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A B-Ueno Visit at the Zoo [Mika/Chester]
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Post by Yuko Himura on Oct 6, 2019 16:59:14 GMT
Coming back home had been… eventful. For all intents and purposes, Yuko had been missing for three whole, real-world days, something that her mother had every right to be upset about. Their reunion had been a clusterfuck of emotions. Yuko had cried, Hana had cried, there had been a lot of crying involved. She really didn’t want to think about it anymore. She needed a distraction…
It just so happened that a certain blonde youth was itching to go to the zoo, and Yuko welcomed the chance to see more dangerous, bloodthirsty animals in cages. This would also give her a chance to catch up with the young Nakamura heir, and find out how life had treated him ever since returning to the human world. She had called him on messenger, and they had scheduled to meet up in Ueno Zoo, which was in Tokyo’s Taito ward. Rest assured, Yuko had sent a comprehensible list of instructions, in order to make sure that Mikazuki wouldn’t get lost in Shinjuku’s web of railway lines like last time.
And so, the female delinquent stood outside of Ueno Zoo’s front gates, texting Mika to make sure that everything was alright on his end. She really was worried about the guy. She then put her phone back in her bag and waited, while staring at one of the zoo’s promotional posters. “Damn, that’s a big panda.”
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Oct 6, 2019 17:25:51 GMT
The days following Mikazuki's return were surprisingly easy if one was to disregard how his parents acted around Lopmon, who the blonde giant had taken with him to the human world. Unlike his friends' partner, Lopmon was much better at hiding and pretending to be something else. Particularly, the bunny Digimon was quite adept at pretending to be a plushie. It wasn't easy at first, and the "Shoe Incident", as they all came to call it, was the living proof of it.
But now things were calming down and at last, the boy-giant was able to unwind and play with his new friend and the old ones with much more ease. Lopmon had gotten quite accustomed to wandering off on his own and at the time, that was what was happening while Mika finished showering.
And right on cue, as he left, Yuko had deigned it fitting to call him to the zoo for a visit.
Needless to say, he was already on his way at the very moment he got the call.
Minutes passed as he was taken to the zoo by one of the family's drivers. Once there, the blonde scion was quick to grin as he sighted the familiar delinquent and, as was standard procedure, pounced on her for a bearhug, wearing a wifebeater, jeans, and sneakers. "YUU-CHAAAAAAAAAN!" Mikazuki exclaimed as he squeezed the life out of her, waiting on her to protest so that he was forced to let her go. Truth be told, though, he could do this all day.
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Post by Yuko Himura on Oct 6, 2019 23:36:02 GMT
Oh, right. Mikazuki’s folks were filthy rich, so he didn’t need to take the subway like a plebeian. Funny how she kept forgetting that detail. All’s well that ends well, she supposed. As the Nakamura scion stepped out of the limo - no doubt getting quite a few dumbfounded looks from onlookers in the process - Yuko smiled, and for once willingly opened her arms for the hug that was sure to follow. “Heh. It’s nice to see you too, Mika. Can you please let me down now so that people don’t get the wrong idea about us?” She said with a light chuckle.
Assuming the boy-giant would grant her request for freedom, the punk girl proceeded to put her sunglasses on and move forward, gesturing for him to follow her. Once they had passed through the entrance gates, the two young adults would find a much larger space to explore, filled with ample patches of green, food stands, souvenir shops, and of course a wide variety of animal habitats surrounded by fences. For being one of the oldest and largest zoos in Japan, Ueno Zoo did not disappoint at first glance, being home to over 400 different species!
Yuko, however, was after a specific exhibit housed in this zoo, as she pulled her phone back out and surfed the web. “Did you know that the Sumatran tiger is one of the smallest species of tiger? They also have more stripes than other species. Did you know that there are only 50 Sumatran tigers left in the world? That’s crazy! And two of them are right here in this zoo!” Her excitement was pretty clear as she gushed on, and looked around them, trying to spot that rare feline.
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Oct 7, 2019 13:59:57 GMT
Acquiescing to the request, Mikazuki gently put her down and followed her into the zoo, eyeing every single animal in their way. Truth be told, most of the non-mammals tended to creep him out and his glances were usually returned with a bit of hostility as they sensed his fear. Fortunately, it seemed the mammals were much more welcoming of his presence and most didn't mind being glanced with admiration. Maybe it was because of Lopmon or something else, but the Nakamura protegé was much more used to animals after his trip to the Digital World.
Speaking of trips, Yuko suddenly erupted in exposition about the Sumatran Tiger, something that caught Mika's attention as he suddenly turned to listen to the facts she was spewing with an excited expression. "Wait, for real?! That's amazing, Yuu-chan! I never knew you were a tiger person!" he exclaimed after she was done while their tour through the zoo moved on towards the cage where Yuko's new favorite predator was located.
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Post by Chester and Shiro on Oct 7, 2019 18:44:03 GMT
It was true that the Sumatran tiger was very small for a tiger, but the 24-year-old young man right up front to the glass of the tiger enclosure knew full well there was nothing small about this guy. Weighing in at two hundred eighty pounds, this zookeeper had quite a healthy respect for all the things this animal could do to him, most of which were highly unpleasant. That was why he was on the humans-only side of the glass today - that, and it was his off day. So what was he doing there?
"This looks like a good spot." Chester and his dog stopped just outside the glass. That dog was certainly a beast to be feared all by itself; a snow white great Dane was a monster even for his apparent breed. Unlike the lone visible tiger, though this animal was not docile. On the sight of the tigers, he growled and began to tug on his leash. Chester, however, shut that down in a hurry. It took one click of his tongue to get the dog's attention, at which point he held out two fingers low to the ground and next to himself. "Touch," he commanded the animal confidently. Indeed, it did just that, touching the two fingers with his nose. The reward for this was for those fingers to reach into a small pouch up his sleeve and come back out with a small biscuit in them, which the dog lunged for.
That wasn't going to fly either. The fingers snapped shut. "Gentle," Chester insisted. When he tried reopening his hands to expose the treat, the dog much more carefully snapped it up, still enthusiastic but not scraping Chester's hand with his teeth. "That's better." The Dane had come a long way in his domestication, and for that he deserved great credit. Still, redirection training had to continue, for there was still a longer way to go. It didn't help that the tiger on the other side of the glass was very interested in this. He rose and approached the glass, staring intently outward. Chester noticed. "How's it goin', Keahi?" he asked as if he knew the tiger well. Though, to be fair, he did. The tiger began to rub his own head against the glass. This triggered the dog to bark and bare fangs again. Click! "Touch." The dog touched his fingers. "Good boy." Redirection. Reward. Chester was here because all these distractions were excellent both for his socialization and redirection. Of course, what most people didn't know was this animal was no dog. Under the holosuit, the giant white dog was really a small white bear from another plane of existence. Everyone else gets talking partners. Hey, at least he's not a smart alec... usually. Maybe a digimon with its sixth sense could detect him, but everyone else? Just a gigantic dog... until someone tried to pet him. The touch would conflict with the hologram illusion, possibly giving away the game. The good news was Shiro already had his own defense for that: being an aggressive animal. He didn't even have to act the part. As a pair of excited teenagers approached, Shiro judged that they were much too close. But this time Chester redirected him before he could even bare his teeth. "Touch." Redirection. Reward. "Sorry, guys! Still working on it." Like most of the locals his use of the local language was fluent and natural, which made some sense since nothing in his face suggested any other ancestry. However, his accent was undoubtedly American, the result of living most of his life in Seattle.
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Post by Yuko Himura on Oct 7, 2019 19:20:33 GMT
Seeing Yuko Himura of all people nerding out over any subject was indeed a precious sight. Dangerous predatory animals were one of those rare subjects. All the more proof that her excitement was one hundred percent genuine. “Heehee~ Of course I am. Tigers are badass!” She giggled, taking hold of Mika’s hand, and all but dragging him along.
At last, they found the tiger cage, and the delinquent’s piercing-riddled face sparkled with joy as soon as she laid eyes on the majestic, striped feline. “Woooah… Mika, look! He’s so cool and fluffy!” She exclaimed, while poking her friend’s side. She calmed herself by taking a deep, long breath, as it taking her time to solemnly appreciate the spectacle.
“You know what… before we met the Digimon, I thought that tigers were the deadliest creature on earth. But, we’ve met such powerful monsters that… this doesn’t even look that intimidating anymore. Why, he’s so fluffy, I kinda wanna hug him!” The young Tamer cockily said, walking closer to the glass…
Suddenly, Yuko heard something like a growl next to them, and she let out a loud shriek. She instinctively pulled her purple and red Digivice out of her pocket, while also hiding behind Mika’s back for protection. Upon closer inspection, the source of the growling was just a bigass dog. So much for her cockiness!
After the dog’s owner apologized, the female delinquent carefully put her Digivice away. “If you’re still working on it, why did you bring it to a public space? That dog is big enough to eat a child!” Yuko accused the guy, while still hiding behind the much larger Mikazuki.
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Oct 8, 2019 11:28:13 GMT
Mikazuki didn't even dare think otherwise as every single word out of Yuko's mouth mirrored his thoughts on the matter. Why, compared to a Wendigomon, the feline was naught but a housecat! "You're not the only one, Yuu-chan!" and as elated as he was to be dragged around by his friend, he also found the sight to be quite refreshing. "You know, I think this is the first time I've ever seen you so at ease." unlike his usual bubbly tone, this time the boy-giant sounded like he looked, for once.
Alas, it didn't last, for soon enough the duo found themselves accosted by an out of control dog that looked large enough to tackle Mika himself! Logically, Yuko started berating its owner for not being able to control it, but the blonde curiously just moved to the ground and reached out for the dog, speaking in perfect english. "Your dog is adorable! Is it a boy or a girl?"
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Post by Chester and Shiro on Oct 10, 2019 0:40:41 GMT
Could this girl possibly have responded worse in the face of Chester's "dog," Chester wondered? Yuko was showing fear, and to a pack animal that was an invitation. Good thing Shiro wasn't really a dog. Chester choked up on the leash just to be safe, but he'd been pretty successfully redirected. The girl, however, needed to be calmed before she went and agitated Shiro further. "I brought him to a public space even though we're still working on it to work on it. You can't get an animal used to distractions without distractions." For the moment, though, he was behaving well enough - stiff, but not too tense. That was worth a good head pat.
Since Mikazuki was volunteering himself as a distraction, that looked like a good opportunity. Chester started to walk the apparent Dane forward toward the young man, still very tight on the leash. Shiro couldn't advance one inch further than the man allowed, and Chester just let the dog very barely get within sniffing distance. Shiro got to work. "You be gentle there." Should Chester have explained that Shiro was a digimon who understood his verbal commands just fine and would never directly disobey one? Maybe. Since he obviously saw a digivice brandished, it seemed like the girl would understand. The boy, though? Chester couldn't be sure. "Shiro is male." He stayed in Japanese despite the boy's switch. He could tell from the accent it was his first language. As Shiro grunted his satisfaction with Mikazuki and wandered back toward his leash's holder, Chester made eye contact with the female teen. "Oh, and Keahi there? He's no cuddlebug, believe me. He only reacts that way to me and a few of the other keepers." Chester pushed one hand flat on the glass. The tiger attempted to rub his head on it, causing the young man to smile warmly. "And if I can get a tiger to do that, I think I know how to handle a dog." He looked back at the girl, becoming serious for a moment. "I don't wanna brag, though. I bet you know a thing or two as well. Especially about certain exotic species." Chester narrowed his eyes. "Something about you just makes me think that." "Something," was, of course, the digivice she attempted to use as a shield a moment ago.
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Post by Yuko Himura on Oct 10, 2019 8:08:56 GMT
Yuko was confused as to why Mikazuki suddenly switched to English, but after hearing the dog owner speak again, it finally clicked to her that his accent was off and un-Japanese-like. “An American…?” She said, also in English, while tilting her head in confusion. It looked like he could keep his absolute unit of a dog in check at least, which made the female delinquent a bit less tense. Certainly not enough to try and pet the dog like Mika was, and certainly not enough to not draw back slightly when said dog walked closer to them.
The tiger, Keahi he was called, seemed quite affectionate towards this guy, which made Yuko a little jealous, but also intrigued. “Other keepers? So, you work here?” She asked, eyeing the man, as well as his huge dog suspiciously. Of course, the moment she tried to stare at him, he stared back straight into her eyes, and asked her an unexpected question…
“Exotic species?! Uuh… uuuuhh… Y-yeah, definitely! Last month, I was at this pet store that had a bunch of exotic animals, and the guy working there let me touch his Python. His Python was long, thick and slippery, and I couldn’t get enough of it!” The multicolor-haired teen stuttered nervously, her thoughts being too scrambled to realize how wrong her phrasing sounded.
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Oct 18, 2019 4:50:07 GMT
Listening to the two new people bickering didn't do anything to make anything to dent the Nakamura Scion's good mood, even though it was clear that the member of the Zoo's staff was clearly suspicious of Yuko's sudden reflex od drawing her digivice. No, what made the boy-giant absolutely crestfallen was the lie that his friend came up to divert suspicion. "And you didn't invite me, Yuu-chan?! That's not cool! You know I love seeing those sorts of new stuff!" Mika seemed to have fallen into Yuko's lie without any effort on her part. One of the problems of his overly trusting nature, as anyone who lived around him for a long enough time, would surely catch up. He turned to the cage again and stared at the newly christened Keahi, clearly not happy. "Lop-chan would probably complain about this big fellow... Sure, he's no Wendigomon but he sure looks fierce." he muttered, not realizing the fact he just blurted out the very secret his female friend was trying to conceal.
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Post by Chester and Shiro on Nov 7, 2019 1:40:09 GMT
Did Yuko not understand? Maybe. The hint wasn't very obvious. Maybe she didn't want to say anything in front of her friend, though. That was he thought, anyway, until her chatty male companion went and gave the game away. The real question, then, was whether they knew about each other. Probably, the young man concluded, along with, Or if they don't, they might as well learn now.
"I have a python at home myself. Winter, for her pattern. Lots of animals, actually. Including digimon." Apparently, Chester was going to be the first one to say it outright. He proved himself by taking the little D-3 out of his hoodie pocket and leaving it in these kids' sight for a moment or two before stuffing it right back in there. "How do you think this one can take a command so well? He knows exactly what I'm saying. You, too. The real trouble is getting him to mind us. And, on that subject... he doesn't like it when you call him 'it.'"
The "dog" glared Yuko, illustrating his Tamer's point. That was obviously a response to a complex sentence.
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Post by Yuko Himura on Nov 7, 2019 9:22:06 GMT
Crap, now Mika was upset that he hadn’t gotten in on the slippery python action back then. Quick, Yuko, initiate protocol ‘Cheap Excuses’! “Well, you were busy at that time, and I hadn’t exactly planned to go snake petting back then. I just happened to run into that place.” She didn’t peg Mika to be a snake person either, but considering how comfortable he seemed in the presence of a caged tiger, perhaps they could visit the reptile cages later.
In a facepalm-inducing slip of the tongue, the Nakamura heir mentioned the name Wendigomon. Normally that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, unless they were in the presence of another Tamer… They were totally in the presence of another Tamer, weren’t they? Yup, the zookeeper of all people was a Digimon Tamer, and the ill-tempered ‘dog’ was just a disguise for his partner. “Huh… I guess if Jokah can pose as a handsome, metrosexual, European man, they could also pretend to be dogs.” Yuko mused.
And said ‘dog’ looked quite cross now. She’d better fix that. The young delinquent looked down at Shiro, flashing an awkward smile. “Heh. Sorry for that, Shiro-kun. You just startled me, that’s all… Also dogs are generally evil. I’ve seen pictures online of what American police dogs do to people’s arms. That shit is messed up!”
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Post by Mikazuki Nakamura on Nov 15, 2019 4:23:57 GMT
And leave it to the Nakamura heir to completely ignore whatever tension and aggression was going on in the scene to focus on a random comment his bestie used to divert the conversation.
Yep, as clueless as ever.
"What are you TALKING about, Yuu-chan! Doggos are ADORABLE!" Mikazuki, as he did, chirped in, kneeling to try and stay at the same height as the disguised Digimon, which was impossible, given his height. "Like, LOOK AT HIM! He looks like a ball of fluff, fur, and cuteness!" He pointed towards Shiro. "Sure, he's no Lop-chan, but I still think he looks great in that!"
Then, at the very moment, he said those words, a thought occurred to the scion of the Nakamura family. Something he was quick to voice. "Wait, so if he's a Digimon too, is this something only he can do or is it something i could teach Lop-chan to do too?!"
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