Happy Birthday to asUna

There is a knock at the door of Asuna's apartment. Through the peephole, one can only see the top of a wizard hat. Whoever is wearing said hat is very short. They could not be more than three cheeses tall.

    Fortunately, Asuna doesn't really use her peephole. She does lock the door, though. This is a relatively new approach, as well. More dangerous times and all that. There's no sound of voices inside, but eventually the door is opened.

    "Hel... oh! Hey, Dossy! Come on in!"

    Asuna didn't expect guests. After all, the 'lunch signal' isn't up. She's dressed really nice, though. A very flattering, blue dress is her choice of the day and ... are those high heels? She is looking like a woman with a date in her future.

    "How have you been? Are you staying out of trouble?"

Dosbox gives a blush at Asuna's attire, "Hello! Ah, well, more or less out of trouble. I have been working a lot on my gems and such. Ah, Happy Birthday, by the way! You look nice. Are you - ah - going somewhere? I don't want to interrupt." Dossy is holding a small cloth bag, though it does look rather big in his hands.

    "Not right away. Oh, and thank you! I hope Klein likes it!"

    She shuts the door after ushering Dosbox into her place. It is a bit messy. She was clearly looking at a lot of clothing options that she has yet to put back into her inventory. But she can do that pretty quickly now. She clears room for them to sit on her couch.

    "Can I get you anything? I have some tea." Of course she has tea. "I'm so happy you could drop in on my birthday, too! That's so thoughtful."

Dosbox has a pang of guilt when Asuna thanks him for stopping by on her birthday, but he can't really think of why. He shakes it off and moseys over to the couch where he uses his Gem hands to assist him onto it. Adapting to situations were Earth Pillar cannot be used is a necessity for the Rock Gnome, as he usually uses said earthen ability as a mobility aid.

He kicks his feet a little as he holds the cloth bag in his lap, clutching the edges with his tiny fingers nervously. "I am not PARTICULARLY hungry or thirsty at the moment, but - ah - if you are having tea, I would also have some." He gives a big, forced smile as he holds out the cloth bag and says, "Happy Birthday?"

    Asuna doesn't pick up on guilt. Nor does she see any reason to feel any. Her parents forgot her birthday all the time! Which is perhaps sad. But she's not.

    "Well, I can get us something to drink. It's always good to stay hydrated when you are talking, right?"

    And then he offers the bag. His smile has her laughing right away. It's just too much.

    "Aww, you are being all nice to me! Dossy..."

    Asuna accepts the bag and asks, "You'd like me to open it now? Or should I wait until later?" She never knows the appropriate etiquette for these kind of situations.

Dosbox folds his hands in his lap, "Oh! Ah, I wouldn't know. I didn't really celebrate any birthdays growing up. Heh." He tries not to think about his childhood of neglect, and fails. But he pushes it to the back of his mind as the keeps forcing the smile, "I mean, if neither of us know what we are supposed to do, we should just do what we want, right? Do you want to open it now or later?"

    "I want to open it now, so I can say more than a generic thank you!"

    Asuna likes this reasoning. And so she opens the gift. NOW! And after opening another box, she can get to the actual gift. A bracelet! But not just any bracelet. It's actually not at all girly but very cool.

    "Ohhh, these look like swords!"

    She's such a girl! Without hesitating she slips it on her left wrist. Just in case she has to fight. She'd be heartbroken if she wrecked it in a battle. r
    "This is amazing, Dossy! It's beautiful, but also makes me feel.. strong, too."

    In short, she loves it. And so the gnome has to deal with an Asuna hug of excitement. You can blame the bad influences of her more westernized 'fans' for that.

Dosbox does his best impression of a patented Uta armflail as DosBox loses his hug virginity to his best friend. Well, there was probably one point when he was a baby that his mother held him. Maybe shortly after birth. DosBox will probably think about these things in depth later, though. Right now, he has gone beat red and he is only thinking about the unfamiliarity of physical contact, "I-I-I-I am really glad you like it! It's a-a friendship b-bracelet, y-you know! I-I have one, too!" He shakily rolls up his sleeve, revealing an almost identical bracelet, though this one is much smaller.

    Asuna pretends not to notice Dossy turning red. It's just a normal thing and if she points it out he'll really get embarrassed! He's certainly not used to her being dressed like she is right now. But as a worldly woman, she does /not/ blush about it. She's feeling way too good about life to doubt her appearance.

    She looks at his bracelet and at hers and laughs, "That's great! We're matching! Together nobody can stop us, Dossy!" Except Yui. Yui can stop anyone!

Dosbox's whole body is shaking ever so slightly, like a non-angry chihuahua that just learned that other things exist than itself, but he's holding that smile all the same. He has advanced to full body blush, but he still seems sentient enough to continue the exchange, "Y-yeah! Friends forever! And even if something were to happen, like... one of us were to -ah - change alliances or something, we would still be able to hang out and quest together!" Boriwyk is not a subtle person. When he tries to be subtle, it's like a pidgeon trying to wield a cudgel. It's too big of a thing for him, and he is too small, and perhaps he shouldn't even be trying to use that tool in the first place, but he's trying anyway for some reason.

    Asuna does not pull back from the hug abruptly. She does laugh, though, at the mention of the alliance change. Granted, she isn't sure which person he means. So she tries to make it easier for him with a joke.

    "Oh, so you heard that rumor, huh? I can only say I have yet to be told by anyone that I'm on the brink of being thrown out of Scale. But if I do, you'll be the first to know! And if you leave, well, put in a good word for me? I might need it."

    She laughs softly, shaking her head. "But seriously, that means not a thing to me, Dossy. Alliances? They feel a bit silly at times."

Dosbox calms down a bit, and he finally submits to the hug, leaning into it a little. "I... Yeah. I guess... When we talked over Ramen that one day, it... It made me think. A lot. And I think I really am going to leave Scale." A lot of the tension fades from his body as he lets that bombshell drop. "I... need to give up on... LEAVING the game. For my own mental health. I need to keep moving forward, and... here, I am only looking back. And returning from the game world, I would literally be undoing everything I have done to get where I am now. I..." His face contorts with a little bit of pain, "I hate who I was. I don't ever want to be that again... Ever..."

    "Dossy, we are all partially what we have always been. But we grow. We change. I'm proud that you have grown up so much. I hope you continue to do so. And I hope you have fun in whatever alliance you go to. They'll be lucky to have you! And will probably give you all sorts of opportunities you never had with Scale."

    Asuna is casual as ever with this topic. "I would say that I'll miss you, but this isn't really going to change us, anyway. We're still good. I don't get into Alliance politics. I have somewhat creepy fans from all walks of life and alliances, after all!"

Dosbox lets the fake smile dissolve into a real smile, soft and warm. "I just... Don't want you thinking that I am leaving you behind or anything. And, well, I said if you were going anywhere, let me know, so - like - it would be mean of me not to do the same, you know?" He shtrugs. "I mean, I am not into politics either; it's just, well, this alliance is all about going back to the real world... And that's a revolting idea for me right now..." He gives a bitter laugh, giving Asuna's arm a poke. "Is it weird if thinking about the possibility that my real life body is dead already gives me comfort...?"

    "Well, yeah, that would be pretty weird. But I am in no rush to leave either. Or at all. I have a daughter now. For me, going back home means being with her and Klein. The real world? It's not home without them. No place is."

    Asuna looks over her bracelet. She's clearly pleased with how it looks and trying to get used to how it feels. "It feels different, wearing a bracelet. I have been so... practical, I guess? I only started to wear things just because they make me feel like a woman again. Or just because they are comfortable or beautiful. It's nice."

Dosbox clears his throat, speaking in a 14 year old whose balls have just dropped kind of voice, "I - ah - don't see how any one wouldn't see you as a woman." He makes the mistake of looking at Asuna again. He goes red, looking away.

    Being who she is and thinking of Dosbox as a friend, she totally fails to get the blushing. Or at least she doesn't show any reaction to it. She's either incredibly tactful or a total dullard, basically. Or a bit of both?

    "So, what are your plans now? Where are you going?" She eyes Dosbox. "Yeah, it has to be Olympus, right? Oh crap! I shouldn't guess.. what if I'm wrong?" See, she can be insecure, too!

Dosbox hadn't thought that far ahead, but he wasn't going to admit that to Asuna, "Er... Yeah! That's Uta's alliance, and it would be nice to have a... ah... friend... on my side. And Haru basically leads NWA. He, rightfully, doesn't like me that much, so I figure maybe I shouldn't go there, you know...?" DosBox, who seemed almost distressed at the physical contact before, seems to have gotten comfortable way too fast, like a puppy who had never been petted before that had just experienced his first pets...

    Asuna is pretty relaxed, of course. She has been for a while. Just don't duel her. As Yui notes: Mama is scary.

    "Uta is wonderful, yeah. Keep an eye on her for me? She's... hm. A free spirit, I guess. And I'm afraid she'll get herself in a tight spot at some point. I may not be around when she does."

    She rises then to fetch the tea. Which doesn't take her long at all. And doesn't interrupt the conversation.

    "So Olympus is always doing stuff. Are you going to be the world's richest jeweler now?" A pause. "That reminds me..." She laughs softly as she returns to set the hot water down and in short order she's got her whisk out, finishing her tea preperations.

    "I really need to improve my hint dropping with Klein. Like, hm. You are a man. How obvious should a girl be that she will say 'yes' if her boyfriend were to propose."

Dosbox nods firmly, speaking with a determination seemingly foreign to the potato. "I... I will. I will protect Uta with my life, if need be.... I mean, let's hope it doesn't come to that, though? I've gotten this far without dying, and I would like to keep that clean record, you know?"

When Asuna starts talking about Marriage, DosBox starts getting really attentive, "I mean, I wouldn't really... KNOW that type of thing. I have never even been on a date before. I mean, Uta said she would take me on a date once, but I think that's more of a FRIEND date than a DATE date. I mean no one would ever..." He cuts himself off before he starts being self-defeating. He knows Asuna hates it when he's like that, and he doesn't want to spoil the mood, so he changes the subject back to jewelry, "Speaking of jewelry, what is your favorite type of gem stone? And Color? How about your favorite metal? Silver or Gold? Platinum?"

    See, the good thing about Dossy is he's so utterly obvious. He might as well put up a sign or something. She gives him a look that says, without words, 'Are you seriously going to ask me that just to tell Klein?' Whatever is beyond obvious is where Dossy is. But on the plus side it keeps her from talking about the 'no one would ever' comment. For a moment.

    "You want me to tell you so you can tell Klein." It's not a question. "I have things I like. But when I look at whatever ring he gives me, I want to see him. I want it to remind me of the man he is and the feelings he has for me. I could just buy a ring that meets all my favorite little things on my own. I never have. I want to wear his ring, and it doesn't really matter how much it costs, so long as it means something special for us."

    A pause.

    "And I seem to recall a super hot witch gothy girl from the tavern basically flirting with you non-stop. So you know, don't limit yourself."

Dosbox blinks a couple of times, before saying, in an almost offended tone, "Well, well, maybe I was asking because -I- was going to propose to you----no, that would never work I am sorry I tried to lie just now." He almost instantly shifts into a defeated, apologetic tone when he realizes what he was about to do. "I mean, logically speaking, the questions were technically for me because realistically, I am PROOOOOBABLY going to be the one to make it, and I kinda wanted a starting point, to be honest. He's the one that is eventually going to pick it out, sure, but I am the one that is in charge of showing him what options he has, so... I guess I was being lazy." He grins sheepishly, "Sorry. I don't want to ruin anything for you. You deserve the best is all. Because you're my friend. And I want to do what I can to get that to you."

    "You are a sweet heart. I like things simple. Clean. I picked ronin because I rather admired the whole idea of their aesthetic. I don't look it now, admittedly. But the single cut to win a fight, the honor code that makes everything clear."

    Asuna pauses, then laughs. "I will tell you this. I don't like yellow gold very much. I also don't like complicated patterns. Oh. And I like round shapes. Is that helpful?"

    She notices, then, that time is racing ahead. And she has to get going!

    "And now it's time for me to get going, Dossy. Thank you for the gift! And thank you for visiting me! I really appreciate it. I will see you around!"