Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

"Good, it'd be really awkward to do what you asked and have you be upset about it later," she commented. It was such a random day. Here she was drinking a cold beer, fishing and spending time with Charles. In all truth, she couldn't have asked for a better afternoon after deciding officially that it was Charles she wanted to marry. No matter what, she'd not come to regret that decision so far, even if there were apparently some nuances to human courtship that hadn't quite caught up yet.

Ah, and while she had such happy and plentiful thoughts, she eventually found herself wrestling with a large fish under the surface of the water. Charles had something to say about it being big and wondering if she could handle it. "I'm pretty sure I got it..." she said casting a quick eye in this man's direction. Her hearing his words as innuendo had to be her own fault at this point. She knew he didn't mean it that way, so it had to just be her. Perhaps she'd ask a woman sometimes if hearing things in such a way was normal. Or maybe there might be something wrong with her brain to translate such benign words into perversity. Of course, now wasn't really the time to consider it. Her line was jerking about quite a bit and she was standing with feet firmly planted pulling between the smaller motions. This was of course until the thing finally surfaced with one backward pull. Her line hadn't snapped and in the air was a large, toothed creature, blue in color and overly round. She pulled it up to the surface and dropped it behind them on the dock. "OOOH! I REALLY DID GET IT!" she said seemingly excited about the prospect. It flopped about on the ground as it tried and failed to take the breaths its gills needed.

[Bloodedge]

"I'm sure it would be," Charlemagne mused. He wouldn't be upset about being kept in check... at least that's what he believed currently. He'd never regretted anything else involving Angelica, bar his own wandering eyes and mind today. That was another issue of its own type though; he could only blame his own weakness for that. Moving forward, he'd have to gain some mental strength.

Angelica looked at him strangely for reasons Charlemagne didn't understand at the time. Regardless, there was a fish on her hook... and what a fish it seemed to be. She stood and wrestled with whatever would be found at the end of the line. Based on the water's movements, the tension of her line and the timing of her pulls, it seemed Angelica was doing exceedingly well. Charlemagne was sure that fish stood no chance of escaping, and lo, one heave caused the swimmer's exodus of its lake home. To Angelica's credit, the large fanged fish she threw behind them was of the highest caliber for a low-value catch. "Woah, nice! That one won't win you any trophies or money outside the food market, but it's a huge one for what it is! Good job!" he praised. Looking over his shoulder at the fish, Charlemagne thought to mention a couple of options. "So, do you want to try making that thing edible, or would you rather use it to try catching a higher-value fish? There's some old legends in this 'ere lake," he said, that final statement a mockery of something Charlemagne himself was once told by a local fisherman.

[Apollymi]

Charles agreed with her about the potential annoyance surrounding his hypothetical fall from grace. Whatever he thought of himself though, Angelica knew of his mental strength. She was quite certain it took a special kind of person to put up with her for longer than a few minutes. He even managed to stick around even when she lost her temper and that was more telling of his mental fortitude than anyone else.

Ah but that didn't matter right now. What did matter, is that she managed to catch her first fish. She felt vaguely proud of herself in a moment like this. And that feeling only grew when Charles congratulated her on her catch. He made the claim that it wasn't really worth a lot and it wouldn't get her any trophies but claimed it to be impressive nonetheless. "Really? Well I didn't expect too much, but this is a lot bigger than I thought it would be..." she mused seemingly happy about the situation. Moving on from that point, there was something else. He asked her about her desire, did she wish to try to make this one edible or did she want to go for something else. "Hm? Are there different types? I mean if that is just my first one, and I could get something better then I wouldn't mind doing that..." she said seeming to have a genuine interest in continuing. She wouldn't want to rush what was supposed to be a relaxing activity.

[Bloodedge]

Charlemagne continued to go without a bite on his own line, and Angelica managed to catch a rather large fish within her first few minutes of trying. There were a few things that could be done with something like that. Charlemagne knew that fish to be one with some issues. It could be eaten, though it would take a bit of effort. They could use it as bait for something greater, though that would also take a bit of doing. It was all up to the woman who made the catch. She apparently didn't mind the idea of catching something better, even though she wasn't aware of the types to be found. "There are multiple types of everything. You really need to get out more," Charlemagne joked.

The beer was already beginning to get to him. Even so, he chugged a few more gulps while rising from his seated position. "This one could be cooked. If we wanted to, we'd have to cook the inside as much as anything else's outside. Honestly, I'm not very good at making these anything but dry," he explained. Charlemagne walked over to the fallen fish after leaving his own rod behind, jammed between two planks on the pier. "There's another fish that can actually eat this guy though. The only problem is, these are apparently hard for that one to get. If one's recently dead, it's easy picking. You'll want to get it around the same spot this one was caught though." While Charlemagne spoke, he knelt and held down the still-flopping creature. "Or... even better if it's alive and struggling. If you want to go for the bigger one, pass me that rock and hook this guy," he suggested. If Angelica were to acquiesce, the fish she caught would soon find itself stabbed in the side─ an act that would puncture its swim bladder. It wouldn't immediately die from that alone, but things would then be left to Angelica; it would have to be returned to the water soon.

[Apollymi]

Charles joked about the things that Angelica didn't know, he claimed she should get out more. This would of course, lead to a rather snarky and indignant reply from the lass with her long curls. "Gee, Chuck, isn't my getting out more your responsibility. First as my friend and now as my fiancé?" she questioned. Her arms soon crossed and her nose turned up. This was of course, one of her more playful stances, her face was still relaxed, no jumping veins or anything to imply she was actually upset at all.

Beyond this playful banter, there was the matter of the fish. Apparently this type was harder to cook for someone like Charles. She didn't want their food to be unenjoyable, and as such she was more than willing to continue. He came with more information for her to interpret and keep in her memory. They could use this fish as bait for another one if they could get it back into the place it'd came from. She watched as Charles, went to puncture an organ within it, and did her part to make sure it was hooked by the same hook that had been in its mouth. This time it was weaved in near the meatier part of its head, without wounding it too badly. Ah, but now she had to get it back to the spot it'd been in before. "Okay, okay. I understand. This is going to take a bit... " she mumbled. With the rod back in her hand she stared out at the water, gauging the right distance for where she'd cast her line before. She'd then go on to perform a twisting movement while jerking her new line, at the end of this maneuver she'd jerk her own rod back to keep it from flying out of her hand and manage to put the now injured fish back only off by a few meters of where it had been before. "Huh, that was a little off..." she stated. "I'll blame the beer," she said with a gentle nod. Though she wasn't really drunk she was sure she suffered some effect from the drink, even if she'd barely noticed it.

[Bloodedge]

Oh, right. In her usual indignant manner, Angelica took it upon herself to provide a reminder. He, Charlemagne, had a duty of care as her fiancé. That was an important bit of information he'd actually allowed to slip his mind. Now that it was back, he was right back to thinking the engagement was a terrible idea. "See? Bad friend, bad fiancé, terrible husband material. Bad emperor too, in case you need to keep that in mind as well," he mentioned. Though this was officially a date, it still wasn't right for him to entertain the idea of marrying Angelica. No, that wasn't right. Marrying Angelica would be a great victory for him or any man, but her being married to him was a different story entirely.

As for the fish that would now be used as bait, Charlemagne pierced its swim bladder with minimal effort before leaving it to Angelica... who proceeded to do anything but pick it up normally to throw it out. Instead, she flicked her fishing rod with enough force and finesse to fling the large fish out into the lake. She claimed the landing was a little off, but getting it out there alone was something her physical build wouldn't have been capable of dreaming in his original world. "That's... not off at all. It's not the exact same place, sure, but it doesn't have to be. Though I might blame the beer on my ability to see. . ." In all fairness, it was possible Charlemagne couldn't really tell how far Angelica was from the original point. His mug was nearly empty when he reached out to refill it. Sadly, he'd only fill it halfway before his own line wiggled. "Oh!" he exclaimed, scurrying back over to the rod. A bit of a fight would ensue. Whatever this fish was, it wasn't massive. It did, however, have a great deal of energy to keep Charlemagne on his toes.

[Apollymi]

Angelica's attitude was met by Charles. It was almost laughable that he'd even bother arguing against her about this point. His current claim was that he was already a bad friend and a bad fiancé because he hadn't been responsible for her. The logical conclusion was that he would also be a bad husband and a bad emperor. "Listen Chuck, you aren't allowed to question my logic here!" she exclaimed as if that was all that was needed. Only to follow up with the most important point, "Besides, you said you were gone so long before because you were working. Work for you are orders given by Father... " she said seeming to have come to an epic conclusion. "The only thing that tells me is that I wouldn't want father in charge of my work assignments," she said that was the only logical conclusion. After all, she was sure one of this lad's first stops after coming back for more than just a stop was to see her. She couldn't actually believe he wouldn't be reasonable if he was incharge of his own schedule.

Moving on, Angelica cast her line and finished her beer, only to have Charles claim that her cast wasn't too far off at all. He also claimed that he might not be seeing straight enough at all. "Eh, well... if it didn't need to be exact it's probably close enough," she said willing to sit down. Of course, her own beer was soon empty but Charles was soon trying to reel in his own line. She chuckled just a bit. "You got it Chuck, you want me to finish your refill?" she asked, having already taken it upon herself to reach over and begin her own. Because well, if he was having another she might as well. They were going to be here for a while and it was bound to be useful to not be thirsty. And she'd wait noting the little pulls at the end of her own line because of the fish which was now swimming in a circle because of its injured swim bladder.

[Bloodedge]

Twice. Angelica referred to him as 'Chuck' twice in a matter of moments. It was always Charlie until she was either upset or telling him off in some way. In those moments, she always fell into calling him Chuck. More importantly, he was allegedly questioning her logic. About what? Well, he supposed it was the logic of her choice in fiancé. "Good thing I didn't ask for allowance, huh? Besides, I'm not questioning it. I'm saying you made a choice in ignorance!" he stated, sure she'd see the folly of her ways when meeting other people. She was right however, in noting that her father was the one sending him out all the time. "I'm not really upset about being sent out so much. Clearing the Labyrinth is a sign of ability. I don't have other occupations like Lady Jeanne did, so it's no surprise to me that he calls me up all the time. Though... it's kind of weird that he'd make that sacrifice by saying I could be Holy Emperor. . ." Now that he thought about it, there was something strange about the idea. No one was sent on quests more than Charlemagne, so what would happen if he did become emperor? Who would be dispatched then?

There wasn't much time to consider that, as he had quite the battle ahead. As he wrestled with the potential first catch of his day, Angelica offered to finish refilling his mug. She also addressed him as 'Chuck' once again, albeit not under the usual circumstances. Strange. Was that one a matter of intoxication? He wondered, but that was another thing he didn't have time for. "Please and thanks!" was his only verbal response to the offer. He pulled his line to one side, then the other, combating a fish that would find any method of escape it could. This was seeming quite familiar. . .

[Apollymi]

Appaerntly, Charles wasn't questioning her judgement nor was he asking permission to do so. He claimed her decision was made in ignorance. Untrue, her decision was made in a multifaceted way that was only beginning to fully surface as she came to fully understand her own life, body and needs. "No it wasn't. We've been through this and I am being honest. Merit alone makes you the best choice in my opinion," she said with a curt snort leaving her nostrils. He went on to explain that he didn't mind the lack of off time and considered it a statement about his ability. He brought up in the same breath a direct reference to Jeanne, claiming that she'd had other occupations and that was why she probably didn't have as much to do for Aincrad's leadership. "I suppose that is true. She came back for a while with a series of wild stories about her adventures. From all the things she was doing for France to fighting off some kind of monster with a bunch of other people. Her life was pretty busy," she said almost wistfully. Of course in a moment like that Angelica too became curious. If Charles was Father An's go to person, who would be sent out in his place once their marriage was official? "Maybe it wouldn't be a sacrifice and that choice would be yours, that would be the only thing that makes sense." she said.

Of course, he was now wrestling with his own fish and she was waiting on her line. Her offer to fill his cup was given both appropriate politeness in request and subsequent thanks. Okay, she could do that then. She poured up his mug as well as her own. Placing it back where she'd gotten it from. "There you are... All is well, now you must wrestle in your catch~" she said of his fish related woes. His was struggling quite a bit, she wondered what kind of fish it was..

[Bloodedge]

There were multiple caveats to the choice of Charlemagne as Holy Emperor, and many caveats to the potential reality of it as well. Angelica insisted that merit alone made her choice clear, but he disagreed. What did she know of merit? There were many other members of the Templar Order in Aincrad, many of whom had to boast an array of accomplishments. All he did was best the Labyrinth alone. That said nothing of his suitability for anything he'd been signed up for. By Angelica's logic, she'd have been better off marrying Jeanne d'Arc, who had many other accolades.

Whatever the case, he did indeed have a catch to secure. An epic battle with something deep in the lake was the height of any fisherman's day. He fought and fought, tooth and nail, down to the bitter end. This wasn't the sort of fish that would tire out for quite some time. What Charlemagne had to do was utilize the small breaks in its aggressive behavior to keep bringing it closer and closer to the surface, until... splash! Out came the fish in one jerking motion. It flew from the ocean in a grand explosion of water, and... landed at the pier's edge in a tiny plop. For all that fighting, he nabbed something barely larger than his own hand. It was a rare species of something known as the Medaka, boasting a brilliant sheen on scales black as night, scales the color of sunrise, and scales matching the open sea. This particular fish was rumored to be capable of predicting the weather, but it was so, so insignificant compared to other fish in its category. "... I knew this was a familiar catch. Another Dawncatcher. This is so uncool," said Charlemagne, quite the disappointed lad.

[Apollymi]

Charles might have thought that Angelica's criteria alone were off. It probably would seem that way since one other person also had those qualifications and a few more. Even so, that didn't change the fact that she thought he'd make an effective leader. Or rather, that he was chosen by people as their leader all the time, and that the role suited him. The fact that he had the presence of mind to doubt himself in any situation was one of the things that made it possible to appreciate him as a person. Surety was good, but having second thoughts was at least good in making sure one didn't do anything they couldn't undo. As that brief thought crossed her mind she was brought back to her thoughts about Jeanne. She'd died but people often came back from the dead. She wondered if that girl had simply decided she no longer wanted to visit anymore.

That rather sad thought aside, there was something more immediately pressing. The catch that Charles was seemingly struggling with was one which Angelica watched with wide eyes. What kind of monstrous creature would it be. Some leviathan style fish monstrous and huge? No. No it wasn't. It was a tiny fish that looked like it was more suited to an aquarium than out in the wild. Seeing that and hearing the utterance of the lack of coolness, Angelica could do nothing but laugh. "Hehehehahaha~" she had a thorough giggle at Charles expense. "It's alright, Charlie. Maybe you should keep it in a little bowl. It's cute at least... and if it's rare it's still worth picking up," she said even though the lad was probably not at all interested in having his ego put back together by someone who'd so recently been laughing at him. It was no matter. It was still a good time. She'd sip from her new mug in the meantime and wait for her next bite.

[Bloodedge]

A certain amount of disappointment was apparently fated to follow Charlemagne when fishing. This was far from the first time he'd experienced a fight that had to be something massive, only for it to be that exact fish. In fact, the first time he went fishing in this very lake, the same thing happened. "It's a curse. I'm cursed. This is the only fish I'll ever catch. I'd take a carp over this. I'd take a turtle over this. This is the worst thing possible," he rambled. Angelica claimed it would be alright, though only after laughing at his expense.

"Yeah, cool, it's all going to be fine. Let's laugh at old Charlie and act like his luck isn't somewhere down a thousand kilometer pit," he said in a huff. Even with that, he only really seemed upset at the fish itself. Well, he supposed it wouldn't be a bad little pet. Charlemagne himself didn't have use for it, but... "I'd be a bad fish owner too. Here," he said while tearing off a section of the bait net, tying it off around the new catch and connected it to the pier. That little runt could sit there and breathe as it wished. "You can keep it when we go back. I might have a bowl in the cabin big enough to fill with water and fit it. Since this is a date and all, treat it like a festival plushie," he said, temporarily forgetting that this world may or may not have such a thing.

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Charles was in the middle of an existential crisis. He made the claim that he always caught this 'Dawncatcher' fish. He claimed he would take a carp over it, or even a turtle. Turtles weren't fish though so that was a bit extreme. Her laughing at his initial distaste didn't seem to help him much at all either. "It's a fish. It's cute, and maybe this breed is attracted to your mana or something. It's really nothing to be upset about..." she murmured. She was trying to get her laughter and giggles under control. But it was almost harder to do so, when his feelings seemed to be in such disarray over the types of fish he caught. He claimed to have luck that was deep within a pit, "Again, it might not be about luck Charlie, I'm pretty sure you have better luck than I do," she said doing her best to comfort the man.

Ah, but he was already pretty far down the proverbial pit. Now he was making the claim that he'd be a bad fish owner as well. He claimed because of this she could keep it, and he went about making it possible for that little fish to live for the duration they were outside together. "Aww, I can have it? For real?!" she seemed to be very excited. Oh, maybe she'd make a pond for it. Something cute, at the bottom of a river or waterfall or something. She wasn't sure what kind of water feature she'd be going for just yet. Wait, he'd mentioned something strange, "What sort of festival, and what is a plushie?" she asked this bit of conversation was a bit strange. But given her context clues she assumed that plushies were some sort of gift. Eventually, that derpy fish on the end of her line, seemed to be swimming a bit faster, in some sort of panic and she was unsure why, but still held onto her rod just the same.

[Bloodedge]

"... Cute?" Charlemagne may have been able to accept the alleged cuteness of that fish... once upon a time. Now, he could only see it as a mark of unrivaled failure in the sport of fishing. If it was actually attracted to his mana, that made things even worse. Actually, that may have been the likelier reason. Angelica was right; his luck was statistically higher than hers by... a full rank, if he recalled. It didn't make sense for a stroke of off luck to apply multiple times while producing the same result each time. "I was right. I'm cursed by this damn fish," he declared.

Oh well; he had little choice but to move on. He didn't care to keep the fish, knowing his personal chances of catching another... and another... and another. Angelica, however, seemed to enjoy its look enough that he was satisfied with the idea of her keeping it. "Yeah, have it. I definitely don't want it!" he said, completely disregarding the thought of keeping it himself. Beyond everything else, he understood these kinds of things to be typical of dates and the like─ especially in the case of visiting a festival. Ah, but Angelica didn't know about festival customs where he'd come from, did she? She obviously didn't know about plushies and whatnot. "Oh, right. Where I come from, there's a thing called plushies. They're like... these things designed to look like animals and stuff, but they're uh..." He paused, needing a moment or three to consider an explanation. "Like pillows? They're stuffed animals usually. They don't have to be animals per se, but they are more often than not. It can be any sort of festival with games. That's what you'll see on a normal 'festival date' where I'm from. Guy plays game, guy wins prize for girl, yadda yadda."

[Apollymi]

There was a question on the table, apparently Charles questioned the cuteness of the fish he'd gotten. "Yes, cute. It's got nice coloring and it's small. Cute is the perfect descriptor." she said seemingly pelased by her assignment of the word to this particular creature. Of course, most things would become clearer over time, and in the case of this particular fish apparently Charles thought he was cursed. Angelica couldn't help but chuckle once more as her gaze shifted towards that fish at the of her line still swimming in circles but somehow seeming more panicked by the second. "We'd know if you were cursed. You aren't cursed Charles, maybe it really is a good thing and we just don't know it yet?~" she questioned in an almost teasing manner. Of course, she didn't really understand why he was so stressed about this fish, but she'd never completed an activty that should have been random and had it turn out one way every time.

Whatever the case, it seemed she would be keeping this fish as the emphasis of Charles' words implied he didn't want it at all. There was a smug look crossing Angelica's face at a time like this. Regardless of what Charles thought, she was deifnitely winning this exchange. "Okay. I will accept it!" she said as if it'd been offered as tribute. That didn't matter either. What did matter was plushies, and their description which was initially horrifying. "So a plushie is like a cute pillow that is sometimes shaped like an animal. And you can win them at festivals..." she said seeming to take that news in stride. "But why don't the girls win their own plushies, they don't sound like the sort of things that should be hard for a girl to win on her own?" she asked. It seemed there were still a few nuances that Angelica didn't understand.