Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

"Sure they're unnecessary for someone like you. You're also bad at making them," Charlemagne countered as Angelica argued. She continued to prove his point with an additional upturn of her nose. At the current rate, she'd develop quite the problem if she kept doing that. "You bend your neck like that one more time, and your head might be upside-down and backwards. Mindful of how heavy all that hair must be," he said, viewing the young goddess while tilting his own head. She was definitely reacting exactly the way he recalled, much to his satisfaction. Actually, every point was nailed in a single breath. "There it is. That's awesome!" he stated.

As for the more volatile subject they spoke on, Angelica did seem to understand his point, at least a bit. He could deal with that. Another sigh passed Charlemagne's lips, but that was more progress than he'd gotten from anyone else outside the Twelve Peers. "Well, that's something. Having to explain it without anyone getting the point was about to drive me crazy," he griped. Exasperated by it all, Charlemagne ran a hand through his hair. He could relax now, and go about discussions of more immediate importance. The two-year journey he embarked on with some others was just beginning, all to find Aincrad in the end. Being able to meet Angelica this way was a massive boon to his sanity and general wellbeing, but it wasn't the same. Luckily for Charlemagne, the plan would make this trip much shorter than two years for himself and the others. "It is way shorter, and it might be even shorter for us. It seems like there's a time difference between the two worlds, so we should be able to pass that two years in as little as a few weeks on that end. If things work out the way I'm thinking, our time here will be mostly travel. But... are you gonna be alright? I was thinking two years is a pretty long time to be in hiding. You're the one who should be taking care of yourself. Don't go getting caught and falling into any of the Father's traps. If that happens, well... I guess I don't even have a threat for that, but it won't be pretty!"

[Apollymi]

Charlemagne agreed that excuses were unnecessary for someone like Angelica. Ah, but he wouldn't let go of the idea that she was bad at making them. What was more, he decided to point out the constant craning of her neck, which immediately caused her to snap it to the side, looking away from him. "Hmphf, the state of my neck isn't really a problem this hair is natural to me. It isn't heavy... as long as it's dry," she gave another explanation, excuse... whatever. Whatever the case, this exact reaction was what he'd been looking for and he had a pleasant reaction to it. Awesome he called it. Well... she'd never heard that applied to anything bad, so she'd move on with her life while knowing she could feel comfortable within her own natural reactions. "It isn't like I was trying to do anything like that... but it's fine I guess," tsundere was definitely something which could have been applied to Angelica.

Moving on, the less light side of their conversation seemed to be finding some resolution. Charlemagne had apparently been trying to explain himself quite a bit... and having it not make sense to others, to the point of madness. "I understand that kind of frustration," she said honestly. And it was true, as a person who wasn't necessarily the best at communicating, she could understand. Perhaps, Charlemagne had simply gotten a bit rusty with meeting and working with people outside of his established group in all those long missions being dished out by Father An? It was worth some consideration at least, moving on... it seemed that the plan was to exploit the difference in time between the worlds to keep their travel group safe and allow for an easier time doing what they were supposed to. That was a pretty good plan as far as Angelica understood it. What was more, he seemed more concerned with her safety during this time, and she could only sigh. "Well, I am being as careful as I can. I'll let you know if anything changes with my situation... but for now this is as good a plan as any. And I'm fine, actually I feel pretty good not being as trapped as I was before," she explained of herself. She was cautiously optimistic. Even so, there was something quite nice about knowing that Charlemagne was willing to make an ambiguous threat on her behalf.

[Bloodedge]

Angelica insisted that the ridiculous bend to her neck was no issue; nor was all that hair unless it was wet. He had half a mind to drench her for a laugh, if that was the case. Actually, upon giving it consideration, he could imagine the event taking place. Seeing that same expression on Angelica's face after such a drenching would be quite the sight to behold ─ even arousing. Suddenly, he realized it wasn't just Sakura having some supernatural effect on him. Maybe he really had become a degenerate? No, this was nothing new; he'd seen Angelica in such a light numerous times before any relationship between them became a proper topic. He was probably always a degenerate on the inside, and it took a pair of goddesses to make it surface.

That was nothing to waste valuable time and brainpower on, though. Angelica knew what he was getting at in terms of frustration, just as he hoped. In terms of relatability, she'd always been a surprising example second only to the likes of Jeanne d'Arc at times. "That's good. Well... not good, but... well... you know," he blabbered. That mess of a response aside, their meeting was approaching its end as well-wishes were exchanged between the two. For two years in this world, it seemed this would be their method of conversing. Of course they had gone much longer without interaction, even circa a few days before the present. Still, this may have been the worst time for separation of such magnitude. "As long as you're good, everything will be alright. I don't know if your body is still on the other side or not. If it is, that might be a problem. Should we say... same time tomorrow? It wouldn't be good to risk many random calls of your consciousness or anything, and your dad would know to look after your body if it's still there."

[Apollymi]

Was Charlemagne a degenerate? Not by the standards of gods in this world. To be interested in goddesses was a natural thing. To wish to join with them, give to them or take from them was also a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Actually... in truth Angelica found herself inching closer to the lad even as he looked her over. She'd remembered being attracted to him, but over the last few days of seeing him she was certain it was something else entirely. Her 'guardian' would have called it the 'Call of Creation'. Such was apparently a very normal thing... but given the time and place she doubted it was worth it to provoke the lad purposefully. He'd been through quite the struggle already, she didn't want to add to his problems.

Instead, Angelica would aim to be his light. Even as he blabbered a bit trying to convey his ideas about this whole thing. He was worried about the placement of her body and spoke of perhaps talking to her the next day. She'd make sure to ask her father about her status during the whole of this situation lest she end up with herself in a bad situation. "I'll make sure to see if I am disappearing completely or not. No worries, I'll be on the look out for tomorrow," she said softly. She opened her arms and wrapped the around the lad once more. Really happy for the contact and moreover relaxing against his form for a very solid hug. "Take care of yourself, Charlie..." she offered the lad as she squeezed him just a bit. She really wanted him to relax a bit and though it did seem quite a problem right now she was sure they'd be fine. She'd hold him until it was truly time for them to separate and only then would she had back the way she'd came to... the Labyrinth within Aincrad.

[Bloodedge]

There was so little time left for the current meeting. Even so, Charlemagne was already thinking ahead to the next day, when he'd be calling upon Angelica once more. This would at least be a good way to end the nights during their journey to the lower world, so long as it didn't interfere with Angelica's ability to remain hidden. She'd begun moving closer to him long before it seemed normal to do so, interestingly while his mind was racing on topics of debauchery. Were things soon to become interesting? No, he couldn't make that sort of move; he didn't even know if she was physical. He'd know the next day, however. "Mm... yeah, good idea. I'll keep track of the time and make sure I'm not pulling you here at random. Hey! If you're completely here, it might even be easier to just move you into the Nexus!" he considered. Ah, if only.

Dreams aside, a second embrace occurred between the two. Charlemagne banished his Holy Grail this time around, fully sinking into the blonde until her hair was accidentally dragged into his nostrils mid-breath. It seemed he didn't mind that turn of events at all. "Always do. Stay safe, Angie," he said. Those final words were not the final moments. A few minutes would pass before Charlemagne appeared in the carriage's sitting room once more ─ arriving to a dinner already in progress. His plate was set, but some others were visibly halfway done with their meals. No matter. Charlemagne walked up to the table, immediately sharing some new information as he took a seat. "I found something. Father An is powerful ─ too powerful. Jeanne is the only one able to really stop him. Our job now is... to find out how we stop him instead, because that can't be allowed," he announced.

[Apollymi]

Charlemagne and Angelica shared a nice long embrace. No matter what kind of strange places their thoughts went to, they were both simply happy to be together, even for just this one moment. Ah, and it seemed it would be commented upon, if she was actually within this space, it might be possible for her to actually move into it. That would be an interesting thing to have happen, it might even be worth consideration. "That sounds almost too good to be true, but I'll hope for that sort of thing too!~" she mused as they fully enjoyed the embrace they shared. Soon, all too soon, it would be coming to an end, with both of them agreeing to take care of themselves. After they parted, Charlemagne would be alone for a bit, but soon enough he'd return to the place they'd been before.

Within that sitting area where dinner was currently taking place and a bowl was set for him. Martha and Sakura were eating peacefully while, Anais still had Yume in her lap and was eating round her for whatever reason. All the while, Yume seemed to be rather tickled pink and the group at large seemed to be making decent meal progress. Charlemagne returned with news to tell... and apparently it wasn't necessarily good. Martha heard what he had to say, apparently the Father God whom and wronged Jeanne could only really be killed by her and they needed to figure out how to intervene so that she didn't have to. There were potentially a lot of reasons for that, but oddly enough it'd be Yume who asked about it between bites. "Why? Are their lives linked?" asked Yume, it seemed to her the best idea to use the weapons at one's disposal and if there was a ready made answer to their problem then letting that person handle it didn't seem like a truly negative idea. "Hm, is it a matter of pure strength or is it a weapon thing?" asked Anais for extra clarification. Given Charlemagne's general MO, she had at least a minor assumption as to why he wouldn't want Jeanne d'Arc to have to face the man who'd killed her, even if she could slay him herself with relative ease. Martha had a pretty good idea, but she was willing to hear him out at least, if only because it wasn't obvious when Jeanne would be available again.

[Bloodedge]

As Charlemagne sat and spoke, some listened with an understanding of his speech's greater purpose. Father An was too much to handle for anyone but Jeanne d'Arc. A couple of individuals at this table seemed to grasp why she couldn't be the one to climb that proverbial mountain, but others raised questions instead. As Yume and Anais were the only ones with questions, he decided they would receive their answers first. "No, their lives aren't linked. Well... they might be, but not like that. I'm linked to him without a doubt. Every now and then, I think I can feel it," he said to Yume. As for Anais's query, there were a few more layers to the answer.

What was the cause behind Jeanne's ability? Well, he could call it neither strength nor weapon, but instead... design. "... Energy? I had the misfortune of feeling it myself, and I've still got the burns from it. It's like... because she was sacrificed, she's got a special power that's anti-Father An. And, because I'm just a mixing pot of An stuff now, it's anti-me as well! But that's not important," he said, choosing to avoid a tangent to instead clarify some details. "The important thing is, Jeanne can't be the one to take him down. She's not herself right now. That attitude, and that look she keeps in her eye ─ they're not good. If she kills Father An, there's no going back. Besides, I promised to save her from that ─ twice ─ so that's what we're doing even if I have no idea how yet!" he exclaimed. "Though there's also some sort of prophecy about how Father An and I can only die by absorbing each other, with Jeanne as the variable who could kill either of us," he added. Finally done with the bulk of the talking, Charlemagne took a moment to stretch. His spirits were oddly high in comparison to his previous appearance in this room, unbeknownst to the male himself. "Dinner looks great! Don't mind if I do!" he said, fully prepared to assault his own serving even after admitting things were far more grim than they previously seemed.

[Apollymi]

According to Charlemagne, it wasn't likely that Jeanne was linked directly to the Father. Instead, he was linked directly to the Father, and he thought occasionally he could feel it. That would explain something that she'd witnessed earlier. A strange annoyance that settled into his form, it wasn't simply void influence which Yume would have recognized as home. No... it was something altogether different, like a crochety old man who was spending too much time around this 'damnable youth'. Yeah, that was closer to it. Her brain began working on it, but all she came to about the connection is that they would have an easier time killing Charlemagne himself than they would this father god.

In the meantime the lad spewed happy-go-lucky information about the dire situation they were currently in. He confirmed himself to be as much 'An' as anything else, which wasn't making Yume's overall thought much better. But the explanation of energy caught her attention enough that she had eyes on him while she continued casually eating from her bowl. 'Mi-chan!~ Is this Charlie punch drunk?' she asked directly. 'Iie, he's... normally like this. It's actually quite relieving. You'll know he's him when he's talking about how cool or awesome stuff is,' she added for the one less versed in Charlemagne's general demeanor. What was more, the lad claimed that the difference in Jeanne was too much. "I didn't know her, but if her journals were anything to go by, it sounds like she changed rather drastically," said Anais. "If you've already promised and there is a prophecy then we don't have much of a choice. Train and think of counter-strategies?" said Anais as she began giving thoughts to strategy. "She's definitely very different. All she wants is to kill that guy... No that isn't right. She wants to punish him. She wants him to suffer, I'd call it poetic justice if I didn't know what she was like before," Martha mentioned, choosing to ignore the mention of prophecy as a thing which didn't need any extra weight just yet. Willing to even go along with breaking a supposedly all-powerful god if it would return the Queen of Saints to her proper alignment. "Eh? That sounds karmic~" Yume said afterwards. "Sou ka, that's why it reminded me of Oyajii yesterday," Sakura stated between bites.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, the difference between one Jeanne d'Arc and the other was like night and day. Both utilized the sun's light to illuminate, but for one, an understanding of where the moon's rays originated was required to know the truth. Without that understanding, there were no similarities to be seen at all. Either way, Charlemagne was content to enjoy his dinner. It was still warm, luckily enough. "Ooh! This is actually awesome!" he chanted, fork in mouth and a sparkle in his eye. They were best off strategizing, but... not at this exact moment; not the way they were presently. "We should... maybe do that," he said. Charlemagne wasn't unsure by any means, but it was an option dependent on another thing yet to be broached. Before that, however, there was something else. . .

According to Martha, Jeanne didn't simply want to end the Father. She wanted him to suffer a great punishment ─ a painful ordeal the likes of which she'd been through at his hands. Charlemagne nodded. He'd felt a small sample of that very suffering with his own flesh, and the marks remained on his person today. "What she wants to do, is flip the script. It's badass, but it's not Jeanne," he assured. He'd grown up with Jeanne in this world, so there was no doubt in his mind that Jeanne didn't believe in such aggression, such darkness that he felt through those injuries. "Right. If there's one thing we need to do, it's what the gods we're fighting against didn't do. We've got ourselves a couple of secret weapons they forgot the purpose of, and one's sitting right here!" With that announcement made, Charlemagne removed the fork from his mouth. What would he be doing with it? Well, he'd first take another bite of rice and egg before removing it again. Once that was done, he pointed the utensil at... Sakura. "Knowledge is power, so Wisdom is our Holy Sword! We're up against a prophecy and about three impossibilities. Saku, what are the chances of flipping it around in two years?"

[Apollymi]

Charlemagne was enjoying his dinner. So was everyone else, in fact, Martha was almost done with her own bowl. And though they were going at a much slower pace given their seating arrangement both Yume and Anais were making decent progress on theirs. "It really is quite good. I would assume it was rather difficult to meet so many variations on preferences... I'm pleased," Anais mentioned happily. And Yume nodded as well. 'So this is baseline, Charlie, huh?' asked Yume in their silent shared chat space. 'Hai hai, much more him than he's been most of the last few days,' she concluded.

Still, it would be one of those interesting conversations as they carried on. Perhaps they should strategize, or maybe they could learn about the person they were trying to save. Apparently, Charlemagne thought the idea of making one suffered as they had was badass, but not really suited to Jeanne who he'd grown up with in France. "I suppose not, but you never really know what is going to get to you. If you feel betrayed by someone you trusted, someone you believed in, spite is delicious," she said knowing she'd cursed her boyfriend on a similar route. But she'd never been very light leaning to start with. Moving on they had a couple of secret weapons, which were mostly wisdom as the gods of this world had all but abandoned wisdom directly. While she was moving towards her last bite, Sakura was addressed directly. "A prophecy, three impossibilities, and two years?" Sakura repeated those numbers and began to sort though them, though not directly. Sakura's best ability to calculate would come from interacting directly with her Imaginary Number Space. The truth was, she saw the threads, which started even before this conversation and moved towards the end of the two year gap. Charlemagne wanted to save Jeanne d'Arc. He'd promised to save her from her darkness, and he had two years to move all necessary pieces into the right place. She followed the strings of the potential choices of every one in this room. Some good things had already happened some positive changes were already in line. Some others hadn't been made yet. And others had more time or space. Two years was relatively short on the cosmic scale, but so many decisions existed on those strings. Her eyes seemed almost blank. Her pupils moving around in a sea of red as she followed lines, curled them, discarded the false ones. An impossible number of choices, activities, power ups and ability shifts had to be made. And then... A full two minutes after her eyes started moving, they stopped. "14,000,605 possible outcomes and one of them ends the way you'd like," she offered the lad the calculation as she saw it. And even did her part, not revealing too much information about what she'd seen to help it along. After all... in the futures she'd seen if she gave more information than that... they turned out badly. And just like that she went back for her last few bites and then pushed her bowl away.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne didn't seem too bothered by much of anything, bar the completion of a meal. This day had to reach its end, that the next day might begin, and so-on. A plan was in place. It all started with the utilization of Sakura, continued with an eventual visit to Munetsuchi, and ended with constructing a proper game plan to proceed with. Until they reached that point, there was little worth stressing. Besides, he had one less thing plaguing his subconscious at all times. There was no longer some massive personal issue weighing on Charlemagne's shoulder while he climbed a veritable mountain of god-slaying, so he could take the climb itself at pace.

So then, what would Sakura have to say? Apparently, she had more to do ─ more to see through some strange method of prediction. "Uh... alright. I wasn't expecting a Sharingan freak-out," he mumbled to no one in particular. In watching Sakura process, he seemed slightly taken aback. Her eyes moved erratically as if she'd started following a gnat around the immediate area. Once those movements settled, though, she spoke a ridiculously high number. That number... was the list of possibilities for their ongoing journey's end. Over 14 million, she counted. In that grand count, Sakura alleged only a single outcome that fit his ideal ending. "Damn. I thought gachas were predatory," he said with a sigh. Unlike previously, Charlemagne stared into space and did some thinking of his own. The odds were even more abysmal than he'd previously considered, and yet... they were not absolutely on one of the 14,000,604 suboptimal outcomes, and even those weren't certain negatives, he thought. "So, strategizing. The plan to test the gate is still on. While we're traveling, we should also check-in with Munetsuchi. As long as there's still a chance, we have to go for it. Everyone onboard?"

[Apollymi]

It seemed that all was mostly well. While Sakura processed her predictions, Yume happily consumed the rest of her food before sliding back so that Anais could more easily access her own bowl as well. None had questioned the girl for occupying the other's lap and she'd found that more amusing than most normal things she could do. Speaking of oddities, the movements of Sakura's eyes were likened to a media thing which Yume had some knowledge of. "Oh? A sharingan... are there Uchiha here? Does this world have Uchiha? 'Cause that'd be pretty awesome!~" she squealed. This, of course made Anais sign as she finished her own meal and sat back finally sated by the empty bowl before her. "I'm sure you'd be the first person to figure it out..."

When Sakura finally spoke the news was taken better than most would have expected. Charlemagne claimed gacha rates were predatory and Yume could only casually shrug. "I wouldn't know... I'm no longer allowed to download things to my phone," she said with a gentle shrug. "I play them but... they are considered pretty predatory and these are definitely worse rates," she said of the one in millions chance of success. Still, if she knew Charlemagne and she did, he had to try. And that attitude of his, she also admired so she would do her best to help, this was all she could offer. "I'm with you Charlie, as always..." Anais said cheerily as ever. Though the thought of trying something impossible rocked her to her core, there were worse things in her own mind. "I am fine with the plan..." Martha mentioned. If there was even a chance of helping Jeanne she had to see it through, she felt it her duty as a saint. "Of course~" chimed Yume who seemed more than pleased to be along despite the dire situations. In truth, she'd considered ending her own life over much more trivial things than returning someone to their rightful selves. This was a far better use of her time than most things. "I am onboard as well..." Sakura confirmed a gentle smile on her face. They weren't going to do anything but what they needed to.

[Bloodedge]

"Probably," Charlemagne said following Yume's inquiry. This world had a great many things, so the popular Uchiha clan from a certain series probably existed somewhere. Astolfo thought to add to that topic. "Everything's out there somewhere. Tech is rare!" he chimed. In terms of magical abilities one might find in popular anime, manga and video games, magecraft and magic made many things possible. Things leaning more on the science fiction side, however, were more difficult to spot... though Astolfo doubted Yume concerned herself with that part much.

On the same topic of Yume, or rather Kaguya's lack of technological leaning, the demoness admitted to being disallowed from mobile game installations. Charlemagne looked toward the girl, his brow raised. "So... like an old person? You sound like one of those people who didn't realize they were spending money while spending money," he observed. Moving on though, it seemed Anais hadn't changed her mind about the two-year agenda. Martha was also onboard, and Yume confirmed her involvement as well. The same could be said of Sakura, but what of the other three? Charlemagne's gaze fell upon Astolfo, who seemed perplexed by the glance. "Huh? Wait, was that a real question?" the pink-haired male asked, essentially confirming his agreement. Yuuya supposed it was time he chimed in as well. "Well... with odds like that, it's best to have all the help you can get, right? I'll do my best," the newest addition claimed. Ailen had been silent for some time, merely eating in the most dignified manner seen since old royalty. His eyes were even closed as he spoke through a handkerchief used to dab food residue from his lip. "It goes without saying, no? My daughter and apprentice are here; I am willing to involve myself if necessary," claimed the elf, though he originally intended no involvement outside of a few studies. With all that was at stake, Ailen figured it would be necessary for him to act at some point.

[Apollymi]

For someone like Yume, or more specifically, Shinomiya Kaguya, her life in the magical world seemed to be very much about hunting down the magics of her dreams and maybe partaking in a few for the sake of expanding her magical girl repertoire. The idea that the Uchiha clan might be found somewhere was practically music to her ears. Astolfo's confirmation made her nearly giddy. "I don't care about tech, if I wanted tech, I'd stay home~" she claimed in a rather amused way. Beyond that there was the matter of her apparent lack of gacha usage and what Charlemagne had to say it reminded him of. It would be Anais who spoke up on the matter. "Yes, she is exactly that person. She literally ran up her phone bill playing Candy Crush. Ai-nee is constantly on her case and running tech support because she's problematic," Anais confessed for the girl. Still in a good humor Yume could only tease. "Wow, Mi-chan tell me how you really feel~" she said sarcastically. Sakura would look up at that moment and see smiles on both girls' faces and conclude something. "That's sarcasm," she said while giving a firm nod. She'd get it completely eventuallly.

Soon enough though, the conversation had shifted to something more serious. All the girls and agreed to their continued adventure and then all the men did the same. Surprisingly enough, even Ailen who'd been quietly eating with impeccable table manners offered to step in to help if need be for the sake of his apprentice and his daughter. 'Shishou!~' the thought that passed the mind of an almost starry eyed Anais as she marveled at the elf. She was slowly coming around to all aspects of care she'd be offered but, it was still rather reassuring to know. It was always more than comforting to have someone competent to rely on in sticky situations, which were only made more sticky by the volatility of the group. 'He's getting extra ruined on the trip!' this was the confirmation of her inner voice which made Yume have to stifle a laugh. "Woops~ Anyway, got anything else we might need to know for our immediate future preparations?" she asked seeming to wonder if she should just continue winging her own developments or if he required something specific from her. She was willing to be flexible about it, either way.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, Yume was the type to waste money in ignorance when playing mobile games. Charlemagne wasn't surprised, and Astolfo was even less so. With a mouthful of food, the latter added to the discussion once more. "I heard about that," Astolfo mentioned. Strangely, he remembered that in the moment, even though he'd forgotten having a twin sister until an earlier conversation. No matter. While Astolfo showed no consistency in his own memories, Charlemagne found himself looking in Sakura's direction again. Once more, the young goddess acknowledged a moment of sarcasm as if trying to memorize its uses. "It is, yeah," he said.

Strange though it was that Sakura remained focused on sarcasm and its applications, it was interesting to see her latch on to something. Charlemagne consumed in relative silence after his response, thinking it best to let the girl keep at it. Besides, Yume had presented another question. What else did they need to know? Charlemagne took a moment to think, having nothing immediately come to mind. "Hmm. Is there? Can't kill An, two year journey to grail spawn, avoid letting Jeanne go full avenger, uh... figure out what being King of Faith means," he ranted, finally remembering something else that had come up. "Oh! There's nothing else I needed to tell you guys, but I just remembered I'm supposed to be figuring out how my title works. I should probably also try figuring out this whole Power of Order thing, but... one at a time. Anyway, you guys can relax. I'm gonna work on becoming more awesome to win that one-in-fourteen million chance~"