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Post by Setsuna Tasumaki on May 23, 2016 19:06:29 GMT
Two things sprang to mind when Setsuna woke up this particular morning.
First, when he realized that instead of coming to buried within the cushiony confines of his bed, he was instead strewn out across dirt and grass and twigs and all things decidedly uncomfortable - did he decide to go camping?
And second, when he managed to peel his eyes open, albeit with an amount of effort he’d classify as nothing short of supernatural, and allowed the morning sun greet his bleary, sleep-deprived gaze – why did he decide to go camping?
And third, after standing up and watching a bunch of oversized tulips run away screaming something akin to bloody murder - Was this a fever dream? Or did his parents decide to do a shitty job poisoning his dinner, and instead of offing him just managed to induce some sort of hallucinogen-induced fever dream? Granted, that particular scenario was on the unlikely side of things. Sure, he was far from the model son, but needing to be told three times to take out the trash before actually doing it was far from an offense punishable via a botched assassination.
As the sun overhead continued to warm his body and drag him away from the comforting embrace of his lethargic state of mind, the more he found himself able to truly appreciate the utterly bizarre situation that had been so kindly thrust upon him.
He laid there as if he had yet to lumber out of bed, clad in nothing but a pair of blue plaid boxers and whatever crumbs of sun-dried earth had decided to adhere to his exposed flesh. Yet despite laying there only a few stiches away from being stark-naked, he could feel the softness and warmth of his pillow separating the back of his head from the dirt below, and feel the warmth of his cell phone gently thrumming against his sternum.
So, in short. He was waking up outside, nearly naked.
Was this maybe a prank? He wouldn’t put it past a couple of his friends to try and pull something along these lines – though somehow he doubted their efforts wouldn’t have jostled him awake. Sure, he was a heavy sleeper, but he’d have to be near-comatose not to take notice of that particular scenario.
A world-weary groan slipped through his lips and he pushed himself up to his elbows, his gaze was drawn upwards - after all, how could it not? All he could see around him was foliage and dirt, as if he'd somehow been transplanted from the middle of Tokyo to some distant corner of the world, all but abandoned by the rest of civilization. It wasn't every day a city boy got to see the sky without having to peer through a veil of smog and light pollution. And that freaking sun was so god damn bright -
and pixelated.
No, wait, it wasn't just the sun. The entire sky was pixelated.
Was that toast he was smelling? Or just a stroke?
He almost hoped it was the latter.
The entire freaking horizon was made of squares. Big ones and small ones, intermingling so fluidly that if he hadn't been purposefully staring upward, he might not have noticed for hours. But sure enough the close he looked, the more apparent the illusion became. Everything - the clouds, the sun, and all the blue bits in-between, had these jagged edges that sat just slightly askew to other. It was liking staring at a jigsaw puzzle that a four-year old had decided to assemble - the colors looked right, but a second glance showed how everything looked out of place and forced together.
So Setsuna just sat there sprawled out and propped up on his elbows, ignoring his phone as it slipped off his chest and the fact that he was showing an almost scandalous amount of thigh to anyone - or hell, anything that might be witness to his current predicament.
"Huh." The young man's teeth clicked together as he finally closed his mouth. His eyes soon followed suit, squeezing shut just as a deep sigh broke out through his nose. "I've always wondered what a fever dream felt like. Apparently it's just trippy."
A pause.
"And a lot more naked than I would have imagined." |
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Post by Takara Kureha on May 24, 2016 1:41:59 GMT
It is important to note that Takara Kureha is not lost.
He just doesn't really know where his destination is in relation to his current wherabouts. Or what his destination is, for that matter. You see, the one who has claimed the title of Legendary Treasure Hunter for himself... Has been in a mite of a slump lately. Can't seem to find any worthy treasures to reclaim. All of his sources... Have run dry.
No need to worry though! Takara Kureha is as upbeat as ever as he soars through the endless forests, atop his trusty hoverboard. Hagurumon, for his part, seems to have finally fallen victim to stockholm syndrome- He barely even grumbles when Takara forces him to follow a whim these days! Fortunately, Takara is not a sadistic master... Just a whimsical one. And there is nothing for it but to sit back and let him do as he pleases. Not like refusing him will help.
So perhaps this spontaneous nudist before him would soon regret his choice of sleeping arrangements.
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Post by Setsuna Tasumaki on May 24, 2016 2:59:25 GMT
On one hand, Setsuna was far from a fan of being sexually objectified. Sure, he was far from some strung out preteen who spent his time fighting for the rights of people who ate rocks because they were convinced they had the souls of dragons - but dammit, he was more than just a fine ass and an even finer head of hair.
On the other hand, if he ran into a clone of himself, he'd totally consider defying the natural order to the world to see just what everyone else was missing out on.
So bearing that in mind, he didn't think too much on it when he rose to his feet, watching with half-interest as loose specks of dirt fell from his shins and collected atop his sock-clad feet.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice let loose a deep sigh of resentment at being forced to walk around in nothing but boxers and a pair of dress socks stretching up to his mid-calves. Fortunately, the young man was thoroughly preoccupied with stretching out his shoulders and taking a good look at his surroundings.
Yup.
Mhm.
Interesting.
He was definitely in the woods. There were trees and rocks and all kinds of nature-y crap laying around - though oddly enough, a complete lack of mosquitoes trying to turn him into a slasher movie's interpretation of a drive-thru.
Though as he began to gingerly move about, taking care to keep rogue twigs and pebbles from forcibly entering the inside of his foot, the oddities began to catch his attention. Like the fact that the so-called ivy wrapping around the base of these trees was shiny and metallic - maybe copper? Or bronze. He never could remember the difference between the two.
"So, eight year-old me would either be thrilled or scared shitless if he were in my shoes," Setsuna muttered aloud and he slid himelf across a root protruding up at waist height. He paused, turning back to stare at the growth.
Wait no, silly him. It wasn't a root. It was a big ol' chunk of steel that only vaguely resembled a root. And that was only because the tree it was presumably prouting from was also made of twisted, gnarled metal.
Oh, and the sky was still made of squares.
"If this is a dream, the sexy girls in bikinis carrying ice-cold beers should be showing up any time now," Setsuna ground out under his breath. He somehow managed to resist the urge to knead the bridge of his brow - though this rapidly growing migraine that pulsed just behind his eyes was quickly eating away at what little self control he had to begin with.
"And if not, I better get one of those beers once I flush whatever crap you shoved in me, because right now everything looks like I'm stuck in some sci-fi techno bullcrap version of Disney World." |
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Post by Takara Kureha on May 24, 2016 21:01:30 GMT
Apparently Takara hadn't quite been noticed yet. Not that he'd made a point of calling attention to himself. Even his approach had been silenced- It was hard to crack twigs and crunch leaves underfoot, when one was floating several feet in the air. The self-titled Treasure Hunter smiled wryly to himself. Finally! Something interesting! Certainly a confused, naked person in the middle of the woods was a call to adventure!
He couldn't help it. He broke out laughing, a deep booming laugh which shook the forest. Not literally, of course. "I believe all the bikinis are busy at the beach! Pick a direction and walk, you'll get there in, oh..." Takara Kureha checks an imaginary watch on his wrist. "Eventually. 'Course, I wouldn't recommend the beaches in the north. Too cold for someone who ain't wearing pants!" Takara broke out in laughter again.
Recovering from his obvious bemusement at the other boy's state of undress, Takara leapt from his floating platform with a backflip. Poor Hagurumon was sent flying into a tree... Not that Takara really cared. "Some warning would be nice." Hagurumon complained, though it fell on deaf ears. Takara Kureha was far too busy giving the other human a good look over. Clearly, the other's nudity didn't distress him in the least. Nor the fact that his own clothes probably needed to be burned, preferably far away from any sort of civilization. What use was shame to a Legendary Treasure Hunter, after all?
Whatever Takara Kureha's inspection yielded was not to be found on his face. The treasure hunter rested his hands behind his head, and gave off his trademark broad grin. "Nice to meetcha, Pantsless!" It was far easier to drop names on people than to, you know, ask them what their name is. "Sounds to me like you're new in these parts."
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Post by Setsuna Tasumaki on May 25, 2016 15:28:18 GMT
Let it be known that Setsuna was far from the type of guy who to lose his cool the minute he felt pressured. Still though, considering all the weirdness that had been compressed into the couple of minutes, it was no surprise that he should jump a bit at the voice breaking through the overwhelming silence and assailing his senses. Factor in the amount of sass said voice was sending his way, and the young man found himself far less receptive to company than usual.
That, and the fact his new-found company had been not moments ago standing atop a floating mass of gears, churning away without a care in the world.
Oh, and the gears had a face. And were talking.
Nothing unusual about that, right?
“Okay, let me guess,” Setsuna began, breaking down and allowing himself to knead his brow with his free hand. The other was clenched tightly around his phone - though he faintly registered the fact that the device flt a little too heavy and a little to rounded compared to what should have been a sleek-and-stylish piece of hardware. “Did Riku put you up to this? Because I told him that poker game wasn't for actual money, I barely have enough on me to pay for the bus to school. ”
The brunet broke his gaze away from the scruffy teen that had somehow managed to sneak up on him – not exactly surprising, considering his current state of mind was somewhere between ‘cantankerous’ and ‘blown up worse than Nagasaki’ – and focused on the aforementioned mass of gears. Setsuna opened his mouth, ready to deliver some sort of clever quip that would help him deal with the sheer insanity of the situation unfurling.
Only nothing came out.
Setsuna frowned, closing his mouth only to take a deep breath open it again – only for the same thing to happen. That… was not normal. Sarcasm was his native tongue; he spoke it more often than he did the common language.
“I…” he let his voice trail off, furrowing his brow in confusion. He had to say something. Literally anything, just so long as it drew his mind away from the talking, animated cluster of churning gears - which had a face, in case he hadn’t already made that point clear enough in his mind.
“Pantless?” he offered weakly, trying to distract himself from the impossible entity not more than a few feet away from him. “Is that best you can do? Really? If you’re going to kidnap a guy and pump him full with enough hallucinogens to put down a manatee, you could at least learn his actual name first.”
He paused, “And okay, I'll bite, where am I actually? Because I seriously doubt this whole 'Treasure Planet meets Alice in Wonderland' bit is real." Setsuna knocked on a metallic tree trunk to his right just to emphasize his point, resisting the urge to wince as knuckles twinged with the pain of impact. "I'm guessing a basement you dressed up in pretty colors for when you have to abduct little kids? Don't suppose you have a big kids room you can move me to, huh?”
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Post by Takara Kureha on May 25, 2016 17:50:04 GMT
Pantsless is babbling strange things that make no sense. Riku? Alice? He does not know these people. The word treasure intrigues him, but apparently it wasn't real. How boring. A good treasure was exactly what Takara needed to break his slump! But a fake treasure wouldn't do anybody any good.
Lost in his own rambling thoughts, Takara only caught snippets of what the naked boy near him was saying. Oh well, he can't possibly have missed anything of value. "Been playing strip poker, Pantsless? Seems you aren't very good at it!" Takara Kureha guffaws as if this was some great joke only he understood. "That would explain a lot! How boring. I was hoping for something cooler- Something like... They were stolen by a fairy! After you lost to her in a game of strip poker!" Apparently Takara had gotten stuck on the idea that the nudist before him was a strip poker aficionado. Who knows, maybe he's right!
Takara didn't really understand most of this stranger's ramblings. Basement? Couldn't he see clear as day that they were aboveground? Maybe he's insane. Hey, Takara Kureha does not discriminate against insane people. They set off traps as well as anyone else! And complain less about it, too! "You've come to the right place! I, Takara Kureha, Master Treasure Hunter, shall help you to regain your pants, Pantsless!"
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Post by Setsuna Tasumaki on May 25, 2016 18:09:38 GMT
Apparently the fates were conspiring against Setsuna, as it was becoming abundantly clear this kid was just as insane as the situation he was stuck in. Great. Was this all part of whatever plan had been conspired against him? Pitting him in an impossible situation with an impossible individual, hoping to break down his grasp on reality and put him in a vulnerable state of mind?
“I don’t know about you, but if I was playing strip poker the first thing I’d choose to lose would be the socks,” Setsuna’s tone was so dry that it could have turned the very earth beneath his feet into sand. He turned his back to his newfgound companion for a second and muttered into his hand, “All this needs now is Johnny Depp yelling ‘White Rabbit’ at me over and over, and this acid trip will officially be everything I could expect and more.”
Setsuna whirled about and locked eyes with the stranger, trying to drown out the cacophony of confusion ringing in his head and focus on the details. The boy looked to be about his age, though in terms of hygiene they couldn’t have been any further apart. Something foul and earthy had begun to assail his nose after spending mere moments in the other’s presence; somehow he could only assume it would get worse the longer they spent together.
But still, what other choice did he have? Nothing made sense. There was no logic in this place. The only person who could give him a hint as to what was happening was rambling nonsense at him, and like it or not, he was going to have to roll with it.
Thank god he had experience dealing with little kids. Crazies and little kids had just so much in common.
“Okay, I’ll play along.” Setsuna purposefully cleared his throat, trying to keep his eyes on the hyperactive individual all-but-bouncing around in front of him. “Somehow I doubt my pants are nearby, but let’s play a little game. It’s called ‘tell Setsuna where he is before he gets pissy,’ okay?”
A moment passed. “Followed by my second favorite game ‘why is Setsuna here.' Then maybe we can talk about pants.” |
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Post by Takara Kureha on May 25, 2016 18:57:39 GMT
Ah yes, the socks. The one flaw in an otherwise perfect theory. Takara Kureha would have to muse on this further. He brought his hand to his chin and furrowed his brow. That pose looked suitably thoughtful, right? If it wasn't strip poker... Eh, what did it matter? Why and wherefore... They don't matter in the slightest! What matters is that a certain Pantsless is in need of a pair of pants, and Takara Kureha has his honor as a treasure hunter to uphold!
Game? This wasn't the time for games! Didn't Pantsless see that they were going to go on... An adventure! A lame adventure, to be certain. But hey, not every quest ended in the holy grail! Sometimes you just had to buckle down and locate a boring old pair of pants! And anything was better than nothing!
Yeah, Takara Kureha is really, really bored. In case you couldn't tell.
Obviously Takara doesn't give much interest to answering questions. Of course, even if he did, he doesn't know the answers anyways. So it's probably a good thing that Hagurumon is willing to offer some modicum of knowledge. "You are currently in the Server Woods, of the Eastern Timberlands." Words that would mean nothing to the naked young man... But how was Hagurumon supposed to know that? "As for why, Yggdrasil only knows if you do not." The gear shows roughly as little shame when faced with nudity as his master does.
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Post by Setsuna Tasumaki on May 26, 2016 17:22:42 GMT
Well, if he had thought for even a second that his day couldn’t get any more bizarre, Setsuna was sure in for a shock. It was getting dangerously close to the point where alien lifeform could forcibly crawl out of his abdomen without him so much as blinking an eye. Though he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t come to that – he was quite found not having a gaping hole in his gut, after all, and felt need to remedy that particular shortcoming.
“Your dog looks very… strange,” Setsuna commented lamely, his eyes rotating in their sockets as they followed the movements of the floating mass of gears. “Also it talks. I don’t think that’s normal.”
It was then he actually processed what the floating machine had said, and at that moment the slight pit of dread that had been building in his gut widened into a chasm.
He also noted it was talking about something in Norse mythology. Ygdrra…. Was it a famous bush or something? It’d been a while since he’d been bored enough to troll Wikipedia for giggles
“Well, clearly I have no idea what’s going on here, so I’m going to stick with the fever dream explanation. ” The young man closed his eyes and nodded to himself, as if that would somehow make everything right with the world. Clearly there was no logic to what was happening – his brain was just in the middle of some sort of meltdown, and hopefully given enough time he would balance out and either wake up or stop these vivid hallucinations.
He mindlessly shoved his cell phone behind the elastic of his waistband, dully nothing that it seemed… different from before. Gone with the sleek rectangle of dark metal and glass; instead the device resembled something akin to a walkie-talkie, possessing a small screen surrounded by heavy red and black plastic. Though to be fair, with all the weird shit he was seeing right now, he was pretty much convinced this was just an extension of his temporary state of insanity.
Setsuna took a few steps towards the other boy, wrapping his fingers behind his head and letting loose a deep, slow sigh of resignation. “So hi, let’s say I’m new around these parts. If I’m going to be trapped in Narnia, I might as well find some pants before I start looking for the wardrobe.”
If he was going down the rabbit hole, he might as well keep the only other person in the area close until he found his bearings. “Lead on, weird dog and weirder dude.” |
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Post by Takara Kureha on May 29, 2016 23:57:06 GMT
"Normal." Takara cackled a little. "Boring, you mean! Lighten up a little, Pantsless!" Takara Kureha cackled some more as he began to march off. Of course, for all his self confidence, he didn't have a clue where to get pants around here! But hey, wasn't figuring out where the treasure is a significant portion of any self respecting treasure hunt?
That said, Pantsless seemed to think that what was clearly a gear was actually a dog. Takara Kureha was beginning to grow concerned for his new, temporary partner's sabity. But of course, he didn't judge! He was the guy who ran away from home to make a living rooting around in Tokyo's landfills! How insane was that!? On the Takara Kureha scale of lost minds, it was around four and a half units. He really wanted to come up with a cool name for these units, but all of the good ones were just too offensive.
Hagurumon, on the other hand, was rather more concerned by his being referred to as a dog. "Now listen, I say listen here you... Pantsless." Hagurumon disliked using Takara Kureha's simplistic nickname for the other boy, and that was evident in his voice, but it wasn't like he had been offered any other names to use! "I am not one of your bloody human meatsack pets. I am a Digimon, a proud..."
Takara Kureha grew bored of hearing Hagurumon yammer on for the umpteenth time about his proud heritage as some sort of grunt unit. Without even looking, he pulled out the strange device known as the Xros Loader, and pressed a few buttons. Within seconds, the Hagurumon had vanished, his only trace remaining being an image on a small chip which soon popped out of the device. A Digimemory, as it were. "Gotta say, I kinda miss the days he just obeyed in bitter silence.
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