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The Reveal... (Adrian + Leith)
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Post by Leith, Veemon, and Shoutmon on Sept 19, 2018 3:59:10 GMT
Even though Adrian and Shoutmon weren't really saying anything, they were nonetheless doing wonders for Leith. Suddenly he didn't feel so alone. He felt like part of a force, now, something powerful with its own will. For once, the young man had a spine. Leith met that eye contact and answered for Adrian, "They're here for us. They're staying."
"Adrian, please-"
"Don't! You can't fool me; that's a power play."
Leith's father showed his teeth. "I am your father, and you will not speak to me that way."
Leith took a step forward. "I'm not interested in your perceived rank. Hard as it is to believe, I'm an adult, and you're gonna treat me like one."
"Leith!" that was his mother who had just begun scolding him.
Skye, to her credit, jumped to her brother's defense. She wasn't so cool about it, though; she started to scream through rapidly forming tears, "For fuck's sake, Dad-"
"Shut your fucking mouth!"
"Adrian, we're done here." Leith said that to Adrian in a tone eerily calm and even. "Fuck you, Dad. Just fuck you. Veemon is on his fucking knees for you." It was true: the blue digimon still hadn't risen. "You know what I've been up to in the digital world?"
"I don't-"
"That was rhetorical."
"Do not talk while I am talking. I am your father!"
"Watch me!"
"Leith-"
"I was somebody! For the past five days, I was actually an adult. I lived with a friend while I helped him with a job, and when that was done I actually went and got my own job and earned my own board. You know what I'm just now realizing now that I'm standing here?" This time, when Leith paused for his rhetorical question, there was silence. "I don't need you!"
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Sept 19, 2018 15:49:10 GMT
"I'm staying," Adrian says, putting his foot down to Leith's father as well. "The moment I leave, you'd probably just start beating him or something."
And before Adrian knew it, things just went from bad to worse. Leith was clearly standing his ground better to his dad, who clearly did not care about anything his OWN SON had to say. He wouldn't even let him get a chance to explain himself; and clearly, his mother was on Ron's side. And when Ron said what he said to Skye, that was Adrian's breaking point.
Anyone who would act like THIS to their kids was NOT a good person at all. After Leith's outburst to his father, Adrian decided it was his turn to throw something into the ring.
"You want to know something, Ron? It's a fucking miracle that your kids turned out the way they did, because clearly YOU had no part in it! A father is supposed to love his child, to support his child, to LET HIS CHILD EXPLAIN THEMSELVES! And based on what I have seen, you have done NONE of those things! You screamed at your own daughter because she had a mind of her own to stand up to her brother, who YOU kicked out because of a creature who is APOLOGIZING to you, yet because of your thick skull YOU can't see that! You don't deserve ANY of this; your house, your wife, NOT EVEN YOUR OWN KIDS! I cannot believe you are not in jail with the way you abuse them like this. I pray to god you don't end up killing your daughter before she even graduates high school."
And with that, Adrian and Shoutmon walked out the door as soon as Leith decides to. Shoutmon was still trying to process the rage that Adrian displayed back inside the house.
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Post by Leith, Veemon, and Shoutmon on Sept 19, 2018 22:46:13 GMT
For a moment, a better, more objective side of Leith wanted to contradict Adrian's accusations of abuse. No, it never did go that far, even if the man could be absolutely insufferable and even a little narcissistic. And yet, despite knowing better, Leith kept his mouth shut. He enjoyed his father's recoil to the allegation. "You don't know-"
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Shoutmon summoned his mic stand. "Can we not pretend this is gonna end good?"
"Yeah, we're done here," Leith coldly agreed. "Let's just go upstairs and get my stuff. I've been looking to try that Infiniti-Store thing anyway."
Leith made to take a step toward the stairs, but before he could take a second, Veemon, without rising, grabbed his pants by the ankle. "Please don't," he begged.
Leith ignored Veemon. "Wait outside, guys. This'll be quick; I won't bother being a neat freak." As he stormed past his father and mother, then, Leith hissed, "Don't bother calling. Where I'm going, you won't reach me anyway." While Shoutmon rose and stormed out in a huff, Veemon wasn't as quick. Still, after another few moments he recognized his efforts as futile, and so rose and followed his twin out the front door. After a few minutes, Leith was right there beside them, at which point he quipped. "Alright. I think that went well."
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Sept 19, 2018 23:58:30 GMT
Adrian and Shoutmon waited outside with Leith's Digimon for a few minutes as Leith grabbed his stuff. That gave him some time to think: was he being too critical? Should he have said what he said back there?
"Was I too hard, Shoutmon?" Adrian asked his partner.
"I don't really know how to answer that, Adri. Personally I thought the guy was a giant douche, and not in the likeable way like your dad is."
"My Dad can be just as rough, too. He's a child in the worst ways possible, refusing to own up to his mistakes and put the blame on other people, all while making them feel like a piece of shit about it. My mother is usually the victim of his yelling sprees like that... but at least he didn't kick me out simply because you existed."
Their conversation ended when Leith came outside and made a dumb quip. "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that... I'm sorry, man. Things ended well for me, but it's a dumpster fire for you..."
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Post by Leith, Veemon, and Shoutmon on Sept 20, 2018 1:20:52 GMT
"Leith, it's not too late to think about this," Veemon continued to plead. "It hasn't even been a day in this world; the wounds are still fresh for them! I know you're both angry, but your family has done so much for you, and you know it. Please!" For a while it actually looked like Leith was thinking about it. Maybe he would recognize his own self-destructive behavior now that he'd had a minute to cool down? But it turned out no, his mind was set.
"I'm 19, Veemon. Plenty of people have moved out way before I am."
"You're not just 'moving out!'"
"Well... lots of other people lost their families before I did, too. Guys, let's just face it." Leith seemed to be speaking to everyone now. "We're not normal people. Hell, we're not normal people in either world, even. Let's stop pretending. Adrian, I'm glad you can hang onto your family. Enjoy that. I'm gonna skip it. I don't know what I am gonna do, but I'll figure something out. Turns out, I make things work under pressure"
"This isn't just about you, Leith." Veemon's push was getting weaker, though, like he was already resigned.
This gave Leith pause, but he had a defense for even that. "You've always said you wanted more freedom. Now you can get more of it." The very moment Veemon gave up at last was possible to watch in his eyes. "Besides... I'm not giving up my entire family." To his phone, he then spoke, "Hey, Siri. Text Skye."
OK. What would you like me to text Skye Crowther?
"Don't show this to anybody. Ever. I'm not coming home, but I'll come back to the human world sometimes to check my messages. Or, if you really have to find me for an emergency, you can get to the digital world through a secret door in the Shibuya Terminal, but only if you're with someone else who's been there. Just know that I'm leaving them, not you." Siri read the message back. Her version had no punctuation, but Leith couldn't be bothered to fix that. "Send it."
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Sept 20, 2018 1:36:14 GMT
"I wish things ended different Leith," Adrian says as he began to walk away. It was late and he was tired. "But we're still there for you if you ever need someone. And if I'm not available... I have plenty of friends." He would then write down some names on a piece of paper and hand it to Leith:
Chie and Do
Rebecca Story, Agumon and Gabumon
Johan Walker and Dokamon
Iki Story
Lise Hamelin
Duffer and Kotemon
Agumaru the "Agumon" (Really a ToyAgumon)
Owen the Gaomon
Nik and Brad
Tadayoshi and Commandramon
Miyu and Bloom
Some of these names would have contact information on them, and others would not. But it was still a handy list for Leith to have to get help if he ever needed it.
"In fact..." Adrian says. "Tomorrow, Shoutmon and I are headed to the Digital World. We need to look for information on something... you wanna come with?"
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Post by Leith, Veemon, and Shoutmon on Sept 20, 2018 1:51:41 GMT
Leith read and reread each name on the list four times before looking at Adrian with the most vulnerable expression he had ever let the other Tamer see from him. "Adrian, this is..." he choked up a moment. "...I can't thank you enough for this. Even if I tried. I don't hug people, but I almost want to right now." Leith then demonstrated his newly acquired storage program on the digivice. By holding his digivice in front of the slip of paper, he made it become pixelated just like the digimon on V-Pet, and much like them it became light and got sucked into the digivice, no doubt joining a very sloppy pile of clothes, musical equipment, and whatever treasured possessions Leith cold think to stuff in there. "I owe you for this bigtime, so I want to say yeah I'll definitely join you guys tomorrow."
"Uh, hello! What about what we think?"
"Do you not wanna go?"
Veemon couldn't even face Leith right now. It almost looked like he'd tuned out the rest of reality entirely. But Shoutmon clarified, "I mean... it beats standing on your doorstep. But ask us, you know?"
"Right. Sorry. But, anyway- I want to. But that's not until tomorrow, and, well... I've got nowhere to sleep tonight. I hate to ask anything else from you, but... can we crash with you one night?" Leith actually felt so guilty about asking that he hedged, "Or- you know what? That's a big ask. I know this cool inn in Rosewood in the Timberlands I could stay in otherwise."
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Post by Adrian Boriker on Sept 20, 2018 1:56:02 GMT
Alright, Adrian and Shoutmon wouldn't be alone during their search for RedMagnamon answers! Maybe Adrian could get Rebecca to come along, as well?
Hopefully those creeps Grademon and Knightmon won't come and ruin everything...
"Sweet," Shoutmon says happily, "it's always better to have friends around. And hopefully that list will help you make even MORE friends."
"Some of them you probably already met at the party, like Owen and Agumaru," Adrian says. "But still, these people I feel like I could rely on, and you could too."
After that, Leith would begin to ask if he and the Digimon could crash with Adrian, but then he immediately takes it back by saying there was an inn in Rosewood.
"Rosewood, huh? Never heard of that place... I should check it out sometime. Anyways, we gotta go... meet us by the Shibuya River tomorrow at noon! See you then!"
(Exit Thread)
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