{PP-F2} Pok- SAO Rescue Team! <<Let There Be Light>>

[Arabelle 0]

"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>>.

Spoiler

ID: 111855 | BD: 9 [+1, paralyzed]

[x2] Whirlwind: (4 + 1) * 2 = 10 DMG

[H:0] @Pinball: 980/980 HP | 91/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:2] Arabelle: 60/60 HP | 0/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA [-2 EN]

Giant Bat 1: 40/50 HP | 20 DMG [-10 HP] [Paralyzed]
Giant Bat 2: 0/50 HP | 20 DMG 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

"Ah, well, I guess that's fair," he replied, hefting his spear up and over his shoulder, the chunk of ice that served as the weapon's spearhead pointed at the remaining giant bat. It fell to the ground following Arabelle's attack. It should be relatively easy to finish it off now, right? 
"And also," he continued, pointing at her with a flamboyant wave of his hand, "I don't need this... sass right now, alright? Jeez." He gave his flick a spear and approached the Giant Bat. "Maybe start looking for the kid? Should be somewhere around the back, where the bats flew out from." But before he got close enough to swing, the monster shook off its paralysis and rocketed backwards, skidding across the stone and clumsily flying into the air. Pinball frowned, then let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I..."

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] [-2 EN/+1 EN] 
Giant Bat 1: ID#112119 BD: 2+2= 4 (Miss!) MD: {Paralyzed!} 

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 90/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:2] Arabelle: 60/60 HP | 0/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA [-2 EN]

Giant Bat 1: 40/50 HP | 20 DMG

Edited January 28, 2019 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

The small purple-haired girl smiled - a bit guiltily. Oh boy. Did she actually make him mad? It was just a harmless comment... right? Pinball may or may not be the sensitive type, she vaguely noted in her mind. The boy's adjusted his grip on his spear as he approached the downed enemy and gave her a suggestion as an afterthought. He's totally shooing me off! But where one would normally expect a smart-ass or sassy response, Arabelle simply gave a playful salute and said, "Got it! Catch up with me later, okay?"

 

Arabelle activated her detection and sprinted down the dark cavern with the large scythe sheathed at her back. She didn't need him to bail out on her like Spangie did. Trailing her gloved fingertips across the cave wall outlined by her vision, she abruptly came to a stop when she realized the distant somewhat comforting sound of combat had faded, replaced by her light footsteps. And now that she had stopped running... she found herself engulfed by the silence and darkness of the cave at every side. Arabelle unsheathed her weapon and held it close to her small form, somewhat curling into herself as she looked back at where she came from. An uncharacteristically fragile voice called out: "Pin?"

 

It was quickly followed by a quiet sob.

 

It wasn't her. Arabelle wasn't that scared! Baka! Besides, it was coming from... "Behind?" The girl straightened, her ears perked, and sure enough, she could pick up the very faint sound of a child's cries echoing from the back of the cave. Bingo! Her short bout of fear lifted - though only by a slight degree. She hesitated, glanced back at where she came from again, and promptly decided to push forward.

 

Spoiler

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 90/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:2] Arabelle: 60/60 HP | 1/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA [+1 EN]

Giant Bat 1: 40/50 HP | 20 DMG

[Pinball 1]

Why the hell couldn't he hit this thing?? As soon as Arabelle left, Pinball slouched and pouted. He threw his arms out, flailing about in a soundless whine. This is so unfair! He was supposed to be a big tough guy! Big, scary frontliner! But he couldn't hit this thing! And why? Because it was dark. Pinball, one of the top DPS players in the game and perhaps the second most powerful spearsman, was thwarted by mere darkness. And it wasn't even that dark, either. He could still see his hands, and- 
He was interrupted by a loud woosh as the Giant Bat swooped over him from the roof of the cave. It wasn't after him, it was after the companion he had sent off into the depths of the cave. Oh, boy. He couldn't let that thing get to her. It would hurt. Pinball gave chase... and ran straight into Arabelle, knocking him flat on his ass. 

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] [-2 EN / +1 EN] 
Giant Bat 1: ID#112303 BD: 2+2= 4 (Miss!) MD: 3 (Miss!) 

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 89/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:2] Arabelle: 60/60 HP | 1/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA [+1 EN]

Giant Bat 1: 40/50 HP | 20 DMG

Edited February 1, 2019 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

"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.

Spoiler

ID: 112335 | BD: 6 [hit]

[x2] Whirlwind: 4  * 2 = 8 DMG

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 89/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:3] Arabelle: 60/60 HP | 1/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA [-2 EN]

Giant Bat 1: 32/50 HP | 20 DMG [-8 HP]

@Pinball

Edited February 4, 2019 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

"I'm- I don't- I'm trying!" 

What the hell was it with this bat? It wouldn't even attack Pinball directly. It was like it was intentionally staying just out of his spear's range, just to flutter about and successfully prolong its inevitably impending demise. Successfully. And it was infuriating. Pinball let himself be pulled up by his purple-haired companion, ears burning - but he kept his eyes on the mob that had so far managed to evade all of the Frontliner's attacks. He shook his head, grit his teeth, and nodded. "I've got it!" Pinball assured, throwing himself into this bum-rush of an attack... 

The Giant Bat was hanging from the ceiling, regarding the two with shining, beady, evil eyes. So Pinball stormed forward, jammed the butt of his spear into the ground, and launched himself into the air again, bringing his spear down in what was less of a slash and more of a wild swing with the wooden shaft of the pole arm. With a quick spread of its wings the bat took off, gliding straight past Pinball's reckless attack to dig into the girl he was supposed to be protecting with bared fangs. 

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] 
Giant Bat 1: ID# 112449 BD: 3+2= 5 (Miss!) MD: 8 (Hit!) 

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 89/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:3] Arabelle: 40/60 HP | 1/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA 

Giant Bat 1: 32/50 HP | 20 DMG

Edited February 25, 2019 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

Despite his assurances, Pinball did not get it. Lovely. Arabelle picked up the steady flapping of wings from behind her and the unmistakable whoosh as that one last annoying quest mob glided through the air once more, heading straight for the only person who had managed to hit it so far.

This would forever be known as the day best girl Arabelle outperformed an experienced frontliner(?) in combat!

Hey, DMG stats don't count, she at least hit it when she wanted to. But she didn't have the time to gloat. Another round of 'oh sh*t's ran through her head, and the small purple-haired girl pushed forward in a sudden burst of speed. 

It still wasn't fast enough. The Giant Bat caught up to her and swooped down. A numb sensation spread from her shoulder to her back as the mob's fangs dug into her. It grabbed at her with its talons, tried to keep her still as it tried to bite down deeper, but Arabelle wasn't having it. "Get... OFF!" She slammed the blunt end of her scythe against the ground and spun, pushing - slamming her back (along with the poor bat) against the wall. It screeched in complaint, its claws loosened, and she pried herself from its grip.

Arabelle paused to smooth down her skirt and give a meaningful glance at her teammate. HP dangerously close to the yellow zone (which wasn't much, considering her level), and low energy. The small purple-haired girl turned around and kept running.

Deeper into the darkness of the cave.

Spoiler

@Pinball

ID: 115195 | LD: 12 (partial success, next attack on Arabelle will fail)

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 89/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:3] Arabelle: 40/60 HP | 2/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA 

Giant Bat 1: 32/50 HP | 20 DMG

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by Arabelle

[Pinball 1]

A purple-haired midget whizzed past him, running the opposite direction. "H-hey," he started, and then noticed the Giant Bat swooping down from the ceiling after her. "Hey! Go see if you can find the little - orphan kid, or something!" Another hellish screech loud enough to deal damage filled the cave. Pinball started to run after them. He couldn't let her get hit again! God, for one, that would be embarrassing. And also, he wasn't very sure she would last much longer, if the bat kept coming after her! Pinball threw himself into the air again as the monster came down, its - talons? claws? - outstretched and gleaming in what little light there was. His spear glowed bright purple as he soared through the air, darkened and near extinguished by Zomekko's black flame. For a moment, it felt like he hung there, suspended in time. 

And then a burst of energy! An explosion of cold air, shadow, and neon light! The Giant Bat unleashed one final caterwaul as it disintegrated into nothingness, leaving Pinball to nimbly fall to the stone cold floor of the cave. He hit the ground in a crouch, standing as translucent blue shards lazily drifted across the air, swept away by the cave's faint current. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] 
Giant Bat 1: ID#115350 BD: 4+2= 6 (Hit!) ~ 15*15= 225 DMG

[H:0] Pinball: 980/980 HP | 89/98 EN | 15 DMG | 3 ACC | 3 EVA 
[H:3] Arabelle: 40/60 HP | 1/6 EN | 4 DMG | 1 ACC | 8-10 PARA 

Giant Bat 1: 0/50 HP | 20 DMG

Edited April 24, 2019 by Pinball

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle didn't know why the boy was even calling out to her. Go see if she could find the kid...? That was exactly what she'd been trying to do since she ran out of energy, dishing out attacks against that oversized rat. She was even going down the right - oh. The NPC kid's annoying cries were gone, unable to be picked up by her keen ears, and somehow... the cave was dark, but it felt familiar? Blame her lack of directional ability. The small purple-haired girl internally cursed and turned around, heading back down the right direction.

And found herself looking straight up at the large creature that almost blended into the darkness of the cave. As it swooped down at her once again with a bloodthirsty screech, she only had enough time to bring her scythe up to defend - and at the same time, a bright purple streaked through the air behind it and clipped through its wings. The annoying, and now very dead bat fell to the ground and so did its attacker.

Finally! She let herself relax - a bit, and with that save, Pinball was almost forgiven for failing to land his hits at the very start of the battle! She sheathed her scythe and approached the boy. He should be glad he was cute.

"That was wonderful. I'm not being sarcastic, but that last hit really was. Here." She reached down and helped him up with a smile. No sassy comments. Physical contact, but no flirting otherwise. Just. Pure. Praise. Arabelle, are you okay? "But~! We're not done yet. I know where the NPC is, so yes, all that running around earlier wasn't absolutely pointless! Let's go."

The small purple-haired girl let go of his hand and went back down the right direction this time. It wasn't long after when she heard the kid's crying again - did that thing never stop? Whatever - to which she looked over her shoulder with a small, teasing smile.

"You gonna be doing something after this?"

Oh, there it was.

[Pinball 1]

He accepted the offer gladly, taking her hand in his and pulling himself to his feet both with her help and with the butt of his spear. With the death of the bats, an uncomfortable silence descended on the cave, leaving the two players with the lonely sounds of trickling water and soft breathing. 

Arabelle was being friendly. Pinball liked that. It almost put him at ease. That last fight was tense and embarrassing, and Pinball wanted nothing less than to be made fun of for it. It was over now, and he'd honestly rather keep it that way. He was glad Reinholt hadn't beent there to see that. He wasn't sure he would have been able to handle that sort of embarrassment. 

"Yeah," came the grateful smile, "let's go get them." 

It didn't take long for them to find the lost child. Their crying practically guided them, and in the darkness of the damp cave, Pinball was actually thankful for that. It kept them from accidentally wandering away, which would probably end up being an easy thing to do if they weren't careful. 

"Do something? No, I don't think so. Why?" 

Oblivious. He was focused on the kid. 

At this point Pinball had walked up to the small child curled up in the corner - the same kid whose noisy crying bounced off the walls and filled the cave. He extended a hand and smiled softly. "Hey. Your mom sent us to come and get you." 

As if on command (which it probably was), the child stood up and grabbed the back of Pinball's shirt. 

He turned to Arabelle, resting a hand on the NPC's soft hair. "Ready to head out?" 

[Arabelle 0]

If his lack of reaction was any indication, Pinball did not notice. 

Oof?

But! Arabelle thought she liked watching him interact with the NPC. His voice was steady and gentle as he spoke to it and it instantly soothed the small frightened child. It stopped crying and grabbed onto his shirt, and the boy patted its head with a soft smile. It was cute. 

"Mm, well... I was thinking we could grab something after this. Just a small treat after finishing a quest. It's always good to have those~." Arabelle chose not to voice her thoughts, instead walking up on his other side with her hands tucked behind her back. "There's this one cafe on this floor that I've been wanting to visit. Cold beverages, cakes, and desserts... you get the deal. But, I think the main highlight is their panda familiar! Like a Starbucks but with a panda! Ever been there?"

[Pinball 1]

They made their way through the cave without much trouble - they knew the way back, and if they couldn't remember, there was always light at the end of the tunnel. 

Literally. 

Breaking through the dark of the cave, they were hit with those glorious golden rays that never failed to get on Pinball's nerves. As fun as exploring with people he'd never met was (excluding Reinholt), there were times he was struck by a brief, albeit painful bout of melancholy that left him longing for the comfortable dimness of that inn on the second floor. 

They would continue to walk down the path to the quest-giver, leaving Reinholt and the other girl behind. Their names were still under theirs, listed under their party. Intact, so as much as he would like to worry... they were fine.

And listening to Arabelle, Pinball froze up. "Uh, oh, no, I- uhh. I don't think so." 

Sweating. 

"A panda," he exclaimed nervously, "that's like. Super crazy! And something I've never seen before." 

Pinball coughed. 

[Arabelle 0]

From the darkness of the cave, the pair stepped out into the blinding daylight. Arabelle held a gloved hand over her eyes and squinted, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness of her surroundings. She was half-expecting to see their two missing party members standing outside - probably mad cause they went ahead without them - but surprise, surprise, they weren't. The other two were probably alive and well as their HP gauges indicated, but they were also most probably still stuck in the cave searching for them considering the fact that they haven't left the party yet.

Either way!

The small purple-haired girl visibly relaxed and breathed out a sigh of relief. Arabelle was glad to finally be outside. "Gosh, I get the feeling we've been in there forever. Is it just me?" 

Her quest companion was stumbling through his response. To a simple yes or no question. It was in stark contrast from when they were engaged in combat - he had at least spoken with more authority and less like she was gonna jump him or something - and the small purple-haired girl watched him from the corner of her eye thoughtfully. For just a quick moment. "Mhm! No one ever takes pandas as their familiars, they're not really suited for that sort of thing, so you wouldn't see a friendly one anywhere! Well, this would be my first time seeing one in two years, anyway." 

She wasn't dense though. Even if she wasn't staring directly at him, she could sense the tenseness in his shoulders and the obvious discomfort.

"So?" Arabelle turned to him with her head slightly tilted to the side in curiosity. "Wanna come along after this? It might be fun."

[Pinball 1]

"Yeah," he agreed, resting his palm on the top of the child's head. "Feels like it's been a year." 

The thought of Reinholt was at the back of his mind as they walked away, to the point where he was nervously glancing at his party's status every few moments. So he decided to shoot him a quick message explaining that they had already left. 

After that was done, he replied to Arabelle. 

"I've got a cat," was his response, and as if on cue Zomekko floated out of her jar, an unnatural shadow in open daylight. He ran a hand across what was maybe her back, but as usual his hands just phased through her. The shadow was cool to the touch, and she snaked around Pinball's torso to give him a lick across the cheek with a bright white tongue. 

The once crying girl saw this and beamed excitedly. Zomekko took notice of that and floated down to meet her. 

But he hesitated. When was the last time he had gone anywhere? "Uhh," he started, "we'll see. Maybe." 

In the not-so-distant distance, the town was getting closer and closer. 

[Arabelle 0]

"Ooooh!" The small purple-haired girl was practically starry-eyed as the shadowy familiar floated out of its container at Pinball's response. Tentatively, Arabelle reached out a gloved hand to pet it but the cat had already drifted to the small NPC's side. She tucked her hands behind her back again, blushing with slight embarrassment. "I've got a crow. He doesn't like being around other familiars and monsters though, so I'm trying to make it so that he would attack them instead of running away." 

Or maybe she could just kill it and look for something easier to train.

"But cats can fight well! I mean, they have claws and stuff. And yours is part... gas?" It looked like it could phase through anything if it wanted to and she wondered how a jar could keep something like that contained. "But you wouldn't expect to see a panda familiar rolling around outside the safe zone, would you? They're cute, but they're kind of useless. And slow. And heavy. Hey hey, what's it's name?"

Arabelle definitely wasn't childish enough to ask if she could pet it. No. Definitely not. Baka! The small purple-haired girl gave the familiar another side glance, remembering the cats she used to play with outside her boarding school's dorms. She... was not... going to... 

"...can I pet him?"

[Pinball 1]

"Crows are cool," he quickly smiled, unsure of the proper way to respond to something like that. Luckily for him, though, she wasn't done talking. 

Cats are pretty cool! Pinball practically gasped at the realization that she liked cats too! He was intstantly reminded of Pinball, his cat back home. God, he missed that cat, but at least he had Zomekko to keep him company. He grinned widely as Zomekko gave the NPC a lick before floating back up to wrap around his shoulders, leaving a wispy, fading trail behind her. 

Pinball brought a hand to his cheek as Arabelle roasted pandas. "Well, she doesn't really fight per se. Or have claws." Pinball held out his spear, and from his shoulders Zomekko floated off and then around his arm, enveloping his forearm and his weapon in a flickering black flame. "She helps me fight like this." 

And then he pulled his weapon back and she seperated separated again. 

"Yes!!" 

Pinball snapped a finger and nodded towards Arabelle, and Zomekko's attention locked onto the purple-haired midget next to Pinball. She flicked her tail and floated towards her. 

"She's, uh, a bit cold, though." 

[Arabelle 0]

Pinball did not tell her his cat's name. That was totally unfair, how was she supposed to call out to it?

Ah, whatever. Arabelle's attention was fixed on the black flame wrapped around his spear. At his explanation, the small purple-haired girl nodded vigorously. "Mhm, mhm. So she ups your damage output like that? That's so cool!" She wanted pretty black flames on her scythe too, but she doubted Moondust was magical enough to do that. It was a plain and simple crow with no special abilities of the sort. 

Focused on the cute kitty she was, it didn't go unnoticed how he had seemingly forgotten to be nervous. Pinball lacked his fidgety gestures and his stammering, and she thought they maybe had just landed on a topic he liked. Liked so much that he stopped overthinking things, anyway. That wasn't unusual, and she was having some fun.

Arabelle decided not to tease him.

She reached out to gently pet the floating cat's head. "Ah, cold...!" she gasped instinctively when her hand sank through its "fur" only to be surrounded with a chilly mist. Arabelle felt it through her glove. But she wanted to pet this kitty. So she lifted her hand slightly, making a motion like she was stroking its head.

Hopefully, the cat felt that.

Eventually, she drew her hand back, unsure of what to do. Not at all huggable. But - "She's cute~. Where did you find her?"

[Pinball 1]

"Yeah, it is pretty cool!" 

Zomekko shivered, visibly delighted that she was getting pets after such a long time cramped in a bottle-! It did look weird, though. It's not every day you see a vibrating mass of black fog. But her mouth opened wide and a pure white tongue lolled out - and although she made no sound, Zomekko was stoked. Excited, she went swirling down and then up Arabelle's body, wrapping around her neck like a chilly scarf. She flicked her tail, sending a small spray of shadow into the air. 

"Where did I find her..?" Weirdly, Pinball was caught off guard by that question. It felt like such a long time ago. 

After some consideration, he answered, "I found her in a crypt. My guildmate Hei was there. She tried to suffocate me when I found her." Pinball lifted the jar a bit on his belt. "But she was super attached to this bottle for some reason. It was on a pedastal in the middle of this weird room. Hei said it might be some sort of, uh... phi-lac-tory." 

He shrugged. 

"So I just sorta grabbed it and we were chill. Standard RPG stuff. You know." 

[Arabelle 0]

Arabelle giggled at the shadowy cat's visible delight. Standing still with slight shivers going down her back at the familiar's chilly aura, the small purple-haired girl let it wrap itself around her neck like a scarf. "Cute kitty..." she said softly, stroking its fur. Arabelle was sure she could play with his familiar all day... until Pinball explained how he got her.

She. Did. What.

And the cat was still happily winded around her neck and Arabelle was wondering if she should be concerned.

In the first place, how would a cat made out of gas manage to suffocate someone? Could she actually materialize at will? Or was it something she was forgetting? She didn't ask him that, lest Pinball decide to give her a live demonstration. Then she discarded that thought as they approached the safe zone, remembering that the boy had been her teammate all this time.

"Hehe. Chill," she laughed, mostly to herself. Arabelle continued stroking the cat as she walked beside him, like she'd heard nothing out of place. Eventually, the pair would reach the concerned NPC mother.

Something something heartfelt reunion something. 

Arabelle hardly paid attention. She was still looking down at the cat around her neck. At the appearance of a 'Quest Completed!' pop-up, she raised her head and gave the rewards a quick looksie before dismissing the window. She looked up at Pinball. "Panda cafe?" Despite her words, she poked his familiar, prompting it to return to its owner. "No, just kidding. Let's part ways here. I'll go there alone. That way Pochi's attention wouldn't be divided~."

What a selfish person. The small purple-haired girl took a step back and raised her hand to wave him goodbye. She smiled innocently.

"Besides, I understand the feeling of wanting to keep a special place close to yourself."

Arabelle turned around.

"Anyways, see you! Take me on another quest and I'll find us a better date spot."

[Exit]

[Pinball 1]

Zomekko hovered back over to Pinball, filling up the jar and making it look like it was filled with a black sludge. "Oh, are you sure?" She'd just wanted to go together a moment ago, so this was super sudden.  Of course, there was a certain tone of relief in his voice. He really did not want to go there. Pinball spared a sheepish smile and for a moment he turned his head to the side and watched the NPC walk off with the child they had saved. He was about to say something else, but she stopped him in his tracks - and promptly whirled around and left. 

Leaving Pinball beet red. "Wha- special place? What- what do you mean-" 

She was already gone, dude. If Pinball had forgotten how to be awkward when they started talking about cats and pets, he sure as hell remembered how to now. 

"Um. Date spot...?" 

~SUMMARY~

Arabelle receives: 

• 3 SP 
• 400 Col 

Pinball receives: 

• 2 SP 
• 400 Col 

Reinholt receives: 

• 2 SP 

Etherial receives: 

• 2 SP