Castle of Loch Ness

[Apollymi]

Arthur mentioned that his father sometimes acted like an old woman. It was a joke or at least the attempt at one, it garnered at the very least a snicker from Guinevere who found it interesting that he was still trying to joke about things. This was a good turn, she wondered if he was feeling a bit better now. She didn't expect that he would be able to pull all the way out of his funk, but he was making progress and this was good enough for her. Moreover the lad claimed that he couldn't tell anything else, but had none of their former world tell-tale signs of out of body influence. Arthur went on to state after this point that it was likely connected to Merlyn. "Merlyn? Hm... That's not impossible I guess," she said giving it a bit of consideration. The figure she saw sort of reminded her of Merlyn but was very obviously male. "At least if it has something to do with her, it's definitely nothing to worry about," she said with a small nod. What she'd observed of Merlyn and what Viy had to say about her, Guinevere found herself easily trusting the woman, even in spite of what she was, hell if all creatures of her type were half as good, they'd have the best reputation. Besides, she'd met humans who were destestable things, one nice succubus was far from worth being worried about.

Within the library, while she waited on her visitors, there was a gentle sneeze crossing the face of the great sorceress. "Achoo!" slipped from between her lips and into her sleeve as she managed to look astounded. "I wonder who is talking about me~" she questioned to herself. Strangely enough the answer to that was more than just the one individual Arthur.

In the meantime, Emilia was still freaking out, and very obviously frazzled. She'd managed to tame her hair and make sure her face was clean but now she was afraid of something potentially being after her. She'd not had the best luck when it came to things which would chase her. Nor was she immune to being taken captive, after all, someone had tried to do that somewhat recently. Ah, but Sir Elyan was here to offer his support and make a statement about the aid she'd receive if she needed it. Emilia managed to look surprised and a bit sheepish. She'd begin casually turning a lock of hair in her right hand. "Really?!" she seemed genuinely surprised by this, and more surprised by the idea that people would help her. Her whole face was the brightest shade of red. The poor girl's pointed ears were practically burning with extra heat. So when Elyan bowed and claimed to escort her, she took the excuse to scurry along. "Thank you very much!" she stumbled through the words after a little curtsy before heading out of the door. She'd lead the lad to the library and to the sorceress she sought to set her at ease.

[Bloodedge]

The way Arthur saw it, Merlyn's involvement was far, far from impossible. Any unexplained magical mumbo jumbo could be attributed to her, and the assumption wouldn't be baseless at all. "I'm even willing to bet money that Merlyn at least has something to do with it. Whatever money we use in this world, that is─" he said, realizing he'd gone this entire journey thus far without a single bit of currency to his name. There was probably gold or something of the sort, he thought─ it just hadn't mattered up to now. "Anyway, I suppose it isn't worth worrying about, no. I doubt anything that only says sleep will be dangerous, unless there's chloroform or something involved..." he stated further. This world probably didn't have much of anything like that; it likely would have been some magical ability to similar effect, but... he doubted it wouldn't have been used already if that were the case.

Emilia's reaction was humbling to the pale knight. He really thought she would be less surprised by the shared information by now, considering how quickly she could mobilize even the new addition to their group: Arthur Pendragon himself. Sure, the man's honor was not in question at all, but Elyan didn't think he would have thrown himself into danger so stupidly if the cause wasn't good enough. Elyan himself was much the same. With these things in mind, the reddened state of Emilia's face seemed somewhat unwarranted from his perspective. In the wake of this reaction, he raised a naysaying hand, and shook his head. "You don't have anything to be worried about, and there's no need to thank me. I'll keep my eyes open while we walk," he confirmed. With that, Elyan walked alongside the lass, taking her side while remaining a single pace behind for security purposes. His sword remained at the ready as they traversed the halls, yet there still seemed to be no real danger around them. . .

[Apollymi]

According to Arthur he was willing to bet money on the inkling that Merlyn had something to do with the magical mishap which had just occurred. Oh but that wasn't all, in spite of his claims of being completely sure of Merlyn's base involvement he had no idea what sort of money they used in this world. "Wait one moment Arthur," she said seemingly very surprised. "You don't know the type of money used in the world? Just what have you been doing since you got here?!" she seemed to be very confused. Most people would at least have some idea what money was, how had he been living before he got to Zuria?

At the same time, according to Sir Elyan, Emilia didn't need to thank him, and he offered to keep his eyes peeled for her safety during their trip to the library. Sword still drawn and a single step behind. "I know I don't have to, but I still should. You're still being nice even though I am probably upset about nothing..." she mentioned quietly. Emilia was still the type to take everything to heart. She thought she was more mature, but she was still easily upset and thus kindness shared with her would always be given in return. With comfort now in her body she'd walk along until she reached the library and once she did, she'd open the door and be greeted by the relieving sight of the sorceress Merlyn. She was stilling in the sun a book half-open over the arm of her chair, and she'd open with gently teasing words. "Oh? And to what do I owe the pleasure of the company of Emilia and Sir Elyan this afternoon?" she asked as she turned giving both of these people the full view of those magenta eyes beneath her hood. "Merlyn, there was a creepy voice saying sleep and Sir Elyan heard it too..." she started quickly. "But I heard it loudest and I thought it might be after me... what was it? Is it after me? Should I do something? Can you help me!?" Emilia seemed to get right back to the worst case scenario while speaking about it. Merlyn's eyes widened gently but then she'd only chuckle. "Calm down, what were you doing when you heard the voice loudly?" Asked Merlyn seeming to be taking the girl's panic very seriously. "I was... taking a nap," she said softly after a deep breath. Somehow, looking at Merlyn always managed to calm her down a bit, it was probably magic but that didn't matter to Emilia everything was better than her current level of panic. "And you Sir Elyan, what were you doing when you heard the voice, and how loud was it to you?" she asked of the young Knight. A large sample group was necessary and though Merlyn had already been working on it, two reliable sources of information were necessary for her to get to the proper conclusion.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, Arthur hadn't the slightest idea what sort of currency this world used. He'd been here for a full quarter of a year now, and he'd never needed to spend a thing. What had he been doing? The answer wasn't so obvious to those who accompanied him since Zuria; only Merlyn had reason to know. "I assume you weren't told my reason for appearing before Kolin in Zuria's palace. I've spent the past few months traveling and slaying great beasts under Merlyn's guidance. I was meant to be some sort of bounty hunter, but it never earned me a thing. It was a decent experience with some new things to cook, though. We basically lived off the hunt until Zuria," he explained. It was nothing new for the man behind Arthur Pendragon to live off the land; he'd been trained to do so over the past decade of his life.

Despite Emilia's insistence, Elyan would not be receiving her thanks without rejecting the need entirely. "I think you're upset for a very good reason, Emilia. Even if it is nothing to worry about in the end, there's no reason to avoid caution," he insisted in turn. Soon enough, the two of them were within the library before Merlyn herself. Of course, there was officially no longer reason for Elyan's sword; that much was obvious. He did away with it as such, sheathing it with one final glance around the area. "Good afternoon, Lady Merlyn," he greeted with a slight bow. The knight went on to let Emilia carry on with her explanation of things, and Merlyn's answer was simply... to ask a few questions. That expression she wore initially was something strange to behold, even while witnessing only her eyes. Elyan was just slightly taken aback by this moment, until he was asked what he'd been doing at the time of that strange voice. "Nothing of great importance, I'm afraid. I was patrolling the halls just after taking watch from Sir Cador. The voice sounded like something from down the hall to me, but I assumed it was in miss Emilia's room after hearing her react to it. Is something amiss? You seemed to take that initial information strangely."

[Apollymi]

Arthur's next words were interesting. According to him, Merlyn had him slaying beasts and acting as some sort of bounty hunter for the duration of the time he had first shown up. How interesting. He claimed he'd not made any money from these adventures but it was the first Guinevere had heard of it. Admittedly she could see why someone like Merlyn would have had him doing such things. He was fresh in this world and there were several good potentials to taking out the large beasts that plagued the continent. "You cooked the monsters you slayed?" she questioned with wide eyes. "I mean it's good not to waste, but that is a bit crazy... and no, I also wasn't present at the time. Emilia had gone missing and I was looking for her before you showed up in the room with her, of course..." she summarized. Wow, Guinevere was learning something new this entire time.

At the same time, Emilia was having her thanks brushed off again. This time, Sir Elyan was explaining the propriety of her caution and claiming it was a reasonable reaction regardless of how the circumstances would eventually play out. "If you say so..." she said, still taking a bit of solace and feeling that warmness of her cheeks not going anywhere. Beyond that upon reaching the library and having her heart set at ease by Merlyn, she answered the woman's question and Merlyn herself seemed a bit curious. Beyond that Merlyn was greeted by Sir Elyan as well, and had her question answered. Two new bits of information, sleeping people heard the voice louder than waking people. "I see," Merlyn said in response to Emilia and Sir Elyan's words. Something was calling out to the whole of this land, and it wasn't able to do so very steadily. Ah, but Sir Elyan was quite observant he noticed that she'd reacted strangely to the information she was being given. "Well, aren't you a dutiful and attentive knight, Sir Elyan~" she teased ever so lightly. She needed to make sure this didn't seem as absolutely frightening as it was, she aimed to set this pair at ease. So she would do so with a bit of truth mixed in with vague reassurances. "Nothing amiss would be a bit of an overstatement," she said softly. "The truth of the matter is, that voice you two heard wasn't just heard by you two," she said affirmatively, being purposefully vague. "Something or someone is reaching out and it would be something that can manipulate dreams or call out to the unconscious... which means..." she gave a bit of pause. "It is likely something for me to deal with..." she commented absently. She'd take this moment to stand walking by Emilia and giving her a gentle pat on the head. "There isn't anything to worry about. I am sure the voice isn't after you nor anyone else here..." she said without giving out the amount of information that would make such a thing terrifying to the masses. "Thank you, for telling me of this directly," she said to the pair happy to have confirmation one way or another. "If you two will excuse me," she said those eyes of hers glowing sharply for just a moment as she winked before she turned to head off.

[Bloodedge]

"Eh?" Arthur reacted. Ah, he'd been a bit unclear; that was strange. It wasn't as if he was just out cooking every monster he slayed. "No, nothing like that. Some of them were worth cooking, but I also took the time to kill some of the more normal things we found along the way. Though, there was this one griffin-like creature that looked a bit too chicken-y to resist. Surprise surprise, it did taste like chicken. It was ridiculously fast, mind you," he explained of a beast that was surprisingly more delectable than most he'd eaten in this world. As for where Guinevere was when he arrived at Zuria's palace, though. . . "Right. That does make sense of why you weren't there right away. What an interesting day that was, and to think it all started with Emilia saving my butt while I was trying to save hers. I might even have to rely on someone to do that again after incurring the wrath of an almighty, radiant queen such as Kolin," he added sarcastically.

Merlyn was harboring quite a bit of good faith with her answer, though there was an underlying air of mystery as with everything she ever said. Elyan caught wind of this. He was no stranger to the slightly misleading nature of those who knew, over those who wondered. Ah, but he also knew it was typically for the better of those curious minds to be blissfully ignorant in situations like these. While Elyan sought to do all he could for the better of the group, as his duty as a knight dictated, Merlyn earned the trust of each knight flawlessly enough that even he could take a step back from the initial urge. Still... if something was reaching out to the dreams of others, why did he hear it at all? Few could call themselves more alert/awake than Elyan, so he could only imagine it was something well beyond the comprehension of most─ much like Merlyn herself. Surely then, her involvement was inevitable. "If you insist, Lady Merlyn, we've no choice but to believe you. Farewell, and good luck," he stated with a bow to the court mage. As she fled the library, Elyan was left in the company of Emilia once more. He wondered if her worries had been properly eased, and whether they were or not, he lingered behind with a question. "Are you in better spirits now? Sir Hector should be taking my post soon; I am free to accompany you if you still have worries."

[Apollymi]

Alright. It was discovered soon after she finished speaking that... she'd misinterpreted something Arthur had said. Apparently he didn't eat every random beast they came across, instead he found himself hunting for more normal creatures. He brought light to a specific one which he claimed both looked and tasted like chicken but was incredibly fast by his own reckoning. "Oh... that's not so strange. I think I know the animal you are speaking of," she said with a nod. She wouldn't be the one to break it to him that people kept those creatures as pets, and that he'd done this world's equivalent of eating a horse or a pet pig. Moving on, Arthur explained what his day saving Emilia had contained. Apparently, she'd managed to save him as well... he went on to state that he might need that sort of saving again, given he'd managed to incur Kolin's wrath. "Emilia saving someone else when she's in trouble is pretty much her in a nutshell. I've known her for quite a long time and she's just that sort of person... she manages to remain, refreshingly nice in spite of the world..." she said with a small smile coming to her face. "As for saving you from her majesty... I'm sure all of us are more than willing to do our fair share to make sure she never gets to make good on those threats. Though given how she is... she might just forget to get vengeance for quite a while if something else catches her interest," she said with an amount of snark equal to his level of sarcasm.

Merlyn spoke mysteriously? Well, yes... she often found herself omitting details people didn't need to help them continue on their daily lives. She'd grown accustom to doing this sort of thing a lot. Admittedly, Sir Elyan was quite clever to have surmised what she was doing in a moment such as this. His response to Merlyn processed in her ears happily and she found herself smiling beneath her hood. "That's a good knight~" she said to the lad with light amusement in her voice. Emilia also managed to perk up, if it was something Merlyn could handle, and she was certain nothing was after her, then she was relieved. "Thank you, Lady Merlyn... good luck!~" she chimed as well. After Merlyn left, she turned her attention to Sir Elyan he asked if she was in better spirits now and she nodded in response. "Yes... I'm feeling a lot better about it now. If Merlyn says she can take care of something I believe her..." she said as sure of Merlyn as apparently Sir Elyan was sure of her. "So you don't have to stay around if you don't want to... but," she gave it a bit of extra thought. "It's been a while since we could relax so much and I'm probably not going back to sleep so, you could continue to accompany me if you want," she said in a rather open ended manner. She was mostly fine now, but she'd been around Sir Elyan for quite a while, and she considered him a friend at least.

At the same time, Merlyn was currently out of sight of the library and suddenly aiming to be in the company of a certain purple haired Spirit Knight. Why? Because she didn't like the implication that something was calling to her specifically. She hadn't slept since coming to this world, not in literal millennia. She had no intention of doing so... but she likely should to make sure all would be safe. It was a complicated matter and she didn't like change very much, so she was going to her Emotional Support Knight... for well, emotional support. "Sir Cador, if a random voice told you to sleep, would you do it?" Yes, this was her opening question. It was a very simple question with no so simple ramifications.

[Bloodedge]

"Oh? I'm guessing you've had it as well. It's great with peppers," said Arthur. Little did he know, the creature he'd eaten was a very sought-after companion for many inhabitants of this world. Had he been on another continent, he'd have his head on a chopping block after admitting to that dining experience. Whatever the case, Arthur was finally content to start moving. He rose from this little picnic setup, deciding to stretch his legs a bit after all the hullabaloo. "That does sound very much like Emilia, from what I've seen so far. And look, she even has the ability to blackmail someone like me into leaving my room. Though I can't give her all the credit, she definitely handed over a sharp enough blade for you to puncture my kidney with." True enough, it had been Emilia to provide Guinevere the perfect ammunition. He was sure at this point that either of them alone could have dragged him away from that lonely room, but the combined effort left him incapable of resisting for very long. He had half a mind to find some way of thanking them both, but for now, he had a hand extended to Guinevere. "You're right; Kolin does seem to forget things very easily. She even managed to lose track of her plans to ruin me while being enamored with the thought of her own success. Now then, shall we walk?"

In the meantime, Elyan received the response of Emilia. She didn't have need of guard or any fix to a state of unease, though she offered company if he so desired. The pair of them had essentially grown up together, alongside Guinevere... though he'd been the one doing most of the 'growing up' part between the two of them. With Zuria in disarray after the usurping of Kolin and company, an otherwise solid trio had been essentially split, with Elyan being the most distanced from the others. "It has been a while since I've been inside the same building for more than two days, actually. I'd be honored to take a breather and catch up. I'm sure you have a lot of stories to tell from the past few years."

Cador had barely heard the voice, yet he was the one approached by Merlyn for questioning about it. By the time she reached him, he was halfway to his bedroom for a bit of rest before his next duty. He wasn't expecting to encounter the sorceress at this point in his day, if any at all. Even less expected, was the question she presented him the moment they were in earshot of each other. The Spirit Knight halted immediately, his brow rising, and his mouth hanging agape in confusion just briefly. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked. The sound others heard was hardly more than a strange feeling in Cador's ear, something brushed off as one's own imagination. Obviously, he was just tired─ hence his trip to bed. "I suppose it would depend on the voice. If Guinevere told me to sleep, I would ask her what she was trying to do while I can't see her. If you told me, however..." As far as Cador was concerned, he needn't say another word. If Merlyn told him to sleep, she obviously had plans he might take interest in. Anyone else likely didn't have anything reasonable in mind. "Why do you ask, Merlyn? Should I be taking that as a hint of some sort?"

[Apollymi]

Guinevere hadn't ever eaten the creature in question. Mostly because normal people of the world wouldn't have eaten it. Those creatures were farmed, bred, and raised... as companions, pets or beasts of burden. She was quite sure some people ate them, but it was usually a matter of desperation or sadism. She was willing to believe the lad with her simply didn't know that information, so she'd answer his question. "Hm, no... I've never eaten it before. People here don't really eat those," she said in a light tone. Well, she was sure somewhere it was considered a delicacy. People normally ate things that didn't register as pets, wild boar, fowl, bison. Moving right along, Emilia was also still a topic of conversation. Apparently, what Arthur knew of her, was similar to what Guinevere had said, "Hahaha, yeah. Well, we do a lot of talking together so it was a joint idea... it was worth it though," she mentioned. Lunch was soon over though, so she packed away her basket. By the time she did, Arthur was standing near with a hand extended. He offered a walk post meal and she could not turn down such a thing. "Of course, it'd be my pleasure..." she taking his extended hand, only to reply to that bit about Kolin with a laugh. "Hahaha, yeah... that doesn't surprise me. She's more than a bit unhinged..." she commented. Though given the types she'd seen around the woman periodically, she could take Merlyn's words about her being into bossy blondes rather seriously.

While, Guinevere and Arthur committed to a walk. A happy Emilia was left to catch up with one of her most prominent companions from a time before the Mad Queen took over Zuria. Sir Elyan was without a doubt the most excluded of their friend group during the Mad Queen's reign, it'd become obvious to both Guinevere and Emilia that Kolin didn't want them hanging out with any of the men in any capacity. Yes, she didn't even want brother and sister to continue their life long bond. A smile crossed Emilia's face as the lad agreed to continue being in her company, "Hm, I suppose she was quite serious about keeping you away from both Guinevere and me... She was kind of crazy. I'll start with the tale of her falling down half a flight of steps... when the heel on her shoe broke~" she said with an upward inflection. Such a thing had been the doing of Viy and Guinevere, but Emilia had almost passed out holding in the laughter. Actually when she thought about it now, Nerys had been in much the same position as well. "Oh, and I made fruit syrup... we can have shaved ice!~" she chimed. Apparently it wasn't just Arthur she planned on emotionally bribing with food.

At the same time, Sir Cador was being approached with a very open ended question by a certain Court Mage. His initial response brought a smile to Merlyn's face, and made her laugh just a tad, his follow up, was sensible given the pair under his care during his stay in Zuria. Apparently Guinevere was quite the mischievous little entity. She could imagine the lass planning some kind of coup and thinking of killing Kolin. Even if not that extreme, it was likely the lass would pull some kind of prank that would make her the butt of every joke for several months to come. "Well, Guinevere gives off an interesting amount of impish energy. So... I could see that at least~" she chimed as if she wasn't in a state of crisis. At the same time she was left to ponder the question of why she'd asked. "I ask because a voice reached out to this kingdom and the only word it uttered was sleep. Those less conscious heard it louder than those more conscious. Given that I am the only one in this kingdom who has never slept, it is likely meant for me... but I don't know if I should be taking the words of a disembodied voice to heart," she concluded rather easily. But never one to give up on banter, she'd address the last part of his statement as well. "Oh, but if you'd like that as a proposition I could make it so... or, I could put you to sleep more directly if you'd prefer~" she said offering a wink. Yes, she was still flirting but it was mostly defense mechanism. She'd rather not think too much about the fact that she was the only person in the kingdom to never sleep. She would also rather not think about the possibility of the things that could go wrong with a random voice reaching out to her being powerful enough to speak to the whole of the kingdom. She had nothing but faith in her own abilities but... it was a difficult sea to navigate.

[Bloodedge]

People in this land didn't eat those birds? What a ludicrous thought that was; they were absolutely delicious! "Well I suppose regular chicken of some sort could be just as good, but there is a bit of gaminess that works strangely with those large ones. I'm not quite sure how to quantify it, but they were a special treat. You should try one!" he insisted. If he had the opportunity, he'd gladly go hunt down another. Yes, Arthur had a few ideas to make a fine dining experience of it. Maybe he could make a date of it? One might wonder why Arthur's mind was so easily wandering in that direction, but if nothing else, he was more comfortable than he thought he'd be. With Guinevere taking his offered hand, he took the initiative of shifting toward the castle's courtyard, seeming as if he would first pass through the training grounds. He'd been dragged out under the pretense of keeping a more direct eye on this 'kingdom', if it could be called that, so he'd take a bit of a tour. In the meantime, the would-be king thought to address matters of importance. "So, is there anything I've gone without noticing recently? It's been looking like the start of an actual civilization out here."

Sir Elyan had certainly been ostracized by the most recent queen of Zuria─ at least from those he'd have normally kept company with. He had therefore gone quite some time without hearing many details about anything, but oh did Emilia have a story for him now. Apparently, the high and mighty queen had one hell of a tumble after suffering something as simple as... a broken heel. If nothing else, Kolin always walked around with a great deal of poise. He didn't imagine she even kept footwear long enough for that sort of wear and tear, which meant... someone had to be blamed for this. Elyan laughed heartily, knowing exactly where he would have directed said blame. "When it broke, huh? That must have been a real shame," he joked. Naturally, Elyan wished he could have seen that moment. Could he have avoided being the target of Kolin's ire if he did? Likely not, but it would have been so, so worthwhile. Ah, and the same could be said of experiencing shaved ice in this world so far from home. "Really? You never cease to amaze me. I hope that was an offer, as I could never refuse one like that," he said, clearly favoring cold treats of any sort.

Meanwhile, Merlyn went about explaining the voice Cador brushed off as nonsense. Sleep? Was that what it said? Either Cador didn't hear it properly, or he wound up ignoring and forgetting it in the end. What a shame; he was hoping this conversation was going in a very different direction. In fact, anything would have been better than some actual disembodied voice telling everyone in the vicinity to sleep. That wasn't the case, though. While everyone heard it to varying extents, Merlyn believed it was meant only for her. Her explanation made sense of this, what with her lack of sleep over whatever number of centuries she lived. "I'm inclined to agree that a disembodied voice shouldn't be listened to haphazardly, but honestly? You're far overdue for a nap, Merlyn. How do you avoid the bags?" he asked jokingly, keeping with the usual tone of their conversations. With that, Cador sighed and gave some consideration to these seemingly important matters. "While I would like to take that as a proposition, and of course you are free to send me off to bed whenever it tickles your fancy, I do believe it would be in your best interest to put this little situation to rest instead. Who would have a need to send the great Merlyn off to bed for a night? I wasn't aware you had actual enemies, so... I wonder what's left."