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[attr="class","vpostbg"]Hair styling? Check. Makeup? Check. Fashionable clothing? Check.

While Lottie had ever had an aversion to mindless grinding with endless missions killing mobs over and over, there was something different about going out there and doing it yourself, especially when she was fresh out of loading and eager to test out the new powers that had been granted to her. A small rush of exhilaration filled her at the thought – maybe she could completely negate a boar’s charge if she stacked enough defensive abilities?

But she was getting ahead of herself! The boars needed to be dealt with, and she was just the woman for the job! After all, what better way to stop an unstoppable force than by being an immovable object? That, and she was supposedly getting help from another person, which would definitely go a long way to making this job less of a pain in the arse. Who could stand having to deal with smelly pigs all day long, after all?

And so, Lottie walked with a bounce to her step, somehow finding her way while rapidly tapping away at her phone. Approaching her destination, however, Lottie would look up from her phone to notice a lone blonde woman, entirely mundane if not for the cool-looking swords and serpent-like creature wrapped around her shoulders. That was definitely the person she was going to be working with, right?

Stepping forward with a pep to her step, Lottie would greet her with a smile and wave, “Hellooo! You took the mission to deal with the boars too, right?” She said in a chipper tone, “I’m Lottie, nice to meet you! Oh, and can I just say that I, like, love your dress.” She complimented her, immediately getting sidetracked from what they were actually meant to be doing.

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[attr="class","vpostbg"]“Oh, really?” Lottie tilted her head at what she claimed, “I guess Earth-chan does like toying with people… one afternoon when I was in London I suddenly got stuck in the most dank and gross little dungeon ever! It was the absolute worst!” She complained, sighing as she crossed her arms.

Turning to the clearing in question, Lottie would tilt her head. Oh right, they needed to deal with the boars, didn’t they? Seeming to somewhat regain her focus, she would put a hand on her chin, “Well… a stampede of boars would be difficult to miss, and even more difficult to try and stand up to, so I’m sure no one’s gotten hurt over them. But I’m sure we’ll do this mission just fine! I’m a lot more durable than I look~!” She said with a grin, pointing to herself proudly.

Accompanying Hikari, Lottie’s footsteps were… decidedly less light. It was clear that she was not exactly the subtle type, but that didn’t seem to bother her at all. After all, why be all stealthy when you can just take the enemy head on?

“Experience? I, uh… have tangled with riot police a few times. That counts, right?” She stated casually, as if getting into altercations with law enforcement was an everyday thing, “But I guess the pigs we’re facing now are more literal than metaphorical. A-Anyway, I think I should try and attract their attention! A lot of my abilities involve reducing incoming damage. I guess you could classify me as a tank.” She furrowed her brow, “Feels weird to say outside the context of a game…”

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[attr="class","vpostbg"]“Tell me about it.” Lottie sighed with a shrug, “It’s not like I’m not used to being at a disadvantage, but… this world doesn’t operate on the logic of what there used to be. You can’t really predict what Earth-chan will throw at you, can you? Just need to adapt and evolve.” Her tone was more grounded and serious, for the first time in this interaction expressing something other than slightly vapid cheeriness…

But said cheeriness would all but instantly return as she blinked at Hikari’s strategy, seeming to be perplexed at it. She was expecting to fight them, not cheese them! Brow furrowing in thought, she would put a hand on her chin.

“Dig a hole and wait for them to run in it? But that’s…” Incredibly boring! She didn’t verbalise that last part, but it was clear to see that her eagerness to fight was currently at war with her good sense. While she did have the means to stave off the damage of the boar’s charge, it would be a close thing, especially with so many of them around… but something about placing them all in a hole also felt off. Ugh, it was so hard to decide!

Eventually, with a slump of her shoulders and a mild pout, she would speak, “I suppose you’re right…” Her tone was the equivalent of a child who had just been told they wouldn’t be going to Disneyland this month, but she didn’t voice the obvious complaints she had.

Looking around, Lottie would then ask, “So, where are we going to dig the hole? And do we have a shovel or anything, for that matter? I don’t mind using my bare hands, but having some equipment would definitely make it, like, less of a drag.”

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[attr="class","vpostbg"]“A hole?” Lottie repeated quizzically as she looked at the tree, carefully inspecting it and coming to the conclusion that she was either blind or there was indeed no hole there whatsoever. Brow furrowing in confusion, she would look to Hikari, “Um… where, exactly?”

As Hikari marched towards it and unsheathed her sword, Lottie blinked, stepping back and waiting for… something to happen. Whatever it was, though, it definitely wasn’t this! She could only watch on in awe as Hikari suddenly revealed her talent for landscaping, carefully extricating the old tree from the ground and leaving a giant hole in its wake!

Lottie blinked repeatedly as Hikari finished her work in casually removing the tree, staring at the empty hole that had just been said tree for a few moments before looking at Hikari with that same perplexed expression. Until…

“That…” She began, before smiling and jumping up with a cheer, “Was so cool! You must be so strong!” She exclaimed, trotting up to her with barely contained excitement, “Does that mean I’ll get to do things like that when I get strong enough! Oh, I can barely wait! I’d so love to fight with you when I get some level ups in! Then I’ll really be able to protect you!” She nodded emphatically at that last statement.

Turning to the hole, she would speak once more, though this time she tamped down on her excitement somewhat, “So, how do we lure the boars? I can get their attention, run here and stick them into the hole, and then you smack them about?”

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[attr="class","vpostbg"]“Oooh, that makes sense! You’re some kind of sword fighter, then?” Lottie posited, looking at her individual blades, “Well, one way or another, that is incredible! I’d love to see you in action sometime! Um, against creatures other than boars in a hole, that is.” She giggled. Hikari’s demonstration of incredible strength had shown to Lottie in no uncertain terms how much growing she had left to do, and she had a long way to go indeed if she ever hoped to stand as an equal to the swordswoman. Still, Lottie was never one to be cowed by daunting odds.

Looking between the hole and the boars in the distance, Lottie suddenly felt… somewhat uncertain. While she was durable, it would still hurt like hell to get tagged by a stampede of rush boars, and she wasn’t exactly quick either. Still, she could position herself in a way that meant she wouldn’t be run over before she ever reached the hole. Nodding with a smile, she would reply.

“Sure! From the sounds of it, the boars should all fall neatly into the hole you created, but I’ll try to deal with some stragglers if the matter comes up.” She gave Hikari a thumbs up, walking past her and towards the boars…

A snort from the group of boars, and one larger than the rest would file out from the group and glare down at Lottie as she stopped. Seemed they had noticed her, which meant she could now taunt them – something she was very good at doing.

Leaning forward with a stamp, something which agitated the boars even more, Lottie would taunt them with wide open arms and a sharp, loud voice that was sure to anger them even further, “Come on! I’m right here, aren’t I!?” She taunted, clapping to further provoke them. The contents of what she said didn’t matter – they were unlikely to understand her, after all.

She did succeed in provoking them, however, her loudness and threatening stance sufficient for the herd to decide to charge her in unison! The plan had worked! Except… oh, they were fast. Shite, they were incredibly fast!

Yelping, Lottie would turn around and run for her life, fear and desperation evident in her face as the boars rapidly gained on her. She was definitely not the fastest, not helped by her choice of class in this instance, and she looked back to see the terrifying tusks threatening to gore her at any moment!

Still, Lottie was not one to panic in the face of fear. Remembering the plan, Lottie would kick off the ground and do an impressive leap over the hole just as the boars were about to reach her! Swinging for the fences as they were, they had no hope of braking in time to stop themselves as they all stumbled – first over one another, and then neatly into the hole. Having cut it so close, even if unintentionally, Lottie had managed to file them all into the Hikari-made hole for easy XP!

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[attr="class","vpostbg"]Lottie could only watch in awe as Hikari got to work, lips parting ever so slightly in amazement as she so easily leapt up above the hole with the grace of a swan, going in for the kill with the deliberate ease of a seamstress. Yet, Hikari would weave a pattern of death, and with a single stroke did all the boisterous and angered noises of the boars fall silent, the only sound at this moment being the wind that blew past them, rustling the leaves of the trees around them.

Lottie stared a short few moments longer, before realising she should probably say something. Getting up from the ground with a hop, Lottie stepped forward to look down at the pit of now dead boars, and back at Hikari. Once more, she would stare.

“Whoa…” She muttered, “You are, like, really cool.” She stated, as if a fangirl had just met her idol, sparkles visible in her eyes.

Finally regaining her composure, Lottie would clear her throat and return to her usual cheery grin, shaking her head, “Well, you can go ahead and try to sell the meat if you’d like. I have some more quests to do! I really need to get to work if I want to have any chance of catching up with you, after all! I don’t have any injuries, but thank you for offering!”

Turning around, Lottie would start walking away, but not before offering a wave to Hikari as she did so, “I have to run now, but thank you so much for the help, Hikari! Hope we meet soon!” And with that, she would run off into the distance, presumably after a long list of quests she had doubtless thoughtlessly taken with no heed for her own energy.