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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 16, 2021 22:54:18 GMT
Late at night a few weeks since the last incident with FlameWizardmon and Kshin leaving on his own, Mandrake was driving down a poorly maintained road in the Server Woods. He and Lothar were heading to his father's place in the Village of Magic. As Mandrake paid attention to the road Lothar looked in the backseat where red egg with a black hazard symbol on it was nestled in a carseat wrapped in Mandrake's cape. The egg having been created roughly a week after Kshin left and was already rather vigorous. It had only been created two weeks ago and seemed eager to hatch because it had been moving a lot on and off all day when they had began their journey. They merely wanted to find a safe place for their child to be born but as the egg was wiggling more than ever it was likely the young one would be born that night at earliest.
"Perhaps we should find a spot to camp for the night, Mandrake. If we don't the little one will likely leave a mess in the car while hatching." Lothar suggested causing Mandrake to sigh.
"You're right, old friend, I just hoped to be at least out of these woods before the little one hatched." Mandrake said as a soft squeak came from the egg that was more like a whisper. Fortunately they soon came upon a clearing with a small pond surrounded by beautiful white lillies. Coming to a stop near a tree, Mandrake got out of the car and went over to the egg unstrapping it from the carseat and lifting it into his arms. Lothar, meanwhile was arranging one of the thermal blankets to make a nest for the egg still wrapped in Mandrake's cape.
As Lothar left to retrieve food and firewood Mandrake set the egg on the improvised nest and sat down not far from the egg. Reaching over to the egg he rested a hand on it feeling it wiggle in response. He had been telepathically aware of the young one a week and a half ago and hadn't told Lothar that the child was female. He would when the Leomon returned though.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 22, 2021 20:11:32 GMT
It's been a week since the last encounter with the Feral Tribes, the one where Hans met Kazumi. The fruits the digimons had discovered there were unique in sense of their properties. Walzman even took some examples to a chemical laboratory in Shibuya, discovering facts like golden apples had a more gold portion in them, hence their color. However, the tamer never seriously thought that Feral Tribes had gone. Perhaps, they laid low, still keep gathering for something bigger. And maybe Hans would forget about them completely until yesterday he overheard that someone saw one of the tribes in the Server Woods. Hans couldn't ignore that and decided to check it on his own. He didn't care if he really can encounter them or not, he simply wanted to be sure that the woods were safe.
The duo had arrived an hour prior to Mandrake and Lothar. Hans and Renamon (still in the Digivice) decided to watch for a potential enemy from the top of trees as the Swiss guy was sure that if anything, Kitsune can strike first. Walzman even brought a traditional ninja suit with him as he continued his Ninpo training. That means now he was totally black, only a sword was missing in order to call himself a true ninja. Because, even if his attack fail, his face won't be unveiled. However, after an hour passed sitting on the top of Woods, Renamon had informed her partner that she sensed a strong digimon's presence. Hans had no choice but to release the vixen. Moving from a tree to a tree over branches like a monkey, the source of the signal was finally located.
"Hey! Your name is Mandrake, isn't it?". Hans asked after he swiftly descended from a tree. His fox, however, decided to stay on top to guard the surroundings and in case her loyal partner will fail with guessing. The tamer had seen the Leomon, but he wasn't totally sure it was actually Lothar. It could be just another Leomon. So he remained on a tree branch with the mask still on his face. Of course, he hadn't seen Wizardmons in the Feral Tribes ranks, but that didn't mean there were none of them.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 22, 2021 22:09:26 GMT
As Mandrake waited for Lothar to return he felt two mental presences approaching him, one was human and one was digimon. This caused him to remove his hand from the egg it was resting on, grab his staff, and swiftly rise to his feet standing protectively near his and Lothar's unborn offspring while, as if sensing Mandrake's distress, the egg wiggled in response and a soft reptilian squeak was heard. When a human decended from the trees in front of him he held his staff defensively in front of him. His sapphire blue eyes were narrowed in suspicion and he called out to Lothar telepathically informing the Leomon of the intruders in the camp and that he could only see one of them.
When the mask stranger called him by name in a familiar voice, Mandrake said "Yes, my name is Mandrake. Is that you Hans?"
Meanwhile Lothar was heading back for camp with an armful of firewood and some fish he found in a river stored in the infinity store so he could have one hand free incase of trouble. He was glad he did as he heard Mandrake telepathically calling out to him it caused him to run back for camp wood still in one arm while resting his free hand on his sword. Seeing the stranger in the clearing he dropped the firewood and sprinted to Mandrake's side hand still resting on his sword when two familiar scents caught his attention. "Hans?" Lothar asked sounding confused that he was dressed in such a manner but still removed his hand from his sword since Kitsune's scent was also noticeable despite the vixen not being visible.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 23, 2021 15:48:02 GMT
"Yes, I'm. Surprised, don't you?". The Swiss ninja said, revealing his face and landing on the ground, leaning against the tree trunk. His vixen was about to follow her master but Hans showed that's everything under control with a hand gesture, and then returning to the conversation. It was a relief that it was Mandrake and not other Wizardmon as the tamer would be forced to retreat. He was about to ask what the duo doing so late in the wood, but the egg came to his attention. It was almost, if not the same in size as his Renamon. "What are you doing here so late with this... egg? Yesterday I heard about some hostiles in this area."
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 23, 2021 23:18:19 GMT
"I sure am surprised but in a pleasant way since when we last met it was under less then ideal circumstances. As for hostiles I haven't sensed any but if they are out here I will be telepathically aware of them when they get close enough." Mandrake said as Hans made his way down and removed his mask. Lothar had calmed down and was going about quietly starting a campfire in the meantime. When the Leomon got it burning at a steady amount he set his backpack down and began pulling the fish he caught out of the backpack and prepping them for cooking. There were quite a bunch of fish but in their case it was always best to have more than they needed incase they could not find food. Cleaned and ready for cooking Lothar put them over the fire to cook.
When Hans noticed the egg which was about the size of an ostrich egg and asked about it. Mandrake glanced at the red egg still wrapped in his cape before turning to Hans and said "Lothar and I were heading to my father's village with our new egg and when it appeared it would hatch before we reached the village by morning we decided to stay here the night before moving on." Then he looked over at Lothar and said "Speaking of the little one, Lothar it seems we are having a daughter."
Lothar snapped his head up from the fire and asked "What? Really? Are you sure, Mandrake?"
Mandrake nodded before he said "I have been telepathically aware of her for a awhile now and it seems she has chosen to identify as female."
"Do you have any idea on what we should name her?"
"Unfortunately not but we should at least plan out a few names for any potential future kids."
"That's a good idea, Mandrake. Would be easier than pulling a name out of thin air." Lothar said as their unborn daughter's egg wiggled a bit as if responding to those around them.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 24, 2021 18:42:50 GMT
"Digimons can choose their gender? Cool.". The Swiss guy said, as his mind and gaze were focused on the campfire and only his hearing was the sense he was paying attention to. The way he spoke sounded a bit empty and was barely expressing sympathy, but that's because he knew the deal with egg is none of his business. But since Mandrake could sense approaching enemies, patrolling the area was useless, meaning Hans can spend some time with two digimons for a while. Besides, talks around a campfire were a thing he really was missing since the end of his conscription. Perhaps, Renamon has got it and resolved to join the company around the fire, just when the Wizardmon started to talk about naming.
"I was always curious why Hans called me like this. Turned out it had some deep roots with humans' mythology . If only you could know how many images it has. Mine is one of those.". The vixen said, taking a seat around. That has impressed her partner a bit, yet he remained mute as he had nothing to say. In fact, Hans was interested in the process but simply didn't know if he needs anything to do.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 24, 2021 20:49:15 GMT
"Yes, Hans. Though digimon are technically genderless it is not uncommon for us to choose a gender identity at a young age." Mandrake said in response to Hans' question regarding choosing genders. "Digimon, like humans, also usually reproduce with a partner involved. In a digimon's case regardless of the gender the two digimon identify as it requires love between them. Not like humans who just need one male and one female love or not."
Kitsune came down from the tree wondering why Hans named her the way he did. "Kitsune, if I recall, is the Japanese word for fox. It sounds at first like it lacks subtlety but one look at Japanese mythology would say otherwise. After visiting Shibuya a few times I learned a little human mythology myself and foxes were capable of great and varied powers and had long lifespans as well." Mandrake went silent for a moment before he then said "Names can be a fascinating thing. I learned from my father that my mother named me so I have no idea why my mother chose my name either."
While Lothar tended to the food cooking the egg started to wiggle its movements becoming more frequent than before as well as what sounded like impatient squeaking. The movement gradually picked up until the egg rolled free from Mandrake's cape and off the thermal blanket heading toward the fire. Spotting this at the last moment Mandrake leapt for the egg and scooped it up in his arms the egg still wiggling. Looking at the red egg he saw some cracks forming in the egg. It wouldn't be long before the little one would be born.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 24, 2021 22:12:52 GMT
"Wow! Generally speaking, you're right. Even though it has a second meaning, but that's whole another story. But you might enjoy fairy tales of Nordic nations. Those are really interesting. You even can find a description of yourself.". Hans commented, referring to one of the most famous character of Britain folklore. Namely, the wizard named Merlin. He had no doubt he would be surprised at how similar they're in terms of skills and even possessions. "Anyway, you've said you're going to your father's village. Send him my regards and let him know I'm open for any cooperation."
Walzman wanted to something, but Mandrake's short performance with the egg had interrupted him. He had no choice but to see what's coming.
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 24, 2021 22:51:24 GMT
"Humans do have some interesting stories including tales of demons and sorcerers of many kinds but for digimon those tales seem to have taken up a life of their own in the form of various digimon. Shows how close the two worlds are doesn't it?" Mandrake said next. "As for my father I will send him your regards though I'm sure since he is more open with his telepathy than I am he will know of you when Lothar and I get close enough to his home."
More cracks formed along the egg as the wiggling intensified making it tricky for Mandrake to hold onto the egg so he sat down near the fire so he could balance the egg on his lap. Just then what looked like a red ear like structure poked out of one of the holes in the egg followed by a squeak of frustration before the body part pulled back into the egg. Then one mighty thump into the cracked shell later sent pieces of eggshells scattering all over the campground revealing a Jyarimon covered in goop from the egg sitting in Mandrake's lap with her eyes closed fussing.
Lothar approached the messy and fussy baby digimon and scooped her up before he said "I'll take her over to the lake to clean her up and when I'm done I'll bring her back so you can clean up your clothes, Mandrake."
"Probably a good idea, old friend." Mandrake said as he noticed the messy remains of the egg all over his lap. At least it wasn't that bad. Looking in the direction of the lake he heard their daughter making unhappy squeaks clearly not enjoying being washed as much as she hated being messy. Maybe the water was too cold for her liking. He watched as Lothar seemed to be trying to stop the little one from hopping away and apparently was successful as he returned a short time later holding the little Jyarimon in the palm of one of his hands. This time the newborn's eyes were open and they were the same shade of sapphire blue as Mandrake's. There was something in the little one's mouth as well and upon closer inspection it appeared to be one of the lilies growing near the lake. The young one was holding the flower by the stem quietly sucking on it like it was a pacifier.
Seeing Lothar sit down near the fire while placing their child on his lap, Mandrake got up and briskly walked over toward the lake to clean up his clothes and a short time later he returned sitting next to Lothar and their new daughter. Mandrake reached over and gently picked her up and the child didn't so much as release the lilly in her mouth as she was still sucking on the stem. At least lilies weren't poisonous to digimon so Mandrake rested her into the crook of his artificial limb.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 25, 2021 15:10:27 GMT
"So, what you're going to do now, as the hatching process is over? To the village?". The ninja asked, still pondering on how to keep the conversation. Part of his silence was his severed sense of empathy. It wasn't totally gone, but one shouldn't expect a lot of comments regarding anything beautiful. In fact, Hans was somewhat afraid Mandrake and Lothar would think about him as a weirdo. However, his mind was constantly telling him that it didn't matter at all. "She's cute, I admit it."
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 25, 2021 18:05:30 GMT
What was next? Good question but Mandrake only had one answer. "Since Lothar and I were thinking of camping out here tonight before heading out in the morning I was thinking get some food in us before setting up to go to sleep. It's not like this is the first time Lothar and I have camped out with a baby digimon with us."
As Lothar was checking on the fish he set to cook, he said "Now all we have to do is come up with a name for the little one. We can't exactly show up to your father's village with his new granddaughter before that is done."
"True enough." Mandrake said as he looked down at the content infant in the crook of his arm still suckling on the stem of the lilly. Wait that's it. "How about we call her Lilly."
"Seeing as your name is also the name of a tree that's got a nice ring to it, Mandrake. Lilly it is." Lothar said hearing the newly named Lilly begin to fuss again and both Mandrake and Lothar had a feeling they knew why. It seemed Lilly had built up quiet an appetite from hatching as her stomach began to audibly rumble.
"Sounds like Lilly has inherited your appetite, Lothar." Mandrake flatly stated before he asked "How are the fish coming along?"
Looking back to the fish Lothar poked at them for a moment before he said "Looks like the fish are done."
Seeing the amount of fish Lothar had brought was quite a lot for two adult digimon and one newborn, Mandrake asked "Hans, Kitsune, would either of you like to have some fish as it seems we have more than enough to get to my father's village with room to spare?" Then his thoughts drifted back to the day when he and Hans first met. In the chaos of dealing with FlameWizardmon he didn't say anything at the time because he was otherwise too stressed to comment to much on it. "Hans, I am curious but did you used to be in the military? When we met you seemed to be able to strategize better than some humans and you didn't appear too weirded out by finding a naked man somewhere on the street."
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 25, 2021 22:19:00 GMT
The moment the smell of roasted fish started to kick in, Hans' memory came into action. Since he was an army cook, even for a year, he couldn't just sit straight doing nothing. Therefore when Lothar offered some fish, the Swiss guy looked at the trees next to them. It turns out all of them were alders or seems to be because leaves looked very similar. It wasn't that much, but he knew how good a fish smell when being wrapped in the leaves of the aforementioned trees. It won't even take too much time, but the taste would be much better.
"Lothar, can you wrap those leaves around fish? I suggest waiting a little more, so the fish can soak up the smoke and roast a bit better. You'll like it, trust me.". Hans asked, handing leaves he collected. This is when Mandrake asked about the most sensitive topic. It was interesting to be asked about this from a digimon, but it was a thread on which Hans could talk forever. After all, he was seriously considering continuing his service, if the Digital World didn't happen with him. And since they got some spare minutes, Walzman decided to shed some light on the military service. "Yes, Mandrake, and technically I'm still a soldier. But see, militaries are people with a very specific mindset. They're very responsible and act with no emotions. More so, they suppress their feelings and emotions most of the time and operate over the strict set of rules and laws. But planning ahead is a trait everyone can develop, not only militaries. The difference is how important it is for you."
"So that's why you're sometimes being overprotective, Hans? Admit it, you enjoy it.". Renamon asked smiling, pointing to the way on how her master discusses every battle they had or will have. Hans literally acted as if they were in a war. One part of that was because Walzman has a curious mind. The second part was his vixen who he treated as a star.
"Overprotective? Not at all. More like to help you to keep your sense of self-preserve. Because being driven by emotions, people start doing things they never wanted or thought they would never do. Human history is a good but sad example.". Hans answered in a friendly manner, but then pick the scent of smoke, emitting from the fish. It smelled just as the Swiss guy expected. "Smells nice, isn't it?"
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 25, 2021 22:51:39 GMT
When Hans suggested wrapping the fish with leaves Lothar excepted the leaves from Hans. "I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a try." Lothar said as he began wrapping the leaves around the fish. Apparently Hans knew a bit about cooking likely more than Lothar which wasn't a problem for him in the slightest.
Lilly, meanwhile, fussed impatiently. She wasn't screaming but still clearly unhappy about having to wait to eat. "It's okay, Lilly, we'll be eating soon." Mandrake said in a calm voice in an attempt to somewhat sooth his daughter.
Mandrake listened to Hans talking about the military even confirming his educated guess that Hans was or still was a soldier. "I understand militaries are necessary to the defense of countries but judging by what you said regarding suppressing emotions then that alone would make a military career not for me. Not only am I against killing but last time I suppressed my emotions it made me visibly sick and weak."
The scent of the fish was now more distinctive and was beginning to smell better than it was before. Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, Lothar said "Yes it does smell good. Seems like it was worth the extra wait time." Lothar then reached over and grabbed a couple of fish handing them to Mandrake before taking one for himself assuming Hans and Kitsune would help themselves to the fully cooked food.
Mandrake used his telekinesis to hold the fish in the air before setting Lilly on his lap the youngster dropping the flower in her mouth and opening her mouth for food eagerly. Using his telekinesis, Mandrake pulled free a piece of fish before floating it down into Lilly's open mouth. Lilly closed her mouth around the food and began chewing vigorously on the cooked meat.
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Post by Hans Walzman on Sept 26, 2021 10:18:09 GMT
"I think it's all comes down to where you're using your emotions. Clarity and purpose are matter there. But I think you won't want to let your emotions take control of your mind when you know you'll pop your head and someone will make a hole in it. Sometimes you don't know when it can come from. Things work differently in humans, so you need to act accordingly.". Hans parried, fishing out the thing which he always carries with him - the Swiss knife. Actually, it's a set of tools with a knife being a part of it. And while the human decided to slice his meal to handy small pieces, Renamon decided to make it fast by swallowing the entire fish. Needless to say its impressed her master. Not like he was expecting any kind of manners. "If all of you want to have a rest afterward, I can be on the watch all the night. Now, bon appetite."
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Post by ricochet6-Mandrake on Sept 26, 2021 21:29:46 GMT
"I suppose you have a point as emotional control is rather important especially for digimon when it comes to some of our powers. Can you imagine how dangerous some powers can get if a digimon gets angry enough." Mandrake said as he continued to feed Lilly.
"Is that why you were hesitant to use your telekinesis to drive the bullies away when we were children, Mandrake? Were you afraid of losing control and hurting them?" Lothar asked as memories of the day they met came to mind.
"Yes, that was a big part of it. I was afraid of becoming the monster the villagers thought I would become." Mandrake confessed with a sigh before looking at Hans and Kitsune. "Sorry I know we haven't known each other very long so you two wouldn't know about my childhood. Hans. Kitsune. Before I met Lothar I lived with my father in a small village. It was after my mother was murdered and when the villagers saw me, I don't know why but they didn't accept me back then. For some reason they were worried I would not only become Beelzemon but become a violent monster. I wasn't treated very well by the adults but worse were the children who continued to bully me though even then I was rather gentle. If not for Lothar's family coming to my village who knows what I would of become. For all I know I could of become the monster they thought I would all because of how I was treated." Mandrake said as his body began to visibly shake from the memories of his past. Lothar scooped up Lilly and her fish and took over feeding her while trying to calm Mandrake while rubbing his back with his free hand. Lilly, as if responding to the negative emotions began to fuss while chewing her food but did little else from her new spot in Lothar's lap.
Lothar looked and Hans and Kitsune and said "If you want to take up watch you can, Hans, but it would be best if all of us get rest after we finish eating."
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