[Closed] Small Favors

[lightingway]

Who: Taiki, Themis, Gazimon, and Elecmon
When: 12 April
Where: Access City’s Nursery
What: In which Taiki falls to pieces over tiny digimon and meets Themis for the first time, for the second time. Gazimon wonders why his partner’s so damn cagey around tall people.
Warnings/Notes: Almost certainly spoilers for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers and Endwalker, in particular the Pandaemonium storyline.


Unfortunately, the day that Taiki had chosen to volunteer for rendering aid at the Nursery was plagued by the sort of torrential rain that one could only expect in the throes of Spring. He didn’t actually mind this, as he, personally, enjoyed it- but his companion was unhappy.

”I just want to state for the record,” Gazimon growled, shivering even inside. The walk over had not been a dry one. ”My fur’s gonna stink to high heaven, and you’re gonna regret it. Why are we here? I thought you were some kinda big shot fighty adventurer-type.”

Taiki, for his part, had been over the moon since his arrival. No less than three infant digimon had decided he looked like prime climbing real estate, and he was nothing short of enraptured. Surely anything as adorable as the wanyamon in his arms had to be illegal. “I don’t know, Gazimon, I find I quite enjoy doing little things to help around the places I go to. Provided the timeframe isn’t urgent, there’s a sort of peace to be found in it, and it helps to… ground me. Remember what it is I’m fighting for, you know?” He paused, engaging in the incredibly important task of hefting a pokemon in his opposite arm, gently bumping his nose against the tiny furball’s, to their infinite delight. “Besides! Aren’t they precious, I’ve never seen anything half as fluffy-”

”You are a weird friggin' person, Taiki. Aren't we supposed to have two more people on this, anyway? Why do we gotta do everything ourselves?” Not that Taiki seemed to mind, to Gazimon's irritation.

Comments

[fallenstarmagnet]

There's a swish of robes as Themis ducks to enter the room. Fortunately there is room to fit his frame even if he has to remain ducked while standing. Much of Access City is certainly built to scale for digimon of a similar size but how many of those would generally not be assigned to a nursery duty. Because of this need, Elecmon isn't on her usual shoulder perch but instead on the floor, bounding into the room ahead of the Amaurotine.

"We're here! Sorry about being late." Annoyingly, both of them are bone dry. Themis's power might be suppressed but keeping the rain off (or a simple drying spell) is easy enough to accomplish!

Themis has gotten accustomed to looking down to find others, so he's soon to smile in Gazimon and Taiki's direction. "Good day. Taiki, wasn't it?" Clearly someone must have told him the name when he arrived. "And... Gazimon, is it?" The question asked is in the tone of someone who has read the digimon handbook.

"That's right! You've really been studying, haven't you?" Elecmon seems pleased. "This is Themis and I'm Elecmon! Oh!" The digimon looks at the small digimon in the nursery. Since Themis entered, many have been looking up and up at the giant Tamer with astonishment. "Don't be afraid! He's very gentle and caring!" she encourages.

Taiki and Gazimon are included in this reassurance. Meanwhile Themis is looking for a place to settle.

[lightingway]

Taiki turned with a smile when he heard Elecmon's voice, ready with a greeting- and found his voice not quite reaching his throat.

Gazimon, not as quick on the uptake, waved a hand in greeting. "Sup. And yeah, looks like someone's been doing the required reading. This one," he jerked a thumb at his partner, "Sits with a book for five minutes and his eyes glaze over."

Taiki's gaze, however, was locked upon Themis, and he quite missed the good-natured jab at his expense. "Ah- Themis! Yes. Sorry, I thought... well, it doesn't matter! Judging from your stature, I'd hazard a guess we've already spoken, over the... ah. The, erm. Netting. Net- oh hells-"

"Network," Gazimon supplied dutifully.

"Yes, thank you! Network. Sorry, I quite lost track of my thoughts for a moment there."

[fallenstarmagnet]

People often look shocked at Themis's stature and it'd be reasonable to be doubly expected when entering a nursery. Just look at all the baby digimon. Politely the Amaurotine doesn't point out the behavior and finishes settling to the floor. His legs are crossed, robes left to loosely settle around him to take up minimal space.

Quite possibly by prearrangement, since Themis doesn't protest, Elecmon is talking to the nearest (bravest?) of the baby digimon in the nursey to move even closer. "Don't be shy! Themis is really gentle." To prove her point she leaps lightly to his knee and scurries quickly up the folds of the robe to his shoulder to wave at the digimon they've come to watch over. There will be a few to immediately bop forward to join the Tamer's partner. It's just too tempting. Maybe a small collective as time goes on.

On the other issue developing in the room, Themis looks between Gazimon and the stunned Taiki who suddenly breaks his silence and rambles. There's a brief tilt of his head followed by a gentle smile of recognition.

"Ah yes, the Network. An individual from my Star, yes? Circumstances have brought us together sooner than I'd thought." While his expression and words are pleasant and certainly sincere, there's a keen look that suggests he's studying the diminutive viera. "I can see the connection now." There's a note of humor in his tone then.

Themis is certainly going to enjoy talking to his good friend about all these charmingly miniature familiars he created.

"Well I seem to know your names, though I can't say we know each other. In case you missed Elecmon's words I am Themis. "

The giant seems willing to take this slowly. He almost ignores the weight of the baby digimon that are finding ways to scale his person. An exception are ones who find the tunnel of his sleeves; if they go too deep and risk tumbling in the darkness, he reaches in and gently plucks them from questionable doom, returning him to his lap.

[lightingway]

"Themis," he recovered swiftly, to his credit, for all the world that those eyes and that voice were achingly familiar in a way that unsettled him. Possibly there were more Ancients that wore white, but... what were the odds? He couldn't confirm it. "It's a pleasure to meet you in person at last." He laughed a little nervously. The connection... right, that'd be the soul.

Gazimon's head tilted slightly. "Connection? You two know each other somehow?"

Taiki latched onto this, smiling at his partner. "You remember how I explained about my status as a familiar, yes? I hadn't mentioned it before, but my... creator is- quite amazingly well-traveled."

His partner blinked, before letting out a soft 'oh' of comprehension. "I gotcha. So buddy here probably knows your creator, that Azem guy, is that it?"

[fallenstarmagnet]

Of course there were more. Venat for example. And others who were recognized as advisors. But the voice was another matter. Themis has a pleasant smile- it borders on a grin as the baby Digimon explore the giant Amaurotine- and seems to give little away as to what he's really thinking about.

But rest assured he's listening.

"My friend is known for his travels and whimsy." You could say Themis is affirming that 'Azem' and this friend are one and the same. "But also possesses remarkable foresight." The giant tilts his head and studies Taiki for a moment longer before easing off; likely before it could be construed as rude.

Themis then shakes his head and speaks to Gazimon. "This is the first time we've met in person." And the network chat before was the first they'd addressed each other at all. Looking at Taiki again he adds a query.

"Might I inquire about what was happening before you came to the Digital World?"

[lightingway]

Taiki, by comparison, is much less enticing a jungle gym- though a few of the more easily-intimidated bundles of joy were beginning to congregate around him- or, more accurately, behind him, a state of affairs he didn't begrudge them. "The first time, yes, at least as far as I remember." Here, at least, he was on more solid ground. The events occurring around the world seemed to be a fair constant.

"I started noticing unseasonal or... simply strange weather. Blistering heat waves in the middle of winter, torrential downpours in the middle of the desert, that sort of thing. But other disasters soon began. Earthquakes, meteor showers..." And that had been a heart attack in itself. Happily, the sky had not burned like it had in the Final Days, and there'd been no Blasphemies. "Coastal regions subjected to dramatic tides, volcanic activity. Like the very star itself was falling to chaos." Again. "It wasn't long until I'd received the same message I'm given to understand we all did. 'Would you like to save your world?' I could hardly refuse, now, could I?"

[fallenstarmagnet]

It gives Themis a lot to think about. Though he remains gentle in his guidance of the baby digimon, the Amaurotine listens intently to Taiki's description of the state of wordly affairs before the message had arrived. It's certainly food for thought and troubling to think their world might have underwent the beginning of unusual calamities.

"I suppose it's possible to not have been aware of the outside changes from where Erichthonios and I were at the time." The wards of Pandaemonium, besides needing to focus on upkeep, were likely keeping them isolated from the full effect of these events.

"Though it may be an explanation as to why the strain on the wards had intensified." Maybe. It isn't in Themis's nature to trust what seems to be the surface of possibility. But always to dig deeper and find out the whole picture before drawing a conclusion. It's worth putting to consideration however.

The giant's expression clears and he looks down at Taiki with a pleasant smile and a nod of agreement. "I suppose you wouldn't, given your creator's own nature. I admit some concern from your retelling. Though I'm sure the Convocation of Fourteen will be working to address the problem while we're away and taking care of matters here."

If Themis worries that this onset of disasters would leave the matter of Pandaemonium untended, it doesn't show. He can only trust that the message he sent reporting of events before he'd received the summons to the Digital World had been received by his friend.

"Hey guys." Elecmon pipes up. "I know this is important to talk about it, but does it need to be right now?" the digimon shakes her head before pointing to some of the baby digimon who have stopped to listen to the story being shared between the two. They look wide-eyed. Granted it's too early to tell if the story's fascinating them or setting them up for nightmares, but Elecmon's concern is probably justified.

[lightingway]

"You're right of course, Elecmon. My apologies. Something lighter, perhaps, and more suitable for children?" He beamed down at the collection. "I know nothing quite captivates the young like a thrilling tale of adventure and derring-do!"

Gazimon snorted. "Just the young? So how come you get all excited any time the subject of other peoples' adventurous craaa-stuff gets brought up?"

"Ah! Well. You see, there is a very good reason for that."

"Yeah?"

"The grandest secret of adulthood, dear Gazimon, is that adults are merely children who got older."

[fallenstarmagnet]

Themis would probably not call himself 'young'. He is after all an adult full grown for all his youth. But there's an eager gleam in the vibrant blue eyes that suggests that he's ready to listen to a story of adventure just as eagerly as many of the baby digimon.

From ground level to those who've been hiding behind Taiki or playing amongst the folds of the Amaurotine's robes, eyes and faces begin to peek out and focus on the Warrior of Light as he mentions a tale is about to be told.

Suddenly Taiki will find himself intensely center stage, one giant white-robed man included.

Elecmon is trying not to snicker, though her ears did perk up at the idea of a story from the world whereever Tamers came from. "I guess you just volunteered to be the storyteller then, Taiki!"

[lightingway]

"So I have," he laughed, before gazing at the ceiling in contemplation. A story appropriate for small children... Aha.

"Very well! Gather 'round, then, dear listeners, and I shall tell you a tale of a faraway land... of a palace beneath the sea! Of the eeevil sorcerer who cast upon it a terrible spell! And a humble maiden- who was not all she seemed..." A master minstrel he was not. But, Taiki liked to think, he knew how to make a story interesting. And the Shisui of the Violet Tides had a way of capturing the imagination without being too scary.