F01 PP<<Dragon Hunter Anthology - the Emerald Hatchling>>

[Oscar 0]

"God I hate being right."

It seemed as if Pinball had just laid down his Ace. Oscar sighed and sheathed his sword. With Pinball out of sight, there was no point in having his weapon out, really. Not like he could root him out. Oscar just stood where he was, making peace with himself should Pinball choose to turn his attention to him. Unlikely. He seemed to have a serious hate-on for Bahr. He'd mostly ignored Oscar throughout this entire ordeal. He looked over a Bahr with a slightly irritated expression. Oscar had been next to useless for this entire engagement. He'd gotten involved to help out, but he'd mostly gotten in the way. Nevertheless, the danger he exposed himself to was quite severe. Had it been any other PKer, Oscar probably would have died several turns ago. He was such an easy target, after all. As he waited on Pinball to strike, Oscar chuckled to himself.

"If we both make it out of this, I owe you several meat cylinders."

[Bahr 0]

Bahr held his blade steadily and cast wary glances against the surrounding landscape. He felt like now would be a good time to use the Parry Skill - if he had invested in it. He had meant to, but other skills seemed to keep piling up. How foolish he had been to imagine he could go without it. Partying with Alec had made him too comfortable.

Then there was the Thorns Light Armor he had picked up from Butcher of the Sands. Also a fitting swap for a situation like this, but utterly useless being that it wasn't in his Battle Ready inventory. How unfortunate. 

He rested the tip of the sword against the ground and leaned against the pommel. No use worrying about it now. "Yeah, we'll see. I wasn't equipped to deal with stealth. Should have seen it coming," he grumbled, eyes still flickering about, steadily scanning for any sign of Pinball's presence.
 

Spoiler

Bahr: HP: 526/640 | EN: 45+3=48/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 220/220 | EN: 20/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3
CD: 6 (2 extra energy recovered this turn)

Bahr used [x0] No Action, -0 EN

Pinball: HP: 620/1060 | EN: 89/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | ID: 122699 | BD: x

 

[Pinball 1]

They sure didn't know when to stop talking. Pinball didn't rush. As a matter of fact, he took his time. He thought it was funny, almost. The way they looked for him but acted like they didn't. The way they tried to stay calm, fighting their fight or flight instinct. He knew they were. His stats weren't saving him? Weird. 

As he emerged out of nothingness behind Bahr and drove his spear into the swordsman's back, Pinball couldn't help but laugh as he twisted the knife - or in this case, the spear. "Hey, hey, your health isn't looking so good," he cackled, yanking the spear free. Pinball kicked him in the ass to send him away from him before bringing Cold Fervor back to his side. His smile turned into a frown. "Strange how your numbers aren't protecting you." 

Pinball slammed the butt of his spear into the dirt and leaned forward. "What a waste of life," he hissed. "People like you and the frontliners stomp on it." 

He nodded at Oscar, gesturing for him to stand next to Bahr. "Line up with him." Turning his icy blue eyes to the hitherto cocky player, he straightened himself and let the tip of his spear touch the ground. Another open stance. Another bait. He felt sick to the stomach. He could feel it rising in his throat. He knew what he was about to do was wrong. He hated it. He loved it. He wanted to do it. He had to. 

"I usually give a warning. Or a time limit." He smiled sadly. "But you won't stop, will you? Won't understand. Probably safer to do it now." 

He traced a line across the ground with Cold Fervor. With anticipation. 

"Last words?" 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] [-14 EN/+1 EN] 
Bahr: ID#122717 BD: 7 (Hit!) LD: 13+5= 18 (Sneak Attack!) ~ 18+3= 21*15= 315-48= 267 DMG

Bahr: HP: 259/640 | EN: 48/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 220/220 | EN: 20/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3

Pinball: HP: 620/1060 | EN: 89/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 {Vanish CD: 2/3} 

[Oscar 0]

"No, but I do have a question," Oscar he stood in place, obstinately refusing to follow Pinball's orders and leaning froward against his sword. "What that booty do?"

In a flash, the blond was gone in an azure blur. When he reappeared, he was behind Pinball, charging up his blade and... missing spectacularly. He fell on his ass as the others bore witness. Bahr buried his face in his palm. Pinball didn't see to know how to react, but looked as bored as usual anyways. Oscar stared up at both of them blankly, a bit mortified that his one-liner had led to this. The real question was, what did Oscar's booty do?

"You, uh, won't hold this against me, will you? I've sorta got a reputation to preserve here. Kill me or do whatever it is you feel you need to do, but please don't tell anyone about this. My mother would kill me if she found out."

Spoiler

ID: 122718 BD3. Miss.

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by Oscar

[Bahr 0]

Splick!

There's a spear in my back.

The thought crossed Bahr's mind calmly as the frost spread across his back, but he couldn't bring himself to actually enunciate anything. He felt it twisting before it was forcefully yanked away. Was Pinball talking? Bahr couldn't tell. His crimson and verdant hues flashed to his health bar, which was now depleted well below half. Not good.

Bahr was about to say something, but then he heard it. "What that booty do?" What? Had he heard that correctly? The next thing he saw was Oscar on his ass on the other side of Pinball, pleading with both of them not to tell anyone. Bahr gave him a confused look with a hesitant nod. If he made it out of this alive, he'd be sure not to spread this around. As funny as he was sure he would find it later.

"Look, numbskull," he finally managed to croak out, his fingers grasping the grip of his sword as hard as they could, "Do whatever you need to do, but don't lump me in with those damn frontliners."

Spoiler

Bahr: HP: 259/640 | EN: 48+1-2=47/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 220/220 | EN: 19/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3
CD: 1 (No extra energy recovered this turn)

Bahr used [x13] Galaxy Destroyer, -2 EN FOR MISS

Pinball: HP: 620/1060 | EN: 76/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | ID: 122719 | BD: 4, Miss

 

[Pinball 1]

What-? 

The hitherto silent player was gone in a blur. Taking on faster speeds than Pinball had gotten himself accustomed to during his fight with these two, he just barely had enough time to twist around, bringing his spear up in a slow attempt at retaliation. Just in time to watch him fall on his ass. 

And apologize. Profusely. Pinball didn't know what to say. Dumbstruck, the teenager was left staring down at this dude's panicked face, his spear raised and ready to strike down at a player or sword strike that wasn't there or never came. Pinball looked over at Bahr, hoping for some sort of explanation. He wasn't going to get one. 

He looked down at Oscar. 

Back at Bahr. 

Pinball brought his spear down on Oscar's avatar - quick, and glowing with a white-hot intensity, it completely eviscerated the weaker player's health bar. Then he acted like it didn't happen.

Turning his attention back to Bahr, he finally responded with an amused smirk. "Don't lump you in with them-? Why's that?" 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Weeping Moon] 
Bahr: ID#122795 BD: 3
Oscar: ID#122796 BD: 7 (Hit!) ~ 18*9= 162-18= 144 DMG 

Bahr: HP: 259/640 | EN: 47/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 76/220 | EN: 19/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3

Pinball: HP: 620/1060 | EN: 76/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

[Oscar 0]

"What the heck man?!" Oscar winced as he rose to his feet, clutching the red gash in his body with his right hand. This was Oscar's first encounter with a PKer, but it wasn't his first time getting mugged. Usually, the default was to give them what they wanted, cancel your credit cards, and move on with your life. But what do you do when the only thing someone wants to do is kill you? You don't really know until you're in it. In Oscar's case, he got extremely angry. He wasn't gonna go calmly into that good night. Even if he couldn't hit the dude, he was definitely going to give him a piece of his mind. If he was going to get himself killed, might as well go down swinging.

"Look at my level. It's eleven! Do I look like a Frontliner? Do I look like someone heading for the Frontlines? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you're dumber than a sack of potatoes." At this point, Oscar was in the teen's face, towering over him. His icy glare bored into Pinball's eyes. If looks could kill, Pinball would be the one teetering on the brink. "There's a better chance of me beating you in a one-on-one duel than there is me ever going to the Frontlines, you absolute troglodyte. If you're gonna kill a man, do it. But you ain't gonna sit here and pretend that it's because we're 'potential Frontliners' or whatever nonsense you have to tell yourself to relieve that intense cognitive dissonance you got going on to justify the kill."

Even in the hardest sociopaths, the act of killing someone was so perverse that it had to be justified in their minds. The human mind is incapable of parsing the idea of killing someone without cause, so it usually creates it. So when someone just wants to kill someone else, they come up with any justification they possibly could in order to feel just a bit better about the idea. He killed my wife. She stole my house. They are potential Frontliners. Pinball was no different than any other psychopath teenager that Oscar had met. His job was to deal with them, after all. He couldn't force them to empathize, but he could smack them upside the back of the head when they crossed the line. A firm hand was the only way to deal with people like Pinball. That and a lot of yelling.

[Bahr 0]

Bahr's eyes snapped open as he watched Pinball nonchalantly sink the tip of his spear into Oscar, plunging his health bar so rapidly that it was amazing it hadn't depleted entirely.

"Don't lump you in with them-? Why's-"

By the time he had turned around to regard Bahr, he'd find a pair of crimson irises a mere foot from him, their intensity palpable enough to render steel to bits. A harsh crack of wind followed the lightning-quick advance, blowing Bahr's white mop over the front of his face and Pinball's contrasting ebony strands out of his. A scarlet hue emanating from Bahr's sword cast a crimson underglow against both of their faces, the hum of his vibrating blade winding up to a fever pitch.

"that?"

Bahr ripped the sword forward from behind, its sharp blade effortlessly cleaving through the earth below as it poured out the energy that had been pent up, intermixing with the debris that had been cast free from the ground. The red-hot soup splintered forth, violently striking Pinball and sending him hurtling past Oscar. Bahr's orbs shifted toward the Azure Crusader, but only for a moment. Had he been talking? Yelling? Scolding? It didn't matter. Standing. Breathing. Living. Yes, let's go with that.

"Because they're just like you."

Another scarlet blur. Another gust of wind. Bahr was upon Pinball yet again. Or was he? He'd lost track of himself.

He cuffed the teenager by the scruff of his clothing, lifting him off of the ground and toward Bahr's face. He couldn't help but notice how flimsy the material of the boy's garb felt between the digits of his clenched fist. "Smug. Corrupted. Not a shred of humanity remaining," he spat, his hardened visage beginning to illuminate with a crimson glow as his blade vibrated and hummed once more. "Using their power to their own benefit as opposed to repairing the fractured undercarriage of players desperately yearning for their help. Sometimes using it to their explicit detriment, like a certain rat I know." His eyes had a hollowness now, facial features beginning to soften to an almost neutral state as he took in his adversary's expression. It was a very knowing look. They had exchanged another such glance once before, the first time they had met. It had been brief, fleeting. This time it clung to their eye contact like a stray insect against flypaper. "Hypocritical. You said before that stats and equipment didn't matter. What would you call this little charade, then? Would you have accosted me so confidently had we been of comparable level, as you supposedly 'know' who I am? And what do you think of it now? Does your level make you better than me? Stronger? More powerful? More important?" His fingers wrung the thin fabric as he raised the youth even closer to him, where he could feel the heat of Bahr's breath as he carefully enunciated every syllable of the following sentence.

"Does this feel like stats and equipment to you?"

Spoiler

Bahr: HP: 259/640 | EN: 47+3-13=37/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 76/220 | EN: 20/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3
CD: 8 (2 extra energy recovered this turn)

Bahr used [x13] Galaxy Destroyer, -13 EN

Pinball: HP: 620-195=425/1060 | EN: 66/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | ID: 122918 | BD: 7, Hit for 15x13=195

 

[Pinball 1]

When he realized what was happening, he let it happen. He didn't struggle. He was attacked, he was confronted, and he was pulled closer and closer to the furious face of the Bloodedge. And his smile got wider and wider. So when he was finished, he finally spoke. 

"Fine~. Prove me wrong then, Bahr," Pinball spat, resting a hand on his arm. "Show me the strength of your resolve. Show me you're right and you're different and I'm wrong. Show me I'm a hypocrite." His fingers gripped tighter around the man's forearm. Almost pleading now. "Show me. Please." 

Pinball's spear found its way into the swordsman's stomach. He watched his health plummet. "Because if you don't, you'll end up dead. Do you understand?" Pinball pushed himself away, dropping to the floor and ripping the spear out of Bahr's chest - and with it another chunk of his vitality. "I don't care what level you are, I don't care how big or small the distance is between us." 

He took a step back, raising a finger to his lips. "I'll find you just the same. The moment you kill someone? Attack someone in a fit of rage. Let your ambition cloud your better judgement. Forget that you're here to protect what we have left, not shuffle around in the mud for the illusion of strength." 

Another step back. Again, nothing but pearly whites behind his outstretched finger. "I don't make idle threats, Bahr. I'll be there." 

"D. E. A. D." 

Stepping into a shadowy mass of fog behind him, he disappeared and was gone. 

[Exit]

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Imperial Southern Cross] [-13 EN/+1 EN] 
Bahr: ID#123133 BD: 7 (Hit!) ~ 18*14= 252-48= 204 DMG 

Bahr:  HP: 52/640 | EN: 37/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 76/220 HP | EN: 20/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3

Pinball: HP: 425/1060 | EN: 54/106 | DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar saw Bahr's remaining health be absolutely eviscerated by Pinball's attack. Oscar rushed forward, desperate to try and do something to save his friend. He cocked his sword arm back, heedless of the exchange that had just taken place between the two of them. He moved to strike but just as his blade would have made contact with Pinball, the man vanished into the mist. Oscar's heart was racing. He looked at the pitiful amount of health Bahr had remaining and was incredibly concerned. A stiff breeze would take him out of they weren't careful. They still hadn't killed the hatchling, but that was neither here nor there. The important thing was getting Bahr healed up and recovered. The Hatchling would still be there. Oscar drank down a health potion to restore some of his lost vitality and offered another to Bahr with his free hand. Hopefully the man's pride wouldn't get in the way and he would accept the small, if not inconsequential, gift of healing. 

[Bahr 0]

He grunted when the spear found its way into his stomach, but didn't let on in any other indication that he had even felt it. He couldn't keep his grip from loosening, however, and the boy managed to free himself. A crooked grin settled across Bahr's face as he took in the little hypocrite's speech, scoffing as he mentioned killing or attacking someone. "You've got it all wrong. I'll find you, you little [censored]. Look forward to it." And then he was gone.

When the frenzied Oscar approached and offering a portion of his potion, Bahr pushed it back toward him. "Keep it. I know it might look bad, but the only thing on this floor capable of doing anything to me was him. I'm going to be fine." Wouldn't hurt to check, though. His eyes flickered to his health bar and evaluated the minuscule number that remained. Fifty-five. About nine percent. More than enough to keep pushing forward.

"I've kept you waiting long enough. Let's go kill a dragon."

Didn't take them long to find the thing. Bahr remembered its location well from the first time he had encountered it. Back then, he had been foolish to attempt the quest. With only twenty HP at the time, it had been a fool's errand to even consider messing with one of the most powerful mobs on the floor. It had been Pinball who had swooped in and save them that day, and once again he had let Bahr off with a sliver of HP remaining. He now owed his life to that murderer twofold, and he hated everything about it.

He didn't even flinch as he walked up to the beast, charged his blade, and dispatched it in a single hit. It was strange how the passage of time and a bit of determination had carried him to this point already. It probably wasn't all that surprising that Pinball and a few others had taken notice. If Bahr had been a worse person, there may have been actual trouble afoot. Hell, maybe there was.

He turned back to his companion, neutral expression as he inquired, "You get the quest completion pop-up?"
 

Spoiler

Bahr: HP: 55/640 | EN: 37+1-13=25/64 | DMG: 15 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
Oscar: HP: 86/220 | EN: 20/22 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 18 | EVA: 3
CD: 1 (No extra energy recovered this turn)

Bahr used [x13] Galaxy Destroyer, -13 EN

Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling: HP: 125-170=0/125 | DMG: 50 | MIT: 25 | ID: 123163 | BD: 4+3=7, Hit for 15x13=195-25=170 DMG | Rhaegal the Emerald Hatchling defeated

 

[Oscar 0]

"Well that was certainly less interesting than the last fight," Oscar said with a sly grin. What do you do when you're knocking on Death's Door? Clearly, you make jokes about it. You had to be fundamentally touched in the head to make light of the fact you had almost died not ten minutes ago. But then again, going through such an ordeal messed with your head to begin with. The Quest Completion interface popped up as Bahr dealt the killing blow. <<Rhaegal's Emerald>> was dropped into his inventory upon his hitting of the confirm button. From the flavor text on the item, it seemed as if this was only the first in a series of quests. So much the better, in Oscar's opinion. Just so long as he didn't have to fight Pinball as a miniboss again each time.

Oscar took a steadying breath and put his hand on Bahr's shoulder. "You and I gotta talk. And I owe some some hot dogs anyway." His voice was oddly devoid of any inflection or emotion. It was less a request and more a demand. After all, Oscar deserved to know why his easy, walk-in-the-park quest turned into a near-death experience. Oscar turned on his heels and headed back towards town. Hopefully Bahr would follow. If not, he knew where to fight him later. The Bloodedge wasn't running from this discussion.

[Bahr 0]

Yeah, that sounded about right. Bahr should have expected that Oscar would want some answers. With a sigh, he relented, sheathing his blade against the small of his back and following the Azure Crusader back to town. They spent time navigating the streets, and Bahr couldn't help but notice that Oscar took a completely different route to get to their shops than Bahr usually would. Not that that was a bad thing, it was just a peculiar difference between the two. Bahr took straight paths with minimal turns to keep things simple. Oscar turn the more winding path that probably saved on time. Two different styles to achieve the same end result.

Once they finally reached Oscar's shop, they passed through the door and the jingle of the bell that was attached rang out. Bahr took a seat at one of the tables and waiting for Oscar to finish... whatever he was doing. Probably wouldn't take long. As he waited, Swine Bajesus popped out of his pocket and landed on the table, sprawling out in tired fashion.

[Oscar 0]

The moment they entered his shop, Leeroy & Jenkins came bounding up to him. Oscar smiled wildly and squatted down, using both hands to pet the two-headed cerberus behind the ears. "You been watching the shop for me? Good job guys," he cooed. After a few moments of some serious head pats, Oscar headed into the kitchen and started whipping up dinner. One good thing about being in Aincrad was that it didn't take an hour or more to make food. A few moments later, Oscar came walking out with two platters. The smaller one had a small pile of steaks that he set on the ground for his familiar. The larger one was piled high with hot dogs. He placed that one on the table and then headed back into his kitchen. He returned with a third platter, this one carrying bowls of toppings. He set that one next to the hot dogs and then slid into the booth opposite Bahr. "Dig in. You've gotta be starving." Their talk could wait until they had some food in their bellies. 

[Bahr 0]

Bahr couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much food in one place. Usually he would just grind along on whatever scraps he found. Very rarely did he treat himself to what he considered gourmet foods produced by other actual players. Without reluctance he immediately slapped several dogs onto the plate in front of him and slathered various toppings on all of them. With pure barbaric fervor, he downed the selection of meat cylinders in record time, sucking the remnants off of his appendages once he had finished.

"Thanks," he belched, offering Oscar a nod. "That really hit the spot. Didn't realize how much I needed that. If I'm remembering correctly, my last 'meal,' if you could call it that, was yesterday afternoon." A moment of silence descended upon the pair, and before long that same awkwardness from before began to settle in. With a sigh, Bahr succumbed to its influence. "So. I'm willing to bet you have some questions. Let's hear them."

[Oscar 0]

Oscar, for his part, would grab a handful of dogs from the pile and slap them on his plate. He then took copious amounts of the toppings and slathered it on the pile, rather than the individual dogs. With that done, he would consume his delicious meat cylinders with equal gusto as Bahr. As he inhaled the food, he looked down at his familiar. Leeroy & Jenkins were fighting over a particularly large piece of porterhouse. He wanted to laugh, but he feared he might choke if he did. So he stifled in and pushed through.

Once all of the food was consumed Oscar licked his fingers and wiped his mouth before melting contentedly into his seat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd indulged his gluttony, but it had been quite the enjoyable experience. Then Bahr addressed the elephant in the room. His eyes flicked up to Bahr's and nodded. "I just have two questions. Who was that guy and why was he trying to kill us?"

[Bahr 0]

"That-" Bahr belched again, "was Pinball. He's made a name for himself as the Frontlines' biggest detractor. Apparently, as of late, he's been running around slaughtering those trying to get close. As for why he tried to kill us, well, I know as much as you do. And I learned it all during that fight." He placed a half eaten hot dog in front of Swine Bajesus to see if it wanted any. It looked at its owner with disgust and pushed the food away. "Oh. Right. That makes sense," Bahr remarked before scarfing down the remainder.

"Anyways, yeah. Apparently I'm a Frontliner-To-Be and he took issue with that. Thus, we find ourselves in this situation. For whatever reason, he let us walk away." He placed his elbows against the table and interlaced his fingers. "With any luck, that will be his undoing. I learned a lot from our fight. I don't think he'll get the better of me next time - level gap or no. I'll trap him for sure."

[Oscar 0]

"I don't feel like it's as simple as that..."

Oscar rubbed his chin and leaned forward. "His hatred for the Frontliners is obvious. But I think it goes a little deeper." Oscar had a working theory that it wasn't the Frontliners he hated. It was these Frontliners. They were supposed to lead the charge and provide hope for the people that they might get out of this game at some point. Why then was almost everyone he met so devoid of hope? Why did it fall on people like Bahr and Oscar to make their lives just a little bit easier? Wasn't that supposed to be one of the jobs of the Frontliners. The more that he thought about it, the more he could almost sympathize with Pinball. Not the killing, of course. But the motivations behind it. The child was misguided and, perhaps, a bit of a psychopath. But maybe his heard was in the right place. Even though the man was trying to kill them, he didn't really strike Oscar as a man who killed for the sheer joy of it. Oscar scowled and shook his head. "There was a time when I got paid to analyze psychopaths. That time has passed, I think."

[Bahr 0]

"Maybe there's more to it, maybe there isn't. All I know is that he needs to be put down. Whether that means subduing and capturing him or the alternative, his antics need to be put to an end." Bahr pulled his oversized sword from its slot on his back and placed it on the table with a thud. "Guy by the name of Ssendom originally owned this sword. From what I've been told, he was a menace to the citizens of Aincrad. The Frontliners inevitably got together and forced him to submit. When he failed to comply, they were forced to finish the job. Even now, this blade is imbued with something and influences the wielder. As corny as I'm sure it sounds, I can feel his rage pouring into me any time I hold it. If even objects in this world can be influenced by things like this, imagine what sort of effect it has on real people."

"Hell, I can give you a direct example of someone I know who was directly influenced by Pinball. Girl by the name of Kirbs. She's a shell of the person she used to be, and it's because of that man. We need to put an end to it."

[Oscar 0]

"Kirbs, huh..." There was no way it was the same Kirbs he was thinking about. "Short girl, fiery red hair? That Kirbs?" Now Oscar felt like a complete tool. He thought her melodrama was a result of her refusing to let herself be helped. But having met Pinball, he couldn't much blame her for her attitude. The dude was almost enough to drive a therapist insane. Suddenly Oscar felt instant regret for how he had spoken to Kirbs during their first meeting. He told her to jump off a cliff! He really hoped she didn't listen. He wished that she had accepted his friend request so he could check up on her location and see if she was still there. Alas, he'd made himself into enough of a jerk that she probably didn't want anything to do with him. In any case, Bahr and Oscar were in agreement. Something had to be done about Pinball. Not today, not next week, but eventually they'd need to put the rabid dog down. But before any of that could happen, the two of them needed to be stronger.