It's Always Sunny in Tolbana

Asuna rarely is in Tolbana. Ronin life and all that. But she does have a place around here where she slips in to scratch an itch that she has. While a portable grilling kit is okay, it's no match for a real kitchen. Sure, it's just a rental, but for the day, it is all hers.

But what to cook? So many options, but so many of those she considers can be made easily on the road. Which is why she picks something that has to be baked. She's got her oven fired up. While that reaches heat, she sets about preparing ingredients.

It's no secret what she's up to, either. It's hot inside the kitchen, so the door is wide open to make it more comfortable.

Tolbana might not have been a major spot for Adventurers during the early days of the Apocalypse, but as progress on the Tower slowed since then, the population of the small town started to pick up again. Now, nearly two years since the world changed, Tolbana is quite a busy little hamlet. Plus with it being so near to the Aincrad Tower, it's a perfect spot for those leaving or entering.

Klein is making his way down a certain road in Tolbana, resting a hand on his stomach. Those with the insight to Appraise him would see the yellow-tinted Hunger debuff starting to show it's ugly head, a clear sign this ronin had gone a bit too long without a meal. Sure, he's taking a roundabout route to the nearest resturant, but he's hoping that one chimney would be sending smoke skyward. Grin growing as his instinct is correct, the red-haired human breaks into a run. No matter what is on the menu, it's going to be good.

A knocking sound on the door would echo before Klein walks the rest of the way in, trying hard to hide his grin. "Oh, Asuna! Surprised to see you in town today." Walking the rest of the way in, he leans onto a counter but makes sure not to be in Asuna's way. No way is he interfering with the master chef. "What are you making, anyways?"

She's all business and focus. It's as if the ingredients have aggro'd her and she knows they have compelling loot to get. Meat is ground, mixed with spices, and set aside in a bowl. There's a lot of cheese shredded, too.

    "Oh, hey Klein!"

She narrows her eyes and smiles. Her eyes are rolling already.

    "Well, I was thinking of having something special, but you know, if you prefer we could just go to a restaurant and talk."

It's not a subtle scene, though. She has dough rolled out and smeared evenly with tomato sauce.

Klein's eyes don't miss a beat as he watches the meat being grounded, cheese being freshl shredded. He starts to get an inkling of what Asuna could be making, but no, it could be many other things! He can't get his hopes up!...but then the dough is flattened, graced with a heavenly layer of tomato sauce. Eyes widening in shock and possibly hope, only for it to be crushed just as quickly.

"Whao whao whao, why would we waste all your good efforts?! Don't be too hasty!" Waving his hands franticly, he does his best to stop Asuna from creating a piece of heaven. Sure, she's likely teasing him, but...there could be a chance she's not. Better not risk it.

    "I heard around town you might be around, so I figured we'd catch up. Sure, I could send a chim, but I doubt it'd have worked any faster or better than making pizza does."

Asuna smiles, getting back to work. She's fast, efficient, but careful. Maybe she knew how to cook in the real world, maybe not, but here she moves with intention and purpose.

Cheese is added, then sausage. She looks over her work and adds a few chopped tomatos and peppers (both red and green).

    "And there we go.."

She even has a huge pizza peel that she uses to load it into the oven. With a satisfied nod, she turns back to Klein.

    "So.. what brings you around Tolbana today?"

That grin Klein was trying to hide comes back out in force, though a little embarrassed. The Klein Signal was, in truth, a kitchen chimney's smoke? There's no way he wants that to get out, he would never hear the end of it.

Asuna always have been the best of cooking out of anyone he knew, which is a far cry above anything he could do. He's even tried making sandwiches, which even a fresh-faced Adventurer can do, and it always comes out wrong. How can a video game be harder than real life?! Best he can do is watch the master at work. The kitchen is Asuna's canvas.

Waving a hand carelessly, Klein stands up before materalizing, a bit of ore out of his inventory. Even you don't have to know a thing about metalworking to see how well the unrefined ore still reflects the light. "I came across some good-looking iron and was just wondering if anyone at the Ironscale could use this. I rather it go to someone who can use it and not just waste away in my inventory, y'know?"

Asuna settles herself on a stool at the kitchen counter. She doesn't know a thing about metal, but she can see the value.

    "I'm sure someone can do something with it. Might make for a good helmet or weapon."

She has no idea, but it looks like roughly the right amount for that. Her eyes glide over to the oven. It's only just started its work, but she isn't known for leaving things to chance, either.

    "If we have time, there's someone I want you to meet, too. I made a friend! Well, I captured one, anyway. She's a bit intimidating at first, but deep in her heart she's wonderful and loving. If sufficiently motivated."

And yes, the smell.. pizza being made smells about the same here as in the real world.

Shoving the bit of ore away so it wouldn't accidently get left behind or worse, contaminate the kitchen, Klein peers over towards the oven. Sure, there's the old idiom about how a watched pot never boils, but it's hard not to pay any attention when it was the main reason why you here in the first place. Well, there's of course the person making the food, obviously, that goes without saying. Food can always been replaced, but a good friend makes it taste all the better.

At first, Klein perks up at the thought of meeting a new friend of Asuna. Perhaps even Asuna could hear the line he says to a beautiful woman just from memory alone. But that potential hope is squashed once more upon hearing the word 'captured', getting a few ideas on what that could mean. "Hopefully that's the kind of friendship that grows the more you spend time with one another. I'll be happy to meet her, just...uh, hopefully your friend won't bite my head off!"

A twitch of the nose brings in the first hint of the cooking perfection Asuna has sitting in the oven, and it's a effort of will for Klein not to look away from Asuna's face. She's more than the bearer of great food, dang it!

    "Tomoe wouldn't hurt a fly! Well, unless I tell her to. As long as I'm there to keep her in line, she's quite safe. Without me she is probably a bit less safe. Dire beasts can be grouchy."

Asuna seems to be satisfied with the progress in the oven. The scent is pleasing and she doesn't seem troubled. There's a kind of mental timer she's developed in her head and it's calibrated well for this particular meal.

    "I hear we're going to do another clear in a few weeks," she says abruptly. "The eleventh floor is going to be swept out of the way. Hopefully."

She doesn't sound terribly excited. It's an old and sore topic. Eleven is a very long way from one hundred, after all.

Wait, Asuna was talking about a dire-class beast? Klein's already picturing several different kinds of monsters that could be dangerous to be around, and the best one he could possibly think of on short notice would be some sort of massive tiger. It would certainly match the sort of vibe Asuna generally has, and Tomoe fits well with the mental image he built up.

There's not too much that can pull Klein away from the mental feast he could almost taste, but the sudden mention of the eleventh floor possibly being cleared soon is one of them. Standing up a little stranger, he glances out of the window, but he can't see the tower from this position. "Really? Looks like I need to get ready. It's been a while...but we'll move on to the next. You know that. And keep going, as long as it takes."

It's a sudden change from the casual atmosphere, but finally having word of 'some' progress is good news at least. Shaking his head, he gives a soft smile towards Asuna. "Keep your head up, i'm sure we'll be fine. As long as we keep soldiering on, we'll be out of here eventually."

    "Well, there's not much option at this point, is there?"

She's not terribly energetic, but she manages to get a smile back. Klein's energy is contagious. It reminds her of Uta, now that she thinks of it. Only less... slime-related.

    "We have time, in any case. A few weeks out, still. Someone is going to have to get the details so we aren't getting in there blind. In the meantime, there are a ridiculous number of gnolls out there. I haven't cut down so many monsters in a long time. That's why I'm taking this break."

Yet even on her break, she looks ready to fight on the drop of a hat. Most chefs don't cook with a saber on their hip.

With a potential floor clearing in the future, Klein seems a bit more subdued and a bit more focused. "A few weeks to prepare, scouting out and trying to get info on the boss...yeah, that's doable." The self-styled samurai rubs his chin, going over his thoughts on what he could possibly help with.

"From what I been hearing, you been making me look lazy lately! Even Landers are starting to talk bad about me..." And with that, the serious look Klein has is shattered as he bemoans that fact. It's not good for a samurai to be considered a lazy layabout! "Alright, i'm going out there soon. I can't leave all the gnolls out to you, wouldn't be fair!"

Asuna sighs softly. She doesn't want to say what she ends up saying, it just comes out.

    "I almost got surrounded last time I was on duty out there. Some crazy fighter named Yuuki stormed into the middle of the fight. She was amazing. I won't let the game pass me by, but clearly I've got some catching up to do."

Ding!

Okay, there's no actual ding. It's more in her head.

Regardless, she gets up and grabs her peel. With practiced ease, she slips the pizza from the depths of the oven to the edge.

    "I have some barley tea. I know it's not summer anymore, but it just goes well with everything. I wish Soujiro was around. He always has the best tea."

Almost casually, she adds to her earlier comment a bit of context.

    "With my spawn point in Mac Anu, I have to be pretty careful."

Klein has seen how Asuna fights, with her being a quite resourceful and agile opponent. A few gnolls wouldn't normally be an issue, but he's heard some odd rumors lately, especially Asuna's own reports. These gnolls are a danger to anyone lately, so it makes sense that safety would be in numbers. He's just glad that this Yuuki managed to come to Asuna's aid when he couldn't have been around to give it.

Asuna slides the pizza out of the oven and Klein makes sure he isn't drooling at the homemade goodness before him by rubbing his mouth. Tea? Klein would be happy with muddy water as long as he can have some pizza. It's obviously not the same meal he missed out those years ago, but he'll enjoy every piece that can remind him of home. "I don't know how he does it, but i'll drag him along the next time we meet up." Pulling his gaze away from the pizza, the scruffy-looking samurai looks Asuna in the eyes. He understands, after all. "You can always send a chim if you are going anywhere dangerous. My offer still stands."

He'll drop anything to make sure no one else ends up wearing one of those Crowns.

    "I know, just.. it's me. Gotta be Asuna and all that."

She slices, then she serves. Klein gets a piece, she gets a piece. Of coures his piece is half the pizza while her's is just a normal slice. But she planned it all that way, anyhow.

    "I will try to be a bit more careful in the future. You aren't the only one who needs to level up a bit before this next clear attempt, you know. Besides, there were these newbies who just camped in the middle of nowhere. In gnoll country. So I ran my usual circuit to keep their camp clear all night. I didn't realize I'd run into organized patrols."

The tea is poured and she starts to eat. But only after Klein takes the first bite. She doesn't ask what he thinks. She wants to. Instead she just leans forward in anticipation of his opinion.

Klein just sighs and shakes his head goodnaturedly, as he's heard this problem of Asuna's for a while. And the size of the pizza isn't even commented on. If anyone ever tease him about it, it's obviously Asuna just making sure his Hunger debuff doesn't get worse. See, a perfectly good excuse right there!

No comments are made about the gnolls or leveling up, but he's certainly making note of that when he goes back out to the field soon. Right now, the pizza takes all of his attention. Defying some expectations, he chews slowly and throughly. Taking his time to test everything carefully, he swallows audibly before nodding his head once. "Pretty good! I say...about an eight out of ten? The ingredients are fresh and it's the perfect tempature. Hmmm...it's the dough. A bit too 'un-greasy', if that makes sense." Leave it to Klein to treat a homecook meal like he was a gourmet food critic.

But honestly, an eight out of ten is an outstanding score from Klein.