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The calm before the storm [Kakemi]
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Post by Katherine Jasso on May 14, 2019 2:52:46 GMT
This meant not all of her issues had been taken care of. What was it, then? Why was she having trouble to go back to her Lopmon form? What was keeping her from going back to being a bunny?
To answer that, she would probably have to go back to the moment when she became a ChoHakkaimon for the last time. No, that wasn’t right. Her frustration was coming from before that.
While riding her own train of thoughts, Jazz was able to hear Anzu. “W-What did you say…!?” She was not bacon! She had not even tasted bacon before. With a roar of anger, Jazz lifted her sword again to swing it vertically at Anzu again, stopping mid-way.
Why? Jazz was a bit stunned, staring at her own furl. It had… caught on fire. The ChoHakkaimon tilted her head.
“…Jaenryu?”
“Akemi…” Katherine muttered, staring at her friend. That request had made her nervous, it wasn’t hard to tell. But Akemi had just taken her hand and brought peace to her heart. Just like she did back in Nei’s house.
A smile had appeared in Katherine’s countenance. Sometimes it was hard to tell but… Akemi was so strong and reliable, in her own way. “I’m fine with it.” She answered. “But we want that book first.” The teenager added, shifting her gaze towards Goyi. Time to negotiate with the monster of kisses.
“Okay, bo!”
Well, that was fairly easy.
“A-Are you going to trust us just like that?” Maybe she shouldn’t ask this now that they had gotten so far but… for someone who seemed as smart as the Wanyamon, it came as a bit surprising she accepted their request that easily.
Goyi stared at Katherine for a second. “Of course, bo. You are my friends, aren’t you?”
“O-Of course we are.”
“Then why would you lie to me?”
Goyi bounced towards a pile of books, jumping right at the top and pushing off one with the lower part of her body. She used her tail to open it and started reading it.
“This is a record I keep of all the books inside of here, bo. I’ve had plenty of time to read all of them and even if it looks like a mess, I kind of know how to place any book after reading this, bo. Let's see... the Decrypter...”
So this was one of those cases where a place was an absolute mess for everyone except for one person. Digimon.
Katherine’s eyes went to Akemi. This was probably a good moment to ask some questions to Goyi. Where should they begin?
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on May 14, 2019 6:18:06 GMT
Wait, why did the foil just catch on fire? "...That's your spirit thing." Anzu replied as Jazz ceased her swing. "That...usually comes out when things are serious, right? Why's it doing that? What's wrong?" She was definitely aware that she could push some serious buttons if she tried hard enough but this was...unprecedented.
"...Anyways, I just called you bacon because you run around in a pig suit. Um...Sorry about that." That smile was actually more reassuring than one would think. It made Akemi herself sigh in a quiet sort of relief. As Kath insisted that Goyi find the book for them first, Akemi looked at her with a look of amazement. "That was really smart!" She whispered! "Excellent!"
Akemi locked eyes with Kath as Goyi began her search. It was likely best that she begin with a simple question. As Akemi squeezed Katherine's hand, she inquired, "So, uh...Goyi, who's your master? What kind of person was he? I'm sorry if that's a bit of a tough question to ask..."
It was easy to just look at the Wanyamon instead of Kath. Being this close to her was still...something a little crazy for Akemi to think of.
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Post by Katherine Jasso on May 19, 2019 2:18:42 GMT
Looking at the flaming foil she was holding, Jazz shook her head at Anzu’s apology. “N-No… I wasn’t really angry. Don’t worry.”
The fire slowly took the shape of a dragon, exactly like the one that inhabited and materialized from Akane, the Youkomon. It was the first time Jaenryu actually appeared in his dragon form coming from her.
“Greetings, Jazz, Anzu.” “You know… Anzu?” Jazz’s eyes went to her friend and then to the dragon.
“I can see everything you see, Jazz. That means I know everyone you know. Besides, I’ve actually been inside of Anzu.” Jaenryu explained, his voice as deep and calmed as ever. That made perfect sense, but… “Did I summon you?” Jazz asked. “You… kind of did. We could say I came because you were worried. There’s something troubling you. Actually, there are things troubling you two, I can tell.”
The fire dragon was now floating in front of Anzu and Jazz and it had separated from the foil.
Goyi kept studying the content of her records. After listening to Akemi’s question, she replied.
“No, bo.” She shook her body. “Don’t worry, it’s okay.” It was not like he was dead or anything. After taking a deep breath, Goyi started telling a story she had never told anyone before.
“His name is Kuma, bo.” Just from talking about this being, her eyes glimmered. “He’s a Pandamon. A very nice and rightful digimon who fights to protect those he cares about. He’s full of discipline and a thrive to never give up, bo. Master has taught me so much...” Goyi mustered a smile, while she kept reading the book. In order to properly speak about Kuma, she had to tell them a bit about herself.
“I was raised in a family of five archeologists. All of us are Wanyamons. Around ten years ago, my siblings and I discovered a mysterious stone tablet, a totem, and a treasure in a sanctuary inside some ruins. According to that tablet, there were nine more sanctuaries like that, bo. Each tablet seemed to tell a piece of a larger story. My siblings and I didn't care about treasure, but about knowledge. That's why we decided to dedicate our lives to finding all of those tablets and knowing the full story behind them. Our closest lead pointed us at the Hardware Den so one of my brothers went there. One of my brothers stayed at the place where we found the ruins and the rest of us just wandered around the world, looking for any clue that could lead us to more tablets, bo.”
Background given.
“As I traveled, I met Master. We instantly became friends. He decided to help me with my quest, training me so I became stronger and taking care of me, although I... was very sick. That’s why I know he has the kindest of hearts.”
Did Goyi say she was sick?
Some more questions needed to be asked.
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on May 20, 2019 5:07:46 GMT
...The spirit knew her? Anzu blinked at that revelation a few times. Yet, the latter part of Jaenryu's statement had also made perfect sense. Of course he had been within her, they had DNA Digivolved before. This meant that Jazz and Jaenryu had an equivalent amount of knowledge about Anzu.
In fact, it made them the two individuals that knew more about her than even Akemi herself. "So, if you can tell...Then I've a proposal." Anzu began, dropping her foil. "Let's talk. I'm sure that'll help us understand what it is you see. I...wasn't aware you could speak, so this is an interesting opportunity." Okay, good, she wasn't overstepping anything. That was alright to know. Anyways, the master in question was a Pandamon by the name of Kuma. Quite the literal name! At least Akemi thought such. She was occasionally looking to Katherine with a look that spelled disaster. It was the CAN WE KEEP IT look. The same one she gave back when they picked up Nei.
...Of course, that look was quickly replaced with one of concern. One of curiosity. One of the undying variety. "You were...sick? How so? How did he help you?" Akemi inquired, before she took a pause. "...And you're all Wanyamon?" That part she was slightly skeptical about, but...She could also believe it.
She had a few more questions to ask, indeed, but she decided to wait for Goyi to answer this bunch first.
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Post by Katherine Jasso on May 23, 2019 1:36:01 GMT
This was, in fact, an interesting opportunity.
“And that is why I came. When Jazz is feeling uneasy, it’s like her data summons me out of her body. This is mainly when she feels she or those she loves are in danger but, as you can see, it can also account for when she is worried.” The dragon’s voice was calmed and serene. “So I had been waiting for the chance to speak to you two. Mainly because I know you are about to face the most important battle in your life.”
If there was someone Jazz trusted, it was Jaenryu. Whether being in Akane’s body or hers, the dragon had saved their life a couple of times and he had been the cause for why she was able to reach her Hippogriffomon form. The pig girl took a seat on the floor and put her foil down too.
“Okay, I’m listening.” She nodded.
The fire dragon started swirling around the same spot, creating a layer of fire, like a canvas, where his own fire started drawing figures.
“The DNA Evolution technique is a matter of synchronicity. But this is not something exclusive of DNA. It is actually a trait it carries on from regular evolution.” While he spoke, he drew figures that helped explain what he meant, like two digimon fusing into a stronger one. “While DNA evolution is about two beings of data being fully synchronized, regular evolution is about the mind and body of a digimon having reached a higher stage, at the same time. This means, if your mind is still, at some level, dwelling about old grudges or things from your past, your body will be unable to reach a new level, because your mind is not ready.” The canvas showed a digimon being unable to go past a certain stage.
“While it is true at first you can manage to evolve to certain stages by overcoming just certain grudges or issues in your head, as you try to get to higher forms, your head must be completely cleared of these types of thoughts. It is not only about having the will to fight, it is about reaching a stage of mental peace.”
Then, Jaenryu glared at the holosuited Tsukaimon in the room.
“Tell me, Anzu…” He made a short pause before asking a very complex question, seemingly out of nowhere. “… what is what you love the most in the whole world?”
While she was mostly very focused on Goyi while the Wanyamon told her story, Katherine’s eyes did occasionally go to Akemi now and then because… well, why wouldn’t they? She was beautiful. A quiet giggle escaped the girl when she noticed that look Akemi was giving to her. It would be very nice to keep Goyi as they did with Nei but… it didn’t seem like she was willing to leave this place. Not until her master came for her.
Although it had been the last of her questions, Goyi decided to tackle that one first, staring a bit perplexed at Akemi. “Y-Yes. We’re a family of five Wanyamons. I’m the only girl, bo. Why do you ask?”
It was a bit of an odd question for her, honestly. Goyi kept browsing through her records with her tail. It was honestly pretty understandable this took her a while. After all, there were a lot of books in there.
It seems like Goyi was a bit reluctant about speaking about this subject, although she didn’t seem totally against that. “No one else knows about this, but…” They were her friends, weren’t they? She could tell everything to Kemi and Rine.
She let out a sigh before proceeding. “While I was at the expedition with my brothers, I suffered an injury. I took a pretty massive fall in those ruins and got a pretty serious wound, bo.” However, Goyi’s body didn’t seem to be in bad shape or anything. “Since there weren’t any good doctors in ElDoradimon, it took me a while to heal. And although my wound healed, my body didn’t heal properly. They didn’t have the medicines I actually needed for healing properly. I made sure my brothers didn't find out about this, to avoid getting them worried, bo.” The Wanyamon made a pause, trying to explain the problem in a way the girls could understand.
For this, she would use an analogy, using the information she had read in a book about the human world. “Let’s say my wound got infected and it closed without me taking what you would call antibiotics. So, although I felt good for a while, not long after leaving ElDoradimon I started coughing blood, shivering, and feeling dizzy, bo.”
Katherine’s eyes widened. The analogy had worked. She could now tell Goyi’s situation was pretty serious.
“I searched for new doctors but… they said I wasn’t going to make it. According to every doctor I visited, the infection had advanced through all of my body and I shouldn’t travel any longer. They said if I wanted to live a bit longer, I had to stay somewhere and stop traveling. But I needed to find that tablet for my brothers, so I kept going. I wasn’t going to let them down, bo. That’s when Master found me.” Goyi’s eyes glimmered as if she was remembering something stored deep in her heart.
“He said he would train me, so I could become stronger to find that tablet. But he promised he would heal me before of that. He promised I was going to live. I told him that was impossible and that many doctors have tried but… he didn’t give up. He never did. We kept traveling, together. And we kept looking for someone who could heal me, bo.”
That was simply… touching. Katherine’s eyes had started to tear up a bit. But, if Goyi was there in front of them, seven years after, it meant…
“… until we finally did, bo. We found someone who could save me. He wasn't a doctor, though.”
Katherine's eyes widened right when Goyi uttered her next sentence.
"His name was... Luke."
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on May 23, 2019 5:26:03 GMT
Anzu had never met the fire spirit, nor had she ever spoken to an apparition like it before. So, to say this was an interesting opportunity was a slight bit of an understatement. "So the mind has to be in perfect sync with the body in order to advance...I think I can wrap my head around that."
Mental peace, however, was something that Anzu could never really understand. Turbulence was all she had recalled for a long, long time. She nearly flinched at the question posed to her by the spirit, however. There was a long, long period of silence before she quietly posed her own question.
"Love...? Like...Um. Familial love or 'Akemi and Katherine holding hands and looking at each other weird' love?' "Oh, uh...No reason. I was just wondering if you evolved into anything in particular or not." Akemi explained, scratching her head some. Hearing Katherine giggle at her caused her cheeks to flush some.
She wasn't expecting Goyi to actually tell them about her sickness, though. "I can't...imagine that was pleasant. At all." The girl said in response to the explanation, though she was able to figure out what she meant by the analogy provided. "So though the wound closed, the infection was still there."
...So how did she do it? Akemi continued to listen to Goyi until she got to that last part. The mere mention of that Valkyrimon stirred up a lot in Akemi, even though she had never met him. But, she had to remain calm. "...We know of him. What...did he do to save you? How?"
...Why were her eyes a little wet, too?
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Post by Katherine Jasso on May 27, 2019 20:14:30 GMT
So far, everyone seemed to be understanding the subjects being discussed. Jazz’s eyes were affixed on Jaenryu, although they did drift towards Anzu once the dragon had issued the question. Only the sound of the spirit’s scorching flame could be heard while the holosuited Tsukaimon thought long and hard about her answer.
“Love is not there to be separated in kinds. When you love someone as a significant other there is a mixture of many kinds of love.” Jaenryu replied. “Try to think about the feeling as a whole, and tell me what you love the most in the whole world.” Jazz’s eyes widened a bit. That was a hard question. What was the right answer? How many things did Anzu love?
“Don’t classify the feeling. Just think about how that person, object or situation makes you feel.”
After telling the second part of her story and while she heard the girl’s reaction, the Wanyamon kept browsing through her records. Then, a smile lightened up her countenance. “This is it.” She muttered.
Apparently, she had found the book. The Wanyamon hopped down to the floor and started bouncing towards one of the shelves. When she went by Katherine and Akemi, the Spaniard took a chocolate out of the bag and gave it to the little fuzzy creature. While she chewed on it, she kept telling her story.
“Time passed and my sickness had advanced too much, bo. I was coughing too much blood every day and the last doctor we had seen told me I had less than a month to live.” Just remembering this, seemed to make Goyi feel a bit uncomfortable.
“I think Mr. Luke heard us asking about a possible cure in a bar, bo. Some drunk digimon tried to bully me and Master protected me. Master was an amazing fighter, so I think that impressed Mr. Luke. On the way out, he approached us, saying there was someone creating an important army that would revolutionize the world forever and they needed a soldier like Master, bo. Of course, Master said he wouldn’t do it but… Mr. Luke said he had what we were looking for. He pulled out a gem. It had an intense, orange color.”
“A Zoid Gem.” Katherine muttered. Goyi’s eyes widened as she turned to face the human. Honestly, a bit surprised she knew about the Zoid Gems.
“Y-Yes! Exactly, bo. It was the Saffron Zoid Gem.” The only one Katherine never had in her power. The one she knew Luke had always had. “He got the gem closer to me and, it shone… it shone brightly. I fell unconscious. I woke up later that night and… I was not shivering, coughing or feeling dizzy anymore. It was as if I had never been sick.”
“… w-what? How?” Her green eyes wide open, Katherine just stared at the digimon.
“The Saffron Zoid Gem is a very antique piece of jewelry that holds an amazing amount of power, bo. It holds the ability to control time at a certain measure.” Goyi explained. “What Mr. Luke did was ‘rewinding’ my data in time back to the moment where the corruption appeared and… froze the time for my data, bo. In other words, my data is frozen. It’s like I can move and talk but my internal data is not acquiring experience or getting stronger. It’s just… paralyzed in time. This means I can't get older or evolve. If my data is unfrozen, the sickness will start developing again and I will die, bo.”
The obvious question. “Why didn’t he reset your data until before it got corrupted?”
“Apparently, that gem has a limited amount of energy to be used in such skill. And Mr. Luke was not interested in spending too much of it if he could avoid it. Rewinding my data before the infection would have consumed more power, which he was not willing to spend. Of course, I’m not dumb. I’ve also considered he didn’t do the full job just so he could convince Master to work for him. But I don’t know for sure, bo.”
Now, it all started making sense inside of Katherine’s head.
“So he threatened your Master with unfreezing the corruption if he refused to work for him?”
“N-No. Master willingly volunteered as a payout for Mr. Luke having saved my life. However, my master did say that there had to be an end to their agreement at some point. So Mr. Luke set the price at 2 millions of bits. This Army he was starting, known as the Dark Army, would always need money to operate. So the deal was that once Master had produced two millions of bits for the Dark Army, he would be able to retire. If he left before honoring that debt, Mr. Luke would unfreeze the corruption and I would get sick again. Of course, Master is a bear of his word. He would never do that, bo.”
A moment of silence ensued. The rest of the story was pretty much clear.
“So it was while being members of the Dark Army when Bastian, Paul, and Kuma became best friends, right?”
“Yes. I lived with Master in the Dark Army’s hideout in Terminus from then on. Pauli and Basti joined the Dark Army one year later. They and Master did a lot of missions together and we all became the best friends, bo.” A smile had now appeared in Goyi’s face. “But then Basti argued with Pauli and decided to leave the Dark Army, bo. Pauli was sent to the Real World to start a restaurant there and Master and we ended up alone again. Of course there was Rondi, Gonzi, Tipi, and Dashi but… they weren’t so cool as Pauli and Basti, bo.” The little archeologist puffed her cheeks. “Now that his friends were gone and, in order to protect me, Master sent me here.”
“No… No! No way! No way I’m doing that!”
“This is not a suggestion. It’s an order, bo.”
“B-But… I can’t leave you alone, master!”
“Now that Bastian and Paul are not around, I might not be able to protect you by myself. I need you to be at a safe place while I pay my debt.”
“Bo…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Then let’s leave! Let’s leave together, Master!”
“You know I can’t do that. If I do, you will…”
“...”
"..."
"Then... promise... bo."
“Huh?”
“PROMISE ME YOU’LL COME BACK FOR ME, MASTER! PROMISE ME THAT, AND I WILL WAIT FOR YOU FOR AS LONG AS IT’S NECESSARY!”
“It’s been almost seven years…” Goyi muttered. Now her eyes were the ones watering. “…B-But he promised he would come back for me. So I know he will.”
Hopefully, he would. However… if they defeated the Dark Army, what would happen to Goyi? They needed to get the Saffron Zoid Gem, so she would not be in danger. Katherine turned her head towards Akemi with a look that said exactly that. They had to stop the Dark Army and saved Goyi. They somehow had to find a way to do both.
In any case, that was an amazing story.
“Goyi…” Katherine lowered her gaze. “It must have been… hard, for you.”
Silence.
“Don’t you… miss your siblings?” The curly-haired girl then asked.
Goyi raised her gaze, looking a bit pensive. “A little, bo.” She confessed. Then, she started bouncing towards another shelf that seemed covered by a blanket. “Although I’m more worried about being able to see them and letting them know I found… these.”Goyi used her mouth to pull off the blanket and unveil...
Five totems and five tablets resting inside the shelf. They all constantly issued an aura plagued with energy, even making the shelf tremble. It was so intense, they were hard to look out. It was easy to tell there was a huge amount of power inside those totems.
“Remember I told you about the tablet and totem I found along with my siblings? I found 5 more of them while I was with the Dark Army, bo.” The little Wanyamon giggled.
The amount of power that was held inside that very warehouse was amazing. Katherine could feel it just from looking at those things.
And… at some place of that vast Digital World, there were two human girls that were a lot more involved with the story of these totems than Akemi and Katherine. Orange and pink hair respectively in each of them. They two would give everything to have those totems in their power right now and get closer to unveiling a mystery larger than life.
Shame the two of them belonged to a different story.
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on May 28, 2019 5:21:57 GMT
Ah. So the kind of love being inquired about was simply love as a whole. Something Anzu had been uncertain about for the longest time. The clarification provided did not, in fact, make this question easier at all. The holosuited digimon took a seat on the floor as her suit dissipated in a familiar glow of violet, revealing a contemplative and...honestly, kind of sad-looking Anzu.
That which she had lost. That which she had found twicefold. That's what love was for her. It was not any one person, but rather, many. She didn't believe she liked anyone in that way, but...as something like a family? Definitely.
"...Family. I love the family that I've managed to amass in this life." She finally spoke. Was that it? Akemi had been expecting some sort of treatment that could be considered a miracle to be mentioned, but she wasn't expecting the reason Goyi was alive to this day to be thanks to a Zoid Gem. Akemi hadn't been doubting their power, but...That particular one.
That anecdote? That was proof. Not only that, but things began to click for Akemi as she remained silent for the rest of the story. So, if Goyi's master wanted to keep her safe, to preserve her, then he had to work for Luke. That was how he became friends with Paul and Bastian before they had their falling out.
And Goyi had remained here for seven years. Seven years without talking to a soul, seven years without seeing her family. "Goyi..." Akemi began, before she just silenced herself to allow herself to be shown the...totems. Akemi had been following her up to this point, only to stop dead in her tracks when the Wanyamon herself did. They were powerful, yes. But... She felt like maybe she shouldn't ask too much about that. "You don't have any way of contacting them about this?" Akemi asked, kneeling to pet Goyi on the head a bit if allowed.
She then stood back up, only to find herself staring at the totems some more. Then, Akemi shook her head repeatedly. They had a job to do. "...So, Goyi...Is the Decrypter here?" She gestured around the part of the warehouse they were in.
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Post by Katherine Jasso on Jun 1, 2019 4:15:26 GMT
Now that he had finally gotten an answer from the Tsukaimon, Jaenryu circled around both of the digimon. “Ah. So family it is.” Then, he stopped right in front of them as he swirled around to create another canvas, where his fire drew a Tsukaimon somewhat surrounded by several flickering dots. “Family is… a complicated concept among digimon. Some of us don’t share even a single bit of data with another digimon, and we can still consider them family.” He explained. “What do you think makes someone family?”
“The fact that they help each other? The time they spend together?” Jazz could only think about her own brothers right now. Boru, Koru, and Roru. Where would they be?
“That is somewhat true… but at the same time, it isn't. That doesn’t quite encapsulate what family represents. According to what you say, you could not call 'family' to those who can't help you? Furthermore, I am sure there is digimon who you have spent a lot of time with and who have helped you too, and you don't consider them family.”
Jazz blinked twice, looking at the dragon. “I-I… Suppose you're right.”
“Tell me, Anzu. Who constitutes this family you love so much? Who are the members of your family?”
Then, the spirit added something else. “And what would you be willing to do to protect them?”
Goyi didn’t seem too troubled about her own situation. For a second or two, Katherine wondered why. The answer started to become obvious.
“You don’t hold a single doubt your Master is coming back, do you?” Katherine asked. “You really don’t.”
“Of course I don’t, bo!" She answered nonchalantly. "I trust Master! He is coming for me.”
If everyone could be like Goyi, and just blindly trust someone out of pure love… wouldn’t that save us a lot of trouble? Of course, as long as that person was able to fulfill their promises.
“I sometimes rent a D-Terminal to talk to my siblings when I go downtown to buy some food, bo. However, I haven’t told them I found the totems. I want to actually show them when I can leave this place!” Just thinking about this seemed to excite Goyi. Them the Wanyamon giggled. “Besides, if I tell them I found so many they can start slacking off. It was only recently that one of them found another one, thanks to the help of some humans.”
Katherine was very curious about this totems. And that was probably an understatement, even. But she figured they had questioned Goyi too much for now. Akemi was right, the book was what they had to focus on. “Oh, right!” Goyi started bouncing back to the shelf she was originally heading to. She quickly jumped from one box to another one until she got to the third level of the shelf, having enough space to bounce across it. She finally stopped in front of some book. “There it is!” She chimed with a smile. Using her tail, she tossed it towards Katherine, who barely caught it.
It was, in fact, a book with a green cover. Upon opening it, the words ‘The Decrypter’ could be found handwritten in the first otherwise blank page. “T-This is it…”
Then, Katherine could actually feel two powerful, yellow eyes on her. These were eyes filled with the strongest of all fires. Charged with the power of… shipping. Goyi was staring at them.
“Okay, I got your book. Now… kiss. And I want to see a good one!”
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Jun 2, 2019 8:35:11 GMT
"Ah. I'm happy you asked." Anzu nodded towards the spirit. "There's a number of factors that can go into what makes someone decide that someone else is considered family. It could be sharing data from coming from the same pair of parents. It could be a matter of all that they had been through with that someone. It could be precisely what Jazz said. Or it could be for simple reasons as 'because you were nice to me.' Really, many things constitute 'family,' Jaenryu." She began.
But, who was part of this family? That...was a bit simpler to answer, at least Anzu felt like it was. "One person I consider family stands in front of me. Another a floor below. Another watches over Akemi's sister in the real world. And finally, Akemi herself. I could say I consider the whole of the council to be family, but...That's too easy. Plus, I don't know a lot of them as well as I wish to." A pause.
"As to what I would do to protect them? Well...You know as much about me as Jazz does. You should have a good idea on that. But...It should go without saying that I'm willing to risk life and limb for those I call family. I'm willing to tear down any edifice in their name, to carve through armies in their name..."
...Yep. Definitely a virus Digimon. Or a fallen angel, if one were to consider Anzu's rather storied background. Akemi saw some part of the blind trust that Goyi allotted to her master as something...admirable. Just having no doubt that she hadn't been abandoned whatsoever. If more people were like this, then maybe, just maybe, trouble wouldn't really exist, would it?
She could also sympathize with the excitement the little Wanyamon held for showing her siblings that totem. Shizu was like that sometimes. Was that a smile on Akemi's face...? Regardless, it was a good thing that she had reminded Goyi of what they were here for.
The Wanyamon then proceeded to locate the very book they were willing to turn the place upside down to find. Sure enough? A green book with the title of The Decrypter written within. Katherine was not the only one feeling the full weight of their end of the bargain in the slightest. Akemi felt the concentrated shipping within Goyi's gaze as she moved to stand next to the Spaniard.
Just a kiss, right? Honestly, one reason Akemi had...bothered to agree to such a ridiculous proposal had been because she wanted an excuse to keep...practicing this. Though, they needed the book, first and foremost. Which they now had in their reach. So...
After a moment or five of standing still, she reached out to take Katherine's hands, then she slowly moved to plant her lips on the Spaniard's own. It was worth noting that Akemi looked flustered as all hell. Nervous. Would she be able to go through with this?
Moreover, would Katherine even...reciprocate? Accept it? What would she do?
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Post by Katherine Jasso on Jun 6, 2019 3:08:33 GMT
Before she actually noticed, Jazz was staring at her best friend, listening closely to everything she was saying. It seemed like she was slowly opening up to Jaenryu as their conversation kept going.
"You are right. The things that can form that bond can vary. But the bond itself is the clear definition of what family is. A bond that is stronger than anything else."
Slowly, a smile made its way to Jazz's countenance, while Anzu referred to her and Katherine like family. While she spoke, Jaenryu just listened in silence.
"In order to carve through the enemies that threaten your family... What do you need?" A question was his first response.
"... To be stronger than those enemies." Jazz muttered, almost as if what she had thought had just come out of her mouth.
The dragon spirit turned his head at her for a second. "In other words, you need power."
Again, his body turned into another fire canvas. "Let's go back to where we started, then." Jazz again raised her gaze, paying attention. "Evolution means power. Getting power means going through experiences that feed your soul and data. While you go through those experiences, you make unbreakable bonds with people you love as they become family." Right now, it sounded like a very good summary of what they had talked about. "In order to protect that family, you need... Power. Evolution."
"... It is kind of a cyclic process, isn't it?" Once again, Jazz looked rather pensive.
"But... If you had to choose between protecting those who you love, guaranteeing their safety forever, or destroying those who you despise, the ones that threaten your family, killing them for good... What would be your choice?"
Interesting question.
Seeing Akemi smile at Goyi’s words made Katherine inevitably muster a smile too. The Wanyamon was definitely one of those digimon that made the Digital World an amazing place. She was full of determination and pure trust in those she loved. Right now, the green-eyed could only hope all of those pure feelings got reciprocated and her master eventually came back. Just thinking of how happy Goyi would be at that moment made her a bit excited.
But… in order to do that, they had to stop the Dark Army and get the Saffron Zoid gem, just to make sure Goyi was out of danger. Would Goyi or her master be okay with that? With ending the deal so abruptly? That was a very intriguing question.
But they would think about that when the moment came. Right now, they had to comply with their original words and fulfill their side of the deal. Which honestly should not be that hard. It wasn’t like Goyi was forcing them to do something they haven’t done before or didn’t actually enjoy doing.
And even if every bit of those words were true; even though Katherine let her hands be held by the Akemi; even when the Spaniard sometimes felt like she wanted to spend her whole life on those lips... Right when Amaya scooted for that kiss, Katherine closed her eyes and moved her head to a side.
“N-No!”
Her eyes widening, Goyi gasped, covering her mouth with her tail. “Such a twist, bo!” She actually sounded… kind of excited at the turn of events. “It’s like that novel I read. Right when romantic stuff is about to happen, one part of the couple suddenly refuses.”
But why had that happened? Why was Katherine refusing to be on the receiving end of that kiss? Her next words would probably explain that.
“I – I…“ She began to stutter. “I told you I might not want a kiss later, because you interrupted our previous kiss.” She finally blurted out, her eyes still closed, but obviously directing those words at Akemi. Maybe those words would have more of an impact if she wasn’t madly blushing, though. “Well, now I don’t want it.“ She moved her head to a side, letting out a ‘Hmph’ sound.
“Oooooh!” Their in-training friend sounded very entertained by all of this. “A damsel in love that fights to preserve her pride even against her most carnal desires, bo. Very interesting!”
“C-Carnal desires!?” What did this furry just say!? Okay, now Katherine was blushing.
“Well…!” The little archeologist seemed to ignore the fact that Katherine was extremely flustered right now. “… I like drama, bo. But… if you don’t kiss, then you can’t have the book!”
Was Akemi capable of beating the ship-thriving Goyi and Katherine’s loftiness to get that book?
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Jun 6, 2019 7:12:00 GMT
There was another fine point raised by Jazz and Jaenryu. In order to evolve, in order to carve through your enemies like a knife through butter, you needed power. How did you attain this power, however? She had been thinking on this as she had observed Jazz converse with the spirit that resided within.
Jaenryu leveraged a particular...hypothetical, then. "That's a difficult choice, considering I have a crippling addiction to doing both when I can get away with it." There was a long pause from Anzu, before she decided. "I'd have to pick the first option. Destroying my enemies outright simply invites new ones to rise and be idiots. The first option is more stable, really. It deters." The deal had been simple. A kiss for the Decrypter.
Of course, Akemi didn't...entirely think this through. That was a problem. That was a huge problem. Katherine moved her head to the side and dodged the kiss, Akemi's eyes widening in what could definitely be construed as surprise. She uttered a quiet "...Huh?" As Katherine gave her explanation for that refusal, Akemi felt -uncomfortably- warm. Embarrassed, even.
She stayed quiet for much of Goyi and Katherine's exchange, trying to shake off that damn feeling and get back to what was actually important. No, no, not all was lost, right? "...G-Goyi." Akemi began. "I realize this might be a lot to ask, but could you give Katherine and I some time alone? ...Go take the Decrypter with you if you're worried about the deal. I just...need some time to speak to her."
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Post by Katherine Jasso on Jun 13, 2019 18:31:17 GMT
"Destroying those who you desp-" Almost automatically, Jazz had found herself replying to Jaenryu's question, only to be interrupted by Anzu. Her eyes slowly widened again, as she listened to the Tsukaimon give her own response. A very interesting one, no doubt.
For a moment or two, the Dragon just remained quiet, as if he was now realizing what was wrong, although he didn't seem shocked. It was almost as if he was expecting something like this too.
"When you aim to destroy your enemies, there is nothing guaranteeing the ones you love will be safe." He began, taking again his draconic form. "Tell me, Jazz." His next question directed to the pig. "If you could kill Luke, but Katherine died in the process, would you feel satisfied?"
"Of course not!" The Cho-Hakkaimon answered immediately.
"On the contrary, if Luke did not die, but you were sure he could not cause any damage to anyone ever again, would that be enough?"
"I guess..." Her eyes avoided looking at Jaenryu's.
"Then your priority should not be to cause harm in others, regardless of how evil they are." The spirit noted.
Now, his attention turned towards Anzu again. "The pleasure of destroying. I can see where Minervamon got her absolutely chaotic side. While your answer is the most logical, and it is somewhat correct, it is not fueled by the right feelings. The desire of destroying your enemies can be catastrophic when it comes to properly protect your family." The next one was a painful truth. "Back in Tayichi'Tai Fortress, you jumped into action, eager to fight your enemy, forgetting about your partner for a second. This caused Akemi to get hurt."
For how long had this dragon been watching them?
"I can see your desire of protecting your family is strong. But having an equally strong thrive for destruction is extremely dangerous for those who you seek to protect." Swirling around the two of them, he gave his final statement. "You cannot reach true power unless you correctly funnel your feelings. If your reasons are not pure, that power is not going to be granted to you. Your hearts seek to protect. Make sure your head does not make you believe the path you must follow is different."
While Akemi launched her request, Goyi just stared at her, like a kid that does not really understand what's going on. "Oh. So you need some time alone to solve the issue. So romantic, bo!" Well, at least she was trying to.
Now, a shook of her body ensued. "That's okay. You can keep the book. I trust you." of course she did. They were friends! "Let me know when you are ready. And don't you dare to kiss without me seeing it, bo!"
Without quite showing a smile, Katherine still took another chocolate from the bag and gave it to Goyi, crouching to give the Wanyamon some pats on her head, while she munched on the candy. "Thank you." She muttered.
After showing a smile to her friend, Goyi just turned and started bouncing away from them. "I feel like reading one of those romantic novels again." She chimed as she started bouncing her way up the stairs.
Katherine leaned her back against one of the tables inside the lower floor, her eyes trying to not meet Akemi's. For some reason, she felt a little bit more annoyed by everything that had happened now! Maybe it was just the feeling growing inside of her.
"So...?"
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Post by Akemi & Anzu on Jun 15, 2019 9:20:35 GMT
Being reminded of that error she made back at that fortress kind of stung for Anzu. But Jaenryu had a clear cut point to make, and it seemed to strike something akin to a chord within Anzu. "So I simply need to think a little slower. Funnel my feelings correctly so they don't cloud my judgement. In an unclouded judgement, I'll find the reason I need to be able to...have that power granted to me. Am I getting somewhere with that?"
...She was dreadfully curious about that. The dragon had been watching them for a while, it appeared, but how much did he know? Did he consider this a right answer, or not? Moreover... "...When do you think we'll figure this whole thing out, if we ever do?" It was a relief that Goyi was able to try understanding the nature of this request. She laid it out as simply as she could, after all. Akemi was however shocked at the fact Goyi actually trusted them enough to keep the book.
She watched Goyi leave, and bounce up the stairs, before she turned to Kath, staring into those eyes of hers. "So...I'd...like two things. One, I'd...like an explanation for what the hell that was, and two...Um. I'd also like to...offer an apology for everything that happened earlier..." ...She sounded uncomfortable. Uncertain. Uneasy.
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Post by Katherine Jasso on Jun 16, 2019 18:14:09 GMT
While Jazz remained quiet, Anzu seemed to be getting a bit closer to what Jeanryu tried to make them know. Stopping its swirling, the dragon floated again in front of the two of them, nodding at the Tsukaimon’s words. “As I said, just like the DNA, regular evolution is a matter of synchronicity. Your heart seeks to protect the ones you love, but your mind is clouded by the desire of hurting your enemies. If you don’t get your mind in the same track as your heart, the power of evolution will not come to you.” That was addressed to both of the digimon listening to Jaenryu.
“That makes… a lot of sense.” Jazz muttered. “Protecting the ones I love, that’s the only thing I must think of. Because it's the only thing that really matters.”
“Sadly, I cannot provide an answer to that question.” Jaenryu admitted. “But, as soon as you synchronize your mind with your hearts, as soon as you reach that state of mind… you will open a new door. I can guarantee that much.” With this, the dragon started issuing his goodbyes. “If you ever need me, I’ll come to the call of either of you, as long as Jazz is around.”
The fire spirit moved into Jazz’s body once again, disappearing.
To all of this, Goyi observed from behind a pile of books, pretty amazed. “They were talking to a dragon made of fire…” She thought.
Jazz stood up from the ground, looking less pensive and a bit more excited. “All right! I feel ready to reach my next stage. Come on Anzu, let’s train. Now we know what we have to do to become stronger and crush the Dark Army!” Okay, maybe a lot more excited.
To this sentence, a gasp could be heard behind them.
“W-What was… that?” Jazz asked, turning to face a corner of the not-very-well illuminated room. “… g- g- ghost?”
From behind the books, the figure of Goyi peeked in.
“Did you just say… crushing the Dark Army?” She asked, frowning.
Definitely, a very unfortunate turn of events.
And speaking of those…
As Akemi spoke, Katherine’s countenance changed into one a bit… saddened. She anticipated a shook of her head to the start of her next sentence. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like it’s your fault.” It really wasn’t, although she couldn’t help to be angered about it. To answer the shorter girl's first question…
“I… I don’t know what that was. I guess I…" A sigh. "I just felt a bit angry about you interrupting our previous kiss.” After this, she would stay quiet for almost a whole minute, regardless of what Akemi said.
“You know what? I’m just being silly.” She tried to muster a smile. “We should call Goyi. I will kiss you so we can get the book.” Katherine was still avoiding to look Akemi into her eyes. “… But… I would prefer if that is… the last time we kiss. At least… for a while, okay?”
Problem… solved?
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