Are You My Sensei? [open]

The pull on her pants was unexpected, and what, or rather whom Sunny found to be the culprit was even more so surprising! The woman felt her heart melt as her eyes widened slightly, unable to look away from those bright blue eyes. Was it bad that she wanted to hug the digimon? After Eris introduced herself and politely asked for a little help Sunny had to make a conscious effort not to reach down immediately and try to pet the little bean's head.

'...what the?' came Aurelia's confused voice in the human's thoughts, but she was cut off before she could say anything else.

"Of course, Eris!" answered Sunny warmly as she slid off her stool. Carefully, she picked up the lil' mon and eased her down on the stool beside her own. The woman then returned to her own seat, unable to hide her delighted smile. Resting an elbow on the counter to face the gigimon she completely forgot about the proverbial elephant in the room. Because really, did that matter right now? No. No, it did not. So preoccupied as she was, Sunny didn't even notice that many of the other digimon present were pointedly avoiding even looking in their direction.

"My friends call me Sunny, but you're the real ray of sunshine here tonight, aren't you? Did you want something to drink, or maybe something to eat?"

'What's wrong with you?' asked Aurelia flatly. She could feel Sunny's sudden change in mood, and it was throwing the spirit off.

'Just... Look at her!' exclaimed Sunny. 'She's the sweetest~.'

The only response Aurelia gave was an exasperated sigh.

"If you came in to get out of the cold, you can borrow my jacket? I've got my tea to keep me warm."

She watched as the digimon's stubby little legs found their purchase on the stool, and how that long tail of Eris' curled around herself. All the Gigimon had done was sit down, but Sunny still caught herself silently gushing. An acknowledging nod was given to the request, but the held off for now on ordering another tea to politely listen to Eris talk. What the little cutie had to say drew a wide, giggling grin across Sunny's face.

"Well, itty bitty or not, it isn't right to leave you out of the fun. Not when you're so sweet! I'm sure the others would love to play with you, right?" She followed the Gigimon's eyes to the rest of the crowd, wondering which one of them was Eris' God Father. As a bar employee herself she never liked it when parents brought their kids into Velvet, but maybe things were different here? Luminas certainly seemed like a cozy, peaceful neighborhood at least. Eyeing a group of mons playing cards she humored herself with the thought of them playing go fish, or crazy eights with Eris, and then Eris sneezing a whiff of flame mid-game. 

Adorable.

"Maybe," she added as her gaze returned to Eris, "you could get your parents or God Father to buy you a deck of metal playing cards? Then you wouldn't have to worry about burning them, and everyone could play!" Surely the digital world had something to that effect. It made her sad that the stores here were closed right now, or Sunny would have gone and checked herself.

Catching the bartender's attention with a raised hand she then ordered Eris a hot cup of tea. She had expected the same quizzical look the worker had given her earlier during her initial order, but there seemed to be no fuss this time around. How nice! Resting her elbows on her thighs and clasping her hands Sunny leaned down a little towards Eris with an appeasing smile.

"Hey, you're a pretty smart girl. Do you think you could help me with something? I'm looking for someone who used to live nearby. A Leomon named Heracles. A friend of mine is hoping to find him, but they haven't seen each other in.. maybe a hundred years? So we're kind of at a loss.." 

Sunny's smile held despite her disheartened sigh. 

"Oh! I can pick them up for you then, no problem!" volunteered Sunny as she gave the little digimon a thumbs up. Eris remembering her father's rules sealed the deal for Sunny. She would go look for metal playing cards when she got back to the human world. ..and maybe some tea flavored treats? Her mind raced through a brief laundry list of things the little Gigimon might like, but the card deck was definitely the only priority.

A cup of tea was set down for Eris on the counter as the Gigimon turned to face the human. Sunny paused to regard the stonewall stare Eris was giving her, and leaned back until her posture was upright again. Her recoil wasn't from intimidation, though; it was to stop herself from doing something embarrassing. Like reaching out to hug and cuddle those bright angel eyes cutting deep into her heart!

"I don't mind at all, Eris! ..but, Aurelia had been kind of vague herself," murmured the human with her own thoughtful glance up at the ceiling. Folding her arms across her chest she sighed once more. "She mentioned that he was a great weapons trainer back when she was alive, and that he could help us not get, um.." Her voice trailed off as she seemed unwilling to finish her sentence, her gaze even falling to the floor.

"..killed," finished Aurelia flatly for Sunny. The Lunamon had enough of observing. Her transparent body appeared standing on the counter next to them, glancing down at Eris calmly.

"Y-Yeah, that. Thanks, Aurelia," voiced the human softly, still visibly bothered by the idea.

"Eris. If you know something, please tell us. Heracles and I may have had a falling out over a disagreement with the notions of honor, but I'm only seeking his help." They might have crumbled a building during said disagreement, but that detail was hardly helpful now. Deciding to skim over it Aurelia continued explaining herself. "As Sunny's totem spirit, I think it's fair for me to say that we both need training. It's a selfish request I know, but I wouldn't think he would turn his back on me, us, with the way things are." To emphasize her situation Aurelia stared down at her own hands, frowning as she could see the wooden counter-top through them.  

"Also," added Sunny more cheerfully this time. "If we can train under him, that means we'd be in Luminas more often! We could visit you and play with you too, Eris!"

The spirit released a relieved breath at Eris' cooperation. She quirked a brow up at the name the Gigimon had used, though. The Leomon in question had always thought about using that name before. It sounded more 'gallant' or something like that. Aurelia glanced to the back of the room where the spat of hushed vulgarity came from. Despite the past tension between Hercules and herself, the Lunamon allowed the faintest of nostalgic smiles to appear on her face.

"Hercules losing wagers. Some things change, and some things don't," mused Aurelia with a shake of her head.

Sunny also turned her gaze to the group playing cards for a brief moment. Still learning the different species of digimon she wasn't sure which one was their mon. There were at least two lion-looking fellows, and they both looked pretty tough. Not wanting to appear rude for staring she spun around in her seat to face the counter. The human smiled at the Gigimon's reaction to her drink. 

"You like tea too, huh? Looks like they have a good brew here. I wish I could take some home for the bar I work at, but we don't serve things like this." Warming her hands on her cup again Sunny smiled down at the tea wistfully. She then raised the cup to her mouth for a sip, and closed her eyes with a satisfied expression before setting the cup back down. "Ohhh, that is good."

Aurelia took a seat on the counter between the two, letting her legs dangle off the edge. She had waited a hundred years for another chance at life. She could wait for one card game to end. The Lunamon looked to Eris. She worked out for herself that for the most part the Gigimon's powerful friends was what kept her safe here. Even then, the little mon was likable enough.

"Say Eris, do you know if Avalon Fields still has fields of crystal flowers?"

"Crystal flowers?" Looking from one digimon to the other Sunny raised her brows curiously. "Can such a thing really grow?"

"Moon sounds like a wise person," commented Aurelia with an agreeing nod. Eris' answer about Avalon Fields provoked an earnest, inquisitive stare from the Lunamon. She did not remember Luminas being so unfriendly, especially towards youngsters. The Gigimon's shy humility made Aurelia regret her question. "I see.. That's.." The Lunamon's voice trailed off, uncertain on how to avoid making things worse.

"That's a shame," spoke Sunny sincerely as she reached out a hand to gently pet the Gigimon's head. She couldn't bear to see her new little friend so glum. "..because you really are the sweetest little mon brightening the streets of Luminas. Your parents and your God Father should be very proud of you, and you should be too, Eris." The woman then leaned down and put her free hand next to her mouth to whisper a secret. "Tell you what. One day, the three of us will go find those flowers. It's a pinky promise!" Sunny held out the pinky finger of her hand towards Eris, smiling kindly.

"It's a promise," repeated Aurelia after a moment's pause to study Sunny's expression. Looking to Eris the Lunamon held out a closed hand to fist bump the Gigimon. "Those fields were meant to captivate and reflect the many pure hearts of this city. I can't think of anyone more deserving to see them."

With Eris' mood picking back up Sunny reflected that genuine smile of happiness right back at her. Regretfully she pulled her hand back from the little one's head and straightened up in her seat  An understanding nod was given as the Gigimon then asked her to not be quick to judge Luminas. 

"I will keep an open mind, of course. The human world is the same way," she mentioned softly as she reflected. "There are tons of rules, and a lot of people. Sometimes, bad decisions cause a lot of pain. Although, there are a lot of good choices being made, too. We just have to keep making those good choices, right?"

Speaking of good choices...

The Leomon at the card table finally tossed his most recent tragedy of a hand towards the center of the table with a disgruntled growl. Opting to fold like a gentleman Hercules raised his hands up halfheartedly in surrender as he stood up and shook his head with a rumbling chuckle. 

"Alright fellas, I'm out. This old mon is getting ahead of himself thinking he can convince you all to pay for his drinks." He glanced down to his tall glass still sitting on the table. It's smooth surface was still slick with condensation. The liquid inside of it was for the most part untouched, at least until now when Hercules picked the cup up to finish off his hearty glass of... water. Not wanting to set bad examples for Logane's little companion the Leomon had abstained from drinking anything stronger. After a final and cordial wave Hercules walked over to the bar.

He noticed Eris was sitting on one of the stools and conversing with a human. Next to them was a Lunamon. Or the spirit of one, from the looks of things. The way the spirit stared at him expectantly as he neared the group from behind Eris made him quirk a brow. 

"Making new friends, munchkin?" asked Hercules of Eris as he gave the Gigimon a friendly pat on the head before placing his glass on the counter. "Remember, friends aren't for biting, heh."