The Eternal Sanctum (Holy Knight Headquarters)

[Apollymi]

"Oh? I figured getting bigger would have evened out that attitude a bit~" mentioned Yume who seemed to find Anais's response to about normal for the girl she'd known previously but also fairly oddly placed considering that the girl herself was currently sucking face with her hot elf teacher. "Oh? Did you learn to actively make a new you? Mine aren't done enough yet for me to think about taking their forms," asked Anais who seemed to think the girl meant it in a way which was much greater than a simple wardrobe change.

"Hai!~ But... I want to do a different kind of magical thing with it so I'd need a bit of help," she explained of the situation. Of course, she wasn't one to take without being fair in what she gave, so her body had already begun glowing. It was gentle like moonlight but she seemed to be shifting that third spiritual core within herself around. It would roughly be like watching her rotate a ball within her chest until she settled on the new one. She used herself as a base, and all the mana that had been deposited into her body by Solomon as a sheet to fit over it. Allowing nature to shift her from her current demonic form into something else entirely. A gentle separation between Ailen and Anais would occur as the elafia began watching this transformation. Of course, she intended to fully absorb the information, she did eventually need to change forms herself so perhaps the other girl could have her brained picked for posterity. "Sugoi!" Anais murmured.

Of course, in true magical girl fashion Yume added in some twist and twirls for effect. Her ears were growing a bit long and pointed. Her jet black hair became mystically silver white and longer than it had been even before. Her body took on more obviously large porportions without her 'living dress' eating away at her mana. And her eyes opened showing golden irises which looked rather similar to ones boasted by Solomon. Her hair was up in the back with large golden clips and she was dressed in an ornate white kimono. She finished up this magical girl transformation, with her fingers in the peace sign beside her eye and a wide grin on her face. "Hehehehe~ I never get tired of that~" she mused knowing that she'd done this twice now and it was just as amusing as it had been when she'd dressed herself the first time. Her whole form was completely different, and at her side was now a large koto which she'd crafted along with a few other things while in Solomon's care.

[Bloodedge]

The two girls continued speaking, while Ailen continued... apparently acting on arousal. His mouth was quite busy even while he kept eyes trained on Yume. Luckily, attention paid was not at all wasted. The elf was interested in seeing the transformation. Even with his interest, there was an amount of unnecessary flair applied which truly enhanced the viewing experience. What was it all for? He wasn't sure at all, but it was interesting if nothing else.

What's more, the transformation of Yume was in strong opposition to the state he'd first seen her in. Her path was among the most interesting, beginning with Yin alignment and moving directly into its opposite. This silver-haired form seemed nothing like the demon seen previously. Ah, but those eyes were very familiar indeed. "Hmm. That's actually splendid. Even spending a week in his realm, that is also very rapid development of ability," he commented earnestly. One thing remained confusing, though. What in the world was a magical girl transformation, and what made it different than any other sort? "What sort of effect do those movements have? Is that one of those arousing things Tohsaka-san talks about? I don't much see the point."

[Apollymi]

Arousal had been moving Ailen and Anais towards each other, even so... a bit of a break could be managed for the pair to watch and appreciate the transformation of Yume into her newest self. It was an appraisable full magical girl transformation. It brought back memories to the mind of Anais of watching such shows in the presence of this same friend while they were in middle school. What would she say about it? "Very solid, 4.5/5... it could have used more particle effects~" she teased in a semi-sarcastic manner. "Not everyone wants to have a seizure during the light show. Subtlety..." she said as if she knew the meaning of the word. This caused Anais to scoff, but then both girls simply went on to giggle. That was until Ailen expressed his interest in this particular advancement.

"Sou ka? You really think so? Mon-sama's lessons are a bit technical for my taste... but I seemed to get the gist of it all pretty well. I also became very adept at making and altering things I like to use~" she mentioned seeming to be pleased with her own developments. That hand which had been used to make the v shape near her eye lowered to her waist as she stood seeming to continue taking in the pair before her. Explaining of the magical girl trope was something she'd not considered having to do. "They could be used just for that... but they aren't really. It isn't like a strip tease or anything, which Mugen-sama is familiar with now. Magical Girl transformations are their own kind of thing and in the world we are from fictional..." she explained not sure if this would be clear enough. She looked to Anais with an open handed gesture as if requesting backup. "I feel like this is going to get complex..." Anais started. "But basically Magical Girl, is a genre of story type written with a female lead or leads who are completely normal and innocuous but become like super heroes. And it's targeted at young girls and includes a transformation sequences with changes in wardrobe personality and such to complete the duality of the life between like, average school girl and vigilante crime fighter... but its like their secret identity so they can do all the important stuff, but still live a regular life," she explained the concept. Was she really going to have to explain anime and manga to an Elf who didn't have tv? That seemed almost ridiculous. "Also the point like most things from the world we're from is entertainment. Quality of life is really different there... so most things are created for imagination and enjoyment."

[Bloodedge]

Today, Ailen's fate was to learn about the humans of Gaia and what they viewed as entertainment. A Magical Girl, as they called it, was merely a fantasy trope viewed by their ilk. It may have been to Anais's surprise that no great detail was required for Ailen's understanding. Much the same, he hardly needed most of Yume's explanation. "Ah, I see. Something of a motivational story for children, I assume? It sounds very similar to something I enjoyed for the first fifty years or so of life. There was the tale of Lyrion, the Silverheart Elf. He was an elf unlike any other, and that silver heart gave him incredible, impossible abilities such as flight via silver wings, eyes that peered through deception, healing with only a touch, a song voice that could calm even wild storms, and the ability to champion all manner of beasts while protecting their forests. It was something so impossible, but an inspirational tale that made many elf children wish to become better. Lyrion was a male elf, but I assume the theme is similar between his story and your Magical Girls," he rambled.

Despite his original fleeting interest, it seemed Ailen would always easily transition into a full tirade about miniscule things. Once his brain started going, there was no stopping his mouth. "Is that the intention then? I still don't understand the movement and how it represents these girls you speak of, but is your plan to become such a symbol for the young girls of this world who have no such thing? If so, that is a very noble cause... though I fear they wouldn't understand the movements either. Perhaps I can't grasp it because I'm an elf, or... perhaps because I'm a man? It would be hard to tell the difference ─ it could even be because I'm so much older now. There are so many possible reasons behind ignorance, it's often frustrating."

[Apollymi]

Ailen shared with both girls his understanding of their shared childhood memories. According to the elf, there was a similar story involving an elf called Lyrion who was Silverheart. He described for them something both of them could understand and had a specific kind of understanding for. "Ah, so elf-shounen protag, got it. Yeah, something like that..." said the newest incarnation of Kaguya who had yet to name herself up to this point. "Sou ka, it does sound pretty interesting though. I wouldn't mind reading it... does an elf like that actually exist?" Anais asked seemingly enthused about the story and yet another likeness shared between her and her mentor.

Beyond this, it was thought that a story like that was meant to be motivational. Ailen would subsequently go on a full length tangent about the entire thing. It seemed the movements of the magical girl transofrmation simply didn't make sense to him. He had a few good reasons of why it might not have stuck but seemed a bit frustrated by the lack of understanding himself. "I don't know if I plan to motivate. If I am being honest, Magical Girls always seemed really cool. Crime fighters, people who don't take oppression and keep other people out of trouble... it's what I want to be, I don't think I ever thought about inspiring others..." she mentioned. "I don't think the movements could be properly understood by someone whose never seen an anime... it's like a part of the transformation sequence. A symbol of shedding ones mundane self to show their hero of justice self... or something like that," she explained. "There are also really practical reasons for it. Magical Girl anime is about suspended belief, if every time you wanted to fight crime you had to stop the human way and change clothes and redo your hair, the criminal would be long gone before you were ready to fight..." Anais countered. "Oh and it's in a couple of boys shows too... usually less flamboyant but still, showmanship is apart of the trope," explained the white haired lass. Yes, all of those reasons made sense. "Also, Shishou, it isn't abnormal for adults not to understand the magical aspects of shows like that. Nor is it abnormal for them to have given up on it all together with the crushing weight of life on them, most are forced to give up the ideas of things that sparked their imagination or made them happy the way their childhood stories did. But some hold onto it... or try to," Anais explained the truth of the human condition as related to fantasy. And gave light to why, so many who found themselves in this world were willing to sink into it. Magic made life better.

[Bloodedge]

The story of Lyrion was one told to many a young elf in Ailen's homeland, but there was always one consensus ─ one verdict reached by all who told or heard the tale. Even for a High Elf, all those feats were regarded as impossibilities of the highest order. Perhaps some could eventually accomplish such things by other means, but there was no logical way to be that form of entity. "It's pure fantasy, I'm afraid. For an elf, having such magical ability would mean following the Druidic teachings. To then become the Silverheart would be impossible. A great elf could manage a few of those feats at best, but never the lot of them. However, a story like that one motivates young elves such as myself to strive for greatness. I wouldn't be half the alchemist I am today without those childhood dreams of becoming the next Lyrion," Ailen explained.

This new form of Shinomiya Kaguya claimed she had no intention of motivating. Well, it didn't much matter whether she wanted to or not. By their very existences, she and the other Tenbu would serve as pillars in the mortal community, and they would hardly have to lift a finger to do so. "It is of little importance whether you try to inspire or not. You will all be great. Greatness, when observed, is the cornerstone of development in those who see for themselves. Fulfill your own desires. If they are just, you will inadvertently cause positive growth in the world around you. As you've both implied with this transformation, even the little, possibly meaningless things can have great effect," he rambled further. Of course, Anais went on to prove the transformation sequence was not quite meaningless at all. She did have a point; changing one's wardrobe could be a terrible waste of time when rushing. Few could understand that better than Ailen. "I concede to that logic. I even suppose, if one desires anonymity, the change would be necessary before taking action. It is an interesting concept overall. Keep your dreams, both of you. I may not understand the thrill of these things, but I will not judge you for your preferences. After all, at the end of the day... I may still be trying my best to become the next Silverheart~"

[Apollymi]

Ailen's explanation of his childhood hero, made the claim that he was not a possible real existence. That was kind of sad, Anais was sure she would have enjoyed meeting someone like that, and more positive that it sounded like something she'd heard before as well... "Box it," she murmured seeming to be in thought about the things which were mentioned as feats and finding most of them to be perfectly possible within the mechanics of the world they currently inhabited. "It's sad that such a person doesn't currently exist. I feel like they'd be really cool, and I've definitely heard of something like that before, I'm sure of it..." Anais mentioned seeming thoroughly perplexed by her own lack of memory.

Meanwhile Ailen had some pointed words to share with both girls. A bit of inspiration for Kaguya whom he thought would be capable of rousing the masses so long as she could and would have a positive effect on the world, and thus she didn't need to try or be motivated to do such a thing. And the notion that he hadn't given up on his dream of becoming like the elf from his childhood stories. "Eh? You're pretty good at that whole unobtrusive encouragement thing~" the now silver haired girl teased, though not nearly at the same frequency as her previous self. And beyond that, his words about his still trying to become the next Silverheart seemed to warm both of the girls' expressions as they considered the man. "Well, dreams like that are always so fleeting. Only as the moonlight and bedtime stories fade, do we find the true source of light~" she spoke almost ominously. "This is what I was talking about yesterday," mentioned Anais about the nature of those words spoken by Kaguya.

"And you should check your list... if it's still floating around somewhere in that head of yours~" she said in a much more direct manner which immediately made Anais's face redden. "I'll take that as a yes!~ Oh, right... my favor... it's related to this," she said of the instrument. "I made it and a few other such things while processing Mon-sama's lessons... but I don't really know how to tune or play it," she mentioned to her musically talented friend. "I was just thinking I haven't seen a Koto in ages... it's barely a favor, more like a present!~" Anais said finally unraveling herself from Ailen's embrace for the sake of engrossing herself in the musical instrument created by Kaguya. Upon being handed the instrument, Anais sank to the floor beginning to fiddle with the strings and tune the notes which was an interesting experience given her own hearing and mana sensitivity. It was an activity of dexterity and skill but also one of her former life which left her feeling oddly normal.

[Bloodedge]

Something said amongst the group had Anais storing away yet another mental note. Ailen wasn't sure what that could have been, but he thought it would eventually be worthwhile to question her process and learn if there was a better way to manage things. Over the past two days, she'd yet to readdress something she said that about, after all. Perhaps there was a way to help with whatever issues she had, even by thinking with more than one brain? Well, he'd yet to find out if that was even necessary ─ and he wouldn't be finding out right now either.

Moving on, the newly-changed lass received his message well. Ailen shrugged as she teased the quality of his motivational speech. However she responded didn't matter, as he was sure the Tenbu would shine brightly regardless. She went on to do something strange, though. Moments after commenting on unobtrusive encouragement, she chose to offer... obtrusive encouragement of a cryptic nature. She truly sounded like the result of someone throwing the essence of Mugen and Solomon into a cauldron... but that was alright. What could those words be getting at? Ailen took pause, then let loose a chortle upon reaching multiple conclusions, the most prominent of which involved his earlier thoughts about Anais. "Ah. That's why. Boxing it," he decided.

Just then, the elf's arms were made empty via Anais's departure. It seemed the 'favor' requested involved learning a musical instrument, which Anais showed interest in as something long-unseen. While she went about tuning the instrument, Ailen figured he'd play the role of an observer. He'd yet to see the girl work with an actual instrument, despite understanding she had some sort of musical passion.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that of the things that this form of Kaguya said, what Ailen immediately and outwardly came to the conclusion of was, the habit of his apprentice boxing things up in her mind for the sake of recalling them when they were relevant. His chortle was a rather happy sound and Anais could do nothing but smile at his revelation. "Yeah, when I can't process something, I put it in a box... the rest of my mind will filter it with relevant information and then when the box is full I tend to understand it," she mentioned. "This one's cryptic hints. Mugen-sensei's innocuous statements that are more relevant than they appear.... random information I obtain or questions I have that may answer themselves...if given enough time..." Anais mentioned seeming to find it an easy explanation to give. Still Kaguya could only scoff, she didn't think she'd been overly cryptic she just wasn't being direct and didn't want to steal anyone's thunder, so to speak.

Speaking of easy things, she looked to Kaguya's current form and held open her right hand. "I need a tsume so will you... first two fingers and thumb of the right hand. They are usually made of ivory but I assume there is something better to interact with these specific strings..." she mentioned as she attuned. "I'm tuning it to the Hira-choshi, for your likely solo performances but I can teach you a couple of others if you decide you'd rather play with an accompaniment of some sort~" Anais mentioned. The tsume Anais asked for was something that Kaguya knew of by name but didn't quite know the purpose of until it was mentioned. Given this, used mana to materialize the item in question around her fingers, in the form of Orichalcum instead of the standard ivory. This would be better for the strings. "Is this the item you were asking me for?" she asked as she handed it to the girl, given their proximity this set was fitted to Anais's fingers and she smiled when she slid them onto her fingers so she could test it out. "Hai hai!~ exactly this. I think you'll enjoy the more modern form of play given your handedness... but these fingers to pluck these strings... left hand to further manipulate the sounds on the other side here..." she mused.

Only after this did she begin playing. It seemed she wanted to give the instrument a test run, an a series of string plucks would start off as a somber but a bit of a haunting melody that built upon itself for several moments. It would seem all else disappeared for the girl in the floor for a few seconds. It'd been so long since she'd touched one of these, she'd ended up playing one of the pieces she'd originally composed for the celebration of Abe no Seimei's birthday at the Shrine she worked at periodically. It was a nice and peaceful pace but the evolution into a more playful and active peace was definitely something worth listening to. At the end... she seemed pleased by the sounds which left the instrument and happy about its tuning.

[Bloodedge]

And so began a change in the morning's agenda for this room's group. Anais had taken up a musical instrument, meaning to tune it and teach her companion how it was played. Why Kaguya chose to create an instrument she couldn't play, Ailen did not know. Oh well; perhaps humans had even more strange mannerisms than he thought. Whatever the case, there would soon be a melody to hear. Ailen wasn't a bard or musical connoisseur by any means, but even he could stop to appreciate a quality tune or two.

The music played did not sound like what one would expect of forest-dwellers. In fact, he could call it something both foreign and familiar at the same time. Surely the elf had never heard this melody... or had he? "Hmm," he mumbled, thinking otherwise silently. It was easy to assume the ongoing music was something he once heard, but did not retain... yet that made little sense. Perhaps he'd simply caught wind of it in Anais's mind during one of their mana transfers? That was technically possible, even if a bit unlikely.