Castle of Loch Ness

[Apollymi]

As Merlyn conversed with Sir Hector, it seemed she'd been flattering him quite a bit. He claimed that her statements swelled his ego... or rather the ego of any man she would have said such things to. "Hoh? I'll have to keep that in mind~" Merlyn teased knowing that such a statement could be openly interpreted several ways and that she meant them in both the normal fashion and the flirty one. Ah, but a deep sigh came from Sir Hector over the course of his next speech. apparently there was something problematic about Merlyn's lack of social grace, as far as eating was concerned. How much of a problem was this? Enough of one that Sir Hector claimed he didn't envy her at all. "Ah, well that is far from rude... it's pretty fair. Knights are so very respectful in all things~" she mused. Well, such sentences helped her ignore the fact that she knew exactly what this man meant. She was indeed lonely enough to not have considered what it was to eat and be merry with others. Hell, she was hardly personable, most of it was an act and most people just didn't notice it. Well, that probably wasn't as true as she thought it was. Sir Cador had noticed it before he ever laid eyes on her. Sir Dagonet also noticed just by manner of her speech. Adding Sir Hector to the list of those who'd come to understand her nature was bound to happen. Ah, but what was this... much like Sir Cador before him, Sir Hector came with a solution to a problem... something for the succubus to try.

"Dine... with you?" she said it as if it was a completely foregin concept. It probably didn't help that her previous life didn't lead to much by way of food consumption for community sake either. What with her figure to manage and the long hours of work, she hardly had time to eat to sustain herself much less did she actually do so for the sake of spending time with anyone... well, that wasn't entirely true. There was one person, she took meals with on a regular basis. Still, she could only reply in the way which made her feel the most normal but a singular showing of an old habit came back, as she clasped her left arm behind her right in a most nervous manner. "The Sword Saint would make a reasonable Shoulder Angel, I think~" she said with teasing in her voice. "Still, it's hard to argue against him... though one has to wonder whether he's the good or bad one for trying to humanize the succubus?~" she questioned most rhetorically. "I suppose no harm could come of it, especially if Sir Hector will sit beside me~ I'd probably be bored otherwise... and enjoying life would be a new experience~" she said lightly. Everything sounded teasing but there was much weight to be found, especially in the latter half of that sentence. Whatever the case, her hood would return to her face by the time they reached the castle and Merlyn would stick rather closely to the side of Sir Hector. Like a small child on the first day of school. At the same time, Emilia was surprised to learn that Arthur remembered a comment she made in passing their first meeting. It seemed like such a forgettable thing to her, she could help but find it strange. "It's weird you remember that..." she said her face lightly red as it was when he'd fussed over her. No matter.

[Bloodedge]

Of course Merlyn would keep that in mind. She constantly seemed the type to tease for the sake of teasing, so he was already expecting some form of relentlessness to appear eventually. All would be fine. The concern at present, was simply whether Merlyn would take dinner with the rest of Loch Ness or not. The gears in her head seemed to be turning for a bit after the offer was officially made, but that all made sense. As long as she'd been around, did she even know what foods she would like? So many humans with short lifespans had difficulty choosing their absolute favorite food from a 'top ten' list, he wondered how long it would take one to forget the list entirely. Moreover, how long had Merlyn even been alive without eating mortal food? Surely saying hundreds of years would be a grave miscalculation. Thousands? Millions? It would be rude to even think of asking.

Ah, Sir Hector de Maris, the Shoulder Angel; it had a nice ring to it. Was he the good, or the bad? Well, that sort of thing was always relative, wasn't it? "Haha! You have my word, I have only your mental wellbeing in mind. Though I am doing what I think is best, I could never be so presumptuous as to call myself anything but neutral," he said with a hand held over his heart. To humanize a succubus may have been seen as a sinful act, but Merlyn had done no wrongs... at least he couldn't imagine her being among the succubi of lore who drained men to death in malicious feedings. "I will sit with you, if you will have me. It would be my honor to take part in the enjoyment of life being a daily occurrence for the Lady Merlyn. I'm sure the rest share this sentiment."

Soon enough, the castle's dining hall would be upon them. Cador was handing out the final servings to those who hadn't eaten yet, and Arthur was continuing to laugh about Emilia's reactions. Was it weird that he remembered their earliest discussion? He didn't think so; first impressions were of great importance. Even so, he had nothing directly to say about the situation. What was he to say anyway, when Emilia's face had already gained the integrity of a beet? All things considered, he had enough of a laugh already, so he could grant some reprieve while she ate.

[Apollymi]

Merlyn would likely tease this man and any others mercilessly once finding things she could tease them about. It'd become her main source of entertainment after all. Still, there was the matter of her newest Shoulder Angel, with him in addition to her emotional support Knight she was shaping up to make her next few centuries way less crazed than her first few. Another laugh, good, she enjoyed that someone like Sir Hector could laugh a bit when around her, perhaps she wasn't completely as broken as she appeared. "Oooh~ The word of a Knight is such a binding thing..." she mused though she admired that about Knights in general. "I will of course take your word," she said with a knowing smile. "And leave you in charge of my wellbeing... though I don't envy you the task~" her words were chipper and light but it was becoming obvious that Merlyn may have spent far too much of her life in this world alone. "And if it is your honor to be part of my enjoyment of this life... I'll make sure to give it an honest try~" mused the succubus. True to her word, she would definitely take up the side of Sir Hector. And approach this meal with a more open mind than she'd started her day with.

So who would be the last lady to approach Arthur then? None but Merlyn herself. That face hidden behind her hood she still seemed a bit skittish. Ah, well there were multiple reasons for this but it was mostly because she truly hadn't consumed mortal food for long enough to not know what her tastes were regarding it. Upon reaching Sir Cador and Arthur she'd have something mildly quippy to say. "Apparently, I am supposed to enjoy life a bit. So on the advice of my most trusted Shoulder Angel I will be partaking~" she managed. What could one meal hurt? She hadn't seen any of this coming... it was stressful dealing with people. She'd not seen another player in... well too long. It isn't like St. Paul's Cathedral was a hub of people or anything. In fact even before that was built the place it was built upon never had anyone stay in it but the locals. In and out... groups passed day and night. Some staying for a short while but always picking up. Moving across the continent, dying or some other such thing. What was the point if there was something she needed to do? Did she really need to do it? These were all questions, Merlyn had asked herself and in the end she supposed she'd think of a proper answer over, dinner.

[Bloodedge]

Ah, a solid commitment at last. Hector bared teeth betwixt upturned lips as Merlyn finally broke down, lending herself to the care of others for the sake of her betterment. This was good. None who went to such lengths as Merlyn for the better deserved an extended life of solitude─ especially not a self-inflicted one well after joining the company of others. "There are few tasks I find myself troubled by; no need to worry. Even if it becomes arduous for some unknown reason, I will persevere simply because you deserve as much." These were Sir Hector's final words regarding their agreement of care. Merlyn was certainly accumulating quite the following in this country. Somewhere, perhaps even somewhen, someone was groaning for reasons unknown. If only every immortal could be fawned over so freely as Merlyn soon would be.

Moments later, Arthur would finally be offering his verbal response to Sir Cador. "If this is what I should expect of kingship, I guess it won't be so bad. Still, I─" He stopped there, surprised by the appearance of... Merlyn of all people. She was going to be taking dinner with them? Arthur had been traveling with Merlyn for months, and they had never shared a meal in any tavern, diner, or even at camp. Arthur wore an expression of shock the likes of which he hadn't felt in ages, yet it was... pleasant. "Really? Well, my thanks go out to your newfound conscience," he said, throwing together two scoops of rice and a hefty ladle of curry. The same process was repeated for Sir Hector, and both servings were held out simultaneously. "Welcome to normal life, Merlyn. Good to have you along for once~" the blonde spoke, beaming as he did so. Cador flashed a grin as well, for multiple reasons even. It was indeed nice to have Merlyn joining this 'victory' dinner, but it seemed she had also made quite the impression on Sir Hector, and he on her. In that case, it would be Cador who poured them both wine. "I see many reasons to celebrate, both in the past and in the near future. We should drink to an interesting kingdom and new take on life at this point~"

[Apollymi]

A commitment of any sort was rather strange for Merlyn. Even so, she looked at Sir Hector and found him bearing for her a toothy smile. Oh, how new. The man was so very upright she'd not known his face possessed such a feature. He even went on to claim that looking after her as such would likely not trouble him at all. Going further as to state, that even if it happened to be troublesome he'd still aim to do his best because she deserved it!? Did she though? Merlyn didn't really get this devotion, she'd not shown herself to be anything more than reasonable in her own eyes. Even so, in the face of that smile and conviction she could bring up nary an argument. "Oh my!~ If I'd known Sir Hector's face could bear such a smile... I might have turned myself over to such an idea more freely~" she mused, it was all in jest. Well, not really, she truly did enjoy the smile he gave her, and beyond that she enjoyed the idea of becoming properly part of this group, even if it didn't mesh with her original understanding of her own life in this world. Doing such things made her feel connected to the person she missed, though she imagined him being less than pleased about all of this.

Soon enough they were standing before Arthur and Sir Cador, the former of whom seemed genuinely surprised by her appearance here. She wondered if he simply assumed she ate alone all the time, but she supposed it would come up eventually. At present the lad seemed so happy that she was here, Merlyn herself wasn't sure how to feel about it. "Hm, yes thank the conscience I don't own myself for having me eat..." she paused this was curry. He decided to make curry? Who does that?! "Curry?" she said with a raised brow. How strange, still it was one of her favorite dishes so she couldn't really be upset if it was to be her first real meal in this world. "In a magical world learning to be normal... I suppose I am happy to be along~" she said, she was still a bit unsure of her current life decisions. She didn't look into it hard enough. Ah, but then there was Sir Cador... who offered wine. Wine she made, so she knew that would be good. And pleased words even. There was much meaning to be taken from such an open and happy statement. It was so very indirect but also so very pointed. Merlyn cut her eyes to the Spirit Knight a knowing little smirk appearing on her face. "Oh? How very supportive, Sir Cador. Still, I could always drink to such a thing, I thank you~" Merlyn would soon after taking her dish head to sit down and make sure the years hadn't erased her memory of eating food. Side by side on the plate were these two food items she understood how to eat them but looked for several moments. Why was this joyful again?

[Bloodedge]

Dinner was served. Everyone in Loch Ness had something to eat, and something to drink... except one unknown person, who'd yet to be encountered by anyone in the castle's great dining hall. Who was that person? Time would tell, but for the moment, there was merriment to be had, and Arthur wasn't going to be having any of Merlyn's sass about it. "Yes, thank the heavens you could actually be pulled off your ass to do something for once," he said in jest, picking up his own plate in preparation to join the others. "And yes, curry. Enjoy it, Merlyn; you've earned it more than anyone else here."

Joking aside, Arthur didn't sit very far from Merlyn at all when taking his own place. Hector however, sat directly beside the sorceress... and so did Cador. Not far at all, were the likes of Dagonet and Elyan, who seemed to be enjoying a conversation all their own. It seemed there weren't many open ears, and Sir Cador would be one to speak with Merlyn and his red-haired fellow knight. "Yo two seem to have become well-acquainted. I take it things went well by the harbor?" he asked, mostly in rhetoric prior to sipping his wine. There were interesting things afoot; this much was obvious to Cador. Ah, and here was the joy for one such as the Spirit Knight─ banter over dinner was what he enjoyed. After all, such banter was when some determined their after-dinner activities of the same night.

[Apollymi]

Back-sass and quips. Yes, that was what Merlyn was used to when it came to Arthur. It was distinctly easy for her when he was this way, so imagine her surprise when the lad had a follow up statement. She should enjoy her food. She deserved it?! "You being so nice to me is frightening. Are you sure you're feeling well?" she questioned. Though her statements came with a hint of sarcasm there was a great deal of truth in her statement. Merlyn for all her randomness knew how to deal with quippy, annoyed Arthur... this nice one was difficult to navigate. Actually, it was even more distressing than that... but she'd keep that bit to herself. It was much easier to let bad things happen around her, if she wasn't thinking directly about it. The surprise of Arthur's current disposition towards her, was giving her a great amount of torment. Even though she knew her personal change of heart would make no difference in the outcome she still had to live with the extra guilt.

How would such guilt be made worse? She took a spoon full of food. She paused immediately after, it was so good. She hadn't eaten in ages, but this felt nice. She took another bite, distraction by food was almost enough. Well, she would have preferred her food be actually distraction. Oh, but here it was. She found herself sandwiched between Sir Cador and Sir Hector. How nice. Actually... she really enjoyed this particular seating arrangement. A sip of wine later and she was directing her attention to Sir Cador, who wished to banter. Banter was good, banter was distracting. "Hm, I assume things went well... Sir Hector is great company. And the Harbor is nice~" she mused. One to keep up appearances, and send a bit of teasing in the direction of the red haired man she continued. "Sir Hector did you enjoy the view?~" she asked with her eye narrowing ever so slightly towards Arthur. Ah... yes, it was almost showtime.

Showtime? The approach of a young woman armored beyond reason from behind Arthur was one which wouldn't immediately be noted. She was just as blonde as the king with bright blue eyes and found herself watching this merrymaking of the group at large with a bit of a smile. There was a twinkle in her eye akin to pride as she double checked her own thoughts. How interesting. She'd come to this place to look for someone else entirely but how fun, indeed to find this set of people doing things here and now. A dainty hand would be reaching over the lad's plate in a manner most comfortable as she took a piece of meat from his curry and chuckled. "You're quite late, little brother... but at least you cooked." She said as if bored to death.

[Bloodedge]

"I'm feeling magnificent!" was Arthur's reply to Merlyn's inquiry. "How could I not be? We've put Zuria behind us for the time being, and all these people can look forward to fresh meals like this again and again, while this place gets back on its feet." Arthur meant every word he spoke. In truth, he'd never risen higher than at this very moment. If he became acknowledged as a king, that would be fine. If he became the Hero wielding Excalibur, that would also be fine. None of that compared to this, though; everything else paled in comparison to directly helping actual people. Even better, this was a group effort by a crew so recently built.

Merlyn had interesting things to say, in her usual indirect manner. Cador grinned and chuckled at her every word, and Hector had reason to snicker when she questioned him. "I enjoyed it quite thoroughly, as a matter of fact. I may even say it was the most magnificent moon I've ever laid eyes upon," he stated, much to Cador's understanding. "H'oh? I had a thorough glance myself earlier, and I have to agree with Sir Hector. Actually, I was expecting to go moon-gazing after dinner." What an interesting discussion this group was having, related only to the scenery of Loch Ness to those who weren't in the know. "As you should, Sir Cador. I was hoping to bask in the moonlight as well." Amidst all the banter, Cador took note of an interesting sight. Why was Merlyn looking toward the would-be king that way? It seemed almost as if something was amiss while she let this conversation progress, but it wasn't exactly an expression Cador could ignore. "Something the matter, Merlyn? It isn't as if we're going to raise our swords to claim rights to the moonlight," he quipped, though his query remained quite serious.

Ah, showtime indeed. Arthur was being greeted in one of the most familiar manners he could have ever experienced. Feminine fingers reached around him, and a warmth graced his very soul as a strip of bison was robbed from his plate. As the meat made its way past his shoulder, there was a sparkle in the blonde male's eye. In any country, any world, any reality, there was only one person who would do such a thing to him while speaking that way. The smile on his face could have nearly reached his temples, and he hadn't even turned around to view this woman yet. "Late?! Aneki, you make it sound like I should have been planning to end up here. You also make it sound like you've been waiting for me to get to this spot. If you're going to start explaining something to me now, at least grab a plate of this incredible dish we've all worked hard on."

[Apollymi]

Arthur was in good spirits for a combination of reasons. Ah, his mindset shifted after leaving Zuria... understandable. He was excited to help people? How very noble and kind though that wasn't exclusively the Avatar speaking huh? No, it was probably just him. "Well, as long as you're happy... carry on," Merlyn responded. She ate more, and drank more with an occasional eye shift towards that one. Even as she talked over her potential nights plans in the most discrete way possible, she was still working very hard to ignore that which was coming. If she'd known this was the meal, she might have tried to avoid being here... but alas she couldn't do that exactly.

Most magnificent he'd ever seen? Sir Hector was full of compliments which brought a smile to Merlyn's face. "What a fine assessment. I'm glad I could share it with you~" she mused in response to Sir Hector. It was strange how very easy it was to pretend to have such a normal conversation while setting up a date. But she'd gotten quite used to this sort of banter with Sir Cador so it was hardly a change of pace of the sorceress. Oh now, Sir Cador and Sir Hector were talking? About both wishing to gaze upon the moon. How nice, perhaps she'd get the amount of distraction necessary this day. Perhaps she could actually pretend to ignore it. She'd been taking several more bites. Her body still mechanically carrying on while her mind raced. Why did the food actually have to be good too? Oh... but she'd been too quiet. Sir Cador had noticed. Of course he would, what good was an Emotional Support Knight if he didn't notice her distress. "You'll have to forgive me... it's been way too long since I last ate. I just got a bit distracted~" she brushed it aside. "Of course, two such upstanding knights as yourself wouldn't dare draw swords over something that could easily be shared~" she stated with that same amused tone, even as the armored woman came into full view. Even as Arthur showed obvious happy recognition and affection in his face. 'Happy now. Sad later.'

She ate that piece of meat and gave a moment of consideration to the lad's words. Would she stay for dinner? "Hm? You know I usually don't stay for meals... but what I came down here for can wait. Just this once~" she said with a knowing smirk. She knew the boy was happy to see her. He had every reason to be, they weren't on bad terms or anything of the sort and beyond all though it had been quite a long time since their previous plans were established, they were supposed to gather for a sibling activity day at some point in the past. "Have you forgotten that you were supposed to stop by and play with us on your last day off? We didn't end up seeing you, but we figured you got caught up in something... so you are quite late by our own standards. But I am sure both Emi and Eri will be happy you're okay," she said with a bit of consideration. "As for this place, I knew someone would end up here... and I can move about a bit more freely than everyone else, between here and the upper realm. So, I came down here to look into something... unrelated. But this place was left by Eri a long time ago, so when I saw people moving around it I got curious. Someone also tamed that little present I left in the lake so... I stopped to check in, I expected to find Sir Lancelot or one of the others on a job. Finding you here, wasn't necessarily what I expected, but Clairvoyance comes in tiers..." she said with a shrug most casual. She made herself a plate and took a seat beside her younger brother. "So then, why are you making curry in Loch Ness?"

[Bloodedge]

"As am I," said Hector. It seemed sharing was a concept Merlyn held true in multiple ways. Her speech to Sir Cador made this clear to all involved, and a glance of understanding was shared between the pair of men. With neither subservient to the other, Cador and Hector managed to consider themselves something akin to friends, and neither was opposed to what they both had in mind at the time. Only a single look from one to the other confirmed this, almost as if there were telepathy afoot. Alas, Cador remained privy to the intricacies of one such as Merlyn. They were quite alike in certain ways, and her claim of being distracted resulted in the Spirit Knight looking toward the strange woman near Arthur. His mind trailed back to a discussion he once had with the sorceress, within those first couple of days in her prison cell. "I see. Distractions are a boon from time to time, you know? Why not give in fully, at let the distraction play its course? Surely a great sorceress can think of what's needed to ease her mind while... experiencing her first meal in ages," Cador said, though he knew it to mean Merlyn was once again required to let something horrendous carry on while having foresight of it. "Perhaps we should all bask in the sunset together. What say you, Merlyn? Would that much be enough to steady your busy mind, or would even more be required to do the trick? I'm sure anyone here would enjoy the opportunity to properly admire what may be the best view of their lives~"

Meanwhile, Arthur was finally experiencing progress he never thought he'd make. Go figure; he had to literally transcend reality to make this particular sibling of his sit for a meal. "You usually don't stay for meals, and last I checked, none of us usually hop over to a fantasy world. Enjoy your delicious curry and stop being so aloof. One more change in lifestyle wouldn't kill you," he said. Ah, he did miss an appointment with all three of them, didn't he? The blonde remembered that time. It felt like ages ago now, but the day of that arrangement was the last day he'd seen any of his sisters. "That was months ago now. I was late, yes... but I did show up that day. By the time I did, all of you were gone. So yes, I'm late, but you all stood me up while you apparently ran off to another world."

There were many things confirmed by the woman he called sister in a short few moments. It was refreshing, really, to have actual answers about something for once. He could know all three of his sisters were here in this world, and had proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that one of them was the current King Arthur. What's more, if he remembered correctly, the one he presently spoke with was... Vivian. Ah yes, that made sense of the movement she mentioned. The thought of what he knew to often be Vivian's abilities in legends was... frightening when attributing such abilities to this sibling. "Please, if you're going to prank me, don't do it while I'm in the bath. I don't think I could handle the trauma," he said prior to taking another bite of curry. Speaking of the curry, Vivian decided to question it here and now. Why did he make curry in Loch Ness? Well, because the ingredients were around. "Eri left, but there are still people here. The few of us who've been traveling showed up, and families were starving. What better way to brighten the mood of a few dozen people than a giant pot of curry?"