Arabelle

"Boring, boring, boring, already taken, boring, too advanced... oh!" Arabelle attention focused on a message clipped to the player bulletin, asking for teammates for the Dragon Hunter Anthology quest line. This was it. This was a super rare find! She hardly ever spotted players asking for help in higher-leveled quests due to them already being in established parties, much less DHA. Maybe, maybe if she finished all ten, then she'd shoot up a bunch of levels and Claude would finally agree to go hunting with her or something! What was his excuse again? Something, something... level gap something, mobs adjusting to player levels, something. She smiled brightly and took note of the player's name. Jinx.

Wait. 

JINX?!

"Awww, come on!" Just when she thought she'd come across a ray of luck! This game hated her. Lady Fortune must have cursed her. That one quest she wanted to take and it had to be a request posted by That Other Girl. Arabelle stared at the request, eyes narrowed, praying to whatever deity Sword Art Online had that if she stared hard enough, the name would change. If she were limiting herself to guildmates, Dustin would be a good teammate. He gave her a cookie when they first met.

She paced in front of the board indecisively. The Other Girl or no SP. The Other Girl or no SP. She could always convince Claude to carry her through the entire thing... but with his boring new job of tracking down Pinball... Nah. He wouldn't say yes. She paced a little more until she grudgingly brought up her messenger and sent off a single fake af PM.

Quote

To: Jinx

Heyy! Remember me from that guild gathering mission the other day? You know, the totally awesome DPS with the scythe. I'm willing to join! Any open slots left? ;3

 

Then she headed off to the fountain, complaining to herself about her bad luck.

Arabelle glanced up at her energy as their lame tank somehow got overwhelmed by the Merfolk again. Really? She watched, unimpressed, as the girl cried out and fell into a - thankfully - shallow pool of water. One was down and the other only dealt a measly 1 DMG to her. God, their tank was even lamer than Claude who used to do nothing in battles other than heal, do some damage, then go poof. Arabelle rolled her eyes and trudged over to help The Other Girl up. She grasped the tank by the arm and pulled until Jinx was standing upright. "Can't have the tank entering an out-of-combat state," she explained. "Seriously, girl. Man up or something."

She turned and noticed that the second Merfolk, the one she'd <<Paraalyzed>> earlier, was now getting up and shaking itself off. No Sword Arts. Not until she finished that one off and rolled for the drops. But maybe she could try and <<Paralyze>> it again. Arabelle let go of The Other Girl's arm and bounded forward, swinging her scythe in a wide arc.

"Hehe! Makes sense," Arabelle responded to his flirt with a smile of her own. Then he brought up a weird-sounding name. Atzo...? Unfamiliar guy. Most probably not a frontliner. She at least knew the names of all the current frontliners. "Huh. I had someone like that, too. Though I didn't take his advice until maybe a year after. Ahahahaha. Don't tell him that. He'll totally get mad. So, where is he now? The Atzo guy you mentioned, I mean."

They stopped in front of the shop's glass door and were still talking. This game is an opportunity to be someone you aren't in the real world. Arabelle nodded seriously in agreement. As someone who spent most of her time on the Internet back in the real world, she could say that there was a huge difference between her online persona and her real-life persona. But now that they were in a Virtual Reality and lived and experienced every day as if it were also a real world, which one was she now? Maybe a mix of both. "It's fine, sugar. To be honest, I really like hearing you talk," Arabelle reassured. "Let's go. If we stay out here talking all day, it wouldn't turn into an actual date."

As she turned and let Stryder push the shop door open for her, she thought she saw her real appearance reflected back at her. A girl with a dull appearance who never smiled. Arabelle rubbed her eyes, and it disappeared.

It took ages  - plus an offer to buy her a slice of cake afterward - to convince her friend to come. But, Arabelle thought as she saw the other girl shyly emerge from the Cafe Myosotis's backroom in the reflection of her handheld mirror... It. Was. Definitely. Worth It! The small, mischievous girl snickered to herself. She was totally going to be taking pictures of this. And maybe add a caption that goes like: "Me and my cute date, Mishiro, at a wedding you could have totally gone to. See ya when you're done tracking smelly, old orange players!" That darn siscon would be so jealous! Arabelle pulled at the cuffs of her gloves and looked over her shoulder with a grin. "My, my. Shiro-chan almost has me beat at the looks department. Really, why do you have to hold yourself back so much? If you dress like this every day, the boys would be all over you!" The skirt of her short, black dress flared as she twirled around, coming to a stop when she was facing her friend. "Cute, right? Claude bought it for me last month, and now he won't be around to see me wearing it for the first time! Ahahaha. Good for him. That busybody scout."

"Now I have the feeling you're just doing this out of spite. It isn't his fault he chose to prioritize the police department before a wedding." Jumping to Claude's defense once again. What a bro-con. Those two were definitely made for each other. Heels clicked against the shop's cement tiles as Mishiro walked toward the shop's exit. "Let's go. We'll be late if we don't leave now."

Wait...heels? Mishiro, already at around 5'7", wearing heels? Arabelle was wearing heels too, but they weren't very tall, which meant... Their height difference was even more obvious now! Preposterous! "You even wore the two-inch ones! Traitor!"

...

Arabelle walked into the entryway, hand-in-hand with her plus one. She instantly spotted the person she was looking for: the dashing groom in a blue suit who was out greeting the other guests. "S'cuse me. Shiro-chan, this way. I'll introduce you." She tugged on her friend's hand then looked back as they were walking with a teasing smile. "When you're in a wedding, you kinda wonder how your love life's going and whether you're gonna experience this thing too, right? Shiro-chan. Thinking of anyone? You better not say [redacted]."

Whatever her friend said in response was lost on her as they had already reached the groom. Arabelle raised a gloved hand in a wave. "Heyyy! Haz, I have no idea who you're marrying or how long you guys've been together, but congrats anyway! Hehe." Then she sniffed and dramatically wiped away an imaginary tear. "I can't believe it! The little boy's all grown up now! I still remember when you were at the beach and awkwardly flirting with one of my friends and when you stared at my [redacted] then called me the pervert, and, and--" 

Mishiro nudged her. 

"Ugh. Fine, Shiro-chan The Stiff. I'll get to the point. Haz. I know we haven't seen each other in a while. But, congratulations on the marriage! I'm super proud of you! How have you been lately?" Arabelle said with a genuine smile. God, this was sappy as f*ck. Then she stepped back and held tightly onto Mishiro's arm with both hands. Oh, and it's also important to note that her friend had ditched the heels and chose to wear flats instead. "This is Mishiro. She's been my friend ever since the start of the game. Shiro-chan, this is Haz. I met him in some beach party a few months ago and we did some quests after that."

[ooc: tag @Mishiro and @Hazado . picture of Arabelle's outfit in spoiler. only change i'll make to the outfit in the image is that her gloves extend to cover her arms]

Arabelle happily skipped along with her gloved hands tucked behind her back. "Hmm?" Was he trying to get back at her? The little purple-haired girl laughed. Last time, he caught her off-guard and she might have gotten a bit flustered, but not this time...! She closed one eye and looked at him. "'Better watch out before someone thinks I'm Haz's girlfriend?' Haz, you dummy. Why do you think I'm talking to you like this?" She watched him with a strangely sharp, serious gaze before she waved a hand in front of her in a dismissive gesture. "Ahahaha. Are your hands sweaty? Does your face feel warm? Did your heart skip a beat? It should have!" She grinned and stuck a tongue out and took off before an angry, flustered Haz could catch her.

She rejoined him at the Floor 16 teleporter. "Mm. A beachside house would be nice! I want one too, but I also want to live in the small village in Floor 3." She turned her head to the side and winked at him. "Well, guess I could have both now! Hehe. Would you believe me if I said I liked quiet places?"

The ugly lizard thing was at half HP! Arabelle took a quick look at her energy bar - still enough to execute two of her best Sword Arts - and twirled her scythe in her hands as if it was a baton. She caught it when the curved blade was behind her with her dominant hand placed further up the handle and twisted the weapon in her hands. She looked briefly at their designated tank, The Other Girl, and rolled her eyes as the player just barely brought up her shield to block an attack. The girl's hands were shaking. How had she even gotten all those levels if she was so scared of fighting?

Arabelle took off. She targeted the Merfolk with the lowest HP and swung her scythe upwards. While it was still reeling from her attack, she twisted the large two-handed weapon behind her and repeated the movement. Then she let go, grabbed it as it was falling, and tightened her grip. The blade was behind her. With the blunt end of the weapon, she shoved it backward and watched it collapse to the ground, <<Paralyzed>>, with its HP inching closer to the 25% mark. That was a crit! She felt a glow of pride at her improving battle skills. Then she turned back to The Other Girl with a smirk. "That was a crit. So it won't be getting up for a while. Make sure it stays focused on you, 'kay?"

Arabelle had no idea what she was doing here. She didn't come for the alcohol, or whatever comforts it gave to people who somehow still get drunk when they've had a drink or two. It was already common knowledge that players' mental states can't be affected by consumable items! Not in the family-friendly death game of Sword Art Online where the greatest offense to the PG-15 rating was probably fanservice. And death. But the latter was unimportant. The important people never died anyway.

Maybe she came here with some morbid curiosity as to what actually happened in these types of places. It was well into the afternoon and unfortunately, there were no loud "drunks" or fistfights. Yet.

Boring.

Arabelle groaned and slammed her head against the table. She turned to the side, her cheek resting on the bar's wooden surface as she looked lazily at the glass of orange juice she'd bought. A terrible idea sprung up in her mind. If I'm already legal age and taverns are for drinking and Claude's not around to get mad at me and remind me about his policy about buying alcoholic drinks even though they're basically the same thing as soft drinks in-game... The small purple-haired girl whose unaging in-game avatar made her appear fourteen suddenly sat upright and slapped both her cheeks. "No. Bad Arabelle," she reprimanded herself. 

Then she was slumped on the table again. Absentmindedly, she sent her friend a PM asking her to come over.

Quote

From: Mishiro

I'm busy with my shop. Ask someone else.

 

"Ughhhh. Shiro-chan, you're a terrible friend! Not just terrible. The worst! You're the worst I've ever had!" Arabelle exclaimed. Of course, she meant none of it. It was a joke that she often brought up in their playful banters, what with Mishiro's dull, serious personality. Then she realized that she'd said that out loud and turned red. She looked around at the other people in the tavern and forced her cute, innocent expression back on. "Ahahaha. Sorry about that. Nothing to see here." She turned back to her drink, red-faced. It was time to leave.

That was when the sound of people talking reached her ears. She lifted her head to look in their general direction. And lo and behold, the guildmates she hadn't yet cared to interact with were there! Lovely coincidence! And they had... cake? Arabelle stood, taking her orange juice (which made her look like a lost little kid), and padded over to them. There was the kid who gave her a cookie. Then that shy kid she went on a few dates with. The vice leader of the guild and his quiet girlfriend. And...three other women she didn't recognize. It only took a few moments of listening to grasp the context. She inched forward, moving to Dustin's side, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, guildie! Happy birthday~!" Then she gave him one of her sweetest smiles. "So, how are you going to divide the cake?"

@Dustin

Saphira and Dustin followed through with their own attacks. Both used single-targeting attacks directed at the second merfolk, the one Arabelle successfully landed the first hit on earlier. She struck the bottom of her scythe's handle on the ground as she waited for her chance to attack. One at a time, it is. If that was so, she wouldn't have much of a problem landing the last hit on one rather than two. AoE attacks were pretty draining.

A high-pitched shriek snapped Arabelle out of her thoughts and she zeroed in on the merfolk whose tail had gotten stuck between some rocks. It was the one that had the lowest HP. The perfect opportunity! Gracefully, she swept in, holding her glowing-green scythe so that the blade was positioned behind her, and with a large inhale, she swung it will all her might at the merfolk. Then, following the Sword Art's motions, she twisted it behind her swung again. 

The attack left a large, red, X-shaped gash across the...lizard thingy's chest. It was still Paralyzed. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and stepped back with a smug smile.

They traveled to the place Stryder had picked out for them. Overall, the short ten-minute walk was uneventful. They didn't talk much, maybe they were immersed in considering battle plans and strategies they had in their minds, and Arabelle was elated to see that The Other Girl wasn't clinging to Stryder. She considered whether she should walk beside him but ultimately decided not to. He seemed busy surveying the area, and she didn't want to be too clingy like she thought the white-haired tank was. 

Her guild leader stopped and pointed out a group of mobs. The scarier-looking ones, big lizard...things with tridents, went to the two stronger players in the group. The ones that looked similar but were significantly weaker went to her group. There were only two, but their HP values were high. She frowned as she regarded the two mobs assigned to them. Should she aim to lower their HP simultaneously and get the final hit on both with an AoE, or focus on one then the other? Certainly, the first option would be faster but that meant the tanks would have to take more hits and she would have to hit both on her last attack somehow. Arabelle stopped thinking and looked up when she heard Stryder assuring her. "Oh, thanks," she responded absent-mindedly. "I'll...do my best for you. Stay safe, too."

She didn't have the time to get iffy over Stryder and The Other Girl's stupid, lovey-dovey interaction. 

The fight had started. 

"...and you will not break my defense..." The Other Girl said unenergetically, raising her shield up to defend. But she was slow. The Merfolk were already under the effect of the tank's <<Howl>> and were charging in. One landed a hit. The girl stumbled and took a step back. The other underestimated the distance of its swing and missed. To The Other Girl's credit, that hit only took a single point of HP. Her MIT stat must be pretty high.

Dumb luck, Arabelle thought grumpily. She hoisted her heavy scythe up and it glowed as she activated her strongest Sword Art. If the mob's hits were really that weak, she could let The Other Girl handle two at the same time. She positioned herself at the tank's side and noticed the girl looking around. "Don't take your eyes off them," she reprimanded. She tightened her grip and swung her glowing scythe in a wide, sweeping stroke. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each hit took 6 HP. But when she finished her barrage of attacks and paused to assess the damage, she learned that the mob that had missed the attack on The Other Girl earlier had recovered quickly enough to dodge all three swings. 

She really needed a better ACC stat.

"Floor 16..." Arabelle repeated the phrase as she tried to remember what was in that floor. It was Haz, so it most definitely had to be something with water. She remembered how good he was at swimming, then at rowing a boat, and at pulling people under the...Then, it clicked. "Oh! The beach on the sixteenth floor. Did I get that right?" A cheeky smile formed on her face as she realized what else had occurred in that beach. "Hm, hm~. If I remember things right, isn't that where you met Spangie and confessed your unending love to her?" In reality, he had only called her blonde friend cute. She was clearly blowing things out of proportion here. "Ahahahaha! You even did it in your swimsuit, right? Haz, you've really got guts!" 

She spun around, taking a few steps back, and faced him, holding up a peace sign with both of her hands. "Let's go there. I don't think my short legs can carry me up that mountain, and besides." Arabelle winked cutely at him and turned in the direction of the safe zone, starting to walk. "You seem to be braver when you're beside the water. I think that side of you is cute."

"I think that applies to most people," Arabelle commented, referring to what he said about being too scared to leave the Town of Beginnings. Most, not everyone, because there was a certain...person she knew who just charged ahead despite his fear. Really, while his weird interests and his girly haircut and the way he flustered too easily made him seem unreliable, he was actually one of the strongest persons she knew. Not that she was going to admit that. They hadn't talked in years. "I got myself a level boost from fighting a bunch of mobs at the start of the game...when things were still innocent and kind of fun. I had two teammates back then and one just didn't want to stop fighting." Recalling that, and the person she had considered her first friend in the game, brought a bittersweet smile to her face. "And I did a few quests after that thing with Kayaba, but when my quest companion left me I kind of just drifted for a year or so. Then I felt guilty for not doing anything so I got a profession and things just kind of flowed from there."

"Hey, if you compare my history to yours, I think there was one point where I was at a higher level than you!" Arabelle realized with a laugh. "If only I kept doing quests after that. We would've met earlier and gone on more dates! And maybe our meeting wouldn't have been something as lame as you saving me from some low-level mobs." She closed one eye and smirked. "Do you get me, sugar? I don't know how you feel about it, but I'm saying it anyway. Don't feel bad about being scared or about not making the decision to level up earlier. You're here now, aren't you?"

They neared the restaurant and the scent of pizza reached her nose. "Oooooh, pizza!" she exclaimed with stars in her eyes. Honestly, she'd thought he would take her out for some pasta and spaghetti...those were Italian, right? Arabelle had no idea. "Mhmm! I haven't tasted the food yet, but I'm sure I'll like this place," she said to Stryder, smiling brightly.

"Good to know I can count on you."

Arabelle nodded happily, trying her best to look as calm and reliable as she could (for once) to her guild leader. Inside though she was a mess. Oh f*ck, oh f*ck. Should she have given it to The Other Girl after all? She only had a +1 ACC! If she missed the final hits and the mobs went and killed themselves with the Gryas's or The Other Girl's Thorns, she'd totally mess up the whole guild gathering thing. They won't get as much Col as they expected due to the lack of a multiplier, the guild hall or whatever they were saving up for would be delayed, and worst of all Stryder would be mad at her! Where's Mishiro and her S-ranked luck when you need her?! she whined internally.

Maybe she should have been logical and given it to The Other Girl after all. Saved her ass from potential humiliation.

"...but I won't translate whatever you say behind those doors," said one of the high-ranking officers to Stryder.

Nope. F*ck no. Her decision to keep the buff (she'd already consumed it anyway) was the absolute best choice. Arabelle saw the eyepatched girl from out of the corner of her eye, petting Stryder's wolf, and suddenly she felt even more annoyed. He hadn't even let her pet it, and now the new girl was getting all cuddly with Silver? Screw ACC. She'd get the final hit on those mobs through sheer anger and determination.

Then someone was talking to her. Dustin. Arabelle looked up, recognized the item he was about to lend to her, and the storm clouds over her head disappeared. "Oh, thanks! I really needed this. Remind me to give this back once the hunt is over, alright?" With a bright smile, she took the item. One extra EVA, and the godsent +1 ACC. At least she had higher chances now. She tapped through her inventory and equipped the silver watch on her left arm. Her hand felt a bit heavy with the trinket on it, but the buffs were too good. Then someone, Gryas, opened a trade window with her. He was offering a +1 DMG potion. With her being the final hit (a super important role!), they must've felt the need to give her a boost in stats so she could do her job properly. Arabelle nodded and pressed 'Accept.' "Thanks for this! It's a really big help to me." Not wanting to waste any time, she popped the cork off the potion and downed it in one gulp. Then she raised her hand and said, "I'm ready now!"

<Consumed +1 DMG potion>

The brown-haired guy introduced himself - finally, she had a name for him! - and then opened his inventory and brought out a cookie. Arabelle blinked, confused. She wasn't one to talk but wasn't randomly having a snack while in the middle of a conversation a bit rude? And also napping while waiting for guild members to arrive? (Whoops, she may have done that one, too. But it was only before he slept first! Baka!). She instantly pegged him as the type of guy who just didn't really give a f*ck. Then, as if he'd noticed her negative impression of him, he offered her a cookie. It was perfectly shaped and had lots of chocolate chips, just the way she liked it. Oooooh! Arabelle's foul mood from the...thing...earlier and the fact that The Other Girl was standing right beside her guild leader lifted. She took the cookie from him quietly and took a bite. "Mhmm. It is!" she commented, happily finishing off the rest of her cookie. She grinned brightly at Dustin, her first impression effectively changed. "Where did you buy them?"

Then, Stryder started explaining why he had called them here. Arabelle turned her head and listened intently. They were going to gather resources for the guild hall. Gathering was one of the most boring things in existence, but having a guild around should make the trip a bit fun. He mentioned something about strengths, weaknesses, something something team exercises... Wait, she was on the team with her? Arabelle's bright mood went dull. Well, it's better than dying. When he stopped talking and walked over to Hei, she opened her inventory and brought out her weapon. It was a large, black scythe that glowed green whenever a Sword Art was activated. She sheathed it at her back with the blade facing downwards, and she leaned back, felt her head bump against its handle. Now would be a good time to show off.

Arabelle was contemplating on going out and doing a few practice swings to get in the mood when her favorite guild leader approached. "Oh, hey," she greeted, almost nonchalantly. He went straight to the point, telling her she would be the one landing the final hits. 

"I've seen you in action, so I know you can deal hard hits."

Uhhh...let's have a recap, shall we? When they met, he saved her from a group of low-leveled wolves. She finished one off. Then they went on a quest she was supposed to do solo. He killed the boss mob and beat up the weaker ones, leaving one for her to play with. She attacked it. She missed. He went and finished it off himself. Out of the eight(?) mobs they'd fought together, she'd only landed a hit on one. She was flattered that he believed in her but... did he mistake her for someone else? A quick glance in her room gave her a list of people he may have confused her with. Of course, he wouldn't switch her up with one of the boys. There was Saphira and The Other Girl. Saphira was the healer. He probably confused her with The Other Girl. Which means if she turned the task down, he would ask her instead. Arabelle quickly turned back to Stryder and smiled. "Of course! You can rely on me for this one."

She accepted the T1 Prosperity item and quickly consumed it once he turned away. I won't lose!

Arabelle was awoken from her short nap by the sensation of a warm hand on her head, ruffling her hair. She raised her head and blinked blearily at the person who had woken her up. For a few moments, she thought she saw long hair and was reminded of a serious dark-haired girl and her gentle companion whom she had both broken ties with. He had weird tastes and seemed completely unreliable at first but he had been her favorite. "Claude...? Good morning." 

It was Stryder's voice that responded to her instead. "Nice to see you, Belle."

Oof! Arabelle's vision cleared and she remembered what happened earlier. The small girl stood straight up and grabbed his hand just as he took it off her head. "Nice to see you too, Stryder!" she greeted in a chipper tone. Then keeping his hand still, she bumped her head against his palm again in a cute, affectionate gesture before she finally let go. It was only then that she noticed the rest of the people in the room. The brown-haired kid who had been sleeping earlier, an old-looking guy with glasses, and some plain-looking guy who introduced himself as the co-leader of the guild (he must be the late healer's replacement). She stepped back to lean on the wall as her guild leader explained the...thing she had walked into earlier. Apparently, Brown-Haired Guy also saw it. "If you say so, then I believe you," Arabelle acknowledged, her serious expression implying that she really did. Then looking away, with a bit of an embarrassed expression on her face, she muttered something only he would hear, "That's a big relief to me..."

Then The Other Girl walked into the room. She introduced herself and Arabelle would have understood what she was saying...if only she didn't have her translate function deactivated. She cursed under her breath and brought up her menu. Most of the people she surrounded herself with already spoke in English, so she had forgotten that there was a translate feature. "Um," she glanced up at The Other Girl through her menu. The sharpness in her gaze contradicted her friendly smile. "I didn't understand what you said earlier, but my player name's Arabelle. Nice to meet you." 

And she said nothing else to The Other Girl. Once the guild members had gathered, she would introduce herself again. "I think some of you already know me, but I'll introduce myself again. My player name's Arabelle. DPS build, and I use a scythe. Primary weakness is my lack of MIT." She would then flash her cute smile again as she added, "Let's all get along, okay?"

Unlike his personality, Stryder's shop was terribly boring. It was a building with two floors, painted in a very bland color, and lacking in the necessary decorations. Or...anything for the matter. In comparison, the small wooden houses the NPCs had built or even player shops with no sense of color blending were much better. From under the shadow of her military cap, Arabelle's eyes narrowed. There was one additional thing she could contribute to her guild and that could be improving her leader's shop's sales by making the outside look prettier. With that task filed away in her mind for later, she pushed the door open and entered the building.

Her form shimmered as she unequipped her black cloak and military cap. Then she looked around. As expected, the inside was equally boring. Boring, boring, boring. He could have at least hung a painting. Or was he simply new to the crafting business? The small purple-haired girl surveyed the room in front of her and found a brown-haired boy laying on his side, back against the wall. He was sleeping peacefully. But where was Stryder? Nothing inside the shop's main room offered an answer aside from a door leading to an inner room, perhaps where he had his sleeping quarters. He wouldn't be asleep, especially after he sent that mass PM. And by entering, she wouldn't be disturbing anything. He was a guild leader and thus, a professional person.

...right?

Arabelle moved forward with a purpose, strolling toward her favorite guild leader's room. As was customary to her, she pushed the door open without knocking. "Stryder!" she called out cheerfully as the door opened. "I'm here! Who else are we--" 

She cut her sentence short. There were two people in the room. Her beloved guild leader. And a girl she didn't recognize. From how closely they were standing to each other, they obviously weren't having a strategy meeting. And the fact that they were alone in the room and that one guy was waiting outside-- "Waiting for? Is that our new member?" Arabelle recovered from the surprise like a pro. She smiled sweetly, though suspicion flashed briefly over her face as her gaze met his. "Hello! Welcome to the guild~! Guess I'm no longer the guild noob, huh? Well, not that I spent much time in that position. Ahahahahaha..." She backed away from the door, still smiling at both of them. Then her gaze sharpened. "I hope we can get along."

She turned and shut the door firmly behind her, smile dropping from her face. Silently, she marched over to the sleeping guy and sat down next to where his head lied. She pulled her knees close to her chest and shut her eyes.

[ooc notes: unless that hug was supposed to take ages, they would probably have broken off by the time she entered. stats will be posted before the actual gathering begins.]

Italian dishes? Like...pizza and pasta? Honestly, Arabelle didn't know much about Italian cuisine but she figured her date would just order something for the two of them. "Mhm. Sounds good," she agreed cheerfully. Stryder had grabbed her hand (he finally did it first!) so the purple-haired girl moved closer so their elbows were touching. To the people passing by, they would probably look like a cute couple. Her cheeks reddened at the thought of that, and even more so when he ended his last sentence with a flirt. It sounded a bit like a lame pickup line, but she was willing to overlook it. "Hmm~? That goes to you too, Stry." Saying that, she bumped the side of her head to his shoulder lightly (he was tall enough and she was short enough to do that).

Alright. That was enough. Flirting endlessly with someone was nice, but for their date to have balance, she needed to learn more about him too. She allowed for a few moments of silence to pass before asking a question. "Say, how long did it take for you to reach that level?"

Arabelle let go of his hand and waited for him to catch up. She matched his pace and walked alongside him, her hands taking their usual place behind her back. Her scythe dematerialized as she stored it in her inventory, a bit of a reckless act, but she didn't like carrying that heavy weapon around even outside the safe zone. If something happened, Hazado would protect her until could she re-equip it. "Huhhh?" she leaned forward, showing a bit of a dissatisfied expression.  "Haz, Haz. You really forgot it? Isn't that being a bit unfair now? I was looking forward to it, you know?" Then she giggled and kept walking. She was done teasing him for now.

"So where do you want to go?" she asked. Of course. They couldn't go on a date without having a place in mind. "Oh! Wait, I have a suggestion. How about we visit your favorite place in the game, Haz? I really do want to learn more about you."

Arabelle's time with the Guardians of the New Dawn had quite the grim start. Just a few days ago, she was recruited by the guild leader himself. He was strong, kind, and had his heart in the right place. He entertained her when she asked him out on a date and when he offered for her to join the guild, she accepted immediately. Not because she fell in love, but because she was simply curious. She wanted to see how he became strong and inspiring enough to unite different people under the flag of the same guild. She dealt with people a lot, and she knew how difficult that was. She wanted to meet the people he surrounded himself with.

Just yesterday, she received a message from an unknown person. Arabelle finished off the mob she was dealing with and retreated to a safer area to read the message. "For those of you that joined and I do not know. My name was Eatos, and I held the title of Guardian and Co-founder to the New Dawn."  Her eyes widened. Was? She gestured for her quest companion to keep fighting. And she read through the message. She had to pause at certain parts to take it all in. But at the end, once she had finished reading and once her partner had finished clearing the mobs, she dismissed the PM. She clapped her hands together and closed her eyes in a quick prayer. But she didn't cry. 

She raised her head and ran to her quest partner, apologizing. Wearing a smile as if nothing happened.

***

Arabelle was expecting Stryder's message. She dismissed the PM and equipped a coat over her armor. Then, she teleported up to Floor 4 and after asking a few players for directions, she found the deceased founder's shop.

What she witnessed was a saddening sight.

Her guild leader, on his knees in front of a woman's picture. He had his arms wrapped around his familiar, bringing it closer to him as if it was the only solace in the world, and his sobs muffled by the white wolf's fur. Beside him, talking to him, was a man she didn't know. That must be a picture of Eatos. Arabelle gazed at it for a while, then took her place at Stryder's other side. She rested her gloved hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." And there was nothing else to be said. The man helped him up and she also stood. She felt something tugging at her heart at the sight. But still, she couldn't bring herself to cry for someone she never knew.

Arabelle took a step back from where the mob had been. Now, it was just a peaceful, empty space. Hazado approached her (and he finally took that funny-looking helmet off), congratulating her on her kill with his hand extended to her. What was she supposed to do with it? Shake hands? She wasn't that formal. Her hands went behind her back and she smiled at his praise. "Well. Ahahaha. Guess I can match up to you now, huh?" She took a step closer, still ignoring his extended hand. "So when you're looking for a DPS in the future, you'll know who to call for."

When he finally asked what they should do next, she stepped forward and took the hand he had held out to her. And she started walking, gently pulling him along. She looked over her shoulder, her smile as innocent as ever. "Let's get out of here first. I don't like being outside," she spoke. "But that aside, you promised me something from last time, didn't you?"

For a tank, Hazado surely dealt a lot of damage. After one Sword Art and one Thorns effect, the Wasp Queen's HP was already below its halfway point. It was there that Arabelle realized that she had never actually asked about his level, and that this was their first time fighting together. Well, that was more than okay! She had only leveled up recently, and at a lower level, she wouldn't have been able to show off as she was planning to do now.

At her quest partner's cue, Arabelle swept in with the scythe's head behind her, the blade facing down. She closed the distance between herself and the Wasp Queen, forgetting just for a few seconds how scary the mob looked - no, actually, it motivated her to kill it faster - and swung her now glowing-green weapon up, aimed directly for the mob's head. One hit - the mob's head snapped up and she planted her foot in the ground in front of her to prevent herself from losing balance - and she twisted her scythe, bringing it up to land an underhanded blow against the wasp's upper body. 

The Wasp Queen was sent flying, and Arabelle chased after it. Her scythe was still glowing, Sword Art sequence hasn't been completed yet. She stood over the wasp with a victorious grin. "Time for you to buzz off once again." 

And she brought the blunt end of the scythe to its head.

The Wasp Queen fully materialized and the two players were immediately in its sights. As was agreed upon earlier, Arabelle didn't move from her spot. She watched with a disinterested expression as Hazado did. He charged forward, moving to thrust his spear in the quest mobs direction. Oh, right. On top of tanking, he also knew how to wield a spear. She wasn't sure if he had the weapon skill for it though.

As if to remind everyone that the quest mob could fly, the wasp beat its wings and flew up, avoiding Hazado's attack. If this were real life, it would've stayed up in the air, providing the players with no means to attack it. But this was a game. The mob was made to be killed.

The big wasp returned to the ground. It was now positioned between her and Hazado, and had its back to her. It was so close. And it was bigger and scarier than expected. So when she heard the tank warning her against attacking, Arabelle happily obliged. She obediently stayed in her spot with her scythe's blade raised before her.

They reached the area where the quest mob frequently spawns, only to find it empty. None of the signature buzzing of the wasp mobs. Nothing but bushes and plants and nonhostile creatures that contributed to the game's immersive environment. "Aw," Arabelle commented. Whoever was here before must've been really strong. Or mad. The area was wiped clear of mobs that she probably couldn't kill in two hits. 

Hazado said it could spawn any minute, so Arabelle kept a tight grip on her scythe as she moved to lean on a tree behind him. She planted the butt of her scythe on the ground and looked up at him. Unlike her who was relaxing on the tree, he was already on full alert with his muscles tensed as he watched the area in front of him. Figures, he'd have to be quick in grabbing the Queen's attention before it could take notice of her. "Any second now,"  he repeated. His really was focused on protecting her. "Yeah, yeah. I'm ready." Though he couldn't see it, Arabelle rolled her eyes playfully. Still, his tall frame in front of her, protecting her from any danger, with her vision being framed by the green of plants and foliage and above, the pretty sky and the rays of the sun shining through the leaves, painted a pretty picture.

Then--

He equipped some weird helmet. It had a spike protruding for it, and while in any other culture, it would've been used to intimidate soldiers from the opposing army (and maybe run them through with the spike, like wild bulls), to Arabelle, it just looked ridiculous. "Pfffft. Ahahahaha!" she couldn't fully restrain her laughter. "Haz, you look like a buff unicorn!"

Her laughter quickly died down as the buzzing that had previously been missing from the forest resumed, and red pixels from the clearing in front of Haz came together, forming the image of a large wasp. Arabelle straightened and pulled her scythe up. "Go, go, Haz!" she cheered.

"Axe type?" Arabelle repeated, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her weapon was obviously a scythe. "I don't think--" she paused as she suddenly remembered. Right. The weapon she was wielding was a scythe and would have a different moveset in any other game (given that axes typically have blades on both sides and scythes only have one), but SAO's skill system had it classified as an axe-type weapon. Same Sword Arts with heavy emphasis on AoE, but it was wielded differently for non-SA attacks. "Yeah, my weapon skill is that of a two-handed axe."  she confirmed.

Arabelle let out a little snort as Hazado warned her against hitting him. "Hehe~ Do I look that clumsy to you? Don't worry, Haz. Axes can bring damage to a wide area, but I know where my targets are." There were still some things she thought they could talk about. Potential dangers, maybe. Whether they should clear the area of other mobs before attacking the Wasp Queen. Her AoE attacks had the risk of upsetting other mobs. Maybe even Hate management? She knew how to keep track, but what if she landed a crit and her Hate goes up higher than Hazado's?

But. 

That was boring.

She'd rather kill the Wasp Queen and get back to town quick so they can hang out. There was nothing fun in being outside the safe zone. No matter how strong your companions, danger always lurked in every corner, whether it be mobs or other players. To put it simply, they could try to have as much fun as they want outside the safe zone, but they would still have to constantly watch their surroundings. Their focus wouldn't solely be on having fun. Which defeats the purpose itself. "Come on, let's go. Don't want anyone else to get to the Queen before we do. Then we'd be stuck with waiting out the respawn timers."  Arabelle took hold of Hazado's hand and tugged him forward. Then she stopped. "You lead. I actually don't know where to look."

Arabelle let out a huff and briefly looked away, her cheeks reddening slightly from the prolonged physical contact. Her intention was to come off as a bit cross with Stryder giving the material to her instead of giving it to the quest NPC himself, but she wanted to look cute too. He didn't call her a cutie for nothing. "Stop delaying me, Stry. I'm excited for the date, too," she goaded. Nevertheless, she accepted the <<Venom Vial>> with the hand that was not holding his and approached the NPC. Then, she realized she was dragging him forward so she loosened her grip on his hand until it slipped out of hers.

"Hey," she greeted the NPC. "I finished off the Snapper. Here's the proof." She held up the small vial in front of her, showing it to the merchant. Arabelle didn't hear what the NPC said in response, she had immediately shifted her focus to the quest completion tab that had appeared in front of her, then upon dismissing it, her focus was now solely on the cute boy who had promised her a date. She flashed him her signature, charming smile. "We're done. You had a restaurant in mind, right?" She skipped forward, one gloved hand behind her back and the other held out to @Stryder, waiting for him to take it.  "Come on, let's go!"

Not wanting to get caught in the middle while the old man and the bushman exchanged blows, Arabelle backed up. It seemed to her that he had taken advantage of the bushman blocking her attack and momentarily having all of its attention on her. Smart move.  She would have done that, if only she had the axe-wielding skills and the ACC stat to back her up. Seeing the man shove the mob away from him, Arabelle readied her weapon for another attack. She swung her weapon upwards--

--and missed. 

Quickly forcing herself to recover from that embarrassing failure, she stepped away from the bushman. God, I know I'm a low-level, but I didn't expect myself to be this useless in a fight. She tried not to let her frustration show as she turned to the man. "How's your HP? I have a few spare potions I can share," Arabelle offered. 

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ID: 103815 | BD: 3 + 1 = 4 [fail D:]

[H:1] @Kioshi: HP 66/80 -- DMG 7 -- MIT 35 -- Energy 4/8
[H:0] Arabelle: HP 140/140 -- DMG 5 -- ACC 1 -- MIT 9 -- EVA 2 -- PARA 2 -- Energy 10/14

Bushman: HP 22/36 -- DMG 27 -- MIT 0 -- +1 Blight