Almosterminus [Cho]

Ooi had to admit, this having company in the face of a decidedly alien situation made it feel... not so bad. "I know, it's just that I've kinda been... afraid of the darkness for some time. Sorry."

It was a bit of a childish fear, but it was still as real as it came. However, her expression was quickly replaced by a smile as soon as the panorama changed into the breathtaking, yet slightly weird scene in front of them. It was obvious that they weren't on planet Earth anymore.

While she stared, eyes wide at the new panorama, Amelie just smiled a bit. "I have no idea how it exists, but it just... does. Kinda pretty, isn't it?"

Yet, the trip ended sooner than expected, and the three girls found themselves recurring to the old heel-toe express in order to get to... Terminus, she guessed? The brunette began to lead the way while gesturing both her friends to follow.

"So... take whatever prompted you to the Train Terminal has shut up? Or... does she want for you to go somewhere in particular? Spirits can be a headache at times, I swear."

Her own experience was a pretty clear example.

A somewhat nod was the only response Ooi was able to muster, at least for now. It was true that she seemed to be a bit more at ease, but fear didn't vanish so easily. It was an insidious feeling, capable of even breaking the bravest person.

Ahem. At least their trip had gone without much of a hitch, Amy's little mistake notwithstanding. In any case, the panorama in front of them was nothing less than amazing. So far that Tsukiko was already exposing what Ooi had defined as a 'maiden's heart'. And that made her gush, quite understandably.

"Wouldn't that be amazing? A picnic with your loved one under the moonlight. You definitely have good taste, Tsukiko-chan; in fact, I hope you won't be too offended if I borrow some of your ideas!"

She winked at her co-conspirator, even if, for one, Amelie seemed completely oblivious to the obvious advance, instead focusing on Tsukiko's remarks. "Well. Those glitchy zero-ones areas do exist, but they're the exception rather than the norm; there are some differences between how this world and the Human World work, but you'll probably get used to it soon. Like, meat apples existing or digimon being able to cultivate... strange things."

Given they weren't being guided anymore, at least taking their time to stroll the place would be nice, the brunette thought. Maybe get to know themselves a little more? "So, uh, Tsukiko... have you evolved for the first time already? And... do you know what your 'spirit element' is?"

Maybe she was going too quickly, and the poor girl didn't have an idea of what she was talking about. Just like the Ooi currently; gazing at her as if she had just spouted some kind of gibberish.

A smile instantly graced Ooi's face. Tsukiko and she were really alike in a sense, weren't they? At least they held their notions of romance and similar ideals regarding how to perceive it.

"I hope that one day you can find somebody who can share that moment and the two of you can enjoy it together. Watch the stars shining together, then hold hands..."

Yup, she was gushing at the moment. That was probably the maximum expression of a maiden's heart. In a sense, it was what made her not mind most of the weirdness currently going on around her. Meanwhile, Amelie just tried to make everything more... easy to understand for Tsukiko.

"Yeah... some stuff is wildly different from our world, even though the layout can be similar at times. It takes some time to get used to, even though I think you're doing pretty well." Mentoring another young spirit user was a role she was going to take seriously, though. For a second, Amy adopted a thoughtful expression before answering.

"Well, those are all answers you'll get sooner or later, sorry if I went on a tangent. For now, what do you think of that experience? Did you enjoy it, or was it... weird? If you could recount it, I'd be grateful."

Regarding waves, it could be something on the more conceptional level, maybe? Like sound, or light maybe? Both were highly probable.

This was probably worthy of a soap opera, but Ooi's mind was devoid of any doubts about it. Holding Yukiko's hands in hers, she stared at her eyes with a determined, yet kind expression.

"That day will be sooner than what you believe, Tsukiko-chan." It was obvious that she meant every word that she said. "There are few forces in this world stronger than a maiden's heart, and yours shines very brightly. It's just a matter of time before somebody notices the beauty of that light and takes interest in you, you know? I just hope that that person's heart shines as brightly as yours."

Unclasping her hands, the raven-haired teenager couldn't but look aside and blush a bit. That had been a bit a brash, hadn't it? Even if it was just like her. Just like Ooi...

Amy cleared her throat, trying to divert the attention to the topics that really mattered.

"Yup! I've been having a couple of adventures in this place, and I kinda think I know it somewhat; I can definitely explain most things as they come, even though we probably won't see much on our way to Terminus." She made a small pause, before continuing. "Using a Trailmon is probably gonna be like a second nature to you with time. They're pretty much like real world trains, except that they have a mind on their own."

So, Tsukiko's spirit was something that could fly, and was related to waves somehow. That was interesting. "How did you look? I may have seen it before, maybe. Or maybe not."

Rookie-level winged beings weren't super common, but who knew. There were many species that Amy didn't know about. Maybe her appearance could unveil a bit about Tsukiko's spirit element?

For once in her life, Ooi's words about the so-called 'Maiden's Heart' rang true on somebody's mind? This was as strange as it came, since they usually were dismissed as random gibberish a teenager with an over-imaginative mind spouted at random intervals. Yet... that didn't make this occasion any less gratifying.

"As long as you treasure your beliefs, that's probably enough to thank me." Being a first-timer, she was somewhat embarrassed, but in a good way! "It's not easy to have unyielding beliefs in one's ideals, but I think that you're just that kind of person, Tsukiko-chan! A bright star in the making, if I've seen them."

In her stead, Amelie wasn't one to indulge in over sentimental things, usually being a more straightforward person, but even then... she couldn't but feel slightly moved at the tender moment the other two girls were sharing. That was what true friendship looked like, didn't it? Quite a sight to behold; yet, she was still in the role of teacher.

Her own adventures? They had been quite a bit, hadn't they? The flurry of questions wasn't unexpected, and she made her best to answer them one by one. "It is full of adventures if you want to have them; as a simple rule of thumb, the nearer you are to a city, the fewer chances of dangerous things happening. We're really near Terminus; the biggest city in the Digital World and probably the pinnacle of civilization in this world. Excluding the city itself, this probably is as safe as this world can get." Amy made a brief pause, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "Don't worry about your safety nor Ooi's; I won't let anything bad happen to either of you; I'll take care of anything that might threaten any of you." Tsukiko seemed to be a bit worried at the moment, so Amy would expect at least some relief coming from her impromptu protegé before going through the actual details of her adventures thus far.

Her small speech had another effect, however; for a second, the aforementioned raven-haired teenager froze in her place, blushing intensely at those words. Was that how... how love truly felt like? No way for her to know.

Apparently, Tsukiko's own spirit element would be shrouded in mystery, for the time being, that was nice. "That's fair. Trust your spirits; chances are that they know what they are doing. I guess that one can say they work in mysterious ways."

That undoubtedly, they did.

How had they become friends so quickly? That, undoubtedly, was a mystery to Point. Usually, the default reaction somebody got from her was ‘annoying’, 'silly’ and things like that. Tsukiko had been like an oasis amid the aridest of deserts; and for that, she was the one who would be forever thankful.

Being able to change somebody's views on themselves at such a level was moving; so much, in fact, that her eyes seemed to water down a bit at that. The teenager wiped them right away, and finally smiled.

“Y-You are very welcome, Tsukiko-chan.”

That had been a pretty heartwarming emotional rollercoaster, Amelie had to say; even if she had just been a silent witness of what had ensued, that made it no less moving. However, somebody had to maintain an air or calm and serenity, right? Considering she was pretty much the de facto warden of the group, it was more or less her obligation to remain alert at all times. No matter what.

The brunette nodded slightly, then kept answering the various questions asked. “To be completely honest, the Digital World can a probably will surprise you down the line no matter what you do, but those surprised should be of the nonlethal variety, and few and far between as long as you stick to the cities. At least that had been my experience with them.” Of course, what Tsukiko did with that information was up to her; adventuring or not, her decisions were hers.

Amelie couldn't help but blush a bit as soon as her 'strength’ was complimented; maybe she had bragged a bit? It wasn't like the brunette hadn't meant every word she had said, however. "I mean." This was going to be slightly awkward, wasn't it? "I think it's obvious I'm not the strongest person around, but... I can handle myself, I think. At least I've been able to thus far."

It wasn't the most convincing argument, but at least it'd hopefully convey that Amy had some experience under her belt. "You're welcome, though."

Had that phrase about trusting spirits been a faux pas, overall? Maybe some further explanation was in order. "I mean, you're right." She added right away. "Some spirits have less than noble intentions, but I think that their survival is their highest priority so... I'd trust them in regards to things that'd help them too, siiince I kinda doubt they wouldn't have at least some selfish motivations. Who doesn't have them, after all."

Hopefully, this wouldn't muddle the conversation too much. In any case, it seemed that they were somewhat closer to Terminus! Amy could see something at the distance, even if she wasn't sure if it was the outline of the city or something else.