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Precious Treasures [Asher/Isaac/Elliot] [Hunt]
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 4:00:08 GMT
Elliot nodded as he listened to what Wanyamon had to say. Witchy seemed to be one of the most high-ranking people here, along with the Ginkakumon in charge and . . . Deary? Elliot was starting to get kind of annoyed with how many people were bringing this Deary up without explaining him. He must have been a huge deal if nobody was going to even say what his name was! Then again, Witchmon seemed a little exasperated with the children in general, so they probably knew little about her affairs. Everything else? Who knows, that was probably fair game! As Wanyamon walked away and Meicoomon asked her question, Elliot turned to her. "Depends how long it takes," Elliot said.
"I figure if we start acting sneaky right away, people are gonna suspect us, so I figured we'd play around to blend in for a bit. Maybe talk to the kids. Kids overhear a lot of stuff, so I figured that's give us some good intel. Then we could go looking around, probably during a game of hide-and-seek," he explained, making sure to keep his summary quiet. "That way we learn what we need without being rude. Pretty clever, huh?" It'd take a bit long to set up, but unless they started trying to feed Isaac and Asher to "Deary" Elliot didn't mind playing the long game. "Of course, if she never comes back, we should probably shake a leg anyway."
"I really doubt she would've told us in the first place," Isaac muttered, shaking his head. The terms of the argument would've probably become "down low, too slow," followed by the door being slammed in their face. Besides, even if this wasn't the ideal circumstance, at least Elliot would keep everyone in good hands. Hell, Meicoomon seemed capable too, judging by how used to dealing with Asher's shit she was.
This wasn't the worst for Isaac. It sucked majorly, but he went through the streets of Shibuya trapped under a garbage can. Compared to that? This was doable. But his partner in crime seemed a lot less capable of handling it. In the dark light, Asher's twitching mostly went unseen. However, his desperate, robotic speech patterns were quite obvious. He sounded like he was having a major breakdown, insisting things were fine to a degree that showed it was really, really unfine. He took a few steps forward, noticing Asher moving up his hands to hug himself. It really sucked to see. Slowly but shakily, as if afraid Asher really would bite this time, he gently put a hand on Asher's shoulder.
"Asher, please," he said, the worry in his voice immediately apparent. "I know this sucks, but we need to keep it together. Come on, for Meicoomon and Elliot. We need to be strong for them."
Clearly, Isaac did not understand what Asher needed right now. But damnit, he was helping!
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 4:38:25 GMT
With a tilt of the head, Whiskers thought about Elliot's plan. Maybe, she should have picked Isaac. She didn't really want to keep anyone caged up for too long. After all, who knew what the people did here with their prisoners? For all she knew, they were being waterboarded or something! Either way, the cat wouldn't argue with the boy's plan. He'd done these things way more than the feline had! This was her first experience on a spirit hunt!
"Nya. Alright." Yet, there was still no return of Kitty. "Why did mew suggest chalk, when we're in the jungle, anyway? It's not like they have sidewalks around here." Kid logic was weird. They probably could have just drawn in the dirt with a stick.
With eyes shut, the teen jumped slightly when something touched him. Rather than the usual comfort found in contact, Asher seemed to press more tightly against the wall. With someone close enough to touch him, he had to work on controlling his breathing. Try to focus on that.
Of course, there wasn't enough focus in the world for him to remember how to breathe, and instead continued producing shallow, rapid breaths. "What," he paused, forcing yellow eyes to open and look toward Isaac's face. "What're you, ah," maybe he should have kept his eyes shut. The space was less defined when he couldn't see it. "-Talking about?"
With Isaac's talking forcing him to stay grounded, he couldn't even begin to think of a way to cope. This was far worse than anyone had discussed beforehand! If he had known that little, dark boxes were in his future, he would have nope'd back to his bed for the day and called it good!
Managing to move a little, the redhead shakily placed his hand on top of Isaac's. Sure, he knew that Isaac really couldn't stand the physical contact, but anyone else's comfort really wasn't a priority right now. In fact, it probably wasn't even crossing his mind. Instead, fingers tried to tighten around the only thing that was reminding him to try to remain calm.
"Don't," the teen breathed, trying to mask the wheezing sounds that wanted to escape his throat, "don't think I'm weak for this."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 4:56:35 GMT
". . . Oh yeah." Elliot really could have thought that through better! His inferior choice of writing implement was probably costing the group tons of precious time. And it started to dawn on him that time was kind of critical, especially with Isaac and Asher locked up. But these guys said they wouldn't do anything bad. And why would a fortress full of babies want to torture people? No, Elliot refused to believe that! They wouldn't put that baggage on an organization full of infants. But could he really afford to wait?
There was too much thinking. Isaac was always better at the snap decisions. But at how long Wanyamon was taking, Elliot figured it was time to make one. "Okay. She wants to play with you, not me. So I'm going to walk around a bit and see what I can find. Whistle if there's any trouble, okay?" With that choice made Elliot started ambling around the periphery, trying to see how much of the enclosure he could sleuth out before getting weird looks from people.
Meanwhile, Asher was talking in exasperated pauses, as if gasping in between each word. And yet he was still trying to deny anything was wrong. Typical Asher. Isaac glowered slightly, not wanting him to hyperventilate to death trying to keep his pride in check. Why did these two have to be like a pair of damn peacocks? He looked in Asher's eyes, saying "Come on. You know what I'm talking about." He tried not to keep his tone too exasperated, instead focusing on making it warm and reassuring. He had to keep patient, even when this situation was starting to freak him out.
His hand trembled slightly as Asher clasped it. Part of him wanted to instinctively pull away, but he knew Asher needed this. The last thing he wanted was to cause the guy's breakdown. Instead, he turned his hand to make it easier for Asher to grasp, relinquishing one of his hands in exchange for some of Asher's nerves. "Weak? Why would I ever think that?" Isaac said, a little bit confused. "You're in a scary new world, in a really unfortunate circumstance, and you're still trying to keep it together for me instead of ditching to sneak through the fortress. It's kinda stupid, but also really brave.
But you're not weak. Hell, you're way stronger than I could ever be." Now that was a blow to the pride. But judging by the genuine worry and desperation in his voice, Isaac would be damned if he didn't mean it.
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 5:34:23 GMT
"You're leaving meow?" Whisker's bristled slightly, at the thought of just being left alone in some random area. But, Elliot was already walking away, so she supposed there was nothing left to do. With any luck, there wouldn't be too much waiting for her playmate.
After a short wait, the feline began looking around. "Wait, whistle? I'm a cat. I don't know how to whistle," she huffed under her breath.
Wandering about, Elliot would still see plenty of rookie level, and lower, Digimon. It seemed that Tinkermon's game of tag with one of the babies had ended, as she fluttered around the main circle of the camp, while catching her breath. Leaning against a stump, a Minomon watched a few of it's Baby friends pile on top of each other. Not a friendly game for it's body type, however.
Even alone, nobody was paying the kid much mind.
Meanwhile, Asher was finding it increasingly more difficult to feign ignorance when someone kept telling him that he was lying. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he huffed, trying to avoid eye contact. "D--on't look at me." That was a ridiculous request to ask of someone that was trying to help! What else was Isaac supposed to stare at?
With a sniffle, the young man used his free hand to try to fix his glasses. Or, to subtly rub his eyes. Seriously, Asher? Was he going to try to look casual about this, even when the drowning feeling was trying to pull his feet from beneath him? Luck would have it, there wasn't really enough room, between him and Isaac, for him to lose his balance.
"I'm-I'm not afraid of this world," he stuttered, defensively. It was true, there was quite a bit of stubbornness here. "I-- oh my God, how can you breathe right now?" Was Isaac really having no issues with this? This tiny box was terrible.
Then again, maybe that was just proof that the younger of the two was actually the better of them. Maybe, Isaac's words would have comforted someone else. Or, maybe even Asher, if they were truly applicable. "I'm afr--" Even Asher felt dramatic at this moment, coughing to try to conceal hyperventilation. "Claustrophobic. I'm claustrophobic," even admitting that was an awful blow to his own pride. But, still holding onto the younger boy's hand, he had to try to fix it with adding, "idiot," to the end. So much for any sincerity, there!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 6:07:00 GMT
Thankfully, Meicoomon wouldn't be alone for too long. Elliot's plan was basically to make big, lazy loops around the compound, returning to Meicoomon's position before going back on his next loop. "Small camp. Mostly just young Digimon. I don't see any of the big names, or the cages, so they probably keep those further in the back. Few lonely Digimon to talk to, so I'll try that." With his new plan set he went back on his orbit, making sure Meicoomon was in sight at all times. Unfortunately not earshot at all times, though, judging by the whistle comment falling on deaf ears.
There were two possible informants, Tinkermon and Minomon. Minomon looked a bit lonelier, and as a younger Digimon would probably be a bit more willing to talk, but would it know as much? Meanwhile, the Tinkermon might've been a bit more on guard, but as a Rookie it'd also likely know what was going on a bit more. It was a tossup, but eventually Elliot decided to go for the Minomon. Poor guy couldn't even play with his friends, considering he was the least friendly shape for a game of Cuddlepile imaginable.
"Hey there," he said as he approached the pinecone. "A friend and I were let into the camp because Wanyamon thinks she's really, really cool. But it's such a big camp, so we're still trying to find our way around it. Would you mind showing us around a bit? We're playing some hopscotch later, if you'd like to join."
Isaac, meanwhile, sighed and obligingly turned his eyes to the floor. As much as he wanted to stare Asher down to try and connect with him, he figured listening to the older teen's direct requests would help him feel a bit more comfortable. In the darkness, Asher's subtle eye-rubbing went completely unnoticed.
He smiled wearily as Asher asked how he could breathe. "Not too easily, honestly," he admitted. "They sure as heck didn't roll out the red carpet for us. Wish they could've at least cut out a vent for us." He may've been overstating how bad it was for Asher's comfort, but his breath was a little bit more ragged than it usually was. It didn't help that they had enough air for maybe half of a person, split between the two of them.
And then Asher admitted what Isaac had guessed at beforehand. While no major revelation to Isaac, the fact that Asher would actually admit it was huge progress. He sighed, keeping Asher's hand held tight even as he was called an idiot. "Hey. Hey, its okay," he said, awkwardly stalling for time as he tried to think of the right words. What did you even do to reassure someone in this situation? It wasn't like he was claustrophobic, either. But maybe there was something he could say . . .
"I know its not the same thing, but I have really bad stage fright," he admitted. "Ever since I tried for drama in middle school and botched it hilariously, I've been terrified of even setting foot up there. I choke up. I stammer. I can barely look the audience in the eye. Shit, I get the chills just trying to monologue to myself in the mirror. I'm trying to apply to the drama club at school, but every time I try to go for it I just get this sinking pit in my stomach. It makes me want to vomit. And it hurts really bad, being terrified of something I enjoy so much.
You're not alone. I'm here for you." He smirked a little, the tone in his voice hesitantly teasing. "Idiot."
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 6:40:34 GMT
Well, at least Elliot wasn't just abandoning the feline entirely. But, where had Kitty gone off to? Had she seriously not been able to figure out if the camp had chalk at all? Meicoomon decided to sit on the ground, waiting for further input.
"Hullo," the Minomon chirped, looking up to the newcomer. He hadn't seen a newcomer before! But, unlike Wanyamon, the little digimon didn't seem quite as excitable. But, games were always a way to a child's heart. "What's hopscotch?" It kind of sounded like butterscotch. Minomon liked butterscotch.
Hopping a few steps, the little Digimon looked around. It wasn't like she could join the cuddle pile, anyway. "Kay. Just remember, hopscotch." It seemed a deal was made! So, the tiny monster began to move about the camp, making sure to take up a pace that wouldn't be too fast or too slow for Elliot. "It's really easy. Main area is main area." This probably referred to the primary circle, where Wanyamon had brought the duo. "Some shop-things are on the left side, and houses everywhere else." And, by houses, she meant everything that had some sort of door on it. This included legitimate huts, some mounds of dirt, and even a couple of particularly thick trees.
"The Adults live at the back of camp. Ginkakumon's is back the most because he doesn't like company. But he's tough! You should see him arm wrestle!" Or not. Sometimes, it involved throwing people! But, the Digimon wasn't sure what other help she should give!
For some reason, Isaac's response didn't make Asher feel better, at all. "Oh," he mumbled, quietly, using his free hand to pull the collar of his shirt over his nose. Stop stealing all the air, and think of other people! Sure, he was terrified, but he had to stop making this all about himself!
Still, the teen tried to distract himself by listening to Isaac's fears. It didn't really make him feel better, but if it could make him think of other things, maybe it was worth something. "Pr-" Don't make this sound insensitive. "Practice can, uh, help," he mumbled, trying to avoid hyperventilating and using up the air. It wasn't working particularly well, of course. "It's one of those fears that can usually be fixed by, uh, doing it." Maybe that sounded dismissive, but he was really trying to give advice. "Try in front of friends. Bring a plastic bag." The bag was, of course, in case Isaac actually threw up!
Of course, that solution wasn't as easy for himself. "I can't-- Can't even step in a closet without this happening." And, as far as not being alone? He still felt insanely alone. This was a stupid fear! At least Isaac was afraid of being judged, or something! Nobody was judging Asher when he walked into a small space!
With a cringe, the redhead pulled on Isaac's hand, to shift him. Releasing his fingers, Asher reached up to pull Isaac's shoulders, forcing the boy into what was probably a very awkward hug. "Sorry," he sniffed, trying to hide his face between one of his own arms, and Isaac's shoulder. After all, he knew Isaac didn't appreciate the physical contact in the slightest.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 6:54:19 GMT
"Sounds like a lot of fun. I'd love to see sometime," Elliot said, giggling slightly at the idea of someone arm wrestling so hard that he could fling people around. Something gave him the feeling that the leader's hut, so far away even Minomon's little tour wouldn't cover it, was their destination for the day. Or, at least, one of the most likely ones. Would they have to challenge Kinkakumon for the spirit? Because that sounded really scary. Then again, his own Champion form wasn't too shabby when it came to strength. He could lug furniture with ease and punch through steel, after all.
Maybe he'd end up challenging Kinkakumon to an arm wrestling match.
"What kind of stuff do they sell at the shops?" Elliot asked, sensing the Minomon was trying to think of other ways through which she could help. He had tried window shopping before, peering through as they passed to see if any spirits were in there, but he couldn't get a great look. It'd be hilarious if this literally came down to buying the spirit and walking out. Even if it didn't, there could've been a lot of useful information in there.
Isaac nodded as he listened to Asher. "See? That's great advice," he said, feeling a little lame that Asher was taking time out of his own panic attack to try and help him. "Really smart stuff, actually. It takes a strong person to focus like that, considering." He was running out of reassuring words to think of, but Asher was sure as heck not making it easy on him! And he couldn't even think of what to say about the closet point. What was he supposed to do? Rant at the involuntary bodily response until Asher realized "Gee willikers, I guess closets are A-okay after all!" "Elliot got scared by one of those plastic party shop skeletons once," Isaac retorted, hoping a similarly lame fear would snap Asher out of it.
And then he was being hugged. A questionable choice, considering Asher's claustrophobia, but after a bit of initial squirming from surprise Isaac decided to roll with it. It sure as heck wasn't a pleasant hug. Asher was trembling and sniffling, and the box was uncomfortably hot, and he was probably being dangled slightly off of the ground. But he sighed and endured it, because he knew trying to worm his way out would be the final nail in Asher's coffin. Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around Asher, patting him on the back. "Come on. Please, don't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for."
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 7:22:46 GMT
Minomon looked Elliot up and down, thinking about it for a moment. "I'd say challenge him! But, you'd lose your arms!" Both of them! In one match! Okay, maybe not really, but as far as the little Pine Cone Worm was concerned, that was how it worked!
"Foods, blankets, stuff," the Digimon hummed, trying to think of if anything was actually important. Someone who wasn't going to spend much time here didn't really need the shops!
An idea came to mind, though! "Oh! Is Witchy at the gate, or off-duty?" After all, if someone came in the front door, they'd have to know an answer to this! "I can show you where we poke people with sticks!" There was a pause, "but, only if she's not outside the gates. Elye gets mad if we bother his friends. He only stops watching them when Witchy or Ginkakumon's out here. He really likes Witchy and Ginkakumon!"
While Asher's breathing seemed to still be shaky, it was amazing how well it had calmed down. Ugh, this was embarrassing on so many levels. The teen hated being weak like this! And, on top of that, it was to one of his trainees at work. This just wasn't right! Life clearly had given him just an awful hand.
"Physical contact," the redhead pointed out, lowly. Just keep breathing. Try to imagine Elliot being afraid of party skeletons. No, that really wasn't working. "Discomfort?" Clearly, he was just too focused on the person he was trapped in a box with. "I, ha," remember to breathe, darn it! "Discomfort you a lot." Well, that was a no-brainer.
"More discomfort; need a distraction," he hummed, trying to keep his eyes hidden in his arm. "Tell me something. About you? Or, a story?" How sickening. He needed some kid to ramble stories to keep him sane. This was just pitiful!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 7:42:22 GMT
"Huh, you think he'd be up for that?" Elliot asked. He didn't realize it would be that easy! Then again, it was unlikely a little Digimon like Minomon would know what the village chieftain wanted. But maybe she was right. He pondered the idea, turning it over in his head a bit. The small, blonde, and brotherly part of his brain that said "Elliot no" wasn't here today. "Maybe I'll give it a shot!"
But then the question of sticks came up, which sounded far more relevant than the shop. The shop actually sounded kind of boring. As much as Elliot wanted to check it out, though, he couldn't quite have the heart to lie to a small child's face. "Witchy was at the gate when I got here, but I don't know if she still is," he said. "Maybe if she leaves we can check it out? I mean, hey, I already brought my own!" Elliot jokingly held out his walking stick. It was pretty plain, but that still made it fancier than the literal tree branch sticks most of these Digimon probably used.
Elliot didn't even ask how they could hold them with no arms.
Isaac glowered as Asher pointed out, well, the truth. Why did hd have to prove he listened to Isaac the one time Isaac didn't want him to? Honestly, if it was in any other circumstance Isaac would have been won over by how thoughtful it was. Instead, he was cursing his luck that every effort made to cheer Asher up was failing. "That's not true," he started, but knew Asher could see right through the lie. "I mean, okay, maybe sometimes, but that's not what matters here. You're the one who matters, okay? Because you're too nice for your own good, and goddamnit, you deserve better than this." He tightened up the hug, trying to make it less awkward and more firmly reassuring. He hated seeing Asher like this, especially when he was to blame!
"Okay. Story. Lessee. Well, when I was like 10, I really wanted to try parkour. But I had no idea what the hell I was doing, so I mostly just jumped off walls doing dumb poses. Needless to say, I fell. A lot. Broke my arm at least twice. Then there's the time I tried running up the walls. Really ended up more like running into them. Turns out, its a lot more complicated than some dumb Youtube tutorial can show you. But I never gave up, because I just knew I could do it if I got the hang of it. I think smashing my head into a guard rail's what got me to stop.
Sometimes I try it nowadays. Its way easier when you're not being a moron about it. But hey, guess we can both be really stubborn sometimes, huh?" Jeez, Isaac! Now that's being candid.
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 8:01:42 GMT
Oh, darn. Witchy wouldn't be distracting her Deary, then! "I wish they'd let Him guard the gate sometimes! He's no fun!" In fact, the babies were flat-out told not to harass the Digimon! Stupid rules! But, that stick looked like a really good poking stick.
But, Elliot had displayed interest in an arm-wrestle match. "If you arm-wrestle Ginkakumon, I bet Elye will come over to watch! He usually picks up the broken stuff! And Digimon! That are in the arm wrestle things!" How! Exciting! "Want me to go get Ginkakumon?" There was a pause, to look over the kid again. "Are you sure you even want to try? I've seen guys bigger than you de-digivolve from it!"
This would be a hilarious match.
Why was Isaac even both trying to comfort Asher, at this point? Lying to him clearly wouldn't do any good, as a, "tch," managed to escape, before Isaac had caught himself. "It matters," he insisted, shakily. He wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought he was! Really, he wasn't! It was just easier to play dumb than actually participate in a normal way of life.
But, the reasoning had thrown Asher off in such a way that, for just a second, he forgot that he couldn't breathe. "Wh-at?" Did he really deserve better? How? Isaac knew nothing about him. "I don't agree," he mumbled, in argument. Couldn't just agree with the kid being nice, huh? Even when the air was too thick and warm, he was going to argue about the dumbest things. Even though Isaac was even legitimately hugging him now, in some attempt to further comfort. If anyone deserved better, it was the kid going way out of his comfort zone!
It seemed the story had to be helping somehow, as a small snicker escaped from the redhead's lips. "You're crazy. You could've died, hitting your head." Did that thought never occur to him? Well, probably not. Ten year old logic wasn't even the kind of thought process that Asher would follow! And that was saying something! But, just to jokingly emphasize Isaac's statement, and to argue for the sake of arguing, the teen sniffled a, "I'm not stubborn."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 8:20:32 GMT
De-Digivolving? Arm wrestling must have had a very different meaning than what Elliot was used to. At this point, he was wondering if it involved Ginkakumon ripping people's arms off and using them as bludgeons. That was certainly one way to define the word! Nevertheless, it seemed like Elliot was being challenged, if only due to how much Minomon was needling him about the fact. Could he even back down at this point without being called a chicken? And did that seriously even matter? "Well, I can't go to the poking room if I'm also arm wrestling," Elliot pointed out. He couldn't clone himself! "But maybe if I go for ot, you guys can have fun over there
Okay. I think I'll go for it! Let me just go catch up to my friend first. Where should I meet you again?"
Quickly Elliot headed over to Meicoomon. "So apparently I'm arm wrestling the village elder," he warned, somewhat sheepishly. "This is gonna suck really badly. But maybe I can learn more about this place from him. Like who Deary is, and the spirits, and why there's a giant baby fortress. And with how strong my human spirit is, maybe I can even score a win! The kid I'm hearing from keeps talking to me about somecplace where they poke Digimon, too. If all the hubbub leads to some kids sneaking there, maybe it'd be worth checking out." With that last debriefing, it would be time for Elliot to head to his destiny.
Unlike Isaac's destiny, which was to sit in a cage and be cradled up by Asher. "I mean, yeah, it matters. But there's a time and a place, you know?" Isaac asked. "Worry about me when I'm having an anxiety attack on stage. Not when you're the one in need of a shoulder. Hell, you've already been trying to help with my discomfort, and I appreciate that a ton. Now let me help with yours, damnit! Please!" It was a strange mix of care and exasperation, but then again it was also a very strange coexistence that these two shared.
He grinned a little at Asher's snicker, at least. "You sure about that? 'Cause I remember you trying, like, 5 times on my first shift at work to put a collar on me. Maybe that's dedication, but I think I'll just call it stubborn," Isaac said, impressed at how warmly he could recount that. "Alright, I told you one. That makes it your turn, I guess. Got any good stories?"
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Post by Asher on Dec 21, 2016 8:56:28 GMT
Minomon didn't seem to care too much if Elliot could go poke people, if that meant that she got to! "I'll poke them once for you!" The tiny monster cheered. It was for the best. Elliot really didn't want to witness the events.
The monster looked about for a minute, before nodding it's head to the center of the circle. Twirling in a circle, the Digimon wanted to waste no time getting Ginkakumon to join the party. "Go wait there! I'll be right back!" And with that, the Minomon was off! And, Elliot was given time to find Meicoomon.
Hearing Elliot's stupid idea, the cat blinked, slowly. "Are mew trying to die?" It kind of sounded like it! But, either way, she got the general idea of what Elliot wanted. "You're hoping that's where they took your brothfur, huh?" It made sense. But, really? What was this place teaching children, to have them poke others? What were they poking them with? This was all very confusing.
Either way. "Got it. Follow small things. Maybe find where Wanyamon went. Hopefurly, find our humans." That little kitten was clearly lost, because Whiskers hadn't seen her since she went off to find chalk! But, she really needed to remember priorities here.
Soon, Minomon was returning, with a large Digimon in tow. "I hear I have a challenger!" Okay, now everyone had noticed the newbies in the camp! Eyes were all on Elliot! "Who's the lucky dog?" Surely, it wasn't that child!
Elsewhere, it seemed that Isaac was far more concerned about Asher than the redhead felt necessary. "Can't help everyone," he managed to smile, although it wouldn't be seen. With a deep, shaky inhale, the teen finally released his coworker from the hug of doom, keeping hands on both of his shoulders. "I've been told I'm difficult to work with," he teased. That was a given.
Trying to think of a story, the teen's grip tightened slightly on Isaac's shoulders, almost habitually mumbling, "I don't really have any." Oh. Wait. What. That was supposed to be in his head. Quick! Think of something! Who cared of if it was as a kid, or a year ago?
"Okay! Uh, I've got one," he quickly covered, trying to actually come up with a story. "Like, a month before I moved to Oakland. So, still in L.A., I went for a run," the teen breathed, trying to keep his words straight through the panic. "Have you ever seen an opossum before? Because, up until then, I hadn't." Sure, he'd seen them on television, but they looked way different when they were only a couple of feet away! "And, I mean, I don't know if I, uh, smelled like food, or if it just decided that I pissed it off." Maybe, opossums should be added to the list of things that made Asher horribly uncomfortable at this point in his life. "But it chased me. For a mile. I decided to find a different route home, just in case it was waiting for me to come back." Animals were crazy! Then again, so were people. Maybe everything just made the teen uncomfortable in some way or another.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 21, 2016 18:28:50 GMT
"Don't worry. I'm really bad at dying," Elliot said, smiling cheerily at Meicoomon. "I swear, if it wasn't for wanting to make sure Asher had a relaxing first day, I would've told you guys all about how many times I almost died by now." He paused for a bit, before shooting Meicoomon a worried look. "He's okay, right? I feel really bad that his first time in the Digital World is being spent like this. Maybe it should've been me locked up instead of him," he mumbled, looking down at his feet morosely. "If you find where people are getting poked, could you please check on him for me?"
But there wasn't too much time to dwell on that. The hubbub in the town was a sign Ginkakumon was coming, and that meant he had to speed off to his challenge. He sounded a lot more jolly than Elliot had imagined. Why would someone who lived clear across the compound to avoid being bugged be so merry? Then again, most people probably didn't bug him for arm wrestling contests. Speaking of arm wrestling contests, oh god he was huge. He towered over everyone else at the compound, and his arms were as thick as tree trunks. This certainly wasn't going to be an easy match. Nevertheless, with all eyes on him, what else could he do but smile and wave? Which, of course, he quickly changed into smiling and bowing. "Hello, yes, that's me," he said. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. It's an honor to meet you!"
Oh. Right. He was still soft and squishy. Nobody was going to take his challenge seriously like this. Thankfully, that's what Digivices were for. He held it aloft, shimmering bright as he asked "Oh! One second please." Tongues of flame wrapped around him, his silhouette growing taller, more muscular, and more wild looking behind the cocoon of fire. It dispersed as an upwards pillar as he pumped a fist into the air, revealing his all too familiar form of Strikedramon. "There we go!" he said, stretching a little to get some of the tension out of his newfound muscles. "So, how do these challenges usually work? Any conditions, or do we just get right to it?" Clearly, this form sparked a bit more competitive spirit. Elliot was revved up and ready to go!
At Asher's tease, Isaac smirked a little. "That makes two of us," he teased back. "Yet we've been making a pretty great pair back at the cafe, huh?"
Wait, an opossum? Isaac tried to figure out how that even worked, but the idea of Asher being chased around by a tiny yet somewhat horrific rodent was making Isaac lose it. He tried to restrain his snickering as he imagined the opossum barking and roaring like some kind of giant dog, but instead making tiny squeaking noises. "So, was this one mad because you refused to date her too?" he joked, now imagining the crazy lady from work trying to chase Asher for miles. Poor Asher just did not have luck with being chased, did he?
"Okay. Now its my turn again," Isaac said, trying to think of a good story. "Alright, so, Elliot's a really light sleeper, right? Meanwhile, I'm like a total rock. Take forever to fall asleep, but once I hit that I'm out like a light. Sometimes I'm amazed I can get up in the morning. So anyway, one night I wake up and Elliot's just shaking me awake, laughing his head off. I'm trying to figure out what's so funny, especially about being woken up at 5 in the morning, but he's practically blue in the face from how hard he's laughing. By the time I can finally shake the words out of him, he tells me I've been sleep punning. Apparently I kept mumbling stuff about past-your-eyes-ed milk and waving my hand in front of my face. He thought it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen.
. . . I still need to think of more ASL puns for Maia besides that one, though. Something tells me that's, like, the first joke people learn in that language."
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Post by Asher on Dec 22, 2016 5:30:22 GMT
"Hopefurly, you're right," Meicoomon stared. Sometimes, she forgot how insane the Digital World really was. How did taking a walk around turn into challenging a big guy to arm wrestle? Elliot didn't even look like the type of person to want to arm wrestle! "I'm sure he's fine." Was Elliot really worried? How did she fix that? Patting a human on the head was not quite the same as a cat. On top of that, the feline couldn't reach that high! "If mew weren't out here, Asher would get squished anyway. And, I get a feeling your human brother would do something dumb. Best options, nya." Was that really Whisker's logic?
Either way, she'd go find the children.
Ginkakumon looked at the pipsqueak, confused. Wait, that really was the person that challenged him? This had to be a joke! But, before he could vocalize that, the boy was... turning into a Digimon? Oh! The ogre began to grin at his proper opponent, "oh! That's the spirit! I like you," he chuckled, before looking around. Nobody got that joke, okay. It's okay, most of these babies didn't even know spirit users were things. "Elye! The stump!"
Near Asher and Isaac, a low growl bellowed, while the ground shook as roots were pulled from the earth, and something stomped past their quarters.
Hearing the name called, Witchy was quick to leave her post, hurrying into the camp, and waiting off to the side. After all, she couldn't miss any of this!
Soon, the Digimon began trotting to where he had been called. Black mane rippled, as 'Elye' began carrying a large stump over to the leader. With only a growl, MadLeomon dropped the stump in between Ginkaku and Elliot, before taking a few steps back to stand alongside the Witchmon. The humanoid Digimon hovered around her partner, adjusting his fur to look a little less messy. Of course, this never really worked, but it made her feel a little better about it, and MadLeomon really didn't seem to mind. Then again, he didn't seem to even notice, just staring down at the stump that he had provided.
"It's arm wrestling! How many rules do you need?" It wasn't like it came with a handbook! Plopping down, he placed an elbow on the stump, which was clearly a makeshift table. "Unless you got a bet you wanna make." But, surely Elliot had nothing to be able to lose! And, what could he want to win?
Sure enough, Meicoomon spotted a group, let by a certain pinecone, scurrying off while everyone was distracted.
"You know, I didn't stop to ask," Asher hummed. Then again, who would stop when a small rodent was chasing them? For all he knew, it had rabies!
But, this new story took the cake. Sleep-puns? Really? What was wrong with this guy? Even Asher hadn't done that before! Though, why was he so concerned about ASL puns? "Insensitive, uh, question," he mumbled, still trying to wrap his head around it, "is your girlfriend a mute, or something?"
And, even if she was, why would she want to read that awful pun?
Not that there would be much time to discuss the topic, as a random stick began to poke through one of the holes in the box.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 22, 2016 5:46:41 GMT
If the Digital World could be accused of being filled with buff lion-men, MadLeomon was easily the most terrifying of the bunch. Elliot shuddered a little as Elye approached, although at least Witchmon fussing over him made him seem a bit less threatening and a bit more adorable. A bit. He still wasn't getting anywhere near that thing. More important was the fact that Ginkakumon already seemed to like the boy! It took him a bit to get the joke, but when it happened he started laughing. Then, the smarter part of his brain reminded him that they were there for a purpose, and that purpose depended a lot on spirits. The fact that Ginkakumon knew about spirits would make this quite helpful, wouldn't he?
"I think a wager'd make things a bit more interesting," Elliot said, grinning a bit. "One of our friends is looking for some information, and it seemed like this place was on his radar. If I win, could you please help him find his spirit?" That solved one problem, but opened another. Namely, what would Elliot gamble if he lost? Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "And if we lose? Well, my brother and I have been exploring the Digital World for half a year now. And we've made a pretty awesome log of all the stuff we've seen. Its a pretty great read, and I'm sure storytime from it could keep the kids here enthralled for hours." That last bit was pointed at Witchmon, who would sure love having them out of her hair for a bit. " 'Course, if you had a different suggestion, I'd be happy to hear that too."
Elliot noticed the group scurry off as well, subtly flicking for Meicoomon to move out with his tail. One way or another, it was showtime.
At Asher's question, Isaac looked curious. Then he realized that right, ASL was usually used by the deaf or the mute. "Huh? Oh, no. She just wanted to learn the language," he said. "I didn't catch on at first either, but eventually I realized what was going on. But hey, it's been a fun language to learn. And it must be nice being able to just sit back and have a really quiet conversation like that.
She's a sucker for puns, though. I already surprised her big time once by showing her I was trying to learn the language. Figure giving her puns in it? Man, that'll just knock her dead." He really would do anything for a chance at hearing that laugh and seeing that smile of hers, wouldn't he? At this point, poor Asher was probably going to gag from how mushy he was being!
And then a stick. "Hey, what the heck?" he said, quickly scuttling to a nearby wall. He took Asher's wrist, hoping to bring him as far away from the stick as possible. That would probably be a nightmare for the claustrophobic teen!
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