"Hey Phil."

"Hmm?"

"How do you know a rabbit is in a good mood?"

"Hmm?"

"It's when they're... hoppy?"

...

"Steve, what's the name of the dungeon we're guarding?"

"Uhm, The Cave of Kai-er'Banog?"

"Exactly. It's literally filled with face eating rabbits. They have a mean streak a mile wide. Stop talking."

--Conversation between two Guards, Lenorian Dungeon. From, "Safe Guide to Dungeon Delving", AC 1622.

I slowly return to consciousness and I realize I'm back in the [safe zone]. I'm currently sprawled out on one of the coral tables, and I see that Luna is gently snoring; slumped over one of my claws. She appears to be sleeping, and I struggle to put together what happened as I rouse my weary mind.

Luna must have sensed something, because as I get my bearings she springs up from her slump. She grips my claw tightly, preventing me from moving as she began to cry,

"Sir Crabby! Are you okay? Speak to me Crabby!"

Her words pound in my head and I raise my claw to my carapace, trying to block out the pain she's causing.

"Shh... keep it quiet please. I'm..." I run a quick diagnostic without moving. My health has recovered and there doesn't appear to be any cracks in my shell. She's still holding me tight so I can't [coast] to test out movement. Other than that? "Other than everything hurting, I think i'm okay."

She slumps once more onto the table. She speaks quietly and with evident relief, saying,

"Oh thank Wisdom! I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you."

I try to nod, but the motion provokes a wave of pain. I may still be in one piece, but it feels like everything is jostling inside, as if it hasn't settled into place yet. I ask her, "What happened?"

She hesitantly begins to respond, "Well, after you were attacked... the only thing I could do was set off a blast right next to you with one of my [LEG BOMBS]. Even though you weren't the target, you were hit by the shockwave. It knocked you out and killed most of the starfish, and with their death, I was able to [Recall] us back here."

She made a vague motion towards the door. "Todd helped me drag you from the platform and removed the few fish that were remaining."

I try to imagine how TODD could move anything. I mean, does he even have any muscles under all the spikes? How would that work? I dismiss it for now, that'll be a thought for later. With my other claw, I gently remove her arms from clasping me. There is something I need to address.

I try to keep my voice neutral, but even still, a hint of the pain and anguish I am feeling seeps into my voice.

"What... what happened with that? I was calling for you to help me. You didn't respond. I'm not sure how long it was, but my music ran out." A hint of accusation colors my tone as I say, "I thought... I thought you had run away."

Luna flinches, as if my speech had physically struck her. She curls up, pulling away from me. In a small, quiet voice she says,

"No, no I wasn't going to run away. It was just... when the starfish blew up you started flailing around and I couldn't see. I only had four legs left, only one attack before I'd be forced to drag myself." Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she speaks. Finally she says, "I've never told you how I awakened did I?"

Silently, I shake my claw no.

"I wasn't bestowed a class like you were. No, it was only in the wake of a battle that I gained [sapience]. When I came to, I was on the outskirts of a melee. I only had... I only had one leg left and there was still fighting raging in the area." I can hear her begin to cry a little, "I was helpless, and my first thoughts, my first knowledge was knowing how helpless I was. When I heard you like that, when I wanted to go in to help you... I just got so scared. I'm not... I'm not fearless like you are Crabby. I don't know if I'm cut out for this."

A hundred thoughts and responses and accusations rush through my mind. I consider and discard them one by one until I'm left with a realization. She wasn't going to abandon me. Just as I was a scared crab alone in a dungeon, she was a scared starfish struggling with combat. And I knew how to help.

I slowly reach over and pat her shoulder, the area where one of her arms joins her core. I try to put on a reassuring tone as I say,

"Hey, hey you know I'm not fearless right? There's lots of things I'm scared of..."

*sniff* "Yeah? Like what?"

"Well I'm scared of octopus' for one. I don't know, they just creep me out."

Her crying is cut off as she briefly chuckles. She sounds a bit more centered as she says, "That doesn't count."

"No, no it doesn't I suppose." A swell of hesitation rises in me before I decide to quash it. I forge on, telling her my greatest fear. "I guess my biggest fear is... time."

"What do you mean?"

"I might be little, but I'm not dumb. I know I was just a regular mundane crab on the coast who randomly met a princess. I also know that while I will always hold her as my friend, she may not remember or care as she grows older. How long will it take me to get home?"

I shuffle a bit, as I consider the unspoken answer. I then remember how big she was. How big and how small compared to the other humans. She... she might be young like me. I continue, "Will she remember me in a month, a year? For me, it was the defining moment of my life, but for her? Was I important to her as well, or just another playmate she made at the beach?"

I trail into silence, my raw emotion brought to light. I feel scraped raw, finally voicing the fears which lurked in the back of my mind since I've entered the dungeon. As I stare at my claws, thoughts whirling in my mind, a light *bonk* on my head breaks my spiraling thoughts.

I look up and see Luna standing there, two arms on her hips and looking at me. She says,

"Well I don't know about your princess, but for me?" She leans forward, wrapping me in a hug. "For me, you're important right now. And if you'll have me... I'll be your friend as well." My claw reaches around her body and draws her close. We hold that position, and for just a little bit, find comfort in the presence of each other.

As we break contact, a voice rumbles in the room.

"TODD."

Luna responds "Yes, Todd I agree. If we're going to make this happen then we have to work better as a team. We should come up with a strategy for when I run out of legs."

We all sit there in silence, thinking about the problem. A glimmer of an idea begins to form and I ask her,

"How does that skill work exactly?"

She raises an arm and gestures. "Well, I can naturally detach my limbs. And when I do so, I target them with the skill. The residual mana in the limbs either detonates or moves me as needed."

"So, what you're saying is that, if you had more than twelve legs, you could use your skills more?"

She seems confused as she says, "Yeesss? But I don't... I only have twelve."

I turn to Todd, my mandibles spreading in a Crabby grin,

"Do you have a bag around here?"