Welp. That Just Happened. [Luke/Isaac?]

Indeed... that was not what Luke wanted to see. With the wounded Impmon in his arms, he would have liked to drop Isaac off with someone more capable than himself... but considering the kind of day it was, that wasn't in the cards.

"Could it be related?" Luke's musing came across as more tired and frustrated than anything else. But fortunately, Amelie didn't have too much to worry about.

---

Cat M.D.: Oh that? Its complicated, but old news. I've moved to the Library and sold the lot.
Cat M.D.: Also, glad to hear from you. Glad you're not caught up in the news - Luminas report on the desert looks nasty. Stay safe.

---

So, at the very least, the doctor wasn't dead. Luke had hopped out of the car - with Amelie likely more level after Mikemon's explanation, he gave a nod to her suggestion. "If you mean what happened with Isaac, I can go through that. If you mean in the desert, I have no fucking idea, but we can trade facts and try to piece it together. Did you go inside that weird eyeball thing?"

Thankfully, the streets weren't too crowded - and as the two would make their way down the street, towards the market district, they'd start to see the immediate aftereffects of the 'desert incident'. Strabimon and Angemon reported of stark lightning and D-Reaper swarms in the area - some were already claiming the rebirth of an ancient god.

Wherever there was a TV, a crowd gathered - but at least the cafes were relatively empty! Stepping into a small shop, Luke stepped into line, letting Amelie in front.

"... Guess I'll just pretend he's my tired partner for now..."

Cat M.D.: I didn't mean to leave you in the dark, and there's definitely more to it than that.
Cat M.D.: But my phone is blowing up right now. I'm going to be holed up in Luminas for at least a day or two while this whole matter is being discussed.
Cat M.D.: ... And again, stay safe. I'll be sure to give Syre a hug, before I head out.

---

It seemed that Amelie wasn't the only frustrated one in all this, but considering everything that happened, it was at least understandable. "Oh, good... I really did not want a literal answer to 'what else could go wrong today'." Letting her vent for the moment, it was clear what they both needed:

Sweet, over-the-top smoothies and a place to sit down and talk. Giving a nod to the spirit wielder, Luke would both follow and lead along, until the pair settled on what looked to be a decent corner cafe, largely vacated as a large group congregated on the other side, next to an outdoor TV. It didn't take long for their orders to go through, Luke quickly settling on a lemon-lime drink, as well as a cup of ice water - just in case the Impmon woke up.

Settling in, taking in a long drink of his own smoothie, Luke gave a nod at her question. "Might as well start at what we do know, right? Well, where to start..."

It was more-or-less straightforward, but as Luke explained, he realized just how haunting the thought might have been: "So, Isaac had volunteered to go on a mission to deal with an early outbreak of the D-Reaper - before even that 'first' big Dark Area incident - and, somehow or another, he managed to take quite a bit of corruptive damage during the mission. So much so that it got to his code." It was there, that he spotted the D-Tector at Amelie's side, and gave a sigh:

"Aside from being stuck in his Impmon form, the primary issue is that, well, he's not able to 'summon' his D-Tector. Like, I obviously don't know how to describe it, but a spirit wielder in their 'spirit form' can keep their D-Tector in their data and draw it out as necessary. That's how it works, I think?" Amelie would know more here - but honestly, being a spirit wielder herself, the loss of such a 'basic need' might prove unsettling.

"At any rate, we met with Dr. Mikemon, and he had the idea to try and either find new, uncorrupted spirits that would be able to summon the D-Tector properly - or 'trick' the system by DNA-evolving with my partner, Iko, into a form that would not have the same issue. To date, there's not been much luck - and at the rate he's going, he's just going to be worse off with the D-Reaper..."

He gave a sigh, shaking his head. "I mean, he means well, of course. But an overzealous thirteen-or-something year old like him's just begging to get in trouble on this side."

It didn't take long for Amelie to get the long and short of it, Luke giving an affirmative nod at Amelie's understanding. "Honestly, he's been doing better than he was. Hard to say it, but he's more-or-less gotten used to the Impmon form, and he really hasn't had many problems with the D-Reaper in his system... today excluded, of course." He gave a sigh, running a napkin over the Impmon's brow - thankfully finding that it hadn't picked up much red this time.

What Amelie said was true, though: Isaac's decisions in the desert had been a little more than a bit 'hopeful'. "I agree. Apart from the fact that the dragon didn't seem to be in a talking mood, I'm pretty sure it didn't even here anything he had to say. No, that seemed to be more like a 'force of nature' than anything rational."

He gave a sigh, perking up quick at that next question. "Well, the plan was to drop him off at Dr. Mikemon's office, but it looks like that one just got shot in the foot. As for Iko..." Luke pulled up his Digivice, looking at the screen with a relieved sigh. "Wherever he is, he's still alive and kicking, though I'm going to hazard a guess that wherever that 'group' is now, they're not looking to be found at the moment. So we'll have to let that cool off... as for Isaac, I'm just going to have to keep an eye on him."

Really, Luke didn't have a good answer. Taking a small sip of his smoothie, he passed the topic over, flipping over a few screens of his Digivice to bring up the scan of that 'eye temple'.

"Let's see... Sakkakumon." The hologram popped up. "Super-Mega equivalent spirit. Known techniques are 'Reflection of Heart', 'Rumble Blend', and 'Fortress of the Sephiroth'. Apparently its a castle-like structure with inner rooms designed after those who have opened their heart to the user..."

Just how did that work, anyway? "How was it, from the inside?"

Isaac had no idea how long he had been out for. While Amelie and Luke's journey was surprisingly timely, Isaac's perception of those events warped under the strain of his own dreaming. Had he spent hours out? Days? Perhaps even a week? There was no obvious marker, no tell he could rely on. There was only the painfully lively eyes of a body he formerly called his own, and the many wonderful sights that it had to show him. Even when the boy's wild Reaper-fueled thrashing had subsided he was still clearly feeling the after-effects of the dreaming. He tossed and turned weakly in Iko's arms, occasionally making murmurs that wouldn't sound out of place on a wounded animal.

Then, with an almost painfully abruptness, the nightmares came to an end. Isaac's stomach lurched as if rocketing out from the bottom of the ocean, and as his eyes snapped open from the sheer force of how deeply he gasped. The boy took several quick, harsh breaths, coughing and sputtering all the while. What the hell kind of grip did his own mind have on him if it left him in a state like this?

Immediately Isaac looked around, eyes narrowing as he started to adapt to the brightness. Where was he? There was no desert. No scarring. No being caught between a dragon and a gooey place. He was safe. In fact, he was in rather quaint arrangements. They were plush, and homey, and smelled uncomfortably like work. Where could he even be right now?

Oh. A café. Of course. Honestly, after all he had been through, Isaac would take it.

He was much less willing to accept the rather important omission from the café, though. As his vision returned to him, Isaac could see Luke was with him. So was . . . the girl from the Shibuya train station? Amelie? Huh. Small world. But if Luke was here, then . . .

"Where . . . where's Iko?"