So Lily and I put this together over the weekend, we have conflicting schedules unfortunately so it is a bit difficult to corroborate like we use to so I'm sorry it is so short, but it's what we've got. Also I find it amusing that Argo can just barge into Asuna and Keiko's domestic moments and be completely accepted, like they had already resigned themselves to the fact that she was going to show up and really had no need to comment on it.
Anywho, till next time my dears, please enjoy the show!
Asuna sat on the bed she shared with her wife wringing her hands slowly as she watched said woman pace back and forth clearly lost in thought as she tapped a finger against her chin. She would admit it, Asuna was worried, worried about this self imposed mission, the risk that Keiko would be taking, and...and how it would all very likely end.
"Keiko...are you really going to go through with this? Are you sure this is the right decision?"
She had not meant to voice her concerns, and she had most certainly not meant to sound so emotional while doing so, but under the circumstances she really could not blame herself.
The young woman, currently clad in a tank top and shorts, all black of course, stopped pacing as she turned to Asuna and soon shot her a wan smile while shaking her head slowly as she let out a tired sigh.
"Am I sure it is the right decision? I...don't know, I really don't, but Heathcliff is right, we're not in Japan any longer, this is Aincrad. We have no courts, no laws, no accountability, and quite frankly I'm shocked this entire fiasco hasn't gone all Lord of the Flies already."
Asuna blinked, "Lord of the Flies?"
Keiko blinked, tilted her head to the side, then muttered, "Right, sheltered rich girl," before speaking up clearly. "Was a book, movie too, about a group of school boys getting shot down in some war or another and crashing on an island. They try to retain civility at first, handling everything democratically, then it starts to break down. The idealist who wanted things to remain democratic is ostracized, and the despot proved Stephen King was right."
Admitting confusion, despite recognizing the American authors name, Asuna tilted her head to the side while saying, "Proving him right?"
Keiko snorted at that, "Memorized the quote, well, my grandfather made me memorize it saying it was a valid thought to keep to heart. 'What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle.' So yeah, I'm shocked it took this long for the cracks to start to form."
Asuna was quiet for a few moments before letting out a sigh, "Yeah...I guess...I suppose I am a bit surprised it has not gone that route either." Then her tone turned slightly wry as she drawled, "Though being the best friend to a pair of opportunistic pessimists does helps that thought process along quite a bit."
Keiko shot her a bright smile at that, "Argo and I aren't pessimists, we're realists."
"Isn't that essentially the same thing?"
"Well yes, but pessimist makes you sound like you've already given up, a realist makes it sound like you knew this shit was going to happen regardless and you're prepared to deal with it."
"Touche dear," Asuna stated while rolling her eyes.
Keiko grinned as she leaned forward and pecked Asuna's lips as she quickly turned away, "I do try my best. Now I need to disguise myself as a newbie while also not over playing things, so how should I go about this?"
Just then the door swung open and Argo quickly marched into the room grinning widely as she gripped Keiko's shoulders tightly, "Are you ready to play dress up?"
Keiko's eyes widened perceptibly in horror as she muttered, "I err...need an adult?"
Argo's grin only grew wider in return, "Too bad."
Two hours later Kirito was staring at that mirror in her room, completely nonplussed.
"I look like a cheerleader," she stated flatly.
"A bit," Argo admitted as she shrugged lightly, "The point was to make sure no one knew you are you after all, was it not?"
Kirito's eye twitched as she muttered, "I hate you, so much, all of my hate. Just for you."
Asuna smiled as she approached her wife and rather gently wrapped her arms around her neck in order to lock a necklace in place.
"Do you hate me?" She asked with a coy smile, Kirito blinked rapidly for a moment before leaning forward and kissing Asuna, when they reluctantly leaned away from each other Keiko could only shake her head while laughing lightly.
"Never could, never would, what's with the necklace?"
Pushing the younger woman on the bed and promptly sitting on her lap Asuna held up the pendant swinging from the silver chain while shooting her a cheeky grin, "Why, it is a sheep after all, to remind you off all the hapless idiots you will be saving from themselves with your actions."
Keiko was silent for a time, then nodded, "Not so sure about the fluffy cloud motif, but the googly eyes do properly portray their limited mental capacity I admit, good call dear."
Asuna rolled her eyes and just gave up at that point as she pulled Keiko in for another kiss then stood up walking towards the door, "Yeah ok, just...just come back in one piece all right?"
Standing up and adjusting her new clothing Kirito nodded and then shouted out, "Hey Asuna?!"
Her wife stopped midway down the corridor as she turned to face her, eyebrow raising slightly.
"Yes?"
Grinning widely Keiko confidently stated, "I love you, and I'll be home for dinner."
Asuna blushed crimson at that, turned away, nodded, then shot back, "I love you too... and you damn well better!" then continued on her way.
Argo, who had been sitting quietly in the corner the entire time shook her head and said, "She is fucking adorable when she's embarrassed."
Keiko grinned as she picked up her nondescript long sword meant for this mission and this mission alone as she cheerfully chirped out, "I know, right?"
Silica was fuming in anger as she wandered about the...Forest of Wandering...being completely lost in said forest, and becoming incredibly frustrated over the irony of said naming conventions and her current situation.
"Damn it."
Pina, her tamed little dragon, crooned at her and she let out a tired sigh as she reached up and stroked her familiar's head lightly.
"I know, if I hadn't let Rosalia get to me like that we wouldn't be in this position, would we?"
Entering a clearing she let out a delighted laugh thinking she had found a path out of this infernal place, then she heard the grunting.
Several large gorillas, with rather...massive red posteriors stepped from the shadows holding a jug of sake in one hand, and a club in the other.
They stared at her for a few moments as the icons above them identified them as 'Drunk Apes,' before they roared and slammed their clubs into the ground and as one charged towards the now terrified young girl.
"Oh I have errored."
Diving out of the way of the attacks Silica did her best to counter but she knew she was outmatched from the start, and while she managed to strike each of the apes she had barely done any damage to them and was soon smacked into a tree by a lazy back swing from what appeared to be the Alpha.
Taking in labored breaths she stood up and Pina cast a weak heal on her, she couldn't help but snort at that.
"Thanks Pina...it was the thought that counts I suppose."
The Ape before her raised its club but as it was about to crush Silica Pina flew forward and took the hit for her.
Silica could only stare down in horror as she snatched up her broken friend, and before she could say anything, the tiny dragon shattered.
Staring up at the Ape that killed her companion, Silica could only wrap her arms around her legs and let out a sob as she awaited the inevitable as it swung its club down towards her.
Then she heard the sound of shattering, the various Drunk Apes turned towards the new threat though they didn't last long enough to actually do anything after the fact.
As the Drunk Ape that had been about to kill her shattered into multicolored polygons Silica looked up in stunned shock to see a willowy figure stand before her, long sword swinging up to rest on her shoulder while she cocked her head to the side seemingly to assess her.
The woman was wearing knee high brown boots, a dark red short skirt, a half buttoned sunshine yellow blouse that exposed a modest amount of cleavage, a patterned yellow and red sash around her waist, and her hair was up in a high ponytail.
If it wasn't for the apathetic look on her saviors face she would honestly think the young woman looked more like a cheerleader than anything.
She seemed to be trying to get her attention but it wasn't until the woman leaned forward and began clicking her fingers in Silica's face that she finally snapped out of it, though she was oddly fixated on the the necklace swaying from the older girls neck that seemed to resemble a cloud with googly eyes.
"Yo, loli Dovahkiin, you all right there?" The woman said, and eventually Silica tore her gaze from the necklace and then broke out crying pulling her savior close as she sobbed into her chest. Said savior felt her eye twitch as she muttered, "Annnnd now there is crying children...yay..."
Silica broke away from her a moment and yelled out, "Be more sympathetic!" then proceeded to wrap her arms back around her savior to continue crying.
The woman let out a dark chuckle as she began to rub the younger girls back while muttering reassuring whispers, oddly confident that she was going to like this kid in the end one way or another.
Eventually Silica calmed down and stepped away as she wiped a sleeve across her tear stained face as she sniffled and met her savior's gaze evenly, "Thank you for saving me, my name is Silica, by the way."
The older woman grinned and ruffled her hair gently earning a disgruntled growl for the effort as she cheerfully stated, "Call me Lister. So, what exactly were you doing out here on your own?"
Silica pouted at being treated like a child but eventually huffed out a response, "Rosalia and the others were treating me like I was their mascot, they wouldn't let me fight just stay in the back as support. I wanted to prove I could pull my own, so...I decided to strike out on my own. Then...you saw what happened, what happened to Pina..."
The newly named Lister raised an eyebrow as the corner of her mouth turned up, "Rosalia you say? Well kiddo...you look a bit knackered. Why don't I escort you to town, buy you a meal, and you can tell me all about what went down today."
Kayaba leaned back in his chair, sipped his beer, and watched his daughter manipulate the young girl beside her for her own means, and he could not help but let out a pleased chuckle.
"Ah, they grow up so quickly."
Keiko is best friends with a history teacher who fully supports her relationship with Asuna, if you think Klein would not tell her the history of Anne Lister of Yorkshire (Gentleman Jack) and that Keiko wouldn't begin to idolize her, well, you'd be wrong. Also, Kayaba is a very proud daddy, and I love writing him even when just in snippets.