Broken Keys do not fit in forced locks [Asher]

    "Relax." Whenever anyone told Whiskers that, she automatically felt the need to do the opposite. "If it hasn't attacked anyone, it's probably harmless." This, also, did not make Whiskers want to relax. Who would believe such a theory?

    Standing at the edge of the city, the feline's ears remained flat to her head. "I don't like this. If people are concerned, they're not just talking an ultimeowt. Mew can't win a fight if you can't digivolve further!" Maybe it sounded like the Meicoomon was being needlessly worried. But, when she was in charge of keeping the human alive, she had every right to be! "Let me come with mew. Purrlease?"

    Briefly, yellow eyes narrowed, shifting to stare at the cat. "I want to go alone." Distortion crackled between words. A tone that the mercenary had come to easily identify. "If I don't bring company, I won't look like I want a fight, right?" That logic sounded more like Asher's.

    Yet, his prior statement led the Meicoomon's response. "Do mew want to go without me? Or is it--?"

    Not that she was given a chance to finish. "Yes." 'Yes' was not an answer to a question like this! And, interrupting was rude! Yet, it should be unsurprising.

    "Mew still should see someone about that rabbit," she pointed out, talking quickly to avoid being spoken over. "It can't be healthy to have her talking like that. What if she figures out how to purrmanently take con--"

    Cue another overdue interruption of, "you worry too much." Tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth, as the redhead tried to avoid dwelling on the concept. Something he'd been avoiding thinking too heavily on, since obtaining the beast spirit. There was a reason he hadn't continued on any other hunts, after all. It wasn't because they hadn't pinged on his digivice. He didn't want to find out what another spirit would do to him!

    Or others, either. Antylamon had already taken a swing or two at Isaac. And, likely would have aimed to do much worse, if Asher wasn't capable of holding her back.

    Letting out a sigh, the teen donned a warm smile. Much like the varying tones the teen and his spirit used, Whiskers had come to be able to identify his frequently used emotional masks as well. This smile was meant to calm her down. "It's just something I want to do on my own, okay? If I need you, I'll make sure to make enough noise that you'll hear it. Just keep your ears open." Was he trying to make some sort of compromise? While it wasn't convincing, Whiskers knew this was a losing battle. Giving a small huff, the cat knew when to accept the loss.

    "Fine. But, purromise you'll think about seeing a doctpurr or something about the spurrit?" A better compromise.

    But, Asher had already begun walking away from her. "Thinking!" He announced over his shoulder. Another lie, surely.

    Though, maybe not entirely. Hands in pockets, eyes kept to the ground to watch his feet. To think too heavily on the mental toll of being a spirit user was just going to stress him out. Asher knew that. And, considering his current goal, he couldn't be bogged down by something like that! Focus on the task at hand! Then, worry about his own problems! That seemed like a good mentality! Though, was Asher taking up other people's problems, so he could avoid his own? Probably.

    Stop.

    Think of the devil, and it will come.

    Looking up from the ground, Asher froze. For the first time, he processed how thick the air suddenly felt around him. But, it wasn't from the warmth of a night in the tropics. Something about it caused skin to prickle, and his throat to burn slightly upon inhale. Almost as if he was standing in the bitter cold, but without the actual cold.

    A perk -- or perhaps a downfall -- to the close connection to his spirit. A sense of just what he might be up against from her perspective. While it had been a softer sense in Whitewater, Antylamon was making sure that he was fully aware of his current life choice now, that they had gotten close.  A vague regret of not bringing Whiskers passed across him, before vision came to process that he was staring directly at the source of this aura.

    Strange. A white Renamon? But, weren't Renamon rookies? Maybe, the white coat meant something different. Whiskers had mentioned to him, before, that Meicoomon were often Champion level, despite her being a rookie. Who was to say that this wasn't a similar case, somehow? Though, now, the spirit user found that he wasn't quite certain of how to address the creature. He had expected something big and potentially intimidating! Not... Not this.

    Mouth opened, only to give a soft exhale. Would that interrupt whatever it was doing? Would words irritate the creature? Surely, any company would. It looked quite focused. But, after a second of contemplation, words still escaped the young man's lips. "Do you mind if I interrupt you?"

    Not that the Renamon had much choice.

    An eye twitched, subtly, hearing the crack of the branches nearby. Oh, he very well may have upset the beast. With any luck, the redhead had not. Anything that could break something with its mind was something he shouldn't mess with! Taking another breath, the young man was careful to hold this one.

    And only expelled as the strange Renamon reappeared in front of him. Though, her touch was enough to immediately provoke the spirits within. Data snapped around the spirit user's hand, aggressively warping shape, as it attempted to fight the resistance of its host. The strange combination of excessive warmth and cold felt almost like a shock against the teen's skin. Yet, while his demons wanted to shield him, he remained in human form.

    They could feel the other creature. And, not a single spirit enjoyed their presence being known. The distress of his spirits caused a twist in Asher's stomach and tightness in his chest. But, with words uttered, the coding around his hand slipped to a much more stable swirl. Less defensive. Less urgent. Friend? What made them friends? Was this just a term that the enlightened Digimon was using for someone that wasn't an enemy? Or, did they actually know one another?

    Eyes narrowed, trying to quickly assess the situation. The voice was somewhat familiar. But, the appearance less so! Hearing his name seemed to click everything into place, as luck would have it. Now, his eyes widened, blinking with surprise. A small hiss escaped from the fractal code, that had once been prepared for a worst-case scenario, as it soon fizzled into nothing. "I didn't think you'd take the fur-dyeing thing seriously," he joked, voice soft. How long ago had that been? Asher'd lost track of time, from all the travelling between worlds.

    For a moment, it seemed that he had forgotten the reason he was here. Instead, opting to ask, "what're you doing out here?" There were so many other questions he could have asked. Such as inquiring to the heavy aura, or the voice change. But, maybe, the redhead was just content for now, knowing that the Renamon seemed to be doing well. Surely, his reasoning for interrupting could wait for a few minutes. It wasn't like he was on a time limit, after all. And, it was nice to see a familiar face once and a while.

    Even if this face wasn't necessarily familiar at all.

    Them? Who was 'them'? Was the Renamon referring to Asher's spirits? Another twist in his chest confirmed that his Nightmares felt similarly on the suspicion. They did not like this. They didn't approve. In part, they wanted to act with aggression. The other, wanted to pressure the teen into fleeing. Still, Asher ignored the inner turmoil. After all, this was his body, and his life. The spirits already had theirs. What was hundreds of years worth of Digital Intuition, versus his stubbornness, anyway?

    It seemed the spirits especially had no choice, once Asher had recognized K for who she was. There was a small snicker that escaped from the teen's mouth, as he tried to lower his head a little to escape the ruffling of hair. "Good to see you too, K," he chuckled, selecting which part of the statement to take priority. The dye thing would surely take a longer explanation than just reciprocating a feeling, so he chose to wait for a second on that one.

    Though, he had to assume with the next explanation that it had something to do with her being, "digitized?" What did that mean? Did she die? Thank you, invasive thoughts that provide helpful insight. "That's not like your form of death, is it?" Even in context, it would make sense. But, Asher had yet to actually encounter an enemy dangerous enough to be intent on killing someone! Mangle them, maybe, but flat-out murder?

    Another question came to mind, on that topic. "What are 'keys of digivolution'?" Was it just learning how to Digivolve again? Especially for being able to hold Super Mega level for extended periods?

    Super. Mega.

    Subtle again, the redhead's body tensed. He still hadn't even acquired his mega. Or looked for it, for that matter. After his beast had proven to be quite the treat, Asher hadn't been particularly willing to proceed with his hunts. Yellow eyes still maintained contact with K's, providing little support to processing his current emotions. Actors had this way of making their eyes glaze over to a relatively blank state, and it seemed that the young man was using that skill right now. Though, would that matter, when his conversational partner could sense his spirits? Could she sense the tingling in his skin, or the skip in his heartbeat when she inquired on him?

    Could she see through the mask that he donned, of a careless grin? The thought made him further his discomfort. "Maybe they were shy before," he joked, to cover the actual answer. At least one of them was veering on uncontrollable, and Asher was well aware. Just one misstep. That's all it would take. So, why was Asher making so many of those faltering steps lately? "What do you mean, though?" Was he playing dumb? Or, legitimately curious now? "I think I'm the same. And I don't have any new spirits. Unless one crawled into my digivice when I wasn't looking." More jokes to cover insecurity. Of course. Asher would shield himself, even if he was falling apart.

    Asher could tell that it hadn't been a question posed, and instead gave a small hum. "Same for you." Maybe that sounded informal, but formalities weren't really all that necessary between the two of them, were they? Plus, they surely had some catching up to do! After all, K was very obviously different from their last meeting!

    Giving a nod, the teen followed the request. Statement? Whatever it was. Moving to sit with the rookie -- if he could really consider her that -- he would listen to her explanation. So, it was death. Lips remained pressed tight, until he could hear the full story of what had destroyed her. While he could keep an otherwise steady expression, nerves shifted to irritation. And, soon after, anger. An emotion surely fueled further by the creatures within. But, instead, the teen took a breath.

    It was for the best that K hadn't delved into details of the source of her death. If it had destroyed a Mega, Asher wouldn't stand a chance against them. Yet, he was more than tempted to try to challenge that. Instead, he'd try to focus on different details. Both to prove he was listening, and to further the conversation. "Who's Jesmon?" Tone remained soft, despite the inner frustration. It wasn't his fight to be had, anyway. This was between the Renamon and whoever had killed her.

    As far as cores went, Asher was completely lost. He had no idea what cores were. "Cores are... what?" There was no skirting around this one! He was clueless! Were they what made a Digimon a Digimon? Or the source of Digivolution? Or, something else entirely?

    Another breath to try to relieve some of the pressure. Sure, it was obvious that K could tell that the redhead was tense. But, it didn't have to be too obvious! Right? Probably wrong. Would she have been able to sense his spirits before, if they were as active as they were now? Asher would never know. But, he had hoped it would have been enough of a response to be believable.

    Wait. Summer child? What in the world was a summer child?

    The teen wasn't even familiar with this term! It wasn't wrong that he was born in the summer, but he certainly wasn't a child anymore. And, he was smart enough to tell that she probably didn't actually mean anything about how warm it was when he was a kid!

    Eyebrow raised, watching the Renamon stand up and begin to glow. For a few moments, this was entirely fine. Until the power level seemed to change around her. And, while it didn't seem malicious in the slightest, Asher felt a hitch in his breath. Shifting positioning, the teen slid his hands behind his body. In one sense, to alter posture. In another, to conceal them. While the show, overall, seemed quite peaceful, that didn't mean his spirits had to agree.

    But, when confronted after the digivolution had completed, the redhead slowly opened his mouth. Nothing escaped. Not even a breath. Pressing lips shut again, yellow eyes glanced to the side. Finally, a poor response came. "It's not lying," he argued, softly. "I think the word is prevaricate." Though, lie by omission also worked. Maybe Asher was just arguing to argue, at this point. Who would have thought that the strange man might have the vocabulary to provide a legitimate word to his act?

    That still didn't address the issue. Leaning forward, the teen crossed his arms over his knees. Why bother to hide it? A band of coding circled closely around his hand, seeming quite intent on staying put. Occasionally, it would flare out slightly, only to simmer back into a more controlled state. "I guess," if he had to be honest -- which it seemed he did -- he may as well do it now! "I'd rather lie about an issue, than drag other people into it."

    There was a small scoff, that turned into more of a chuckle. "Speaking of. As awesome as that look is. I think you're intimidating my spirits with it." Then again, everything about K seemed to set off red flags with at least one of the spirits! "What's this one called? Is that Jesmon, or something else?"

    It was likely for the best that K hadn't made any inquiries on Asher's opinion on the whole digitization subject. He wasn't actually sure how he's respond to her! Especially considering that she seemed capable of sensing when he wasn't being entirely honest! With the conversation shifting to other information, he figured he had likely dodged that bullet.

    Though, Asher had to admit that this cores thing had made him pretty lost. Eyebrows scrunched, trying to visualize everything. "So, are all 'cores' kind of a Digimon's," he paused, still trying to fully establish the thought that he had begun, "final stage?" Maybe this was a K-only type of thing! Though, three? Did that mean K would turn into three different things? Or, was Asher just thinking way too hard on this?

    Maybe he was thinking too hard on this. If they added another core, that was a weird soul-heart, wouldn't that mean-- "Another core isn't going to change you, is it? Like, your personality?" Of course it could change her appearance! Asher may be oblivious sometimes, but he was well-aware that the Renamon wasn't originally white! And, that they didn't seem to come in white, normally!

    If only the teen didn't have his spirits to deal with. The transformation would have been a much nicer sight! Instead, his body felt tense, and the spirit user felt a slight conflict with the desire to keep current form. "I mean, I don't tell everyone everything. So, maybe I do," he hummed, throwing a glance to the sky. After all, it wasn't like he broadcasted his past. In fact, he attempted to bury it even from himself, some days! Though, K wasn't wrong that Asher wasn't much of a liar. Especially to a friend.

    Feeling his chest tighten, the redhead looked back to his conversational partner. "Why do I need help?" Voice was legitimately curious, without a hint of spite. Didn't the Digimon think that he could handle what he was going through, on his own? Unlikely. Especially considering the faint pain that shot up his arm, from suppressing his spirits will, the answer was [literally] painfully obvious.

    It was probably for the best that the Jesmon couldn't pat him at all. It would have probably done more harm than good, considering his current mental state, and level of denial. But, with the Jesmon returning to a more familiar form, the teen let out a sigh of relief. Fingers twitched a little, as fractal coding flared out, before shattering entirely, soon fading away into the air. Thank god. Thank Jesmon? Hm.

    Anyway. "My Renamon spirit?" Asher echoed, thinking for a moment. Why would anyone want to talk to a dead fox? "She's not very talkative, really," he admitted, with a shrug. For once, there were no hostile feelings. Nothing wanting to push itself through his veins, and force control. A soft curiosity spread, but otherwise it was silent. "But, whenever you want to talk to her, I'm sure it can be done." There was no protest, after all! Maybe, the Renamon spirit secretly hoped for a chance at its own thoughts! After all, a sprite wasn't nearly strong enough to push past its host's will!

    Though, if Jesmon would become K's primary core, would that change her? It seemed almost like he was currently the only core. Or, at least that Asher was aware of! Not that he had too much time to ask. K seemed to be malfunctioning a little! Leaning away, the redhead raised an eyebrow. "Uhm," he hummed, trying not to come off too rude about the strange moment. But, it was one of those moments where it was hard to not acknowledge the oddity!

    "I'm really curious what that was supposed to be," he admitted, slowly. "Guess we both have things to work on, huh?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips, while the teen managed a small smile. Terrible time to try to make anything sound humorous, wasn't it?