The Eternal Sanctum (Holy Knight Headquarters)

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.

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."

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.

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. . ."

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.

"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.'

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.

"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.'

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.

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?'

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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.

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.

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, with a single subconscious thought 'As far away as possible... my hearing is too good, I don't need that'. 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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

"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."

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.

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. . .

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.

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?

"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.

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."

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.

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?"

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.

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?"

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."