Invitation to Play [Unica]

It had been exactly a week since Unica met Tetsu and Gryz, and Birdie was banished. Seven days. She normally looked forward to the weekend, for she had made a habit of traveling to the digital world on the days she didn't have school. But not this weekend. Without a digivice to open a portal or open the gates at the train station, she was stuck in the human world. As the week went by, she grew more and more antsy just thinking about how she'd spend the weekend. She wasn't just anxious, she also grew upset each time she thought about where her partner might be. Off picking fights with other Digimon, no doubt. Then again, what if she was dead? Unica had seen Digimon die first-hand, so she knew it was possible, but what if such a fate had befallen Birdie?

She blamed herself more than anyone else. If was her fault why Birdie was so angry and rude all the time. She should've been a better parental figure... a better friend... a better partner. After Tetsu had escorted her home last weekend, Unica tried to explain to her parents what happened, but they didn't believe her. They chalked it up to her wild imagination. The two children must have been playing around and Tetsu accidentally dropped one of Unica's toys into a sewer grate or something. There was no such thing as a walking and talking bird who was bullying their little girl. Their denial made it difficult to talk to them about the things that were really bothering Unica.

Fortunately for her, she was able to process her experiences in the digital world through her art. The piece she was working on right now, as she sat on the opposite end of the kitchen table from her mommy, depicted a black lizard creature running toward a humanoid with something grey in his hands. Unica grabbed the green crayon and began to color in the humanoid's body, making the mystery figure's skin the same color of the grass at his feet. It was a shoddy drawing, but to the young artist, it perfectly captured the friendly battle that she had witnessed between Dinohumon and Bu the Ginryumon at the Spartan Training Grounds. Unica had been separated from Birdie back then too, but it felt different.

Unica didn't move from her spot at the kitchen table, too focused on the drawing to care what was going on around her. Plus, she never answered the door, so there was no need for her to now. It was her mom who took the initiative. The blonde woman stopped what she was doing on the laptop and walked to the door without a word, silently wondering who could be ringing. With no peephole to check who was outside, Maria Scarlett was forced to open the door to see for herself, though she kept the chain lock in place. There were enough crazies in this neighbor to warrant some paranoia.

In the crack of the door stood a tall woman in her mid-20s, though her round face and soft features made her look even younger. Like Unica, she had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin; however, unlike the seven-year-old, her hair was wavy and she wore makeup to make herself look more mature than she did naturally. Small hoop earrings dangled from her ears and glistened as she cast her gaze downward slightly to meet Tetsu's eyes. "Hello," she said in Japanese, her American accent made obvious the moment she spoke. "Tetsu, right?" she asked while unlocking the chain and opening the door.

The name "Tetsu" instantly caught Unica's attention and she scrabbled off her chair in a mad-dash to see her friend. As her mommy opened the door wider to invite the boy inside, Unica stepped between them and squealed, "Oniichan!" Maria eyed her daughter quizzically but said nothing on the matter. For all she knew, that was some sort of tradition in Japan, to call one another "brother" and "sister." She wished her boyfriend was home, he was better at all the cultural stuff.

"Would you like to come in?" the woman asked, her speech pattern a bit slower than that of someone born and raised in Japan, as though she wanted to make sure she was saying each word correctly. It seemed like she was working hard to learn the language, but it didn't seem like she got much practice outside of the house.

"Yeah, wanna come in?" Unica restated in more fluent Japanese. "I was coloring, and you can color too, if you want! I ate the cupcakes, but we have candy and donuts!" she rambled, excited about the idea of hanging out with Tetsu and preemptively assuming he wanted to stay.

Miss Scarlett was impressed by the boy's knowledge of English and willingness to speak it in her company. That would save her quite a bit of embarrassment. His accent and choppy sentences made it clear to her that he wasn't fluent in her native tongue, but he was able to communicate well enough for her to know exactly what he was trying to say. Unica, however, opted to keep talking in Japanese. After all, she was talking to Tetsu, not her mom. To both ladies' surprise, Tetsu asked if Unica could go to his house to play instead. The seven-year-old gasped and turned to look up at her mom, recognizing that the question was not for her.

Maria considered it for a long moment, silently listening to Tetsu's proposition before glancing down at her daughter who seemed incredibly excited about the prospect of getting to leave the apartment and play with her friend. She felt torn, wanting to protect Unica from anything and everything, and wanting to let Unica have as much freedom as she had growing up. And yet, the question wasn't so binary, and Maria knew this. It wasn't just a matter of whether or not to let Unica go. It was a matter of transportation, where Tetsu lived, when Unica would be home, etc. "That's fine," she said in English, "But I would like to go with you two."

Maria trusted Tetsu well enough. But she didn't exactly trust her neighbors, though she wouldn't verbalize her concerns to either of the children, even if they directly asked. Regardless, the offer didn't seem too far-fetched. Her boyfriend had taken the car to work, so the trio would have to take the train, something Tetsu and Unica probably would've done anyway, whether or not Maria was going to tag along. Unica, for one, didn't seem to mind her mommy's proposal. "Yes!" she cheered, a massive grin spreading across her face. Miss Scarlett smiled at her daughter's eagerness and eyed Tetsu to see what he had to say.

The moment they arrived at Society Hill, Maria knew she was out of her element. She'd only seen gated communities like this in passing, she'd only seen such well-kept properties in magazines, and she'd only seen such gorgeous mansions in movies. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming it all up. No, it was reality. How had her little girl managed to make friends with a kid from such an affluent family? She began to wonder if she and Unica were too under-dressed; after all, her white v-neck and jeans didn't exactly scream prestigious. And even though she never let other people's opinions get her down, she kept fearing that Tetsu's parents would dub her a "bad mom" because she wasn't as wealthy as them.

Of course, she kept all these things bottled up, and Unica was none the wiser. The young seven-year-old was ecstatic about everything she was seeing. "Look at that one!" she laughed while pointing at a house that was three times larger than the entire apartment building she and her family currently lived in. "We should get a car like that!" Unica exclaimed a short while later. When Maria turned to see what her daughter was talking about, she spotted a limousine parked on the street just outside a long, circular driveway. "Maybe one day, baby," Miss Scarlett mused through clenched teeth and a forced smile.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. As expected, Tetsu's house was like all the others in the neighborhood: massive, with an even larger property. When he opened the front door and announced his arrival, several maids and butlers emerged in the foyer to welcome him home. Maria subconsciously squeezed Unica's hand tighter and kept the tension as they stepped through the doorway. It felt... too clean. Too unlived in. That wasn't entirely a bad thing, but it did make her wonder about Tetsu's upbringing and whether he was allowed to actually have any fun.

The boy explained how the house belonged to his grandfather, a comment that was only met with a slow nod from Maria as she continued to slowly and carefully glance at her surroundings. She turned her gaze back to Tetsu. "I was hoping to meet your parents. Are they home?" It was a reasonable request to make -- Maria wanted to know the type of people her daughter was going to be around -- but at the same time, there was a bit of uncertainty in her tone. Did rich people do meet-and-greets, or were they too busy making money? She did her best to swallow the bitterness and remain couth. Unica, meanwhile, stayed silent and kept holding onto her mom's hand, but it was clear she just wanted to go play with Tetsu in this huge, fascinating place.

Maria felt out of her element. Why did she think that meeting Tetsu's parents would be an easy thing to do, especially since she hardly understood their native language? Thankfully, Tetsu made sure she was never out of the loop, translating everything the kimono-wearing maid said. Apparently, the missus of the house had recently woken from a nap, and the mister was busy playing a game of shogi with Tetsu's grandfather -- the owner of the house -- and would have preferred not to be disturbed. Shogi? What was that? She'd have to be careful not to make a fool of herself here.

A meeting between mothers was more her speed anyway, she told herself. All seemed well until they began to navigate their way through the house. It didn't look like any sort of mansions she'd seen before. It was so... traditional. And far different than anything she was used to in the west. It looked like Tetsu's linage spanned back to feudal times, and the current occupants had the property and memorabilia to prove it. The paper doors, zen garden, and low tables looked like they ought to have been in a museum, not in someone's real house. Maria glanced around, silently waiting for someone to jump out and laugh about how she was being punked.

Even though she knew Unica was by her side, for they were still holding each others' hands, Ms. Scarlett still glanced down to verify and to see how her daughter was reacting to all this. Unica too seemed to be astonished by the architecture of the house. It was so much different than anything she was used to. Her house, her school, the train station, and the grocery store she and her mommy always went to didn't look anything like this. She was used to more modern, westernized scenery. Tetsu's house was magnificent! As they passed by one of the closed rooms, Unica placed her hand against the washi paper and gently stroked it as she continued down the hall.

After a short while, the trio emerged into an outdoor courtyard area. A pond made up a large portion of the area, and by its side sat a brunette woman and a furry creature wearing a backwards ball cap and a series of belts. What an odd looking dog, Maria thought to herself moments before realizing it was no canine at all. It was a bear! Her eyes widened a little at the sight, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on Unica's hand just as the girl tried to race forward. "Grizzly!" Unica squealed excitedly, pulling against her mother's vice-like hold as the mysterious woman introduced herself as Miharu Shishidou.

Maria offered a gentle smile and glanced down at Tetsu, silently asking him to translate for her. Unica pulled again. "Mommy, let go!" she wailed as she turned back to Gryz who continued to look away, obviously trying not to make things even more awkward. Maria was the only person in the room who was unaware of the existence of Digimon, and it seemed like everyone wanted to keep it that way. "Hello, Grizzly! It's me, Unica!" she hollered in Japanese, desperate to get his attention.

"Unica, please!" Maria hissed under her breath before turning back to the pregnant woman by the pond. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Miharu. I'm Maria Scarlett and this is my daughter, Unica," she introduced while having to raise her voice a little over the seven-year-old's tantrum. Maria wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Miharu's comment about Tetsu looking different than her, so she instead decided to change the subject. "I'm sorry about the way she's [Unica's] acting right now. She's just excited," the American woman said before shooting a warning look in Unica's direction.

The little girl saw this and instantly stopped whining. She huffed and stuck out her bottom lip in a dramatic way, though it appeared to be a mere display of disapproval rather than real sorrow. She stared at Gryz for a long moment, willing him to turn around and say hello, before she gave up on that strategy and glanced at Tetsu from behind her mom's back. "Why doesn't Grizzly say hello? Is he sick?" she asked, seemingly unaware of the fact that Tetsu was busy acting as a translator for both Maria and Miharu.

Maria would likely learn of the existence of Digimon eventually. Unica had told her parents many stories of her time in the digital world and of all the adventures, both fun and stressful, she had been on with Birdie. And yet, without being able to see the proof first-hand, it was difficult for them to wrap their minds around the truth. They chalked it up to Unica's imagination and nothing more. There was no telling if the decision for Tetsu's family to keep everything a secret was the best choice. On one hand, Maria probably wouldn't have reacted very well to learning that Gryz could speak and transform and came from a completely different world. On the other hand, if Gryz came out to her then all of Unica's claims about Birdie and the digital world would've been verified.

Either way, that wasn't a major concern to Unica at the moment. She just wanted to say hello to her friend, and his refusal to come over or speak upset her. After voicing these concerns to Tetsu, the young boy explained that Gryz didn't want to be discovered as a talking bear yet. That was a strange reason to stay away, thought Unica. After all, she'd seen him talk before. It's not like it was a secret to her, and it wasn't like she was actively trying to keep the truth from her mom. Regardless, Unica accepted this excuse and nodded to show she understood. She looked back at Tetsu's mom as her own mommy continued talking.

Maria felt a wave of joy and relief upon realizing that Miharu also spoke English. She knew that since she was living in Japan, she ought to try learning the native language so she could communicate efficiently with the locals. However, the differences between eastern and western languages was difficult for her to fully comprehend. She knew she relied too much on her boyfriend and daughter to translate for her, but up until now, she'd been complacent with the way things were. All that to say, she did feel guilty for making Tetsu and Miharu speak English around her, but she also felt relieved that they were willing to compromise.

"Yes. I do wish she'd behave herself in other people's homes, though" Maria said with a wary smile in response to Miharu's comment that kids would be kids. Unica knew better. She knew manners. The fact that she chose to act out here and now, in the presence of a stranger, embarrassed Maria. Instead of focusing on that, however, the two women decided to change the subject. "I did want to meet you, to introduce myself and to get to know you a little. If that's alright," Maria explained. Unica groaned then, knowing that adult conversations could take forever and were usually boring. Maria glanced down at her daughter then. "Go play," she said, though her words sounded more like a demand than friendly consent to leave.

"Yes!" Unica cheered while slipping her hand free of her mother's grasp and tugging on Tetsu's arm, urging him to come with her out into the foyer. "C'mon, Oniichan!"

Maria forced a smile when Miharu said that her guests shouldn't be so reserved or worried about manners. It made sense, she probably wanted to make sure they felt comfortable during their visit; even still, Maria wanted to leave a good impression, especially since her daughter and Tetsu seemed to get along so well. Miharu's eager agreement to sit and chat turned the wary smile into a genuine one. Unlike the lady of the house, who was stuck at home to avoid straining herself while pregnant, Maria worked from home to avoid having to navigate the language barrier with locals. It seemed they were both happy to have company after so long. Their conversation would undoubtedly broach such topics as family, occupation, and how interesting owning a pet bear was.

Had she noticed Tetsu drag said bear out of the room, Maria certainly would've made a comment about how she didn't feel comfortable letting her daughter near such a wild animal. Between Gryz covertly sneaking around the parameter of the room and the two mothers enraptured with their own conversation, Miss Scarlett hardly realized the creature's disappearing act. Meanwhile, Unica, Tetsu, and Gryz all made their way to another room. As they did, Unica slowed and gave the ursine Digimon a pat, a smile spread out wide over her face when she did. "Good, Grizzly," she giggled, wanting desperately to stop in the middle of the hallway to give him a hug.

As the trio entered the bedroom, they were greeted by two kids about Tetsu's age. One was a tall, skinny boy named Kazu, and the other was an overly energetic girl named Sora. Unica lingered in the doorway, taking in the sights and sounds of the room and the occupants within it. So this was Tetsu's room... and these were his friends. They seemed nice, though Unica hardly payed any attention to what they were saying. She was instead fixated on the wheelchair which Sora sat in. When she'd seen all there was to see about the chair, the young girl turned her attention back to the older kids and Gryz. "Hi! I'm Unica," she introduced, seemingly unaware of the fact that they already knew her name. "I like your chair," she chimed while taking a few steps closer and pointing at where Sora was sitting.