Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

Angelica didn't have to open the tent up, Charles finally managed to speak eventually and claimed that his problem wasn't one she could help him with. She gave a sigh and sat down in front of the tent with her back to it. Strangely enough she was content to continue just to be close him. That was strange enough to her for her to take a deep breath seeming content to wait on whatever was going on with Charles to subside. "I don't know what kind of problem you're having..." she mentioned seeming to think about it more. "But you feel a bit different today mana-wise. I mean, most people have their mana spike around me so I usually tune it out but I was really excited to spend time with you so I am pretty aware of you right now," she explained her own thoughts without enough words to convey how she felt presently. "So I am little worried maybe how you're feeling is my fault, since I kind of sprung the idea of marrying me on you. I've also been feeling a bit different but not in a way I think is bad. I'm pretty excited about it to be honest but I'm not really used to feeling that way..." she explained. Of course she didn't know enough about human feelings to completely relate the potential disparity in his mana to his 'deviant' desires. She also didn't know how to quantify her own feelings about it as such either. In her own mind she was just hyperaware of Charles as a... man. Not just someone she chatted with a lot.

Now her thoughts became wider spread and instead she figured she'd managed to freak him out with the talk of marriage and perhaps her presence. She knew that something was trying to reach out to her and she been feeling a bit strange lately herself but it wasn't something she truly understood. Perhaps she should discuss it with someone. The humans themselves would help a great deal with her potential feelings about Charles, but she was versed enough in the use of her mana that she didn't feel frightened by whatever power was reaching out to her. Still, she could contentedly watch the crackling fire and the fake sky as she processed her own thoughts.

[Bloodedge]

Of all the things one could do while sitting in a tent with an unwanted erection, Charlemagne was fated to enter a surprisingly deep conversation. The things he'd been doing lately were probably a bit off-putting to Angelica, based on her own starting words. That wasn't good. They were on a date, and if he thought beyond his own situation at the time, this had to be Angelica's first experience of the sort in... ever. "Ah... sorry, sorry. I'm being the most uncool guy ever today. Your first date probably sucks," he mused, staring into the blankness of a tent's ceiling.

Charlemagne was pretty sure why his mana felt different to her; it was probably zipping all over the place since that first misinterpreted conversation. It may have been Angelica's fault, or it may have been completely his own. Maybe all those adventures had hyper-tuned Charlemagne's senses, and he was latching onto the divine mana of Angelica with his own soul? That would make sense of his perverse thoughts─ a lack of mental strength to resist the call of one's spirit made sense. "Nothing to worry about, Angie. It's not your fault. I'm not even against the marriage; who would be? I told you, my issue with that is that you could probably make a way better choice. But, if I were being selfish..."

He decided there was nothing else to say in that regard. Instead, Charlemagne sighed and sat upright. That problematic erection was going nowhere fast, but their discussion was distracting enough that it probably didn't matter. "Anyway, I was just dealing with a... thing. It's not important. What's got you feeling weird and excited at the same time though? That doesn't sound like a normal combination," he said, though as of today, Charlemagne could consider a few options. . .

[Apollymi]

Angelica experienced something strange in the moments she sat outside his tent. According to Charles, he'd been the most uncool guy ever today and he thought her first date probably sucked and as such he was apologizing for his behavior. This was heartwarming behavior, mostly because Angelica hadn't said anything about today being bad at all. "Listen Charlie, you have nothing to apologize for," she said in a manner most certain. "I don't think you've been uncool today just odd. And I also don't think this date is bad or anything like that... I've been having a lot of fun actually," she explained of her current thoughts and situation. They'd done so much together, he taught her how to adventure and given her something worth doing and even got her a new pet for the day. As such she couldn't do anything but be pleased by the current trajectory of the days events, in spite of the oddity of certain moments within the same time period.

Angelica was certain she was at fault for how Charles felt in some manner, but he was so willing to take blame and try to assure her that she couldn't help but be pleased by the whole thing. It was definitely a positive mark in his own case. It was rather strange that he managed to be such a kind person, but not truly realize how she saw him the way she did. He even claimed he wasn't opposed to the marriage he just thought she could have made a better choice. "Thanks Charlie, but I am more sure every moment I made the right choice. I was given some good advice about such things once, and I believe in this, you're allowed to be a bit selfish about me," she said her eyes closing gently. Ah what was that advice? Well, once Angelica received a set of four life rules and the final one was one which sang to her entire soul. She took that one into consideration when choosing Charles as her future husband and she'd continue to use it when ti came to their interactions.

Moving on, as Charles obviously didn't want to spend too much time talking about whatever had him so out of sorts, it seemed that Angelica's words about her own feelings were heard and Charles was left curious. He claimed such a thing to be abnormal, and she was certain it was. Still, she didn't keep anything from Charles and as such was willing to share with him the strange connection she was sure was trying to be made. "I've been feeling someone brushing against my consciousness for the last few days. It feels so familiar I'm sure it's... my mom," she rambled just a bit. "I think she's trying to reach out to me. I can almost hear her voice when I concentrate but... it always sounds so... muffled I guess. Like trying to make out what someone is saying while your head is underwater. No matter what I try or how I try it, I can't make the voice sound any clearer...." she mentioned. Then a few seconds passed before she said a few more words. "Still, it's pretty exciting... I don't remember much about my mom but I remember her being comforting and I think I could use any advice she could give me, given my limited contact with other women," she said explaining both her excitement and weirdness.

[Bloodedge]

"Well it's good to know you're having fun, but a date is supposed to end on a really good note. If it starts getting weird at the end, I've messed up. Look at us now, chatting from opposite sides of a tent flap. Most people are doing uh... very different stuff at this point in a date," he said, deciding it best to avoid mentioning the specifics. Angelica was clever; she could surely reach some conclusions herself... though hopefully not too many. It was bad enough that she kept reaching the same conclusion over and over, that being one about her choice in future husband.

Apparently, she once received some key advice that spoke to her decision. Said advice somehow led her to believe he could be selfish regarding her. Surely she didn't even know what he meant, at least not completely. The way Angelica viewed the thing called 'mana transfer' remained strange in Charlemagne's mind. "Must be some powerful advice. I can't be that selfish, though. I don't want to do something that's only good for me," he declared. If he were ever to truly believe he was the proper choice, their disagreement would halt immediately. Alas, there had to be a better option out there somewhere. Still... it was hard to do anything but go with the flow, when said flow led to such an outcome. Maybe that was the more recent thoughts controlling his mind, though?

Whatever the case, Angelica went on to explain her strange feeling. It actually had nothing to do with his own unusual thoughts and reactions, but instead involved what Angelica thought to be her mother. Strangely, he'd never considered who the Holy Princess' mother may have been. If some sort of transmission was being attempted from beyond Aincrad however, it made sense that she couldn't hear it properly. "Aincrad is really dense magically. It's sealed from all perception outside, so if she's not inside the structure. Maybe try it from the very top, or the very bottom? She has to be using some crazy power to even reach here from outside, so either of those extremes might give the extra push necessary? Or maybe try meditating? I hear mana stability is supposed to help a ton with stuff like that."

[Apollymi]

According to Charles it was good for her to be having fun. Beyond that he claimed that dates shouldn't get weird at the end and that it was likely a bad sign that he was on the other side of a tent flap having a conversation with her. Dates were supposed to end on high notes according to him. "Well, it's not like the date is over yet or anything... it's not like there isn't time," she explained. She began to understand that whatever was in Charles' mind was likely something to do with enhanced bonding or maybe even mana transfers, but he seemed to be against the latter. Even so, Angelica wasn't necessarily opposed to anything.

As for Charles he still seemed to be in a point of disagreement about his being the best possible choice. But that being said Angelica was sure, and that was all that truly mattered, she was sure he'd come around on it since he wasn't disinterested themselves. "The fact that you are even considering all that you are about fairness or rightness of the situation leads me to believe that you wouldn't do something that was only good for you. You have to stop thinking of yourself in such low terms Charlie," she said giving her own advice. "And the advice was great..." she said with a wistful smile coming to her lips. There was a certain advisory role that someone like Jeanne could give any random person and make them feel a great deal better. It was one of the traits that made Angelica believe the lass was one of the best people anyone could ever encounter in the entire world. To be honest she saw Charles and Jeanne in a similar light, one just happened to be male and thus more for her own attention.

Moving on, Charles had a few things to say about the ways she girl could achieve the goal of seeking out the voice which was brushing against her consciousness. In all honesty there were several bits of information in his speech which she wasn't aware of, including the outward mana density of Aincrad. "I didn't know it was like that... I can't sense the density outside at all... but I suppose it would make sense," she said. It was likely strange that she had no idea about the weight of this place spiritually, still there were a few bits of information that would make sense. "Still the top floor or bottom floor and meditation are all things I haven't tried yet..." she mentioned seeming to entertain the ideas. "Actually, I know my mana isn't necessarily stable, it is probably a great deal larger than the average persons, but it never truly feel stable," she claimed. She figured it was because she was young and mostly inexperienced. Her own creations had been getting better over time and her jewel-crafting had been getting better with practice, even so she'd noted certain imperfections in jewels created by her mana in which they seemed to have almost swirling fractures and imperfections... which she assumed had something to do with her lack of calm while creating. "Those are actually great ideas, thanks Charlie!~" she said seemingly excited. Actually, if Aincrad couldn't be perceived from the outside, perhaps that was why Jeanne hadn't been back to say hello in a long time. It was a bit rude to hide a country from someone who used to practically live there. Something else she'd take up with her father some other time.

[Bloodedge]

True enough, it wasn't as if this date had come to an end or anything. There was plenty of time to make sure it ended on a high note, in spite of how Charlemagne viewed the current situation. As for what that high note would be... he didn't want to think about that. He had to think wholesome things, platonic things. No... how was that supposed to work? They were engaged, so dates should not be platonic. On the other hand, nonplatonic behavior invited more extremes, and he was already having a difficult time in his own consciousness. Where was the line in this religion?! Were people expected to be at arms' length until marriage, only to consummate said marriage immediately after the event? What did it mater? Exclusivity could be determined beforehand, right?

Oh. He was probably just looking to justify his own perverse thoughts now. That wasn't good. Angelica believed he wouldn't do anything just for himself, and here he was, mentally seeking excuses for his sinful ways. "I dunno. I don't think I've had a selfless thought all day. Well, except that one, but even that has some selfish reasons─" he murmured.

Angelica didn't know about the barrier around Aincrad? It was strange how little she was privy to as the Holy Princess. Maybe an overprotective father was to blame for her odd situation. Alternatively, maybe her being stuck in Aincrad was because of the barrier itself? Perhaps something about her acclimation, or lack thereof, was at fault. It was at least worth consideration. "If your mana is unstable, I couldn't tell. I can feel you from anywhere in Aincrad, even right outside. Any fluctuations from you just get kinda drowned-out. If it's like that though, I definitely suggest meditating. A clear mind opens up your sixth sense, so it should at least make hearing that voice easier. It's like..." Whoops. Charlemagne had to silence himself immediately, as he knew what meditation was comparable to. Heroic Spirits summoned as Servants, when receiving mana transfers, could awaken secrets hidden deep within their Saint Graphs to obtain greater power. That wasn't something he wanted to throw out there at all! "Yeah, meditation!" he said finally. At this point, it was probably a better idea for Charlemagne to put his junk away. Difficult as it was to deal with, he would have to stand for the purpose of pulling up his trunks. Yes, if he did that, he could just keep standing in the tent until it went away naturally. It was a genius idea!

[Apollymi]

According to Charles he hadn't had a selfless thought all day. That was unreasonable to Angelica, "I don't think you get to decide what counts as selfless for you considering..." she mused. Of course Angelica would feel that way given what the lad was doing before this date of theirs. Working pretty much exclusively for the last three decades. It wasn't like he'd live forever and regardless of what he thought he was definitely doing more for other people than himself. As such in her own mind he was allowed to be selfish.

Beyond this point Charles claimed that he couldn't tell her mana was unstable. He claimed to be able to feel it from all over Aincrad. That made sense enough to Angelica, she was a pretty powerful entity. "I don't know much about meditating though... I've tried concentrating but it always gets broken. People keep needing to talk to me when my mind is close to clearing up..." she mused. She'd been told something about that once but what was it? It was so long ago... she had to continue to think about it. Father An had given her a run down about what her life would be like. That she'd eventually make things, and get married and receive mana and then she would reach a state of clarity to know what to create properly. Oh, that was a good idea maybe. "Wait is this like the thing that is supposed to come after a mana transfer?" she exclaimed sticking her head into the tent in her excitement and coming to see something she wasn't expecting. Charles, trying to put on his shorts, oh he was naked. He'd covered himself up before so she assumed this wasn't something she was supposed to see. But now that she was seeing, she couldn't really see why he was being modest. Now she was confused by a lot of things and neither moving further in nor out. That being said, her face had reddened just a bit, why wouldn't it, she'd probably just seen something she wasn't meant to see.

[Bloodedge]

"Easy for you to say. You don't know how selfish the stuff in my head is," he replied. It seemed every thought in his mind this day had some sort of selfishness applied to it. Even the moment he stopped arguing with Angelica about their engagement was steeped in selfish and sinful ideals, whether he'd admit that or not. Of course, he wouldn't admit it.

Angelica apparently knew very little about meditation. That came as no surprise, considering her life in virtual solitude within a virtual utopia. He could easily walk her through the process of meditation as he understood it, just as one meditated over Artifacts to bond with them. It would be a time-consuming process potentially, but it was better than... the thing he was refraining from mentioning─ the very same thing Angelica sadly came to the conclusion of. Was he talking about the state of being meant to follow a mana transfer? Well... yes, though he didn't want that understood prior to meditation being achieved. It was all too late, though. Worse yet, just before he answered and finished pulling up his trunks, Charlemagne saw something truly terrifying. Angelica's face had entered the tent, and... there he was. Fully erect, trunks only up to his mid-thigh, and eyes resembling those of the suffocating fish they'd seen earlier. Charlemagne was frozen. What was he to do? She was staring at him, he was staring at her, and his johnson was saying hello. Did he have anything to say? Well... "Um. Yeah. Something like that. Uh... hello. Fancy meeting you here─?"

[Apollymi]

"I mean I don't, but you could also just tell me. I am pretty sure I am a fair judge here..." she claimed in a somewhat sarcastic manner. She honestly thought there wasn't much that Charles could do that could be called selfish. Even if he was being selfish, he was normally so selfless that taking something for himself was far from anything Angelica could consider bad. He needed to live and enjoy his life, she believed this true of everyone including herself and she knew Charles to be one of the most helpful individuals to exist, a little fun wouldn't hurt anything.

Or so she thought. Once in the tent she was seeing Charles in a way she hadn't before. Naked, but she was also not at all off put by the situation. One might call that innocence but she would call it something else entirely. Her confusion about his modesty combined with the fact that he was staring at her as well... this a rather tense situation. He spoke on it the way he always did when something awkward was happening and she recognized it as such, "Yeah, I got a bit worked up, kinda rushed in... should I apologize? I mean I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy or anything. I mean I don't really get the need for privacy but I will at least try to respect it," she stated. Yep, she was still staring she still hadn't moved. This was a very confusing thing for her, she didn't want to make him more uncomfortable but she also wasn't sure if it'd be rude or confusing for her to back out like she'd done something wrong. She was pretty sure she'd done nothing wrong.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne would have considered giving Angelica a response. He could have at least mentioned how many of his 'almost' decisions were free passes to sinful thoughts, but alas, there was a situation at hand which required his utmost attention. What was that situation? Naturally, it was Angelica. To be more specific, it was the fact that she was now partially in the tent and seeing the source of his sin. What could he do?

A better question would be: what would he do? Angelica got herself worked up and barged in. That was fine. She had no reason to apologize. She wasn't intruding on any privacy he needed for any wholesome reasons, so if anyone was meant to apologize, Charlemagne was that person. "I-I uh... well," he stammered. She was still staring, and so was he. Charlemagne couldn't tell whether this moment was more awkward or surprising, but it was surely a great deal of the latter. "I-it's not your fault! I should apologize, right? Or... I don't know! Do I explain this? It's not what it looks like?" He was attempting a few things mentally, and one of those things flew out of his mouth. It may have been exactly what it looked like, if it looked like he'd run off to hide a not-so-random erection. That excuse however, just seemed like the most natural thing to say.