A Small Medium at Large

    It's a happy, hot day in Mac Anu. The sun is out, the wind is gentle, and there's not a lot to complain about, really. And Asuna is in town. And that means there is lunch to be had. Like a reverse bat signal, there is smoke coming from her chimney. And the usual wave of chim messages go out indicating there is pizza to be had and the price (free) is right. All are welcome. So extensive is the friend of friend of friend network, that pretty much everyone who is even thought to be in the area gets a message. Asuna is no Legend, but her food is.

    And in front of her place there are two tables on the porch, one is already set for guests, though at the moment, none are visible. But a small girl is sitting there instead, kicking her heels and staring at people as they pass.

Ayame has her shield on her back. It serves as an advertisement of sorts, though not one the secretarial sylph generally requires. Passing through between delivering letters and Doing Good, she had received the invitation and so arrived in front of the porch. She gives the girl a small smile, as she carefully takes a seat in the sleek clothes, nodding to the little thing.

"Are you waiting for someone?" She asks, as she carefully works off her long gloves. The gems set into the backs of them flash in the sunlight as she does so.

    The child perks up at the appearance of Ayame and seems quite excited to be joined by an adventurer. She is, notably, a human Lander and she inspects as Yui.

    Still, when it comes time to speak, she's a bit shy, her posture quite clearly conveying her mood. Still, she has a smile.

    "I am waiting for lunch," she says softly. "Asa is making food. She said we might have some guests. You are coming to lunch?"

    The front door is open, so Ayame can likely hear Asuna working away. There is some high velocity chopping of vegetables going on, by the sound of it. But The Flash is paying attention, as well, and soon emerges from inside, carrying a salad bowl, which she sets down.

    "Hello! I was beginning to wonder if anyone was near Mac Anu today!"

    Attention drifts to the lander child and Asuna steps behind her chair, setting her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I see you have already met Taka. Taka, this is Ayame." And yes, Asuna knows that the child's name is not inspecting as Taka. It's a story.

Ayame smiles, first to Asuna, and then to the small girl, nodding her head "Taka. It's nice to meet you" She has an easy way with children, quite comfortable as she chatters briefly to the Lander "I heard about the invitations, and I'm told I should enjoy myself on occasion. Good food is always welcome"

Before her eyes flick up to Asuna "Assuming, of course, I'm welcome. But I could hardly stay away when people were enthusing over the mention of your work. A reputation is a terrible thing to waste"

    "Any friend of Taka's is a friend of mine," Asuna replies. She laughs and pats the little girl on the head before heading back inside. From in there, her voice is raised and then lowered as she comes back out again, "The main attraction is just resting so we don't sear our mouths on it, but for now," punctuated by setting down a large pitcher of iced barley tea, then glasses are filled, "We can eat some salad, drink something refreshing, and get to know each other."

    Asuna gets herself busy serving salad in smaller, wooden bowls. There are chopsticks as well as western silverware set out. To each their own!

    "She is my new friend," Taka explains as Asuna works away. "And... I predict we will be good friends and enjoy a good meal." She focuses her attention on the guest then.

    "Are you an adventurer who does many dangerous things? Like fighting big monsters?"

"Sometimes!" Ayame tells Taka brightly "You see this?" She reaches back behind herself and taps her large shield "I stand in front of things and take the hits. Shields and barriers to help keep people safe" She affirms with a warm smile. "I hope you're right!"

As Asune busies herself, Ayame smiles, taking a little sip once the others have and turning her attention to the salad "Well, I spend most of my time around Eas, but I find myself travelling all over as a messenger and adventurer. I like to keep busy - I think it's important to do what we can as often as we can."

    Taka is suitably impressed. The shield is, after all, probably as heavy as she is. She raises a hand, as if to touch it, but then remembers manners and folds both hands in her lap.

    "I want to be a warrior someday, too. So I can protect people, like Soujiro and Klein do!"

    Asuna winces when this is brought up. "Or... maybe you can learn to make a weapon for warriors. Or make clothes to keep people warm." Or do anythign at all that isn't terrifyingly dangerous! A mother can dream.

    "It's interesting how many people spend time in Eas and aren't even in the Olympus Alliance. It's weird, but I haven't actually gone there yet. Maybe I can take Taka there sometime. I want her to see the world." A pause. "The safe parts of it."

Ayame nods at that, and unslings the shield, resting it by the table, in range of Taka's grasping hands. Heavy wood cut into a circle, a metal, rune-inscribed rim. Likely large enough for the small child to use as a sled.

"There are lots of ways to protect people" She says with a smile "I find one of the things that makes sure I do my very best is to know that I've got people back home relying on me. So those people help protect me" She nods down.

"I'm not sure how much the Alliances ... I mean, I'm New World, so I don't see myself as part of Olympus at all. That said, part of our mission means that we need to aid one another somewhat, right? No one can do this alone."

    "Yeah, it's funny, isn't it? Technically New World and Scale Emblem are supposed to not get along. But I don't see things that way. I've always had people from New World at my table. Well, except for Giganpor. What that one did crossed a line. But that wasn't your alliance, that was a single moment of insanity by one guy."

    Salad is served, drinks are poured, and the Flash darts off just long enough to bring out pizza. Two pizzas. Either of which would be far too much for two women and a child. Even if they were both werefangs this is too much food. One has grunty sausage and the other ground peko.

    Taka is thoroughly distracted by the shield. It is obviously the coolest thing in the world to her right now. Urgh! Must be good. Eat salad. She keeps looking, though.

    Asuna is noticing the levels of distraction and grins. "Ayame, I think someone wants to inspect your shield. Would it be okay if she did so." A look to Taka, "After we eat."

"After we've eaten, you can" Ayame agrees solemnly with Asuna and a nod to Taka "After all, it's a heavy piece, so you need to be fit to use things like it! That means" She taps her chopsticks on her bowl "Eating your salads"

A wink to Asuna from behind her spectacles "I understand why he did what he did. In my opinion, though, that just makes it worse. Knowing the reasons for something, and still being unable to justify it? No." She shakes her head firmly "It was a step too far." Then, a small, quick smile and a little shrug "You clearly cook a lot! These smell amazing."

    "Convictions can be a dangerous thing. And acting entirely on one's own leads to trouble. But that was settled-again in a bad way-long ago. Or perhaps it is better to say it was swept under the rug."

    Asuna looks downward at the compliment. "Thank you. I hope they taste as good to you as they smell." Yeah, she's not great with compliments, even if she obviously likes them.

    "It brings up a question, you know. And I'm sorry, this is horribly private, but I want an honest answer. You are in New World. Do you not want to get home again?"

Ayame considers that a moment, as she examines the pizzas fondly, glancing down at her bare hands before she answers "If it was only for me? Perhaps" She gives a little smile "But I think a lot of the people here truly are happier. And it is not only for me. If we were to return, it would be all of us, including those who ... might not wish it. So with that in mind, I think making new lives for ourselves here, instead of striving to get to a place which will bring unhappiness to so many is the best"

It's an easy, fluid chatter, though her voice is quiet, a half-smile on her lips as she says it, her wings fluttering uneasily

    Asuna nods slowly to all of that. "If were a matter of choice for each of us. If it didn't tear people away from what they value most." A long pause, and she's got her eyes on Taka the entire time.

    Turning her glance back to Ayame, "I once said it was about getting home at any cost. To just pound away at the Tower until we get home again."

    She focuses on Ayame intently. "But now there is something beyond the value of that place. There is something I put above 'any cost', after all. What does that mean for me?"

    The conversation is dreadfully serious. But Taka is doing her best to just keep her eyes on the prize. She has to finish this salad. And Asa gave her a lot today. That doesn't seem very fair, but if it helps her hold a shield..?

    Eventually, the child holds out an empty bowl proudly. She makes a point to show both Ayame and Asuna.

    "I did it!" She thinks ahead then. If she isn't careful, Asa may just more salad. Being a wise little girl, she says, "May I have pizza now? The grunty one."

"I think moving to pizza would be a good idea at this point in the meal" Ayame affirms with only a hint of a grin, letting Asuna make the final call - no undermining Mom-figure here! She even reaches out to lightly brush the shield, the runes flickering to a lilac light and following her finger, fading as she removes her hand and returns her attention to the meal.

"It means you're still alive, and still evaluating your life" She tells Asuna after a moment, in response to the question "People who deal in forever and absolutes often ignore the here and now. Compromises are the way we progress through life; what we choose to give up, and what we gain from it. People who won't compromise won't progress."

    "Haven't died yet!" Asuna replies with considerable energy.

    It hangs in the air for less than a second and Asuna's eyes go wide. That... was foolish. She slips from her chair just as Taka looks down, a sad expression on her face. A hand reached out to brush through her hair and then she's drawn close.

    "I'm sorry. That was a bad thing for me to say."

    It hits on pain that is far too fresh to handle such a flippant comment. It ends up with Asuna scooping up the child and claiming the now-empty chair before putting Taka in her lap. Some quiet tears follow, concealed as much as the lander child can by burying her face against Asuna's shoulder.

    The Flash sighs gently, trying to help the girl relax. She softly explains to Ayame, "Something... very bad happened. I should know better than to say such things. It upsets her so much. But I'm not going anywhere, Taka. Klein and I will never let you go."

    Asuna gives Ayame an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm still trying to figure out things." Being a mom is so much harder than she had imagined. Her limited perspective has had to expand a lot in a very short time.

Ayame nods, moving to press a hand onto Taka's back as the lander child curls onto Asuna's lap, stroking and reassuring in turn. Soft assurances. A squeeze. Silent communication that she is not alone. She gives Asuna a little smile as she speaks, before shaking her head

"I don't think you need to apologise" She says quietly "It's a big change to anyone to have to take responsibility for another. What matters is you keep trying to do better, and it's clear you both are. However, I think Taka might want some pizza before I eat it all" A deadpan tone.

    Comfort and a bit of humor do go a long way in helping her recover. Time does, as well. The pain is deep, but the wound is healing. It has to, or the kid could never handle it. In a couple minutes, she can dry her eyes and smile again. She has a fire in her, that much is clear.

    Asuna knows that now is the time to indulge. The little girl deserves constant reminders of how much she's loved. And if love can come by the slice over lunch, so be it.

    "We will all do better together," Taka says suddenly. Her little sniffle takes nothing from it.

    "So, you are obviously a tank type. Do you do a lot of questing? Dungeon runs, that kind of thing?" Asuna is curious. This has nothing at all to do with the fact that she keeps ending up with tank duty and she is a samurai.

"I do a fair amount" Ayame affirms "I'm a Sentinel - that's the Sentinel's Shelter" She explains, tapping the shield "You've seen those magic circles people use for summoning? Well, I did a lot of summoning in battle, and I realised I could put a magic circle on my shield! So now I use that to summon things in"

Chatter. Chatter. Distract. Smile. She indulges in a little pizza as well, savoring it

"But when I do go dungeoning, I tend to take the tank role. Despite the lack of armor, the shields and barriers make up for it, as well as focusing on debuffing. And healing" A little laugh "So I should be able to keep you safe if you find something you need to run."

    Distraction does wonders. The sniffles go away after a minute or two more. Plus there's that shield to pay attention to. It does magical things! Taka is so curious how it works.

    "It would be nice to be an off-tank rather than a primary. I can parry and throw out barriers, but it gets a bit uncomfortable in boss fights. It's kind of crazy how often I end up the tankiest in a group. Next time I go somewhere, I'm going to throw you an invite. There are a lot of good options out there and I don't want to get too rusty."

    Asuna is engaged in the precarious art of eating pizza with a child in her lap who is also eating pizza. It's a lot to pay attention to. But she sighs happily with each bite.

Ayame nods at that, listening, as she eats in turn, taking time to make sure to take slow drinks - silently encouraging Taka to do so as well. Mix and moderate.

"Exactly. I don't exactly have much in the way of direct attack power, so someone who can do that is appreciated. I'm afraid I mostly use magic for that - wand and board, as I put it - so the more melee artes are a joy for me to watch"

    "With luck, we can pull together more of the Scale Samurai. Soujiro and Klein are my regulars. Because we are so flexible as samurai, we are free to play different roles. Somehow I became the tanky one along the way. Probably because I'm pretty fast. Blur tanking is a thing."

    Asuna looks at the shield, then considers the weapon on her hip.

    "I should really look into getting a decent buckler, at least. It's silly that I don't have a good shield."

    She shrugs that off and finds Taka taking over the conversation suddenly. "I finished my pizza!" She's left the entire crust behind, though. Asuna has gotten over that omission by now. It's just hard to convince a child that the crust is something other than a handle.

    "What's the biggest monster you ever fought, Ayame?" Taka wants to know! And without food to distract her, she's likely to unleash the question barrage. "And what's the scariest place you've been?"

"Let me see. Did you hear about the gnolls?" Ayame asks with a smile "I was one of the people who kicked all that off, you know! We fought a pack of them in the forest, and found out what they were doing. Then I had to fight one of their bigger ones! But we all made it out just fine" She says firmly "That's my job, getting people out safely."

She nods to Asuna "Shaped magic can do it just fine, but I use mine for assault as much as defence. I should really practice with a blade ... ever."

    Taka nods quickly. Her eyes get so big. Yes she did hear about gnolls, they say! Without saying a word, too. "Adventurers are amazing. You are so brave!"

    Those eyes look to the shield, then. Then she turns to look at Asuna, who is still eating. Asuna grins at the child.

    "I think someone realllly wants to check out that shield now, Ayame. But only if you are done eating. We are patient."

    Taka is practically vibrating with excitement. Patient! Yes. Yes she is! Completely her!

Ayame nods, and lifts the shield for Taka's inspection. The wood is dark, a series of planks to give the basic shape, held in place with that rune-inscribed band around the edge, the sigils currently dark and without form. At the back, a strap and grip let it be fixed around the arm and still directed. Probably, oh, four foot across? It's large, and heavy, but defensive and tough.

"It's important to be curious" She affirms with a smile "So don't worry, I don't mind you looking it over"

    Now that she can really focus her attention on it, Taka is confronted with a protective shield that is taller than she is. She looks from the shield to Ayame.

    "How can you be strong enough to hold it?" she asks softly. To a child her size, it's a fair question. And a complete mystery to the lander.

    Asuna lets the girl slip from her lap, the better to look over Ayame's shield. And the better for the Flash to eat. She has learned that mothering relies heavily on sneaking in meals whenever you can. It takes a lot of energy to keep Taka busy.

"Well, the shield's magic" Ayame explains "I made it. So one of the magics is that the air spirits inside it make it light enough for me to use when I activate it. But that's why I wear it all the time, rather than put it away into my menu. It's to keep me strong" She assures. Things are explained, carefully. This is something ... something Ayame is good at.

She gives Asuna a wink, letting her focus on eating. It takes a village to answer one questioning kid!

    "There are spirits in your shield."

    She's in awe now. She's also looking the shield over more carefully. Back, front, sides. Where are those spirits?

    "Does it have a special name? Adventurers like to name their weapons and armor. They even seem a bit sad when things break. But you can just fix them or make something new, right? Adventurers are the best crafters in the world."

    Asuna laughs softly as Taka gushes about adventurers. The child is very much into hero worship at this age. "You have quite a fan, Ayame. I assure you, Taka is going to be talking about you for days." And Asuna is going to enjoy every minute, really. Excited Taka is wonderful.

"It's the Sentinel Shelter" Ayame explains "And the spirits are inside, and they wake up when I run my finger along the edge" She assures gently "But I don't wake them unless I need to. Everyone deserves their sleep!"

She winks to Asuna, and finishes her glass "I'm always glad to give people ideas. The more ideas they have, the more likely it is they'll find one that suits them. And then they can find a way to bring that idea out"

    With the shield studied, Taka does divert herself to doing what children also can do in times like this. Entertain. In her case, this means zooming around the street in front of Asuna's place. She has learned a few things from school. Like cartwheels and galloping and skipping. She does it call, despite having just eaten.

    Asuna makes some small talk, but also weaves in some more questions about what kind of dungeon would be good for them to try out. It helps to know where Ayame's already been to avoid doubling up. It's best if they both can get some shiny new loot to show off. Eventually though, it is time to part, friend invite sent, accepted to allow for chim comms in the future. And just to have another nice person to talk to who seems to really like being around kids. Asuna could always use more people like that in her life.