Rosewood Centerpiece (Mission) [Keramon, Mikazuki]

Meramon turned to stare at the boys as they worked on sectioning a massive block of clay that was three times larger than the pile of already-excavated clay. It was no secret that Digimon were powerful creatures, but Turuiemon's display was exhilarating. It almost made Meramon wish he was a fighter instead of an artist. Combative Digimon always had the most fascinating abilities! Regardless, he was a pacifist and the idea of taking part in a battle made him reconsider the object of his admiration. He'd leave the fighting and temporary evolving to Turuiemon and Antylamon -- and temporary it was. As soon as the partner Digimon was finishing slicing up the riverbed, he devolved back into Lopmon and almost instantly passed out from exhaustion. "Well done, my good 'mon! A good show, indeed!" the flaming artist congratulated, hoping Lopmon had heard his words before falling into unconsciousness. "A shame he used all his energy to cut the clay free. Our work here is not yet finished," Meramon mused while scratching his chin.

Mikazuki held the small rabbit in his arms as Antylamon, large and silent, waded over to the portion of the river that had been largely disturbed by the sculptor and his companions. With a grunt, she freed the cube from the ground, and the river responded to the sudden cavity by filling it with murky brown waters. It sloshed and gurgled as it did, causing Meramon to take a step away from the river's edge to avoid being splashed. As the water settled, he turned back to Antylamon who was gingerly placing the block by the other clay. "Yes, that should be just enough!" Meramon explained, his uncertain expression changing to reveal a giddy smile and a renewed sense of creativity. He lifted both hands to eye level and proceeded to use his fingers to create a rectangle with which he looked through, as though he were a photographer trying to find the best angle to snap a picture. He took another step backwards and rotated his hand-made frame (pun intended), still studying the mounds of clay and basking in how he vision was all coming together.

It was about then that Meramon spotted movement in his peripheral. He lowered his hands and glanced down at Antylamon who was once again writing something in the mud. "Oh~?" the sculptor mewed while stepping closer to get a better look at the message. It suggested that they fill the riverbed with something to replace the immense chunk that was now missing from it. Though Meramon had no doubt that the ecosystem would repair itself if they left it to its own devices, he agreed with Antylamon. They should try to do something, at least. "Leave no trace," he muttered, as if recalling a distant memory. He blinked and turned his attention back to the Champion-level rabbit, his familiar smile returning. "Indeed! We may be able to pull dirt and clay from further upstream too." Without delegating -- and instead letting the trio do whatever they wished -- Meramon turned around and began to dig up small clumps of dirt that he subsequently tossed into the waters. When he realized that the river was washing his contributions away, he began bringing dirt and mud to the edge of the river where he let the others put it in the hole for him.

---

The rest of the evening passed by with little else of note. More stories were told, various trips were made to ensure all the clay and glass were delivered to Meramon's workshop, and farewells were given. The flaming Digimon worked diligently all night and all the next morning to shape his dream into a reality, and by the time he was finished, the sculptor looked even better than his first version. In the center, made up entirely of well-carved and modeled clay, was a life-sized Cherrymon. The paint made him almost look real, but the lack of movement was enough proof that this was merely a picturesque replica. The second part of the statue was a more minute feature in the form of tiny, glass-blown ornaments that looked like various Baby Digimon. The blue glass had been turned into a Chicomon, the red glass into Punimon, the green into Leafmon, and so on. These glass replicas were placed and melded in various placed across Cherrymon's body. One was in his hand, looking proud at being so tall. Another was hidden way in the leaves on his head. A third sat nestled behind one of his roots, peering out in curiosity and caution.

Once the entire piece was complete, Meramon reached back out to Keramon, Mika, and Lopmon for assistance transporting the statue to the center of town. This is where things had gone so wrong with his first piece and he was reluctant to trust strangers with such a masterpiece. Much to his dismay, however, no one responded to his plead for assistance, and so he was forced to enlist the help of handymon handymen around town. It was a slow process, with Meramon constantly yelling at the help to "be more careful!" Lucky for him, no one got fed up with his hollering, or else the statue probably would've been "accidentally dropped" and the entire process would've had to be redone for a third time. But no one was spiteful, and the statue was placed in the center of town. Meramon did a few last-minute touches to secure the piece to the pedestal before taking a step back to admire his work. A tear came to his eye, but immediately evaporated with a quiet hiss.

Payment and recognition came some weeks later, and Meramon split his earning with those who helped make it possible: Keramon, Mika, and Lopmon.