Duty Session 615: 47 Ronin

The 10th floor of Aincrad Tower is a massive raid instance: Thousand Snake Castle. Since the defeat of Kagachi, the Samurai Lord, these halls have become home to monsters seeking vengeance to their fallen Lord. Passengers heading to the 11th floor have fallen victim to this ire.

Samurai fights are what Souji is all about. Is it because he is a Samurai? Possibly! More importantly than that, people are being targeted by these creatures. Unacceptable! He will protect your lunches and protect your ability to have fun with jolly good cooperation. "Did we bring snacks," Souji asks innocently, noting, "I bet a good meal will help cheer up anyone who has been held for too long." Its like being captured in capture the flag. Bring snacks.

     A massive raid instance. And she's in a party with Souji? "...Is this a dungeon, or just a thinly-veiled training session?" Honami asks towards Souji. "Either way, the darkness shall consume this dungeon, rendering it helpless to our advance, uwa ha ha ha ha!" Pause. "...Also I didn't bring snacks no that would have been a good idea." She frowns thoughtfully as she adjusts her wrist-mounted mini-crossbow. It is wholly unimpressive, but very Aesthetic, as it looks almost like a little dart launcher than a proper crossbow. "I can possibly cheer them up with some singing or shiny illusions though? I'm okay at both of those!" Says the person with more darkness than most of the other adventurers. With a few exceptions. She doesn't have a monopoly of min-maxing to high dark, after all.

    Asuna is here! She's just finishing off her usual pre-battle chim.

    "Aww, I'm so happy she's doing well today! She really does have a great head for math, doesn't she? Hmm. Oh! Okay. Well, I have to go! You know, off to beat up some bad guys and all that! Awww, I love you too, honey. See you later! I'll make your favorite tonight."

    And then, back to the moment in front of her. "Snacks? As if I am ever without them. Even before I was a mom I never hit the trail without at least a few meals and treats." And now that she is a mom, she's basically a walking grocery store and restaurant.

    "Now, let's do this!"

At each step, underline by the sound of Heartsong, currently used as a walking rather than magical staff, touching the ground, Uta's head turns the opposite way. Left, right, left, right. The only constant is a finger in front of her lips, to complete her confused expression. "No..." Step-turn. "No..." Step-turn. "No..." Step- "Oh!"

She lights up upon seeing her friends. "Why, hello!", she greets, with a wave. "So, uh, is this where the next tower push is taking place?", she asks. "Is there any way to help?"

    Mommy or not, Asuna has a reputation to maintain. And so she swiftly flicks through her menu before things get intense. With a mischievous grin, she picks her cosplay. Close in name, but far from her normal looks, Asuna becomes Asuka. Asuka Langley. Plug suit and all! It takes all she has just to avoid blushing, cause, well, as Morri pointed out, it was designed to leave nothing to the imagination. But hey, everyone is friendly here, right?

    "Okay. Now I am ready!"

"This is where Shiroe and the other members of the Tea Party did a high end raid before the expansion," Soujiro says for history-time with Souji. He looks off to the side, "It took Shiroe-senpai a long time to figure out the right strategy. So you could tell he was having fun with it," he smiles. Challenges are meant to be overcome! "A glitched boss got in the way and it caused the Tea Party to disband afterwards. Kuro stopped logging in altogether." MMO Ghosting! Yet, Souji doesnt seem all that burdened by the events of the past. Rather his heart is ablaze as he tells Honami, "So it is a dungeon, a raid, and a training session! We can see how different things are between then and now." Yush! Double fist pump. "And with more Song and Snacks! Yes!" A thumbs up to Uta who is aproximately Uta in this Uta-like situation.

It does not take long into following the trail of resistance making the halls to find large creatures in samurai armor on patrol. These monster ronin spill out in file as the adventurers approach. They form up a blockade as the faces of lions, snakes, and bears on the bipeds look intent on capturing more Adventurers for their lord. And then, in the back, a monster yells 'Everyone, attack!'

There will be song. There will be battle. As it was prophesized. Soujiro acts on complete instinct and is already dashing into the melee with melee abilities so melee that they melee the melee. A gleeful combination of slashes that has him enjoying the thick of a hectic battle Samurai Warriors style.

    Asuna is ready and willing to fight! But she's perhaps off her game. Or perhaps dueling has made her defensive moves rusty. Either way, her attempt at shielding does clear some space for the group to work, but it also leaves her with considerable damage.

    "If you tear my suit I will destroy you!"

    Priorities, you know?

    "Whatever it is, it's going to be a good work out. I'm clearly forgetting how to properly fight a group of monsters. Dueling brain is going to have to switch to raiding brain here quickly. And yeah, glitches are awful. I mean, that's what I've heard." She's not a real gamer, after all.

"Songs and snacks! Two of my favorite things!", Uta beams.

When Asuna thrests to destroy someone, Uta turns. "Wait, you're wearing a suit?" Silence. "Oh, hey, uh, nice... suit?", Uta offers, apparently noticing it for the first time. And then, casual, as if it wsa no big deal,"Is that a design of Morri?"

Monsters are disgorged on the party! And Uta, prompted by the Musical discussion from earlier, decides to live up to her concept, and unleash some Kung-Fu.

Musical kung-fu.

Granted, it's mostly a massive decompressive explosion with every blow, but as she begins in a spin, with each punch (BOOM!), roundhouse kick (BOOM!), jump with headlock, and subsequent flipping of the opponent over exploiting the momentum of the impact (BOOM, BOOM!), sonic shockwaves of thunder are unleashed on the area.

     "That's pretty smart, honestly. Having snacks with you always, that is." Honami comments towards Asuna. "At least until the world is destroyed, one should enjoy every moment within it, after all!" Oh ho ho ho ho ho~. Honami says with a quick nod. Over-dramatic noises, etc. And then. Then there was a plug suit. Honami pauses. Looks at Asuna's outfit. And then looks at her own outfit. "...I have no place to judge." Her outfit doesn't really leave much to the imagination either, really.

     "Hi Uta! I don't think we're making a tower run, but we're doing a run of a dungeon in the tower, so you're welcome to join us of course!" Honami says, waving towards her friend. "Between the four of us, this dungeon shall fall as it has never fallen before!" A flashed grin, and a drawn great sword follow this, in a swirl of black rose petals to make the otherwise relatively lackluster animation of drawing a weapon out of her inventory look much more fun.
     Pause. "I'm sorry to hear that, Souji. That's... that's pretty awful sounding. A training session and also horrible memories." Oof. She frowns as she walks along with the party in the path of most resistance, until they find... samurai armored monsters! 'Everyone, attack!' Song... battle... and various animal-monsters. Strange! Fighting through the dungeon is... going to be a thing, it seems, as Honami was not really ready to start fighting when the combat starts, so she's off her game, at least for the moment as she initially gets into the battle. Really, her sword was not designed for tight corridors either, and she ends up even having to switch to a much smaller longsword mid-battle.

"You did real good in the tournament, Asuna," Souji is quick to bring up, "Your skills are advancing at a fast pace!" Like a flash~ To Honami the idea it is awful makes the samurai think for a moment. Souji is not great at that task. "It was a little sad at first, but a sad ending meant that the time you spent together was wonderful. So it was a reminder of how great those times were. And how great those times will be with yourself, Uta, and Asuna." Sparkle Sparkle.

The passageways through the raid castle are long and windy. The design is not overly complicated to navigate, but it is hounded by literal hounds. Ethereal hounds. They bound through the icy walls as if they were made of air and snap aat the party. Keeping light on your feet and quick on retaliation will reduce the hounding from the dogs of war.

Souji is as tanky as he is damage-y as a samurai. When the dogs appear from the walls, he responds with a quick samurai's challenge to keep them facing him and from doing those hit and run tactics. It gives a window to get rid of them before progressing onwards.

    "I tried really hard to get to the finals, but I couldn't quite get there this time. But, I know what I need to do. I can't just be all about speed!"

    Asuna doesn't even stop talking as she blasts away at the hounds from a distance. It's rare for her to do it, but the range attacks appear to be charged with light artes. Sparkles as an homage to Souji sparkles!

    "And thanks, Uta! Yes, she did. Doesn't she make the most beautiful things? And every one of them would make my mother so angry!"

    It brings her glee to rebel. When she's safely on this side of the virtual reality experience. Her mother is worse than a raid boss. She'd need to bring a full party for that one.

    "So yes, as I was saying.. I want to add some power to my repertoire. A samurai can win a fight in a single attack, after all. Even their draw is deadly."

     "PVP and PVE are very different, so I get that!" Honami comments towards Asuna, darting between enemies once she finally gets her 'footing' back, moving back into a proper combat style as they manage to get past the samurai monsters. "I like your outfit, by the way, Asuna! ... It looks very squeaky, though."
     Hmm. It was sad but the time was wonderful. "You are just a font of positivity, aren't you, Divine Samurai?" Honami comments towards Souji thoughtfully. The sparkles were quite fitting, after all! As the next encounter with ghost wolves begins, Honami opts to not dodge, and instead just launch several Abyssal Bolts towards the dogs as they rush past and towards them. Pew. Pew. There were a surprising amount of explosions coming from the person who has no fire skill.
     "True, one must always push themselves to properly master their craft, such as my Dark Knight craft requiring me to practice my own skills to grow much more effective in melee combat, as my actual classes actually tend towards ranged combat more." Ah yes go against your classes, definitely what you should do.

"I will gladly join and help in any way I can!", Uta answers Lady Demonrose Honami of the Lost Legion of the Scrapped Princesses, still performing her Sonic Martial Arts. "I honestly know so little about Tower Pushes. I'm not sure if I'll ever take part to one, I think of myself as more the type to deal with one of the following Waves of Calamity..." After a little silence and consideration, she adds, "...but I'm trying to understand this world and its functioning as well as I can. Taking part to a Tower Push might be helpful in that regard."

"We should write a Song about it.", Uta suggests to Souji and Lady Demonrose Honami of the Lost Legion of the Scrapped Princesses, the Angel of Darkness, on the subject of the Tenth Floor Push; she does so semi-distractedly, as she keeps bounding. By this time, she's somersaulting in the air, producing a Lightningstep-style sonic shockwave every time she hits the floor, not unlike a skipping stone's ripples as it skims the water.

"The Ballad of the Tenth Floor. I've heard that King Gilgamesh loves stories about the Tower."

"Oh, yeah, the tournament, I have to check when that one starts," Uta remarks. "Last time I was in Shibuya, I went to Tian's sign language lessons and kind of forgot about that one..."

"They are very bold," Uta agrees. "I don't think I've worn any of her designs myself, as far as I can remember," (as a side note, 'as far as I can remember' doesn't mean that much in Uta's case, really) "but I can see how that style can have an appeal." After a bit of silence, tapping her lips. "And how it can make parents angry."

"You had the last year's champion on the ropes. It was a very close match," Soujiro dotes on Asuna like a little sister, "You did great!" He thinks of others often, though on his own matches, "Arashi was also very strong. Lots of shadow attacks that were a great test of response times. Viv too, a real soldier," Nod nod. Wonderful matches. "Haru though," he walks onward, "that what quite a match. I'm glad the person who beat me went on to win it, taking the spirit of those before onward." Not that Haru saw it that way. He sparkles to Honami on the topic of positivity, "My friends are my most precious treasures, and you are my friends. Isn't it normal to be in good spirits when around things that make you happy?" SPARKLES INTENSIFY. It shall be written about in Uta's ballad of the 10th floor.

The castle gives way to a large, open area that often denotes a boss fight. The room itself is empty when the party arrives with the exception of one sus treasure chest in the center. It screams 'trap' but it is the trigger for the door at the end to open up. At least you don't have to fight a boss. Correction. You /do/ have to fight a boss, a mid-boss, as a chaotic humanoid monster in a stylish leather outfit springs from an unexpected location to challenge the party to combat. Unexpected locations include, but are not limited to: The chest, dangling from the ceiling, behind a pillar while holding onto it like a man-spider, behind the party while cosplaying as a party member, or under a manhole cover that has no business being there. In this case, Majima drops from the ceiling like a boss from the Ocarina of Time.

"Thats a neat trick!" Soujiro says as spiderclimbing has always been fun. Run along walls? Yes. How isnt that fun? He drops into a dual wielding stance with both blades outward. "And a great opportunity for us to overcome it." Everything is a game if you think about it the right way.

    "Uta, you know you took part in the..." Asuna lets that trail off. "You know what, Uta? When the tournament sign-ups and stuff start, I'll make sure you know, okay?" Mom DNA is active. Best to not confuse or upset her bestie.

    "Well, if we keep training, next time I'm going to get her. And we're going to meet in the finals, Soujiro! And I'll expect you to show me all the power a Samurai can have! But before then, I really want to learn how to put more power into slower attacks. I want to keep my opponents constantly on their back heel. They either join me in the joy of pure offensives or hide behind their shields!"

    Asuna turns her attention to Demonrose and grins, "Well, if you ever want to train, well, anything at all, let me know. I think it'd be a lot of fun. I bet I could learn a lot if we work together. And if you come over we can have dinner and you can spend time with Yui!" Cause everyone loves Yui, right? It's like a rule.

    Thinking of her daughter always makes Asuna happy. And perhaps, in some corner of her mind, anxious. This tower is a threat to her child's very life, potentially. A lack of focus is dangerous, and so it is that Asuna's attempts to use earth artes to entangle the enemy do little but draw its ire. More hp lost, but she's still far from danger.

     "I'm sure that your presence will be appreciated! You always bring up the mood of any party you're in, after all, Uta!" Honami responds with a bright smile towards her friend. "The Towers always have some very interesting lore surrounding them, too, even if they do cause those waves of calamity, it would be a shame to leave them unexplored and undiscovered. So many stories, not reaching their fruition."

t Check when the tournament starts. Whoops. "...Isn't that over?" Honami muses to herself. And then Soujiro's comments, and the sheer levels of SPARKLES. Honami actually /recoils/ from that. "Oh dear scrapped princesses you are so radiant that it's terrifying." Honami says towards Soujiro. Is that bad? It sounded almost more like a compliment than anything. Also talking about the ballad of the 10th floor. Hm. That's sure a thing to think about. Something that Honami is distracted from as Majima drops from the ceiling like a boss from the Ocarina of Time, spiderclimbing around. Huh.
     Honami looks towards the boss. And then towards the party. She actually looks... moderately annoyed? "Excuse me. We are having /a conversation/." Honami says, as she walks towards the mid-boss, lifting her sword over her head, as an aura of darkness wraps around her. The room sprouting with thorny, black roses that wrap around pillars, objects, and even start to wrap around the boss, even if technically harmless since they're just illusion. "Such a rude interruption will have to be properly Taken Care Of." Honami says, as she lifts her blade, which grows... to look... significantly larger, runes sparking to life along its length as more of those dark roses sprout on its surface. A quick dash forwards, and Honami is bringing that 'giant' sword towards the mid-boss, the sheer presence of the Destroyer Of Worlds seeming to be brought forth in this moment of annoyance from the Demon Rose of the Forgotten Legion. "Death Knell." ...There was no actual sword arte used there. That was just a ton of illusion.

     And then Asuna is talking to her, and all of that intimidation and thorny roses and such disappear in an instant as she cheerfully responds, "Of course! And we could share techniques as well! People seem to like my Earthbreaker technique so I've taught it to a handful of people, and my Abyssal Bolt is also pretty commonly liked by people." Honami says cheerfully, "And I always like to make new friends!"

"I will, Asuna! In fact, I have -already- signed up! Some time ago. When Gwen was in a strange moo-" Pause.

"Yes, indeed. So many stories, just waiting to be told..." Uta confirms. "And so many things to be happy about..."

At some point, the technique has to end, and cooldown has to start.

But there is two last bounds left.

Uta's eyes narrow as she, while in mid-fall, throws herself at the ground harder (yes, it can be done. No, don't ask me why. Probably something to do with Advanced Martial Arts, having wings, Magic, or a combination of All of the Above).

The shockwave of the second-to-last impact is stronger than any of those that come before; she skyrockets, somersaults in the air, and when she judges that the right point has been reached, she extends her legs forward, to deliver the last bounding impact on, hopefully, Majima's face.

And as she does so, she intones a Dark chant, as tar-like tendrils of gooey darkness coalesce around her staff, ready to be disgorged into Majima's body if Uta manages to skewer him with the metal tip of her staff, as a follow-up move to introducing his face to her heels.

And just one moment before the (likely) Dark Heart of this enemy is about to be struck, Uta, unexpectedly, yells out, "Wait a minute! The tournament has already taken place?!"

Souji took it as a compliment! His smile says 'Thanks' without any words. To Asuna, Soujiro says, "Happy to train with you on them." Of course he is happy to train always, but his tone makes it sound like Asuna training gets to be extra special. "Recently!" Souji confirms for Uta, "The last match was Mikage versus Haru."

Behind the large door is where the captured are kept. Many of these are Adventurers that would have preferred death and respawn, but instead kept alive here. Some are Landers with an adventuring spirit or were being escorted by the Adventurers. They are all traumatized by the experience (did you see Majima?) and need some calming down before they feel comfortable moving on. All of them insist that this nightmare wont end until you fell the boss that organized this effort. The one that is just in yonder room.

This requires a softer touch and Soujiro is capable of laying down boulder splitting strikes alongside good 'ole feel good vibes. There is no /special/ trick to it. He goes to each one and listens to them. They have had a lot happen to them and that sort of energy needs a warm smile and an open ear. Tea helps, too, which he serves. He is in no rush to go fight things when people are this frayed.

    Asuna, trying to be gentle with Uta, points out, "You were in the tournament, dear. You didn't miss it."

    While she is used to Uta's various challenges, when they are this obvious she gets worried for her friend. "Do you remember it at all?" she asks.

    And that sensitivity leaves her with the next challenge ahead. People who are stressed and in need of her help. She gets out some of her snacks, all made by her or (the most precious of all) made by her baking hero: Pela. Asuna isn't selfish. She gives the best away first, to those who seem most shell-shocked.

    "Hey, you are going to be okay. It's really important that you get out and get to safety. That nasty thing won't harm you anymore. The way out is a lot safer now. And if you can be brave, I'll meet you after and help you figure things out."

    The latter is more for the landers than for the Adventurers, really. She has expectations of her fellow adventurers to land on their feet. But she'd never turn anyone away, either.

     "Yes, the tournament is already over Uta." Honami responds with a soft chuckle, instead of the 'oh-ho ho ho ho ho' kind of laugh she does when she's being overdramatic. "But yes! There are so many stories just waiting to be told -- and writtten. Hm. I should cultivate my scribe skills some more, honestly." Honami says thoughtfully. "I theorize that with proper skill usage, it can be used to write stories that become true."

     Oh no more radiant smiles. Honami shudders slightly as she looks towards Soujiro, looking back away from him as she moves forward. To... where the adventurers were kept ... Oh also some landers and such. Honami blinks a bit as she listens to them talk. And how they are acting.

     "...Why do you talk as if this is a dangerous thing? This horrible nightmare boss?" Honami says, as once more, dark illusions begin to spread, enwrapping the whole party, giving each of them an aura of strength and power around them, as Honami walks slowly towards the group of captured adventurers and landers. "You think that thing a threat to us? I am Honami, the Demon Rose of the Forgotten Legion, the Angel of Darkness, who shall bring this world to its knees and the destroyer of worlds." Honami motions towards her party. "And these? These are my friends who are /far/ more terrifying than I. Uta, the Serendipity, Soujiro Seta, The Divine Knight, and Asuna, A Mother." Truly that last one is the most terrifying.

     "So, you are in good hands. Do not fear. For much more terrifying comes to free thy bindings. Now leave." She says, walking calmly towards the doorway into the boss room.

"Oh, dangit dangit dangit dangit!", Uta repeats in panic while circling around in place, fingers so firmly planted in in her hair she upsets her nurse's cap (hats are important!)

"It's not about me taking part to it! It's about cheering on Haru! I'm supposed to be there for him! How could I forget -this-!?"

Frantic head rubbing intensifies. "He made it all the way to the finals?! Ouch! How many games did I miss?!", she says, beginning to count on her fingers-

There are other kinds of distress at hand however. While the rest of the team do their part to address the traumatized folks, Uta clutches her staff, and intones a mesmerizing tune, so captivating it sounds almost supernatural.

Which it migh as well be -- the focus gem on her staff, in the anatomically correct shape of the heart of a Siren, resonates with particular intensity here, giving the melody all the entrancing power these Monsters are known for. Except now, it's supposed to calm the recipients, and by focusing their attention on Demonrose and the team, the plan is to direct it away from whatever is terrifying them.

And perhaps, given her recent realization, perhaps Uta needs some calm herself.

Head of a bull. Body of a Titan. Fur of a blue sky. Lou Blue thumps down from a throne three sizes too small for him with a halberd capable of holding up temples. He rattles off a speech about how he doesn?t care about Kagachi nor the lord's demise. He desires violence and power and by luring the party here, he has gotten just that. The beast launches forth in an assault that is challenging to shield against, even if you know where he is going to strike next. His own defenses are so thick that it feels like you are attacking a gazebo.

The samurai is ablaze with the light that seeks to protect others. The room just behind them has the story of many traumatized souls. "I am Soujiro Seta of the West Wind Brigade and I will protect you," he says with conviction, speaking to those there. "Those that have wronged you," he holds Kogarasumaru close to him as the Alvish lettering on it glows 'Was Granme ra rana', "will face my blades so that your wounds may heal. So that you can smile once more," he dashes in, facing the towering opponent, "I will defeat you."

A crashing blow comes down near Soujiro as he dodges, "Look closely, Asuna," he yells as his eyes see it all before it happens, the attacks, the motions, "the true strength of a samurai blazes brightest when they have something precious to protect." Sparks as he dodges the next attack, keen on frustrating the enemy. And there it is. The opening thread, "And when you open your heart to those people, you fight as one, burning as bright as the sun itself. Behold the hearts of those you wronged, Lou Blue, as I carry their wishes upon this blade." His charged up slash is unleashed, Fifth Divine Technique: Sword of Vows!

     Circling and panicking, Uta is probably... much less intimidating seeming than Honami intended her to be. Honestly the fact that it even halfway seemed to work was kind of funny at this point. Honami was just kind of continuing on now. It's easier to pretend that she didn't just do that. Luckily the magical song and other people were better at negotiating than Honami, really.
     And then the encountered Lou Blue, the body of a titan, head of a bull, and blue fur! Honami blinks. "Wow. He's huge." She says absently under her breath, as she starts to charge in towards the gazebull! ... ... And her strikes hit those thick defenses. Fairly ineffectively. Honestly at best she's a distraction for the others than anything at this point, since she still looks extra intimidating even if she's not doing much. Tink tink tink. "Uhm... yes. ...What Soujiro said!" Honami supports Soujiro! "... I am clearly not the main character in this story and instead the plucky comic relief that occasionally has moments of awesome." Honami comments under her breath towards the end of that fight. At least they won? And nobody died?

    "Mama is scary" - Yui

    Soujiro's words help Asuna let her full power pour out. It is not graceful in the least, and it is not subtle. She has her own talents, different from her fellow ronin, but as her daughter has observed, she can be very scary, indeed. And so it turns out to be now. Seeing people hurt is the initial fuel of that fury. Seeing them scared. She is comfort, certainly, but Asuna is more than that. She is the mama bear and if there is one thing people learn quickly, it is not to threaten the children lest their mother turn into a force of nature.

    Lou Blue is the unlucky target. His defenses may be thick, but Asuna, now in purest rage, has no hesitation, no point of exhaustion. Raw adrenaline and fury. She's not even just using the rapier. Some of those strikes are bare fist blows of power that simple defies the size of the Flash. Only when the enemy bursts into pixels does she relent. She isn't foaming at the mouth, but she's not far from it. And then there's his drop.

    "Oh my god, this is adorable! Yui will love this!"

    As if nothing happened at all...

At this point, it is a free-for-all. Forget the bouncing shockwaves, now we have Uta yell and launch into full wuxia action sequence mode.

Between a punch and a Kick, Uta yells out, "Wait, I thought -I- was the comic relief!" In half-panic, she continues, "Maybe we can be the duo of goofy characters?"

The mighty can still fall. After a fierce battle with the bull, Lou Blue falls backwards in a timmmbeerrrrr motion. As the tree of a man hits the ground, he shatters into thousands of shards. The victims can rest easy knowing their sadistic captor is no more.

It is not the ability to fight that Souji will be known for. One does not get to pick who lives, who dies, and who writes their stories. Today it is in the hearts of those that Soujiro, Asuna, Uta, and Honami rescued. And the Legend of the Sword Saint that will fight in the deepest of dungeons, the most invincible of enemies, to inspire the hearts of others. In a world where despair can all too easily flood one's heart, Souji becomes the guardian of the river of emotions. Cue heroic stance and extra sparkles.

    Asuna, now having let all /that/ out, feels much better. And her mind is immediately back to taking care of people.

    "Thank you everyone! I need to get back to those Landers and make sure they get to safety, though. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome! And you know, join me back at my place for a meal."

    And to play with an excitable little Lander girl, too! Let's face it, Asuna could be max cooking and Yui would still be the main draw to a visit.

     "I'll walk with you." Honami says, partially to soothe her own ego at being mostly useless in the actual boss fight for actually dealing damage. The downside of being a damage dealer with lots of burst, sometimes, the burst runs out. On the upside, she'll get to play with an excitable little lander girl.

There is much rejoicing! And Uta dramatically stands in the background for the group photo. Well, if group photos were a thing. For the group painting?

This day will go down in history, and while standing in the Background, Uta's already started to hum a tune, attempting to compose the Ballad of the Tenth Floor. Of how it didn't succeed the first time around. But also of these events.

It will take a bit to sort out what the song will -actually- be about...

"...Did anyone say MEAL!?", Uta Asks, eyes glinting with excitement. +_+

Looks like that Ballad will have to wait...