Danika considered the difference in effectiveness between her 'Wind Slash' and Aishin's and said doubtfully, "I don't think Hikaru would be able to hurt you even if I can teach it my attacks?"

Aishin looked at the little firefly and suggested, "Maybe later Hikaru can learn an electric attack that would have a chance at stunning, like a collection battle game creature? Fireflies are also known as lighting bugs right?"

Kit said, "Ooh, that would be really cool. Electric types are my favorites in those games."

Danika laughed and declared, "Even if that's possible later, I am not going to make Hikaru fight in pet battles!"

When Shrubbery and MatchlessMinion finally arrived, MatchlessMinion told ZipZing scoldingly, "I think next time you should just leave your pebble in Shrubbery's garden. It probably looks really weird to have people walking down the street, then looking around warily before poking a stone and vanishing."

"Oh, I guess that's true," Danika agreed.

"Ingratitude," Aishin commented, "at least she moved it off the roof for the rest of you."

Danika laughed, and said, "Sorry." She turned to ask if it would be ok to leave her little pebble in Shrubbery's garden but then looked at her and asked instead, "What's wrong? You look wilted."

MatchlessMinion replied first, "You messaged me, but not her."

Shrubbery held up her hands and said firmly, "No, it's ok. I found out within a few hours and logged in to resign from my guild on my phone, so it will hardly make any difference."

"What will make a difference, you resigned already?" Danika asked blankly.

Aishin poked her, and she turned to look at him. "She's saying the guild creation time will be delayed a little because you didn't communicate."

"I thought only Eyes on the Sky was founding. Only five people can be founding members," Danika replied with confusion. "If there's you, me, Shrubbery's mom, and your dad then that only leaves room for one more? And MatchlessMinion is the one who started asking first?"

Shrubbery's face brightened and she looked at Aishin and asked, "Your dad is going to play?"

Aishin shrugged and replied, "I'm working on persuading him, but if he doesn't agree, you can certainly take his place."

Kit said with disappointment, "Oh, so I won't be able to help found it?"

MatchlessMinion looked up at her and said kindly, "You can take the spot ZipZing was going to give me, I don't care about being on the founding record, I just want to belong to the guild."

Aishin commented with amusement, "I've never been with a group that had too many members to fit everyone into the founding record before, this will be fun."

Danika rolled her eyes and said, "Actually, I was wondering… um, will a month be soon enough?"

No one asked her to clarify what she meant, and everyone's gaze moved toward Shrubbery automatically. Shrubbery nodded and said, "They say she's doing better than they expected at first, so a month is fine."

"Ok, that's good then," Danika replied swiftly.

Aishin said, "There's something I want to ask you later Shrubbery, if you've got time."

Shrubbery nodded after a moment and said, "Sure." Then she turned and asked Kit suddenly, "Have you also been dealing with losing your mother?"

Kit gazed back at her with a shocked expression and Shrubbery said quickly, "Nevermind, I just wondered because it seemed like the one thing we all had in common when this party was started."

"Oh," Kit replied a little blankly. She looked around the little group and asked, "All of you?"

MatchlessMinion held up his little hand and said, "Not me, we lost our grandmother last year, but our Mom's fine."

"I'm sorry," Kit and Danika chorused.

MatchlessMinion shrugged and said, "We're all going to die someday, and I want to go the way she did, in my sleep when I'm really old and already have great grandchildren."

"Sounds good to me," Aishin agreed, and held out his hand toward MatchlessMinion, with his palm vertical, even though the gesture was made at waist height. It only made sense to Danika after MatchlessMinion reached up and slapped Aishin's hand with his little hand in a high five gesture.

Kit said quietly, "Um, my parents are still alive and my grandparents have been gone for a long time, but I, I kind of lost my husband recently. I mean, he's not dead, but…" She wrapped her arms around herself in that huddled posture that she'd used before and almost whispered, "everyone says it's better."

Danika stared at the girl.

Shrubbery said uncertainly, "Sometimes I've gotten really wrapped up and thought that I'm the only one struggling, so I think it's ok for me to say that even if it's a different kind of loss, it's ok, you're not struggling alone?"

Danika gazed at Shrubbery with amazement.

"What?" Shrubbery asked with embarrassment.

"You're so cool!" Danika blurted. "All I could think was 'you're old enough to be married?!' and it sounds horrible to ask."

Kit laughed, surprising them all and when they turned back to her said, "Oh, I'm sure you guys will think I'm really old if I tell you."

"It's ok," Aishin said teasingly, "ZipZing thinks she's old too, but I think she's wrong."

Danika stuck out her little draconic tongue at him and replied, "I know I'm older than you are anyway."

"I don't mind," he replied with a chuckle.

"I'm 35," Kit admitted.

Danika looked at her and said, "Woah! I've never been so wrong before!"

Kit laughed and asked, "How old did you think I was?"

"Half that," Danika admitted with embarrassment. She added with a puzzled expression, "If you're 35, how can anyone take away your phone?"

Kit's expression sobered and Danika was a little sorry that she'd asked, but Kit just said, "Oh, I guess I have sounded like a teenager with my restricted play times. I guess you could say I've agreed to go along with recommendations, rather than being forced to give up my phone?"

"Oh," Shrubbery said. "My mom has to restrict her activity time now too, and she totally whines like a little kid sometimes, so don't feel bad about following your restrictions. You're doing a good job!"

Kit laughed and said, "Thanks."

--

After Kit logged off, MatchlessMinion sighed and said, "I guess I can't put her off any longer."

"SaltySiamese?" Danika guessed curiously.

"Yeah, I didn't tell her that I was going to leave Justin's guild. And she said she's not talking to me anymore," he rolled his eyes expressively, "but she keeps yelling things from her room."

Aishin laughed, and suggested, "Maybe she's just not going to talk to MatchlessMinion anymore?"

"Even that much would be cool," MatchlessMinion muttered.

"Before you go," Danika asked quickly, "was there a druid in your vale?"

MatchlessMinion shook his head firmly enough to make his round ears wobble. "Nope, there was one in Shrubbery's though?"

"Ok, thanks!" Danika replied quickly.

MatchlessMinion gave her a thumbs up gesture and logged off.

Shrubbery asked, "Why do you want to know about a druid from the beginner's vale?"

Aishin answered laughingly, before Danika could, "My fairy dragon would like her familiar to do her bidding and track down a druid so she can steal its skills."

"Hey," Danika objected.

"Am I wrong?" he questioned sweetly.

"No," she admitted with disgust, "but I wouldn't say it that way!"