Eighth Plague (Mikemon/Invite)

Ah, just another cloudy day in the human world.

From his several nights he had stayed over at Haru's roommate, Dr. Mikemon had gotten the rhythm down for making his way through the apartment: one pass over a quiet street, and then it was just a matter of travelling through the trees, slipping over a rooftop or two before he would make his way down the outside of a gutter, right in front of Haru's front door.

Up to now, all Mikemon knew was about the Arkadimon incident - and even then, his knowledge of the situation was completely through passing knowledge. He had kicked himself for that, for not being able to come over with the rest of the group... but it seemed that Haru understood. Their last conversation, after all, was through a PM in the line chat, stating that he'd be around to check Tawna's data, and to stay clear of the mission guild.

As it was, the cat didn't think much as he reached up to open the door to Haru's apartment - only to find it locked? "... Still at work?" Knowing Haru usually left it unlocked for Tawna, the cat gave a sigh, slipping his cloak over his arm, drawing a key from his glove to his hand. Shortly, the door swung open, revealing Haru collapsed right on the couch in the living room.

"Long day?" Mikemon's tone was casual, closing the door behind him with a foot, clicking the lock in place himself. He'd done this a few times, slipping his cloak over the back of the chair - but at a second glance, the tamer seemed way more off than she usually did.

It was enough to make him ask: "... Haru?"

Sheesh, Haru looked absolutely wiped out! The door itself was a bit of a surprise ("Don't worry about that, though I didn't mean to scare ya' walking in,") but as the tamer finally gave her reason, the cat understood:

Pay cut. Bad luck. Bird poop on her shoulder. It seemed that every little bit of today was completely against Haru, though, yes, the funk she had seemed to go a little deeper than that. Her tone, after all, spoke more tiredly about these things than anything else. Still, Mikemon shook his head: "That sucks... if you need to talk, I'm here. Otherwise I'll just stay out of your hair."

That could have been the end of it. Mikemon even gave a few steps towards his room, until Haru perked up about something else - right, Tawna wasn't here, either! The cat's ear gave a flick as the helmet moved off her head, and she explained just where the cat was. No, she wasn't chasing down another snack truck, but she was on her own. In the Digital World.

... Right. With a nod, the cat slipped up to that couch, sitting a few feet away from the tamer. "What happened, then? Falling out, needed a bit of space?" With Tawna in particular, both of these seemed possible - but Haru seemed too sad, rather than angry or frustrated, for it to be something like that.

The cat's tone was clear, that he didn't believe his own guesses.

Well, there was at least a bit of good news: it seemed that Tawna and Haru were still on good terms. It was, in fact, a little surprising that the Meicoomon had organized this temporary break-up, but a bit of space was good for any relationship, at least from time to time. "Alright, so long as you two have a handle on it." He was concerned, but at this point, he didn't want to step past his bounds. Just asking about it wouldn't help, but as the cat sat...

... Well, she said something. She was asking him not to judge her? He tilted his head a bit curiously at the request, but as she spoke, the pieces start to fell together. Right, there had to be a reason Tawna was away right now, and Haru definitely sounded like she was begging for help - or at the very least, for someone to talk to about all this! "Of course I won't - doctor's honor." His expression seemed serious for a moment, before he managed a smile: "And of course, as a friend. What's up?"

After all, what was so heavy that she had to confide in him for it? The cat waited, watching Haru try and steady her words - and then the bomb dropped. The cat's ear twitched visibly at her sentence. Tawna and Haru had... gotten banned from The Village of Beginnings? It was clear that the Mikemon was missing the middle, beginning, and end of this story. So, with a calm sigh, he spoke:

"Haru, we're friends - I know there's more to it than that. Tell me what happened." Carefully, he would reach a hand forward, to place his paw over her hand. "Trust me, not a word of this is going to leave this room."

As far as confiding in someone in the Field Club, Haru had made a good choice. Though he liked the group, Mikemon honestly didn't think Miyu nor Dio as the type of people who kept secrets that well - and as for Yukiko, well, such a thought might shatter their poor leader's heart. Speaking of the disappointment, the cat gave a nod. "Push comes to shove, I could just say you're helping me with a project." He gave a nod, slowly pulling away his hand as Haru gathered her thoughts.

And boy. Boy oh boy, did the cat not want things to fall the way they did. Tawna and Haru were just visiting the Village of Beginnings, and happened to stumble upon another Digimon - one who had managed to sneak its way inside. The tamer's expression was understandably sorrowful, but hearing that she had more to say, the cat did not speak. Rather, he simply rested his hand on her's again, a sad tone in the Mikemon's own eyes. She'd had to witness something so terrible...

... From another Meicoomon. With that contact, Haru would very easily feel the cat's hand flinch inside her's, at that very declaration. Mikemon's expression didn't seem quite shocked, but simply surprised to hear that - and as she kept on, explaining how that it simply acted natural, like another Meicoomon, the Doctor visibly winced.

Tawna was the only one who understood what the Meicoomon was going through. And Mikemon wasn't surprised.

"Haru... I... I'm sorry." The Mikemon sighed, slowly reaching away, pulling something out of his glove. He soon held an older-looking piece of paper, holding the mark of the mission guild - the very document he'd promised to share with Tawna and Haru when he came over. (X) The tone upon it was quite clear - particularly in the fourth paragraph:

Yes, Meicoomon. An uncommon species, they are generally known for their resistance to corruption as well as their ability to consume and absorb large amounts of data. Left unchecked, a Meicoomon can easily run the gamut from Champion through Mega in the course of a week, and leave entire villages behind as a ghost town.

The cat shook his head, not even making eye contact with Haru at this point.

In retrospect, this was definitely not the best time to hand Haru such a critical piece of information.

After all, the tamer had already been at an emotional edge. Everything that had happened since she had met that other Meicoomon had been stacked against her, and she'd likely been left confused as to why any of this had been going on. How could the cute cat act in such cruel and destructive manner so casually? Why had Tawna been so desperate to try and save someone who had done something that was quite unforgivable for most people? And why had Magnamon gone so far as to ban Haru and Tawna from the village outright?

This one missing piece would bridge everything together, and the click in Haru's mind was quite devastating to even watch. As Haru recoiled, tears starting to stream down her face, the Mikemon couldn't bear to look in her direction: through gritted fangs, he closed his eyes, knowing just how bad the bandage he just ripped off was. So many questions would pop up in her head, as just as many would be answered.

But Haru chose that question. The cat's ear flickered, the feline looking right down towards the rug before the chair, a slow, drawling breath escaping his fangs. His tone sounded rather defeated, as he finally gave his answer:

"I've known since before I met you. For most of my life, actually." The Mikemon looked towards Haru, from the corner of his eyes. "..."

He looked right back to the floor. Damn it, he just couldn't think of anything to say right there.

Yes, the Mikemon was aware this whole time: aware of what a Meicoomon was capable of, and aware of how Tawna might be treated as a result. For the several long seconds that Haru peered over that mission statement, and tried to collect herself, the Mikemon simply waited in silence. Right now, he was feeling quite the amount of guilt - why couldn't he have brought this news sooner? Both Haru and Tawna might have been able to prepare better... but what would have been the reaction if he brought that up out of nowhere?

His ear twitched, as Haru's question broke his line of thought. Tilting his head in her direction, after a long moment of silence, the doctor gave a sigh. "Meicoomon have that sort of disposition, yes. They can be, and often are, very dangerous and feared hunters of the Digital World. As for Tawna, well, 'aato' follow a different rule than other Digimon. The fact that she's tied to a Digivice means she can't really be thought of as a 'typical' Digimon, or even a 'typical' Meicoomon." That was likely a bit more technical than Haru might have been willing to listen to for now, but it was really the best he could offer.

The next question, though, made him flinch, curling his left paw inside of his right. Tawna specifically mentioned her own 'past mistakes' - meaning that in the past, well, Tawna didn't follow the rules of an aato at all. His ear twitched, hearing those chattering teeth, and that chilling question. She asked the question, and for several seconds, Mikemon was silent.

He grit his teeth, biting his lip, the claw of his right digging into the glove of his left. "... Stop it." The cat shook his head, eyes starting to water. "We love Tawna. She's protected us. Protected you. Been braver than most of us."

He paused again, ears flattening down. "S... so please, Haru. Don't make me say it." The doctor looked in her direction, a serious tone in his tearing eyes.

Damn it, why did it have to come to this?

Haru already had a decent idea of what kind of Digimon Tawna might have been before the two met - heck, based on the Meicoomon's wording, the actions she had taken were all but confirmed. But the Mikemon did not want to crack open that can of worms... not for Haru's beloved Digimon. Tawna might have been rough around the edges, snarky, and even a bit of a pain at times, but for him to even say that?

It was hard. And Haru knew it was hard: blinking, the Mikemon looked up, as Haru extended her arms out to the Mikemon. The words the tamer said were clearly from her heart, fighting their way to the surface, through fear and uncertainty. Haru felt like she needed this - like she needed to understand the plight of her best friend.

It took the cat a moment, but as Haru gave that last statement, the Mikemon relented. He stepped up, and accepted that hug, returning her own, gently, around the tamer's back. "Damn it... damn it all..."

No, he had already resolved himself for this. Giving a nod, he looked right up towards Haru, a serious and calm expression taking over his face. "I'm not going to lie - since Tawna was tied to your Digivice, she couldn't have reached the state of Meicoomon on her own. Before she ever met you... she would likely have needed the data of three-or-so other Digimon to reach her current state."

His tone was careful, but the words were damning by themselves. It was the doctor's best guess, as he choked through his tears to say those words. "... It wouldn't surprise me. For a Meicoomon, that's their nature at heart."