Life Goes On
by zero0hero
xxxxxxxxxx
After six months, Arrun was really starting to feel like a real city, for better and for worse.
On the upswing, the small shops and businesses started by the Fae refugees in the first months had begun to grow, flourish, and interlink. Tradesmen and entrepreneurs had moved into the buildings lining the main streets, opening shop early every morning to present their wares to the citizens and closing late as the last customers hurried to finish their after work shopping. During peak hours, the crowds in the central market could get so large that it would seem like a festival. The sense of purpose and of Living On went a long way to fighting the ache of loss and loneliness that had crept into everyone's hearts after they had awoken in Halkegenia.
Of course it wasn't all perfect, there was a good deal more dirt and grime than would ever have been tolerated, much less possible, in a VR environment. Waste disposal and sanitation were ongoing problems that Arrun and the other cities were less than perfectly equipped to manage. But between the infrastructure that had been created in the transition, the efforts of the civic council, and the tireless members of the city sanitation department, Arrun was still to be considered an unmarred jewel among the cities of Halkegenia.
Personally, Kirito thought the imperfection gave the city its own charm. The faint smoke stains on the buildings in the industrial quarter, and the smell of stables, the way that the city streets shined after being washed clean by the rain. They were reminders that they were alive and well in this place and could live to their fullest. And today, Kirito was doing just that.
"Right this way please." A Pixie waitress led Asuna and Kirito to a table at an outdoor cafe overlooking the central shopping district. "May I take your order now or would you like some time to consider?"
"Kirito-kun?" Asuna asked as Kirito got her chair.
Kirito gave it some thought. "Green tea would be good for now, and the last time I was here the chef was trying some kind of really thin omelet?"
The waitress gave a half bow. "That's a regular item on the menu now. A green tea and stuffed house omelet?"
"That would be good." Kirito smiled, "Asuna?"
"I'll have the same." Asuna decided and waited for their waiter to depart back into the cafe before returning her attention to Kirito. "Finally, a day off."
Kirito nodded as he sank down into his chair, feeling for all the world like he'd aged fifty years in the last six months. "Well, it hasn't been that long." They'd been busy for the last couple of weeks but there had been lulls as well.
"Maybe not." Asuna agreed. "But it's nice to get out just the two of us."
That was true. Kirito decided. Nobody would ever doubt that they loved Yui truly and dearly as their daughter, and that the three of them were usually found together whenever possible. But it could get exhausting trying to keep up with their Maeve daughter's boundless energy. The change of pace was welcome if not entirely needed.
Besides, it was important for Yui to spend time with other people and broaden her experiences. Today, she was under the watchful care of her 'aunts' Silica and Liz while they spent the day at the lakeside, leaving Kirito and Asuna free of their parental obligations until evening.
They could have stayed in bed until Yui got home, and given their exhausting routines recently, the idea had been tempting. But it seemed like a waste of one of the last days of summer. So, sleepily at first, they had risen late, gotten dressed, and made their way down to the markets for an early lunch free of any cooking obligations on their part.
"I wouldn't have minded cooking, you know." Asuna teased as she propped her head in her hands.
"True." Kirito agreed. "But sometimes its good to let someone else do it for you. Otherwise it becomes too much like work."
"As they say, if you enjoy what you do, you'll never 'work' a day in your life." Asuna shot back.
"And what does Confucius have to say about vacations?"
The needling went back and forth for a bit before Asuna got up, begging to use the powder room. She was just about to turn towards the cafe when she bumped into the person at the table behind her. "Ah, I'm so sorry . . . Alicia-sama?"
It did indeed appear to by the Lady of the Cait Syth, dressed in casual clothing and wearing a pair of darkly lensed glasses that had become popular among gnomes and imps. "Shh! We're incognito!"
"We?" Kirito asked, suddenly growing alert and realizing that . . . He was an idiot.
How could he not have noticed? Probably because they were good. Absurdly good. Kurotaka good. Well, the quality of the now legendary Faerie mercenaries had grown even greater after Morgiana opened full membership to all comers. A pair of chatting Puca at the far table happened to be carrying bags big enough to conceal collapsible staffs, and of the two women over in the corner, one was Shirishi, Kurotaka's black magic sorceress, and other was the human disguise of Morgiana's second in command. Kirito winced as he remembered how he had learned that his warning had gone out a little too late for some of the former players playing around with their spell lists. His heart went out to Drake.
Asuna had picked up on it too, her hand twitching as she reached for a sword that wasn't their. "Is something going on?"
"Well . . . It's something . . ." Alicia agreed. "I guess you'd call it insurance." The Cait Syth had the decency to looked embarrassed. "Ah, not for you guys. You guys are great! It's for . . ." She nodded down to the market square below them and then gestured for them to look cautiously.
Standing near the central fountain was a Cait Syth girl, cute, black haired, and incredibly small. If Silica was a playful munchkin, and KoKo was a serval, then this girl would have been some sort of tea cup breed. She was dressed plainly, white dress, yellow jacket, and lightweight sandals, clutching small purse in front of herself. Now and again she would look around anxiously. All in all, she seemed pretty normal, or as normal as any Fae could be. The only problem was that there appeared to be three of her.
"Is that . . . Shiori?" Kirito asked, surprised to see one of ALfheim most . . . unique . . . residence looking so normal.
"Uh-huh." Alicia said, sounding suddenly very tired.
"As in the Shiori?" Asuna asked, sounding a little concerned. Kirito couldn't blame her, as far as he knew, they'd both seen her full dossier. Kirito considered himself to be an adaptable person, his ability to live for weeks at a time as 'Midori' with only very mild stress to his psyche certainly spoke for his mental resilience. But he couldn't imagine going through what Shiori had experienced. Either three minds that had once been one sharing a single identity, or a single consciousnesses spread over three minds and bodies. He almost couldn't believe a human mind could take it. And maybe she hadn't.
Nobody could argue with the results she got. Shiori had wreaked more destruction against Reconquista in two weeks than a full Spriggan hit squad had done in two months. Asuna had tried to scout her for the Knights of Blood, but Argo had snatched her up first, and that was probably for the best. She was considered to be vicious, appallingly dangerous, and set on a hair trigger. The only things that had kept her out of confinement was her fanatical loyalty to the well being of the denizens of ALfheim and the fact that she was too much trouble to bring down so long as she remained cooperative. Maybe that was why she had become Alicia's 'Project' since returning from Albion.
"Has Shiori done something?" Kirito asked, wishing that he'd though to bring Dual Deciders with him. The Cait Syth trio were atrociously good. But between Asuna, himself, and the Kurotakas, they could probably stalemate all three Shiori without anyone getting hurt.
"No." Alicia sighed. "It's not what she'd done . . . It's what I'm afraid she'll do." Alicia's ears twitched as she seemed to listen to a distant voice. A Puca up on the rooftops must have been using ventriloquism to communicate long distance.
"Okay, he's almost here."
Down in the square, the Shiori seemed to be perking up, all three black haired girls turning their heads as one and zeroing in on . . .
"Recon?" Kirito asked. The Sylph magic user and scout better dressed today then Kirito had ever seen him. He'd ditched his normal lightweight utility gear and actually seemed to have done something with his hair other than that hideous bowl cut. "Alicia . . . what's going on?"
"Like I said, we're here as insurance." She looked Kirito and Asuna over as if deciding how much she could tell them. "Look, you know Shiori's one of me . . . problem children, right?"
That was an understatement. There was a small but not inconsiderable number of players who had been left severely disoriented or who had great difficulty adapting after the transition had changed them into their avatars. Nobody would deny that their transformation into Fae had radically altered their bodies and continued to play havoc with body image. For some it was a blessing, and for others it was a terrible curse.
Kirito had heard of one Salamander who had wept with joy when she discovered that she was now, not only truly female, but pregnant with her first child. One particularly infamous Spriggan mercenary had likewise discovered that the only way to regain her womanhood was through the use of faction disguise.
There had also been incidents of extreme age disconnect going in both directions. Sixty, seventy, and even eighty year old men and women reveling in their rebirth in strong, youthful Faerie bodies.
But also a few less pleasant incidents. Several of the children taken in by Arrun Home, the orphanage founded to care for children separated from their families, suffered from having their young minds trapped within fully grown bodies.
The worst case Kirito had heard of was an eleven year old named Rika, her real name, who had been using her sister's account. She'd been found in the company of one particularly . . . unpleasant . . . Nobleman who had mistaken her inexperience for a mental defect and fully intended to take advantage of her before the authorities had become involved and wrestled the truth from the terrified girl.
Kirito had met Rika once while accompanying Yui on her 'rounds'. Big, like most grown Gnomes, warm, and incredibly gentle. She'd cuddled a pet feathered dragon while talking with Yui about her life at the Home and proudly reciting all the things she was allowed to help with because of her size and strength.
The strangeness only deepened from their. Players who had been playing full dive games to regain their eyesight or hearing, now overwhelmed by the constant sensory immersion. Those who had been suffering from terminal illness miraculously healed but suffering from survivors guilt or a loss of purpose. At least one elderly player with a mild case of Alzheimer's who had found his faculties slowly restoring themselves.
Alicia Rue had made it part of her job to help find ways for these people to cope and adapt to their new lives. Mostly this involved finding productive outlets for their fears, anxieties, and frustrations. But in a few cases she took a more personal approach. Such as with the Shiori.
"Kirito nodded. So this is part of her therapy. Does Yui know about this?" Kirito hadn't let Yui get close to the Shiori for safety reasons but he knew she'd read the girl's dossier and sent some suggestions back to Alicia's office.
"Actually, Yui's the one who suggested we should let her do this." Alicia answered. "Though, all the security was my idea. Basically we're trying to socialize her so that she can be let back out into society." The Cait Syth leader waved a hand vaguely. "The transition really messed with her head and her impulse control, especially violent impulses. I guess you could say she's partly feral. So we've been working on getting those under control and then moved to socializing."
"Socializing?" Asuna didn't sound at all confident.
Alicia chuckled. "Yup. This is Shiori's first date . . ."
The Black Swordsman and the White Flash exchanged looks. It was like Alicia had just casually told them that she'd be defusing a bomb at their table.
By now, down in the square, Recon was waving to the trio of Cait Syth who seemed to be on the verge of scattering in fright.
"Alicia-sama." Kirito said nervously. "You do realize that Shiori-chan is . . . was . . . did she?"
"Straight male." Alicia agreed. "Or at least that's what she claims. She's not so sure now. I guess having your brain stew in three times the hormones doesn't help. Apparently our fearless idiot down their asked her out." Alicia nodded to where Recon was greeting the lead Shiori who was still looking a little flighty. "So I found three black cats nyaning for help last night. I pulled in some favors, had some of the girls take her shopping and hired half of Kurotaka in case something goes wrong." She smiled tiredly. "I really, really hope nothing goes wrong. If nothing goes wrong, that would be just great."
Kirito and Asuna both starred at Alicia, then back to the courtyard where Recon had apparently already managed to make a gaff and seemed to be hastily retracting something he had said to the right flanking Shiori before turning to the one on the left and bowing rapidly. Finally, Asuna and Kirito looked to each other and nodded wisely.
"Waiter!" Kirito called. "We'll take our order to go!"
