Munetsuchi

[Apollymi]

Two people on his side was more than most could expect given he'd been seen 'murdering' the Holy Father. Of course, many of Charles group were skeptical of people at large, so most of them were likely to side with caution before jumping to conclusions anyway. "I figure it does... I'd try to numb it but... that might not work too well," she explained. "I wouldn't want to you to fall apart," she said meekly. Of course, it was a time like this that Astolfo finally came to again. "Eh? Astolfo you're awake again. Good. We are in deep sh...! Oops. Trouble... right word," she said. Though she was a reasonable healer, she still didn't really know what to do about this man's fluctuating mana. The best she could do, is hope they'd landed in a place that wasn't aligned with Aincrad in anyway, so they could have a safe place to investigate Charles safety and recuperate. Just the same the girl with the blue eyes had made her way into the forest clearing and though it was protected slipping past the flames by not presenting herself as a threat with her mana was rather easy for her to do. She was enveloped by the warmth of it, and found herself petting the stag flame creature Astolfo was atop, while sipping from her cup, like a tourist seeing something for the first time. "Oh? It was people. That's interesting. But... that doesn't explain why you fell from so high up. Nee-chan you seem distressed," the girl said innocently as if she didn't understand the urgency that Anais spoke with.

Just the same, a certain fox-lady was leading the way to a scenic view she wished to use as inspiration. "Something a bit more holistic and natural..." she mused as she turned around and leaned against the tree, she faced the man in question but a single leg of hers lifted a foot falling out of its shoe, all... unseen by any but the one intended to witness it. "Rooftops and dark alleys are good for tales of scamps and espionage. But what about the tale of an artist who sees all in brush strokes and shining light. Umu, in the land of falling stars, a rather simple story could be told, and executed on the perfect backdrop~" she mused. That lifted foot would come to rest over his man's left shoulder. That short kimono she wore was lifting ever so slightly giving a small peek at what she wore, or rather didn't underneath.

[Bloodedge]

"Heh. That makes two of us. I'll take the not falling apart option, thanks," said Charlemagne. He could at least attempt to keep spirits high ─ both his own and others. Of course, Astolfo needed no such thing. The pink-haired male came to in full Astolfo fashion. Anais spoke to the lad, mentioning how much trouble they were in. He kept posing atop the stag as if charging into battle. Astolfo was having a rather good time, but surprisingly... "Aren't we always? Don't worry about it! Just because some old guy went and messed our king up, doesn't mean we should let ourselves fall apart over it. He's still here, so we just need to get back up and punch that old goat in his face!" he announced. Typical Astolfo, thought Charlemagne.

Charlemagne counted himself, Anais and Astolfo. With just those three and the guaranteed Isabella onboard in Aincrad, they could definitely accomplish something whenever he recovered... if he recovered. That number was off, though... how? Himself, Anais, Astolfo... and some random young woman? "Who's tha─AGH!" Reeling, Charlemagne failed to complete a sentence. That seemed to be a common occurrence for him lately, but he loathed this reason above all others. Still, who was this random girl?

Those who goaded that girl into investigating were already approaching the sakura tree that would soon be... disrespected? Blessed? Something; it was a subjective matter. The woman of the pair alluded to the literary value of rooftops and alleyways compared to the current choice. "What's wrong with scamps and espionage? I really enjoy a bit of espionage, and..." The male paused as a bared foot upon his female companion rose, its ankle planting itself atop his shoulder. Her legs hardly knew coverage, and apparently neither did anything between them at present. His eyes trailed down to really take in her lack of undergarments, and then he finished speaking. "You're nothing if not a scamp yourself. Now, what's this about brush strokes?" Just then, his left hand cupped over the top of her lifted ankle, rubbing its way down that leg. His other hand utilized the time to loosen his trousers ─ an act that would soon enough result in the sudden flopping of his half-erect manhood into his own hand. "I didn't bring any brushes, and you didn't warn me to. This is the closest I've got."

[Apollymi]

A small chuckle escaped Anais. At least there were still jokes, it would probably feel really bad if this was as tense as it felt within her own body. Speaking of feelings and knowledge of current events, Astolfo seemed to be pretty well versed on the current showings of information. He claimed that not much needed to be done, that it was simply matter of punching the old man. The claim that they were always in trouble was also pretty true, "I mean yeah, we are always into something. But it usually isn't the higher ups that are causing us problems," she said seeming to understand in a base way what was going on here. What she didn't understand was the girl, who'd just spoken and seemed to be watching everything going on in the manner of an observer. "I am distressed, this is terrible, but how... did you get in here?!" she exclaimed. She'd set up their protective barrier first, she knew that she'd done this... Even Charles managed to stumble over words to try and find out about the extra girl who was here. "How did I get in? I walked in... the feelings here say you wanted to keep out those with bad intentions who would do harm. I have no intentions so I could walk in," she explained as she walked around the white stag. It would seem there was a lot of intention placed in Anais magic she'd have to be on the look out about that in the future. "Who am I... Tohsaka Sakura, though you definitely wouldn't have asked me that if you were from here. Hm, I've never seen robes like those before either," she said before sipping out of her cup once more. She looked down at Charles seeming to be assessing his current form and though she'd never seen a condition like his, she was certain how to get the function of his mana closer to normal. "Also, he needs mana. Mana would stabilize his form. He's needs a lot of it, but I assume you used up a lot of yours protecting this place and softening your descent," the girl who'd introduced herself as Sakura said.

Meanwhile she scene by the tree seemed to be evolving quite a bit. Whatever was about to happen under the cover of these sakura petals, it would be something of great purpose. Ah, whatever the case, there was a certain lingering gaze, as that leg came to rest against the man's shoulder. It was cupped and eyes were transfixed on the bare undercarriage of this fox woman for several moments longer than was probably necessary. Such a sight even managed to stop a sentence, for just a moment. "Ara ara... that one took a while to complete. I don't think it makes me a scamp though~" she chimed seeming to take quite a bit of amusement from the moment. "Brushes strokes are for creating a perfect picture... I'm sure we've had this conversation before~", she teased taking in the sight of half-mast bare manhood, she reached down to touch as well, her hips shifting slightly as the space between her legs gained a bit of moisture at the thoughts she was having alone. "This is exactly the kind of brush I was thinking of, if we're painting today. Do make sure it gets stirred up well, A-ya-to~"

[Bloodedge]

The Twelve Peers were always into some sort of trouble. True, the higher-ups were typically not to blame for it... but Astolfo was a man who lacked reason. "Hush! It was always the higher-ups' fault! Even that broken vase! Especially that broken vase!" he insisted just before some random girl made her presence known in the group. Astolfo was as shocked as everyone else here, but he was already on a tangent. "See! Also their fault!" he added.

Apparently, this girl was not one they needed to look out for. Or was she? Charlemagne wasn't sure what to think about anyone anymore. Father An was trustworthy, and he made this happen. Ganelon was loyal, and he announced Charlemagne's alleged treason without a second thought. Whatever her intentions were, a name was given. Tohsaka Sakura... sounded familiar for some reason, though Charlemagne couldn't place why. "Toh... sa─aAah!" Again, the pain of shattering struck him. It was said that he needed mana ─ lots of it. That was the sort of solution he'd have expected of Angelica. On the other hand, it did sound right. If Angelica were around, he could be fixed easily. Maybe this place had enough food to stabilize him? That is, assuming he could even eat. . .

Without hesitation, the fox woman pointed out the pause taken by the male. "It was for dramatic effect," he said frankly. As for his lack of a brush, she claimed the substitute he offered was actually just what she had in mind. Oh, how very convenient. "Is it? Well it is relatively all-purpose. We'll see if it paints the right picture," said the man apparently named Ayato. With the woman's hand upon his tool, he closed a great deal of space between them. Their lips would meet briefly once, then again before he spoke once more. "But I thought we were writing. You may be taking 'a picture says a thousand words' a little too literally, Lady Guuji. What's the actual plan?"

[Apollymi]

Astolfo was full of random words and even more random understanding of the world around him. He claimed that the higher ups were to blame for many things, including the breaking of a vase. That being said his logic was far from sound most of the time, and as such Anais was confused. "I would assume any broken vase was one of you guys," she explained of her stance. Little did she know that probably didn't even matter. Instead she was left with the knowledge that there was a new, seemingly friendly person among their ranks who could bypass her barrier and was watching and drinking tea like a tourist. "This girl seems native, and Japanese. Did we land in a Japan? That'd be pretty nice," said Anais, she'd not seen anything like her homeland in quite a while, it would be good. "Japan? I don't know what that is, this is Munetsuchi..." she explained of the place they were currently. Of course, that was likely the most Japanese sounding name to be heard by this group in quite a while. "Should I give him my mana? It is flowing pretty nicely right now..." she stated seeming to have figured that if the other girl didn't have a lot, she could easily give quite a bit with no problem. In fact she was soon leaned over Charles face as if she intended to kiss him.

While awkwardness developed in a different group, Ayato and Lady Guuji. were getting into position to fornicate against a tree. That was the truth of the matter, but there was a certain build up happening between them that seemed to make it rather interesting. There was a playfulness in how they spoke to each other, countering each slip of the tongue with another. The pause had been for dramatic effect, well it was dramatic at least. They would see if his all-purpose brush painted the proper picture. "I'm sure it has all the necessary skills~" she seemed to be fine with this extended metaphor. Their lips met briefly then again before more speech came. In the meantime, she was asked what the actual plan was, her brows came together in curiosity. "I thought this plan was clear enough. And a picture is worth a thousand words... nothing can be taken too seriously, or everything can..." she mused with his manhood so much closer in her hands she found herself rubbing it against the entrance of her nether, wetting the tip as if it was to be dipped in ink before actually painting a picture. "You're going to stir the paint, so to speak, then... we're going to use this gorgeous backdrop to make something interesting... it should be more than enough to leave an artist to record all the pictures we won't be painting today~" she mused as she lined the pair of them up, properly moving her hands towards his hips as if to help him sink further into her depths.

[Bloodedge]

In truth, a specific broken vase in the past was entirely Astolfo's fault. That wasn't the point! Even if he'd been the one to break it while no one of major importance was around, it was someone else's fault. "It was the Father's fault!" he blurted out. Now, onto the girl who invaded the protective barrier. She was friendly, yet strange. She spoke frankly, yet with a certain kindness. Astolfo approved of her presence. Moreover, all three could agree that she seemed Japanese... and so did the name of their current location. "Kore wa nihondesu," said Astolfo. If Charlemagne could have managed it, he'd have been nodding or verbalizing his agreement. Alas, he couldn't do either. If mana was to help him though, he'd take any he could get. Ah... but it seemed Sakura had a very specific method in mind. With her already leaning over him, he had to manage something. "Ngh! Wait! I just got married!" he strained. Surely this girl was more normal than his wife. A perfectly normal, functional human girl would understand basic boundaries... right?

Speaking of boundaries, some were soon to be torn down... if they ever existed at all. The 'Lady Guuji' as she was called, was presently sandwiched between a tree and Ayato, both parties casually flirting with their genitals on display in broad daylight. That probably wasn't good. Yes, it would be best for them to show respect to the surrounding area by putting their privates away. Ayato had this thought, and one could assume the woman did as well... since she'd begun urging his lower half closer to her own. "Ah, stirring the paint. Why didn't I think of that? I was thinking of action painting," he joked. Nevertheless, the proverbial brush would be dipped in the closest thing to paint nearby. Of course, the thing closest to paint happened to be the fluids of a certain fox woman's loins. She did have plenty to spare; she could afford to wet his brush a bit. And so, he'd have a hefty dip. "Fufu~. A bit tight for a palette, isn't it? You'll start losing brushes in it if you keep using this~"

[Apollymi]

It was the Father's fault. A great number of things fell into that category presently, even if Anais didn't know all of those things. At the very least, Isabella expected that the Father was responsible for whatever nefarious thing she'd been researching. They saw he was responsible for the fall of Charlemagne and the theft of his name and youth. Ah... there was something else they were about to find out... he'd stolen. Before that though, the words that left Astolfo's face, seemed ones that Sakura recognized well, the sentence structure was right at least. "Oh? You know the language of the land, well... at least one of the versions of it. Sou ka, Kaa-sama will be interested in this," she thought absently. Still there was something to be done before she introduced this group of people to her mother. Charles was literally falling apart his mana not holding him together, so she aimed to fix it with her own. As Sakura leaned down to give this lad the mana she was sure his body needed, he made a strained plea. He'd recently gotten married, he wanted to wait. That didn't make sense, for several reasons... confusion spread across this girl's face as she leaned back to study this boy's face. "What does marriage have to do with anything? And if you got married today then something is really strange, because you don't feel married..." she stated clearly, as if she had some acute knowledge of such things. All the while Anais seemed to be confused as well. "He's definitely married. We watched the ceremony. I saw the rings form... I cried. I always cry at weddings!" she explained of the situation which only made it more confusing for Sakura.

Just the same the pair against the sakura tree were seemingly becoming more discrete over time. Their bodies were drawn together as they started their picture making process. "Action painting? A style like that deserves its own venue~" she mused seeming to have turned Action Painting into a very specific kind of activity in her own mind. Ah, well that didn't really matter. Soon enough that gentle wetting would become a fuller plunge directly into her undercarriage. His commentary about the tight squeeze would be met by a purposeful squeeze of those same muscles as she rocked her hips encouraging his movements. "Umu!♥~ I think a tight fit is good. And if it doesn't work... obviously, I'll just have to keep using this one~" she claimed as if it was perfectly reasonable. Oh... this little act would take them far she was certain of this.

[Bloodedge]

Various languages were confirmed for this land, one of which was Japanese. Hearing that, Astolfo perked up even more. "Version? Are we in mashup land?! I'm getting mainland clothes!" the lad said excitedly. With that, he hopped off the stag, catching his skirt before it blew up. Charlemagne always had something to say after all, and now wasn't a time to make their leader start whining about something again. Besides... he'd soon have something else to moan about, it seemed. From the looks of things, the situation was about to take a rather scandalous turn. That was Astolfo's favorite! Charlemagne was lying under a woman he'd just met, minutes after his wedding, about to be tongued-down! Astolfo was absolutely giddy! "Oh, yes! Mana transfer!" he chanted.

Upon pointing out his married state, Charlemagne was countered in the oddest way. What did being married have to do with it? Oh. Another strange woman had fallen into his lap today. Alright. Furthermore, she claimed he didn't 'feel' married. That simply wasn't possible; he even had the spirit ring of... nothing? He tried to produce it to show proof, but much to his chagrin, nothing happened. Well... something happened. That small effort was enough to cause ethereal cracks all over Charlemagne's body. "ACK!" he yelled. That was a stupid idea. He shouldn't be saying any more, so of course... it was Astolfo's solemn duty to speak for him! "He was married right before we fell here, but don't let that stop you! He'll really appreciate it if you really get in there!" Astolfo encouraged, even offering a thumbs-up to the purple-haired lass.

[Apollymi]

Mainland clothes. This was what Astolfo wanted, meanwhile Anais got a bit caught up in the moment seeming to have caught onto the infectiousness of the situation. "Clothes, no... food yes! It'll taste like home!~" she seemed really excited by that notion. "Clothes and food... those are easy," Sakura mentioned as if there was no reason to do anything else. Ah, but there was a problem, the pink haired lad encouraged her to perform the mana transfer, but the man himself didn't seem to want one. According to everyone in this group, including the man himself, he'd been married earlier this day. "Oh, sounds like the ceremony was pretty. I haven't seen a wedding directly yet," Sakura stated as if this was a perfectly normal conversation. It seemed that trying to show his ring had made it obvious that this man no longer had the ring he thought he should. The use of his mana also caused him to have a problem which brought cracks along his person.

"Sou ka... I don't know what happened with that. You'd have to ask Kaa-sama. But..." she didn't go to kiss Charles just yet... it would be bad to try and force mana into him if he didn't want to take it from her. Acceptance even of her more neutral mana would make it work a bit better. Instead she held a hand over his body and the hand he'd tried to produce the ring on, produced a red thread instead. It seemed to be going off into the long distance, but it was a rather vibrant shade of red. "Hm, this is connected to someone, I assume the wife of yours... it's still bright so it's alright. I won't mess with it, but you should try and accept this, so that you won't break apart while we're moving," she explained calmly. She'd been given the thumbs up by the lad, and the young woman with him was causally looking away as if she was trying to respect some form of privacy. This only made Sakura wonder where they'd come from that they had such strange notions about sharing mana. Still she was leaned over him, fully willing to press their lips together and share it with him. But she wouldn't force it upon him... no she'd leave just a bit of space and let him take it for himself... that seemed like a much better way to let this lad live. Of course, if he did this she'd sink in freely giving but that was simply her nature.

[Bloodedge]

Food was what Anais wanted from this region. Pointless! They could get food anywhere, anytime even. Real, authentic mainland clothes were nearly impossible to locate in Astolfo's experience. "Blah! You don't want food! You want a qipao!" he suggested to Anais, both of his brows wiggling wildly and suggestively. More importantly, there was a kiss about to happen between Charlemagne and this random girl. Kisses led to deeper kisses, and deeper kisses led to... exactly the sort of scandal Astolfo lived for!

Alas, it was not to be just yet. Sakura decided she wouldn't be pressing the issue while Charlemagne resisted. How very boring. Regarding his marriage or lack thereof though, she showed the young man a thread still linked presumably to Angelica. As long as there was something, Charlemagne could rest easy. He'd have to look into the finer details of this situation, but... to do that, he'd have to make it out of the current predicament. Could he do that? Thinking about it, he'd probably never hear the end of it from Angelica if his healthy return was halted by refusing a simple kiss. He still didn't understand why she (and apparently some others) were so casual about these things, but... it was for a purpose, right?

Fine. As long as it was just that, Charlemagne could be accepting of the mana transfer. This Sakura woman wasn't nearly as pushy as the Holy Princess. Perhaps it would have been better if she was, though. Astolfo would agree to that, and so would Charlemagne's body. Why the latter? Well... after that last stunt, even the attempt to lift his head a single centimeter only caused another crack in his person. Moving would not work for him. He managed only a grunt as the back of his head hit the ground.