Panotty trips into one of Archan's many pitfalls on the way to his concert. As he navigates his way through the traps, he realizes she isn't safe either. Requested by a tumblr anon!

Tricky Tomfoolery

"Kyahaha! I got you!"

Panotty's eyes rolled around in his skull as someone's voice echoed above him. His precious panpipes scattered to his side as he ran his fingers along the soft earth. He made out splotches of brown and hints of green surrounding him, and with a quick shake of his head, he quickly registered that he was the victim of a pitfall.

Archan peered down at the befuddled elf, her lips twisted into a wide grin. "I got you, I got you! You didn't watch your step!"

"H-hey! What's the big idea?" Panotty hurried to his feet, wobbling and using the uneven wall for support. He grimaced as dirt scattered between his fingers, landing in a clump by his scuffed shoes.

Giggling, Archan rocked herself from side to side. "Kyaha! What's the big idea? There's no big idea! Just pitfalls! There's more, too! Lots, lots more!"

"H-huh? Hey, hey! I have a big concert today! I can't waste time playing with a little kid when I have hundreds of people to entertain!"

"Eh? Aren't we around the same age?"

"No! I bet I'm older!"

Sticking out his tongue, Panotty clipped his panpipes to his belt and grabbed hold of a thick root dangling out from the opposite side of the hole. Carefully, he dragged himself back to the top where Archan waited, her mischievous grin inciting his growing annoyance. He heaved himself out only for his hand to press down through the earth, revealing a nearby pitfall that caused thick clods of grass and dirt to fall all the way down to the bottom of the much larger, deeper hole.

Archan laughed, holding her treasured bow and arrow above her head. "You got lucky avoiding that one, but there's plenty more to go!"

Paling, he balanced himself between the tiny space between the pitfalls. "Whaaat? There's no way you dug up so many holes! Aren't you afraid of falling in one of 'em?"

"That's just the fun of it all! Even being on the tricked side is fun!" She beamed, threw her arms out and pivoted on her heels.

Panotty watched as she skipped and bounded around him. The forest covered her in shadowy swathes, forcing him to squint to catch her every moment. Archan laughed and pranced, leaping about like a graceful ballerina and landed perfectly each time.

With the threat of more pitfalls looming around him, he wondered if she had been lying. She hadn't fallen in a single one yet despite her rapid lunging. He thought she would have fallen victim to one of her own traps, tumbling down and bumping her head just as he had done.

Panotty took a step forward. He stomped his foot down and felt nothing but firm soil. Taking another step, he stood still and waited as Archan spun around him.

He wasn't falling. He remained perfectly still with the twin pitfalls behind him. Uttering a sigh, he smiled and took another step.

"Kyahahaaaaaa!"

The earth split open to his left, and Archan's body became a blur of colors. Surprise crossed her vibrant expression, replacing mirth with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Her bow and arrow shot up into the air as she fell, flipping like batons.

He knew he could've just left her to fall, but his body turned. His hand lunged out before his mind could properly react and clutched her tiny hand. With a grunt, he yanked her towards him as the pitfall devoured the clumps of grass, dirt, and baffled insects.

Balancing himself, he steadied his fellow elf now giggling up a storm. She nearly stood on his toes as she looked up to him, their noses almost touching. Panotty pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, heat quickly scorching his cheeks as their closeness dawned on him.

"Kyahaha! Thank you!" She tilted her head and reached back, expertly catching her bow and arrow without looking. "What a surprise! Thanks for making this much more fun!"

"Whaaat? I'm telling you that there's nothing fun about falling down into big holes!"

"There is, there is! That's the trick!"

Rolling his eyes as she pouted, he said, "I know for a fact that my concert is gonna be way more exciting than digging up pitfalls."

"Eeeh? Is that so?" Latching onto Panotty's arm, Archan laughed. "I'll go if it'll be fun! Try and prove me wrong!"

Squeaking, Panotty tried tearing his arm back, but her grip was too strong. She had weaved her arm through the space between his elbow and side and linked their fingers together. With her ever-present playful grin beaming up to him, Panotty found himself unable to run away.

Though, when he thought about it, he was just given the chance to impress a new audience member. Hardly anyone wanted to hear his music. Not even Arle could stick around for more than a few minutes. While she had been looking for Carbuncle, he still viewed it as an deep insult when she meandered around the issue of staying.

For Archan to genuinely want to hear his music made his heart flutter and lips stretch into his cheeks. Certainly she had caused him a little problem, but what was that compared to her being truly interested in listening to his music?

"Heh heh heh! All right! I'll show you the best-uwah!"

As Panotty marched forward, he toppled down into another pitfall with Archan, who immediately burst into laughter. Grumbling, he rubbed his head and fixed his lopsided hat. Before he could yell at her, she offered him his fallen panpipes.

"Maybe you can play down here for me since I dug up so many?" she offered, her cheeks lightly smudged.

Sighing, Panotty decided it was better than nothing. He managed a gentle smile, took a breath, and began playing for his spellbound guest.