Castle of Loch Ness

[Apollymi]

Another laugh. At the very least, Arthur was winning as the funniest man Guinevere had the pleasure of speaking with for more than a few passing moments. She was really going to enjoy her time with the young Future King Arthur. He claimed that if she was the type to put applesauce in his pillow that she should instead start with Merlyn. "Ah, yeah... no can do. She hits my radar as one of those who'd get me back... maybe before I even finished it. I'd definitely have to start with you..." she said with a bit of a chuckle. "But not maliciously, just to lull her into a false sense of security!~" she chimed as if this was a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Guinevere hadn't had this much of a good time in quite a while, as such she'd enjoy it, even while offering the lad a lesson on fiefdom upkeep. Castles were all pretty much the same, as such she had a pretty good idea of where the stores of this place should have been. She began walking towards them and talking. "Hm, as a person who just got here, it might be easier for you to relate the sort of thing I am about to say to a job. Basically, the upkeep is about managing different amounts of things. Making sure there is enough food to go around, enough weaponry at the ready, and enough men to keep things running smoothly. You could think of yourself as the manager on shift. Other people will mostly take care of the menial tasks but you need to make sure they have everything they need to complete those tasks. Does this make sense?" she asked more than willing to entertain questions and the like. Most store rooms in the world were magically enchanted to keep the things within fresh. Though not many had access to ice magic, most could manage ones for anti-theft and bugs and the like. They'd open the store rooms see what kind of dried food and the like was being kept here. In this case, a store room was more like a huge pantry. Full of oats, wheat, barreled beer, potatoes, and dried meats.

At the same time, Elyan was touching what looked like a chair and watching as it crumbled at his touch. Emilia managed to look aghast. She was content to do this sort of work, but she didn't imagine this being so much of a problem. Luckily enough, her mentor Sir Cador seemed capable enough of keeping a level head and this in turn kept her from freaking out too badly. His mention of Merlyn though, made the lass look around and jump backwards to suddenly find the mage within the same space as them. She was almost certain she hadn't been there before. "I'm sorry. How much of that did you see?" the young girl asked apologetically. "All of it... but I saw it hours ago, too. It was still quite interesting in person though, you have a bit of hidden fire in there~" Merlyn teased as Emilia blushed seeming to find her outburst in front of the other woman to be unacceptable for some reason or another. Content to leave the girl to her embarrassment for a few moments Merlyn looked around and shrugged. "It isn't that bad, but it could always be... well better. Also remind me I have something really funny to tell you~" she said to Sir Cador. As for this place there were a few open questions to answer. "Anyways the Castle at Loch Ness is about 1000 years old. Queen Artoria left this place behind when she claimed the lands of Camelot and ascended it. And I have been tasked with helping, and as I have already finished the outer magical defenses and tamed Nessie, I am at your service~" Merlyn said giving a bow to Emilia who managed to pull herself together. "Also Sir Cador, I am going to need some limitations, because I don't have 'human' sense. How much do you actually want me to help in this situation?" she asked of the man... she'd seen a future of him assuming she'd gone too far, and she didn't really want to experience that one, so she thought to cut to the chase to keep things interesting.

[Bloodedge]

There was no saving him if Guin decided to spread around her applesauce, as it were. Merlyn's propensity for vengeance was a thing for the woman to be wary of, so he would be the first to suffer as a result. "Right. I get sticky hair because Merlyn is some sort of monster. As king, can I demand someone wash it out for me?" Onward he went, following along into the storeroom. It was interesting that Guinevere knew the way instinctively, but he couldn't be one to talk. Moments passed, and Guin began to explain the upkeep of a fiefdom. To put it simply... Arthur had never felt like more of an idiot after hearing what she had to say. "... You're kidding," he said. Was it really all so simple? Arthur slapped his own forehead and let loose an exasperated sigh. "Guinevere. I have to confess something to you, and I'd like you to promise you won't laugh." He spoke slowly, as if having a revelation. He did have one, actually, but it wasn't at all good. "I... am a butler. A bodyguard. An all-purpose guy in my job, really, and I even have maids and such working under me. Everything you just said, is literally what I get paid to do... and I even do it well. To put it simply, I'm a moron."

Merlyn was revealed to all present, proving that only Cador noticed her arrival. He did have a way of cheating, so there was no judgement to be passed on the others. Still, her first words were of the sort he could expect from her at any time. She had something funny to tell him, did she? He could only imagine it had something to do with Arthur and Guinevere, both of whom were clearly alone now that Merlyn was found here. More importantly, Merlyn was indeed here to be of assistance after dealing with Loch Ness' major mythical beast, setting up barriers, and whatever else she'd accomplished in this short time. She claimed she needed limitations, though. What was that about? No matter. Cador had the kingly experience one such as Arthur lacked; he knew exactly how to make use of a court mage. "How kind of you to offer, Merlyn. As far as limitations are concerned, I believe I have enough to work with. I know only that you are an enchantress, so I can only ask for that much for starters. As you can see, the wood throughout this castle is aged beyond repair. I take it restoration of life energy is within your repertoire? The closest thing we have to a carpenter here is Sir Elyan, unless we'd all rather have Sir Dagonet make balloons for chairs, beds and stairs. Oh; some speedier cleaning tools would be helpful as well. By that, I mean cleaning tools in general. I don't imagine we'll be able to find a solid broom or mop handle, considering what a basic chair looks like~"

[Apollymi]

"Well, monster is a bit harsh. She is kind, but definitely not human..." she said of Merlyn. "Well, not completely anyways..." she added afterwards. Apparently, Arthur only wished to know if he could order his hair washed if he happened to end up on the receiving end of the sticky hair fiasco. A chuckle came from Guinevere in this moment as he was King and he could indeed do exactly that. "Indeed you could. You could even ask me... I was taught how to make shampoo. You know so I could actually make up for doing things like that and get released from being magically locked in my bedchambers which was this worlds equivalent of being grounded... solitary confinement was the worst part of the pranks~" the lass said as if she found this entire situation amusing now that it was no longer a punishment. Of course, by the time they actually reached the storeroom, Arthur had something to say. A very slow revelation and she needed to promise not to laugh. "I... well. I will try, but you know Arthur when people say that what they are about to say is usually hilarious..." she said with wide eyes. She was quite concerned at this moment but... as the slow words left Arthur's mouth Guinevere's face turned red. Beet Red was the exact color. She took a deep breath after he slapped himself on the back of the head. He literally already had all the knowledge necessary to run a kingdom. The only thing he'd need to remember is that as the King he didn't have to do much for himself. "I'm not laughing. I'm not laughing..." she started. Another deep breath. Guin was literally having a problem breathing right now, she needed to talk to avoid the outburst of giggles which was building up in her chest. "It isn't as if you aren't the other world equivalent to a manservant who literally has all the knowledge he needs to be king aside from a full understanding of disposition. Yeah... I got it... completely...." it hurt. It hurt so badly to hold in this laughter... she hadn't even promised and it was still the funniest thing she'd heard so far. She was half bent over, clutching her chest, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

At the same time Merlyn was asking Sir Cador for limits on her work. How strange, the Court Mage was usually someone to be utilized as completely as possible, perhaps Merlyn's own abilities needed tempering. Especially if one were to take her at her word about the multiple accomplishments she'd managed in less than an hours time. At the same time Sir Cador began to speak, touting in the moment his superior understanding of how the world's magics at large could be used to his advantage. A bit of a smile came across Merlyn's hooded face, what an interesting kingdom Cornwall had to have been in the past. "Oh? That isn't exactly a kindness and sure I can restore the things that were here..." she mentioned with the most casual of statements. She didn't know what part of reality-bending no one understood, but with the limitations given she could at least not make it seem like she was going overboard in the moment.

A white staff appeared within her hands and she closed her fingers around it. It was her major conduit and technically a workshop which would allow her to create various magically enchanted items at rapid speed and of high quality. She'd also use it to cast the spell necessary to return the wooden furniture and cloth decorations back to their original states. Such a thing seemed to cover the whole of the area in a pink almost pollen like substance, but as it sank in... all things would begin to sprout anew. Even that chair broken by Sir Elyan... seemed to fix itself in a matter of seconds. It didn't move anything... it didn't clean anything the rust fell away and all things seemed to regain their luster. Restored to their state of a 1000 years prior to this one. "Also a balloon for a chair isn't a half-bad idea. I miss beanbag chairs... I'm going to have one!~" mentioned Merlyn. "Maybe a waterbed too..." she murmured mostly to herself. Also the creation of cleaning supplies. Brooms, mops, dusters, furniture polish all sorts of things appeared within the space. Strangely, these began to move of their own accord as well, tending to the annoying part of the cleanup without any instruction. "Is this what you meant, Sir Cador?" she asked of the man... her own logic stating that there was still much to do, but at least they could just handle the start of this entire thing. "Are you seeing this, Sir Elyan?" asked Emilia, she'd almost pinched herself... she wondered how someone with this kind of power was... hanging out with them at all.

[Bloodedge]

He could have her be the one to wash his hair clean, could he? That was an interesting thought that carried on for... honestly far too long in Arthur's mind. He was no stranger to a woman washing his hair, but that was a different matter entirely when considering it was always one of his sisters. Maybe applesauce in his pillow wouldn't be so bad. Wait, wasn't he thinking about this a bit too long? Guin would probably catch on eventually, wouldn't she? At attention then! Now, he could be prepared for Guinevere's rebuttal to his... oh no. She was definitely laughing. Despite her every attempt to say otherwise, she looked like she could explode at any moment. Hell, it looked unhealthy to be holding it in so much! His embarrassment reached an all-time high, and Arthur sighed deeply. "Fine, fine! Let it out before I have to save you from being unconscious," he said, thinking further ahead to realize such a thing would mean mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Wouldn't that be worth it? Well yes, probably, but it wasn't worth the danger. Right─ moving on then... bar the fact that he was thinking too hard yet again.

Merlyn's help would be greatly appreciated by all present, Cador thought. On the other hand, she insisted that 'limitations' were not necessarily a kindness. "Perspective," was all he said in response. Even if the sorceress didn't mean to be kind specifically, the gesture would be taken as such. There was no changing his mind about this, as mere moments saw to the restoration of wood and cloth alike, while the following moments resulted in the creation of magically-automated cleaning utensils. Balloon chairs when phrased as bean bags actually didn't sound like a very bad idea, and... Cador had always wondered what a waterbed would be like. If Merlyn would be having one, he'd keep in mind to experience it later. "Beanbags, waterbeds and Disney furniture. Were you a stoner in life, Merlyn?" he asked with a cheeky grin. She did mention tattoos and piercings; perhaps she was the sort. While the Spirit Knight casually addressed the sorceress about her magic, Emilia and Elyan were both in awe. "Seeing it? Yes," Elyan confirmed. There was, however, more. "Sadly, I have to say seeing and believing are very different in my mind right now."

[Apollymi]

Was Arthur thinking a bit too long? Probably... would Guinevere interrupt? Not at all... she was far too busy trying not to laugh at him to be too worried about what was going on in his mind. Within a few moments his embarrassment was obvious, even so, he eventually gathered himself enough to agree to let the young white haired lass laugh at his expense. Such a thing would happen slowly. "I'm sorry... tehehehe~" she started. "Really I am...hahahahaha~" she managed. "But how, Sir?! Bwahahahahaha! It's too much..." she finally got it all out. It would be a few moments until she was finished, but eventually she'd recover enough to only have a light staining of red upon her cheeks while wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. She'd managed enough dignity to cover her mouth with one hand while holding her side with the other... how very cute she was as her eyes sparkled in a moment of joy. "Ah, I haven't laughed like that in ages~" she mused. "Alright... I'm all done. If you understand all of that, then you'll have no problem running a fiefdom of this size," she said happily. If nothing else, in spite of whatever the universe tried to have planned for them, at the very least, Arthur would be able to keep Guinevere laughing and happy. She took a great deal of comfort in that... in fact, such an idea was definitely one she could appreciate regardless of if this was his intention or not.

According to Sir Cador, Merlyn's 'kindness' was a matter of perspective. She was sure, in the moment that he'd think that... but she was quite certain others would not always see her actions as such. Oh well, she couldn't cry over spilled milk, or rather yet to be spilled milk. Soon enough she moved on to the matters of her bedroom, waterbed, beanbag chairs and the manner of furniture to her preference were situated in a room she was quite certain once belonged to her twin brother. Other rooms could be decorated at leisure and Merlyn would eventually make her plans for doing such things known. In the meantime, Cador questioned her life activities based on no doubt his knowledge of her former body modifications and her choice in furnishings. As a casual conversation ensued the cleaning supplies would work on this room before taking on others which would be restored to at least their original functionality. "What?! Sir Cador you wound me~" she said in her most teasing tone, hand over her heart as if aghast. "Every girl loves Disney movies... and my job had me on my feet for 12 to 14 hours at a time. One learns to enjoy soft seating after such instances~" she mused. "That being said, parties are fun... and here at least, the Lizardmen have the best supplies~" she mused of her own recreational drug usage. She could have explained the darker aspects of why she knew such things, or even bothered to use them once coming to this world. But teasing and dodging were much better to do. While this conversation was had, Emilia was joined in her disbelief by Sir Elyan. "Alright, glad it isn't just me. I wouldn't have thought to do such a thing.... I can't deny its novelty, or usefulness~" she chimed. There was a budding respect for the Sorceress brewing in Emilia.

[Bloodedge]

The laugh came at last, and what an experience it must have been. Built from a mere chuckle into nearly an all-out hysterical fit, all at Arthur's expense. As horrible as this was for Arthur himself, it was good to see Guin, or anyone from Zuria at all, having such a joyous moment. In the case of Guin specifically, it was an especially pleasant thing to look at. Innocent bliss framed her face well. After a gruesome yet satisfying eternity of observing Guinevere's laughter, it tapered to nothing. That came with the mention that Arthur should have no problem functioning with Loch Ness as a kingdom, given his previous world experience. "Glad to be of service. If you ever need to be killed by idiocy in future, I'm your guy," he said with yet another exhale. Now, he would move on to inspect the storage. There was a surprising amount of food stock kept here, though some of it was not what he would prefer having his people eat. Oats and wheat? Good. Potatoes? Excellent! Beer? It was fine here and there. Potatoes? Alright. Dried meat? He'd rather everyone have something fresh in their diets, but it would do while they figured something else out. Potatoes... again? Why the hell were there so many potatoes? "There is so much starch here. How have these even been kept edible? I'm guessing magic, but I'd like to have fresher meat for everyone."

Merlyn's initial reaction told Cador everything he needed to know. Though she didn't outright confirm a thing with her words, she said enough. Lizardmen? He'd encountered a few here and there, but never had he been on good enough terms to experience their 'supplies' as Merlyn put it. Perhaps he'd have to befriend some of the Lizardfolk one day. "I guess we knights have a lot of work to do, if we are to build a fun reputation ourselves. Given our current group and choices like knighting Dago─... Sir Dagonet, I assume there won't be much difficulty. Though I do wonder what the old Round Table has left behind for us."

Apparently, 'potatoes' was the answer to Cador's curiosity. . .

[Apollymi]

What a hearty amount of laughter Guinevere managed to have at Arthur's expense. This lad was well and truly funny, she was growing more and more pleased by the moment that someone so interesting hadn't been completely and utterly ruined by a woman like Kolin. "Oh? Well, I will make sure that you are the first person on such a list~" she said with a chuckle. Of course, they eventually had to get back to work and as Arthur took inventory of the stores beneath the castle, he took to questioning the method of keeping it fresh for as long as this place had been abandoned. "Well, among the first things introduced in this world by the more creative of the mages. In Zuria we had cold storage and castle walls kept warm during the winter due to Nerys," she stated easily. Many things were accomplished by magic in this world that science would have accomplished in the one they were from. As an aside... science was apparently still being developed or so the news among the Clocktower said. Still, the young King known as Arthur would have enjoyed a fresh source of meat for everyone, and Guinevere gave this but a moment of thought and shook her head again. "Ah, still not seeing the option exactly in front of you... I am fairly certain, dry meats were meant for rations. But if you want fresh meats then I would advise the bounty of the lake..." she mentioned. Yes, fishing was probably how fresh meat was attained in this place. And farm animals were probably kept originally for things like milk and eggs.

In the meantime while the rooms were being cleaned, Merlyn managed a pleasant enough conversation with Sir Cador. He claimed the Knights would have to work hard to gain a reputation for fun, Merlyn could only laugh. "Jesters, bards... weird witches... A few fun kinds of Knight will be popping up in the future for those less concerned with upholding the status quo. Besides, even Queen Artoria has a nice sad harpist in her group~" Merlyn said of the potentials for the Knights in the future. All the while, Emilia finally beyond being stunned, began drawing the curtains and letting in light. And getting to work properly. "Thank you, Merlyn... you've made this whole thing much easier~" she said happily. "Such things hardly require thanks, Emilia~" Merlyn stated. "That isn't true, now we just have to set up, cleaning all of that would have been dreadful..." she stated seeming fine with explaining herself. What an earnest girl, she was going to drive some man near crazed one day. Well, maybe Merlyn wasn't as used to being around such people anymore. Whatever the case, the woman known as Merlyn eventually had her eyes drawn to the window outside as her mind began to wander. "It seems like you'll be up now, moving furniture..." she winked towards Sir Cador.

[Bloodedge]

"Good. I'll remember to keep myself available for you." After saying those words, Arthur took pause. Did that sentence need clarification? No; surely the intention was obvious, but... it wasn't as if he couldn't have meant it other ways as well. It was probably best to move on without acknowledging that at all. Regardless of the chitchat, Arthur gained understanding of something else. Magic was a useful tool, even for the keeping of food. Even so, mere rations would do them no good. They could establish a fishing routine, yes, but Arthur didn't seem incredibly fond of that idea either. "I won't hear of it. Fish is nice, but we have to find other proteins. There are only so many ways to prepare a single meat before the base flavor leaks its way through every dish! We'll at least need a red meat to start a proper balance. I hope there's a place nearby enough to send out a hunting party or something," he said, seeming very peculiar about diets. This, too, was a remnant of his previous life. Whether at home or on the job, Hoshimi Kei always found himself responsible for someone's diet. It was a point of pride for him to ensure those whose diet's he took responsibility for, were never bored with a dish.

Knights would not be so uptight in the view of others for long, it seemed. Merlyn's insight struck again, hinting at the future appearance of ridiculous knights that were also bards and witches. A jester in their midst was strange enough, but the other things on the list were hilarious to even think about. True enough though, the Queen of Knights' group possessed a harpist. "I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Tristan once. I thought he could use a hug," said Cador. Now, it appeared he was to be moving furniture about. They'd managed to skip the more horrible phase, only for Cador to be guided toward the next one. "So in saving us from the cleanup and restoration, you instead leave us to do the heavy lifting?" he questioned, interrupted by the hand of Elyan upon his shoulder. "Come on, Sir Cador. Let's just get it out of the way."

[Apollymi]

"Of course~ You should definitely do that~" Guinevere replied in the way most organic to her own thought pattern. Of course, she realized she might have sounded a bit pushy, or maybe even a bit too serious. Perhaps she was a bit more serious than the current level of situation should have granted her, but... none of that mattered in the moment. At the suggestion of abusing the lake for its resources, it seemed that this was fine with Arthur but he very well seemed upset with the dietary balancing as it were. "You did more of the cooking than the other parts of your job... huh? That is a bit," she held her fingers up for reference showing a tiny space between her fore finger and thumb. "Obsessive." she finished but she simply shrugged. "Still, I think any of the men would be glad to join a hunting party for the sake of making sure we had interesting things to eat. At the very least, wild boar, stags and flying bison can be found on this continent. So long as there is someone with some ranged attacks I am sure some can be brought here... though it would then be the case that you'll have to look for a butcher," she gave this advice rather freely to make sure the lad fully understood all he'd be undertaking.

At the same time, Merlyn and Sir Cador discussed a man called Sir Tristan and Merlyn chuckled. "Yes, he does need a hug, several in fact. He'll receive them soon-ish... strangely not from me," she said peeking into the future a bit and coming up with something quippy to say. It seemed that Cador had something cheeky to say about the part of the job she'd left this group with. Merlyn leaned against her staff and huffed. "Jeez, beggars are being such choosers right now. I do all the work and I get lectured about camaraderie and team-building. I only do part of it, and I get a pouty Spirit Knight~ There's no pleasing you," the woman said in mock outrage as she stuck her tongue out at Sir Cador as he was gently moved towards the task at hand. All the while Merlyn stood leaned against that staff of hers, still doing random other things around the castle without moving from her current spot. Oh, well, she was being helpful even if no one else would be aware of it for some time to come. At the same time, Emilia began directing, pointing Sir Cador and Sir Elyan to places where large pieces of furniture should go to create the best looking throne room, reception hall/dining room, then she supposed the kitchen and lastly the bedrooms would need looking after as well.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, Hoshimi Kei was more often a chef than anything else. It wasn't much a matter of preference at first. To put it simply, a shut-in like Ashikaga Kimiko hardly required bodyguarding. She did, however, require some pleasantries within the limited diet demanded by her mother. With only a few proteins, he made many a dish, and even developed a routine for optimal freshness while never repeating the same meal twice in a fortnight. Considering these things, it was only natural that he became a bit obsessive over such matters. "Never underestimate the goodness of a balanced and varied diet, Guinevere. With just a few proteins, it's possible to─" He paused. Something Guinevere said was incredibly disturbing, and warranted Arthur's immediate attention. Well... perhaps it shouldn't have in a world like this, but he just couldn't help it. "I'm sorry, did you say flying bison? There's some sort of buffalo wing joke I could make about that, I'm sure─"

It was always the general consensus that Sir Tristan of Camelot required a hug, or something of the sort to ease his obviously troubled mind. Comfort came from Merlyn's clairvoyance; it was good to know such an honorable man would be treated kindly by someone, sometime. Cador and Elyan would both carry on with the moving of furniture, following Emilia's every gesture to maneuver shelves, tables, beds and wardrobes in sequence. All the while, Cador casually kept up the banter with their resident sorceress. "I'm not pouting; you're pouting. Save it for the believers, Merlyn. We know you left us with this part on purpose, all because we made you lift a finger to help out. You're like an old guardian bringing home groceries~"