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Post by stormecho on Sept 13, 2011 18:26:03 GMT -5
There was little Avari found particularly good about her current situation.
The first, that she was in an exchange program which, while getting her out of her country, also had legal papers and depended on people knowing who she was.
The second, that she had to deal with people. She could not wait for the one last year until she could truly start off on her own - though she had little idea of what she wanted to do. She was skilled with computers, so perhaps hacking... she didn't plan on going to university or college. The quicker she could disappear from the world, the better.
The third was rather ironic. She had disappeared from the world, or rather, been suddenly teleported whilst walking by a computer terminal. She was now in a strangely lush forest. With roadsigns. While this was arguably better than being stuck in a class that knew who she was, she had no idea where she was. The vegetation looked... odd, out of place with what she remembered from her brief walks in the park in Odaiba. She had heard of literal roadsign forests, but they generally were packed together, not spread out like this. And they were simply signs littering the trees - not signposts tossed in with trees and undergrowth as if they had grown there.
There had been nothing out of the ordinary about the computer that had apparently triggered the sudden change in her location. Perhaps the screen had been slightly brighter than normal, but that could be blamed on lighting. She had been oblivious - and not being perceptive enough had managed to get her stuck here.
The forest was... dark, and the odd combination of nature and technology was certainly not a normal sight. She could use the signs as landmarks - it didn't seem safe to stay in one place for too long - but there were quite a lot of them, and some repeated. If someone had intended for this to be a confusing labyrinth for the few who managed to find it, the creator had certainly succeeded.
Trying to fix her location and surroundings into her mind, she began to walk.
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Post by thal on Sept 13, 2011 18:51:28 GMT -5
- ~ - ~ -  ~ - ~ - ~ WON'T LET YOU SLIP THROUGH MY FINGERS
Now... where was that traitorous little pet?
If she'd gone very far, the screams would have led him to her by now, like they had the first time this had happened. That meant that she was still in the area, but hiding. In a forest like this, a confusing maze of trees that read "STOP" and traffic lights with no function, there were innumerable places a small creature could use to evade pursuit. This wouldn't be easy.
"I will find you..."
He swore under his breath, his gaze darting around the forest straining itself on every shadow he passed. He was out of breath, angry, but at the same time vulnerable here in the middle of this monster-infested nightmare. He had nobody to protect him from the things that lived here, and no way back. Caught up in the desire to chase down and capture his Digimon, he'd oafishly forgotten to take a compass with him. He was lost and didn't know the way home.
Somewhere in the bushes, he thought he heard a sound like giggling. Pretending not to have heard it, he continued walking. If this was her, he wanted to lull her into a false sense of security so that he could catch her by surprise. Then, he'd put her on the leash again. That would put an end to her mischief no doubt. After the first time he'd seen what it could do, he admitted... it had felt pretty-
Someone else was here.
He'd been caught in the act! What act? He wasn't doing anything wrong. Reminding himself that, he wiped away the look of guilty surprise clinging to his face, waving casually at the other person approaching. Scared off by the racket, he'd probably lost his chance to recapture Koro. What horrible timing.
Now he'd have to get this over with first before he could corner her again. |
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Post by chinatsu on Sept 14, 2011 1:15:16 GMT -5
"Stand fast!"
From out of the 'woods' near the two humans a strangely archaic command to halt suddenly rang. With some light rasping and scraping noises a small floating yellow digimon with fierce eyes floated out from a thick section of 'forest'. He stopped once he was in the clear, looking back and forth between Avari and Valus briefly before looking back over his shoulder.
After a moment of silence a young girl, probably still not even a teen-ager, appeared from among the signs, looking slightly winded. She reached out to lean a hand on the digimon and bowed her head a little, drawing in gasping breaths with a slightly red face.
"Forgive me, lady. I did not wish to let this chance slip away. These are the first two humans we have encountered, and I thought perhaps they could help aid in our quest. Thus, I made haste. I hope you are not too tired..."
The digimon's voice was young, but very serious and polite, with a very strange air of antiquity about it.
Chinatsu, having regained her breath, met Kyokyomon's eyes and shook her head with a small smile, patting his head. He closed his eyes and seemed to enjoy the attention, but when his eyes opened again he was all business.
Kyokyomon swung his body back and forth to regard the other two humans. He then cleared his throat and looked straight ahead, back straight, as he proclaimed:
"Lo, before you is Lady Chinatsu of the Kayuu. I am her faithful champion Kyokyomon. Together we seek the whereabouts of the Lady's lost voice. In honor's name, if you have any information that could aid us, speak now!" the declaration seemed a little silly coming from such a small creature, but his words seemed to carry weight, and it was clear that the small digimon was very serious about every word he said.
In the silence that followed this formal speech Chinatsu, blushing furiously, first tried to signal to Kyokyomon in a flustered way that he was being way too formal and was probably confusing the two poor people he had suddenly accosted, and then switched to bowing and making placating gestures to Avari and Valus, sweating hard. Ahh~ it was nice having a companion that could do her talking for her, but his way of talking was so forceful and forward! It was embarrassing!
As Kyokyomon had delivered his message, and Chinatsu obviously could add nothing herself, the two stood silently. Kyokyomon straight as a rod, eyes straight ahead with a serious expression while Chinatsu meekly flicked her eyes back and forth between the two humans to see how they would react to it all.
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Post by stormecho on Sept 15, 2011 15:35:36 GMT -5
Avari didn't freeze as she saw someone else in the forest. Already, she was falling into a falsehood - easy enough to do - and acting within those bounds. Anyone who was lost would be more than happy to find someone else to guide them out, and so she glided forward, smiling.
"Woah, how awesome! I thought I was going to be stuck here forever. It's really creepy and dark and those signs -" she stopped and offered her hand tentatively. "Sorry, I guess I talk too much when I'm scared." She giggled nervously, ran a hand through her short hair - a nervous tic. Good, it would make her look more natural. "I'm Shion. I don't even know how I got here - I think I took a nap for a second, near a computer, and when I woke up, I was here! Weird, huh?"
She didn't want to be here, talking to him, but it was better to be led out and lie and never see her guide again than wander in circles and possibly do something really stupid. She had never had the chance to camp before...
She had never had the chance to camp, and she was used to urban life. Waking up on the street would have been... tolerable, if she stayed cautious. Teleporting into a strange forest was an entirely different matter.
Before she could continue the inane chatter, something called out to them, and she froze. The thing that had called out emerged, shortly followed by a normal girl, but she barely noticed the human in favour of her companion.
It was... a dragon, or a floating lizard-like beast. And it had been the one to speak, and there was no doubt it was intelligent - it had swept the area, as if looking for threats, before allowing the girl to come out, and...
Well, it had talked. At least there was no need to fake her astonishment, and she stopped fidgeting entirely to stare as it continued to address the two of them. It - no, the voice was definitely male - inquired about a lost voice, and his companion? owner? seemed to be rather embarrassed about the situation. The simple fact that a floating lizard/dragon was speaking had been enough to shock her, so his formality was something she barely noticed.
She tugged at her hair and started to fidget again. "Uh... I haven't heard anything about a lost... voice. And I've never seen anything like you, or this place, or anything! How did I get here? Do you know?" She let fear and pleading creep into her voice. Kyokyomon seemed polite - she was relatively sure she would get some definitive answers in this sort of company.
Not far away, there was a quiet rustle of bushes as a horn pushed through them, the noise soft enough to go almost unnoticed.
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Post by thal on Sept 15, 2011 18:00:12 GMT -5
- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ WON'T LET YOU SLIP THROUGH MY FINGERS
Valus listened noncommitally, reaching out and gently squeezing the proffered hand, making only fleeting eye contact with the girl who'd emerged from the undergrowth. He couldn't see a Digimon with her, and her nervous chatter provided no useful insight. Barely registering her name, Shion, his partner's whereabouts were of more immediate interest to him. Instead, what he got was a small dragon-like Digimon, followed after by another girl. This one was much younger. She looked fragile... and humiliated.
"Awwww dear now! Lost yer voice 'ave you my love? Tha's simply awful, so it is! An' miss Shion, did she say? Lost yer way? My, this ain't no picnic, no rightly!"
That voice... it belonged to a Koromon, a bouncing pink creature with a body that was mostly mouth - it was open now and nothing could stop it. Prancing out into the open as if he wasn't even there, the creature seated itself on the ground in front of Kyokyomon, smiling up at him with blushing cheeks.
"A fine strapping Digimon though you is, my lad! So nice ter see a Digimon tha gots values still! Koromon, tha's me! But I take Lady top o' tha, any time so you please! Rambling away at a pace that was almost impossible to completely comprehend in a voice like an elderly scullery maid, Valus' partner problem had solved itself, to an extent. With two Digimon present now, the imminent danger was lessened. But he was still lost for the time being. Simply abandoning these two and returning to his Father's home couldn't be done.
That Kyokyomon... he was the other figure of authority. What a pity that he might be needed to fend off the wild Digimon. Shion was clueless and too talkative and loud, a lot like his partner, and wasn't even supposed to be here by the sounds of things. How they'd stumbled into this world by accident when he'd gone to great trouble to get here made him feel like he'd been ripped off. But back to matters at hand, the mute girl was just a pretty figurehead. As much as he resented it, treating the dragon Digimon as an equal seemed the only sensible option.
"Kyokyomon, my name is Valus. You already know Koromon." Upon hearing her name, Koromon suddenly seemed to notice him again. A sudden look of alarm on her face appearing as she remembered that only minutes ago she'd been playing hide and seek. "Can we escort you until we find an exit gate? Shion needs one, and together we're all safer." Finishing before Koromon could say anything implicating or run away again, the look of confusion on her face was amusing to him. Did she think he actually cared? This was only a necessary measure to stay within a group. Beyond that, these people were just strangers.
"See tha, Kyokyomon sir? Settin' a fine right example for the lads, you are! Valoos! It be time rightly you be gettin' into the spirit o' things! Them damsels ain't gotta worry wi' you around, so they don't! You too Kyokyo my love!" Trembling with barely contained enthusiasm, Koromon seemed too caught up in the moment intentionally or otherwise to notice the way Valus looked down on her derisively. Maybe she did know, and that was why her smile seemed so self-important?
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Post by chinatsu on Sept 15, 2011 19:23:31 GMT -5
As introductions were exchanged Chinatsu gave a polite bow to both humans, and then the small Koromon as she appeared to join the conversation. Kyokyomon matched her bow with small bobs of his head as well. Neither of them were any good at doubting or analyzing others, so the both of them took everything that was told them at face value. Chinatsu reflected concern for Shion's state of being lost (and without a partner of her own, even worse), and then brightened to a smile to match with Koromon's as she piped up.
The two politely waited in silence until everyone else had finished speaking. Then, as most eyes were on them for a resolution, Chinatsu met Kyokyomon's eyes. She gave a small nod, which he matched before turning back to face the others.
"My Lady and I are in agreement. It would be safer for us all to travel together. The Lady Shion does not appear to have her own guardian as of yet, and therefore is even more vulnerable in these dangerous woods. By banding our strength, Lady Koromon and myself should be able to see you all safely to an exit," Kyokyomon proclaimed, puffing up his chest bravely.
Chinatsu softly touched the Digimon's back, and he paused, meeting her eyes before turning back and continuing.
"... However, we will then need to part ways. My Lady wishes to continue her quest until she reaches her goal, and has no intention of returning to the human realm at this time."
Chinatsu's eyes showed determination as she nodded to emphasize this proclamation.
Finally Kyokyomon swiveled, glancing quickly at each member of the party.
"Sir Valus and Lady Koromon should take the fore and forge our path. Lady Shion should stay in the middle where it is safest, with Lady Chinatsu. I will be the rearguard, and protect our flank from any surprises," Kyokyomon said, flying around in a little circle as he did. Despite his youth, his grasp of tactics seemed sound.
Chinatsu looked over at Shion and gave her a friendly smile, which she hoped would provide a little strength. She was still new and a little frightened of this whole digital world full of monsters, but it must have been 100 times more scary to be there without a wonderful partner like Kyokyomon to back her up. She hoped Shion would find her partner soon so she could feel a little more secure. Or, if she had no partner, she hoped they would find an exit soon so Shion could get back to her old life.
As for Valus... Chinatsu wasn't sure. He hadn't mentioned a quest of his own, and she had assumed anyone with a partner digimon would have one, like her own. But, since he was willing to help them and travel with them he should be fine. His Koromon partner was very cute and energetic as well, so he definitely couldn't be a bad person. She turned her smile to him, though a little more shyly than she had for Shion.
"If there are no objections, let us make haste!" Kyokyomon said, circling back to Chinatsu's side and waiting for the procession to move out so he could take up the rear.
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Post by stormecho on Sept 15, 2011 20:45:24 GMT -5
And lo and behold, another creature bounced out of the woods, this one talking faster than even her nervous speech of before - an impressive feat indeed.
She introduced herself as Koromon, and apparently accompanied the boy who revealed himself as Valus. Koromon resembled a bouncing pink ball with tassel-ears and far too big a mouth, and seemed to instantly force everyone into making the decision to protect her. Valus offered to escort her to an... "exit gate" - she filed the term away as something useful to remember - and there was rapid agreement all around.
She didn't think she imagined the odd looks that passed between Koromon and Valus, and she compared them to how Kyokyomon and Chinatsu interacted, what little she had noticed. There was a difference, but that... could mean anything.
There would be time to consider this later. Right now, she bowed deeply. "I don't want to impose - but if you could get me back safely, that'd be great! But, um... could you explain what your... friends are? Your guardians? And... where am I? You said an exit gate - you don't mean like, an exit to a road or something? I really don't recognize this place at all..." That was... true. She had no idea where she was, how she had gotten here - in the specifics - and since these two... four travellers seemed well-intentioned enough to not only get her out, but explain what was going on, it made sense to find out as much as she could.
She smiled back at Chinatsu, willing to play the frightened foreigner. She wasn't sure if she was actually afraid - there was probably some significant danger if travelling as a group was so important. The tactics were sound, and she grinned as the little dragon planned everything out, prepared to move while her questions were answered.
Another, louder rustle from the bushes. "Wait."
Yet another monster emerged from the bushes - this one shaped a bit like Koromon, as much as it was a bouncing ball of fur. It had a jutting horn from its head, and it wasted no time in coming to a stop near her feet. It was vaguely creepy how it just looked at her, as if expecting a telepathic link to be established.
The new intruder didn't look away from her, and the next time it spoke, it was much quieter. "She has a guardian."
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Post by taylor on Sept 16, 2011 2:45:25 GMT -5
Oot too far away, a boy, probably in his mid teens, picked his way through the forest, treading carefully to avoid unwanted accidents. Despite the fact that the forest was in no ways cold, he was clad in a rather nice green sweater, dark pants and a rather despondent expression. Keeping pace with him, moving right alongside, was his (somewhat forced) friend and companion Bakumon, who never seemed to stray too far away from his partner, though this was mostly upon request. The silence of the forest was stifling, and Taylor did not want to be alone in any way in such a strange and unknown area. It was so quiet, so dark, so still, and so seemingly devoid of all that he was used to, save for the occasional rustle of unknown entities moving beyond his range of vision, or a mere whisper of those things that might be voices wafting out from the shadows. The scenery was something else too, and Taylor, only having been to an actual forest once in his life, still knew that it was perfectly abnormal to have roadsigns planted in seemingly random patterns all throughout. It was both intriguing and unnerving; a feeling he was not at all accustomed to having lived more or less extremely sheltered for the whole of his existence. Stopping before a precariously placed yield sign, he observed it, prodding it gently with a finger to be absolutely certain it really was there and he wasn't hallucinating.
"I wonder who put all these here...or why even...it seems pointless" he wondered aloud as Bakumon came to a silent halt beside him. Bakumon said nothing for the moment, knowing Taylor wouldn't care if he was answered or not. This suited him fine, as currently he was more or less distracted, his mind elsewhere momentarily. If anyone had caught sight of him at that moment, he would appear to be staring, almost dreamlike at the trunk of a tree while he thought of other things. Unlike Taylor, he felt more comfortable then he had in what felt like ages. This here was natural to him, and not the cold, gray concrete and steel that made up the human world where he now lived. He knew this area was probably not the safest place to be, but no matter the location, this was like a mini vacation in his mind, and he was thus in a far better mood then normal.
"I can't say", he finally responded, and not having much else to say on the subject, gave the boy a slight nudge to get him moving again. True he was not exactly closely bonded with him, how could they be? Nor did he even like him a whole lot, but something made him want to help out and protect the kid nonetheless. "However," he added, "I advise that we should probably not remain standing in one place too long. It is always smarter to keep moving." Taylor did not seem to object, and continued to press forward, leaving the yield sign behind, though a small worried crinkle appeared on his face at the words.
"What, is it dangerous?" Taylor was suddenly genuinely concerned at the idea of something attacking them, though tried to hide it. It was no use in letting his companion know he had worried him. Taylor had never been a particularly brave person, and he had blissfully been ignoring the possibility, though now the reminder came back in full force that this stroll here was not like walking down the streets at home. Before Bakumon could open his mouth to respond and tell him it should be fine, Taylor shook his head, and gave a little dismissive wave. "Heh, don't answer. Of course it is. Something' probably stalking us right now." The words could not have been better timed, as somewhere up ahead, still shrouded in shadow, the telltale sounds of voices and footfalls could be heard. Taylor jumped, then froze, listening. They sounded...human? He'd like to assume that, but then again Bakumon sounded human too, so voice alone was no good means to go by. Silently he decided to creep forward, in hopes he might be able to see them before they saw him, though the fact he was literally half blind would most likely ensure it happened the other way around.
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Post by thal on Sept 16, 2011 16:09:01 GMT -5
- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ WON'T LET YOU SLIP THROUGH MY FINGERS
Koromon blushed brightly at Kyokyomon's words, grinning massively and jiggling from side to side. "My! Pink I'd be now if I wasn't already ~ right I would!" she exclaimed, hopping around and into the formation described, mirroring the dragon's movements as he maneuvered to the rear of their little group. "Still like, don'cha worry my lad! Ain't no ruffian get by me without a sound beatin' and a good scoldin'!" She added with gleeful enthusiasm, swatting the air with her ribbon-like ears as a deterrent to imaginary assailants.
As irritating as her vigil was to him, for the moment Valus felt mollified by Kyokyomon's sound demonstration of competence in the midst of such infuriating behavior. Being at the front of the group, in the leading position... it gave him a kind of satisfaction. But it made sense when he thought about it. Shion and Koromon were both ineffectual morons, at least to his eyes, and Chinatsu couldn't really speak for herself. But he considered her tolerable enough to return the somewhat shy smile she flashed him. Yes, someone needed to take authority out of the humans present, and he was the logical choice.
... perhaps it said a lot about their group, that being the case.
Reaching into his pocket, Valus took out a black and grey object with a screen and buttons, holding it up and flashing it to Shion. Koromon averting her eyes from it and falling into an exceedingly rare period of silence. "These devices are like keys, opening and closing the gates to this place." he explained, dropping it back into the safety of his pocket now that his point had been made. "You need one to even come here is what I was told." Fixing her with a suspicious stare for a fraction of a second, he was about to say more, when a mysterious voice rang out from nowhere. Koromon jumping with fright.
"G-Good grief, you p-plucky thing!" she stammered as an orange ball of fur with a sharp-looking horn revealed itself. Immediately suspecting hostile intentions, Valus reached for his Digivice again, but stopped when he heard the creature's words. Shion's guardian? Wait, was this Digimon asking to be her partner?
But... she didn't... you were supposed to buy Digimon! They were personal protection, and very costly! They didn't just spring out of the bushes and offer themselves for free! Not unless he'd been lied to...
"Oooooooh Shion! Nice catch 'ere you've found, right you 'ave love! You're a real keeper ain't cha?" chimed in the tenacious Koromon, seeing the opportunity for gossip blossoming before her yet again. "Got a name, sweetheart? Koromon mine is, and tha' fine gentleman is Kyokyomon! On a proper quest, we are!" She chattered, despite the fact that the stranger had been listening in on those events already. Valus was silent, feeling cheated and betrayed by the sudden revelations imposed on him.
Digimon could choose their partners too. Contemplating that, he failed to notice the approaching presence behind him. Instead crossing over to Kyokyomon for a moment, while his equally oblivious partner handled the introductions.
"Kyokyomon? How long have you and Chinatsu..." as he mentioned her, he shot her a glance that didn't quite manage to hide his depression, "... been together?"
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Post by chinatsu on Sept 17, 2011 0:03:48 GMT -5
Kyokyomon stiffened and stretched, looking like a floating spear with a dangerous expression when the rustling and voice reached them. However, Chinatsu reached out a hand to touch his back, hoping for him to show restraint. She didn't doubt there were dangerous creatures in this world, but in fact she was more worried for her partner, who was still small. She knew he could be brave and strong, but also knew that one did not need to seek battles at every turn. Her partner felt her gentle admonition, and he relaxed a little as a small digimon appeared in front of the group.
"So the Lady Shion does have a guardian. How felicitous, this will make our journey much less dangerous," Kyokyomon said lightly, swirling around in a little circle. "However, it would be best if this happy reunion was conducted after we reached a safe destination. So many of us meeting in these woods could draw the attention of dangerous digimon, and even with the three of us there may be foes we cannot surmount."
This was indeed true, but Kyokyomon's true meaning was that he wanted to hurry up and return to questing for Chinatsu's voice. These meetings and introductions were nice, but every moment of silence was causing his poor Lady to suffer. Chinatsu understood, and gave Kyokyomon a small smile of gratitude.
She and Kyokyomon were both surprised by the question directed at them. Chinatsu looked to Kyokyomon to give the response, obviously.
"I have waited for Lady Chinatsu since the moment I hatched from my digi-egg. We are companions bound by destiny. At first she could not hear me calling to her, but after her voice was stolen by someone or something from the Digital World, she began to search for the truth. At that point she was able to hear my calls, and find the gate to this world. It is the same for any digimon who is bound to a human; our bond is forged at birth, and cannot be broken." Kyokyomon puffed himself up proudly as he related his story, and Chinatsu stroked his head fondly.
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Post by stormecho on Sept 17, 2011 10:38:19 GMT -5
The creature who was apparently supposed to be with her turned, staring at Koromon blankly. "My name is Tsunomon," he said, voice just as quiet as before. He clearly felt he had nothing else to say, as he turned away and edged a bit closer to her.
She didn't know what to say, let alone how to act. Koromon and Valus were hardly the pair she wished to emulate, but simply looking at Chinatsu and Kyokyomon made it clear that there was a bond between them. They cared for each other. She couldn't imagine how that felt - if she had ever known that sort of emotion, she had long since forgotten it. Looking down at... Tsunomon, she felt nothing. He was just a strangely shaped ball of fur with a horn - interesting, a curiosity, but in the end, nothing special.
But showing that, letting these two and their partners know that something was wrong... impossible. That, if anything, was just as important as her real name.
She hoped she hadn't hesitated for too long. Bending down, she picked Tsunomon up, listening to Kyokyomon's rather melodramatic answer. Her eyes widened, and she made sure she held her "partner" carefully.
"So you waited all of this time for me?" she asked, and when he made a soft sound of assent, she grinned, spinning around. "That's so sweet! 'Companions bound by destiny', huh? This is going to be so awesome." She stopped spinning - she was getting dizzy - and laughed nervously. "But if that's dangerous, I guess we should get moving, right? Sorry about that."
"No. There's someone out there," Tsunomon said urgently, shifting in her grip. She stopped, frowning.
"What, like a monster?"
"I don't know..."
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Post by taylor on Sept 18, 2011 11:35:33 GMT -5
Oh, Taylor couldn't say he was enjoying this in the slightest. He disliked the idea he couldn't see the others before they saw him, that he'd have no time to observe and calculate their mannerisms, or even get a through look at their appearance before he'd probably be seen. So all in all, no time to pre-decide how he would react to them. Biting his lip, he momentarily considered making a hurried retreat into another section of the forest, but as Bakumon and he had established, it was most likely not a good idea to wander for too long alone. Plus, as much as he would loathe to admit it (for it was not good for appearances) he was afraid, and in the end, would take possible other company over remaining lost. Bakumon was really being no help when it came to finding an exit, so he'd have to look elsewhere. He hoped his companion would not mind too much.
Breaking himself free of his frozen, contemplative trance, he peered at Bakumon and nodded toward the area the voices were coming from. The more he had been listening, the more sure he was that at least some of them were of the human variety. How friendly, he could not yet say. "What do you think? Check it out?" Taking a few tentative paces forward, he waited for a confirmation that Bakumon thought it was safe too. After all, he should have more experience in these matters. More then him at the very least.
"Do as you wish." he said, almost certain that there was no threat, but as always, one could never be one hundred percent sure. He had a hard time trusting very many people now, especially mysterious voices. That was how he'd gotten into his situation to begin with. Nonetheless, he started forward in tandem, agreeing that at the moment, it might be better to have another (or in this case it sounded like a crowd), but couldn't help but add, just in case, "I think we should proceed with caution however, until we are sure of their identities." Taylor honestly could not agree more, and he was growing more and more impatient with merely standing around, and thus sped up, trying to keep close to the tree trunks and shadows as they followed the voices. Bakumon stayed close by, honestly feeling more apprehensive then even Taylor was.
"....we should get moving, right? Sorry about that."
The pair drew nearer, and the voices were suddenly plunged into sharper relief. No longer did they sound like distant mutterings. Now every one of them had their own tone, pitch and words. The current speaker was..female, yes, that much was obvious. He'd only caught the last dregs of her sentence but he could tell. Were they already heading off? If so he'd have to make an appearance even sooner. Nudging Bakumon forward, he pressed nearer. Now another voice..male? Yes he thought so...and he seemed to know he was there.
Great. So much for innocently stumbling in. Or..perhaps if he did it right away he could still pull it off. "I'm going out. Any longer and they'll find us first. Stay with me okay?" he said softly, hoping only Bakumon would hear. The digimon nodded, honestly not planning on straying far from Taylor in any case. Not out of concern, but out of a sort of fear of other humans in the digital world. Were they like Taylor? Or were they ones that were actually meant to be here? He couldn't tell..perhaps he didn't want to know in the end. Taylor himself didn't care what they were...he was currently trying to figure out how to greet them.
"What, like a monster?"
"I don't know..."
Not the best timing but he'd make due with it. He'd give them a smile no matter that he wasn't feeling all that happy right now. People liked smiles. He'd feign knowing they had been there until just recently. People didn't like eavesdroppers. Yes..for a start this would work. Gathering his breath, he, followed by Bakumon, stepped out into view from behind the tree that had been concealling him, and with what he hoped to be a friendly smile..and saw the faces of everyone he had previously been hearing. Quite a nice group of human and digimon they were.
"Ah..sorry." he said, trying to appear just a tad bit embarrassed too, as though he'd wandered into something private. Bakumon was currently pressed up against his side, trying his hardest not to appear nervous. He was the digimon, he should not the be the nervous one. He stayed silent as Taylor continued his little speech. "I uh..I heard you guys talking and I had to see...It's been a while since we've come across anyone." he paused, before adding in friendly tones, "I'm not a monster, I promise."
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Post by thal on Sept 18, 2011 13:41:15 GMT -5
- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ WON'T LET YOU SLIP THROUGH MY FINGERS
A bond forged at birth? Partners united by destiny? As he heard those words spoken, Valus slowly turned his head away from Kyokyomon and Chinatsu, walking away from them without a reply. Watching the other girl Shion spin around with her partner cradled in her arms, all too suddenly he felt himself excluded from the gathering. He'd been cheated and deceived out of something the others had, something that had never been intended for him in the first place.
Koromon too had fallen silent, she was looking at him now.
What... what did he say? Did he tell them? Did he have a choice, would Koromon tell them anyway? Suddenly afraid of being found out, Valus' felt his heart start to pump faster. His breathing uneven now, suddenly paranoid that he'd been so quick to show Shion the device in his pocket. The one that maintained the false connection between himself and Koromon. If anything happened to it... he'd be helpless, alone, miserable, just like he'd been before!
Hearing a noise, he turned suddenly, finding himself the closest person to a new stranger who had just appeared to join them. What, another person? Two people was enough to deal with, let alone three.
"Cooee! This turnin' into a right party, so it is! Tha scar looks right nasty, poor lad! Sure yer no monster, but I bet one gave ye tha did it now?" Koromon exclaimed, forgetting the situation almost instantly... or at least appearing to do so. That was just like her. Steering the conversation away from the real issues and focusing on what was trivial and easier to deal with. Right now though... it came as something of a relief. She could fill in the conversation for him, which gave him time to think. Time to think about what to do next, to let that painful news sink in. "On a quest we are, soon this lot of us will be off! Fancy tagging along lad? Tha more there be the merrier we is, so I says!"
Staring down at the ground, avoiding eye contact at all costs, he tried to regain control of his breathing. Really, did it matter if he wasn't special? No. Not everyone was special. He could live with being... whatever the inverse of that was. Was it random chance he had not been chosen, or had be been rejected?
Why him then, and not these others? What was so special about them compared to him? If they ever found out that he wasn't one of their number... he knew what they'd think. They'd think themselves better than him, they'd shun his intrusion into this world and look down on him like arrogant pigs.
He needed to get far away. The sooner the better.
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Post by chinatsu on Sept 20, 2011 16:40:36 GMT -5
Kyokyomon and Chinatsu exchanged a chagrined look as yet another human and digimon pair appeared from the forest. Though Kyokyomon had only been half serious about drawing the attention of larger and more dangerous digimon by gathering together, it was quickly becoming more of a reality. With this many of them, and each with only small digimon partners, it would be all too easy for a nasty large digimon to swoop down, attracted by so many tasty-looking morsels, and gobble the lot of them up.
"Scars are a man's mark of honor," Kyokyomon said in response to Koromon's comments on Taylor's appearance. He was only half paying attention, though. He was flitting around restlessly as he said it, anxious to be moving. Chinatsu reached out to place a calming hand on him, but her own fears made her touch a little less re-assuring.
Kyokyomon flitted over nearer to Valus and Koromon.
"Sir Valus, we really need to be on our way. With a group this big we can't hope to avoid trouble if we stay still like this. If you know the direction of an exit, please point us toward it and let's depart post-haste."
Chinatsu looked at Valus and nodded seriously in agreement. She gave Taylor a brief smile, but by this point she was just afraid that the next time they heard the foliage rustling it would be in the wake of a monstrous digimon come to devour them.
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Post by stormecho on Sept 21, 2011 12:44:26 GMT -5
She wondered idly just how keen a talking ball of fur's senses were - Tsunomon had somehow noticed something close by that could have been a threat, and he didn't look like he had a nose or incredibly good eyesight. He shifted again, watching silently as in the intruder he had detected emerged - and proved to be another human, this one a boy with a strange, livid scar over on eye. It made him stand out, definitely, and she wondered what had managed to inflict such damage.
She paused, trying to consider what to say, and then smiled warmly. "Of course you're not a monster! It's good to see I'm not the only one who got lost around here - our quest, like Koromon said, is to get to something like an... exit gate, I think. So I can get out of here - I came by accident. Funny how that works, right? Want to come with us?" she chimed in. There was no sound of protest from Tsunomon, but she couldn't help but be curious by his silence. Digimon clearly were talkative, going by Koromon and Kyokyomon, and to contrast them with Tsunomon....
Well, it didn't really matter. It wasn't as if she really considered him her partner - it had to be some sort of temporary position as long as she was in... this place. Perhaps it was wrong of her to consider it an impermanent position, going by how Chinatsu and Kyokyomon treated each other, but... if he was intended to be her partner, then it was even more important for her to somehow rid herself of him than it was to avoid the few people she had met here. They could not see her again, and if they did - well, they only knew 'Shion'.
There was no risk, but with each person, her feeling of personal danger grew. Better to have one companion, but... three? Six, if their own guardians counted - seven with Tsunomon.
Far too many for her comfort.
"Anyways, you're right, we should get going! If there are really monsters here, then the quicker I'm home, the better, right? Oh yeah, Tsunomon, Valus said that I need some sort of device -"
He wriggled enough for her to comprehend that he wanted her to let go of him, and when she did, he leaped down and turned around to look up at her, red eyes solemn. "You will have it. We should move." In contrast to Koromon's cheer and Kyokyomon's chivalry, he was almost chillingly curt - as if he couldn't wait to lapse into silence again. She could almost prefer it. There was no way to grow attached to something like that.
If her partner knew what she was thinking about, he said nothing.
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