Skip Navigation
The Call to Adventure, Meeting the Mentor (Arakan/Ask)
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 18, 2019 21:15:50 GMT
It had been some time, ever since Charles first entered the Digital World with Tommis. Ever since he had seen that strange world - parallel to their own real world, and yet so different, too - home to creatures that called themselves Digimon. It honestly seemed like a bit of a fever dream, when he had finally taken the train to go back home - something that was likely to be forgotten as a figment of his imagination, once he was safe in his little home - going back thru the motions of life...
... But yet, it didn't let itself be forgotten. Ever since he had returned home from the Digital World, he would sometimes find himself having strange dreams- dreams of what almost looked to be a village out of a child's fairy tale, made of plush and stuffed animals, and filled with colorful eggs and small, round-looking creatures he guessed to be digimon, as well as their older and larger caretakers. He dreamed of a hidden-away cranny not far from the village - underneath an old, ancient tree, where something seemed to peer out towards him in the darkness... And yet, each time, that was where the dream would end. It was almost as though something was trying to tell him something - as though it wanted him to return, to seek out that place.
And so, he did.
Charles wasn't exactly sure of why he accepted that call - the Digital World seemed as though it could be quite the dangerous place, with some of the larger Digimon he had seen. Yet it was something so different - something that was only a train ride away, as far as he was concerned, and if he was to be honest... A change of pace was sorely what he needed. A chance for him to get away from the monotony of the real world, if only for a little bit, and a chance for him to see something new. Taking that train out to the Digital World was no different from taking a train ride out to another part of Shibuya, yet at the same time it left him excited.
It didn't take long for him to figure out where he was meant to go, either - the digimon he had asked around to about his dreams would identify the colorful village in his dreams to be the Village of Beginnings, even if they didn't know as much about the tree he saw in the dreams. And from there, it was - at the advisement of these digimon - that he'd take a train ride out to Rosewood, to make the trek to the woods surrounding the Village of Beginnings from there. Rosewood was a quaint little town, he would find - still growing, but it had found its legs it seemed, and was certainly a place he'd like to stick around and visit sometime, once things had been resolved.
In the meantime though, Charles would be walking idly thru the woods, in the direction of the Village of Beginnings. Things seemed to be quiet, for now - nothing of worry to note. But he still kept his wits about him, and he kept the gloves that he wore for practicing his punches on - one would never know if he'd have to defend himself from some belligerent beastie out here. He couldn't help but marvel at the surrounding forest though, being reminded of a time long ago, when he'd wander into the forest not too far from his home in Tennessee. It was nostalgic, really, and it left him feeling at ease - simply listening to the sounds of the wild around him as he walked, wondering what would be found once he reached his destination...
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 18, 2019 22:39:24 GMT
Arakan was still stuck in this cursed four-legged form. Should she call it "being stuck", though? Being stuck implied she had something to go back to, but it would be pessimistic to think she would be a puppy forever. She also still wasn't sure if this were all just some strange dream or not, either. She had so many questions that were unanswered, but if she were being honest with herself she would settle for being on two legs again. It didn't matter how or why as long as she could just get back to her normal self. This form was wearing on her the longer she was stuck in it. It made her think and act in ways she wouldn't normally. How does so much irritation and anger get pent up in such a small animal?
Whenever she let herself get lost in her thoughts, these strange new impulses would seem to take over. Making her wander in a direction that she felt was oddly specific. It couldn't have been random. They were being pulled somewhere, and even if they didn't like it what other option did she really have? It was still better than her own controlled aimless wandering. And so she followed the sensation tugging at her mind.
While she moved to whatever destination had been mapped out for her, she was starting to pick up on a new smell. Obviously she was still unused to the stronger senses this form offered, causing her nose to feel as if it were burning which made her wrinkle her nose and sneeze. They couldn't describe it, but it stood out from everything else in the woods. She shook her head and let out a loud bark- though it was more like a yap. Plotmon was definitely more of a yapper than a boofer. Whatever that smell might be, it was riling her up. Irritating her and in an odd way making her more energetic. Like there was something to be excited about that she didn't yet know of.
The suddenly excited pup zipped off in the direction of the smell, giving in to her impulses and yapping away obnoxiously while they zoomed off. It just so happened that the source of the scent was Charles, who was probably just trying to enjoy their walk through the woods.
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 18, 2019 23:21:41 GMT
Admittedly, being this active was a little hard on Charles - he was an old man, and being old meant that he was growing a little more weary and stiff, even if he always tried to keep up on exercise and diet. He'd sometimes grunt a little to himself as he jumped over an uplifted root, or would have to take a second to sit down and catch his breath every so often as he moved. But otherwise? He was, at least, more active than most men his age were. Still, he was looking forward to taking a breather once he reached that tree - wherever it may be. He was a lot more active today than he had been in the past couple weeks, even if he has always been one for staying fit, and so it was going to take time for his body to adjust to this.
Up to now though, nothing seemed to be happening, or out of the ordinary. If he believed hard enough, Charles was sure that he could convince himself that he was 17 again, exploring the forest beyond his hometown during summer break. Or that he came back on vacation, and was just revisting old memories! Ah, nostalgia.... That thought, though, would be interrupted when a faint and distant noise reached his ears. Was that... ... Barking...?
"Is that a dog...?" Charles would murmur to himself, out loud, as he glanced out in the direction of the barking that he heard. Sharp little yaps, like the sounds a young or otherwise small dog might make - and they were getting gradually louder, as the source got closer. He was absolutely puzzled as to what might be yapping like this; because as far as he knew - albeit not very much, given that he was still new to all of this - there weren't really dogs in the Digital World. Doglike digimon, sure, but he wasn't sure if they would yap up a storm quite like this!
Yet, regardless of what Charles thought, it wouldn't be long until what looked to be a small puppy, with a large golden ring for a collar, dashed up to him...! The odd appearance of the little fella implied to him that this was indeed a digimon - but perhaps a young one? It'd certainly explain why they were so excited to yap left and right like this - and the older man couldn't help but smile warmly, chuckling fondly. "Hello there, little one." He'd greet Arakan, his tone warm and friendly; kneeling down to offer a hand to sniff. "What's got you so riled up, hm~? I could hear you yapping all the way from here,"
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 19, 2019 2:01:54 GMT
Still sort of just following whatever her instincts told her to do, the Plotmon had just about gone ahead and shoved her face right into that hand. But they did manage to catch themselves, going from tail wagging and eager curiosity to jerking herself away and shaking her head. Arakan had to gather herself up again, take back the reigns and in general just chill out. She buried her face in the grass, in some vain attempt to get Charles scent out of her nose. Now that she was closer it was much more intense, like smashing her face into a cabinet full of random perfumes and colognes.
Eventually she looked back up, and though she could keep her impulses in check there was no containing the sheer amount of energy she had. She wasn't even sure why she was this excited, but she had this feeling that this was where she needed to be. This was someone she should be speaking to. The feeling didn't feel like her own, but at the same time.. was? Arakan didn't know how to explain it. "You! You're human, and like.. an adult!" She piped up in response to the man's question.
"Why? I've been stuck like this for.. awhile! Is this an everybody thing or is it just me?" The excited pup was shotgunning her questions out pretty rapidly. She couldn't contain it, though. This was the first seemingly qualified adult person she had seen since this all started for her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 19, 2019 2:35:43 GMT
Charles would blink a bit as Arakan pulled back to try and reign her instincts in - but even he could see that there was no containing her energy. He wasn't immediately sure what to make of Arakan's behavior - but he chalked it up to this Digimon perhaps being rather young? He could certainly equate her behavior to that of an excited child that's trying to be polite - yet can't sit still regardless. Frankly, he found it endearing, thinking back to the days when his own daughter was very little.
With Arakan's response though, her exclaiming how he was not only human, but also an adult, Charles would chuckle gently, and as warmly as before. "Yes, I'm an adult, and a human being." He would confirm. "Did you come sniff me out because you're new to humans?" Charles would ask with a wry smile - getting comfortable and sitting criss-cross on the grass, as kneeling down like this was going to wear on his knees a little. Then came further questions from the excitable pup, and he would blink a little. Why was he a human? Why was he an adult? And she had been stuck like this for awhile...?
Charles would hum for a moment, before patting a spot next to him - offering to let Arakan sit with him. "Well, I think I'll need a few more details or some context, before I can give you an informed answer on that..." He'd begin, scratching his cheek as he thought it over. "You seem to be just like any other Digimon I've met out here, as far as I know from just looking at you - and as I'm still pretty new to the Digital World and Digimon in general, I don't think I'd be able to tell you a whole lot on how Digimon work. In what way are you stuck, little one?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 19, 2019 3:08:46 GMT
Arakan shook her head. "No! I am human.. Or supposed to be, I dunno." She huffed, her gaze towards the ground. She knew she had to slow down, but it was just so difficult. Arakan furrowed her brow in frustration, when the man spoke new words that only caused her to have even more questions. "No.. I picked up on your scent and just felt the urge to follow it. Like some outside force was controlling my actions. I don't know why.." The Plotmon trailed off, though when offered a seat she perked up a bit and sort of semi-waddled over. She was still getting used to having four tiny legs, but she was definitely making progress. It was easier to see how goofily she moved, when she wasn't sprinting around.
Arakan took a seat in the grass and pondered over these new, weird words and terms: Digimon, Digital World.. She hadn't heard of either, though there was a strange feeling of familiarity. "I don't even know where to begin, honestly. I was on my bike, I fell and hit my head. Next thing I knew, I was here and I was.. this thing. This weird puppy dog thing. I don't know if this is permanent or if I can ever turn back but I really don't want to start believing that I'm just gonna be this for the rest of my life." The Plotmon's ears began to sort of droop. The situation wasn't entirely hopeless, but if Charles really didn't know as much as she first thought, what was she supposed to do?
"This can't be Japan. These woods are something right out of a fantasy story. Do you at least know where we are?" The Plotmon looked up at Charles expectantly. Surely, this was a much easier question to answer?
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 19, 2019 3:44:41 GMT
So the little pup was a human, in actuality..? Charles would listen to Arakan's story attentively, giving the little Plotmon the listening ear that she probably needed. But this explained a lot more - that Arakan had come here so excitedly because she had gotten the urge to follow his scent, and that she had come here to the Digital World unintentionally - hitting her head falling from her bike, and waking up as what looked to be a puppy Digimon. Seeing the other's ears droop though, Charles couldn't help but feel sympathetic - and would reach over to Arakan as though to pet her, but would stop himself - his hand hovering in place. Would it be rude to just pet her out of nowhere?
He'd think for a second, before letting his hand hover over Arakan's head - asking "Is it alright if I pet you?" He supposed that asking about her boundaries would work best. If she said yes, he would more than happily pet her to try and cheer her up - scritching her ears and petting along her head and back. If she said no, though, he would be equally content just folding his hands on his lap.
Either way though, he would begin to answer her questions and comments one by one. "In regards to the bit about the scent... Maybe it was instinctual?" He'd suggest, thinking it over. "In a stressful situation, I imagine it'd be reasonable for someone in your situation to want to seek out an older figure for at least some form of reassurance, if not to answer your questions." And the deal with the bike, and her waking up like this... He'd ponder it for another few seconds, before responding "I wouldn't know how to explain the bike incident, or you changing into some sort of Digimon, but I'm sure there's a way for you to turn back," He'd smile reassuringly to Arakan, mentioning "We'd just need to figure out why you turned into a Digimon in the first place."
That did raise a bit of a question, though - over whether he could end up stuck as a Digimon, too, if Arakan was indeed a human-turned-digimon. He'd think back to the dream - the reason why he came out here - and wonder if he was on the same path to becoming a Digimon that Arakan must've been, but... He'd push back that notion for now. That seemed a little too out there. "As for where we are, we're in the Eastern Timberlands - not too far from a rather quaint-looking little town called Rosewood. I myself have been making my way to the Village of Beginnings, as I'm looking for something that's around near there." He'd explain, adding in offer "I don't know if you should go back to Japan while you're still like that - I have a feeling that wouldn't necessarily turn you back to normal - but I can certainly help you back to Shibuya, if you'd like. I know the way to a train that'll take us home."
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 19, 2019 19:44:40 GMT
Arakan glanced up at the hand hovering above her when asked if she would be alright with being pet. Admittedly at this point, she needed the reassurance, despite whatever sort of apprehension she has towards indulging the inner canine. She huffed and sprawled out on her stomach, shoving her face sort of into the grass. "But like.. They don't feel like my instincts. I feel like a passenger in my own body, just trying to take hold of the wheel. I can barely move or think on my own and I just really wanna bark. But it's not me that wants to bark at the same time? I don't know how to make this make sense." She never thought she would be in a position of missing having two legs. Especially not because she had gained, rather than lost them.
it helped that she could just sort of lay there and be pet. This was honestly a pretty good idea, and it was clear she enjoyed the attention with the way her ears raised and short tail did it's best to wag. "Village of Beginnings is a little bit... on the nose. It's almost like a silly video game tutorial. Maybe they have someone who knows why I'm stuck like this? As much as I wanna go home, I don't wanna go home and be stuck as.. this. People would probably freak out."
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 19, 2019 20:20:24 GMT
It seemed like Arakan was dealing with a lot of conflict, right now - and perhaps feels a bit out of control of her own self. At least, that's what Charles gathered. With her consent, he would begin petting her - occasionally scritching behind her ears or along her back, but otherwise just focusing on gently stroking her head and back to try and help sooth her. "I can at least understand that you feel like you don't have much control over yourself." He'd begin - before continuing "Though I can't imagine the why or how quite as well. It seems like there's something to this that we haven't quite figured out yet." He wished that he had a better understanding of everything, a better understanding of this world, to be able to help her - though he was more or less just as new as she was, albeit she sounded to be even more new to this.
Watching her though, with the wagging tail and perked ears, he couldn't help but find her reactions pretty adorable - it seemed like she was enjoying all the attention, which was a good thing. "To my understanding, the Village of Beginnings is essentially where all digimon are born. At least, that's what I've been told, in asking around some." He'd comment, scratching his cheek and adding "Though it's indeed possible someone there might be able to help you out; I imagine the caretakers there have a good understanding of how digimon work. Would you like to come with me?" He didn't mind having someone with him for the trek - in fact, it made things a little less lonely, and he certainly hoped that he could help her go back to normal. A situation like this probably wasn't very fun, after all.
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 19, 2019 21:16:10 GMT
This new information gave her a little more hope. If the Village of Beginnings were really the birthplace of all Digimon, then perhaps she wasn't truly one of them after all. "If that's true, I obviously wasn't just.. reincarnated. Besides, usually people who are reincarnated don't keep their past memories." She stood up, taking her face out of the grass and stretching out a bit, putting her front paws out and arching her back. The Plotmon shook herself out and then looked up at Charles.
"Yeah! I have nowhere else to go and you don't seem crazy or evil so.. We can go together." Arakan nodded her head, and finding herself quickly becoming energetic just as before, ran a quick circle around Charles' feet. She was ready to go. Again, she had that feeling of being on the right track- Like a voice somewhere was giving her it's approval.
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 20, 2019 2:05:50 GMT
Arakan's enthusiasm was quite endearing, Charles had to admit. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to keep up with the boundless energy that the little Plotmon seemed to have, but the enthusiasm itself was practically contagious. The older man would laugh as he slowly stood, watching as Arakan ran a circle around his feet. "Easy, now - I'm still an old man, here - haha!" Charles would gently tease with a laugh - adding "Gimme a second to get up proper, yeah?" He would smile warmly down to Arakan as he spoke, before he began to walk along once more once he was able to straighten up; glancing back to make sure Arakan would be able to keep up.
As they walked though, something would occur to Charles. "Ah... Sorry, I don't believe I introduced myself, before." He'd realize, glancing down to Arakan. "My name's Charles - might I ask your name, little one? And while we're at it - why don't you tell me a bit about yourself, if you'd like?" If they were going to be traveling together for a little while, he may as well get to know this youngster.
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 20, 2019 22:42:23 GMT
Of course, the pup could prove to do more than just keep up. Even if she had a bit of a weird waddle to her stride, it wasn't hard to outpace Charles' walking. It didn't take long before she realized that her running ahead and then back was just going to prove to be a waste of energy, though. So she heeded the old man's words and matched his pace, walking beside him. She couldn't stop her tail from wiggling, though.
Honestly she hadn't thought about introductions, either. She was so stuck on the idea she could potentially be like this forever that it never even became a thought until Charles had mentioned it. "Arakan Himura! Arakan is fine, but uh.." She wanted to be a little careful about what she said about herself, she obviously couldn't just admit to enjoy tagging on things. "I'm from Tokyo- my dad lives there, too. But I wanna go back to Kamakura - it's uh, about an hour south from Tokyo if you're going by car. I guess I'm lucky there's a train that goes back to Shibuya but... Eh." If she could shrug, she would have. The attempt would probably make her flop on her face too if she hadn't thought about that possibility and just refrained from trying.
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 21, 2019 14:47:46 GMT
Charles couldn't help but find the distinction between Arakan's waddling stride, and her actual speed, a bit endearing - though then again, he thought a lot about this form was endearing, wasn't it? It made him think of a puppy going thru that awkward stage where they were still adjusting to growing, tripping over their own paws from time to time. He'd simply smile and chuckle wryly as she remembered to keep pace with him, though - tail wagging all the while.
With introductions though, he would listen closely - nodding slowly in understanding and acknowledgement. "It's nice to meet you, Arakan - even if the circumstances are, well, a bit bizarre to say the least." He'd mention with a chuckle, kneeling down to offer Arakan a handshake - or would it be a pawshake? Either way, he'd smile a bit humorously as he continued "Pardon my sense of humor, here - but would it be too much to imagine that those strange impulses that you've been having would know 'shake'?" The old man would laugh a second at his own joke, grinning happily, even if a hair sheepishly. "Ah, apologies - that was a bad joke. You've got every right to be angry at me for that one."
"Tokyo though, hm? I myself have been staying in Shibuya, though I came from the United States, a time ago - Tennessee, to be exact." Charles mused out loud - before a thought seemed to occur to him, a concerned hue slipping into his tone. "If I may ask, though, why were you trying to go back to Kamakura, on a bike presumably no less? As you mentioned with it being an hour drive just by car, it seems as though it'd be a rather long trip for you..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Arakan Himura on Jun 22, 2019 18:59:40 GMT
Arakan rolled her eyes, but still raised a paw to place in Charles' hand. "Like a little chihuahua, maybe." She joked in kind, before continuing on expecting that Charles would go back to walking beside her. "You're a really long way from home if you ended up in Shibuya after getting stuck here.. That must really suck. How are you gonna get back?" Arakan was reasonably concerned. There wasn't much she could do personally, given she was kind of a homeless teenager. Until she could get to Kamakura, that's when everything would start to become good again. No more abusive stepmother or uncaring father to torment her.
She mumbled something incoherent and then shook her head. "I wasn't unprepared for the long trip. I had lots of water on me. My mom's in Kamakura, and I really wanna see her." They finally answered, hopefully in such a way that didn't give out too much personal information about her family life. Charles did make a point though. Maybe she should try to get her hands on a bigger backpack? Obviously going back to her father's house was nowhere close to a viable option. She might just go so far as to say she would rather die than be back in that house.
|
|
|
|
Post by Charles Brynlee on Jun 23, 2019 19:21:13 GMT
Charles would blink at Arakan's question and concern in regards to his mention of Tennessee and Shibuya - before quickly realizing that, well, there must've been a miscommunication! Chuckling warmly and in amusement, he'd reach down to pat Arakan's head and clarify "I meant that I was born there, and moved to Shibuya later on." He'd smile a bit wryly, scratching his cheek as he'd add "I don't think I'd be quite this fluent in Japanese, if this was a recent incident for me. I know my way home just fine, though, thankfully. I still appreciate your concern though, Arakan."
Still, though, he was just as concerned towards Arakan's situation... "You didn't have anyone to drive you to Kamakura, or could call your mother to come pick you up?" He'd ask gently, adding "Even if you came prepared, I couldn't imagine that it'd be a very pleasant or easy trip to go by bike. Maybe three to five hours if you were constantly biking, I'd estimate." He couldn't help but wonder what sort of situation would lead a young child to run off like that... If he had to guess, it'd possibly be something to do with her homelife, or simply a spontaneous decision gone awry, but... He wasn't very sure, presently.
|
|
|
