Castle of Loch Ness

[Bloodedge]

With Merlyn gone for the time being, Arthur could know temporary relief. He'd have much rather been in the company of Guinevere for discussions' sake anyway, and now, he could have just that. The former princess even had additional wisdom to share, though the start was hardly what he wanted to address. "I know, I know. It's just annoying how she clearly has so much information, but doesn't share an ounce of it. Just something, anything of actual importance would be an upgrade," he ranted. Arthur harbored a certain unspoken respect for Merlyn, this much was true, but she was also the primary cause for his annoyance as of late. "Besides, it's not as if I have a personal desire to become King Arthur or anything. I want it, yes... but it's not my primary concern. I have a lot that needs doing in this world, even though everything around me seems to be pushing toward just one thing."

While they discussed the goings-on, Arthur took a step ahead. A single turn and gesture beckoned Guinevere forward. They could walk and talk in unison, and there was much to talk about, if Guin could do her part to clarify some magical things for him. "I haven't heard such helpful words in the month or so I've been here. For clarification, I did play the video game, but not very much. I only had a few levels when I came here. Actually... I picked up Excalibur, and it gave me all the power I have now, all at once. Anyway, questions. I have seen a lot of magic mumbo jumbo in other games, books and shows. What type of thing are we dealing with here? Is it all elemental, or are there more caveats than I'm ready for?"

[Apollymi]

Guinevere received soon enough a more in-depth rant about his issues with Merlyn's lack of forwardness as far as information was concerned. A knowing smile crossed the young princess' face, she understood this at least... It was always a bit perilous deciding what could and couldn't be shared. "Ah, I see... I can't say I understand that frustration... but it usually feels better to get that stuff out~" she said with a knowing smirk. It was beyond this point a claim by Arthur that he wasn't currently aiming to be King Arthur that he had other things on his list before that. Though, Guinevere could understand such a thing, she also had several things to say regarding those thoughts. "The things you need to do, and those you aim to do, might not be on different paths... taking steps forward is usually a good call regardless of what you intend," she said about his current plight. It was about all the advice she could actually offer without full knowledge of what was going on with him. Perhaps she'd eventually have more to go on.

For now, she followed his beckoning and willingly offered her up own knowledge of the world to help him figure out his base. He did play that godforsaken game that everyone else who'd ended up here played. Of course, it was strange to her, that he didn't have too much knowledge. "I see. You gained your levels through your weapon... that is a bit strange but not unheard of. Magic here is... everything," she said softly. That was a lot but there was more to it than that. "Activated or conditional. Activated being the sort you learn or develop or need spells and words for. Conditional being part of the states of ones being or connected directly with one from an innate standpoint. Activated magic can apply to things like catalyst, they can also be learned through words. Words themselves are a type of magic, one that is older than most others and can have lasting effects..." she explained of the system in general. "Activated magic can be elemental, nature based, offensive or defensive. If you're human your limits on the type of magic you can learn aren't limited by nature. Instead a human is limited by their typing, class or choices, well in the ease at which they can learn things and the amount they can learn. But you can't innately use it for the most part, if you are human, you need some sort of catalyst. Viy is a spirit connected to Zuria, she'd be considered my catalyst for magical use... Where as conditional magic can be innate to the nature of a person, and while they can learn other types the conditional ones are linked directly to them and are unaffected by things which can stop or bind regular activated magics." She wondered a bit of that was too much to explain. "If you need a more concrete example, Excalibur as a weapon is a catalyst which is supposedly powered by hope. Hope is an idea... but the magic of the world turns that idea from potential into something real, so you can use that power."

[Bloodedge]

As they walked along toward the castle, Arhur received more of the princess' opinions. More and more since their initial meeting, he learned that Guinevere held a few firm believes. Resolute women with solid visions of the world around them were very much his type─ well, except those who went to extremes the way Kolin did. "It is such a relief to hear you speak your mind right now; you have no idea. For a while there, I was starting to wonder if all women in this world were some sort of crazy," he asserted with a sigh of relief. After dealing with Kolin in those final moments, he was almost prepared to question everything.

Now, it was time to learn. The moment Guinevere said magic in this world was everything, Arthur knew he would soon be in for one hell of a lesson. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be surprised if he had to sign up for regular lectures, especially as the explanation went on. The telling was at least clarified a decent amount. All magic could be classified roughly as one of two types. Even his Excalibur fit into one of these criteria, to be used as an example for easier understanding. He could generally grasp what she was getting at, and it did indeed attribute to a vast array of potential spells and the like. Even if he gained understanding of magic as a whole, there would always be magical occurrences he hadn't a single clue about. "You know..." he said hesitantly when it seemed Guinevere was done explaining things. Everything she said did make sense, but also... nothing at all made sense. "I appreciate you telling me all that, and I think I get it as well as a newbie like myself could... but I think I'd have to take on a teacher before any of it made much of a difference with me. I do think I know enough for now, though, so thank you."

[Apollymi]

Laughter. This was the initial response of Guinevere to Arthur's apparent relief that all women in this world weren't crazy. She was actually more than a bit surprised that he'd actually noticed that Kolin was crazy, most men didn't or were choosing to ignore it so long as her less than savory tendencies weren't directed at them. This in turn, made Guinevere believe that every man was crazy instead. "Hahaha~ I wouldn't say all women are crazy here. I am pretty sure it isn't too different from the other world. Except that encountering a crazy person in this world means they have the potential to not just be crazy but properly dangerous," she said with relative understanding. "I'd say take it on a case by case basis. That is what I did... and I met a few nice men, like Sir Cador and Sir Hector. To be honest, I originally thought all men that played that game were crazy, given their choices. I am surprised... most people didn't notice how crazy she was until it was far too late for them..." Guinevere said with a casual shrug. She was beyond the point of feeling overly traumatized by Kolin's antics. She'd reached her point of anger and rebellion a long time ago and had been plotting such a thing for quite a while... so she reached the end of this more disastrous tale with relative ease.

Her words to Arthur about the nature of magic seemed to settle in his brain. She was quite sure it was a lot to take in if he didn't already learn all of these things. "I don't have much of a problem talking about magic. But, I realize its a pretty scholarly pursuit. Nerys taught me magic from childhood... so I am pretty sure I have a pretty big head start on understanding that sort of thing," she said with a small smile of happy memories spreading across her face. "Don't worry if you don't get it all. I'm sure everyone will be willing to help you figure it out... you might have a bit more luck given your type and classing talking to Sir Hector, his sword is also magical and his skill is nigh unrivaled. Sir Cador is also a pretty good teacher... more practical in nature than most," she said about his personal magic based abilities. If he didn't get the full lessons, she was willing to offer advice to point him in the direction of people he might find an easier time talking with. "So then, instead of magic... what other sort of questions do you have?" she asked. Unlike Merlyn, Guinevere's Clairvoyance was limited and inactive for the most part, she didn't know how her actions would affect this lad specifically so she could act without the constraints of knowing such things.

[Bloodedge]

Actually, Arthur could easily see how one would assume the men of this world to be crazed, given what he'd witnessed of lads like Leorio and Lot in Zuria. Those two were an entirely different sort of insane, even if one of them seemed to have genuine intentions. Ah yes, Arthur pitied that one. None of that was important here and now, though; he could only hope they saw a better path than the one they were taking at the fall of Kolin's matriarchal rule in Zuria. Now, he could at least manage to laugh in the wake of all that madness. "Guinevere, I can tell you with certainty that all men are crazy. The curse of the second brain, you can call it. Some years ago, I might have been in a similar situation... though I'd love to think I would never have been that extreme about it," he said in a hopeful manner. "I did get lucky enough to anger the queen that first night. It was a... painful experience, though I'm now glad things went that way. Oh!"

There was something he'd yet to do, and he only realized it now. Guinevere lent him a family heirloom of sorts during their shared time in Zuria. He still had that ornate dagger between his tunic and chest plate. After a bit of digging, Arthur realized he was only fumbling about, and decided to do away with the armor piece entirely to reach the knife. There it was, sheathed and in pristine condition, just as he'd promised. The would-be king even took a knee when offering it. "Now that my first lesson in magic is over, allow me to return this. I wound up not needing it at all, but it gave me a great deal of comfort. Again, thank you. As for other questions, well... there is one that's been bugging me since we started the trip here. Ugh─ I'm not sure now is even a good time to ask."

[Apollymi]

A bit of a chuckle came from Guinevere at this moment. It was kind of surprising for someone to be so honest about their nature as a being. Of course, it wasn't exactly the first time she'd heard such a thing, even so she respected the candor of the Future King. "Well, I can at least respect your honesty in this Arthur... To be fair, such situations made it easier to understand why there is such a strange division between men and women all the time," she posited as a person outside of the situation. "It reminded me a bit of high school from before..." she said which was true. Some girl who developed earlier than everyone else, ended up with all male attention, initially. And all the girls who saw the boys go after her, had no interest left for their less than scrupulous male counterparts. Even after they settled down in their hormonal pursuits. Of course, this was a problem that fed itself in the moment and fixed itself over time. In their own world, eventually those kinds of people fell into obscurity, got pregnant, trapped in terrible relationships or something of that nature. And the bad men in those situations ended up alone and obscure as well... the misguided ones usually found salvation in some woman who managed to see past their faults... such was the nature of chemistry and relationships. Too bad this world was content to let those who reached a certain milestones live without consequences for so long. "Lucky indeed. The last man that earned her ire was Dagonet... and he ended up enchanted," she said with a casual shrug. Whether Arthur would have pursued such a person in his youth or not, was hardly worth consideration... he seemed to have a good enough head on his shoulders that he might have eventually found redemption.

Though there was surprise from the lad. Apparently he remembered something... what could it be? He was digging around in his tunic and removed eventually her dagger. A smile crossed her face as the young man was soon kneeling before her handing it back to her and thanking her for its use. He claimed he hadn't needed it for the duration of that time, but it'd given him comfort nonetheless. A blush appeared on Guinevere's face as she managed to look away and rather sheepish. Still she was raised to be a dignified young lady so she eventually managed to look at the young man before her. "Truly, it cost me nothing to let you borrow it. I am glad it could offer you some comfort during such a trying time..." she mused taking back the weapon she held it in her hands. She remembered receiving it. The look on her parents faces when she was taught how to use it. And moreover the words that came with it. Her father really had been kind and just... more than willing to hand over his kingdom to his eldest child even though she was a girl. How interesting Zuria would have been if such a thing had been possible. She took it back holding it her hands and had more happy memories play in her mind. It was almost a daydream. Oh... he still had another question but he wasn't sure about asking it. That wouldn't do. "If you have a question... you can ask it. I am not at all bothered about answering anything you may be curious about. And it isn't good to let things sit on your mind if the answers are easily given~" How very firm and direct this girl always was. She tucked that blade back into its hiding place within Viy and waited for this ominous question of Arthur's.

[Bloodedge]

She respected his honesty. Well, that was good. She was right as well; the difference between men and women was blatantly clear in such situations, and high school was a prime example of that differential. "Ugh. I remember high school. I had the misfortune of looking like a jock from old media, but actually being... err... a bit of a geek, really. If not for my family name, I'm pretty sure I would have been a loner by default," he explained. Life in the other world had been so strange, and it seemed this new life would be even stranger still. Hopefully, there would be many positives to go along with weird happenings. He could call it a positive experience so far, bar a few horrendous experiences here and there.

Guin claimed there was no cost to her lending him that dagger. Arthur couldn't agree. "You're too modest. You said it was precious to you, but you still ran the risk of me losing or damaging it. That's a pretty big cost, if you ask me," the knight insisted, handing over the blade with care. He found himself wondering if it actually had some sort of enchantment applied to it, since the doll she kept it in was used as a catalyst for whatever magic she used. Disregarding that thought, Guin insisted that any question he had should be asked. Perhaps his reprehension came from the sort of question he had in mind. Arthur seemed somewhat sheepish when thinking of asking, but... it was something he was better off bringing up now, before Loch Ness became a proper stronghold for the group. "Well. Sir Cador, Sir Hector, Sir Elyan, and Sir Dagonet are already knights. Merlyn is my guide, for whatever that's worth. Emilia seems happy to do the same type of work she did in Zuria, but... you were a princess, weren't you? I was just wondering what your plan moving forward might be."

[Apollymi]

Arthur explained that in their previous world, he'd looked a bit more like a stereotype he didn't fit. He claimed that without family connections he would have been a loner, another laugh escaped Guinevere she couldn't help it. The idea of this man being a geek was a bit farfetched. At least it would be, if he hadn't chosen a lore based name for himself on purpose. "I would almost find that hard to believe. High school was only truly fun for those who peaked there... I get it... truly," the lass said with a knowing smile. She'd been a different kind of person entirely. Raised quietly by a family who had the misfortune of sharing their name with lost monarchs. She'd been ignored by her peers, aside from the ones who wanted to make snide commentary about her namesake. "I didn't get away with my name aiding me... in fact, my given name made high school terrifying..." she said. She'd fallen all the way into the outcast category, as such growing up in this world a second time had been quite refreshing.

As they moved along in conversation it seemed that Arthur thought she was simply being modest about the dagger. She truly wasn't, it would have come back to her eventually such was its nature. She still shied away. It was a bit hard to explain, that the dagger was a crowning present, something given to her when her father decided to name her his heir. She was on a pretty fast track to her own rule before Kolin showed up. In fact, just a year later and the woman would have received a very different reception upon coming to the castle. Ah, but such matters were years late in her thought processes. It mattered little how differently she would have handled things, she now had something else to talk about, though it was slightly related to musing of her mind. Arthur stated that he wondered what Guinevere would be doing with herself, that the others had sworn themselves to his service and Emilia seemed happy doing the same things she always did. Guinevere had been a princess yes, but that didn't mean she'd abandon Arthur to his plights. "Oh? Is that really what you were curious about?" she questioned as if the thoughts of such things had never crossed her mind. "I am the Crowned Princess of Zuria, this is true. Even so, such a title has less meaning when someone like the former young Captain of the King's Guard declared himself King and took the woman who'd had his King and Queen killed for his wife." she said explaining the situation of Zuria in its entirety in just a few sentences. "So you see, the Crowned Princess of Zuria is a lost person, assumed killed in the reign of a tyrant," she said of her own current status within the world. "All of that aside though, I don't intend to let my little brother very far out of my sight. I was there when he was born and I promised our parents I'd look after him. I don't intend to break such a promise..." she said with a knowing little smile. "Besides, I am interested to see what kind of kingdom you'll build, and I am happy to be of assistance in that regard. And ladies of the court are necessary to help it run smoothly." she said happily.

[Bloodedge]

"The jock look, or the geek thing?" Arthur asked before realizing the obvious answer himself. "Well... that's probably a dumb question, huh? I mean, it isn't as if I named myself Arthur Pendragon or anything," he concluded. Apparently, Guin suffered the exact opposite problem in her school life. He couldn't imagine his name being a hindrance to him, but... it sort of was, now that he was thinking about it. Between the idea of Guin's experience, and the expectancies on his head due to the name Hoshimi, he couldn't fathom which was worse. "At least your current name has to be working better for you, right? Guinevere Pe─" Quickly halting himself, Arthur coughed to segue into another clause. His mind was just a bit ahead of his mouth, it seemed.

Guin was a princess with no desire to seek her former throne. She expressed an interest in the safety of her brother, Elyan, though there was an overall misinterpretation of Arthur's inquiry. Yes, Arthur would be glad to have any assistance that came earnestly. Yes, women of the court were very much a necessity. No, it wasn't as if Arthur worried that she'd overthrow him or anything like that. One such as Kolin would have been questioned in that regard, but he had actually been wondering how closely the legend of King Arthur would be followed in this world. After all, everything else seemed to be playing out as any book, show, or movie would portray. "That's all fine, sure─ and I wouldn't put Elyan or anyone else in danger... but I meant something else. Earlier, you made it sound like you didn't play Age of Eternity to get here. You didn't choose the name Guinevere then, did you? You... do know the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table though, right?"

[Apollymi]

"Yes," she said in response to his question. His general physic if it was his own, would lead many to believe he was into light sports. He was well kept if his face was his own, this would lead many down several different thought patterns. Regardless of both of those things, his lore obsession was rather interesting and she found it endearing that he found something that interested him so much even in his other life. "Well yes that is true, and it isn't as if Arthur Pendragon isn't one of the most debated Kings of all time or anything... with all kinds of lore built up around him... without anyone knowing if said person actually existed or not," she said with her own bit of sarcasm, of course that was mostly in jest. She was a bit of a history buff and got to explore that fully within this world's lore, coming here and finding out that King Arthur was Queen Artoria was more interesting. "I don't know, I did kind of meet a crazy woman who hated the idea of princesses so much that she wanted me renamed and dethroned. It's recovering a bit though..." she managed, making light of a rather serious situation, but... again she was well past her anger at the things which had already occurred.

Ah, but that slip of the tongue hadn't gone unnoticed, not by Guinevere and not by Viy, who'd whispered some sentence to her and made the girl avert her eyes quickly. How strangely such things worked, knowing that Artoria was a girl, she never once thought she'd have to deal with meeting 'King Arthur' here and now, he was indeed her type and that was not counting the fact that he was king. It was a bit outlandish that they had matching names and lore based knowledge. "Ah, that part. I didn't play Age of Eternity. I was a history buff, college student and... well, something else in my former life..." she said softly. It would be embarrassing to admit, that her former job of choice was a delivery girl who gave messages and kisses in random uniforms for laughs. "Anyways, I was born into this world and given the name Guinevere by my parents... and Elyan was the same. I do know of King Arthur and his various tales if only because they are so highly disputed. The only thing in history more disputed was the final fate of my namesake the lost Tsarina of the last Russian Dynasty." she mused seeming to become a bit enthused. "Oh... well, anyways. I do know that story and I am aware of what could happen... but history in this world isn't always what it appears. And though I have Clairvoyance this isn't something I want to look into..." she said managing to look a bit sheepish herself. "If we are going to be or aren't is a matter of the future... I don't think it should be determined by our prior knowledge of things, but instead our feelings here and now. So, until such a thing is decided by us, one day at a time, Arthur..." she said seeming to be rather firm about it. Admittedly one of the extra reasons she was willing to stick around, was because she'd grown to like Arthur a bit and wouldn't mind at all getting to know him a bit better. Even if she'd been made Queen in Zuria she would have been allowed to pick her own King, such was something she'd always taken the liberty of thinking about.

[Bloodedge]

"Most debated, most all over the place... yet I still enjoy every portrayal of the story. Well, except one─" he said, remembering one particular movie that could have been so much more than it was. Ah, but now wasn't the time for gushing about Arthurian legend. There was work to be done here in this castle, and more of a conversation to be had. Guinevere had been through a rather interesting form of hell, yes, but that was all over for the time being. If he had any say in it, the events of Zuria would not come back to haunt those who went through that hell.

His assumption was accurate; Guinevere was not a player of that game. She was, however, a bit of a nerd herself. Whatever else she was, it seemed she wasn't interested in sharing. That was fine. "This is the part where I avoid asking a lady her secrets isn't it?" he asked, rhetorically and with the lightest chuckle. Her origin story for this world was an interesting and strange one, but the biggest message to be taken from it was that the history they read and watched, may not have been the truth in this reality. That was almost a shame... almost. Arthur honestly had no intention of following history to the letter─ especially given how his own tale would end in that case. He did, however, find Guinevere strangely enthralling. One day at a time, huh? Well, he'd seen more than a fortnight thus far, and he was interested. "Haha! Don't get me wrong; I'm not asking you to marry me for the sake of keeping lore. It's just that I wouldn't advise not marrying me, either," he said. Arthur's immediate reaction to his own words was... strange. He seemed to think badly of what had come from his own mouth, and was quick to produce an additional clause. "Wait, no─ that sounded creepy, didn't it? I'm not creepy, I swear! Wait... is that what a creepy person would say? I─ well─" In the end, all he could do was hang his head and sigh. None of that had come out the way he thought. Slapping the back of his own head, he peeked up, one eye closed and an expression that almost mimicked some sort of pain reaction. With his final words, he held out his right hand. "Hello, Guinevere. My name's Arthur Pendragon, and I think you're gorgeous regardless of what history says we are."

[Apollymi]

"Hm, I take it one of the movies wasn't to your liking. It's always one of the movies..." she said with a nod. There were so many iterations of Arthurian Legend that it was almost crazy to think that anyone wasn't at all familiar with it. Even better, Arthur seemed fine to accept her lack of wanting to explain her previous job, though not without a bit of cheeky commentary. "Yes, ladies and their secrets. I wasn't anything bad, but it's a bit embarrassing... and usually requires an explanation. The last person I told, was red in the face from laughter and didn't stop for three weeks, anytime they saw me... I don't need that again, it's terrible~" she mused as if the entire thing was funny. To be honest Nerys was part of too many of her good memories and Viy, was never properly upset about Nerys so, Guinevere had decided that things with the former Court Mage of Zuria probably weren't as her angry mind made them appear. Maybe one day, she'd get a chance to apologize and hear her out...

Whatever the case, the light-hearted nature of this conversation only became more in-depth. Arthur explained his stance on the canon of King Arthur's Tale. He claimed that he wouldn't want to marry her just to keep it up, but also that he didn't advise not marrying him either. Oh?! They'd known each other for two weeks and he was already so certain?! Her eyes widened, that line was stated with such confidence, she'd almost believe he'd meant to to be suave. She might have rolled with it, if not for his extra reaction afterwards. It was a bit creepy. Still, she giggled. It was silent at first, like she was holding back the laughter. She hadn't expected a man who seemed so sure of himself in the moment to fold like a paper chair afterwards. Her face was red. Bright red even, so bright... that she couldn't help herself... when the sound finally escaped it was quite melodious. "Tehehehahahaha!~" she laughed earnestly like a young woman of the modern age. And what was this, he at least had a reasonable comeback. "Nice to meet you, Arthur Pendragon. I thank you for the compliment and find you quite handsome and amusing beyond it~ Feel free to be so awkwardly charming anytime you wish!~" she chimed placing her own hand in his. She already knew she wasn't able to say her own name, she never bothered trying and let people try and figure it out on their own.

Ah, but this cute awkward moment wasn't just being laughed off and accepted by Guinevere the White Enchantress. No. Right at the moment, the young woman known as Merlyn was standing at the side of Loch Ness, holding her sides and laughing uncontrollably. 'How is he actually so awkward?! How were we ever worried about him!?' she wondered to herself. She laughed uncontrollably for several moments. It'd been a couple thousand years since Merlyn kept the company of others. As such, it was near laughable that this was how the situation those two were in worked out. She was dying with the amount of laughter coming from her person... she thought she might have reached a point of hysteria which could have actually induced death. If only she were actually capable of dying. She had to tell someone! Someone had to know this Future King of theirs had all the womanizing aspects of a shut-in nerd! Oh, gods... she had to tell Cador. Yep, she was going to tell him... she'd already done what was necessary to secure the creature of the lake. She'd set up a barrier around the edges of the kingdom... she'd even sown a field of hallucination inducing flowers. She'd been busier than most could be in just a few seconds. Surely she could take now as an opportune time to join the others and share this absolutely horrifically brilliant screw up of Arthur's!

[Bloodedge]

"Yep. Always a movie, and always just one very specific one. It isn't even that I hated it, it's just─ it was... not nearly as good as it could have been. Anyway, your secret is safe with me if you ever decide to share it." Arthur spoke these words, knowing he couldn't dare divulge any sort of secret from a person he just showed that side of himself to. Embarrassment was hardly a strong enough word to cover how he felt at the time, but Guinevere's laughter didn't seem malicious or mocking at all. In fact, it seemed so genuine in the moment, Arthur was almost glad to have made such a colossal mistake as... well, literally everything that came out of his mouth moments ago. He could even be saved from some of that embarrassment as she took his hand, returned the compliment, and referred to his earlier bumble as... charming? That was shocking. How he managed to make that work out, he could never know.

Was that something worth trying on purpose? No; he'd find some way to muck it up for real, if he did. Maybe this was a sign that the Future King could save any reservations, and speak his mind freely in future. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head and straightening his posture at last. "Eheh─ Well, yeah! Obviously that was all done totally on purpose, so of course I'll do it again later!" Yes, naturally! Everything that just happened was merely part of his master plan, all for the sake of reaching Guinevere's good graces! That was... almost believable, right?

[Apollymi]

A smile spread across Guinevere's face. His words about his movie problem were so very normal. "I am sure I might at some point. When I am ready to handle the embarrassment..." she said clearly. She could trust the man with her dagger so the secret of her previous life was far from the most dangerous information to have. Besides... it was only fair given what she'd already told him about herself she'd almost given her entire life story. Beyond that, their official meeting seemed to be taking off for the better, Arthur even managed to be more of his awkward self. For a young man who when he'd met her, seemed to have himself together so well for such a stressful situation, right at the moment... he was seeming like a standard student or shut-in who'd never had a complex conversation with a girl who he wasn't related to. Another giggle escaped her, "Of course, all on purpose I am sure. Part of that wit... you definitely aren't one of those people whose outer face is well put together while they are freaking out inside~" Oh, right. That was one of her quirks. She was a bit, mischievous. She had to be really, how else would she have ended up with a devious fey like Viy on her side. Ah, it was great they could get along like this, "I'm sorry... I can be a bit impish. I promise I won't like, put applesauce in your pillow or anything though. I've definitely grown out of that~" she said with a chuckle. "So... lets go take a look at the stores and I can give you a crash course in fiefdom upkeep~" she said.

While that took place, Merlyn still laughing with light in those bright magenta eyes and her hood still up on her face, appeared directly behind the group that was Cador, Emilia and Elyan. She could hear the words of Emilia and to her knowledge none had noticed her rather sudden appearance. "Ugh! The shell of this place is fine, but it's like it's been abandoned a 1000 years. There's no wood, no furnishings... the linens have all been eaten out by moths. This isn't even an undertaking at this point!" were the words spoken by the young elf girl. She was pacing and freaking out. "I can't even have you guys move furniture. Everything left will simply turn to dust!" she exclaimed. Merlyn had never witnessed an upset Emilia before... she was hardly prepared to control her laughter.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes, exactly! How could I ever be a guy like that?" was Arthur's reply, accompanied by additional nervous, yet simultaneously lighthearted laughter. Guin went on to describe herself as... impish. That descriptor was so ridiculously fitting, yet Arthur hadn't a single clue. Applesauce in his pillow, though? What an interesting child she had to be, in whichever life that was. "Well, if you ever plan to do that sort of thing again... do it to Merlyn before me, at least?" he pleaded in jest. Now, the time had come for some actual work to be done. Arthur was becoming a bit too invested in the ongoing conversation, and had nearly forgotten to start moving again. Now that Guin was bringing it up though, he nodded and took those first important steps. "Sounds like a plan to me. Teach away, teacher~"

Meanwhile, Cador and Elyan were walking through the more decrepit corners of the castle alongside Emilia. Things were as the girl said; any remaining wood was rotten, and the only visible cloth was a few tatters attached to rusted metal that once held curtains. When Emilia spoke of the men moving things around, Elyan was reaching out to touch the back of a wooden... chair? Surely it was once a chair, right? Well, the simplest contact reduced it to a few splinters on the floor. "Not quite dust. I think dust would be a bit cleaner than this," said the white-haired knight. Cador was keeping his hands free of filth until it was time to clear this place out entirely, as that seemed to be what would soon be necessary throughout the castle and surrounding town. Luckily though, they may soon be receiving the help of... that sneaky little sorceress whose presence appeared scarce to the others. "It isn't that bad. At least we know where some of the features were once placed around here. Isn't that right, Merlyn?"