A/N:
Okay, admittedly this chapter is a bit of wholesome, fluffy filler, but with what's coming up… a little reprieve is necessary. So enjoy the fluff!
And prepare for the beginning of the end.
The 47th Floor was simultaneously one of the most overlooked floors, as well as one of the least.
The reason for this strange phenomenon depended on something entirely unrelated to the game, ironically enough. There was nothing of real importance on this floor; there was no extraordinary loot to speak of, nor were there any monsters residing on this floor whose difficulty may have presented either an efficient leveling method or a thrilling challenge. To the vast majority of the surviving SAO playerbase, there was no reason to spend any considerable amount of time on this floor.
There were only two exceptions to this "rule" that justified visiting this floor.
The first was that, due to its picturesque floral landscapes, it was a popular date location for the fairly small demographic collectively known as those "in a relationship." It was beautiful, to be fair. Eager for the excuse for a date, the various couples of the Renegades decided to pay a visit to the Floor of Flowers. There was no inherent danger from anything living on this floor, so once they all arrived, each couple went their separate way to spend some alone time with their significant other.
Silica didn't mind. That wasn't the reason why she was here.
On this floor resided an item which could bring Fafnir back from the dead. Thanks to Yui's insider knowledge – though Silica was still struggling with the concept that the cute little cinnamon roll of a niece was actually a complex therapy program – she now had the knowledge and means of bringing her second familiar back. Even Pina seemed overjoyed at the prospect of reuniting with the boastful wyvernling. Maybe Fafnir would come back a little more well-behaved this time around.
…Oh, who was she kidding? Fafnir was a pain in the ass, and she wouldn't change a thing about him.
"How much farther, Sil?"
She glanced over at Lokuss, who'd decided to join her on this little venture. Trailing behind were Klein and Kuroi, who were supposedly here as an escort, but were in actuality too preoccupied with conversation and enjoying each other's company. Not that she really needed them as an escort, though. She was content to fight on her own, and at the very least she had Lokuss to give her a hand if things turned hairy.
"Not much longer." Silica answered after pulling out her map. Feeling something brush up against her leg, she glanced down to see a rather smug-looking Gryd sauntering by. "Thanks for comin', Lok!"
He beamed. "Of course! I'm kind of curious about this revival item, myself. If I ever need to revive Gryd for whatever reason, I should probably know where to go for the item."
It was too bad they couldn't just stock up on the item in question; that certainly would be useful to bring their pets back from death in the middle of combat. Unfortunately, according to Argo – who had quickly verified Yui's information and had since added it to her guide – the ((Pneuma Flower)) expired after a short period of time, meaning that it could not be feasibly readied for a worst-case scenario.
No, fetching this flower was already the worst-case scenario.
They walked along in content silence until Silica noted the large plant monsters lining the floral path. Each sporting a monstrous, slobbery mouth and far-too-many tentacles, Silica immediately had flashbacks of her time on the 1st Floor. Her mood instantly soured, and a dark aura of malice hovered over her avatar. Out came the dagger, and her face twisted into a snarl.
"Uhh… Sil?" Lokuss prodded, backing away slowly. Pina had taken a similar cue and was hovering behind the loremaster like a human shield. "You alright?"
So enraged by the reminder of the perversion of some game developers and her traumatic experience with the plant monsters on the 1st Floor, Silica ignored his questioning and launched herself forward. Her dagger gleamed with the startup of one of her strongest sword skills.
Was it overkill for a monster on a floor approximately 30 floors below her current level?
Yes.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
"GRRAAHHH!"
Lokuss stood there for a moment, watching the slaughter unfold before his eyes, before shrugging. "Oh, what the hell."
With a yell that matched his tamer-in-arms, he joined the fray, cackling all the way.
Watching Silica readily dismember and eviscerate plant monsters was something of an eye-opening experience for Klein. The cute little dragon tamer rarely ever got angry to this degree, and frankly?
It was frightening.
Women were scary.
"Wonder what's got her pissed off." Klein whispered, instinctively taking a few steps back.
Kuroi arched an eyebrow. "Clearly you've never had to fight the various plant and tentacle monsters that call this accursed floating castle home."
"Of course I have! I'll have you know I've been a part of the clearing effort ever since Floor…" Klein paused, his mind finally catching onto the implications of her statement. "...oh. You mean…?"
"Yes."
Klein's face flushed and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Right. Sorry."
"Think nothing of it. It is not your fault." Kuroi said. "Kayaba is, indeed, cruel in his machinations."
Klein had long since grown accustomed to Kuroi's roleplay-speech, and to be honest he found it endearing. It also hinted at a subtle, yet astounding intellect; the ability to translate real world and gaming jargon into lore-friendly conversation on the dime like that was incredible. He had no doubt that whatever she did in real life, she was fantastic at it.
"Hey Kuroi, mind if I ask you a question?"
"Of course not. Please." Her eyes brightened as if she was smiling under her scarf.
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I was wondering what you plan to do once we… err, defeat Kayaba and earn our freedom?" Klein asked, making special care not to mention any implication that this was a game. "I assume you've had enough fighting for one lifetime. What will you do next?"
Kuroi furrowed her brow in deep thought. "Before I devoted myself to the ways of kunoichi, I was a bookkeeper of sorts. I was well-versed in stories of a fantastical nature, of heroes and villains with incredible abilities."
A bookkeeper who worked somewhere with stories about heroes and villains. Incredible abilities. A comic book store, maybe?
"So you'll go back to that?" Klein asked.
"Perhaps. I fear I may not be the same when I return home, though."
Klein tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Kuroi's face changed, and her stoic facade started to crack just a little bit. She sighed before continuing hesitantly. "I had to become someone else when I lost my clan… my first clan, that is. I fear that, when I return home, I will have changed irrevocably."
"Well of course you have." Klein shrugged, and he could tell Kuroi was not expecting that answer. "I wouldn't say "irrevocably" though. I bet that underneath all of that stealthy, ninja bluster, you're the same girl who came here seeking adventure. We won't be the same, but that doesn't mean we'll be entirely different."
She simply stared at him, as if slowly digesting that interpretation.
"I've been called a dork in the past. Hell, look at my get-up. I'm dressed as a samurai, even though back home I'm anything but that." Klein continued. "Deep down, though, I'm still the same dorky guy who desperately asks out any girl I meet. Not that that's ever worked."
"You've never made advances on me…" Kuroi mumbled.
Klein blinked. "I guess I have changed, then."
"Why, though?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you not treat me the same way?" She asked sheepishly.
"Honestly? The first time I saw you, I was scared of you." Klein admitted. "I'm not sayin' you're a scary person, Kuroi. It's just when I saw you, I thought "here's a woman that knows what she wants, and it's not me." At the risk of sounding cliche, you looked like a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man. Heh, now that I've gotten to know you a bit better, I know that's the case."
"How you could be so sure…" Kuroi mumbled.
Wait. There was that expression again. He knew it well.
"Hey now, I recognize that look." Klein chided her. "I saw a little bit of that on the 51st Floor, and now I know I saw what I saw. Look at me, Kuroi."
The kunoichi did just that, and he saw her demeanor change. No longer did her eyes hold the hardened gaze of an assassin. No, instead he saw what he assumed to be the player behind Kuroi. He saw insecurity and uncertainty.
That just wouldn't do.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Kuroi. I don't know what kind of shit you went through before all of this, but whoever hurt you is dead wrong." He said, gripping her shoulders and gazing deep into her amethyst eyes. "You are smart, clever, strong, and not to mention insanely beautiful. You're one of the strongest women I've had the pleasure of knowing, and I'm talking about the woman behind the mask, not the kunoichi she became. Any guy would be lucky to have you, but you're also strong enough not to need someone either. Chin up, Kuroi. I know when we get out of here, you'll be – MMPH!"
It happened so fast.
With all of the speed and dexterity of a trained ninja, she'd tucked her scarf under her chin, reached up, grabbed his collar, and yanked him down until their lips were crashing together. So sudden was the move that he found himself awkwardly hunched over due to the difference in height. To say he was caught off guard would be the understatement of the millennium. It was abundantly obvious neither really knew what they were doing, but that mattered little right now.
Finally, they broke apart and for the first time he saw an emotion other than quiet stoicism in her eyes. It was an emotion he thought she sorely needed more of, given all of the shit she'd been through. An emotion that he himself felt right at this moment.
Joy.
"T-thank you, Klein." She whispered; her posture had changed dramatically. Was this who she was in real life? A meek, soft-hearted cinnamon roll with confidence issues?
Oh, he was going to fix the latter part, even if it killed him.
"Anytime, Kuroi." He said before something dawned on him. "Hey, I know this is kind of sudden, but would you like to go out sometime?"
She smiled, and his heart leaped in his chest. "I'd love that."
With that business sorted out – and after pointedly ignoring the shit-eating grins from the two familiar masters up ahead – the duo walked forward to catch up. Meanwhile, Klein's mind raced with all that just happened. He had no idea Kuroi was interested in him like that. She certainly didn't seem that way when he first met her.
Huh. Maybe there was something to getting to know a girl before asking them out.
What a concept.
Nautilus looked out across the flowery fields at a rather curious sight before giving a faint smirk.
"About damn time."
He felt an arm loop in his, followed by a wet feeling on his cheek. Yuna sidled up alongside him and hummed in agreement. "Seems like everyone's pairing up nowadays, huh? First Kirito and Asuna, then you and me. Liz and Leonn weren't far behind, and now Kuroi and Klein?"
"Honestly, I figured Klein would make a move on Liena." Nautilus confessed.
Yuna giggled. "Wow, your radar is off. I don't think Liena swings that way."
He cocked his head and arched an eyebrow. "Really? What makes you say that?"
"I've seen her give a few appreciative glances at those of a more feminine persuasion. She hasn't looked at any of our guildmates like that, though. I think she thinks everyone's a bit young for her." Yuna said. "If it wasn't for how closed off Kuroi could be, it wouldn't have surprised me if she made a move on our ninja."
"Hmm. I guess she, Agil, Klein, and Kuroi are the oldest in the guild, aren't they?" Nautilus remarked, leading them along the trail and back towards the teleport plaza. "That's gotta be a little awkward for them."
Yuna shrugged as they neared the center of the plaza. "Maybe, but I'd like to think they enjoy hanging around us anyway."
"Hey, is that Yuna?!"
Both of their heads whipped over towards the side, where a small group of players had taken notice of them. More than a few had awestruck expressions on their faces, but all of them collectively began to walk or jog towards them.
Great. Fans.
"Excuse me, are you Yuna? From the Resolute Renegades?" A younger girl asked, stars in her eyes.
Yuna gave a warm smile. "That's me! Is there something I can help you with?"
The girl practically vibrated with excitement. "I'm such a huge fan of your songs! Is it true that they're all original pieces?"
Yuna laughed, and Nautilus was reminded that even her laugh sounded melodic. "That's true!"
"That's incredible!" One of the boys exclaimed. "You've got such a wide variety of genres in your songs, and each and every one of them is also useful in a fight!"
"Have you ever considered recording your songs on a recording crystal and selling it?" Another girl asked, and Nautilus could have sworn he saw dollar signs in her eyes. Scary.
"Do you take requests?"
"Who's your tailor?"
"Is it true you eloped and got married?
Actually, they were starting to crowd into her personal bubble a little, and he could tell that while she was uncomfortable, she was unwilling to tell them to back off some.
He rolled up his sleeves; if she was going to be a pop star in here, he was going to be her manager and muscle.
"Hold on, hold on!" Nautilus shouted, breaking up the crowd and forcibly creating space between them and Yuna. "Questions one at a time, people! We don't want to crowd her, right?"
"Wait, you're Nautilus!" The boy from earlier exclaimed. "Guys, that's the Intrepid Knight himself! So cool!"
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Yuna purred, and Nautilus got the sinking feeling she was going to throw this overeager crowd a bone, and all hell would break loose. "And to answer your questions, I haven't really thought about making an album on a recording crystal before, yes I take requests, Ashley is my tailor, and no, we did not elope."
"Wait, so you're not married?"
Yuna smiled. "I didn't say that. Naut and I are married, we just didn't have a big ceremony like Kirito and Asuna did. We decided to keep it small."
"So romantic!" Several of the girls screeched, while a few of the boys cursed under their breath.
Nautilus had to keep from rolling his eyes. Here he was trying to play crowd control to this horde of fans, and here she was egging them on. Then again, this was probably something he'd have to get used to. Once they got out and everything went back to normal, he had no doubt in his mind that she'd become the next big pop star in Japan.
He smiled as Yuna continued to interact with her fans.
This was just something he was going to have to get used to.
"Okay, open 'em."
Liz blearily opened her eyes and found herself in the Renegade kitchen, staring at several rows of… flour? Closer inspection revealed that they were pretty high quality flour bundles, and now she had some idea as to what Leonn had in mind for date night.
"Well?" Her boyfriend asked, looking oddly pleased with himself.
"Well what?"
"I brought you flours for our date." He grinned.
She stifled a laugh, consequently causing her to snort instead, and playfully smacked his shoulder. He snickered before procuring two aprons from the nearby table. As she read what was written on the aprons, he almost facepalmed. On hers was a picture of a pie with the word "Cutie" above it, while his had a muffin with the word "Stud" above it.
"You callin' me a cutie pie?" Liz asked, grinning devilishly. "Huh, stud muffin?"
That seemed to fluster him a little, and she took the victory.
"I saw them at a shop on the 1st Floor and I couldn't pass up the opportunity." He stammered. "And yes. Yes I am."
"First the flours, and now the baking pun aprons. You're on a roll today, aren't you?" Liz laughed.
Leonn pulled out a rolling pin. "Not yet, I'm not."
"Oh my GOD, you're terrible!" Liz cackled, finally having reached her limit. After about a minute, she finally regained her composure. "Alright, so what are we making?"
Leonn put away the pin and began pulling out ingredients from their cold storage container. "I figured we'd make some cookies. Keep it classic, y'know? Can't go wrong with a good cookie."
"Sounds yummy. Chocolate chip?"
"Of course we're making chocolate chip. What do you take me for?" Leonn snarked as he opened up a flour packet and poured it into a bowl.. "I've wanted to do this ever since we found that candy-themed floor. Which one was it again?"
"Floor 63." Liz answered, remembering how that particular floor was effectively themed around that old board game Candyland. She remembered there being a lot of candy and confectionery puns on that floor, too. Everything on that floor dropped edible items, which sounds like a great idea on paper.
The next 30 minutes were a blast. She wasn't much of a baker in real life (that was something her mom was good at, not her) but here, with how simplified cooking was? So much fun! They may have been a bit too liberal with the flour and spent 5 minutes splashing each other with it, but it was ultimately worth it and they still had enough leftover to actually make the dough.
"Now…" Liz said, gazing upon the finished cookie dough and patting her hands clean. "We have a very important decision to make."
"Liz, we can't eat all the cookie dough."
"But it looks so good! And we totally can!"
Leonn chuckled. "Okay, let me rephrase. We shouldn't eat all the dough. With our luck, that stupid stomachache debuff is still a thing."
Unfortunately, Kayaba – or Cardinal, whatever – also emulated what happens when you eat too many sweets. It was a very uncomfortable first day on that floor. For a solid week, she couldn't even look at a lollipop without feeling queasy.
"Ugh… you just had to remind me, didn't you?" Liz almost dry-heaved, remembering vividly that nauseating debuff. When they got out, she was going to request that part of Kayaba's punishment involve the consumption of a truckload of sweets just to give him a taste of what she had to go through.
"...Sorry."
Feeling a tad mischievous, she dipped her finger into the dough and scooped out a small chunk before reaching up and depositing it on Leonn's nose. Apparently caught off guard by the sudden nasal pastry, he stood there – cross-eyed – and stared at the misplaced dough in confusion. He glanced over at her amused expression and decided to roll with it, sticking out his tongue and attempting to lick the dough off his nose.
"Oh my god, you look ridiculous!" Liz erupted into laughter. She reached up and grabbed either side of his face before bringing it down to her eye level. "Here, I've got it."
With a quick wipe of her finger, she snatched the dough and brought it towards her mouth. A firm hand grabbed her by the wrist before she felt Leonn's mouth wrap around her finger.
"Mmm." Leonn hummed after releasing her from his grasp. "You're right. Maybe we should just eat the dough."
"Ooh!" A familiar childlike voice called out from the doorway. The couple turned to see Yui hungrily eyeing the dough, visibly holding herself back from running headlong into the kitchen and scarfing down the goods. "Are you making cookies?"
Liz exchanged a look with Leonn, who merely sighed before smiling at their niece.
"Guess that answers that. Let's bake some cookies, shall we?!"
"Yui, where did you get those cookies?"
"Uncle Leonn and Auntie Liz made them, Mama!"
Asuna sighed, shaking her head and smiling at her daughter's antics. Meanwhile, Kirito chuckled under his breath, his fishing pole held loose in his hands.
After a chance run-in with another resident of Floor 22 – a man named Nishida who was a certifiable expert in the skill – her husband decided to take up fishing. Normally, her husband would have just politely said "that's nice," but then the professional angler mentioned something about a rumor of rare fish in Nelluon Arael, courtesy of an obscure fishing quest on this floor. There was no way of verifying it without testing it, of course.
Naturally, Kirito took up the skill on the spot, because of course he'd want a chance at rare items. IIf that wasn't enough to stoke his fires, Nishida mentioned a fishing competition happening next week.
Which led to Kirito practicing here at the Nelluon Arael lake.
He was also terrible at the skill, but she wasn't about to mention that.
"Mmmammma, Paapaa… arr you eedy fahr ta Foor shevendee-fahve boff?" Yui attempted to say with a mouth full of cookies.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, sweetie." Asuna chided.
Yui swallowed and looked apologetic. "Sorry. I asked if you were ready for the Floor 75 boss?"
Asuna frowned. The scouting mission was tomorrow, yet something in her gut told her that even that wouldn't be enough. She had a bad feeling something was going to go wrong.
"About as ready as we can be." Kirito answered instead, grabbing a cookie from Yui's hand ("Hey!) and taking a bite. "Mmm. Not bad."
"Can you tell us anything about it, Yui?" Asuna asked, avenging Yui by snatching the next cookie out of Kirito's hand. He started to object before wisely shutting his mouth.
Yui shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't. I've been expressly forbidden by Cardinal to give any information regarding the Floor bosses. Just… be careful, please."
"We will be, Yui." Kirito assured her.
A startled shout rang out nearby, and Asuna whipped her head in that direction. She made to get up, only for Kirito to place a hand on her shoulder.
"That's probably Wolfgang and Mako. They're making that treehouse Yui wanted, remember?"
"I can't wait!" Yui cheered. "Maybe I can start holding therapy sessions in there! The sounds of nature can be quite soothing and conducive to a safe therapeutic environment, you know."
"Should we check on them?" Asuna asked worriedly.
Kirito waved her off. "Nah. This is a safe zone. I'm sure they're fine."
He shrugged before looking back out over the lake, its tranquil waters mesmerizing to watch. Then, the line on his fishing pole tugged taut.
"Ooh! I've got something!" He cried out, and Yui leapt to her feet in excitement.
Unfortunately for her husband, what was on the end of the line was a small fish that wasn't even a quarter-meter long. She'd still cook it for him, but she couldn't help but giggle at the disappointed, deadpan stare he gave the fish.
"You already know him!"
Alice frowned. She just could not stop thinking about Yui's warning. The way she said that did not suggest "knowing" as in "already aware of the existence of". The way she said it suggested that they already knew him on a more personal level.
But how?
"You're still worried about what she said, aren't you?" Eugeo said as he joined her at the table.
The ambient smell of tea helped to soothe her a little; Argo had been right on the money when she recommended this little player-run cafe. The head waitress was amusing to watch as her little form stomped around from table to table. It was helping some at keeping her relaxed and entertained, but Yui's warning just would not get out of her head.
"Yeah." Alice said, brow furrowed in concentration. "She had to stop, which means it was very sensitive information. But why would it be sensitive?"
"I don't know." Eugeo admitted, shrugging. "It's not like anything we know about Kayaba would be helpful in here. He's probably hiding behind administrator controls. He's untouchable."
Alice sighed, running a now-warm hand across her face in frustration. "I guess there isn't anything to do about it right now, is there?"
"Nope. Nothing except order our food."
Alice opened up the menu. "I think I'll have some of their tonkatsu. It's been a while since I've had that."
Eugeo chuckled. "Yeah, most of the food in here is Western-inspired. A little bite of Japan would be nice. I think I'll have the same."
Some time later, while the two discussed just about everything under the Aincrad sun, the head waitress arrived at their table. "Welcome to the Tiger Dragon Cafe. My name is Tai, and I'll be your server today. What can I getcha?"
"We'll both have your tonkatsu, please." Alice answered for the both of them.
"No problem." Tai said, writing down the order before she froze and gave both of them a closer look. "Surprised to see you both here."
"...Do we know each other?" Eugeo asked hesitantly, sharing a confused look with Alice.
"Not personally, no." Tai answered, going back to writing down their order on her notepad. "Argo's mentioned you both a few times and I recognized ya from the broadcasts. You both do good work; this one's on the house."
"Oh!" Alice blurted out, surprised and grateful for the free meal. "Thank you very much, miss."
Tai held up a ringed finger and smiled. "Missus, actually. That ship sailed long ago, though I appreciate that you didn't assume."
"Oh, well congratulations." Eugeo politely said.
Tai sighed fondly. "Took us a while, but eventually that mongrel and I finally decided to tie the knot."
"...Mongrel?" Eugeo asked.
"Oh, right. Sorry; just a term of endearment I have for my husband. We didn't start out on the best terms, but now we've taken a liking to that nickname."
"That's just you, honey!" A voice called out from the kitchen. "I'm perfectly content to not be called a dog!"
"Oh you know you like it!" Tai shot back, an almost feral grin on her face. Meanwhile, Alice and Eugeo smiled, entertained by the married couple's byplay. She turned back to the duo. "Sorry about that; we're both just a little irritable and hungry. We haven't had the chance to eat today."
Alice looked over at the two seats free at their table. "Well, you're both welcome to join us if you'd like. I assume you have help in the kitchen to cover you?"
Tai shrugged. "Yeah, we've got some NPC employees that help keep the ship running when we're occupied. I'll let him know, thanks!"
As Tai walked away, Alice realized she forgot to ask Eugeo if he was okay with –
"Before you start worrying, I was going to suggest the same thing."
Alice chuckled. Great minds, indeed.
Some time later, Tai and a tall man with dark blue hair joined them at their table, but not before giving them their tonkatsu. Compared to how small his wife was, the two of them made for quite the juxtaposition.
"Thanks for inviting us to your table." The husband said. "Like my mother used to say, meals taste better when people eat together."
"Of course!" Eugeo said, shaking the man's hand in greeting. "Geeou, nice to meet you."
"Ryu. Likewise."
They were interrupted by Tai attacking her own plate of tonkatsu. Ryu frowned and lightly tapped her on the top of her head with his chopsticks. "Show some manners, Tai! We're not alone at home!"
Alice giggled. "She certainly likes your tonkatsu. That's enough of a recommendation as far as I'm concerned!"
Ryu chuckled. "I'm just surprised she hasn't gotten sick of it."
"Have you?" Eugeo asked.
Ryu looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess not. I guess that's the thing about whatever you make. Creating it for others is worthwhile, but there's something to be said for enjoying your own creation."
Alice hummed in agreement. She was never a particularly artsy individual, but what he said made some sense. Liz, for example, didn't just make weapons for others, she made them for herself too. The same applied to Asuna and her food, now that she thought about it. If she ever made something, she'd want to experience it for herself as well, not just let other people –
Wait.
"THAT'S IT!" Alice shouted, startling not only those at her table, but everyone else in the cafe as well. She finally noticed everyone's stares and shrunk in on herself. "Sorry."
"What's what?" Tai asked, wiping some rice off her face.
Alice looked over at Eugeo, who had stopped with his chopsticks halfway to his face. Her mind, meanwhile, was going a mile a minute as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. The logic was sound, and it made total sense to her. All she was missing was someone who fit the description. That would come in time. For now, she needed to keep an eye out for a Game Master in disguise.
"Just figured something out, that's all."
(Probably canon) Omake - Where's the Door?
"Alright Wolf! Come on up, I think we're ready to put up the fourth wall!"
Mako peered down the tree and waved for his friend to join him in the almost-complete treehouse. The lengths they would go to for their favorite niece. She may have been an A.I. and not a flesh-and-blood kid, but they'd be damned if they didn't give the little tyke a genuine childhood.
And that meant a treehouse. Every kid deserved a treehouse.
He heard Wolfgang mutter something about hating manual labor before joining him up in the mostly-completed box. Mako gripped the rudimentary pulley system he installed to allow for easy lifting and installation of the last wall.
"Oh stop grumbling." Mako scolded, nudging Wolfgang's shoulder. "Check it out. I've got this set up so all we have to do is pull the wall up and secure it. Easy-peasy."
"Huh. Who knew you had it in ya."
Mako glared at him. "Funny. Now give me a hand; we need to pull this up."
Without another word, the dynamic duo gripped the rope and pulled, swinging the last wall of the treehouse into place. Wolfgang held the rope taut while Mako quickly hammered in the last of the nails, securing the wall into place.
*SMACK-SMACK-SMACK-SMACK!*
"There we go!" Mako said, giving a few testing (and appreciative) pats to the wall before he stepped back and observed his handiwork.
"Solid work." Wolfgang said, clearly impressed. Not that Mako blamed him.
Mako smacked the side of the nearest wall. "4-star black iron nails."
"Ooh, nice."
"Right?"
"So we're done, yeah?" Wolfgang asked as he looked around the interior of the treehouse.
Mako nodded and made his way towards the door, which just so happened to be a part of the wall they just installed. "Yep, I just gotta get – "
*THUNK!*
Mako blinked, his exit out of the room coming to a screeching halt. He took another look at the door, noting that Wolfgang had outlined the door and handle with ((Artist's Charcoal)). He admitted that it was smart of him to measure and draw it out like that, but on the other hand…
That was all he'd done. The door wasn't complete.
There was no door.
"Wolf?" Mako whispered, turning towards his idiot friend and casually clasping his hands together in front of him.
Wolfgang stopped admiring the ceiling and turned towards Mako with a questioning look. "What's up?"
"Where's the door hole?"
Wolfgang pointed at the drawn outline. "It goes right there. See, I drew it with ((Artist's Charcoal))."
Mako felt his eyebrow twitch. "You were supposed to cut it out with the hand saw!"
"Dude, I'm gonna!"
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Mako nodded towards the "door." "So go get the saw."
Wolfgang had the audacity to look offended. "Okay! I will, geez!"
Arms crossed in a pout, Wolfgang made his way towards the outline. Mako stepped out of the way and watched with simultaneous amusement and anger. He waited for the inevitable.
In 3… 2… 1…
*SMACK!*
Wolfgang froze before testing the section of wall he'd outlined for the door. A gentle nudge here. Two knuckle taps there. With each second, Mako could see Wolfgang's increasing realization and subsequent panic. Finally, Wolfgang swiveled in place and placed his back against the "door."
"I see the problem."
"OH, DO YA?!"
"Okay, how do we get out of here?" Wolfgang asked, frantically looking around. The two men exchanged a look, having the exact same idea at the exact same time. They both went up to the only window in the tree house, their faces scrunched together in what limited space there was.
"FRENICA!"