Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

Yuuya had no immediate answer as to why the girl should be disgusted. She went on about how it was only natural for her to be appealing to others, but that had nothing to do with the reason. Of course, the reason no longer existed on the surface ─ it was just this haunting thing right underneath, in a past that wasn't very distant. Alas, he could see it clear as day. As much as he'd want to move past things and accept new life for what it was, he couldn't do so. It was always possible for Yuuya to keep his old self hidden, letting everyone believe he'd always been his current self... but dishonesty didn't suit him. What sort of friendship could be based on a lie? He'd never get over it. "It's... hard to say. But I won't be dishonest. Can I show you? When we get to the door, I can leave it open and show you where I live..." he said tentatively. He had to get it out somehow. Given their similar experiences, maybe this Yume would be the one who actually passed no judgement. He didn't know what to make of the whole 'soul resonance' thing, but he knew it wouldn't matter at all if his past was seen the same way it had always been.

Naturally, things were becoming a bit quippy in the clearing Anais selected. Ailen was in danger from the moment he crawled into her nether. That same danger was amplified to critical levels once Anais rose to her toes again, taking the first official thrusts unto herself as her rear bounced against his pelvis. He was being attacked. She said he'd know if she was doing something on purpose, and she proceeded to collapse her walls... clearly on purpose. Ailen grunted and buckled, his weight briefly bearing against the girl's lower back as he fought for stability. "A─oh─? Honestly, it's hard to tell. Some things you do seem as if they must be purposeful... and then you do something intentionally," he said. Those mana-borne vibrations were making an appearance as well. It seemed just as Ailen intended to move again, that little stunt had to be pulled ─ effectively turning his attempted withdrawal into a spastic buck of sorts. Such would be the start of their endeavor, he supposed.

Per Charlemagne's request, Sakura's inmon receded immediately. That was strange to see. As he thought about it, Charlemagne actually enjoyed the visual of that seal on Sakura; he'd definitely be looking forward to its reappearance. She verbally agreed to his request as well, only urging him to refrain from stopping. Well, he certainly wasn't going to stop by any means. In fact, he would soon be steeling himself to better sustain the girl's lower body. Still keeping her stable with that one arm, he sought further stability by hooking the other arm under her leg. That same leg would find itself slung over Charlemagne's shoulder, which he found aided penetration quite a bit once he found some consistent rhythm.

While Astolfo fell to satisfaction, Martha's observer made his presence clear to the woman. Interestingly enough, Martha thought to keep an open discussion with the male figure. She addressed his initial point as a matter of course, claiming a certain irresponsibility for her recent actions. There was also a mention of something called... Plan B. "Whatever that is, it sounds atrocious," he commented. "As does any sense of guilt. If you want to do something, do it," he continued. This was of course no way to have a proper conversation, so a snap of his fingers occurred to displace Martha from the horse and Astolfo. She'd be left in the same position, but grounded atop a large, velvet pillow in front of the demon. Those eyes on the skies would be looking right up into his smirking face instead. There he stood, gazing down at the woman whilst exuding an aura of all things both taboo and desirable. "I was watching you. As for what I am... do I look like the sex devil? I'm certainly not something from your imagination ─ unless that's what you want," he said cheekily. One more thing had to be addressed. Martha brought into question her capacity as an existence. If ever there was a thing Mugen would not allow, it was an underappreciation of the self in quality entities. "I haven't made any assumptions. You're the Saint of Dragons, and now you've taken the essence of a harmonist inside you. I'm not sure whether that should be called fortunate or... pitiful. No matter. It seems you'd rather rid yourself of the consequences to that little tryst~"

[Apollymi]

Yuuya was left many an open opportunity, and Yume would continue to do so, she felt it necessary. Regardless, he seemed somewhat skittish about his revelation or rather it seemed he'd be quite uncomfortable mentioning directly why he thought of such a thing. That was fine as well, Yume could tell the lad was still being quite earnest and as such she wouldn't fault him for how he chose his reveal. "Hai hai, nothing wrong with a bit of show and tell~" she said in a slightly teasing manner. Oh well, she did mention that nothing much would be changing about the way she spoke there was no reason to try and soften such blows now. "Lead the way, Yuuya-kun~" she mused willing to take up following him towards his door again. She truly wasn't pushy and unbeknownst to him, there were a very limited list of things that could have made her change her opinion about him.

While that little adventure continued, one of a different nature was fully underway. Ailen was once again being subjected to the actions of his apprentice. She had some quippy words to share concerning her purposeful actions and those same purposeful actions were used to punctuate her major clause. Ah, but the sound of Ailen seemingly becoming unable to fully get a word out even at the very beginning was music to the elaifa's ears. "Oh? Well obviously we need to experiment more... I wouldn't want my intentional acts being mistaken~" Anais quipped once again. That little bucking of his hips which begun them again after vibrations found his tool were also things she liked. Ah, but from this exact position she could also help along his withdrawal at least a bit. She Leaned forward placing one of her hands against the ground for her stability as well as his own. She'd then begin to move her hips forward only to push them back. Each withdrawal done in this way would leave him half outside of her body and each time he was taken in, the constant squeeze would be accentuated by the gentle pulse of mana against her torso. Ah, yes, and as she did this her composition would develop nicely with a firm slapping of her rear against his pelvis every time. All the while, her own voice would continue joining his, as she moaned with every forward hit.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Charles were finding themselves in the midst of a less purposeful joining with her Inmon no longer being completed. Still it didn't stop being pleasant. In fact, Charles shifted her a bout a bit, immediately after her orgasm, her leg was slung over Charles's shoulder and she found him nudging both deeper and easily within her body. She moaned gently at the intrusion but still there was a smile on her reddened face. She found herself looking into Charles's face as he worked his hips and her own began moving again. She quited like the look on his face right now, so she stared unabashedly.

One might wonder why Martha seemed alright carrying on this sort of conversation even with a lad still buried inside of her. Well the short answer was... even she wasn't sure, but it didn't seem to be as big a deal as her former self would have felt it was. She'd already thrown so much of her common sense out of the window today, perhaps this was simply the last possible bastion of her sanity? Whatever the case, the 'devil' before her didn't seem to like the idea of Plan B, "Eh? Wait, they did say yesterday that people of this world don't tend to like that interference but... well, Plan B is great for how a normal human women without magic have to live," she admitted. No one wanted to raise a rapist baby, nor did they want to live with failed contraception. Humans often didn't have sex for the sake of creating children purposefully and handling accidents before they became problems was a part of that. Besides, the world didn't look kindly on women who had children outside of relationships or even those who were attacked so... Plan B was a necessity in some cases. "People don't live like that. Guilt is normal..." she stated. Ah but she wouldn't continue sitting in such a strange manner. No, this person seemed to have quite a bit of magical power, and as such she'd soon be sitting on a velvet pillow empty of her partner and mostly righted. This person seemed to know her in some way, but that hardly mattered, he asked if he looked like the sex devil... "Ah, yes. I mean that was probably a bit more juvenile than I should have put it. I am sorry, it is probably more a compliment than anything..." Martha mentioned, having at least the small grace to look embarrassed. The man definitely had a nice face and was more her general appreciate for size and shape. No. Not thinking like that... she'd already made one weird decision today, she didn't need to make any more. Ah, but he was mentioniong something else, she was the Saint of Dragons, yes that was true, "Yes, I am aware of my title, I was there when it was given. And it would be stupid to want to deal with the consequences of impulsive behavior, behavior I've never had before. Whatever a harmonist is... I could see Astolfo falling into that," she said pinching the bridge of her nose. Today wasn't meant to get this out of control. "Look, I signed up to be a partial DPS on a party with Chuck. This is way weirder than anything I ever thought my day would end up..." she said like she was tired. Oh well, maybe she'd get a few answers and figure out her problems in the meantime.

[Bloodedge]

And so, Yuuya would be taking the lead. He and Yume would eventually be encroaching upon a seemingly random cabin in the forest, surrounded by an innocuous barrier. Ailen would go on learning via experimentation about Anais and her nuances, and Charlemagne would go on learning Sakura could emote far more than he ever imagined. One other would be learning quite a few things, though. Martha proved herself ignorant, just as all humans of Gaia seemed to be. Someone would have to fix that.

Humans without magic had use of contraceptives, the woman claimed. He could fully understand the desire to enjoy oneself without any attached responsibility. On the other hand, the talk of humans without magic was uninformed at best. "Stupid. There's no such thing as a human without magic. Magic exists in everyone and everything. The order of this world is the only reason it's not easily accessible to humans, but... some manage to make the transition anyway. Either way, pregnancies don't have to incite fear," he explained briefly. There was of course more, but he wouldn't be getting into that right away. Martha questioned his identity as 'the sex devil' in her own words, thinking later to be more specific. Apparently, it was to be a compliment. It was quite laughable. "I'll take it as one. If you want to believe I'm the sex devil, I suppose I'll leave you to it. It's a fair compliment to give," he said further. With that, he moved on to address the saint's title.

Martha was the Saint of Dragons. Such a title meant very little to humans ─ at least in comparison to what it truly meant. Things may have been weird for her now, but they were about to become much weirder on the path she treaded. The demon's explanation began with a bit of writing in midair, spelling out Martha's title Saint of Dragons. "Saint of Dragons. In the language of the Void, it would be... Zayla vi Mabe. I'll ask you... do you know what an angel is?" he wondered, cutting the topic short to speak on another matter. "Things will only become stranger, by the way. At least you're making it more interesting for both of us. I do like the disheveled look~♥" the demon added, winking as he inspected the woman.

[Apollymi]

Three pairs of this party's group were out of commission and even Astolfo seemed to succumb to the satisfaction of his afternoon. Meanwhile there would only be Martha apparently speaking with some kind of demon about the nature of this world and the magical nature of humans. According to him, her assertions were stupid, everyone and everything in the world had magic and humans had a hard time with it because of the 'order' of the world. She'd heard that word mentioned before but it didn't really matter, the reality of the world existed within the order, and given that her assertions while maybe not wholly accurate were still the ones that herself and most other humans were living by, "Yeah yeah, you can say that, but I that seems like it has several layers of complexity that still amount to the same problem with a solution that no one can actually put into place," she explained. If pregnancies weren't to be feared, then their had to be a reason why. And given the fact that someone was apparently impregnated by a cup, she was going to go with... healthy skepticism and dealing with the issues she had while they were present. Regardless he seemed content with the sort of compliment that being the sex devil implied. With his words in her head her face flushed and she got the sincerest desire to sink into the floor. "I gotta stop," she murmured to herself rubbing her own face and trying her hardest to not think about anything too much. Her day had already gotten weird, she had no need of encouraging it.

Ah, but she also didn't have a choice in the matter. Apparently among her days actions she would be given a lesson of sorts about the nature of her title. She watched as it was written into the air and heard the words asked of her. She was given a translation of the words in a language she'd never heard before, "Angels are celestials... as far as everyone knows anyway. Well real ones anyway," she answered honestly. She wasn't excepting to be quizzed on creature knowledge. Ah but this man also apparently teasing her. "Can we not right now? I'm embarrassed enough that you've been watching. Fixing it seems like it'd be extra weird because you're still watching," she managed to get out pretty quickly. She hadn't been this embarrassed since she'd split her skirt during one of her classes. Why did that come up? Best bury that one back deep into her mind place never to come up again.

[Bloodedge]

The saint spoke of complexities within the clause of magic and the world's order. She wasn't wrong... but she was wrong. There were many complexities associated with many things, but only for those who played by the rules of order. "As long as that's your attitude, you're right," he said simply. Martha was one such individual capable of transcending the world's ways, provided she had the proper prodding beforehand. If anyone was willing to prod the superiority out of someone, it was... him. "There's no point stopping. You'll be better off speaking your every thought. Censorship will only hold you back," he instructed.

This may not have been an apprentice of his in any respect, but Mugen needed an individual like this for certain goals. First, her understanding of angels needed to be known. Martha claimed they were Celestials. Though her understanding was right, there was something missing. Mugen was keen to let her finish speaking, until she specified that Celestials were the 'real' angels. "Lies," he stated. "Real Angels predate what you call Celestials. An Angel is something ascended. I won't bother with much unnecessary detail, but I'll be clear. The direct translation of this phrase is: Angel of Spirits, or Spirit Angel. In short... you're more of a goddess than Celestials ─ at least most of them," he clarified. As for her state of undress, Mugen considered it the topic most worth addressing. She'd done nothing to redress herself, or even to fix her posture and position. Allegedly, she remained this way because he was still watching. "Ara~? If that's the case, then you'd be no worse for stripping everything off entirely. Don't, though. This is a good look for you... though I'd argue a torn skirt would be even better if made a bit worse. These things are really difficult to choose; I'm not sure how anyone from Gaia manages being happy with a single lifetime of memories."

[Apollymi]

According to this sex devil in front of Martha her thoughts were encouraging this added llife complexity. She frowned deeply hearing that. It sounded like one of those lines from a shounen manga or an action movie. What was more he claimed she was better off not censoring herself, which would happen naturally as she expressed nothing but abject surprise at the nature of this conversation and its extra implications. "If world rules physics and reproduction are only mind over matter, something or someone really fucked up," she mentioned. Martha didn't know why but the idea of something being so stupidly determined was annoying to her. She didn't expect to end up in such a position at this point. She was holding her temples massaging them as she continued to self-soothe. At some point, someone was going to end up suplexed and it was likely going to be Astolfo.

Oh well, moving on, there was the thoughts on angels and what that word meant and apparently what Martha understood was a lie. At this point finding out that something she understood about the world was a lie was far from surprising enough to warrant its own reaction. "Woah, too much!" she exclaimed. The idea that she was some sort of higher order being by naming conventions alone was crazy. What was more such information made Astolfo correct in his ridiculous assertions about her earlier. And... beyond that it meant that a lot of things were missing from the understanding of not just herself but to everyone else. "As a history teacher, I'm annoyed that this kind of information is buried, forgotten or what the hell over. As an adult, i understand Jeanne's current self a bit better now," she sighed. "As myself, why is Astolfo ever right about anything?!" she could have collapsed upon herself, but her mind wouldn't really allow that. No, she wanted to lash out to beat something with her fists to release the pent up aggression, all things she would have done with a heavy weight bag in her previous life. Beyond this there was something akin to clothing advice and this man's own ideations about the short amount of memories. "If it's all you have, you have no choice but to be happy with it, or live in sadness. I'll keep those ideations in mind for future wardrobe upgrades I guess... maybe not but I do appreciate it," she mused. Fashion wasn't really Martha's strong suit, she usually let others deal with it, as she was a sweats and hair up kind of person most of the time and only worn standard attire for work. "But now I'm kind of curious..." she mentioned while working through her own aggression. "Why are you telling me all this? Do I need to know... are you like a guru person who pops up to give information and disappears into the mist soon after?" she rambled a little but media did cover this kind of chance meeting for random hero party members.

[Bloodedge]

"Someone absolutely did, though it's not that simple," Mugen replied. One couldn't simply apply their mind to any problem and solve it. "I'll say this: If you have the power, you can do anything. All you have to do, is know where to acquire said power," he added as if it were the simplest matter. In truth, all things could be made so simple. Whatever the case, Mugen would soon be pausing this little lesson as Martha claimed there was too much being spewed. Frankly, he didn't expect anyone to keep up with such an information dump ─ at least not when it contradicted the lies they were already taught.

Luckily, this was primarily a case of Martha being upset. The lies should never have been shared, and the truth should never have been forgotten even in the wake of misinformation. Some knew. Some learned, and some simply came to understand in their own way. Astolfo was actually one of the latter individuals. "I'll answer one of those. The boy is right because he understands by instinct. There are a rare few who can feel the way things should be. Those people act according to their souls with no active thought about it. And no, you don't have to let him know; he's actually better off ignorant. Those types always are," he explained while erasing the words previously etched into the skin of reality. Moving beyond the matter of Martha's wardrobe, she had a question for the demon. What she assumed of him was easily likened to some story. It was far from the first time he'd been compared to a character of some sort, but he was far from that description. "No, I'm not some guru here to give you information and disappear. Firstly, you brought me here without knowing. It's a bit early, but... your human values will leave you more content with the outcome. If I'd come looking for you in my own time, you would already have some entanglements to cause a few regrets on your part. Lucky you. As for what I am, I could more accurately be called an enigma. I'd sooner fold you in half and let the benefits of an encounter speak for themselves. Of course, I'm also fully capable of solving your... problem, if it's such a big deal~"

[Apollymi]

Martha's assumption about the mistakes or missteps of others was claimed true by the man before her. All right, she was far from being too concerned. Obviously, what was wrong had been wrong for long enough that people discovering it was relatively quite late. It was fine it wasn't as if anyone could save the whole world nor rewrite history all in one day. Steps forward could only be taken with the information gained and used properly. What was more, he claimed that if you had the power you could do anything potentially or if you knew where to find it. She could accept that, as a modern person she could deal with that bit of information pretty well. "Good to know some things don't change. Fine, that is a complexity I will sit aside for now," she said knowing that she'd have to eventually ask someone some very strange questions later.

Moving on from those points, apparently the only part of her annoyance to be addressed would be the part concerning Astolfo. He was apparently the kind of individual who lived by instinct. As such he felt what was 'right' instead of actually using thought or logic to get to the right answer. The conclusions she came to resulted in the strange assumption that Astolfo was likely more animal than person but that was hardly worth extra consideration. She knew plenty of people who learned and understood things differently she simply didn't like what he had to say most of the time. "I have no intention of telling him. If anything it's just getting added to the number of reasons I am kicking his ass later," she mentioned almost flippantly. This single day was proving way too much for her own patience and beyond that far too troublesome for what had happened. It hadn't escaped her that she was still sitting atop a pillow being watched by this dark haired, likely sex demon and not really doing anything to right the potential wrongs of the interaction.

Ah but this was no simple matter. According to this being while answering her curiosities, he was no random being. Instead he was drawn here by her accidentally. His showing up early would apparently be better for her human sensibilities. He claimed that she'd be in some sort of entanglement later that would cause her issues if he'd shown up on his own, and this apparently made her lucky. He also mentioned some oddity about folding her in half and being an enigma. Despite all potential issues cropping up in her day already, she blushed. How could she not? When had people become so shameless when speaking to her? She didn't know but it was becoming strangely habitual. "I don't even know how I brought you here, or why something I was doing was enough to catch even the passing curiosity of anyone. Second that whole middle part sounds way too, Clairvoyant for my personal taste in life, and third... that last statement makes it sound like you are about to say something I would say adds to my problems... " she said carefully. "So what exactly are you offering and what's the catch? Because while I don't believe in the innate goodness of any particular kind of person or species skepticism seems to be my healthiest option here," she finished up still looking at the man. She did have the earlier thought that he was more to her taste, but should she really even be considering such things just because he made a pass at her? She wasn't like a horny teenager or anything... it wasn't as if she needed to find herself dealing with another man today. Nor was she planning on it at any point in the near or far future. Everything about the last 24 hours was very far outside of her norm and she was sure she shouldn't be entertaining such loose ideals and freedom with her body as her current lines of thinking and the words being spoken seemed to entertain.

[Bloodedge]

Martha knew exactly the sort of thing he was referencing. No matter the world, humans would suffer the same limitations. With those limitations, they would always have similar methods for overcoming. She'd write that detail off as a complexity for the moment. Mugen took no issue with this, if only because he considered it irrelevant for progression. "By all means. It's only more beneficial to me if you don't bother with it now," he claimed. Explaining things to humankind was often such a taxing activity. Martha was easily among the number of mortals possessing wisdom, but application of wisdom required knowledge. He much preferred methods that didn't involve giving a long series of equally long speeches.

Alas, he was fated to speak more with this one regardless. She'd yet to understand how any connection between them was forged ─ how she was the one to gain his attention. The answer was simple. "You decided something should not be done under any circumstance ─ as if doing it would contradict your existence. In that same moment, you consciously decided to do it anyway. That's such a common occurrence, but when someone of your capacity does it... it's worth my attention," he answered. He had nothing to say about any clairvoyance, but there were more interesting things on the horizon. Martha understood that no things were free. Her skepticism would take her far, and in fact, she would be rewarded for it this time. Luckily for her, demons were an honest breed of creature. "Good instincts. The catch is, I need a specific thing from you. It won't truly cost you a thing. I awaken you to the ability that bypasses your little issue, and I gain a key element needed for my own future endeavors. In short... you'll play a crucial role in completing me, and you'll only benefit from it. See? Nothing lost, and you've already been considering it since the moment I showed myself. Everyone wins in the end~"

[Apollymi]

Apparently, her putting off thoughts about surpassing limits or figuring out work arounds was beneficial to this particular demon. She didn't know exactly why that was the case, but given the movements of her day in a singular direction she could only imagine that it would become clear. Whatever the case, they were moving on in conversation once more to why he was here watching her instead of... doing well literally anything else with what she figured was a very long life. Apparently, it was her decision to go against something she'd decided not to do herself, which caught his attention, combined with the unique capacity of her being. "So, you're the world's bad decision stalker?" she said almost flippantly. Obviously not really expecting an answer. There was no reason she should have to deal with someone else knowing she was busy making bad decisions. The sort of thing she'd already done today was the type of thing one did and took a plan b and never spoke of again unless, drunken and feeling guilty.

While she considered that her life had spiraled into a series of bad decisions which even most teenagers wouldn't really make, she was praised. Apparently, her instincts were good in figuring there was some sort of exchange needed. He made the claim that he needed something from her to complete himself and that she would have awakened in her an ability which bypassed her current potential issue. Well that wouldn't have sounded too bad if he'd not mentioned her earlier thoughts. Oh, she was more correct in her thoughts than even she'd realized. "I literally just said not five minutes ago that I made bad decisions and you're telling me I have to make another one to fix it?" she said pinching the bridge of her nose once more. She really wanted to punch something, and the sensation of it was only becoming more real as she came to understand the truly invasive parts of this world. "I mean I have no reason to assume you're lying so like that should be fine. But it's also a bit of a misrepresentation. At best, it will definitely cost me something... starting with what is left of my dignity and sense of self," she mentioned. She did, truly not want to have a baby by Astolfo of all people. She also found this man in general to be more to her tastes physically, that being said just because she found someone attractive didn't mean she actually jumped to having sex with them. They weren't animals, self-control went a long way for humans in general but women more so than most. "Also for the record, just because you think a hot guy is hot doesn't mean the first passing thought you have about them is the one you act on. I don't even know you, this is worse than club hookup culture," she said now slamming her palm into her forehead. What was more, she was only made to feel worse because even a few seconds after speaking the idea that it might be helpful could have been justification she used to act. What kind of terrible human was she turning into that she was justifying behavior she actively wouldn't have engaged in even hours prior? Why and how did her life become so complex? She missed the days when she assumed her biggest problem in life would be her younger sister managing to get married before her.

[Bloodedge]

Bad decision stalker, she called him. What an interesting little title that was. He could be called such a thing, even if for reasons beyond their current discussion. In this case, however, no bad decisions were made. How could that title hold any weight? "You're assuming a bad decision was made because you've been taught something stupid. Let me tell you something ─ There's no such thing as a bad decision if it's something you really want to do. Yes, that includes pummeling the kid over there," he said, nodding toward Astolfo, who was... oddly unconscious for some time now.

Martha was relentless. In hearing a few more details, she assumed his intention was to correct one bad decision with another. That sort of thing, in all technicality, was possible... but not here. "You made the right decision. I'm telling you to make an even better decision to take your life to a new level. It's one of those exchanges that are only regrettable before you make them, but I don't expect many people from Gaia to understand that," he prattled. As for her dignity and sense of self, he knew those to be very... human notions. "A cost of intangibles based on shackles of your own mentality. If you believe your own words and think that is anything but the traditions you were raised under, then I won't press matters. Traditions are a funny thing though, aren't they? Would you take peer pressure from the dead? I'd hazard a guess that you've never fit into established conventions before... but here you are, clinging to the one nobody has the right to judge you for."

Mugen had much to say, but he was mostly musing at nothing, letting little observations fall from his lips casually. There was one more observation made as he peered into Martha's heart. Ah, she had another desire. "Kaze ni sasayaku~ Nozomi wa ikizuku, mienu te~ Yume, kage mau~♪" he chanted. Reality began to warp around the pair, trees and bushes becoming heavy bags and medicine balls of varying sizes, textures and densities. "Do with those what you will," he said, moving on to the other comments made by the saint. "A hot guy? Interesting. That reference keeps appearing. I do wonder. If you don't think it wise to act on the first passing thought, the message from your soul that there is something it wants ahead... what are your second, third and fourth thoughts? Let's hear them~♥"

[Apollymi]

The man before Martha had more words to share. If she were taking his meaning correctly, her decisions today weren't bad. They were instead, shaded as bad by opinions which were wrong at their foundations. According to this man she should do what she wanted to do, including but not limited to beating up the still sleeping Astolfo. "I mean I am going to do that anyway, he earned a beating when we saw each other yesterday, it's just compounding," she said of beating up Astolfo. It's odd how she determined the rightness of those actions but didn't see the potential for the rest of her decisions to be just as sturdy in their foundations. There were a few other issues, with what he said, even though she was willing to believe that most of her problems surrounding interpersonal relationships were steeped in stupidity, it was foundationally all she had to work with, it was logical even based on her entire life before this magical world. Perhaps it was more accurate to say, that this was the price those of Gaia paid to come to Alaya with their memories and personalities intact.

Ah but there was more, according to him, she hadn't made a bad decision, she'd made a right one. And she could make a better one and move forward more. He further claimed that this exchange only seemed regrettable before hand and that he didn't expect people from Gaia to fully understand that point. Perhaps, Martha did understand in some way, actually this man sounded more like a peer-review partner, who... upon reading a paper picked the most abstract line and suggested a restart with this as the focus. There were claims that could be made about the usefulness of this sort of thing, but it was still hard to conceptualize. Her problem here was layers of complexity. She'd had sex with one guy today, having sex with another could only be seen as negative. Yes, she fully acknowledged that she could be as free with herself as she wished, but that didn't stop the nagging stigma from hanging over her head like an axe, creating tension that wouldn't help her think either. Further more, he even said it. Explaining this whole thing as the shackles of her own mentality and... peer-pressure from the dead. 'Considering I fell to my body and a fem-boy I wouldn't really be surprised at this point,' she sucked air between her teeth and clicked her tongue. This was an annoying conversation to be having with a complete stranger. Whether she fit into standard conventions or not, she did at least try to be reasonable... she didn't see that as a negative. She was even willing to assume that she couldn't be judged fully but that didn't stop the nagging sensation. For a little while she'd quietly think over several things... but while she did this she became more and more tense, only that would soon be changing.

Why? Well, this man seemed to give a little haiku and in so doing... created the kind of room she was most used to seeing when frustration and her mind got in the way of everything else. The young woman's eyes sparkled this kind of thing was exactly what she needed. She stood and righted herself, shifting her clothing back into the right position and taking the time to begin twisting her hair around. She'd eventually end up pinning it in a half ponytail using chopsticks which were tucked within her gauntlets strangely enough. With her hair out of her face, she tapped several bags finding a small one of a density she could enjoy to begin the work out her mind and body rather desperately needed. It began slowly enough, proper posture, right fist, left fist... back and forth as her speed gradually increased. Her body seemed to be losing tension with each strike and her thoughts seemed to flow easier. "You can't possibly be lacking in understanding, hot the best description I have... for someone with a classically good looking face, almost delinquent dress quality and a body that leans similarly. Bonuses to be applied for also being clever, those things usually don't come together," she said seeming unsurprised but her breathing had slowed quite a bit. Ah... working out was much more akin to meditation for the young woman than anything else. This would continue for a few moments as she discussed this piece of information. "A message straight from my soul? If that is what it is... fine but I'd conclude it was more likely a message from my body which is hardly the kind of thing I'd let completely run my life. Second? Well, avoidance... hot guys are always problematic. Third, it might be worth it..." she added. "Then it's back to one and maybe I've already mentally moved past this as an idea. Or maybe I've finished whatever I was doing that brought you into proximity in the first place and I can carry on like I didn't just have an entire objectifying conversation about you, in my head that you also heard. Or I'd do something to get me back to the right or rather normal headspace. That is how my normal thoughts progress after seeing a hot guy, but I suppose by your logic I am wrong," she added. She punched that bag repeatedly missing the burn it used to give her, but appreciating the motion which allowed her to think. Perhaps, it would have been easier if she'd been born in this world, she could have adjusted easier.

[Bloodedge]

Martha was going to offer Astolfo a beating regardless of recent events. That much was obvious, but not at all consequential. Mugen understood this woman was true to her word. Even after letting out any pent-up aggression on those bags, the likeliest scenario was that she'd share a few blows with the pink-haired lad simply because she promised to do so. Whatever the case, he watched as she cycled through more thoughts. Sexual encounters with two individuals in a day seemed rather extreme in her head. Humans were so strange, all due to the involvement of one bitter apple. That nagging sensation Martha felt was such a common occurrence that it could almost be called instinct in humans now. What a shame; they had all but deleted other instincts which would serve them better in all walks of life.

Apparently, Mugen's general visage was that of a delinquent. Today would be the first time he heard that one; most mortals couldn't overcome an obligatory sense of danger. Perhaps Martha had that as well, only rationalizing it in a way more similar to that elafia girl. Mugen had little to say until Martha gave that list of thoughts. He knew them already, but he wondered how honesty would manifest in this one. What she said, indeed, was what she thought. Four thoughts were made clear, and four thoughts would be translated. "Seek the transfer. Fear the unknown. Overcome the negatives. Rationalize everything," he repeated in different terms. "That last one is imperative. It never hurts to think. You're not wrong, but I will offer some advice. Don't waste your time thinking whether you should or shouldn't do something. Instead, think of the positives and negatives to doing something or not doing it. Address all avenues, and never disregard possibilities. Your growth potential is limitless, so long as the soul is fed."

[Apollymi]

Several rotations of her fists took place against the littlest bag she'd come across. She seemed to be in an almost trance-like state as she moved her arms. As she continued as she continued to hit this bag, the demon before her, changed her words or thought processes into more simple terms. She heard those out and paused bringing up a hand to stop the bag from bouncing back too fast. "I guess that is an accurate way to translate that," she said, understanding the difference in wordage to be more sensible to this world's natural born people. Regardless she'd been quite honest in her expression of herself.

But that wasn't all he had to say. No according to him she wasn't wrong, and rationalizing was important. Instead of telling her she was wrong to think the way she did, he encouraged her to try to use different criteria to make her conclusions. He claimed that her potential was limitless so long as her soul was fed. Though given what everyone had been saying about soul states and mana transfers she assumed this advice boiled down to find a healthy sex life. 'Definitely the sex devil,' she thought as she found a large body sized bag. Instead of just punches, kicks of various intensities also met this bag as she worked through her aggression and her new thoughts. "I suppose I could give it a try, nothing wrong with trying a thought exercise," she mentioned as her body movements became more rhythmic as she fell into an old set of rocking motions which she used to deliver quick and swift blows in succession before pulling her limbs back in to protect her core. 'So, positives, my problem is solved. I help someone else solve their problem. I maybe have sex with the sex devil. I feed my soul whatever that means,' thought in time with each strike of her arm or leg.

'Negatives, having sex with a second person today, potentially. Dealing with the aftermath of a thing I don't know how to fix yet. Anyone finding out about any of this...' a different set of hits went along with that trio of thoughts. But, as she continued to fight she could rationalize a bit better. Her positives did outweigh the negatives objectively. They were alone in the woods so she could mostly keep it to herself and wallow in her shame afterwards, doing good things shouldn't really make her feel bad. "That's weird, thinking like that seems to make it something I'd agree to, even if I wouldn't agree to it normally," she murmured. There was the possibility of it being a trick of her mind. A justification for continued deviance having thrown away the initial reservation, but maybe that wasn't something she needed to give the extra thought to right now. At least not until she figured out exactly how wrong she was in her initial perception and understanding. Still she exhaled and came to a stop using her body to stop the swinging movement of the bag and all. "So, then I guess the only question is what exactly do you need from me and how do I give it?" she questioned well there would always be that which could potentially change the way she thought about it.

[Bloodedge]

"It's good you can see the sense in it," said Mugen. Seeing beyond one's own natural understanding of something was a natural step along the path of wisdom. Since Martha could meet that minimum requirement, it was even more imperative that he gain her aspect during this encounter. First, the woman had some thinking to do. She seemed very convinced that he was the sex devil, and he wasn't going to waste time arguing. No, he'd instead be peering into the saint's heart to witness her progression.

Martha considered the positives of helping and being helped. Another reference to this 'sex devil' appeared on the positive side, as did the feeding of her soul ─ though she didn't yet understand the latter. "I suppose I should explain, hm? You feed your body with food. That's also a lie. Food contains mana, which fuels the soul. I'm sure you've noticed eating a hearty meal helps you utilize your abilities. Well... if that meal came form something living ─ something with its own abilities ─ you would gain its structure in addition to amplifying your own," he explained in the wake of Martha's thoughts. The negatives she considered sounded like a list of nothing. Whatever the case, it seemed even Martha realized things were in favor of action. Alas, there was one question remaining. Martha wished to know what he needed of her, and furthermore how she could give it. "I need your structure, which you give with your mana ─ as I give my own. That boy over there has a small amount of you within him now; it's not so plentiful in that direction. I'll handle the acquisition. I did say you didn't have to do anything consciously."