Arabelle

Nearly killed someone. Then the guy he was inspired by threatened everyone(?) and went poof. Okay. Lovely. Somehow, she couldn't picture someone as nice as Stryder going through that, but then again, that applied to most people. They hide their problems behind smiles and you'd just be surprised by what you find when you get past the surface. Anyway! This was not a conversation to be had in the middle of a date, though Arabelle did ask for it. She was certain she wouldn't pry any further at this moment. That was just one dumb way to kill the mood.

"Mine?" Arabelle followed her date to a table by the window. He pulled out a chair for her, like the charming gentleman he was♡ and seated himself across her. "Hmm..." The small purple-haired girl swung her legs and stalled. She reached for the menu at the center of the table and aimlessly flipped through the pages. They had a surprisingly wide and equally intimidating selection of dishes. What was this stuff? She didn't even know what half of these names meant! "Oooh, they have the best-selling ones at the front!" The excitement was evident in her tone as she lowered her menu and indicated the section with a gloved finger. "How about the one for two. You know~ the one labeled the 'Couple's Special.' I mean, unless you have any better ideas?"

But, it was rude to leave him hanging. Really. Really. Rude. If he answered her first question, she should answer his, too.

"About that guy, I haven't seen him in two years." Arabelle propped her elbows on the table and held her usual smile. "But, he's probably still alive! ...I think. He's not the type to fight in a losing battle." 

For a girl who was talking about an ex(-friend?), she was surprisingly nonchalant.

"But anyway..." Arabelle pushed the menu back to the center of the table, like she was physically pushing the issue away from her. The small purple-haired girl thought for a moment. "Let's focus on the present. What do you do aside from leveling?"

"Keep my distance...? Don't worry your pretty little head over it. I won't try to get that close. Why?" Arabelle pressed a finger to her lips with a conspiratorial wink. "It's a secret~." 

Having wandered a bit deeper into the forest with her unlikely companion, the small purple-haired girl innocently plucked a white flower from a thorny bush and twirled it between her fingers. 'I'm not sure if I like her,' 'I don't not like her,' was just as good as a maybe. A maybe leaning on a yes. Which meant there had to be something that made it possible for him to not utter a straight no. Or maybe he was just trying to get a nosey stranger off his back. But, anyways, she was sure it was the former! No one would even think of lying to a nice, cute girl like her.

He was a decent guy. Closed off at first and somehow always found a way to make something depressing, but not entirely apathetic. He was honest, almost brutally so, and didn't seem like the type to break a promise. Or make girls cry. Ahem. Arabelle was only thirty percent sure, but this guy deserved Arabelle's Seal of Approval❤︎! Thirty was a low percentage but it was always better than a negative one hundred, so -- she never once doubted that this ship was totally hopeless. Nope. Definitely not! Arabelle dropped the small flower into her inventory.

Here's where it starts to get a bit more complicated. Onto agenda no. 2: somehow making them realize what they actually feel.

"So... wanna talk about it? You don't need to do any name dropping or anything." -- Because she already knew. Arabelle, you clever, clever bastard. She picked up the pace and walked alongside him, intentionally keeping a few inches of space between them. "...or you can not say it. Don't look at me like that. I've always been a nice person, you know! I know how difficult these kinds of stuff are, so it's all good. But since we're a long way from finishing this quest, how about I tell you mine? Learn from it or something, kouhai-kun~."

She dropped the nickname with a sugary smile and paused to file through her memories. Who should she talk about this time, she wondered. Eenie meenie miney moe... "There's this one person. I've known him since the start and... he's the type of person I never thought I'd end up being close to!" Arabelle folded her arms, giving her a cross but cute expression as they walked. "Like, the terrible combination of being stubborn at the worst moments, and a pessimist, and being too emotional. But, well..." She tucked her hands behind her back and walked a few paces forward, facing away from Huginn. "He knows how to cheer me up. Long convos, scented candles, sweets, and all. And I liked being around him, so I went ahead and brought it up with him."

Her boot sent a pebble sailing into a nearby bush.

People were always more likely to share something when you tell them about yourself first. It's called a show of trust.

"...I like calling him mine."

Arabelle carefully maintained her innocent smile as they went along their way.

[@Huginn]

There was a Valentine's fair in Taft's teleport plaza. Much like the Christmas Extravaganza, it only opened once a year, for a week at a time. Every year featured new additions, with one of the major attractions only being added in the previous year: an event-limited quest with the extremely cliche name and concept of the <<Tunnel of Love>>. It was back again this year, with less rewards but somehow more eager quest-takers... if the long line was any indication. "Aren't couples supposed to be taking this thing on Valentine's Day?" Arabelle clung onto her friend's arm with a huff. One hand let go to tug idly at the collar of her favorite lime green-colored turtleneck shirt as she stood on her tiptoes, attempting to count the number of pairs ahead of them. The quest didn't need any enhancements of the sort, it was more of something that was added for players to have a good time and get some nice rewards in the process like most event quests were designed, so she had chosen to forgo her light armor for a set of warm casual clothes and a pair of white sneakers.

She thought she counted more than ten. This was going to take forever.

"There were less people in here last year." She shifted on her feet impatiently and glanced at the newest addition to the fair: a photo booth that printed the pictures out into what looked like Polaroid strips. Arabelle could still vaguely remember going to one of those places with her friends. It wasn't her fondest memory, but - she found her gaze subconsciously being drawn to the girl standing at the corner of her vision. "Ever gone to a photo booth before? No, wait, don't answer that, Miss Perfect Student." She turned her head and a teasing smile played on her lips. "Want to try it now?"

February 12, 2026

"--but, Shiro-chan, you don't understand!" A certain purple-haired girl gripped her best friend's shoulders and shook her back and forth as if to emphasize a point. Her ashen eyes filled with fake tears and she buried her head against the girl's rather ample chest. It didn't have the same effect as she would have liked, as her forehead banged against the cold, hard armor her best friend wore underneath her casual clothes. She straightened, bounced back on the soft bed, and cried: "A Valentine's-limited quest that can only be taken once! Literally only happens once a year! And he goes off and takes it with her! That goddamn, snooty guild leader of his! He didn't even bother consulting me first!"

"Aaghhh!!" The small girl let out a wordless sound of frustration and fell back against the bed, curling up against the panda plush toy that her best friend always slept with. She rolled onto her back, still holding the plushy - more like almost raking the cottony material apart with her hands - and fuming. "And guess what excuse he came up with?! 'Both of us really needed the stats and the EXP, and she didn't have anyone else to take it with. Also, I figured you would normally complain about the date being "too cheesy for you," so I didn't ask.'" She sat up and hugged the plushy close to her chest. "Do I even have to tell you what's wrong with that?!" 

The silence held for a few moments. Arabelle let herself fall back against the bed again. She closed her eyes, hugging Mishiro's plushy tight.

"Stupid scout..."

[ooc: plot and "plot." tag @Mishiro]

She only watched with a knowing smile as a flustered Huginn went on... and on... and on. He vehemently denied ever liking someone, paused, seeming to debate something within himself that she was one-hundred-percent sure was related to the topic at hand, and then turned to her, repeating what he previously said with a smile. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself, more than anything. "Hmm, I see!" Arabelle nodded, though the slight hint of amusement that slipped into her tone implied that she didn't believe him. At all. 

"Girls are gross? You're talking to one now. Dummy," she huffed and crossed her arms with a small pout. "And I never mentioned a specific gender when I asked earlier, which means you added that part yourself. Haha! Don't look at me like that. I was juuust putting that fact out there!"

The small, purple-haired girl looked around and found no materials within the vicinity. "No luck here. Wanna move deeper in?" She was already up and taking the first few steps without waiting for his response. Arabelle paused and looked over her shoulder. "The best, you say? Yes, the violin and piano are both instruments, but they're still two different things. So you don't have to consider my skill level or anything. Come on. This isn't really the best place to play, so how about doing a trade thingy once we're done with the quest? I play the piano and you play the violin?"

@Huginn

When he talked about music, the boy spoke in his calm, monotonous tone but it seemed to carry a little bit of life behind it. Something that was certainly much better than how he had been doing before. He pulled out a violin and a bow from his inventory and she raised a brow. Was he going to play a tune for her? Arabelle refrained from making her usual side comments. Music was a way to express things one can't normally say in words, and a person's preferences often told her much about their disposition. Moreso with this quiet guy. 

Then... his expression changed and he put the violin away. Playing on his own? The smile on her face twitched, slightly. Somehow, this guy always seemed to find a way to make something depressing! "Eh, everyone makes mistakes. I played a piano for a boy once." She hid her hands behind her back and didn't meet his eyes as she related the rest of the story. "It was for the Performer profession quest. He barely knew me but still came along after I asked for help. So when I was doing the first craft, I decided to pay him back and asked him to sit in. The first song was Beethoven's Fur Elise. Heard it yet? You're missing half your life as a musician if you haven't yet." She casually searched her surroundings and idly nudged a pebble away with her boot. Blank. "He asked for an encore, so I gave it to him. I played another song: Debussy's Clair de Lune. I recommend giving it a listen if you haven't yet. It's one of my favorites, for its soothing tune and some other reasons. Anyways! The first half went fine. Played it according to the song sheet. Second half, turns out the song got me a bit emotional." Behind her back, her gloved hands clenched into fists as she swung around and looked down at the severely unconfident boy with a guilty smile. "I got a bit swept up and couldn't finish the performance. What's even more embarrassing is that I barely knew the guy. He just, kinda, stood there and didn't know what to do. I think he forgot about it eventually, though~!"

"Point is, even the best people mess up sometimes. Not everyone has complete mastery of their craft as soon as they start it. I, as someone who's won a few awards from my school, am the source on this!" she declared proudly. "Music's made to be heard. Most things are made to be shared with other people, I think. So if you keep that thing to yourself all the time, you're kind of not living up to its purpose. Say, how about taking a class?" Arabelle paused and pressed a finger to her lips as she thought. "Everyone messes up in a class. If there aren't any here, you can do it after we clear the game or something."

Then she stopped. Huginn was still looking up at her, probably had his attention the whole time she talked. What was she - "Ah... I did it again." The small-purple-haired girl buried her red face in her hands. Why did she have that terrible habit of lecturing people she may or may not dislike?! "I - I totally... It's just my opinion on the matter, that's all! It's not like I'm always like this or anything!"

"Okay, wait. Ignore that. Ahem." She took a moment to compose herself and looked down at the boy. What was that thing he said about relationships? Did she get the wrong dude after all? No, wait. There was only one guy who won the Christmas familiar. The chances of another guy walking around with a similar appearance and a similar-looking familiar was smaller than the chances of Mishiro moving on from that guy. "Huh. Are you really sure~? Maybe someone you like, then? You can tell me. I may talk a lot, but I know how to keep a secret!"

@Huginn

Their lame tank's cry (no, not you guys. the Other one) echoed from the farther side of the battle. The sharp end of Arabelle's scythe hooked the <<Stunned>> dragon's jaw and mustering all her strength, she pushed against her weapon and forcefully brought the dragon's head down against the hard ground. 1 DMG. Damnnn. Turns out she was just as lame, too. The small purple-haired girl pulled her scythe free and moved to a safer distance as the mob's status effect wore off.

 The dragon's HP hadn't gone down any significant amount since Dustin's attack from the last round. And even then, his damage output hadn't been as high as his first attack. The other team was definitely having problems. She tuned out the sounds of banging metal and quickly searched through the battlefield. Though she hated to admit it, they were the key to getting out of this quest alive, so -

The Other Girl would feel a sharp tap on her shoulder.

"I can't deal any more than one damage," Arabelle admitted with a displeased frown. The Other Girl was starting to seem overwhelmed, moreso with Dustin having to take one of the hits for her, and she could tell that it was damaging their DPS's morale. "But Mace and I can still stun it so it hits Gryas less. So it's up to you guys. Stop overreacting and pay attention to your stats. I can't see it, but I can estimate that your HP values haven't even passed 80 yet."  - Basing it off from her guildmates' stats from the gathering trip the other day, with the assumption that they shot up at least three levels, and her estimate on the dragon's DMG stat. It can't be any higher than what they faced on Floor 22. - "That thing can't possibly kill either of you if you tried. That's all. Go and do your thing."

When facing a problem, always go straight for its roots! 

She totally didn't do it because she was worried or anything! Baka!

[ooc: jinx forgot the 1 dmg arabelle dealt (and also the 2 hate) last round. gryas mistakenly subtracted 3 hp instead of 1. mob and player stats changed to reflect correct values.]

The small purple-haired girl didn't respond to his first comment and continued looking for materials. A nondescript bush, no fruits hanging from trees (that she could reach, anyway), and Huginn was already picking flowers from the plant she spotted... "I can do things alone!" Arabelle huffed, crossing her arms rather cutely. "It's just a bit lonely. Sure, you can get lots of stuff done sometimes, but you don't get to share the experience with someone. That's what I think, anyway."

She spun around to look for more materials when he asked her a question: what do you like to do for fun? Overused conversation starter (that her best friend also liked using. coincidence? think not!), but it might possibly be the most positive thing he's brought up so far! Arabelle internally squeed. Progress! "I spend time with my friends, but I guess that one's obvious by now," she responded with a small smile he wouldn't see, as she was still turned away from him. "I play the piano, too. Most of the time, for shop requests - " Which she wasn't getting much of recently. But she honestly didn't mind. More time to slack off and it just so happened that the person she regularly mooched off of in the past was hanging around her little virtual home again. Man, this was the life! " - and for friends, and sometimes by myself, just to make some noise and practice." The small purple-haired girl spun around and struck a dramatic pose. "You're looking at someone who's won a few international music competitions back in the day! Surprised, weren't you? Yes, marvel in--"

She saw him curled up tightly against the tree with his familiar dancing comfortingly around him.

NANI?! Did she do something wrong?

"Hey, hey. Earth to Huginn. It's okay to not be okay, but we were talking about fun things, yeah? So you should try to be a bit more--" Arabelle inched closer and gave the top of his head (hood?) a soft pat. "--happy, I guess. Otherwise, I would be the only person having fun." She stepped back as quickly as she came and hid her hands behind her back. The next thing she said completely killed whatever he thought of her uncharacteristically caring gesture from a moment ago: "Did you have relationship problems, after all?"

@Huginn

"Long time no see, Little Mac!" Arabelle greeted with a bright smile. She quickly procured a filled-out order form from her inventory and strode to the counter, handing it over to the blacksmith. Then the small purple-haired girl stepped back, cast a glance at the inside of the shop. Not much had changed since her first visit, and she found herself drawn to the master blacksmith's collection of huge battle axes. Part of her was tempted to ask him if she could take one out for a swing, but she figured those would be too unwieldy for someone her size anyway. It's totally different when it comes to cool-looking scythes, though! "It's not that the previous one wasn't good. I kind of just thought of a build more suited to a beginner DPS like me, that's all~! So, six materials when you're done crafting? Got an estimate on when it'll be done?"

@Macradon

"Pretty place you have here," she commented in a rather friendly manner to the artisan who runs the shop. But she wasn't here to sightsee. There was a trinket - a very vital part of her DPS build - that she needed made, and the other artisan shop she'd ordered from hadn't reached out to her in months. Whoever was running that place probably died, otherwise, they would've faced a mob of angry players with unfinished orders by now, and she would have heard of it. So now it was time to try her luck with this pretty lady - "I have an order. Here's the form. I'll pay in Col after you finish it. Got an estimate on how long it'll take?"

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" the NPC cried, holding her hand up with both of theirs, and looked at her like she was a grace sent from Heaven. Or whatever gods the dwellers of this artificial world worshipped. Political correctness was a big deal this day and age, you know? "We're glad there are still people like you in this world. But please excuse our rudeness! We need to treat the sick first!"

People like her in this world? That was a funny thing to say. She only did it for the rewards. Arabelle pulled her hand from the NPC. It gave her a deep bow, thanked her once again in its pre-set dialogue, and scurried off to a nearby house. She stayed for a moment, clicking the heel of her boot against the ground impatiently, then followed the quest NPC into the building. 

Beside a sick man's bed, a woman brought her hands together and prayed. The quest NPC assured her. The local alchemist finished mixing a potion. Underneath a doorway leading to an inner room, a small child stood and watched curiously, holding the family dog back by its leash. The two beside the bed rose and moved away as the town's alchemist administered the medicine. 

What a laughable act.

"Here's your payment. Miss, if you want to, you could--"

She gave a smile that seemed a little bit strained.

"No, thank you."

~~~

Thread Summary

Arabelle
- 3 SP [1 page + 2 quest reward]
- 400 Col

@Spangie
- 3 SP [1 page + 2 quest reward]

"Really? Never heard that before. If we're talking inspirational quotes, the best I can think of is something that went along the lines of... 'If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.'" Arabelle hummed, turning them around so they were heading deeper into the woods. There wasn't much she was worried about here. Mobs were basic, maybe there could be a player killer lurking but that was hardly the case in Floor 1. Low-levels had just as much importance as her weekly Pinterest mail. You know: largely ignored, sometimes she took a closer look but forgot about its contents quickly, and rarely had the potential to show something that was actually good? Anyways, what she meant to say is that the higher levels, most especially the ones actively clearing the game had more priority! And PKing a level 1 player with 20 health was a really, really weak flex. So, not many edgy kids in Floor 1. "Can be applied to this topic, right? Solo players aren't held back by their slower teammates, but risk a lot more in exchange. And, doesn't really work out in the long-term. Biggest reason people level is to fight to bosses way up there, right? Those things can only be beaten with raid groups, and I've heard of a bunch of quests where you could die if you're not with a team. That's a long ways away, though!"

She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and stood on her tiptoes, reaching up for a fruit hanging from a low branch. It came up too short. She gave a small pout and jumped. The branch sprung up as she tugged on the fruit and snapped on its stem. Arabelle brushed off a few leaves that had fallen on her head and dismissed the item. "Huginn, then. I already know someone called Shiro." Was she going to tell him now? What her link to him was? She pondered over it for a bit, then ultimately rejected it. Maybe it would be fun to mess with her best friend's boyfriend(?) a little more.

His next few lines had her thinking: 'man, this guy is totally depressing!' He was just as bad as Mishiro,  way back in the first few months of the game. For some reason, the socially inept and somewhat... sad? (she gave off that vibe often though) girl had thought it appropriate to apologize whenever she so much as lightly teased someone. Or even when she opened up to someone she was in the process of getting to know. It was a part of everyday conversation, and it took her months to get that in her head for some reason! And now this guy was apologizing for asking an honest question. 

Birds of the same feather flock together...? But! - and here, Arabelle's head was starting to hurt - relationships required some form of diversity. Person A offered something good and unique [something Person B did not have already] to Person B, and vice versa. Sooo.... she looked back at Huginn, scrutinizing the boy's blank expression. Maybe even searching for something that wasn't there. But to be honest, someone who offered nothing was better than someone who'd already made her cry twice. Arabelle averted her ashen gaze and looked around the forest for more materials with her usual smile. 

"Mm, like you said. I was alone and you were, like, right outside the NPC's place, I guess?" she replied innocently. "I know someone like that. They think with numbers and logic rather than emotions. I get along with them a lot so maybe I just ended up naturally drawn to someone like you! Hehe~."

@Huginn

"I am so gonna treat myself to some good pancakes later," Arabelle announced, to no one in particular. It had been less than two minutes since she left Pinball behind and already, the lack of sound was starting to get to her. "Maybe I'll buy some for Pin, too. Maybe even make it a date. I wonder if he likes pancakes. That person liked pancakes and they're pretty similar, I guess." She paused, listened for movement. The child at the back of the cave had stopped crying, probably heard her approaching footsteps and froze, waiting for her to reach it with a mixture of fear and anticipation. But who was she kidding? It was an NPC. "Pancakes, pancakes~."

She paused again and her ears picked up a sharp, rushing sound followed by heavy, frantic footsteps. Arabelle stopped walking and turned around. "Pin, are you-- oh, sh*t!!" The only thought she could register was 'that did not sound cute at all!' before the boy collided with her and knocked her to the ground, and somehow... he fell back, too? She wasn't that heavy though. The small purple-haired girl groaned and opened her eyes to see the Giant Bat that Mister Frontliner was supposed to kill ages ago harmlessly swoop overhead.

Blessing in disguise?

The quest mob's attention was still on her somehow, or it would not have flown all the way here. Arabelle slammed the blunt end of her weapon's shaft against the ground and pulled herself up. "You did not hear that. Just kidding." She pulled useless Mister Frontliner up by the wrist and smiled innocently as her eyes briefly locked with his. "Reallyyyy, I didn't know you were so forward, Pin~. But that's to be expected. Anyone would fall for a cute girl like me." Arabelle let go and turned to face the Giant Bat that was somehow still alive. "Well, whatever. I feel the same way, and stuff like that. Annoying bat first."

The safest thing to do at this point was to withdraw from combat and pray to the dice gods that Pinball wouldn't take hours to land that final hit, and go off and find the kid herself. But that wasn't what she wanted to do. The safest option was always the most boring one. "Shi-chan." The green blade of her scythe flickered and a Sword Art activated as she rushed the airborne mob which had dipped down low enough for its attacks to reach a person of short height. With Shikama Douji held up, blade facing forward, Arabelle skidded underneath the Giant Bat and swung her scythe in a downwards arc, effortlessly leaving a long red cut along its midsection. 

She came to a full stop behind the mob and held up a peace sign. "Better kill it this time around!" Then she turned and made for the back of the cave.

@Pinball

"Heh. Don't take it too seriously. I'm not raising a red flag or foreshadowing anything... Nope! Definitely not!" But, disappear again...? That was an odd way to put it. Arabelle casually bent down to pick a few berries - outlined in the yellow color of a quest objective in her detection - and laid them out on her hand, examining them closely. The quest material split into data fragments as she dismissed it to her inventory and turned back to Huginn, her red eyes holding a slight hint of thoughtfulness. "Yeah. This game really makes it easy, doesn't it? The Battle Axe's first rank had me struggling against the most basic of basic mobs but once I invested enough to reach the second, I could easily..." Shikama Douji appeared in her hands and she swung her weapon (no, not at Huginn, she didn't want to scare off her best friend's boyfriend, even if he didn't know who she was yet), its blade cutting through empty air with a sharp hiss. "Slice through them like butter!" She relaxed her grip on her scythe and sheathed it at her back again. "Pretty sure most of the high-leveled players have thought that. Not with mobs, but with players. And that's not even considering the game's effect on people's mental states and their moralities..."

"Whatever. That part's complicated. This game makes everything complicated. Remember when everyone just logged in and wanted to have some fun?" Arabelle sighed and spun around, looking for more. "People react to things like these differently, so it's hard to generalize. But! Here's a bit of a dilemma. With everyone having enough power to kill you, the first conclusion you'd arrive at is that you can't trust anyone. But with that danger being present, you can't go solo ride the whole time, right? It's just reckless and arrogant, kind of. We don't exactly have the skills to detect nearby players or the enhancements to endure a higher-leveled player's attacks. Dunno, just my opinion." The small purple-haired girl looked back at Huginn and while her usual smile was ever-present on her face, her singsong tone took on a slightly more serious note. "You can't exactly trust anyone but doing everything alone doesn't give you a better chance at surviving either. Troublesome, isn't it?" Noticing that her quest companion hadn't gathered any materials yet, she turned and pointed further out into the fields. "Let's go further out? Maybe we'll have better chances." She started walking and looked over her shoulder as an afterthought. "I know I was talking about usernames and stuff earlier, but call me Arabelle. Everyone calls me that, and someone as friendly as me can't possibly have any enemies~. So with that said, what should I call you? Shiro or Huginn?"

@Huginn

"I'll go," the quiet boy behind her volunteered, right when Arabelle mentioned her best friend's username. She set her empty glass down and quickly looked over her shoulder with a small smirk. Huginn looked somewhat resolved to join the party (that was as much as she could tell from his unreadable expression anyway), and a moment after, emotion - confusion and a bit of hesitation? - flickered across his face. Oooh! That was... a lot of unrealized feelings she was detecting there. Satisfied with the way things were going, Arabelle hummed to herself and swung her legs as she turned back to the bartender, ordering her last cup of orange juice before the party set out for the fields.

"You can get drunk. But, big difference is: it's all in your head. I don't know if players still consider that as being 'drunk' since it was never due to the alcohol in the first place, but~," Arabelle spun around on her stool and poked the cute, fluffy boy with a totally uncharacteristic love for beer on the forehead. She smiled. "You look a bit woozy to me. We're gonna be fighting stuff later, are you sure you don't want to order some water? You know, counter the beer's Placebo Effect with another Placebo Effect? Do things even work that way?"

The small purple-haired girl turned around, finished the rest of her drink, and hopped off her stool. "Mm. Not my secret to tell. Ask her later, and she'll tell you if she feels like it," she promised with a conspiratorial wink. Then she turned to Kirbs, who was a lot quieter here than when she was with Dustin. That didn't discount the sass though. "Hey, why are you counting me in? I was being good to myself and drinking nothing but orange juice!" Not that drinking alcohol would change anything anyway. She'd already tried a few hard drinks... a long, long time ago and they hardly had an effect on her. "Alright, everyone! Let's get going before Bell decides to order another!"

"Mm?" Arabelle spun around on her bar seat to face the source of a familiar, toneless voice: one she'd heard maybe just a few days ago and didn't really expect to hear from so soon. Huginn. What a neat coincidence. Just when she was about to introduce someone nice to Mishiro. Unfriendly tsundere personality or not, maybe those two were really made for each other! She still remembered the way they smiled at each other last Christmas, after all~. The small purple-haired girl propped one elbow on the counter with a sweet smile. "Oh, you mean this guy?" Carefully, she reached out to the glowing ball of blue light that was hovering curiously before her and cupped it in her gloved hands, drawing it close. A pleasant sort of warmth spread through her palms as she gave it a gentle push towards the boy. "There you go. So, what brings you here? And..." She leaned to the side to check. "Alone? You know, if you're looking for company, you could always give a certain someone a call. Wink, wink."

Yes, she actually said that last part out loud. Arabelle giggled and spun around to face the bar once again. "Oh, also. Neo, Huginn. We're doing this kind of experience farming thing. Right, Bell?" She nudged the boy seated beside her with an expression that basically said: 'you better take the guy in, too. I got lots of shipping to do,' then looked over her shoulder at Huginn. "A bunch of people are going, and I can say that most of them seem trustworthy. Also, Shiro-chan's coming along. She's waiting at the first main intersection south from here, sooo..." 

She didn't finish that thought and instead returned to lazily swirling her plastic straw around her drink.

Meanwhile, the cute boy beside her was downing his drink like it wasn't 10 in the morning. Arabelle drank from her orange juice (it was never alcohol, hard drinks didn't suit her cute and innocent appearance) and watched him order another with an amused smile. Already, he was starting to come a bit... loose, speaking in a louder tone and asking Arabelle about something she'd spoken to him about literally a minute earlier. "Yeah. Her name's Mishiro. She can't come to the plaza but she should be somewhere around the first intersection, south from here." 

"Then, Shiro it is! It's a bit confusing having to call two people 'Shiro,' with the only difference being an honorific at the end, though..." The girl tucked her hands behind her back and averted her gaze, her lips forming a small pout; a cute, deceiving expression that any ordinary man would have fallen prey to. Did Claude count as an ordinary man? Arabelle thought for a bit, then dropped the angry-cute expression once Shiro turned away. As she expected. Her attempts at breaking the ice or just generally getting a reaction weren't working. But from what she could recall from the Christmas Event... both he and Mishiro were smiling. Future blackmail material knowledge update: apparently, her best friend liked the difficult type. She blinked, a bit taken aback when he approached her again and offered her a small, white flower. Nah, bruh. Mishiro probably already likes you, bruh. "Charming, aren't you?" Arabelle took the flower and twirled its delicate stem between her gloved fingers with a small smile. 

Her gaze moved to the upper-left field of her vision, where his name and HP bar now appeared underneath hers. "Huginn..." she read out loud, following behind the boy. "Huh. So 'Huginn' is your player name and 'Shiro' is either your real name or a completely different name you chose to go by." Arabelle searched the area and once again drew a blank. She turned to Shiro and smiled. "Smart. Did you already know that giving out your player name is much more dangerous than giving your real name? I mean, there are a bunch of things people can do if they have your username. Pretty ironic, right?" In most online games, it was the reverse. A semi-transparent menu appeared in front of her and she deposited the quest material into her inventory. "Well, whatever caution you had was pretty much thrown under the bus when you accepted my party request. Not to say that what you did was wrong or anything. You probably figured I was too nice and cute to be a threat. And you got that right. I don't care about anyone's username. But, hypothetically, what would you have done if I was secretly an info broker?"

[ooc: tag @Huginn arabelle grabs huginn's material.]

"Come onnn," the small purple-haired girl urged. "Didn't you promise me to go on that gathering trip last Christmas? I mean sure, promise still stands, but when is it happening? I can't farm mobs with you if our level gap's too big, and I'm pretty sure I'm ten levels above you right now!" Oh, man. First time she'd ever said that to someone, and it felt so good. Like she was somehow taller than she was right now (*cough* 4'11" *cough*), and she was looking down on those puny low-leveled noobs. Hehehe... "Anyways, point is, I'm starting to focus more on leveling up right now so you should leave your shop from time to time, too!"

Not like Mishiro had the option to refuse. Currently, they were heading towards the central plaza of the Town of Beginnings, and Arabelle had an iron grip on her best friend's wrist. Wielding a big, heavy scythe sure had its benefits! "Ah, by the way. I almost forgot. Fortunately - unfortunately - we're not gonna have some quality one-on-one bonding time." Because they would totally end up slacking off. "I noticed a poster in a shop earlier, some guy looking for teammates. So, we're gonna help him and get you a social life in the process." And she came prepared. Arabelle had her usual light armor set, consisted of a Japanese schoolgirl/military uniform with her usual pair of white gloves. Her hair was pulled up into a braided ponytail, held together by a large, red ribbon; and an empty scythe sheath rested at her back. She smiled and pulled out a rolled-up poster from her inventory tossing it to her friend. "Consider it a favor, from the bestest best friend you'll ever have. Also, the meeting place is the central plaza. You can... stay behind, if you want. We'll come get you later."

They parted at the intersection nearest the plaza. Arabelle lingered in the area for a few more moments before she turned and headed for the meeting spot alone.  

As always, there were many players milling about the plaza. Most of them were in groups and some brooding by themselves, but whatever the case, they seemed to have already forgotten that this was the exact place where Kayaba had made that declaration that started their nightmare. Arabelle thought back to the girl she had left behind at the intersection. Giving her a sweet, but resigned smile. She tilted her head up to look at the sky that at some point had been covered in red. "Geez, Shiro-chan. Your and Claude's gloominess is rubbing off on me." And she cupped both of her cheeks and psyched herself up, looking at the people around the town square. One pair, in particular, seemed to be looking out for people, so she approached them. "Oh hey, Kirbs. How're you doing?" She gave a friendly wave to the redhead she'd met in the Christmas event. Thanks to one of her lovely guildmates, there had been a bit of a misunderstanding between them, but it was all cool now. Then she turned to the snowy-haired boy who she could only describe as soft and cute. Like a cinnamon roll with very squishable cheeks. Oh my~. She could think of one person who dug that type and she was waiting outside the plaza. Better hurry this up! "And hello to you too, stranger. My name's Arabelle. Are you the person who put up those requests?" She transitioned to a soldier-like salute, though her playful smile made her seem less of a rigid person. "Level 9 DPS player, at your service!"

[ooc: dragging along the inactive @Mishiro. stats will be posted later, if needed.]

"What, you'd rather have a cute, fragile girl like me run around a dark cave alone? Pinball. You. Meanie." Contrary to her words, she took off her attention from the fight as her teammate launched himself into the air, long enough for her to assess her immediate surroundings. Part of her worried that he was going to just up and leave her in the middle of combat like that dumb blonde did the other day and she would again be left alone fighting mobs way above her level, but... how could she put it? She didn't really care. "Not behind us, nor ahead of us. They must've taken a wrong turn." And there was only one fork in the path they had taken earlier. Etherial seemed like a low-level, but she had the much stronger Reinholt, so... They were probably going to survive without Pinball's help. "Players at Reinholt's level solo this quest all the time."

Pinball landed beside her. One mob down, the other at full HP. So even someone at his level was having difficulties with the darkness of the cave... "Kill them now, huh?" she teased softly. Arabelle focused on the remaining Giant Bat's outline and chased after it as it dodged the spear-user's attack. Directly underneath the flying mob, she swung her scythe in an uppercut and tore through its right wing. The mob fell to the ground, <<Paralyzed>>.

Arabelle felt the boy's calculating gaze on her and the Christmas familiar lazily floated over, as if it was examining her too. It was a cute, playful little ball of blue flame and she found herself wondering if her hand would pass through if she tried to touch it. Or if it would end up roasting her glove. "Don't concern yourself over it. I'm honestly a bit over-leveled for this whole tutorial thing so if anything, you're gonna be the one holding me back." The small purple-haired girl sped a few paces forward and spun around to face him with a teasing smile. "Just kidding. The RNG would probably end up failing me this time around, too."

Then she heard him chuckle. The boy pulled his familiar close to him somewhat possessively, and his attitude seemed to shift slightly. Did it have something to do with her friendlier response or the little ball of light floating by his shoulder, she wondered. "Well." Arabelle dropped back and matched her step with his. She paused for a bit, then she cleared her throat, proceeding to do her best impression of the quest NPC they had both spoken with earlier. "A wise man once said: self-awareness is the first step to improving oneself!"

It was her roundabout way of saying 'it's fine.'

"Mm? Pardon? I thought you said your name was... Shiro?" Arabelle had to do a double take and a quick memory check to reject the assumption that this 'Shiro' guy was secretly her best friend, trolling her for all those times Arabelle teased her. First and most important point of all, her friend was just not that type of person. "Arabelle." The red ribbon at the back of her head bobbed as she nodded at him. So... if Mishiro and Shiro ever got together, would that mean their ship name would be Shiro x 2? She almost laughed out loud. "I know someone with a similar name. She's my closest friend, and I call her Shiro-chan." - Calling one Shiro and the other Shiro-chan would be confusing as heck though! - "So, what should I call you? Shiro-kun? Or something shorter, like Shi?" - No wait, she knew someone named Shi, too! - "Sh... How about 'sugar'?"

A whopping five minutes. New record for Arabelle! ...Not really. When she first met her wonderful guild leader, she had it done in two. She giggled to herself and made a dismissive wave with her hand. "Just kidding," she said softly. But it was mostly intended for an added point to her defense, in case her friend ever found out that Arabelle had met her boyfriend/love interest/whatever they were. 

They passed the invisible boundary that separated the safe zone from the outside and Arabelle materialized her scythe. A bright red color seeped into her ashen eyes as she turned her head and searched her surroundings for materials. Few mobs, no materials. Her gaze instinctively went to the upper-left field of her vision. "Oooh, almost forgot! Here." She opened her menu and swiped over a party request to the boy named Shiro. "Just a precautionary measure. Mobs in this zone are generally never aggroed unless you attack them first, but I'd like to know immediately if my teammate's HP starts to drop."

[ooc: tag @Huginn]

Man. The boy slowly rose to his feet and Arabelle took a step back to allow him more space. She maintained her hopeful, innocent smile as he moved toward the shop door, and then paused to answer her question like it was simply an afterthought. What a nice, friendly guy. And here she thought she'd gotten a bit lucky, finding a somewhat familiar face right when she was looking for someone to take the quest with. Instead, she ended up finding Generic Edgy Teenager with a Superiority Complex No. 23. "Ah, clues?" Well, Mister Detective. To anyone passing by, you totally looked like you were crying. The small purple-haired girl hummed and pressed two gloved fingers against her lips. She was already here, so she might as well impart some beginner's knowledge. "It's simple. Most of the quest NPCs on this floor are pretty generic. Either you say you want to learn something from them or you ask if they need help with anything. None of that complicated dialogue choice stuff you find in VNs."

The boy disappeared into the shop and Arabelle must've been feeling really lonely (and a bit curious) today as she idled around the shop front and waited for him to come back out. He did, then he thanked her formally whilst walking backward - we get it, you're supposed to be cool, but watch where you're going! Then he turned around and walked away. Which left Arabelle wondering just how her friend got along with someone who gave off that type of first impression. Well... in situations like this, there was only one reasonable conclusion! She tilted her head to the side and mumbled to herself, "A tsundere, probably...?"

"Say," the boy would turn to find that Arabelle had caught up to him. She smiled innocently, walking alongside him with her hands tucked behind her back. "You got that quest from the old man too, right? Well... we're heading the same way, so how about doing it together?"

@Huginn