Arabelle

"The first floor?" Arabelle echoed. It was rare for high-levels to stay in the Town of Beginnings, mostly because of how crowded it was (since players who've never left the safe zone decided to stay in there, too scared to even check out the higher floors' main settlements, and they probably comprised of more than 50% of Aincrad's current population, which was a lot) but if they were rich enough to buy a house or open a shop that's big and comfortable enough to live in...yeah, that was plausible. "I think you're the first person I've met who's actually willing to stay there. I mean, there must be more interesting places up there, right?" Arabelle turned and started walking as she talked, expecting Macradon to follow her. Now they were headed to the forests outside the safe zone. "Not judging your living choices or anything, but if I ever got the chance, I'd totally buy a house up in the higher floors. Say, do you have any favorite places up there? I've heard that each floor has a different theme, though I've never actually gotten to check them out."

[WC: 189]

Arabelle asked a question, only to receive two vague maybe even somewhat unenthusiastic responses. All while the two male players debated about the difference between a plan and a strategy. Plans don't usually accommodate anything unexpected happening, strategies were more flexible. Arabelle didn't know why they had to make such a big deal about it but decided to keep her mouth shut. Gosh, this was maybe one of the most awkward conversations she'd ever had. It even trumped that first conversation she'd had with a guy named Pinball. A bunch of walking contradictions that he became so hard to predict, that one. Arabelle smiled. "Well, as for me, I had pretty much the same backstory as everyone. Gamer with a bunch of gamer friends. Heard about SAO through one of them and looked it up on the internet. Bought it. And boom, death game trap." She didn't prod any of the two guys anymore, they seemed pretty unwilling to talk.

The three players passed a group of Ice Elementals, large creatures that, exactly as advertised, were made completely out of ice. The mobs stomped through the snowy field, occasionally appearing to have conversations with each other in the form of non-verbal gestures. "We're almost there," Arabelle stated as Vigilon continued walking, steering clear of the mobs. She adjusted the battle axe strapped to her back and looked over her shoulder to make brief eye contact with Outlander. "You ready?"

[WC: 239] 

Even though they hadn't come to a verbal agreement on anything yet, the two found themselves walking towards the town gates together. Though Arabelle supposed it was only because they were both taking the fastest route, and decided to stick together since they were heading for the same destination anyway. Her not-quest partner didn't seem like a very chatty person, so she just walked on, silently. With all her love for socializing, she'd almost forgotten that being quiet and mulling over things was nice, too. 

Unexpectedly, @Shin voiced an opinion about the NPC's long material-gathering explanation. Arabelle turned her head in his direction for a few moments, before looking back down at the ground, focusing on a pebble she'd been nudging forward with her foot as they walked. "Yeah, I did," she admitted. "I took the profession quest before this, so I didn't need to hear the gathering explanation all over again." Then he brought up the question he had asked earlier--the question she hadn't gotten a chance to answer. Arabelle looked at him briefly again, and seeing the unchanging neutral expression on his face, returned her attention to the pebble once again. She couldn't dismiss the feeling that he was suspicious of her, for some odd reason. She hadn't been acting weird, had she?

"It's not a 'need,' per se. Truth be told, I wasn't looking for a quest partner 'til you brought it up. But, have you heard the rumors lately?" Arabelle looked up from the pebble to fix him with a serious I-mean-business expression. Gosh, he should consider himself really lucky. She very rarely takes conversations this seriously. "PK guilds on the rise. Lots of low-leveled players dying while out in the field. Most of them, while they were alone. I heard they even got the jump on a front-liner or something." The purple-haired girl returned her attention to the pebble and accidentally nudged it into a gap in the cement. Well, dammit. Having lost her source of entertainment, she lifted her gaze to watch the players passing by them in the streets. "So, while you're probably just as low-leveled as me, sticking together gives a better chance of surviving in case we both encounter a player killer. They tend to target players that are alone, you know? Just in case the other one sees their face and somehow gets away."

She remained silent for a bit, waiting for Blue Guy to absorb everything she'd said. Then, as if she hadn't just been talking about the overwhelming possibilities of being player killed, she introduced herself with a sweet, friendly smile. "I'm Arabelle. Call me Ara. Or Belle. Whichever you prefer."

[WC: 443]

@Spangie told her she liked sweet guys. Arabelle puffed out her cheeks and harrumphed. "That's unfair. All guys are--" a certain blue-haired man who somehow never smiled at her silly jokes came to mind. Just remembering his monotonous tone and apprehensiveness towards her when they first met brought about a mix of annoyance and misplaced curiosity. "Heh. Right." Arabelle agreed to herself with a smirk. But now that her blonde friend had said her part, now it was time for Arabelle for share. "Hmm, type in guys," the purple-haired girl mused. The personalities of her crushes varied, but she remembered having a certain ideal in mind back when she was still in her romance-novel-binge-reading phase. "I would like someone I have a history with, but that doesn't count. I suppose I prefer the quiet, artistic type. You know, the type who's super creative and has lots of ideas in his mind? Definitely not the broody ones, though."

The short-statured girl leaned back on her seat and was about to pry just a little bit more, but then was interrupted by the ping of a notification. Arabelle swiped her menu open and a new message popped up. "Say, Angie. It was nice talking to you and all, but I think I have to go now," she began. Arabelle turned up the brightness, just so the girl across her could see the length of the PM sent to her, then quickly turned it back down. "Duty calls~. Need to go talk to an informant, and they're typically the type who gets bored and leaves once you're running late. Friend request?" As she spoke, a friend request popped up in front of Spangie, and Arabelle stood up. Once her new friend accepted the request, Arabelle started out of the cafe with a little wave. "Thanks for talking. Let's go out and do a quest some time?"

 [WC: 313]

Arabelle entered the shop of a man who seemed like the only active tailor of Aincrad. That's what the rumors suggested, anyway. Tailoring wasn't exactly a profession many wanted to take, and this guy was smart enough to take an advantage of that fact. Kudos to him. And sympathy for the poor shmuck who would try to open a light armor shop while this guy already had complete monopoly of the industry. "Hello," she greeted the man behind the counter. "Lovely crafts you have on display here."

Arabelle took an order form and quickly filled it out, internally wincing at her inability to be more creative with armor designs. Seriously. She'd seen people walking around with fancy looking stuff and fancy names for them. "This will have to do," she mumbled to herself. The purple-haired girl quickly reviewed the accomplished order form before handing it over to the tailor. "I'll pay with Col once you're done crafting it?"

Quote

Name: Imperial Demon Army Uniform
Your Profession: Tailor
Your Rank: Rank 7
ID: leave blank
Roll: leave blank
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Mitigation, Evasion, Evasion
Description: [Image] A long-sleeved black coat with two rows of gold buttons on the front, a standing collar with a bow tie worn around it, and light green details paired with a short black skirt. The armor set also consists of dark-grey thigh-high socks and black knee-high boots. Offers mobility and minimal protection against mobs. 
Post Link: leave blank

 

Another name drop. Calrex. It was a name she'd heard a few players mention in passing. Particularly while they were talking about the frontliners. Arabelle regarded the man in front of her curiously. He did say his name was Macradon, the name of a high-leveled blacksmith who offered discounts for low-leveled players hoping to start off on their journey. And in addition to that, he was buddies with a frontliner. But, just in case, she decided to confirm her assumptions. "So basically, predator birds are the best options," Arabelle summed up his response to her question. But, like he mentioned before, different types of familiars have different fighting styles. After a few more minutes of contemplation, she finally had an ideal familiar in her mind, though she didn't exactly follow the friendly player's suggestions.

"Say, Lil' Mac. You're the blacksmith and front-liner I've heard about lots of times, right?" Arabelle paused for a moment, waiting for him to respond. "What brings you to Urbus? Out for a casual stroll? Or were you perhaps planning to search for the rare materials outside the safe zone?" Another pause, then she realized how oddly suspicious she sounded. "Ah...not that I'm suspicious of you or anything. As you might know already, I just recently accepted the familiar quest, though I'm a bit under-leveled. So, if you're looking for a companion..." her voice faded, but she probably got her point across effectively.

[WC: 237]

Arabelle expected Mac to tell her it'll be done in a day or so, but he immediately went to the back of his shop and, if the sound of a mallet banging away on an anvil was a good enough indicator, he'd already started crafting the weapon she requested for. A bit unsure of what to do, she examined the weapons on display, taking particular interest in the battle axes the blacksmith had crafted. She didn't have to idle around for long since Mac appeared behind the counter once again and presented her the finished product.

"That was fast," she commented as she accepted the weapon. The scythe was every bit like how she imagined it to be, and it felt lighter than her starter axe. "So this is what a master blacksmith's craft looks like~," Arabelle commented once again with a grin. She took a few steps back, and gave her new scythe a few experimental swings, being careful not to knock anything over. The weapon being lighter than she was used to, she almost ended up losing her balance. "Wow. This is amazing. Thanks, Lil' Mac! If you have time, wanna help me test it out on something? Like a field boss and stuff," she suggested, turning to leave the shop. "Gotta go. Shoot me a PM if you're interested~."

+ Shikama Dōji

[WC: 222]

Arabelle nodded and followed behind @Vigilon with a slight skip in her step. Being the lowest leveled player in the party, the two players walked in a formation where she was in the middle. Just to make sure she wouldn't wander too far from the group, or get ambushed from behind. She watched @Outlander pull out his weapon long enough for her to see it, and sheath it again. "A two-handed sword, right? Pretty nice choice for a DPS," Arabelle commented if only to dissipate the somewhat tense atmosphere between the two players. With their formation, she was literally caught in between.

They walked for a few more minutes before Arabelle got bored and started a conversation. There were three of them over here, they should at least be talking. "So," the purple-haired girl began, catching the attention of her fellow teammates. "How did you guys get here? In the game, I mean."

[WC: 153]

"Lil' Mac, then!" Arabelle exclaimed with a tone of finality that assured the man she was going to call him that for a long, long time. The fact that there was another guy(?) named Mac walking around intrigued her, but that was a topic for some other day. For now, she was interested in learning about familiars and this player seemed very knowledgeable about them. 

The short-statured girl listened attentively to the friendly player's explanation. She could imagine Belphegor and Mac doing that in combat. It was a nice team dynamic, something that could work with her horrible combat skills, and finding a similar familiar (maybe a normal dog) would've been lovely. But upon looking down at the pack of birdseed in her hands, she realized that it wouldn't work. What type of dog would eat birdseed anyway? "So, you're saying that familiar fighting styles can vary? Like your familiar can fight a certain way, another type of familiar can fight in another way..." her voice faded, and she regarded the birdseed thoughtfully. "Hrm. How do you think winged DMG familiars assist in battle?"

[WC: 184]

Arabelle smirked playfully at @Spangie's flustered reaction. The blonde's face had turned red and for maybe a few moments, she found it hard to speak properly. Girls always had the cutest reactions to that certain question, boys not so much. Arabelle propped her elbows on the table, casually swinging her legs on the chair as her new friend babbled on about her lack of love life. Frankly, it wasn't something that was on Arabelle's mind either. She liked messing around, but never let it get too far. She was more of a matchmaker than anything. 

Arabelle decided to prod a bit more. "Well, everyone has their preferences," she responded in a singsong tone. "You'll never know~. Come on, Angie." The purple-haired girl placed her half-empty drink aside and leaned forward so that she was almost halfway across the small café table, but because of her height she had to stand on the chair's stretcher and it tipped forward dangerously. "Not even a type or anything? I'll tell you mine~, though it'll have to stay between us girls, 'kay?" Arabelle grinned and held out her hand for a pinky swear. 

[WC: 189]

Arabelle entered the blacksmith's shop, thinking now was the best time to get a weapon if she wanted to avail of the discount. "Hey, Mac!" she greeted the man behind the counter cheerfully as she approached. Earlier, the player had helped her find a familiar and she'd decided to 'return the favor' by buying from his shop. (She would've bought a weapon from here either way, but it was the thought that counts). "I'm here to buy a weapon. Where are your request forms?" The blacksmith didn't need to answer the question, as she spotted the forms immediately, and began to fill one up. 

Quote

Name: Shikama Dōji
Your Profession: Blacksmith
Your Rank: 9
ID: [Leave Blank]
Roll: [Leave Blank]
Item Type: Weapon (Two-Handed Battle Axe)
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Paralyze, Paralyze, Accuracy
Description: [Image] A massive black scythe with a green blade.
Post Link: [Leave Blank]

 

Upon finishing, she handed it over to the blacksmith, along with the payment. "50% discount, rounded up. So that makes four materials, right?" she confirmed before sending the materials over to him.

[WC: 136]

@Macradon

- 4 T1 Materials

"Alaska...in the summer?" she echoed. She'd never been in Alaska, but she'd heard that it was always snowing there. But other than that, she didn't have the necessary information to respond to @Outlander's statement about the fourth floor, so she didn't say anything else about it.

"Yeah. I'm level one," Arabelle couldn't resist letting out a faint giggle at @Vigilon's reaction. She silently watched their names and HP bars appear underneath hers while coming up with a suitable response. "One hit from the boss and I'm out of the running. Buuut, I'm pretty confident in my combat skills and my knowledge of the hate system, so you don't have to worry much." Okay, she fibbed a little at the last part. Swinging her heavy axe around still felt a bit awkward, but she wouldn't ever learn if she didn't get enough experience. Vigilon presented his plan, though he still seemed a bit concerned. That's understandable. "I'm good with that." Arabelle agreed with a nod of her head.

Upon hearing their responses to her previous question, Arabelle decided it would be a bad idea to pry any further. The three of them would be working together, and she would need to rely on the both of them to protect her. If they were to get into a fight...she already knew the outcome. "Well, let's all get along for now, okay? If everyone's ready, we could head for the boss' location now."

[WC: 240]

"Recording crystals, recording crystals..." hummed Arabelle as she walked out of the Performer's house. She quietly shut the door behind her, hearing that the NPC had started singing again, and looked around for her awkward companion. She found him standing right across the street, his ears a bit red. Did something happen? She quickly looked around the street, and finding nothing out of the ordinary, she approached the boy. "Hey, sorry if I made you wait. I tried to get it done as fast as possible, but...there's no 'dialogue skip' function here, after all," she explained. Having composed herself earlier, she offered him a genuinely friendly smile. "Shall we head out? Or do you need to pick something up on the way? I made you wait a bit, so...it's only fair."

The ping of a notification caught her attention and a PM appeared in front of her. "Not now," she mumbled, dismissing the small dialogue box. Then, as an afterthought, she opened her inbox and sent a response telling the sender she was busy. "Right, sorry about that," she turned back to...the companion she didn't have a name for yet. Had he introduced himself yet? Or maybe she just didn't give him a chance to, earlier. She started walking without giving him an opportunity to talk to her earlier, after all. Gosh, she made too many mistakes today. "By the way, I'm not sure if I just forgot. But I don't think you've told me your name yet, mister." 

[WC: 249]

"Sure. It won't take long," she responded a bit too quickly for her liking. Gosh, now he would think she wanted to get away from him. Well, she did. Not from him (she was grateful he unknowingly helped her from getting lost again), but from the terribly awkward situation they'd both landed themselves in. Arabelle couldn't even remember a time when her social skills were this rusty. She entered the Performer NPC's house and shut the door behind her, briefly leaning against it with her face red from embarrassment. "Come on," she goaded herself. "You're supposed to be social. It's written in your personality. You can do wayyy better than this."

"If by doing better, did you mean you wanted to learn how to sing?" a soft, slightly high-pitched voice cut in. Arabelle looked up to realize that the Performer NPC had been watching her all this time. "There's only one reason why adventurers come to my place, after all."

"Hello," Arabelle greeted politely. "Alyssa Singular, right? No, I'm not that interested in singing." The NPC's expression dropped upon hearing this, and Arabelle decided not to mention that her singing voice was so horrible her friends would cover their ears upon hearing it. "But I did hear you were skilled in musical instruments. Particularly the piano. So I was hoping you could offer me pointers?"

[WC: 225]

Arabelle leaned back on her chair. She tilted her neck and lifted her eyes to stare blankly at the café's beige ceiling. Nice to have someone to trust. But it's hard to actually trust someone. Death lurks everywhere. Trust, trust, trust. Gosh, it was hard to understand the concept of that one word. "I get that," Arabelle said quietly. "Like you want to rely on someone, but you don't know who. And you don't want to take that first step because if you trust someone, they could take advantage of it. It's like giving them a knife and hoping they wouldn't stab you, knowing that they have the capacity to do so anytime." Uh-oh. Now she was being the 'old mood pooper'. "But! If you don't ever take the first step, you'd be forever alone and stuff," Arabelle exclaimed with a knowing smile. "And that's kind of sad."

"Speaking of forever alone..." Arabelle leaned forward and smirked playfully. There was one thing girls always talked about, and she was about to bring it up. "@Spangie, how's your love life? Come on, don't be shy~."

[WC: 184]

The two players didn't take long to find her. A boy with unusual red eyes, whom she assumed was @Vigilon, and a hooded player who was probably @Outlander. They seemed to know each other, though Arabelle wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "Hello," she greeted with a friendly smile. "As you already know, I'm Arabelle. Call me Ara. Or Belle. Whichever you prefer. And I'm level one, DPS main." As she spoke, she brought up her menu and sent the two players party requests. They came here to help her with her request, so she guessed they wouldn't want to chat and idle around. "Also," her small leather notebook materialized in her hand, and Arabelle flipped through a few pages. Finding the right page, she carefully ripped it off and showed the two players the coordinates. "I'm new to this floor, so if one of you would lead the way, it would be much appreciated."

"By the way," Arabelle began, her voice taking on a curious tone. "Do you guys know each other?"

[WC: 179]

Arabelle didn't allow her friendly smile to melt off from her face, though she had to admit, his unchanging facial expression and monotonous voice unsettled her a bit. And was that a small hint of suspicion in his tone? Like he was trying to see if she had some ulterior motive or something? Welp. Maybe she was just imagining it cause he didn't smile back at her. She didn't answer his question, though not by choice since he entered the quest-giver's workshop right away. Probably expected her to follow him in.

So follow him, she did. She pushed the door open and entered the NPC’s humble abode. The NPC’s home was, for lack of better term, a homely place. It was small, just big enough to hold two wooden chairs and a circular table adorned with half-filled vials and different instruments which she assumed were the stuff crafters used for potion brewing. And of course, bookshelves. Arabelle never considered herself an avid reader, but the sheer amount of books the NPC had made her feel a bit curious.

But, first things first. Arabelle stayed silent during Blue Guy and NPC's exchange, then decided to speak up as well. "You'll be teaching us material gathering, right? Tell us what to do," the purple-haired girl said, jumping straight to the point. Then, as the NPC began explaining the basics of material gathering and the details of the quest, Arabelle promptly zoned out. Having taken the profession quest earlier, she already knew how to gather materials and the quest objectives would show up in her menu anyway. NPCs, in her opinion, were boring. They weren't real people, just a bunch of code with a human appearance designed to respond to certain inquiries in certain ways. She only started paying attention once a dialogue box popped up in front of her, prompting her to accept or decline the quest.

<<Arabelle has accepted the quest>>

[WC: 320]

@Shin

One hit. The nervous-looking kid could take out Floor One mobs in one hit. Wow. First impressions really don't last. "Level one. Twenty HP, and two EN. Anything here could probably take me out in three hits," she decided to share. Then the girl stuck her gloved hand out. Nothing could go wrong with a handshake, right? "I'm Arabelle. Call me Ara. Or Belle. Whichever you prefer." Once he shook her hand (or once he chose not to), Arabelle withdrew her arm and grinned, imitating the boy's awkward finger guns gesture even though she didn't know exactly what he meant by it. Gosh, this had to be one of the most awkward first conversations she's ever had.

Arabelle turned around and started walking, going back the way she came (before she got lost). "I haven't taken the quest yet, so let's head to the Performer NPC's house first," she said. Maybe he would be a bit more comfortable once they're actually outside the safe zone and fighting stuff. So the two walked, with Arabelle leading. Though once they reached the intersection where she knew she ended up turning the wrong way and getting lost, she swiped her menu open and brought up her inbox, slowing her gait until she was just a few steps behind her companion. He was level twenty-two. He would know the way. "I've got a few messages. It's alright though, keep going," she would quickly explain to her companion once he turned around to check on her. As if to prove her point, she brought up a message and began typing a reply.

[WC: 267]

Once the guy introduced himself and his familiar, Arabelle found it a bit easier to talk. "I'm Arabelle. Nice to meet you," she said with a friendly smile. "But since my name's a bit long, you can call me Ara. Or Belle. Whichever you prefer." Now a bit more confident around his familiar, she skipped a bit closer and subtly looked up and down, sizing the other player up. He looked older than her, maybe around university age, and (thankfully) wasn't as tall as the other guys she'd met. Bountiful in the looks department, and was maybe one of the higher-leveled players in the game, judging by appearance and familiar. And he was here, in Floor 2, talking to her now. She would be a fool if she didn't take advantage of this situation. "But your name's a bit long, too. Can I call you Mac?" she inquired hopefully. "As in, Big Mac? Apple MacBook? Mac and Cheese?" Arabelle waited for him to react, then she let out a playful giggle. "Sorry, sorry. I know that was lame!" she said, still grinning.

She looked down at Mac's familiar. "So he's a fighting familiar..." she echoed. Arabelle looked down at the small pack of birdseed in her hands, then looked at the familiar again. Well, she supposed she should start to consider her options. "So how helpful is he?" she asked. "In battle, I mean. I do know that familiars give a stat boost, but do they actively attack the enemy or do they just passively enhance your stats while staying on the sidelines?" She hoped it was the former. She wasn't the best at swinging her heavy axe around.

[WC: 279]

"Well, that's understandable," Arabelle said in reply to @Spangie's statement about guilds. "I've been looking for a guild myself, but most of them weren't very noob-friendly. As in, most if not all of the members are about level 20 or so. And joining in would only make me feel out of place since they're so high-leveled already..." Her voice faded as she unintentionally focused on another line of thought.

Then a few moments later, she suddenly started speaking again. "It would be nice to have a bunch of people to rely on, though~," the purple-haired girl said with a grin. "I mean, the guilds I've observed before...they all seemed very close. Like family, even. Guess that comes with fighting alongside other players for a really long time. Well, I guess that's another reason why I don't want to join. I'd feel like I'm intruding, or something, since they're all so closely-knit already."

[WC: 152]

Arabelle was surprised. Only a few minutes after she put the request up on the bulletin board, two PMs popped up in her inbox with only a few minutes' gap between them. She dismissed the map she had been looking at and read the players' names. Vigilon and Outlander. Both unfamiliar, though the former did mention he was at level 18, and the latter claimed that he was a DPS build player. Well, as long as the Vigilon guy landed the first hits and she and "The Outlander" (what kind of name is that?) kept their Hate down whilst landing hits, they should be fine. But, she supposed it was a bit too early to strategize since she hadn't even met them yet. I wonder if they're good-looking, she thought distractedly.

"Huh, interesting," she said to herself flatly. "I didn't expect people to be so nice around here..." Bringing up the PMs, she typed out a response to the both of them.

Quote

To: Outlander, and Vigilon

Hey! Thanks for taking up on my offer. Meet me by the town's west exit. I'm the girl with the purple hair. You can't miss it. :3

(Conveniently, she didn't mention that she was a lot shorter than most. Her dyed hair was a good enough identifier.)

Arabelle exited the shop leisurely, whistling a little tune to herself as she looked at the birdseed she had just bought from the NPC. "Wonder what familiar I should get?" she pondered. She already knew she wanted a damage familiar, but she still wasn't sure what type of bird she wanted. Hawks were big and their beaks were kinda scary, owls were cute but they weren't her type, and--

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of feet--no, paws-- pounding against the pavement. Arabelle turned her head, then her neutral expression quickly morphed into one of fear and surprise as she realized that the source of the sound was a big, flaming, three-headed dog with chains trailing behind it and it was heading straight for her. Her mind blanked and she leaped to the side, ready to dart back inside the NPC's shop at any moment. Still, the hellhound stopped in front of her and oh god it was way bigger up close, and all three heads were all barking and making angry dog noises, and it looked ready to bite her at any moment-- "Wah! [censored]! Bad dog, bad dog!" Arabelle shrieked, momentarily forgetting that she was in a safe zone and the hound couldn't hurt her. She twisted the NPC's doorknob open and was just about to dart inside when a man lunged and grabbed the chains attached to the hound's three collars, which somehow made it stop barking at her.

It quietly sat down beside its master, and Arabelle warily let go of the door. God, that was someone's familiar? She thought it was a mob that had somehow gotten into the safe zone, or something. "It-It's alright," she sighed, still a bit shaken up by the event. The purple-haired girl inched a bit closer to the hellhound and picked up the pack of birdseed she'd dropped. "Is that your familiar? It's a pretty...unusual choice, I should say."

[WC: 323]

Absentmindedly swinging her (short) legs while sipping her drink, Arabelle took note of Spangie's reaction as the girl answered her question. The blonde felt guilty about being scared, maybe. "Hey, that's okay," the purple-haired girl reassured, placing her drink back down on the table. She still retained her cheerful tone, though it was a bit subdued. "I didn't do anything for a long time, too. It's been two years since then, so I suppose I'd been sitting around for around one-and-a-half year." She gave the other girl a sheepish smile, though she was a bit worried at how @Spangie would react. People who were currently feeling negative emotions, even just a bit, were the hardest to predict. "And hey, at least you're moving forward. You're doing way better than before, right?"

She leaned back and grinned at Spangie. Hopefully, the other girl felt better now. Or if she didn't have that problem in the first place, Arabelle would've totally made a fool of herself by assuming. Now that she thought about it, she should have asked first. Well. Whatever. Spangie didn't look like the judgmental type. "Say, Spangie, are you in a guild?" Arabelle asked, picking up her drink again.

[WC: 200]

"Ah..."Arabelle took a surprised step backward as the boy slammed his journal closed, looking obviously flustered. Having kept a journal herself, she knew how sensitive people can be with their journal entries. She just didn't expect that reaction. Maybe she should reevaluate her first impression, cause it seemed like she was waaay off. "Sorry about that. I didn't see anything if that assures you," the purple-haired player offered with a reassuring smile. She took another small step back as the boy got up.

He was taller and a lot more timid than she expected. But he said he would help her, albeit with a bit of hesitation. And Arabelle didn't miss his somewhat suspicious stare, like he was trying to figure out whether she was luring him to his death or not. Understandable. Player killers seemed to be developing lots of new strategies nowadays. She didn't try to point it out. It'll all be resolved once she tells him her level, anyway. "Really? Thanks, mister!" Arabelle smiled sweetly. She took another step backward, slightly turning in the direction of the road leading toward the Performer NPC's studio. "I'm taking the performer profession quest, and I heard from a few other performers that recording crystals are pretty difficult to get through non-combat gathering. Best options are loot drops from mobs and fishing, both of which I'm not very capable of. So, I need someone to tank for me." Okay, that was kind of a fib. She still didn't want to tell him that she had completely gotten herself lost in floor one. But, she sort of needed someone to do the fighting for her too. Speaking of, "And, mister. Is it alright if I ask for your level?"

[WC: 287]