A Real Pizza Work

"So I told him if he can't even afford a slice there's no way he's getting the whole pie!"

Whatever that is about, it's led to a burst of laughter from a knot of adventurers near the bar. Asuna has been hanging around a lot more lately. You might say she's taking a break from wandering around Gnoll Man's Land.

"Anyway, another round, then? The night is young!"

She is no merchant, but she does have an eye on making as much money for the place as possible. The Flash is becoming every bit as formidible in the bar as she is in battle.

Schneider is sitting around, drinking, and chuckling at the humorous stories. His own stories don't do nearly as well, and rather than ending with a punch line, usually they end in an incineration, which isn't really funny, except to him. He raises his mug as the next round comes around, and calls, 'Cheers!' at close to the right time. He has, famously, just finished his Flight School, and things are looking up, though he's almost got that rudder trim problem fixes.

    The tower has always been an interesting place, also a core home for the Scales operations. So why does an Olympain find himself in a place such as this? Simple! Good food and great drinks. Also the Scale is very good at gathering resources for ends, so it's always a good idea, as someone who is a bit of a privateer to keep good relations with any and all parties.

In this, the young man named Vafrum is sitting at a nice window table watching the festivities as Asuna gets the crowd to laugh. His predator, glowing eyes observe her actions, including the actions of those around her. After all, while he may not strut around in his beast form like most Werefangs, he still was, by the end of the night, a Werefang.

He was also noting as Asuna offers another round, that their pockets are either deep or they have a very interesting debt tab to this place. One or the other really.

Shiruba doesn't spend a lot of time in the Tower, but she does occasionally come up to check on how the refugees staying in Tolbana are doing. And while she was there for that, the aromas of food coming from the Tavern were just too good for the foodie in her to resist. So eventually the wolfen Cait Sith makes her way in to see what it is that's cooking. Which of course means she gets as far as the doors before stopping and taking a good thorough inhale to get a proper whiff. "If it tastes even half as good as it smells..."

"Flight school! Flight school! Flight school!", Uta keeps repeating at Schneider, excited. "I can't believe this is happening! I-"

She turns her head and bursts into laughter at Asuna's joke. "That was hilarious. I'm sure it'd have been better if I had caught the setup, but, hey, the punchline alone was pretty great." She returns to stare at Schneider, and chant, "Flight school! Flght school! Flight school!"

Most people would probably not recognize the Spriggan immediately, were it not for her excitable mannerisms. Mainly because today she is not in her nurse's uniform, but some sort of poofy knee-length gothic black dress, generous in frills and bows. Also black stockings.

Asuna is aware of her audience, and with casual ease keeps everyone engaged. It's not difficult, considering things. She turns her attention on Schneider and grins.

"So captain, it's quite nice of you to crash our party! I trust your aerial excursions have met with great success? Or perhaps the only thing meant to soar is my hand-tossed crust?"

She looks over at Vafrum, curious, but she's not likely to just drag him into conversation. Yet! Nobody is safe for long, though. However, Shiruba's declration is something of a challenge that must be met.

Asuna puts a hand to her chest, as if wounded. Her eyes are wide as she looks towards Shiruba.

"My dear lady, you wound me! I do not make mere aromatic wonders! This is a palace of gustatory salvation, and I am the cleric who will wash away the sins of your repast."

Uta of course gets a look and a smirk. The outfit is just... so unusual, which means it's totally usual for Uta. She'd ask, but she fears the answer would simply break her mind. Besides.. she has to duck into the kitchen to pull out /three/ large pizzas from the oven.

Schneider chuckles at Uta's enthusiasm. "You're probably one of the most eager test pilots we have," he agrees. The winged races obviously have an advantage, wings won't let you fly, but they're better than a parachute in a mishap. As long as you retain consciousness. But noone's pulling 9G turns yet or flying over 12000 feet, so they're probably OK. He smirks to Asuna, and admits, "Mixed success, at least. I have determined several times that gravity definitely still works." He nods gravely. "Though a pizza does sound tasty right about now."

    Vafrum hears the talk of dough tossing and makes note of this, but what gets his attention is Uta going on about 'flight'. He raises a brow slowly and then finishes the rest of his drink. It is here he smoothly stands up and goes to make his way over toward Uta and Schneider. His hands gently resting against his lower back, as he smiles ever so slightly. "A flight school is it?" He then looks over to Schneider, "I am most curious to hear more about this-- Flight school of yours, if you don't mind sharing."

He also glances toward Shiruba as she makes her entrance, before his attention moves back to the two going on about flying and such. Something has those gears turning and it may or may not be good.

Shiruba stares at Asuna for a moment as she processes that, and then barks a brief laugh. "I'm sorry, I meant no insult!" It doesn't take saying it more than once to get her to stroll up to find a seat. "Whatever it is that smells so good, I want some..."

Then sort of trails off briefly as she notices Uta. And Uta's outfit. She's spent enough time with certain people both inside Elder Tale and outside it before to recognize certain things when she sees it when it comes to outfits. "You've visited Gwen, haven't you Uta... Or Morrigan..."

"How about some Vol-au-vent to celebrate?", Uta pipes up to Asuna. Vol-au-vent which, the translation system relates, means "Flight-in-the-wind". Multi-lingual pun! The game has been stepped up

She seems to be in a good mood today. One might wonder why.

"Flight school! Flight school! Flight school!" Blink. Catch up with recent discussions. "Oh, Gravity might still work, but we're going to give it a run for its money!"

Vafrum enters the discussion, and Uta, promptly, scoots back and goes silent to let him speak.

For one, while it might not seem so, Uta is trained in Etiquette. For two, Uta recognized the voice from the Olympus chimlinks. This sounds like the guy who works business at pretty high level. She's not been following -closely- what he does, but considering the kind of projects he has tackled in the past, he's probably a CEO or something. At least, that's what Uta guesses... without having Mercantile to confirm her hypotheses (or possibly making good hypotheses in the first place)

"'Ambushed' is a more accurate description. Started training in the Dark element. In a rare astral conjunction, Gwen and Morri declared -in unison- that I needed a goth makeover." She scratches her head. "Then there was something about how one needs to go through a goth phase during Dark training, but details are fuzzy there..."

Asuna cuts the pizza with an expert eye. Every slice must be perfectly, absolutely, equal. She freakishly cuts each slice independently, so they are cut only the moment before they go on the plate, with minimal exposed time. To those who have seen her fight, her expression is the same as it is in battle. It is 'crunch time' here. Still, there's a chance to tease Shiruba.

"Alas, my lady, many a noble heart has sought to court me, seeking to capture my interest, so I must decline. However, if there's a crust I can offer to make up for it, it is my life's work."

Which is of course one of the generous slices of pizza, complete with gruntie sausage and some mild peppers. Likely with a beer, as well.

The mention of goth earns a sigh from Asuna. She eyes Uta's dress and shakes her head.

"You look like a harujuku girl, honestly. It's rather shocking, really! I hope you aren't writing poems about death. That'd be a grave turn of events."

Schneider gets a plate, as well. And probably another mug of beer while Asuna is at it.

"I will accept the offering of crust and toppings as a surrogate," Shiruba plays along. Then turns her attention back to Uta, nodding and uh-huing as she explains. "Both at the same time. Poor girl. Hopefully it works out in the end."

And then she voraciously starts on the pizza. But not hastily. One has to take the time to enjoy it after all, or the point of food love is lost.

Schneider smiles as Vafrum comes to join him, and he nods to the fellow. He's proud of his new Flight School. "Hot Wings Flight School," he explains, the name clearly a joke on his fixation with Fire, "just trains gliders right now. That's all we can do. But we have goals of actual controlled flight. As soon as we work out engines and such." That is, they fly, or glide, within the limits of RL physics, which alas Spriggan flight is not compatible with. Poor Uta. But he nods about giving gravity a run for its money. "That's a fact," he agrees, accepting pizza and beer from Asuna.

    Vafrum glances over to Asuna watching her work next. His eyes watching each of her movements and how quick she moves. Then he looks at her face, before back to her hands. "You have quite the elegance with the dough don't you, my dear? I am sure you would even know how to slice up the competition if given the chance, hm?" There was a playful grin there.

Vafrum looks back to Schneider, "Ah, I see. So the mastery of hovering, but not yet breaking the restriction of the code over the actual flight." He shifts his weight on his leg, as his arms come to his side. One hand raising up to rub his chin a little in thought. "Whom have you reached out to for resources in order to try and construct your engines or-- have you kept it all," He motions his hand around the place. "In house?"

Uta scratches her head at Shiruba. "Hopefully it will work out in the end, indeed. Worth a shot at the very least, I suppose. This game has strange rules. Maybe it -really- works like that?"

"Poems about death?", she raises an eybrow at Asuna. "That would be a nail in my coffin." She then taps her lips repeatedly, possibly to jog her brain, as she looks up and away. "But then again, maybe I have to? I have never been through a goth phase before. I have no idea of how it works. Maybe I should go visit Kita and ask her advice..." And then pulls back. "Harukuju girl? Is that... bad?", she asks, suddenly self-conscious.

Schneider and Vafrum are talking business now! She's a bit out of her element (which, as just said, is Dark -- pay attention!), so she mostly sits there, quiet, and listens, while she starts digging into her pizza.

Mmm. Pizza. Delicious. Even if she does not have much to add to the shop talk, at least she can provide an ecstatic expression.

"Harujuku fashion, which is.. well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it? But a goth phase has nothing to do with a game set in this world. You are on the wrong continent."

Asuna is focused on her work, to be sure, and the pizzas are distributed in a remarkably short time. She may have even used some waves artes there! She is passionate about a perfect slice. Which draws her attention to Vafrum.

"When it comes to this dish, there is no competition! Making the perfect pizza is my dough-main of mastery, after all."

So yeah, she's been like this all night. But a closer inspection will reveal that she's rather tired. But then, she's always rather tired! Especially since she's never bothered getting her nightmare issue fixed. But she's solved her sleepiness issue. By drinking the strongest green tea she can get her hands on. All day.

Schneider nods to Vafrum about not breaking the restriction on actual flight, but the way he says it tells Schneider something more. "You haven't heard, then?" he wonders. "We know what's sealing away Spriggans' flight. Not how to fix it, yet, but a piece of the puzzle. There's some /thing/, the name 'Shards of Twilght' refers to the pieces of the Twliight Dragon that shattered when it was killed. The pieces of the corpse are so powerful they are used for world-affecting enchantments like the one that seals away player flight in difiance of physics."

Having explained that, he adds, "Oh, also, flying outside the Tower gets you eaten by some very dangerous monsters." He shares a look with Uta, who will remember /that/ adventure. He takes a bite of his own pizza, and says to Uta, "You have to listen to the Cure and the Smiths, also." His dad knew goths, anyhow. He knows goth trivia.

Shiruba rolls her eyes at the pizza baking puns, but she has to work with people like Fuka, she's use to word play coming up randomly. She's also too busy with enjoying the pizza and beer to say a whole lot. Though an ear had flicked towards the other conversation about engines and such. If she responded any, it was concealed by the application of food into her mouth.

"Oh, yeah. Being in the wrong continent. Story of my life," Uta comments, nonchalant, as she waves one hand in dismissal. "Listen to the Cure... and the Smiths..." Uta scribbles down.

* * * Cut to days later * * *

Uta is standing outside the Clinic of Tolbana, hand behind her ear. "And you should take two swigs of healing potion after every meal..."

* * * Cut to another day * * *

A Weapon Forger stops beating the smoldering metal into shape. "What are -you- doing here?!", he asks Uta, who just poked her head up from behind a workbench. "Nothing! Just listening!" "Why?" "Dark Training." "How does this-" "Look, I got this from a very good source. Just continue, ok?" "...sure!", continues the Smith, and the rhythmic chime of hammer on metal resumes.

* * *

Back in the present, Uta continues, "And I confirm. Anti-flight measures are pretty nasty."

Something in Asuna's behaviour catches the nurse's attention. She swipes her menu open, and at the first opportunity (be it Asuna placing the pizza in front of her or something along those lines), she'll 'accidentally' bump into her or somehow engage in physical contact, as required by medical inspection -- to determine if Asuna has any status effect.

    Vafrum takes all this and hrms gently, before he says, "Shards of Twilight." Vafrum repeats back with a soft smile and his eyes slightly narrowed. "Most interesting." Then he steps back ever so slightly. "Very interesting indeed. On all accounts."

The man then looks over to Asuna as she comes back with her own comment and smirks a little. "Bravo." He then nods to Uta as she expresses the truth of anti-flight measures. With that he seems to be content to now just take a seat near the group. Seeming to retire back to observing the group with what peaked his interest for the time saited.

Asuna turns her attention back to Shiruba, who is quiet. Broodingly quiet. Probably due to devouring pizza, but Asuna talks to everyone. Like any good wait staff, she makes sure that Shiruba takes a BIG bite and then talks to her. That way she can awkwardly chew her food while Asuna makes prolonged eye contact.

"So, what brings you this way? I don't suppose you came all this way just to enjoy a slice of the finest this world has to offer?"

It's unclear if she means pizza or is making another joke about her own desirability. Probably both.

At least, despite the implications of the saying 'wolf if down', Shiruba is polite and doesn't try to answer until she's properly chewed and swallowed her way through most of the pizza slice. Then she needs to pause so she can take a drink, so she can at least respond before doing so. "I helped build the housing for the refugees while I was learning Woodworking skills, so occasionally I come up to see if anything needs fixing or such. Though I imagine a lot of them will start heading back to Eas or go to the new kingdom with the Palace Land invaders being driven out of Yamato finally."

Schneider has not, himself heard the Cure or the Smiths, them being entirely passe by the time he was old enough to listen to popular music, so all he knows about it are his dad's Dad jokes, and things like that. So, he can't offer more than the notes Uta has taken. "Maybe one of our bard-types can help?" he suggests. But they'd have to be either pretty old or pretty retro.

He smirks as Asuna flirts with Shiruba, munching his own pizza happily. "This is what this game has been missing," he declares, mostly to himself.

"What have you been missing?", Uta asks Schneider, between bites of her own pizza. "Romantic contents?" She looks up and away, distracted. "That is a good point, I wonder if you can initiate a courtship with landers, and that unlocks some sort of dating sim mini-game." She bites into her pizza again, chews, and swallows. "Probably. The variety and depth of quests is staggering, I wouldn't be surprised if it simulated dating mechanics down to details like 'having to apologize for forgetting an anniversary' and 'crossbow weddings'."

Uta looks down into her pizza, and mumbles, "But I -am- a Bard-type... Godhand/Bard..."

"There is talk about those Shards of Twilinght having been involved in the events of the Apocalypse. The reason why we're trapped here," she adds to Schneider's comments. "I should double-check my notes to see how accurate those statements are."

"No, no, knowing Shiruba, she probably came all this way just the enjoy a slice of the finest this world has to offer." A nod. "Like many dogs, she's very food-motivated."

Woodworking?! Asuna focuses her (admittedly sleepy and somewhat jittery) attention on Shiruba.

"Could I trouble you for some help? I could really use a new cutting board, some wooden spoons, and a few serving dishes."

And probably a lot more than that. Her house is in a state of disrepair. The kitchen is, of course, immaculate, though!

"I would be happy to offer some kind of compensation in return! I'd hate to see you put in all those lathe nights without something to show for it."

Uta's comments only encourage Asuna. Then again, everything encourages her. It's a sickness.

"Well, the way to someone's heart is through their stomach, so there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

Schneider huhs to Uta as she asks that. "Missing? I mean the pizza," he explains. "Who needs romance anyhow?" he shrugs dismissively. "I mean, it's just guys that play games anyhow, I heard." Girls play, there's no law against it, but they're quite rare, and probably avoid these sorts of conversations. "Though /actually/," he recalls, "Wake and I at one point rescued a village in Ninetails that had been co-opted by Palace Landers. The population was mainly players who had given up on the grind and just wanted to live out their lives in the game. They had done stuff like getting married and having babies. I asked after the Palace Landers had been booted out. So, it can be done."

He nods to Uta, agreeing, "One of them was used to seal Ezzo. But don't ask him about that, he clams up and gives you a dirty look. I asked."

    Vafrum continues to listen to the conversation around him. Taking possibly mental notes of everyone's individual skills or lack thereof. The tip of his index finger running along the brim of a glass, as he stares into the empty glass.

His brows gently knit at his own thoughts, before he slowly raises his gaze up toward Asuna and Shiruba as fun flirting takes place, including the eventual request of tools being made for Asuna to continue her pizza conquest. Those predator gold eyes then look over to Uta talks about the dating simulator possibly being in the game, then over to Schneider who brought up what the game has been missing.

His eyes then go back to the empty glass, as he gently uses his finger tip to start to tip it nearly over on its edge, before bringing it back over. "I am sure someone out there has exploited some landers' feelings for them or even decided to go round with such an individual in a possible one night stand. The real question one might gander is if a child can be bared between such a coupling and if so, what that child may result as."

Vafrum then moves his hand away from the glass letting it rattle back and forth before it comes to a stop. "I also imagine such unions could be formed in power plays and the like if an adventurer such as us had enough status to go up in a higher place of power. After all, there are a few adventurers already, such as those like Lady Wake whom stand in very high places amongst landers and adventurers alike."

The man then goes to stand. "Further however, it could cause an opposite effect where the landers /could/ feel threatened by what they see as-- immortal people-- trying to go for such higher places of station. Mayhaps even could see such a child as.. A curse, rather than a blessing." He then goes to take a slice, placing down a few coins. "Food for thought." He says before taking a bite of the pizza and leaning against a beam.

"Not JUST for the food," Shiruba replies after drinking her beer. ".... But Uta isn't per say wrong, either," she admits after a moment. "Hold on..."

She rummages through her inventory to find a parchment and quill so she can take a few notes on dishware and such. "If it helps keep the good food being made that's all the encouragement I need. It's also good practice between bigger projects." Followed by a chuckling under her breath as she jots, because 'lathe night' is a good one she's going to have to remember for later.

Asuna sighs softly and settles into her usual perch behind the bar. It's a higher stool, set just right so she can lean her back against the wall. It's been a long day, clearly. Her blinking is getting a lot slower, actually.

"Oh, and yes, it'd help! If you have time, there are a lot of things I could use help with. There aren't many good woodworkers around. Clearly that job goes against the grain."

Even half-asleep, she is dropping the puns. But her blinking is getting notably slower, and she covers a yawn. Then doesn't cover the next.

"So does anyone want another drink or anything?"

This is of course punctuated by another yawn.

Schneider nods as Vafrum muses the same thing he mused so long ago. Though he had been in a position to find out, and so he asked. And was answered, because he's a very genial guy. And not a power mad exploder wizard, no matter what anyone says. Well, he can lay the bishounen hero schtick on kind of thick when he needs. "I don't know about a player and a Lander," he says. "But if two players have a baby, the baby is a Lander. So I have to imagine the same thing happens between a player and a Lander. I mean, who'd sign up for an MMO to play a baby?" Sadly, probably more people than he'd like to think about. "And anyhow, how would you level up? Potty training? Learning to tie your shoes? And that's years in."

He smirks as Asuna seems to have worked herself to exhaustion. I've got everything I need," he says.

Shiruba shakes her head when she sees how tired Asuna is getting. Hopefully her shift is soon over. "I am good for now. I can check on other things if you like later... And yeah. Myself and the one who trained me are of the very few Adventurer ones I know of." She gets out some coins to pay for her pizza and beer. "Of course Fourlands have a lot of Lander ones, but they're more focused on the shipbuilding aspect, and I don't think furniture needs mizzenmasts."

    "Ever heard of a life games?" Vafrums says back to Schneider, "I'd imagine it be something like that." His eyes then looks over to Asuna, before he tosses a coin gently in her direction. "And go get yourself some sleep, my dear lady. The look of mushroom eyes does not suit a lovely face as your own."

He then goes to finish the rest of his pizza as he walks, before turning on his heel with ease. A smile flashing over his face, as the shadows land across his face to give way to the glow of his eyes. "But I do wish you all a good night and hopefully we may all, at some point, speak again." He then gives a bow before heading out the door.

Schneider shrugs to Vafrum about Life Games. "I played basketball in High School, I don't know much about games." He will wave goodnight to Vafrum as he departs, and since it looks like everyone else is finishing up, he'll scarf the last of his pizza slice and quaff the last of the beer and get ready to head out as well.

Asuna sighs and startles back to alertness in a sudden jerk. She glides back to her feet and knuckles her back.

"Anyway, I may slip out. I'm only here as an extra person, anyway."

She steps into the kitchen and is able to clean things up rather quickly. It's a lot easier in the gaming world to do that! And then she's back again.

"So if it's the same to everyone, I will declare the pizza party portion of the evening complete. Perhaps tomorrow night I will be back by the oven, baking you all crazy again."

The Flash turns to Shiruba, offering a pleasant smile. Well, mostly pleasant. Also quite tired.

"I will look forward to meeting you again soon! I'll send you a friend request. And not just because you are a woodworker. Sometimes at night I get a bit.. board."

Oof.