Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Bloodedge]

Different, Angelica insisted. She made it seem like the difference between 'weird' and 'different' was like the difference between night and day. Charlemagne saw it differently. "That's just saying weird without saying weird!" he countered. There was no getting around a simple fact; by majority rule, Angelica was more weird than the humans she spoke of. Also by majority rule, one could say humans were perfectly normal, and her teachings were beyond unorthodox.

Moving on yet again, it seemed time for Angelica to take the next pose. She stood, her hands came together, and one foot rose against the other leg. As Charlemagne observed this, he found himself rising from the floor without even deciding to do so. Slouching, he stood, with no regard to the state of his lower body. It seemed something about that mana coursing through Angelica had taken over his very will. He'd been staring with an excuse, having to keep track of her yoga poses and all, but that notion was dust in the wind. Her mana was almost visible to him, and of course... its most vibrant points were around the curves of her figure. He'd never escape this sort of situation, would he? In a way, Charlemagne could say that marriage couldn't come quickly enough ─ at least the awkwardness of it all might fade away. "I'm guessing you could have used this to do anything you wanted," he said absently. "Maybe even end the world if you wanted. Or make a new one. . ."

[Apollymi]

Charles had some hard opinions about the nature of the word weird. He claimed it to be concisely implied by her use of the word different. Of course Angelica saw it differently. "Hmph, you only think that because humans are weird," she said, mostly in jest. Ah, she'd gone back to teasing strangely enough. At the end of it all, she did see the slightest difference between the words and understood her implications. For her, it didn't matter how many humans thought she was an oddity, because that whole numbers game just led closer and closer towards the idea of them being animals. Not that she saw all humans as animals, she simply found it strange that they had so many animalistic qualities.

Whatever the case, she'd changed her pose and after commenting on the nature and ease of her mana use, returned to her breathing exercises. Of course, in the same moment, it seemed that Charles was content to observe. She found nothing odd about this, and figured simply that as the one teaching this he wished to make sure she was doing everything properly. What was more, she didn't mind his eyes being on her at all. She was unbothered by attention from Charles, and if she was being honest was quite fond of it. What was more, even with her eyes closed, his slouching and the swirling of his mana was something she could sense. He really was dealing with quite a lot for someone who seemed so content to ignore his own urges so often. Still, she'd use his comment to keep their conversation light, "I am sure I could use it for many things, but I don't think my personality aligns much to ending things. Making things seems to be much more fulfilling to me," she confirmed.

[Bloodedge]

Naturally, the ever so bratty Holy Princess had an immediate comeback for the male. According to her, he only thought the way he did because humans were weird. It was such a simple, even childish comeback to hear, and yet... he couldn't laugh at it. He would have laughed, even should have laughed, but... it wasn't happening. Why? Simply put, Charlemagne was busy. . .

Indeed, his blatant staring had taken precedence over all other things. There wasn't even a need for meditation or yoga of his own; simply observing Angelica seemed to put him and his mana at peace. Well, that wasn't entirely true. His mana was in anything but a peaceful state, seeming more keen on thrashing about within the confines of Charlemagne's body ─ almost as if it would one day break free and seek Angelica of its own volition. All the chaos of it gave Charlemagne the strangest low ache of a feeling within. Ironically enough, it was something he felt in his manhood... which left him completely ignorant of the sensation due to what he felt already. "Uh-huh. . ."

There was probably a point somewhere in Charlemagne's mind, even if it didn't manage to pass his lips. He could definitely say creating things was more in her nature. Looking at her now, anyone with sense could tell she had the capacity to create a thousand children. Wait... why was he thinking about children? That was random. Obviously it had something to do with the name 'child's pose' from the position he'd taken most often today. Speaking of yoga poses, he still had to mention the next one. "Right. Triangle Pose. One foot steady, the other out to one side. Extend the second leg until your legs together make a triangle, and uh... lean toward that foot... until you can touch it. Other arm straight in the air, neck turned so you can look straight up as well... I think."

[Apollymi]

Oddly enough, her witty reply didn't come with any particular sass back from Charles. That was quite odd, she might have thought she'd gotten one over on him, but she was certain it should have been worth a laugh, a rebuff or at least another call of her being bratty. Ah, but no such thing came, still she was certain his eyes were on her, perhaps she'd take a little peek through her thick lashes to see what was going on with Charles in a more direct manner. "Are you alright there, Chuck?" she asked in a thoroughly teasing manner. Though to his credit he did go on to explain the next pose. She took one last deep breath after her particularly nice time in such a meditative stance, and then began to follow his direction.

The leg she had raised, lowered and straightened. She extended it out to the same side it was on. Once her legs were wide. Her body easily found the position it needed and her arms seemed to rotate of their own accord until one was reaching for her toes on the extended side, while the other reached up for the sky. Her head eventually turned and she took in the views of her settling starry sky. All was at ease. And the feeling of her mana seemed to have reached about to her throat as she exhaled while looking upwards. "I don't know if triangle is the right name for this, it seems a bit too much about the legs," she mused just as she had commented on everything else. Her limbs felt long her body felt stretched and she was beginning to feel an interesting pull in the depths of her being. As if a certain emptiness existed along side her current mana movement. Hm, that sensation was at least familiar, it felt a bit like it had when she'd approached Charles directly to kiss him. Ah, was this that thing her mother spoke of... the 'Call of Creation'. She'd need a bit more time to be certain.

[Bloodedge]

This was not the first time Charlemagne had entered such a trance today, and it probably wouldn't be the last by his approximation. Currently, it would be very difficult to think he was 'alright' as Angelica asked. In a way, he'd never been better. That could be called an untruth just as easily, though. "Yep. Just peachy," was his verbal response. It didn't matter if he was being teased, nor did anything else in the world matter currently. Little did Charlemagne realize, he was once again spiritually seeking a goal. His mind could process it as well, albeit separately. Ah, but what would that mean in the end? Basically, nothing.

Another pose was on the horizon ─ one which Charlemagne would keep under great scrutiny. What a wonderful idea. He didn't imagine there would be much appeal to a simple sideways stretch of that nature, but there was a hefty amount of it for sure. Charlemagne's head turned sideways just to follow Angelica's movement, and there it sat for quite some time. "... Yeah. It's got legs. Hips, chest... stuff," he blabbered. "They should call it birthing pose." Why did those words pass his lips at all? Well, Charlemagne didn't know. Maybe he'd find out eventually, or maybe... he'd go the realistic route and continue drawing blanks for the foreseeable future.

[Apollymi]

Peachy. Charles's descriptions of himself while they exercised was rather interesting. She knew his mana to be swirling. She couldn't be sure he was experiencing similar feelings to her own, she had an inkling. She continued her stretching and felt that sort of strange feeling within her womb as mana swirled around her throat. She didn't know what these feelings were, but her own upbringing led her to believe there was little to no wrong she could do. "Hoh?" she asked still feeling rather cheeky.

Her own positioning was soon commented upon by Charles. He made the claim that quite few body parts were present and even offered a renaming option for the position she was currently in. "You seem a bit distracted there Chuck," she murmured. She finally stood up straight though she didn't have any problem with the things he said to her, she did find his state a bit odd. "So, do you feel strange too... or is it just me?" she asked of him taking a step or two forward. She once again had a strange desire to touch the lad before her, she felt like it would be the right thing to do. Perhaps this was indeed the call of creation and she would feel better if they were touching?

[Bloodedge]

The pose reached its end. Angelica's posture straightened, and Charlemagne's neck did the same in unison. His gaze wasn't going anywhere. According to Angelica during this time, he seemed distracted. On the contrary, he wasn't distracted at all. Charlemagne was doing exactly what he was meant to do... right? He was quite sure watching Angelica's movements and mana was at the top of the priority list. "I'm not distracted..." he said, sounding ─ ironically enough ─ very distracted indeed.

Now then, there was something about a strange feeling brought up in conversation. Frankly, he'd been feeling strange on-and-off since earlier in the day. Was it truly strange, though? There was one part he could easily explain as a state of arousal, which was a strange thing to experience so suddenly around one he'd known for ages. Did that count? No, probably not. Ah, but there was one other thing. As mana was concerned, there had been an oddity to the flow of his energy since earlier. It was something Charlemagne noticed early in his meeting with Angelica, though he didn't know what to blame it on exactly. "Yeah, a little I guess? I'm pretty sure we were talking about that earlier. But it's all cool, right?" he replied. Once more, Charlemagne thought everything was simply... cool.

[Apollymi]

Naysaying. Charles offered naysaying to the idea of being distracted even as Angelica watched his neck move in the same way that her body did. He was rather clearly watching her rather intently for the duration of her stretching. At first she attributed it directly to teaching, but now she was sure it was something else. Though she felt nothing akin to shame, she wondered how much he was progressing towards actually getting over his apparent thousand years worth of habits. She didn't hold any reservations, she was fine with most things. "Sure you're not, Chuck..." she said most skeptically.

Beyond that point there was the matter of him feeling odd like she did. They had been discussing such things before and even though they had he called it cool. She reached out to touch him, pretty casually initially. Those fingers of hers casually moving up the front of his shirt barely touching fabric until she reached his neck and trailed up to the side of his face. "Well as long as it's cool..." she mused just a bit. Physical contact with Charles seemed to make that feeling in her body both dissipate and intensify. It was like a comforting pulse, telling her that her actions were indeed what she should be doing. Such had been explained to her before. Ah, so maybe this was indeed the call of creation. Her mother said she shouldn't feel shame answering it, so... she could aim to progress without feeling bad about it. Ah, but there was Charles and his hang-ups and she'd agreed to being a bit more open to his way of thinking, so she wasn't sure how to progress from this moment. She'd left herself quite open, stepping up to the front of this young man, leaving herself open while she seemed to be quite enamored by looking at him.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah. . ." It was wonderful that they could agree on something at last. Charlemagne obviously wasn't distracted by anything. He had a single point of focus, and nothing had successfully taken that focus away. Whichever way one looked at it, his goal was watching Angelica's movements and positioning. That may have just... shifted in purpose a little bit. No big deal.

That strange feeling, however, would only become stranger. Angelica drew closer and closer, until her hand reached out to his shirt. Just underneath the fabric, he could feel some sort of pull through his mana ─ almost like a small magnet. By the time her finger touched his skin, that small pull became a continuous and powerful surge. The hand on Charlemagne's face left him feeling like he was being washed into it by the world's fastest river rapids. That was cool. "Yeah, it's cool. Everything's cool," he repeated, one hand rising to rest over Angelica's. Did he mean to keep it in place? Possibly, but he didn't know for certain what his own intentions were. Something beneath the surface of Charlemagne had its own goals. Whatever that was, seemed to synchronize with whatever Angelica had going on as well. What would he be doing about that, though? Well... Charlemagne wasn't even sure what it was; Angelica seemed to have a better idea than he ever would.

[Apollymi]

Charles claimed he wasn't distracted but he'd gone quiet. Well, that wasn't the right way to phrase it. He'd gone almost trance-like in his answers and actions. Angelica knew that when he flustered Charles was prone to being a bit quiet and sheepish. This was somewhat different though, he was still managing to speak but it was simply his reference for everything being cool. Angelica still didn't fully understand the concept of cool, well except as a temperature. Even so, she couldn't really stop her current kind of progression.

She'd reached out to touch him and felt mana moving and pulsing towards her, upon actually making contact with his skin, it was almost as if they'd reached the same space. The pull of their mana seemed to be happening at the same time, and she wondered if they were sharing similar sensations? Well, it appeared to be the case, given his hand came up to hold hers in place on the side of his face. The thought made her step into his chest pressing her body against his while wrapping her other arm around him. Actually, yes he felt really nice. This was worth doing, of this she was certain. That gentle pull within her loins was definitely something interesting... ah, well that had to be it. If she remembered what she'd been told properly, it meant that they should perform the mana transfer. If everything was cool and Charles was actually receptive to it, it was alright... right?

The night had settled in her observatory. And Angelica found herself wondering what they should do. Was there some kind of convention for this that she was unaware of? Probably, she should look to Charles for a bit of guidance to avoid stepping on any of his supposed notions. "If everything is cool, come on Chuck, we're answering the call of creation!" she said that as if she'd made some kind of grand decision. It was likely brash and a bit bratty but it seemed like something she should be doing so she'd allow her body to make the choice and the slight ache between her legs had to be what her mother had mentioned.

[Bloodedge]

That contact continued seemingly to no end. Eventually, Angelica had something else to say. Charlemagne was busy dealing with that odd tingling sensation just under the skin, or rather... he was enjoying it while it lasted. With no idea what it was, Charlemagne decided it was cool. Naturally, something good wasn't worth questioning too much... right? Of course!

What was it Angelica actually had to say, though? She brought up his mention of everything being cool, deciding that if that were truly the case, they had something to do. It was Angelica's suggestion that they answer some call of creation. What an awesome name! Even so, he hadn't the slightest clue what it was. Perhaps it had something to do with that feeling all through his body? That would be interesting. "I have no idea what that is," he stated. That trance-like state wasn't going anywhere, nor did Charlemagne want it to. In fact, he'd fall deeper into it if he had the choice. Whatever it was, it seemed more powerful than Charlemagne's own consciousness. "Sounds awesome though. How do we answer that thing?"

[Apollymi]

There was a bit of tingling occurring between this pair. Angelica wouldn't even deny enjoying the contact with his skin. Perhaps it was the sort of thing that would be most easily enjoyed while they were naked? Yes, that sounded like a swell idea, she'd make sure they both stripped down as soon as possible. According to Charles, everything sounded nice. He had no idea what the 'Call of Creation' was but agreed to answering its call. "It's a feeling I think. The one that lets you know what you should be doing..." she said seeming to understand it in general terms. But perhaps this information wouldn't really make sense to anyone who wasn't raised the same way she was.

She'd easily begin moving towards her bedroom taking Charles by the hand and enjoying the tingling sensation between their skin. Ah, how did they answer it? He wanted to know... well she only knew of one way. Right but he didn't like her more generic explanation so as they reached her bedroom she finally managed to come up with the right words to answer him. "Hm, since you don't like the way I say it... you'd call it sex," she said as if it was the most normal thing to propose between two unmarried people. Yes, they should have sex and that would help them both feel more aligned to their powers. They could create in the most ultimate form of doing so... together. There was nothing wrong with this either. She was sure, her mother had all but told her there was no shame involved with answering the call of creation. And if the former goddess of justice said that, she could feel settled in her way.

[Bloodedge]

According to Angelica, the Call of Creation was a feeling that offered some form of instruction. Yes, he could rationalize that. It sounded like an instinct by her description, albeit one tied more directly to the soul. Instinct of the soul? Yeah, that worked. "Oh. Cool. I feel a lot of stuff," he muttered. True enough, Charlemagne could feel a great many things. Most were things he couldn't truly fathom or explain, but surely that didn't matter much.

Upon asking how one answered the Call of Creation, Charlemagne was led away from the observatory. He didn't receive an answer for quite some time, and soon enough, they were once again standing in Angelica's bedroom. Ah, perhaps this was a matter of meditation? No. Angelica spoke up shortly after their arrival, claiming the call's answer was... sex. "Huh. That's weird." Even in a trance, Charlemagne wondered how everything looped back to what Angelica called 'mana transfer' when they conversed. The mere mention of it, however, somehow caused a wide-ranged pulse within his Spiritual Core. Regardless of Charlemagne's mental state, that was something he desired. At this point, it wasn't something he could physically fight against either. "I should be saying something against that idea. It sounds cool somehow. Weird," he said further.

[Apollymi]

Apparently, Charles felt a lot of things. She could imagine that being the case, especially with how much his mana seemed to be unsettled. Since they'd met today he seemed to be in a state of flux. Even so, they were on their way down an interesting path. Back in her bedroom she'd finally managed to come up with an answer to his question and it was strangely the same one she would have always given but with a different name. When told that the answer to their current problem was sex, it seemed that there would be some form of complaint from Charles. Or at least, that is what Angelica expected. According to Charles, this information was weird. Beyond that point though he didn't argue against it, though he said he should, he thought it was cool and thought that was weird.

For her part in this, Angelica at least knew the explanation of why this was the case that she had been given. Perhaps if she shared it, it would help ease Charles a bit. "Mana is the key to life and the catalyst of creation. So the desire to create, should start with mana being transferred between two who both feel it," she explained. Of course this was the explanation she was given for mana transfers in general, but with the context of the call of creation it made much more sense. "So if you won't argue against it, and it will help us both there is no reason not to," she mused having found her own thoughts about it. "Besides, there isn't any shame involved in answering a call so natural," she explained it. She wasn't taught to find anything shameful about the mana transfer. Her understanding of humans meant she thought they simply didn't experience it the same way, but Charles seemed to so she figured perhaps they had to be a bit more selective. She however had already been selective and she'd do this with Charles. "So, take off your clothes..." she mused, removing her hand from his so she could remove her own clothing as well. She understood all of this in theory but figured they'd both contribute to figuring out how to get both pieces of themselves properly aligned for the act of sex.

[Bloodedge]

Mana transfer and sex were one and the same. This much, Charlemagne had known for some time. Mana transfer, sex, and the Call of Creation were also the same. Strange. He could somehow deal with that ─ even understand it to some extent. How he had any semblance of understanding was a mystery, but he couldn't be too concerned about it. Either way, Creation being the key to life made perfect sense. Sex being linked to something called 'creation' wasn't an entirely new concept either, considering it was necessary for life to spring forth. If Charlemagne gave it enough consideration, he could probably reach full understanding by logic alone. Alas, it was of little importance now.

Charlemagne couldn't make an argument, so he wouldn't. Angelica caught on with enough ease to take initiative. Of course, said initiative involved her saying there was no shame to feel, and further instructing Charlemagne to remove his clothes. It felt almost natural to do as she said, even when the pull between them became less powerful due to the loss of physical contact. Actually, the lack of contact made him feel more like answering that odd call. Charlemagne even stepped forward, slowly and still in an entranced manner while pulling that skin-clenching shirt over his head. "That... feels like the right thing to do," he agreed to the removal of clothes. In the meantime, that shirt was being callously thrown aside while Charlemagne tugged on his breeches, still stepping forward all the while.