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She is not a package! (Mae-Mae)
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Post by supesman on Aug 18, 2021 3:09:00 GMT
Terminus City was just like any other large settlement when you get right down to it, really. Sure, it was filled to one end with bugs and the other end with blob people, some denizens could fly or tunnel or stick to walls. But when you looked past the superficial science fiction that was the outermost layer of wrapping paper it was just another city, especially when the sun in the sky began to dip and the large chrome plated buildings cast long, swallowing shadows through the alleyways and side streets. Vultures dwelt there, scavengers and parasites the feasted on the weak and the downtrodden making meals of what meager wealth those who slipped through the crack scrambled for in order to keep themselves alive.
Mae-Mae was face to face with one of these predators, buzzing just above her height, it's serrated stinger tail gleaming a gold flecked silver in the dusk light bouncing from the towering obelisks above. She was packed against a wall, the sound of it's wings droning in her ears. She had nothing to give save the very data that made up her being and it seemed that that was what the wild eyed insect was after in the end, even as she cowered in it's ever growing shadow.
"Ok little thing, just close your eyes...I promise this won't hurt...to much..." It snarled, the mandibles that snapped and trembled with each word almost seeming salivate as they got closer...and closer...time slowing to a crawl as she pressed herself against hard, unforgiving brickwork. Suddenly a rushing of air and the hard THUNK of a dense object hitting home cut through the air and, should she open her eyes, she would see the remains of a brick, broken across the side of the insect monster's head, falling in a puff of dust to the street below.
"How coincidental you put it that way, punk..." Zack announced, standing in the opening of the alley, his full Digi Rider regalia gleaming like a knight's armor in the downward cast of the setting sun, a streak of light slicing down the black, piercing eyes of his fully covering helm making his voice sound deeper, slightly muffled, less than the full, squishy human he was. For a moment, he seemed like something else.
Marigold hovered beside him, her long crimson scarf snapping in the wind as she buzzed just beside his right shoulder, eyes narrowed but with a spark of some special emotion. A mix of recognition, confusion and an instinctual hate and fear that made every muscle in her body pull tight.
"Because we won't be able to say the same thing FOR YOU!" Marigold shouted, finishing her father's line as she bolted forward like a cannonball on a fresh charge of black powder, SLAMMING with a deafening and painful noise into a Digimon that could be her mirror double, crashing with him into the far wall as Zack bolted forward on his own jet of speed, not thinking as he scooped Mae-Mae up against his chest and made a bee-line for the edge of the alleyway. Dropping her off to spin and turn back to the fray.
He probably expected her to take off for the nearest safe place she could find.
He expected wrong.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 18, 2021 4:44:12 GMT
Terminus City was a place Mae-Mae liked best, of all the places she'd been. They were all really the best, but Terminus City was nice because it was big, shiny, full of life. A city full of life meant a city full of people to ask for things from... or to take things from if they were really mean and refused to share. Some might call this a mire of inequity that left the city divided into the starving, desperate masses and the regular folk just trying to make their way in life; not Mae-Mae though. Mae-Mae didn't tend to stick around one place, and it wasn't hard to stowaway on a Trailmon to Whitewater, where she spent most of her time nowadays, if only because of the friend she'd made in Surfimon.
That surfer digimon, while a beach bum, was a very powerful digimon in his own right. That meant, when Mae-Mae was in trouble, running away straight to Surfimon was a viable option, because of course, what digimon was going to pick a fight with Surfimon over a few ice pops, or a burger, or a half dozen pin-wheels or ribbons or whatever vanity item Mae-Mae had made off with?
The problem was that here, in the great Terminus City, with its towering skyscrapers clad in chrome, Mae-Mae had no such friends. Mae-Mae did not have a reliable digimon to run to for help if she got in over her head, and with the size of the city and the dangerous diversity of its dubious denizens meant that Mae-Mae, a girl already prone to finding trouble when she instead sought trinkets, was far more likely to find only the former -- especially as the hours and safety of daylight waned...
"H-hey! Th-There's no need t-to be scary! We-we can be friends!" Mae-Mae suggested, slowly backing away from the hideous mass of black-on-yellow. "Mae-Mae has l-leftovers! They were really yummy, y-you can have the rest! Mae-Mae was savin' some for tomorrow but s-since we're friends Mae-Mae will share some with you!" Mae-Mae offered, reaching into her knapsack to display a mostly eaten apple, a half eaten loaf of bread, and a small container of donut holes. This container was empty, but there was no well to tell until you held it! And what this digimon didn't wouldn't hurt Mae-Mae...
Of course, these things fell to the ground as Mae-Mae rushed away, crying, halfway because her findings for the day were dashed on the ground as Fanbeemon advanced on her. She kept her eyes shut, quite terrified of the buzzing bully, and ended up running into the wall of a building. She likely could just batter it down given it's brick-like solidity.
Mae-Mae whimpered, rubbing the tears in her eyes away desperately with her ears, the little lopmon preparing herself mentally for the ensuing violence, thinking that perhaps it may be better to de-digivolve to make an escape...
She didn't need to think long however, as the sound of a thunky thud of something hard, and heavy smashing against something bigger and heavier. At a guess? Some kind of pipe, or maybe a brick. Mae-Mae opened her eyes, briefly, if only to reorient herself. She went straight when she should have taken a left. At the exit of the alley she needed to reach was not one, but two more bugs! This was a nightmare!
The duo looked like more members of this Fanbeemon's gang, given they were literally a Fanbeemon differentiated only by a very heroic red scarf, and a taller fellow standing on two legs. Mae-Mae hadn't met a Stingmon before, but he sure looked like one. Maybe they were related... When the lesser bee charged all she could so was scream and duck hoping the digimon would fly over her -- and it did! It crashed into the adversarial Fanbeemon and the two went flying into a wall. Mae-Mae was relieved, until she was scooped up by the other big, bipedal bug. She squirmed a bit, until she realized she was squirming. As in; she was not dead! This bug digimon had scooped her up, carried her to the alleyway exit, then spun right back around, and ran back to join the fight...
It sure looked like a stingmon, but... not. It smelled like Sumi smelled! Like a Humon! Mae-Mae sat there at the edge of the alley, scampering just slightly out of sight from the alley proper. This was a good time to run but... if those two didn't win then Fanbeemon would win. And if Fanbeemon won, then Mae-Mae might be in this exact situation later! But... then there wouldn't be any weirdo bug people to save her that time! Mae-Mae peered back down the alleyway. First at her dashed provisions, then at the dynamic duo.
"Maybe I should do something..."
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Post by supesman on Aug 19, 2021 1:46:55 GMT
Zack moved like a flickering flame, his shadow bouncing from one edge of the wall to the other in the calm, firelight color of the sunset over their heads. Right now he and his daughter were all business, if there was a shock in his system at meeting the same species of Digimon that now stood by his side he didn't, couldn't, let it distract him. Not now when there was an innocent life hanging in the balance. He hadn't seen an image that leapt up and grabbed him by the heart strings like that little Lopmon since Marigold had appeared on his dorm room floor shivering from a lack of food and warmth. He was hard wired to protect the people who couldn't protect themselves and right now that meant putting down a bully. A task he took to with great relish, dodging stingers and swipes of the bronze colored, sharp tips of the insect Digimon's legs.
"Honey Bucket!" Marigold shouted, a common opening move in her tool belt, spitting up a large blob of glistening golden honey that stuck to the back of her opponent's shoulders, gumming up the mechanisms around the base of it's wings making flying a struggle and a chore. She didn't let up with her grappling and wrestling of her worse half either. They tumbled across the ground for a little bit, kicking up thick clouds of dust as they dragged one another back and forth along the uneven pavement, biting and scratching and stinging to the best of their ability.
Zack was mostly playing defense, standing between the seemingly rabid insect digimon and the exit of the alley. The problem with bad guys that can fly, especially if it could fly to half the extent that Marigold could if it got up and out of her hold they could easily lose it in the sky high spaces between the massive skyscrapers up above, leaving it free to poach some other unsuspecting Digimon for its lunch, one that wouldn't have the good luck of being near enough for the two vigilantes to hear the shouting.
he wasn't totally idle though, not with the way that Mae Mae was able to watch him move. His legs shot out like whips with enough strength and speed to make a harsh SNAP sound ring out through the air. One of his boot soles was glowing and sparking slightly, looking less like a real object and more like it was constructed from light. Every time the offending FanBeemon tried to struggle free or lash out with one of it's spear tipped legs, Zack's foot would shoot out with a ringing impact that made the rabid digimon squeal in pain as that harsh boot heel collided with the out stretched limb.
The fighting eventually became slower, little by little, inch by inch the rabid digimon's movements became lesser until eventually it was pinned underneath Marigold, one of her legs bent against the crook of the back of its neck, pinning its head to the ground.
"Alright sweetie...one...two..." he counted, slowly pulling a long, strong looking line from a device he unclipped from his belt, counting on his fingers for some sort of physical action that he had practiced with the FanBeemon beforehand. "...THREE!" he shouted and Marigold suddenly rolled all of her weight to one side, rolling onto her back with her captive still held tight in her legs, leaving it stuck like a turtle on its shell with all of its limbs up in the air. Zack grabbed a hold, the sharped claws of the insect digging into the material of his coat, making his cuss as the sharpened points hit home more than once before he was able to more or less hog tie the beat and toss it up against the brick wall to one side. Now that the main threat was dealt with, he had some...questions for this FanBeemon. But one of his first questions was answered instantly by the squirming bug.
"How can you do this to me?! For HIM! A HUMAN! You're one of us!" The carnivorous bee monster exclaimed. Both Zack and Marigold taking a step back in shock before Zack clutched his fist tight enough to make it shake.
"One of WHO exactly? Because I will tell you right here right now that my Marigold never had anyone but me." Zack said, jerking a gloved thumb at his own chest. Sure it sounded a little bit defensive of his relationship with his daughter but something in him was starting to boil, something that made him start to not think straight.
"W...who are you...where did we come from?" Marigold said, her voice smaller, almost quivering with confusion. A binding need to know the answer to her questions but also a sinking fear of what those answers may hold.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 19, 2021 15:51:54 GMT
Mae-Mae watched the fight unfold with invested interest. The difference in skill between the StingHumon and the FanMeanmon was clear, but the Fanbeemon in the scarf looked like it struggled. If only slightly. This fight was messy, the StingHumon kept his general position to prevent an escape, though Mae-Mae didn't know he planned to stop the escape of a digimon in flight. Did he have wings too?! Mae-Mae would believe it, with how quick he was to deflect blows swung at him with his red-hot feet!
Messy or not, the fight was going well. At least for the dynamic duo, the advantage of numbers was something Mae-Mae knew well, though if that StingHumon was a champion Mae-Mae didn't know why this was even a contest! Maybe he was helping the little hero Fanbeemon learn how to fight? That'd make sense, since the little bee was putting in the most offensive effort.
The fight was over before Mae-Mae could intervene. Mae-Mae had wanted to step in, return the favor, but she was also not sure how. Getting involved meant either very careful aim, or running in to take a swing! Both those ideas seemed like a bad idea. At least for now. Especially since by the time Mae-Mae had figured out she couldn't do much to help, the Bug Heroes had already strung up the assailant, assailB-BEE-nt? Mae-Mae set the idea of a new name for aggressive bees aside in favor of open mouthed awe of the cool combo move the team pulled off the wrap up the digimon in the first place!
"Wooooah..." she'd marvel in wonder as she waddled cautiously back into the alleyway. "That was cool..." Mae-Mae would mumble, loud enough to be heard, but the duo were also clearly in the middle of something with the restrained Meanie Bee, and Mae-Mae was just here to collect her ratty knapsack, which she picked up, only to discover it had a earned a hole in it - either from her dropping it when she ran or at sometime during the fighting.
This caused Mae-Mae to frown slightly, but she scooped it up in her ears to carry it, adding in any stray trinkets that had fallen out - a little toy car, a sleeve of crackers, and a canned drink of some kind of some sort.
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Post by supesman on Aug 20, 2021 0:01:21 GMT
All conversation stopped dead when Zack and Marigold noticed Mae-Mae waddle back into the alley, the shadows wisping around her as they grew longer and more stretched with each moment under the setting sun. Zack gave Marigold a look, she returned a nod. They both wanted to make sure that the insectoid assailant wasn't able to free himself while they weren't paying attention so Zack was the one to step away, walking up to Mae-Mae. He made gentle, wide movements, not taking any sharp motions toward her or doing anything fast enough to make the tiny, cocoa colored rabbit flinch. He hunched down until he could more easily look her in the eye through his visor.
"Hey there little one..." he said, again moving his hands with a slow and gentle grace up toward the bottom of his helmet. A soft click reverbed from one brick wall to the other before he used both hands to softly scoop the helmet off of his head and set it on the ground in front of him. he was now looking back at Mae-Mae with bright, icy blue eyes, the static from the helmet's inner lining making his mid length blonde hair stick up in spots. "Are you alright? Why are you hanging around like this?" he said, suddenly more invested in why she hadn't run to a safe place after he had set her down on the outside of the alley's mouth. "Do you need help?" he said, peaking over his shoulder to look at the pinned bee. Maybe there was more to the interaction he had stumbled upon than he thought.
"You...must be one of the abandoned ones..." The tied up FanBeemon said, only barely loud enough to make Zack's ear perk up as it spoke to Marigold. The captive insect Digimon chuckled, a laugh that got darker, more cruel and venomous with each breath. "No wonder the queen tossed you out. You DO look scrawny after all." He said.
Mae-Mae was close enough to watch Zack change with this new information. His fists clenched tightly, his kind, soft looking face twisted and tangled into a look of pure rage over his shoulder at the informant bee. His kind, glistening eyes became sharp enough that it seemed almost like he could kill with a look.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 20, 2021 1:59:18 GMT
The two heroes stopped talking immediately once Mae-Mae had made herself known, which in turn made Mae-Mae hiccup. She was quite unnerved by silence, and tried to avoid letting it linger - especially amongst the deepening shadows of twilight. The StingHumon wandered over to her, and she peered up at him with her glossy bright, dark eyes with curiosity. He was walking kinda funny, to her mind. Had he got hit? Mae-Mae fished into her sack as he crossed the distance for some kind of bandage. She vaguely remembered finding a few different things a few days ago. They might be a little ratty but they'd work fine, probably...
"Hey there little one..." the StingHumon said, again moving his hands slowly toward the bottom of his face. A soft click reverberated across the alley lightly before he used both hands to softly scoop his face off of his head - much to Mae-Mae's wonder.
He wasn't a StingHumon, he was a normal Humon in a funny hat! Well, a helmet, but a helmet was just a functional sort of funny hat really. It was enough to make Mae-Mae chuckle, if only because his hair looked funny. The Humon set his helmet on the ground in front of him and he fixed his eyes on Mae-Mae's.
"Are you alright? Why are you hanging around like this? Do you need help?" he rifled off all of a sudden! Mae-Mae looked down at her feet, lifted one ear to look at it, then the other, then she looked at her sides as best as she could, then spun around trying to look at her back to little success. "Mae-Mae seems fine! No funny feelings or nothin'. Thanks Mr.Humon!" Mae-Mae declared graciously. "Mae-Mae was just lookin' for a spot to stay tonight in case it rained or somethin'? Mae-Mae asked around but everybody told Mae-Mae no? So! Girl's gotta find a spot, ya know? And Mae-Mae is usually welcome with the Numemon in the sewers, Mae-Mae was worried about rain, so the sewers are a no-go." Mae-Mae explained with a very casual attitude, not at all really considering she just told a man she was looking for a dry alley to sleep in, and that she was so familiar with sleeping in the sewers that she was on friendly terms with the local Numemon... His last question was worth some thought though. Mae-Mae put her fingers to her chin and looked up in thought as she pondered - DID she need help? She could probably use that helmet, if only because it looked fun. She wouldn't say no to money, or food! But... the man had saved her life, that was already a pretty big debt and while Mae-Mae loved free stuff, how much more could she ask for before she was just taking advantage of his kindness? More than that, would he notice she was taking advantage of his kindness? "Mae-Mae won't say no to money! Or like, food... Or a place to stay! But like! Mae-Mae is still alive, so like, that's pretty ok for one night." she said, glancing to the now ruined "offering" she'd made to the Fanbeemon in exchange for friendship.
"You...must be one of the abandoned ones..." The tied up Fanbeemon mocked, The captive insect Digimon then laughed, which was definitely something strange from Mae-Mae's perspective, it was after all, hog-tied. It could probably be crushed like, well, a bug. "No wonder the queen tossed you out. You DO look scrawny after all." He finished.
"But... you're the one that lost." Mae-Mae commented idly as she leaned past the Humon to look and point at the tied up digimon in front of her, paying little attention to the Humon's balled up fists. "You're like, you took a tackle from like, an enemy who you like, totally saw coming? She sent you flying right into that wall, like, wham! You didn't even do anything..." Mae-Mae explained matter-of-factly, shaking her head. "Are you sure you weren't tossed out? You seem pretty flimsy." Mae-Mae added smugly, turning her gaze away and covering her mouth to counter-mock the restrained bug.
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Post by supesman on Aug 20, 2021 2:25:17 GMT
Again something about Mae-Mae seemed to take the duo's minds off of Marigold's double, even as he did his best to spit his venomous insults up at her. He knew that Marigold being abandoned like she had been was still her greatest, most gaping wound in life and being told she was too weak, too small, without even getting any real answers boiled her blood. but that was forgotten the moment Mae-Mae's words actually sunk in. Zack and especially Marigold stared at her, blinking in disbelief at how...casual she had admitted to being homeless, asking Zack for food, for money, or for some place to lay her head down. For god's sake she was trying to find a dry enough alley just to have somewhere to sleep. Zack turned back, fully facing Mae-Mae again, sitting down with his legs crossed. His face was a mask of concern and worry, like he was handling a small object made of glass.
"Darling are you...are you homeless?" He said, only the slightest edge to his otherwise totally soothing tone. This was the second time Zack had stumbled upon a young Digimon who seemingly had nowhere else to go. The second time a young girl that should have been too young to ever worry about food or money was being victimized by this digital realm that seemed to have as much capability for cruelty as it did for wonder and excitement. Zack stood up, holding out one finger, prompting Mae Mae to wait as he walked out and then back into the alley, now with a backpack slung over his shoulder. he set it down in front of her and unzipped the pocket on the top.
"Dad, give her my lunch. I can eat when we get home." Marigold said, her voice much smaller, still looking deeply at Mae Mae like she was unable to process both situations around her compacting on top of her at the same time. Another girl, around her same age who, somehow, had ended up abandoned just like her.
"Don't be ridiculous, Marigold. She's taking mine." He said, pulling out a series of plastic baggies. The first one with a pair of roast beef sandwiches, the second with some fresh cut strawberries and the third with long strips of chicken jerky. he also produced a large, full thermos full of water. "Here, Mae-Mae. Eat." He said, offering the large midday meal to her, no questions asked, no conditions given. He was assuming she was speaking about herself in the third person. "Stay right here while you eat ok? My daughter and I have to find out what this FanBeemon knows. I don't want to turn around and have you vanish on me ok?" He said, wanting nothing more than to reach out and wrap the little bunny up in his arms the same way he had a sobbing Marigold what seemed like a lifetime ago. He stood up, leaving his helmet there, facing Mae Mae, like an idol or a totem watching over her. "Also? My name is Zack." He said, looking back over his shoulder a few times before fully turning to face the captive digimon thug.
The trussed up FanBeemon seemed like he was just about to shout something threatening at the little rabbit digimon before Marigold callously reached out and SMACKED him across the face, quickly regaining his attention.
"I'm still talking to you, slimeball." Marigold said, clacking her mandibles together in a gesture that made a sound reminiscent of someone snapping their fingers to get attention.
"Hmph, not much to say runt. You must have been too small as a larva to be of much use. Queen Flymon tossed you out with the rest of the garbage. Too bad...so sa-GHK!" He was cut off by a sudden motion from Zack, pressing the heel of his hard light boot to the insect's throat, speaking very slowly, with a voice as cold as the grave and as sharp as a dagger.
"Can you take us there?...for your sake, you better answer my way." Zack said, his teeth gnashed together like a predator on the hunt. This was a personal vendetta and the smile that spread from one cheek to the other when the petrified bee slowly nodded could make an observer's blood run cold.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 20, 2021 5:25:15 GMT
The gathered duo stared at Mae-Mae, and Mae-Mae stared back. This moment of silence once again broken first by a short hiccup, then by the unmasked Humon; "Darling are you...are you homeless?" He asked, earning him another ponderous look from the floppy eared digimon.
"I... guess?" Mae-Mae mumbled, more to herself. Was that not normal? Most digimon she knew didn't have houses. The Numemon, Surfmon, Sumire the Humon... "That's not too uncommon though, like, after you leave the village of beginnings you're basically one your own! That's why a lotta digimon wander around." Mae-Mae explained.
The humon stood up, holding out his finger, pindicatinging Mae-Mae to stay put. Mae-Mae merrily plopped down on her rump and set down her sack in her lap - if she was going to be here a while, she may as well unpack. The duo almost huddled together, around a pack of some kind! That might also be a thing Mae-Mae could use. Would they part with it? Would it be tacky to ask for it? Mae-Mae would tuck that thought in the back of her mind for the moment.
"Here, Mae-Mae. Eat." The Humon said, offering a veritable feast of fruit, jerky and sandwiches to the chocolate bunny. Mae-Mae recoiled, her eyes widened and she looked around hurriedly as if to look for someone to share the news with. She grinned ear to floppy ear and didn't hesitate for a second, stuffing a whole sandwich into her face before anyone could say another word, giving two thumbs up, polite enough to not talk with her mouthful.
"Stay right here while you eat ok? My daughter and I have to find out what this FanBeemon knows. I don't want to turn around and have you vanish on me ok?" He said, as if knowing Mae-Mae would likely be done with this food well before he was done. "Also? My name is Zack." He finished - Zack was a very weird name, but he could have claimed to actually be a StingHumon and Mae-Mae wouldn't care - he was nice! And nice people were allowed to be weird.
The interrogation went forward without much investment from Mae-Mae, who was much too engrossed in her meal to care about the threatening duo that had given it to her or how they might even be confused for bad guys were anyone to stumble on this situation without context.
Mae-Mae was in fact finished well before Zack was done, well, mostly done. She was going to save the jerky for later. It did give her enough time to pull out the 'bandage' she'd been looking for - a fiber cloth, likely used for cleaning electronic screens. She had a few of them, as well as a box of band-aids, though the band-aids in it were tiny ones. Still, they weren't much use to Mae-Mae as she ran more than she fought. She left these things in the helmet, which Mae-Mae didn't try to put on her head despite her very clear desire to do so.
"Thanks for the food Mr. Zack! Mae-Mae'll make sure to make the rest of it last till Mae-Mae gets back to-wait... did he say Flymon?" Mae-Mae asked with a curious, quiet tone. "Flymon is a really big digimon, Mr.Zack. Don't let him bein' scared of you fool you, if I were him, I'd be hoping you let me lead you back to them. Then the numbers would be even, and he'd have a big, scary, ugly digimon that could gobble you up in one big bite on his side!" Mae-Mae warned, having some experience with doing exactly that strategy. "Maybe it'd be better to just delete him and move on. You could probably pick up his leftover memories if you just absorbed his data after you did." Mae-Mae would casually suggest, effectively, if unintentionally, adding to the interrogation by suggesting that not only would it be a bad idea to leave the digimon alive, but that they may not need him alive at all...
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Post by supesman on Aug 21, 2021 4:18:24 GMT
The knowledge that a large chunk of young Digimon were just tossed out on their rears the moment the Village of Beginnings was finished with them seemed to be news that hit Zack like an oncoming train. The color faded from his face as he walked over to Mae-Mae, holding up one hand as he hunched down, hesitating, twitching for a moment before cursing to himself under his breath. Both of his arms wrapped up around Mae-Mae and before she knew it she would be pressed up against his chest, feeling the warmth of the man through the smooth golden finish of his leather jacket.
"You...poor things...you poor things." he said softly, right next to his ear as he held her tightly, like he was afraid she would slip away the moment he loosened his grip. His voice made it sound like he was only moments away from crying. The idea that this world was full of Digimon just like Marigold who were hungry and cold with nowhere in the world to turn, it broke his heart. he pushed Mae-Mae out, holding her at arm's length and looking into her eyes, with a serious but calming rationality. "Mae-Mae...you don't have to live like that...like THIS. Saving food, scrimping and saving for scraps. I won't allow it." he said, getting down onto his knees so that he could be as level with her eyes as possible, looking her over, the small smears of dirty water and grease, the tufts of uneven, dusty fur. "If you'll have me, Mae-Mae, I promise that you won't have to wander anymore. That you can have food, and water and warm blankets. I'm going to make this right, for you and for as many digimon like you as I can." He said, making a promise to himself, a desire sparked in him, an anger at the world's injustice to people like Marigold and Mae-Mae while monsters like the hive this FanBeemon came from were allowed to swoop down out of the blue and prey on the helpless.
Marigold, for her part, got wide, gaping eyes at Mae-Mae's suggestion to just totally terminate and basically devour the FanBeemon. The exact same sort of thing that the FanBeemon would have done to her if she and Zack hadn't come along. But what shook her to the core about it was that that survival instinct, the drive to do whatever it took to live another day no matter what was something she had experienced before and she still remembered how it felt. Zack's face filled with even more dread and despair on Mae-Mae's behalf.
"Mae-Mae we don't...we don't DO that sort of thing." Marigold explained, leaving their prisoner tied and shaken where he was, walking up beside her father. "My dad and I...we're heroes. We try out best to help people, we can't do that if we just turn around and do exactly what they would do to us or to people like you. That's just make us another pair of thugs out in the world causing pain. My dad says an eye for an eye..." She began to say before Zack stood up, rummaging in his backpack again and pulling out a handful of wet wipes that he began to use to clean Mae-Mae's face and hair. Doting on the little digimon like she was made of fine china.
"An eye for an eye...leaves everyone blind." He said, looking down at the floor, silently shaming himself for the pleasure he had taken in extracting information from the defeated insectoid thug. "Mae-Mae, hurting someone because they hurt you don't make anything better, it just ends up with everyone feeling the same pain. I want you to come with us to this hive because I want you to see that you can solve problems without needing to hurt others the same way you've been hurt. I couldn't stand it if you came away from this thinking that the only reason you owe me, or that you owe me at all, is because I hit someone you didn't like."
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 21, 2021 17:44:31 GMT
Zack draped both of his arms around Mae-Mae. She was only partially surprised by this, but she was an adept cuddler and while her hands were preoccupied with food, the large, soft, delightfully fuzzy ears her species was known for was especially useful for tasks such as this - returning hugs. Mae-Mae was pulled right up against the glossy gold of Zack-Humon's chest and it would be a lie if this wasn't a face way to her little heart, shoving gold in her face. "Aww! It's ok Mr.Zack! Mae-Mae's only poor at the moment, Mae-Mae get money! That's the easy part~" she'd said with a reassuring tone, in a sage-like manner - as if Zack was the one who needed this hug, for as far as Mae-Mae was concerned, he was! Given how desperately he embraced her, earning him a soft gasp of surprise from his earnest, deep embrace.
When he pushed the coco coated digimon away she'd look at his firm grip on her. Then came his heartfelt confession...
Mae-Mae wasn't callous, at least, she didn't see herself as such. This was a very serious thing... for him. While he was on his very knees, promising to take care of not just Mae-Mae, but all the wandering digimon out there, Mae-Mae wasn't going to interrupt him. It seemed this was important to him. Not just the idea, but the saying it.
She'd scoff benignly as she finished up her bite of food and wiped her mouth with her ear. She gave the blonde human a sweet, sideways smile, and patted his cheeks with her paws, gently patting them with wide hug like wind-ups. "Good boy~ Let it all out. Feel better now?~" she'd ask with a tinge of smugness tainting her genuine concern. Mae-Mae was not stranger to being a cuddle bunny, it was a great way to make bits while also meeting basic needs. Even humons needed some creature comfort, it seemed... "Mae-Mae wants a hampfy life too, not just for Mae-Mae, but also for Mae-Mae's friends! But..." Mae-Mae said, shaking her head "Mae-Mae isn't ready to get married." she'd say with a knowing smile, having taken Zack's proposal as a proposal
The wide-eyed expression from the hero bee made Mae-Mae wonder if she'd said the right thing. Was the bee hoping for a bunny mummy? Mae-Mae knew she was wise beyond her years, but they were probably about comparable in age, Mae-Mae could never see the hero bee as a child - least of all her child. It wasn't until she and Zack chimed in with their lectures that Mae-Mae would understand why the duo were so shocked by the truths Mae-Mae had shared.
Mae-Mae mouthed an "Ooooh" as Zack groomed her - she must had gotten dirty in the alley when she ducked. "Oh no! Mae-Mae doesn't wanna beat up anybody! Mae-Mae hates fighting, it's messy! Mae-Mae thinks it's best to like, avoid scuffles, ya know? Making friends is much better! But... like..." She'd gesture to the bound bee "Some digimon don't wanna be friends! And that's ok, Mae-Mae knows not everybody is ready to be friends. Mae-Mae doesn't wanna hurt people just cuz they wanna hurt Mae-Mae. If Mae-Mae did that, Mae-Mae would wanna hurt a lot of people." the lopmon explained happily, hoping to clear up the apparent misunderstanding.
"Mae-Mae's just sayin' like, he's probably gonna betray you. That's a problem, born from a problem, that wouldn't be a problem if ya solved it. Mae-Mae was just sayin' you should either keep an eye on him, or there was like, a way to solve this problem before it makes more problems... Especially since you seem set on solving the problem that made this problem!" Mae-Mae explained, gesturing to the villainous bee.
The request reached Mae-Mae's ears as and it made her wince. "Mae-Mae doesn't like, like, like..." Mae-Mae shook her head to dislodge the looping thought. "Mae-Mae isn't going because you hit somebody, Mae-Mae doesn't care who you hit. Mae-Mae doesn't care if this bee tried to eat Mae-Mae! That's life." Mae-Mae explained, trying to illustrate her ambivalence to her aggressor. "Mae-Mae thinks this is a dumb idea. Mae-Mae is going because Mae-Mae is really good at running away! So, when you realize that this is a bad idea, Mae-Mae will be here to save you, like you saved Mae-Mae." Mae-Mae declared proudly. "Plus, if you're not gonna keep an eye on him, Mae-Mae will! Maybe he'll be Mae-Mae's friend now." Mae-Mae said with a roll of her eyes.
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Post by supesman on Aug 22, 2021 1:55:14 GMT
Zack looked deeply into Mae-Mae's eyes when it dawned on him what the actual misunderstanding between the two of them was. His face got a little bit more red, his cheeks puffed out, his torso shook for a moment as if he was trying to hold something back before, all at once, he clapped one of his hands against the flat of his chest and threw his head back.
"HAHAHAHAHA...oh my god I...HAHAHAHAHA!" he said, letting out a deep, bellowing laughter that was so violent and constricting to his chest and lungs that he nearly toppled backward without the help from marigold placing a hand on his lower back in order to keep him from slamming down onto his butt right in the middle of the alley. The laughing easily went on for a minute nearly uninterrupted until there was no more sound coming out, Zack doubled over with his hands on his knees, wheezing and coughing through the last dregs of the violent chortle. "hehe...I'm sorry, *cough*...I'm sorry, Mae-Mae I'm not laughing AT you I just.." He cleared his throat and took in a deep breath, having to push himself back up to his full height. "Mae-Mae I'm not asking you to MARRY me, I'm asking you to let me take care of you the same way I take care of Marigold." he said, gesturing down toward his daughter. "To let me give you a place to live where you won't have to worry about food or water or money or heat." He said, sniffing and wiping his nose on the top side of his sleeve, grinning from ear to ear as he got the last of the giggles out of his system. "Woof...I NEEDED that. You're funny little lady, very, very funny." he said, patting her softly on the head. All the intensity and grim determination that the discovery of more of Marigold's origin seemed to melt from out of his veins, replaced with the good natured humor that was generally more his speed.
"Mae-Mae...we're not going to "solve" this problem by hurting people. Because hurting people doesn't solve problems, it just makes more that you have to deal with later." Marigold said, as Zack bent down to scoop up his helmet, putting it on as he hooked his arm into the loops of the FanBeemon's hogtied bonds, tossing him over his shoulder like a cheap satchel. "You can't answer violence with greater violence, because revenge never ends. They hurt you, you hurt them back, they hurt you back, you hurt them back, on and on and on forever until nobody remembers where the blood started or how to stop it." She said, hovering above Mae-Mae, seemingly accepting her demand to be brought along by picking her up and plopping her comfortably in the largest pocket of Zack's backpack. Zack nods along with his daughter's assessment.
"The only way to save lives in the long run is to meet hatred with kindness. To change hearts and minds. And the only way to change hearts and minds is to be vulnerable, to show mercy, to leave yourself open to being hurt by people who don't care about being better. But that's ok, even if I get hurt by holding out my hand, i'll offer it, all over again." he said, speaking the words with total conviction as he used his free arm to hook his backpack and Mae-Mae along with it onto his other shoulder, carrying her on his shoulder opposite the tied up insect digimon. "You're right, making friends IS better, but sometimes making friends is hard." he said, seemingly finishing up his thoughts on the subject as they began walking out of the alley. Zack elbowed the tied up insect thug, making a slight yelp come from the formerly tough and predatory digimon as he began giving direction in a small, soft voice, Zack turning and searching street signs along with the directions.
Marigold buzzed just over the shoulder where Mae-Mae's backpack seat was being carried, keeping a close eye not only on their new rabbit charge but also on their prisoner. just because her father was trusting enough to bring him along didn't mean that Marigold was stupid enough to leave him unattended. The math said that Mae-Mae was most likely right, nine times out of ten they would end up getting burned by putting the smallest amount of trust in the tied up digi-villain, but they were going to anyway, if only to prove a point of being better than him.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 23, 2021 4:25:13 GMT
All the lecturing was starting to bore Mae-Mae. Her attention span was already very selective, and hearing the same flawed rationale over and over was enough to rot it away. She focused on other things in this moment, like enjoying the cuddling she was getting! reveling in affection was her strongest skill, in her opinion, so she'd coo merrily and return the affectionate patting of her head by nuzzling into that hand, and giddily cheering as she was lifted up and placed into a backpack. It was a bit of work to get comfortable, but she managed. She could probably sleep here, if she wanted. Wouldn't be a terrible time for a nap either...
Mae-Mae's head rested neatly on Zack's, her ears drooping to either side of his head. "Mae-Mae's just gonna pretend to be sleepin', ok? Don't worry. Mae-Mae will aaaaactually be awake, and ready to run away when the-" Mae-Mae would yawn and nestle her weary head more earnestly on Zack's "When the time is right..." she mumbled as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
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Post by supesman on Aug 23, 2021 13:38:13 GMT
Zack and Marigold couldn't help but smile at the young bunny as she nestled herself into the lining of the backpack and up against the shoulder of Zack's jacket. The sudden ramp of adrenaline and stress that had come over her all at once had probably wiped the cute little thing out. Marigold reached down with the points at the ends of her legs, hooking them into the holes of the zippers on either side of Mae-Mae, zipping them up, softly, slowly and quietly so that the pocket would close up to Mae-Mae's shoulders, leaving her nestled, tight and warm within the backpack pocket.
The hiking continued for a couple of hours at least as Zack followed the directions of the insectoid captive thrown over one shoulder, the only thing that might jostle Mae-Mae awake was a sudden stop at the end of the tip.
"Holy crap..." Zack would say, looking up at the "hive" casting a shadow down on top of them. Honeycombs and wax extensions jutting out of holes in a three story wooden building, seemingly abandoned by the tides of time, even if it was close enough to Rosewood to spot the town over the eve of the closest hills.
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Mae-Mae
Rookie
Posts: 34
OOC Name: Nina
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Post by Mae-Mae on Aug 25, 2021 7:02:01 GMT
Mae-Mae dreamed of many things as she napped. Mostly sweets,being lavished in wealth, and sleeping. Such were her simple fantasies and desires. Zack's offer satisfied those things, but Mae-Mae's greatest love, besides material wealth and possessions and affection, was travel. While the idea of being a super hero was novel, the bunny dreamed of a life without conflict. A life where she was much too beloved and popular for anyone to want to hurt her, or stop her from taking whatever she wanted. This wasn't much in line with her view of what the Bug Battlers wanted to do.
As Mae-Mae slept, she'd mumble idly about her dreams... "Don't be silly Monzemon, Mae-Mae loves cake... King Etemon how generous of you, of course Mae-Mae will wear your crown... Miss Ofanimon what a lovely... lovely wheel you have...wheeeeeee~"
The dreams were going well, Mae-Mae ascending the heights of power in the digital world as she saw them. She was speeding around on the mythical Ophanimon's wheel when it came to screeching halt, jerking the rabbit back to the waking world;
"Huh? Wha?! Mae-Mae wasn't sleepin'! F-Fooled y-" Mae-Mae protested sleepily, then yawned. As she did, she got a good look at the 'hive' in question. "Fooled you..." she finished, a slight hint of fear in her voice. "Yup. That's a spooky hideout. Hiveout..." Mae-Mae mumbled, nodding her head.
"Now! This would be a good time to run away, if you just wanted to see what this was." Mae-Mae explained with her experienced tone. She had promised them to coach them on the finer points of cowardice. "Nobodiy has seen us, we've seen that this place is real real big and the loot would be pretty hard to find or get to, so! It's a perfectly fine time to leave." |
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Post by supesman on Aug 26, 2021 20:55:06 GMT
Zack could hear Mae-Mae's protests over his shoulder as she squirmed back to life, her hands and feet pushing against the books and other supplies in his backpack. All of her words did physically connect with his ears. But Zack was not in the mood to be making logical, sound decisions right at the moment. He had tracked down the bastards who had tossed his little girl aside like garbage and that was the only idea that was running back and forth inside his mind. he stooped, gently, slowly setting Mae-Mae down with the backpack so as to not jostle her. He wordlessly approached the hive, hefting the tied up Fanbeemon in both hands before winging it, overhand, with a violent and shocking force THROUGH one of the Hive's first story windows.
"Hey!" He barked, the rashness of his actions seeming to stun even marigold, who figured herself mostly immune to being shocked by her father's poor decision making skills by now. "Whoever's in there, you and I need to have a very long, very unpleasant CHAT!" He said, a rage and a toxic anger bubbling up in his every word as he spoke, the idealism and light of a would be superhero replaced with the anger of a father protecting his baby.
The building rumbled, a massive hole in the roof casting shadows back and forth as something massive moved, just out of sight until two long, black claws emerged, followed by a spiky beaked maw and large, purple wings. Queen Flymon in all her glory, her predatory, bloodletting glory.
"You must be either exceptionally brave, human...or ungodly stupid." She bellowed, her voice deep enough to rock the ground as she looked down at the leather clad upstart who had just tossed one of her drones through her window like an egg against the house of a neighborhood pariah.
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