Even Fate Taunts Us... [Valentine's Day]

Oh no.

Ooooh no, that did not just happen. As that familiar Shutmon - complete with Jesmon's crest around her arm - appeared through the door, the Mikemon just tried to brush it off. It was fine, he thought: there was at least fifteen tables here. She'd get lined up with someone else, maybe they'd share two words in passing, and they'd both get to go along with their easy, discounted time in Whitewater. Surely, fate wasn't cruel enough to pull him together like this.

That thought faded as she walked down the second row, holding tables six and ten. And faded once more, as the Shutmon looked over the table number, just a few yards away from him. As it would turn out, fate had decided to be rather playful today, the Rosemon's system pairing the doctor with his patient. Keeping as neutral a tone as he could manage, the doctor looked over as K took a seat, folding his own arms as he gave a nod to the Shutmon.

"... K. How are you?"

Oh, thank god the festivities broke up the tension - envelopes were already being passed down the tables, and by direction, Mikemon took one and passed the rest along. The Rosemon explained it well enough: a coupon book for activities throughout the city, either for free or on discount with their dates. Rented boats, amusement park tickets, fancy restaurants - nearly the entire city was open to them on this day.

Holding the envelope under his folded paws, the cat gave a small chuckle. "Well, this is happening, I guess... you alright with it?" Considering how the last time 'this' happened left a bit of a sour taste between them, Mikemon would have understood if she just stood up and walked away. If not? "I mean, honestly, we haven't even gotten to know each-other. I know all about the 'what', but not 'who' you are, at all." Sheesh, that felt awkward to say.

Yeah, right, like anyone could sneak by the Rosemon and rig this. The mega had been handed bribes before in past years, and promptly moved the offenders out to the curb. No, this had to be as natural and fair as possible. 'Fate', she would tease.

And oh boy, fate was running these two through the ringer. "Eh, had a few interesting clients who were having problems with their spirit totems. Those specifics aside, Stingmon said I should give this a shot." Similar enough reason to her's, it sounded, the cat giving a light chuckle at the thought. Thankfully, she seemed to be alright with this outcome, which gave Mikemon at least one shot to try and set that last chance right. His chuckle joined her snort...

... And she had a point. Mikemon knew more than K did, so it was all fair for her to ask first. "Well then, if you put it that way..." The cat collected his thoughts: "I'm Dr. Mikemon, and I've been a medical practitioner in Whitewater for a little over ten years. I opened my own office so I could focus on research and the more 'interesting' cases, while also enjoying the relaxing air of the city. After so much time in the Dark Area, I just wanted a place to relax."

That was enough about his job, though: "I have been trying to get around a bit more, though. Traveling around to other facilities is a good excuse to take a bit of a sightseeing tour on the side, and between its ups and downs, I've liked it more than I thought I would." Well, there was nothing about likes or dislikes there, but the answer was definitely one the doctor would give.

"How about you, then?" 'Who' was K, when she wasn't the several-thousand-year-old fox of the gods?

It seemed K was following along quite nicely. To her first point, Mikemon gave a nod: "I specialize in the treatment of tamers, especially in relation to their Digimon. Its a 'growing market' for sure, fortunately and unfortunately."

That said, there was definitely a few points the Mikemon could give more detail to. 'So much time in the Dark Area'? "Oh, I don't mind answering that - I'm from the Dark Area. Still, Whitewater has proven far safer and more interesting." As for traveling? "Some of the mountains in the far north have absolutely breathtaking sights, but I'd have to say my favorite's the Valley of Dragons. If you can get in good with one of the local tribes you can get a lot of mileage in. Good sights, good foraging, and there's little better than traveling by dragon."

Other than that, the topic switched the other way around: K. An innkeeper for a thousand years, after a long-forgotten war that was mentioned in passing in some history books. "Actually a fair bit before my time... 600 or so years I'd think." The effects of the war probably weren't even noticeable to him... and she was from the Northern Prominence? "Oh, I've been, but its gotten a lot more habitable as of late. Good bars, active mines, and a tram all the way to the summit. Just have to watch for the more dangerous weather."

And she was a traveler too! She'd been seeking answers, but Mikemon returned the question: "Well, from all that, what's the most 'fun' place you've been? I could use another place to see." Still, it was clearly a bit awkward for both of them to talk like this...

... And giving a nod, Mikemon reached for the coupon book. "Well, today's not a day to feel rushed. Anything you in the mood for?" He slid the papers over to K. "I'm flexible enough, anyway."

"Trust me, I could spend all day on their problems." Mikemon's sarcastic tone and slight roll of his eyes suggested that he'd rather not, for a number of reasons. Between Isaac being trapped in an Impmon's body and Alicia's metallic limbs and a totem wedged halfway into her fractal code, 'Dr. Mikemon' had more than a little on his plate to deal with. Fortunately, the conversation moved along rather briskly - to someone he recognized, no less!

"Sebastian... oh, that Sebastian! Yeah, I've seen him around Mummymon's place once or twice. Nice enough guy, plays a mean hand of poker." The cat gave a chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "The, um, 'civilized' part of the Dark Area's quite a small place. You tend to rub elbows with everyone within the course of a month or so."

Weirdly enough, it seemed like talking about the Dark Area sat better with the Shutmon than speaking well about the Valley of Dragons. Hearing her experiences there, though, it was easy enough to understand why. "Yeah, unfortunately, they're a bit behind the times as far as tamers go. And its all too easy to catch the wrong side of those things." And yes, the spires: Mikemon and K knew more than enough about all that to last a lifetime.

Interesting... K had been to the human world? "Hm, never thought to go sight-seeing there. Never been a fan of holosuits, and its not like I look enough like a human world cat to pass for one at more than a glance." He sighed, taking a brief glance over himself with a chuckle. As for Terabyte Mountain, well, he'd been there! The cat simply matched that with a nod, as the two would start flipping through the book.

"Eh, I could use a bite to eat. Though, not there: everyone here's going to want to make their way there, and the wait would just be atrocious." Passing over the obvious high-end sushi place, Mikemon tapped his claw down about four pages in. "Surf-and-turf by the port? Good ol' outside seating and just enough of a casual crowd that we're not awkwardly staring at each-other through candle-light." The cat gave a chuckle, rubbing his nose with the back of his glove. "Though I'll return that same bit to you, I'm up for anywhere."

"Heh, that's about how it is in the Dark Area. The only reason to really be there is if you have to." The Mikemon said that so casually, in reference to K's visit to the Dark Area. Sebastian had his supply job, but if the cat was so confident in his words, why did he stay so long in the Dark Area before? Well, the cat didn't dwell on that for too much longer.

Really, it sounded like he'd have to give the human world another shot. On the thought of a stuffed animal, though, he gave a bit of a snorting laugh. "Oooh, no, no. If I'm visiting, I'm not spending half the trip hanging on someone's hip. Not for me." Sheesh, that did sound a bit like a drag, but what else could be done? Aside from his one trip to try and find Maia and Kuu, he hadn't made many excursions out to the human world.

Small talk aside, it was time to change their locale! A lot of other groups had already left - some without their dates, as some pairs had given up even this early - and Mikemon and K would be soon to follow. "Well, that's just how these things work. Still, discount never hurt anyone." The Mikemon chuckled back. Their decision made, he pushed back in his chair, giving a small nod: "Not my thing at all."

As expected, well, every attraction in the coupon book had some crowd today, but the cat had made a decent enough choice: pushing through those busy streets, the smaller Mikemon surprisingly holding his own in the crowd, he'd lead on to that restaurant on the port. With a surfboard hung up next to their sign and a palm-tree decor by the front door, it exuded a more casual atmosphere than most - and with less than five minutes of waiting, the two would be sitting in the well-lit room, a screen window open up to the dock, the light sound of the crashing surf slipping inside.

Much more manageable than some dim candlelit dinner. "Places like this have been poppin' up all over Whtiewater in the last ten years. Sort of a 'slice of the human world' on this end." Well, at least the casual tone was going well enough...

Well, laughing at Mikemon's potential fate as a temporary stuffed animal aside, it didn't take them long to get settled in at a table. Peering through the menu - the bilingual menu in both English and Digital Script catching him slightly off-guard with a chuckle - he'd give a nod to K's compliment to their business sense. "Oh, more than that. Tamers get to settle in and Digimon flock for a bit just to see what it's all about. Honestly surprised we don't see more humans taking a stake in this business. Speaking of, steak does sound good..."

At the mention of Whitewater, Mikemon's ear gave a small flick. "Well, it's always been a bit of a tourist trap, but its become more... well, 'complete', I guess? It's hard to explain but with the recent pick-up in traffic its started to feel like a real city. Not anything crazy like Terminus, but..."

Mikemon settled on his words. "It's something."

Sheesh, they were already down to talking about the area itself, then? Well, there was likely a lower limit about what two older business-people could shoot the breeze about. After someone came around to get their drink order (Mikemon asking for a scotch and a glass of water), the cat mulled over the words in his head... finally letting out a sigh.

"Just to put it out there, my reason for coming back to that village wasn't really to take mushroom samples. Well, it was, but I had it in my head that I was going to ask you if you were free for a evening in the town, or something like that." Obviously, he never meant for it to get as crazy as it did. "Honestly, something just 'stuck out' about you in my head on that full day I was there. Don't really think I can put it into words well enough, but I was curious if 'something' was there."

"So, um..." The cat sighed. "Yeah. Sorry that spun out of control."