Flowers for Amata [Mission] [3/3]

"Violets are a pretty good purple," Elliot suggested. "I mean, they're basically named after it. I think they mean innocence, too? They're a bit smaller than the others, too, so you could use them to break up any gaps in the arrangement." Of course a neat freak like Elliot would care about that kind of thing. Still, it seemed like the group had a pretty good roster of flowers set up now! Go team.

Less good news was the fact that Amata actually seemed to be treating poor Sistermon really badly. Elliot wasn't sure if this was just negligence as a Digimon's partner or actual malice at first, but the more Sistermon described their relationship, the worse it sounded. It was uncomfortably close to how his father had treated Isaac, something that sent a shiver down his spine as he remembered it. "Was she always like this?" he added, worry creeping into his voice. His face had fallen some from how bright and cheery it was before, but he was still trying to keep a brave face up for Sistermon. He didn't want her to think this was hopeless, even if the situation was incredibly hurtful. "And how long have you been with Amata?" He could only hope that the answer wasn't too long.

At least everyone else had idea on how to solve this problem. Some, like Alice, were trying to figure out more about Amata and her preferences. Others, like Basile, tried to find out more about Sistermon and how she approached Amata. They were both very good starting points, and from there more concrete solutions could probably be hammered out with ease. However, there was still something unsettling about this that Elliot just couldn't put his finger on. He just wished he knew the right question to ask in order to make it pass.

"Does she ever leave stuff in her room for you to do? Or, like, leave you snacks and stuff?" he asked. "Or does she really just . . . walk away like that?"

Elliot's jaw dropped slightly as he listened to Ciel's account of Amata's behavior. Suddenly everything made sense. Any blame that he would've once given to Amata disappeared in a heartbeat, and he found himself looking down at his feet as he tried to shake off memories that were still all too vivid. Chief among them was the Paratice Head, staggering around in a crude puppeteer's attempt at strangulation. Disgust washed over him, and without even looking up he found himself quickly muttering inaudibly.

He sighed, then looked up at Ciel. "I need to talk to her," he said. "She doesn't hate you. But she's scared. She doesn't like what can happen in the Digital World, so she's just closing the door on it so she doesn't have to see." He laughed, a warm and soft laugh with sorrow piled behind it. It was as if everything suddenly made sense. "I should know. Because right now, I'm also in her shoes."

He didn't realize it, but he had been clutching onto his Digivice with a white-knuckled grip. He could practically feel the thing shake in his hand from how tightly he had been clinging to it. Part of him still wished he had never found it, and never had to see his life hurtle forward forever changed. However, now he was starting to come to peace with its presence. It was equal parts a blessing and a curse, and while he had been cowering in fear from the magnitude of its curse he had started ignoring its blessings far too much.

Maybe, just maybe, being able to convince a kindred spirit would also help him convince himself.

The nicer parts of the Digital World being on full display was certainly a good idea. Whitewater had as many pleasant memories for Elliot as the Tundra and Dark Area had unpleasant ones. As wild and unpredictable as the world could be, it could also be a really enriching one. "We really should show her the nice parts of the Digital World. Just . . . let's not spring it on her, okay?" Elliot asked. "I would barely leave my room after what happened to me. I know if we try to pry too much, she's gonna get angry. Maybe even sad. If we're going to do this we need to break it to her really gently, okay?"

Frankly, seeing anyone like this would've broken Elliot's heart. The way Sistermon seemed to just retreat into herself, pupils wide and eyes tearing up, made her look so small and scared. The fact that it was for the sake of protecting her partner, who she clearly loved and worried about despite everything thus far, only twisted the knife further. Elliot had been trying to shed some light on the situation, and had seemingly succeeding at his goal, but he didn't mean for Sistermon to start blaming herself! Immediately he went flipping through the cue cards in his brain, trying to see what the easy solution to this one, but there wasn't one. Every point he could think of, his own internal worries had already found wanting over the past few months. He was in the awkward position of being both Amata and Sistermon, and while focused on the former he was just now seeing how repressing his own destiny in the Digital World may have been hurting him.

Without anything else to say, he walked up to Sistermon and gave her a gentle hug. "It's okay," he said, voice soft enough that it seemed in danger of fading away. "This isn't your fault. If you didn't fight and protect her, you both could've gotten really hurt. I think, deep down, she knows that. And maybe she is scared of you, but that's because this is all so new, and so dangerous. It's really tempting to just try and walk away from it all, you know? I know I did. For way, way too long. But . . ."

He could see the Paratice Head in his mind's eye. If he had frozen up and failed to killed it, would it have just continued wearing him and Kuu down until they couldn't fight any longer? He already knew what happened when he failed to take a stand. Without his supervision, Isaac had charged off, done something stupid, and gotten a lot of people hurt. If Elliot had only been there to make things right, instead of just cowering off in the human world, maybe none of this would've happened.

Then again, could he blame Isaac? Much like Sistermon, he just tried to make the best of a bad situation.

He pulled back from the hug, giving Sistermon a last reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'd love to come with you," Elliot reiterated. "And if it helps, I think the flowers are a great idea. Right now, I think she's kind of locked seeing you into Sistermon the Fighter. This will remind her you're Sistermon the Person too, you know?"

He smiled as he saw Basile and Alice also step up to the plate, so eager to help. Frankly, Elliot was at this point trying not to tear up himself. He had stepped away for the express purpose of being alone, and he could still sometimes feel the coldness from his little retirement. Knowing that he wasn't alone, and that there would be forgiveness for how suddenly he had isolated himself . . . well, how could that not make his day? He blinked back a tear in his own right, the smile on his face melting into something truly genuine.

That said, yikes. Did Basile really have that low an opinion on being a human? "It's not all bad," Elliot protested. "I mean, the human world's a lot bigger. Or at least, it feels a lot bigger. Probably because it's a lot harder to cross all at once. And you don't have to worry about fights breaking out all the time, too. And school and work aren't so bad if you find something you really like to do, right? Everything might be a lot slower paced, but it's kinda got a charm to it, you know? It means you have a lot more time to just sit back, hang out with friends, play games, go shopping. All that kinda stuff.

You and Alice should hang out sometime, Dorothy. Maybe have a girl's night out. That's a great way to learn what being human's like!" Elliot, no. This is a terrible idea.