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Separated and Scared (COMPLETE)
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Post by supesman on Feb 22, 2024 4:35:38 GMT
"As with most of our best lines, we stole it." Zack said with his arms crossed, smiling that glinting smile at Mandrake and Lothar as they came into view. "I mean come on, if you haven't shown the kid something Spider-Man related by now I think that counts as abuse in some countries." Zack said, with a tone that instantly communicated he meant no harm by the wisecrack. The young man's mouth always had a habit of moving ahead of his brain, if he let his brain influence his decision making at all, which wasn't often.
"She was very brave. The whole time, even." Marigold said, buzzing out from their shared hiding spot and speaking as if she was a nurse returning the girl to her parents at the doctor's office. "We just got to have a good heart to heart, girl talk, right Circe?" Marigold said with a little wink and a giggle. It would probably be a good idea for Circe to start building up a list of people she could trust herself around other than family. Even if it was a list that would grow slowly over time.
"I'm just glad we were in the neighborhood, doing what we do." Zack said, nodding softly. "Most people get annoyed when we pop out of the shadows all fire and aplomb. Usually they start shooting at us." He said with another wry smile that got an eye roll and an elbow to the ribs out of Marigold
"It'll all get easier, Circe. I promise. Once you accept that all your worst fears can't get you anymore, everything else just sort of...falls into place. We've found where we belong. Everything after that is details." Marigold said, gesturing with her head so Circe could look at Mandrake and Lothar in turn
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Feb 22, 2024 5:02:30 GMT
At hearing the name Spiderman Mandrake, Lothar, and Circe alike blinked in puzzlement as they looked at Zack. The look was kind of cute even coming from the likes of Mandrake and Lothar. Then the not normally talkative Lothar asked, "Spider what now?" Definitely one could say Mandrake and his family were thinking the same thing.
Circe looked at Marigold when the Fanbeemon said she was brave the whole time which caused the girl to begin looking at the ground. After a few moments of awkward silence, the spider child then said "I s-sure didn't feel very brave that whole time. Are you s-sure you were seeing things right, Marigold. I w-was a total sobbing mess when you found me."
Lothar walked up to the little one before gently placing a hand on her shoulder and said "It's alright to be afraid, little one. Everyone is sometimes even me and your other dad."
Circe glanced back and forth at Mandrake and Lothar in surprise before Mandrake said "I guess it's a good thing then Zack that Circe seems to have inherited my sense of patience. Not to mention my typically gentle nature."
"H-How will it get easier?" Circe whimpered before she continued "I f-feel like I am afraid of almost everything. I'll never be as b-brave as the rest of my family."
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Post by supesman on Feb 24, 2024 4:32:19 GMT
"Oh my GOD you two are going to kill me, really, truly." Zack said, making an over dramatic gesture of staggering back and clutching at his chest as if he had been struck by a physical blow. "I mean honestly I'm not sure how you'd spend any time at all in the human world without hearing of Spider-Man. Next time you guys are free we're having a movie night because I just can't take that idea. Like, spiritually." Zack said though with that deep grin on his face that eased any tension of his words possibly being misunderstood. He was hard to take seriously, one of the reasons he was so oft underestimated.
"One step at a time, little lady. It will get better one little step at a time." Marigold said with a calm and measured wisdom that was beyond her seeming years, even at the enhanced rate of maturity that Digimon went through. It was clear she was coming from a place of direct experience and she was doing her best to pass it on to someone else who needed to hear it. "You were scared, that's true but let me let you in on a little secret." Marigold said, leaning in softly with a twinkle in her eye, a "big sister" sharing something with a younger sibling in confidence. "Everyone's scared. Some things are scary, that's how it is. The difference that comes from being brave is that you take that fear and you do something about it anyway, even if it's something small like sitting and talking with me while we waited for your parents. Sitting tight and waiting for them to come get you was a VERY brave thing to do. Marigold said, talking to Circe's level without ever daring to talk down to her.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Feb 24, 2024 5:33:36 GMT
Lothar couldn't help but chuckle before he said, "Well I wouldn't be surprised if LJ, Kshin, or Lilly might know more about superheroes than Mandrake and I put together."
"Neither would I, old friend, seeing as they seem to spend more time in the Human World than we do. Though something like a movie night doesn't sound all that bad." Mandrake said as Circe snuggled into him before he continued "Then again Lothar and I are probably one of the closest things you yourself see that is like a superhero. Other than yourself and Marigold that is."
Circe pulled away from Mandrake before looking at the ground again. Then she began nervously rubbing her left arm with her right one before, with not much confidence, she said "I know everyone g-gets scared sometimes but the whole doing something isn't that easy. B-Believe me I learned that the hard way firsthand." Then after a moment she looked up and after she stopped rubbing her arm she then said "Then again I g-guess it was kinda brave when I was talking to you. I mean I c-could've run off when you showed up but didn't."
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Post by supesman on Feb 27, 2024 4:15:00 GMT
Zack gave Mandrake a jaunty two finger salute off of his forehead when the magician acknowledge Zack as at least most of the way toward a superhero. Most sane people would use much less kind and dramatic language to refer to him but he appreciated the recognition nonetheless.
"See? The younger generation will save us all in the end, same as it ever was. That's what parenting is all about, right? Hoping our kids are smarter than us, stronger than us, kinder than us. That eventually when people are writing the stories that last we'll just be a footnote in their history." Zack said, reaching down and running his hand over Marigold's head, her wings buzzed pleasantly in appreciation of the gesture, nuzzling her head up against her father before she turned back to Circe.
"Being brave doesn't happen all at once. It's a series of choice that you make. A little bit, every single day. Then before you know it you barely remember what used to be holding you back." Marigold said with that same sage tone of knowing from whence she spoke. "And yea, thank you for not running. My dad would have had to try and chase you, he would have fallen head first into a dumpster from two stories up, embarrassing." She said with a fox like twinkle.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Feb 27, 2024 4:41:38 GMT
Mandrake chuckled as Zack talked about the younger generation and said "Parenting for all three of us has been an interesting ride, I'm sure. Not many predict becoming parents at young ages like we did. Then again I am more normal considering my father was already ancient when he met my mother."
"While I don't know about stronger, I wouldn't be surprised if Mandrake and I's little ones become possibly wiser or kinder than us." Lothar said thinking of not just Circe but the three older ones as well.
As for Circe she watched as Zack was running his hand over Marigold's head and how the Fanbeemon seemed to be enjoying the attention. "H-How can you be so confident? What if y-you make the wrong choices? Did y-you have those worries?" Circe began asking.
Mandrake reached down pulling Circe closer to him gently hugging her before he said "We all have these doubts, little one. One day you will be confident to take the world on. Right now we are just taking baby steps to get you there."
"G-Guess it's good that not only I didn't run but that I also didn't climb the building turning the chase into a parkour session." Circe chuckled after Marigold mentioned dumpster diving from two stories up headfirst before Circe then said "If he d-did chase me up on the roofs such a landing likely would have happened if you didn't save him by digivolving. I'm also g-glad I didn't attack out of panic either."
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Post by supesman on Feb 28, 2024 5:20:06 GMT
"Eh, you're a fully Digimon family. I had to make my mental peace with my kid being able to crush me like the proverbial bug a long, long time ago. I'm just glad that she can protect herself even if I slightly wish she wouldn't worry so much about protecting me." Zack said, letting his hand come to a still rest against his daughter's head and she was still leaning into it somewhat.
"If I didn't worry about you, you'd be dead by now." Marigold said without looking up at him.
"My god you sound just like your grandmother, you know that?" Zack said, conspicuously not actually refuting Marigold's point and Marigold giggled in a fashion that made it clear that the comparison to her human grandmother was taken as a total positive.
"Everyone worries about making mistakes but even if you do, you get up and you try again. Eventually, with enough hope and faith, things tend to work out the way they're supposed to." Marigold said with a little shrug of her shoulders. "I'd give you a magic bullet for figuring yourself out if I could darling but I can't, the only person who will ever make the choice of who you turn out to be...is you. From where I'm standing though, I have a pretty good feeling that we're all gonna be dazzled by who you turn out to be." Marigold said boldly, she meant it, every word. At Circe's age she was bursting and overflowing with nothing so much as potential, pure and brilliant.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Feb 28, 2024 6:03:58 GMT
"Zack, from what I have come to learn about digimon and human relationships is that it isn't uncommon for the partners to worry about each other no matter who the more powerful one in the team is." Lothar said before he then started chuckling "As for your mother, Zack, she is starting to sound like my own mother."
Mandrake and Circe started to lightly giggle before Mandrake said "Well, old friend, your mother has always been a bit over excitable at times. Now that I think about it, I sometimes wonder how my mother would have gotten along with her if she were still alive today."
"Who knows given all we knew about your mother Ebony was that she was kindhearted much like you, Mandrake." Lothar replied.
Circe took in what Marigold said before she replied "I get w-what you're saying but figuring out ones' path sure can be hard. I g-guess I'm relieved about one thing and that is that I don't have to face these challenges alone."
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Post by supesman on Feb 29, 2024 4:13:32 GMT
"My mother is unremarkable as far as human mothers go. In that she's kindhearted to a fault, wise beyond ten lifetimes when it comes to me specifically and more intimidating than a pack of charging bulls where her family is concerned. We may live wildly fantastical lives but I will always be thankful that my children have more mundane role models to look up to." Zack said, smiling as he spoke of his mother though he tucked one hand against his cheek in a broad pantomime of "whispering". "Plus it's good to be able to refer back to someone with some actual parenting skills because by god I have no idea what I'm doing." He humbly admitted.
"We can tell dad. We can ALLL tell." Marigold said with a roll of her eyes at her father but smiled up at Circe. "But that's the rick Circe. NO ONE knows what they're doing, not really. Figuring out your path isn't something you just fix. It's a choice you get to make for yourself every single day. Ask your parents and see if they have it all "figured out" without any stress." Marigold said, helping Circe see over the illusion the little bee had gotten past a long time ago now. The idea that adults weren't just as confused anybody else with the wisdom to be able to hide it.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Feb 29, 2024 4:55:57 GMT
"Sounds like even though you didn't seem to get your mother's wisdom you seem to have taken after her in the sense that you are a kind but protective spirit, Zack." Lothar chuckled before he then said "I know other than my strength I didn't take much after my mother Crystal. If anything, I am more like my father Fang what with me not normally being overly chatty around most people."
At Zack's statement about not knowing what he was doing when it came to parenting, Mandrake chuckled before the Wizardmon said "You aren't alone in that respect, Zack. When Lothar and I had LJ, we were just as in the dark as most young parents. At least the three of us know enough about parenting to how do humans put it, wing it if necessary."
Circe looked back and forth at Mandrake and Lothar before Mandrake eyes shimmered in a way that was an indication that he was smiling before he said "Marigold is right, Circe. I don't think anyone knows what the right path for them is at first. That is something that we all discover over time. You aren't the only one who had trauma that hindered the discovery of your path as it were. Your older brother Kshin had some struggles before eventually discovering his path as a stage magician. One day you'll find your path, little one." With those words said Circe embraced Mandrake in a hug and snuggled her head against him.
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Post by supesman on Mar 1, 2024 5:12:03 GMT
"Aww shucks, aren't you just the charmer." Zack said, waving off the compliment with a smile. "I can see how you got pulled into this one, Mandrake. Boy like that starts giving me compliments and I'd swoon too." Zack said with a jovial little wink that still forced a long eye roll out of Marigold.
"You need to find a date, dad oh my GOD." Marigold said with the exaggeration of a joke but she sometimes did honestly worry about his social isolation sometimes. Between his hero work, raising her and her sibling and his still ongoing college classes which were riding toward graduation day by day he didn't have much time to hang out with humans of his own stripe.
"When I find an extra eight hours in the day, sure." Zack said and shrugged with his arms crossed. He clicked his tongue and looked down at Circe, giving her a little smile. "You'll figure out what you have to do, one way or the other. It's not really about knowing some big long arc ahead of time. You make your best choices, one day at a time and then one day you'll look back and find out you ended up exactly where you belong." Zack said, looking down at Marigold and his grin sparkled. "Other times fate drops an egg in your lap in the middle of the night and you find out where you're supposed to be has just wildly changed, but that's ok too." He nodded.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Mar 1, 2024 6:24:31 GMT
Mandrake chuckled at Zack's statement and when Marigold said that her father needed to find a date both Mandrake and Lothar alike burst out laughing. As for little Circe the spider child merely was shyly snickering. Then when Zack mentioned finding eight extra hours in a day Mandrake said "I keep forgetting that between raising two digimon children and your other day to day obligations that dating is something you don't always have time for. Who knows perhaps you'll meet the right person just by handling your day-to-day life. Life can be unpredictable after all."
Circe listened to Zack taking in the somewhat oddly dressed human's words. Both he and Marigold were making a lot of sense to her though she didn't know if she'd be so easily willing to admit such. Seems the little traumatized spider girl did have a sense of pride after all. If only she was brave enough to be more independent. She would be one day but for now she was not ready to separate herself from her parents. Yes, even though Lothar technically didn't share any data with her she still thought of him as her other father.
When Zack mentioned fate dropping an egg in one's lap Circe cocked her head to the side before, she said "Oh y-yeah that's how you and Marigold met. H-Having an unexpected egg dropped on you must have b-been an odd day for you."
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Post by supesman on Mar 2, 2024 4:43:16 GMT
"Oh yea, I'm sure. I'll stop her from falling off a bridge and we'll kiss upside down in the rain." Zack said, raising his hand before either Mandrake or Lothar could express confusion at the reference. "Comic book reference, ignore that I said anything." Zack said with a shake of his head. With how knee deep he was in his particular media niches it was always hard for him to fathom just how disconnected the two were. Despite that fact that they came from literally two different worlds, they were morally on the same page most of the time, that was what counted.
"I don't remember that night super well, just that it's the first time I ever remember sleeping. Like actually rolling over warm and falling asleep without the same terror I had always felt. That's what stuck with me beyond the fear. Just knowing there could BE something beyond the fear, it's been my greatest weapon toward ever letting it back in." Marigold said and she kicked off the ground somewhat, pushing herself into the air with a pleasant little buzz of her wings that left her hovering at about her father's waist height.
Just then there was a high pitched squealing, a mechanical sound that cut through the air as flashes of red illuminated the alley's edged and a fire truck went roaring past. Like anything in the digital world it was mashed together, bolted frames of about 4 different vehicles barely held together but the intent of the serious faced digimon in their oversized black fireman's coats was clear.
"Well, looks like duty calls. Sure would be happy to have you boys tagging along. Good work to be done." Zack said but didn't actually wait for an answer, palming his helmet and slipping it over his head, in only a few heartbeats he and Marigold had rounded the corner, Marigold transforming into a Stingmon, looping hands under her father's arms and taking off toward the implied blaze.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Mar 2, 2024 5:16:12 GMT
At Zack's media references Mandrake, Lothar, and Circe alike all blinked in confusion before Zack told them it was a comic book reference and to ignore what he said. The family of three nodded before Mandrake said, "Your world is full of references many digimon don't tend to understand but, who knows, for all I know one of mine and Lothar's future offspring might get into comic books from the Human World."
"M-Maybe you don't remember the night well simply due to being newly hatched. Not all of us d-digimon remember being babies though some do from what I was taught." Circe said watching Marigold start to hover waist height near Zack.
When the sound of the high-pitched squeals of a fire truck sounded Lothar's ears folded back as his face scruched in discomfort at the loud noise. One of the curses of having more sensitive hearing than humans was that sometimes what was normally useful could come back to bite you. Same as his super sensitive sense of smell. Despite the odd appearance of the vehicle the crew was determined to get a job done.
With this Zack waved goodbye to Mandrake and his family and Marigold digivolved into Stingmon. Before the father and daughter duo vanished Mandrake placed two fingers to one of his temples before he telepathically said 'As always it was a pleasure to meet up with you two. Lothar, Circe, and I are going to head back to my car though. I soon have to get to instructing Circe on how to control her telepathy. See you guys later.'
When Zack and Marigold vanished Mandrake took hold of one of Circe's hands and, with Lothar at his other side, the family made their way back to the car. Soon the three of them climbed in and after buckling in Mandrake began driving. At some point in the drive Circe nodded off as it seemed the little one had worn herself out. Oh well he could work with her after her nap. The family would be out of town in a quieter spot by then.
[Exit]
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Nanami Hanabana
Official Grader
Join Team FBW!!!
Posts: 811
OOC Name: searoads
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Post by Nanami Hanabana on Mar 8, 2024 2:42:19 GMT
Everybody gets 1000 bits!
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