of that black haired girl a blonde with bright blue eyes. She was wearing a blue scrunchie in her hair holding a ponytail on her left side, and hse was currently laying in that bed, sighing heavily while watching videos of a hydraulic press, crushing... an apple. "Ah, that's so satisfying~" she mused. To her right was a notebook which she was using to write down potential story ideas and fantasies. Though she was better at handling technology she did enjoy the idea of a fantasy or two. "I wonder how her date went. She didn't call after and she gave me the weekend off..." she said beginning to rummage through her bedspace looking for her phone to begin the search. Of course, she'd be distracted by an identifiable knock at the door. "Oi oi... I need a second~" she said stumbling out of bed, she was trying and failing to button up the white shirt over her chest which spilled out. "I was just thinking about yo...." when she opened the door... she disappeared as well.

[Bloodedge]

Whenever Yume got around to learning from Zheng, she'd have more than enough answers regarding her placement in Munetsuchi. She may not have been worried about it, but her position mattered nonetheless... though it didn't make said position a thing of world-changing importance. Whatever the case, Yume's departure was soon to become a reality. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect, as the second door she knocked upon would soon open into this very room. "I look forward to it as well. Farewell, and enjoy your studies and adventures," he bid. While Yume took her exit, Solomon's eyes traveled toward that second door.

What would occur when the door finally opened? Solomon was watching as a second light entered the realm of Ars Paulina, though this one was not a streak like its predecessor. Instead, the second light was a bright glow in the form of a new gateway. That blonde girl who disappeared from her own world would find herself regaining consciousness as she walked through a portal into this realm. Once she manifested, Solomon took in her full visage in its... disheveled state. "Interesting," he muttered under his breath. This girl appeared before him in lace undergarments and a button-up shirt that could hardly be considered buttoned at all. It seemed she had recently been in a very, very relaxed state. "This is something I didn't expect. Should I say good morning, or good evening?" Solomon wondered. He spoke the common tongue of Alaya, however. Perhaps something should have been done about that first.

[Apollymi]

Solomon's alternate space was abandoned and Yume found herself looking around the hallway she'd previously been in. She was dressed again, though she'd matured quite a bit since her last moment standing here, it still barely felt real to have been gone for a week. Now was the time to test the alternate part of that theory, she slipped back into the room she'd come out of and looked in on the scene before her. What she expected to find was an exceedingly tall blonde elf, making out with a mostly naked deer girl in bed. Everything else about this space felt the same but, this moment was one which had to be witnessed with her own eyes. Solomon lived an interested life to do something like this and drop her back where she was after well-wishing her for both her studies and adventures. She'd left his space confidently and with a particular bit of experimentation in mind now that she had his lessons within her repertoire. "Why didn't you tell me that Mon-sama had a voice like melted butter!?" she exclaimed as she reentered their shared bedroom less than a few blinks of time after leaving.

[Bloodedge]

Yume's journey passed no time whatsoever in the overworld. Between one heated breath and another, it seemed she'd merely opened and closed a door. She returned to precisely what she left ─ only to have before her a pair of wrestling tongues and entangled upper bodies. It had only taken that moment for Ailen to have an arm wrapped around the elafia's midsection, while the other was gliding along the side of her face.

There wasn't much that could interrupt the goings-on, but there was something noteworthy in Yume's return speech. She'd obviously been in contact with Solomon; that made sense of the knock no one but her could hear. He could assume the girl had been gone for quite some time. Now that he thought about it, her path of choice was quite obvious, and thus required Solomon as her second visit. That meant... Ah. He was the third, wasn't he? This could become quite the interesting morning. Oh well; there were more important things afoot than that. 'Butter again? I'll have to keep in mind that it has different purposes when melted. Something to do with voices. Smoothness? Yes, that is likely the case. With that interjection occurring at such a time as this, I can only imagine things will soon become interesting in this very room. I suppose I am agreeable to an impromptu lesson in that case,' he thought. Even then, Ailen had done nothing to pull his tongue away from Anais's. If she thought to offer a response, he supposed they would separate by her machinations, if at all.

[Apollymi]

Anais was exactly where she had been previously, completely wrapped up in her mentor. That statement was now more true than it had been, as there was now an arm around her midsection and a hand gently caressing her face. It was quite the engagement happening, and thoughts of butter had all but been abandoned as she fell into the simplicity of early morning debauchery. She found herself in the mood for it after just a bit of conversation anyway. It wasn't too much of a problem whether Yume returned or ran interference.

But... her ears would begin twitching as her brain was assaulted by a statement which questioned her lack of warning towards the other girl. She'd been interrupted by Solomon, oh... well her path must have been one which required his interference in some way. That was simple enough, he'd given Anais a pass into his world so there was an assumption that he could move at will. Between breaks of her tongue lashing out against Ailen's she'd cut her eyes towards her friend and scoff. "Don't talk to me about Magic-sensei's voice, I hear it in surround sound," she mentioned only to find herself continuing. Something about that wording made Yume giggle, "Shimen no mimi!~" she said, a play on words about four sides and ears on all sides. It was direct, but also had a rounded bit of sound to it, and embraced the colloquialism of almost calling someone four-eyed instead as a joke. It was funny in truth. "Too early," was Anais's reply to the pun though it came with a bit of a giggle just the same. Word play was something that Kaguya had enjoyed, it was nice to see the girl still so much herself. "Tehehe~ Anyway, I've been gone for a week and I have a magical girl transformation I want someone to witness and I need a favor~" Yume found herself giggle. Anais was breathing pretty heavily and hadn't let go of Ailen but perhaps there was something more to what the girl had to say which required a bit more attention? A favor she claimed, but she'd not specified who she wanted the favor from. Well, this was bound to be interesting.

[Bloodedge]

Having two human ears and two beast ears, Anais had every reason to be more affected by sounds than others. Apparently, she was conscious enough about that fact to provide a rather snippy response to her friend. Ailen was still busy wondering about melted butter, and further considering that he had little reason to care presently. Anais's mouth and his own had only parted because she saw fit to speak. All the while, however, Ailen's lips were continuing to press against the corner of her mouth.

Such would continue even throughout a full exchange between Anais and Yume. Speaking of Yume though, the girl apparently had some sort of transformation she intended to have seen. A theory had once been tossed around by the Myouou about such a thing. When they took apprentices across the varying cycles, the possibility of Spiritual Core creation was brought up by none other than Mugen. Ailen had yet to give proper consideration to the idea, but once again, it seemed Mugen would be proved right. He could sense the start of yet another existence within the demoness. "Intriguing," was all he said. Ailen's eyes had shifted toward Yume, though he wouldn't keep away from Anais's mouth. He assumed this alleged favor had little or nothing to do with him. Regardless, he was very interested in seeing what Yume chose to take from Solomon.

[Apollymi]

"Oh? I figured getting bigger would have evened out that attitude a bit~" mentioned Yume who seemed to find Anais's response to about normal for the girl she'd known previously but also fairly oddly placed considering that the girl herself was currently sucking face with her hot elf teacher. "Oh? Did you learn to actively make a new you? Mine aren't done enough yet for me to think about taking their forms," asked Anais who seemed to think the girl meant it in a way which was much greater than a simple wardrobe change.

"Hai!~ But... I want to do a different kind of magical thing with it so I'd need a bit of help," she explained of the situation. Of course, she wasn't one to take without being fair in what she gave, so her body had already begun glowing. It was gentle like moonlight but she seemed to be shifting that third spiritual core within herself around. It would roughly be like watching her rotate a ball within her chest until she settled on the new one. She used herself as a base, and all the mana that had been deposited into her body by Solomon as a sheet to fit over it. Allowing nature to shift her from her current demonic form into something else entirely. A gentle separation between Ailen and Anais would occur as the elafia began watching this transformation. Of course, she intended to fully absorb the information, she did eventually need to change forms herself so perhaps the other girl could have her brained picked for posterity. "Sugoi!" Anais murmured.

Of course, in true magical girl fashion Yume added in some twist and twirls for effect. Her ears were growing a bit long and pointed. Her jet black hair became mystically silver white and longer than it had been even before. Her body took on more obviously large porportions without her 'living dress' eating away at her mana. And her eyes opened showing golden irises which looked rather similar to ones boasted by Solomon. Her hair was up in the back with large golden clips and she was dressed in an ornate white kimono. She finished up this magical girl transformation, with her fingers in the peace sign beside her eye and a wide grin on her face. "Hehehehe~ I never get tired of that~" she mused knowing that she'd done this twice now and it was just as amusing as it had been when she'd dressed herself the first time. Her whole form was completely different, and at her side was now a large koto which she'd crafted along with a few other things while in Solomon's care.

[Bloodedge]

The two girls continued speaking, while Ailen continued... apparently acting on arousal. His mouth was quite busy even while he kept eyes trained on Yume. Luckily, attention paid was not at all wasted. The elf was interested in seeing the transformation. Even with his interest, there was an amount of unnecessary flair applied which truly enhanced the viewing experience. What was it all for? He wasn't sure at all, but it was interesting if nothing else.

What's more, the transformation of Yume was in strong opposition to the state he'd first seen her in. Her path was among the most interesting, beginning with Yin alignment and moving directly into its opposite. This silver-haired form seemed nothing like the demon seen previously. Ah, but those eyes were very familiar indeed. "Hmm. That's actually splendid. Even spending a week in his realm, that is also very rapid development of ability," he commented earnestly. One thing remained confusing, though. What in the world was a magical girl transformation, and what made it different than any other sort? "What sort of effect do those movements have? Is that one of those arousing things Tohsaka-san talks about? I don't much see the point."

[Apollymi]

Arousal had been moving Ailen and Anais towards each other, even so... a bit of a break could be managed for the pair to watch and appreciate the transformation of Yume into her newest self. It was an appraisable full magical girl transformation. It brought back memories to the mind of Anais of watching such shows in the presence of this same friend while they were in middle school. What would she say about it? "Very solid, 4.5/5... it could have used more particle effects~" she teased in a semi-sarcastic manner. "Not everyone wants to have a seizure during the light show. Subtlety..." she said as if she knew the meaning of the word. This caused Anais to scoff, but then both girls simply went on to giggle. That was until Ailen expressed his interest in this particular advancement.

"Sou ka? You really think so? Mon-sama's lessons are a bit technical for my taste... but I seemed to get the gist of it all pretty well. I also became very adept at making and altering things I like to use~" she mentioned seeming to be pleased with her own developments. That hand which had been used to make the v shape near her eye lowered to her waist as she stood seeming to continue taking in the pair before her. Explaining of the magical girl trope was something she'd not considered having to do. "They could be used just for that... but they aren't really. It isn't like a strip tease or anything, which Mugen-sama is familiar with now. Magical Girl transformations are their own kind of thing and in the world we are from fictional..." she explained not sure if this would be clear enough. She looked to Anais with an open handed gesture as if requesting backup. "I feel like this is going to get complex..." Anais started. "But basically Magical Girl, is a genre of story type written with a female lead or leads who are completely normal and innocuous but become like super heroes. And it's targeted at young girls and includes a transformation sequences with changes in wardrobe personality and such to complete the duality of the life between like, average school girl and vigilante crime fighter... but its like their secret identity so they can do all the important stuff, but still live a regular life," she explained the concept. Was she really going to have to explain anime and manga to an Elf who didn't have tv? That seemed almost ridiculous. "Also the point like most things from the world we're from is entertainment. Quality of life is really different there... so most things are created for imagination and enjoyment."

[Bloodedge]

Today, Ailen's fate was to learn about the humans of Gaia and what they viewed as entertainment. A Magical Girl, as they called it, was merely a fantasy trope viewed by their ilk. It may have been to Anais's surprise that no great detail was required for Ailen's understanding. Much the same, he hardly needed most of Yume's explanation. "Ah, I see. Something of a motivational story for children, I assume? It sounds very similar to something I enjoyed for the first fifty years or so of life. There was the tale of Lyrion, the Silverheart Elf. He was an elf unlike any other, and that silver heart gave him incredible, impossible abilities such as flight via silver wings, eyes that peered through deception, healing with only a touch, a song voice that could calm even wild storms, and the ability to champion all manner of beasts while protecting their forests. It was something so impossible, but an inspirational tale that made many elf children wish to become better. Lyrion was a male elf, but I assume the theme is similar between his story and your Magical Girls," he rambled.

Despite his original fleeting interest, it seemed Ailen would always easily transition into a full tirade about miniscule things. Once his brain started going, there was no stopping his mouth. "Is that the intention then? I still don't understand the movement and how it represents these girls you speak of, but is your plan to become such a symbol for the young girls of this world who have no such thing? If so, that is a very noble cause... though I fear they wouldn't understand the movements either. Perhaps I can't grasp it because I'm an elf, or... perhaps because I'm a man? It would be hard to tell the difference ─ it could even be because I'm so much older now. There are so many possible reasons behind ignorance, it's often frustrating."

[Apollymi]

Ailen shared with both girls his understanding of their shared childhood memories. According to the elf, there was a similar story involving an elf called Lyrion who was Silverheart. He described for them something both of them could understand and had a specific kind of understanding for. "Ah, so elf-shounen protag, got it. Yeah, something like that..." said the newest incarnation of Kaguya who had yet to name herself up to this point. "Sou ka, it does sound pretty interesting though. I wouldn't mind reading it... does an elf like that actually exist?" Anais asked seemingly enthused about the story and yet another likeness shared between her and her mentor.

Beyond this, it was thought that a story like that was meant to be motivational. Ailen would subsequently go on a full length tangent about the entire thing. It seemed the movements of the magical girl transofrmation simply didn't make sense to him. He had a few good reasons of why it might not have stuck but seemed a bit frustrated by the lack of understanding himself. "I don't know if I plan to motivate. If I am being honest, Magical Girls always seemed really cool. Crime fighters, people who don't take oppression and keep other people out of trouble... it's what I want to be, I don't think I ever thought about inspiring others..." she mentioned. "I don't think the movements could be properly understood by someone whose never seen an anime... it's like a part of the transformation sequence. A symbol of shedding ones mundane self to show their hero of justice self... or something like that," she explained. "There are also really practical reasons for it. Magical Girl anime is about suspended belief, if every time you wanted to fight crime you had to stop the human way and change clothes and redo your hair, the criminal would be long gone before you were ready to fight..." Anais countered. "Oh and it's in a couple of boys shows too... usually less flamboyant but still, showmanship is apart of the trope," explained the white haired lass. Yes, all of those reasons made sense. "Also, Shishou, it isn't abnormal for adults not to understand the magical aspects of shows like that. Nor is it abnormal for them to have given up on it all together with the crushing weight of life on them, most are forced to give up the ideas of things that sparked their imagination or made them happy the way their childhood stories did. But some hold onto it... or try to," Anais explained the truth of the human condition as related to fantasy. And gave light to why, so many who found themselves in this world were willing to sink into it. Magic made life better.

[Bloodedge]

The story of Lyrion was one told to many a young elf in Ailen's homeland, but there was always one consensus ─ one verdict reached by all who told or heard the tale. Even for a High Elf, all those feats were regarded as impossibilities of the highest order. Perhaps some could eventually accomplish such things by other means, but there was no logical way to be that form of entity. "It's pure fantasy, I'm afraid. For an elf, having such magical ability would mean following the Druidic teachings. To then become the Silverheart would be impossible. A great elf could manage a few of those feats at best, but never the lot of them. However, a story like that one motivates young elves such as myself to strive for greatness. I wouldn't be half the alchemist I am today without those childhood dreams of becoming the next Lyrion," Ailen explained.

This new form of Shinomiya Kaguya claimed she had no intention of motivating. Well, it didn't much matter whether she wanted to or not. By their very existences, she and the other Tenbu would serve as pillars in the mortal community, and they would hardly have to lift a finger to do so. "It is of little importance whether you try to inspire or not. You will all be great. Greatness, when observed, is the cornerstone of development in those who see for themselves. Fulfill your own desires. If they are just, you will inadvertently cause positive growth in the world around you. As you've both implied with this transformation, even the little, possibly meaningless things can have great effect," he rambled further. Of course, Anais went on to prove the transformation sequence was not quite meaningless at all. She did have a point; changing one's wardrobe could be a terrible waste of time when rushing. Few could understand that better than Ailen. "I concede to that logic. I even suppose, if one desires anonymity, the change would be necessary before taking action. It is an interesting concept overall. Keep your dreams, both of you. I may not understand the thrill of these things, but I will not judge you for your preferences. After all, at the end of the day... I may still be trying my best to become the next Silverheart~"

[Apollymi]

Ailen's explanation of his childhood hero, made the claim that he was not a possible real existence. That was kind of sad, Anais was sure she would have enjoyed meeting someone like that, and more positive that it sounded like something she'd heard before as well... "Box it," she murmured seeming to be in thought about the things which were mentioned as feats and finding most of them to be perfectly possible within the mechanics of the world they currently inhabited. "It's sad that such a person doesn't currently exist. I feel like they'd be really cool, and I've definitely heard of something like that before, I'm sure of it..." Anais mentioned seeming thoroughly perplexed by her own lack of memory.

Meanwhile Ailen had some pointed words to share with both girls. A bit of inspiration for Kaguya whom he thought would be capable of rousing the masses so long as she could and would have a positive effect on the world, and thus she didn't need to try or be motivated to do such a thing. And the notion that he hadn't given up on his dream of becoming like the elf from his childhood stories. "Eh? You're pretty good at that whole unobtrusive encouragement thing~" the now silver haired girl teased, though not nearly at the same frequency as her previous self. And beyond that, his words about his still trying to become the next Silverheart seemed to warm both of the girls' expressions as they considered the man. "Well, dreams like that are always so fleeting. Only as the moonlight and bedtime stories fade, do we find the true source of light~" she spoke almost ominously. "This is what I was talking about yesterday," mentioned Anais about the nature of those words spoken by Kaguya.

"And you should check your list... if it's still floating around somewhere in that head of yours~" she said in a much more direct manner which immediately made Anais's face redden. "I'll take that as a yes!~ Oh, right... my favor... it's related to this," she said of the instrument. "I made it and a few other such things while processing Mon-sama's lessons... but I don't really know how to tune or play it," she mentioned to her musically talented friend. "I was just thinking I haven't seen a Koto in ages... it's barely a favor, more like a present!~" Anais said finally unraveling herself from Ailen's embrace for the sake of engrossing herself in the musical instrument created by Kaguya. Upon being handed the instrument, Anais sank to the floor beginning to fiddle with the strings and tune the notes which was an interesting experience given her own hearing and mana sensitivity. It was an activity of dexterity and skill but also one of her former life which left her feeling oddly normal.

[Bloodedge]

Something said amongst the group had Anais storing away yet another mental note. Ailen wasn't sure what that could have been, but he thought it would eventually be worthwhile to question her process and learn if there was a better way to manage things. Over the past two days, she'd yet to readdress something she said that about, after all. Perhaps there was a way to help with whatever issues she had, even by thinking with more than one brain? Well, he'd yet to find out if that was even necessary ─ and he wouldn't be finding out right now either.

Moving on, the newly-changed lass received his message well. Ailen shrugged as she teased the quality of his motivational speech. However she responded didn't matter, as he was sure the Tenbu would shine brightly regardless. She went on to do something strange, though. Moments after commenting on unobtrusive encouragement, she chose to offer... obtrusive encouragement of a cryptic nature. She truly sounded like the result of someone throwing the essence of Mugen and Solomon into a cauldron... but that was alright. What could those words be getting at? Ailen took pause, then let loose a chortle upon reaching multiple conclusions, the most prominent of which involved his earlier thoughts about Anais. "Ah. That's why. Boxing it," he decided.

Just then, the elf's arms were made empty via Anais's departure. It seemed the 'favor' requested involved learning a musical instrument, which Anais showed interest in as something long-unseen. While she went about tuning the instrument, Ailen figured he'd play the role of an observer. He'd yet to see the girl work with an actual instrument, despite understanding she had some sort of musical passion.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that of the things that this form of Kaguya said, what Ailen immediately and outwardly came to the conclusion of was, the habit of his apprentice boxing things up in her mind for the sake of recalling them when they were relevant. His chortle was a rather happy sound and Anais could do nothing but smile at his revelation. "Yeah, when I can't process something, I put it in a box... the rest of my mind will filter it with relevant information and then when the box is full I tend to understand it," she mentioned. "This one's cryptic hints. Mugen-sensei's innocuous statements that are more relevant than they appear.... random information I obtain or questions I have that may answer themselves...if given enough time..." Anais mentioned seeming to find it an easy explanation to give. Still Kaguya could only scoff, she didn't think she'd been overly cryptic she just wasn't being direct and didn't want to steal anyone's thunder, so to speak.

Speaking of easy things, she looked to Kaguya's current form and held open her right hand. "I need a tsume so will you... first two fingers and thumb of the right hand. They are usually made of ivory but I assume there is something better to interact with these specific strings..." she mentioned as she attuned. "I'm tuning it to the Hira-choshi, for your likely solo performances but I can teach you a couple of others if you decide you'd rather play with an accompaniment of some sort~" Anais mentioned. The tsume Anais asked for was something that Kaguya knew of by name but didn't quite know the purpose of until it was mentioned. Given this, used mana to materialize the item in question around her fingers, in the form of Orichalcum instead of the standard ivory. This would be better for the strings. "Is this the item you were asking me for?" she asked as she handed it to the girl, given their proximity this set was fitted to Anais's fingers and she smiled when she slid them onto her fingers so she could test it out. "Hai hai!~ exactly this. I think you'll enjoy the more modern form of play given your handedness... but these fingers to pluck these strings... left hand to further manipulate the sounds on the other side here..." she mused.

Only after this did she begin playing. It seemed she wanted to give the instrument a test run, an a series of string plucks would start off as a somber but a bit of a haunting melody that built upon itself for several moments. It would seem all else disappeared for the girl in the floor for a few seconds. It'd been so long since she'd touched one of these, she'd ended up playing one of the pieces she'd originally composed for the celebration of Abe no Seimei's birthday at the Shrine she worked at periodically. It was a nice and peaceful pace but the evolution into a more playful and active peace was definitely something worth listening to. At the end... she seemed pleased by the sounds which left the instrument and happy about its tuning.

[Bloodedge]

And so began a change in the morning's agenda for this room's group. Anais had taken up a musical instrument, meaning to tune it and teach her companion how it was played. Why Kaguya chose to create an instrument she couldn't play, Ailen did not know. Oh well; perhaps humans had even more strange mannerisms than he thought. Whatever the case, there would soon be a melody to hear. Ailen wasn't a bard or musical connoisseur by any means, but even he could stop to appreciate a quality tune or two.

The music played did not sound like what one would expect of forest-dwellers. In fact, he could call it something both foreign and familiar at the same time. Surely the elf had never heard this melody... or had he? "Hmm," he mumbled, thinking otherwise silently. It was easy to assume the ongoing music was something he once heard, but did not retain... yet that made little sense. Perhaps he'd simply caught wind of it in Anais's mind during one of their mana transfers? That was technically possible, even if a bit unlikely.

[Apollymi]

A few moments of play and the sounds would eventually taper off. All the while Kaguya was watching with wide eyes and a gentle bit of sparkle to them. She also really enjoyed that particular song and the sound itself was something she thought would be good for the type of build she intended with her current self. "Sugoi, sugoi!~ That sounds even better than I thought it would... it's definitely what I remember from the festival last summer!~" she mused seemingly pleased by her choice in instrument. Her words seemed to reveal why she may have thought of this instrument in the first place for her new self. "Oh, I guess it's been like three hundred years for you though... the things you are keeping in your memory are quite impressive," she mentioned seeming to find the girl's ability to hang on to a single instrument which wasn't even her main one to be something rather strange. Meanwhile, Anais finally looked up, with a slightly reddened face. "Hai, I haven't seen one of these since I got here. Still... I can't forget music I write myself. I don't think that is a statement about my memory," mentioned Anais. "What did you think, Shishou?" she asked of the man as he was the one who hadn't heard it before. She didn't play music too often in this world, but she did like to gauge how her musical tastes were received.

While she waited for her reply she decided it best to comment on the instrument itself, as it was quite a stunning piece after playing it a bit. "For you not to know that much about it, the craftsmanship is immaculate. It's a really nice koto, I'm sure it will be nice for whatever you're thinking about using it for," Anais mentioned. Of course she'd take a moment or two to gather her thoughts as she looked over this. She wasn't sure how her friend planned to take lessons on such things, nor was she entirely certain she would be capable of planning such a thing. Koto playing was a complicated thing and left the still topless girl considering how to make her friend into a reasonable player of it without it being overwhelming. All the while Kaguya had moved herself back to the bed to peek over the girl's shoulder and at her mentor a bit. She knew how she figured she'd be learning this particular instrument.

[Bloodedge]

Little was to be said about the elafia's musical ability. With senses like hers, one could only assume some great capacity for music. Besides, the methods by which she employed her own techniques implied much the same. Deft fingers, a melodic voice and attention to auditory detail were features found in the best of bards, after all. When asked about the song so recently finished, Ailen seemed to be in deep thought still. It took a moment for any words to leave his mouth, as per usual once he began a mental tirade about... almost anything.

"Hmm," he murmured first. What did he think? There were quite a few thoughts crossing Ailen's mind as he watched the lass play. As per usual, he'd share every single one. "The fact that you did not choose to become a bard, is frankly astounding. It was an interesting tune that I would expect to hear at a shrine of some sort. In fact, if Ying-san heard it, he'd probably demand that it be played on the next Burning Day. That should be relatively soon, by the way. As for the sound... what is there to say? It is excellent; refined, calming, and easily capable of facilitating mental and emotional progress if one has themselves set to a particular goal. While it isn't the most incredible thing I've heard in my long life, it is better than anything not produced by bards of legend," he surmised. At that point, Ailen's gaze was briefly drawn away from the elafia due to the other girl's movements. That one had a few things yet to be addressed, now that he was thinking about it. "I've not yet considered what to call you, and you've already taken a new form that presumably has a different name. I suppose Asakura-hime would be even less appropriate now?"

[Apollymi]

Anais's question to Ailen resulted in a bit of a tirade after a brief pause. She'd expected something like that and heard out everything the man had to say about a piece she'd written at all of 16 human years old. It was recieve positively to say the least, with the note that he was surprised she hadn't become a bard. He claimed that it wasn't the most incredible thing he'd ever heard in his rather long life, but that someone like Zheng would have enjoyed it and want it played at 'Burning Day'. While Anais had no idea what that was she knew a few different spans of emotion in the moment. All of them culminating in a reddened face and a bit of shyness. "Arigatou gouzaimasu..." she managed softly. Which only made Kaguya chuckle from her new perch. "Hoh? You're really still that shy 300 years later," she mentioned thinking the girl's response to praise was very her. A little huff left Anais at those words but she couldn't deny her retained shyness. It was at least partly the reason she didn't start her life as a bard, besides not being able to find the instrument she would have preferred playing.

Moving on from that point, there was the matter of the question about her name... "Ōtsutsuki Usagi, is the name of this form, still don't go too formal on me now, Ai-aniki~" she encouraged the man to think of what to call her but also figured she'd spend some time giving the cliffnotes of her lesson to her fellow student and explaining why she had a new face so soon. "Mon-sama's teachings encourage evolution and because I am a bit less technically inclined... I'll have an easier time, keeping my important skills in their proper places by making sure they start on cores they belong to..." she explained of her random changing of faces for the purpose of being concise with her lines of Mystic Code. "Oh, and since we are both wondering, what's Burning Day?" she said hinting at the idea that she still had a great deal of the powers associated with her purely demonic form.

[Bloodedge]

Anais's shyness came as no surprise to Ailen. Even with her evolution over the past few days, she seemed to retain that as part of her base personality. That was fine. Ailen was well beyond even addressing it by now, and he even considered it one of the girl's charm points. Regarding the form of address used for Kaguya's new Avatar, she already had a name in mind. Ootsutsuki Usagi, she chose. Interesting though that name was, it was also difficult to alter in Ailen's case. "You aren't making it any easier, you know? It'll be a thousand years before I have something satisfactory," he insisted.

Disregarding the difficulty of friendly names and the like, there seemed to be a common question shared between Usagi and Anais, as stated by the former. He supposed Burning Day wouldn't be something they had reason to know about, as neither had spent very much time exploring Munetsuchi. "Ah, forgive me for the oversight. Burning Day is the ceremony of Ying-san's rebirth. A Black Phoenix's rebirth is a spectacle to see; something like an eclipse spawning at the peak of a flame pillar. If you have the time, you should both see it for yourselves. All of Munetsuchi gathers for a large event when the time comes. It's a great day for togetherness, learning and appreciation of one of nature's great marvels."

[Apollymi]

Anais's shyness didn't seem to be a negative to Ailen and as such Usagi as she was now being called was still satisfied by the girl being attached to such an elf. It was very interesting, watching her develop into a more personable being while still retaining such a withdrawn nature. Whatever the case, it seemed that Ailen wasn't the type to be able to come up with a more familiar term of address for Usagi either, claiming it would be a millennium for him to come up with anything. "Hehe~ don't stress about it, Ai-aniki. I'm sure when you come up with it... it'll be well worth the wait~" the girl said seeming to be amused by his lack of ability to formulate his own ideas.

While he pondered that, he did have more information for them. Apparently Burning Day was the rebirth day for the Black Phoenix which was the form of Ying Zheng. That was an interesting thing to hear, much like the festival they'd recently mentioned was for a different historical figure all together. Anais seemed to give it a bit of thought. "It would be great to see... it also answers one of my random side questions," Anais mentioned knowing that Zheng Ying was one of her favorite historical figures and the like would make witnessing any moments of his life rather interesting. It was also interesting knowing the exact type of magical creature he was, as she'd thought something like peacock originally. "Hm, I'd definitely have to write a different song for that though. It'd be weird playing the birthday song to Abe no Seimei to a different person. No. It'd be sacrilege. I'd definitely need a different instrument too... something for a solo performance of a more traditional piece..." she mumbled a bit, seeming to be in rather deep thought. There was a look of extreme concentration on the elafia's face as she considered the proper instrument and sound for a more Chinese bit of music more fitting to that particular entity. Yes, she could definitely work on that in her off time... especially if she got the instrument for it. She'd definitely do something like that if they managed to see the 'Burning Day' celebration. 'Hoh? She's really going to lose it later... I'm surprised it hasn't come up yet. I want to tell her, but I also want to see how long it takes her to figure it out...' mused Usagi. In that very moment she looked a lot like Ailen had earlier confirming to her the likeness between the two that Usagi was already aware of. "Aww, you two are super alike... it's really cute. This morning really is going to be fun~" Usagi mentioned knowing that she was fairly well decided upon morning sex and music lessons.

[Bloodedge]

Whether the eventual name would be worth any wait or not, remained to be seen. They'd all find out if something sufficient was produced. Alas, Ailen had other things to prioritize. He did have an apprentice with many, many lessons to cover. There was now even a second student in need of their first lesson, and many world-related things both of them had yet to learn. One such example was the ability to identify the mightier creatures of this world. As Usagi was new and Anais remained less-than worldly for her time spent on this planet, it was no surprise that they'd yet to realize what Zheng was. On the other hand, they would need to know at least a certain minimum.

"You should both learn to identify spirits of different qualities. There are two among the Myouou who classify as what some call Mythic Sovereigns. Does either of you have any knowledge of spirits and how they exist?" he wondered of the pair. As for the song played by Anais, Zheng would undoubtedly show interest if he heard it ─ or heard of it. Apparently though, Anais had written this particular melody in honor of Abe no Seimei, whom the people of Munetsuchi knew of well. "Ah, is that what it was? Interesting. That man lived many millennia ago, and has yet to be seen in a new reincarnation. You make it sound like he's some sort of god where you're from," he said with a certain amount of implied intrigue. Whatever the case, Usagi had something to say as well, specifically regarding the similarities between Ailen and Anais. Whatever her meaning was, she alleged that a fun morning was ahead of the current moment. "Hm? In what way do similarities between us create fun? I don't much understand your meaning."

[Apollymi]

There was apparently some information both of these girls were missing for various reasons. Anais because she'd grown up in a place which was 'sheltered' at best and Usagi because she'd not yet had much time to learn much else. Mythic Sovereigns were apparently a thing... according Ailen and two of the Myouou counted as such. That kind of information was enough to let them know which ones counted. Both found themselves looking at Ailen rather attentively, waiting for more information. "I can't say I know much about anything like that..." Anais admitted which was likely a bit strange considering the spirit attached to her soul, but... that wasn't really important. "Yeah, hasn't been in my lessons yet either," mentioned Usagi, well... they were both sure they'd get a decent amount of information out of this man.

But before that happened fully, there would be a question about the nature of Abe no Seimei's view on Gaia. Anais's eyes were sparkling and Usagi gave a sigh. He was about to get this girl started on one of the more prolific topics of her attention. "Well, no... but yes!" she started barely managing to take a breath. "He's like not a god, but he's like super important, he gave advice to the emperor, predicted important changes in Japan's future and government, was super helpful to the progress of all. He's one of those people who manage to bridge the gap between reality and mythology. He's super important to the ideals of Japanese Nationalism a model citizen who did his best and surpassed all his limits to become something beyond the norm. He's like the greatest thing ever... probably the most well known Japanese name in history. There are dozens of other characters based on him and his life works and supposed powers he might have had. And he has a shrine dedicated to him. He's so much more than a god... he's a National Treasure!~" Anais explained seeming to be abnormally passionate about the topic of Abe no Seimei. "What she means is, her family is connected to the Abe no Seimei Shrine, where she spends her spare time, spouting facts and ancedotes about his life and being the miko her given name implies. So he's not a god in a general sense, but he counts as an object of worship for her~" Usagi explained in the cut and dry manner she had in all of her forms.

Moving on to the fun of the morning. Usagi gave Ailen an almost quizzical look. She processed the happenings since she'd re-entered the room and came to a certain realization. Easily distracted people seemed to lose track of certain things easily and her friend was such an individual. "Ah, that's my fault... I did dangle something I knew she'd like in front of her like that... fun because we still have time for all the fun and lessons. It was the decision I made which made Mon-sama interrupt, but I'm more sure of it now than before..." she explained. "Whenever this one catches up, we can have a nice early morning tutoring session~" she said with a gentle motion to Anais who seemed to be processing several bits of information a bit slower than normal.

[Bloodedge]

Neither party had knowledge of spirits, sadly enough. Moving forward, they would greatly benefit from such knowledge. It had naught to do with any direct lessons he had for them, but as an elf of Sumurset, he would not allow his students to be ignorant if it could be helped. "I owe the both of you an explanation then. There are many classifications and sub-classifications of spirits, including one that is a myth. I'll make sure you both know everything I do about the proven ones," he stated.

Moving on though, the details of Abe no Seimei's reception would be given in spades... and in a way that resembled viewing a mirror for Ailen. Anais rambled while barely taking a breath between words. The story of Seimei was much like what he knew of this world's history. Of course, Anais's delivery was obviously more from a place of worship than simple understanding. He wouldn't look unkindly upon such passion, though. "That is very much like the one we know as well. It seems Abe no Seimei was consistent through multiple incarnations. That's good; the people of Munetsuchi hold him in high regards as well... though even the goddess has never met him," he stated, seeming perfectly fine with the way Anais spewed obsessive information about the man.

The 'fun' Usagi spoke of was, of course, something sexual. The girl took blame for a distraction on Anais's part, but alas, the elafia was not the only distracted party. Ailen was also one who easily shifted topics mentally, and had been assuming the morning lecture had reached its end since other matters of interest came up. "Ah, my apologies. I even gathered that he summoned you to keep the cycle intact, but I seem to have let slip the thought of lectures right away. Though I suppose there are a few other things you both need to know now ─ I have a few bits of knowledge to share. I assume you intended to take your first lesson within my cycle? It could potentially conflict with your brand-new Core to begin work on another so soon, though that is in no way a guaranteed outcome."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Ailen had a quite a bit of information to offer the two lasses about spirits and their different classifications including something he called a myth. That was an odd sounding thought to Anais, who knew Ailen to be an elf with a long lineage he learned through. If there was something he thought was mythical, then it likely hadn't been seen on the planet in a very, very long time. Regardless the information would be exciting for both of the girls present and they would both be fine with taking in such information in whatever way it was offered. "Sounds like it will be a good bit of information to have, thanks in advance, Ai-aniki~" mused Usagi. A sentiment which Anais nodded to before her rather sudden burst of speech.

A tirade about Abe no Seimei was delivered and then a smaller explanation of the lasses inner mind was delivered by her friend. And it seemed it was received well enough by Ailen who held no negative reactions to the girl's obvious obsession with Abe no Seimei. In fact, he seemed to be quite pleased that the man's positive attributes could be transferred across multiples of his lifetimes. He even mentioned that Miwa hadn't seen such a person which caught Usagi's attention immediately. She was truly astounded couldn't respond immediately. Anais on the other hand seemed sad on Miwa's behalf. "That's sad, he's always so great in all his stories, though he does have a bad ending or two in a couple of them so it could be possible that he simply isn't back yet. It'd be really cool to meet him!~" Anais said happily. 'Oh, my god. They don't know. I'm the only one who knows...' she concluded. 'I have to see it.' This was the firm decision by Usagi, no... by Shinomiya Kaguya to witness the responses of both Miwa and Anais when they found or figured out that Abe no Seimei had been under their noses the entire time. 'I now fully understand that old saying, about not seeing the forest for the trees...' she thought, amused by both her friend and a wisdom goddess being so far outside the loop.

Moving on, Anais was left to ponder what was being said as a box about Kaguya's words and actions began filling in her mind. She was sorry for distracting her. She'd made a decision that would have changed her path. She was more sure of her decision now than she was before she'd left to spend a week with Solomon. While that thought stewed in Anais's mind, Usagi began to talk. "This form isn't that new for me... well, this is the first time I've taken it, but it was my way of figuring out how to make Mon-sama's lessons work the way I could understand them. I have it under control now so I don't think taking my first lesson in this form will be a problem at all... besides, I think it is the best base for growing the next one. It has some... interesting features~" she claimed.

"Oh... I can't believe I almost missed that," there was a silent exclamation from Anais as she carefully began moving. First removing from her fingers the tsume then moving the koto out of her way. Another strange instance of the girl becoming more like her previous self would appear as she turned to look at Usagi with a gently menacing glow in her eyes. She was still just in her underwear and though this sort of bullying had once been normal for her, she was sizably larger than she used to be. She'd pounce on the girl knocking her back and making her heart jump a little. "Ai-aniki, I think she caught up," mentioned Usagi as if she wasn't both strangely turned on and a little bit scared. "And you, you're a bit more intimidating now than I thought you'd be..." she mentioned. Which made Anais smile just a little bit, just the same she began molesting this girl's body a bit gently. They were preparing to take lessons after all, she'd start by gently tracing one of those pointed ears. Which would in turn cause redness in Usagi's face and a tingle in her loins.

[Bloodedge]

"It will certainly prove useful, even if only for the sake of better knowing two of your instructors," said Ailen. Even if they never used knowledge of spirits for anything else, two of the Myouou could be more easily-dealt with by having the information. That alone was more than enough reason for Ailen's lesson. He was already working on said lesson mentally, gathering all necessary information and giving consideration to some supplementary matters.

In the meantime, Anais shared another fact about Abe no Seimei's life as she knew it. Talk of a bad ending was not unfamiliar to those who knew his name in this world. As the legend went, his was a terrible end of life. "That doesn't seem to change either. The legend says his life was ended due to a combination of betrayal and his own arrogance. Between his rival and his own wife, his death was preordained," the elf relayed. There were still many mysteries involving Abe no Seimei's life, including the event of his death. Perhaps the world would one day have some of the answers. "Scholars would do a great deal to find the details of that case."

According to the newly-named Usagi, her form was only being used the first time here, but it wasn't quite new. She had been in Solomon's realm for a week, he supposed. There should be no issues with the start of another Spiritual Core if she already knew what she was doing. Perhaps Anais could even learn from the other lass, as the elafia was already en route to something even more outlandish. Ailen took a moment to think over these matters before speaking. "Well, I suppose─" he started. Ah, but he wouldn't be able to finish that clause. He had taken just long enough to speak, that Anais had already begun an assault on the silver-haired girl. One was atop the other, both right beside him even. He never expected such aggression. "Strange. Humans are so interesting to switch demeanor with such ease. I wonder if this is normal for a situation in which relations occur between friends," he mumbled to none other than himself ─ all while observing the very focused molestation of Usagi.

[Apollymi]

The information on spirits would be useful for at least the interaction with two of the Myouou. Sun Wukong and Ying Zheng, both would be seen by these two girls eventually. And though, Anais was quite familiar with both of their Gaia related histories and legends, she figured knowing more about them as they actually existed in this world could only help their interactions. Both girls could nod to that information and then simply move on while Ailen gathered his lesson of choice.

At the same time, the words offered by Anais about the potential bad endings of Abe no Seimei had one which was technically confirmed. A mix of his own arrogance and a betrayal ended his life according to Ailen. Apparently, his own wife and his rival had been conspirators in such a task, though no one knows the whole truth of it. "Box it," that information went straight into one of the always existing boxes in Anais's mind. If only because people who would conspire against Abe no Seimei deserved no mercy in her eyes. Meanwhile, given her own conversation with such a person, Usagi was certain of the truth of that particular tale. "I bet they would, such mysteries are always interesting in third person," mentioned Usagi. Though admittedly it was a bit crazy to consider, she could see why it would be interesting for various people, but she didn't have time to consider it presently.

Why? Well, Anais had gone on to attack her and was presently flickering fingers along rather sensitive pointed ears while being a bit more aggressive than her normal personality would lead one to believe she could be. "This kind of switch is only normal for her..." mentioned Usagi as she began settling into the attention. "Your fault. You were being weird pushy... You also haven't been contrary about this so I assume this was what you were aiming for..." Anais concluded. "Also I don't if I should be taken as a reasonable example of a human, Shishou..." Anais managed shifting her gaze over to her mentor and having several strange thoughts and wondering how many of them were about to become reality. Idle fingers would end up dancing along skin loosening the kimono of the only dressed person in the room. Though she wouldn't completely undress the other lass she did begin to tease the girl's exposed flesh including a squeeze or two of her breasts which had been released from the tight coverage of her kimono. She began to shift just a bit sitting up so that they would be face to face for some additional issues while she did this her hands would end up on the exposed parts of Anais's rear. "You've got lessons for us right, Ai-aniki? Wouldn't want to miss any prime opportunities~" Usagi mentioned inviting the elf to join them. They might as well, start things off properly. 'Three-way! Let's go!~' Sinais was back... and at this point, Anais couldn't do anything but smirk at her own internal excitement.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen's mind was rather busy at the time. The tales of Abe no Seimei were either mistranslated between worlds, or they had all happened across different lives. Such matters were very difficult to figure out while having limited confirmable knowledge. Beyond all that, Anais's behavior was proving quite strange. Ailen had it on good authority that even her aggression manifested in a... somewhat passive way. In this case, however, she was outright assaulting the other girl. Was this part of her development again? That was possible, albeit still a little sudden.

Beyond everything else, it was apparent that Usagi had a clear interest in this behavior. Once approached by Anais, she responded as casually as she did in any other situation. There was no hard shift in mana activity, and visibly, she seemed to be having a good time. The girl even took hold of her elafia comrade, who questioned her validity as an example for humanity. Ailen was visibly dismissive of Anais's query, instead focusing on how Usagi was basically putting the other girl on display. "There are a few lessons, yes," he said. Even then, his mind was still wandering. He stood straight, a contemplative expression upon his face. Naturally, he couldn't keep his eyes from that exposed backside. "You two seem to have an amount of chemistry I'm not yet prepared for, though. I must admit that I'm not sure where I'd best fit in. I never anticipated having to teach two people at once. Who am I to even start with, and by what means? I believe these things take consideration. There is a way I could offer both of you the same lesson at once, but this positioning doesn't seem conducive to that ─ and I'm not sure you would both find it 'fun' as you said earlier."

[Apollymi]

Between thoughts of Abe no Seimei and the change in Anais's demeanor, Usagi wasn't sure what would turn out to be more tantalizing to the group at large. Even so, they seemed to be settling into a few potentials, as Ailen finally stood and in the movement, while Anais's face would be found tucked into the side of her neck Usagi was able to see Ailen standing at his full height. Usagi's eyes trailed over the man as she stared seemingly in deep thought at the backside exposed to him. What could she do besides continue to casually move her own fingers around the firmness of this elafia's rear end while he watched and she had her own neck and face assaulted by the lass who seemed to be quite interested in that particular activity.

"Do we? I wonder why?~" Usagi mentioned as if she had no proper idea. In truth, Solomon had explained to her the magical version of the birds and the bees, and Anais's own behavior seemed to hint at a desire which was becoming more obvious by the moment. When Ailen spoke of giving them both the lesson but not knowing if it would be fun, she felt the smile of Anais against the side of her neck and more than that heard a rather sudden outburst. 'Tag-team breakfast! We can totally ruin his day like this~' it seemed that Usagi was being volunteered as well, this whole thing was still something she'd do. "Assuming I am thinking about the right thing, I don't mind sharing a lesson that way..." Anais said in a manner which contrasted her mental tirade. "You are way more excited about this than those words imply," mentioned Usagi. "I mean so am I but that contrast is so familiar~" mentioned Usagi as she gave the lass a fairly firm slap on the rear which made her wiggle immediately after but it wasn't something she didn't enjoy obviously. She pulled back to look at the other lass and confirm they were sharing an idea. "Yes, we're doing this... and yes we can!~" she admitted. "Hai!~" Anais confirmed only to finally slide out of the girl's lap essentially as her clothes disappeared. "Well since we are in agreement, come on Ai-aniki... have a seat~" she said pointing in the space between them. Given their height differences him sitting between them would give them both access to his manhood and also each other given their current level of interest in each other.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen had many images floating around in his head, yet most of them involved only a single student. He'd never been prepared for teaching more than one person at a time. Moreover, Anais had gotten him rather adjusted to avoiding the lesson entirely, whether intentionally or accidentally in any given situation. Usagi's general demeanor implied a similar potential result. Ailen wondered which of them started such behavior, and if the similarities were even connected at all.

Regardless, it was Anais who spoke on the single idea he had for shared lessons. According to the elafia, she had no issues based on her own interpretation. Usagi addressed how unnaturally excited she was, but claimed to feel the same way. Were they all on the same page? Yes, based on Usagi's eventual instruction. She offered the elf a seat between the pair, mere moments after Anais moved out of place and Usagi banished her clothing magically. "Very interesting. You two were so engrossed in each other, I was beginning to wonder if it would be more worthwhile to... perhaps teach one, and have that lesson passed along. This, however, should remove the chance for any information being lost," he rambled. All the while, the tall male was moving into place. He nestled himself right between the two girls, an arm casually wrapping around each as he did so. After the earlier interjection, he couldn't be called erect per se... but that hardly mattered; he was already halfway to stiffness based on general interest alone. "So then, what would you both care for first besides general spirit information? There are many things that can be taught."

[Apollymi]

Usagi realized that it was unlikely this man had ever considered what it would be like to have two women in bed with him. She found that thought a bit corrupting and it served to make her just as excited as Anais was within herself to maybe play an interesting part in helping this elf understand the true quality aspects of humanity. They'd made room for him while Anais openly commented on the idea in her tame way. Ailen's analysis of the situation wasn't at all wrong. They'd been quite engrossed in each other, and maybe they could go into a bit of their kind of exploration a bit later, Usagi was fine with that idea, regardless of her form. "Box it," murmured, Anais who decided the idea of a single idea or lesson flowing from one person into the others was still a reasonable idea, but maybe not for something like this.

As for the lesson itself, both girls found this elf's long arms around them, Anais had become quite used to it, while Usagi was finding this size difference startling but also appreciable. Still, she had to comment. "We're going to have to talk about your size kink later. I am average size and I feel small..." she mentioned. "I'm sure I like it though~" mentioned Usagi. With the man between them, the always handsy Anais would be the first to reach for his manhood having already been told she could view it as a tool for her own learning. "I think the information on the spirits is what I need, Shishou. You said something about her first lesson from you as well..." Anais mentioned as she began to gently stroke Ailen's manhood. Not one to be left out, Usagi's hand would join at a more relaxed pace seemingly content to engage and occasionally dance around the fingers of Anais around Ailen's manhood. "Yeah, I'll take that first lesson... I guess for theory given that you are the nature teacher~" claimed Usagi who'd been given a bit of a head start on understanding the Myouou from Solomon directly. Both girls would be found progressively leaning in, until eventually a pair of tongues would be seen accosting the tip of Ailen's manhood as both looked up at him. Usagi's eyes one golden and one pink were a bit obviously devious while, Anais maintained that little hint of playful innocence. They were two pale faces with contrasting messages being delivered with them, while their tongues seemed to touch just a bit as they moved.

[Bloodedge]

Something else was being thrown into a mental box. Given the context, Ailen assumed he'd seen the one that would be reopened first so shortly after wondering how long Anais kept things. There were many things he could teach today, after all. The chance of teaching one directly through another was still quite high. Regardless, a plan for the first lesson had been set ─ they would both consume it orally. What would the second lesson be, though? Time would tell.

Usagi mentioned feeling small. He imagined that was only normal for one who had little to no contact with elves, but it seemed both she and Anais had a thing for the height difference. Anais mentioned two necessary lessons ─ those of spirits and of Usagi's third cycle. The latter would require more intense focus, though he still had time to prepare something else as well. Usagi went on to confirm the desire for her proper lesson. Ah, they didn't have anything else on the list of desired learnings. If nothing else, he could at least work out the details for Usagi's instruction. "That's quite limiting, but fine. I'll only need one more thing," he stated. Two hands had been caressing his member for a few moments, and two tongues would soon join to lick it ─ and each other at times.

Meanwhile, both pairs of eyes were on the curious Ailen. Such contrast he saw between them; it was... interesting, to say the least. He may have even called it baffling to an extent. The girl he knew was innocent and inquiring on the surface, with a spark of deviance buried within. This new girl however, wore her deviant side on the outside, showing more clear interest in the act itself than the results. How was he to successfully give a lecture like this? Well, he'd find out soon enough. First and foremost, an intermission was required. He leaned forward, shifting one hand to Usagi's chin. So close to the faces of both girls, he brushed against one's tongue ─ Usagi's in particular ─ with his own. What he had to do, of course, was create an exchange of mana between them. They had yet to do so, so the lesson couldn't be considered much of a proper one if they didn't.

[Apollymi]

Anais's mental boxes were long lived. Longer than even her life on this world, some things were opened soon, some things needed more time. Regardless... nothing placed within the box was ever truly forgotten. Their potential sexual exploits would be included in such a box, a three way with two girls had several possibilities. She saw quite a few that could work for her, and many of them could be implemented here for the sake of continuing their sexual endeavors...

Or rather in the spirit of learning they could instead take part in whatever they liked. In this case, after the pair began their little dance of tongues around Ailen's manhood. Ah, but such would be interrupted just a bit as Ailen himself leaned down. He began to kiss Usagi which was part of the normal exchange, but even while Anais continued with what she had been doing that movement of hand and tongue she watched with intensity. There were two thoughts in the elafia's mind, the first of which was... 'That's hot.' she second of which was a gentle curiosity about a particular kind of self-care act that she was pretty sure this man could do to himself. A little smirk would appear on the face of Usagi as she heard that particular set of thoughts. She'd known there was always something going on in the mind of their most innocent friend, but... that didn't mean she was fully prepared to be blasted by it so often. It was... amusing to say the least, and she didn't mind anything that was happening in the current moment. With Ailen's face so close to both of theirs, Anais could easily join them... and Usagi would encourage it with a gentle wink aimed in the elafia's direction.

How would Ailen fare against this pair of people? Anais had no idea... but she kind of wanted to ruin another lesson. Perhaps... just an interjection or two would suffice today? She leaned herself in a bit further as well, sliding her tongue between two and seeming to delight in a new sensation. Just the same her hand didn't move from Ailen's manhood and he'd even experience just a little tickle of mana through Anais's finger tips because the thought of it amused her a bit. Just the same there was a certain consideration about her friend as well... But there were many things to consider and right now she was fine to just enjoy the pair of them together.

[Bloodedge]

Unlike the previous day, Ailen was seeing progression in a manner more easily anticipated. He could teach them both the lesson about spirits, and he could take the preparation time for that to begin Usagi's first day of learning in his cycle. One hand and one mouth were still making progress on his groin as he found Usagi's tongue for the latter purpose, so they could presumably cover multiple lessons. Ah... but then there was Anais.

Two tongues were entangled. Then... there were three? Yes, it seemed Anais saw fit to insert herself into a would-be starting lecture for Usagi. Ailen's half-lidded eyes peeled open a bit more, that he might look upon the culprit of this interruption. What would he do? Well... nothing. The elf was easily receptive of some light deviance, and it seemed Usagi shared the opinion. If he thought otherwise, there was no point doing so. Anais's hand was once again up to its previous antics of manipulating mana, sending it directly into his shaft while she worked around it. In that moment, he experienced something of a hiccup. The result was... strange. Ailen had been meaning to press his lips against Usagi's. Though that still happened, his lips accidentally closed around Anais's tongue during the exchange. That wasn't intentional at all, but it seemed like a pretty good idea all the same. Alas, whatever information he intended to deliver was not yet transferred into his saliva. Oh well; the elf would once again have to deal with that later.

While the trio was getting started with their exploration, there was another entity observing Usagi from a great distance. Tohsaka Mugen was linked spiritually to to Anais, but today, he utilized the newer connection to view a newfound development in his apprentice. Her first change happened rather soon after arriving in this world. 'H'oh? That's surprising. A musician, of all things?'

[Apollymi]

These two girls were doing a fairly good job of plotting against Ailen with just their natural ability to feed off each other. A wink had encouraged Anais to assert herself into their kiss, and getting involved herself. She was having quite a good time of it, and Usagi found herself appreciating it. It was an interesting thing to see Ailen seem to not expect the advancement offered by Anais and then not do exactly what he meant to do as far as kissing Usagi was concerned. That wasn't to say she didn't get kissed but she still saw the man's lips close around Anais's tongue after she'd felt mana trickle into his shaft. Her friends fingers seemed to have a magical effect she thought might be useful to her as well. Just the same Anais's internal voice seemed to see this tongue based change as a victory. 'Shishou's so easily distracted we should take advantage. We can own him!~' mentioned the voice as Anais's mind wandered to a few ways to help and hinder this particular lesson. Usagi's brow rose as she heard her friends internal monologue and she wondered what she would say about it afterwards.

At the same time, a connection between Mugen and his apprentice seemed to be being tapped as well. He questioned her current new form and she chuckled as she thought to explain. 'Mi-chan always made musician seem like it'd be a fun. Besides... it seems like I could learn something very interesting, while playing CC~' she said not knowing if that reference would fully be understood. But she considered this form to be one of those what would be able to get results without lifting a finger in a violent way and that was an interesting start. Upon pulling back just a tad, Anais's tongue would swipe Ailen's lips and Usagi's mouth as well... she seemed to be having some ideas she wasn't sure how to articulate currently. Perhaps a minor shift in position would give the girl's currently empty hand something else to manipulate and keep her from distracting her mentor too much. She gave it some consideration as her fingers moved along his shaft and her tongue lashed out against his tip. 'We can own her too! That's brilliant!~'

[Bloodedge]

No words were shared between the three. None needed sharing, really. Ailen had become quick to disregard lessons as of late, deciding a bit of indulgence first could do no real harm. Actually, there was concrete evidence that lessons could be made better by getting other parts out of the way before and between. That could be the way to approach this situation, he figured. Along with the small pulses of mana traveling through his tool, there was a series of responses that took place in Usagi's mouth. Well... that wasn't quite all. Ailen's tongue was preparing to enter Usagi's mouth by the time Anais licked his lip. With that occurring, the elf retracted his tongue, kissed the silver-haired girl briefly, then shifted his attention to the elafia. There may have been no need for that... but did he care? Obviously not, as his tongue was soon to stage an assault on her mouth as well.

Meanwhile, it seemed Usagi was privy to her mentor's mental intrusion. Mugen wasn't 100% certain as to whether their connection would be strong enough or not. Apparently, it was. Good. No further prodding would be necessary to connect properly, so they could converse. Usagi claimed she made herself a musician due to the mannerisms of her friend. 'Music can be fun ─ especially when there's magic. Don't go having too much fun, though," he said. That particular statement had little to do with music, though. No, Mugen had an acute understanding of the goings-on. With it, he determined that an understanding had to be reached between himself and Shinomiya Kaguya. Indeed, it was the girl within the Avatar he was addressing most directly. He'd do so by reaching out with his very soul, via methods that had some chance of creating some... physical side-effects. 'You're still mine; don't forget that. We never agreed that you could go around sharing your new selves with the others before I've had my fun with you. I own more than Yu-pyon's Core. Can't you tell?'

[Apollymi]

There weren't words being shared within this trio, but it seemed that the group at large were working towards some rather interesting goals. Usagi received a kiss in a more direct nature from Ailen but even with saliva entering her mouth there wasn't the blanket of information she would have expected to start. She received in her mouth instead just his tongue and his responses to Anais's obvious manipulation of his tool. 'Hoh? I would have expected him to be a bit more about the learning aspect of this given his mannerisms. Mi-chan you're such a corrupting influence~' Usagi thought about the situation. And true enough, Anais was indeed a corrupting enough influence to be receiving Ailen's tongue in her mouth while he should have been delivering a message. She knew well... that there was no information in it, and her internal voice seemed to find this more pleasing than anything else. 'Hehe~ Shishou's not teaching he must be so distracted. We are definitely the cause~' Sinais found this more amusing than most could have realized. Actually, she quite enjoyed teasing Ailen in such a way and Anais had one empty hand which seemed to twitch just a bit. Surely there was a better use for it, and she'd vocalize her thoughts when she was ready.

At the same time, Mugen was speaking in Usagi's mind, reminding her not to have too much fun, but also accepting the fun of music. 'Oh? I suppose I made the right choice then... though too much fun is relative~' she mused seeming to understand at least a little what he meant. She was already in an interesting state, so him reaching out to her, seemed to stimulate the imon on her person, causing an even more solidified connection as he claimed that he'd not given permission for her to have fun with anyone else before him in her forms. That little call of Yu-pyon seemed to reach her regardless and the girl's loins tightened even unoccupied. 'Well, my lesson might take a little while to get ready regardless... It wasn't super clear that it'd be a problem, but I wouldn't want to break any rules, Mugen-sama!~' she chimed seeming to understand a great many things. If the man wanted to be here he could. He he wanted to reach out to her he could... and they could convene as he saw fit, she was fine with all of that. Meanwhile when the kiss between Ailen and Anais finally broke the elafia found herself with her fingers tapping together ready to offer a slight change to the pair. "For the sake of having access to both of you... to uh... help facilitate this mana transfer I have an idea... I just have to move a bit," she said aloud while her fingers tapped together. Meanwhile her mind said something very different. 'Well play both of them like instruments and then they'll both be ours!' Just the same the girl would shift herself if it was cleared into the middle position placing herself within arms reach of Usagi while also retaining her access to Ailen's tool. She had no worries for her legs or anything like that... and this way she had easy access to the whole of Usagi's body which she really wanted for the sake of experimentation.

[Bloodedge]

A bit of oral play was very conducive to proper mana transfer. Ailen would keep that excuse in mind as he fell into degenerate behavior with these two, all due to the antics of his apprentice. After all, he had zero personal issues with some casual exploration. Neither of the three had any obvious qualms with the current state of events, even though Ailen 'decided' to forego a lecture to Usagi in favor of tonguing Anais's mouth. Yes, it was something he'd done a great deal already. Yes, he could have taken that time to familiarize himself with the new lass. No, he didn't even think twice about his actions.

It wasn't until Anais broke from him to speak, that Ailen thought about much of anything besides his current actions. The elafia spoke of facilitating mana transfer, as they often did when speaking to each other. Ailen knew it was nonsense that technically functioned as a viable excuse. All he could do was join in. "Yes, I believe a slight shift is in order. It is only sensible that a three-way mana transfer have each point reach the other two consistently," he agreed. With Anais shifting herself into a new position, Ailen also took advantage of the opportunity. He once again could be found attacking the mouth of Usagi with his own.

Ah, but there was another entity attacking Usagi: Mugen. Her inmon activated even in a new form, and Mugen's connection became even stronger. She'd be the only one capable of fully perceiving him during a sudden spiritual appearance, though he figured Anais had a chance of picking up something as well... possibly. Oh well; there were more important things than the elafia's curiosity cropping up. Mugen found himself capable of interacting directly with his own apprentice, manifesting as if he was seated right behind the elf ─ just off toward Usagi's side a bit. 'You think it'll take some time, huh? Well... you're right about that. Your name may as well be a reference to how those two behave behind closed doors. Though I guess that's the same for all of us, isn't it, Usako? Shame though. Looks like you're seconds from being all plugged-up. I might have to sit around and wait for an opening~' the demon stated.

[Apollymi]

As time progressed, Usagi realized that this pair of elf and elafia were quite co-dependent in an interesting way. They seemed to feed off each other and couldn't seem to get enough of each other or anyone else for that matter. She was sure the pair would have busied themselves this morning in each other even without her influence. And now that she was here, she could hear her friends emotional responses and knew she felt a certain way about this sexual encounter with both of them. It was interesting to see in the third person, and she didn't even mind being the guest star. Even as the girl's old habit of finger tapping and expressing herself came back into the forefront. 'Oh? Is that a tell?' she found herself wondering only to hear the girl's internal monologue after and be sure of one thing. 'I need to know what she's been thinking every time she's tapped her fingers together like that... I need to know!' she thought wanting to know the darkest secrets of her most innocent friend's mind.

"Oh? Is that how that works... I had no idea~" There was the gentlest sarcasm to Usagi's words, but still she was content. That movement of ehr hand didn't stop and the appearance of the imon on her body caused her to have a visual on Mugen rather suddenly. Just the same, her mouth was being attacked by Ailen which she found rather amusing. This elf had an almost invasive way of kissing which she found to be kind of fun. She played with the tongue in her mouth gently sucking and biting it at random while Anais's posture changed. 'Eh? Is she going after me. Even hearing her thoughts... I didn't know I was so targetable~ I kind of like it though, and the new pet-name too, I'm sure she'll leave you a bit of room~' she mused about Anais. 'We call that co-dependence where we're from, but they're so cute about it~' she mused seeming to find the developing deviance to be fun.

Anais's body was now in place enough that she could easily continue stroking Ailen's manhood with her right hand, but her left... well as idle as it had been it began to trace the gentle and naked flesh of Usagi, following gently along her hips before casually dipping towards her sex. Those fingers traced body parts she already understood. Those touches were gentle and prodding at first... slipping between folds and becoming moistened before she began gently tracing up to her pearl and circling. Just the same, Ailen would find his shaft being played calmly as well, with just a few gentle pulses of mana throughout. Suddenly, Usagi was moaning into Ailen's mouth and Anais managed to look towards the lass quite pleased, a devious little smirk crossing her her face as her eyes held nothing but innocence.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen began his day assuming he'd be having an experience with Anais, if not before their group assembled, then at some point during the waking hours. What he didn't expect, was Shinomiya Kaguya's involvement ─ especially in a new form acquired from interacting with Solomon. Regardless, he would gladly have her along in his and Anais's debauching. He may have taken more breaks than necessary to address Anais again, but he would not ignore the other lass entirely. Now, having a proper opening, Ailen had his invasive tongue sucked and nibbled. What a strange approach this lass had. Once more, he found the contrast between the girls to be a special sort of treat. Usagi's behavior had him almost instinctively mimicking her, creating the strangest back-and-forth of tongue-sucking and teeth-dragging. Still, there was a notable lack of knowledge being transferred during the exchange. It seemed he was also being joined by the lass in another way ─ namely being accosted by Anais and her hands' antics. Well, that was also fine.

Mugen sat and observed, as he always did. The three were taking a casual, yet seemingly enjoyable approach to this ordeal. He thought once again that things could be far more interesting by now. Regardless, it would all surely change pace soon enough. 'Cute? I guess. You're looking like you've gone almost native too. Little Doe over there still owes me something. Don't go catching a case of procrastination from her,' he instructed. Usagi claimed he would probably be left a bit of room by the elafia. Mugen disagreed. He gave the silver-haired girl a once-over, taking in her positioning and coming to several conclusions in a moment. 'You call that room? The way things look now, I'd have an easier time having a go at her, as opposed to you~'

[Apollymi]

Ailen and Usagi seemed to be getting quite familiar with each other and in the interim Anais was finding a rhythm and a happiness from what she could properly observe. Those gentle rubs against Usagi's nether and her handsy movements along Ailen's shaft. Watching the two develop an interesting kissing technique and feeling the gentle twitch in her own loins. She could use a third hand... she decided. Oh well... it wasn't absolutely necessary in a moment like this one.

At the same time, Usagi was exchanging words with her mentor which caused her to smile in her same devious way, even as she kissed Ailen with more intensity. 'One cannot go that native, that level of procrastination is bound to her soul~' she said of her own potential issues. 'Still... she's always great when she finally decides to act. It's nice to relax a little and let the build up explode on its own~' she mused seeming to find it amusing. Too bad. Mugen claimed that Anais owed him something, she was sure he thought of it that way. If the young girl knew who he was, in truth... she'd probably throw herself at him and would have done so already. Ah, but how long would it take for the elafia to figure that part out? Well longer than it would take Usagi to make her own adjustments after hearing the last part of Mugen's speech. With that nagging tingle building up in her loins it seemed that she wished to move closer. Her position would shift, leaving her rear in the air and ultimately giving more access to Anais and placing herself in a position to give Mugen access as well. Well, the imon did many things include respond to her libido, and she was pretty close to orgasm with Anais's fingers playing with her sex, so... why not receive a bit of a pummeling while she was at it? Yes, that kind of overindulgence was definitely the way of demons.

The change in posture did leave Anais the ability to change the position of her hand a bit... so that she started using her thumb instead, with a rather gentle pulse of mana into the girl's loins while she slipped a deft finger, and then two into her. Hm... that change in position reminded her of her own actions a bit. Well, if that was a thing it would be interesting, wouldn't it? Anais found herself shutting the box on her mind just a bit and going back to using her tongue to trail along Ailen's manhood while she casually strummed at Usagi's insides.

[Bloodedge]

Rather suddenly, Usagi was changing her position for reasons Ailen could not know. Perhaps it was for Anais's ease of access, he figured. Yes, that made perfect sense. It affected nothing about their ongoing interaction, so he had nothing to say about it. It wasn't as if he had much room to talk either way. Tongue-wrestling a human from Gaia proved to be quite the occupation, leaving little to no room for other things. Once more though, Ailen had no complaints to offer, considering the satisfactory results of these new techniques.

All the while, Mugen was watching Usagi's movements intently. That wasn't all, though. As thoroughly as he observed his apprentice, he observed the keen eye of Anais. She knew something... even if only almost. Mugen had another plan in mind for the lass who kept running away, but that was a matter for later. First, he'd move around to Usagi's rear, clothes vanishing as the fully-erect male teasingly brandished his groin moving past her face. Those hands of this manifestation gripped firmly her hips. Ah, but there was another issue, wasn't there? Usagi created an opportunity, and Anais took it unto herself to fill the space with fingers. 'Ara~? That's a shame. Looks like the room's occupied, Usako. Oh well~' he said. Of course, Mugen would never be stopped. Since he couldn't claim his usual place, Kaguya's newest form would instead be on the receiving end of sudden anal penetration. In terms of functionality, Mugen saw no difference anyway. This spiritual state could technically only give. As such, Usagi's backdoor was the optimal choice regardless. 'Oh. This is fine, right? I'm just a projection,' he said, knowing even a spiritual form would have very real effects once a proper connection was formed.

[Apollymi]

Kissing humans from Gaia would likely prove to be a feat, especially to the sorts of people who were used to not needing to do such things for the sake of foreplay. Humans enjoyed their foreplay, even when they were fully prepared for sex. Usagi was no exception and found herself both enjoying what was going on with her mouth and what was going on with her loins. Though there were a few extras to go along with that.

Mugen in his less than corporeal form would soon be found at her rear, fully erect and ready, but the place he would have normally taken at her fore was soon occupied by the slick, dainty and dangerously-dexterous fingers possessed by Anais. She felt that entrance and it caused her a hiccup. Meanwhile, Mugen had teasing words to offer Usagi, including that little pet name. His place was occupied, and she felt a rather swift and complete entry to her rear soon after. Yes, she was fully aware that she could take this, but that still didn't keep her from feeling something rather hot and way more solid than her other test runs in the moment. Still... she couldn't have said she disliked it. Her eyes widened and she felt a rather strange tremor within her more purposed canal as it almost felt like Anais was responding to that spiritual intrusion. Those dancing fingers of hers sending a jolt of mana onto her pearl at the same time through her thumb. 'Hyuck!~' that was one sound which escaped. There was satisfaction in Anais as she did this, not knowing fully she wasn't alone, though there was the sound of something like a hiccup from Usagi which caused her kiss with Ailen to finally break as her tongue fell out of her mouth. This was way harder to keep up than she thought it would be. Though that wouldn't stop her body from grinding against Mugen and Anais's hand while the latter continued to fellate her mentor as if she forgot there was supposed to be a lesson in here somewhere. 'Could have used a bit more warning than that... I'd swear she knows you're here, if I didn't know better~' she claimed of the situation. 'Still as far as things go I don't think I mind this so much, Mugen-sama!~'

[Bloodedge]

Upon finding his place in Usagi's body, Mugen's spiritual form found infinite satisfaction. He stopped moving at the limit of a single thrust, sighing his contentment and enjoying the clench of it all. 'Ahh~ I made a good choice coming here. Remind me to try it with my own body,' he said. Though Anais remained ignorant to the truth within this room, Mugen could feel her as well. Her fingers were in perfect position to be felt just beneath his jewels, as if teasing him into a consistent throb within Usagi's rectum. Usagi went on to comment about the elafia's ignorance, alongside a warning that may have been desired. 'Why ruin the surprise? And who knows? Maybe she does know I'm here. She could, if she let herself feel me. Maybe she even should. You sounded ready to let everyone know I'm here just now,' he said, chuckling. Mugen had considered movement, but it seemed so unnecessary now that Usagi was already rocking against the double penetration she received. What point was there in rushing things if she was already on the move?

Ailen was having a very different experience at the time. Usagi's utterance preceded their separation, which gave him a great deal of breathing room. Well... that wasn't true. By the time he was able to breathe more freely, Ailen came to realize his groin was once again being accosted by Anais's mouth rather than just her hand. He wasn't going to have much opening this morning, it seemed. A hand had subconsciously fallen into place atop the blonde's head, and the elf was soon leaning back slightly and huffing away. Focus was already hard to maintain; he doubted this would get any easier in time. "I wasn't sure what to expect with two of you. Does one normally lose track of their thoughts in moments like this?" he wondered aloud.

[Apollymi]

Mugen was quite content and even in just his spiritual form it was something Usagi could understand. Even though he shared the information himself, it was still quite pleasing to know he enjoyed his stay... for whatever that was worth. If she was being honest, she also didn't mind this different sort of pressure, finding the fully filling feeling of his manhood within her rear to be somehow more satisfying than just a plug as she'd experienced previously. Or maybe it was a combination of things? 'Hai, I'll be sure to remind you to give it a try sometime, Mugen-sama~' she chimed seemingly pleased. Still, as she began moving against those fingers, she received teasing words. Anais could likely tell he was here if she wanted to, and he claimed that Usagi herself had almost alerted the room. 'Humans usually aren't about those kinds of surprises... I don't think I mind but it was still a bit more shocking than I was prepared for...' she mused seeming to find it funny. 'If she doesn't know then she's surprisingly intuitive. I assume you feel that too... it has to be nice~' she teased just a little. The sensation of the girl prodding her insides was something that seemed to give her a different kind of pleasure compared to the sensation in her rear. Still she moved with both, with Anais taking her cue from Usagi's pace and beginning several gentle rubs and taps over a particularly porous area at her inner fore with those two long fingers of hers.

Just the same, Anais would soon be given a different sort of surprise. It was Ailen's mouth breaking from Usagi's. And his hand coming to lay in gentle warmth atop her head. She'd been patted on the head a lot when she was much smaller, and right just now, even with this man's erection between her jaws it seemed to give her a great deal of solace. She found herself looking up at him with happiness in her eyes rather suddenly. 'Ahh!~ It's so warm. I love this... I'd forgotten,' as a small girl called Miko her friends were prone to such actions and now she was receiving them as positive and unconscious reinforcement of her sexual endeavors, her life couldn't be better. Of course this had to come with some sort of reward and as such her tongue began to gently swirl in her mouth. "I think most humans aren't normally trying to think during this particular activity~" Usagi confirmed of the situation. "So yeah.... ah, ah... normal~" she said in confirmation. Anais was making her way off his shaft with her mouth and confirming as well. "I also think it's normal," she confirmed as she licked the tip of his shaft. All the while her hands were still rather busy, "Do you need a minute, Shishou?~" Anais asked in a manner most teasing, but if she'd actually stop was up for debate.

[Bloodedge]

Usagi didn't have the amount of warning she would have expected. How dare she expect warning? 'Did you think you'd get that sort of thing from me? This is mine, right? I figured we had an unspoken understanding. If I want it, I think I'm entitled to take it. You're not doing much to make me think otherwise,' the demon proclaimed. With that, he'd finally begin moving. Even Anais wouldn't be allowed to accomplish too much against his apprentice ─ not without his involvement coming first. Keeping that in mind, Usagi would find herself with his girth being levered around in her arse during a series of thrusts that didn't retreat very much at all. Something of a conversation would continue in the meantime. 'She tends to be that way. I do feel it. What surprises me, is that you're not paying her back already. Did you lose Karma in this new form, or are you just letting it build?' he inquired.

According to both girls, Ailen was to believe this behavior was normal. He could have believed it much sooner if it didn't take a moment to process their words. He felt Anais's tongue swirling around his tip, still held in her mouth before she spoke. That was plenty of reason for his mind to blank temporarily. If one paid attention closely enough, one might have even seen the elf's eyes rolling back. "Hrm... yes," he said. That, however, was not his answer to the question already asked. It took another moment for him to register that as well. "Ah, well... if it's normal, I suppose that's fine. I suppose it should be said that I do need a minute, but... I'm willing to theorize it would be better to test physical limits when possible. I should lead by example, no? You'll both need that lesson by the fifth cycle. . ." he babbled.