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I'm Not That Bad, I Swear! (Asher)
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 18, 2016 8:07:36 GMT
With all of the varied environments of the Digital World, Shibuki Forest wasn't exactly the most common place for Isaac to be. After all, if he needed trees, there were vibrant jungles, misty forests, and even some divine lands for him to explore. In contrast, Shibuki Forest was, well, trees. Isaac had all the access in the world to the fantastical, which made Shibuki Forest lose a little bit of its luster. Heck, it wasn't even a deep, dark, uncharted forest. It was easily accessed from the residential area, and generally curated just enough to help make sure passers-by were safe. If one was looking for adventure, it was probably the wrong place to be.
That said, with all of the stress and excitement being juggled by Isaac lately, the mundane nature of the forest made it the perfect spot the catch some rest. "I swear, I have no clue how I'm pulling this off," he muttered as he leaned against a tree, letting the cool breeze stroke his hair and the chirping of birds be music to his ears. It was all of nature's beauty and serenity, with far less chance of a giant, questionably-sapient bug monster bursting from the treeline to try and eat him. He hadn't usually been this far out into the forest, but that's because he was usually at school or with Elliot on most days.
That wasn't the case nowadays. Between his cafe job, schoolwork ramping up even more, holiday shopping, and his own attempts at practicing for the drama club, he had a ton of pressures pulling him in every direction. And that was before even getting into the Digital World! When he started this plan up, he promised he wouldn't let it get the better of him. That was a promise he was still holding tight. However, even he needed a break, no matter how much he insisted it was fine. That was when Shibuki Forest came to mind, and the boy couldn't resist its siren's song.
He wouldn't be here for too long, anyway. He'd just need a little bit of time in nature, away from all the hustle and bustle that had come to rule his life. Maybe just a few minutes, maybe an hour or so. As his eyelids grew heavy and demanded he take a nap, he started to amend that to a few minutes. Surely that wouldn't hurt anyone, right?
Of course, with Isaac's vision starting to grow dark and his ears lulled into a false sense of security by the winter breeze, who knew what could end up sneaking up on him?
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Post by Asher on Dec 18, 2016 10:40:28 GMT
Okay. Deep breath. Don't smash the Digivice. Materialize fractal code.
...Fractal code. Fractals. Snowflakes? Too uniform, fragile. Fluid, unexpected. Forming Galaxies. The universe. Space.
Oops. Lost focus.
Take two. Right. Fractal code.
Light wrapped around one hand, seemingly wanting to waver with every thought that it's host was trying to prevent from destroying his concentration. Fingers shifted, debating on attempting to smother out the light. Instead, the teen pulled it closer to his chest. Keep it, not destroy it. If he had no control over this kind of thing, what use would he be? There had to be a reason for having it, right?
Ah, no. Don't lose focus! The next part. Words.
Lips parted, mumbling to himself. "Spirit Evolution." Coding shifted, spreading from it's source. Swallowing it's host, the cocoon pulsed, before shattering.
Blue, fox-like eyes shifted up to look at a tree branch, which served as a comfortable home for an orange cat. Or, comfortable enough, considering there was a high chance that the Meicoomon was just being too stubborn to admit that she had gotten stuck in a tree again. And, simply put, Asher wasn't going to rescue her until she would inform him of it.
In the meantime, the Renamon began to drift through the forest. With the trees shielding a lot of the area from the light, it seemed that one of the Digimon's abilities triggered. With little more than a silvery silhouette, the fox moved about, testing out it's strange body. In a sense, it was uncomfortable. While, at the same time, it felt like it belonged. Odd.
Less odd, more abnormally convenient, a second party was spotted. Still taking advantage of the shadows acting as a perfect concealer, Asher began to slowly approach the resting person.
Maybe, the question shouldn't have been a what, but more a who was sneaking up on him.
Slamming a paw on the tree, near Isaac's ear. The Rookie-level's camouflage flickered from the force of the hit, while bark crackled under pressure. To add to the auditory distress, a feminine voice slid into the air, verging on irritated in tone. "You're not sleeping on me, now, are you?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 18, 2016 18:46:44 GMT
There were a lot of ways that Isaac could have seen his day going. Having the Invisible Woman interrupting his nice, peaceful rest was not one of them. In fact, that was probably the last thing he could have ever expected to hear. Despite this, that was exactly what seemed to happen. The bark next to his ear practically exploded into sound, cracking from the force of the invisible assailant's hit. That sent Isaac's eyes snapping wide-open for sure, the frazzled boy looking around his surroundings to try and see what the hell just hit him. In the time it took his eyes to adjust to the light he missed the yellow, furry Digimon standing before him, even if the air looked a bit more shimmery, so all he had to go off of was the deep cracks in the bark near him. Had he just been shot at?
No. That couldn't have been. Because now a familiar, albeit very feminine voice, was speaking to him.
Isaac liked to think he wasn't paranoid. But when an invisible assailant was suddenly cornering him and speaking in an irritated fashion, it was hard not to come to the obvious conclusion. Unable to put the voice to a face, he decided it was better to play it safe than sorry. And in this case, playing it safe meant playing with fire. He reached into his pocket and put a hand on his Digivice, preparing for the worst. "Depends."
Whereas Asher's process was focused and meditative, Isaac's was still as unrefined and spontaneous as it was the day he acquired his Digivice. No command phrase. No mind paid to fractal code surrounding his hand. No grounding thoughts. He just did what he always did, acting on the urge to transcend his current form. His thoughts and feelings flowed into the Digivice, and once his willpower built up to critical mass it started to glow.
A swirl of leaves and wind started to surround Isaac, gentle at first but soon causing him to practically turn into a blur. Through this breezy cocoon, his silhouette could be seen stretching from his usual height to a much taller one. Horns seemed to be sprouting from his head, two in the back and one in the front. His hair grew longer and wilder, and two blades seemed to materialize in his hands. When that was done he dispelled the winds, the tall and thin Yasyamon now in the exact same position Isaac was before. If there was a hand there still, it would have been about elbow height compared to the ear level that it once occupied.
"Who's asking?"
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Post by Asher on Dec 18, 2016 20:33:53 GMT
Air escaped the Renamon's mouth, creating a, "tch," to Isaac's response. Though, he had to admit, it was odd to see the transformation from an outsider's perspective. Sliding back, to provide more space, the camouflaged Digimon watched the silent performance, crossing his arms. No words.
Maybe, they weren't necessary. This is what he got for learning something from someone who didn't turn into a Digimon, herself. Though, at least she had given him some advice, so there was little space to complain. Though, having some idea of how painfully different the power level between the two of them, currently, would have been nice. Asher wasn't entirely stupid, though. Experience would win, regardless of if they stood on even grounds. And, unfortunately, he wasn't the one with experience.
"Depends," the voice echoed, sing-song. Tilting his head upward, the yellow fox began to look around the area. Tail swayed, brushing the grass beneath it, as he took a few steps back again. "Are you going to honestly answer my questions this time?"
Admittedly, it was a bad idea to confront someone that probably had a lot more fight instinct than he did. But, the teen couldn't deny a bit of irritation at something so obvious being hidden from him. Isaac hadn't been entirely honest, since the day the two had met! The worst idea that the fox had, was to take a final step back, into a patch of sunlight. The illusion of being alone was lost in an instant. But, Isaac would surely find that a Renamon couldn't pose that much threat to whatever his form was. Right? "I don't want to waste my time discussing anything, if you're just going to lie."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 18, 2016 20:48:45 GMT
Isaac looked confused at the voice's response, his unsure frown thankfully hidden behind his mask. "What questions? I don't even know who you are!" he protested, trying to focus his eyes on the direction the voice was coming from. Isaac did not like being toyed around with, especially by a foe he couldn't even visualize. If this stranger was going to keep on being cryptic, especially after waking him out of a perfectly pleasant nap, then Isaac was going to make sure they heavily regretted it. What kind of level of power would they be at, anyway? Champion? Ultimate, even?
Or, just maybe, Rookie. Isaac blinked was the Renamon stepped out of the shadows, a good deal shorter than him yet still looking quite irritable. That was all that was threatening him? The sense of purpose that unlocked his human spirit went away, and Isaac found himself regressing to match the threat's lower power lever. A purple cocoon swallowed him up all of a sudden, the shocked Yasyamon reaching out to try and stop it, but before Isaac could sufficiently protest he was shrunken right back down to Impmon. There were some of the difficulties of basing your transformation on raw instinct and emotion; losing that drive could really suck!
Now reduced to looking up at the taller figure, Isaac sighed. "So wait a second. You come all the way to the forest to track me down, sneak up on me while invisible, and wake me up out of a nice nap. And I'm supposed to be the one wasting your time here?" Isaac asked. The higher voice made his grumpiness sound a lot more silly than Yasyamon's wispy tones would have. Still, Isaac was positive he had never seen this person before! They couldn't have been Kira's Renamon, because there wasn't a Kira with them. And they weren't that weird robot one either, because they weren't nearly as British. Or, you know, covered from head to toe in cybernetics. No, this was a Renamon Isaac had never seen before. Even if her voice was kind of familiar. Almost as if it was . . .
"Wait, Piper? Is that you?" he asked. She did mention having a "pedometer" like Isaac's on her coffee table. Maybe this was her spirit form after all. "Okay, if this is about Elliot's latest story, I'll admit. I may've lied to help him save face when I said he didn't base the dragon off of Asher. But he meant it as a complement, I swear!"
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Post by Asher on Dec 18, 2016 21:12:19 GMT
Wait, what? Isaac changed his form? Into... oh. Suddenly, Asher felt a little less awful about being turned into a vixen. At least he wasn't a tiny, purple whatever-that-was. It was so much harder to take Isaac seriously now! It took a large sum of self restraint, that the teen normally didn't have, to not immediately dissolve into laughter. Or, it just took a lot of the irritation of the entire ordeal to avoid breaking character. Body stiffened at almost being called out, but he still listened to the purple creature's babbling. How many times was Isaac going to mistake him for his sister? "How do you make turning someone into a dragon a compliment?" Was that really the first thing he was going to pick that, there? But, he had to be curious as to what logic that would hold!
Stepping toward the smaller sprite, it felt like it took forever to close the gap between them. In part, because he really didn't want to come off as too aggressive. Another part, because he did. But, back to the experience beating the lack of. Still, the Renamon lowered it's face to be at a closer level, trying to ignore the millions of 'this is a bad idea' warnings that were going through his head. You don't put your face near wild animals. Why do it now, with something that could probably do worse?
"But, you're mistaken. I didn't track you into the forest. And, I'm not Piper." There was a pause, as the teen debated on returning to his human form. But, now that he had gotten into closer proximity to Isaac, it felt like a bad idea. The teen was fairly certain that Digimon were more resilient than their human forms, in the case that Isaac wasn't actually in the best state of mental health. "Do you want to take a second guess, Little Brother?" Don't provoke the Impmon! And, don't say things that might imply you're targeting his height! Jeez, Asher! It's like you're asking to piss him off! Maybe, a dragon was a good role for the teen. "I'll give you a hint. You're really close. But, I don't think Piper cares about wandering around the forest."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 18, 2016 21:27:58 GMT
"Because he gets to be super powerful, shapeshift, and own all the gold in the kingdom, obviously," Isaac responded. Jeez, it was like they didn't even read the story Elliot sent in. And after Elliot worked so hard on "The Great and Terrible Ashnard's" big musical number, too. Sure, shortly after "Noble Sir Elias" hit him with lances until he cried uncle, but still! It was better than "Princess Isis' " role of standing there and looking angry. "Trust me. As far as roles in Elliot's stories go, that's a pretty awesome one."
Isaac tensed slightly as the Renamon approached, just in case she was still looking for a fight. It didn't help that Isaac really, really didn't like the tone in this intruder's voice. And then she was gonna stoop down to get right into his face? If the grit teeth, now with cute little fangs, weren't enough indication of how fed up Isaac was, the small fireball that materialized in his right hand would've been more than enough indication. It pulsed gently, small enough for Isaac to snuff out in his glove if the Renamon backed off but large enough to hopefully be intimidating.
It probably helped that this wasn't Piper, which made Isaac fare more comfortable with just flinging a fireball at the Renamon's face if it kept on being so insufferably snide. Especially when it started calling him Little Brother, which earned a little growl of irritation from Isaac. "Just keep pushing your luck," he muttered, the fireball inflating a little bit more in his fingers. His voice had already been weary from the outset, and this Renamon seemed on a mission to push all of his already frayed buttons. He hoped he could at least get some damn breathing room soon.
So, he was close in his guess. Close to Piper, but liked wandering. Now, who the heck could that be? Because Asher, well, wasn't a girl in the slightest. And he also had no interest in wandering anywhere but dream land. So who else could be close to Piper?
Isaac's eyes narrowed as he realized who it had to be. "Look, Mrs. Whiskers, I can't just tell Asher the truth if you're not gonna work with me. I tried to lead into it, but I can't just point at a guy's cat and go "by the way she's a robot alien." Not when that cat's just gonna keep meowing." Sure, Rookie to Rookie was a strange transition, but Renamon were known for their transformation and camouflage abilities. And relative power levels were downright weird in the Digital World. That cat could've been its champion form or something. "I even tried reminding him you're a girl. What else could you want from me?"
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Post by Asher on Dec 19, 2016 1:59:49 GMT
What was wrong in Isaac's brain? The logic behind Ashnard being some sort of awesome role was just... okay. Okay, stop focusing on the story. That really wasn't relevant right now. Stop thinking about Ashnard, or whatever, and go onto thoughts about the present.
Eyes didn't even shift to the flickering flame, continuing to stare down the imp in front of him. Was that a threat? It didn't seem to be working. Well, it looked like the Renamon would pick fight over flight, as well. "Gladly," Asher grumbled to the smaller Digimon. This was awfully convenient, with such a size difference. If it were the first form that Isaac had chosen, this wouldn't be nearly as easy to work with!
But, seriously? Isaac thought he was the cat? Come on. Asher must have seriously been mistaken when he thought this kid was at least somewhat smart! "Are you f-" Okay, no, don't cuss out the kid holding a fireball. Take a breath. Better? No, actually, not at all. "Are you stupid? Do I look like the cat?"
Don't answer that. Foxes could kind of, maybe, be considered cats. And digimon were just weird.
Not that an answer needed made, as Meicoomon made a less than graceful entrance. Loudly scrambling across the thickest branches she could find, the feline finally made her way to the two sprites. "Ash-purr!" Whiskers cried, cat-like as ever, from the tree. "Nya! I give up! Help meow down! I can't reach!"
Way to ruin the surprise. Letting out an annoyed groan, the vixen leaned away from the irritated imp, to look at Fluffykin. "Are we seriously doing this right now, Whiskers?"
"It's rawr-lly far down." What happened to cats always landing on their feet? Heck, he was pretty sure that he had seen her hovering in the kitchen this morning. There was no sense in this. "Help?"
Blue eyes slowly shifted to Isaac, while Renamon shifted back and forth in place. "Ugh," he finally grumbled, giving up and walking to the tree. Without even putting much effort into it, the Digimon reached up, staring at his pet. "We were having an important conversation, you know."
Wiggling her butt, the little feline prepared for her leap, before giving a little hop and landing into the other Digimon's hands. This was stupid. She couldn't just jump the entire distance to the ground? Either way, she knew this conversation hadn't really been important. "No, mew weren't." Vote of confidence from the cat!
Huffing again, Asher walked back toward Isaac, Mr. Whiskers held out in his hands still. In fact, he seemed to be intentionally keeping the feline at arm's length, to try to make it very clear that she was also present. "Okay! Trying this again! This? This is Whiskers. Not me. Are you dense?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 2:18:14 GMT
The Renamon seemed incredibly frustrated with Isaac missing the point. However, considering the Renamon was also being a real jerk right now, Isaac didn't really care what they thought. In fact, Isaac was thinking of turning up the stupidity even harder to get back at Renamon for ruining his day. However, he also really wanted to get Renamon out of his life as soon as possible, so maybe it would be better to just go along with this line of questioning, shoo it away, and then get back to a nice, relaxing day.
Wait, this sounded familiar.
As the Renamon voiced its frustrations, Isaac sighed. This thing didn't even know how Digimon worked, and it was treating Isaac like the idiot? "Look, do you think any of this bullcrap makes sense? Let me show you something." Too frustrated for glitz and glamour, Isaac raised its hand and surrounded itself in a cocoon of light. When it faded, Yasyamon was back. "I turn from an imp to a swordsman," he explained, only to quickly be surrounded by another cocoon of light. The willpower was back and stronger than ever. In this case, the willpower of shutting this Renamon up. As the next cocoon of light splintered away, Devidramon emerged with a roar of "And then I turn into a freaking dragon!"
Devidramon sighed, turning its back disdainfully on Renamon. As Impmon, it was a worrying enough foe to get Isaac's full attention. As Devimon, it wasn't even worth looking at. "But I guess you made your point, Asher. Glad we could play a game of 20 questions instead of talking it out like adults." Yikes! Isaac's mood just kept getting worse today. Then again, if he was to revert back to human form, the bags under his eyes would be fairly obvious.
"Now, I'm gonna guess you're mad about the Digimon stuff." Well, wasn't that obvious! "You gotta understand. When there's a parallel universe full of monsters, I can't just go around talking about it all the time. Especially not in public like this!" Speaking of public, giant dragon in public. Isaac looked around a slight blush on his snout, before snapping back to human form. The bags on his eyes only seemed aggravated from flashing through, like, 6 Digivolutions in 5 minutes. ". . . Like that. That could really give people the wrong idea.
Okay. Fine. What do you want to know about? And couldn't you have just asked me during shift or something instead of . . . this?"
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Post by Asher on Dec 19, 2016 3:15:38 GMT
Asher's eyes glazed over, watching the other spirit user show off his other forms. He would clap, but his hands were full of cat. So, instead, Meicoomon began rapidly clapping her paws together, enjoying the show. And someone was grumpy with her human! This all worked out just fine! Maybe Isaac would end up being like Karin! The world needed more people like Jeanne and Karin to keep her human in line!
But, since the other Digimon wouldn't even look at him, he was trying to maintain some of his cool. Deep breath. Deep breath. Keep working on it. Revert to happy-go-lucky. Don't panic. Calm thoug-- No. Nope, nope, nope. Screw that. Screw this. Screw everything!
"Look at me, you oversized moron," the Renamon growled at the much stronger dragon, chest heaving. There wasn't enough oxygen. Where had it gone? It was like he was drowning, even though everyone around him could breathe. Meicoomon tried to shift in her human's hands to get a better look at him, but he had locked his fingers under her arms to prevent it. "I get to your level to have a conversation when you're tiny and purple. Get to mine." He could barely take himself seriously right now! How would anyone else?
There was a scoff, which he couldn't even take seriously from it's feminine tones. "Adults? Which of us is even kind of an adult? I'm certainly not! And, don't you dare try to tell me that you are!" Well, cap's off the stress jar. There was no way this was going to end well. "Hell, we're not even human!" How did this not bother Isaac at all? Be a human? A dragon? What the heck were they, even? Some sort of awful in-between?
"In all furness, at least Isaac seems to be a set male, despite form changes," Ms. Fluffykin chose to add. That didn't really make it better. In a way, that just alienated the older teen even further.
And, finally, fingers released the cat. Luckily, Meicoomon was feline. She almost always would land on her feet. But, the sudden action startled her well enough to make her shuffle out of the way, and closer to another tree, even when Isaac reverted to human form. Keeping out of range of any fighting, just to be safe!
But, mad? Mad was an understatement. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. It's like, everyone knew about this before I did. You knew that Whiskers wasn't a cat. Why didn't you tell me something like that? It's actually important! To my well-being. Or my sister's! Whatever-we-are, or not! What if Whiskers had actually been dangerous?" That really wasn't saying Meicoomon wasn't dangerous. But, a rookie probably wouldn't do too much harm to an equal-leveled spirit user. It would make more sense to target them before they found out about evolution.
"No. I don't understand. Any of this. It's madness! I feel like a crazy person! No! Not even a person! What am I? What is this?" Growling hinted in the Digimon's tone, while he tried to keep what little he could contained. Okay, maybe this mask wasn't the same as regular Asher's. Did a different physical face make all the difference in his personality? "Don't get this wrong. I didn't come here to hunt you down. If I'd known you were here to begin with, that'd be really creepy. I'm not a stalker!"
Okay, it really didn't feel right to be a Digimon while the other person wasn't, at this point. But, Asher was too worked up to figure out how to turn it off right now. "Would you rather me just walk up to you at work, where there are actual people and say, "hey! Isaac! So! I just learned that you can turn into a legitimate monster! Like the things kids have nightmares of! That's cool, shoot fireballs for me!" Because, I get this feeling that you'd really prefer this conversation here instead of there." Take a breath. Calm down. Still not working, nope.
How the heck did he turn off the furry suit? Last time, it was just in a panic to have proper fingers. Now, he wasn't so certain. "Let's start with helping me figure out how to turn into a normal-looking person, okay? I'd love to figure that out without someone slapping a collar on my neck!"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 3:45:46 GMT
Isaac turned to look at Asher, alright. He whipped around, snarling, as eyespots started opening up all over his body. Obligingly he lowered his full bulk to the ground, coiling up somewhat like a great serpent, as hundreds of red eyes all focused on Asher at once. "Is this better, master?" he asked, voice positively laced with venom. If Impmon's voice was higher, and Yasyamon's was as hollow as a woodwind instrument, Devidramon's was raspy and sinister. It probably helped that Isaac was deliberately playing up how intimidating he was, too.
It was much less intimidating when Isaac had regressed, at least, a reminder to Asher that for every giant, pissed off dragon there was a small chihuahua of a teenager inside. However, he still tried to hold his focus, refusing to break eye contact with the now-taller Digimon. Even as she growled and snarled at him he refused to back down, staring her dead in the eye no matter how aggressive she threatened to get.
He took a deep breath as Asher tried to get out of his form. Okay. Help the stupid idiot first. Then they can get back to screaming at each other. "Okay. Truce while we sort this out. But we're settling this once the fur's off.
Now, Its about willpower. Its about control," he explained, taking out his D-Tector. "I know you don't have it with you right now, but the code's in your core right now. And its up to you to just dig down deep and make it work for you." He tried to consider how he went through the steps, when it was always such an autonomous process.
With a deep breath, he pushed the button and forced himself to Impmon for the third time today. Judging by the way he stumbled slightly, this was really starting to wear him out. "I'm gonna go through this with you. So look closely, okay?" he said, facing Asher and then clenching his fist. "Breathe. Focus. As if you were still holding your Digivice. It might help if you pretend to hold it, like this." He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing all of his urges and wants into one place. "Now, once you see it, grab hold of it. You wanna be human so bad? Prove it! Show you want it! Take all your frustrations, all your fatigue, everything driving you, and just shove it out your body along with this form!"
In a small explosion of light, Impmon was gone and Isaac was back. He was on his hands and knees now, but he still forced himself to look up at Asher. "It gets easier when you've had more experience, he explained, panting. "Early on, you're either too beat up to hold form and degenerate to save your own butt, or you're just fed up and push it out. Take that whole process, do it way less violently, and you'll gently release the form. But that takes a bit more time. Same thing goes for reaching your forms. Maybe its because you want to protect someone you care about. Maybe its because you're sick of being weak. Maybe its because you just want to show off. But its all about taking your willpower and making it manifest those spirits."
He slowly pulled himself to his feet, positive he wouldn't be doing any more transformations today. At the very least, he'd wait until he had an hour or so to catch his breath. "Now, you wanna know something about danger? You wanna know about feeling out of the loop?" he asked, the exhaustion making his voice sound a little crazed.
"Try diving into the nasty-ass Shibuya River because some punks threw your little brother into it. Try waking up not in a hospital bed, but in an endless plain of grass with some giant tank man looming over you and taking you prisoner. Imagine stealing the artifacts he was hunting just to get away from him, finding out they resonate, and being stuck fused with your own little brother for god-knows-how-long because you can't figure out how to undo it! You think you're confused? Because that was my first day in the Digital World, and it was godawful!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "You've at least got a Digimon on hand that can help guide you. You at least weren't trapped in another world running for your life. And hell, at least you have people to talk to about this! I had none of that. Just fear for my little brother's life, because for all I know he was drowning in raw sewage."
He stepped back, taking a few breaths. "So yeah. It is madness. And it does make you feel crazy," he said. "And sometimes it can be terrifying. But you said it yourself. This is not the right kind of thing to talk about in public. And what the hell was I supposed to tell you? Aliens robot are real and one's your cat? She'd meow, you'd call me crazy, and we'd be right back to square one." At the same time, he understood Asher's worries. If a strange Digimon tried to hurt him or Elliot and infiltrate their home . . .
"Its a huge secret. We can't risk anyone who can't defend themselves finding out about the Digital World, getting lost there, and getting killed," he finally decided. "Hell, I had no idea whose Digivice that even was! It could've been yours. It could've been Piper's. It could've been your dad's, for crying out loud! I make the wrong guess, and if something goes wrong that blood's on my hands." Even if he made the right guess, it would be. But it seemed Isaac had finally grown too exhausted to keep prattling on. Now's your chance, Asher!
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Post by Asher on Dec 19, 2016 4:51:06 GMT
O-okay. The tons of eyes staring at him was a little more than unnerving, even for an actor. With the question coming from something far less pleasant than a cocky kid, it began to trigger the fox's gag reflex. "You're gonna make me vomit." Okay, definitely not better. Not even kind of.
Jaw clamped shut, tightly, rather than agreeing to the truce. Words wouldn't work. It seemed, Asher was having an awful time getting his mouth to cooperate. Just, stop drowning. There's no water. Just air.
What willpower? What control? Did Isaac realize who he was talking to? While the Digimon tried to pay attention to the other spirit user's effort to help, he couldn't help but lose focus. Eyes glazed over again, failing to fully comprehend what he was being told. Instead, Renamon watched the cocoon burst, snapping back into reality, and taking a step toward Isaac, instinctively wanting to help him up. But, ah, it seemed that it probably wasn't a welcome action. Instead, he hesitated long enough for the boy to rise on his own.
"And," the voice sounded choked, yet almost sleepy, as if he had only just awoken from a deep sleep. "What do I want for, if I don't know how to feel human, anyway?" And, then, the Digimon seemed to fully wake up, shifting rapidly to cover his face, and force himself into a coughing fit. Did he say that aloud? Crap. No. That was supposed to be inner monologue! "W-what? Ha, ah," that sounded more like Asher, hiding in there, trying to gain an airy tone to his voice. Laughter was the best medicine, right? How could he spin that to be a joke? "That'd be awful! Wouldn't it?" Yeah, laughing was the best way to try to make it not sound like a serious question.
Try to focus on the story, though. Yes, keep focus. No, stop zoning out. Pay attention, darn it! Was Elliot unable to swim? Then again, Shibuya River was gross enough that swimming might be pretty difficult. "I still don't even know where the Digital World is," he mumbled, lowly, not trying to cut off the tired looking boy. Managing to keep everything to himself until the opportunity arose, he waited. And, waited. And, oh. Isaac stopped talking now.
"You could have told me that the cat's a robot. She's weird enough. I'd have believed you," he admitted, lowly, while trying to form some sort of coherent thought that would return him to his human form. While he wanted to work with Isaac's advice, for some reason, it just stung more than helped. Maybe, if he could just focus on the pain it caused. After all, humans hurt. Probably a lot more than weird, yellow monsters. Fear had pulled him back before. Could other negative feelings do the same?
Mmm-nope. Nothing. Okay, different approach. All of this boiled down to that stupid code that everyone talked about. Isaac had advised pushing out the emotions, so why not just the code, itself? It essentially worked in the opposite way, to get to Renamon. So, why not?
Forcing another deep breath, an attempt to imagine the code was made. But, rather than materialize it, snuff it out. Like he had considered at the beginning. Okay, okay, he could do this.
And, in a small pulse, the teen reverted to human form. The rapid breathing didn't stop, though. And, it was more obvious when fur wasn't covering every inch of his body. Maybe there were benefits to being stupidly fluffy.
But, now he had his proper form. And a voice that matched who he actually was. With full intent of using it. "What people do I have to talk to about this? If you haven't gotten the memo, nobody actually likes me. I'm not that dense," he chuckled, trying to keep his tone lighthearted. Ow. It didn't feel that way, inside. "Do you mean the girl that kicked me, and her Digimon that put a collar on me, while trying to tell me 'you're able to be a digimon' fifty different ways, to help me understand? Or do you mean you? Who probably wouldn't willingly have this conversation, no matter where I tried to hold it? And, don't try to tell me that Whisker's helped me. Because she only meowed at me until Karin told her to talk to me! They had a conversation that was literally a bunch of different meows, because Whiskers wouldn't speak!"
Bite your tongue, Asher. Don't be mean. Refrain. "Honestly? Even if Whiskers wasn't actually mine, if something bad happened because you didn't tell me, how would you feel then? If Piper was hurt, because you didn't tell me, I don't care if you're a million-eyed dragon. I'd--" Okay, so holding it in wasn't working! Jeez! Don't threaten someone stronger than you!
"I get that we can't be on the same level of understanding. I get that you had a shitty first day dealing with whatever this is. And, I get that apparently, there's a risk of being possessed by the monsters in my head. I don't know if that's happened to you, or whatever, but it is giving me legitimate nightmares. Icing on the cake, you and your brother are the only two other people that I know about being in the same category-thing of Digimon. So you're the only person that can actually help me in any way." And, did Isaac really think that Asher could cope with how stupid all of this was? They couldn't go five minutes without some stupid testosterone battle! How were they supposed to discuss something serious? Like changing one's entire body's structure! That was important! "This is the first secret I've ever had to keep from Piper. It feels like death. Do you know how that feels? At least you have your brother to confide in."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 5:17:33 GMT
Wait, what the hell did Asher say? Isaac wanted to press the issue, but the conversation had moved past that by the time he fully processed what Asher had said. Still, as Isaac listened to Asher speak, he was quite troubled. Sure, the out of body experience was rough, but did Asher really feel that badly about becoming a Digimon? No. It couldn't have been that simple. Then Asher would've just admitted that. But what else could Asher have possibly meant? Isaac was only half-focusing on what Asher ranted about next, still trying to unpack that feels like a human segment.
It didn't help that everything Asher had to say was one gut punch to the next. Part of why Isaac had always tried with Asher because of his tone. It was too light. Too cheerful. It always made Isaac feel kind of shitty to be too mad at him because of that, even when his happy tone was half of why. Hostile, venomous Renamon? Oh, Isaac had no qualms about going right for the jugular there. Hell, if Asher wanted a fight in that state, his blows would've probably been backed by weeks of pent-up frustration and stress. But now? He was back to normal, and all of these statements Isaac would've wanted to slap Renamon for were now taking on a far more sorrowful tone. He looked down at his feet, almost ashamed of himself.
He was still very frustrated, mind you. After all, Asher had threatened him! But it was in a much more guilty way.
"I . . . I mean . . ." He couldn't bring himself to just say he liked Asher. It was far more complicated than that. And he had the feeling trying to lie to Asher in this state would just get him laughed at, rather than actually making anything better. "Okay. It's complicated. I mean, there's a lot of stuff you do that just plain ticks me off or weirds me out. And sometimes I get kinda scared bringing it up because you then get all heavy-breathy and freaked out, and damnit, that just feels awful. But you've still done a ton to help me. And you're really friendly. And damnit, I wish I was as charming as you. I know especially when I'm pissed off I'm no barrel of sunshine either, and I bet you could go on and on about all the things you hate about me.
But damnit, that doesn't mean I would want to see you suffer like this! Just because we're not besties, hell, just because we don't like each other that much, doesn't mean I'd leave you hanging. Do I really seem like that much of a dick?" He did sometimes, didn't he? He gave himself a light kick to the ankle out of frustration. "And Elliot. I mean, I know he's kind of a goofball sometimes, but he really thinks highly of you. And trust me, he knows his stuff. He would've loved to help you, too. And I'm sorry the people you met haven't been too friendly to you, either."
He sighed. Was he really going to do this? It seemed like he does. "You wanna know where I met the first person I could actually rely on?" he asked. "I came out of the Shibuya terminal, terrified 'cause I couldn't unfuse with my brother. By the way, that's how we get around. The trains talk. You'll get used to it. Anyway, we had no clue what we were doing. We couldn't degenerate. We couldn't unfuse. It was a nightmare. So I figure maybe getting home's the key. Home's where the heart is, right? So we flip over a trash can and try to raccoon our way back home, sneaking through alleys so nobody would see us. Well, somebody saw us. And as she popped the lid off, we were so shocked and our reactions were so split we unfused right there. She didn't judge us. Hell, she gave us a hand, showed us the way back home, and even let us crash at her house for a while."
He wasn't saying it was Maia. Sure, the dreamy tone in his voice completely gave it away. But he was not throwing Maia under the bus like that intentionally! "It might take a few tries. Guy we met before that turned into a dark knight and tried to stab us for saying hi. But you'll find someone you can rely on. I'm sure of it. And if not? Well, Elliot and I are here, as much help as that means."
He sighed at the idea of Piper getting hurt. "Its a gamble. Do I tell someone unprepared and get them hurt, or do I not tell them and let them get hurt?" Isaac asked. "I'm pretty sure there's an organization that's supposed to be doing this, but hell if I've seen heads or tails of them since getting to the Digital World. They're probably staffed by, like, three people nowadays. Who's gonna fund monster chasing when there's so much going on in Japan, anyway? But you're right. No matter what, it's a dangerous situation. I made a judgment call, it might have been the wrong one or it might have been the right one. Thankfully, we didn't have to see how it turned out. But I'm sorry."
Nightmares. That was always a struggle. But possession was one Isaac hadn't even heard of before. "Possession? Who the heck told you that one?" Isaac asked, confused. "My bro and I have had these things for months and we haven't heard a peep. Heck, we're up to . . . four each, at this point? Pretty sure if these things drove you mad I'd be clocking into the asylum, not tomorrow's evening shift. Sure, they can make you act kinda funny sometimes. God knows I get testy when I'm a giant dragon, and Elliot's dragon gets scarily stoic. But possession?" However, that made Isaac think.
"The only person I've seen with active spirits like that is my surrogate big sis, Alicia. Hers seem a lot less dead than ours do, considering they talk to her and even manifest sometimes," Isaac explained. "Hey, come on, don't worry about it! Hers started doing that, like, right away, so if you haven't had yours act up on you you're probably fine. But if you're looking for worries about spirits, might as well hear about it from the source. I could hook you two up, if you want." It was probably good for Isaac to offer that now. Especially when Elliot was planning to hook them up in a far more literal manner!
"But you're right. I have no idea how that feels. Trust me, I've tried. If I keep a secret for more than a day, Elliot practically begs it out of me," Isaac explained. Normally he'd laugh a little, but he was finding laughs kind of hard to come by today. "I wish I knew how terrified you are. If only so I wouldn't be such a dingus about trying to help. But I can't, and I need you to understand that. Maybe we just both need to understand we can't understand each other." Like how Isaac couldn't understand why the hell Asher ambushed him!
Okay. Not dwelling. Not dwelling. "Can we start over? Like, try this again on a bit of a better foot?" Isaac asked, after punching some numbers into his phone.
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Post by Asher on Dec 19, 2016 5:45:02 GMT
Oh. Oh crap. Asher actually visibly freaked out? That was embarrassing. He'd have to work on it more. And, while he wanted to take the compliments, the negatives would always dig deeper. Despite the attempt to remain quiet the entire time that Isaac spoke, it just wasn't his style.
Lips curved into a smile, while the teen tilted his head to the side. "Honestly? I don't hate you. I don't hate a single thing about you." Sure, they had abrasive personalities, that required clashing, but he wasn't going to hate someone for that! What kind of petty person would he be, if that were the case?
Then again, he also wasn't fully seeing the 'we' in all of Isaac's sentences. But, the smile remained glued to his face, while trying to find some way to turn the conversation to happier matters. Maybe, he should have stayed with a Renamon's mask. Something about this body, he just couldn't be mean when someone was venting. Not even if he wanted to be! "I'm not looking for pity-help. I figure that's what Karin was doing. And, I get a strong feeling that's all I'll get from you, too." Elliot, maybe not. But, as long as Isaac stood in front of the younger brother, Asher wasn't going to feel any differently.
Either way, he listened to the story about how Isaac met his girlfriend. In a trash can. This would be hilarious, if it wasn't supposed to be sentimental. Darn it. Then again, there was no proof that Isaac was even referring to his girlfriend. Or proof that his girlfriend existed, but hey, that was on him. Not any of Asher's business!
"The girl that kicked me told me," Asher pointed out, slowly. "Something about someone killing police? I don't know. I was distracted." Yes, distracted. By being told that he could turn into a monster, and that his cat wasn't a cat, and being mildly abused! But, those were just minor details of a day that would hopefully be put in his past as something he could laugh about someday. But, not until his wrist stopped creaking.
But, they knew of another person that could hear voices. And, apparently see them? Okay, that sounded kind of alarming. "Oh, uh, sure?" Maybe it would help his concern. Or make it worse. He had no idea, until he met the person, right? But, wait, rewind a little. "Wait, did you say something about them being dead?" Did Karin mention that? Ugh, he couldn't remember!
Defensive mode was quick to activate, though. "I'm not terrified." No, he was horribly, horribly alone. But, that wasn't something he would admit to! Could he admit it to himself? "I don't understand anything. I'm not going to even try to say that I understand you." Welp, there was honesty for Isaac, if he ever wanted it! Asher was full of surprising honesty today!
Looking at the younger teen's phone, he raised an eyebrow. What was he doing? Either way... "Nope!" Wait, what? "I don't do starting over. But, we can try to work on what we've already got. As long as you never stare at me with a million extra eyes. Ever again." That was so gross!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Dec 19, 2016 5:59:00 GMT
Isaac could only stare, unblinking, as he realized what Asher just said to him. Even after all of that? Even after Isaac being suspect of him from day one? Even after the sometimes awkward moments they had on shift? Even after they just spent the past few minutes screaming at each other in the forest! Not just not hating Isaac, but not hating a single thing about Isaac? Isaac could say stuff he hated about Elliot, and he'd quite literally die for Elliot! He blinked, trying to find a response, opening and closing his mouth as if desperate for pulling out some kind of answer. Finally, he smiled weakly, laughing a little. "Well, that makes you a way better man than me," Isaac admitted. Damnit, that was the kind of forgiveness only Elliot had. Now he really couldn't be mad at Asher! "Don't let people grumbling at you change that, okay?"
At mention of Karin, he quirked an eyebrow. Huh, he knew her. She kicked people at almost no provocation? Weird. Nevertheless, his brief moment of total acceptance and admiration for Isaac was gone in an instant at the pity help mention. "Hey. Don't underestimate me," Isaac warned. "Just because you tire me out doesn't mean I'd only help you out of pity. Pity'd be if I coddled you after freaking you out with Devidramon's trick. Nah, if you're capable of staring that thing down without freaking out, you're way past pity. If I'm gonna be helping you out, its because you deserve a fair shot in the Digital World. And a way better start than I had."
At the mention of told someone snapped and killed the police, Isaac paled slightly. "I can't say I've ever heard of that happening," Isaac said. The only cities he saw people rampaging through were Digimon ones. Sources cited; Shi snapping, god knows how long ago. "I'd hope these days, there are enough strong people and Digimon to put a stop to that kind of thing. But I can understand why you're worried when those are the stories you're hearing.
From what I remember, Karin's a pretty grim sort, anyway. Corner of the Digital World she poked around sounds like a total mess. It's not all that bad. Promise."
Of course, right now Asher was more interested in how dead spirits were. "I mean, I think that's how it works, at least. We're basically carrying the torches forms of ancient heroes. Or sometimes, just ancient stubborn people. It's pretty cool when you think about it that way," Isaac explained, hoping this would be a lot more levity-inspiring than "we wear dead people."
That said, Asher might not've been into starting over, but he was fine with stepping forward with a better foot from this starting point. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said, grinning a little. "So! Any other questions about Digimon, the Digital World, my bro and I, anything? Elliot's gonna be popping in to lend a hand soon, but when it comes to the Digital World I know my stuff pretty well, too." Now if only that extended to his studies.
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