Munetsuchi

[Apollymi]

Anais would put her faith in a few people. She'd been taught to rely on those who didn't give her weird feelings so Solomon could easily be counted as a person worthy of her trust in this case. Of course, when she was given permission to ask questions, hers had taken on a variety of things for a great number of reasons. The man who this realm belonged to, chuckled. Perhaps her wayward thoughts ere truly a bit problematic, but in answer to his question of appropriateness, she could only scoff. "Appropriateness wasn't a part of the criteria. I can ask anyone any of the questions I normally have or use extended amounts of time in someone's presence to figure it out. If you are to be generally unavailable, it is best to attack points of curiosity where they are. Though, I'll keep in mind how such things could be taken, I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea when my curiosity gets the best of me," she said with a nod. Of course, she'd keep in mind that more personal questions might make people believe she was romantically interested, but given her place within this group a bit of romantic interest was probably unavoidable.

Moving on her questions would receive answers. Solomon had a level of clairvoyance which was well beyond anything that Anais had even heard of, the idea of having an unobstructed view of the past and the future was crazy. Of course, at least the former would be kind of interesting she'd keep in mind to explore her thoughts for interesting trivia she was curious about. He also claimed that he was still human and thus remained in his realm to avoid aging unnecessarily. That also made sense and it was a very human thing to do, though that made her wonder his extra reasoning. "Sou ka, knowing the past sounds useful... knowing the future sounds frightening. I don't really envy you that.." the girl concluded. "Does asking questions about past stuff count as spoilers? I don't have any real questions now, but I figure I might by the time I see you again so it could be on my list of varied questions later," she expressed. As for the rest, she found out a bit of personal information. He had liked the Aeon's worked. He wasn't overly lonely, and he liked a wide array of music, at least partly influenced by his male parent. "Hai, that's all pretty interesting..." she said seeming a bit contemplative. "I realized, I really hope mind-reading isn't in your skills list.. I already feel bad about the potential of my internal monologue leaking out to Mugen-sensei at random..." she said seeming quite a bit sheepish. Of course, she was, but that was simply her nature and not something she was keen to run from in any way.

[Bloodedge]

"You are correct," Solomon said. Indeed, there was no prerequisite for appropriateness. Anais was truly free to ask any and every question crossing her mind, and he'd answer them all. As Solomon understood, there were no bad questions. "Don't worry. I was feeling a little nostalgic, so I thought to tease a bit. Those were excellent questions. If I teach you one thing today, let it be the truth that anything deemed irrelevant, is only so for the moment it is considered. All things have their time and purpose ─ even knowing a person's musical preferences," he declared.

Few who lacked clairvoyance would envy those who did. Seeing the past had always been a boon, but only after adjusting to knowledge of the future could one truly adjust to it. One more question was presented. Anais wished to know if questioning the past counted as asking for spoilers. "The past is for all to know. My sight applies only to events that are certain, so you may question the past all you like," he answered. In terms of mind-reading, Solomon had no such innate ability. Frankly... neither did Mugen, as he could recall. "I am no mind-reader, and neither is Mugen. Once upon a time, he possessed the ability to read the human heart. It wasn't a thing that allowed him to hear words as you think them, but rather to understand intentions even deeper than the subconscious. Sadly, such a power will inevitably open one up to seeing the true, dark nature of mankind. I presume Mugen's ability is even more susceptible to picking up on things linked to the Void now, though even I don't know the full breadth of his capacity."

[Apollymi]

Anais was correct. He'd not specified that she needed to ask appropriate questions. Beyond that, he stated that he'd been teasing and felt nostalgic. To this Anais could only playfully pout. "Hmph, of course you would be teasing me..." she stated. Of course, she didn't actually mind this at all. Apparently the strange habits of her teachers in this path cycle of life were all going to be very different to undertake. Even so, there was additionally the claim that all information was important in the right time. "Sou ka, I'll keep it in mind. And not feel bad for keeping random information tucked away in my brain space..." she stated. Of course, there were many things she could like about Solomon's teaching, but that was a big concept to work with and she could happy explore it.

Moving on, the girl's questions about the past and if it counted as spoilers, was rather openly addressed as not spoilers. She was allowed to ask anything about the past as it appeared in her head. "Sugoi! That's going to be awesome when I think of something to ask," she mused, knowing it would come eventually. And much to her own relief this man couldn't read her thoughts, she'd never sighed her own relief so audibly in her entire life. Ah, well... according to Solomon, Mugen didn't have such an ability either. He previously had the ability to read hearts, and though it could have evolved he didn't have knowledge of it. "Reading hearts huh? I am pretty sure I've heard of that somewhere before... Box it," she mused. She'd deal with issues of Mugen and his potential identity later. "Also I don't want spoilers about their identities, I want to figure that out on my own... I feel like it will be really satisfying. Well, so long as I don't accidentally create one of them, you know what... I don't want to think about that. Going in a box." she stated as if that would make sense outside of her head. She found her curiosities answered and was pleased to have met Solomon beyond other things. "Hm, I guess there is only one thing left to ask, did I miss a good line of questioning?" she asked seeming to wonder if she'd missed something important in her excitement. It was always good to have one's curiosities checked by their mentors.

[Bloodedge]

Strangely, it had never been Solomon's intention to tease. Rare was it that he interacted with someone from the other world. Even he was not immune to a nostalgia trip under such circumstances. Once the moment was past, he felt no further desire to behave that way. The male passed on his lesson, and moved on to Anais's ability to question past events. There were many useful things she could learn from a time long gone, though there was no incredible need just yet.

One more thing for Anais to understand was what Solomon knew of Mugen's ability. It was always possible that he'd developed it to the point of reading minds, but Solomon couldn't be too sure. Those inhabitants of the Void had many secrets beyond the world's, and therefore his own, understanding. Regardless, Anais commented that she'd heard of something like that before. Of course she did. Solomon knew Mugen's identity was one very well-known to her and her people. His current identity may not have given it away so easily, but the signs were all obvious after being noticed just once. "Don't worry. I won't take your satisfaction away. When you find the answer, you should speak to Miwa. Demons are so secretive, there are some things she is yet missing about him," Solomon explained briefly. Anais went on to ask if she'd missed any good questions. Well, there were so many excellent questions to ask, and so little time to ask them. "Millions, yes. But... you know all that you must know for now." With that final line spoken, the vision Solomon created began to dissolve. Anais would find herself right where she once was, Solomon's tongue retracting slowly from her mouth's interior before their lips parted fully. "There we are. Now, I think it's time I left you to your study. I'll see you all soon," he said just prior to fading into his own realm.

[Apollymi]

Whether he'd intended to tease or not, he'd succeeded, but Anais understood. As someone from the other world it was really easy to fall into strange traps of mind and habit under the right circumstances. Of course, when their conversation continued it would be stated that Solomon had no intention of ruining her fun. Instead he claimed that she should speak to Miwa when she figured out Mugen's identity. According to Solomon, demons were secretive, and there were things the wisdom goddess did not know. Given this, Anais would easily share information with the woman, after all she considered her to be her relative headmistress.

"Hai hai, arigatou gouzaimasu... I'll make sure to talk to her. Assuming he's someone exciting, I'll definitely need someone to talk to..." she thought. Her given reactions to meeting the others let her know when she figured out who her remaining two teachers were she'd likely have a fit. Beyond that, it would give her a chance to congratulate the goddess Miwa on creating the perfect nerd girl harem. Moving on, apparently there were millions of questions she could have asked, but none that she needed to. She knew all she needed to now, and would soon find herself back where she had been with Solomon retracting his tongue from her mouth. There was something about that which always felt really strange to Anais even so, she managed to only look slightly abashed and given Solomon's less intrusive nature, their break was more natural and less rushed than she'd been when separating herself from Mugen earlier. "Hm, hai... I'll do my best, ja ne..." the girl managed. "It was nice seeing you, Solo-kun~" was Miwa's response, she seemed to be quite used to the man's more eclectic behaviors. At the same time, Anais was left to think over, what kind of darkness might cause her to call upon Solomon and what kind of studies she was in for during her circle around this path she was taking.

[Bloodedge]

The departure of Solomon resulted in a timely exodus of most men in Munetsuchi's palace. Qin had little purpose to stick around from the beginning, and would be gone by the time Anais returned. Wukong had oddly taken his place by the throne, where he seemed to be... putting the goddess's hair back in order? Yes, that appeared to be the case. Mugen continued watching and waiting, mulling over what he'd be doing next. All the while, Ailen simply awaited the return of his pupil for the next lesson. She'd have to receive a tour of the labs if she was to be doing any experimentation here, but first... he'd have to establish a sleeping arrangement. "That's that, then. Now, I think it's safe to say you've had a very busy afternoon. What sort of room would you like?" he wondered.

Meanwhile, Charlemagne was beginning to stir under the familiar warmth of a candle. Slowly but surely, his mana was returning under the candle's amplifying effects. The lad had enough to function, though it wasn't as if he had much energy prior to that little stunt of his anyway. "Ugh. Where am I?" he wondered, his vision an absolute haze. "And why do I keep getting run over by trucks?" he asked further. Perhaps it would be in Charlemagne's best interest to take a rest day after all the nonsense he'd been through. Maybe he'd do that... whenever he could tell left from right.

[Apollymi]

Munetsuchi's throne room had all but cleared out after Solomon's exit. Upon looking around, Anais noticed that Qin was gone, Ailen was waiting for her and Mugen seemed to be contemplating something. Ah, but Sun Wukong was busying himself, doing the godesses's hair. Anais had a brow quirk while she took in that sight and it was oddly cute and not really surprising when she considered what Sun Wukong was, 'Monkey-senpai acting like a monkey and grooming someone isn't really surprising,' she thought absently. That being said or rather thought, Ailen spoke to her much to her own happiness. He made the claim that she'd had a busy afternoon, and asked her what kind of room she liked. Ah, yes, the goddess Miwa had stated that they all could stay, and given ehr own connection her staying was pretty natural anyway. "It really has been very busy, as for a room..." the girl seemed to go into deep thought. Why? Well because as was the case the last few hours her internal voice had decided that now was the opportune moment to speak up. 'Take Shishou's room!~' Anais's eyes widened. Why was her internal voice so very forceful? Asking such a thing went against her very nature as a Japanese person, she'd get herself out of this, "Is there a room like yours anywhere... I like that one," she mused. Yes, she wouldn't take his room, but if she could have a similar one she could be happy. Or at least that is what she could tell herself. 'Boo, part of the point is to share it with him, ya' know?'

While Anais continued to battle her internal voices, Charles began to stir with another set of sentences. Once again, he'd find himself with his head in Sakura's lap all the while she studied that candle floating above him, bolstering his ability to regenerate his missing mana, even outside the direct influence of his friend who'd cast it. She found this magic quite interesting and wondered if the other lass understood how advanced it was to be able to make something so self-sustaining. "We're in on of the other pavilions. It is a nice place, I thought it fit you..." she stated as if it made the most sense in the world. To the rest of his statement she could only look down at him with curious eyes seeming to not understand something. "I don't know what a truck is... but, you're probably feeling so strangely because you keep trying to act while your body doesn't have any mana. You should let it regenerate before you attempt any more uses of magic or even magecraft at this point," she advised. "Also this candle is interesting," she said pointing to the candle. She wondered if it would disappear when Charles finished regaining his mana.

[Bloodedge]

With lodging in question, Anais appeared to be in thought. That was fine, and in fact, expected. There was much variety in Munetsuchi, so it was always possible to acquire something resembling what she wanted. What did she want though? Ah, she asked for something like Ailen's room; she liked that one. In Ailen's mind, that made things far easier in many, many ways. If she liked that particular room, she could be perfectly accommodated. "Ah, excellent choice. Easily managed," he said simply. There were no heavy implications given, but in his mind, Ailen recalled the benefits of a shared bed between mentor and apprentice. A low-frequency mana transfer overnight made one more receptive to another's energy, and furthermore allowed greater retention of it. "Come along then," said Ailen, who would then lead the way out of the throne room. Of course, he would indeed be headed toward the same room Anais previously exited.

Charlemagne heard a voice. Ah, it was Sakura again. Was he in the same position as before? It seemed so. A brief explanation let him know motor vehicles didn't exist in Munetsuchi either; he'd still yet to see one anywhere in this world. "Mrph... It's like a mechanical carriage," he explained easily. As for why he felt this way, it was easy to blame his excessive use of energy. On the other hand, using his mana felt a fair bit different compared to previous experiences. That break was becoming a more appealing idea by the moment. As Charlemagne's vision began to clear, Sakura said something about a candle. Oh. He could somewhat see it now. "That's Annie's; she's a lifesaver. I should be good to go pretty soon if she left me that," he said.

[Apollymi]

Anais being in thought had little to do with the variety of Munetsuchi and everything to do with trying to avoid being imposing. It was her nature after all, to not get in anyone's way for any reason. Her quiet demeanor, beyond that would apparently finally be rewarded. Her question would have Ailen claiming she was easily accommodated. "Hai!" Anais seemed pleased. If she could sleep somewhere comfortable and maybe even avoid some strange pitfalls of harem life, it might be easier to come to terms with it. Besides all of that, perhaps a bit of sleep would help her feel better about her overly busy day. All the while, Miwa watched a knowing smile crossing her face. She realized what would happen here and strangely given the girl's previous actions what she was trying to avoid. 'Too easy,' the goddess thought. Oh well, Anais was soon following along with Ailen and taking in a strangely familiar, 'No, he wouldn't actually have interpreted that desire that way... right?' she questioned herself. 'Shishou is super smart, he gets it!~' her internal voice was way too pleased. Maybe just maybe, she was being lead to a similar place because the wings were themed. Yes, that made sense, like hotels having different placements of similarly designed rooms.

Charles on the other hand, was being treated to another lap pillow while he spoke of things unknown to Sakura. He made the claim that a 'truck' as he called it was some sort of mechanical carriage. She'd seen carriages, and she understood the existence of machines though they didn't fall into her regular realms of study. Oh, perhaps this was one of those strange other world things that were used to move about. Yes, that made sense when considering other factors. "Sou ka, I don't know if the image I have in my head is right but that does make sense," she stated seeming to have a wayward thought or two. Ah, but onto the candle, he called the elafia girl 'Annie' and claimed she was a lifesaver. That the candle itself would help him get better in no time. She gave it thought, the pair must really be friends. Anais referred to Charles as Charlie, and she'd gone out of her way to provide that candle after he'd collapsed. "Oh? You two really are good friends then," she considered the naming issue first. "This candle is interesting as it seems to manipulate the mana around itself and alter its frequency to encourage receptivity in the intended target. It's a very complex thing for something that looks so simple... she might be brilliant," Sakura commented. "I wonder if we could be friends?" she questioned. She'd like to pick the other girl's brain a bit, but still wasn't truly sure about all else. It'd take quite a while for her to understand completely the nuances of interpersonal interactions.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen did not understand the elafia's internal desire to share his room, nor did he have any ulterior motives. Simply put, a room 'like' his own did not exist, and any that did would be a downgrade to the original concept. Apart from those factors, it was simply mutually beneficial for them to share a bed whenever possible... so Anais's familiarity with the path they walked would only persist. Such would be the case all the way to the very same door she'd passed through twice now. Once in and once out would become once in again, as there was only one door Ailen would open. Perhaps the integration of a few other mana signatures would even let her realize the more special nature of this room. In truth, there was a magical seal around the room of each Myouou, keeping the interior and exterior mana sources from intermingling while also keeping unwanted presences out entirely. "Okaerinasai. Make yourself comfortable," Ailen said while walking in. He was already doing as much himself, fiddling with buckles to loosen his upper sleeves.

Whatever mental image Sakura had of trucks may not have been far from the truth, considering the vast array of vehicles Charlemagne had seen in his lives. Moving on, Sakura made the strange comment of how he and Anais must be good friends. Of course they were; he considered their entire group the equivalent of a large family. "Well, yeah... We're all good friends," he said with a yawn. Sakura took a moment to comment on the candle's nature, concluding with a curiosity. Could they be friends? Charlemagne couldn't imagine that being anything but likely. "Of course you could! Annie's a little skittish, but she's coming out of her shell a lot lately. You guys could be awesome friends," he said, settling further into comfort.