Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

While they floated about in the water, Angelica got to hear about the vastness of the true sky. Charles was one of her favorite people to talk about such things with as his descriptions were always rather open. Beyond that, there was a great deal of information to be gained from his understanding of the entire thing. Particularly his words about the stars gave her a strange bit of longing. She really wanted to see the sky outside. She'd only ever known Aincrad and didn't know about everything else taking place in the world. Still it was something she could only know from stories like these. "Oh? Is it sad because I can't see it for myself? I think I understand that..." she said, there was always a bit of excitement in her when she heard the answers to the kinds of questions she had, but there was also always a hint of emptiness knowing she'd never see it herself. "Still, it sounds really unbelievable. I was once told that from the ground level, you can't even tell there are whole continents in sky... I just wondered how it looked..." she mentioned.

Ah, one of the things she enjoyed about Charles came to light in a moment like this. He eventually asked about her leaving his place. Of course he'd think of that, to her knowledge anyone who talked to her about things she wondered was the type to want to show her what the outside world was like. Too bad... "That's a sweet sentiment really but I can't," she said with a sarcastic little smirk crossing her face. "I don't mean I am afraid or anything. I've tried before. I can't leave Aincrad, it's impossible for me to step foot outside of it..." she explained of the situation. "Jeanne once tried to get me out of here. She said I'd enjoy meeting a bunch of people she knew, but I couldn't leave Aincrad at all..." she explained of the situation. That'd been quite a while ago, and had been part of the reason Jeanne kept up her visits to tell her about all the stuff that was going on in her life. Not that the lass wasn't always friendly, she also said it was sad she couldn't leave, so she tried her best to make sure she experienced the 'fun of girl time' in her own words.

[Bloodedge]

The sadness of this situation came from more than simply Angelica's inability to see the sky. There was so much more to the world, so many more nuances than one could count. A few of such things existed here in Aincrad, but it was nothing compared to the living, breathing, varied world outside. Perhaps Charlemagne was a bit biased due to his previous life in a world without magic... but it could only be a little. "That's the core reason. The sky is just one thing different about the outside, though. And, yeah... to the lower world, it's like Chaldea doesn't even exist. You won't even see a shadow of a continent from down there, as if they're all removed from the same reality or something," he explained.

As for the idea of taking Angelica outside even for a single trip, apparently, she couldn't leave. It was not fear that kept her, nor chance of consequences, but instead... a literal inability. Jeanne d'Arc herself had previously attempted to take Angelica out of this floating stronghold to no avail, and it seemed to Charlemagne like the reason was unknown. That couldn't be right; there had to be some sort of caveat. "Huh? This might sound rude, but I figured you were at least partially a shut-in by choice. What could be keeping you locked in here? If we can find out, I'm sure there's got to be some way of fixing it. If you like looking out at the stars, you deserve to see the real thing at least once. It's been a thousand years already Angie! Time to get out of the house!"

[Apollymi]

More descriptions came from Charles. They came with a caveat of sadness associated with her lack of exploration, but at the same time there was quite a bit of detail. She couldn't imagine the amount of space which needed to exist between the surface and Chaldea to make it so that those on the bottom didn't even know of its existence. The idea of that alone was rather startling. She was trying to imagine it, but her own world was so very finite she had a hard time wrapping her head around the sheer mass of such a thing. "I can't imagine it..." she said. Still there was a smile on her face, it sounded to strange but also so very interesting. She really wanted to understand such a truth for herself.

Ah, about her future in leaving this place, it seemed that Charles thought it was at least partly Angelica wanting to be on her own which kept her inside. To find out that she physically couldn't leave was shocking to the lad. A casual movement of angelica's hand happened as she aimed to splash the lad with water. "Of course it's rude Chuck. I am not trying to be alone all the time," she said slightly huffily. Ah, what could be keeping her locked in here, well the answer was obvious wasn't it, "I assume it is some kind of magic, likely the same kind that keeps me on my floor..." she said with a casual shrug. But that implication made it so that it was likely odd such a thing had to come from her father. "Whatever the case it feels wrong when I try to get out of Aincrad. Moving around inside with someone else is fine but, something at the core of my being feels wrong when I try to leave," she said, giving that as the best description she could. "I don't want to be trapped in here forever or anything. I seem to enjoy people a bit..." she said as she closed her eyes again.

[Bloodedge]

"That's the point. It's that stunning; a description doesn't really do it justice. You just have to see it for yourself," said Charlemagne regarding the natural brilliance of the world. As much time as he spent outside, he thought himself to be decent enough at explaining it. Even then, it was impossible to grasp with words alone.

Within moments, there was a splash of water aimed his way. Why? Apparently, it was for assuming Angelica was partially just a shut-in. "Oy, don't blame me for assuming you were an agoraphobe!" he said while sweeping his arm across the water's surface, aiming to send a revenge splash Angelica's way. Moving on, she presumed the magic that kept her bound to Floor 99 was somehow involved in her inability to leave Aincrad as a whole. That didn't seem like it would be too ridiculous a task to overcome. It felt wrong when she tried leaving? All they had to do was stop that feeling. Charlemagne seemed to be in deep contemplation. Something had to work out, right? "Hmm. If it were something evil, I would have felt it... or I should have. Even if I didn't, your old man would have to. Maybe it's a side-effect of something? I mean, you're basically the cornerstone of Aincrad, so it could have something to do with consecration. Or... your dad's overprotective? One of those might be harder to deal with than the other," he said, hoping for anything but the latter scenario. If Angelica being sealed in Aincrad was due to Father An being overprotective, marrying her would be about the only method of breaking whatever seal there was in place. . .

[Apollymi]

The sky outside was something she had to see for herself. Of course, that was the case, too bad that wasn't something that would happen any time soon. "I see..." she said seeming to find that whole thing worth leaving behind. Why not? It wasn't like she was in any great rush. She was only a thousand years old and not being able to see something apparently indescribable wasn't really abnormal.

Apparently, Charles wasn't to be blamed for assuming she was agoraphobic. "I don't even know what that means, but I feel like I should feel insulted!" claimed as she was hit by a retaliatory splash. Still she didn't seem to mind. Charles seemed to be deep in thought about the things that could be keeping her held within Aincrad. He went through the usual suspects of problems, evil would have been something felt by most if not all magically inclined inhabitants of Aincrad. "Yeah, I doubt it is anything evil... " she said seeming to appreciate that conclusion just a bit. A side-effect could have been interesting, "I guess it could be. I've been here for as long as I can remember," she said calmly. The bit about her father potentially being overprotective was odd to her. She was all alone except for servants, even the man himself didn't seem to be very interested in coming to see her nor getting to know her very well... given that the idea of him being overprotective was a bit outlandish. Her being a cornerstone made a bit more sense, but she was just a singular person, she doubted her existence here should be anything so important.

[Bloodedge]

Should Angelica feel insulted by being called agoraphobic? Well, he supposed it depended on the individual. Some would be heavily offended, while others would take pride in being a total shut-in. "It depends. You don't act like much of a shut-in, except for the whole 'locked in your room' thing. It's not such a bad thing, though," he replied. Whatever the case, he was more concerned with Angelica's inability to leave. To be more specific, he was trying to figure out a way to make it possible without ruining something else. Perhaps it was a good idea to speak with Father An.

Anything evil was certainly off the list. Angelica had nothing to say about how overprotective her father may or may not have been, but she did believe it was possibly a side-effect of something within the system. If that were the case, Charlemagne would consider it a stroke of good fortune. If not, well... he'd still think of some way to make things work. "I'm hoping for side-effect. Whatever it is though, we'll deal with it. You're gonna see some real stars!" he declared while backstroking his way toward the dock.

[Apollymi]

Apparently being shut away and to oneself could be considered an insult or could be a compliment and it mostly depended on the person. This only made Angelica wonder, what kind of person would take pride in being locked in a space by themselves for extended periods of time. Maybe one day, she'd get to know such individuals and could ask them about it. For now, she was content to know that her current situation wasn't really a deal breaker of any sort for Charles. "Well, if I am not bad off I won't worry about it," she said seeming to only concern herself with her ability to leave her room. How other people saw her leaving or not leaving her room wasn't really a huge deal to her, instead she wanted simpler things in life.

According to Charles he was hoping her being locked in was a simple side-effect of her current existence. He claimed that whatever the issue was, they'd handle it, that was a comforting thought wasn't it? Charles might not have thought himself 'husband material' but he was definitely seeming more and more like it as time went on. Actually, his ability to want to conquer a problem that was one she'd known her entire life, was something that made her appreciate him a bit more. He'd even said 'we' when referring to the problem as if he didn't see it as exclusively hers. And to her own knowledge, this was just over something as simple as her stating that she wanted to see the stars and sky... no more no less. "Thanks Charlie!~" she managed seeming to soften up quite a bit. She'd be content to lay about in the water, splashing and talking until it was time for food and her inevitable return to her own floor.

[Bloodedge]

In response to Angelica's offered thanks, Charlemagne only nodded affirmatively. There was little else to discuss on the topic until something was figured out. Without any other topics on the proverbial table, Charlemagne swam around casually while contemplating. What could really be sealing Angelica in Aincrad? Depending on what it was, how easily could it actually be overcome? Could it be managed without great sacrifice? These were the questions floating through his mind while he worked up an appetite and enjoyed the lake.

Of course, all things came to an end eventually. In this case, as in many others Charlemagne strived for, the end was a sign of brighter beginnings... namely food. He'd been swimming close enough to the dock to smell the fish when it was well-cooked. Once that scent reached his nose, the male reached up to grab the dock and pull himself onto it. "Smells like lunch!" he called out. With that, he walked along the dock and had a direct gaze at the fish's blackened scales. They'd been swimming for quite some time, it seemed; the fish was obviously thoroughly cooked. As such, he dislodged the stick holding it from the ground, holding it away from the flame to cool a bit. "You want first bite?" he asked.

[Apollymi]

A comfortable conversation was one thing that Angelica could always rely on Charles to give her. An affirmative nod came after her thanks and then she went on to smile up at the sky, trying and failing to imagine something like an endless sky. Whatever the case, eventually their fish was ready and she found herself swimming back towards the dock and pulling herself back up. She'd walk back towards Charles as she shook water out of her weighed down hair causing it to curl up a bit tighter as the water left it. Probably for the best lest it drag the ground.

Once by the fire she saw him remove the fish from the flames allowing it to cool She looked it over. It truly was blackened but it didn't smell like it would taste bad or anything like that. She'd find herself beside Charles looking at the fish as she was offered the first bite. "I mean if you want me to have it... I'll take it," she said. It was Charles' fish and she didn't mind being the first one to taste it. After it cooled a bit she'd go in for a small bite on top of the creature just below its upper fin so she could have a clean bite. She couldn't help her initially reaction. "Ho...ho...hot!" she managed.

[Bloodedge]

When Angelica emerged from the lake, Charlemagne took note of her first action. It made sense for her to seek an immediate drying of her hair. How she walked around with it even in a dry state, he couldn't fathom. He'd never seen it in anything but those massive drills, making him wonder now how long it was when straight. Who even managed the upkeep? "Your hair is..." he started, obviously having an epic realization for the first time. "Exciting." That wasn't exactly the word he was going for. Even so, it remained accurate. He'd undoubtedly go without mentioning why exciting was the word that came out, but that was an aside anyway.

Ah yes, lunch was at hand. Charlemagne had worked up an appetite, but he was fully content with the idea of Angelica having at the fish first. Sadly, she was fated to make a mistake that proved how very normal she was under all the pomp and gaudiness. She bit into a freshly-cooked fish that was obviously still too hot, and her immediate vocalization gave that truth away without fail. "... Really?!" he questioned, shocked that she'd actually done something like that. Laughter escaped him immediately, seemingly to no end even as he continued speaking. "That is singlehandedly the most hilarious, and weirdly cutest thing I've ever seen you do. How could you let yourself bite it so soon?!"