A Lonely Heart to Heart

    Mac Anu is back. Well, it wasn't truly gone. It was taken. But it is a place people can go again, and since the Dukedom is Asuna's kingdom, she's back here. She even has a place here that she likes to stay in. It's no secret, obviously, and it's cleaned-up again now that she's back.
    She is sitting on the balcony, overlooking the waters. Whatever is on Asuna's mind, it's not terribly exciting to her. The Flash looks rather the worse for emotional wear this evening.
    There aren't even proper stars in the sky yet, but she's gazing up at the darkening blue veil above as if it were the most compelling thing in the world to her.

What once had been whispered about with resignation and anger in Adventurer's voices is now the subject of rejoicing, even by those that has no attachment to Mac Anu. And for those that would have ended up in Palace Lander's hands if they died in combat, it must be a load off their mind.

As for one wandering samurai, it's a place of fond memories both old and new. It certainly didn't deserve to be in the hands of people who only cared to enslave the will of others! But Klein is getting himself heated up for nothing. What matters right now is spending time with a friend in the reclaimed water city.

Klein only takes a moment of looking at Asuna from behind, studying her. Walking forward, the scruffy man puts up a cheerful grin and waves to his fellow Ronin. "Hey Asuna!" Resting his forearms on the balcony's railing, he looks at her doing not-stargazing for a moment, trying to figure out what could be bothering her so much. "Gold for your thoughts?"

    "I'm not sure they're worth much."

It's not a frosty reply, but her attempt at humor doesn't fit her expression, either. The tone is quite forced, really. If the bags under her eyes are any indicator, she's slept poorly as of late. Still, she forces herself to smile, cause she is happy to hear his voice.

    "But I'm really happy you are here, Klein. Truly. How have you been?"

A quick glance inside the place makes it clear that she's almost certainly alone. There's not even a whiff of anything cooking!

Asuna's ruffled appearence, baggy eyes and her stilted reponse makes it clear something is certainly wrong. Why else would she basically hiding away on a balcony? Clearly it wasn't to listen in onto others, that was never Asuna's style. Klein doesn't let any of his worries show, however. It's clear she needs some support right now, and that's certainly what he does best.

Waving a hand back and forth horizontally, Klein shows he could be doing a bit better. The exaggerated motion near his head shows that his normal bandana is covering most of his hair. "Honestly? Just trying to improve myself and play catchup to the others! I wanted to help out with the war effort, but...eh, other things have been going on."

Calling up his menu for a moment, Klein materalizes two wrapped sandwiches and offers one to Asuna silently. It wasn't made by the samurai since the sandwich hasn't exploded just by existing, but it wouldn't be up to Asuna's usual efforts. Still, it's a gesture from someone who cares. "But enough about me. I'll still pay top coin for them anyways. Only if you want to share 'em, though."

    "Grab a seat."

Asuna does smile at Klein for real this time. He's just... a good person and a better friend. The sandwich is accepted with a laugh, though she does lift her left hand to brush a palm at the corner of her eye, as if trying to conceal a tear.

    "I think I would like to. With you, anyway. It's just been rough lately, I guess. And stressful. These damn invaders made me terrified to even fight for months. And to make it worse, Kirito got close to me and then just skulked off doing whatever he's doing. I don't even know where he is! For all I know, they... or maybe he just changed his mind? He's always trying to be so cool and he took advantage of me being off-balance."

She will take a bite of the sandwich to interrupt herself. It does help her stop herself from talking. She doesn't show any signs of being anything but pleased with the food, though.

Klein's grin grows upon hearing that laugh, casually sitting down nearby and unwrapping his own sandwich. If he saw Asuna brushing near her eye, he didn't make any mention of it. Chewing on his makeshift meal and finding nothing wrong with it, he just listens as Asuna rambles on whatever is on her mind. With how much is coming out so quickly, it's clear the dam was going to break sooner or later. It's just a good thing he was ready to help relieve some of the pressure.

Gulping audiblly, Klein flicks a finger away from his sandwich towards Asuna. "First off, anyone who was in your position would be terrified, so don't even think about feeling guilty. I already do my best not to die, and if my respawn point was in the hands of those Palace Landers, i'll be hiding inside. You were still out and about, doing your best to help everyone else out. That's something you should proud of."

But that likely wasn't the biggest issue bothering Asuna. It all comes back to a certain Black Swordsman. Chuckling softly, Klein looks skywards at the darkening sky. "And knowing Kirito, he's either fully caught up in some adventure, trying to find you something that might really surprise you...or more likely both." Turning his gaze back towards Asuna, he gives her a fond smile, as he's seeing something worrying about something he hasn't found yet. "And I seen the way both of you look at each other, especially when you think i'm not looking. No way he's changed his mind. If he did...well, i'll drag him off and tell him how much of a fool he is." There's no doubt in Klein's voice that last option wasn't even a possibility.

Asuna's emotions do seem to flow more easily when Klein provides her an opening to show them. It's embarrassing, on one hand, but she can't hold them completely back. It's not that she breaks down, exactly, but she has to wipe at her eyes far more to deal with the tears. The glassiness of her eyes makes it all but impossible to misunderstand them.

    "I haven't felt powerless like that in a long time. It reminded me of figuring out that we were all stuck here. It doesn't feel like a game at all anymore. It feels like a prison. If anything, I'm more desperate than ever to escape, but at the same time, I know that every time I die in this game, I lose a part of myself."

As for the other sore topic, she snorts about Kirito being fully caught-up in an adventure. She's been irritated with him before. Honestly many, many times. But clearly it was different this time.

    "I thought were past all this. That he would stay in touch. That he wouldn't just think it is okay to run off and have fun without me. Especially considering what is going on. I mean, wouldn't you want to protect someone you love rather than run off hoping for-at best-a distraction?"

Frowning, Klein pats himself down as if looking for a tissue or anything for Asuna to use, before glancing upwards. With only a moment's hesitation, he undos the knot on the back and offers the wrapped cloth towards his friend. This does leave a rather embarrasing subject to be exposed to the air, but he would have to be an absolute jerk to not do anything. As for the embarrasing subject, it was thin and springy sapling seemingly growing in the middle of his hair, complete with two leaves on top.

It seems Asuna has been dealing with a lot on her plate lately, more than annoying plant matter or AI jerks. Even from here, the Aincrad Tower was visible on the horizon. "That's exactly why I always do my best to make sure no one i'm with dies. Some people here may not want to go back...but we still work hard to keep all of us...us, you know? But...I know you, Asuna. You're one heck of a brave woman. Every time we go out there, there's a risk of dying, but you never let that fear hold you back when you needed to do something. And you're not the only one wanting to break this cage."

A snort of laughter from Klein comes as he thinks about what their black-haired friend has to be doing. "Sure thing, but we both know that sometimes Kirito's priorities can be a bit skewed. He's a gamer through and through, but he's always doing something to help improve himself or others. But if he stays gone for any longer, I might have to go track him down myself..." It seems even the good-mannered Klein was a little fed up with Kirito pulling the disappearing act. Likely more out of worry than anything else, though.

Asuna is grateful for the cloth. She doesn't make mention of any botanical matters, either. It's a topic for another time, or perhaps after she's gotten past this outburst of emotions. She's still too stubborn to let herself cry properly. It's just not her way, even with someone she considers among her best friends.

    "I will get back to work, eventually. There are still gnolls and tower clears and who knows what else to fight."

And she will, at some point, hopefully encounter Kirito again. Klein's mention of tracking him causes her to look up into his eyes.

    "If you find him, I want to know, of course. I... want to throw something at him. And hit him.. and.."

She hates to admit this part. But Klein already knows the truth. He's seen behind the curtain here. And Kirito has done something truly horrible. He got Asuna to fall for him. The problem with someone as laid back as Kirito can be is that they are laid back about many things. But regardless, what Asuna has to admit is that she wants to..

    "... hold him and never let him go again. I should have never let him out of my sight, Klein! This always happens."

Scooting his chair closer, Klein just lets Asuna have her moment to vent and calm down, wordlessly giving her support if she wanted it. Situations like this is always been fun fantasy when it was just a plot for a game or anime, but people in real life can't handle all this stress all the time. Sometimes, it just has to come out, and it hasn't been the first time Klein has been there for others.

Smiling softly, he stares right back and nods his head once. "I'll drag him back kicking and screaming if I have to, you can count on it. And maybe get a collar that says 'if lost, return to Asuna'. It would help if he wanders off on us again." He chuckles at the mental image his own jokes brings up, trying to lighten up the mood.

Glancing upwards at the darkening sky, with the stars starting to appear from their slumber, Klein motions a hand (and half of his sandwich) towards Mac Anu. "And I hate to be a little pushy, but I think you might need a good night's rest. Come on, let's go get you an inn room and i'll make sure you get some sleep. Things will likely feel better with some proper rest." There's no way he's going to let a friend who's clearly suffering deal with more nightmares on her own.

Asuna has, despite her talking, also done a good job at eating. And by good, that is to say she has stuffed her face here and there and finished. She was hungry! Wallowing in loneliness is hungry work!

    "I think you should do that. And we can find an enchanted so that only I can remove it from him."

Which she'd not do! Klein's comments are well taken, though. She is tired, and she doesn't hide it all that well. She's got a debuff and everything!

    "You are probably right, but... I've had worse trouble sleeping lately. Honestly it's been bad for a while now, I suppose. If this doesn't get better sometime soon I will have to talk to Prophylaxis about it. Being a doctor has to be good for something."

She rises and stretches, letting out a sigh. She refuses to slouch. Okay, well, maybe a little.

    "I think there's a nice place not far from here with a really big room! We can have a slumber party!"

Standing up and stretching his arms out wide, Klein just glances at his sandwich before stuffing it back into his inventory for now. He had brought them out as a show of companionship, and he's glad he did. Besides, he can always just finish it later when he feels hungry again. "I'll empty my wallet if I have to!" No expense is too much when it comes to keeping track of Kirito. It would be worth every coin.

"Well, if nothing else, Doc would know someone who could help if he can't. Several years here, i'm sure there's something out there to help get a good night's sleep. But if it's been that bad for a while...yeah, let's get that checked out soon. Maybe he might help with my own problem."

Even if his own arborial issue has been bothering him, Klein doesn't make any move to take his headband back. Asuna might need it again, and her problems are bigger than his own right now. Friends look out for friends, after all.