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Red Spattered Leaves [Cassandra/Toki][Complete]
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Post by Cross on Apr 4, 2018 19:07:29 GMT
The call wasn't that unusual. Someone had reported to animal control that they'd seen some sort of large unknown creature in Shibuki forest. The report was a dime a dozen complete with the callers citing strange noises and shadowy figures. Not like a bunch of cityfolk would know what noises were strange in the woods. Not like Cas. Not like Animal Control. They were fairly certain it was just a prank. A waste of their time only added to by the rumors that Shibuki forest was haunted at night. Letting out a soft snort of amusement at the local superstitions Cas deftly leaped the fence in the dying evening light. Her white doctors coat left behind in favor of her sturdy olive drab leather bomber jacket and her various kits strapped to her belt as she dug a flashlight she'd grabbed to take with her from her pocket turning it on with a flick of her thumb. Of course people would think the forest was haunted at night. Most creatures were nocturnal and those that weren't were gradually adapting to become so in order to avoid human interaction and the threat it posed. Deer especially were nocturnal, but that wasn't what gave Cassandra pause as she swept her flashlight low across the ground. No...it was the strange drop pattern of glistening crimson blood that brought the woman up harshly in her tracks. If the trail and puddles could really be called drops. The torn earth around the red liquid tipping the veterinarian and natural biologist off to an animal in a state of great panic to leave such deep gouges in the ground. Yet out here where there was only humans, the spare fox and tanuki she found herself questioning what could have injured even less scared an animal bad enough to cause such a thing. "Probably some teens playing at being hunters..." She muttered grimly to herself, "Or possibly some hotshot with a gun deciding to test his aim on an innocent animal." She added pulling on a set of medical gloves from her pocket as she crouched and lightly touched the blood her fingertips coming away wet and only slightly sticky. It was no longer warm, but it's spilling was recent. Setting her lips into a thin line of displeasure Cas stood and continued her sweep. Her disconcertion though would only grew the further she ventured into the trees as darkness fell like a thick blanket over the forest. "What in the ever loving hell~" The woman whispered the light of her flashlight catching on the ragged torn bark of a cedar that almost appeared to be some sort of claw or scoring marks. The damage not unlike that of a bear or large cats, but nothing like that was native to Japan. An escaped zoo animal perhaps...no...no she would have heard if one of the local zoo's had lost an animal. Swallowing the thick dread that cloyed her throat with budding panic she pressed on as the trail of blood became larger, fresher. With the amount of blood that stained her boot treads a rusty red Cas no longer thought she was going to find anything alive at the end of the trail. At least not whatever had lost this much life fluid. She was right... Coming up short the woman found her breath hitching in her throat in terror as her flashlight glinted off of two sets on eyes. One the dull glazed over orbs of the dead remains of what may have once been, but certainly was no longer a deer. And the thing crouched over it with a crimson muzzle that was not a deer and maybe never had been. |
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 4, 2018 22:57:31 GMT
This was certainly no animal that was familiar to humans, though it looked like an enormous, black furred wolf. Something was off about it though. Aside from its massive size, aspects about it just didn't seem normal. The air around it was cold and unpleasant, like a killer ready to strike. When the flashlight illuminated the area around it, it ceased its meal and looked up at the human shining it "Human...this is my prey. Get lost!" that sealed the deal. This wasn't a normal animal, not by a long shot. That voice was too clear for any animal imitation. It stood from its prey and slowly approached the human it deemed to be invading its hunting ground. "I thought this place was great as most humans just stay away at night or run away...but you're just annoying."
Without warning, it pounced at Cassandra, jaw wide open and going for the kill. Before the beast could make contact, a large hammer from behind Cassandra and slammed on top of the beast's head. The attack drove its head into the ground, and the hammer reshaped into something that looked like a large hand. Behind Cassandra, a tall figure, about ten feet tall, loomed overhead. It looked like a humanoid rabbit with extremely long limbs "These aren't your hunting grounds, and this human is not your prey. Let us sit and talk this over. I can open a way back to the Digital World for you if you just calm down and go peacefully." the creature said as it stepped in front of Cassandra. Thankfully, the wolf was more interested in this newcomer at the moment and followed its movements.
The wolf recovered from the blow and stood up. It shook its head to shake off being dazed from the attack "Are you kidding me? This place is great! Look at all the free food!" it argued. "Ah, whatever, you're not going let me stay, huh? Well I'll just get rid of you both! Ice Cannon!" it opened its mouth and fired a condensed ball of ice from it.
The rabbit creature shifted to the side, dodging the blast as it broke against a nearby tree. "Please...I really don't want to have to fight you, but if I must...Mochi Mallets!" the rabbit's hands morphed into large hammers and it swung one upwards against the wolf's torso and the other one to the side against its head to send it crashing into a nearby tree. The rabbit looked over at Cassandra and bowed its head "Are you okay? Just stay behind me and I'll make sure you'll be safe."
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Post by Cross on Apr 4, 2018 23:21:05 GMT
"Oh fuck...I'm not even wearing red today." Cas muttered half to the looming wolf like creature that stalked towards her and half to herself as it lunged. Leaving the Doctor to see her life flash before her eyes in the form of gleaming white jaws as she half turned hunching her shoulders in hopes of surviving the blow. She'd dealt with coyotes and feral dogs before, but not wolves. Not wolves like this that looked like they'd ripped themselves from the malignant pages of a twisted fairytale with breath as cold as Ragnarok and endless winter. Refusing to say she died with a cry on her lips Cas clenched her teeth, but the death strike never came as the creature was driven to the ground with a great clatter and clash of a hammer.
Leaving the woman to half turn and let out a yipe of surprise to see the looming rabbit like creature just behind her or at least it had been behind her as it nearly stepped between herself and the wolf before them. Leaving her with nothing, but the sight of it's back as Cas scrambled away the stillness of shock that had held her like a spell breaking at her rescuers appearance. Right as the wolf shot off a hurtling ball of ice leaving the Rabbit to dodge and Cas to drop to the ground like a rock with more then a few choice cuss words as the ice shattered behind her against a tree.
"You know it may just be me, but I don't think he feels the same on the 'not' fighting part." The Woman bit out as she rolled back to her feet watching as the Rabbit closed in on the Wolf with a smash of it's fists leaving her running for the cover of a nearby boulder even as her rescuer called out for her to stay behind him.
"Working on it. Slight technical difficulties here on this end~" She called out sarcasm covering her fear even as she slid behind the face of the rock. Her civil service worker always had told her it would be likely that the smart mouth of hers would be her death one of these days.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 5, 2018 1:06:57 GMT
The rabbit blinked a bit and frowned apologetically at her words, but resumed his focus on the rogue wolf. No more words. Right now defending this person in trouble was important. "Sand Grasp!" he struck the ground next to the wolf and the ground around him and the wolf warped like loose sand as it grabbed at the wolf to slow it down. If it tried anything, he would shield Cassandra with his own body if he had to.
The wolf stood back up once more and growled "What so you're allowed to stay here and I can't? What makes you so special?! Wait a second..." it sniffed at the air "I get it...you're one of them...filthy pretender! You think you can walk around like you own the place because you're borrowing a little bit of power?! I'll show you what I think of your kind...Freeze Fang!" it lunged angrily at the rabbit.
He blocked with his arm and winced at the sharp pain and biting cold. A different voice came from the rabbit's mouth "He is not just a pretender...and I won't stand for you belittling him that way!" he shoved the wolf away "Tectonic...!" he raised his hands in the air, both turning into hammers as he slammed them both down "Spires!" from beneath the wolf, sharp spires of earth rose up and pierced into it before disappearing, leaving no damage on the earth around them.
The wolf gasped sharply and fell to the ground, a stream of light erupting from open wounds. It wasn't like blood at all. More like visible data as it weakly stood up "Okay...! Okay! I'll leave! I'm sorry!" it whimpered, suddenly frightened now that its opponent was angry.
The rabbit shook its head and blinked a couple of times "Good. Now then, please stay in the digital world from here on. And if I ever see you attacking a human again, I won't be happy. Understand?" he said as he knelt down next to the wolf. It nodded its head quickly. The rabbit smiled "I'm glad to hear it." he extended a palm out towards an open area next to them and a strange portal materialized "Go on then."
The wolf jumped into the portal and it closed behind him. With a heavy sigh, the rabbit's body glowed brightly before dissipating, and a in its place was a rather tall human boy with a strange device in his hand. He winced and looked at his arm. Some of the damage to his spirit form transferred to his human body, so a couple of teeth marks broke the skin "Ow..."
A smaller version of the rabbit creature materialized next to the boy, though it was roughly around the same height as the human instead of what it was before "You're getting better. Though we'll want to have that looked at...as well as explain ourselves." he said.
Toki looked over at where Cassandra was hiding "Oh...right. H-hello over there? The fight's over, you can come out now. I'll explain everything. Do you, uh...have any bandages, by any chance?"
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Post by Cross on Apr 5, 2018 1:47:08 GMT
Cassandra slowly stood up leaning over the rock to peer beyond her stone hiding place with a cautious gaze as she settled her eyes on the tall teen with a frown. The voice was the same as the rabbit from before, but while intuition told her the two were one and the same logic was at a dead in.
"Yeah...yeah I think you have a lot of explaining to do kid. Like what the hell? What the hell were you? And the wolf thing? And where did it go? And..." She trailed off peeling her dirty medical gloves off with a sigh as she rubbed a clean hand over her face in exasperation.
"Ok yeah..." She huffed with a sigh motioning at Toki with an open palm. "Come over here kid I'm a paramedic. I'll patch you up while you talk." Cas added circling around the rock warily as she glanced at the floating...rabbit...thing next to him and waited for him to approach as she shoved her dirty gloves into a baggy and fished out some new clean ones before digging into her kit.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 5, 2018 3:09:48 GMT
Toki approached Cassandra and sat down somewhere she could treat him comfortably "Well first thing...my name is Toki Akiyama. It's nice to meet you. Now then...where to begin. That wolf, and what I was, were what are called Digimon. Here in Shibuya, for one reason or another, are ways to a place called the Digital World. It's a whole other world parallel to our own inhabited by these Digimon and sometimes they slip through here to cause a bit of trouble. Quite a few humans have stumbled upon the Digital World and go on all kinds of adventures there with their very own Digimon partners." he said. He didn't really flinch when Cassandra treated him. He had quite the pain tolerance.
"Digimon and human partnerships seem to have a lot of different ways of manifesting...I, for example, am what's known as a Spirit User. My friend here, Antylamon, is a spirit of a Digimon that had passed away long ago, but still exists in this form to allow me to become him when I have to battle against other Digimon, like what I did against BlackGarurumon. Er, that is, that wolf Digimon I fought off." he explained "Though there are also Tamers and Xros Generals, who help Digimon reach their full potential through a more direct partnership. Their Digimon are fully autonomous and fight on their own."
"As for where BlackGarurumon went, I opened a way back to the Digital World for it and it left. It won't bother anyone here again." he said, though wasn't sure if that was enough for Cassandra "Let's just say there's a reason people who know about it don't actively talk about the Digital World without reason. If it became public knowledge there would be a massive panic and it could spell disaster for both us and them."
Despite the ominous warning, he still managed a smile "Though perhaps this was an important encounter for you. Whatever compelled to bring you here could be a sign that you've got your own journey to begin. There could be a Digimon partner waiting for someone such as you." he said. "Thanks for the treatment. I appreciate it greatly. How much do I own you?"
His spirit, meanwhile, completely understood her wariness around him and he bowed politely to show he meant no harm "I am Antylamon. I am sorry you had to learn of our kind under such...trying circumstances."
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Post by Cross on Apr 5, 2018 4:41:19 GMT
"Digital world...right...fuck." Cas muttered as she sat down beside Toki and opened her medical kit. Pulling out some disinfectant wipes she worked on carefully cleaning the tooth punctures on his arm. "This might sting a bit." She cautioned as she dabbed at the wounds inspecting them as she went. They didn't appear deep enough for stitches, but she'd close them with a butterfly bandage just to be on the safe side as she worked to apply some antibiotic ointment to the injuries and do just that.
"I'm Cas by the way Cassandra Cross. Vet, Paramedic, sometimes natural biologist when I have the time." She added realizing she'd failed to introduce herself to the two even as Toki's words about her getting digimon or spirits or whatever it was he used drawing her up short.
"Oh gods I hope not my life is interesting enough as it is." Cas mumbled out before her head snapped up to look at him. "Wait me knowing about this stuff and getting attacked doesn't mean I'm going to end up tied up in all this am I?" She asked wary that this just might be not unlike the Yakuza where once you knew about them even if you weren't directly involved they were always...there.
"Though I could see how this might cause a panic...as for the price it's free of charge. Consider saving my life payment enough." She explains taping some gauze over the butterflu bandages just to be certain they'd stay clean before giving him a light tap on the uninjured part of his hand to signal she was done.
"And uh...it's nice to meet you Antylamon. No hard feelings I suppose, but you'll understand I hope if I'm still a little wary." She adds with a polite nod of her head.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 6, 2018 3:49:33 GMT
The treatment stung a little bit, but it was nothing he wasn't used to, so he remained still throughout. He worried about Cassandra's thoughts on this whole thing. Would she think that all Digimon were dangerous or aggressive? He wanted to tell her that wasn't the case, but felt it wouldn't be appropriate at this moment in time.
He seemed interested in the fields Cassandra mentioned "It's good to meet you. It's always nice to see people who care so much about other living things." he said with a warm smile. "They're admirable careers and ones that won't be going out of fashion anytime soon."
He chuckled a little bit when she said she hoped Digimon wouldn't get involved in her life "I can understand that. I was sort of thrown into the thick of it when I got pushed into the Digital World on complete accident by somebody. As for getting tied up in all of this? No, not necessarily, but your perspective from here on might change. Strange destruction of property? Maybe a Digimon. Mysterious sightings? Maybe a Digimon. No one's going to force you to get involved though, so no need to worry about that. Though if a strange device materializes in front of you, then I'm sorry to say you're likely involved and have some friends waiting for you."
He scratched his cheek nervously with his free hand "Though...I don't regret getting involved in this one bit. In fact, I think I became a better person as a result of it. And Antylamon has been a great friend through and through."
His spirit smiled and nodded "Through Toki I can live again, and in return I teach him what I know, whether it be about the Digital World, or about life."
Toki looked a bit surprised when she said the treatment was free "Wow, thanks! Yeah...it's honestly kind of fascinating. What is the Digital World? Where did it come from? Why does it exist? I want to find those answers and help people out along the way."
Antylamon bowed his head "I understand your wariness. I am not offended. However I do promise that I mean you no harm and many Digimon do not. Though like humans we all have our own personalities and motives, so I cannot speak for every single Digimon, much like how you cannot speak for every single human."
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Post by Cross on Apr 6, 2018 4:36:27 GMT
"Don't take this the wrong way. It sounds fascinating and in truth I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I think my life may be strange and hectic enough." Cas explained with a hesitant smile glancing between boy and floating...spirit...thing.
"Sides I'm not much of a fighter beyond a few dirty tricks so while you and Antylamon seem to be a good match I don't think anything of the sort would be the right fit for me." She added with a soft laugh at the idea of her of all people turning into some big badass creature to fight evil or monsters and things.
"Still it's good to know not all digimon are err...hostile, but I'm not sure how much I want to take my chances just yet till I get a better read on this whole digital world thing. Though this may explain a few of the odder dead end calls animal control gets every so often." She murmured wondering if those too could be digimon or just your usual drunks.
"Well if you're feeling all right you should be good to go. Though would you mind walking me out just in case we get ambushed again?" Cas asked this time her smile a little truer. A little warmer.
"And I'm glad to know my professions are appreciated. Sometimes that's hard to remember some days." She adds stashing her medical kit once more.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 6, 2018 8:37:51 GMT
Toki looked at his bandaged arm and extended it a couple of times. A little sore, but nothing unbearable. "Oh no, I completely understand. We've all got lives of our own and they're all different in their own ways." he said with an understanding smile.
He blushed a bit when she said that he and Antylamon seemed to be a good match "Thanks for thinking so. We try our best to work together when it matters." he still felt like he had a long way to go to truly master what being a Spirit User had to offer, but he appreciated the sentiment for sure.
"It's a good idea to take a step back and thing about it all. Digimon sightings in the human world are rare, at least ones without human partners. But at the same time they're common enough to crop up as occult happenings or some such."
When she asked if he could walk her out of the forest, he nodded "Of course! I'll lead you out of here. I would hope there isn't another Digimon so close by." he said as he looked around. "Antylamon, can you feel any nearby?"
"None. At least for the moment. We're safe to proceed."
As they walked, Toki felt nice that he reminded her that the medical and natural science professions were very important. They were unfortunately underappreciated, especially the paramedics. "I think everyone should find a path in life they're satisfied with, whether that be helping others or bettering themselves."
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Post by Cross on Apr 9, 2018 23:20:49 GMT
"Well I suppose that does explain some of the odd happenings you hear about going on." Cas murmured letting Toki lead the way as the two of them meandered towards the forest exit. The trees cast long shadows over them in the faint light of the moon as it rose over the horizon and though Cas did her best to appear calm with Antylamon's assurance that there were no more 'digimon' about she still kept her eyes sharp. Allowing her gaze to sweep over their surroundings every so often before drifting to Toki and then back to the trail. When they would finally reach the exit and the fence Cas herself had hopped over she'd turn to the Spirit user with a slim smile.
"Here." She murmured pulling a bit of scrap paper and a pen from her pocket as she jotted down her number. "If you're ever hurt and need medical attention this is my business cell. My clinic is located two blocks south of the apartment complexes in the Greater Shibuya housing district, but be careful venturing in there. If any of the thugs give you trouble tell them you are on a time sensitive errand for Dr. Cross and they should leave you be. Though most don't venture into my block unless they need something." She explained letting the slim upturn of her lips slowly warm into a true smile.
"It's been a pleasure meeting you Toki, Antylamon." Cas murmured with a polite nod to boy and partner.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 10, 2018 0:19:02 GMT
Thankfully the group made it to the edge of the forest without any further issues. Despite the digimon attack, the atmosphere seemed rather peaceful tonight with the clear sky and the light of the moon faintly showing the way. Toki looked at his bandaged arm once more as a reminder that he did something good tonight.
When Cas offered the piece of paper, he looked it over before gently folding it to put it in his pocket "Hey, thank you. I'll be sure to take you up on that in case something happens." he said with a grateful smile "You must be pretty well-liked in that area if even those guys leave people alone if they have business with you."
Antylamon smiled warmly "Likewise, Cassandra. I hope we will not need your services too often, but you never know what could happen out there. We will be sure to visit from time to time if it is not inconvenient for you." he said before vanishing from sight now that they were out of the forest.
Toki hopped over the fence as well "Yeah, it was great meeting you too. Wish it was under better circumstances, but I'm glad we were able to help you. Actually..." he set down his backpack and tore out a little piece of binder paper and wrote down his number "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call me as well. I'll do what I can." he figured that she would need acquaintance who knew about the Digital World at least, even if she didn't plan on getting too involved in it for the time being. Having someone knowledgeable would be a boon. He handed over the piece of paper and waved farewell "Have a safe trip home, Cas!"
As he walked away, his spirit spoke to him "You really have gotten used to this. See? It just takes a little bit of self-confidence to truly make something of yourself." he said.
Toki smiled "Yeah...you're right. Thank you." he said as he continued his walk home. Step by step, he was bettering himself as a person.
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[Exit]
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Post by Cross on Apr 10, 2018 0:52:05 GMT
"It was lovely to meet you both as well and I'll certainly keep you in mind if I have any more trouble with the digital world." Cas murmured accepting his number with a smile even as she gave both Toki and his partner a little wave as she turned on her heel. Padding back the way she came though she paused to glance over her shoulder that the boy silhouetted in the moonlight like some fairytale figure.
"I'm not prone to playing the damsel in distress, but it's good to know there are still heroes around." She called over her shoulder brightly as she slipped his number into her pocket. She had a ways to go still to reach the subway stop and catch the train home not to mention and excuse to makeup for Animal Control. While the idea of a digital world still seemed strange and foreign to her she couldn't really fault her own eyes and senses. Nor the foreboding feeling that lingered that left her fearing she hadn't seen the last of these 'digimon.'
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