Munetsuchi

[Apollymi]

In just a matter of seconds and a few spoken words, Ailen became Anais's primary caretaker. It could be said the girl was bad at looking after herself, but in the case of her mentor she felt that he was simply better suited. She'd always been strangely independent and for the most part this worked, but there were nuances, especially in this magical world that often escaped her. If she could be better for a bit of care there was no reason not to accept. Besides, she was working on not feeling like she was a burden or imposing and making the active decision to allow Ailen to care for her, took a bit of the stress out of that aspect of their relationship. "Hai, I'll rely on you Shishou," she affirmed.

But just as she seemed to very easily fall into simple things, more complicated things. According to Ailen there were numerous potential applications for the enhanced flow of mana she currently felt in the tips of her fingers. It was rather true as well, that only a day ago, she likely wouldn't have expressed any outward interest in figuring out exactly how it could be used. But she was open to exploring more varied methodology with her mentor so she let her brain wander a bit. Besides, doing what the dark voice wanted tended to work out in her favor for the most part. She'd probably allow it a bit of freedom to avoid any potential mental pitfalls. While she thought this she felt some more extreme tingles. It definitely had potential to do something quite interesting. He was curious as to how she thought it beneficial to herself and she smiled strangely enough. The mention of Mugen being lucky because of his access to her thoughts was something rather humorous. "Iie, I don't imagine it is that interesting knowing my thoughts as I think them. In truth my thoughts are very disorganized and I only manage to organize them after they form. It is likely a bit strange to hear my initial reactions as I sort though what is important and what isn't to get to the more cohesive ideas I've actually come up with," she expressed of that particular bit.

As for how it could help she found herself lifting her arm gently and moving her fingers, as if playing a scale across a piano. In so doing she forced the flow of mana backwards to the points where Ailen was making contact with her skin, enhancing the tingles he may have felt as well, with an oddly controlled tempo. "I believe it will be beneficial to me because one of my primary skill sets is that of a musician. And that is something I understand initially as a science and art, so the magical components are still pretty flexible. I imagine I will eventually be able to combine it with my own dexterity to enhance my use of more complex strings of magic. Or likely use it and sound based magic to support my physical abilities or my abilities to affect the senses of others. Currently I feel like it may be possible use this kind of ability to disturb mana with my fingers, to varying effects. I think this because I fully understand how sound works and I am fairly confident about it because I could potentially run it through my other sources of magic until I make it work the way I think it should. Given a bit of trial and error..." she explained of her thoughts about this particular developments usefulness. "If you are wondering, that wasn't nearly so well thought out initially. I am quite guilty of allowing myself to test things based on my initial impulse. Though I figured this time I should at least warn you before prodding at your senses during another lesson. Though my brain tells me it would be one of the best times to figure out how it works exactly..." she admitted somewhat sheepishly.

[Bloodedge]

Continuously did Ailen slide his fingers along the girl's arm. If nothing else, it seemed he was interested in this more than most things in day-to-day life. Such magnificence could be found in small discoveries. Moreover, there was the notion of Anais's inspirations regarding this new feeling. She thought not only of simple applications, but of more complex uses involving her other powers, abilities and so on. In bringing up the specifics, she also made an effort to focus her mana flow a bit differently. The sensation Ailen felt through her skin became less of a tingle, and more of a... wave or ripple. "Very interesting indeed. I suppose it would have a great many uses if harnessed the right way. Hmm..."

Without much prompting at all, Ailen fell deep into contemplation. These uses Anais spoke of were great in potential, if only a little time-consuming to master fully. "Actually, you may find that with enough focus, you can replicate the sensation within your own body when needed. It may take some effort, but... hmm, yes. Perhaps if the next lesson included how this feels from my end, you would have an easier time grasping it? That sort of thing does have a propensity for turning even years of study into a day, at times. Though I can't speak with any certainty in this case, it may be worth an attempt," he rambled. As it happened, Anais had apparently considered assaulting his senses during a lecture. In all fairness, he saw no issue with such a thing. Perhaps knowing about it in advance would even keep him from being too distracted to deliver the lesson... though he had to consider the fact that he'd been wrong mere moments ago. "And here I thought there could be no more surprises of such magnitude. Well, I must say... if you mean to test something, you are free to do so as always. Being the target of an experiment can be quite fun; it provides a special sort of learning experience. However, I must insist that if the lesson is not delivered this time, we continue until you've received it. I would hate to make a habit of neglectful teaching."

[Apollymi]

The words of Ailen implied that he had indeed felt the shift in the way her mana worked. How he felt it would be left up in the air for a while, but that did at least confirm for the girl that she was on the right path. It was an odd thing to consider, but she was thinking of the long term ramifications to her current build. She could always go back and make edits to her existing skills and now, she even had the ability to take skills beyond level 50 so she didn't have to just change all of her existing skills either.

Soon enough, Ailen had thoughts. It was very interesting to her, how easily he seemed to want to help her. He offered very freely the sort of knowledge that his own words implied would be coveted by any he spoke to. His logic and understanding of her abilities was very similar to her own, and after being given her contextual leaps he seemed to be on a similar yet expanded line of thought. "Hm, I was just thinking that I wasn't sure if you felt that little flex the way I had intended it. Knowing that information would indeed be rather helpful..." she said. If she knew what it felt like she was pretty sure she would be capable of reproducing such a sensation for herself, she could likely do it with others as well through the effectiveness of her magic, though she imagined that would take her being a bit more imposing than she tended to be. Well that part would be a discussion for a different time.

Now she'd mostly expressed her interest in making this man a target for her understanding of her own abilities. And much to her own happiness he seemed rather accommodating. There was only one tiny caveat to his very open acceptance of her wayward experimentation. He claimed that if she managed to disrupt their lesson again, they'd have to continue until she received it. His hope in general was that he'd avoid 'neglectful teaching'. Anais had her eyes widen, not because of what he said, but because of her internal voices' immediate response. 'That's not a fucking punishment. I VOLUNTEER!~' Anais wanted to sigh, but sadly she agreed. She would get to continue strange intimacy with her mentor, get to test her theories on her power usage, and actually get the lesson she was looking for... there were no downsides. And she was sure that unlike her, this mentor of hers, wasn't as prone to her weird mental deviances, so she'd get the lesson she was looking for eventually. "That doesn't sound unfair, I can agree to that stipulation as I see no potential negatives," the girl mentioned. Yes. this was all fine and she'd continue enjoying the tingling along her skin and take a strange bit of satisfaction from knowing that her interactions with her mentor were so fruitful for them both.

[Bloodedge]

Ailen wasn't sure if he felt that sensation the way Anais intended, though he definitely felt some sort of difference. Never one to leave a learning opportunity to rot, he considered what precisely came his way. "I did. It's very strange, but interesting nonetheless. If I had to compare it, I'd liken it to becoming... hmm... something like moving water against my fingertip. There are some nuances that I can't quite place. That will have to be delivered directly," the elf explained.

One requirement was presented. Considering how much Ailen had to teach the girl, they truly couldn't afford to miss too many lessons just because he was being shockingly overwhelmed. Anais agreed to the given stipulation after a few moments, and once she did, Ailen finished pushing himself up from the bed. "It's good that you see it that way. So, where were we? Druidic teachings, a more in-depth understanding of your new discovery, and...?" he wondered while climbing out of bed, seeming set on the room's nearby water feature. He'd soon be stepping into the waterfall, which boasted yet another cleansing ability, albeit of a more physical nature. From the moment one stepped in the pool water, an immediate magical exfoliation process began. Naturally, standing beneath the moving water washed away any residual fatigue along with grime and the like. "Oh, and I probably needn't say... but you are free to use all commodities here at your leisure. There are quite a few. If you have any questions about the things here, please ask. Ah! I could actually include that. . ."

[Apollymi]

Ailen had a bit of important information to give. He claimed that the feeling she'd delivered was interesting but strange. He understood it like a wave or ripple but there was a nuance he didn't understand about it fully. "Sou ka, it's was probably intended the way I meant it then. Wave like effects are pretty standard when dealing with sound. And I would liken that to an ability to manipulate sound, which is easiest done through a medium like mana. It's a bit of stretch for musical theory... but, I still like it..." she explained of that situation. It would likely make a bit more sense when it was felt directly. Even so, Anais felt it would likely be a bit startling to feel so close... oh well, it could potentially be rather good for their long term interaction. Besides, that... she was certain that since they were going to continue until she received her lesson, then she could fully experiment with her abilities.

Speaking of her education, it was apparently good that she saw the fairness in their current agreement. Ailen then pushed off from the bed and began moving around. He listed things to be included in her lesson, and it involved her missed lecture on Druidic teachings, how her new development worked... "That seems right, also probably laboratory stuff, I'm supposed to be brewing a potion and I assume I am to know more about that..." she added in her own mind what she thought. With Ailen out of bed, she moved towards the edge of the bed and took a deep breath to center herself. Ailen went on to mention that she could use anything within this place and to ask about it. He also thought to include it in the lesson. "Hai, include it in the lesson. Though I will also ask, probably..." she murmured. Given the state of her day she watched as the man went beneath a waterfall appearing to shower. She'd assume that was it, and after standing slide her panties down her hips. 'Skinship, skinship, skinship!~' First thing in the morning, her internal voice was happy. She figured getting naked for a bath wasn't as big a deal as it could be. And her mentor didn't have anything resembling normal boundaries. it was just a bath after all. And she fully intended to have one. She dropped those into her bag with the others and wondered what kind of craziness she'd be pulling out later. But for now... she walked over to the waterfall and gently passed a hand beneath it. She definitely had no intention of getting chilled to death, but she didn't find the water to be anything other than perfect. "Shitsureishimasu~" she chimed slipping into the water. It felt nice, strangely she felt way cleaner than she'd ever felt before. "Wow, I've really been missing out..." the girl murmured as she enjoyed water washing over her skin. She was still Japanese enough to want to soak, but that could be put off for a bit.

[Bloodedge]

"If that is the case, you may call it a success. I suppose we'll know for certain soon enough, won't we?" Ailen chimed while stepping under the waterfall. Finding relaxation immediately, he turned about to realize Anais was also en route to the same place. So much about the lass had changed in a single day's time. When she arrived in Munetsuchi, even when she decided to become Ailen's apprentice, she could not be expected to reveal herself at all without much prior thought. Now, she was discarding her last remaining article and preparing to enter the waterfall with him. Such growth she showed.

Ah, information of the laboratories was also a worthwhile lecture to give. Each one contained a massive amount of objects, however, so Ailen thought the better of adding them to something else. "Hmm. You could do a great deal with the knowledge you have, but more could never hurt. The workshops are a lot, though. I'm not sure it would be the best idea to add them; it would probably suffice to inform you of those individually. I can do so as part of the tour," he said, wetting his hair and gliding fingers through it to fully cleanse. With Anais joining him, he stepped aside just enough to allow ample access to the flowing water. She claimed to have previously been missing out, presumably on the healing waters. "Is it the bath? It cycles endlessly to and from a controlled source. These qualities can be replicated in small water sources with plants, if you'd like to replicate it anywhere."

[Apollymi]

Anais's initial trail could be called a success if he felt something like a wave. She'd have to get a few more specifics to be sure, but it was definitely usable by her own desire. "Hai!~" she chimed, seemingly pleased by the knowledge that even without the truth of it being perfectly clear, they might soon discover it sometime post her next lecture. Just the same, her ability to become nude was something she was making a mental concession for, she was trying not to think too hard. She was also trying to be generous with her fun-loving internal voice, given that it'd not wronged her at all. If they were going to be sharing a room, a bed, their bodies in various ways, and their knowledge, a bath seemed honestly a bit trivial.

Given this, she relaxed into the water after Ailen moved over slightly. She allowed herself to have an experience. This sort of thing might be spoiling her for future adventuring or even her former way of life. This water had the perfect temperature, and while she didn't mind a dip in a nice lake or river to get clean while outdoors, this was way better than expected. She made sure the entirety of her body got to experience these waters, even her hair and antlers were made wet. She also ran fingers through her hair and rubbed her own scalp for the sake of comfort and stimulation. Ah, and Ailen was talking about her lessons and why the labs might not be good to include. "Hai hai, I'll take those lessons as they come then. I don't think there is anything else in particular that might need any extra explaining. I ended up with the rest of the lesson on the cycle before bed yesterday... Unless there were some nuances I missed about that," she stated remembering that this lesson was initially skipped and then given partially while she almost copulated with Mugen and then fully when she met Solomon. All was well, with that aspect of her life. As for the bath itself she cast her gaze towards the man. "Definitely the bath," she mentioned. It was explained that she could achieve this endless water cycling in still bodies of water with certain plants. "I would absolutely like to replicate this, plants do amazing things~" she stated. Hm, she'd definitely found her niche of interest in this world where science wasn't an active field of study. Between music and alchemy she could likely live a very full life. With the addition of her mentor and along with him the Myouou of Munetsuchi, she was bound for a fulfilling life of mental, physical, spiritual and emotional development. That was a nice thought. And with that she was sure she'd rinsed and touched most of herself in this shower. Her light colored locks were untangled and stretching down her back as she turned.

[Bloodedge]

Thinking it best to put off Anais's workshop-related lessons until a later time, Ailen did consider a more effective method of teaching. Anais clearly wished to learn, so perhaps he'd actually continue instructing her the way he felt most comfortable. The elafia herself would surely enjoy that, based on how she'd reacted thus far. "Very well then. I was thinking a decent strategy would be putting you in charge of your own development, at least primarily. If I focused on teaching mostly what you showed interest in, I think it would be beneficial for both of us. What would you say about that?" he wondered. Ailen passed the time by letting the water run through his hair and cascade over his skin, finding that Anais had taken to the same process. She seemed quite taken with this method of bath, as one should expect of the forests' children. "It's no surprise that you take easily to this bath. It should be almost natural to you," he commented.

Was there anything missing from Anais's lessons on the cycles? There could have been, though Ailen himself couldn't be certain. If Solomon had chosen to explain something, it was beyond even the elf's knowledge. "Solomon-ou is more knowledgeable than I. Only two of us are more versed in that particular subject; one being Tohsaka-san and the other being Miwa herself. I'm not sure if I can truly teach you anything worthwhile in terms of the cycle. If you'd like though, I can show you all I know. Perhaps you'll find some missing information that way," he mused while stepping out of the water's flow, leaving himself to drip into the open pool. "I'll certainly teach you a multitude of plants that will produce interesting effects in water. That is, unless you'd rather space your lessons more. I know you took in quite a bit yesterday."

[Apollymi]

The discussion of Anais's lessons shifted soon, from being about separating labs to the overall strategy of how her education would be approached. Ailen's main suggestion in this case, was allowing the girl's curiosity to dictate the flow of her lessons primarily. He thought that it might be best for both of them, if they focused on helping her learn things that interested her. She gave that some consideration. She did like having her questions answered, and getting rid of her nagging questions with education would open her up to more easily progressing through the rest of her wayward thoughts. "Hm, I think that would be amazing, if it's really something you're okay with. In truth, I enjoy learning things as I wish and while I am perfectly capable of following more structured lessons... my wandering mind tends to led me to have more questions about slightly less related things. When allowed to pursue my own interests, it is easier for me to find focus," she explained of herself. "I am really interested in learning a lot of things, but my brain recognizes those things in a rather chaotic manner most of the time," she admitted. Of course she couldn't fully explain what she meant by that. Someone would have to fully understand the terrible nature of internet deep dives to completely get the random way that Anais thought about various bits of information that she pieced together.

As for the shower, she was rather enjoying it was apparently something that could be considered natural to her. "Oh? I suppose it is. I tend to feel a bit claustrophobic in most baths and the temperature is almost never right," she said giving light consideration to the fact that she'd likely been showing signs of feeling out of place for a lot longer than she'd realized. As she finally almost reluctantly stepped from beneath the water's flow, she heard statements about the nature of the cycles and her education concerning them. According to Ailen, the other three... Solomon, Mugen and the goddess herself Miwa, were more capable of explaining those things in detail. Given that she knew about Solomon, she'd add the idea of Mugen potentially having experienced multiple lives to the box about his mythological counterpart. "Hm, I'll take all the information you have to give about it. I don't have questions per se, I was instead thinking of fact checking its mechanics against what I already understand of it after seeing it," she explained. Of course, there were a few things that made sense and a few that didn't but that could be a mechanical application issue, not one of theoretical quality.

Moving on from that, there was the matter of learning more about plant-life and the effects that they could have on water. This was something which she could use in the future. Yes, indeed she was already planning to make her life more comfortable with her extra knowledge, but she was also just curious about the plants and their various uses. "I did take a lot of information yesterday, but I don't find that to be a problem," she said carefully. "By my own understanding, the size or amount of the lessons won't negatively affect me if I allow my brain the amount of time it needs to compartmentalize," she said knowing that sleeping had helped her finalize a great number of things. "It is also easier for me to understand things I have some pre-existing knowledge of... so I don't think a great amount of spacing would be required, so long as I actually get some sleep at some point after taking the lessson. Or meditate, I haven't tried that yet, but it might work a bit if I yoga it instead," she explained of her thoughts about how she'd retain information.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course I'm alright with it," Ailen said without hesitation. As Anais explained the workings of her mind and how it affected her learning, he gazed upon her with curiosity. The things she mentioned were not issues, but instead functions that allowed them to function even more efficiently as student and mentor. "I see. You are much like myself, after all. Do you know that things like food cravings and sexual urges are signs from the soul? Those things are our spirits telling us what sort of mana we should be seeking to achieve wholeness. I like to theorize that learning is much the same; we seek what our mind desires and excel at receiving it above other things. It is only a theory; I've found it quite difficult to fully study."

Added to the list of information he'd be given was the cycles. Anais had already decided her path, but additional information could only help her further along the way. She claimed taking more information in would not be problematic, so long as she had the time to process everything taken in. That particular line was strange. Ailen would be found staring at the girl, one brow raised and his head slightly tilted. "I suppose those are viable methods. However... the Spark of Wisdom can always be used with purposes beyond inspiration. If your intention is to retain, the spark may be utilized for the sake of retention alone. That is one of the lesser reasons we call it the Spark of Wisdom rather than the Spark of Inspiration, or something of the sort," he prattled. "Of course, there is a prerequisite to that, but that entirely depends on your desire to advance the spark. What you experienced earlier was one of the weaker forms we've learned of," he continued. "Meditation and yoga are useful regardless, however. Even one who regularly seek the spark can benefit. So, I take it you are open to the next lecture being today? How will you be receiving it?"