Like the situation with Kenza offering the shield, Mistletoe was acutely aware of her status in the group: the injured packmate. As such, it was her job to step up to title and take the meager offerings so that her teammates would be better equipped to deal with threats she physically could not deal well with at the moment. On past hunts, there had been a few times she was injured -- some like the current, but most less severe -- and she'd met both cold pragmatists who didn't give her the benefit of the doubt as well as kind souls who attempted to arm her with weapons she couldn't use properly. Of these two, Mistletoe preferred the latter for company, but the former for the field. At least with the party members who were comfortable to leave her to rot if the situation called for it, she wouldn't have to decline their kindnesses and seem like she was looking for death.

Then there was the matter of herself and melee weapons. To say she was clumsy was putting it nicely -- compared to most hunters, she looked like a fish out of water most times, and a toddler learning to walk others. Of course she was better-versed than most common folk, but compared to the likes of Kenza or Derrick she might as well have just picked the weapon up. In her hands, a sword or a spear just felt wrong, like something vital was missing. Where was the elegance, the preciseness, the quiet decisiveness that came with using a bow? Melee weapons required her to stay close to the enemy, which was exactly what all of her instincts screamed at her not to. Her daggers, be as they may, were mostly just for show since she'd only rarely had to pull them out. They were her favored melee weapons of choice not because they brought her frighteningly close to the enemy but because, if the situation ever got out of control, she had the option of throwing them at her target and taking off. 

Still, she saw the sense in arming herself with a blade, however useless it might be. The halberd was clearly heavier than the spear, making it the less desirable choice of the two weapons considering that Mistletoe was one hand short.

"The shortspear's fine," Mistletoe said, uninjured hand wrapping around it when Derrick passed it over. Testing its weight -- slightly lighter than her usual longbow, probably due to rust and age -- Mistletoe leaned the weapon against her shoulder and looked around at her companions. "Onwards we go then?" she asked, moving towards the stairwell back down.  The stairwell up had been reduced to rubble, and Mistletoe didn't really want to chance getting stuck on the wrong side when the group had pursuers. Behind her, Kenza was in agreement, following closely as the girl opened the door and headed into the next room. 

[hr][@hekazu][@lord of evil]