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Broader Consequences [Toki]
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 7, 2019 0:45:23 GMT
This place had really cropped up overnight, hadn't it?
Well, maybe not: even a few months ago, this place had several devoted builders and workers pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into the project. But ever since that draconic and vile incident in the center of the Eastern Timberlands, Rosewood served as a newfound home and center to several who had been displaced by the fight. New homes were built overnight, and several set up shop in makeshift shops and stalls even as the construction still roared to life behind them.
It was here, in this newly chaotic Rosewood, that Angel found herself helping out. The Renamon gave a sigh, briefly itching the side of her muzzle as she appeared to mutter at no-one in particular. "Seriously, tents and everything? Is this where everyone ended up?"
"The Spartan Training Grounds and the Village of Beginnings aren't taking anyone in right now, too risky. And not everyone's going to give up their home and get on a train for the first time." The buzzing noise of that blade, a rapier, at her left side earned an annoyed grunt from the fox. She definitely wasn't used to this sort of crowd...
... But for this sort of work, that really didn't matter. Reaching the end of town once more, the fox took a new bundle of cut logs, held it on her right shoulder, and moved to trudge her way back to the city.
"Definitely not the old-timey forest village people were looking for..." She shook her head. Once more, she was getting annoyed at nothing - but with the stress of everything else going on, that was just the normal for her.
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 7, 2019 1:00:51 GMT
Toki watched the Digimon as they worked and occasionally gave them advice on where they should set up tents or building plans so nothing gets too crowded or unstable. "Make sure the tents are arranged so the entrances aren't too close to each other! Can't have people bumping into each other while getting out, right?" he called out, doing his best to help. Everything had changed so quickly. Refugees and Digimon who initially didn't want to come to Rosewood now didn't have much of a choice and Toki wanted this change to be as painless as possible.
He saw Digimon hard at work and admired their resolve. A bit of pride welled up within him that some of these Digimon made it because of his and Mephistomon's efforts. And the forest was still standing because of the Sovereign. But he didn't let that get to his head. He wondered how things were going to be now. The once simple village had grown to a city in its own right, with its own charm and flair. Buildings seamlessly build around the great trees, magnificent wooden landings and decks...it was quite spectacular to behold.
He wanted to help out with the building as well, so he walked over to the edge of the city where he saw a Renamon carrying cut logs "Ah, you're helping out too? Thanks!" he said happily "Do you need me to carry some of those?" he offered. "More hands means less trips, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate it."
Everything seemed rather efficient at the moment and he didn't want to intrude on that. But carrying some lumber was simple, if not heavy, labor.
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 7, 2019 1:36:30 GMT
At the very least, it wasn't complicated work - just a matter of getting the logs up the hill! Just as the fox hoisted that latest batch over her shoulders, her ear gave a small flick, the Renamon looking over her shoulder as Toki spoke. "Mm? Oh, thanks." She returned a nod, tone a bit flat at the compliment - and he wanted to help?
"Um, sure." The fox tilted her head to the pile of logs still left on the ground, the xros'd Digimon not struggling too much with her own share. "We're just bringing these up to the sawmill on the other side of the hill. Looks like they're trying to at double the size of this place to try and fit the crowd that'll end up staying here."
It was simple enough, and the fox would wait just a moment for the human to collect the logs - but could a human really keep up with the workload? At a glance, he didn't seem to be the strong-man type. Maybe he was going to get his Digimon to help, or just carry one or two at a time?
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 10, 2019 3:33:24 GMT
Toki nodded at Angel's acceptance of his help as he walked over to the logs. He tilted his head, wondering which form would be best suited for this. Lagosmon was strong, but so was Antylamon. The longer limbs would help him carry more at a time without risk of them falling out of his grip. He smiled softly at that, deciding to use that one.
He pulled his Digivice out of his jacket pocket and a single bar of code rotated around his free hand, which he then scanned over the top of his device "Spirit Evolution!" he called, the data dispersing and enveloping his body. The bright light would soon subside and a tall rabbit-like humanoid stood in Toki's place "Antylamon."
He knelt down next to a couple of log piles and scooped them under each large arm, adjusting so they don't slip out from under him "Aaand there we go...should be steady. Lead the way! Oh right, my name. I'm Toki Akiyama. Nice to meet you." he said. It didn't really register that Spirit Users could still be a surprising sight to people even if they've seen them before. Their overall demeanor seemed extremely carefree and calm, but their worry over losing the logs also indicated a very diligent and careful worker. There was a lot to this young spirit user aside from a happy outlook, it seemed.
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 10, 2019 4:41:50 GMT
"..."
Okay, no, that made way too much sense in hindsight. Of course Toki was a spirit wielder, what the heck else would a human be doing alone in the Digital World? "No matter how many times, I still can't get used to that... sheesh." She gave a tired sigh, and nodded as the rabbit plucked up a number of the logs. Like this, it would take the pair of them three or four trips to get all the lumber over the hill. Of course, she was thankful for the help!
"Toki Akiyama... Japanese, so 'Toki', right?" Working through that small language barrier, Angel gave a nod. "My name's Angel. Thanks for tossing your hat into all this - it's like the work never stops piling up here." At this point, that wasn't even an exaggeration: the temporary camps put an exhaustive strain on the area's resources! "Speaking of, I've seen you around the tents before? How's that end shaping up?"
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 12, 2019 10:18:42 GMT
He blushed a bit at Angel's words "Y-yeah, sorry. I can imagine it still be shocking to some people, even if they have seen spirit users a lot. Still, this'll make for fewer trips so that's good." he said. Always seeing the optimistic sides of things.
As he walked alongside them, Angel wanted clarity that he was Japanese "Hm? Ah, yes! Born and raised in Japan. Toki's fine." he said with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you Angel. And yes, things have been rather busy here since the forest incident. I'm still recovering a bit from that. I hope the survivors I helped are doing okay..." he said, worried for that group he guided.
Angel asked about the tents "It's going surprisingly well. The Digimon are really organized and I'm just helping them make the most out of the space they currently have. It's going to be a while before they can all get back on their feet, but I'm sure they'll recover just fine. Some will take longer than others, but they're alive and they have their futures again. The attack itself still haunts me, but at least they didn't get what they wanted...unless it was blind panic and chaos. Then they succeeded in spades." he said in one of the few times he'd use a sarcastic tone "I just don't understand the motivation. Maybe there is nothing to understand. I'm just glad I and many others were around to help."
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 12, 2019 18:45:40 GMT
"Relax, do what you need to do. I ain't the spirit police or something." Chuckling lightly at that, he'd lead on, the idle chatter distracting her at least somewhat from the strain of heavy lifting. They exchanged names and pleasantries, the fox's ear twitching as Toki mentioned 'recovering' from the incident.
Interesting: "Oh? You part of the group that was working on Rosewood before that got sucked up in that whole mess?" It made the most sense to her, and if so, she'd shake her head. "Scary shit. You got Luminas and whatever that Wisemon was racing to find the statues, of course you're going to end up making warzones." Angel was vastly oversimplifying the issue, but that was the crux of it.
Still, she gave a nod as Toki explained the state of the tents. "That's good, at least. Tensions are still pretty high-strung, and though I can't really blame them, its problematic if a bigger Digimon snaps when we're all packed in tight like this." Heck, the stability so far felt more-or-less like a miracle - maybe the weight of what happened was keeping people's expectations tempered, for at least a while.
"Honestly, who knows what the fuck that wizard was thinking. Not that it matters - Ms 'Wolf of the Rose' managed to cut him down, apparently. We won't get answers from him, but I'm not entirely sure I want to know his thought process." Letting that subject slip by, she'd press on: "Just be glad you missed the center of it. I saw a report from the Terminus infirmary, and I've never seen Fladramon armor look like that..."
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 13, 2019 10:55:00 GMT
He laughed at her 'spirit police' joke "Well that's good. I don't know how I'd react to an actual spirit police." he said as they soon made it to the first stop for the lumber. Carefully, slowly, he set his lumber down and stacked it all nice for those who need it in this area "Is this good? Alright...just being careful." he said as he got everything all set up. He stretched his arms a bit after that trip "I'm good for more trips!"
Toki remembered that night vividly when Angel brought up the attack on the forest "It was a nightmare. I guided survivors out of the forest, but not before taking a bad hit from a MetalPhantomon on the way out. Even still...the Wizardmon that came with us turned out to be involved in the attack somehow. I never found them again, but I still rushed back in to search after I got a bit of emergency healing. That...that was when I got involved in something much bigger than I thought. Megidramon was driven by rage and wanted to destroy everything. I and a few others managed to defeat it. It was actually the first time I used my Mega spirit for combat."
Angel's mention of a 'Ms. Wolf of the Rose' got him thinking "Wolf of the Rose...K? She...she was the one to finish off Wisemon, huh?" he said with a smile. "She's a close friend of mine. I'm just glad she made it. I didn't even know she was there that night."
"Fladramon...there was definitely a Fladramon there. So yeah...I was at the center of it all. I'll admit I panicked at the last second when Megidramon unleashed something that would have consumed the forest. I got desperate and actually pleaded to the Sovereign to help. To my surprise...it did. Not only that, it granted me a gift. To this day I don't know why it gave me a small fraction of its abilities, but I'm honored, that's for sure."
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 13, 2019 19:17:47 GMT
"Eh, deck em once across the head to knock some sense into 'em, most likely." Angel gave a shrug, as the pair made their way to the top of the hill, the sound of an electric saw whirring in the background. She took her own bundle, setting it down next to Toki's, and gave a shrug. "That'll do. It ain't refined yet, so we don't have to be as careful with it as finished wood..."
Stifling a yawn, Angel stretched an arm up, hearing a light pop of a joint as she did so. The attack itself was honestly something that the Renamon wanted to gloss over, but as she made her way back down the hill with Antylamon, she found herself listening to Toki's own role in it. A MetalPhantomon, a Wizardmon-turned-Wisemon, and even the Megidramon.
Which, of course, meant that Toki was, in fact, in the middle of it all! The fox stopped for a second, blinking in disbelief at the tamer's story. "... Even being right next to the Sovereign, too? Freaking hell..." She shook her head. Toki didn't seem like the type to seek out these sort of fights, but he went back after being wounded, enough to need emergency healing? "Sounds like you're lucky to even be on your own two feet, after all that garbage. And now you're helping with the clean-up, too?"
Reaching the bottom of the hill, Angel plucked up part of the next lot, continuing her thought. "You sure you're not burning yourself right into the ground, here?" At some point, this had to be getting to him!
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 13, 2019 22:35:12 GMT
Toki knelt down and grabbed another set of lumber and hefted it up. "I'm surprised too. The whole time I thought I was going to collapse...after I activated my Mega form I felt like I only had a few minutes before I just stopped from the exhaustion of it all. Despite that I felt like I had to keep going. Push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of for the sake of this world that has taught me so much. That attack was bigger than just me. I know that I shouldn't blindly sacrifice myself. All that does is add to the body count. I knew that with the others fighting, I could also make a difference. And so...I did." he said. Toki seemed like the sort who was selfless, but also knew his limits and calculated things before committing to them. Still, he definitely knew he was in over his head. The adrenaline just got to him that day. He knew he had to go beyond what he thought he could do.
Angel seemed confused that Toki would also help with the clean up "Hm? I mean, I'm fine now. Dr. Mikemon patched me up and I rested for a good week. So I'm happy to get right back to work." he stated simply as he continued to walk. "A battle isn't over with the fighting. The true test is getting back on your feet and continuing to live life as you have. Reaching for the future and pulling yourself out of the darkness a stronger person."
He smiled and laughed a bit at Angel asking if he was burning himself to the ground "Maybe I am. There's only so much someone can take before feeling crushed by the weight of their responsibilities, right? But if I enjoy seeing people happy...if I enjoy watching them spring back from these trying times...then I think that gives me the strength to keep on going. There's enough pain and sadness in the world, so I want to be a bright spot in peoples' lives. If I burn out, then hopefully it'll be a glorious beacon."
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 14, 2019 2:09:27 GMT
"..."
In truth, there were a number of things that Toki said that were absolutely right. Regardless of the risk, the Megidramon had to be stopped, even if it was at the cost of a few righteous lives. The spirit user seemed to understand that much, and even said that he knew that he didn't need to sacrifice himself blindly.
... But the fact that he had to clarify it at all was cause for concern. The fox's ear gave a small flick at that, the Renamon simply moving through the motions of hefting the lumber up the hill, as that smiling human spoke so casually - about his recovery, about just how much someone can take, about how he could just keep going. That all echoed pointlessly in the Renamon's head, Angel barely even listening to those words. Instead, those terrors, the likes of which Toki probably narrowly avoided, rushed past her head.
Watching Dagger be enveloped in Azulongmon's blinding blast.
Witnessing Cassandra gasp for breath after retrieving Haru's code from a monstrous beast's body.
Experiencing their base falling right from the sky... and even seeing a dear spirit wielder wearing braces to support her legs.
"If I burn out, then hopefully it'll be a glorious beacon."
Those words snapped Angel back to reality - and honestly, she snapped! Her response was far from logical, even considering their conversation - tossing that lumber off to the side, she'd give a 'tsk', and swing an arm around, intent to connect with the Antylamon's midsection. Without knowing how to properly articulate her feelings, she simply lashed out: "Like you even know what that means, Toki!"
Her voice was just a bit too loud for this already tense environment - the Renamon realizing, only a moment later, that she just fucked up.
"... Tch..."
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 14, 2019 15:31:02 GMT
Toki froze suddenly at Angel's biting anger, shocked by it. Though, thinking on it, he totally understood why she got angry. All too well. Without a word he put down the lumber he had and helped gather up the lumber Angel had dropped. "I..." he froze, fighting back tears as he worked. "I guess I don't know what it means."
He placed the lumber down for the moment and sat near one of the trees as he looked up at the swaying leafs. "I should have listened to myself, I'm sorry." he said, tone a little more solemn than before. "I spent all my time rambling about the goodness of those deeds...that I didn't mention how much it hurt when...when they gave their lives." he remembered the biomerged Tamer and her Digimon sacrifice themselves at the end. If there was just more damage done. If the rest of them were faster...would it have been necessary? "Tactmon...Durandamon...and their tamer. Their biomerge was as amazing as it was bone chilling. They sacrificed themselves...I wish they didn't have to...I wish...they didn't..." he placed a hand over his eyes.
Soon he clenched his fist and punched at the ground "I...know how much it hurts. It was tactless of me to cheerfully go on about battle and sacrificing myself for some greater good. I didn't take into account how much that would hurt the people close to me. Or those that look up to me. I would be leaving behind so much."
He took a deep breath and sighed before he stood up "I'm sorry, Angel. You must have been through a lot too. If you feel so strongly about it that you would get angry, I should have...thought about what I was saying. That pain is so fresh in my mind that it's hard to think about it. This isn't something nice words can just make...go away. I realize that."
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 14, 2019 20:22:50 GMT
Thankfully, that little scuffle didn't escalate past the first hit, and at least for the moment, no-one really took much notice of it. Emotional breakdowns weren't exactly uncommon here, after all.
Though, that didn't make Angel feel any better about what she did, moments after the fact. Gritting her teeth in frustration, the fox followed along, sitting down a few feet away from Toki. She folded her hands, staring at the ground. "Forget it. I should be the one apologizing here." Her words seemed vacant, the fox's attention clearly distracted, though she was at least a bit more attentive to his words.
Tactimon, Durandamon, Cassandra. She knew the facts very well - especially considering the aftermath - and Toki's words simply reconfirmed the harsh truth she already knew. She sat, listening even as Toki stood up, the spirit wielder once more apologizing...
... And after a few long seconds, Angel would finally respond. "... You've got a lot in common with my tamer. Headstrong, brutishly straightforward, brave, honest, and a risk-taker. Honestly, I've wanted to deck him a few times, too."
She shook her head, slowly standing up, plucking that bundle of lumber back over her shoulder. "I don't know if I should be saying this, but we have managed to recover the Tactimon's and Durandamon's eggs. The tamer you're talking about belongs to the same group that I'm from." Small world, really. "Working out here's about the only thing distracting me from the huge weight of everything that's happened."
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Post by Toki Akiyama on Apr 14, 2019 23:21:35 GMT
Toki composed himself and went back to get the lumber he was carrying. "We've all been through a lot, huh? It's only normal for the realization to come crashing down on us sooner or later." It was tough to accept, but he was honestly thankful for the chance to confront these emotions and come to terms with what had actually happened. That was something he struggled to do. His drive to be seen as some unflinching paragon made it hard for him to burden other people with his own worries. He'd have to work on that.
"It's alright, Angel. We both got a little emotional. Just a product of what's happened, you know?" he said, trying his best to smile for her. He listened to her as she described her tamer "Sounds like you do your best to keep him in check if he pushes himself too much. He's lucky to have someone like you to back him up."
His eyes lit up a little bit when she mentioned the Digimons' eggs. "They're...okay? That's...wow. I hope they're doing well...that's just a huge relief. I guess that means their tamer somehow made it out too. I won't pry for details, but I'll be hoping for the best for them. Truly."
He set down the lumber again and waved to the people working. He looked a bit better "Alright, let's keep at it. A couple of more trips should do it, right?" he said as he prepared for the trip back to the lumber piles. "If you don't mind me asking, where is your tamer now? How's he doing after what happened?"
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Post by Metal Drive on Apr 15, 2019 4:15:57 GMT
'Just a product of what happened'.
That was a good way to put it. If Cassandra, Cloak, and Dagger hadn't gotten wrapped up in this mess, Angel doubted that she would have gotten this emotional in the first place. Though she didn't smile, the fox did return the nod, gathering that lumber as she followed Toki back up the hill. In regards to her General, Angel took a moment to think. "... I guess. Though I'm the one lucky to have him."
Yes, Angel had berated him, but had she actually managed to stop him from doing anything dangerous? She wasn't sure if she'd ever really tried - rather, she simply had faith in that man, and would stick her neck out for him even if it meant facing the gates of hell itself. Toki's words made her think, but she wasn't about to tell him Denryu's life story. Heck, she was surprised that she even opened up this much to a complete stranger.
Dropping the lumber by the top of the hill, the fox gave a sigh regarding the eggs. "They exist, that's about all I can say with confidence at the moment. Almost half of Digimon don't have any recollection of their past lives after reincarnating - otherwise, we'd all pretty much be the same." But she wouldn't offer any more details regarding Cassandra, because that?
Angel still didn't know how to describe that. Leading back down the hill, she gave a response: "Terminus." Where, or what he was doing, he wouldn't say. "He's fine - he's not the type to stay shaken up over this sort of thing."
The fox bit her lip at that, grabbing a load of lumber over each shoulder. "Sorry, I have to be scarce on that information. If you're wondering why I'm so far away, this is the easiest source of stable income on short notice."
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