Chapter 287: 24: Sweet Taste

Danika's practice with walking failed her as she approached Aishin and his band mates awkwardly, and she stumbled.

SilentSky had been watching her approach with a frown, but it was Aishin whose eyes widened in surprise as he glanced up. His reflexes were really good though, because he was still the one who reached out and caught her first.

"Thanks," Danika mumbled, and Aishin grinned at her.

"Hi," Aishin said simply.

Nao1 turned around and gazed up at Danika curiously. After a moment she said, "Hey, aren't you…" SilentSky kicked her ankle, and she turned to face him.

When he released her to stand on her own, Aishin stepped back and looked down into her face. Danika had looked up into his face many many times since they had started playing together, but the perspective felt very different from either within the game or in reality.

"You really are so tall," she blurted. She had shapeshifted in order to hug him, but with SilentSky frowning at her, and Justin the Grey still trailing behind her, she just wasn't brave enough.

Nao1 spun back to her and agreed, "I know right! It's so annoying isn't it?"

After a moment Aishin reached out and pinched her cheeks. Danika gasped in surprise and he chuckled. He didn't ask why she had hurried to appear in human form, although she suspected he could probably guess, instead he asked, "Do your feet hurt?"

Danika blinked and then blushed and shook her head, his reaction to her awkward ambulatory skills was so different from Justin's, but he'd definitely noticed. Aishin wasn't watching her face anymore though, he was pulling a pair of boots out of his inventory. He handed them to her and said, "The stones here must be uncomfortable? Put these on. Do you need any other equipment?"

Danika shook her head again. After a moment she equipped the boots even though the stones of the city square were fairly smooth beneath her feet, once she paid attention.

It was weird to have clothing appear on her body from a menu command when she was a human. Maybe it was because putting on the harness that carried her garden took wriggling and bending like putting on clothes in real life. She gasped again as she realized that she hadn't picked up her harness.

Behind her, Justin complained, "Why didn't you say that you were having trouble walking because your feet hurt, or buy your own shoes when you bought the clothes?"

Aishin frowned at the wizard, and then looked back at what Danika was wearing. Danika gazed up at him nervously. She wasn't sure if she should be trying to explain how Justin knew she'd just bought clothes.

After a moment Aishin smiled and reached out to her. He stroked his hand over her head and down her back, like he had when she'd been a cat, and then he laughed at her uncertain expression, and said, "You're always so cute ZipZing."

Danika blushed again. "I think I left my harness laying beside the guild hall," she fretted.

"Those clothes aren't very cute," Nao1 objected. "It looks like you just grabbed something at random."

Since that was exactly what she'd done, she couldn't argue. Thankfully Justin didn't comment.

Aishin took her hand and said with amusement, "You didn't have to hurry that much. Let's go back and collect your garden first, before Nao1 inflicts a shopping expedition on you."

"Okay," she agreed. When she turned to face Justin, Danika was surprised to realize that the wizard was looking at her with concern. "Um, what's the matter?" she asked nervously.

Justin rubbed the bridge of his nose and then shook his head. "Nothing. I guess. You can message if you need help later."

"Thank you," she replied uncertainly.

Aishin gave Justin a sharp look and said clearly, "Don't worry, she's fine. I'll look after her until she's used to it."

Danika frowned and glanced up at Aishin questioningly.

Justin shrugged, and said cooly, "Alright. Later."

Aishin tugged on her hand and stepped forward. Danika wobbled a little as she followed a little out of step. Aishin turned his head and then released her hand and slid his arm all the way around her. "Oh," he said softly. "It wasn't that."

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"Hurry back and let's get desserts next," Nao1 demanded behind them.

"Start without us," Aishin replied.

Danika craned her head around and told Nao1 and SilentSky, "It won't take long, I like berries the best so far."

Nao1 gave her a thumbs up gesture, and Danika turned her head back to watch where she was walking. When they had crossed the market square and entered the quieter street, Danika asked, "Wasn't that?"

He slid his hand down and squeezed her hip as they came to a halt for a moment. He looked at her and replied, "You're having trouble walking because you're not used to it, not because your feet hurt."

"It's not even that so much, it's that I keep thinking about it too much and then I mess up," she tried to explain.

"Thinking about it too much? The VR-medi pod can't actually directly read your thoughts can it?" Aishin questioned doubtfully.

"Um, not quite, but it can read a lot of stuff that makes it seem almost like it? But that's not what I mean. I mean I can walk fine just by using the movement controls, but then I start thinking about how I'm moving and I guess I alter how I'm moving at the same time and it clashes," she tried to explain.

"Movement controls?" Aishin asked blankly. But a moment later his expression cleared and he asked, "You mean you can walk the same way you can trigger an incredible jump or something you have through your skills, instead of just walking?"

"Um, maybe?" Danika agreed.

"No wonder you're having trouble," he commented. He hugged her against him for a moment and then loosened his hold just enough to start walking again. "It's alright though, just take your time getting used to it. I won't let you fall."

Danika laughed and slid her own arm around his waist too. "I wanted to hug you," she admitted.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Their steps were in synch, and Danika realized that he must have been matching his pace to hers the whole time.

The harness was lying where she dropped it, but she discovered that she couldn't fasten it around her wrist the way Saaki had. Her wrist was too wide. She looked up and asked suddenly, "Do I look the same?"

Aishin raised his eyebrows at her and slid the fingers of his other hand under her chin and examined her face critically. "It's embarrassing to admit, but I can't tell what's different aside from the length of your hair," he admitted after a long moment.

Danika blinked at him, and then she giggled. He leaned down and kissed her for a moment. When he stopped she said, "That's not the same."

"It's not," he agreed.

"I wonder why?" she questioned.

"It's less," he hesitated for a moment, "messy? More uniformly warm? You don't taste the same."

Danika leaned into him suddenly and drew a deep breath. "You don't smell the same either," she agreed.

Aishin lifted his arm and sniffed it. "I wonder if I smell like human or like I smelled three years ago?"

Danika giggled again. "Nevermind," she instructed. "I said we wouldn't take long, and they're eating sweets without us."

Aishin took the little harness from her fingers and tied it to his belt. "Okay, let's go see what you taste like after eating digital berries," he agreed with a wink.

She rolled her eyes at him, but slid her arm back around his waist as they strolled toward the street again.

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