Home For A Rest

    Keeping busy is just something Fuka does. As much as she revels in funtimes, she buys such activities honestly. Anyone who truly knows her knows how hard and long she works, and wouldn't begrudge her the personal time she spends after such activity is done... but that doesn't mean the little sylph herself sees such a thing quite so clearly.

    Right now, of course, she's relaxing somewhat. For a given value of relaxing. She's spending some time maintaining the enchantment workshop she'd worked in some time ago. Not putting it into full production, just doing a little bit of care. Sharpening an engraver's rod, dusting, checking fluid levels on a few stores almost absently. Distractedly.

    Busy is relative. And can be good or bad. For her part, Elly is less busy than normal. She is, as they say, between acts of mischief. This leaves her with time to poke around her castle and see what others are up to. And learn who is visiting.

    Which is how she ends up knocking on the door to Fukaziroh's workshop. Well, the enchanting workshop. Really, there are so many empty buildings available for strange moods, there's a lot of room to support visitors.

    Of course the various workrooms are open to all, at least unless someone in a Strange Mood locks them. Hopefully Elly keeps spare keys to all of them as part of her efforts to keep the adventurers safe and healthy. Fuka isn't in a strange mood however. There's no fever in her eyes as she comes to the door, peering up. "Oh, Aunt Elly!" she greets, a genuine smile of pleasure crossing her tired expression. Not, again, tired to the point that she's clearly been abusing her health. Just tired from a lot of travel.

    She pauses, peers. "Don't you like... own this place?" she asks, more teasing than curious. "Pretty sure you don't actually need to knock. This is like a second home to me maybe, but I don't *actually* live here you know... Or were you looking for someone else?"

    "Well, knocking is polite, dear." And that's really what Elly is known for, after all. As for keys? She's a thief. She likes a challenge.

    She closes the distance and hugs her niece. Which takes a bit of positioning, considering the height of the Baroness. Yet she can make it seem graceful, and there's no lack of affection.

    "You look tired. Are you hungry? Can you rest, or are you still working?"

    Fuka's not as cuddly as some, or at least not as prone to tackling others as some, but she welcomes hugs and enjoys them just fine. She may be child-height to someone the size of Wake, but that's never a problem. Not to her at least.

    She sighs as she lets go, shaking her head. "Not working really. Just doing stuff with my hands while I'm thinking. Trying to get some ideas together for a big engineering project and... well, I feel kind of silly with my schoolwork in game design instead of science!" she grins. "I mean, it's not like we have computers here! Not YET anyways!"

    "So what are you looking to make?" asks Elly. She smiles at the enthusiasm, even if it is very likely she will not understand the details. "There are a lot of skills that were so useful in the past and are not yet meaningful here. Perhaps you can make computers, though."

    She pauses to think that over. It makes her laugh. "Perhaps it is more correct to say it would be an emulator? We are working on electricity, too. So, there is a future with a lot of changes ahead."

    Fuka shrugs at that. "Never know how the future will turn out... and I don't really go for regret for my past decisions either." she confides. "Besides, game design gives me insights into the quest and stat system!" she states cheerfully, then pauses. "Actually no, I didn't learn any of that in school. I learned all that actually *playing* games. First term university was kind of basic, you know?"

    Fuka glances around as if to illustrate, then frowns. Nope, nothing particularly illustrative here. "Well, I'm considering getting an effort together to make some wagon convoys, that make use of refrigeration. And it got me thinking we could really use something to help with lifting and loading. So, trying to figure out if hydraulics or pneumatics are possible with current tech. Or maybe with enchanting instead! But..." she pauses, shakes her head. "So much needing to be done. I can't even imagine how you handle it all. You must have even more stuff to do than I do, and you're always running around to handle diplomacy and stuff. And still you..." she pauses once again, looks up, looks away somewhat guiltily. "Ah, never mind. That's a terrible thing for me to say."

    Elly listens patiently, smiling at her niece's excitement. She loves seeing someone get so many ideas. Seeing Fuka like this is particularly rewarding. It will fuel her energy to keep all this strange mood support front of mind.

    "Oh, hydraulics and pneumatics would be so useful!" Don't ask her to tell them apart. She only has the vague idea there. "Could you improve the suspension on wagons? A lot of families rely on them and they aren't very comfortable and merchants suffer a lot of damage trying to move things about."

    Then Fuka goes off on a different topic. It is confusing to Elly, honestly. Sure, she has things she works on all the time, but it never feels so hard.

    "And still I...? I'm sorry, but the only thing terrible is not trusting each other enough to share feelings. Even if we think those feelings are wrong or unfair. Perhaps I can help you feel better."

    Fuka frowns at that, not an indication of displeasure, just concentrating. "That's not something that can be solved with enchantment." she notes apologetically. "Even if I can make pneumatics, they'd only last so long before they need recharging, and that would suck for wagons. And I've got no way of making suspension that doesn't involve pneumatics. Like... springs or something?" she shrugs. Maybe she'll bring it up to a metalworker sometime.

    The change of subject... well, that's got Fuka still looking a little shifty-eyed. Especially when Elly mentions not trusting enough to share feelings. How can she clam up with that being put out there? She sighs. "I mean... you running around doing all this work, and you can still manage to have a relationship as strong as ever. Don't you wish you could... you know, just spend more time with Tae and let the world just take care of itself for a time?"

    "So a more difficult problem. Perhaps there are magical options, then. The wonderful thing about this world is that we can use things that were simply not available before. Or just get those portals working again. Somehow."

    Elly sighs softly and smiles at Fukaziroh. The real question is behind the question, of course. But it gets to an important point.

    "Tae and I are together most nights, and for most meals. Now, certainly there are times where I am away, and that does get boring. And this stupid war has held off our wedding. We have had so many delays now. I owe her the best wedding the world has ever seen at this point."

    She taps her lip and smiles playfully. "Or at least.. the best wedding night the world has ever seen."

    Fuka raises an eyebrow at that. "Scandalous." she murmurs, then laughs. She LIKES scandalous, of course. Scandalous makes her happy, or at least amused. Then she sighs again. "That sounds kind of amazing actually, but ... I can't see myself doing that. It's just so much... so much! And I'm... well, I'm me!" she shrugs, as if this is entirely self-explanatory.

    Fuka's never been exactly great with words, often getting something wrong, often deliberately so. But this seems different somehow. A vagueness that's hiding a deeper uncertainty or discomfort.

    "It is how relationships work. You can have time, but just because you have it does not mean it has value. When we are together, we push the distractions away. And we chim to each other all the time. So there is never a time when we are unaware of what the other is up to. So, last night, for instance.."

    Elly laughs again, biting her lip. Scandalous? She clearly had to cut off whatever she was about to say. Is that.. a blush? Who would have thought it possible.

    "You are you, but, who cares? Find something that works. Someone that works. Just understand it takes work. The relationship does not tend to itself. You are going to get lazy, you are going to be silent when you should speak, or when you try to speak you will be careless and hurt someone you love. You know, I feel like I should call Tae here for this topic."

    "You're talking about what you did last night, and now you want her here?" Fuka asks, teasing. "You know, I'm not actually that voyeuristic! I don't need the details of what you do together!" she claims with a laugh.

    The laugh dies out though, cut short a little too quickly. "I'm still me though. I mean... wasn't all that long ago I thought I'd never find anyone and .... I mean, I was okay with it. Kind of still am. Not that I don't like being close, but ..." she pauses, shrugs. This isn't something she has the words for either it seems.

    "Oh, wow, yeah. We would not share that. Your virgin ears simply cannot handle it!" Elly's teasing, but her smile is warm. "But I had meant to talk relationships, so you can get two perspectives on the same thing."

    The Baroness, Priestess.. woman just looks over Fukaziroh as she speaks. There are a lot of little words in there that stand out. But she's not going to try to pick at words. She does have questions. But the first is really the one that matters most.

    "Why do you think you wouldn't find someone?"

    Fuka raises an eyebrow sceptically at that. "If you have to ask, you clearly didn't grow up in the same sort of town I did." she says dryly. "I mean, I'm who I am. And it was a little annoying finding people who showed interest in me at first then completely lost interest when they find out what I'm actually like. Except for like... a few. Really a few." she pauses, turns away slightly to stare down at the floor. "You know how a lot of people say the randomizer's uncanny at how it knows how to give us an appearance that suits us? Well... I was really happy getting ..." she pauses, then gestures to herself. Again a shrug. "It's cute, and yet not the sort of thing that'll attract anyone. So if someone's interested, it's because they're interested in *me*. Or they're some loli perv I can just ignore I guess. So either way I never have to deal with them just... losing interest when I turn out to be no Yamato Nadesico, and I can just be myself..."

    Elly sorts through that, listening closely, but with a different ear than most. She is, after all a doctor of psychology. Granted, she's no therapist, but she does listen closely enough to understand a few things. Understand well enough to have some questions and thoughts.

    "I cannot help but notice that you are saying a lot about what the other person thinks and is attracted to. I am curious about something. You do not have to answer. But what about you? What are you looking for?"

    That penetrating question gets another casual shrug. Dismissive. But then Fuka frowns, giving it more consideration. "I always thought the girls who chased a boy were weird." she claims. "Not that I object to boys! Or girls. I just... it feels weird and wrong, *needing* to define yourself as a girlfriend. Like they're acting like they're worthless without a boyfriend! Or a girlfriend, or ... you know, just someone else to *define* themselves by!"

    She looks up at that, lost and vulnerable. "I know I'm the one that's weird. That I'm missing something... but I'm okay with that, you know? I just want to be me!"

    Elly smiles gently and sets a hand on her niece's shoulder. "This is where we ought to be sharing something decadent while having this conversation. But sadly, nobody has created chocolate or ice cream yet."

    Not that it stops the conversation. "There is nothing wrong with being who you are, Fukaziroh. What do you think is missing, though? A desire to chase pursue people romantically?"

    It takes Fuka a little while to answer that, deep in thought. "Not really." she hedges eventually. "I mean, I like romance! I like... you know, other things too. Nothing wrong with that!" she says roguishly, though her heart's not in it enough to be thoroughly scandalous with the statement like she might normally be.

    "Even so..." she pauses again, considering. "I don't think I've ever chased anything like that. Friendship, once. And ice cream too of course! Those mean a lot, you know! But I think if someone told me I had to start acting a certain way or I'd never get myself a man, I'd just ... not. You know? And I'm okay with that!"

    "While I would not claim to be an expert on men," Elly begins, laughing at herself, "I can say this with confidence: Being other than yourself will absolutely fail. Oh, certainly the pursuit may go well, but what you end up catching will simply never work out. So yes, if you mean okay as you are, that sounds very healthy."

    She looks about for a place to sit. She settles on a workbench that looks stable enough. She's six feet tall and will rarely be considered 'lithe' by anyone who isn't a hill giant.

    "I am reading the tea leaves a bit here, but I get the feeling you do want a partner. Is that fair to say? If so, do you feel clear on what you want?"

    Fuka grins at that, relaxing slightly. She's not convinced she's not weird. She IS weird and knows it. But she's not being judged poorly over that weirdness, so it's fine.

    She leans back against her own bench, kicking a foot to scuff her boot against the ground as she considers. "I'm not sure what I want." she admits. "What you have is wonderful. I'd love to have something like that. And yet... probably the two best friends I've ever had have been girls and I'm fine with just being friends!"

    She coughs, looks a little sheepish. "I mean, if they WERE interested in that way that'd make me happy too. But... uh... yeah, not gonna happen." she admits, blushing slightly. "Probably."

    "With friends it can be really complicated," admits Elly. "I never made that move, myself, but then again, liking women like I do, it always felt risky as hell. Especially as the American in Asia."

    She is letting her 'doctor' aura fade away. This is supposed to be comfortable and relaxed time! Not therapy time.

    "But it sounds like you are open to things. And there is nothing to rush for, right? Trust me, the girls you see always on the hunt? They are probably not having a great time."

    But then, there is that blush. It practically demands a loving bit of teasing. "Someone has cheeks that are saying a whole lot. And who knows, probably? That is nothing to be afraid of, right?"

    Fuka loves teasing, but when it's turned against her... well, she's still okay with it. It does make her blush a bit harder though. "It's not like that! And I won't push and mess up a friendship, and I'm okay with that!" she claims hotly. And not insincerely. She values friendship far more than that kind of intimacy. "Not that there's anything *wrong* with friends with benefits!" she adds. "But you shouldn't go looking for friends for the benefits they provide!"

    "I feel like the angle is a bit off." Elly pauses, picking through her words. "So I love Tae. Intensely. We obviously have those benefits of which you speak. Those are an expression of the love, a continuation of it, not the reason for it. Intimacy for us is a shared value and while we certainly do work to maintain the proper level of seduction, it is because we know how happy we are to share it."

    The Baroness laughs a little at that point. "I think it is good that I am the priestess of a fertility goddess. I would never make it talking about chastity."

    "You don't say." Fuka drawls, deadpan. She can't keep it up long though, and grins. "I can't help but feel those girls who want to be chaste just don't know what it's like being caught!" she claims roguishly.

    After a bit she sighs, but this time it's more one of relief than that of uncertain melancholy. "So... I'm not THAT weird then?" she asks, either relieved or seeking just a little bit more reassurance. "How did you get that wise? It's being old, right?" she asks, poking back for the earlier comment at her expense.

    "Not all that weird at all, sorry. You will simply have to try harder!" Elly smirks playfully, and then there it is! The old lady thing again.

    She narrows her eyes, but she's laughing. "I am not very wise. Tae is the one who saved me. She is my wildfire. Did I tell you about how we met? And what happened before it that made it so important?"