When Catherine came back online Elizabeth felt much better. It was a week after the attack and the failed mission being exposed so the teen felt they'd be okay to talk. Elizabeth had spent time with her mother and it was great.

The woman was startled by her daughter's sluggish behavior after logging off but was reassured by the energy Elizabeth put into making dinner.

The teenager wasn't the best cook but the meal she whipped up was palatable. Her mother ate it with pleasure, complimenting her choices endlessly.

Creamy potatoes, butter pasta and boiled chicken breasts filled her tummy as they sat down for a movie. It was cheesy but entertained the pair a good amount.

The next day when her mother got back from work, she surprised the tired woman with her laundry being done and folded on her bed.

The girl had overheard her mother complaining about having to come home to chores so she did it all for her. The room was clean and her bed was made.

She mopped the dirty floors and threw away the overfill kitchen trash.They also baked some cookies together which they hadn't done in years.

Elizabeth recalled doing it last for her 8th birthday when they turned into burnt hockey pucks. This time they were a bit undercooked and fell apart in their hands while tasting amazing.

The joy the brunette felt watching her mother that week was hard to describe. She saw the exhaustion melt away day by day and the disbelief that colored her voice as they spoke quietly. Elizabeth could tell that her mother had been praying for time like this.

“You're spoiling me, Muñequita.” Her mother had commented one night.

The brunette had blushed and stroked at her ponytail. “You deserve to be spoiled, mom. You're always working your butt to help me in life.”

Her mother had turned pink herself at this and sipped the glass of hot cocoa she had. The woman struggled to accept the compliments Elizabeth gave her and the teenager wanted to change that. She had come to learn during that week that her mother was very quiet.

The type of person who worked for others and never thought of herself. Elizabeth felt like she had grown to understand her more with her guild mates and their experiences.

They were older and had spoken to her about her relationship with her mother often. A new, bolder point of view had been opened in the past couple of months.

“I want to go on a trip before graduation.” She told her mother the night before she logged back on to speak to Catherine about everything.

Her mother looked up at her and smiled. “Oh? Are your gaming friends going with you somewhere?” She hummed. “I'd like to meet them first.”

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. “No, I want to go on one with you.”

Her mother had stared at her for a while before bursting into a bright grin. They decided to go on a small trip to a beach town before Elizabeth moved out.

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The girl had been bombarded by messages when she logged out that evening and she was shocked to find a tempting offer. She would be doing a summer program at one university before continuing on to get a degree at another.

It was some sort of dual program that she had never heard of and she was one of one hundred attending its in person classes. Elizabeth had jumped up and down as she told her overwhelmed mother who sobbed.

Jake and Yuki were ecstatic when she messages them about it. The trio talked outside of Frozen Hearts in a group chat that her mother approved of. The age differences made the older woman anxious but she trusted the pair enough to not interfere.

They definitely felt like genuine friends to the teenager and she found their advice incredibly helpful. With it being that way because of the years of experience they had on her.

She felt better with her mother happy and her future set in stone. Elizabeth could breathe after months of anxiety and worrying about what the real world had for her.

She put her headset on with a smile and opened her eyes to find herself in her bed at the guild base. Pudding was asleep with Sprinkles dozing off on the floor beside the bigger slime.

The curly-haired girl got out of bed with her feet into the soft carpet beneath her. It felt warm despite the snow that was piling up outside her window. Elizabeth could hear that someone else was there as there was a meal being cooked.

As she opened her door her nostrils filled with the heavy smell of grease filled meat and cheese. Eggs and bacon had been put on a plate with pancake batter being made after.

Her mouth watered as she saw the table being made for the full group with each chair having a plate. They also had a cup full of what looked to be lemonade with fresh lemon slices and shockingly square ice cubes in them.

What was the bigger shock was that it was Catherine, the ice queen herself making all of this. Elizabeth assumed this was a meal to try and make up for what happened to everyone.

Yuki had shared that Catherine had logged on a day ago and apologized for everything. Even with everyone telling her she didn't have to, the elf went on to insist she had to with a glare.

This conversation left the masked woman feeling bad for her aversion to the elf as Elizabeth shared what Selene had said. The fox had told her to as she didn't really talk to Yuki.

Those two had very different personalities and lifestyles apparently from what Jake expressed in private. So, they could game together but they'd never be friends when the game wasn't involved.

Yuki had felt this way about Catherine too as she wrongly assumed that she was a lot like Selene. As they were friends in real life and went to school together. The two spent every waking moment they had free as a pair.

After everything Yuki realized she was wrong and had tried to explain to the elf everyone did like her but was met with silence. The teen could only assume that Catherine’s personality and past with the group led her to not being able to accept that no one blamed her.

That nobody hated her for what had happened as they all saw it as a crazy situation. This made the huge, yummy meal turn from a welcome to surprise to an awful scene.

She just couldn't let her bend over backwards over nothing. The teenager gathered her strength and walked right over the elf with a clear decision made.

“I want to talk to you about what happened but please don't hold back. I know that I've come across as judgemental possibly and I want to amend that.” Elizabeth was overjoyed with how confident she sounded finally.

The nerves were gone and in its place was genuine understanding. The teenager had spent a long time thinking about Catherine. She realized she was hoping to become fast friends with her like Jake.

But that wouldn't be the case so she needed to accept that. Clearly, the elf wanted to be cordial so she needed to put the first step forward. The pale haired woman was shocked by her words and sudden personality change.

Her eyes were wide and she put down the pan she was holding. She gestured for Elizabeth to sit down and the teenager did which Catherine soon followed.

“I'm sorry for how I made you feel. I didn't realize my anxiety came off that way but I'm happy you want to be my friend.” Elizabeth said happily.

“It's alright,” The elf waved off her apology. “I talked to the others and saw how intense I came off. I would've behaved the same way if I were you.”

The brunette chuckled. “You weren't– well you were pretty intense. But it's all good now!” She clapped her hands and sighed. “Let's get along, please.”

Catherine smiled a little. “In my eyes we've always gotten along. I just wanted to break the ice with you. I could see I intimidated you a little.”

You could practically see Elizabeth melt at this comment. She sunk into her chair and covered her face with her hands. “Oh man. Was it that obvious?”

“Of course it was.” There was that bluntness that was weirdly missing from the discussion. The teen felt like she was going to die from embarrassment.

The elf huffed at her behavior and patted her head. “It'll be fine. Let's eat.”

Elizabeth fixed her now frazzled hair as she asked him. “Shouldn't we wait for everyone else to log in?” She didn't want to be rude and eat it all fast.

By the way the elf looked at the teenager she realized that the others probably wouldn't be there in a while. She dug in and hummed with joy from how delicious the meal was.

The girl sat there with a mouth full of yummy food and thought about how good everything had gone. Elizabeth felt good knowing that everything wasn't as big as they'd been making it in their head.

It all worked out in the end and she let out a final satisfied sigh. She hoped that they could all go on a mission together someday soon.

They could all have some more fun before she had to finally embark on her adult life as a college student. Thinking about it made her feel all sorts of things.

Elizabeth shook her head and banished the dark thoughts she had away. Right now wasn't the time to worry about the real world.

She had brokered a new friendship after such a big event and been fed a heartfelt meal. That's all that mattered to the brunette and she was going to savor it.