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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 7, 2020 20:58:20 GMT
 "Okay, so let me see if I've got this straight. You are a Digimon who came from the digital world, which is a place created as a result of human data 'sheddings.' You came here via a train to reunite with Unica because she is the only one who can use the digivice which will allow you to digivolve, and digivolving makes Digimon stronger and helps them survive in their world. Is that right?" Maria asked while leaning against the counter. "Yeah, pretty much," Birdie said, somewhat peeved at the fact that the woman was having such a difficult time understanding the very concept of Digimon and the digital world. "I can't find it," Unica whined quietly, her attention still on the drawer rather than the conversation at hand. Maria pushed herself off the counter and walked over to the drawer to help her daughter look for the utensil in question. "Birdie, you seem like an intelligent creature, so I have to ask..." she pulled out a wooden spoon and handed it to Unica before turning back to the Biyomon, "Why do you resort to violence when you don't get your way?" Birdie stiffened and her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare upon hearing the question. "It's the only way to get people to do what you want," she replied, a sharpness in her voice. "I don't know about that. It turns people and makes them scared of you. You don't want that, do you?" Maria could barely finish her thought before Birdie ruffled her feathers and the glare on her face intensified. "Are you scared of me?" In a way, her words sounded like a threat. The elder woman fell silent for a long moment before she gave the Biyomon a sad, pitiful look. "Do you want me to be scared of you?" "Yes!" Birdie answered abruptly. "I want everyone to fear me! It's the only way to get anyone to do what you want!" She was nearly screaming now, infuriated with the fact that this human woman was talking to her as though she were a naive child. "Don't yell!" Unica shouted back. "Don't tell me what to do!" Birdie snapped, standing up on the chair to make herself look taller. Maria let out a sharp whistle that silenced both partners before looking between them. "Unica, would you please stir the salad," she asked in a quiet, calm voice. The young tamer pouted a little but ultimately agreed. She stepped up on a step stool that had been pushed up against the counter and began to use the wooden spoon to mix the ingredients in the bowl. Maria then turned to Birdie, who was still riled up and ready to argue. "Birdie, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth," she said, but the Biyomon didn't so much as budge. "Please? Humor me," the woman asked, acting as if her request was a silly one. Birdie did at Maria suggested and, as she did, the feathers across her body laid flat and her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Okay. Now let's all sit down and get some food in our bellies," Maria suggested. With that alone, Birdie settled back down in her seat and eyed the humans warily as they began to gather the plates, utensils, and napkins.
549 / 500 word count (unedited)
3 out of 3 daily posts
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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 10, 2020 20:10:50 GMT
Lunch was... strained, to say the least. Unica ate in silence, barely even raising her head to look at her mom or her partner; Birdie didn't even touch her food and was instead more interested in staring daggers at the young girl sitting on the opposite side of the table; and Maria, who had opted to sit between them, ate while casting wary glances at both her daughter and the temperamental monster. "Birdie..." the elder woman began. She paused a moment to test the waters and ensure the avian wasn't going to lash out at the first sound of someone speaking. Fortunately, Birdie barely moved. She only seemed to narrow her eyes into a more intense glare. "You haven't even touched your food." Half a minute passed as Maria waited for some kind of response, but none came. "You don't like it?" What was she doing? Why was she treating Birdie like a human child who needed convincing that the dish was tasty and safe to eat? She was dealing with a bird--no, not a bird. A monster. There was a literal monster at her table. She had no idea what Digimon ate. Maybe they were supposed to be treated more like pets. Would eating out of a bowl help? Should she move the food to the floor? Or maybe move it somewhere up high. Birds liked eating when elevated, right? Should could've sworn she heard that somewhere before. Again she reminded herself that Birdie wasn't a normal bird. She was a monster. Did monsters not like salads? She said she came from a digital world, so did that mean she ate data? So, what did that mean for Maria? Should she give Birdie a cell phone to eat? As all these questions raced through her mind, Birdie spoke up, interrupting Maria's train of thought. "No, I don't like it," the pink and blue avian snapped. "But you haven't even tried it," the woman pointed out in the most gentle voice she could muster. And yet, she could hear the nervous quiver in her own voice, so she knew that the Digimon could hear it too. "I don't need to!" Birdie retorted. "It's human food, which means it's disgusting." So the truth came out. She didn't want to try it because it was something different, from a different world, and so she was scared. At least, Maria believed that was part of the problem. "If you try it and don't like it then I'll make you something else, okay?" Birdie settled into her seat and turned back to face Unica who had gathered enough courage to look up from her plate. However, the moment the two locked eyes, the young tamer tore her gaze from her digital partner and looked down again. Feeling disheartened by her failed attempts, Maria continued eating again in silence. Although Birdie was only about two-thirds the size of Unica, she had the maturity of a young adult. "Maturity" wasn't the word, for chasing a child down a hallway and getting into a petty argument with a seven-year-old wasn't exactly the most mature thing a person could do, but the fact remained. Using such simple tactic or using empty threads didn't work when Birdie didn't respect her and knew that there was nothing Maria could do to punish her for misbehaving.
555 / 500 word count (unedited)
1 out of 3 daily posts
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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 10, 2020 20:36:50 GMT
Struck with an idea, Maria turned to Unica and asked, "Babygirl, where's the digivice right now?" Both partners perked up with confusion at the spontaneous nature of the question. "Ummm..." Unica mused as she looked across the kitchen table and checked her own pockets for where the device could've ended up. She remembered receiving it from Birdie earlier than same afternoon, but she couldn't find it. Where had she put it? "Ummm..." she said again while leaning down in her chair to look under the table. Perhaps it had fallen on the ground, she thought. "It's okay," Maria tried to reassure, but her words were quickly drowned out by Birdie's. "You lost it!? AGAIN?!" The Biyomon was quickly flying into a rage. "Hey, hey! Easy!" Maria said while turning to face the Digimon who was now standing on the table. "Relax. It's got to be around here somewhere. We'll look for it when we're finished eating." "Like hell!" Birdie scoffed before jumping off the table and examining every corner of the apartment. Although things hadn't gone as planned, Maria was not alone with Unica and could ask more questions about the duo's relationship with the pink and blue bird there to interrupt and offer her rather hateful input. "Do you like Birdie?" she asked. The bluntness of the question took the young girl off guard, and upon noticing this, Maria chose to elaborate on her question. "Birdie seems pretty mean, and you told me she pushes you sometimes...?" Unica nodded but remained silent, as though anything that she said would end up being used against her. Maria felt torn. On one hand, she desperately wanted to kick Birdie out of the house, but she knew that the avian wouldn't stop trying to get to Unica. They had an undeniable connection, and that alone was the reason this monster wanted her child so desperately. As a mother, it was a terrifying realization to come to. Maria struggled with feelings of hopelessness, but Unica's words helped set her mind at ease. "But my friends protect me. Like Oniichan and Gryz!" she exclaimed suddenly, eyes glistening as she remembered her friends fondly. "Onii-- Oh! Tetsu?" Maria inquired. Unica nodded, her smile steadily growing. "And Gryz," the woman repeated, confused about who the young girl was talking about until the connection was finally made. Tetsu's pet bear! "Is Gryz a Digimon too?" "Yep!" Unica chimed. "And he turns into a REALLY BIG bear!" She held out her arms in an attempt to emphasize how large Gryz became when he evolved. "He wasn't big when I saw him," the elder woman pointed out. The young tamer giggled at how silly and naive her mother sounded. "Nooo," she chuckled, "He got small again." Maria furrowed her brow as she tried to keep up. "The evolutions are temporary?" she asked. Unica smiled and nodded, although she didn't know what the word "temporary" meant. Maria pressed her thumb against one temple and used the index finger of the same hand to stroke her eyebrow. This was all too much; far too much to wrap her head around right here and now. She wanted to take a nap, but she feared for her daughter and she was too paranoid about the idea of a monster roaming around the house unsupervised. She had to wait until her boyfriend got home from work. In the meantime, it was all on her.
570 / 500 word count (unedited)
2 out of 3 daily posts
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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 10, 2020 20:54:39 GMT
"Okay," Maria said firmly. "One step at a time." "One step at a time," Unica echoed. Her mom smirked and looked down at the young girl, causing the child to giggle in response to the playful look she received. "First, let's clean up our plates. We can put Birdie's in the fridge in case we get hungry before dinner. Then we'll find that naughty bird and talk to her about some house rules." "No yelling!" Unica exclaimed. Maria nodded. "No talking back or pushing." "And no bad words!" the young tamer added. "Exactly. But the dishes first. Will you help me, baby?" The question was met with an eager nod and Unica hopping off her chair with her mostly-empty salad plate in hand. She carefully walked it all the way over to the sink and placed it on the counter. She passed by her mom on the way back to the kitchen table to grab any other silverware that may have been left behind. Her mommy, it seemed, had grabbed everything. Maria placed her own plate in the sink, grabbed her daughter's off the counter and put it in the sink atop her own plate, then placed Birdie's on the counter. The woman worked in silence to pull out some plastic containers (a la Tupperware) to shovel the salad into, which left Unica with nothing to do. While she would normally wander out of the room to find something more entertaining to do, she stayed in the kitchen, too anxious to confront Birdie if the two happened to run into each other. Once Maria had finished, she put the leftovers in the fridge and got to work washing the dirty dishes by hand, knowing it would take longer than sticking them inside the dishwasher. It was as if she herself was reluctant about the idea of having to face Birdie again. While the Biyomon outright frightened Unica, Maria just found her company to be unpleasant. She wasn't scared by Birdie, just disturbed and put-off by the avian. That was ultimately the reason why she took so long. Then again, she knew she couldn't delay the inevitable. With some reluctance, Maria turned off the facet and turned to face Unica who was still lingering near the table, shifting her weight nervously. The elder woman offered a warm, comforting smile; and with that, everything felt like it would be alright. Maria took the lead as she left the kitchen, made her way down the hall, and peered into each she passed while looking for Birdie along the way. While the Biyomon was known to have a loud mouth and a short temper, the apartment was largely silent, save for the sound of the two humans roaming the apartment and the gentle sound of the TV still on in the living room. Much to their surprise, the living room is exactly where they found Birdie. She had found the digivice, for it was grasped loosely in her claws, but she herself was too distracted by the television to notice that she now had company. Before Birdie arrived at the apartment window, when she was still flying over the city in a desperate attempt to locate her tamer, Unica had been sitting on the family room floor, doodling in her coloring book on the coffee table and watching some cartoons. In all the chaos, no one had gotten around to turning off the TV, and so it remained on. The show was about a family of dogs who learned important lessons in each episode. "Birdie?" Maria finally said, breaking the silence and announcing her presence. The avian Digimon turned around. "Can we talk?"
609 / 500 word count (unedited)
3 out of 3 daily posts
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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 25, 2020 21:55:28 GMT
After flipping off the television, Maria took a seat, and Unica joined her mother on the couch. Birdie opted to remain standing, as if the idea of taking a seat would suddenly render her defenseless. "Birdie," the elder woman began, receiving an annoyed glare in response. "I don't know how things are done in the Digital World, but right now, you're here. In my house. If you plan on staying here then there a few rules you will need to follow." "Unbelievable," Birdie huffed, though she didn't move or say anything else. "Rule number one, no hitting--" "You realize who you're talkin' to, right? I'm a Digimon! Fighting is what we do. It's how we survive," the hostile avian retorted, already taking offense. Unica tensed up a little, but Maria handled the outburst with ease. "I understand," she said with a slow nod, "but you don't need to do that here. We don't allow hitting, pushing, kicking, biting, or spitting. If we have a problem, we use our words." Birdie set her jaw and crossed her feathered wings over her chest. "Oh, I have plenty to say," she hissed. "The second rule is no cussing, no bad words. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all." "Maybe some people just need a thicker skin," the Digimon huffed. Once again, Maria nodded. She wanted Birdie to know that she was being listened to and her concerns were being taken into consideration. Having such a young child, she knew that many times, a tantrum could be avoided if the caretaker just stopped to listen. The problem was that parents and guardians often had knee-jerk reactions to outbursts, which usually only served to make matters worse. Maria hoped that by implementing similar strategies with Birdie, it would help. It did, but only a little. The Biyomon didn't appreciate being treated like a child who didn't know anything, but at the same time, Maria did make her feel more at ease... for some strange reason. "Maybe, maybe," the elder woman said in reply to the "thicker skin" comment, "But if it's in our power to make those around us feel safer then it's our responsibility to do so." Birdie gave her an annoyed, somewhat baffled look in response to this. Before she could even say anything, Maria was quick to speak up again. "I know what you're going to say, that things are different where you come from, all because you're a Digimon." "Yeah, and you're trying to make me act like a human," Birdie snapped. Maria frowned. "No... I'm sorry if I offended you. This is all very new to me. But I do know that I will not let someone stay here who does not follow these rules." She wanted to add that she wouldn't let her daughter spend time with anyone who continued to be an indecent and threatening individual, but she bit her tongue. It was obvious that Birdie was an emotional individual who took offense at just about everything. There was no reason to add a second ultimatum to the conversation.
517 / 500 word count (unedited)
1 out of 3 daily posts
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Post by Unica & Birdie on Nov 25, 2020 22:34:10 GMT
Birdie fell silent and shifted her attention back to Maria, who began to list off more rules. "Don't talk over someone. This includes shouting. In this house, we take turns when we want to talk to someone." "But you and daddy talk at the same time and yell really loud when you fight," Unica pointed out, looking up at her mom with confusion and curiosity. A smug grin crept across Birdie's beak as she looked to the elder woman for an answer to this hypocrisy. "Yes, thank you, Unica," Maria muttered with a sigh as she glanced down at her daughter. "Sometimes even mommy and daddy forget the rules," she explained. "Everyone makes mistakes, right? And that's okay." Unica paused a moment to consider what she was being told. Parents and other adults were the ones making the rules, right? So if they sometimes broke the rules then what did that mean? Although she was feeling somewhat unconvinced, the young tamer nodded to show that she understood what she was being told. Maria turned back to Birdie and reiterated the rule, "In this house, we try our best not to talk over each other or shout." "And the most important rule of all is to always say 'please' and 'thank you'," Maria said with a sense of finality. Birdie scoffed. "Seriously?" Unica nodded, and the elder woman answered. "Yes, seriously. People are more willing to help if you ask them to do something with 'please' and thank them afterwards." "Or you could just intimidate them into doin' whatcha want. Less work, same outcome," Birdie explained. Maria didn't nod this time. Instead, she frowned and let her eyebrows nestle together in a sorrowful display. There would be no easy way to fix the pink and blue Digimon's behavior, would there? "That's how you make enemies, not friends," she said. "So what? I don't need either," Birdie snapped. Unica grew visibly tense again upon hearing what her partner had to say. Maria noticed this out of the corner of her eye and was quick to offer a counterpoint. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but if you refuse to follow these rules then you won't be allowed to stay here," she reminded. "Yeah, fine," Birdie said with a roll of her eyes. "I don't wanna stay in this cruddy place anyway. C'mon, Unica." She uncrossed her arms tossed the digivice to the young girl. Unica caught it with ease then met her partner's gaze. It's true that she was intimidated by Birdie, and for that reason she felt compelled to cave, open a portal, and return to the digital world. And yet, she didn't want to. She felt safer here, by her mother's side. In search of confident and the right answer, Unica looked up at her mommy. Maria gave her child a pitiful look and shook her head every so slightly, urging her daughter to stay. That was all it took for Unica to stand in defiance against her digital partner. "No," she stated while turning back to Birdie. "Really? This again?" the Biyomon snarled. "I came all this way! I refuse to let this woman stand in my way." Maria cleared her throat, crossed her arms, and gave the avian a scolding look. In that very moment, it became clear to Birdie that she was in the minority here. Maria had set the rules, and unless she played along, Unica wouldn't budge.
572 / 500 word count (unedited)
2 out of 3 daily posts
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