“Mhm.” She nodded before putting the item back into her bag carefully. To Serah, these cores were interesting, being small crystals that would someday hold an entire planet in the sky for all of humanity to reside on. It was a good thing they were around since there were no more Fal’Cie to do the job. Not that humanity would want them anymore, anyway.
So far, Serah had covered the entire beach and even spoke to some of the villagers, showing them the example. None have reported to have seen one. The only place now was beyond the gate that separated New Bodhum and the rest of the wilderness of Pulse.
“I’ve searched the entire beach, but found nothing. The next place to go would be outside of the village.” a glanced finger pointed over to their destination. “You don’t have to go. There’s a lot of monsters roaming around. It could be dangerous.” Serah didn’t mean to make any assumptions that Stella couldn’t protect herself, but she didn’t want her to get hurt trying to assist in her task.
{☆} — So the village had already been thoroughly searched, and what remained now was a vast wilderness for them to rake through. Stella crossed her arms in thought, estimating how long their search could possibly take. Without so much a hint as to where they could pinpoint an appropriate location, would they be able to find such a small object in a reasonable amount of time? It was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, really. Perhaps Serah had a sort of plan in place to narrow the search effort, she hoped. Time was a luxury she didn’t have after all.
Hearing the concern present in Serah’s voice, she looked up to meet her gaze and a smile etched upon her lips in return, grateful for the pinkette’s consideration.
"I appreciate your kind thoughtfulness. But rest assured, I am more than capable of taking care of myself.“ Stella replied with an air of raw confidence, albeit a little too proudly. Her genteel appearance was indeed deceiving. While most people perceived her as merely an heiress who was gifted in numerous ways, not many were aware of her love and talent for sword art.
”And… It would not sit well with me to leave you out there to fend for yourself, so please allow me to accompany you.“ She added. Her assistance would be crucial during the trek to the outside lands, and she doubted the moogle could offer much protection on his own.