Feelin' Squirrely

"Yeah, but at least they're there. Imagine if they put that squirrel statue up when they didn't even have any here..." Then again, considering it was PINK...their wisdom would probably have to be questioned either way.

DING!

A chip suddenly spat out of Sabrina's PET, which she barely managed to catch before it fell on the ground. "Ack! ...Finally finish those things off, SplashMan?" It was a rhetorical question, of course, considering she didn't have a Pulsar2, yet she now had one in her hand.

"Yep! Got hit again, but I'm fine thanks to the recovery chip! Thanks!"

"No problem! Oh, right..." Now that her Navi was free for a minute..."SplashMan, meet Harke! Thanks to him, I actually know where you are now!"

"So he's the one you've been talking to all during the battle? Hi! Nice to meet you, Harke! And...could one of you fill me in on exactly what's with the Net, if you know about it?"

"Oh, right. It's called the Rogue Net, and it looks like it's where they toss viruses considered too powerful for the regular Net. Though...he says you need a license to get in...but we don't have one of those, do we?"

"No, we don't have any licenses...not even a driver's permit! Though that's only because you're the first person in your school's history to flunk driver's ed..."

"Sh-Shut up!" That was NOT the kind of thing she wanted other people to hear, especially people she just met...

Wow, that is quite the achievement. You failed driver's ed? Huh, that kind of says something about you. Anyway, hey, SplashMan. Then, his PET beeped again, prompting him to check it. Oh, hey, hold on a sec. You're having a break, Et? OK, alright, I want you to meet some people. Then, after pushing some buttons, a small hologram of the blue Navi appeared on Harke's right shoulder, still recovering from the heat of battle. Et, meet Sabrina, and her Navi SplashMan. Hint, they're awesome Netbattlers.

Hearing this, the Navi looked amused and started snickering. Wait, what? Her? Harke, you talked to a girl? Well, that's a first, boy! Ahahahahah! Harke's face turned serious as he turned towards his Navi. Oh, come on, it was just a joke. Addressing his operator's new friends with a small bow, he said, Hello, Sabrina and SplashMan. Nice to meet ya. I'm a water Navi, the same as you, SplashMan, if your name serves you justice as it is.

...Oi, SplashMan was going to PAY for spilling her 'accomplishment'. At least he made up for it with a compliment, albeit one she didn't think she deserved. "Thanks, but I definitely don't qualify as an 'awesome' NetBattler. I know what an awesome NetBattler can do, and I'm not even close to that..."

SplashMan, on the other hand, was amazed at the fact he was face-to-face with another actual Aqua Navi. "Wow, a water based Navi? I've actually never met one before! Nice to meet ya, Eternalis! And yep, I'm one, too! He straightened his left arm to his side, and shook it a bit; not a wave, but it let the water in his forearm slosh around a little. "Of course, the cannons on my back aren't just for show, either!"

"Yep, we actually make sure to specialize in water attacks, too! I mean, there aren't too much around that I know of, so we're trying to make things count!" Sabrina glanced down at her PET, and noticed something in the virtual distance. And her Navi wasn't slowing down. "Uh, SplashMan? You might wanna slow down, you've got some company."

"Huh? ...Whoa!" The Aqua Navi put on the brakes, and fortunately was able to stop in time to stay out of the cutting range of his enemies...at least for the time being. "Guess this means we better get started..."

"Yep. Guess we'll have to put the Navi intros on hold for a little bit!" Back to the ol' grind...

Sure. We don't really mind. Delete like hell. Or use Splash. No, Et. Why not? You don't need to know. Aw. Why are we having this conversation? To pass the time. Right. I forgot.

Seeing Sabrina get back to her PET, he walked over behind her and observed her Netbattling. (Such a variety of chip use... The Navi is quick and adept at combat, while the operator is a highly skilled strategist. Interesting. I might be able to replicate some of her strategy later when I can get more upgrades.) Eternalis, still on his shoulder, commented, Wow, you're pretty good at this stuff, eh Sabrina?

There, strategy planned, chips sent, and her role was finished for the moment. ...Why did she suddenly get the feeling she was being watched? A look to one side revealed...OH SHOOT THERE WAS SOMEONE BEHIND HER. With a huge gasp, Sabrina fell over from sheer surprise, and naturally picked then to make it click in her head that said someone was the person she had been talking to. "A-ahh, don't scare me like that!" She stood up again, taking a moment to brush some small bits of grass off the backside of her skirt. "Sorry, you just...kinda surprised me!" Yeah, kinda. She felt like she just had a stroke, heart attack, and a stab to the stomach at the same time. And the stroke might still be ongoing...

Which made her dismissal of Eternalis's opinion all the more surprise. "Well, I guess I'm okay, but I've got a really long way to go if I'm going to be a great NetBattler..." A really, really, REALLY long way to go, if great NetBattler meant being on par with her father. "But, I guess that at least gives me something to shoot for, huh?"

(Dear, dear. You scared a girl. This would not be good for your impression.) He rubbed the back of his head, apologising sheepishly. Oh, er, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. All the while, he was trying to contain his urge to laugh out loud. His Navi, meanwhile, was not so restrained. The miniature holographic projection immediately started rolling over in a fit of laughter, completely ignoring the piercing stare of his irritated operator. Bahahahahah! That was hilarious! Do it again, do it again!

He was quickly reprimanded quite harshly. Et! That's no way to treat a friend! His Navi slowed down slightly, but showed no sign of stopping his act any time soon. Ahahahah, sorry, couldn't help it, ahah- Et... The stern word quickly silenced the Navi, who curled up in a ball and pretended to sulk. Man... you're no fun. Anyone ever told you that?

(OOC: 1000th reply in ACDC. AWESOME.)

Well, that was a...mixed reaction. Sabrina didn't mind, though. She was usually a pretty good sport about these kinds of things. "No, really, it's okay! Just give me a heads up the next time you do that!"

Hmm, let's see...nope, SplashMan was still at it. Now what was she going to-

GROWL...

...Ugh. It just occured to her that she hadn't eaten all day. "Hey, Harke. Do you know any good places to eat around here? I think I'm gonna faint if I don't get something in me soon..."

Somewhere to eat... come to think of it, it was getting close to lunch. His stomach wasn't really crying out for help yet, but best to be safe than hungry. Some place to eat... hmm. I have no idea. This is only the second time I've been here. Hold on, I'll ask someone. He straightened up and looked around for people in the park. Spotting a little kid sitting on a nearby bench, humming away happily, he quickly went up and talked to him. Hello- wait, haven't I seen you before? The child responded with a smile. Oh, hewo mister! I saw you yestuday!

So I did. Listen, do you know anywhere good to eat? he asked. Uhh, my pawents went to somepwace called Wittle Yumwand last week, just a wittle walk over dere. Dey said it was good, the little kid said, pointing to a small shop in the distance. Little Yumland? That sounded awful good. Thanking the kid, he walked back to the squirrel. All right, kid. Thanks a lot! Bye, mister!

He reached Sabrina not long after. Well, I found us somewhere to eat. Tell ya what, we can finish our business and we'll get something over at that place, he said, gesturing towards the small shop.

So...he wanted the two of them to eat together? Well, she had to admit that she wasn't expecting a date today. Though based on his expression, Harke didn't seem to have a clue about what it seemed like..."Uh, sure! Guess it's a good thing no one taught that kid not to talk to strangers, huh?"

Of course, since she hadn't heard the conversation, this raised an obvious question. At least, it was obvious since Sabrina couldn't see any place that qualified as a restaurant in the direction he had motioned towards. "So, what kind of place is it? I'm not exactly picky, but I could go for something spicy! Too bad we're in Electopia, and not Yumland..."

Yumland? Well, you're in luck. The shop is right over there. Look closer, it's kind of secluded, right there. Under that tree. The yellow-walled shop that says 'Little Yumland', he said, pointing to a small building, a stone's throw away, its entrance accompanied by a couple of potted trees, and one large tree on the sidewalk hovering over the outdoor seats. All in all, a cool spot to sit rather than out in the open, especially in this summer afternoon heat. Not that he minded much, he was always more of a sun person.

Looking towards his PET, he saw a chip coming out from the chip output slot. Harke! Chip 'n zenny delivery~! Ecstatic at the news, he snatched the chip out of the slot and examined it. Okay, 500 zenny, Sword chip, 80 damage, breaks after 6 uses. Oh yeah, Et, we're going for lunch, so jack out. Give our teammates our e-mail before you do, k? The Navi looked up at his operator. Lunch? Oh, okay. Jacking out.

Well, I'm done busting for the day. Now, I wonder what kind of food they have there... Harke said to himself as he looked towards the shop, mouth salivating with hunger. I hope they got good spicy tom yum. That soup has some real kick to it. Yeah... His Navi looked on in amusement. Oi, close your mouth or you'll get a fly.

Hmm...yeah, now that he was pointing it out, she could see the place. Little Yumland, huh? Seemed like just the place she was looking for. "Ooh, nice! That sounds perfect!" She might've gone on, but Sabrina simultaneously noticed two things: he was busy checking out a chip, and her PET was making an ominous, yet annoying, beeping noise. Had to check that latter one out...

And soon enough, no more beeping noise. MUCH nicer on the ears. And since it freed her up for a little bit, she glanced over at what Harke had gotten. Fortunately, it was one she knew. "You got a Sword? Nice! I had one of those, it came in handy! I forget what happened to it, though...I guess I probably traded it for something else." Hmm...nope, she couldn't remember what she did with it. Oh well.

Not that she had much time to think about it, what with the person next to her talking about food. "Cut it out, you're making me even hungrier!" As if on cue, Sabrina's stomach started to talk back to her again, as if to say, 'To heck with SplashMan! Go eat!' She wouldn't, of course, but she wished he'd hurry up and bubble those Swordy2 into nothingness...

All right, all right, I'll stop talking about food, Harke replied, becoming aware that he was getting a little hungry as well. He fished around in his pockets for something to pass the time with. Duct tape, cash, chips (can't eat this kind), some sweets, crumpled paper, batteries... wait, what was that earlier? (Score! Instant empty calories in a pill.) He sat down back on the grass, unwrapped the plastic, stashing it back in his pockets and sucked on the delicious sugary confection. It tasted like heaven.

A few seconds into his snacking, he remembered his company. (Oops, forgot about her.)Looking to his side, he realized Sabrina could die of hunger any second and threw one, still wrapped, on the ground. There. Found that in my pockets. Suck on that for a bit and you should be fine for the next... ten minutes or so. Then, he resumed enjoying his candy. Fake additives never tasted so good.

...Throwing a piece of candy onto the ground and telling her to 'suck it'? This guy really had no clue how to treat a girl...luckily for him, she was too hungry to care much. Sabrina snatched the sweet up and popped it in her mouth, granting her momentary immunity to hunger pangs as her stomach actually had something to digest.

Now that she could think rationally again, she whipped out her PET to check on her Navi. Looked like he was all done. And he wanted to keep going? Not a chance. "No way! Jack out, now!" And his subsequent remark about her being concerned about his wellbeing would usually be justified...but not this time. "OUT!"

Within 5 seconds, SplashMan returned to his usual home. "I'm back!"

"Good!" Okay, now they could head over to that Little Yumland or whatever, and she could finally have honest to goodness food. "Okay, Harke, we're good to go! Let's eat!"

M? Harke opened his eyes, candy still in mouth, in response. He swallowed it quickly. You're done? Good. He stood up, slowly doing some stretches from his unintended pseudo-nap. Then, he turned to his overturned pockets. Oops, gotta get these. Picking up everything is a must, he couldn't stand litter.

What are we doing, now, Harke? His Navi asked in puzzlement. You might want to hold on. Then, slipping his PET last into his pocket, he snapped his head a couple of times, turned to Sabrina, fashioned a little smirk and said, Race ya!, before speeding on towards the shop.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Ah, shoot, he got a huge lead on her. She could probably run and not lose any more ground, but eh...Sabrina wasn't sure she had enough energy left to do even that. So, she elected to take a more leisurely jog over to the place.

And suddenly, it dawned on SplashMan what was going on. "Ah, so you got a date while I busting? No wonder you wanted me to jack out so quick!" Heh, good thing they weren't in Harke's hearing range yet.

"Oh, hush!" And with that...Sabrina approached the Sharoian in front of the Yumlandian restaurant. "No fair, I'm already wasting away! If anything, you should've given me that head start!" She wasn't serious, of course. The smile on her face proved it.

"Well, shall we head on in?" She walked over towards the door...and stood next to it, as though waiting for something.

She's... just standing there? (What's she waiting for?) Harke stood there for a good five seconds, trying to figure out what, until his Navi interrupted, silently, thank god for that. (She's waiting for you to open the door for her, dumbass! Common thing to know, sheesh.)

His eyes widened at the realization. Oh, of course, of course. Sorry! He went up to the door hurriedly, and pulled it open. Ladies first.

Woo, he knew what to do. She was a little worried he wouldn't..."Why, thank you!" And into Little Yumland they went...

And a few minutes later, the two found themselves in a nice booth...near the kitchen, of course, just so fate could toy with their stomachs. Stupid fate. At least they already had their drinks, which Sabrina already guzzled half of in an attempt to hold out until the main course arrived. "So, Yumland food...I have to admit, I don't eat it much, since my mom's a cook that specializes in Netopian stuff. You were talking about some kind of soup earlier...Yum Yum, or something like that. What's in it? And is it good? Though I'm guessing it is, the way you looked when you were talking about it."

SplashMan appeared as a hologram above his operator's shoulder, but decided not to say anything. Mainly because he didn't really know what to say at the moment...

He was already halfway into the kitchen, imagination-wise, anyway. Stupid Sabrina, interrupting his daydreaming. Oh, she was asking a question. Hm? Oh, what, the soup I was talking about earlier? Well, I'll try not to describe it in too much detail, you'd get even hungrier. Tom yum is a foreign soup brought to Yumland. It's a soup with herbs and meat. Sometimes chicken, sometimes seafood, but more often seafood. The result is a soup that's as spicy as you like, but also kind of zesty on the tongue. I ordered it with a side of rice. Speaking of which, I didn't hear what you ordered.

(( Had this for dinner, right after I mentioned it in my previous post. Weird. o_o ))

He was worried about making her hungrier? Sabrina wasn't even sure that was possible at this point...it did sound good, though. "Sounds nice! I got the green curry with chicken, myself. It looked like something my mom made once, and I remember that I really liked it." The fact it was literally the first dish she read off the menu didn't exactly hurt, either, but she wasn't telling anyone that.

With that, she started to look around the place that called itself Little Yumland. It wasn't that big a place, but it still made sure to include some touches, such as potted palm trees and miniatures of Yumland's giant Buddha statue, in addition to the aroma coming from the kitchen. "You know, once you get to looking around, you can really see why they call it Little Yumland..." Now, if only they had some Yumlandian cuisine to go with it...

Flip, flap.

That sweet, sweet sound of the kitchen door flying open, could only mean one thing. Food! The teenager beamed as the steaming bowl was put before him. The lights in the shop shined off the surface of the orange-red soup. Grabbing the smaller bowl of rice, he took a spoon and dumped half of the rice into the soup. You eating? he asked as his companion's food also arrived at the same time. I'm not eating till you do. Looking at the table, he spotted something unexpected.

A jack-in port? Well, hey, Et. You can go bust while we eat, he said as he plugged in the PET.