Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

It seemed that most of Charles attention was focused on Angelica's chest. Angelica for her part in this, saw nothing wrong with the excess attention. To the contrary, she found it to be a good thing when she considered they would be getting married and needed to like each other more than just a bit. Beyond that it seemed that he didn't truly understand the same basics that she did of mana and how it was stored and used throughout the body. His words about her claims that mana was stored within her chest seemed to be very skeptical, or rather uninformed. "I figured the basics of anatomy were the same, so long as the body is humanoid in form, the differences I know are about mana exchange..." she said giving it a bit more thought. "It was explained to me as a matter of mana exchange and distribution," she clarified wondering why humans weren't given these same lessons if they were being told not to exchange mana readily all the time. It seemed necessary for them to know the ins and outs to avoid doing so accidentally. "The chest on women is where most of the mana of their bodies is stored. It is there in its purest form and circulated around the rest of the body. By that logic a woman can give a pure mana transfer without exchange directly from there. It is what the humans call breastfeeding," she explained. "That was a part of my regular education though so I am very confused about human bodies work. I was led to believe it was similar just less pure in nature," she finished her cursory explanation.

She didn't know that the kind of information she gave was likely completely foreign to someone like Charles. She had more technically in her knowledge base, and a lot more than that missing from her understanding of the physical nature of humans. Perhaps, over the course of the day they could come to some general understanding which would leave both of them with enough information to fully understand how their bodies worked. The size of her breasts and the lack of hinderance they gave her were something that Charles wouldn't argue, he claimed to have given up. She could do nothing but shrug at that information. Whatever the case, the needs of this form of exercise were soon explained. It was very simple yet very complex. "Space, atmosphere, incense? I don't know about the incense but... I think I have a good space in mind. Ooh, and it's my newest completed project," she mused, using a hand to motion Charles along as she led him towards her recently completed observatory. It functioned properly as the stars dotted the skies of her floors. It magnified and projected them around the room, giving it the appearance of the starry night sky with a gentle haze. When the moon was out it was far brighter inside, but here and now it was more or less like a dim twilight. But the floor was large and open and she used a blue gem to create the mats on the floor side by side a bit more than arms length apart. This was the kind of space she imagine would be best. "Would this work?" she asked as if it was a perfectly normal thing to wonder.

[Bloodedge]

By Angelica's explanation of things, one would be led to believe breastfeeding was something a woman could just... do. Charlemagne was expected to accept a great number of ludicrous things today, it seemed. He knew very well that humans had no such ability, yet here Angelica was, talking as if it was natural as breathing. "Breastfeeding. That thing that someone who's recently had children can do, in the case of humans. You make it sound like someone could just squirt milk out on a whim... and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what you mean," he said with a deep sigh. Ridiculousness was no stranger when these more serious talks occurred between them.

Whatever the case, Angelica would soon be leading toward another room: her observatory. As Charlemagne stepped inside and witnessed the feint traces of stars littering an overhead dome, purplish streaks of light flowing through and all, he wondered what Angelica thought when he mentioned space as a requirement. In thinking about it, he laughed. "Not exactly what I meant by 'space' there, but... wow," he commented. Regardless of any misconceptions or lack thereof, he found the observatory incredible and more than roomy enough. Once Angelica set out a pair of mats, all was nearly perfect. "Don't get me wrong, it looks perfect. No incense, but that's fine; the atmosphere is more than anyone could hope for. So... apparently the best start is called Child's Pose." Upon stating the first pose, Charlemagne claimed a mat and descended to his knees. Once in that position, legs together, his back and arms both extended forward until his forehead touched the mat. "This is your go-to for resting and refocusing between other poses. Relax your back, stretch, and take slow, deep breaths," he explained, peering through his eye's corner as any instructor would.

[Apollymi]

There was an air of disbelief. There seemed to be such a thing all the time when Angelica spoke to Charles about her understanding of things. Here and now, it concerned mostly how her body functioned and how she assumed human bodies functioned. The lack of purity in their persons apparently made it so only women who'd recently had children could properly offer mana directly from their bodies. That was strange information to have, in fact that was all but confirmed. Her next words to Charles were an affirmation of her own point, "Yes, I definitely can...but it's just liquid mana though I suppose it could be used as sustenance," she said giving it no more than a passing thought. If humans weren't taking mana from women into men, she doubted their mana exchanges were anywhere near the level of equality they should have been.

Just the same, she showed Charles to her observatory and got an interesting take. This wasn't what he meant by space, but wow. He liked it then? A large smile crossed Angelica's face as she stood a bit straighter seemingly quite pleased by the appraisal. "Hm? Well, I knew you just meant like floor space," she said. Her words in the moment were mostly an observation as she continued to listen for Charles appraisal. She was eventually rewarded with more words. It was perfect, with good atmosphere, and that was good. She couldn't help but be pleased that he enjoyed her space so much. And now they were moving on to exercise. It was still a teaching moment so she took in Charles getting into this position, and committed its name and purpose to her memory, making the assumption that she might want to do something like this again. "Okay, weird name but I can let that go," she said, standing before her own mat, she'd lower her self to her knees making sure to relax as she stretched towards her fore. Eventually her forehead would meet the mat and her arms would be stretching. There was a mimicking of the same position she'd witnessed and she felt the movement of mana within her body as another way to cement the position to her memory.

[Bloodedge]

Liquid mana was what Angelica claimed would certainly come from her breasts. How much more was he expected to take in? Saying it could be used as sustenance was no surprise, at least, but Charlemagne wondered why there was such a difference between Angelica's knowledge and the information all others had to work with. Could it be considered right for the Holy Princess to have additional knowledge of the world's functionality, just because of her position? That didn't make sense. Maybe there was more to it than that. "That's news to me, but alright. If we get around to those adventures and I wind up dehydrating in a desert, remind me to keep a cup handy for your mana milk or whatever," he joked.

It had taken a while through all the random discussion, but they were finally progressing to a bit of actual yoga. Charlemagne started with a simpler pose as example. Angelica seemed to fall into said pose rather easily, and... oh. Though late, Charlemagne quickly realized why yoga wasn't the best idea for his attempts to remain platonic in the day's endeavors. Suddenly, he couldn't even comment on the name of certain yoga poses if he tried. Why was yoga sexual?! Had it always been? No, surely he just hadn't gotten his mind back in order yet. "... Yep, that's the pose. Just... deep breaths a few times, then move into the next: Downward-Facing Dog." Actually, some of the names were a bit provocative as well. No matter; he'd already signed both of them up to do this. One may as well commit, right? From the starting position, Charlemagne kept his hands planted firmly on the mat, lifting himself from the hips until his feet were also flat on the floor. "Hips up and back, away from the shoulders, weight evenly distributed through the palms. If it's too much on your wrists to start, I hear it's fine to use your elbows instead. Either way, slow transition and lots of deep breathing."

[Apollymi]

Apparently, the things Angelica had to say about her bodily functions were news to Charles. Surprise crossed the blonde lass' face in this moment and she couldn't hold it back. "I am very worried for humanity. For people so content to avoid mana transfers and with all sorts of weird rules, it seems like you're missing a lot of information that would help with the confusion," she mused seeming to once again chalk it up to an issue of humans and nothing more. Charles had asked her not to compare humans to animals but they seemed to be living off almost pure instinct just as animals did. They were not making it easy for her to believe in them, and then there was a joke, which she couldn't take as a joke for one simple reason. "Why would you need a cup?" she asked. This was an expression of sheer curiosity. She figured, that it would be much simpler if he wanted sustenance to take it directly. She would if she sought it.

Too bad, for now what she sought was this form of exercise. With the slow, deep breathing and the movements of her body, she could definitely feel her mana shifting about within ehr body. This first position settled it near the base of her person. Seeming to allow it to build up a bit. And then the next position came at a proper pace. More instruction was given and thus she glanced to her side to take in the newest position. She was given quite a bit of advice about how to raise herself. And she managed to do so, shifting from elbows then wrists. She kept her weight balanced and breathed easily during the transition. Her bottom up in the air she breathed and felt the mana of her form shifting downward or rather upwards into her torso form its present angle. All of that was fine. "These names are really weird... but I don't think I mind this. I also understand the mana flow," she mentioned between long breaths. The breathing was definitely part of it, of this she was certain. Humans were to be given a bit of credit, even if they didn't understand the basics they seemed to understand some more minute things.

[Bloodedge]

Concern for humankind was something Angelica had frequently, so it seemed. Of course, she had knowledge of mana that humans simply weren't given, or perhaps had forgotten long, long ago. Charlemagne remembered hearing mention of some mana-related tribute to divinities during the Age of Gods. Perhaps there was much more to that than he even realized. There was apparently also more to the whole magical breastmilk matter, or even Angelica's lack of concern for things many considered ridiculous. Why would he need a cup? What a question. "I feel like the answer should be more obvious. You're now suggesting one of the lewdest things ever, and it makes me wonder where the line in the sand even is. Next you'll say something about navels and anuses both being feeding tubes for people," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Perhaps the best and worst idea Charlemagne had today, was the yoga session they were currently participating in. He was already watching Angelica in a very precarious position, and from an almost upside-down angle, he would now be watching her rear rise into the air. She first supported with her elbows, then her hands. Maybe he should have claimed elbow support was the better way? No, what was he thinking?! This was yoga, not some peepshow! Well, somebody probably should have told the rest of his body that. The pants Charlemagne currently wore were also a bad idea for fending off the erection he'd soon have. "Yep. I can feel it too; trust me," he said. Oh, the mana was certainly flowing in him as well. To keep himself as hidden as possible, Charlemagne returned to child's pose while explaining the next step for Angelica. "Next is the plank. From the current position, just straighten your body, like the end of a push-up. Imagine the back of your neck and spine lengthening." With that explanation given, Charlemagne continued to rest where he was. He'd be needing a minute... or maybe a few. Surely Angelica taking the plank position would give him some reprieve, though. . .

[Apollymi]

Angelica's concern for human kind would only grow over time. Actually, the more they spoke the more worried she was that humans were overly limited in life, based on things like lewdness when it came to things as natural as mana transfers. She'd even been given an example of such strangeness by Charles as he discussed the option of taking said mana straight from the tap to be a matter of utmost lewdness. "I feel like those lines you are talking about are made up, and sticking to ones determined by someone else doesn't really make sense. Make your own, I'll make mine and tell you when something is weird, and then we can figure out how to live with those together. It would be much less draining that way," she mentioned as she continued to breathe in this strange position. Yet again, she'd be hearing words which made her believe that all humans needed a refresher course on how bodies operated. They'd obviously lost a lot of information and had started making things into taboos that shouldn't be by her own approximation. "Navels are where one gets their first mana from before they are born and can accept it in other ways. Anuses are the method in which to accept mana directly without having to give any of your own away. I thought all this was common knowledge, I am starting to wonder how humans function at all without knowing these things," she explained. And so her randomly open attitude began to make more and more sense.

As they discussed life, bodily functions and future happiness, there was still an exercise routine going on. Charles was apparently feeling the movement of his own mana, that was only natural as it had gained quite a bit of intensity since their earlier meeting. She could say much about it, "I'm sure you can feel it, it's gained quite a bit of vigor since a while ago," she said completely innocuously. Of course, it could be taken a sexual way, and she was talking about his mana, but this was a complete accident on her part. Now she was simply thinking of lengthening, as she stretched her body at an upward angle and support it with her arms horizontal, which to its credit managed to stretch both her body and her mana out along its intended path. By the time she was fully within the position, she'd be in a few with the angles and curves of her body showing differently than before. "This name is also strange," was her only comment as she kept taking those deep breaths.

[Bloodedge]

"Everything is made-up at some point. Boundaries usually exist for a pretty good reason. You say your way would be less draining, but that's the exact opposite of how conditioning works," Charlemagne stated. He'd seen enough times the result of going against established methods all at once. He could concede to making an attempt, but too much urgency probably wasn't a good thing. "An outright 'no' wouldn't be fair though, so, I'll keep that in mind," he added a few moments later. Of course, a few moments after that, Charlemagne was told something almost disturbing. Navels being one's first source of mana from the mother made perfect sense, event translating directly into human understanding... but the way Angelica described the purpose of anuses sounded very wrong. "... Anuses what? Listen, I'm not sure how you're wired, but that's where human excrement comes from. What you're saying sounds like some pervert's fever dream."

Ah yes, his mana had gained some vigor since a while ago. Surely it had, considering the amount of vigor he felt elsewhere. "Mhm. I'm definitely feeling vigorous," he said, almost as if that could be called a bad thing. In all actuality, Charlemagne could do with a lot less vigor at present. As he expected however, having Angelica switch to the current pose helped... for the few seconds before he took note of her form again. Why did she have to be the type whose curves showed even when her body was fully straightened? He'd have to stick with child's pose for even longer now, but... moving on. "Strange is that the next one is called the Four-Limbed Staff pose instead of the plank. Keep what you're doing now, but bend your elbows at a perfect angle until you're parallel to the floor. Knees to the floor is an option for beginners, but otherwise only hands and toes touch the mat."

[Apollymi]

Charles seemed to have some interesting ideas about boundaries. Angelica respected the limits he set forth but had issues with her understanding them as they applied to the world at large. "Boundaries should be determined by people who they apply to, taking peer pressure from dead or old people is not something I am willing to do," she clarified her point. She would respect any boundary that was established by Charles, but she had no intention of bowing to something random she heard. Of course this was only a few seconds displaced from a statement concerning bodily functions which made her gasp. "Chuck only animals can't use all the mana in their bodies. If you are telling me humans expel mana they take in as waste you are confirming my humans are animals thoughts," she explained in the moment. The idea of expelling mana from ones body without it being useful to someone else was almost blasphemous. Animals did it but they were simple creatures. Humans aimed to be more complex but still had such primative body functions. That was gross and ridiculous. Though in hindsight some of those prisoner comments made a bit more sense.

Regardless they would soon be assuming new positions. All while Charles commented on the vigor of his own mana. She could assume he did not fully understand his own body."I am beginning to believe you don't understand that such is natural thing that doesn't require inborn shame," she mused. Perhaps they didn't understand enough how their bodies worked to relax about the sensations natural to them. Ah, another moment of weirdness as she took the new position. The previous position was much more suited to this new more complicated name. "This is a plank, Chuck. Who named these?" she asked. Her breasts where hovering over the ground. Her backside visible in the moment oh the curves of her form were glorious, and so was the strenght of her lean muscles as she balanced and breathed.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, I get that you believe that, but that doesn't make it any easier. You try breaking a thousand year-old habit overnight," Charlemagne suggested. Such things weren't changed very easily, effort or not. "Besides, calling it peer pressure is a bratty thing to do, don't you think? It's worth at least entertaining the idea of wisdom instead of assuming another way is always better." While Charlemagne spoke, he remained in child's pose without so much as a muscle moved. There was no getting around the physical issue, even while sharing his perspective of old and new working in unison. Alas, the conversation eventually became one about humans and what Angelica believed were their animal-like tendencies. "Whoever told you that, was wrong. If it lives and breathes, it produces waste. That's been the case in both worlds I grew up in, though far less frequent here," he said, seeing some semblance of what Angelica spoke of through the infrequency of restroom visits in this world.

The alleged vigor of Charlemagne's mana continued to be a matter of discussion. On his end however, there was a very different meaning... which Angelica's words still happened to apply to. "You would say that. I don't think we're even talking about the same thing anymore," he stated plainly. Of course, his mana itself was flowing more intensely today than ever before. Moving on from that though, Angelica insisted that the new pose was a plank. Charlemagne laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly. "It should be. I used to think it was the plank, but apparently not. Anyway, the next one is the Cobra. Chest up, the rest flat on the ground. Keep your arms as they are now, and try to keep the navel drawing away from the floor." While he explained this pose, Charlemagne decided to take it himself as well. Surely he could continue hiding his groin with it pressed into the mat, right? Right... apart from the fact that he was now applying pressure directly to it while keeping an eye on Angelica. What a stupid idea that actually was.

[Apollymi]

It wasn't easy to break a thousand year old habit. Hm, she hadn't given much consideration to that, but she also didn't think she had many habits that needed breaking. "Hm, I don't know about that... I don't think I have too many habits worth breaking," she said knowing that her own happiness was a primary objective for her. Moreover apparently it was to be considered bratty that she referred to the advice about boundaries. "Well, assuming wisdom just because the words come from someone older when everyone can potentially live for thousands of years doesn't really work for me," she explained. "Besides, at some point you'll have to make your own decisions, its probably better to do so from personal experience rather than let someone else's prior experience taint your potential ones," she expressed. Of course, she didn't argue against being a brat nor having a bratty way of thinking. She believed fully that it wasn't in the best interest of anyone to simply live as previous adults lived just because they lived that way.

On to the matter of waste, apparently everything produced it. Even at less frequent intervals than Charles knew from his previous life. "I have never done this waste thing, so maybe it was that way to start with? I was just told animals do the waste thing by father so my inference is made by omission," she tried to be generous with this thought but it was still looking like humans were more like animals than people, at least given how Angelica understood people. The other option for this in Angelica's mind was that only weak people had the bodily functions of animals, but again this was something which seemed to effect everything from hang out times, to sex lives and as such should be something more generally understood. But she wasn't so obtuse that she didn't assume it was a matter of her understanding.

Beyond this there was the actual exercise taking place here. And she could feel the movement of her own mana and sense that of Charles as well. He claimed that he thought they were talking about different things. She was quite sure she was referencing the state of his mana and by virtue of that the reaction of his body. Was this not an easily understood thing? She'd have to think about it. While she did that, she would hear that her own thoughts about this plank were at least shared by Charles. She was drawing upward and her navel was off the floor, this basically exposed her whole chest in its tight shirt and the rest of her curves were still visible. Ah, but it felt delightful as her spine seemed to be stretching quite a bit and she could feel the mana welling up in her chest. "I'll forgive the other one, this one feels nice~" she chimed seeming to enjoy this 'cobra' stretch.

[Bloodedge]

Between the two of them, there were as many disagreements as there were agreements. Here and now, they were facing the former situation. Angelica refused to accept the wisdom of elders simply because anyone could live thousands of years. Charlemagne, on the other hand, couldn't view things like that at all. "It's not about the age, but about the experience. Even a child could be more experienced than an adult in some ways, and no matter the person's age, it's worth leaning on someone else's understanding when you don't have personal experience of your own. Not every mistake is one you can learn from. Taking into account what someone else has been through isn't just going to taint your own potential experience. You can use it to walk your own path with guidance... if you do it right."

With that long-winded explanation of perspective out of the way, Charlemagne settled into a new position at long last. It may not have been the smartest thing he'd ever done for achieving a goal, but it served half its intended purpose. He wasn't going to question how Angelica went from knowledge of animal excrement to an understanding of humans being the opposite; that was a path hardly worth treading. "I guess that's one way to make a leap," was all he said regarding that topic. Now, there was something else on the table... or rather, mat.

Angelica had taken the cobra pose and found it pleasant. Charlemagne could very much agree, having actual strain to the middle-back from time to time. "It's a really good one. Keep it for a bit if you like, but I'll go ahead and explain the Tree Pose for next. The next one is a standing position. Hands pressed together as if you're praying, straight posture, one leg lifted with the foot pressed against your other leg's inner thigh. It's for balance and core, so focus even more on breathing when you get to that one," he explained all while trying to remain perfectly still. It would probably be a good idea for him to look away from the princess at some point, lest he be incapable of rising from the floor at any point. It certainly wasn't working out for him currently, but again, he had hope for the upcoming pose. . .

[Apollymi]

There was quite the explanation incoming from Charles. He claimed that age wasn't a sole factor. That instead of that one should remember that anyone with more experience could be used as a point of guidance about an experience one didn't already have. She supposed she understood that. And it wasn't as if she was completely against taking advice, but in context of what they'd been discussing before, interpersonal relationships, marriages, sex and the like, it definitely seemed like the sort of thing not to let anyone else's opinion shift thought patterns. Perhaps then this would end up being another thing she had a better way of expressing her thoughts about after some time had passed? "Hm, there is a lot there, but still there is something in it I don't like... I can't figure out what it is yet though... so I'll think about it," she said clarifying her own thoughts in the moment. She did this sort of thing often, but when she came back she usually had her own ideas fully worked out, even if it took her quite a while to work through it. It was interesting at least, when they agreed on random things but disagreed on others, it seemed to be a matter of active versus a passive upbringing and small things like life knowledge based solely on a magical world and the other based in a technological one.

Moving on, the omission of Father An, in Angelica's education, was stated to be one way to make a leap. She didn't think it was that big of a leap. In all actuality there was a bit of technical truth to how she thought of humans and compared them to animals. It simply wasn't ideal or polite to do so for the most part. "It wasn't a leap, it was a logical conclusion... Humans are weird," she stated for whatever count of times that was for the day. She'd always thought humans were weird, and nothing seemed to be changing that logic very much. In fact the more she learned directly the weirder she thought they were. But there was still exercise, and since she liked her current position she would keep it for a time and was advised to. According to Charles this position was a good one, but he was explaining and moving on to the next. In theory it sounded like more exercise than any of the lying positions. Of course, along with it came more breathing and the like, but she imagined it would be very good for pushing mana about ones body. She'd take it into consideration. "That sounds a bit more like meditation," she said.

[Bloodedge]

As always, Angelica would carry on by holding the current topic in her own mind. She'd eventually come up with something keeping to her side of the disagreement; that much could always be expected. For now, it seemed they would remain at an impasse. "Of course you will. I'll wait for it," he said, strangely as if looking forward to the moment. Frankly, he was. It was always interesting to see when the shut-in princess hardened a belief she already held firm. She had an interesting quality of rationality for one with so little human interaction.

Angelica further insisted that no leaps had been made. Yes, there was logic in her assumption based solely on the information she had. On the other hand, it linked directly to her comparison of humankind to common beasts. "Humans are weird, but so is everything if you're looking at it from an outside perspective. You're weird," he responded. Angelica obviously wouldn't be changing her perspective on humanity any time soon, nor should she have to. In fact, Charlemagne was sure she'd only think humans were stranger after meeting more of them. Even the way she carried herself had always been distinctly inhuman, though... there were a few who considered themselves human, that perhaps she might have more similarities to.

Whatever the case, there was a comment about the next pose. In many ways, Angelica was completely accurate. The pose he mentioned was more for the mind and soul than the body, though it did have its physical advantages as well. "It basically is. Most of yoga is meditation. This stuff just stops the body from getting in the way. Tree Pose should be more potent as meditation after conditioning your body and mana with the others before it."

[Apollymi]

Charles claimed he'd wait for whatever it was that Angelica came up with. One of the many things she enjoyed about him, was the amount of patience he showed, even when her entire purpose was to argue with him about some random point or another. They had these varying opinions on many things, but when it came down to it, he was always willing to hear out her thoughts on topics. It was one of the things she found most relieving about him. Not that he would just go along with whatever she said, but that he would hear her out even while disagreeing with her, it was a point of charm.

As she thought over the point she seemed content to hold, other things were brought to her attention. For instance, it was claimed by Charles that humans were indeed odd, but she was also. She gave that a bit of thought. She likely seemed weird to others, but she always figured that was a matter of them not meeting people like her. Of course she wouldn't discount that which made her different from others, "I'm different," she said with that hint of brattiness which always seemed to be in the background of her speech.

But that also didn't matter, they moved on to exercise and she finally lifted herself from her floor stretch to take the position of a tree. Doing so, she lifted one leg to her thigh and placed her hands before herself palm to palm. Her breathing became easy and she seemed to find balance without issue at all. She could feel her own mana buzzing about and felt that it would be rather easy to poke the connection between herself and her mother. "Hm, I could have used this days ago when I was trying to figure out how to reach mom, no matter, it will make it pretty easy I guess," she mentioned. Ah, yes, deep breathing and the like, perfect posture the curves of her body now practically radiating her mana which was being moved about by earlier exercises. Angelica felt at peace.