Sneasel Goes Too Far

...Alright, fine. Everyone else is answering their own questions, even if it’s kinda embarrassing for them, so... I’ll do it. If you really wanna know about the time I went too far with teasing Booker, then listen up, cuz I’ll tell it to you just this once.

But you gotta buy me a drink later, K?

So, here’s the thing. Booker and I were out doing another job, right? We were exploring a dungeon and trying to save someone. We brought food to eat along the way, but I stepped on a trap and all the food in my belt pouch got all grimy. Don’t you just hate when that happens? Luckily, Booker was riding in my other pouch, so he was clean, but we were all out of food.

And I was hungry. Real hungry.

It got worse and worse. Every step, it was like my belly just got more and more empty. It hurt so bad, I felt like I was gonna faint from hunger. And my stomach just wouldn’t stop growling. Booker was kinda scared of all the noise, since he was riding in my pouch right next to my belly, after all. Still, he kept cheering me on and trying to encourage me, like he always does. I knew he was trying to distract me from the hunger. But it didn’t help. I just got frustrated, cuz we weren’t finding any food, and I couldn’t last much longer.

So I made a joke to lighten my mood. I said there was still one thing to eat. Booker asked me what, and I told him: him. I told him the reason I kept bringing him along with me on missions was so he could be emergency rations in times like this. That kinda freaked him out, even though he was pretty sure I was joking.

For some reason, messing with him and seeing his reaction did kinda cheer me up. I wanted to take it a step further—a step too far, even. Now, maybe the hunger was driving me nuts and making me act reckless, or maybe I was just being dumb like I usually am...

Either way, I did something I really shouldn’t have: I grabbed Booker out of my pouch, dangled him over my open mouth, and started moving him closer, like I was really gonna eat him.

Oh boy... poor guy freaked out like you wouldn’t believe. He started flailing around and screaming his head off. He was totally losing his mind, panicking. I’d never seen him act like that, and... well, it kinda broke my icy little heart, to be honest. I knew right away I made a huge mistake by messing with him like that.

So I lowered him down and held him in my hands, and I laughed and told him I was just playing around. I promised I’d never actually eat him, and said I was sorry for scaring him. But he didn’t say anything. He just whimpered, and curled up in a ball and hid his face.

I... gods, this is why I didn’t wanna talk about this. I hate remembering how he looked right there. I hated seeing him that way, all shivering and having a total breakdown... and all because I acted stupid and went way too far with a dumb joke.

Look, you know how I always say I hate weaklings? That includes people who freak out when something scary happens. But for some reason, this time, I decided to cut Booker some slack. Cuz I knew what I did was scarier than I meant it to be, and it was all my fault anyway. So I didn’t get frustrated with him or call him a pansy or anything. Not this time. I did my best to help him calm down. It took a while, but he finally relaxed. We talked for a bit, and he forgave me—but I got the feeling he was just saying that, and was still really upset at me.

We didn’t talk for the rest of the dungeon. On the bright side, we managed to find an apple on the ground on the next floor. I gobbled that thing up in an instant, even though I don’t really like apples. I was just happy to get some food in me again.

Anyway, we didn’t run into any more trouble. We found the client and saved him not long after that. Then me and Booker made it back to the guildhall and stayed in our dorm for a while. I kept apologizing to him, even though I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be enough to make up for what I did. I was even a bit worried he’d quit being my partner, honestly. But Booker somehow found it in him to forgive me. I could tell he was still kinda rattled, but he still trusted me in the end. Then again, he admitted he doubted me for a minute there, and actually thought I was gonna betray him and eat him cuz the situation was just so desperate. But then he said he was dumb to think that way, cuz we’re best friends.

And he was right! He’s my best friend. The best friend I’ve ever had, even. I may tease him and go too far sometimes, like that one time... but I’d never ever hurt him, not in a million years, believe me.

...Alright. Sorry if that dragged on for a while, but that’s the answer to your question. Glad that’s over. But it felt kinda good to get it off my chest. I’ve never told anyone about that. And hopefully nothing like that is gonna happen again.

Okay, that’s it. You can go away now. Wait—one more thing. Don’t forget you owe me a drink, alright?