Ars Paulina

[Bloodedge]

Ai mentioned self-care, attributing it to the longevity of Solomon. Ah, he'd yet to give her that information. "The quality of a soul determines the length of a lifespan. Gaia has such limitations only because any leylines it has are atrophied. I don't do anything here other than observe the happenings of the world," he said. Moving immediately to the next matter, Ai alleged that smutty fanfictions weren't her cup of tea. Was she being truthful? If she was, that was a rather strange barrier. Solomon wondered the details. "Are they not? I assumed they would be," he said. "And no, the Matrix reference wasn't exclusively for you. I gathered you are from the same Gaia era I lived in, so the comparison wouldn't fall on deaf ears. In bringing it up, I was merely assuming your line of thinking. Apologies if I've overstepped."

There was more to be said about the goddess. Ai surmised that having five husbands was indicative of her capacity as a desirable individual. Solomon believed she was equal parts right and wrong. "The people of this world in general are quite different to what you'd expect. Besides, those same five husbands are acceptable to you as well. You may consider this a fantasy harem, if you like. Each apprentice has a single mentor, but may take lessons from the other four to complete their cycle," he explained while the final door was in its opening process. This one was a bit behind, it seemed. Oh well. The interesting occurrences on the other side, Solomon could see, and he figured they would work excellently when paired with someone specific. Whatever the case, Ai took the male's outstretched hand. The idea of a date was taken quite well for a girl in her underwear surrounded by magic. "Then it's a date. What would you like to eat?" he asked. With that, Solomon led the girl by her hand into a labyrinth whose main chamber had become a grand dining hall... strangely with a table for two at its center. The room was illuminated solely by elementless quasi-spirits who floated slowly around the room. They would dine under those dim, shifting lights while the gentle humming of those spirits added some auditory ambiance.

[Apollymi]

As they walked and talked, Ai was given more information. Apparently, his self-care was non-existent. He claimed that the quality of the soul determined the length of one's life, and that the Gaia side saw such short lives, simply because it didn't have the leylines or mana to sustain individuals. She supposed that made sense. "Watching your favorite show is self-care. Still, that has to be a pretty intense soul~" she mentioned seeming to be joking just a tad. Beyond this her commentary about the nature of her specific fanfic related dalliances was questioned. "Ah, I was a bit unclear, it isn't that I am not into fanfics completely," she murmured. This next bit was a little embarrassing. "I just specifically don't like the 'soul mate' teen category," she explained. "I actually write a few and I prefer more varied content. You can only read so many people being broken up by crazy, power-hungry, mean-girl psycho types before it gets boring," she explained. "And it's always self-insert which is like the lowest tier of fanfic writing," she said seeming to have some interestingly hard opinions about that sort of thing. "Oops, I might have gone a bit overboard. Mentioning the Matrix isn't worth an apology, it's my favorite movie actually... It's been my choice for movie night for ages... so I'm glad I can make references without them flying out the window~" she explained seemingly pleased. For the strangeness of their meeting, it seemed that they could get along at least.

Moving on, Solomon's next words implied a bit of right and wrong in the logic of appreciating the goddess. According to Solomon it wasn't as simple as the goddess Miwa being something amazing but the individuals of this world being very different. Even Ai would apparently be trapped into such thinking, given the aspects of a fantasy harem in which she had one specific mentor but learned from the others as well. "Really?" she said looking at Solomon. Yes, he was tall, dark handsome, perfectly her type according to a few images she'd be shown of a similar person in a specific manga series. And it wouldn't just be him but others she was allowed to partake of in such a way since learning and sex were intertwined. Saying such a thing was tantamount to claiming she could enter the harem with a favorite in mind and still sample the rest. "Life is about to get really weird isn't it? " she murmured. This sounded like a fantasy prompt pulled straight from the mind of one of her friends. Moving on, what she thought was a different version of her friend seemed to be on her way and then she was asked what she wanted to eat. She looked into a very nice looking grand hall with a table for two and nice ambiance. "Um, that's kind of difficult. Will I get fat?" she asked first and foremost. Yes the answer to that question was necessary to determine what kind of food she wanted to eat. There were a few nuances to this new life that would have the girl's decisions altered slightly.

[Bloodedge]

It wasn't that Ai detested fanfiction, but that she'd grown tired of a specific genre. He could understand that. What she spoke of was even one of the more prevalent issues in the world of Alaya, but she'd find that out eventually... as all people did in time. Luckily though, Ai's current situation wasn't so cut-and-dry. "Those, I can understand the distaste for. You'll find that our arrangement isn't so specific as a matter of soulmates. If I say you are the perfect match, which I believe you are, that makes you one of two perfect matches for me thus far. There could be a thousand others who fit the same criteria... though I don't believe it would be done so flawlessly. It seems your friend has a knack for this sort of thing."

Once they entered the dining hall, the only thing Ai needed to do was decide her dinner of choice. In keeping with the sort of wisdom Solomon himself once grew into, she presented the most human questions possible. First, she wondered if life was about to become very strange. "Of course," he answered immediately. "You're in your underwear, about to have dinner with a strange, magical man whom you both met and made-out with mere minutes ago. Even if you decide to return to your world, life will never be the same. Your senses have been activated. What your soul desires is clear, and I'm afraid most people of Gaia will never match them," he explained. One other question was presented. Would she get fat? What a very human thing to wonder. "I should explain that mana is everything. From bodily fluids exchanged during 'mana transfer' or 'sexual acts' as you'd understand, to the food you eat and the air you breathe ─ all of it is mana. Very rare is it for someone to become fat. If you take in large quantities of mana, in your case, you may however become more voluptuous. It's mostly up to you whether that is a temporary or permanent change."

[Apollymi]

Ai was being treated to a rather gentle introduction to the way of the world. They weren't soulmates in the sense of the fanfiction determination. Instead, there could have been hundreds or thousands of people across either world who could have met the criteria. But there was a certain level of flawlessness attributed to this match up, which he claimed was the responsibility of one of her friends. "Oh? One of my friends is the reason I am here? Matched with you even... okay," she said having an idea or two about that. "I won't deny you being the type I would like. I trust my friends especially so... I suppose this is less frightening than it could be," she finished up her thoughts on this idea. Actually, given that she thought it was Kaguya knocking on her door, she wouldn't have actually been surprised if that girl found her way here and was connected to one of these husbands and decided the rest of them needed to be here as well. Yes, actually that seemed like the story of nice flowing story that would be expanded upon, though one had to wonder what happened with her and Miyuki. Was he one of her potentials for working in the thousands. Was he abandoned as an afterthought of coming here... did something else take place she didn't know about? It would be worth thinking about at least, unless it was actually Kaguya who brought her here in which case she'd likely just ask later.

Moving on, Solomon confirmed that her life was indeed about to become strange. Apparently, it was already exactly that, given her state of dress, her first moments in this world, the fact that she was on a date and all. But it wasn't just that, there was additional information about how she would be considered in the moment. Even if she said she was out and went back to her normal life, she had active senses and her soul was awakened enough to the magical side that she'd be left with a yearning that would be hard to quell. "Sou ka," she said. "If I am being honest, choosing to go back isn't really something I've considered. The idea of living in a magical world is a bit too enticing even if the fantasy harem wasn't part of it," she said carefully. "It becomes even more potentially fun if I have friends here to commiserate with so, I'll probably give it some consideration before making such a decision," she mentioned seeming to take an approach which would lead her to continue stepping forward without much hinderance until she could make a proper decision. Moving on, food was apparently mana, sex acts and bodily fluids as well as eating and drinking would give mana. All things were mana based and taking in mana could change her figure as she pleased but getting fat was difficult. "Would it be weird, to want like steamed pork buns and rice? I usually just eat like toast and stuff but I'm not like super picky..." she stated. She was such an odd girl that in truth she could easily just sit down with a jar of apple butter and eat that with contentment but she did like pork buns and other things that could include or be dipped in apple butter.

[Bloodedge]

"In a way, yes," Solomon said about her friend's role in this summoning. "She was heavily involved, and seemed to reach the conclusion on her own. I did, however, set things in motion for the summoning. It was quite fun that we didn't discuss the development at all," he rambled. Ai had multiple friends in Alaya already; nearly all of them by the time she returned. Thus far, it seemed none of those friends had an interest in revisiting their old lives in favor of the current life cycle. "There is much to see in the world of Alaya. I often refrain from giving spoilers, being clairvoyant and all, but... I will soon be able to share them with you."

Apparently, Ai had yet to consider turning back. That was no surprise; the rest of her friends who made it to this world had automatic interest in exploring the magical form of life. There was no reason to believe she'd be an exception. As for the existence of her friends in the magical world, he could attest to the main group's presence. "One has been here for three centuries. Another was brought here yesterday through a connection to the first. You and two others just came through those doors upstairs. As you are best suited to being my apprentice, yours would be the longest lesson, and take place here in Ars Paulina," he explained, noting that she would not physically enter Alaya for quite some time yet. Once Ai spoke her meal of choice, wisps of mana extended from Solomon's body to fill one side of the table with her desired meal. In keeping with his earlier explanation, the meal was constructed by his mana, yet flavored appropriately. With her food in place, Solomon guided the lass toward her chair. "I don't think it's strange at all. In this specific case, the mana you receive from eating will be the same. You should have whatever you want," he advised.

[Apollymi]

The involvement of her friend in her isekai situation was one which was much more involved than Ai had originally thought. Someone had been in Solomon's presence and though the man had set up the potential for that one to help, he'd not discussed what he wished her to do with the lass. It was something decided in a moment on that one's own whims, that made it much easier. "Sou sou, I thought it was Kaguya-chan knocking on my door. I suppose that confirms it," she murmured. That one was exactly the type to decide to invite a bunch of them into an adventure she'd undertaken. It'd taken her so long to make friends properly, she wouldn't be abandoning anyone to mediocrity. She was also the easiest to decide to abandon her previous life considering the situation with her parents and school as it existed. Moreoever Solomon apparently normally avoided giving spoilers but as Ai was his apprentice he'd soon be able to share with her. "It's always pretty crazy when your favorite show is getting exciting and no one else is caught up. It seems like it might be at least a little fun~" she mused thinking about things, she'd at least get a kick out of the new world for the sake of finding the differences between her previous reality and this one.

And what other information would she be given? Well... of her friends apparently the close ones given Solomon's clairvoyant nature. There was a three hundred year gap between the first friend showing up and the second one. And then the second one came in and brought in three more pretty closely together. That being said, it would appear, "Someone must have been a bit lonely for a while..." she said giving it thought. "I wouldn't mind having my bearings before jumping in. You know, recharging the social battery before hopping back into society," she murmured softly. She wasn't emotionally unfit, but she imagined this whole thing could get overwhelming pretty quickly if you let it. "Ah, the Matrix thing again... everything tastes like chicken, but in reverse, where it has the same base but it tastes different~" she teased. "Well, that is fine too," she mentioned. Ai would be guided towards a chair still in her underpants and sit down for her first date of food that wasn't really food, but was, in a magical world, with an exceedingly attractive magical man.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the friend Ai assumed had been knocking on her door was the very same Shinomiya Kaguya. Ah, but there was a bit more to the situation than that. Ai had yet to receive an understanding of this world's functions. As one born on Gaia himself, Solomon could explain things more easily than many others. "Asakura Yume is the name currently. The world of Alaya allows the creation of... well, think of it like creating a character. You make it within yourself, and you wear it as an avatar in the world. The people of Gaia who manage to become great, are more capable of doing so with multiple characters kept in Spiritual Cores, or... Saint Graphs as they are colloquially called."

Ai would soon be granted knowledge of the future, which very few individuals had access to. Before that, they would dine. Solomon finished leading the lass to her chair, passively swiping a bit of mana from her hand in separation. That mana was used to conjure a plate of falafels on his side of the table. They would dine on each other's mana in a non-sexual manner... to start. "There's no need to rush. If you accept my teachings, you will be here for a thousand years before physically visiting Alaya. Of course, it doesn't have ti feel like that much time ─ that part is up to you. This realm heavily focuses on imagination, and will respond accordingly to its rulers. You could even change things now, if you'd like. You do have that privilege after sampling my mana and having yours within me as well. If there is anything else you'd like to add to the meal, you need only ask."

[Apollymi]

A name was given, in reference to the friend she spoke. In the world called Alaya she was no longer Shinomiya Kaguya and instead had the name Asakura Yume. "Oh? She got her mom's last name, nice..." she said. Ai and Kaguya had a long lasting type of relationship even outside of school. Theirs was something more akin to a sibling relationship than anything else, but that was a matter of social complexity. Beyond that point, there was the creation of Spiritual Cores or Saint Graphs which were like creating a character in a video game. "Sou ka, I can probably work with that... I do keep character sheets for my writing and a few of the table top games we play together... and I understand things like user profiles," she said. Yes, much unlike Yume or rather Kaguya who seemed to lack the technical side of things, the imagination of Ai wasn't quite so limited.

As she settled at the table it seemed her food choices weren't ones which were odd. Of course she watched as Solomon made food of his own appear as well. That looked interesting, maybe she'd try it later? Yes, that seemed about right. At the moment she sat before pork dumplings and rice which made her quite happy to look at and smell. For food to be mana it didn't seem like she'd be lacking in anything at all. Besides that there was apparently no need to rush. If she accepted Solomon and his teachings, which to be honest, she couldn't figure out how to say no, the idea of it was painful already. "It's nice not to have to rush. I don't really see myself saying no to this, I feel like I should be a bit more apprehensive about that but I feel like I can blame weird magical world influence for that," she said carefully. "Itadakimasu," she murmured as she began to consume food which was delicious and seemed to do something about that strange hunger she'd developed while kissing the man across from her. Perhaps she shouldn't let her mind wander too much, lest her face begin to show some weird signs. "I can't think of anything else I want right now, but I think this place is really cool," she mentioned. Actually she'd yet to gush properly about the science fiction and fantasy setting of this place, she was too busy being distracted by the gorgeous magical man.

[Bloodedge]

Once Ai was in place, Solomon seated himself across from her. A few of the quasi-spirits drew closer to better illuminate the table area, casting a soft glow over both parties and their meals. Solomon didn't appear as interested in the food as he was in the blonde. Both his elbows were atop the table, his hands clasped and rested under his chin. He was watching, staring even, as Ai settled fully. "You are the tinkerer of your group, I understand. When I was a young human, my talents were used to deal with other people. I headed Human Resources, to be specific," he admitted.

Moving on from matters of his previous life, Solomon picked up the first falafel and bit into it. In doing so, he confirmed that Ai's mana was no less flexible than his own, as it tasted of the item it was meant to instead of her natural flavor. "Interesting," he mused. Ai alleged that she had no other desires in mind, despite how many things she could have requested. "You can certainly blame magic for not feeling apprehensive about things. Though, magic and instinct are somewhat synonymous in this case. Take that as you like," he said first. With that, Solomon would address her lack of requests. "Nothing at all? Nothing else for dinner, drink, dessert... clothes that aren't your underwear? Interesting," he noted once more.

[Apollymi]

Ai was certainly aware of eyes being on her. She was quite used to it, to a certain extent, even so, Solomon being the one watching her was a bit different from the norm. She saw the little moving lights coming closer making it easier to see, but she also saw a certain gentle glowing quality to his eyes which she wasn't sure was real or imaginary. It seemed that the man in question understood her particular role within her friend group. "I do tinker quite a bit, mostly as an aftereffect of working for Kaguya... she's a bit technologically problematic," she decided on that particular phrase. "But I do find myself liking such things... I made a few adjustments to some existing technology before and also enjoy my creative writing and the like," she said of her own activities. As for his former kind of employment she found herself looking up at him and staring. "Human Resources? I could understand that... those kinds of people are really great, not everyone can manage others, nor bring out their full potential..." she stated seeming to understand it, at least a little.

The conversation between these two seemed to flow easily and as the girl enjoyed her pork buns he found herself easily sneaking a few glances of him while she relaxed. He was still talking too, and his voice was rather nice to listen to, she apparently owed an apology to a friend of theirs for not understanding her obsession with ASMR. Obviously, she'd just not found the right background voice to send her mind buzzing along. "Well, I guess there is that... this is quite a lot to adjust to really. I think I still like it better than assuming I died or was passed out and made up something this extreme," she mentioned. Well, she'd written quite a few extreme stories in her time but it wasn't quite this sort of thing. Oh, she didn't want anything else, not even clothes, a drink, dessert? "Well, I am already dressed like this and I haven't figured out what I would want to wear in this kind of casual situation yet, so I can't really do that... Besides you seemed to imply that I shouldn't be too shy so I'll keep up my home alone or with friends level of relaxation," she mused. "As for a drink... I guess I could go for something, Amazake... yeah, I'd drink that with this," she said that was a solid desire and should produce the drink. A light and ricey flavored beverage which was part of the byproducts of sake. Non-alcoholic but sweet and commonly available.