Poolside [Axel and Open]

[Takahashi Rokuro]

It was a Saturday, Rokuro shouldn't even be here and yet here he was walking to the pool.

This was sort of a normal thing, it had been done before; it was usually Axel's idea, just like it was today. However today it seemed to be for a different purpose from going for a swim, as his friend had sounded almost nervous somehow. When Rokuro had asked what the big deal was all he had received in response was 'I have something to show you, just hurry up and get to the school 'kay?', and no explanation or clue as to what this something was. The boy almost felt nervous himself given the lack of information on the subject but... It couldn't be anything bad, he'd known Axel for years and knew it couldn't be anything bad.

But at the same time... What could it be if Axel couldn't just say?

Rokuro frowned as he dwelled on it more, finding he was growing more and more anxious and afraid of what it might be. It wasn't that he didn't trust his friend or anything, no that wasn't it at all; he trusted Axel with his life. The boy supposed it was just his little fear of the unknown getting the better of him, making him give a sigh in an attempt to calm himself down. This was Axel he was going to see and if he knew him as well as he thought he did (which he certainly did), then this probably wasn't even a big deal at all.

He laughed a little at himself, at how worked up he was getting about this, over what he was now convincing himself was nothing. Once it turned out to be nothing crazy then they could just do something, maybe even go for a swim in the pool anyway or practice; he had even brought his guitar, the instrument safely concealed within its case on his back. Rokuro had recently taught himself a new song and he wanted to show Axel since he'd been practicing for a while... He was really proud of the fact that he could play it, despite the fact it wasn't exactly a hard song to learn. He had also dyed his hair again recently, despite the fact that his father heavily disapproved of him doing so; especially when it was some crazy color like it was now.

However it was hidden beneath his beanie at the moment, as he hadn't entirely wanted everyone to stare at his head on the way over here. It wasn't that rather blatantly unnatural hair colors were exactly rare or something like that, Rokuro was just afraid everyone would stare... Really one might question why he bothered to dye it at all if he didn't want to be looked at. He just didn't because he thought it looked cool, and usually he was made to dye it back within a week; it was a wonder his hair wasn't damaged from everything he was doing to it. Any thoughts related to this topic drifted from his mind as he noticed the pool was up ahead, smiling some for whatever reason and sort of starting to walk faster.

He found himself feeling a little daunted by the fence surrounding the pool like usual, looking around a little to make sure that no one was around to see. Rokuro nodded a little as he didn't spy anyone, though he stopped as he thought he heard splashing. 'Maybe Axel is swimming?' He thought after a moment, shrugging it over before going ahead and walking up to the fence he had to climb; good thing it wasn't that high, he wasn't the most athletic kid out there. Not really paying attention to anything else he went and started to climb up it, lifting himself up over the top once he got there and jumping down.

"Hey Axel!" He called out, unaware his friend wouldn't be the only one here.

_{(ooc: please wait for Minion to post )}

[Axel Beckett]

"The water here is so nice!"

Axel found himself chuckling as Crabmon happily swayed back and forth on the highest step into the pool, the water just low enough there for her to stand in it. The boy himself was sitting a bit away from her at the edge of the pool, in nothing but a pair of swim trunks with a dry towel hanging over his shoulders, feet swishing back and forth in the water. A grin came to his face as the crustacean digimon waddled a bit further into the pool where her feet would not reach the floor, managing to keep herself afloat buy swimming forward. Her shape bobbed at the top of the water until she came to where Axel was sitting, her larger claw coming up to grip the edge of pool. Crabmon was just about to haul herself up out of the water when Axel's hands came to carefully come around her body and pull her out of the water, setting her beside him.

"Good. I figure you were getting bored just swimming around the tub all day," Axel responded with a small snicker, going and lightly scratching the top of Crabmon's head with a finger. The digimon smiled, not minding the gesture too much. Over the past few weeks she's been with Axel he has treated her very nicely, almost to the point of spoiling the rookie. She would be lying to say she didn't feel a little awkward being treated like this, almost like she was some sort of well-pampered pet -- though at the same time she wasn't about to complain. After all, Crabmon could have very well been bought by someone with some cruel intent for her... or even worse, she might have never been bought at all. The digimon would be lying to herself if she refused to acknowledge that Axel had more or less saved her life. The chances of someone like him having come along to buy her from the A.I.R. shops... well, the possibilities seemed near impossible to her. Besides, Crabmon really did like Axel. Maybe they weren't real partners like the digidestined, but... she liked to believe fate definitely had a role here.

"Huh? ...Swimming in the tub's not that bad." Crabmon spoke with a small nod, trying to reassure Axel that he was taking perfect care of her... he seemed to worry about that a lot. She wasn't sure why though, since she was in great shape, all this care had even allowed her to digivolved from Bukamon while here in the human world. As a matter of fact, she couldn't even remember the last time she was hungry or really bored; Axel even left the television on for her while he was at school or out with his friend.

...Speaking of Axel's friend, Crabmon was suppose to meet him today. The digimon wasn't sure why, but her faux partner almost seemed nervous about this, catching how his glance would go up to the fence they had hopped over to get here every over minute. Ignoring it up until now, she felt the need to ask something, feet making little clicks against the cement as she stepped over to rest her claws on Axel's leg and look up at him, "Do you think your friend will like me?"

...eh...heh.

Axel had to keep from seeming unsure as he smiled down at his partner in his usual way, taking a moment to compose a truthful response, "He has no reason not to." Something about his response felt wrong, as if he was lying to her. After all, he knew his friend had some sort of phobia around girls... and Crabmon was a girl. Axel had to hope his friend's fears weren't relevant to other species. If there wasn't just that to be unsure of, there was also the fact that his partner was essentially a giant talking crab... that might not exactly be the easiest thing to accept. "If he does flip or something, don't take it personal or anything. He tend to kinda..." trails off a bit and shrugs, looking for the right words for it. "...eh... overreact?"

Axel didn't realize how nervous he really was until he heard someone coming up over the fence that surrounded the pool, blinking and bringing his attention there. How was he suppose to do this? Should he just sit here and let Rokuro walk over and see Crabmon? Or should he hide her until he was ready to introduce them to one another? He suddenly panicked slightly, fingers tapping before he quickly went to get up, sliding Crabmon off from his lap as he did. "Uh.......!" Axel looked around some before his gaze went down to the other, noting the sort of questioning look she was giving him. Why didn't he think this thing through?!

"C...Can...uh...maybe you should wait in the pool until I'm ready you introduce you?" Axel asked quietly, going to kneel down and stroke the hard shell over the digimon's back. Crabmon snipped one of her claws at the pet, blinking and looking from Axel to the water and then back again, giving a small nod. She could tell he was uneasy about this, deciding to just go along with whatever he wanted her to do as she carefully went to slip back into the pool with a small splash.

Now that was taken care of for the time being, Axel busied himself with going over to the fence, glancing over his shoulder as he did to make sure Crabmon wasn't in view from here. She must have gone back to the steps, because he couldn't see her form anywhere on the surface of the water... not from this angle anyway.

"Hey Axel!"

The boy's attention went back to the fence as his friend was hopping over, smiling as he usually would before going over to greet him. "Hey!" Axel's voice bounced in an almost playful way, genuine joy coming from him upon meeting up with his friend. Absently tugging on the ends of the towel he had around his neck, he peeked around Rokuro's back to spot his guitar... honestly not surprised to see it there. Even so, he couldn't help but laugh a little, "Plan on playing me a song underwater or something?"

Axel shifted from one foot to the other, absently pulling the ends of the towel back and forth... a small hint to the fact that he was rather nervous despite however excited he was to see Rokuro. The boy felt like he should turn around and head for the pool as he normally would, but something kept him from moving at all, just standing there by the fence with his friend. He needed to go about this carefully... or at least he felt like he had to. It seemed almost like there was absolutely no reason for him to feel this way, because in the end he had to believe both Rokuro and Crabmon should get along just fine. However, he couldn't shake his uncertainty.

[Takahashi Rokuro]

_{"Plan on playing me a song underwater or something?"}

Rokuro laughed some at the question his friend asked him, grinning and putting his hands in his pockets; this was his favorite pair of swim trunks, just because of this. His friend's nervousness wasn't entirely lost on him but it wasn't something that he thought to ask about, oddly enough. The boy figured it just had to do with whatever Axel wanted to show him, which he had already convinced himself that it wasn't a big deal or anything really. Honestly with how well he knew Axel he knew it couldn't be, his friend was silly enough to treat just about anything he cared about in this way... He'd been like this before over new games and cds, and of course anything he'd learned to play on the drums recently.

Speaking of which...

"Nah, it's just I learned a new song recently and I thought you'd like to hear it." The teenager said to his friend, still smiling as he took the guitar from his back and set it down gently against the fence. Rokuro treated the instrument within with great care and love, something that showed just how much the beat up Fender really meant to him; after all he had worked for the money to buy it and earned it all by himself. It was one of the first things he had ever managed to purchase without his father's help, and with it having already not been in that great of shape when he got it just drove him to take even better care of it. His dad had really understood why he had worked so hard just to buy a 'piece of crap' but the boy didn't see it that way, he only saw and instrument that still had a lot to over but has just been abused a little.

"So uhhh what was this thing you wanted to show me?" Rokuro asked his friend curiously, looking up at him a moment before going and taking a towel from a zippered compartment on his guitar case. He placed it around his shoulders like Axel had his towel as he straightened up, a smile still on his face. He couldn't really help it for whatever reason, whenever he was around his friend he just had to smile; there was no fighting it, and frowns practically seemed like they didn't even exist. Why this was the boy had never really thought about and he just settled for the obvious answer, that being Axel was just so cheerful and upbeat usually that it was impossible to be depressed if he was around.

After a moment Rokuro went and sat at the edge of the pool, letting his feet dangle in the water... He had no idea Crabmon was there yet, as he couldn't see her from this angle. The boy was perfectly content at the moment and no longer stressed like he had been on the way over, honestly feeling kind of silly for even being worried about any of this in the first place. Speaking of things he'd been thinking about on the way over he remembered his hair, and how he had colored it once again. The hair dyeing would be of no surprise to Axel at all though, as in the years they had known each other Rokuro had dyed his hair multiple different colors and tried many different styles.

As a result he really didn't make any show of it or announcement, just going ahead and slipping off his beanie. Rokuro's hair color of choice this time was an almost neon green color, something he knew would probably start a fight between him and his father in about a day or two. At the very least he knew that Axel would think it was cool, just like he always did... Unless, it really did look terrible, then he would just have to speak up. Hopefully though that would not be the case with this one and his friend would like it, instead of maybe likening his hair to a lime or something... Which in all honesty he could really see happening.

Rokuro was hoping though that his hair dyeing would be common enough by now not to distract Axel from telling him what he wanted to show him.

[Axel Beckett]

<sub>"Hang on," Axel spoke up as he followed his friend over to the edge of the pool, feeling his heart skip a beat in panic as if he thought maybe Rokuro could see Crabmon from where he was sitting. His friend didn't seem to notice anything though, calming himself down and trying to be as casual about this as possible. Honestly, what's the worst possible outcome of showing your best friend the giant talking crab you bought from an entirely different universe? ...Yeah, alright, he was starting to see the problem. Still, he resolved to keep calm, knowing Rokuro's reaction couldn't be too horrible. At the most, Axel could see him being a little put off by the fact Cramon was a girl... but even so wasn't expecting a total freak out.

Reassuring himself, he starting toward the steps of the pool where Crabmon had situated herself, calling out to his friend in a sort of playful tone - "Don't look!" With that he stepped onto the first step, letting the water coming up to his ankles so he could reach down and pick Crabmon up out of the water. The digimon's limbs hung underneath her as he did this, causing Axel to mutter questionably if he was holding her comfortably. Almost afraid to speak given her excitement and anxiety, Crabmon only nodded, eyes straying toward Rokuro and then Axel as if to tell him she was nervous.

Axel gave her a smile as if to reassure her, unable to pet the top of her head like he might usually given his hands were full. After that, he made his way back over to his friend, pausing a few feet behind him and going to sit on the cement. Placing Crabmon in his lap, he went and pet her head softly as he'd would have done a few moments ago, attempting to smile off his uncertainty.

"Aaannd... WOW. Before you look, let me tell you your hair look flipping amazing. It's like...green green," The boy chuckled some, the comment making Crabmon lift one of her claws over her mouth as if to keep herself from doing the same. He wasn't really trying to lighten the mood at all, since this was something he'd most likely say in any other situation. He barely even gave Rokuro's hair much thought anyway, given this was a rather usual thing with his friend... his hair was always changing colors.

"Anyway, uh...I guess you can look and stuff..." Axel trailed off, watching Rokuro rather intently as he waited for him to turn around and react. At this point Axel was beginning to worry whether or not this was a good idea, but it wasn't exactly possible for him to turn back now. Whether Rokuro reacted well or not, there was no point in worrying about it... because it was going to happen either way.

Crabmon's thought process didn't exactly work in the same way as Axel's, finding herself jittering lightly in anticipation. The digimon was really hoping Rokuro liked her like Axel said he would, part of her already believing he would given how much her partner had reassured her.</sub>

[Takahashi Rokuro]

_{"Don't look!"}

For whatever reason Axel's tone made him smile, sort of nodding and even closing his eyes after a moment as if to offer further reassurance that he wouldn't be peeking. His feet made little slight splashing noises in the water as he moved them, mind starting to wander as he tried to guess what his friend was going to show him. Rokuro had to wonder why he was being shown at the school's pool instead of his friend's house, wondering if this something was maybe some kind of animal that needed a lot of water or something... He'd been thinking new instruments or something at first when he'd been asked to come to the school, but now he definitely wasn't sure about that. Whatever it was the other boy seemed nervous about it, the exact thing he'd be agonizing over on the way to his destination among less important things.

Maybe Axel had found some sort of water-based alien and it had to live in the pool, his friend having decided to show him out or trust and... No that sounded like some weird E.T ripoff and he thought it was highly unlikely anyway. Rokuro figured he would just have to wait and see what it was, though he nearly opened his eyes to peek as he thought he could hear Axel talking. What was his friend talking to, was it really an animal or something then? Or was it... A person and the other boy was going to try and set him up with a girl or something in an attempt to get him over his fear? No no that was stupid, Axel wouldn't do something like that to him; he knew how much he freaked out around girls, and he saw trying to set him up with one as sort of a cruel thing considering his phobia and his friend wouldn't do that.

_{"Aaannd... WOW. Before you look, let me tell you your hair look flipping amazing. It's like...green green."}

Rokuro laughed at what Axel said a little, finding it funny mostly because it just sounded like something that fit more coming out of a female hairstylist at some kind of salon. Even with that though the compliment made him smile, actually feeling a little warm inside because if it... Though he didn't entirely acknowledge that. "Heh, thanks. Amazing is what I aim for." He said with a grin, for whatever reason sort of lowering his head a little as if he was trying to hide his face a bit for whatever reason. It wasn't like his face was red or anything, he was used to the compliments about his hair by now; he had never been the best at taking them though, he always kind of reacted like this to comments about his hair or his guitar playing... He just didn't seem to know how exactly to react to them.

_{"Anyway, uh...I guess you can look and stuff..."}

Rokuro opened his eyes after hearing Axel's words, sort of fidgeting a little for whatever reason... Realizing he suddenly felt rather nervous again. He shifted his feet a little in the water before closing his eyes again, deciding it would be better to turn around and them open them to see whatever it was that his friend wanted him to see. Slowly he went a pulled his feet from the pool, turning around to face the other boy and shifting to sit cross-legged with his back to the pool. He seemed to hesitate some before going ahead and opening his eyes, seeming rather confused by what he was seeing sitting in his friend's lap.

Is that really...

"...Is... Do you... Really have a giant crab in your lap?" He asked in a sort of low voice, staring at Crabmon in a mixture of confusion in surprise... Crabs didn't get this big right? ...And they didn't have eyes like that either. The teenager tilted his head to the side as he continued to look over the digimon, of course not having any idea that was what the crab was or the fact that it happened to be a girl. Had he known he would probably be freaking out about that, as opposed to the fact that he was looking at a giant crab; somehow that didn't seem to faze him all that much. After a few moments his eyes went up to Axel's face, giving his friend a look as if just waiting for him to launch into a long explanation on how he got the creature; probably a very dramatic and unbelievable one, but he'd have to believe it given Crabmon's presence.

[Axel Beckett]

<sub>The question was amusing somehow and Axel found himself smiling at it, partly because he was still a little nervous about this. Rokuro hadn't responded badly or anything, but at the same time he didn't seem entirely enthusiastic. Of course, Axel wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting... considering this from his friend's point of view. Exactly what were you suppose to say when your friend decided to surprise you with a giant crab? ...Especially one that could talk, but he hadn't even gotten to that yet.

"Uh, y-yep. I really do have a giant crab in my lap." Axel snickered a little after speaking, attempting to make this no different than any other time he had wanted to show Rokuro something. It was slightly more important to him than showing off a new game or song or something however... since more than just Rokuro or him were in this. There was Crabmon to consider as well, and Axel really hoped his friend would like her. The digimon had been nothing but kind to him and Axel really did enjoy her company... he had also already reassured her that Rokuro would like her. If he didn't, Axel couldn't see himself feeling anything but guilty for basically lying to her, trying to move the thought as far from his mind as he could.

"Not just a giant crab though, but...um...she can talk too," Axel trailed off not soon after speaking up again, looking down at Crabmon and giving the digimon a little prod as if to tell he she could go ahead and introduce herself. He realized this might be the point where Rokuro would going to flip out if he was going to... though Axel mostly believed it was because he had a freaking talking crab.

"Uhm," Crabmon gave a small noise after she was prodded, looking up at Rokuro and giving him and almost shy smile. It wasn't like her to so tentative or nervous, but she really wanted to make a good impression. After all Axel had told her about Rokuro she found she already thought he was pretty cool. She just hoped he would feel the same about her. "Hi! ...uh...I'm Crabmon!" She spoke up again finally, smiling again and absently tapping one of her pincers against the cement in silent anticipation. The rookie thought maybe she should say something more, maybe compliment Rokuro's hair as well or something similar... however she didn't want to overdo it. A simple greeting would have to do for now.</sub>

[Takahashi Rokuro]

_{"Uh, y-yep. I really do have a giant crab in my lap."}

Okay so he definitely wasn't crazy and he wasn't seeing things, there really was a giant crab in his friend's lap... Now a better question was, where did it come from? It looked so different from any crab he had seen, just not in size but just its overall appearance; maybe not so much body structure, but the eyes were definitely really different. Rokuro tilted his head to the side a little as he continued to examine Crabmon, not really wondering if he was making the digimon uncomfortable or not... He couldn't help staring at it anyway, even if he was because what he was seeing was just so different. However as Axel went to speak again he finally tore his eyes away from the crustacean digimon, looking back up to his friend's face to show that the other had his complete attention.


_{"Not just a giant crab though, but...um...she can talk too."}

Wait it could talk?
...
Wait, SHE?!

Rokuro couldn't contain a small whimper as the fact that the crab was female, immediately feeling guilty for the fear that was going through him given that she seemed to be Axel's friend and sounded so nice. He immediately feared that his friend would be upset with him for letting his phobia come up like this but... it couldn't be helped, it wasn't like he controlled when he felt afraid. The boy couldn't help but back up a little bit after a moment, his eyes going to Crabmon a moment before immediately looking at the cement. He gave a kind of shaky exhale, trying to tell himself everything was okay; the crustacean digimon didn't even look female, it was a crab after all... But it sounded female and that was enough.

He burned with shame over this fear, for the fact that it seemed so unnecessary at the moment... Then again Crabmon's claws did look sharp... No no, he couldn't think like that, she was Axel's friend and she wouldn't hurt him. Even with knowing that he couldn't stop being scared, just now realizing that he was shaking just slightly; it was a little pathetic, he was cowering in front of a crab after all... A big crab but still. Rokuro couldn't even bring himself to look up at Axel, already thinking that he would be disappointed in his reaction... He could tell his friend had been excited to show Crabmon to him, and his phobia was ruining it. He fidgeted nervously, before quickly turning and slipping into the pool as if he intended to hide there from them whether it was needed or not.

The teenager stayed under for a moment, just trying to let the water calm him down as he closed his eyes. When he came back up he shook his head a little and blinked the water out of his eyes, still staying in the pool and just floating there as he seemed almost unwilling to come out. Rokuro just barely managed to bring himself to look up at Axel and Crabmon, a frown on his face as he wondered if either of them could tell this wasn't because he disliked the digimon; he had no opinion since he didn't know her, which just served to make him feel worse. "I...I'm s-sorry..." He murmured, after a moment letting himself sink back down into the water some so his mouth was under.

He wasn't looking at them anymore, simply unable to now.

[Axel Beckett]

Erh...

..that definitely could have gone better.

While Axel found himself immediately concerned with Rokuro's reaction, Crabmon sunk back a little, sliding her claws down and almost underneath her body as if she thought they had frightened him. The digimon was already apologizing in her head, opening her mouth to speak before simply closing it again and staying quiet. After all, things had seemed find up until she had said anything.

As Rokuro turned back and submerged himself underwater, Crabmon finally spoke up, eyes down on the cement, "...he doesn't like me." Her voice was quiet, holding a very strong hint of disappointment to it. The crustacean digimon didn't want to admit it, but this really hurt... especially since she had been so excited. She began to wonder if she'd done something wrong, sagging down some only to have Axel prop her up again, giving her a very solid look of reassurance. "N-no, he's just..." Axel's voice trailed off into silence as Rokuro came to resurface, watching his friend as he eventually turned and apologized to them.

Axel didn't know how to react, since saying 'it's okay' seemed kind of inconsiderate to Crabmon. Setting the digimon out from his lap, he went to go sit at the edge of the pool, trying to keep himself from frowning at all as he thought of a response-

"...I'm sorry if I... scared you..." Crabmon spoke before Axel could say anything, momentarily overcoming her fear that Rokuro would only react negatively again. If he didn't like her, well... she supposed there was nothing she could do about that. Either way, she was going to do her best to treat him no differently than anyone else. After all, he was Axel's best friend... and she didn't want to cause anything between them. Rokuro was here before her and she would respect that.

The rookie stayed where she had been placed a moment before going to stand beside Axel, feet making little clicking sounds as she moved across the floor. Tucking her claws underneath herself again, she really was worried her appearance was frightening to him. Despite anything Axel may say to her otherwise, she was always self-conscious of this. After all, she definitely wasn't a cute or soft looking digimon... it almost seemed right for someone to react to her like this.

[Takahashi Rokuro]

He hated it, he really did.

Just one quick glance at Axel and Crabmon was all it really took for him to see how much he had disappointed them... Or at least he was pretty sure that was how they felt. Rokuro couldn't even bring himself to look back at them even as his friend came to sit at the edge of the pool, really having to fight with himself to keep from moving back as the digimon came closer as well. The boy ended up sinking down in the water a little more instead though, his gaze focused downward as if he didn't think he deserved to look at the others. Maybe he was just overreacting and they'd be more forgiving than he thought, but he knew that he had most likely hurt Crabmon's feelings; actually he knew that he definitely had, his feelings would be hurt too if someone had reacted to him the way he had reacted to the digimon.

_{"...I'm sorry if I... scared you..."}

The boy actually sunk down below the surface again at Crabmon's apology, not because it had instilled more fear in him but simply because it was making him feel even worse. He didn't stay underwater very long since he was afraid the rookie would just think this was just more of a negative and fear-based reaction to her, after a couple moments coming back up and taking a few breaths as he prepared himself to speak; it would be difficult considering his guilt and his fear, but he knew he had to try. Even so Rokuro seemed to hesitate a great deal, looking kind of miserable the whole time he tried to force words out of his mouth... Why was this so hard? He fidgeted in the water a little before finally just deciding to close his eyes, as if it would help him just spit out what he wanted to say already.

"you... It's not t-that... you're a b-big talking crab... t-that's scary..." The boy mumbled after a moment or so, his eyes opening again and his gaze going off to the side. Rokuro fidgeted again and seemed to have issues continuing with his response, finding that he was actually starting to get tired from keeping himself afloat... Or maybe he was just tired in general from this whole exchange somehow. He couldn't bring himself to get out though when he was still so startled by Crabmon, so he supposed that he would just have to deal with this until he could at the very least manage to be in the same place as the crustacean digimon. Of course he really wasn't too sure how long that would take, but instead of thinking about that he just decided that for now he should focus on trying to explain his behavior.

"I'm... it's just... I'm a-afraid of... girls..." Rokuro managed to say this after another few moments, still not looking up at them yet almost as if he expected Axel to go home or tell him to go home... He didn't know why his friend would do that, but at the same time felt like he couldn't blame him. He still felt ashamed of himself for letting his reaction be so rude but at the same time it could have been so much worse, like he could have just simply turned and left; not that he would have but still, it was sort of an option. "I'm s-sorry..." He apologized again, after a moment just barely managing to look up at both of them as he waited for a response. However his gaze quickly dropped back down towards the bottom of the pool, still not quite done feeling like he shouldn't be looking up at them at the moment.

[Axel Beckett]

<sub>Crabmon looked to Axel after Rokuro spoke, wondering if this is what her partner had meant by his friend 'overreacting'. It bothered her some that Axel refrained from saying anything about Rokuro's fear of girls, partly unsure if it were true or not... However, it seemed like a much more embarrassing thing to admit than being frightened by a giant talking crab. There really was no reason to be making it up.

"Oh...I guess I'll just..." Crabmon trailed off quietly, sinking back some as if to stay out of Rokuro's sight. If he had meant to make her feel better somehow by what he'd said... well, she felt ashamed to admit it, but it honestly wasn't helping. It really wasn't his fault, instead just her own insecurities. Afraid to upset him any further, she quickly resolved that she shouldn't stick around here...not if her presence was frighting others. Feet clicking quietly against the cement, she turned and walked away from the two, claws snipping as if the noise was somehow comforting to her.

Axel nearly said something to the digimon to try and make her come back, however he was a little lost for words at the moment. He'd seen his friend flip out over girls before, but something about this time was hard for him to deal with... because it was his fault Crabmon had ended up with her feelings hurt. After all, he was the one that reassured her over and over that his friend would think she was amazing... already regretting saying such a things so confidently.

The rookie waddled over near the bag and towels Axel had brought along to the pool, the items sitting near the fence. Completely positive the sight of her was unsettling to the boy, she grabbed the towel Axel had brought for her and went to hide herself. Even though she had insisted she didn't need one back at the house, she was glad to have it now, carefully going to burrow herself underneath the piece of fabric.

This was the first time Axel had seen Crabmon react to anything this way, only making him feel that much more guilty about this. It wasn't just because of the digimon though, also feeling rather horrible about Rokuro too... he really should have thought this through. Turning his attention back to his friend, he did his best not to frown, however the look seemed intent on sneaking into his expression. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even done this," Axel's apologized lowly so only Rokuro could hear for now... he'd made up with Crabmon later.</sub>

[Takahashi Rokuro]

_{"Oh...I guess I'll just..."}

Rokuro had to look back up for some reason as he heard the crustacean digimon speak, frowning a little more as he could easily hear how down over his reaction to her she was. What made him feel even worse than he already did was her backing away out of his sight, sort of opening his mouth a little like he might say something but failing to do so in the end. He hated how much this fear was crippling him at the moment, especially when he so far seemed to have no reason to be afraid of Crabmon... Other than her being female and the fact that she was, well, a she. That didn't seem fair to him at all of course but he couldn't help the ball of cold fear being in the presence of a girl created, and even if she was a talking crab she was still feminine; looking like one had nothing to do with it... He didn't really know what it was really.

He just knew that after... No, he really didn't want to think about that right now.

Without realizing it the boy gave a little shaky exhale as he tried to push back thoughts of things he'd rather not have, considering dragging himself from the pool as he was actually beginning to have issues staying afloat despite the fact he hadn't been in that long. He almost found himself drifting back towards the edge of the pool, though he still felt terrible about upsetting Crabmon like that; even if he was afraid of her, he could still feel bad about how he had made her feel. Rokuro found himself not really knowing what to do as he floated there, caught between staying where he was and not risking upsetting Crabmon further or coming out anyway so he wouldn't drown or something... Not that he would let himself drown of course, he would get out or Axel would help him out at that point. Speaking of Axel, he was pretty sure his friend was probably disappointed in him or even mad... He was mad and disappointed in himself after all, how could the other boy not be?

_{"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even done this,"}

He looked up at Axel as he apologized, actually seeming faintly confused... What did his friend have to be sorry for exactly? Yes he had brought a female sentient being for him to meet but honestly he figured that Axel had no idea that Crabmon would scare him this bad given that she was... Well... A crab, not a person. Rokuro shook his head a little bit in response to his friend's words, giving a little sigh before he swam up to the edge of the pool and began to try and pull himself back out instead of swimming over to the steps like he probably should be doing. It took him a few attempts and minutes to haul himself up onto the concrete, honestly feeling some minor embarrassment he was so tired once he managed to get himself sitting up and a small distance away from his friend; it was like he thought sitting right next to him like he would usually wouldn't be a good idea at the moment.

"No dude... I'm sorry." The boy said quietly, though he made sure it was at least loud enough to reach Crabmon where she was hidden under the towel... He felt bad about that too, and he wanted her to hear what he was saying as well. Rokuro took a kind of shaky breath as he tried to compose what he would say next, absently running a hand through his hair as he thought to himself. "...I... I wish I wasn't so scared... She seems so nice... And she's your friend." The shame in his voice was rather evident as he spoke, looking down towards the water as he kicked his feet in it a little bit. He bit his lip a little and he looked back towards the towel the digimon was hiding under, however his gaze quickly found itself focused back on the depths of the pool.

"...Maybe... I could get used to her..." He added after a few moments, his eyes finally leaving the bottom of the pool to look up at Axel. His eyes held a rather sad look in them, in fact his entire expression was doing rather well in expressing just how bad he felt about all of this. "Or at least... I should really try to..." Rokuro said quietly, looking away from his friend after he spoke and seeming like he was trying to get himself to calm down or something... His heart was still thumping a little from the fact that there was a girl present. He was rather tempted to try and tell the digimon that she could come out and he wouldn't dive into the pool again to hide, but at the same time he almost felt like he might break that promise if he made it.

He wasn't about to risk doing that.

[Axel Beckett]

Rokuro's words should have made Axel feel better about the situation, though in all honestly he wasn't entirely sure what to think. Maybe he could try to get use to her? ...Axel couldn't help but feel bothered by this statement. He was sure his friend meant the best with it, but it still irked him slightly. It was such an unusual feeling for him, especially when it came to feeling it towards his friend. There wasn't much they argued over... if there really was anything. However, Axel refused to let something like this slide.

"That's not cool," Axel absently moved his legs back and forth through the water, shaking his head for whatever reason as he responded to Rokuro in a low voice so he was the only one to hear. The boy didn't entirely feel right saying this, even thought it was what he felt, looking down a moment before he managed to bring his gaze up to Rokuro again. In an attempt to show he wasn't angry, he took the towel from around his shoulders and held it out for his friend so he could dry himself off. As he did, he continued speaking, gaze shifting toward the towel Crabmon was still hiding under as he did, "Crabmon's my friend now and she's not going anywhere; I'm suppose to take care of her. I know you guys would get along if you just gave her a chance."

Axel sighed, not sure if he was getting anywhere with this or just making Rokuro feel worse. Looking back at his friend he waited for a response, hoping he would take this well. He wasn't going to give into this though, since Crabmon and him had already bonded... he really did believe it was his place to take care of her. Axel couldn't imagine giving her up now, especially over something so petty. Erh... okay, maybe it wasn't petty to Rokuro, but to Axel it just seemed wrong -- he shouldn't have to pick between two friends. Yeah, the other boy was there first, but that shouldn't make a difference.

...Should it?

Axel wasn't sure, looking back down at the water and tapping his fingers against the cement. He wanted to go over to where Crabmon had hid herself and try and comfort the digimon... he was sure this wasn't easy for her. However, he sat where he was for now, needing to focus on one person at a time.

[Takahashi Rokuro]

_{"That's not cool."}

huh?

Rokuro didn't understand what Axel meant by that, what wasn't cool when he said he'd try and get used to Crabmon? He didn't understand why his friend seemed upset, actually sinking down just a little bit... Axel had never been mad at him, not seriously anyway. This seemed so odd to him and out of place, like his friend should never be angry or upset with him ever; it was troubling him, especially when he didn't know what exactly was going on and why the other boy seemed unhappy with him. Even as Axel handed him the towel he still seemed almost afraid somehow, like he thought that his friend was going to start yelling at him or something for being so scared of his digimon to begin with.

_{"Crabmon's my friend now and she's not going anywhere; I'm suppose to take care of her. I know you guys would get along if you just gave her a chance."}

Wait no, no that hadn't been what he'd meant... He hadn't meant that at all! Axel probably thought that with how unsure he had seemed that he wouldn't really try, but he would, he really really would. How could he not try when Crabmon was Axel's friend like he had said, when she seemed so nice to start with; not to give her a chance at all wouldn't be right and he knew that, he was just unsure if he could fight back his fear long enough to get to know her better. At this point he was more of afraid of saying he would and then failing to do so, hence his uncertainty as he spoke to his friend and why he was struggling to speak at the moment as he tried to figure out how to get himself to say something definite to prove himself to Axel.

"N-no... Axel... I just... I'm afraid to say I will w-when... W-when I'm so scared..." Rokuro hid in the towel some as he spoke, biting his lip afterward as he realized what he just said hadn't sounded good at all. He closed his eyes after a moment as he seemed to try and find something else he could say that would make Axel happy, that would keep him from being upset with him...Which was actually serving to stress him out a lot. They never fought and were never upset with each other so this was bothering him a great deal, even dragging a little whimper out of him as he finally opened his eyes a little again. The boy's eyes were focused on the water though, almost as if he was feeling like he couldn't look at Axel again just like he had when he'd been floating in the pool.

"I d-don't... Want to be scared... S-she seems really nice, and she's your friend." He moved to hug his legs to his chest as he spoke, blue eyes still locked on the pool water. "I'm s-sorry... I said I'd try, I said I would... Rokuro murmured, his voice suggesting that he was getting more than a little upset over how everything was going... How he seemed to be ruining everything with his stupid phobia. He didn't entirely know why he was freaking out so much but he guessed that it was just that Axel being upset with him was so unfamiliar, that it was actually scaring him some. He didn't know what else to say after this and he just stayed quiet, waiting to see how his friend would react to his words and hoping that it would be something positive.