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"There is no log-out button. This is not a glitch. This is the way Sword Art Online was designed to be."Looking back on the moment when the godlike figure condemned them all to death, Asuna was always both glad and regretful that she'd never played any computer games before. On one hand, it would have been nice to maybe have friends from other games when her world fell apart, people she knew without a doubt she could rely on. Not to mention the basic mindset and skills of a gamer. Everything would have been so different.On the other hand, none of the people she'd come to love in the past few years had been there to see her scream and cry like a child on that horrible day in the Town of Beginnings. Even Kirito, who had met her at her lowest point before the first boss fight, hadn't ever seen her completely fall apart like that. Hopefully he wouldn't have to-- so much had changed since then.She had changed, and she had helped change the world. She supposed it was the best possible outcome, given the circumstances. Before the boss fight, Asuna had mostly spent her days watching and fighting. She'd used her start-up cash to buy a cloak after watching how the largely male populace of SAO treated the sprinkling of "real" girls, once Kayaba's mirrors had stripped them all to their true faces. She would have liked to think that not every grown man would be as cruel or downright lecherous as some that she watched harass the female players on the streets of the NPC city-- but she'd never have believed Kayaba could have murdered people this way either, had she not lived it herself. So she bought the cloak, and she watched, and she crept out after dark to try and kill mobs with her start-up dagger. She needed money for an inn, and for armor, and for the boring bread which was all she could afford to eat, even though she didn't really need to eat like in the real world. Asuna stuck mostly to the little monsters at first, until her dagger broke and she leveled up all in the same day-- a slightly better weapon dropped after her fiftieth kill, so then she used that.At least, she thought it was a little better. It was longer, and shinier. The HUD called it a "rapier," which made her think mostly of the old black-and-white Western pirate movies her mother had watched when she was younger, before she'd stopped revealing moments of such emotion-- no. Not quite fair, and not useful now. She had to put that thought away, it hurt too much to think about her parents now. She never wanted to break apart like that terrible day again, and more important, if she did lose control outside a safe zone it could be death. Asuna was resigned to death, having analyzed her skill set and the situation at hand and decided the odds of her survival were unlikely. Resigned to it, and internalized the fact so it wouldn’t distract her, burying all emotions except the dull, spiteful drive to try anyway, like cramming for finals. But she wouldn't invite death. And it was much easier to kill monsters with her new sword.On her way in and out of the Town of Beginnings, she drifted through the marketplace like a ghost, listening intently and learning as fast as she could. With no friends, and no way to trust anyone new didn't mean her harm, she picked up as much as she could from the conversations of the other players. "Mat farming" was another way she could earn money-- "Col," the shiny game currency was called-- and it seemed to mean going out to retrieve useful materials by searching the landscape or killing certain monsters.She ducked into an alleyway, the first night she realized that the other items she had acquired from her nightly "grinding" sessions might be useful. Stabbing at the air, she opened the virtual window of her inventory and scrolled through to find that she hadn't just gotten Col and experience points from the battles-- there were items like "Boar Meat" and "Boar Tusks - Ivory" and "Night Wolf Pelt - Rare" and some interesting plant items she had also heard mentioned. A tiny glimmer of hope welled up at the thought of better armor, but she crushed it. She couldn't afford to wish things were different. She would sell these items and buy better armor, but she was still only Level 2, a completely new player, and there was no way she would survive until the game was cleared.Eyes burning with frustrated tears, she glared up at the sky without seeing the crystalline moon or the next floor hovering above the Town of Beginnings. After one more minute of self-pity, she shoved herself off the alley wall and stalked towards the Mercantile District.
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After the Boss Fight, everything changed for the second time. Despite her low level, by helping kill the boss she'd accidentally become a minor celebrity-- it hadn't hurt that during the fight her identity as a cute girl had been dramatically revealed when her cloak was torn away. With the addition of a significant XP boost and an awful lot of Col, she couldn't really creep unnoticed through the market anymore.Still, sometimes she missed anonymity. Fending off the latest offer to party up or join a guild, she scanned the boards looking for a new quest which would help her advance and improve her skills. She remembered what Kirito had said, about joining a party if someone trustworthy offered, but most of the offers hadn't been for a fighter, or because they valued her skills.Like what had happened right after Kirito defused the mob and disappeared into the next level... Hiding a sigh behind her politest real-world smile, she faced the crowd of men and boys and waited to see who would speak first. Unlike fighting monsters, amateur dramatics and professional political maneuvering were things she had plenty of experience in."You were amazing, Rapier-san!""It was like you were dancing with your sword--""I didn't know girls could fight like that.""So hot--""What's your name? Will you join my guild?""She's so fast-- like a flash of lightning--""Name--""How did you know that asshole--"Asuna laughed, a pretty sound which carried through the crowd and, if possible, made some of them even more excited. "My name is Asuna," she said, still smiling politely. God, this was just like school, or one of her parents' business dinners. "It's nice to meet all of you. We fought very well today!""Asuna! Asuna-san!""Wow, she's so polite. Like a real lady.""Not stuck-up at all, not like that other guy.""Asuna-san," rang out one voice. She saw Kibaou push his way out of the crowd and had to stifle a glare. His rabble-rousing was why Kirito had felt the need to leave.He strode up to stand before her, hands on hips. Only his hair-spikes prevented him from being shorter than her, but she still had to lower her gaze to meet his. What do you want, she thought warily. "What was your name again? I'm so sorry, the only person I knew here was Kirito-san-- there wasn't much time for introductions before we started today."As expected, he nearly growled at the mention, and puffed his chest out-- utterly predictable. "I'm Kibaou. A nice girl like you's better off without that cheating jerk."Having more information than you is cheating? she thought. He didn't know what was going on until that last moment. He gave me cream to make the bread taste better-- he wouldn't keep a secret which could get someone killed."What can I do for you, Kibaou-san?""You should join my guild, is what you should do. A pretty girl like you belongs with strong fighters like me and my men! We're going to clear this game and save all the players, so you should join us!"What a fool."I'm so grateful for your offer, Kibaou-san! I must unfortunately decline for now-- this is actually my first game and I know I have a lot to learn before I could be useful to a guild." She kept her voice light and her irritation off her face. Kirito had implied guilds were based on trust, and she had no confidence Kibaou wouldn't get any of his men killed. Half the players here were more skilled, and most of them weren't jerks."What-- her first game--""And she's so good already--""Perhaps another time," she said cheerfully, cutting across the clamor before anyone else could invite her and make her turn them down. "There's a whole new level waiting for us after our victory!"The men cheered-- she noticed there were no other female gamers in the boss raid, and wondered why, surely only the most hardcore gamers would have gotten a chance to play SAO?-- and rushed forward to the enormous double doors. She faded back until they were gone, and then let out a breath of relief."Skillfully done," said a deep-voiced man behind her. She turned to see the enormous black man-- possibly a foreigner?-- who had blocked that awful blow and given them both the chance to recover. Unlike the other players, he had taken a moment to check his equipment and take a health potion before wandering blindly into potential danger."Thank you," she said carefully. "I meant it though, I still have a lot to learn. During the battle-- thank you for giving us that time. Things could have gone very differently.""You're welcome, Asuna-san, but I meant just now, getting out of that so neatly. My wife does the same thing when folks get too rowdy at our bar. They don't even know they've been handled."He seemed nice. And he was married, so she felt herself instantly relax a little."Ah.. thank you." He wore good armor and handled the giant axe like it was natural. "So have you played games like this before? Got any tips for someone just starting out?" Besides don't get killed, Asuna added darkly, inside her own head."I've played a few. I'm a GM in another game, so I was really excited to see some of the developments new to the field in SAO. My wife plays too-- every day I'm glad I won the coin toss to see who got to play with our copy first." He smiled, and selected an item out of his inventory-- a piece of paper?"Here-- this is a list of some useful quests on the first floor. Some friends and I have been working on an addition to the handbook, but I'm happy to give you a copy. You've got the right sword for your skill set, from what I saw earlier, but I'd recommend trying to increase your awareness of the battlefield as well as your speed."She took the list, hands trembling. "Th-thank you so much! I really appreciate it.""Tactics and strategy can also make the difference when your levels are low. There are actually some in-game resources you might want to check out-- look under the 'Library' tab in your inventory-- you can buy documents from a broker, but some are free."She tapped at the air, and swiped open her inventory-- sure enough, there were dozens of free books on everything from game mechanics to farming, including strategy."This is amazing, um--" she looked for his cursor, but didn't see his name. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name to thank you properly." She bowed."I'm Agil," he said, bowing slightly in return. "And it really is my pleasure. The more players who know how to survive, the faster and safer we all get home.""Is there anything I can do for you in return, Agil-san? I think Kirito got the best drop from the boss, but I have some Col and some items I've farmed.."He waved her off, smiling. "It hurts my merchant's heart to say this, but that's not at all necessary.""Are you sure? This information could be a huge help and you're not even charging me for it.""Well," he said sheepishly, scratching his head. "We haven't mapped the next floor yet, but I can always use more trading partners. I'm a merchant-- there are certain materials and drops I'll pay for, if you ever want to trade. And I can always use a friend. You seem like good people, and I have the feeling times are only going to get tougher. It's good to have good people in a pinch."Asuna smiled warmly at him, and swiped through the menu to send him a friend request. "That sounds lovely, Agil-san. I'll see you around, then."
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Asuna tightened the white leather belt of her rapier and then folded her hands politely behind her back and waited for the party leaders to stop talking. She’d wondered, at first, if dressing more feminine would make the other players take her less seriously, but after the boss fight, either the (mostly male) players ignored her as a potential ally no matter what she wore, or treated her like a pop idol no matter what she wore, so she decided to make her own uniform and be so good they’d want to work with her anyway.After lots of grinding, a few good-to-exceptional monster drops, and striking up a friendship with a newbie blacksmith named Liz, she finally felt a bit more like a real player, not an accident waiting to happen. A light armor breastplate and matching gauntlets and greaves in a pale silvery white, tall boots and prim stockings and her favorite skirt, all easy to move in without getting caught. Speaking of caught, she’d switched to a fitted, sleeveless coat after her cloak had been torn away in the boss fight, close-fit to the waist and then open and free-flowing to the tops of her boots. With her cute red skirt and her top, arm sleeves, stockings, and coat all pale undyed cotton and canvas, she knew she looked feminine but ready to kick ass.While her mother would not have approved of the stockings and her hemline, Asuna felt quietly, viciously confident that she would have approved of the general sentiment. Her mother knew all too well how hard it could be to make a name for yourself as a woman in a male-dominated field.Huh, she noticed with detached surprise. That didn’t hurt to think about, now she had a goal.And a reason to fight, if they could just get started.She tapped her foot once before stilling, fighting back her frustration. They were still talking, the spike-haired loudmouth Kibao and a man in bulky, steel-plate armor. The door to the zone was right across the clearing, marked by green-flamed sconces. What was taking so long?She tuned back in sharply as as someone in the gathered crowd shouted a battle cry and the whole group moved at once. Unlike the boss fight, there had been no discussion of strategy beyond a general agreement about how much they all hated range-weapon mobs, and that Kibao had called dibs on the final attacking bonus.No mention of health potions, partnering up, how to get out if it all blew up in their faces. Or how long they expected to take, clearing this dungeon.“He’s probably never even heard the word ‘logistics’ before,” she grumbled softly to herself, as she and the last few players passed through the wooden double doors into a long square hallway like a mineshaft.She heard a soft chuckle, and looked over, face deliberately, “who, me?” blank to see who had overheard, cursing herself for carelessness in the company of unknown elements. A tall man in his forties with long grey hair tied back from his face smiled calmly back at her, seemingly quite comfortable in his white robes and leather armor. “I’m terribly sorry,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “I shouldn’t disparage the party leader. I didn’t realize anyone was walking so close.”“I wouldn’t have laughed if I didn’t agree with you, miss,” he said. “Bold he may be, but Kibao is not a man I would wish to follow for long.”A serious gamer, she decided, and-- a shield user, interesting! He wore the frankly enormous slab of wood slung over his left shoulder, though his broadsword was close at hand. He had health potions in his belt at easy reach, she noted approvingly, and he scanned the corridor as they filed further into the mountainside. A serious gamer and someone who paid attention.“It’s rather a shame that Diabel was lost so soon,” the man said idly, glancing behind before casting his gaze at the men in front. “One felt he would have given the clearers a sense of community and focus, rather than devolving so quickly into factions largely focused on their own advancement.”“At least someone stepped up,” Asuna murmured. “Even if they seem to charge along without any thought to contingencies, or anyone outside their own level.”“Indeed.” The man sounded thoughtful, and might have said more had the long tunnel suddenly opened up into a series of caverns with much rougher walls and floors. No longer hewn stone and wooden sconces, the natural cave features here included tall waterfalls of stone and sudden, secretive caverns to either side, all lit by the occasional beam of light spilling down from sinkholes opening above.Breathtaking, if dangerous.“I quite agree,” said the paladin, and Asuna realized she’d spoken aloud. She blushed faintly, glad the lighting was so low-- she must watch her tongue more closely. Even more than her mother’s strict training for business ventures, shareholder meetings, and the myriad galas, benefits, and social appearances she’d attended for years as part of her family’s carefully-crafted public face, a slip of the tongue here was not just potentially embarrassing. If her attention lapsed here, where the world itself as well as the other players could be out to get you, it would be absolutely fatal.And she could not die here. Unacceptable.“I didn’t assign you to rearguard,” snapped Kibao, coming up on the pair of them with his mace in one hand and a few burly men at his shoulders. He looked less irritated than surprised, as if he had been caught trying to skip class.You didn’t assign anyone outside your own guilds, she thought resentfully, even though there are plenty of unaffiliated veterans of the boss fight here. She met his eyes and smiled, bowing sheepishly, as if embarrassed by the attention.“Sorry, Kibao-san! You and the party leaders had the front so well-assigned I figured I’d be in the way up there. You can’t have too many swords guarding the rear, right?”“A sound strategy, using lone swords as an extra layer of safety against the unexpected,” added her conversation partner smoothly. “You and your men can be free to focus on the boss during the entirety of battle, rather than exhaust yourself on smaller prey.”Her smile widened just a fraction as his shoulders stiffened. Ah. He’d expected to “guard” the rear and then jump in last minute to claim the final attacking bonus, hadn’t he?“Thank you again for allowing me to join your party, Kibao-san,” she said brightly. “Every single fight I learn something new! Good luck to you and the others in the front!”The men nodded, either blushing slightly or striking a more heroic pose in turn, and even Kibao seemed a little more invigorated, if slightly put out.“Well,” he said gruffly, “I guess it’s okay this time. Next time we’ll be more clear beforehand.” And he turned to the front, blustering and swaggering, not even realizing he’d been outmaneuvered.A long, ululating cry echoed from one of the nearby caverns, and Asuna readied her sword as the horde of waist-high goblins approached. Unable to stop a fierce look from crossing her features, she glanced over to see the man with the shield line himself up back-to-back. He nodded, a solemn salute which she returned, pleased to be taken seriously for once.“I should like to speak with you further, if I may, once we’re done here.” He smashed the first of the goblins aside with his shield.She skewered two with a single thrust, and parried another aside into the path of his own blade. “I’ll look forward to it, then.”And then only their blades spoke, until the last of the enemy was dead. The dungeons are always emptier after a battle, Asuna thought grimly as she walked among the shattered stones and wounded or recovering clearers. Partially because monsters shatter into pixels when they die, instead of leaving corpses to clutter the field further, and partially because the heroes do too. There were two fewer members of Kibao’s party than there were when they filed in, boasting and filled with righteous rage. Kibao got the drop, though, a monster of a mace with wicked long spikes, so the mood was much cheerier than it was before.They should have had no deaths at all. Asuna saw a boy a few years older than her propped against a stalagmite, health bar dangerously low, and altered her course. Careful to keep her smile low-watt but friendly, she waved as she approached.“Sorry to intrude,” she said politely, “but I noticed your HP and thought I might help. I have an extra potion, if you like?” Before he could draw up any measure of male pride, she pulled up her inventory and handed it to him, smiling so that he couldn’t refuse.He was slightly taken aback, but his fingers closed automatically and it’s like it only hits him then, that he’s almost in the red. He muttered a quick thanks and downed the potion, immediately bringing him back into green. They both watched as the potion bottle shattered.Asuna refused to let this be awkward. She had to deal with incompetence and goblin slime and both had filled her I-hate-this quota for today. “Any good drops?” she inquired, hoping to strike up conversation. “My name is Asuna, by the way.”“I- yeah,” the boy replied, standing up a little straighter. “My name’s… Xceler8tor.” She saw it spelled out above his HP, and would not have thought to pronounce it that way. He probably wishes he had chosen something else, now that it’s essentially the only name he has.“You can call me Axe.” She knew it. She refused to laugh. “I… know who you are.”At that, she looked up slightly from her inventory, and, yes, he did look slightly star-struck. She sighed, and turned it into something battle-weary rather than people-weary. At least he doesn’t resent her for helping.People were starting to get up and move around, now the initial rush and collapse was over. She heard a few hoots of glee and groans of disappointment as people saw what drops they got and counted up EXP and Col earned. She knew she got a lot of creature parts-- Goblin Fangs, Ogre Tusks, Stone Daggers, etc-- and a few other things, but decided she would rather wait to take detailed inventory and decide what to keep and sell in the privacy of a room at the inn.Speaking of after-- the man with the shield wandered into view, stopping to speak with one or two other players, but not many, and none of the ones who had proven blindly loyal to Kibao.“It was nice to meet you,” she offered, and bowed slightly to his stammered thanks. “I’ll see you at the next strategy meeting, Axe!”“Y-yeah, you too!” he called, as she headed over to her-- battle partner? Acquaintance?-- comrade in arms from before.He saw her coming and bowed respectfully. She should not find it as gratifying as she does, but it’s… nice to be taken seriously as a warrior, especially in this company. His companions looked up, a samurai in red who moved off to join another group and--“Agil-san!” she said happily, almost skipping the last few steps to clasp hands. “I didn’t see you at the strategy meeting before!”“Asuna-chan,” he replied in his deep, American-accented voice, grinning hugely. “That’s not saying much, there wasn’t much strategy covered.”“Something we can all agree should be changed.” The gray-haired man inclined his head, and extended a hand for her to take. “Permit me to introduce myself properly, though after the battle I feel we’ve met already. My name is Heathcliff, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”“It was a pleasure to fight beside a worthy companion, Heathcliff-san. My name is Asuna.” She bowed, then straightened and took his hand, expecting a businesslike shake-- instead, she started when he brought it briefly to his lips. It should have felt fake, like taking roleplay too seriously, but instead it just felt… polite. Appropriate.She refused to blush. He was nearly as old as her father, and obviously hadn’t meant it that way at all. Much like Agil, he treated her like a real person, not a thing.“Asuna-san,” he said, then his eyes lit with quiet recognition. “Asuna the Lightning Flash?”Agil laughed as she really did blush. “I think she prefers Asuna, Heathcliff-san.” Damn fanboys and their nicknames.“Noted, though one should never be overly modest of such illustrious feats.” He raised his eyebrows slightly, reminding her slightly of a business associate of her father’s, one who came over for dinner sometimes and played chess with her mother after. “And at the time you were even unaffiliated with any party or guild, correct?”She shrugged, still smiling. “Even still, Heathcliff-san. I’ve tried to do my best to level up, but few of the regular parties want to train someone they don’t already know, regardless of any fancy nicknames. Especially a girl. They either just want guild candy or they want you to stay out of the way of the real fighting, which doesn’t help much when you’re actually trying to help and learn.” She had tried.“Hey, hey!” Agil protested. “We’ve gone raiding together a time or two, haven’t we? There are a few decent groups out there, too, who would love-”“--To bank on my silly nickname and just use me as a mascot?” She cut him off. “I’m not that kind of girl, Agil-san, and I’m not even that good yet. I don’t want to be a token member who’s not good for anything real, I want to work. There’s so much more we should be doing.”Heathcliff smiled, a real smile, warm and inclusive like a teacher who’s just heard exactly the right answer. Asuna smiled back, delighted.“I must say, I’m very happy to hear you say that, Asuna-san, because I’ve decided to form a guild myself, and I was wondering if you would be interested in partying with me for a while, as a trial period to see if we suit. You may be young, but you’ve more sense than half the fools here, and you’re simply marvelous to watch with your rapier.”If someone you trust invites you to join a guild, say yes. There’s only so much you can do as a solo player.Asuna wished Kirito was here, briefly wondering what his opinion of the man before her might be, then shoved the thought aside. “I’d be delighted to party with you, Healthcliff-san.”Who knows, she thinks as they enter the long, winding tunnels back to the surface. Maybe if I can’t find a guild which suits me, I can make my own…
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Once the second floor of Aincrad had been mapped enough to let new players spread out, it was not difficult to figure out which quests and spawning zones were desirable. Unlike Asuna, most of the people trapped in Kayaba’s death game were hardcore gamers very familiar with general game mechanics, including the unspoken rule of grinding and mat farming: Work smart, not hard.However, they completely failed when it came to the basic allocation of resources, and the dreaded word compromise. Asuna heard the scrape of metal on stone and leaped forward, drawing her rapier as she spun to face the intruders. Heathcliff stood at her left, shield raised and ready, somehow managing to look both bemused and wary at the same time.Three lanky men in dull steel plate armor stood before them, glaring. “Hello,” Asuna said politely. No use starting off on the wrong foot.“Get lost, bitch,” one of the men snapped. “Time for some of us to get real work done here.”“We were here first,” she replied, glancing at Heathcliff. He raised his eyebrows, seemingly content to let her handle the situation.“As if you could actually clear the zone,” another scoffed, drawing an enormous yet battered sword. Items in Aincrad didn’t always show outward clues to their real abilities and qualities, but Asuna was fairly confident that amount of damage meant the sword’s durability was nearning its end. Her first weapon had looked like that, right before shattering to pixels in her trembling hands.“Respectfully,” Healthcliff remarked, “you ought to know better than to judge by appearances. We were simply waiting for the next round of Tree Climbers to respawn when you appeared.”Tree Climbers weren’t a particularly dangerous mob, but they swarmed, and they fell on you from above in waves. And they had sharp little claws that beat the hell out of your HP and item durability, if you didn’t take precautions. One of the guys looked kind of thoughtful, but the other two didn’t back down.“Yeah, well,” one grumbled, “we’re here now. Get lost or we’ll make you get lost.”Asuna thought it was time for a new approach, and hoped for a dizzying moment that Heathcliff was as good as she wanted him to be before sheathing her rapier and pasting on a brilliant smile. One of the guys actually looked a little stunned, which was gratifying.
“Or we could maybe not kill each other?” she said, shrugging and gesturing to the clearing. “There’s already enough ways to die, right?” Without letting them stop to think about the odds, she injected a bright note of encouragement into her voice. “If you want to wait, we could be done in another half hour. Oh, I know, what if we party up! You guys look like you’re pretty strong-- safety in numbers, right?”The loudest man looked reluctant to back down, but the other two grinned and stepped forward. “Ehh, I didn’t want to fight you anyway. Save the fight for the mobs, right? What’s your name, miss--?”“Asuna,” she said brightly, bowing slightly. Aincrad made her want to curtsey, but she’d tried it once and figured it was too far on the subservient side of femininity for a warrior. “I’m Asuna, and this is Heathcliff, we’re partying today.”Heathcliff bowed, shouldering his shield. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”“Costa,” he said, shaking his hand. “These are Arnold and Riot. You went for the Paladin build, huh? Kinda ironic, since they ended up avoiding any magic systems. You guys really waiting for the zone to respawn?”Arnold, the ruder of the trio, rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Costa. So Asuna, you any good with that little sewing needle?”A glittering cloud of animal eyes began to open in the shadows overhead, and the group tensed at the rising murmur and chuckle of the massing arboreal mobs. Asuna unsheathed her rapier and lunged right at Arnold, who stumbled back and fell in his shock. She pulled back to show a writhing, fanged, squirrel-like creature impaled on her sword, before it shattered.Smiling, she helped the man to his feet, warmed by the approving looks of Heathcliff and their new friends. “Yes,” she answered him, then turned back to back with Heathcliff as the Tree Climbers descended like rain. “Yes, I am.” After thoroughly clearing the whole zone again, their party split at the edge of the forest, everyone now on each other’s friends list and agreed to party up again sometime before the next boss fight. Heathcliff offered to buy them both dinner so they could ‘debrief,’ as he put it, after their trial run.It wasn't so long ago that she'd struggled to buy bread, so she didn't refuse. Once they had been seated at a scarred wooden table, Asuna opened a virtual window to view the drops of the day as she sipped her tea. The blue and purple flowers blooming to infuse the water wouldn’t be found outside of Aincrad, but she tasted bergamot and lavender. Opening another virtual file, she tapped out the names of the flowers in the tea (farani flower and acula flower) and what they tasted like to her.“What’s that?” Heathcliff added lemon to his own tea and looked faintly curious.“In the real world, I know how to make tea, and what flavors come from what herbs and fruits. Aincrad has food that tastes real, thank goodness, but all the ingredients have different names. If I want to learn to cook here, I need to figure out what things taste like.”She saved her work, feeling embarrassed, and closed both windows with a swipe of her finger, turning her attention back to her tea. “It’s not as important as the boss fights, but it helps me to have something to do besides fight.”A look she couldn’t quite decipher crossed the older man’s face, before smoothing back into a fairly interested expression. “Indeed. Speaking of which, I thought today went rather well.”Asuna stifled a sigh, saved by the NPC server laying their plates of food on the table (rich stew, greens, and bread with butter). She still wanted to be professional, since this was very nearly an interview, though mutual, but she did not share his enthusiasm.“We do function well as a team,” she said delicately. “We each exceeded the drop goals you set for the day.”“If I were only interested in worthy fighters, that would be enough,” he said, inclining his head, “but I was talking about how you de-escalated the situation before it devolved into violence, and ended up turning potential enemies into probable allies. While I wasn’t delighted by the interruption, I view that encounter as further proof of your leadership skills. Essential qualities, along with diplomacy and tact, for any second in command to possess.”Her eyes widened. “Before you say anything, Asuna, please know that I’m aware this a little unorthodox.”“I stabbed a squirrel with fangs to impress a man today,” she said dryly. “Unorthodox is the new normal.”He smiled, conceding the point. “Indeed. I know none of us would have ever willingly placed ourselves in such an environment, but I feel quite strongly that in order to survive, we players need to adapt to this world. No one man-- or woman-- can win alone, and many have already died trying. It is my goal to build a group of players who are capable of not just surviving this world, but winning the game, and for that I need strong fighters and strong leaders.”He took a breath, and noticed how still she held herself. Relaxing a bit from his martial stance, he smiled apologetically, and turned back to his meal.“I must move fast, because wasted time is death here, Asuna. I don’t need your answer tonight, but I did wish to share my plans because I’ll need your help. So few players are willing to listen, to compromise-- you may be young, but I do believe you have the skills I require. Please consider my offer. And think of your own goals, and the resources and opportunities you might need to accomplish them.”She nodded, deep in thought, and they finished their meal in silence.As they headed to the teleport gate, she cleared her throat. “If I’m to be your second in command,” she said firmly, “you’d better let me help with your interview process. Application by skirmish is not going to work for everyone.”Behind her, Heathcliff smiled in calm satisfaction.