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The air of the McDonald's was thick with the smell of greasy fries and rancid feet. Byleth had generously offered to treat Seteth and Flayn to McDonald's on the way home from the movies—too caught up in his work, the single father had forgotten to pick up groceries to prepare dinner. Little Flayn, of course, insisted that they dine inside, hoping she'd get to finally enjoy the PlayPlace like the other children.
Seteth leaned over to speak to Byleth, just out of Flayn's earshot. "My love, I am not sure I approve of Flayn playing in this… death contraption! She could slip and fall and hurt herself, or one of the kids could push her and hurt her, or—did you hear about the child who died from a dangerous needle in the ballpit?"
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dear… don't you think you're overreacting a bit? I don't want to overstep my boundaries, but it's just a kid's play area. Besides, didn't you see on Snopes? That heroin thing is totally fake!"
Begrudgingly, Seteth agreed to allow Flayn some time in the play area. Having finished her Chicken McNuggets (Seteth told her they were fish, not chicken, so that she'd eat them) and half her fries, she carefully unbuckled her shoes and placed them gently in the designated bins and smiled when she realized she was already wearing socks, just as the rules stated! She ran off, excited to play with the other children.
Brrrrrring! Brrrrrring! Byleth's cell phone rang.
"Oh! I need to take this. It's your sister, I think about the church's fundraiser this weekend—I'll be right back!" she exclaimed as she hurried out the door. Reception was always better outside with this darned phone.
Seteth swiftly turned his attention back to his daughter, observing her nervously as she introduced herself to the other children. She was always so eager to meet new people, and it worried him that one day, she'd meet the wrong kind of new person. After losing his wife when Flayn was just a baby, he swore on her grave that he would never let anything happen to their daughter. His promise had made him more than a bit neurotic when it came to Flayn's safety.
"Daddy!" Flayn's voice was muffled by the large layers of plastic, and she appeared in the bubble at the top of the structure waving furiously at her father, her smile wide and beaming. Seteth smiled excitedly and waved back, taking a melancholy delight in how much she reminded him of her mother. Across the dining hall, two mothers giggled at such a sweet site.
She sat in her bubble for several minutes, greeting the other children as they passed by. One boy she had seen pass by several times already interrogated her.
"Hey, girl! Why don't you go down the slide? You're just sittin' there!"
"Oh, well I do very much enjoy it here!" she explained, her tongue much more formal than her fellow five-year-olds. "I can see my Daddy from here! See? There he is!" She pointed to Seteth. "I love my Daddy very much!"
"Well I'm gonna have fun and go down the slide again, bye!" the boy stated proudly, disappearing into the long plastic tube.
Flayn frowned, realizing that she'd have to figure out a way down eventually, but the idea going down the dark, mysterious slide frightened her, and she didn't like the prospect of climbing down the way she came either. She cried out for help.
"Daddy! Please help me get down!"
Seteth bolted to the base of the playground, looking up. "My dear, you can take the slide to get down! It will be okay!"
"NO! It's dark and scary! I do not wish to go down! I want you to get me, Daddy!" she pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.
Embarrassed, Seteth looked around to the other parents and shrugged, slipped off his shoes, and crawled into the plastic jungle. He climbed up the small panels hurriedly, pardoning himself when he nearly ran over the playing children. After clambering through yards of plastic tubing, he finally reunited with his daughter in the bubble, hugging her tightly.
"Daddy! Daddy! You saved me! Thank you!"
"Oh sweet Flayn, you do not have to worry, I am here!" He took a deep breath, exhaling heavily through his nose. "Now, let us get you down from this place, shall we?"
"Okay Daddy!"
He proceeded to escape the plastic prison, but the way he had maneuvered himself into the bubble with Flayn left him stuck. He panicked, unsure of what he should do, but caught sight of Byleth just outside the restaurant window, still on the phone with Rhea.
Carefully, he pulled his little brick cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Byleth's number.
"Yes, that sounds excellent Rhea! I'll make sure the table is manned with volunteers for—" Beep! Beep! "Ah, shoot, your brother's calling me. He's probably ready to go; we stopped at McDonald's on the way home from the movies … Yeah! We'll talk later … You too … Bye!" Click! "Hello dear, are you ready to go?"
"Well, I have something to ask of you," Seteth began nervously. Byleth furrowed her brow, looking towards the dining hall from outside. "Flayn has gotten us trapped in the PlayPlace. We are currently in the bubble facing the dining area. Do you see us waving at you?"
"Mmmhm…" Byleth answered, concerned.
"Please get us out."
Byleth hung up and hurried back into the restaurant, her boots clamoring on the tile floor. A few employees and patrons stared as she quickly entered the PlayPlace area. She kicked off her boots and swiftly climbed up the plastic platforms with ease. When she arrived at the bubble, she let out a bright laugh.
"How in the world did you two get stuck in here?"
"Ummmm, it was my fault, Byleth…" Flayn admitted, tears forming in her big green eyes. "I wanted Daddy to help me get down because I was scared…"
She chuckled at Seteth, who groaned in response. "Yes, yes, I may have acted… without reasoning first. Please, just help us out of here."
Limbs tangled and untangled in a symphony of Oofs! and Ums! and Pardon mes! until finally, everyone was free of the terrible contraption.
"Alright, let's slide out of here!" Byleth exclaimed.
Flayn shrieked. "But but but… the slide is so scary! It frightens me!!"
"Well then, let's have Daddy go first so he can show you it's not so scary, how about that?" she smiled warmly, meeting Seteth's eyes. He nodded.
"Yes, watch me, dear! Here I go!" He contorted his body best he could to slide down, getting stuck a few times due to his size. Finally on the other side, he urged Flayn to come next.
"Byleth I'm scared! Will you slide with me?" The young girl clung to Byleth's clothes, her eyes pleading.
Byleth looked at the size of the slide's opening, and then back to her and Flayn, evaluating whether they'd fit together. "I think we can manage that, girly." She sat atop the opening for the slide, and ushered Flayn onto her lap. "Are you ready?"
"Uh huh," Flayn squeaked.
"One… Two… Three!"
Flayn squeezed her eyes shut as the two traveled down the seemingly endless tube of darkness. When she opened her eyes again, she was in her father's arms.
"Daddy!" She gave him a big hug. "Thanks Daddy! Thanks Byleth! I had lots of fun!"
Her father's smile melted Byleth's heart, and she grinned at them both.
"Thank you for your assistance, Byleth. I am truly mortified and don't believe we will be coming back to this establishment any time soon."
"Agreed!" she laughed.