Arabelle

"A death game, obviously," Arabelle responded without missing a beat. Dealing little damage against something that could actually kill her and witnessing her friend miss all but one of her attacks did not affect the purple-haired girl's unusual sense of humor, apparently. Keeping her steps light and silent as possible, she circled around the Nepent Variant until she was standing outside of the mob's supposed 'field of vision.' No energy for a Sword Art - the only thing that could damage the mob in front of her - and no other skills (blame her two years worth of procrastination from leveling) meant she was left with no other option than to wait for her energy to regenerate. And dodging the attacks the quest mob would throw at her. She scored a critical and a normal attack last time and the Variant's attention was currently on her.

"I can't right now," she heard her friend groan. Arabelle peeked out from behind the Nepent Variant to look at @Spangie, accidentally letting her guard down. Which was where the mob decided to whip around and send its vines flying towards her. Luckily, she was able to bring up her scythe and bat away most of the vines. She wasn't able to block any of the damage, but she didn't get knocked back like last time. One quick look at her HP - she only had enough left to survive one critical hit - told her that maybe she should start acting more carefully. Arabelle held her scythe defensively with both hands and briefly looked down at the pouch tied to her belt, containing her three HP potions. 

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[H: 1] Spangie | HP: 159/160 | EN:  9/16 | 18 MIT | 5 DMG |
[H: 3] Arabelle | HP: 14/40 | EN: 1/4 | 1 ACC | 4 DMG | 2 Para. | 

Nepent Variant | HP : 4/15 | 5 MIT | 10 DMG | 

[ooc notes: the MD roll from Spangie's previous post (she was the one who spawned the mob) was a 10.]

"Oh, that's fun!" Arabelle commented. "I've always wanted to live beside the sea and stuff, you know? I mean, if I did, I could basically go out and swim whenever I wanted. Ooooh, or maybe I could even have a romantic beachside walk with a boy! Gotta collect those CGs, amirite?" (She was referring to visual novels). Then Hazado said he only went to the beach party for the water. "Hmm? You know you could've gone there any other time, right? Like, the beach is always open and stuff. Buuut, I don't blame you~," she hummed, her eyes glinting mischievously. "I'm not into girls and even I got a feast for my eyes back at the party, if you get what I mean." 

Arabelle pretended to scrutinize his rowing motions with narrowed eyes. Which was really, a bit of an excuse for staring at his arms. Dang. She wasn't kidding when she said girls loved the muscly type. "Yep, yep. Good enough for me," she commented, using a tone talent show judges normally spoke in, once he finished. Then, he paid for the rent before she could pay first. "Yeah! Best boat trip ever!" Arabelle cheered energetically. She was glad because one, she wouldn't be spending her precious Col on this and would, therefore, have more money to buy sweets later and two, boat trips were very rare for a 'sheltered' girl like her.

The purple-haired girl accepted Hazado's hand - all while visibly preening at the fact that he had called her a lady - and stepped into the boat. The boat dipped under her weight. "Guh!" she exclaimed wordlessly, latching onto the boy's arm for balance with one foot still on the dock. She stayed like that for a few moments before stepping fully onto the boat and lowering herself down to a proper sitting position (despite that, she was still - as Hazado called her earlier - a lady). Coupled with a wink aimed at Hazado, just because she could. CG Number One, collected!

Arabelle giggled as Spangie jumped onto Hazado's back with no hesitation at all and let the two lead the way. It was there that she realized that whatever she did, it would still be blindingly obvious that she was a lot smaller than the other two. "I'm ready!" Arabelle cheered, skipping behind the two of them with her hands behind her back. From behind them, she noticed Hazado holding Spangie's legs so she wouldn't fall off and the energetic blonde pointing forward to their destination. They're so cute! Ship! Ship! Ship!

Then, Hazado started running after only a short warning to the girl riding on his back. "Hey, wait for me!" Arabelle picked up speed too and ran as fast as her short legs could carry her with her scythe in her right hand. She was thankful the nice blacksmith who had crafted it for her made it as light as possible without losing too much of the size and reach. Eventually, Hazado slowed down - probably grew tired from carrying Spangie whilst running - and patted her on the head. "Ready when you are, Hazado," the small purple-haired girl said. She pointed towards the group of <<Wind Wasps>> that were scattered across the fields. They were positioned far enough from each other that aggroing one wouldn't draw in the others around it. And in the middle was the large Wasp Queen, the mob they were going for. "Better kill this thing before any other players get to it. I heard they have long respawn timers."

"Stryder...?" she echoed curiously. Tsu mentioning a name Arabelle was unfamiliar with wasn't really unexpected. She didn't know the frog girl very well yet, much more who her friends were.  A boyfriend, perhaps? Or just a close friend? Whatever Tsu's relationship with this 'Stryder' guy was, that didn't stop Arabelle from teasing. "Mm, guess I'll have to give him a good lick when I meet him, then," she hummed with a mischievous grin. Gawd, now they were starting to sound like pervy old men. Or maybe it was just Arabelle.

She didn't hear Tsu's response. Rather, she tuned it out. Not because she wanted to, but because she spotted the quest mob they were looking for. The <<Dark Elf>> stood a few inches taller than her and looked like a normal elf. Save for the visible dark aura surrounding it and its dagger. Arabelle whistled. "Time to get some leather. You ready, Tsu?" Confidently, she stepped out of hiding as soon as she heard the frog girl's response, with her scythe gripped in both hands. It started to glow green as she activated a Sword Art and bounded close enough for a swipe. Then, maybe out of overconfidence or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she missed her attack. The quest mob easily stepped to the side and left a long red cut on her left arm. 

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ID: 101437 | BD: 4 + 1 = 5 [fail] | MD: 8 [success]

[H:0] Arabelle | 131/140 HP | 12/14 EN | 5 DMG | 1 ACC | 2 Para. |  [-9 HP] [-2 EN]
[H:0] @Froppy | ??/?? HP | ??/?? EN |

Dark Elf | 12/12 HP | 9 DMG | 

[ooc notes: since my guild recruitment thread with Stryder is not done yet, i'll just set this thread's timeline to before she meets him. hence, her not knowing his name.]

Arabelle grinned and took a few steps back from her shopfront. She had just finished hanging the wooden sign above the doorway, marking the last of her preparations as done. Halfway done, anyway. While the outside looked gorgeous (not counting the obviously uncreative sign she made), the inside still had a lot of things lacking. Furniture, decorations, and most importantly...products to sell. As of now, she only had one, and it was the healing song she had crafted for her profession quest. It had a nice memory attached to it, and if she didn't need the money, she wouldn't be willing to let go of it.

The small purple-haired girl would have loved to take a nap on her new bed up in the building's third floor, but she put that off for now. She needed to craft stuff and level. So she entered her shop, closing the door behind her, and ran up the stairs leading to the second floor of the building. She lifted the cover, placed a few music sheets on the music rack, and sat in front of the piano. And, before she forgot, Arabelle placed a crystal on top of the piano's lid. She took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and played.

Two failed attempts, which both resulted in her Performer Crystals shattering due to the wrong notes being played at the wrong time, left Arabelle thinking that maybe she should have taken a nap first. 

They passed the west exit of the settlement and entered the Forest of Wavering Mist. Arabelle paused and squinted up at the trees. They had to be about thirty meters in height and their leaves were thick, covering almost every inch of the ground in shadow. Along with the mist covering some parts of the forest (it was still thin since they were still in the low-leveled area), the forest gave off an ominous vibe. Like something was going to jump down from the trees above them at any second. Arabelle was slightly comforted by her quest partner's presence and the joke she made. "Ahahahahaha. Gosh, Tsu. If you're suggesting that, then I might as well," Arabelle responded in a joking tone. Then, Tsu switched to her swimsuit. Arabelle blinked and looked around, her cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "Aah, wait! Not here! Uuuu, what if there are..." She found no other players in the vicinity. "No guys here." She giggled, bringing a gloved hand to her mouth. "It's fine. Holy crap, Tsu. That's one way to surprise someone, though. A guy would've gotten an anime nosebleed."

Then, Tsu warned her about how she usually healed people.  "Like...you lick them?" Arabelle clarified. She was fine with Tsu doing that if that was the best way to heal, though she appreciated the warning. Arabelle would've jumped out of her skin if Tsu healed her with her tongue in the middle of combat. "So you know what everyone tastes like? Tell me...who tasted the best?" she asked with a wink. If Tsu was going to surprise her with that swimsuit stunt, Arabelle was going to mess around with her usual style of joking.

Get yourself a guy who loves cake! Arabelle thought long and hard, trying to come up with someone in her Friends List who loved cake. She really did, guys. However, whether or not they loved cake was never one of her first conversation topics with a guy. So, she came up with no one. "I-I-I don't even want to think of that!" Arabelle exclaimed as Spangie talked about wasps. She wasn't fond of bugs either and imagining a wasp stinging her, even though there wasn't any pain...shiver! The small girl slowed her pace so she was walking beside Spangie as Hazado went first. Hey, he did volunteer himself for the role.

Then, Hazado suddenly turned around and asked a question. Why do you girls hang around a weird guy like me? It was out of place and unexpected. Totally out of place. In fact, Arabelle was slightly caught off-guard by it. "Heh? If you meant being weird in a bad way, you're not weird. I don't think you're weird. Is he weird, Angie?" Arabelle turned her head to the blonde, then looked back at Hazado as he turned around and said the next parts of his self-depreciating statements. "Besides," she continued. Her smile seemed to be a bit gentler than usual, even though he couldn't see it (unless he turned back around). "Everyone's special in their own ways! Others may see you as weird, but that doesn't mean that's all you are. They're just dumb enough to not look past what's on the surface. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I'm one hundred percent sure you're a nice guy who cares about his friends. And I don't pity you in any way. So no more sad thoughts, okay?" Arabelle walked up beside him and poked him on the arm with a grin. Arabelle, you hypocrite.

They reached the settlement's gates and Hazado stopped to make an overly-formal and funny speech. Was he just pretending to be happy or was he really cheered up by what she and Spangie had said? Arabelle wasn't sure. But she grinned and played along with it. "Alright then," she said. She noticed him squatting down, but didn't jump on his back. If anything, it will only further emphasize how small she was. "Onwards, my loyal servant!" Arabelle declared, nudging him forward playfully. As she did, she looked around at the fields. No Wasp Queen. Had another team of players already gotten to it? Arabelle didn't know. For now, they would just have to walk farther out into the fields.

"Mhm. Light armor. Um, I don't really have any design specifications," Arabelle replied quickly. She bounced on her heels impatiently as the quest NPC explained what type of material she needed to get and from what mob. A special type of leather only <<Dark Elf>> mobs carried. Arabelle didn't really listen to the NPC's explanation on why they specifically wanted that material, but she surmised that the leather was easier to work with. Or, whatever. She didn't care too much about the game's lore. Or how NPCs did things. She cared more about the frog girl who was waiting for her outside. 

A hundred years of boring dialogue later (it was really just two and a half minutes), Arabelle closed the shop door behind her and walked up to Tsu. "The beach? Sounds good to me! I don't think I've gone swimming with you yet," Arabelle agreed. Even though, back in the beach event, Tsu was the one who suggested they go swimming in the first place. Arabelle didn't know what Tsu was doing at that time and was too caught up playing with her friends to actually drag the other girl in. Ahahahaha. Whoops. 

She brought up the map and checked the spot she had marked earlier. Where the Dark Elf mobs supposedly spawned. Being a beginner-friendly quest, the quest mob's spawn point wasn't too far from town and would only take a few minutes to reach. Arabelle squinted at the map. Leave town by the west exit, keep walking straight until...oh, whatever. She turned to Tsu. "I'm ready. Let's go?" And with that, she started them off in what was hopefully the right direction.

Arabelle giggled and matched her pace with Hazado's so he wouldn't be running after her and shouting as they both jogged to the lake. "Yeah, I like water. Swimming and other water-related activities, too. Oh, and most especially when I'm squirting people with a water gun!" She finished with a mischievous smile. Or dumping buckets of water on people at the beach. That was real fun, too. Now if only they had water guns back at the beach event... "Do you like water too, Hazado?" Arabelle asked curiously, even though that much was obvious from the boy's excitement upon saying that they were going boating. And he seemed pretty happy back at the beach too, though she would probably give half the credit to Spangie being there.

The lake came into view, and with it, a small wooden dock with a rowboat made of the same material moored beside it. "Ooooooh, boat!" Arabelle exclaimed, pointing at the small boat excitedly. No other words needed to be said. It was big enough to fit the two of them, maybe even one other player, but Arabelle wasn't planning to invite anyone else into their little bonding sesh. The small purple-haired girl jogged down the dock and looked down at the boat. A window popped up in front of her, showing that the wooden boat could be rented for some Col. Wasn't too expensive. However, they still had one problem. Arabelle turned to Hazado, the pop-up window moving to stay in front of her. "Do you know how to row a boat?"

"Yeah," Arabelle agreed in response to Tsu's explanation of why she chose to become a healer. "Out of all the people I've met, I think you're the first who has a healer build. Heck, I think I even forgot about SAO's support players 'til you came along. It's a nice break from all the DPS and tank players, even though that means I'll be taking all the hits." A grin formed on her face as the frog girl explained that green was her favorite color. "Oh, it's mine, too! Purple's kind of my second favorite and I only dyed my hair purple cause when I had it green, it looked terrible." Arabelle held up her scythe with both hands so that Tsu could see the scythe's green blade. "I particularly like this shade of green. And maybe the lighter shades of green, too. That aside, I guess you really go with the frog theme, huh?" 

Arabelle assumed a thoughtful expression when Tsu asked her what she had in mind after they were done with the quest. "Uh. Ahahahahaha, I guess I really didn't plan that part. Got any ideas?" Before she could react to Tsu's suggestions (if she had any), Arabelle spotted the quest-givers' armor shop. "Hold on. I'll just pop in and accept the quest real quick and then come back out." With that, the small purple-haired girl opened the shop door and stepped in. 

"Did what hurt?" "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" was supposed to be the script. However, Arabelle had been sure he would answer the question instead of asking another question, so it was fine. The outcome would've been either funny or awkward and Arabelle didn't want to risk it since she wanted someone to gather materials with. Maybe she even specifically wanted to hang out with him since there was something she wanted to ask. She had to admit though, she wasn't sure what was running through her head when she asked him the first question. Well, whatever. 

Arabelle followed him back to the bench and let Pinball sit down first. Then, he looked up at her curiously. "Oh, hello there." Like he erased all memories of him launching himself off the roof, and she had come across him by coincidence. A totally normal meeting. Like that would actually happen with the both of them. Arabelle slightly tilted her head to the side and decided to play along, curious as to where he was leading to. "Hello there," she replied passively, not offering anything else to respond to. She wanted to see the awkward teenager take the lead in the conversation for once. Who knows. Maybe a social Pinball was cute. But at the same time, Pinball and social didn't really seem to go well together.

Pinball asked her if anything interesting happened. She already told him about the shop, he had been to both of the parties she was at, he saw her new familiar and new weapon... Oh boy. "Pin..." Arabelle faked a distressed expression. "I went through everything that happened ever since we went on that quest with Reinholt and Etherial and I realized that literally nothing interesting happened. What am I supposed to do with my life now?" A short pause. Then she grinned and said. "Well, I did go on a date. And the guy was boring. That's all. How about you, Pin?"

"W-Worm?!" Arabelle exclaimed, her face turning red. She knew exactly what he meant by calling her 'worm' and a part of her wanted to tackle him for it. Playfully. She wasn't mad. However, tackling a big muscly dude seemed like a really bad idea, even though pain was virtually nonexistent in SAO. But still, what a ridiculous nickname! She tried to look as scandalized and disgusted as she could, then burst into laughter afterward. "Pfffft. Ahahahaha! At least choose something cuter, Hazado dude! Oh, I know. If you're gonna call me 'worm,' I'm gonna call you 'tree'!" The small purple-haired girl exclaimed, pointing at the teenager as she offered an equally ridiculous and embarrassing nickname. Then, she inched forward slightly and booped him on the nose. Just because she could. "You know, since you're big and tall and all that."

Then he ruffled her hair and called her cute. Arabelle pouted, wordlessly pointing up at her now messed-up hair. Whatever he said, she was not cute anymore. Not with her hair sticking up like a rooster's. Arabelle liked the gesture though and laughed along with him, taking off her ponytail and letting her purple hair loose. It was slightly refreshing and she felt like one of those models from a shampoo ad. Then, the wind blew her hair into her face. Gawd. Arabelle stretched the rubber band between her fingers and tied her bangs back, leaving the rest of her hair loose. Not the type of hairstyle that looked good on her, but it kept her hair out of her face.

Hazado asked what she wanted to do. "Wait, I thought you had it all planned out! Uh, lemme think,"  And she thought hard. Really hard. Then, an idea struck her and she placed her hands on her hips. "I've got a genius idea. Let's go material gathering!" she declared. There was a pause. Then, she laughed and said, "Just kidding. I know how tiring material gathering is and I really don't want to do it again for as long as I can. Anyways, there's a lake right beside this town, right? How about we go explore and see what the other side looks like? Maybe even go boating? Do they have boats here? Hm, let's check. Come on," Arabelle turned, facing the direction of the lake, and gestured for Hazado to follow.

Arabelle pushed an overhanging branch out of her way and looked over her shoulder, holding the branch up for the both of them. However, due to their height difference, Stryder still had to bend his head a little to get past the branch. His face was red and she spotted him looking down at her hand, still holding onto the jacket sleeve. She was surprised he managed to get past it and prepare a teasing(?) response for her. Then, he started speaking in a more serious tone. About his level and how it didn't make it different from others... Arabelle's cheeks reddened. It was true that she had started watching her words and actions awhile ago but she did it as subtly as possible though there was a slight moment of hesitation before she started speaking, and he was somehow able to detect that? Well. He might as well be a psychic.

Arabelle let go of his sleeve and turned to face him. She hid her hands behind her back and took a step forward. Considering the lack of space between them earlier (since she was pretty much pulling him along), this meant that right now, they were really close. And once again, due to their height difference, Arabelle had to tilt her head up if she wanted to make eye contact. She felt like a schoolkid talking to their teacher. "You're pretty perceptive. Guess I'll have to watch myself around you~," Arabelle hummed, smiling playfully. "Just kidding. And, aight!" She took a step back and did a salute, her posture rigid like that of a soldier's but her smile never faltering. "I just think high-levels should be treated with more respect and all. Like how one would normally treat a high-ranking officer. Since, as you mentioned earlier, level is an indicator of how much effort you've put into helping everyone. Excluding people who level only for the sake of hindering everyone else's progress, I think - I really think - high-leveled players are admirable. Not just because they're good at playing the game, but because they're brave and selfless for taking the task of clearing the game onto themselves." She deeply inhaled and let out her breath in a puff. This was probably the longest serious thing she'd ever said, ever since meeting the stoic Shin. "Just my opinion. But, since you said so, I guess I'll treat you like I would any normal player!"

She moved forward and took his jacket sleeve in her hand again. "And, you know, you basically gave me permission to keep doing this, so might as well!" Arabelle winked and turned around. Only to notice that they had walked into a very suspicious open clearing. And four formless blobs were now emerging from the ground, one blob bigger than the rest. Clearly, they had come across the quest mobs they were looking for. Arabelle let go of Stryder's sleeve and placed herself behind him. If he would turn to check on her, she would unsheath her scythe with one hand and wave at him with the other. "Defend me with your life, okay?"

Arabelle blinked up at Tsu as she approached, dressed in an all-green outfit. That was fast. Seems like the girl was also bored and looking for a chance to hang out with someone. "Hey, Tsu!" she greeted with a small wave. She was almost tempted to say 'ribbit' back at the girl but quickly lost the opportunity to as the player moved to sit beside her. Arabelle moved over and rested the blunt end of her scythe against the ground to make space for Tsu on the bench. She leaned forward with a lazy smile, her head bumping the shaft of her weapon. "Healer build, huh? I didn't really take you for the healer type...no offense. But that's fine, that's fine~. Take care of me out there, okay?" Having said that, she stood and took the girl's hand in hers. She held her scythe with her other hand and started them off, leading the way to the NPC armorsmith's house. "Come on, let's get this quest over with so we can play!"

While walking, Arabelle glanced at Tsu's outfit once again. "Say, do you also like the color green?"

Arabelle's true alignment is that of a Chaotic Neutral, but somehow she got 'Neutral Evil' in the survey. Welp. Same issue with Dazia. Maybe the survey was asking the wrong questions. It was quite fun though~

Arabelle gave in and was now sitting on a bench with her chin on her palms, watching players as they passed by when suddenly weird, maniacal laughter was heard above and behind her. Pinball? I'm definitely expecting you. You can't copy my tricks and get away with it! Just as she was going to check, a  human-sized shadow passed over her. She straightened looked up, her mouth slightly open in awe. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a flying Pinball! 

He stayed up in the air for a few moments and Arabelle wish she'd brought a camera. And then, just like that, the boy landed on the ground in front of her with a smack. The players walking along the road veered away from the player, giving him strange looks. Arabelle held a gloved hand to her mouth and giggled. Then it quickly turned into a fit of laughter. "Ahahahaha! Pin, what the heck? Buut, props to that. I'll do you one better next time!" She recovered from her laughing fit and quickly circled around him as the boy was getting up. Arabelle squatted down and offered him a hand, wearing a sweet smile. "Hey hey, did it hurt?"

With a 'ping' of a notification, Arabelle groaned and rolled off her lodging's bed. She flopped onto the floor with a muffled "Oof!" and untangled herself from the pillow she had been holding. Arabelle placed the pillow back on the bed after dusting it off and opened her PMs with a swipe of her hand.  Hazado...another quest? She didn't really feel like taking another quest now. She felt more like curling up in her bed all day and sleeping. But as she read through the next sentences of his message, an excited grin formed on her face. One thing her friends learned about her first is that Arabelle never rejects an offer to hang out. Unless she was doing something super, super important. Which, since a certain incident which occurred a few months ago, hasn't ever happened yet.

She ran a hand through her messy hair and looked around her bare inn room for a brush. Oh, right. Inventory. She had been stuck in this game for two years and still found herself doing things the way she used to back in real life. Heck, now she was starting to miss sorting through her messy dorm room. Arabelle swiped through a few menus, then sent a PM back to Hazado.

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To: Hazado

Ooooooh, just me? I suppose you already got your date with her? That's fast. You have more game than I thought you had, babe~

I'll be there in a few minutes. See ya!

~ Your favorite wingwoman ;)

As promised, Hazado would spot her walking towards him only a few minutes after her PM was sent. Dressed in a cream turtleneck shirt tucked into high-waisted brown shorts and brown combat boots, with a green pendant hanging from her neck, Arabelle raised her hand in a casual wave as she approached the player. She didn't try and surprise him like she did with Pinball a week earlier, instead going for a more casual and 'normal' approach. However, Arabelle would definitely get the jump on him someday, like she already did with all her other friends. She whistled. "Hey, Hazado dude," Arabelle greeted, reusing a nickname Spangie had used when they first met the guy. "Looking good there. Planning to take Angie out after this? Girls definitely dig the muscly type~."

Stryder seemed like he wanted to keep playing. Though from the sly wink he sent her way, Arabelle deduced that he was probably just being playful and trying to get back at her for flirting with him earlier. Probably. Still, she wasn't sure. Contrary to what one may think, Arabelle wasn't the best at discerning people's intentions unless they made it really obvious. So, she winked back at him and said, "I guess I won't have to worry anymore. Dinner after this, sugar? It's on me."

Then, he said his level. It was a bit of a moment killer, as Arabelle started seeing him as someone on a way higher rank than her. Chances are, she would start taking their interactions more seriously. But he's cute! And he's even responding, whatever his intentions are, argued the less rational part of her mind. 

Clarification: taking interactions more seriously did not anymore involve stopping herself from flirting. Unless it got too much. Arabelle knew a total dreamboat when she saw one.

"Yeah, you're definitely strong enough. I'm level 5, DPS build. Anyways, if that's fine with you, I'll stay back until you get the quest mobs' attention. Should we get going then? I'm looking forward to dinner!" Once he gave the 'go ahead', Arabelle would smirk and take hold of his jacket sleeve, keeping her hold on it as they both made their way to the deeper parts of the forest.

He blushed. Arabelle wasn't surprised, it was the usual reaction. However, she didn't comment on that as her usual style of messing with boys only involved one suggestive statement unless she was being serious. She had to admit though, it was cute seeing his reaction.

Stryder seemed to pick up on her intentions quickly. Arabelle blinked at the party invite for a few moments before remembering that she was supposed to tap 'Accept'. Guess I got too used to sending people those party invites...or having them warn me before sending it first. "Yeah, that's nice. What level--" 

I couldn't get a cute girl die in the woods on the way. 

Arabelle coughed and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. She was not blushing. Not in the slightest. A bit of heat crept into her cheeks. Okay, maybe she was. It wasn't every day a guy actually did something other than blush and act flustered from her playful little statements. Arabelle wasn't aware of his intentions. But if he was playing that game, then she was playing it too. "Hrm. Lovely. And said cute girl might have something better in reward for you helping her on the quest," she replied with a cheeky smile. "But, I guess we'll have to get out of this alive first. What's your level? Think you're strong enough to tank the quest mob for me?"

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To: @Froppy

Hey, Tsu. I'm taking this really low-leveled quest on Floor 3 (the one with the Dark Elf mob) and I'm a bit bored. Wanna come along and hang out? I'm sitting near the settlement's main exit, by the way.  ^-^

 

Such was the content of the boring, uninspiring PM Arabelle sent to one of her friends. Well, maybe Tsu wasn't even a friend. Maybe just an acquaintance. They haven't actively spent time together outside of the two parties they'd seen each other in (and yet another coincidental meeting while they were out gathering materials) and Arabelle wanted to change that. Aside from the occasional passive-aggressive jabs the frog girl threw at a certain person she didn't like, Tsu seemed like a pretty nice girl. Maybe...just don't bring up her ex, Arabelle thought to herself as a reminder. Even so, the curious side of hers always springs at the worst time. 

Arabelle sat down on a bench, her lovely, lovely black and green scythe on her lap. It greatly clashed with her current outfit: a plain turtleneck cream-colored shirt with long sleeves, tucked into high-waisted dark brown shorts. She crossed her legs, knee-high brown combat boots crunching against the gravel, and brought up her PMs as she waited. 

Her attention shifted to the boy's familiar as he mentioned her name for the second time. It was a pure white wolf - hence the name Silver - and it positioned itself quietly beside its master, regarding its surroundings passively. A lovely, elegant creature. And it looked very cuddly, too. If Stryder hadn't warned her against it, Arabelle would've been all over the familiar by now. "Mm, I suppose I must be pretty lucky you came across me then," Arabelle commented. She hid her hands behind her back, wearing her signature playful smile. "So. You basically saved my life. Do you want something in return, mister Stryder?" It would've been a normal statement, but her smile and the way she placed emphasis on the words made the situation a bit...different.

She used a more serious tone in answering Stryder's question. "Well, considering how the weaker mobs in this area almost got me, I'd say no. I guess I'll just have to head back to the safe zone and find myself a party." She paused. But, wait. There was a guy right here. Hmm. Arabelle contemplated asking him straight out but decided on seeing how he would react first.

"Oh, I was...I was just asking in case you wanted an extra item," Arabelle explained quickly, though the slight hint of red tinging her cheeks implied that she didn't know about the quest item popping up in each party member's inventory. Rather, she had assumed it would only drop for the member who got the last hit on Avalanche. She sheathed her scythe and stretched. Now that they were out of combat, she was more aware of the coldness of their surroundings. "Let's head back. Sicknesses don't exist here in SAO outside of status effects, but I still feel like I'm gonna get sick from being exposed to so much cold," she sighed, looking back at the way they came. This would be a long, cold walk. "You coming along, Outsider?" And no, getting the guy's name wrong wasn't an accident. (Despite appearances, she wasn't the nicest girl you would meet). Turning around, Arabelle smiled innocently and led the way back to the safe zone. "Sun's setting, so I guess I'm treating you both to dinner. And I'm not letting you pay either, Vigilon! Consider this as my thanks for carrying me through the quest."

--Thread Summary--

Arabelle

• 4 SP 
• 300 Col
• <<Snowfrost>>

Outlander

• 2 SP
• 200 Col

Vigilon

• 2 SP
• 300 Col
• <<Snowfrost>>

[ooc notes: since he didn't participate in the quest, Outlander wouldn't be receiving the quest rewards.]

The small purple-haired girl giggled as @Spangie reached down and ruffled her hair. She could see her friend doing the same to an extremely pleased @Hazado with her other hand. Geez, that guy was in heaven. "Did you just speak in a country dialect?" Arabelle chuckled, reaching up to fix her now-messy hair.  "And Hazado's a dude, he's not gonna get himself a man...oh, nevermind." She jumped up and hugged her blonde friend, fake sobbing along with her. "I'll never forget you, Squad Mom! I'll...I'll name all of my kids after you! Like...Angie 1, Angie 2, Angie 3," she laughed and let go. "Ah, but I'll have to find myself a cute guy first, though. Got any suggestions, Mom?"

She turned so she was facing both Hazado and Spangie once they were talking about strategy. "I have a +1 ACC enhancement. It's a bit helpful and I end up hitting mobs most of the time with it," she offered. Speaking of enhancements, she really had to check with the two guys she'd ordered equipment from. She'd already paid for the equipment and she didn't want her Col and Mats to go to waste. "Yeah, searching the fields is a good start. And since it's a Wasp Queen we're looking for, how about we search around the places where the Wind Wasps spawn? Queens usually stick with their warriors, right?" Arabelle swiped through her menu and held out a hand. Her scythe materialized and dropped into her open hand. "I'm ready. Angie, you good?" She waited for the other girl to respond, then she skipped forward, in the direction of the fields Hazado had pointed out earlier. "Let's go! I want to get back in time for dinner!"

❃ Magnolia ❃
la quinta orchestra

 
> tier one to tier three support and debuff songs.
> taking custom orders!
   > [delivery on Tue., Sat., and Sun.]

EXP: 2,572
[in effect:] custom ambition tool [~]

On early mornings, the melodious notes of a piano can be heard floating down from an open window, heralding the start of a new day for Taft's inhabitants. Located along one of the narrow streets connected to Taft's teleport plaza, is a narrow three-story building known amongst players for its pleasant wake-up calls. Painted to blend with the aesthetic of the establishments surrounding it, purposefully trimmed vines climb along its exterior walls and colorful banner-like decorations hang beneath its tinted third floor windows and along the wooden supports bordering the entrance. A sign bearing the shop's name is posted above the doorway and on a wooden standee nearby:

Open on Monday to Saturday
8 PM to 11 PM

The first floor is the only area customers can access. Much like its exterior, it conforms to the whimsical and mysterious medieval style common to the trope. Dusk brown walls hold landscape paintings, some bearing the small signature 'MSHR' at the bottom-left. Wooden shelves hold rectangular blue crystals, all etched with the silhouette of a black phoenix, which glimmer faintly under the yellow of hanging pendant lights. Stacked crates serve as dividers between shelves of different enhancement types; further inspection of the contents would yield different objects such as rolled-up scrolls containing write-ups of known quest details, vanity potions neatly ordered and stacked on trays, and a small ivory carving of a piano rested atop the only closed crate.

"Good evening." 

Her silvery voice joins the faint song originating from a vanity crystal placed on a stand near her: undecorated, and perpetually looping through the songs in her repertoire. Standing with her gloved hands tucked behind her back is a young purple-haired woman dressed in warm comfortable clothes. If one caught her a moment too early, they might have seen her lazily twirling a finger through her purple locks as she flipped through the pages of a book, or staring blankly at the multiple trinkets and precious stones dangling from a "branch" on the ornate perch fixed atop her counter; a rare occurrence, she ensured. When she speaks again, a small intrigued smile plays on her lips.

"How may I help you?"

[ prices : ]

[ order form : ]

[ stock : ]

credits: art by JonathanDufresne on DeviantArt

"Yep. A weak spot," Arabelle repeated @Vigilon's exclamation distractedly. She quickly took in the quest mob's build and looked at the ice elemental's legs. Easy to reach, but she'd tried that already. As well as the arms. What about the head? Too high, no way. Damn, she really needed a sharper weapon. Her gaze wandered to Avalanche's left side and zeroed in on a spot her party member had landed a mid-leveled Sword Art on awhile ago. The ice around the cut had chipped off and a few shards fell to the ground as the angry ice mob raised its fists to attack once again. Arabelle grinned.  "Ooooooh. Let's try this one!"

She readied her axe and circled the quest mob, her eyes glued to the weak spot she had identified earlier. Luckily, the mob still wasn't paying any attention to her. And just before Avalanche could bring its fists down, Arabelle sprang and swung her axe in the same sideways-chopping motion she had used previously. This time, it hit the target. And the target exploded into shards of red as it did. She yelped in surprise and clumsily let go of the axe, stumbling in an attempt to regain her balance.

Arabelle looked back at Vigilon and picked her weapon up. "We're done!" she cheered, her axe disappearing as she placed it back into her inventory.  "Vigilon, did you want the quest item or the Col reward? Oh! Or maybe we could get both if there are any treasure chests lying around."