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Discovering Rhythm (Serena)
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 13, 2023 3:30:03 GMT
Time in the human world has been plenty fruitful for Wisemon. Ever since he decided to leave and discover the human world, he was already absorbed in Shibuya’s “charm”. From his initial departure, it was hard to blend in with the crowd when their face was a black blob with two yellow spheres for eyes.
They attempted to wear human clothes, donning a mysterious hoodie look stolen from a clothing store, however, before he went for the exit a fellow digimon who appeared to be disguised as a grown-up human had almost forced them to a shop to purchase items. Much to his surprise, it was no ordinary shop he was dragged into to as this was dedicated to digimon and their tamers seemingly secluded from the masses of Shibuya. John would hastefully purchase a few things including a Holo-suit to disguise himself as a human and an Infini-Stone that was advetised to have an infinite space. Strangely enough, he never seen such advancements in terms of technology at least where he came from.
Alas, after a hearfelt thank you from the digi-bystander, John figured he would don the disguise of a combination of other civillians that were wearing different clothes before he was taken to what he considered a "digi-shop". Currently, his skin shade was somewhat caucasian and donned a backwards baseball cap and shades while wearing an orange plaid buttoned shirt and jeans that appered hot off the dry cleaners. His shoes, weren't very lucky in terms of quality as they've seen better days.
Regardless, with a pep in their step, they couldn't help, but feel truly incognito. Before his disguise, he felt more than a tinge of nervousness however, now they felt invisible. From greeting random strangers to inquiring casheirs about what a "scrunchie" was, there was much to write about in his scrolls after absorbing the interactions of Shibuya.
"One last stop." John would say to himself, eager to discover where to go to next. After passing a building, he would stop before walking backwards to see a musical instrument on display behind a wall of glass. It appeared to be a metal rod with holes in it. "Hm. That must be...." His voice trailed off as he tried thinking about it.
While he was aware of musical instruments, there was a few he wasn't familiar of yet. The concept of discovering something new has always entranced him to try to think about what it was. "What are the significance of those holes I wonder...?"
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 13, 2023 4:09:25 GMT
The end of day bell rang throughout Shibuya Academy, signaling students to either head to their after-school clubs or to their after-school jobs, if they had one. For Serena Isono, that meant she'd be heading home to help her parents out at the music store, Ongaku Isono. She was at her shoe locker changing out her school shoes for her normal ones, with her Gammamon partner Gem floating beside her in hologram form, when Kaya Matsui and her own partner, Hawkeye the Hawkmon (also in a hologram form) approached her.
"Isono-kun, Moriyama and I were going to meet up at Netcafe Scion after school to discuss our next step with the Aberrants," Kaya explained to her. "Would you and Gem like to come with us? I know you had that run in with the Thunderballmon, so..."
"I'd love to, but I can't," Serena said, shutting her locker door. "I have to work at my parents' store this afternoon, you know how it is."
"Your parents own a music store, yes?" Hawkeye asked.
"Yeah, that's right, over in Greater Shibuya. My dad's pride and joy, next to his own daughter. You should check it out sometime! We also offer piano and guitar lessons, not just instruments."
"We might stop by at some point after the meeting, if that's okay with you. I never visited a music store before."
"Sounds good then. If you don't come, let me know if you guys come up with any plans in the group chat, alright? We gotta go now, see ya!" Serena and Gem both waved goodbye to their friends as they headed out of the school and made their way towards home.
It was a relatively uneventful walk for Serena and Gem, save for the small talk the two had during it. Gem was still mentally much younger than Serena, so their conversations weren't anything all too deep, all things considered. Serena wondered if Gem's mental maturity would increase as he got older, or if that was only something reserved for any higher forms. I'll have to ask Adrian or Shoutmon about it at some point...
Once they arrived at Ongaku Isono, Serena would notice a rather... peculiar looking man staring at a flute that had on display in the window. He was wearing a backwards baseball cap, shades, a plaid orange shirt, jeans, and poor quality shoes. At first, she just dismissed him as a customer, so she ignored him and approached the front entrance to the shop. However, the man then said something rather odd.
"What are the significance of the holes, I wonder?"
Serena stopped in her tracks and looked at the man. "Do you mean the flute, sir? The holes carry the air that's blown into it, and then it makes a sound come out. You put your fingers on the holes in specific ways to make specific sounds... have you never seen a flute before?"
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 13, 2023 4:42:38 GMT
John couldn't help, but quickly turn as it appeared a young girl was inquiring about what he said. He wasn't sure how to answer nor what to do next. He was hoping that his "human dialogue" as he would put it would be convincing enough. On the other hand, the digimon next to them. They looked strange though perhaps their physical appearance hasn't been realized and merely a ghost spectating the conversation? Surely she wasn't aware of the "ghosts" prescence?
When the girl explained how the flute worked, he nodded. "Well, where I come from, I don't believe I've seen a flute before. I live in..." The Wisemon would trail off, making a couple glances with his eyes at different spots before he saw a billboard behind the girl that appeared to advertise wooden lodges for sale. He would answer "A wooden cabin." He paused before making a quick glance with his head at the billboard again, raising it. "By a lake. I come from a long distance from Shibuya." He answered. Luckily, before he got here, a bystander answered his "burning question" about where they were though not without being given a weird look.
"You wouldn't happen to know how I may try out this 'flute'?" He asked with a tinge of a curious tone.
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 13, 2023 5:06:58 GMT
Okay, was this guy for real? He had to be in his late twenties, early thirties at max... what kind of country is he from that's never even heard of a flute before? And even then, what the heck was he doing in Tokyo? His answer was suspicious too, since he seemed to be looking at something before saying what kind of house he lived in... which happened to be a cabin by the lake. Yeah, this guy would be able to tell by now that Serena was visually not buying the guy's story. "So you live in a wooden cabin by a lake, and you've been so disconnected from society that you don't even know what a flute is..." Serena summarized. It even sounded dumb to her while she was saying it out loud. As for Gem... well, he was a single brain-celled organism, so he thought the man's story checked out perfectly. The man asked how he may try out this flute. Serena sighed, figuring this would just be a peculiar customer she'd hand off to her parents while she changed out of her school uniform. "You can ask my dad inside. He's the owner of the shop, he'd be happy to help you out."
Serena walked into the shop, causing the bell above the door to ring. It was a very cozy-looking music store, with several instruments for sale lined up against the walls, mostly things like guitars and saxophones. The shop was relatively empty, save for the bright eyed, energetic man standing behind the cash register. He seemed to be writing something down on a piece of paper on a clipboard when he made eye contact with Serena. "Welcome home, Serena," the man said to her with a warm smile. "Once you get dressed, I'm going to need you to work the cash register so I can get to that lesson with Goto." "Got it, Dad," Serena said to her father. "In the meantime, can you show this customer how a flute works? He's never even heard of one before."
Serena's dad looked just as confused as she was. "Never even... how?" he asked. Serena just shrugged before she headed upstairs with Gem, to the loft above the shop, leaving the man alone with Serena's father. He grabbed a flute from the wall and headed over to the customer. "My daughter tells me you're interested in getting a flute. Would you like me to show you how to play it?"
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 13, 2023 5:29:37 GMT
It was obvious to John that his story wasn't convincing enough however, perhaps doubling down on it would make it more convincing? "Well. Yes, I figured it was time to explore what the world has to offer." He answered her, now sounding as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to go along with his made-up origin.
He did internally breathe a sigh of relief when she offered him to come inside and talk to their Dad. "Ah." John thought. "Their father owns this establishment I see." before following her inside. John wasn't able to see the inside very well before though, now that they were inside the building, he grew to appreciate how warm the interior looked. It reminded him of an establishment of the digital world he would frequent back in Old Terminus giving him a couple predications such as if the digimon that traveled across the human world had their ideas inspired by said humans. It was strange for the store to be practically empty since from the buildings he's been inside in so far, there were always people inside of them.
Listening to the exchange between the girl and their father, John couldn't help, but feel more unsure about his origin story. It's not set in stone though, what would his human backstory be if someone were to inqiure about in the future? While being lost in his own thoughts, he was snapped back to reality when the father approached John with the flute. When asked to see how it was played he answered intently with "Why yes, sir."
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 16, 2023 2:36:17 GMT
Now, Serena may come of as a bit brainless at times, but she wasn't stupid by any means. And that meant she really wasn't buying this guy's story, especially the part where he's just... never heard of a flute before. Serena was very suspicious of the man by this point, and she wasn't entirely sure about her decision to bring him into the store, but it should be fine as long as he buys something. After Serena and Gem had gone up to the store's loft where the family lived, Serena's father (whose name was Soma) approached the potential customer with a flute in hand. Soma asked the man if he'd like to see how it was played, to which the man said yes. It looked like Soma was truly in his element as he explained the flute to him. "Now despite how the flute may look, it's actually one of the hardest instruments to pick up. It's a very complicated instrument, as you can't just simply blow into it. You have to find the exact way to align your lips at the mouth piece here to make the sound." Soma then put the mouth piece closed to his mouth and played a simple note, to demonstrate what the flute would sound like when played properly. It was a very calming and clear sound that the flute made, clear that not only did Soma have talent, but that a song played with the flute would sound beautiful. "Now, I can also play the beginning portion of a song I love playing no matter the instrument, if you would let me."
Then, with a very proud expression on his face, Soma used the flute to begin playing the beginning notes of a very familiar song. But he wouldn't be alone in this performance, however. Serena had finished getting dressed into her work clothes by this time, and had come back to the shop just in time to hear her father playing the song. Being a music lover herself, she couldn't help but join in with her own beautiful voice.
"When somebody loved me, ev'rything was beautiful. Ev'ry hour we spent together lives within my heart. And when she was sad, I was there to dry her tears; and when she was happy, so was I, when she loved me."
"Through the summer and the fall, we had each other, that was all. Just she and I together, like it was meant to be. And when she was lonely, I was there to comfort her, and I knew that she loved me..."
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 16, 2023 4:08:07 GMT
Wisemon was pleased to know that it required more skill than he anticipated. After all, what was the point in being passionate about something if it was too easy? When the father started playing the beginnning melody, he couldn't help but, raise his head and shift his eyes for a moment to know what the soothing melody was until common sense told him it was the flute. It almost made him wish that he could levitate a few inches off the ground out of sheer ear candy however, that would probably scare the man.
It wasn't until the daughter added in her vocals was when Wisemon was slowly nodding to it. He would back up slightly and angle his body to get a better view of two combining their talents together. The temptation to dance was strong however, the fear of getting kicked out was also tempting not to mess with and so his feet planted still.
Cozy Environment. Nice people. Lovely music. And yet, it doesn't feel full without customers. After the small performance, he applauded the two quietly."Marvelous. Quite marvelous!" He said. "I'm surprised di-" He cleared his throat quickly, "Humans haven't been entranced to come over here. How long have you two been running this establishment?"
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 16, 2023 4:28:05 GMT
Just from the opening notes, Soma knew he had the man's attention when it came to the song. The way he looked like he simply wanted to start floating along with the notes said it all. It wasn't until Serena's vocals were added in (something that Soma wasn't expecting) that other locals outside the store began to take notice, coming into the store to hear the two of them perform. They clapped along with John when the short song had ended, the father and daughter bowing towards the audience.
"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" Soma announced to everyone. "Remember, this song was performed by an Ongaku Isono brand instrument, and we also provide music lessons to teach you how to make beautiful music like we just did!"
"As much as he's trying to sound more like a salesman right now, he really is passionate about music," Serena said to John, in case he got the wrong idea. Something about what John had almost said was a bit weird to Serena, but she decided to dismiss it when he asked how long the store had been open. "Well, Mom and Dad had this store before I was born. They both loved music, and Dad liked having a chance to share that passion with other people with this store. It's because of them that I fell in love with music too. It's my dream to become a professional songwriter one day... even if my original songs kind of suck."
In almost an instant, the store had gone from slow and quiet to relatively packed and lively, with customers all around the store browsing the instruments and discussing which ones they'd like to play. Soma and Serena both looked positively thrilled to be a part of it, especially with everyone asking for an encore performance. "I'd love to, really! But I still have to work, you guys!" Serena tried to say to the customers.
But where did that floating white dragon go...?
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 16, 2023 4:53:51 GMT
John would eat his words as customers have appeared come in and applaud with him after hearing the music. This reminded him of his time in Old Terminus when one of his comrades played guitar. They weren't much of a singer however, the tune alone brought together a lot of people. He's just glad that it can also happen in the human world. Perhaps something to take note of?
When they explained that their father is less like a salesman, he nodded to her. From what he wrote down so far before he arrived to this building, Shibuya is appearing more to be no different than the digital world. Some driven by feelings, some driven by logic, it can also extend to humans being related more to digimon. Though, that requires more information to gather. Or maybe it wasn't that complicated.
When the girl explained their passion for music to him, Wisemon felt moved by their motivation. "Don't sell yourself short, miss. I think you have a good teacher." He said to her before adjusting his glasses. There was one thing he almost forgot about though, that hologram digimon was probably long gone by now.
When the customers wanted the father and daughter to play more, Wisemon couldn't help, but lightly chuckle. "My, my." He would say out of astonishment.
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 16, 2023 5:27:19 GMT
"That's very kind of you to say," Serena said to the man after he tried to cheer her up, "but my talent comes from performing music, not writing it. I have a feeling you'd change your tune if you saw the kind of lyrics I tried to write... oh, my name's Serena Isono, by the way. What's yours?" Both Serena and Soma would mostly shift back into their work modes before long, with Serena mostly being there to ask questions about stock and to ring up customers who were ready to purchase their items, and Soma helping out and doing the more important work in between lessons. At one point, a woman who looked remarkably similar to Serena would come in to help as well, giving Soma a quick kiss on the cheek when she saw him. It was clear that this was Soma's wife, and Serena's mother.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly in the store. But then a certain Digimon made himself known to Serena, floating over to her while still taking on his hologram appearance. "Serena, I'm hungry..." Gem complained, holding his gray colored belly.
"I can't talk to you right now, Gem, I'm working," Serena quickly and quietly said to her partner, acknowledging his existence for a few moments before going back to work. "Have an apple for right now; I'll come and make some instant ramen for you during my break, okay?"
"Okay," Gem replied, floating back to the doorway that led to the Isono family's living space. If a certain disguised Wisemon wanted to confront this Digimon, now would be the time.
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 16, 2023 6:00:40 GMT
Luckily for him, Wisemon already settled for what his human name was. "John. John Doe." He said proudly. Unfortuanetly for him, an oversight on his end was the meaning of the name itself however, it wasn't long before Serena started to help customers that Wisemon started to briefly turn his body around to take in the sights of people looking or inquiring to buy something. Perhaps both. It wasn't until he heard a small voice that he would then see the hologram digimon float across the store then through a door.
Well, there's two options. Disregard the hologram and attempt to buy something, despite not actually having any money aside from the currency back in The Digital World. Or investigate the hologram. As curious as he was, he didn't know the significance of the door. Nor the consequences if he were to enter.
Hm. Instead of outright going to the door, he wanted to try to inqiure it to Serena however they appeared busy handling customers. Well, perhaps a quick peek wouldn't hurt? After all, he does have the excuse of being a "new customer". Then he can close the door and go back to ask about it. Now it all comes down to the execution.
He would turn his cap around and lower it as poor means of being incognito as he moved towards the wall where the door was. While they weren't shifitng across the wall, they went from aisle of music books from instruments until they met the door. A moment of hesitatiion occured before he said to himself "Just a quick peek." before he turned the knob and slightly opened the door, trying to get a good look of what's inside.
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 16, 2023 20:17:21 GMT
So this guy... was named John Doe. He seemed rather proud of that name, too. Serena's facial expression went from that of "hello, new friend" to that of "wait, what?" in a matter of seconds. "Alright, don't tell me your name, then," Serena said while sounding slightly upset. Was he just trying to hide his name or did he think she was dumb enough to actually believe him? Either way, it didn't matter right now, as she had work that she had to do.
Unbeknownst to Gem, John had seen him fly up to Serena then fly through the door to the apartment upstairs. It appeared that John wanted to try and follow the hologram ghost to wherever he went... however, where he was going was private property, where customers weren't allowed to go. If he was going to do this, he'd need to sneak past Serena, Soma and Serena's mother, Naomi.
Now, for the sake of convenience, this act will be based on a d20 roll. Unfortunately, luck was not on John's side, as his own luck god rolled a mere 7. The rest of the family will have to roll lower than that if John has any chance of succeeding.
Serena's up first. She's busy with helping check out a customer, so she has disadvantage. And even with that disadvantage, she rolled a 14. Soma rolled a 17, and Naomi rolled a 15, so each and every family member saw John peak through the door to the Isono residence. Serena would be the first one to act, leaving the register to run over to John.
"Hey hey hey, what are you doing?" Serena asked, crossing her arms. "That's where my family and I live, you can't just go up there when you're not invited!"
If John was observant enough, he'd see clearly now that Serena had a red wristband-like object on her left wrist. A red band for a Vital Bracelet style Digivice...
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 16, 2023 20:33:27 GMT
John would jolt as he immeidiately realize his attempt at sneaking in a bright enivornment was probably not the wisest idea. So much for the wisdom part of his name. John would close the door and turn to see Serena crossing her arms. "M-my mistake, I didn't realize that it wasn't part of the store!" John said in earnest.
Fortunate for him, it was already answered what the room would lead to. However something else caught his eye. While her arms were crossed he spotted a peculiar bracelet on them. Unfortunate for John, he was only aware of the "blocky" type of digivice he's heard stories about. A digimon and their tamer intertwined. That was one of his big goals which were to be chosen by a human. Only roadblock were to understand them first.
Unheard of a "digivice bracelet" He did sense something off about it, inquiring him to ask a question. He almost asked if it ever occured to her that a ghost is haunting the place though, that would surely raise suspicion "I hope you don't mind me asking, but where did you get that bracelet?" He asked her, pointing at it.
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Post by Serena & Gem on Nov 16, 2023 21:00:01 GMT
Serena couldn't really fault this guy for thinking that this was still part of the store, since other customers had made that same mistake before. However, it was all the other strange things she noticed about John that had her questioning if he really meant that at all, or if he was actively looking for something that was at this store, potentially to steal.
"I want to believe you, but you've been suspicious ever since you came here," Serena said to him. "I'll overlook it this time, but if you won't tell me what your deal is, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the next time you do something weird."
John's gaze shifted over to Serena's Digivice, and he asked where she got a bracelet like that. Naturally, she didn't know that he was a Digimon, so she had to keep the secret of them however much she could, which meant she'd have to lie. "Oh, this?" Serena asked, lying as naturally as breathing. "It's just a fitness bracelet, to track my steps each day. Why, do you want one?"
Why would he need one, Serena?! He's just some guy, not a Chosen! Still though, why would he be so interested in a fitness bracelet? Hmmmm...
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Post by TheOneNamedJohn on Nov 16, 2023 22:44:38 GMT
Uh-oh. The 'suspicious ever since you came here' part was evident for Wisemon that his attempts at blending in seemed futile. Before he thought about speed-walking out the door, the question if he needed a bracelet appeared to intreast him more. "Well, you see..." He trailed off before putting his hand on his chin.
Trying to think back, the hologram was near Serena outside the building and then saw them again when they were floating inside the building. Doesn't help when he focused on the bracelet itself, he sensed something to where it felt connected to something. Or Someone. While it may be just a coincidence, it seems that Serena is hiding something.
Only question is how to persuade her into spilling the beans. "Is that watch capable of connecting to other watches? Perhaps a partner of some kind to monitor your steps so to speak?"
He did felt like he was treading on thin ice however, what's the worst that can happen? Getting kicked out? Human Jail? On second thought, perhaps he could've put a little more thought into his question.
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