Charles Patricius

Charlemagne didn't seem too bothered by much of anything, bar the completion of a meal. This day had to reach its end, that the next day might begin, and so-on. A plan was in place. It all started with the utilization of Sakura, continued with an eventual visit to Munetsuchi, and ended with constructing a proper game plan to proceed with. Until they reached that point, there was little worth stressing. Besides, he had one less thing plaguing his subconscious at all times. There was no longer some massive personal issue weighing on Charlemagne's shoulder while he climbed a veritable mountain of god-slaying, so he could take the climb itself at pace.

So then, what would Sakura have to say? Apparently, she had more to do ─ more to see through some strange method of prediction. "Uh... alright. I wasn't expecting a Sharingan freak-out," he mumbled to no one in particular. In watching Sakura process, he seemed slightly taken aback. Her eyes moved erratically as if she'd started following a gnat around the immediate area. Once those movements settled, though, she spoke a ridiculously high number. That number... was the list of possibilities for their ongoing journey's end. Over 14 million, she counted. In that grand count, Sakura alleged only a single outcome that fit his ideal ending. "Damn. I thought gachas were predatory," he said with a sigh. Unlike previously, Charlemagne stared into space and did some thinking of his own. The odds were even more abysmal than he'd previously considered, and yet... they were not absolutely on one of the 14,000,604 suboptimal outcomes, and even those weren't certain negatives, he thought. "So, strategizing. The plan to test the gate is still on. While we're traveling, we should also check-in with Munetsuchi. As long as there's still a chance, we have to go for it. Everyone onboard?"

It seemed that all was mostly well. While Sakura processed her predictions, Yume happily consumed the rest of her food before sliding back so that Anais could more easily access her own bowl as well. None had questioned the girl for occupying the other's lap and she'd found that more amusing than most normal things she could do. Speaking of oddities, the movements of Sakura's eyes were likened to a media thing which Yume had some knowledge of. "Oh? A sharingan... are there Uchiha here? Does this world have Uchiha? 'Cause that'd be pretty awesome!~" she squealed. This, of course made Anais sign as she finished her own meal and sat back finally sated by the empty bowl before her. "I'm sure you'd be the first person to figure it out..."

When Sakura finally spoke the news was taken better than most would have expected. Charlemagne claimed gacha rates were predatory and Yume could only casually shrug. "I wouldn't know... I'm no longer allowed to download things to my phone," she said with a gentle shrug. "I play them but... they are considered pretty predatory and these are definitely worse rates," she said of the one in millions chance of success. Still, if she knew Charlemagne and she did, he had to try. And that attitude of his, she also admired so she would do her best to help, this was all she could offer. "I'm with you Charlie, as always..." Anais said cheerily as ever. Though the thought of trying something impossible rocked her to her core, there were worse things in her own mind. "I am fine with the plan..." Martha mentioned. If there was even a chance of helping Jeanne she had to see it through, she felt it her duty as a saint. "Of course~" chimed Yume who seemed more than pleased to be along despite the dire situations. In truth, she'd considered ending her own life over much more trivial things than returning someone to their rightful selves. This was a far better use of her time than most things. "I am onboard as well..." Sakura confirmed a gentle smile on her face. They weren't going to do anything but what they needed to.

"Probably," Charlemagne said following Yume's inquiry. This world had a great many things, so the popular Uchiha clan from a certain series probably existed somewhere. Astolfo thought to add to that topic. "Everything's out there somewhere. Tech is rare!" he chimed. In terms of magical abilities one might find in popular anime, manga and video games, magecraft and magic made many things possible. Things leaning more on the science fiction side, however, were more difficult to spot... though Astolfo doubted Yume concerned herself with that part much.

On the same topic of Yume, or rather Kaguya's lack of technological leaning, the demoness admitted to being disallowed from mobile game installations. Charlemagne looked toward the girl, his brow raised. "So... like an old person? You sound like one of those people who didn't realize they were spending money while spending money," he observed. Moving on though, it seemed Anais hadn't changed her mind about the two-year agenda. Martha was also onboard, and Yume confirmed her involvement as well. The same could be said of Sakura, but what of the other three? Charlemagne's gaze fell upon Astolfo, who seemed perplexed by the glance. "Huh? Wait, was that a real question?" the pink-haired male asked, essentially confirming his agreement. Yuuya supposed it was time he chimed in as well. "Well... with odds like that, it's best to have all the help you can get, right? I'll do my best," the newest addition claimed. Ailen had been silent for some time, merely eating in the most dignified manner seen since old royalty. His eyes were even closed as he spoke through a handkerchief used to dab food residue from his lip. "It goes without saying, no? My daughter and apprentice are here; I am willing to involve myself if necessary," claimed the elf, though he originally intended no involvement outside of a few studies. With all that was at stake, Ailen figured it would be necessary for him to act at some point.

For someone like Yume, or more specifically, Shinomiya Kaguya, her life in the magical world seemed to be very much about hunting down the magics of her dreams and maybe partaking in a few for the sake of expanding her magical girl repertoire. The idea that the Uchiha clan might be found somewhere was practically music to her ears. Astolfo's confirmation made her nearly giddy. "I don't care about tech, if I wanted tech, I'd stay home~" she claimed in a rather amused way. Beyond that there was the matter of her apparent lack of gacha usage and what Charlemagne had to say it reminded him of. It would be Anais who spoke up on the matter. "Yes, she is exactly that person. She literally ran up her phone bill playing Candy Crush. Ai-nee is constantly on her case and running tech support because she's problematic," Anais confessed for the girl. Still in a good humor Yume could only tease. "Wow, Mi-chan tell me how you really feel~" she said sarcastically. Sakura would look up at that moment and see smiles on both girls' faces and conclude something. "That's sarcasm," she said while giving a firm nod. She'd get it completely eventuallly.

Soon enough though, the conversation had shifted to something more serious. All the girls and agreed to their continued adventure and then all the men did the same. Surprisingly enough, even Ailen who'd been quietly eating with impeccable table manners offered to step in to help if need be for the sake of his apprentice and his daughter. 'Shishou!~' the thought that passed the mind of an almost starry eyed Anais as she marveled at the elf. She was slowly coming around to all aspects of care she'd be offered but, it was still rather reassuring to know. It was always more than comforting to have someone competent to rely on in sticky situations, which were only made more sticky by the volatility of the group. 'He's getting extra ruined on the trip!' this was the confirmation of her inner voice which made Yume have to stifle a laugh. "Woops~ Anyway, got anything else we might need to know for our immediate future preparations?" she asked seeming to wonder if she should just continue winging her own developments or if he required something specific from her. She was willing to be flexible about it, either way.

Apparently, Yume was the type to waste money in ignorance when playing mobile games. Charlemagne wasn't surprised, and Astolfo was even less so. With a mouthful of food, the latter added to the discussion once more. "I heard about that," Astolfo mentioned. Strangely, he remembered that in the moment, even though he'd forgotten having a twin sister until an earlier conversation. No matter. While Astolfo showed no consistency in his own memories, Charlemagne found himself looking in Sakura's direction again. Once more, the young goddess acknowledged a moment of sarcasm as if trying to memorize its uses. "It is, yeah," he said.

Strange though it was that Sakura remained focused on sarcasm and its applications, it was interesting to see her latch on to something. Charlemagne consumed in relative silence after his response, thinking it best to let the girl keep at it. Besides, Yume had presented another question. What else did they need to know? Charlemagne took a moment to think, having nothing immediately come to mind. "Hmm. Is there? Can't kill An, two year journey to grail spawn, avoid letting Jeanne go full avenger, uh... figure out what being King of Faith means," he ranted, finally remembering something else that had come up. "Oh! There's nothing else I needed to tell you guys, but I just remembered I'm supposed to be figuring out how my title works. I should probably also try figuring out this whole Power of Order thing, but... one at a time. Anyway, you guys can relax. I'm gonna work on becoming more awesome to win that one-in-fourteen million chance~"

It would seem that Yume was indeed the type who spent money in games strangely. Even Astolfo had heard of her exploits in this regard which made Anais nod her head at the lass. "Yeah, I did do that... it was a fun game though~" she said as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do. In truth, she wasn't too worried about the amount of money she spent in a game like Candy Crush. It'd basically gone unnoticed by anyone who would have been upset about it. It was simply her friends trying to make sure she had... internet literacy or something like that. Beyond this point, Sakura seemed to be catching on rather quickly to the whole of sarcasm as it was popping up. That was good, conversations would be admittedly less awkward if explanations of sarcasm could be avoided in most cases. Extra confirmation left the girl smiling happy about having caught on to the whole of it. One day true understanding would be reached.

Until that day, there was the happy little matters that the group had to get to. Charlemagne listed momentarily a group of things he had to share with them. "King of Faith? And here I thought the oddest ones were Construction and Composition," said Martha. The others she'd heard the titles of, were more concrete with obvious leanings. Queen of Saints, Queen of Knights, King of Heroes. These were all more easily understandable things. King of Faith seemed like it could encompass quite a bit and mostly be subjective in nature. Still the lad had rather swiftly returned to his happy go-lucky self and it was almsot contagious. Anais was pleased, he'd been not quite himself for the last few days. She smiled pleased at the change in his attitude. 'Nice, Charlie's back!~' she squealed internally. Still, there was much to take in from the whole of things. "I don't necessarily get the King and Queen thing, but... I'll offer my assistance regardless. I don't have to understand stuff completely. I have a pretty good knack for magic~" Yume offered the lad. 'Eh? He's like this normally? Mi-chan that is more of a drastic difference than you show sometimes~' she hummed to the girl internally. Even so she'd stay helpful and open. Maybe the lad could use some magical advisement or maybe he wouldn't need to at all.

Martha wasn't the first to comment on the flexibility of Charlemagne's title. Artoria Pendragon herself had something similar to say, though it was her who advised that he look into it. "I thought so too, and then suddenly I'm watching Albertus Animusphere give me a title I can't even fathom," he said. Whatever abilities he had from this new identity, perhaps they could prove useful. He'd surely find out eventually. Apparently, that would happen with some assistance from Yume. She didn't have a grasp on the concept of such titles, but she did have innate magical abilities that were seldom, if ever, seen in the world. Surely she could be of some assistance, though he believed Sakura had a higher chance of success. Oh well; he'd take all the help sent his way at this point. With that in mind, his meal continued until its end.

With dinner of the first night ending, time passed as if this rag-tag group had gone along with the idea of a strange sleepover. A bit of chatting, a few laughs and a few serious moments preceded the group's separation. Charlemagne found himself in bed with the Holy Grail in hand. He stared into the empty vessel as if curious, and in fact, he had another curiosity to consider. Meanwhile, Astolfo wandered around the carriage as if to make a few discoveries. Yuuya had no obvious intentions of sleeping. In fact, he managed at some point to sit at the table once more, seeming content to sit around and fiddle with his stats. Since there was such a great challenge ahead of the group, he thought it best to improve himself where possible.

A conversation over dinner had the crew of this particular space enjoying some conversation about powers and abilities. Charlemagne would take the help offered to him, and the others would spend time figuring out important information. By the end of the night, Martha had found a gym within the space and had gone on to punch bags and do some thinking, which was alright with her. Sakura was content to occupy the same bed with Charlemagne and see what sleep would be like without her soul expressing the need.

In truth, Anais was quite relieved by the current casual setting they were now in, and with the day winding down and into night she'd find herself in a room which seemed to be very much designed with her mentor and her in mind. She'd easily find herself stripping down and getting ready for bed, with Yume also lying about as if unperturbed. "Eh? I can't believe it, I thought you were all wired for the night walking," said Yume as the girl in just another thong slipped into bed behind her. "I usually am, but I feel quite at ease now. And I feel like I should sleep if I have the desire to..." she said softly. "Besides, I still have a lot to go through in my head, so... I want to give myself some time undistracted by sounds to figure out my thoughts," she admitted. She knew she was behaving strangely but she'd still been a bit too worried to calm down the previous few days. Today, she'd think about a few things. While Anais went through her thoughts, Yume allowed herself to rest. Interesting that her friend wanted to go through her own thoughts. Perhaps, she'd let the girl organize before making the trip into her soul? Yes, that sounded fair.

In the meantime, Anais quietly allowing her thoughts to move about within her mind. Boxes of things, she'd closed in the last few days for the sake of carrying on, began to open. The first of such thoughts, was about her behavior surrounding the Myouou. 'I kinda jumped at the opportunities of those moments. I guess after everything I've learned that isn't too weird, it just felt a bit jarring after not really feeling anything like that for so long...' she thought rationalizing her own behavior. 'I feel bad for forgetting about my childhood dream... but also bad for practically throwing myself at strangers, but also... satisfied? Maybe I'm weird? Or indulging in things I actuallly want after not remembering them isn't a bad thing? I guess that should be fine...' she thought quietly. 'Charlie is finally okay and adjusting. I'm happy he's more back to his normal self... I should keep an eye on him,' she thought on a completely different train. 'I can't believe Kaguya-senpai is here. I didn't remember her really until she was in front of me, but I definitely missed her. She's probably where that thought about liking girls came from. I'm glad she's here...' her mind kept drifting. 'Maybe I shouldn't worry about morals the way I considered them at all... Shishou said I can do what I want, so I think I should... figure out exactly what those things are. And why I'm so afraid of them,' she gave consideration to that... and her mind continued to wander.

Late night, drifting minds were frequently the cause of sleep. In sleep, there were dreams. In dreams, there were ripples in reality that reached out to other worlds, other timelines, other dimensions entirely. Anais's recent dealings had left her more susceptible to such oddities. As she drifted off, the girl would find herself passing two recognizable torii gates leading into the shrine she'd once frequented at least annually. Within said shrine, there was a well whose water was alleged to have mystical properties. A sea of faceless individuals meandered around the shrine. One in particular, however, was not so faceless at all.

By the well known as Seimei-i, there was a boy roughly the same age as one Iino Miko. His lithe form was adorned by... what appeared to be a cosplay of Abe no Seimei himself, though seemingly one that adopted a bone motif. Perhaps he'd taken a more fantasy-inspired approach this time? Whatever the case, she knew his identity once, and maybe she could recall it now. Dark hair was distinguished by purple undertones that matched his eyes, as well as a strange tuft of blonde in the lad's fringe. If not by his looks, the male could perhaps be identified by the disregard he showed for established norms. It was once said that an old tea master brewed with the waters of the Seimei-i, so of course... this young man was doing exactly that at the moment. Set atop the well he leaned against was a teapot, a box, and two distinct cups featuring pentagram designs in the shrine's likeness. Both cups had been filled. One of those cups, he was already drinking from.

The drifting of Anais's mind would indeed cause sleep, but not in the way she'd become used to over the last three hundred years. Where there was once darkness and a vast space filled with no sound, no light and emptiness... there were now two torii gates which she found herself casually walking through. Quite familiar with the Seimei Shrine was a lass once known as Iino Miko and here she felt quite at home. Even if she only visited once a year, even if every visit was exactly the same, they burned rather deeply uncovered by her wandering mind.

A small girl now dressed in red hakama and a white and red trimmed kimono top. She had billowing sleeves and a little clog shoes. She was moving through rather absently atop her toes, pushing her way through crowds of people. Ah, small once again was the brown haired girl with eyes which were also brown in color. Strangely though she wouldn't have noticed it herself, there was something of a light in those eyes, giving them the appearance of glowing candlelight. Her brown hair in two rather thin pigtails thrown over her shoulders so casually, she made her way to the place she usually went. Towards a well at the center, in a sea of faceless individuals... there was one person she knew. "Waah!~" she gasped as she watched a lad drinking tea from the edge of the well. She approached, she knew this face. She saw the whole of him for the first time in centuries and wasn't sure how to react. 'He's hot! Have I always thought he was hot?' she wondered as her thoughts patterns shifted once more. 'Is he drinking from the well?' she queried. 'Why does he have two tea cups?' she wondered. 'Why can I actually see him?' she questioned. In approaching more directly she stood nearby, realizing he was quite a bit taller than her, even from this angle. 'Am I being weird? Should I say something?' she questioned herself. Ah... unlike her mind as Anais, this version of herself was much more cohesive, a single voice uniquely hers rang in her own head. Ah, but something else didn't change, the gentle tapping of her finger tips as she mind went several directions and then converged. "Is it sacrilege to drink from the Seimei-i?" she settled on that one as she found herself across from the lad, looking into his face. He really was mesmerizing. Had she simply not noticed before?