THE MOMENT
"Whaaaat??" it was so sudden, and such a drastic change. Tears were threatening to well up in Regyn's eyes, but she held them back; the darkness of the narrow dungeon hall around them helped keep them hidden. The four girls, two teens and two preteens, had been nothing but friendly and welcoming when she joined them. They were two sets of twins, and it took a little bit for Regyn to learn their names and tell them apart. The two youngest looked about 10; the one with brown hair and green eyes was named Six while the one with blonde hair and brown eyes was named 23. They were a Paladin and a Card Mage, respectively, while the older twins, Davina and Karin, were a pair of Knights. Between Six and 23 they had plenty of healing, but they brought Regyn in to let them focus more on firepower.
Except, after a few attempts at the boss, the team decided it wasn't working out. That was when Karin said the meanest thing Regyn had heard from any of the girls so far. It came right as she was being dismissed from the group for not dealing enough damage.
"Are you... serious...?" Regyn asked with a lump in her throat and flush with embarrassment. "My healing sucks...?"
"She didn't mean it like that!" Davina tried to defend her sister and she was surprised when Karin spoke up as well.
"Oh damn, sorry!" Karin stepped forward immediately and apologized as the younger two tried to reassure Regyn as well. Davina moved back, mildly confused and simultaneously proud. She knew knew her sister well, and she'd been changing lately. She was more willing to engage with strangers, and even if Regyn didn't understand how big a deal it was, what Karin said actually held a lot of meaning. It wasn't in the words that she said, but that She'd said them. Karin smiled awkwardly and even grabbed Regyn's hands.
"You're a fantastic healer," she assured Regyn with a nod. "I was trying to say it playfully, because you're cool. And I put in a little too much snark I guess. I'm really sorry, and I wasn't trying to be mean at all," she apologized with complete sincerity and Regyn could tell how much she meant it. "But also…,” she continued. “I mean, it'd be fun to group again in the future. And.. as good as you already are.. just as a general statement, I hope you're better next time," she smiled. "Because we will be."
"Okay, I can understand that," Regyn smiled. "Thank you all so much for giving me a chance at all. It's been hard to find a group for this boss since he needs such heavy DPS. I'm glad I had a chance to see what it's actually like for myself, and I know how to improve."
"Sorry that we couldn't get it done with this combination," Davina nodded with a shrug.
"We're going to keep trying to find a healer that can put out enough damage," Six said. "But, whenever you think you're good enough to try again, we'll be happy to fill out the team."
"Thanks!" Regyn said. "Good luck," she waved at the four girls, and they all waved back as she exited the dungeon through a portal.
"And just like that, we're looking for another Healer," Karin said as she joined the matching queue. It's a bummer," she shook her head. "I hope we group with her again, she was super nice."
