Reminiscence [Hunt] [Amelie]

    So much for Amelie's desire to remain away from her teammates. It had taken something as simple as writing 'We Miss You!' in the title of a D-Terminal message in order for her to... comply, for the lack of a better word. Sure, she still felt terribly guilty regarding everything that had transpired some days ago, and the fact remained that she just couldn't understand why everyone had remained so supportive, despite all the truths that had been uncovered on that night. Had the twins been so quick to forgive? Or maybe Akemi and Asher had kept all those events under wraps? It was all so confusing...

    However, one thing remained crystal clear. Amy considered both Elsie and Evie as dear friends, and refusing to help them just because she felt mopey and because she had been a liability to the two of them in the past not only didn't make sense at all; it also happened to be incredibly selfish and felt like compounding an already grievous mistake. If she ever hoped to be forgiven, that meant she had to make up in some way, right?

    Just couple that with a not-so-stable mental landscape and the slight possibility of her overdramatizing the situation a wee bit; her decision regarding what to do with that message? More than obvious.

    Evie's message went unanswered for about twenty minutes; enough for the brunette to ponder everything previously described and to change into an outfit more fitting for an outing in the north. After that period of time had passed, a portal would open some meters away from where the twins currently stood. From it, a decently bundled up Amelie emerged.

    She proceeded to wave at the girls in a somewhat shy manner. Had this been the first time they have seen each other since that incident? If so, the blondes would probably notice that her peer had gotten... shorter, if that was even possible? In any case, she approached the place where they stood.

    "Sorry for making you wait." It wasn't hard to tell that Amy's tone lacked its usual confidence; if anything, it was kind of dull and melancholic. "What's the plan?"

    Despite the cold climate around the trio, both Evie and Elsie made sure Amelie got a pretty warm welcome. And what could she say? Coming from the twins, that definitely helped to improve her disposition. For now, there wouldn't be any notable changes, at least some progress was being made.

    That didn't mean she wouldn't reciprocate the hug Elsie was giving her, however. Guess it was a good thing that she was fair deal shorter now, wasn't it? At least that meant that she was more huggable in comparison to her previous self. Not so bad, right?

    "Yeah. Wouldn't have let you two venture into a potentially dangerous situation if I had a say on it." And the truth was that she kinda missed them too, but that was a detail she wasn't disclosing at the moment. Or ever.

    She didn't know how to react to the remark about her being warm, or about the fact that she, indeed, gotten quite a bit shorter. An awkward expression ensued before she did her best at shrugging while holding the hug. "Don't think too much about it. It's not a very big deal. Let's just say I'm a more... down to earth person now."

    Bad attempt at humor! Being self-conscious about this, of all things, was very strange, but it wasn't like Amy could decide how she wanted to feel regarding the new height that had been forced to her. At the very least, it seemed like the sisters cared a good deal about her, and that was more than enough for the brunette to bear with any amount of awkward questions that might head her way.

    Promptly, she shook her head at the question that followed. "Nothing of importance was interrupted, sides me moping, I guess. But I wouldn't call that important. Or truly interrupted, really." It wouldn't take an expert to discern that her mood was a lot bluer than usual, after all. "Hope you don't mind that."

    The hug was undone as the plan was exposed, all while the wild-haired teen took refuge behind her. It seemed like she also had been brought here to act as an arbitrator of sorts? It was obvious that the twins couldn't agree on whether to go inside or not. She waited until the full story was finished before providing any input. But once that was out of the way...

    "If the digivices are beeping in that direction, it must mean there's something important inside." The question was... for whom, exactly? "Your spirits. You have a good relationship with them, right? Get along well and stuff?"

    Suffice to say, and considering her own experiences, that would probably make or break whether she would be fine with this quest or not. If the blondes' spirits were anything like hers, this place was better forgotten.

    Given a positive response, and the fact that the older twin had already decided to venture inside, Amy proceeded to nod at Evie. Elsie wouldn't need to cling to her jacket, however; before expressing her ultimate acceptance of the plan, a gloved hand would extend and tightly squeeze the teen's. If she didn't protest, she'd just keep it like that before gazing at her with an expression as determined as she could muster at the moment. "Don't worry, Els. I'll make sure that nothing bad happens to you. We'll be fine."

    If that helped to calm her down, the brunette would then gaze at the 'braver' twin. "Yeah. I'm okay with it. Let's go."

    Leaving Elsie alone in this place was definitely out of question by now. No matter how she felt right now, Amelie just couldn't leave a scared friend behind. She just wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did.

    While potentially a joke, Evie's remark ended up being a weird kind of silver lining for Amelie. Kinda like how parents tell their kids they 'can have as much ice cream as they want' after a tonsillectomy; would she be able to wear heels while remaining shorter than Asher? Given how she hadn't had contact with him ever since that happened, she wasn't all that sure regarding how she stood in comparison to him now.

    "Maybe? Who knows." Her tone did have a hint of excitement on it. Had Evie hit the nail on the head? And more importantly, had that just been an instinctual answer, or did the blonde know the brunette more than what it seemed? "Think I'd look cute in them?"

    That comment, coupled with Elsie's pushy, yet cute attitude at least managed to eradicate Amy's own sullen expression. Sure, she was still not feeling all too well, but what else could happen in the face of such an overwhelming amount of support? At the very least, the duo's antics would be able to distract her from the most noxious of her thoughts. Everything else? That'd take time. A lot of it.

    "Fair enough." While her tone wasn't exactly the image of joy, at least it didn't sound as actively depressing as it had before. "What I am supposed to do in the wake of such a cute face? I guess my moping session has officially been interrupted. But I gotta say... that expression is a dangerous weapon, Els. I'd be careful about using it from now on."

    A nod was given to Evie after she was done stating that there was no pressure for her to answer, even if... she'd end up replying, anyway. "I think we're doing fine? Asher is a rather easygoing guy; the only way I see us fighting is if I decided to become a harpy or something overnight, but... that's exactly what his sister wants. And hence, the last thing on my priority list."

    No way she was letting Piper win in whatever competition the two had. What about the topic on itself? The brunette frowned for a bit, before resuming her speech. "It's a rather long story. And if this place ends up being dangerous, I'd rather have us focus on it. But... once we're done, I guess I could tell you the story over a drink or something. Good enough?"

    At least the twins' spirits seemed to be pretty amicable, even if a little aloof. Good enough, right? At least that'd mean this wasn't going to be an encore of her own spirit hunts; that'd be literally the worst outcome possible, and definitely something she didn't want to participate in any way.

    It seemed like her gestures were enough to put Elsie at ease. That had been a good synergy, hadn't it? The blonde had helped her to cheer up a bit, and in turn, she had been a reassuring presence to her. It was a good friendship.

    A door shutting right behind them wasn't the most pleasant sound to hear, even if the lights that proceeded to illuminate the room did a good job at lessening that effect. Amy had already been prepared to use her light baton as a torch of sorts, but that didn't seem like a needed action now.

    Thus, the young woman began to walk right behind Evie. She made sure to hold Elsie's hand at all times in a reassuring manner; it wasn't hard to tell the blonde wasn't exactly thrilled at the moment. "Yeah. It's definitely warmer." The brunette agreed, understanding that adding silent to the current atmosphere wouldn't do it any good. A pensive expression took over her face before she scanned her surroundings.

    "Considering how dusty this place is, I'd say that it's probably deserted. Or that whoever inhabits it is very bad at cleaning. So I doubt we're intruding... unless another intruder took residence here, I guess. But then, would it really be intruding? I'm not sure."

    Regardless of any further responses, the trio would eventually find another door. What should they do? Enter or keep on going down? Was any of them really a wrong choice? Such a complex decision, especially considering that digivices could be the biggest trolls if they decided to.

    Amelie sighed. "We should try to open it and take a peek at the very least. Maybe this room has some kind of clue that'll make our descent easier. Or maybe even a map of where your totems might be. That'd be convenient."

    On the other hand, it could also have enemies lurking, but... Amy preferred to not think about that possibility. No matter what, she'd rather try to run away or resort to every other resource available to her than spirit evolving. She was unsure on her mind being able to handle that at the moment.

    Given how the brunette had been a tad too tall to care about wearing any kind of heels during most of her life —and having her mother just choose on the few opportunities it had been more or less mandatory—, Amelie was absolutely clueless regarding the topic. Luckily, it seemed like both twins were pretty knowledgeable about it! She took a split second to wonder exactly why, or if it was a normal thing for a pair of fifteen-year-olds, but ultimately decided that details such as that one weren't really important.

    Suffice to say that, at least for now, Amy seemed to be in a much better disposition. "Red would be nice." The options and the apparent depth of the topic were managing to keep her distracted. "So, is uh..." For the faintest of moments, she looked to be a bit embarrassed about what she was about to ask. "Is it hard to walk on them? Should I try practicing first? Are wedges easier than heels? Maybe I should try those first."

    This was probably the birth of a future shopping trip. If the twins' words were any indication, the next time they hung out would be to fill Amy's wardrobe with all kinds of footwear-that-made-people-taller. An interesting way to deepen a friendship, but as long as it worked...

    The young woman nodded sagely at Elsie parroting her remark. Some pouting expressions had the potential to be the deadliest weapon invented by humankind. The chipper blonde still had a long way to go, but she definitely knew her stuff.

    Why not all the fifteen-year-olds could be as pleasant to have around as the twins? For sure, Amy wouldn't have minded it in the slightest if the two replaced Piper at being her sisters-in-law. Pity that was as impossible as her turning into a harpy... right? It'd be super weird if her spirits ended up being a bird, considering their track record. Anyway...

    Amelie glanced at Elsie at first. "A harpy? You know, a woman with wings from Greek mythology? Also used as a despective for women who are overall grasping and unpleasant." Hopefully, that'd be enough of a definition! Now, onto Evie..."Oh, believe me. I'm extremely aware of how uptight she is." It took her a small pause until surprise took over her features. "Wait. Do you know her? How?"

    That question was doing double duty at the moment; the brunette was extremely puzzled regarding the connection between the twins and Pip and... at least that way she could avoid talking about her spirits for the moment. She wasn't feeling like touching that topic anytime soon. She didn't want for her disposition to turn sour again.

    Hot cocoa sounded like a lovely idea as soon as the group was finished with this small trip. The perfect way of celebrating the acquisition of new spirits, right? Maybe not, but it sure sounded like a pleasant way to spend the rest of their day.

    They had a pending investigation to do first, though. In a sense, Amy felt a bit bad for Elsie. It was very obvious that she didn't want to be here, but it wasn't like they had any other option at the moment, right? After this discovery, if they just called the whole thing off, chances were that Evie would just attempt to do this again until her curiosity was satisfied. So... it was probably for the best to do what they were supposed to be doing now and forget about it if it ended being a bad experience.

    Bold words, but at least they motivated her to go forward. An arm would wrap around Elsie's shoulders and give her a firm squeeze before going back to its initial position, hopefully calming her down while her sister's comments were addressed. "While the argument regarding this area not getting used makes sense, then that would mean that any potential residents of this place are either too weak to take care of the whole structure or... simply don't care. Or that the this place is deserted; I'm not very concerned about either theory being true, honestly."

    If whoever resided here couldn't take care of the whole castle? They were too weak. If they didn't care about it? Then, chances were that it was either a feral or unrefined digimon, which also could mean they were weak. And if it was deserted? Well, that was probably the best outcome, considering that the notion of this place having residents is what scared Elsie the most.

    While not the smartest move, the clapping of the proper twin hadn't alerted anyone nearby, which meant that this area was, indeed, totally deserted. A relief, in a sense; while the theory of a map leading towards the totems didn't hold much water, it had been enough to convince the duo to enter the room ahead. What about it? Amy could recognize its general structure quite well.

    "A solar, huh? I guess that confirms we're in a castle of sorts." She stated, moving on to admire the chamber's design; even if the signs of age were more than obvious, whoever had constructed the chamber was a very talented craftsman. The room didn't have a lot of meaning to it, but... at least it'd serve as a reference point regarding where the group was, and what they could expect to find in the other rooms or down below.

    Guess it was class time? Hopefully, the twins wouldn't mind the architecture lesson. "If the Digital World is anything like the real world, us being in this room means we're in the castle's upper storey, and that we're supposedly in the living quarters of the place's owner, or of somebody closely related to them, like family or a spouse. It also means that if we keep descending, we'll eventually stumble into the main hall, and then potentially into the place's main entrance or basement. And..." After a small pause, she resumed. "This place being deserted couldn't be clearer evidence of the castle's owner no longer being here. Nobody would neglect their living quarters so much."

    Hopefully, that'd cause a good amount of relief to Elsie; one more clue supporting the 'deserted' theory. While she was rambling, however, it seemed like Evie had discovered something! An old tapestry that also doubled as the best map of the Dark Area the brunette had seen in a while. Its extension was something that seldom interested anyone, and much less enough for a map of it to be charted.

    "Well..." A pensive hum escaped her throat as she stared tapestry. "'Nobility' can be really eccentric, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was some kind of fancy decoration. After all, how many maps of the Dark Area do you think there are in existence? Even if just as a 'collectible', this one would probably hold quite a bit of value."

    Was that everything she had to say? Not really. "Then again... maybe the owner of this castle was interested in the Dark Area somehow? It's probably not the number one destination to have a vacation, but maybe they were born there? Or wanted to build another castle there? Doubt anyone would ask many questions about that. But then... what do I know; there are too many possibilities. Maybe we'll eventually find out if we keep on advancing, but as of now, we can only guess."

    It was a mystery, even if one that wasn't very important at the moment. "What about your digivices? Do we have any new leads, or are they still unresponsive?"

    It seemed like walking on either kind of shoe had its upsides and downsides. It was almost like a science! Amelie listened raptly to everything both sisters have to say regarding the topic. How could have she missed something as deep as this? However, there was a remark that got her attention. Actually... "I don't think neither kind of shoe is worn with the intention to run?" Then again, she could be hopelessly wrong. "Then again, some, some styles of dance that involve running or quick movements tend to be practiced with the female wearing heels, but I don't see myself practicing those any time soon."

    In all honesty? She thought that whoever did that kind of thing was more than a bit crazy, but that was an opinion she would withhold for now. The brunette nodded at Evie's comment; heels tended to be the more refined option regarding feminine footwear, even though some exceptions were bound to exist. None of that seemed to matter when the two agreed to help her; Amy managed to muster a small smile in the face of that gesture. "All set, then. I'm looking forward to it already."

    Little did she know that the experience wouldn't be as fun as it seemed on paper, but that was something that she'd have to find out later. For now, the trio had a castle to explore. Or sisters-in-law to briefly mention, it seemed. "Really busy, huh? I guess it's her, after all. Just hope she's not busy thinking about ways to murder me while I sleep." One would think that she was joking, or maybe that she was being dramatic, and chances were... that they'd be right, but still! Piper was very mean.

    With any luck, that topic would be left behind. In all honesty? Amelie preferred to deal with Piper only when necessary unless she had a change of heart overnight or something; she had the whole Digital World if she wanted to search for conflict, after all!

    Was it weird that Amy displayed some amount of interest regarding the new room's disposition? Considering her major of choice, that was hardly surprising, unless one had into account that they could be in a life-or-death situation, but that was a detail, right? At least right now, only Elsie seemed to be vaguely worried about the group's safety. Oddly ironic, but what else could be said?

    The tapestry/map managed to spark a similar reaction on the three girls; the youngest seemed to be pretty disinterested, all while her peers had quite the opposite reaction, with the older blonde going as far as to dislodge the piece out of the wall that supported it. Was Amy going to be the mature adult and tell the younger girl that she was being some kind of weird graverobber at the moment?

    Hell no! In fact, she was pretty interested in the tapestry at as well. For some weird reason, the brunette felt oddly attracted to her, and unconsciously found herself closing the distance towards it. "Valuable? Well; antiques are kinda valuable by default, aren't they? Remember what I said about rich people being eccentric and stuff? If you want to sell it, you'd probably have to find the right buyer, but I can see this thing fetching a high price if you take the time to sell it."

    Maybe the blonde didn't mean valuable in that sense? If she didn't, hopefully a clarification would be issued soon! In any case, could it be really considered useful? That was a tougher question! "Maybe?" A pause was made as soon as Amy noticed the small dots populating the map. Did they point to any place in particular? At plain sight, they didn't, even if all the dots were somewhat separated from each other and in the continent's mainland. "That's... interesting."

    Yup! Unconsciously, Amy had ended up parroting Evie; truth was what had happened was indeed interesting! And when she approached to get a better look? Well, let's say that what came next was both fascinating and... a little scary, in all honesty. Amy knew what that color meant; she had no idea about how that was associated with this map or with Evie, but that wasn't at the forefront of her mind at the moment. Dread began to pit in her stomach as a bead of cold sweat descended from her brow. The brunette did her best at maintaining her composure, but it didn't take a very keen observer to discern she was agitated.

    She took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh as her hands —and the pink dots— left the map. She failed to acknowledge the twins' words, even if she was finally brought back to reality as soon as Elsie's digivice decided to screech. It wasn't the most pleasant sound, but it served as a fine enough wake-up call.

    Once again, the younger blonde's hand was held, and for the first time since they had entered this place, the brunette brought herself to agree with her. "I'm not sure if delving into this place is a good idea anymore." Once again, she took a deep breath. Could she really go along with this? "Maybe it'll be for the best if we just leave this castle be. Nothing good can come out of it."

    Her expression was serious, and while it was true that she was afraid, it didn't have to do with this castle being haunted or anything of the sort. It was fear ran deeper; so much that it bordered panic. What were her spirits doing here, and most importantly. Why they couldn't just leave her alone?

    Whoever had invented heels definitely hadn't invented them with running in mind, that much was for sure. However, it seemed like Elsie had other plans for said footwear. Or, at least her sister's words implied as much. In the end, it was quite surprising that both twins seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about the matter. Talk about hidden depths; at plain sight, one would've thought that neither would give the topic that much importance.

    "I think I'll take the course on walking first. We'll figure out how to run at a later date." A later-later date! Considering that they hadn't begun the first lesson, it seemed like the trio were into that for the long haul!

    For now, however, the topic would change to the devil Piper. Not mean? Really? "Are you sure we're talking about the same person? Maybe they're different Pipers or something. Because I'm sure she's as mean as it gets. Or at least, she was with me. Who knows. Maybe with time, she'll chill a bit?" Funny thing to say in a situation like this one! "I really hope so."

    Good thing that the conversation would live a for much longer after that. Just like Amy's peace of mind after she interacted with the tapestry! The fact that Evie was so interested in it was slightly unsettling; not like she had the time or the stability to appreciate that, but still! With any luck, the older blonde would now be convinced that remaining in this place was a bad, very, very bad idea.

    But maybe it was too late to back off now; the screech that Elsie's digivice emitted was enough proof of that. What... what had just happened? The brunette shook her head, as if trying to deny what was happening at the moment. Doing her best to not panic in the face of this situation, she took one deep breath before trying to address Evie.

    Pity that wasn't happening, or at least not as soon as the young woman would have wanted to. First, she found herself being gently pulled by Elsie, then heard the sound of the door being closed and locked, just behind them. Great; just great. A sigh escaped her throat right afterward, and just then she eventually spoke.

    "I guess that whatever lives here doesn't want any of us to leave, huh." She commented on a surprisingly even tone. What was even going through her mind at the moment? "And guess that we're not trying to kick it down, either. Who knows what might be lurking behind it."

    Once again, she squeezed Elsie's hand. The gesture was getting old, but was really anything else they could do? "If we descend enough, we should find ourselves near this place's main entrance. I doubt that the whole thing will be blocked, so that's our best bet for getting out of this place, I feel."

    Keep calm. Remain level headed. Deep breaths. If she panicked right now, things would only get worse. "So... are we doing it?"

    Better to get moving sooner rather than later.

    "I consider not having a broken nose very fun, thank you very much." At least for Amy, Elsie's words had been taken as joke; the short chuckle that came out of her mouth was proof enough of that! And even if she was serious, the brunette wasn't going to push her luck when it came to using that kind of footwear. They were worthy of both reverence and fear.

    Kinda.

    Piper's temperament, on the other hand, was no joke. Maybe she had mentioned it before, but Amelie definitely didn't look forward to her next meeting with the red-haired terror! Or maybe, she actually was? There was no way to truly tell. "She probably doesn't like non-related females being near her brother's proximity, probably." Unless they were physically and verbally abusive, maybe?. "But... dating is kinda what people do, you know? The quest for that special someone and all that jazz, even though it seldom works like one wants."

    Wait, wait. That came out wrong! Amy quickly raised her hands in a defensive motion. "Not like I'm saying that I dislike my relationship with Asher, don't get me wrong! It's just that it had a bit of a rocky start, I guess. And now... I'm kinda worried that he hates me, or something. Maybe her sister was right on wanting me away from him..."

    That last sentence had been muttered barely above a whisper. Chances were that, unless they were paying really close attention to the brunette, neither blonde would be able to hear it. Anyway, onto happier topics! "I'd pretty happy if any of you began dating, though! Guess you're already on the age where you can say you're at least trying to have a serious relationship, so... you gotta tell me!" And after a pause, she added. "Any boys that have sparked your interest? Or girls! I'm not judging."

    As far as the young woman was concerned, both twins were single at the moment, so she kinda guessed that the answer to that question was 'none yet', but there was no way to truly know. And, if Evie kept on killing her suitors, it'd kept on being that way.

    Evie's input regarding the Piper matter was surprisingly vague, but the reasons for that to be the case could be easily guessed. And honestly? For now, she'd rather not delve on that kind of thing. Partly because nothing good would come out of it, and partly because, despite the fact that she had no reason to like her thus far, she just felt... oddly protective of her boyfriend's younger sister? Call it her being silly, but she preferred to not make demeaning comments about anyone with said person being there to 'defend' themselves. Anyway...

    It seemed like whoever resided in this place had decided that the visitors weren't leaving any time soon, for better or worse. Being forced into doing something wasn't precisely Amy's favorite activity, but... considering their circumstances, it wasn't like they had the luxury of being able to choose. The brunette would've been grateful if Evie wasn't so cheerful about it, though; the dissonance created between her disposition and the atmosphere was kinda creepy.

    Not a lot could be done regarding it, though. It took a couple of seconds for Amy to try and recollect herself in order to face whatever was ahead of the group. Was she scared? Obviously, even if not of the place itself; it was already plenty obvious for her that nothing worthwhile would be found here. Sides the twins' spirits, maybe.

    After a sigh, she began to tread after the leading blonde. Would her sister follow? Apparently she would, even if it was easy to infer the reason was mostly to not remain alone in this chamber.

    Oh well; at the very least she was getting used to candles randomly flickering to life and most of the 'usual' things that happened at this place. Considering the Digital World, most of it was pretty tame, but...

    For an obvious reason, she just couldn't feel at ease. "Wonder what's the deal with this place." She muttered quietly, yet loudly enough to be heard. "Unless the inhabitants of this castle wanted to have some weird kind of fun, or enjoyed confusing the heck out the other residents or visitors, I can't really guess why every room seems to have a different gimmick."

    One of the many doors was a prime example of this. Why would air enter from it? A possible reason was that it led outside somehow. "A pathway to an inner rampart, maybe?" Amy commented after Eve's own attempt. which would explain why it could be blocked. Considering this place's age, it just took one piece of strategically placed debris to make sure the thing couldn't be opened by any amount of human strength.

    The twins' conversation was more or less expected considering the events that had transpired thus far. And, in all honesty? Amy herself wasn't so sure about that. "I'm beginning to think that this place is completely deserted." She commented, even though those words were followed by a small exhalation. "And that whatever we're experiencing is some sort lingering influence its owners had, plus whatever made it so this place ended up being deserted. I can already infer that whoever built this place had... very quaint tastes."

    Then again, if they were somehow related to the brunette's own spirits, that was pretty much to be taken for granted. While it had happened before, Amelie had to wonder if whoever owned this place was related somehow to the twins' spirits as well, or, worst cace, if they were the twins' spirits. But that couldn't be possible, right? Why would any digimon in their right mind associate with whatever were her own spirits? She just couldn't conjure a reason.

    That, however... led her to way darker thoughts. Better to avoid those for now, right? Yes; sharing those crazy theories later seemed like the correct option, even if... it was quite problematic to relinquish those for her mind at the moment. For now, she'd leave the twins to their own devices, at least when it came to banter regarding if randomly opening doors was a good idea or not. Or if any of this place's supposed inhabitants had the totems they were searching for.

    Luckily, she was pulled out of her reverie by Els's timely question. "That's... a very good question." At least, her brain would be distracted with something else for the time being. She hummed for several of seconds, a pensive expression taking her face over before speaking. "Spirit wielders grow stronger the more spirits they acquire, but being strong on itself is a hollow goal. At least, I personally think it is. So... I guess the spirits' importance hinges in a couple of factors."

    Right now, she was sounding like the usual Amelie, rather than a girl that was justifiably afraid of her own shadow. "First; how important is the Digital World to you? With everyone having a life outside the Digital World, it's something that everyone has to wonder, I guess. Are you commited to it, do you see it as a past time, or something in between? The truth is that, while there's technically nothing that prevents us from using our spirit forms in the human world, they're not very apt for such a place, are they? And that isn't to say that now there's some kind of aggressive law enforcement that insists on sending every digimon back to its world. So... unless you plan to stick to the Digital World for a long while, I don't think that potentially risking your life in order to acquire the totems is super relevant."

    This was going to be a long speech, wasn't it? Then again, there was so much potential for discussion on 'how worth' what they were doing was. Kinda unreal, wasn't it? "And, second; does your plans and goals in the Digital World involve using the spirits in some manner? I know that the actual examples are few and far between, but it's perfectly possible to lead a life in the Digital World without worrying about things like fighting and the like. You can make the argument about wanting the spirits for self-defense, but it'd be the equivalent of wanting to buy a gun for self-defense, and we all know how that really works. Not at all. And that's without saying that potentially risking your life in first place in order to acquire the means for self-defense when there are other less risky avenues is kind of a dumb idea from the get-go."

    It was curious, in the sense that Amy was kind arguing with herself. "But if you know that what separates you from whatever plans you have in this world is dangerous, and you want to be prepared for it, then you probably need every tool at your disposal in order to face the hardships may lie ahead of you." This is when the conversation got dicey. "I don't want to be arrogant or self-centered, but you can take me as an example; if my goal is building a city in what is probably the most dangerous area of the Digital World, then I need to be as resourceful as I can be, especially since the whole deal implies altering the status quo of a society that was meant to be stagnant, and messing with people who won't take such actions in a positive light. Combine that with the fact that I intend to live a long and fulfilling life and that's enough justification for me to try and amass as much power on my person as I can. I hope that makes sense!"

    Somehow, she found herself frowning after the somewhat cheerful end of her explanation. To say that she was conflicted about the whole deal was an understatement. "How important getting every spirit depends from person to person, but at least on my case, it's pretty important to me. You should ask yourself that same question; you're the only person who can figure your answer to that question."

    Would the twins share their own dreams and motivations when it came to the Digital World? Truth to be told, while Amy's were rather obvious, she couldn't really tell what exactly moved either twin forward. It made her curious, but asking out loud probably wasn't fitting. Maybe once they had gotten out of this weird castle? That sounded like a plan.

    Eventually, the trio stumbled into an interesting crossroads. Either remain at a library and sate Evie's curiosity, or continue and hopefully find the spirits and what they were looking for. At least for the brunette, the dilemma was easily fixed, especially considering what had happened moments ago.

    "Considering how you just stole the map we found before, I think you could do the same with the books? Just open your infini-store and put them all inside; you can always read them in a more comfortable place, and preferably with something warm to drink. I feel like that'd be more relaxing than staying in here. Besides, I don't know about you, but I don't like to read while I'm in a hurry, and while you might not be... I guess some of us definitely are."

    She didn't want to mention Elsie specifically, but the truth was that remaining here would be quite inconsiderate to her. So best to come up with an option that satisfied everyone, right?