Castle of Loch Ness

[Apollymi]

Arthur had managed to save himself in Guinevere's eyes, not that he needed to. She found him interesting when he was obviously trying to be himself. She figured given his upbringing he could at any point switch personality and become something strange or almost alien in his smoothness. But this awkward slightly bumbling version of the lad was much more appealing. "Oh? So you do want me fawning over you, but not too soon? Did I understand that correctly?" she asked in a teasing manner. Of course, she would choose to interpret his words that way, it was way too easy not to do so. Still, this was a great deal of fun, and she'd been serious about offering her help to Arthur to help him become the best leader he could be, all on his own.

Emilia continued to eat her shaved ice, having reached the last few spoons worth over the course of their current conversation. He of course, affirmed his knightly intentions and claimed that he couldn't show favoritism in good faith except to the person he swore himself too. "Hm, quite right. It's good to take your duties seriously..." her words were still light, but at the moment Emilia remembered something rather important. There could come a time when Elyan left to pursue such duties. She wouldn't begrudge his choices in such a case, but it would be quite sad to see him go. She'd missed him while they'd been separated the last five years, but he'd been a part of her daily life for several years before then. Ah, that was fine though, Elyan was still feeling quite snarky so his words were coming out still about that sleeping preference. "Well... it isn't really that warm... it's just warmer than the icy places. I am able to find comfort rather easily..." she said still not being very specific about how she chose to sleep. Yes, if she hadn't passed out in a food induced coma, she probably would have been asleep in her bed, mostly naked when she woke to the strange voice. "I question lots of things... it isn't a matter of me thinking I am anyone in particular. What are a few candid answers between friends~" she diverted not wanting to bring any attention to the idea she'd been sleeping nude at all.

According to Merlin, the other Merlyn should relax. That use of the shortened form of her given name didn't go unnoticed, but he always talked to her like that. A few millennia could separate them and such habits came back like they were nothing. He claimed she could relax but that she needed to keep such things in mind, as she went about her day to day life. "If you say so, I suppose it won't make much of a difference when I find myself looking in on any of these things. I'll try and relax, but I can't make any promises..." she settled on such a thing because it was what she'd always do. She took solace in the fact that her older brother was still being helpful and very much a person she was waiting to see. Still, she went to see her brother and removed his hood only to have his magic take effect. Both of them were stripped naked and the young lady known to all of Loch Ness as Merlyn became Sakurai Junko standing directly in front of her twin brother Sakurai Junichi. They were so very similar, and her brother's memory wasn't off at all given how she felt being back in her own skin. He even had right the correct number of piercings in her ears. She approached those open arms and that softer male face only to have him not take a side when they went to embrace. He had words to share, he wished for relief? Because they hadn't seen each other in ages, and because it'd been a few centuries since he'd last felt his own body? "Baka-nii!" she said shaking her head from left to right. "Even if I was able to come to terms with us basically being the the same person. I'm still your little sister and I adore you. But... I already know how you treat women I wouldn't add myself to such a list..." she said. A few centuries of celibacy wouldn't kill him or anything and she definitely wasn't going to sleep with her actual twin especially while she knew exactly what he was like. He simply didn't live up to her emotional standards to take such a spot in her life.

[Bloodedge]

What an excellent question. Did Arthur want Guinevere fawning over him at some point? His eyes cut in her direction, and he gave some honest consideration. Frankly, he wouldn't have minded that at all. Lore aside, it was definitely something any sensible lad would desire, right? "Uh... yes? Is it weird to say yes?" he wondered aloud, confirming her assumption. With that, he came to a halt just outside the castle. They had been around the entire courtyard, and Arthur had even gotten a few decent glances at the overall area beyond the castle. Things were going well, the people were doing well, and basically... everything would be fine if this pace continued. He could call this little tour complete as such, unless there was something else to address.

The guise of Elyan was unbroken, at least in terms of the conversation they were having. In all honesty, he wouldn't have pledged himself to someone if it led him away from Emilia and his sister. As things stood currently, he would pledge himself to Arthur if that man chose to actually become king of this place. One could only hope that was the case, lest the hopes and expectations of all present undergo some mandatory shift. "Yes, easy comfort... apparently by falling asleep with all your clothes on. Ridiculous," he chastised. Why they were even discussing the state of dress Emilia passed out in, he didn't know. Was this a topic of interest for Elyan? He didn't seem fully invested one way or another, but in actuality, any excuse to keep up a casual chat was worthwhile. "Fine then, what is this comfort you keep claiming? Even in Zuria, I don't think I've ever seen you exit your room in a nightgown or anything. You really do sleep in that getup, don't you?!"

Embarrassment and flirting occurred on one front, and what seemed to be outrage occurred on another. On the final front though, there was something else entirely. Merlin was being chastised by the female variant. Apparently, she had no intention of offering him relief even though she was the only one who could manage such in the last few hundred years. What did the way he treated women have to do with anything? "Eh?! What list? I'm not trying to date you, Koko. Imagine having to deal with only having a good time in the equivalent of a dream for hundreds of years. Come now, it's not as if I'll let you go unsatisfied in the end," he said, pushing just a bit. "Besides, we can be anyone here~" the man added. There they were, nude and embracing one another. He could feel flesh against his groin for the first time in multiple human generations. What a sweet feeling it was; was he meant to resist such a thing for hundreds of years more? He could kiss the woman, with all the ease he would have kissing his own reflection. As far as Merlin was concerned, he didn't even have to do it as himself; he could take the visage of one of Merlyn's new boy toys instead.

[Apollymi]

There was an honest answer incoming as retort to Guinevere's teasing. She'd asked Arthur if he wished her to fawn over him and he had said yes... and then aloud questioned whether or not it was a weird thing to say. Another laugh left the white haired lass, she couldn't help it, "Of course it's weird. I mean I applaud your honesty, and it is refreshing to encounter... " she said giving the man a smile just the same. "I don't mind though... I told you, you can be yourself," she said knowingly. They'd seen most things and done everything Guinevere could have thought to have him look at. He'd been seen walking around by the masses, and even though no one had approached him directly, he at least wasn't seeming like such a terribly lofty individual.

Emilia was being chastised by Elyan for falling asleep fully dressed. Even so, it wasn't exactly true. She was going to have to explain herself properly she could feel it in her bones. Even so, she took her last bite of shaved ice an gave the lad a sheepish smile. "Of course I wouldn't just exit my room in a nightgown or anything... I was a guest, that'd be rude," she said rolling her eyes. "Besides I should explain that I overate and went to my room to relax and took off my shoes while sitting on the beanbag and got a bit too comfortable and passed out. I hadn't intended to sleep like that... I sleep naked though, normally..." she explained of herself. And with that went to place her bowl in the sink and avoid eye contact with anyone probably for the next three days. Because she'd basically just explained that if she hadn't overeaten she definitely would have been naked when the lad burst into her room, and that was a level of embarrassment she didn't think she needed.

Merlyn was hugging her brother and she'd rather soon find herself without clothing. It wasn't as if it was the absolute first time they'd been somewhere and naked together, it was however the first time, in this world, there was a discussion about the two of them engaging in coitus for any reason. This seemed like it was something dug out of the deepest corners of Rule34. "The list of your conquests Ichi-nii," she said with a sigh. "And yes, I realize you aren't trying to date me, but that isn't it. And I doubt women would be crazy about you if you weren't capable of pleasing... I simply wouldn't be able to face myself if I let this happen," she said in seriousness. "Not even in your dreams and definitely not in mine. Besides..." she gave a pause while redressing herself. She was willing to push away from him now, not simply because she knew where his mind was but to remind his all seeing self of something. "You'd do well to remember, that I existed on dreams and depression in this world for the last solid millennia... your celibacy streak isn't near long enough for you to be this desperate," she mentioned. "Besides, if you were really that down bad, you'd probably apologize to the one who trapped you," she said in all seriousness. "So put your pants back on and let me know if there is some other way I can help you..."

[Bloodedge]

"Refreshing, huh. . ." Arthur repeated. That was an interesting way to put things, and even led Arthur down a long train of thought. What was the actual meaning behind it? Was it refreshing because there was some amount of sincerity to it, or was there a far deeper meaning that he should be picking up on? He really should have gotten better at this sort of thing, yet here he was, hesitating and struggling in front of... technically his own castle. "Refreshing as in... good, right?" he asked, missing the greater point he meant to deliver. Of course, refreshing was always good. Arthur however, meant good in terms of his own perspective, though he entirely failed to properly voice that point.

One point would not be improperly voiced this day, at least. Sadly for Emilia, that proper voicing was precisely what she'd been trying to avoid saying. She allegedly didn't leave her room in a nightgown because it would be rude. Elyan didn't necessarily believe that. What would he believe? Well, there was no way he couldn't believe what she had to say next. The mental image was so immediate, Elyan imagined the turn of events in a situation where Emilia didn't simply become too comfortable and pass out early. Luckily, there was no more ice to shove in his mouth; he'd have been in trouble otherwise. Ah... but he was in trouble regardless. Elyan's eyes widened, his face flushed, and he quickly turned away in a huff. "Th-that's incredibly inappropriate!" he claimed.

The list of Merlin's 'conquests' was the thing that would not be added to this day. It didn't have to be put in those words; he didn't care to make anyone appear on some checklist. "Ugh, you don't have to face yourself! Just move on when it's over; you'll forget about it in a few short decades," he chanted. To the point of how long she'd gone surviving on dreams and depression, he hardly considered it a viable counter. "Need I specify? It has been hundreds of years since my last dream experience. After dealing with that cold-mannered woman, this is the first I've ever actually felt something. I dread to think about how long ago that was." One curiosity remained. Why didn't he just address the one who trapped him here? That, he'd address with a sigh as his robes returned. "And how do you expect me to do that, huh? Do you really think someone like that would trap a person in the Garden of Avalon for all of time, and make it possible to encounter them again? Why do you think I had such difficulty reaching you in Loch Ness? She's there, isn't she? I would have figured as much."

[Apollymi]

Guinevere was confronted by questions when it came to Arthur. A chuckle came from Guin as she thought of the best way to answer his question. It was refreshing and refreshing was always good. "Well, it is always good," she said. "In your specific case, sincerity is something lacking in a lot of people, and it is something I enjoy," said Guinevere. She was of a mindset that many men spent a large amount of time trying to be what they thought women were looking for, which never worked out for them in the long run. "So, yes it is definitely good and you have no reason to worry," she wrapped up her sentiment and aimed to soften any unnecessary blows. The lad could use a bit more confidence in himself. He was after all a treat.

At the same time, Emilia had been gently avoiding the truth of her day which was that if she'd been any less careless today, there was a high possibility that Elyan would have burst into her room while she was naked. Something about that was a bit traumatizing as a thought if she was being honest. And what was more, after the confession of that information, she was content to work on cleaning a dish that would have cleaned itself. Ah, but what was this, a quick look over her shoulder and she noted Elyan had turned away. She snapped at his words though, "Inappropriate?! How? You've literally said the same thing yourself like five times..." she said shooting him a stare that was accusatory.

The male counterpart of Merlyn was truly gone in his own mind. He managed to justify to himself the idea that they could engage in coitus and it wouldn't mean anything. He even claimed Merlyn would forget it in a couple of decades. "What?! I would not! Hell this conversation alone is bound to torment me for decades, the act would probably mar me for my now infinite life. I've never forgotten anything, not in millennia... and you are well aware of that. So... yes, I would still have to face myself... sex and emotion aren't always disconnected and it's traumatizing when they are," she said wondering how he managed to make a leap like that as if it was logical. Oh, that was it, huh? He claimed that it'd been centuries since his last dream experience and called the Lady Vivian cold-mannered but claimed right now was the first time he'd actually felt something. Merlyn turned her gaze back to her brother's face and seemed to be studying it for the first time. "Cold-mannered? The Lady Vivian I met was no such thing. Perhaps I've been giving you too much credit, is it possible Ichi-nii that you are associating your feelings with sex, when no such association exists," she said with a casual eye roll. No one who went out of their way to trap someone forever didn't care. And the Lady Vivian's own words in the castle a few weeks prior implied she still felt enough to be mad, it was very possible she wasn't quite done yet. "Yes, I do. But it is a girl thing to do, so I understand it a bit..." said Merlyn managing to think about her brother in a completely different light. "She did mention that she came down from above, to do some things. And while she isn't currently in the castle she is at least in the area... by my own approximation. Oh, I get it..." Merlyn said with a huge smile spreading across her face. Her brother was dumb. He simply didn't understand what had happened. If the Lady Vivian's presence kept him from manifesting properly she'd become his prison guard. More evidence to the contrary of her cold nature.

[Bloodedge]

Always good, she said. Though that wasn't exactly the answer Arthur sought, he wasn't presently verbose enough to receive the desired response anyway. As such, he could simply take the overall positive for lack of a better choice. It wasn't too much to interpret it as such, right? Yes, he'd go with that. "If you say so. Though at this point, that blackmail isn't seeming like too bad an option..." he stated. Arthur would be lying if he said he'd never wondered how that would go, when done for his own purposes. Guinevere in particular had him wondering that sort of thing quite frequently in recent times. Perhaps he'd actually take the time to find a more... friendly form of blackmail, harmless in nature enough to actually be used viciously against her! Ah yes, that sounded like a wonderful plan that Arthur soon had painted all over his face─

True, Elyan did recently also claim nudity during times of sleep. Did that make these situations the same, though? Not to him, it didn't. More importantly however, was the fact that Emilia had taken to washing a dish that needed no such thing. "Why are you washing that?" Elyan asked while stepping up to her side, letting his own dish float about in the sink and clean itself. "Anyway, that is a different matter entirely! As a lady, you should be more mindful of placing the image of your... more delicate bits... into the minds of others."

It seemed Merlyn could not bypass this simple conversation, much less any sexual act occurring between them. How selfish! She could have at least offered a hand in a more literal sense, couldn't she? Apparently not. "Koko, you sound so innocent. Sex and feelings have nothing to do with each other, until they do. People like us don't have to catch feelings during sex; it only happens the other way around," he said, offering an opinion he had taken as fact over millennia. Now then, according to Merlyn, he was blending his feelings with those of a sexual nature. There was a bit of a misconception there, but he didn't expect her to understand after spending so much time awake in the material world. "Iie. Those feelings have nothing to do with anything. You know, Koko... I am up in Camelot right now, somewhere. Lady Kay is in bed now, you see?" As Merlin spoke, he waved a single hand to conjure the image of Lady Kay, a certain trusted blonde Knight of Artoria Pendragon. She was quite the looker, and quite the warrior to boot. "I could walk into her brain or bedroom, and have at her as I like right now. From here though, it would be no different than watching a virtual reality film of myself. This is my physical self you see now, and no matter how real I make myself there... I can't feel it here," he explained. Whatever Merlyn understood from his other clause, she didn't say. Alas, they weren't as far from the same train of thought as she believed. "Do you? Must I also tell you that my imprisonment isn't to Avalon; it is in this 'tower' we are in currently. Even if someone comes here, unless they enter this specific space, I cannot reach them. I haven't seen that woman or anyone else in countless years, until you decided to come tease me with a touch today."

[Apollymi]

Her assurances seemed to do a bit of good, or perhaps bad? Arthur claimed that blackmail was still seeming like a good option. "Oh? That is an interesting thing for you to say," she said it seemed that Guinevere hadn't much let go of her own streak of impishness. "I do wonder what you think that entails, but I suppose I'll just have to wait and see~" she said with a bit of devilishness. "Though admittedly given the look on your face, I'm sure it can't be all bad~" she theorized. Of course she would be like this, maybe she shouldn't? She should probably hold back, she was being a bit flirtier than intended, but she couldn't really help it though. She kind of enjoyed being this way and Arthur was admittedly a very interesting individual to her, lore aside.

Elyan was content to keep griping away. It was such a familiar feeling to have this sort of conversation with the lad. It was like years of bullying at his older sister's hands had turned him into someone who was quite stern by his outward appearance, but who was never really stern inside. What he was however was a bit too much like his older sister, jabbing at things. "Well, I wouldn't want to get too used to abusing the system, what if Lady Merlyn gets mad and demotes us all back to our barely magical existences?!" she exclaimed as if this was something she truly thought would happen. Ah, yes, there it was the perfect cover for the fact that her face and ears were an intense shade of red and she wanted to crawl under a counter and die of her current level of embarrassment. She didn't believe, but vocal diversions were something she did a lot while she was under pressure, and somehow, even though they were just chatting she felt like there was some odd kind of pressure surrounding their conversation. What was more he claimed she should be careful putting the imagine of her 'delicate bits' in the heads of others. "I did no such thing. I was simply communicating as a matter of warning..." she said as if that was truly her intention. He'd run into her room and while it was to aide her he couldn't have ended up with an eye full of the naked half-elf and that would have been a level of awkward she couldn't have dealt with properly.

Oh? Merlyn seemed innocent to her older brother? The lad went on a spiel which followed a logic that could only be sound to those who would abuse others. In fact, she was quite sure she'd seen similar logic in the mind of Kolin. "The fact that you believe that is why you're currently alone here. That kind of logic is currently found only in the minds of the world's villains, Ichi-nii," she said casually, though the actual meaning of her sentence was he was being punished as the world saw fit. Though the man's next words made her realize the truth depth of what had occurred here. He was walking about Camelot, cheating the system set up for him... and the Lady Kay was sleeping. Ah, he could go to her and have her, but he wouldn't actually feel the sensation of it, why? Because his body was here, and nothing could reach here... except Merlyn herself when she slept. "You really pissed her off didn't you? It's kind of brilliant aside from the fact that I am pretty sure I am being punished by proxy. No wonder she seemed so skittish talking to me. It's childhood all over again," she said crossing her arms over her original body's chest and feeling the rather strange sensation of trying to accommodate a large bosom after so long without the constant burden of one. "Oi, I gave you a hug, that was platonic and affectionate, sibling affection... which is all I am ever offering you," she said making those boundaries of hers absolutely clear. There was a strange thing though, perhaps if this contact had happened before Zuria and the events of Loch Ness, she might have given it a bit more consideration. What with the way people died around her always, she was more likely to accept affection from her brother than anyone else, he might have even been able to convince her of it, had she been a bit less informed about the world. Oh well, that was likely for the best, "That wasn't a tease, you're literally the other half of me, it is natural that I'd miss you. Until this world I'd literally spent more time with you than anyone. Hell that still might be true considering my track record of peopling," she said. Strange, Lady Vivian didn't appear to be quite as vindictive as this punishment would imply. 'Wait, if I can come here, can I bring people here?' she questioned herself. She'd never slept before so she'd never tried bringing people into her own dreams, she had no idea what such an activity would actual entail. She probably wouldn't tell him that just yet, she wouldn't want him getting too excited if she couldn't deliver.

[Bloodedge]

"Is it? I've said it before," Arthur emphasized. Guinevere had seen the look on his face, and presumed that his threat of blackmail couldn't be so bad. It surely wouldn't be, whenever he figured out what it would be. Little did Arthur know, his first thought was in line with another conversation happening within the castle. "Maybe I'll be extra devious. I'll find this world's equivalent of a camera, and threaten an entire scandal using racy photos I've taken of you with... whatever this world has in place of the internet─" A genius idea, clearly. Surely Guinevere had no quippy comeback for that sort of thing, he thought. . .

Lies. Everything Emilia said was a lie. As quickly as she went to Merlyn for any and everything, Elyan wouldn't believe she had so little faith in the sorceress to assume her so ireful. "Merlyn wouldn't do something like that, and you don't even believe she would! You're doing that thing again, aren't you?!" Elyan exclaimed. What purpose did that habit of hers ever serve? The way he saw things, one should be much more frank than that, despite the fact that Elyan himself did no such thing. "All because I called you on your sleeping habits, I now have to deal with you doing pointless things, lying, and... and... putting pornography in my head!" In this case, Emilia wasn't the only one embarrassed. It was no fleeting or weak image he had in his head; it hadn't even gone away just yet. She insisted she was only communicating, but the assault on his mind's eye could not be forgiven! "That was not communicating! You were trying to distract me with some tactic of womanly eroticism or something, I'm sure! I'll not stand for it!"

Once more, Merlin was left having to explain himself. Who the hell did she think he was? With an extended finger to accentuate his point, he scoffed. "Junko! The point is, it is always possible to have sex with no emotional attachment. You and I are no strangers to that; I've never said that was the only way. Frankly, if emotions are not present before anything sexual is done, the emotions are best avoided entirely. To build feelings off physical encounters is a mistake one can regret for eternity," he explained, hitting a bit close to home at the end. Maybe he'd done exactly that, or maybe he'd indirectly been the cause of it instead. Well, the latter had undoubtedly happened quite a few times, but... on a normal day, that tended to be part of their existences. "You aren't being punished by proxy, Koko. By my approximation, you weren't even around at the time. You get free immortality while being able to wander around in the real world; I get imprisoned for literal eternity." Complaints about the situation aside, Merlin had a sigh to offer the world at large. His sister had come to hug him, meaning nothing sensual about it at all. "I miss you too, but imagine being in my shoes! First physical contact in longer than I care to count, I do believe I'm officially hornier than I was in puberty. You could at least leave a clone behind and separate yourself from it; I'd even take a doll at this point."

[Apollymi]

He'd said such a sentence before? Yes, but this time it was a little different. "Sure, you did say similar words before, but the tone and inclination of them have changed a bit... it implies something very different from the original~" Guinevere explained of her own thoughts surrounding this situation. Hm, perhaps she should let Arthur off the hook, she didn't want him to become upset with her at all, and she'd always had the tendency to bully people in what some called an endearing way. "If you think you can get over on me in such a way, you are more than welcome to try," she said with vague intentions. "But mark my words Arthur... when I take revenge it will be pointed and you will rue the day~" she said topped off by a hint of evil laughter. Just a little, in a joking sort of way. Of course, Guinevere had no harm in mind for the lad, no... she figured it would be much easier to tease him into submission at some point in the future. She had plenty of practice in the field already.

Speaking of Guinevere's test subjects, Elyan and Emilia were currently in a deadlock of embarrassment. Emilia because she was incidentally coerced into being direct, and Elyan because of the image that her directness had placed into his mind. Ah, but he was older now, he'd caught onto her methods, and claimed to not understand why she engaged in such activities. The truth of the matter was verbal distractions usually worked to keep people's minds off of her and her behavior. She was allowed in this way to recover her wits and not be so embarrassed. Strangely it wasn't working, "Look sometimes I need a mental break... divergences in thought are good for people. And I put nothing in your head..." she said, not denying the idea that Merlyn would likely never take back something she gave, but that reddened face of hers still wasn't going anywhere. If all else failed she might end up sticking her head in the sink. "Womanly eroticism? You're talking about me? Really?!" she exclaimed. Maybe if she'd been a bit more like Guinevere she would have properly pointed out that the lad was technically admitting to seeing her in a different light than he claimed. Actually, everything about this conversation probably made that a bit too clear. Still, Emilia wasn't quite that direct. Instead she now wanted to bury her face in a snow pile to hide it forever. By now even her neck and ears were showing the case of her embarrassment, she really did want to hide.

It seemed that what Merlyn had to say to her brother about how he sounded right at the moment struck a bit deep. He called her by her given full name causing her to flinch reflexively like when the used to argue while they were home. "Look I get it. I am just likely to pretend I don't have feelings as an alternative mixing things. Also, it isn't so much of a problem to gain feelings afterwards, if you're willing to commit to them," she said surely the pointedness of his statement meant he felt particularly about that sort of situation. Maybe, he'd finally learned his lesson and wouldn't be ruining the world with his brand of womanizing if or when he ever got free. That wasn't to say that Junko didn't have fans and followers, and men throwing themselves at her and falling for her. She was simply the type to be honest from the start about her emotional availability and never let people believe her feelings were more than they were to get her way. Such was a marked difference between the twins. "The freedom of immortality feels more like chains when you're tired of living, Junichi. And the world isn't exactly amazing after being here for so long and seeing what has happened," If he'd seen the whole of her existence through her eyes, he knew that life at some point in Merlyn's unlimited lifetime had become too much for her to carry, only she didn't get the option to leave it of her own accord. What was more, he knew her personality and knew she was a bit too empathetic to simply accept how far some parts and people in this world had fallen. A sigh escaped her as well, in some ways, they were quite similar. Ah, but what was this, he understood at least that she had not come here to engage in any incest. It'd been a long time for him, since he'd had anything resembling direct human contact. She did understand how he felt at least, Merlyn herself had become almost alien in her inability to figure out how to interact with humanity without putting her own mental state in jeopardy. "Look I get it. And if it's worse than puberty I feel bad for whatever you sleep on..." she said with a pointed chuckle. "I could make you a clone. It's kind of weird though, why wouldn't you just make one for yourself... it isn't as if our abilities are markedly different, nor will it last forever. Are the things you make here, not real enough for you?" she asked as a matter of genuine curiosity.

[Bloodedge]

Was there a difference in implication between Arthur's current threat of blackmail, and the previous? Yes, there was... somewhat. Compared to it being just an idea, even a moment of jest, he was now giving it proper consideration. He wasn't truly going to be vying for racy photos of any sort; that would be wildly inappropriate. Ah, but if he did, apparently Guinevere would take revenge rather succinctly. "And how do you plan on doing that?" he asked, seeming to roll with the idea as a legitimate potential, though he wasn't at all. He was, however, very curious how Guinevere would react to such a thing. How much of her personality was for the show, for making an impact and getting a reaction out of her conversation partner? These were the things Arthur had become curious about, and the things he would have answers to when possible.

Emilia spoke of taking a mental break, coincidentally confirming Elyan's belief in the same sentence. Elyan's expression upon realizing this was the smuggest it had been since the day he was knighted by Zuria's former king. "Hmph! To think, the Lady Emilia would become flustered talking to the young prince she used to look after. Pitiful!" he mocked. Of course, Elyan himself was no less bothered; they merely showed different levels externally. "Of course you! Who else is here?! I won't fall for it no matter how you try, so you'd best give up now!"

The differences between Merlin and Merlyn were clear. One would suppress, while the other would conceal. One would be direct, while the other would remain vague and distant. One would enjoy mortals and mourn their fleeting life while outliving them, while the other would reject mortals on an individual basis while still taking interest in the whole of humanity. Most importantly, one would make bonds while the other ripped apart existing connections. "Are you tired of living, Koko, or are you tired of watching everyone else die? There's a difference, you know? One of those things... you might one day change your mind about." Merlin had once been concerned with the mortality of others compared to himself. The more he saw of the world, though, the less he was concerned. Death was not a concept that applied to them, but it also did not apply to others in any way their human selves would have understood... at least, that's how things were meant to be. Now then, there was a question on the table. Why didn't Merlin make his own clone? They were indeed in possession of similar abilities─ the exact same, even. Alas, he could do no such thing. "Simply put, Koko... Anything you can do, I can do better," he said before a dramatic pause. "Sorry; I couldn't resist. Anyway, no. Anything I create here is about as real to me as my imaginary self out on your side of the world is. I could touch it, but I couldn't feel it. It's just a theory that something from the other side would have to do the trick, but since you won't even offer up a handjob, this is the best idea I've got."

[Apollymi]

Arthur seemed to not fully understand Guinevere's nature. That was fine, given it was likely a lot less obvious than other people's personalities. "Well, if I were to tell you, there wouldn't be much you could do about it in your current state..." she said with her smile continuing on. Her pacing would eventually lead her towards the kitchens if only because she was still carrying around the left overs from their lunch. "The simple way of explaining it is, I'd talk to you..." she said. Of course, she didn't simply mean talk. When she spoke to most people it wasn't just to speak, Guinevere was a bit of a bully, to her own family and friends. Both Elyan and Emilia had been reduced to stumbling messes in conversation more than once. And she would poke and prod at things indirectly to elicit the reaction she was looking for.

Emilia was truly trying to escape, but her words on the subject only seemed to push Elyan towards a bit more of his own smugness. Maybe, it should have been a bit more obvious to both of them that they were dancing around a certain amount of subject matter. He even went on to mention the pitiful state of her becoming flustered when speaking to him, as if she hadn't looked after him previously. "Hardly. It isn't like you're that young anymore anyway. You're always talking about how you aren't a child and how you don't need coddling!" Did that sentence actually clear up anything? No. It was probably another accidental admission of seeing Elyan in a different light. Actually, that had started a long time before now. Probably around the time he'd been Knighted properly. She'd been so proud of him and he'd looked so happy at the time. "I wasn't trying anything. You're too set on this..." she said practically stumbling over the words and cutting her sentence short. Wait, a moment. Elyan was the one who said all these things. Elyan's words implied his way of viewing her had changed. Emilia rather suddenly had her head spinning. She was interpreting that wrong right? Elyan didn't actually like her right? And she knew she liked him but... Guinevere was going to be a pain about this if it was true wasn't she? Ugh, she'd always said haphazardly they'd make a cute couple. She'd constantly teased the other lass, so much so that Emilia had taken a bit of advantage when Guinevere seemed stunned after meeting Arthur. Oh gods, what that what she looked like when speaking to Elyan?! Emilia was in full panic within her own mind, just turning that dish around in her hand and wiping it with a rag as she stared off at nothing. What was she going to do?

While the panic of teens swelled in the castle, Merlyn and Merlin discussed their conflicting ideals. They were the same person essentially but their marked differences would have been interesting to behold. Of course, of all the things Merlin would bring up, the top of the list was the idea that Merlyn somehow simply tired of watching people die, not necessarily the act of living itself. A scoff escaped the lass as she shook her head. "I rarely change my mind about anything. I... know the difference and both things apply. Admittedly, I've wanted to die less... recently, but only less..." she said, making it clear she still wished for death, more often than not. "I was hoping eventually the world would release me. Since obviously it had a job in mind for me. But it doesn't seem that it is all the world's doing in this case," she said. would she eventually change her mind about liking life? Maybe, but as it stood she had no reason to believe such a thing. Ah but what was this, another statement came from the lad before her and it reminded her of childhood and also almost instantly triggered within her an absolute state of rage. He followed up quickly with an apology. "Words like that are how you end up with no visitor and no hugs for a purposeful 3000 years," she said nose up in the air. According to him, what he created in this space was also dreamy by quality. How interesting. It appeared that their existences were diametrically opposed. She wondered how he came to all the conclusions he was giving. "You know, for someone who wants, nigh needs something from me, you could afford to be a bit nicer~" she said. Would she actually leave her brother hanging completely? No, but would she enjoy a momentary flex of power over him? Yes. If Merlyn created reality, with this place, she could likely grant her brother a bit of reprieve without being directly involved. So, she went about making a clone of herself in the moment disconnected from her being... it wouldn't last more than a few hours, given how clones worked but at least he'd have something to work with maybe. As a clone it initially had Merlyn's own proportions post its creation, but as was the case with Merlyn herself the thing she created could take whatever form the person she was with wanted her to have. "There can you touch that? Should I leave you to your own devices?" she asked of the lad, more than content to let him have his fun while it didn't at all involve her.

[Bloodedge]

"Well yes, but... I could know. That would let me decide how worth it the plan would be. Besides, it isn't as if I would actually do that sort of thing... I think." In truth, Arthur would do exactly that. If he did though, it was likely to be more malicious, and against someone he'd never met for the sake of completing a job. He'd yet to be given such a job by anyone but his own family, but that wasn't a matter of importance. According to Guinevere, she would... talk to him. What was he supposed to garner from that? She was talking to him now. Did that imply some level of parental chastising? No, probably not. Guinevere had a special way about her, and he could never really figure it out. One day. "At this point, I have half a mind to go through with the plan... just to figure out what on Earth you're talking about," he said with a sigh as they encroached upon the kitchen.

Elyan wasn't so young anymore; that much was true. So then, Emilia had every reason to be flustered by the ideas they discussed? "Of course I'm not a child! Are my princely wiles taking their toll on you at last, Emi? Show some restraint," he said cockily with a turn of his head. Truthfully, Elyan was diverting. If he didn't keep yammering on as he was, the lack of distraction would result in a terrible resurgence of less appropriate thoughts seeded into him some years ago. Little did Elyan realize, he wasn't quite so alert in the middle of this conversation. Normally keen to realize anything, he was failing to notice the pair walking hand-in-hand into the kitchen while he continued speaking. "You were the one who started flaunting your nudity all over the castle!" he exaggerated. "Of course you were trying something!"

Merlyn, or rather, Junko, had never really been one to suffer a change of heart with ease. Her desire to part with this life was something he'd seen her struggle through for ages upon ages. Alas, Merlin had confidence these struggles would one day end. The world would not release her, but he had faith she would eventually take solace in eternity. "Chin up, Koko," he said while reaching out to tap her chin with a knuckle─ something he hadn't had a chance to do in literal millennia. "One thing affects the other, and it isn't as bad as the world leads you to believe. Trust me; you'll understand relatively soon." A shrug was to follow the woman's outburst in wake of his little joke. She said he could stand to be a bit nicer, but he disagreed. They were twins, after all; he had no reason to fake it around her. "No one knows us better than we know each other, or rather... ourselves. There's no point to me pretending around you, Koko; you know I mean well," Merlin insisted. Now was the time for a very interesting turn of events. Merlin soon gazed upon two copies of the woman named Junko, one of which was conjured on the spot. Could he touch it? There was only one way to find out. He stepped forward, appraising the clone and wondering how much of his dear sister's personality it had. It certainly had all the other important bits, so that didn't matter much. From behind, the hand of Merlin reached out to touch the clone's cheek. Could he feel it? Yes! A wide grin appeared on the male's face as that very same hand slid down into her blazer to fondle its breast─ all while his other hand slipped between its legs. His eyes wandered back to Merlyn then, as he figured that question of clone personality would soon answer itself. "Ho─! I can! You have my thanks, Koko─ I should repay you~"

[Apollymi]

Ah, the young king claimed he wouldn't actually follow through with blackmailing Guinevere. She figured as much, well outside of a very specific circumstance of the use of his life's original training, she doubted the lad would be smooth enough to pull off such a thing regardless. "Oh my, it's hardly a threat then is it?~" she questioned quickly with a bit of wit attached. Guinevere figured she had nothing to fear, as such there was hardly any ground for Arthur to stand on, what was more he claimed to not understand fully what she meant by talking to him, and concluded he might go through with his plan just to find out. "You'd hardly have to do that..." she heard the words coming from the kitchen and recognized the voices. "Arthur you're in luck, I believe you're about to find out the answer to your question~" she mentioned as they entered, placing her index finger up to her lips and shushing him so they wouldn't miss anything.

Emilia was practically buried in that one dish she was washing by hand that had to have been clean about 20 minutes ago. The redness in her face hadn't gone anywhere and it wouldn't be happening anytime soon. Obviously Elyan was getting some kind of kick out of the whole thing, he was just as bad as Guinevere when he got going. What was this, his princely wiles were getting to her? "What? N-no, of course it's nothing like that... I'm sure I'd like you even if you weren't a prince or anything..." she said firmly. That statement was only making things worse and she hadn't noticed it yet. Ugh, she really wanted to bury her head in the sink. Maybe she'd drown before the water evaporated by way of the heat on her face. "I didn't flaunt my nudity anywhere. I was only catching up with you, El!" Whoops. Now it was time for a certain voice to clear itself. Guinevere's eyes were alight with mischief in a way they hadn't been in half a decade. Those who knew her might see such a thing coming from a mile away. "Well well, I feel like we've missed something rather extreme, huh.. Lia?~" she questioned only to correct herself. "Or should I be calling you Emi, now too?" she teased, something mercilessly. "Though Emi and El together in the kitchen I haven't seen this in ages... whatever could you two be up to?"

What did Merlyn receive after reiterating her desire to experience death? A tap on the chin and a slight bit of encouragement from her brother. Of course, he would do that, strange as it was, he actually managed to be the kind of person she was looking for, for once. Strange, it would have been all the more heartwarming without the random push for coitus earlier in the moment. Even even claimed that things were not as bad as they seemed. That was easy for him to say, as he wasn't the one dealing with it as a problem. "If you say so..." she said, though she was still a glass half-empty sort of person. Even so, the man claimed that they knew each other better than anyone else, and thus he didn't feel it necessary to pretend around her. Hm, that was likely a bit touching, a sigh escaped he lass as she knew she enjoyed the idea even without confirming it initially. "When you put it like that it doesn't seem bad," she said. Having created a clone for him, she watched as he, claimed it in a way most strange. He touched it and a wicked grin spread across his face. He reached down to fondle her breast, and that wasn't really abnormal for him. Still it was strange to watch his hand slide between the clones legs. The clone seemed to possess his sister's personality just a bit. "Oi, hands off... you're aiming towards creepy. You don't have to molest me you know," the clone of Junko mentioned. "Yeah, this is too weird. I think I'm done dreaming for now. No need to thank me, just change her into someone else. I don't really want the mental image of you having sex with me in my head," she said honestly.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course it's a threat! It's just... a more friendly type of threat~" Arthur claimed. For a moment, the young man turned up his nose, as if to imply that threat was something minor anyway. "You keep up with that attitude, and I'll give you a real threat to be scared of!" Ah, if only the future king could think of something legitimately threatening, yet not actually dangerous in any way. Nothing would come of it now though, considering there were others within the kitchen they were entering. Apparently, Guin intended to listen in on a conversation between Emilia and... Sir Elyan? Well, them getting along made sense given their shared connection to Guinevere, but what could they have been going on about?

Nothing and everything was the answer to Arthur's curiosity. There was a common interest in those two that refused to manifest on the surface for years. Maybe the year of Loch Ness' rise was the year of awakening for them? Time would tell, but before that... Emilia would tell on herself. "Y─... You what?!" Elyan questioned, seeming almost outraged while also showing signs of something far less abrasive. Oh. The knight's cold exterior was becoming something quite literally warm, likely because of the blood rushing to his face. He wasn't ready for that slip-up, so of course his answer was to... hurriedly move on to the next subject. "What do you mean catching up?! Your idea of catching up is putting that kind of thing in my head, you minx?!" Still with the cover-ups, Elyan thought he was almost in the clear. Alas, there was one person who would never allow that to happen: Guinevere. Of course she would show up now, of all times. "G-Guinevere! While it's none of your business, this one thought it was a wonderful idea to force me into imagining her nudity. I was just informing her of how inappropriate that is," he explained. If only Elyan presently had the sense to realize... he was telling this tale to the wrong person.

Meanwhile, Merlin was in the process of learning that this clone of his sister did come equipped with the full brunt of her personality. Excellent. He needed something with a bit of attitude. "Shhh~" he whispered, applying a nameless calming enchantment to the clone. It seemed Merlyn was ready to take her leave as opposed to watching her brother have his way with... well, her. It was fine; she could just fully separate herself from the clone by doing so, assuming she hadn't made any personal developments to their illusionary abilities. "Fine, shoo, shoo! But ah, I'll pay you back anyway. We should make sure we always completely understand each other, yeah? Here, have this~" As one hand left the crotch of Merlyn's clone, the other became more intense in its molestation efforts. More importantly, an enchantment was cast. Merlyn could leave Avalon, but she would do so with all the pent-up sexual frustration her brother had been harboring all this time. He still had it within himself, of course, but he thought it would be a funny bit of spite if he copied it onto her before having her forced out of Avalon. "You'll get to find out what it is once you're gone. Now, where were we?" he spoke again, turning his attention back to the clone he was fondling.

[Apollymi]

"Friendly, eh?" she teased just a tad. Whatever Arthur's threats were, they were friendly and a bit more. Of course, that sort of thing was absolutely acceptable by Guinevere's own expectations. After all, Arthur by her own approximation was smitten just a tad, even if he wasn't quite certain of it himself, he was definitely curious. And Guinevere could work with that, considering her own interest. "There is very little that scares me, Arthur... do your best~" she offered him words of encouragement in spite of the fact that she should likely be a bit more wary.

In the meantime, Emilia was gone. Her whole head had disappeared in a puff of smoke and she was quite sure she was a shade of red which shouldn't be possible given how very pale she was. She was soon called a minx by Elyan, apparently her idea of catching up was something other than normal. "I didn't mean put anything in your head. Catching up was just the shaved ice and the chat. I mean I don't really mind if that's what you think, but it wasn't my intention," said Emilia seemingly exasperated, she'd let another little tidbit slip, uh-oh. Ah, but she wouldn't even be given the opportunity to recover. No her worst nightmare had appeared in the form of Guinevere. Gods, that girl knew exactly the sort of buttons to press which would have everyone in an entirely different mood. "It was nothing. I made shaved ice, that's all! You should have some, I even made your favorite!" she said, just a little too quickly, it was now Emilia's turn to try and change the subject. "Oh? Is that why I was making ice earlier? You made my favorite flavor but Elyan gets the first share? Sounds like preferential treatment to me," the former princess Guinevere had an interesting underlying personality. "He's not a child anymore you know? No one's going to steal his shares~" she said bringing up an early excuse that Emilia had used to give the lad things before everyone else. Oh but what did Elyan have to say, Emilia had put the idea of nudity in his head? "Oh? So you get the first taste of shaved ice and passing blame?" she asked her younger brother. "From what I remember from our conversations, I doubt Emilia would have to do anything more than talk to you to put such images in your head~" Oh, they were both targets today. Emilia was dead. And shocked, Elyan talked about her when she wasn't around really?! Her face, ears and neck were a brilliant shade of red, what else would come of this conversation. Emilia hadn't even noticed Arthur she was so busy trying to defend herself from the absolute bullying that Guinevere was handing out.

As siblings teased metaphorically within Loch Ness, a different sort of thing was taking place in Avalon. A clone version of Merlyn was being quieted after giving a bit of sass to the twin she'd been given to, at the same time, Merlyn was looking up at the sky to avoid the mental image of her brother sexually abusing her body. Yes, leaving as quickly as possible was her goal, but what was this? Her brother planned to pay her back and enchanted her. "I've got a terrible feeling about this..." she said with a casual eye roll. "Gross. I'm out..." she said waking herself instantly without even giving her self the chance to further witness her brother molesting what was essentially her. The disconnect fully intact, the clone version would answer her brother a bit calmer than the initial reaction. "You were and are molesting me..." she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. At the same time, the actual Merlyn would open those glowing eyes of hers, having slept at least an hour given how time passed for her.