Munetsuchi

Mugen had a very specific line of thought, and Yume to some extent understood his point. If you were having a good time, having a good time to excess wasn't actually a problem. Though to her credit, Yume also understood the point of Miwa, about trying to do other things. That had to be especially taxing to one like her as a goddess, that was probably a higher stress job than business woman. "Excessive as always~" Miwa stated about Mugen's words. Meanwhile, Mugen went on to claim that the girl could as either an ape or a bird about being underfoot of Miwa. "Oh? There's an ape too?" she said seemingly distracted by her own line of thought. 'Oh? If it's Sun Wukong, Miko-chan would totally die!~ This place is like a harem built for her~' she thought. She could only hope her friend was the one here. It was becoming a rather exciting prospect. Or that if she wasn't she could come later and be worked up to experiencing the fun of such a thing. She was more than a bit shy after all, it was doubtful she'd have a normal way of acting around the men. Well... a sideways glance occurred towards Miwa as Yume thought it over. 'Actually, she'd probably build up to molesting her,' she said knowing what that particular friend was like, yeah, it likely wasn't her. Too bad.

All the while, the diversions offered by Mugen were indeed things that were at least noted by Miwa, though she had nothing to say about them really. Well, except for a few chiding words, "And again just evasive skips over the important parts~" she mused seeming to have no issue with the information the man withheld. Why wasn't this an issue? Well because after all of that, the man seemed to understand completely the observations and breakthroughs she'd made about Sources. The words he spoke implied he held a greater understanding than even the short version she'd presented. "It's been a very long time since I felt like I student, but around you I feel a bit patronized..." she muttered. "I'm not sure I like it..." she continued. It was almost exasperating but it was also intriguing. That had to be at least part of the dynamic between them. Yume watched this exchange with a knowing smile. Mysterious hot brilliant man was a pretty tall order, none could judge the interest in Mugen, Yume herself definitely wouldn't be doing so. In reply to the statement made Miwa had a strange grin break across her face, "I'm sure if I decided something like that you'd know about it before I did~" she chimed.

Ah, moving on... there was the matter of Charles reaching a crossroads physically and apparently one mentally as well. The question he presented was a strange one, and Sakura had to give a bit of thought as to how to describe her parents without further confusing the lad. Humans were kind of simple and he still thought like one regardless of his ascension. As such she would be better off whittling her parents down to their most easily identifiable traits. "Oyaji is a demon. Otou-chan is the elf..." she explained, knowing he would have at least seen both of them the day before even if they hadn't been formally introduced. Still it was a strange thing to think about but she would easily follow along.

Mugen was no stranger to being called excessive. In fact, his nature couldn't even be blamed on the Void or his demon origins. No... it all started long before he was a demon, but that was information only a few people had at present. Miwa herself, oddly enough, was not on the knowing list. That would become relevant eventually. Regardless, Mugen took interest in the thought process of Yume. The simple mention of an ape had her wondering about Wukong's identity. Would he spoil it? No. He would, however, bring up the fact that Miwa said nothing about that implication. "Ho? Nothing to say about how we treat the beastly Myouou? Now who's skipping the important parts?♥" he questioned teasingly.

Well, if she wanted to brush that off, he'd leave her to it... for now. There was still the matter of how Miwa apparently felt patronized. He actually intended no such thing, though it was amusing to see her so huffy about something. "I think you do like it. If you didn't, then I'd question you on why you haven't just asked for answers yet," was his response. Mugen knew how much enjoyment Miwa got out of her studies. The same could be said of the Myouou, though for varying reasons in some cases. "Though maybe I'd lie about the answer? Maybe I wouldn't answer it at all. Maybe I'd give you half an answer just to see the look on your face when you figure out the rest by yourself. We both know what I came to Munetsuchi to study either way."

For some reason, Charlemagne expected Sakura to answer his question with names ─ names he also wouldn't be able to keep track of. Instead, she spoke of one as a demon, and another as an elf. The latter was obviously the very first he'd seen among her fathers, and the former... ah, that was the most recent one. Luckily enough, he could remember those two by the identities given. "Ah, gotcha! Judging by Fier, I doubt an elf's methods would do anything but make it all more complex. I don't know what to expect of a demon, though. So... how about option three?" he asked. One specific thing had been said by Sakura moments before. Since this was a land full of those who enjoyed learning, he thought she might enjoy the opportunity to try something she wasn't sure about. "If you don't mind me relying on you again, could you be the one to help? You said your understanding is limited, but I'm well-traveled... I think. You could get a new experience, and I could help fill in whatever blanks you have on the outside world. Uh... If you're interested, I mean," he offered, seeming slightly embarrassed to be making another request even with the given reasons.

There was still a teasing conversation happening between Miwa and Mugen. Strangely, Yume found herself capable of keeping track of both that and her own thoughts. Mugen teased about the treatment of the beastly Myouou, and Miwa could do nothing but scoff, sitting back in her seat as if offended by the words offered. "I resent that a bit, it isn't like I treat them badly. Nor do I treat them differently simply because they are beastly..." she said. She thought to clarify both the nature of the two beastly Myouou and her own as a dominating force. "Wu-chan is prone to restlessness so sometimes a bit of force is required to calm him down. Acting in such a way against him is usually unecessary unless he's been bored for a while," she stated honestly. "Zheng-sa... as we all know, has an unruly and sometimes distasteful attitude. An occasional reminder of his place in the world is appropriate," she mused. "And I am perfectly fine contributing whatever attitude is most suited to the situation~" she finished up finally. Yume looked back at the woman and smirked. "So, definitely an enabler..." she confirmed as if it made the most sense only to follow up with the rest. "I do get what you mean, the Bird Emperor was pretty high-strung and I realized that even as a human," she said with a shrug most casual. "Is that how you see it? Interesting..." Miwa mentioned. "And for the record, I think our newest beastly acquisition could be easily coddled... though getting around her skittishness is a study all its own~"

Moving on, Mugen claimed that Miwa had to like the feelings she was having or else he'd question her continued lack of directness in acquring answers. "Obviously it's fun to figure things out for myself," she added as if it needed saying. And it didn't need saying, as more flirty words left Mugen and discussed the hypotheticals of trying to get information out of him for one in Miwa's position. She couldn't help but smirk. She'd soon find herself leaning forward, almost glaring. "And this this is also why I don't just ask... still, you're definitely on your game today~" she said quite certain he was having very good luck this day.

And then there was Charles and Sakura. Both of them were moving about Munetsuchi as Charles tried to plan how to deal with his current problem. After being given an explanation which didn't include anything resembling real explanation about the names she'd assigned to her different fathers, Sakura found the lad receptive to the information. "That one was also understood," the girl said. Maybe she should treat her conversations with Charles and information distribution the way they treated children in Munetsuchi? Moving on from that thought, it seemed that he didn't wish to consult her elf father to avoid an over complication, this of course based on his prior experience with elves. There was the mention of the unknown aspects of dealing her father that was the demon. That being said, he seemed to have come to a different conclusion all together. He wanted her help. He was clear on what he wished her to help with, but something in the offer itself seemed, much softer than him simply asking her about map making potentially. She didn't really understand that, but she would help him to the best of her abilities if he thought she could be of use. "I would not turn down an opportunity to learn something new. Nor would I be upset if you decided to rely on me for something else," she offered. "If the lack of experience I have in this way... won't be a problem... I'd be glad to help you figure it out," she concluded.

"Of course you don't treat them badly. I don't think someone of this world could rightly complain about being touched by a goddess, no matter the manner or reason," Mugen mused. The reasons she had for behaving in such a way with those two were solid, and much to the expectation of Mugen. Actually, he wouldn't have been surprised if she took a few additional steps... but that was none of his concern. Miwa was indeed proving her nature as an enabler, as Yume claimed. As for what the goddess had to say about the newest beast-like person in their group, Mugen figured the goddess would eventually find herself surprised. "Don't get too attached to that thought. She'll show you how unpredictable humans can be," he insisted. "Or do. It's always fun seeing what happens when people encounter the unexpected. It'll be fun either way."

Meanwhile, Charlemagne was facing the odd differences between Sakura and himself once again. She seemed to take his understanding strangely, as if it was odd how he grasped those explanations. "Why do you sound surprised about that?" the lad wondered. It didn't make sense to him that she was so strange about the simplest information being understood. Whatever the reason for that reaction, Charlemagne's biggest concern was whether she'd accept his offer... or rather, request. According to the young goddess, she wouldn't turn down an opportunity to learn something new. He figured as much, but Charlemagne was never one to impose. Since she was so quick to offer her services, he'd happily rely even on her allegedly lacking experience. "I doubt it'll be a problem. Like I said, I feel like we can cover the experience thing. You've got a type of understanding we don't, so maybe we can really cram our heads together and come up with something amazing. I've got no reason to distrust you," he spoke. With that said, Charlemagne was on the move again. He wasn't sure whether it was in their best interest to return just yet; maybe there were a few other discoveries to be made throughout the city. Sakura could probably give some insight about that. "So, do you think there's anything else worth checking while we're out? I'm really at a loss for the most part."

According to Mugen he didn't think it possible for someone to not enjoy being touched by a goddess in this world. "Hm, I suppose that is one way to look at it," Miwa mentioned. Admittedly she could think of at least one goddess who people shouldn't want to touch but she also understood fully that mortal beings weren't likely to see her for what she actually was. This was no matter for long term thought. Well, at least that was all until Yume had a thought, mostly about how divinities of this world sounded more and more like date-rapists by the moment. Moving on, it appeared the new girl was some kind of animal person and one which Miwa thought to coddle, Mugen thought the lass might be more surprising than that... and Yume had no opinion other than knowing that it was someone she knew. "Playing devil's adovcate Mugen-sama, will make you out to be an enabler too~" Yume mentioned. Though, she couldn't herself argue about the nature of potential human surprise. They were always capable of that, for better or for worse. Meanwhile the mention of the surprises potentially offered by the elafia girl were taken interestingly by Miwa, "Unpredictable is great. I do love to witness innovation. I am looking forward to any surprises she might offer... though it is admittedly hard to imagine," she stated. "But I suppose there is something to be said for the continued absence of Ai-chan. That explanation will be legendary~" she said seeming to find it interesting that Ailen hadn't come down once even to have a look at her potential research topics. That was certainly a credit to his new apprentice if nothing else. Yume found this strange, perhaps it was another kink... or maybe it was something magical and emotional that led this woman to be happy for her husbands finding other people to share themselves with?

Sakura was strangely the type of person who would always answer a question, so when asked by Charles why she sounded surprised by the idea that her explanation worked, she gave a rather candid reply. "I have been trying to be mindful that you are not subconsciously keeping track of the conversations happening around you and sorting the information they present the way others would... I am surprised that such simple answers seem to garner positive responses," she explained of her understanding. The way more complicated existences in Munetsuchi worked, most if not all could at least tell you the important bits of conversations they could hear in the same space with them whether they were fully trying to commit the information to memories or not. In her case, she could easily keep track of various bits of extra information that entered her mind. But that wasn't truly important right now. Instead, Charles claimed her inexperience in this case wasn't a problem because of her understanding of things. He thought she was worthy of trust in this case and she couldn't help but find it to be a strange statement. "You might be too trusting. Still I will accept this..." she concluded.

Moving on, there was something he asked of her. If there was anything else worth checking out. He was at a loss, he claimed. That was interesting she figured his amount of ideas would be high, but maybe it was difficult because it was his problem. "In the case of the sort of thing you were doing... I'd probably try to get some perspective. Walking around at ground level, getting a map and those sorts of things are good initial steps. But as i understand it, cartography is an artform as well as a science. It should require inspiration," she said. Ah, but she needed to clarify a bit. "Though I don't think you'd understand that the way my parents would so... let's go, there..." she said turning and pointing to a great hill top with a lonely pagoda atop it. It overlooked the river which fed into the sea, and given its placement you could see for miles on a clear day. Perhaps it would give some thoughts or maybe it would help him better figure out the details necessary for the type of map he wished to create. Regardless it was a worthwhile endeavor by her understanding because of the way such things worked.

There were many ways to view the uniqueness of Miwa's relationship with those specific two, and just as many ways to view mortals making contact with divines. Of the latter, Mugen could think of a limited few negative forms of contact with goddesses. Apart from those, one could only grow from the interaction as a whole. The same could actually be said of his ilk if they viewed things from a certain angle. Yume, for example, brought up the idea of him being an enabler as well. He scoffed once more. "I've never not been an enabler," he insisted, speaking the likely greatest truth from his own mouth in the past week. "Though I suppose I could do more, if it's not obvious. Someone may have been upset about a lower quality inmon, after all~♥"

To follow a strange reaction, Sakura had an even stranger explanation. Considering how she and the higher-ups of Munetsuchi behaved, it came as no surprise that they regularly practiced the sort of mental storing he'd learned about from that demon goddess. On the other hand, it still made no sense for her to be surprised by his positive reaction. "Yeah that... just sounds weird to me. You're making it sound like a simple thing shouldn't be understood, but a complex thing shouldn't be. Besides that, I'm not some scholar; I don't make a habit of brain exercises as entertainment. There's too much other stuff to take in and enjoy," he stated. On the topic of how trusting he was, Sakura may have been right. After all, it was his faith in Father An that landed him here initially. Regardless, he had a somewhat better sense of things now. Charlemagne wasn't trusting the girl to succeed ─ he was just trusting her to give a solid effort that may prove beneficial. That was all he could expect of anyone.

Regarding getting some ideas for progression, Sakura suggested seeking perspective and... moreover, inspiration. Approaching things artistically was an interesting take that he could get behind, so he faced the hill she gestured toward and gave it some heavy consideration. "Huh. Calm mind-space kind of stuff, yeah? Alright, let's go," he said while making the first step toward the pagoda. He could do with a bit of unwinding as well, after everything else he'd been dealing with. A calm breath of fresh air was sorely missed at this point, even though he had a solid few the day before falling from Aincrad. . .

The words Mugen had to share with Yume made her eye shift to him again. She didn't know how one managed to be so proud of themselves, but she wasn't one to argue about it. She couldn't even argue, this man had enabled her quite a bit even in the last few hours, "I can't argue against that, Mugen-sama..." she stated. She could have gone on, stating how oddly shameless his acceptance of himself was, but she supposed a in a world where literally every part of an individual built them as an existence, accepting even your negative aspects were likely good. Beyond those points, Miwa found herself watching passively until of course the bit about inmons and quality and upsetness were mentioned in the same statement. "Oi oi, don't do that. I wasn't upset, I was curious. The difference is vast... to be honest, I figured I wouldn't get to see one not on my own body for a while at least~" she mused. The deerling of their group seemed like the type to avoid Mugen for quite a while after their previously established 'raincheck'. "Hm,I have to agree with Miwa-sama. Upset adult women are very different in their responses," Yume said. She was speaking from experience, but an adult woman jealous of a teenager could only become more problematic in a magical world, not less. "Oh, but that wasn't me saying something discouraging just an observation..." the girl followed up. Her life had just gotten really interesting, she supposed.

At the same time, Sakura was left with a strange reaction from Charles. He thought her response was weird. He went on to detail his thoughts about the simplicity or lack their of in explanations. He cited his lack of scholarship and brain exercises as reasons for this and it made Sakura's brow furrow. "To me that is a strange thing to say. The sort of simplicity that I've been offering is the sort I see adults offer children most of the time," she murmured. Was Charles aware that his words could be interpreted as his being dumb? Did he know he basically admitted it while claiming there was more to enjoy to life? She wondered if it was even the case that he actually enjoyed not thinking or if he just didn't realize something he enjoyed counted as a mental exercise. She supposed she'd be finding that out long term. While she didn't think any one thing should determine enjoyment, not using your mind to enjoy things didn't make sense.

Whether the lad fully understood why she thought him too trusting nor not, his trust in this situation wouldn't be misplaced. Sakura had every reason to help the lad, and every reason to continue her journey along his side. If a map and understanding were part of his plan she'd help out in everyway she could think of. Her initial thought was that he gain inspiration. Of course, she wasn't clearer about how that was done, and allowed his mind to go the way that human minds' tended to lean. "Hai, I am not entirely sure what the process for this will be, but calm-minds are the first place to start when undertaking a new activity," she said seeming to understand the proper process even without a full understanding of what it would lead to. She walked with him heading towards that pagoda wondering exactly how this lad planned to share information with her to help along this map creation.

Both women thought to say something against Mugen's claim of an upset Miwa. In response, the demon initially rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. How annoying. "One would think you'd both know how to receive a casual jab by now. Apparently not," he griped. Why the pair of them took his words so literally would remain a mystery. Since seriousness was being applied here, he thought it best to have them both relax. Of course, he always had a way of doing that. The very seals they were all discussing would be activated with a thought. First, Mugen's eyes glowed with the appearance of Yume's inmon overlaying his pupils, activating hers to create a continuous, almost vibration-like pulse where it lay. While that occurred, the seal one would find on Miwa took its place in his gaze, much to the same effect. "You should both loosen up a bit~" he said in the meantime.

Apparently, the sort of explanation Sakura gave Charlemagne was the same sort people of Munetsuchi gave children. He couldn't call that very surprising, considering the nature of this country. Anywhere else would be experiencing a different story entirely. "That's not how it works everywhere. You know, most people don't treat knowledge and all that as such an important thing. There's the saying 'knowledge is power' and all, but... really, it sounds crazy enough to be some people's entire personalities in a place like this," he answered. Upon speaking, Charlemagne thought the better of a few key words. "I mean... nothing against you or anyone else here; it seems to work fine in this country. It's just that people of different backgrounds have different values, you know?" he continued.

As they made their way to the pagoda, Charlemagne became more relaxed by the moment. Kicking back and enjoying the scenery was something he rarely had a chance to do while working in Aincrad of late, which directly contradicted his reason for becoming an adventurer. Sakura wasn't sure what the process was to be, and neither was Charlemagne. Ah, but they could agree on the importance of a calm mind. Charlemagne stepped up to take in a great view of Munetsuchi, a deep breath, and a calming atmosphere at long last. "This. The first place... the last place. I really feel like it's what we're all looking for in the end, you know? I know I said a lot about the whole brain-focus thing a minute ago, but... just this. I don't think anything matters if you can't take a moment to take in the sights and smell the flowers."

One joke. One little joke by Mugen didn't get the response that he thought it should. And his response was to gripe, and show exasperation in the form of nose gripping. But his response was also... retaliation. Poor poor, Yume. She'd even ended her statement with acknowledgement, that she didn't mean anything by her own statement. So why? Why was the inmon on her body being activated. "Aha♥~" she couldn't even get her sentence out initially. Why was it pulsing like that? She imagined this to be similar to those sex toys that were advertised on late night tv. Whatever the case, Yume would be found holding her lower stomach with hearts in her pupils, it was serving it's purpose and making her relax, but she hardly needed to do so in the first place. Soon after Miwa would be joining her in this level of new torture. Her own seal causing a vibration in her core which had her shivering out right. "And another one," she managed in response. Were they they ones not capable of taking a playful jab? Well, nothing about the way Miwa had responded to this one was very different to the way she'd been responding to the other ones specifically as she got to know Yume. That being said there was a certain mood being forced by this seal's activation so that would remain at the forefront.

Meanwhile, Sakura was busy hearing that apparently the fixation of the outer world was not anything she'd ever understand. Knowledge is power? She'd heard that before, but it wasn't so much a thing as it was implied to be, she could clear that up. Before she was able to make that clarification though, Charles apparently thought the better of some of his words and went for further clarification. Sakura in the moment maintained the idea that the need for clarification could have been avoided with the proper knowledge of how to communicate his point. Ah... "Sou ka, the value of things other than knowledge. I might understand that... Even here everyone has different ideas of what knowledge is important. My parents don't completely agree on the details," she explained, choosing to forego more official titles in the hopes of simplifying her point. "Also, Oyaji would say that power is power... and knowledge is one aspect of it," she said giving maybe a bit of insight into how knowledge was viewed here. But... maybe not. By her own logic and given the apparent lax education of those outside the points of such things might be lost. "And I wouldn't take offense... if anything I am only left with sympathy for those among the outsiders who wouldn't be able to thrive under these different values," she said seeming to imply a slightly more negative word. In this way she was starting to view Anais as a rescued person, who was saved from mundane human stupidity.

Ah, but they were approaching a place of calm thought, and as such they were building into a more normal moment. Sakura had looked out over this place a few times, but she found it a bit different every time she did it. In the moment she was seeing it in the company of someone new, and as such it was a moment to be contemplated a bit differently. He claimed this sort of place was what everyone was looking for. Apparently, in spite of his sayings concerning the brain-focus of this country, he thought that life was about moments to take in sights and smell flowers? "Sou ka, priority taken for appreciating nature and things less complex..." she seemed to be giving it some thought. A couple of her parents would always agree, so she could understand it. That was an odd thing to consider though... for someone who potentially wanted to enjoy simple things, Charles was oddly focused. Appreciating simplicity as far as she understood it,went hand in hand with more idle behavior. Strange contradictions existed in this world, perhaps she'd ask her parents about it later? She seemed to be coming to an understanding of certain strange human things in spending time with Charles.

Once he had both Yume and Miwa subjected to the inmon's more directly stimulating effects, Mugen took the time to just appreciate this new turn of events. They were both better off falling into a state of bliss anyway, regardless of the reason he made it so. "Much better. Don't you both think everything is simpler when it's like this?" he asked teasingly. Mugen's hands were waving about like those of a conductor, seeming to be in harmony with the inmon pulses. He may have even believed he was doing them a real favor. "I could enhance it, if you like. Actually... there's something I never got to try," he considered. With that in mind, his hands crossed one another in swift movements. Mugen could finally take advantage of an opportunity. His seal had two hosts, so he could finally discover what would happen if he... casually linked the two. What would happen if one's pleasure further triggered the other's, and vice versa. They'd all be finding out in a matter of moments.

Meanwhile, Charlemagne was hearing a different perspective on the 'knowledge is power' clause, as dictated by one of Sakura's fathers. Frankly, he agreed wholeheartedly. "I can get behind that. Nothing should be completely discredited, and nothing should be focused exclusively. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're bad at. That's why..." He paused just long enough to take a deep breath. Over everything else, he was still taking it all in. He had to take a moment for that while getting his thoughts together ─ especially as he had another clause to address. "That's why I don't get the whole sympathy thing you're talking about. Maybe someone doesn't need to thrive under the circumstances someone else understands. I've got over a dozen close friends, and I can't imagine any of them blossoming in the same category. I don't even know how to explain it properly, but... I think that's awesome," he rambled.

A serene setting had many benefits, and many consequences. Charlemagne felt he could be at ease for a time, having no worries for the tragedies that surrounded him lately, nor for the potential repercussions of his own actions. On the other hand... he was less likely to think forward as well. He could, however, think of the current discussion. "It's not just nature; it's everything. Whether it's plants, the sky, the buildings... even the sight of an elderly couple having tea outside. It's seeing all the things we fight for in action, and knowing we're doing the right thing. Looking out at a place like this, I get that feeling. This is the peace we thought we were bringing in Aincrad, but... we were wrong about that. But, we can still work for the results we want."