The Eternal Sanctum (Holy Knight Headquarters)

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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─"

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.

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. . ."

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.

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."

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.

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."

"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.

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."

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.

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?"

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.

"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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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."

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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.

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."