Technical Support

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 17, Post Number 407

-Capital Crocus Mall, early morning-

Wearing her green, white, and gold outfit without Argent Gloves and not carrying any weapons, Leona entered Capital Crocus Mall in order to take a job for a young woman named Ada Jensen. She was a young woman who felt unsure about going to Capital Crocus Mall by herself and wanted someone to accompany her since her three sisters were all busy either attending classes at Crocus Magicka University. Needing to go to the mall herself for a couple of items and wanting to let her left shoulder finish recovering before she plunged into more combat-oriented jobs, Leona took on the task of accompanying Ada Jensen around the mall this morning and to a movie later this afternoon.

According to the notice, she could find Ada Jensen waiting for her outside of Electronic Gateways, which was one of the two shops that Leona was here to visit today. The other was The Athlete's Edge, where she intended to look for and buy some biking shorts to wear under her skirt. Leona calmly walked to the stairwell and began climbing the stairs to the second floor.

-The Second Floor-

Leona ascended the stairs without any difficulty and found a black-haired young woman with a gold hairband sitting on a bench outside of Electronic Gateways, which was not open yet and would not be open until noon. The black-haired young woman wore a grey blouse with vertical stripes, a green knee-length skirt, black shoes, and wore thin gold-rimmed glasses. Around her left shoulder was a black purse. Leona approached her and spoke.

"Would you happen to be Ada Jensen?" Leona asked her. She nodded, then showed surprise once she saw who she was speaking to.

"I'm Ada. And there's no need for you to introduce yourself because everyone knows who you are. You're Leona Jarnefeldt, the Wizard Saint of Courage!" Ada said in surprise. Leona nodded.

"I'm here to accompany you around the mall and to the movie theater." Leona stated her purpose for being here. Ada did not speak for a moment. She clearly could not believe that a Wizard Saint would answer a job notice for such a mundane chore.

"I'm... I'm glad that you're here. My sisters all attend Crocus Magicka University and I'm going to go there next semester, but right now I'm on summer vacation. They're busy with classes and they can't be with me. I'm kinda worried to go out on my own because I don't have many friends and the few friends I had in high school all left Fiore to go back to their home countries or to attend university elsewhere." Ada said to Leona. Leona listened patiently to Ada's story and felt a degree of sympathy for her. The blonde did not have very many friends either, but unlike Ada that was mostly out of choice. She had trouble speaking to people and was aware of her tendency to say dumb things at the worst times, so Leona tended to keep to herself; one of the only friends she had outside Silver Wolf was Samira Nassar.

"Where did you want to go to first?" Leona asked Ada. Ada pointed to the gate of Electronic Gateways.

"I really want to go in there and look at their computer parts. I'm looking to build myself a custom gaming PC and I don't have all the parts I need. I was thinking of buying a Daggerbook, but I like desktop models better and I like Electronic Gateways because they've had all the parts I needed in the past." Ada explained. Leona blinked. What was a Daggerbook? Was it a weapons catalog?

"A Daggerbook's the latest laptop produced by Dagger Corp. It's a laptop PC with the best processing speed and power on the market. You can take it anywhere and if you have an internet connection you can use it anywhere too!" Ada explained what a Daggerbook was.

"Oh really?" Leona asked in return.

"Yeah. I have a friend who's as much of a techie as I am. She told me about the Daggerbook and sent me a link about the Enviroscanner that they just released. You travel everywhere, so you should pick one up!" Ada suggested. Again Leona blinked.

"You'll have to check out Dagger Corp. Retail Services. The site will tell you everything you need to know about their technology and how to order one!" Ada said to the blonde.

"I'll be sure to do that. I'm really interested in this Enviroscanner. It sounds like it could come in handy." Leona replied. She would have to visit the Dagger Corp. Retail Services very soon to learn more about the two products Ada had mentioned. She would look into a Daggerbook to use for learning how to operate a computer and an Enviroscanner to carry with her on her adventures.

"In the meantime, where else did you want to go in the mall?" Leona asked Ada. Ada shrugged her shoulders.

"I was really here for Electronic Gateways. Did you have anywhere in mind?" Ada asked Leona in return. The Wizard Saint did not take long to answer the question.

"I was here for biking shorts from The Athlete's Edge and for a computer from Electronic Gateways, to be honest." Leona answered truthfully. Ada's eyes lit up at the mention of computers.

"So you build computers too?" Ada asked excitedly.

"No, I'm afraid not. I was looking for one to get me started on learning how to use a computer." Leona again replied truthfully.

"If you're just starting out, then you'll want a Daggerbook. They're made with all the latest components and designed for ease of use by people who aren't tech-saavy." Ada told Leona.

"Oh really? Thanks for telling me that." Leona thanked Ada for the tip.

"Also, Electronic Gateways has some books for beginners in case you want to learn about computer maintenance, coding, or other technical subjects." Ada offered more information to the Wizard Saint. Leona would do well to learn those subjects so that she did not have to always rely on Mercury Arsenault for her tech support needs. She also needed to learn tech skills in order to properly lead a guild that frequently worked with technology both old and new. To learn those skills Leona had a lot of work ahead of her, but she needed to do it if she wanted to become a proper Guild Mistress for Silver Wolf.

"You said that you wanted to go to The Athlete's Edge, right?" Ada asked Leona. The blonde nodded.

"Since there's a little over two hours until Electronic Gateways opens, I'd like to go with you." Ada requested.

"Sure thing, Ada. Follow me." Leona stated. She then set out for The Athlete's Edge with Ada in tow.

Ada Jensen:

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-Inside The Athlete's Edge-

Leona walked into the athletic apparel shop and made a beeline for the back of the store, making certain that she walked slowly enough that Ada could keep up. The Wizard Saint weaved through the shoe aisles and eventually located the circular rack on the far right side of the shop. She began to browse through it while Ada caught up to her and stayed a respectful distance away from the blonde.

Leona found two pairs of black bike shorts hanging on the rack, but she was not sure if they would fit her or not. Suddenly a familiar face came along to offer a helping hand. It was Evelyn, the black-haired and bespectacled young employee who had helped Leona the last time she was here. She had helped Leona find three athletic shirts that fit nicely without hugging her chest too tightly.

"Hello Miss Jarnefeldt. I see that you found the bike shorts. We just got some in yesterday. Would you like me to see if I can find any in your size?" Evelyn asked Leona.

"Yes, please." Leona answered with a blush. She was suddenly aware of how big her backside was and how hard it might be to find a pair to fit her. Evelyn did not say a word and immediately began to search the rack. Ada approached and spoke to Leona.

"If I may ask, why are you looking for bike shorts?" Ada inquired.

"I'm looking for some because I tend to do a lot of jumping and kicking when I fight. My skirt also tends to get damaged a lot. I don't want to go around flashing people by accident." Leona answered truthfully. Ada blushed.

"I see what you mean." Ada replied, letting the subject drop then and there. Leona turned away from the inquisitive young woman and back towards Evelyn, who was holding a pair of black bike shorts on a gray metal hanger.

"These should fit you perfectly. Would you care to try them?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes, please." Leona answered. Evelyn wordlessly took the lead and guided the Wizard Saint to the dressing rooms while Ada waited outside the dressing room.

-Inside the dressing room-

Leona walked into the dressing room on the far right and closed the door, removing her boots and then her green and white skirt. She then put on the black bike shorts and found that they fit her nicely. They were not quite as tight as she had expected, but they still accentuated her backside a little. Leona walked around the room in them and found that they were comfortable to walk in. Leona then crouched and stood up five times and learned that they were comfortable to crouch in too.

Finally she jumped up and down in place five times. They did not ride up and they remained comfortable. Based on those tests, the blonde was happy with them.

Leona was going to buy them.

The blonde took off the bike shorts and put her skirt and boots back on, then put the shorts back on the hanger and walked out of the dressing room. Ada saw this and followed the Wizard Saint to the checkout counter.

-Inside the store-

"Here's your receipt, Miss Jarnefeldt." Evelyn said after bagging the shorts and slipping her receipt into the white plastic bag with the shop's name in red. Leona received it and threaded the fingers of her left hand through the handle.

"Thank you." Leona thanked the employee for her help today.

"It's no problem. Be sure to come back here whenever you need new athletic apparel!" Evelyn said to Leona. Leona waved goodbye and turned to leave The Athlete's Edge with Ada following to her right. The pair left the shop and were soon back on the second floor.

-The Second Floor-

Leona walked about ten steps outside the shop before slowing down so that Ada could keep up with her. The bespectacled young woman stopped and spoke to Leona.

"Now that you found those shorts you wanted, what do you want to do next?" Ada asked Leona. The blonde shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't really know. Since I got the shorts, all I need to do now is go to Electronic Gateways and look at those books you told me about. I'd like to buy a few and start reading them so that I can learn some computer skills." Leona admitted. Ada's face lit up.

"So you want to learn how to code, build computers, and fix them?" Ada asked. Leona nodded.

"I'm from Desierto and haven't worked with a lot of high-tech devices, but I'd like to learn how to do all of those things so that I can start learning how technology works." Leona answered. Ada's excitement only grew when she heard that answer.

"In high school I was the Vice-President of the Computer Club. We repaired computers, wrote programs for them, had LAN parties, and even learned to build custom PCs! If you learn how to build and maintain computers you'll always be able to find work!" Ada said to Leona. The young woman seemed to be pretty excited about computers. Maybe that was something she enjoyed doing and wanted to make a career of. Ada's excitement then changed to a more serious tone.

"I want to go to Capital Crocus University to become an IT specialist and make a living working with computers. It's something that my oldest sister Eliza's studying to do. She's the one who taught me most of my computer skills to begin with." Ada informed Leona in a more serious tone. Leona looked at her and paid attention to what Ada had to say next.

"I didn't have many friends when I was growing up. I wasn't an athlete and I wasn't very pretty. I was a typical nerd who was picked last in gym class and struggled to fit in. But my oldest sister Eliza introduced me to video games. Video games are one of the very few things I have in common with other people." Ada said in all seriousness. Leona listened without judgment and tried to find something meaningful to say to Ada. Their upbringings were so different that the blonde was not sure how she could meaningfully connect to the young woman. This was going to be a tough conversation.

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Leona tried to find meaningful words to tell Ada, but nothing was coming to mind. The bespectacled young woman looked to the Wizard Saint for words of encouragement but none were coming. Ada began to look dispirited when the blonde finally found some words to offer the former.

"I didn't have very many friends either, Ada. Some of my only friends in my desert village were two sisters named Whitney and Erica. Aside from them I didn't have any real friends because there was a lot of work to be done in the village. We had to tend to pack animals, do what little farming we could in an area that's nearly impossible to farm, find what water we could, and try not to get killed by bandits or caught by slavers." Leona said to Ada in an attempt to relate to the young woman. Ada looked down dejectedly and the Wizard Saint felt like she should have just kept her mouth shut. Leona felt awful.

"Sorry." Leona apologized meekly as she felt very awkward and looked away. Her attempt to cheer up Ada had backfired spectacularly. Ada looked up at Leona and spoke to her.

"It's OK, Leona. I'm from Capital Crocus and I've lived in the city all my life, so I wouldn't know the first thing about living in the desert. I didn't know that life was so rough out there. I've only seen the desert on TV shows and movies." Ada assured Leona that the latter had not messed up so badly that she had alienated the client. Leona stopped to think before speaking a second time.

"It's not easy out in the desert, but it's not all doom and gloom either. If you look into the desert sky at night you can see the stars a lot easier than you can in the city... if you like to do that sort of thing." Leona listed one positive side to desert life. The night sky was a lot clearer in the desert than it was in the city, but Leona did not have the time or the inclination to be a stargazer. Well, that was not entirely true. She did not look at the stars very much because nighttime was a prime time for bandit or slaver raids, but she looked at the horizon more times than she cared to admit.

While doing chores Leona slacked off to gaze at the horizon more than she should because she wanted to see the world beyond her village like her father Samuel did. If her mother had her way Leona would have never left Nebdoui. Fortunately for Leona her mother did not get her way. Without the exile order the blonde would have lived and died in Nebdoui and would have never gotten the chances that she had gotten from being forced to leave the village and travel the world.

"How did you deal with not having many friends?" Ada asked Leona.

"Well, like I said, I tended to stay busy with one assignment or another. I also didn't mind being alone all that much." Leona replied truthfully. She never quite understood why she could handle solitude without much difficulty. Leona never gave the issue much thought once she was free to travel without her mother holding her back. She was just glad to finally be able to see the world. Ada's questions gave Leona pause and made her think a little, which was a dangerous thing for the blonde.

"Do you have any friends now?" Ada blurted out her next question.

"I'm friends with Samira Nassar. I'm also on fairly good terms with Johann Von Weiss and Nessa Cordelia Lux. I'm also friends with a few of Silver Wolf's members." Leona answered truthfully. Ada blinked.

"You met Samira Nassar? The Goddess of Humility?" Ada asked. Leona nodded.

"We've been on a few adventures together. Samira lives up to her title and then some. I've never heard her brag about anything she's done or the important people she's met. Samira's a good person to know." Leona replied. True to her title, Samira was humble and approachable despite her many legendary deeds and incredible power level. Aside from that one time at the Autumn Jamboree a couple years ago, Leona had never seen Samira be rude to anyone. Not even when Leona said a lot of stupid things during the Recheeserator fiasco did the Goddess of Humility lose her cool... Leona was thankful for that patience more than Samira would ever know.

Samira also made Leona feel like more than just a "kid sister" to be humored and tolerated because she was good as extra muscle. The Wizard Saint of Courage appreciated having someone who treated her with respect despite her personal shortcomings. That made Leona try harder to think before speaking and to do better overall. Samira had officially joined the trio of Sabertooth mages who had had a major influence on Leona as a person.

Aura Sparks had taught Leona that not every bandit problem had to be solved with killing every last one of them.

Luna Mira had taught Leona to think before she acted.

Samira Nassar had taught Leona to think before she spoke.

Leona had not yet mastered the first lesson, but the other two were ones that she had taken to heart. They had served to make Leona a more effective mage in combat and slightly better at socializing with other people. Leona had a long ways to go before she mastered those skills, but success built on success and as a result of putting those lessons into practice she had a level of confidence in herself that she did not have two years ago.

"Where all have you been in the world?" Ada asked with excitement. Leona could answer that question, but it would take awhile to list every last place she had been to over her career. The pair had plenty of time before Electronic Gateways opened, so she would indulge Ada's curiosity to pass the time and to learn to talk to others in a social situation.

"I've been to Hargeon Town, Silent Cemetery, Minstrel, Clover Town, Midi, Magnolia Town, Lycan Woods, Spooky Forest, Bosco, Forgotten Deserts, Silent Glaciers, Shirotsume..." Leona began to name everywhere she had been. Ada was hanging on every word that came out of Leona's mouth. The Wizard Saint was glad to see that she had started to recover after the rough start to the conversation from just minutes ago.

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-Thirty minutes later-

"Wow, you've been to all of those places that you listed? Every single one?" Ada asked Leona. Leona nodded.

"I've been to every last place that I listed. I've been to a lot of places over the past two years." Leona answered in the affirmative. Ada was amazed to hear that.

"Like I said before, I've lived in Capital Crocus all my life. The only other places I've been to is the resort on Crescent Island for Eliza's birthday last year and Magnolia Town to see Fairy Tail's guild hall. I was hoping to see Mura Kensho or Nessa Cordelia Lux, but I wasn't lucky enough to see them." Ada admitted to the blonde. Leona knew that fellow Wizard Saints Mura Kensho and Nessa Cordelia Lux were living legends, but she had little idea that they were also local celebrities in Magnolia Town. She learned something new every day.

"Then there were the school field trips to Hargeon Town and Clover Town when I was in elementary school." Ada quickly added.

"My traveling experience definitely can't compare to yours. I've only been to "safe" places. You... you've been to places most people wouldn't dare go without a Rune Knights escort and you go by yourself. I mean, who else would willingly go to Lycan Woods or Silent Cemetery?" Ada asked rhetorically.

"Before I left my home village, my traveling experience was kinda limited too. I never left the village without my older brother, my mother, or someone else. And that wasn't just them being overprotective. Bandits and slavers were always looking for lone travelers to kill or kidnap." Leona shared a very small portion of her childhood experience with Ada. Ada seemed surprised to hear that.

"I didn't know that it was that dangerous in Desierto. And I thought Capital Crocus at night was bad." Ada commented.

"Yeah. Everyone in Desierto knows that to travel into the desert is to take your life into your hands. Even traveling in a group doesn't make it that much safer." Leona told the city dweller with authority that came from experience. As a child she was told never to venture beyond the village limits without at least her older brother at her side. As an adult she ventured out by herself, but even with all of her power and experience she was still wary of the desert bandits because there were so many of them. They also concerned Leona because she had interfered with their activities so many times and had killed so many of them that many gangs had likely placed a "kill on sight" order on her head.

They were welcome to try.

"Anyway, would you like to go down to the food court and see if we can't get something to eat?" Ada asked.

"Oh, sure!" Leona replied. She did not have anything pressing to do other than to go into Electronic Gateways and peruse their wares, but they did not open for roughly another hour. Leona was game to go to the food court.

"Great! What do you like from there?" Ada asked as the pair walked towards the second floor stairwell.

"To be honest, I've never gotten to eat from there because it's always been too busy." Leona answered truthfully. Ada laughed.

"That sounds about right. It gets busy fast. We'd better get going if we want a decent chance of getting in line before the crowds get there!" Ada counseled the blonde as they reached the stairwell. The sound of their footsteps filled the stairwell as they made their way to the first floor and the food court.

-First floor, the food court-

Ada and Leona approached the food court and saw that almost all the lines were long save for the only leading to a pizza restaurant. In comparison to the others which had thirty-plus people, it only had twenty. The two quickly got into line before more people could show up.

"Have you ever had pizza before?" Ada asked Leona.

"No, not at all." Leona answered. Ada smiled a little.

"You'll probably like this pizza. It's about as healthy for you as eating dirt from Silent Cemetery, but it's really tasty." Ada informed the blonde that the pizza she was about to eat was not the most nutritionally balanced meal, but it was a tasty meal. Leona was not terribly concerned with nutrition. One or two combat-oriented jobs would burn those calories like the midday sun in Desierto burned unprepared travelers.

The line moved fairly quickly and within ten minutes was down to fifteen people. The pizza line was moving fast compared to the other lines, which were sluggish in comparison. Ten more minutes later and it was down to ten people. Ten more minutes elapsed and now it was down to five people.

After that the line moved at the same rate, which was fine because the lines to the other restaurants were proceeding at roughly the same rate. Leona was in no hurry and neither was Ada.

-Twenty minutes later, at a table-

"Well, we made it in pretty good time, Leona." Ada said to her blonde companion, who was seated across from her at a circular table. Ada's drink cup was filled with a sugary drink called Strawberry Slam, so called because the drink smelled like strawberries and had a powerful strawberry taste. Leona had gotten a soda called Cherry Charge, which was named because of the strong cherry scent. They each had a slice of pepperoni pizza on a plate and napkins on the right side of their plates.

"Say, Leona, would you like to see Celestial Conflicts at the movie theater?" Ada asked Leona. The Wizard Saint blinked.

"Sure. I've never been to a movie theater before." Leona replied. She had never been to a movie theater in her life, not even the one in the Tri-Council Cities. Along with eating pizza, going to a movie theater would be a new experience for the blonde.

"You'll like Capital Crocus' movie theater, Leona. It's a state-of-the-art facility with plenty of seating, a big screen in every theater, and a really good concession stand with a lot of candy, popcorn, whatever you want to eat during a movie!" Ada informed the Wizard Saint about the theater they would be going to once their business at the mall was finished.

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-The food court, twenty minutes later-

"Well, it should almost be time for Electronic Gateways to open. At least I hope so, anyway." Ada said to Leona as the pair got up from their table and disposed of their empty plates, used napkins, and drink cups in the nearest trash can. They then went to the nearest restroom and washed their hands because the pizza was greasy. It was so greasy that it was hard to hold onto even with the use of both hands. However, despite all the grease the pizza tasted good, which was all that the blonde could really ask for in a meal.

Once they had left the restroom they made their way to the stairwell and climbed it to go to the second floor and see if the shop that both of them had wanted to go to was open.

-The second floor, outside Electronic Gateways-

Ada and Leona walked up to the electronics store and saw that the rolling gate was still down and the store was still dark. Would they even open today? Leona looked towards Ada for an answer and only got a shrug of the shoulders in return.

"I don't know if they're going to open today, Leona. I'm hoping they are so that I can check out their graphics cards." Ada said to her Wizard Saint companion.

"You can't do anything about it, Ada. If they're open, they're open. If they're not, they're not." Leona calmly answered. Moments later a middle-aged employee wearing a black t-shirt, khaki cargo pants, and a silver apron turned on the lights in the store and rolled up the gates before they noticed Ada... and the Wizard Saint standing beside Ada.

"Oh, hello there Ada! You're just in time for the shop to open! You're a regular regular!" A man with fading black hair in a short haircut greeted Ada. Ada laughed at being called one of their.

"Hi Eric! You guys tend to have what I need, so I always come here for my computer needs!" Ada replied. She seemed to know Eric pretty well. Leona wished that she knew someone besides Samira that she could talk to on such friendly terms. Eric looked towards Leona and blinked.

"Yes, it's really Leona Jarnefeldt. She's accompanying me around town since my older sisters are all attending university classes right now." Ada explained the Wizard Saint's presence to Eric.

"I see. How's Eliza doing?" Eric asked Ada.

"She's doing well. She's an Information Technology major and she's making As in all of her classes just like she did in high school." Ada reported. Eric smiled.

"Well, I've delayed you two with small talk long enough. Come inside and I'll help you find what you need!" Eric promised. He walked into the shop and Ada and Leona followed him inside.

-Inside Electronic Gateways-

"How can I help you guys today?" Eric asked the two young women while standing behind a semicircular wooden counter. Leona looked around the shop and saw a medium-sized shop with numerous computers on display that dominated the center of the store. Around the perimeter were display cases of electronic components kept under lock and key to prevent theft and on the right wall was a metal bookshelf of books related to electronics. The subject matter tended to lean towards computer maintenance and repair, but there were also a few books on coding and writing programs. Leona would start off small and pick up books on computer maintenance and repair before she tackled more advanced subjects like coding and writing programs.

"I'm here to look at your graphics cards. I'm building a custom gaming PC and the graphics card I have now just doesn't cut it anymore." Ada replied. Eric turned to Leona.

"I'm here for a few books on how to maintain and repair computers. I'm especially interested in books for beginners." Leona replied. Eric raised the pointer finger of his left hand and pointed towards the metal bookshelf.

"You should be able to find what you need over there, Miss Jarnefeldt. Ada, if you'd show her the books, I'll go get our newest graphics cards for you." Eric requested of Ada. Ada nodded and led Leona to the bookshelf, where she immediately began picking out three or four books with blue spines and covers with the titles written in white letters.

"How To Repair Computers For Newbies, How To Maintain Computers For Newbies..." Ada listed two titles before handing Leona the books in question. Leona took them into her hands and waited as Ada fished out two more books with blue covers and handed them to her.

How To Code For Newbies and How To Write Programs For Newbies. Leona felt that she was getting ahead of herself and looked at Ada for an explanation as to why she had been handed those books.

"I figured that you'd want those while you were getting books for beginners." Ada quickly explained to the puzzled Wizard Saint. Leona thought about it for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. It made sense.

"OK then. I'll go with these until I learn everything in them, then I'll come back for more advanced editions." Leona said to Ada. Eric returned from the back of the store with a small cardboard box in his hands. Ada quickly left Leona and hurried to the counter.

"Here I have the Radiant X8500, the newest Radiant-series graphics card!" Eric informed Ada about what she was looking at. The conversation quickly took a turn for the technical and Leona could not begin to understand what was being said. Maybe if she read the books from cover to cover and took notes she could learn some of the technical jargon associated with computers and be able to keep up with Eric and Ada in conversation.

In the meantime Leona looked on as Eric and Ada conversed like they were old friends, which they probably were. If they were not friends, then it was a conversation between an employee and a regular customer. Leona wanted to be able to talk to someone as comfortably as Ada talked to Eric, but it was not going to happen overnight. The blonde was going to have to put some serious effort into reaching that goal and find the inner strength to talk to others like she had found the inner strength to persevere through all the physical challenges and the battles she had faced to date.

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-Forty minutes later, the Jensen residence-

After Ada had bought the new graphics card and Leona had purchased the computer books for newbies, they had left the mall and returned to Ada's house in order to get ready for the trip to the movie theater to see Celestial Conflicts. Leona stood in a living room holding the bags with her bike shorts and the books in them and marveled at how clean and orderly everything was.

The living room featured beige carpet and brown leather furniture including two single chairs and a sofa, all of them spotlessly clean. A glass coffee table piled with a mishmash of fashion, technology, cooking, and lifestyle magazines hinted at the diverse interests of the members of the Jensen household. Her eyes wandered to the latest 60" high-definition television and saw that the volume was muted and it was turned to a TV show called Fiore's Got Talent. The family pictures hanging from the walls were all neatly aligned and did not have a single grain of dust on them.

"Welcome to the Jensen home, Leona!" Ada bade the Wizard Saint. Ada took her single shopping bag to her room and Leona remained in the living room out of respect for the Jensen family's privacy. Two minutes later Ada emerged holding a green iLac and .

"I'm about to order tickets for Celestial Conflicts, but the only tickets left are for the late-night showing starting at 11:00 P.M. Will that be a problem for you?" Ada asked Leona.

"No, not at all. I'm a night owl anyway." Leona replied. She appreciated the bespectacled youth's respect for Leona's time before purchasing the tickets. Ada turned her attention the the screen, did some rapid-fire typing, and a minute or two later a DING sounded from the portable device.

"OK, got 'em. We're set to go see Celestial Conflicts at 11:00 P.M." Ada verbally confirmed with a smile. Leona was pleased to hear that. Leona was standing in the foyer when she heard the door open behind her and a black-haired young woman pause. Leona turned to face her. She wore a white Crocus Magicka University t-shirt and a red skirt and had golden eyes like Aspen's.

"Oh my. This is going to be an interesting lunch break." She said at the sight of the Wizard Saint. Ada turned to the newcomer and spoke.

"Oh hey Clara! I see that you've met Leona Jarnefeldt!" Ada said to the person. Ada turned to Leona and spoke to the blonde next.

"Leona, meet Clara. She's one of my older sisters. She's studying at Crocus Magicka University to be a chef." Ada introduced the two. Clara stepped in and shut the door behind her.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Jarnefeldt. I've heard of you in passing in Dr. Anna's Ancient History class." Clara said. Leona smiled a little.

"I'm surprised that a Wizard Saint would accompany my sister around Capital Crocus, but I'm glad that one is. Capital Crocus is kinda dangerous at night and I know that Ada had wanted to see a movie tonight, so I'm glad that she's in such good company." Clara added. Leona was glad that Clara was taking to her so well.

"I managed to get tickets to Celestial Conflicts, but the only open time's 11:00 P.M, so we're gonna be late getting home." Ada chimed in. Clara smiled.

"OK. I can't believe that it continues to sell out weeks after its debut, but I'm not a big movie fan. However, my boyfriend is. We saw it a week ago and it was pretty good. Don't worry, Ada... I won't spoil anything." Clara replied without losing her smile.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, but I can't make any promises that we'll be home right after the movie. You know how crowded the theater gets during blockbuster movies." Ada pledged.

"Just be careful out there, you two." Clara counseled before walking for the kitchen. Ada turned back to Leona again.

"We've got some time to burn before the movie, so is there anything you want to do?" Ada asked Leona. Leona shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't think of anything." Leona answered. Ada looked at the blonde and blinked for a moment. Then a thought hit her.

"I know! Why don't I show you my custom PC?" Ada asked.

"Sure!" Leona said. Even though she had no idea what it took to customize one, she would allow Ada to show her and talk to her about it.

"OK! Follow me!" Ada exclaimed. Leona wordlessly followed her hostess to her room with her bags in hand.

-Ada's room-

"This is my room. Sorry that it's so messy." Ada apologized for the condition of her room, which was quite the mess. On her unmade bed sat the bag with the new graphics card in it and a keyboard plus an owner's manual for something, but the room itself was rather messy because on the carpeted floor sat stacks of computer and technology magazines and books... neatly arranged by subject and perfectly aligned. On her computer desk was the monitor and the open tower of a desktop PC along with a host of components that the blonde did not recognize. On the walls were a few posters.

One on the wall behind her desk had Crocus Magicka University printed on it. Another was placed on the wall that was opposite the foot of her bed. It was a poster for a sci-fi movie called Cybernetic Conspiracy that featured a determined-looking black-haired guy in dark sunglasses, a black trenchcoat, black fingerless gloves, and all-black clothing standing in the middle of a pristine white laboratory facing the viewer with a pistol clutched firmly in hand. A third poster was for a game series called World Conquest 4 and had a man in old-fashioned clothing flanked by a king holding a golden scepter on his left and a merchant holding a bag of gold coins on his right. The man in the center was aiming a flintlock musket at the viewer.

"I see that you're really into technology." Leona said, diplomatically changing the subject from the state of Ada's room to her interest in technology.

"Oh yeah. I build my own PCs for fun and for improved performance. As I said back in the mall, I want to make a living working with technology." Ada explained to Leona how deep her interest in technology went. Leona looked at the computer and saw that it was almost finished because most of the components looked to be in their proper places.... not that the blonde would know where all the components went, but it looked finished.

"I was about to finish it with the addition of the graphics card I just bought. Care to watch?" Ada asked.

"Sure." Leona answered calmly. Ada wordlessly picked up the bag from her bed and fished out the small box holding the graphics card.

Clara Jensen:

[Post Word Count: 1,159]
[Total Word Count: 6,574/10,000]

Ada pulled the new graphics card out of its box and then removed it from the protective bubble wrap before placing the graphics card into the open computer tower. Once it was securely in place Ada put the back cover back onto the computer tower, spun the tower a quarter turn so that it faced forward, then ducked under the desk and plugged the tower and monitor back in. She then crawled back out from under the desk and powered on the tower and monitor.

"OK, everything should be in order. I can't wait to see what World Conquest 4 looks like now that I've upgraded the graphics card!" Ada said to Leona, who was patiently watching the proceedings. The computer powered up and was soon on a password-protected screen. Ada retrieved her wireless keyboard from the bed and deftly typed out the password, then tapped the ENTER key. The screen flashed to the desktop screen and Ada used the wireless mouse stationed to the right of the keyboard to move the cursor onto the World Conquest 4 icon, which was shaped like a miniature paper map.

Ada double-clicked it and the screen went black for a moment, then flashed to an image of a map being unfurled. Leona recognized the map as one of Earthland. All the countries were there... Fiore, Midi, Minstrel, and even Desierto.

"I'm liking this so far. The map looks a lot more realistic than it did with my old graphics card." Ada commented. Leona did not know what the old map looked like prior to the upgrade, so she remained silent and watched the game start up. A minute of loading later and Ada clicked on a golden button in the middle of a screen featuring the same map of Earthland she had seen at the start of the loading process.

"Here goes nothing. I'm about to continue my most current game." Ada said to Leona as the game paused for a moment, then the map came into closer view until it hovered above Ada's chosen country, which was Fiore. Ada marveled at how beautiful the terrain features were. The grass looked like it was blowing in the wind, the oceans and lakes were a beautiful blue, and the soldiers under Ada's control were so detailed that Leona could make out the details of their uniforms.

"This is amazing, don't you think?" Ada asked Leona.

"Yeah. I've never played computer games before, but those graphics are amazing." Leona replied. Ada then started playing the game as Leona stood and watched. Apparently Ada was in the process of conquering Era with her 30,000-strong army. She wondered how the Magic Council and the Rune Knights felt about their depiction in the game.

-Five hours later-

"Well, that was fun. I've got about 250 more years to conquer the rest of Earthland before the game ends and I spent twenty years trying to take Era." Ada told Leona, whose legs were numb from standing for so long. According to Ada, Era had several special bonuses for their soldiers that made them able to fight superior numbers and stand a fair chance of winning. However, Ada had managed to overwhelm Era with armies of both foot soldiers and an army of mages before going on to plan an invasion of Minstrel.

"Are you happy with the graphics card?" Leona asked a rhetorical question.

"Am I? It's amazing! It's worth all 15,000 Jewels I paid for it!" Ada replied happily. Leona gave a small smile. If Ada was happy, so was the Wizard Saint. Leona had to read her books at some point, but that would not be today. In several more hours she and Ada had to go get ready to go to the movie theater to see Celestial Conflicts.

"I'm glad to hear that." Leona replied. Ada's eyes widened.

"I was gonna show you the Daggercorp Retail Page so that you'd know where to order your Daggerbook from!" Ada explained to Leona. The blonde had forgotten all about it, but it was good that Ada had remembered that. Before Leona could say a single word Ada had opened a web browser and had typed out some words into a search engine bar. She then clicked on a link and the pair was staring at the home screen for Daggercorp.

Ada then scrolled down the page and eventually found a link to Daggercorp Retail Services, where she scrolled down and found the Daggerbook she had been telling Leona about at Capital Crocus Mall.

"See it? It's a laptop made using all the latest components!" Ada asked Leona. The blonde leaned down and saw the image of the Daggerbook. She also saw the price tag of 5,000 Jewels, a sum that was well within her price range. One result of years of saving money was that Leona had plenty of it to spend on whatever she needed. That constant saving was why she was able to buy a custom-made dress for an auction for 80,000 Jewels, a very old bottle of wine for 2 million Jewels, and a little over 100,000 Jewels worth of books on Ancient Desierto, Museria, and King Saarghon and still have plenty left over for other wants or needs.

"That's a really low price tag for something so powerful." Leona opined as she read the advertising blurb for the Daggerbook. Ada nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. The best part is that it's aimed at people who aren't tech-savvy, so you can use it without having to read the books you bought!" Ada said to Leona. Leona was pleased to hear that. While she might not have much use for the books on coding and writing programs just yet, she could get use out of the books on repairing and maintaining computers. The door to Ada's room opened and Clara peeked in.

"Don't forget your movie at 11:00 P.M., Ada! I made lasagna for dinner before you and Leona go to the theater!" Clara gently reminded her younger sister and her Wizard Saint guest.

"Thanks, Clara!" Ada thanked her sister for the reminder. Ada then brought out a small notepad, jotted the website information onto it, and left it on the desk.

"Have you ever had lasagna before, Leona?" Ada asked the blonde. Leona shook her head.

"I'm sure you'll like Clara's lasagna. She's a student in the culinary arts program and she's one of the best students in her class, so it's gonna be good!" Ada assured Leona. Ada then patted the bed.

"You can leave your bags here if you'd like, Leona. You don't have to carry them around with you everywhere you go." Ada said to the blonde. Leona blushed and took them off of her left wrist, setting them on the bed. She would put on the shorts just before they went to the movie theater, but for now Leona would leave them in the bag. Ada shut down her computer and turned off her wireless mouse.

"OK then, let's go eat before the movie!" Ada exclaimed. Ada led the way and Leona followed close behind. Leona had never had lasagna before, so that was going to be a new experience just like eating pizza at the mall had been.

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[Total Word Count: 7,781/10,000]

-The Jensen Residence, two hours later-

Leona had eaten lasagna with Clara and Ada Jensen before the movie so that they would not have to spend quite so many Jewels on concessions at the movie theater. The trio had had a leisurely meal since at the time they had started eating Leona and Ada still had around five or six hours to go before the movie started. Now she was sitting at the table talking to Clara while Ada was taking a shower and getting ready to go to the movie theater.

"I'm glad that someone like you is taking time to try and be friends with Ada. After high school everyone she knew went back to their home countries. Eliza tries to spend time with her, but she's got Information Technology classes to go to and she normally has eight-hour school days plus almost that much again in homework." Clara thanked Leona for taking time out of her schedule to spend time with Ada.

"It's no problem." Leona replied. She did not mind doing something mundane like this because Leona wanted to do something other than fighting from time to time. For awhile she felt like all she was good at was fighting and killing and that feeling weighed on her. However, it had spurred the Wizard Saint to quit fantasizing about learning more skills and actually start to learn more skills such as conducting academic research and learning about ancient civilizations. It had also spurred Leona to reach out and try to connect to people outside her tiny circle of friends and acquaintances.

"Ada didn't have very many friends growing up. She still doesn't have many friends and I'm worried about her starting at Crocus Magicka University next semester. I'm worried that she won't be able to make friends because she's kinda shy and has very few interests outside of computers and sci-fi movies." Clara confessed to Leona.

"I didn't have many friends either, to be honest. I grew up in Desierto and went to the village school that my mother taught at, but I was no teacher's pet. I always daydreamed about getting to travel the world like my father instead of paying attention in class. I also didn't get along with the other kids very well." Leona made her own confession to Clara. The older woman was surprised to hear that statement.

"I didn't really mind being alone. As time went on I actually kinda liked it. That penchant for being a loner stayed with me to adulthood and I'm just now trying to do better." Leona candidly admitted. She was not a loner because she was trying to be cool or to prove her strength. She honestly liked being alone because when she was by herself she did not have to worry about looking stupid for committing one faux pas or another due to her poor social skills. That coping mechanism was not conducive to developing better social skills, but at the time Leona just did not know a better way to cope than being by herself.

"That sounds kinda like Ada. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true." Clara said while getting up to wash dishes at the sink. She filled the left end of the sink with water and then added some dish detergent to the water, then began to rinse dishes before submerging them in the water. Leona remained quiet for awhile and waited for Clara to speak again, which took about fifteen minutes because she was busy fighting particularly tough lasagna stains on the white plates the trio had eaten off of.

"Anyway, I appreciate what you're doing for her, Leona. She seems to like you quite a bit." Clara continued the conversation after a lengthy pause. Leona was interested to hear that someone liked her.

"I'm not the best conversationalist around, but I do what I can." Leona replied with modesty. If Ada wanted intellectual conversation, she could do a lot better that the blonde Wizard Saint. She could go with Nessa Cordelia Lux, Serilda Sinclair, Johann Von Weiss, or Samira Nassar and have a more engaging conversation that she could with Leona.

"Sometimes you don't have to be the best conversationalist around. Sometimes you just have to be there for someone to talk to." Clara opined. Leona was not entirely buying that, but she could see the point the young woman was trying to make. Still, the blonde wished that she could have improved her social skills and technological knowledge more so that she could be able to talk to Ada in her area of expertise. Maybe one day Leona could talk to Ada about computers and engage her in an intelligent conversation as an equal. Speaking of Ada, the bespectacled young woman entered the room in a green long-sleeved shirt, black skirt, and black-and-white tennis shoes with black purse diagonally slung across her left shoulder and the purse itself by her right hip.

"Hey guys!" Ada said to them while holding her iLac. Leona and Clara each raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey Ada. Are you ready for the movie in a few hours?" Clara asked her younger sister. Ada nodded.

"I'm ready. We have a few more hours, but I don't want to wait too long for us to go because the line gets long in a hurry. I'd say that if we get in line by 8:30 P.M. we'll be good." Ada said to Clara. Leona remained calm when she heard that figure. A few weeks ago she had spent over six hours in the mall waiting for Electronic Gateways to open, so spending almost three hours in line for a movie was not too bad.

"But does that give you two enough time to get your e-tickets verified, get inside the theater, get concessions, and get to your seats before the movie starts?" Clara asked Ada. The bespectacled young woman blushed.

"You're right... we might want to leave by 8:00 P.M. Which means that I'd better recharge my iLac before we go!" Ada revised her earlier estimate. She then hurried off to her room to plug in her iLac. That reminded Leona... she needed to go get her bike shorts to put on under her skirt!

Ada returned to the kitchen holding Leona's shopping bag from The Athlete's Edge and handed it to the blonde. Leona thanked her and briskly walked to the nearest bathroom to put on the shorts. She might need them for the night ahead.

-Five minutes later-

Leona exited the bathroom feeling like a million Jewels. The bike shorts fit perfectly and her skirt covered the legs so it was not immediately obvious that she was wearing bike shorts. Now she did not have to worry about accidentally flashing people if she fell down or got into a fight and needed to do some fancy acrobatics. They also helped to keep her a little warmer in cold areas like an air-conditioned movie theater.

"Are you ready now, Leona?" Ada asked the blonde, tactfully omitting to ask how the bike shorts fit. Leona nodded.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, Ada." Leona replied in the affirmative. Clara looked at the oven clock and looked back at her sister.

"You've still got a few hours to go, but it's your call as to when you leave. Just be safe." Clara gently told her sister while washing the last of the dishes used for the meal.

"I'll wait a little longer because my iLac needs more time to recharge, but we won't wait longer than two hours. And I'll be fine because I've got a Wizard Saint by my side!" Ada informed Clara. Leona let that remark pass without comment and remained silent. Even though she did not say it, she would do her best to make sure that Ada got to the movie theater and got back home safely. She would also do her best to be a good movie companion for the bespectacled youth.

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[Total Word Count: 9,115/10,000]

-Outside Crocus Cinema, 10:00 P.M.-

Ada and Leona had reached the movie theater at 8:00 P.M., but the line was already at least eighty people long. Two hours later it was half of that number thanks to all sorts of reasons like people ahead of them losing patience and vowing to return another night or people getting frustrated with the line's sluggish progress and simply walking away, but the pace at which it moved was best described as glacial. Leona shuddered to think how long the line would have been if they had arrived any later than they had. The streetlights were already on and there were still people queuing up to see Celestial Conflicts at 11:00 P.M. The Wizard Saint looked back and saw a line of thirty people behind them plus more people arriving in ones and twos.

Ada and Leona dutifully shuffled forward whenever the opportunity presented itself as the line dwindled to thirty people ahead of them. The night was starting to get rather cold, inducing people unprepared for the sudden temperature drop to leave the line and allowing them to advance another meter forward. It was a good thing that Leona had put on the bike shorts earlier because in addition to preserving her modesty they also kept her a little warmer than just the skirt alone. Ada looked like she was getting cold, but she was hanging on for the sake of getting to see Celestial Conflicts. The pair had already spent two hours waiting in line, so both of them were determined to wait it out and see the movie.

The line in front of them was now twenty-two people long as a few more dropped out due to the cold and the long wait. The pair dutifully moved forward and now they were a tiny bit closer to their destination. At that point the pace began to pick up as more people were admitted to the theater. Ada breathed a sigh of relief.

"Maybe we'll get a chance to get concessions before the movie starts." Ada mused aloud. Leona silently hoped for the same thing and faced forward as the line continued to move forward until there were only twelve people in front of them. Leona heard complaining and sounds of anger coming from behind her, so she turned around and saw a skinny male youth in a black long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, and red-and-white tennis shoes snaking his away through the line and cutting in front of people.

Leona saw him advance towards her and Ada and was not sure how to handle the situation. She wanted to handle it with the least amount of violence possible because while what he did was annoying and went against social rules, it was not an offense worthy of being hammered with a Mach Straight or Hurricane Punch. Only if he got violent with her or Ada would the Wizard Saint respond in kind.

"Outta the way, Blondie." The guy said as he tried to squeeze in between Ada and Leona. The Wizard Saint refused to budge. He backed off and tried to squeeze between them again and Leona glared at him. The people in line behind them backed away once they realized who the blonde was, but the skinny guy was slow to take the hint.

"Are ya deaf, Blondie? I said MOVE!" He bellowed. Leona stood her ground and made eye contact with him. It was only when he made eye contact with her that he realized the magnitude of his mistake. His knees began to buckle and he sweated profusely as he looked for a way out of this situation.

"Oh shit! I-I just insulted a Wizard Saint!" He exclaimed. Leona stayed in place and watched the youth as his eyes darted left and right looking for an escape route. If he wanted to flee she was not going to stop him. Leona was not averse to a non-violent resolution to the conflict.

"I'M SORRY FOR CUTTING IN LINE! I'LL GO! JUST DON'T HURT ME!" He pleaded. A puzzled Leona simply stared at him. Unless he got violent with her, Ada, or someone else, she was not going to harm him.

After several more seconds of pondering his options he chose to run left and then run down the street past the back of the line without daring to look back, presumably out of fear that the Wizard Saint of Courage was pursuing him. Leona remained where she was and turned back to face Ada. The people behind her began to reform the line and to make expressions of approval about how the situation with the line-cutter was handled. Now that that minor issue had been resolved without anyone getting hurt, the line moved faster until Leona and Ada were getting their e-tickets verified about fifteen minutes after the line-cutter was dealt with.

Once the tickets were verified the pair walked in without further incident.

-Inside Crocus Cinema, 10:30 P.M.-

The pair now stood inside the spacious lobby of the theater and Leona marveled at the decor. The lobby's carpet was red with gold borders and the walls were white with movie posters hung in protective glass cases that also showed them off. There were gold posts with red velvet rope that marked lines to the concessions and the ticket takers.

Ada was moving towards the concession counter when she realized Leona was not behind her and stopped moving. She turned back towards the blonde, who was still looking around at everything.

"So Leona, what do you think of Crocus Cinema?" Ada asked the blonde.

"I'm impressed with how clean and bright it is. I've never been in a movie theater lobby before." Leona replied. Ada smiled.

"Capital Crocus is a big city with a lot of glitz and glamor. Its movie theater is no different. The owner spared no expense to make it the biggest and best theater in the city." Ada told Leona. The Wizard Saint finally realized that she was holding people up and moved to join Ada at a line for the concession stand. They had thirty minutes to get what they wanted and get to their theater before the movie started. Fortunately the lines here moved a lot quicker than the line outside the theater. The pair got in the third line of eight that were marked out for the convenience of patrons who wanted to get food and drinks.

Within ten minutes of getting in line they stood at the counter and were waited on by a brown-haired young man in a white shirt, red vest, and black pants.

"Hi folks, I'm Thomas and I'll be your... it's Leona Jarnefeldt!" He said to them, trailing off when he realized that one of them was a Wizard Saint. Leona blushed and Ada laughed a little. Leona did not like this kind of attention.

"What-what will you guys have?" Thomas asked them once he had gotten over the shock of meeting Leona Jarnefeldt.

"I'd like a large Strawberry Slam and a medium-sized bucket of popcorn, please." Ada requested.

"I'd like a large Cherry Charge, please." Leona chimed in. Thomas nodded and began preparing their orders. Leona was still full from the lasagna and did not want anything else to eat. About three minutes later their items had been presented to them. Leona paid for the concessions and the pair were on their way to Theater 13 with less than thirty minutes to spare. They walked through the lobby until they found the theater, which was flanked by two framed posters of Celestial Conflicts.

Leona used her free left hand to open one of the double doors with brass handles for Ada and held it open as she and eight other movie-goers entered the theater before finally going in herself.

[Post Word Count: 1,302]
[Total Word Count: 10,417/10,000]

-The Jensen Residence, three hours later-

Ada used her house key to unlock the front door so that the pair could get in out of the cold. They stood together in the living room and Ada took off her purse, setting it gently on the leather sofa. Celestial Conflicts had been two-and-a-half hours long, but the movie was well worth the wait. In between the orchestral music that perfectly fit the movie and each scene in it, the surprisingly good pacing, relatable characters, and the clever mixing of action and humor, Celestial Conflicts was well worth watching.

The film started with a teenage smuggler named Kyle Mersahn just trying to make ends meet after losing half his savings in a rigged card game at a smuggler swap meet and being mugged by a bounty hunter who stole the remainder of his cash as Kyle left the meet. He returned to an out-of-the-way swamp planet imaginatively named Deipmyre to recover and there met an old man who told him of the long-running galactic struggle between the Coalition To Rebuild The Union and the Galactic Conglomerate. The young smuggler wanted no part of it until he was promised a reward for running a shipment of arms to Coalition forces on Mohdagor, a desert planet that was in the middle of nowhere. Kyle took the arms there and a long sequence of events led to him joining the Coalition just before a major battle over Mohdagor.

The climactic clash between the forces of the Coalition and the Conglomerate was a winner-take-all struggle with waves of fighter craft making attack runs on capital ships and the fleets of each side exchanging laser fire as the heroes led a desperate attack on the Conglomerate flagship Eternal Dominion in an effort to turn the tide in the Coalition's favor.

The hero's attack was successful in turning the tide of the battle, but they did not kill the Viceroy of the Conglomerate like they had intended. Instead the Eternal Dominion was badly damaged and forced to retreat as the Viceroy vowed to return and renew the struggle with the Coalition. The movie ended on a happy note with Kyle getting enough reward money to live on for at least a decade, but there was the strong possibility of a sequel since the Conglomerate had not been defeated, only forced to retreat. If the sequel was going to be as good as the first movie, then both Ada and Leona would gladly watch it.

"I had a lot of fun, Leona. I'm glad that you endured the line and the cold to see Celestial Conflicts with me." Ada thanked Leona with sincere gratitude.

"It was no problem, Ada. I had fun too." Leona replied. She had liked the movie and had liked doing something that did not involve fighting. It was also nice to resolve a conflict without having to hurt or kill anyone.

"Thanks for everything you did for me today, Leona." Ada added. Leona blinked. She had not done all that much. She had just eaten pizza with Ada, went to Electronic Gateways, watched her install a new graphics card and play a computer game, eaten lasagna with her and one of her sisters, and had braved a long line and the cold to watch a movie.

"I don't think I did all that much, but it was no problem." Leona replied.

"It sounds sappy, but you did a lot for me today just by being there for me. You put up with all my talk about computers, technology, and going to school at Crocus Magicka University. You also put up with me talking about World Conquest 4 for about five hours." Ada said appreciatively. Leona decided to stop arguing and accept the gratitude that she was being given.

"You're welcome, Ada." Leona said simply. Ada smiled at her. She then ducked into the back and returned with Leona's shopping bags. The Wizard Saint had almost forgotten them!

"Here you go! Your almost forgot these!" Ada said.

"Thanks!" Leona thanked her for remembering the bags.

"Well, I'll let you get going. Thanks again for everything!" Ada said. Leona nodded and walked for the door. Ada let her out and closed the door behind her.

Leona would soon be on her way back to Silver Wolf Guild Hall, where she would grab a cup of coffee from the cafe before going to her office to tackle whatever paperwork her Aces had not managed to handle on her behalf. Today had been a good day.

[Post Word Count: 757]
[Total Word Count: 11,174/10,000]