A Fine Meeting, Abridged

    It's evening, and Asuna's version of the bat signal is up. There's smoke coming from her chimney and the scene of the world's best pizza is in the air. Her front door is closed, though, and locked. She can't be silly and careless when she's got a little girl to take care of.

    Asuna is still in the kitchen, working on the meal with great care and focus. She's putting a few finishing touches on the salad. The dressing is set out (a sweet vinaigrette) on the table, the plates and silverware is all in its place. The pizza, a deep dish wonder, is resting, just out of the oven.

    "Taka, dear! Can you watch the front door for me? And remember, we don't open the door without mama or papa!"

A gnome, barely breaking 3 feet tall, moseys up to the door clad in a dark gray wizard robe and hat. He has reddish brown skin and brownish red hair. He does not look like someone the little girl would be familiar with, but he has the audacity to knock on Taka's door anyway, even if it's a quiet, quick knock. He waits patiently, wringing his hands as he shifts from foot to foot.

    "Mama, a little gnome is at the door!" can be heard from inside. Taka's voice is easy to hear outside. She knows that, of course, as she says, "Hello, little gnome!"

    It doesn't take The Flash long to get to the front door. There are a few loud clicks as she unlocks the door. With a tug, the door is opened. And there she is, in all her glory! Asuna is in a red apron and black skirt (knee length). She's wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt.

    "Hi, Dossy! I'm glad you could make it! It's been a while!" She gestures and says, "Please, come in! The food is ready! And I think you are going to feel your time is well-invested. This is my very best work!"

Dosbox's eyes widen, and his mouth hangs open, as if he had just been told the doors of heaven had been flung open, and everyone is invited. "Y-your best work?!? I... I don't know if I am READY for this. I... I don't want to have all food I eat in the future to be... as dust in comparison to what I am about to taste..." He seems quite concerned for a moment before switching gears, "Oh, hi, Taco. Did you grow? You can't have. It's only been...." He tries counting on his hands, "Like 3 days or something?"

    The child laughs at Dosbox. "You are funny, Mr. Gnome! But it's been more than three days, hasn't it?" Regardless, she is pleased to have someone she can talk to without craning her neck. "I'm happy to have someone else my size around!"

    Asuna shuts the door behind Dosbox, closing out the night. And then locking it. She didn't have quite this level of security here, previously. Leading the way back to the dining room table, Asuna says, "Wash your hands, please, Taka. And you, too, Dossy! We are clean in this house! Oh, and by the way, I really like the new look. Soooo much better."

    While the others are freshening up, she's setting the table. Salad, pizza, and yes, garlic bread, too. The scent is unlike any in Yamato before.

Dosbox takes his hat off (revealing a slight bald spot on top of his head) and puts it in a convenient place (a coat rack if they have one) before taking of his gloves and putting them in a pocket. He addresses Taka with a, "Well, you'll get there eventually. Tall, I mean. You have plenty of time to grow." He walks over to the sink and washes his hands, revealing to Yui that his hands are actually SMALLER than hers, though his fingies are pretty chubby. "I like the look a lot better too. Did you know that the entire world DOESN'T smell like cheese and mold?"

    Taka cleans up quickly, but thoroughly. She's been taught well. Godliness and cleanliness, apparently! she nods quickly to Borywick, "I will do my best to get tall, yes!" Part of which is eating. She is certainly eager to get into her chair.

    "Cheese and mold? That's.. really unpleasant," Asuna agrees. "And all behind you. Whereas before you is... a good meal! And you can tell me everything you've been working on!"

Dosbox may be even more eager to get to his chair than Taka. It's hard to tell because she is a child, and shows more emotion where as Dossy often tries (and fails) to hide his feelings, "Well, I suppose that we'll be seeing first hand what you have been working on..." His voice drops down into a deep baritone, departing from his normal high-pitched chirping, "A Pizza dished so sinful... It is as delicious as it is deep..."

    "I apparently went crazy for a few weeks and now I can make proper Italian food. Pasta, garlic bread, and yes, the world's best pizza. I mean, it's a bit too arrogant for my liking, but I can't deny. This is real pizza now."

    And she makes sure Dossy gets a bit slice on his plate. She also serves salad to everyone. Which she does automatically, and then pauses and blushes. "Sorry, Dossy. I.. am so used to just serving everyone." A nervous laugh, then, "I went right into mom mode there. My apologies!"

    Taka just giggles a bit at Asuna's problems. And she watches Borywick closely. The guest has to get the first bite. Which is soooooo hard to wait for!

Dosbox does look a bit curious when Asuna starts serving everyone, and on the comment of 'mom mode', his expression goes blank for a second. Then, he looks down at the salad with a VERY complicated visage for a few seconds, drawing out Taka's impatience perhaps a bit tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong..................... before vigorously shaking his head and snagging up the fork and giving an apprehensive, "Thanks for the food!" and digging in. He is doing his very best to eat with manners since Taka is sitting next to him, but he has to put REAL EFFORT into throttling himself, as the Pizza really is the best in the world....

    It is very hard for Taka to wait. But she manages it. Mostly by distracting herself thinking of some other thing. She's daydreaming to pass the time. But once the call goes up, she knows she can eat! And so she does. She does start with the salad and then dives into the rest.

    "So Dossy, are you going to be in the tournament? It's my first time doing so. I used to think it a bit silly, but it sounds pretty fun, now. I'm eager to see how I do! I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty, though."

Dosbox takes a moment to breathe as he responds. It's hard to stop eating though... "Well, I haven't really done much duelling myself, but... Well, it seemed like everyone else was doing it, and I thought, 'What the heck? Why not try something new?' By the by, have you heard of someone named Arashi? I heard she's my first opponent..."

    "Arashi?" asks Asuna. She looks thoughtful. "Well, if I remember it right, they nearly won the first tournament. Yuuki won in the very last moment. That was a while back, though. Hm. And I don't know if Yuuki is even going to fight this time. That's a pity. She's really good."

    The Flash ponders that for a while. It's clear it's been a while since she's spoken with that particular friend, though. "Have you gotten much practice time in? You have a plan overall that you're going with?"

Dosbox pales visibly, "Well, I have never -ah- actually had an official duel before." DosBox is going to lose hard. "I kind of wanted to test my new arte. You know, my Gem Works Suite. It's not quite done yet, but it's good enough for a test drive..." He swallows hard, "So my match is against last tournament's 2nd place...?

    "Not the last one, the first one. I forget who won last time, honestly." She shrugs it off. Clearly she's not bothered or worried about it! "And it's only for fun, anyway, right? What a great chance to learn! Plus who knows, maybe you'll hit it off and make a friend."

    She's so teasing and implying more than friendship. Asuna is pretty relaxed tonight. "So what's this gem stuff you are talking about? A new magical attack of yours? Ohhh, can you show us after we eat?"

    And that gets Taka's attention. "Ohhh, yes! I want to see it! I want to see an attack!" She has been eating quietly, really, but this is just too much. She is always asking to see wave artes.

Dosbox clears his throat, "I... Well, past me didn't really make good first impressions on people, but... New look, new me! Maybe I will make some friends! Heh..." He definitely did his best to ignore the teasing, but it was obvious she had him think about it for a second by the blush on his face. "Uh, yeah, I can probably show you how it works. My newest one is a healing gem, too. Good for your health?"

    "Well, new you, new leaf to turn over, Dossy. You have a great chance to change that outlook. Enjoy it!" Asuna is serious. Oddly so, really! "Gotta try new things, fail a bit, pick yourself, and keep going. And all that."

    The rest of the meal, Asuna turns her focus to Taka. Who shares a bunch of stories of her adventures at school. She even tells a few jokes involving a funny teacher who keeps lighting herself on fire. It seems it's quest related, and others have to regularly extinguish her flames.

    Eventually, there is a demonstration of actual dueling skills which pleases Taka greatly. She has no shortage of enthusiasm for Dosbox's work. In the end, it is time for sleep and time for the adventurers to set up a time to meet in the future. Probably in Shibuya, during the tournament.