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3:10 to DigiYuma. (Higgs)
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Post by littorio on Dec 26, 2019 18:42:10 GMT
The cold winter air of Tokyo snapped and bit at Littorio’s form as even with her winter coat and boots she still felt the season’s weather. Having to work on amid this season of all things was terrible...truly terrible but she supposed that was what the higher ups had demanded. There was little she could do except grit her teeth and bear it, plus she was getting paid extra for this so all the more she could spoil herself with once christmas came in a few days. With coffee in hand she strode into the train station, swiped her pass before getting comfortable on a train.
“Mm...mmm…...maybe I should grab takeout...” Littorio shook her head and took a sip of her coffee to avoid falling asleep. Work had always been a highly exhausting thing for her but tonight she seemed noticeably more tired than normal; of course falling asleep would be pretty bad given she was on a train. Despite the office worker’s best efforts her head dipped and her eyes drooped until, finally, she lost consciousness and dozed off into dreamland.
“Hey lady. Wake up. This is my last stop.” Littorio stirred, the voice penetrating her sleep addled form. Her eyes snapped open with a soft “Mmmmmm” as she stretched her limbs upwards, now cold coffee cup in hand still.
“...Oh dear have I missed me stop…?” That’s when something struck the manager as very odd: just where was the owner of the voice that awoke her? It had struck her as really close by but there seemed to be nobody nearby. Perhaps it was merely some form of intercom system.
“Lady. I must insist you get off me.” Littorio quirked an eyebrow up in curiosity at that but shook her head, simply acquessing to the voice’s request. She exited the train, not bothered by finding her in a strange station unknown to her, she had slept until the end of the line anyway. She reached for her phone, removing it from her pocket only to find that a strange device was there instead. What had happened to her phone?!
An annoyed scowl broke the otherwise pristine mask that was her face as she dashed out of the station, hoping to find a member of the general public. Of course what she found instead was a city drastically different from Tokyo occupied by a wide array of strange creatures that were definitely not human. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stood there like a deer in the headlights.
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Post by Higgs on Dec 27, 2019 0:36:59 GMT
Higgs just realized that he spent his days in this city more than he initially planned. It seemed the lifestyle of city-goers have been rubbing on him nicely, making him getting accustomed being a citizen. Although, most of the time he spent his days with nothing more than a stroll, eat, and then sleep at the inn, he feel quite content with the current predicament. No sign of his singing friend until now. And despite the frustration of not finding any clue about her―something that he's supposedly being good at―he is still considering to continue living in Terminus. He's quite exhausted with nomadic lifestyle of Wild Digimons. Probably he could try staying this time.
But as someone who can't just being idle for a long time, Higgs decided to visit his favorite place: The Trailmon station. Usually he's just fooling around with the Trailmons and the mons that work in the service. Also it's not uncommon for Higgs to have some chit-chat with humans. He likes socializing with them. While some of the people usually got used with the life in the Digital World, there are people who happened to be clueless about how and why they are ended up in Digital World.
Like this lady with sour face over there.
Higgs is not really an expert at reading people. But from the gestures and how she tried to perceive the surroundings imply that she's new to this neighborhood. Since seemingly there's no one else that would do it, Higgs decided to be the good samaritan and help the lady. Let's just hope she doesn't freak out.
The cloaked Keramon then approached the black-haired lady with slow but steady pace until he's close enough to initiate a conversation.
"Hello there! Boarded the wrong train?"
Usually this is what the first-timer said when they ended up here. Intended to go home by the train but ended up in a parallel world they don't even know. Their reactions are priceless.
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Post by littorio on Dec 27, 2019 15:28:49 GMT
Littorio stared at this strange cloak wearing creature, her expression blank and devoid of any real expression. Or that was the case until a grin, almost as wide as this Keramon’s, spread across her face. The office worker burst out laughing and almost doubled other before she regained her composure.
“Oh my. That cape does not hide your form well but yes, I suppose I have boarded the wrong train.” That was when one of the raven haired female’s hands snapped forward with viper speed, attempting to loosely grasp the Keramon by his chin. She would keep her grip there for a moment, gently squeezing the digimon’s chin before letting go.
“Well you definitely feel real…” Then Littorio would pinch herself, just to make sure she was actually awake which she was.
“And I’m definitely not unconsciousness. Either my fragile egg brain has cracked from work or...this is real. How about you little guy?” Not once during this entire conversation did the human’s smile fade, as once the initial surprise passed she had to admit there was nothing fundamentally dangerous about this world or at least if there was she wasn’t aware of it. She turned back to look at the train she had taken to get here and was admittedly rather surprised when its eyes looked at her.
“...Do all your trains have eyes here?” She turned back to face Higgs, chuckling. This may have been a lot to take in but honestly? Littorio did not find it that weird. She got on the wrong train and was now in a weird city with monsters. It was not that difficult an idea for her to wrap her head around.
“...Let me guess….you’re good at parties huh?”
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Post by Higgs on Dec 28, 2019 9:30:44 GMT
Higgs expected somewhere in-between panic and worry. But it's not always the case. Some humans just thought this Digital World is nothing more than a Virtual Reality Game, no more than a play. Along this spectrum of people, they are the ones with big confidence and composure.
This lady is none of what Higgs expected. Her action caught him off guard, and when she looked at him directly with the bewitching, but stern eyes, it's just as if Higgs faced his superiors when he was at the Dark Fortress. Looks like Digimons and Humans have a lot of things in common. The strange vibe became apparently vivid as the lady starts to speak. No such thing as hesitation or anxiety in her words. Quite a personality, despite facing towards the unknown. Many flag has been popping up in Higgs' mind. But Higgs decided to not jump in the conclusion, yet.
"I can assure you that everything in front of you is real, including me, ma'am."
After telling her that everything is indeed, real. Higgs remark the lady's comments about the Trailmon, and the specific comment towards himself.
"Well... they are living trains. It's reasonable to have eyes to see the tracks. I'm not really the party-loving mon, but i do love having a conversation while at parties."
Seeing that this lady is quite a straightforward and blunt with her words, Higgs would just cut the chase and assumed this lady would figure out things quickly.
"So... welcome to Digital World, ma'am. What do you want to know about this place? I can tell you a thing or two about how this place works.
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Post by littorio on Dec 28, 2019 16:30:32 GMT
“I see I see…~” She chuckled warmly, an amused glint in her eyes as she pondered the situation before her. She did not doubt that, as far as this split grin creature thought, everything before her was real but she wondered...well, Littorio wondered if he only felt it was real or if it genuinely was. Either way, Littorio was part of this play now and she was oh so very curious to play out her role to the end. The wheels of fate rolled ever onwards so perhaps this was merely the next part of Littorio’s life? Or maybe it was a mere detour; either way she was going to taste every little thing this world has to offer!
“Well, if that’s how it is….” In one swift movement Littorio stepped alongside Higgs and attempted to wrap one of her arms around his, lips curling wide in amusement. She would attempt to pull the Digimon perhaps a little too close than was socially acceptable for strangers but well, this was not Japan! This was the Digital World, whatever that was, and the odds of it sharing the same social norms as Japan was very unlikely.
“How about we go get something to eat and then you can tell me all about this world? I was planning to have dinner on the way home but….well, my sudden arrival here has derailed those plans rather literally.” The comedic factor of her pun may have been minor, or perhaps not even funny to begin with, but the office worker could not help but chuckle. She tightened her grip on Higgs’s arm ever so slightly, squeezing it as if to communicate that she was expecting him to direct her to a suitable eatery.
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Post by Higgs on Jan 2, 2020 15:15:35 GMT
"!"
Before the Keramon could say anything, the lady's swift movement had caught him off guard, again. Now he's wrapped in her arms and awkwardly pulled to her embrace as if the Keramon is a plush toy that dance around her palm. For any normal Digimon, even they have some dignity[/s] standards when it comes to social interactions, and this would be the equivalent of a harassment. But Higgs is not really that normal, and besides,the only thing he cared about was his anonymity. He lack the capacity to feel a genuine emotion. Perhaps most of the Digimons, especially male Digimons would enjoy this. Appropriate or not, Higgs only can conclude to play along for a while.
"Well... i didn't expect that, ma'am. But i can show you where to get dinner. Also, i assume you only have Yen as currency. This will be my treat."
Higgs then points his hand to the corner of the station where some of the Digimons gather to eat. Apparently, it looks like something that would remind the human of cafeteria. Should the lady followed the cloaked mon's direction, they will arrive at the place that is not so crowded for a dinner time. A green vegetable monster is in charge of the counter. The device that accompanying the lady should've reacted to the vegetable monster, and registered it as a "Vegiemon".
"Oho, fancy seeing a beautiful lady here! Welcome to my eatery! Maybe i'm a vegetable, but don't worry, i don't discriminate meat-eaters! We also serve meat here! Please have a seat!"
Despite the devilish look of the Vegiemon, he spoke in a humble and friendly manner. Either that is just how it plays, or he doesn't want to lose a customer this lovely. Feast for its eyes, and feast for her stomach. win-win. It thought. Higgs then pointed the empty table around the corner, just the right place. A table with two seats.
"I guess we sit there."
Should the lady say yes, Higgs would escort the lady to his seat. Once Higgs and the lady have a good seat, another vegetable-looking Digimon; a Palmon, approaches them to give the menu. Meekly pointing that some of the menu are out of order, leaving them with some Japanese and western-styled foods and drinks with quite a price. If this is translated to Yen, it would be equivalent to a fancy restaurant's price.
Gladly all the menu is written in Human language, because the owner knew not every human can read letters that are native to Digital World.
"Pick anything you want, ma'am. I have enough money to feed both of us with the most expensive menu, so you don't have to worry."
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Post by littorio on Jan 2, 2020 16:59:49 GMT
“Well I do like to keep people on their toes~ Do you even have toes?” She chuckled softly under her breath, walking alongside Higgs as he directed her to a suitable eating establishment. Littorio had considered the possibility that this Digimon was leading her into a trap but well, she was no stranger to taking risks.
“...Mmmmm I had not considered this world had its own currency but as you’re familiar with Yen...I’m going to guess that I’m not the first human who has wandered into this world?” She wondered what currency the digital world actually used and how you’d acquire it. Work was probably the obvious answer to that but a second job was the last thing Littorio desired right now. She had a lot of questions about all of this.
Eventually she arrived at a restaurant run by a very strange creature: a talking plant or vegetable as he claimed. The italian curiously quirked an eyebrow up, amused by the fact this strange creature found her beautiful. Was that true for all of these odd lifeforms? It seemed to her that they’d have their own standards of beauty far removed from a human. Oh well. At least this vegetable was friendly.
Littorio took a seat opposite Higgs, a soft hand reaching towards the menu in order to bring it closer to read. She was rather surprised that it was written in Japanese.
“...Do you all just use our language?” Of course despite the menu being written in a human language Littorio did not understand what any of these meals actually were. They were a far cry from the human cuisine that she was used to. However, once she flipped the menu over a wide variety of more familiar food was revealed.
“Hmm….I’ll take the fish curry please.” She smiled at the Palmon, finding the large flower growing from their head rather attractive.
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Post by Higgs on Jan 3, 2020 15:55:30 GMT
"Well... i have to tell you that you're not the first human that ever been in this world. Maybe you're not seeing them as of now. But believe me that humans became a common occurrence in this Digital World. And, my order is the Roasted Giant Sirloin. Also, i would like to pay upfront."
"A-ah! Alright! Let me confirm the order once again... a fish curry, and the roasted Giant Sirloin... That would be 3500 Bits..."
"Very well. Can we have two glasses of water while waiting for our order?"
"Y-yes! Of course! Please wait for a moment!"
As Higgs raises his right hand, a bunch of coins that exactly has an amount of 3500 Bits appeared, giving it to the waitress with his permanent smile. Although a bit intimidated with that, the Palmon replies back with a sincere smile and nods while going back for a while to get some water to drink.
"To answer your question, we use Bits as the currency. You might think it would be similar to those cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin and anything similar to that. But it's not really like that. They don't amount to anything in the Digital World, just like how our currency can't be converted to any of currency used by humans. But if you lucky, you might find some Digimon that would trade any of your stuff for Bits. Some of us Digimons are fascinated towards Humans and their weird inventions."
The cloaked Keramon starts answering the lady's question while waiting for their water and food to be ready. Assumptions could be wrong, but Higgs thought that this lady would be very quick to catch up with how things work in this world. Among the humans that he met, so far this lady is the one that left him an impression of someone with competence to do anything. She even so playful despite her predicament in this unknown world!
"Which is why there are some that even go as far as using human language, like this cafeteria here. If you ask me, ma'am. We Digimons and you humans are not that different. Maybe we're parallel, if i have to say."
Higgs is a bit enthusiastic in voicing his words. As if he's so happy and excited to interact with another human. But another part of him inside his mind is trying to figure out why this woman reminded him of his superiors when he used to work in the Dark Fortress. Is this what the humans called 'intuition'? Why does this seem off? Despite the lady being nice and quite affectionate, Higgs instincts kept on kicking his mind.
But Higgs like surprises. Might as well seeing what will happen in the end.
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Post by littorio on Jan 3, 2020 23:02:10 GMT
“Oh? I’m not the first?” That did explain why the talking train, and pretty much every other digimon here, was not even the slightest bit concerned by Littorio’s presence. At first she had assumed it was merely a fear of the unknown that kept the digimon neutral to her presence but if humans really were a common occurrence, then it made sense. The Italian leaned back in her chair, arms resting carefully on her lap as she smiled sweetly towards her date.
She observed the financial interaction between Higgs and this walking plant, noting the difference between restaurants in the human world and the digimon world. Normally one paid for food after eating it or at least they did in pretty much every eatery that was not focused around fast food or cafeteria food. Still, on the subject of money Littorio did have a few concerns with Bits and it showed on her face. The puzzled caricature her features had twisted into made that painfully clear.
“...Hmmmm so the only means by which to acquire these bits is to sell things to digimon who already possess them? That does not sound like a very sustainable economy” As someone completely immersed in the capitalist nature of the human world, Littorio could not help but find the reality of economics presented to her immensely difficult to sustain; of course she was acting off the assumption that this world even NEEDED an economy to start with.
“Parallel you say? An amusing little kernel that but…..” Her lips curled into a soft smile however, for a split second an expression of pure malice flashed across the Italian’s face.
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Post by Higgs on Jan 6, 2020 17:40:12 GMT
"Yes. In fact, there are quite a lot of humans visiting the Digital World everyday."
The cloaked Keramon said calmly. Although, it's oddly hard to keep this composure. Why is that? It's been so long since Higgs have his natural instinct kicking in for something off and dangerous. But his logical mind still can't connect the dots. In that brief pause, Higgs decides to continue the explanation. He wants to properly guide this human towards the Digital World. Although it's not his duty, his inherent perfectionism demands him to do this properly, since it's Higgs that brought this upon himself.
"To begin with, Digimons don't really hold values in this Bits, ma'am. There are still Digimons that don't bother about economy and prefer barters... but if we speaking Bits, the big cities, like Terminus here do have something like bank and money changer. But i don't really know how that works."
Higgs' unclear assumption suddenly become apparent as the lady's expression, somehow, showed her true colors for a split second, before his attention diverted to the Palmon waiter that came with two glasses of water, and a water pitcher that would be enough for refilling both glasses five times.
"Here's your water! Also we provide free refills. So, if the pitcher's empty just tell me! T-the food will be here soon!"
As the Palmon left, Higgs is looking back at the lady, but that unnerving air is suddenly nowhere to be found. Is this just an error? Or maybe it's something else that Higgs didn't know? Higgs decided to change the flow of the conversation. He introduced himself to the lady, in hope to make this conversation less awkward.
"Oh yes... i forgot to introduce myself. I'm a Keramon, but it's more like my species name. My alias is Higgs. And i have to say, it's nice talking with you, ma'am, since it's not everyday that i encountered a human, especially someone like you."
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Post by littorio on Jan 6, 2020 22:17:42 GMT
“Hmmm that is odd...you’d expect knowledge of the digital world to be more widespread…” It was immensely odd that, if as many humans came to the digital world as this creature claimed did, knowledge of it was not more widespread. You would think that someone, somehow, had slipped the beans to the media or something for a quick buck or….perhaps they had and certain powers in the human world had sought to cover said information up.
“Thank you miss flower~” The Italian could not speak much of the Palmon’s face but the flower sprouting from her head was attractive by virtue of its colour if nothing else. Of course while she could appreciate vibrant colour palettes, flowers alone had never really appealed much to Littorio. They were far too fragile and soft, examples of ephemeral beauty easily stamped out.
The mention of banks and currency exchange services hosted by the bit cities did strike Littorio are rather….bizzare. Her expression twisted into one of confusion and befuddlement. She understood the concept perfectly well but….
“That is an odd thing to comprehend. These bits have little value in the real world and human money has little value here.” It made sense why a human would trade yen for these bits but why would a bank accept them? She leaned back in her chair, lifting the glass of water to her lips, gracefully sipping it.
“A pleasure to meet you Higgs….ho? Someone like me? Whatever do you mean?” Littorio wished she’d ordered a bottle of wine or coffee. Appreciation for those things was in her blood after all.
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Post by Higgs on Jan 7, 2020 0:23:52 GMT
The lady has a point. If Humans in Digital World became something common, why it's not the otherwise? Why do humans barely know the existence of the Digimon and the Digital World except of select few? Higgs knew the answer. But, to be honest, even he never actually encountered the organization mentioned, making it almost like a myth.
"About that, ma'am... the rumors around here said that there is an organization where they keep the secrecy of Digital World and Digimon, while defending the Human World from any Digimon that would harm it. They called
DATS, i believe. However, it's almost like a myth. Even i don't know what they actually look like."
As the lady picked her interest towards what Higgs said, the cloaked mon took his glass of water before continuing.
"I'll be frank, ma'am. Most of the humans i encoutered are either a child, or someone around their early to late teens. While you... from the look and the way you act despite the situation, you handle it like a responsible adult. It's rare to see adult humans in Digital World."
While Higgs do read on some topics regarding human, and his master taught him some information regarding them, putting an actual practice to that knowledge is kind of weird. Maybe the reason why this lady is giving that off vibe is because of her life stage that supposedly around the level of Ultimate or Mega Digimon.
But humans are more complex than Digimons. There are things that can't be explained by mere ones and zeroes.
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Post by littorio on Jan 9, 2020 19:58:02 GMT
“Hmmm...this DATS would definitely explain why I’ve never heard of it…” A rather malicious idea began to form in Littorio’s head. The very nature of this DATS, if they existed and truly did defend the human world, would surely know a great deal about Digimon. If it was their role to keep the digital world a secret then...well it would be easy to prove they existed via provoking them. Perhaps one simply needed to spread some fictitious rumours around the internet. It would be easy to do that with some bots, VPNs and a few virtual machines.
That ever so malicious grin flashed across the Italian’s face as she pondered the nature of her scheme. It was risky, it was bold but it would at least confirm the existence of a player on the board. There was a great deal of value to be gained from your potential foes existence being proven, not to mention this little scheme she was cooking up may offer insight into DATS methodology.
“Oh? Well that is interesting…. I suppose someone needs to be the mature adult and watch all those little children hmmm?” That was another factor that played into Littorio’s hands. Many young children she had encountered were gullible and easily deceived. A great deal of cards had been dropped into the officer worker’s hands and she was definitely going to make the most of them.
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Post by Higgs on Jan 9, 2020 20:34:31 GMT
There it is. The vibe.
While it is indeed interesting, the discordant between the air around her and her expression is somewhat scratching that part of Higgs' mind. A mix of curiosity and caution. Knowing how the lady acts, probably Higgs should play it safer, or he end up pushing the wrong button.
"Maybe if the existence of Digital World is known by all Humans, things will be very chaotic? Which is why everything is kept in secrecy, even this DATS. But who am i to say? It's just a speculation."
The mon giggles dryly as he takes another glass of water.
"And i agree with what you said, ma'am. Younger humans tend to be reckless with their actions. If there is no one looking after them, it will be problematic. And... not only that."
Higgs was about to confront the lady regarding her true colors, but just before the Keramon managed to speak anything, the waitress have come with the order. The Palmon carefully places the plate with fish curry near the lady, and the plate with giant, roasted meat that would be enough to feed 4 humans on Higgs' side.
"Here's your order! One fish curry and one roasted Giant Sirloin! Is there anything else you need?"
"I think i will order a cup of coffee. What about you, ma'am? Do you have anything else to order before we enjoy our food?"
Higgs could just start munching down on the meat in front of him. But as someone who have been taught table manners, he would wait for the lady. She hasn't decided whether to order an extra or not.
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Post by littorio on Jan 10, 2020 18:07:39 GMT
“Mmmm….perhaps.” The idea of chaos did not put Littorio off her plans. In fact, chaos was the vehicle by which change occurred and when change happened? The pawns on the board were often presented with opportunities they could use to promote themselves. Life was, after all, a highly chaotic game you would play. Some people thought it was a mere matter of getting up, going to work, doing a good job and then going home but...no. There was a LOT more to it than that.
“Mmmm mm….my my...then I suppose this humble Littorio has a responsibility to keep an eye on all those young children.” It was an off handed comment that combined sarcasm with a slight dash of faked concern. In truth...if there were other tamers out there, and the majority of them were indeed minors, then Littorio only viewed them as pieces to be positioned according to her will. Manipulation of emotional states was the key talent her day job demanded after all.
She gracefully sipped from her glass, eyes rolling sideways to look at the approaching waitress. Her pink flower did make her stand out compared to humans.
“Thank you and..hmmm no. I think for now I am satisfied.” With controlled and refined movements the officer worker began to eat, appreciating the curry before her with delicately reserved chewing motions.
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