Castle of Loch Ness

[Apollymi]

Guinevere was given a very interesting speech by Arthur. He claimed that the meat had a special gaminess that he couldn't quite quantify. He made the claim that it was worth trying, "Should I?" she questioned. There was something strange about the idea of eating something people thought of as pets. She hadn't had one herself, but she wouldn't want to upset anyone who had. Maybe she'd figure out a way to break it to Arthur... it was something worth thinking about, and maybe consulting some other people about as well. Whatever the case, hand in hand they approached the training grounds. It was good that Arthur was out and about getting a good lay of the lad and being the approachable man he claimed he was, "Things you have gone without noticing? Well, there are quite a few refugees showing up as the land settles. They are being given dedicated housing," she mentioned thinking about it a bit more. "The Knights have organized themselves and given shifts for guard duty and making themselves available for protecting the land..." she added. "The monster of the lake has been startlingly quiet, helping those who've lived here for a while get back to normal activities like fishing," she finished up. Overall the land and its people were coming together quite nicely. She didn't have any complaints to lodge about it, except for Arthur's absenteeism.

It seemed the story that Emilia chose to tell was a good one indeed. Sir Elyan understood the subtlety of the words offered by the white haired lass. A grin spread across her face as she went on to embellish just a bit. "Of course, just snapped out of nowhere, we watched her fall... head over heels down a set of steps. Literally there was no one to blame either... we were all shocked," she said with an almost believable amount of innocence. She was laughing right now though. Even thinking about that woman taking such a tumble years after the fact was funnier than she could imagine. Ah, but from here there was the matter of shaved ice. Sir Elyan hoped such a thing was an invitation and claimed he couldn't turn down such a thing. The fact that he claimed she never ceased to amaze him, didn't fly over her head either. The lass began walking back towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Of course it was an offer, Sir Elyan. I wouldn't dangle something I know you'd like over your head and not share it," she claimed as if the idea was abominable. "There are even flavor choices~" she claimed. In her former life, Emilia was a sous chef. As such she had a great deal of cooking experience, and often made a dish or two for the menu of the place she worked. Dessert was far from the hardest thing she'd had to come up with... especially when the ingredients were as simple as shaved ice. "Though... I can't take all the credit. I did have Guinevere make me a bunch of ice without telling her exactly what I was planning," she said willing to pass a bit of credit along as she entered the kitchen and readied herself to serve such a dessert.

While tours and dessert were on the table for the others, poor Merlyn was only speaking of sleep and in the least amusing way possible. She took solace in the fact that she wasn't alone in thinking it strange to follow the instructions of a disembodied voice, but at the same time, Sir Cador took a marked jab at her lack of sleeping habits. "Well, it could partly be my being a shapeshifter. And partly have something to do with the fact that I am never actually tired. I mean... I don't need to sleep for mana regeneration, nor do I suffer from lunacy when I don't sleep. I don't feel physically tired or anything..." she said as if this was all the reason in the world one needed not to sleep for literally thousands of years. Still there was a great deal of wisdom in Sir Cador's words. She didn't really have enemies, and she could always send him off to bed if it tickled her fancy. She definitely shouldn't leave anything festering and it wasn't as if she had to fear anything resembling conventional forms of violence against herself. "Everyone has enemies. I am not sure who would count as one to me... but I doubt they would if they had sense, try and get me to sleep that would be dangerous for them. It could also be something good I suppose..." she frowned then. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm going to sleep for the first time in... well never mind," she said not wanting to out herself as the seemingly timeless sorceress she was. "Fine. I'll take a nap, but I won't pretend to like it..." she said in a huff. "Still... I might join you later~" she said to the knight giving him a wicked smirk beneath her hood. "Enjoy your rest, Sir Cador. And you have my thanks... for bringing reason to my present conundrum..." she mentioned happily. "Oh and our young King is out of his room finally, so I suppose a nap isn't the most outlandish thing to happen today~" she said with the intention of heading off to her own room for this nap.

[Bloodedge]

"You should!" Arthur said without hesitation. From his own understanding, there were few meats superior in quality than the one they were currently discussing. It was almost a steak-like form of poultry, flavorful in its own right, yet simultaneously mild enough in said flavor to accept a massive array of seasonings. Oh, there was no shortage of ideas for dishes! "I'll cook you a gourmet-quality dish of it, as thanks for all you've done." And just like that, he had one of the answers he needed. All he required now, was some method of thanking Emilia. Perhaps he could come up with something before their next meeting─ maybe even during this walk presently filled with Guinevere's list of changes since he entered a state of solitude. "Refugees are good. I'm guessing it won't be long before we've gone through that entire bison. I'd rather do that before the meat goes bad. As for everyone's work, it seems like this place is being held together better than I could have imagined. You know life is going well when people start fishing. I have more thanks to dish out than I thought," he said with a sigh. Well, he was certainly going to be busy in the near future, and that business seemed to be starting now as passing citizens waved to the man they viewed as king. Little did Arthur realize, he hadn't even released Guinevere's hand after helping her up. Maybe then, he was returning the gesture to a few people who saw two monarchs walking through the castle yard.

Emilia carried on with some obvious lies regarding Kolin's... accidental fall. All the while, Elyan wouldn't stop laughing. That blasted woman almost had him killed for no reason at all, but that death would have been worthwhile if he'd seen that moment beforehand. "It serves her right. With all she's done, I hope that shoe fell off and her bare foot landed on a Lego. For that matter, it would be nice to see her pillows cursed to always be warm on the other side." Elyan was not a person who wished ill on anyone, but he was quite the immature individual. Former Queen Kolin deserved, at minimum, all the minor annoyances life had to offer─ every single one of them. More importantly though, Emilia confirmed that she was indeed offering the aforementioned shaved ice. There were even flavors to choose from, according to the lass herself. "Come now, Emi; don't go spoiling me before we even get there. You know I'm prone to going overboard," he said in a moment of childhood recollection. Moreover, there was the simple matter of Emilia shifting credit toward Guinevere. "Please. Don't go giving her credit; you know how swollen her head will be if she hears that. You could have gotten ice from anywhere─ even me."

Merlyn's sleeplessness was blamed on a few things. Her existence as a shapeshifter was one, and her lack of tiredness over the ages was another. Cador heard these, but he could not fully fathom the point. She didn't need to sleep, obviously... so why didn't she do it anyway? "Merlyn, this is precisely why you are so obviously bored all the time. I could stay awake for several days, but I would still sleep when the opportunity presented itself. Rest your mind as one rests the body; it must be dreadful dealing with conscious thought for... whatever the length of your lifespan is, since you absolutely refuse to bring it up," he said cheekily. Whatever the case, Merlyn agreed to take a nap. She even went on to mention joining him later, sharing a grin that he strangely saw beyond that hood's shadow. Cador truly was in the business of being this sorceress' emotional support knight. How comical; he didn't expect that to become an actual job, though he'd take it nonetheless. Ah, and it seemed Arthur was on the move again. That was excellent news, and all the more reason for Cador to take rest. "Finally. I am all for leaving my fellow man to his brooding, but I was beginning to actually worry. This rest will be in celebration, then," he said, finally pushing open the door to his chambers. In doing so, he stood just beyond the doorframe while leaving the door open. "You are more than welcome to use my bed, if you like. I assume sleep has become a foreign enough concept that you would not turn down a bit of additional support? Besides, I could be the first to know whether the great sorceress Merlyn has a snoring problem. I'd be remiss to let that opportunity slip between my fingers~"

[Apollymi]

Arthur was really on about his food of choice. He claimed she should try it, but custom would keep her from wanting to eat such a creature. Though she didn't keep such creatures as pets, she'd known of other nearby kingdoms who did. It was clearly written in books that other continents considered the creatures regal, worthy of worship. The type of beings that could stand up to dragons, should hardly be included in the classing of 'dinner'. Still he offered to make her a meal of such a creature, as thanks for all she'd done. "You really don't have to do that..." she said softly. "It's just... that creature really isn't something I'd want to eat," she explained gently. There would be no easy way to break it to him, she really would have to consult one of the other women. But it was fine, she could balance that conversation with more interesting things. "Yes, the bison is being worked through. Emilia has managed to prepare a couple of different kinds of dishes. She's apparently quite handy with her knife work. She's also taken to making meals of fish. I am not sure what Sushi Grade Tuna is, but she seemed rather excited about the prospect," Guinevere explained. "And thanks are fine, but we've all mentioned before that we'd do our part to see this place thrive. None of us feel any different now, of this I am quite sure..." she mentioned. It also seemed to have slipped the lass' mind that she was still holding Arthur's hand. Oh well.

At the same time, Emilia was left to laugh at Elyan's outburst. The lad was knightly in every way possible, but... he was still the younger sibling of the impish Guinevere. As such, his words regarding the Mad Queen were full of spite but in an oddly non-violent way. The idea that the former queen should step on Legos, and have her pillow cursed to warmth was beyond hilarious. Emilia couldn't help the laughter that escaped her, "Ha-he-hahaha, Legos? Really?! And I can't imagine the annoyance of flipping the pillow over to find it warm on the other side~" she laughed at the outburst. "Sir Elyan's wrath is extreme~" she teased lightly. Ah, but what was this? She shouldn't spoil him so early on, and he'd called her name in the way she was used to hearing it, at a time that felt like it'd long since passed. Something just that little was enough to brighten the lass' cheeks all the way to the points of her ears. "Well overboard is fine in small doses. Besides... it's been quite a while, since you called me that. We have to celebrate~" she said, what were they celebrating though? Likely the return of their friendship, which had endured quite a long hiatus. At the back of the kitchen the lass was pulling up those white locks of hers in a ponytail high up on her head revealing those pointy ears of hers, as she prepared to make this particular sweet. Hands washed and she went to gather the necessary ingredients. Pre-mixed bottles of syrup, pourable. Ice, crushed to the appropriate texture and small cups and tiny spoons. "Well she'll hardly be unbearable, a bit of a big head would be fine. I suppose I can always ask you for help later, when it isn't a surprise for you," she said with a small smile on her face. "So pick your flavor~" she said, as she began scooping ice into the dishes. In front of her bottles were labeled; blackberry, strawberry, currant, almond-vanilla, green apple, gooseberry, and cherry. She'd gone out of her way to pick things she knew others to like and to choose a with a wide range of flavors to try and cover the rest.

Merlyn was in for a rather strange lecture now. Apparently her lack of sleep was why she was always bored. Sir Cador went on to explain that he could have stayed up several days at a time but chose not to, in order to give his mind time to rest. Who did that? There wasn't anything wrong with her mind... well aside from knowing literally everything. He even took the gentle jab at the age of hers she didn't want to bring up. A sigh escaped her, "I'm old, Sir Cador..." she said holding her hand up in a grand gesture. "But if sleep is good for an idle mind, I suppose I'll have to try it out," she said softly. She was more than ready to leave and try out this whole sleep thing. Even after sending a flirty word or two Sir Cador's way. Ah, but he had more to share. He was excited that Arthur was back out and claimed to have been worrying a bit about him. "Hoh? We were worried about the young king, hm? Then the celebration is for Guinevere and Emilia as they were the pair to force his hand... or rather legs in this case~" she said with a knowing smirk. Still, it was quite good that the man wasn't locked in his rooms. Moving on from that, Sir Cador offered his own bed to the sleepless sorceress. He made the claim that if she didn't really know sleep she might use additional support and of course, he wished to know if she snored. "It is quite a foreign concept... and I am far from trying to figure it out on my own. I'd be remiss to turn down the opportunity, to steal an afternoon in the Spirit Knight's bed," she claimed stepping into the room after him. It was all still joking banter, but she hadn't slept a wink since being human and even while human she hadn't slept much. All was clear now, but how would this thing called sleep go?

[Bloodedge]

Ah, it seemed Guinevere actually had no interest in partaking of such a bird. That was fine, of course. One couldn't expect everyone to eat everything, and he could understand someone not finding that particular creature appetizing at all. If only he knew the whole truth. Regardless, the bison was being served still, but people would also have variety if they were already out fishing and the like. A few hunting parties here and there, some farmers and so on, and the food of Loch Ness would forever be diverse and plentiful. There was also mention of... sushi-grade tuna? That sort of thing could be found here? "Oh?" Arthur murmured. "To call fish sushi-grade, is just to say it is safe to eat raw. It's a term that exists for people who aren't familiar with everything that goes into the preparation of sushi, telling consumers 'this fish is safe' and such. If Emilia says she's got some, Loch Ness is about to become very... Japanese. You should try her sushi when she makes it; I'm sure it will be great. Emilia could work in a Michelin star restaurant if she wanted," he added. "And yes, everyone made it very clear they wanted to contribute. That still doesn't mean any of you had to, so it's worthy of thanks. That could especially be said about certain former royalty, who shouldn't be expecting to work at all."

Emilia could at least follow along with the humor of Elyan's ill wishes. He expected nothing less of her, really. "Don't even try to imagine how terrible that would be. I know that's the sort of thing we wanted in Zuria, but that woman obviously wasn't made for the real cold. Poor autumn types," he said, taking pause and observing a rather strange reaction in the half-elf. Her face was redder than he'd seen it in literal years, and he wasn't even sure why. Emilia's next statement addressed the reason. Ah, he'd referred to her by a name she'd gone some time without hearing. Elyan didn't even realize he'd done such a thing, though it also didn't seem very strange to say it. "I'm not so sure that's something to celebrate, but if you think it's worthwhile, I can hardly argue. Whatever pleases you~" Following this exchange, Elyan stood aside while Emilia tied up her hair to prep for the treats they would soon have. Options were set out during these preparatory moments, and Elyan gave only a brief glance at the syrup bottles before his choice became firm. "Hardly a competition. The people have been going mad over the blackberries here, so I'll give that a try," he said with certainty.

Oh? Merlyn was old? He never would have guessed! Cador exemplified the finest display of shock after hearing the woman's proclamation. "Merlyn, how could you?! All this time, I thought you were an innocent little girl," he said in mock outrage. As for worrying over Arthur, Cador was one who imagined things would be fine in the end. Alas, Guin and Emilia had very different plans. They weren't going to wait around for him to eventually drag himself out of a funk, and from what Cador was hearing now, that was the best possible choice. Leave it to them, he thought. With that passing, he pushed his chamber door to a close. Cloak and tunic were discarded without a hitch, and his shoes were soon to follow. He was, after all, planning on having a nap himself. "I seem to be having multiple strokes of luck as of late. To think, I can boast about how it was my bed to finally fell Merlyn herself. Come now, Merlyn; off to your own dreams for once."

[Apollymi]

A sigh of relief. It seemed Arthur was willing to drop the idea of feeding Guinevere that strange 'chicken' as he called it. She could rest easy that she wouldn't be forced to consume the pet of another being. Moving right along, it seemed that 'sushi-grade' was a term which denoted the safety of consumable raw fish. She remembered such places existing in the world they came from, but hadn't ever gotten up the nerve to try one. Beyond that, Arthur sung Emilia's praises, claiming she could have worked in a Michelin Star kitchen. "Oh? Well, it is good to know. Not that I thought Emilia would have poisoned me or anything. She has always been quite handy in the kitchen, she claimed it was something she did often before ending up here..." she said of the lass. "She'd appreciate the praise as well... I have no issues eating anything she makes. She's been cooking for me, half my life..." she mentioned. It was interesting to realize that Emilia had been part of Guinevere's life for quite some time, and it was easy to forget given Emilia's innocent nature, that she was much older than those she found herself in the company of. "The other world has poisoned your brain, Arthur. Those of us raised to properly rule, were never kept from work. I was expected to be able to do many of the jobs present within my kingdom and to defend it with my own hands if need be. While not all kingdoms are like this, many of them were in the recent past. Only those from our own world, find out that being prince or princess isn't as work free a lifestyle as they expected," she said. To be technical this was also true in their home world. Some of the rich and famous worked as hard as every day people, not all, but it was the case for a few people, Guinevere had previously met such a young man while she was attending University.

"Definitely~" was Emilia's response to the idea that the Mad Queen wasn't built properly for the winter. All of them, had known the winter in its realest form. So, they all had very different outlooks. Someone like Kolin, didn't understand the truth of a harsh winter, and as such, she'd never truly adjusted to the climate of Zuria. Moreover she was left to be pleased and embarrassed by the familiar calling of her name by Sir Elyan, he even chose his flavor commenting about the popularity of the blackberries in this land. "Yes, they are pretty excited about them. Apparently, they are native and grow here most of the year... they are quite tasty, this was one of the better flavors," she said, picking up that bottle and giving it a gentle twirl in her hands before she doused his ice cup in the syrup. Once it had the proper coating she moved on to her own. She'd taken a bit of a liking to it herself and it wasn't as if she planned on only having one. "Alright then, eat up before it melts... but not too fast, no brain freezes~" she mentioned as she was more than content to begin eating, but she'd wait to see if the lad liked his first. She'd make him another if he didn't.

At the same time, Merlyn was conversing with Sir Cador as they apparently readied themselves for a nap. What was this? He was aghast. Apparently he thought her some innocent maiden, not the old and downtrodden individual she'd been proving of herself. "You see me as you wish to, Sir Cador. Look, I'm pretty sure I've lost ten years, just by that outburst~" she teased. Though she hadn't physically changed at all. She watched Sir Cador prepare for this nap by removing a layer or two of this clothing. Like remembering how to ride a bike, Merlyn mimicked his motions. She magically rid herself of layers, hood, and shoes to leave herself comfortably atop the bed. He claimed he could boast about how his bed was the one to finally make her sleep. "Ah well maybe. I am sure you should likely take the credit for that yourself," she said softly as she laid down and spent a moment or two fidgeting before settling into lying on her left side with one arm tucked under her head. "My dreams are probably boring. If they even exist at all, still... I suppose I'll find out soon enough," she grumbled like a petulant child. The only way to fall asleep was to pretend to be asleep. She would aim to quiet her own mind slow her breathing and close her eyes. "Sweet dreams, Sir Cador~" she mentioned as she tried to find her own.

[Bloodedge]

It was funny that Guinevere would bring up the idea of poisoning here and now. Talking of preparing Japanese dishes, he knew of one particular example that could easily poison a person if not properly prepared. "I doubt she would. Just be careful if there's a Fugu equivalent in this world, and she tries to prepare it herself. I doubt she would, but... it seems like something that would eventually become a goal of hers," he said, recalling his own evolution as a chef. That particular fish was something of a crown, a writ of passage into chef adulthood, as it were. Sadly, that reputation came from just... not poisoning people when serving it. Ah, but speaking of poison, Arthur was apparently the one suffering from some sort. Monarchs of this world were not so spoiled as those he expected from their home planet? That was almost hilarious to think about. He'd grown up while watching a prime minister of ill-repute, and come to this world for his first example of a monarch to be one like Kolin. To think they were habitually hard workers in this world was strange, but then again... Guinevere was born and raised to rule. "That sounds like a dream, honestly. There's something refreshing about seeing people at the top work just as diligently as the people who would be considered grunts. My boss is like that, and so is my employer... who is not at all the same person, I should say. It's the sort of person I aspire to be, if I'm being honest. So then, Guinevere, surely you must be ready to take charge of Loch Ness?" he asked. This was of course a joke, meaning only to play at throwing all responsibilities into her experienced hands. Ah, but he didn't even consider that other implications could be made with such a query. . .

The people of Loch Ness had a great deal of excitement about these blackberries, and Elyan was sharing that excitement. It was a stroke of good fortune that Emilia had a syrup prepared to allow his first test of the fruit in some way, and in fact... it was even better that it could be the topping to a cold dessert. "I certainly hope so," he said about blackberry being one of the better flavors. Given his existing preferences, Elyan doubted he could dislike it at all. As such, he took it in hand with a very positive outlook─ though not without scoffing at the idea that it would melt or cause him brain freeze. "I'll try not thinking that you just mistook me for someone frolicking about in the summer," he retorted. Nothing frozen would melt in his hands, and nothing could be cold enough to truly affect him. Ah, but there was once a time when Elyan himself could be called a 'summer child' of sorts. In youth, before his magical abilities awakened properly, he'd even been bedridden numerous times during cold-induced illness. Barring the whiteness of his hair in keeping with family lineage, it was once assumed that he was born of an affair due to the aversion to cold he suffered in his formative years. That aside though, he took the first bite of this shaved ice topped with blackberry syrup. It was definitely an interesting thing to strike the palate. Could it even be compared to conventional, store-bought blackberries from their home world? Not at all. "Goodness. Temperature aside, I'm somewhat glad we moved to Loch Ness─"

Merlyn lost ten years from his outburst, did she? Well, Cador would be inspecting that quite thoroughly. He even paused his disrobing to take her by the face, checking for bags under her eyes and wrinkles upon her brow. When he was done, he chortled. "My my, if that's what ten years does to you, I'd like to know your secret. I daresay you may have even regressed in age since I was last granted the gift of seeing you without that bothersome cowl." Ah yes, it was both a blessing and a curse to deal with the hooded Merlyn. Cador had seen her enough times to have the image burned into his retinas permanently, and that veil of a shadow was almost a sin. Though he understood the necessity of keeping that sight from the world at large, he did always fancy a look or two underneath. Speaking of underneath... more than the cowl was removed, and yet, Merlyn made her way onto the bed without seeming very bed-ready at all. While his breeches were being unfastened, Cador gazed upon the succubus with a quirked brow and a general expression of... judgement. "Seriously? Merlyn, do you intend to use clothes in place of linen? I never thought I'd say this, but looking at you is making me feel uncomfortable by proxy," he said, simultaneously doing away with his trousers. Cador would be entering his bed as the gods intended: under cover and sans all but his undergarments. Merlyn, however, looked like some sort of psychopath who passed out after a night of binge-drinking.

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Arthur doubted Emilia would poison anyone. That was good information, still, he told Guinevere to be wary of a particular kind of fish if it happened to exist in the world would be something to be avoided. Guinevere had never heard of it, but she doubted Emilia would serve anything without being certain of its safety. "Well any particular goals aside. I doubt she'd serve anything that would kill a person. She's far too dedicated to do anything like that..." she said of Emilia. That young woman had the implicit trust of many who'd be in Zuria, but none more than Guinevere and Elyan. Moving on from that, Arthur apparently knew of similar individuals to the decently raised royals of this world. Separately the person who employed him and the one who had direct dominion over him. Strange though that was, Guinevere could understand the situation, "Oh, so the one who employed you and the one you work for directly are different people. That is a bit strange considering the type of job you do. But I could get someone hiring a person to help out someone else," she said with a curt nod. "And making sure you don't become one of the lazy upper class types is probably also for the best, mad lazy rulers are far from what the world needs," she said softly. As for whether she was ready or not she to take over Loch Ness, Guinevere could only smile and shake her head from left to right. "I am far from ready to take over such a place~ I'd need at least a few years yet, I'm not exactly old enough to reign as it stands~" she explained as if that was at all anything more than a joking reason to decline reigning in any place. Even if she could she wouldn't have taken this place from Arthur. She aspired to raise a kingdom, but she didn't have to be the one in charge of it to do that... she could nurture it in different ways, like by offering her aid and wisdom to its rightful king.

At the same time, Sir Elyan and Emilia were experiencing the greatness that was blackberry shaved ice. Having served them both, Emilia would watch as the lad had his first taste. He hoped it was good and had nothing but a bit of commentary to add to her statements about his eating of the treat. Oh? He hoped she wasn't implying he was some sort of summer child? Well, she would never do that! She remembered from his childhood all the associated issues he'd had with his initial winters. That didn't mean she wouldn't give the same advice always. "I would never mistake El for a summer child. But everyone's brain freezes. And I've seen you suffer more than one~" she said with her nose turned up in a joking way. She'd missed this lad quite a bit in the time that they'd been separated. Ah, but he had his first bite, and enjoyed it. Good. She'd go on to have one herself. Weather aside he liked this place and the blackberries that grew here. "Hm, it's even better on the ice!~" she claimed excitedly. "The weather here isn't so bad... not as cold as we would like, but, not unbearable..." the lass mentioned. "Still, I'm glad you like it... I was a bit worried about flavors and the like... I tried to go for a variety," she mentioned of her own choices.

At the same time, Cador was joking with Merlyn. Oh, it looked like she'd regressed in age? Well that simply wasn't possible. She hadn't regressed at all... "Flattery will get you nowhere Sir Cador. Rather nowhere you haven't already been~" she chimed. Beyond this after finding herself in bed and uncomfortable, Cador was busy stripping down to his skivvies. Was that what was wrong? Merlyn soon sat up looking contemplative. "I don't know how to take that... I literally can't remember the last time I slept. I definitely haven't done so in this world..." she said a hand under her chin she took to thinking. 'How to sleep? Pajamas?... No. Underwear? Too sexy. Naked? No....' with every thought that passed her mind her outward appearance changed to accommodate the thought. But there was no comfort found this way. When the thought pajama's passed, her clothing changed into a silken set of periwinkle colored pajamas open over her navel with long pants for bottoms. She didn't feel comfortable. When they morphed to just underwear it was distinctly lacey and more like a negligee and she didn't like that either. She'd let all her clothes fall away but found that to be too close to naked for sex. Yeah, that didn't work. What... would she find more comfortable. She scoured her brain for several moments. Walking through the corridor of her memories, before thinking about the night. The night she'd ended up here, when she was awake way too late. She'd been sitting at her computer, cross-legged in a chair wearing.... nothing but an extra long man's t-shirt. Cotton, simple airy on the bottom because she wore no undergarments. Yeah... that would be perfect. Her outer appearance would take on this... shirt, with the stretched neck hanging off one of her shoulders, sleeves all the way down to her elbows. "I think this is better..." she managed her head falling onto the pillow as the length of that shirt stretched just gently over the swell of her hips. Nothing was revealed but still there was a hint of a tease there. Whatever the case, she was sure she could sleep this way.

[Bloodedge]

True, it was more than unlikely that Emilia would bother serving something dangerous. He'd seen her in the kitchen, he'd seen what came out of the kitchen when she was cooking, and she wasn't the type to serve anything shy of perfection. Maybe she was a bit timid about it at times, but the end result was magnificent. "You're right. I wonder if she has the desire, though. I could train her, if she wants," he mused. One important thing needed a small explanation─ that being the difference between his boss and employer. It was something he imagined to be a rare situation, but with context, he didn't think it was very strange. "Well, yes. I work for a girl, but it was her father who hired me. They... both pay me; that's probably the weird part," Arthur explained, becoming less confident in the rationality of the situation as he spoke. Whatever the case, Guinevere rejected the notion of being put in charge of Loch Ness. How disappointing it was that he could no longer laze about and let someone else take over! No matter. Arthur was closer and closer to accepting his place as this land's king, if only because others seemed to want that. Sometimes, people just needed a figurehead for their own mental stability. He could be that, right? "I disagree. You talked me out of my room, and I'll have you know I'm actually quite stubborn at times. Besides, I imagine ruling over a harsh land like Zuria would be much more difficult than an on-the-rise place like this."

El. Ah yes, that was what he'd always been called, wasn't it? While it was nice to hear that version of his name, he could have gone without the attached mention of age-old brain freezes that he was definitely done with years ago! Elyan's brow furrowed as he indignantly shoved a larger bite into his mouth. He wasn't pouting; no, not at all! "Shut up! I'll have you know I haven't had anything like that in─" zero seconds. Indeed, that should have been the end of his statement, as the ice touched his teeth while he spoke, triggering the very brain freeze he claimed couldn't exist. Maybe he could just talk past it? Ah yes, of course he could! "Y-years! I'd never suffer f-from... the cold." What a shame. Elyan had every resistance to the cold at his current age... except within the confines of his mouth. "Ahem. There is no reason to worry about the flavors. You have a better palate than anyone I've ever met, for whatever it's worth."

Apparently, Cador could get nowhere new with flattery. As if that would matter. Perhaps he would flatter for no reason at all, or perhaps he would flatter himself back into a desirable place. "Merlyn, Merlyn, Merlyn. Of all the places I've been in this life, there are very few that I have no desire to return to. Among the great number of exceptions, there are just as few places I would very much like flattering myself back into~" he chirped. It seemed Merlyn had no memory of sleeping and the comfort meant to accompany it. Cador watched as she shuffled through a series of clothing options. Pajamas had an innocence to them, and were no less appealing on Merlyn than her normal attire. That was an acceptable sleeping attire, albeit not to Merlyn's choice as it seemed. Next came a form of lingerie, which of course made Cador wonder how exactly she intended to fall asleep. Did she have some desire to experience the ultimate sleep acquired by humans, post-coitus and losing consciousness as one's heartbeat and lung pace returned to normal? Her next choice did nothing to discredit this thought, as her clothes were banished entirely. "Merlyn, you─" He was cut off by the final shift, which consisted of a single shirt cascading over curves─ a more 'homey' way of getting a rise out of the man. How much of this was for the sake of comfort, he wondered before sighing. "─are certainly an interesting one," he concluded at last, though in a way he hadn't originally intended to complete the clause. Well... it could be presumed that sleep was the actual intention here, at the very least. It seemed Cador would just be discarding his consciousness whilst being quite erect. . .

[Apollymi]

Arthur and Guinevere remained hand in hand, conversing about random matters in life, not the last of which was Emilia and her love of cooking. A smile spread across Guinevere's face she'd been friends with that girl for more than half her life, if she thought she could learn extra things from Arthur she would no doubt take him up on his offer. "For as long as I've known her she's been very interested in cooking. Emilia had spent a great amount of time alone before she came to Zuria and she once told me that being there made her happy because she missed cooking for others," she said of the lass and her general attitude. "I'm sure she would take you up on such an offer, Arthur..." she said candidly. Moving on from that, there were the many oddities surrounding this young man's former work experience. His boss was a teenaged girl, he was the other world's equivalent of a man servant and somehow he was on both his boss' payroll and her father's, how interesting. "Hm, from what I've seen in the way this world works, her father is likely paying you for a different reason from the girl herself. It wouldn't be entirely strange if the two consider your job very different from their own perspectives. I wouldn't worry too much about it," she said giving a gentle nod. Her own father had hired Nerys to live and work in the castle, long before she'd been born. And when her mother and father became a proper couple and had their children, Nerys was paid separately by her to give magic lessons to them as well as for their physical care. It wasn't entirely uncommon as a set up. Still, Arthur claimed she would have an easy time ruling over a place like this, compared to her home. She disagreed but that was fine. "Hm, I don't know if I would say it would be easier. Zuria was established already, I was born princess with the respect of the people as I grew older. I have no such stake here... aside from the difference in climate. And figuring out how you work as a person, I would say I am probably only the fourth or fifth most qualified to rule. As such... I will continue to keep you on your toes and help you out if you need it," she claimed with surety in her smile.

Emilia and Elyan were together in the kitchens consuming shaved ice. To be fair, Emilia felt more comfortable in the kitchen than anywhere else... and right here, with Elyan's antics back to their usual full display she felt at ease. What was he doing now? Griping about how he wouldn't or couldn't at all get a brain freeze. But she could see it plainly across his furrowed brow and the sudden stop in his speech. He'd literally just experienced one and was trying to talk himself through it. "Years until you bit directly into ice, hm?" she teased gently. She was sure he never suffered from the cold any more but that wouldn't stop her from speaking to him the way she was. "I wouldn't say you suffer no, but there is nothing wrong with experiencing it," she claimed as she reached out with a still warm hand to place against his temples as she had frequently when he was a child. And what was this, she apparently didn't have to worry about the flavors, she had the best palate he knew of?! Her eyes widened in shock, "That's a pretty big compliment..." she said softly. How strange it was to catch up in this way...

Three utterances of Merlyn's name once again left the mouth of Sir Cador. She was fairly certain she'd once told him that saying her name like that would cause him some form of unexpected occurance. Ah, but she couldn't at all dislike it, even as she tried to figure out how to get comfortable for bed. "I might have changed my mind, flattery like that will almost always get you somewhere with me~" she said after his chirped words. He was flirting quite a bit, but that was standard among their conversations, sometimes obviously, sometimes... only with hints and teases thrown around. What was more, he claimed her interesting after watching her seek comfort and find it, in the form of a large t-shirt. A little smirk appeared on her face as she rolled her body into a slightly more comfortable position. Snuggled up Sir Cador as if he was a human pillow. "I am not really all that interesting, Sir Cador..." she claimed as those glowing eyes of hers closed. She laid her head on his chest, snaked her leg around his and listened to the gentle beating of his heart. And eventually, those breaths of hers would slow and the constant buzzing of her mind would slow to a gentle hum... what would she find upon her mind finally wandering into its dream state?

[Bloodedge]

"I can tell," Arthur said in regards to Emilia's obvious love of cooking. "Even though she got a little flustered before, that satisfaction of finishing a dish and doing it well... Nothing can mimic that," he concluded. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Emilia was, or could have been, someone who cooked as a profession in her original life. Ah, but they were doing a lot of discussing about the half-elf. They were on a walk, taking in the sights of a developing kingdom, discussing matters of leadership in a somewhat joking manner, and... holding hands. Ah. Arthur came to realize that last fact at last, if only because he thought to move his hand and point out an interesting development just beyond the courtyard. His hand did little more than twitch before he realized it was grasping Guinevere's. What should he do? Should he let go? Was she unawares, just as he was? Likely not, but... there had been a fair bit of flirtation between them. Surely it would be fine if he just... pretended he didn't notice anything. Ah, but it was far too late for that; there was red creeping up his neck, even as he attempted to act casual. "If you insist, I suppose I'll be thankful for the guidance. Fourth or fifth most qualified, though? That doesn't sound reasonable at all. Your description of a queen before was perfect, so I'm sure your morals are in the right place. Who do you think possibly places above you?"

Years until Elyan bit directly into ice indeed. Regardless, he didn't need her blabbering on about the situation! Who the hell did she think she was? He'd have swatted that intrusive hand of hers away if it wasn't actually helping. Even while leaving it in place, however, he wasn't going to be pleased about it at all. "Che! As if I need to be treated like a child by the likes of you," he griped. And to think, he'd even gone out of his way to compliment her culinary choices─ which she would go on to acknowledge as if she weren't patronizing him unnecessarily. Finally, Elyan jerked away and turned up his nose. "It's just an observation. Don't read into it," was the male's retort.

Oh? There was another speck of new information coming Cador's way. Apparently, he could always get somewhere with Merlyn by means of flattery. That was... good to know, at the very least. He'd definitely make use of that in the future. "Duly noted, Merlyn. Perhaps I'll charm my way into your dream next time," he quipped. Briefly, Cador wondered if succubi even had dreams of their own. Oh well; that wasn't for him to know. What was for him to know, was the counterargument to Merlyn being a 'not so interesting' individual as she claimed, oddly while she was settling into his torso and even locking him in place with her leg. All Cador could do physically, was settle in as well. His back to the mattress, he hooked an arm around the sorceress' upper torso, aiming downward until his hand settled atop her side. "It's alright, Merlyn. Everyone makes mistakes," he said, disregarding Merlyn's opinion on the matter. With that, Cador let his own eyes close to welcome the sweet embrace of sleep.

What would Merlyn find in the world of dreams? She'd find... herself, in a way. Male, grinning ear to ear, yet looking almost mockingly exhausted from a very long journey. "Do you..." That voice remained cryptic, somewhat raspy as it emerged from the hooded figure of Merlyn's male counterpart. He hesitated as well, seemingly for nothing more than dramatic effect. What were the theatrics for? Well, no one. "Have any idea how ridiculous it is to go thousands of years without sleeping? Because you refused to sleep for so very long, I had to walk here on this plane. Can you imagine walking for millennia? Shame on you for making me exert so much energy... Junko."