As Heaven Is Wide (
asheaveniswide) wrote in
tamerlogs2022-05-10 08:15 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Open; Tonight Tonight Tonight
Who: Zenos viator Galvus, Gabumon, Mystery Guests
What: Catch-all/intro/etc
Where: Access City
When: Early May
Warnings: Some behavior may be deemed offensive, violent or inciting. Do not use as a projectile. Sudden acceleration to dangerous speeds may cause injury. This Garlean is not designed to sustain gross weight exceeding 12,000 lbs. May contain the following: gore, mayhem, swords, scythes, violence, obsession, Gabumon, speeches, ennui, Endwalker spoilers and a lack of morals. Do not eat. Mis-use may adversely affect your health. Store in a cool, dry place.
In The Dark Of The Night
It's late. Very late; dawn might only be a handful of hours away, and the shadows are deep and all-consuming, the halos of streetlights and the glow from windows comforting pools of light in an otherwise dark and gloomy night.
And in the dark is the sound of something heavy being dragged. And rather slowly at that. There's much that could be getting towed about in Access City, but this ... also has the metallic scent of blood with it, and sharp eyes might note a long path through the patches of darkness where lamp and street light don't touch, marked in drying red. The generalized path, if one were to follow it for any length of time, seems to be headed towards where the arrived Tamers have been offered homes, albeit in a route that seems maximized to try to stay hidden.
But not much can be hidden forever, and as the persistent efforts of dragging rasp through the space between two buildings, it stops for a time - just long enough for a lone black-pelted Gabumon to peek out, eyes bright and alert, to see if anyone might have noticed, then disappear back into the alley in a Completely Unsuspicious Way. Nothing at all is happening here, surely!
In the shadows between buildings, a blond man lay in the ground, blood-speckled fingers neatly folded across his belly, eyes closed. The blood's either his or on something he's wearing, the coat rather fancy to quick glance but awfully ragged about the shoulders, full of tears and punctures, and he himself not moving. Definitely breathing, and there's a twitch now and again as Gabumon once more seizes the shoulder of his jacket in sharp teeth and begins hauling him backwards along the ground bit by bit by bit. He must be rather heavy, by the way the small digimon has to dig in all four sets of claws to get enough purchase to move his considerable bulk.
That digimon has been at it for quite a long time now by the trail. Persistence pays off, surely, sooner or later!!
The Stale Cold Smell Of Morning
With sunrise and some Adventures at night, Gabumon has ventured out presumably on his own! What's one more Gabumon, really? Sure, he's got black fur instead of white, but that's not that uncommon!
What might be more uncommon is the way he's weighing the morning crowds, looking, listening, searching for -- Aha!
What he needs is humans. Or what looks enough like humans; any will do, and as soon as he spots one that doesn't look particularly dangerous, he approaches with all apparent boldness. A tap on an elbow, or tug on a hem - anything he needs to do to get some attention will do!
"Excuse me! You're a human, right?" It's never wise to assume! There's some awfully human looking digimon.
What: Catch-all/intro/etc
Where: Access City
When: Early May
Warnings: Some behavior may be deemed offensive, violent or inciting. Do not use as a projectile. Sudden acceleration to dangerous speeds may cause injury. This Garlean is not designed to sustain gross weight exceeding 12,000 lbs. May contain the following: gore, mayhem, swords, scythes, violence, obsession, Gabumon, speeches, ennui, Endwalker spoilers and a lack of morals. Do not eat. Mis-use may adversely affect your health. Store in a cool, dry place.
In The Dark Of The Night
It's late. Very late; dawn might only be a handful of hours away, and the shadows are deep and all-consuming, the halos of streetlights and the glow from windows comforting pools of light in an otherwise dark and gloomy night.
And in the dark is the sound of something heavy being dragged. And rather slowly at that. There's much that could be getting towed about in Access City, but this ... also has the metallic scent of blood with it, and sharp eyes might note a long path through the patches of darkness where lamp and street light don't touch, marked in drying red. The generalized path, if one were to follow it for any length of time, seems to be headed towards where the arrived Tamers have been offered homes, albeit in a route that seems maximized to try to stay hidden.
But not much can be hidden forever, and as the persistent efforts of dragging rasp through the space between two buildings, it stops for a time - just long enough for a lone black-pelted Gabumon to peek out, eyes bright and alert, to see if anyone might have noticed, then disappear back into the alley in a Completely Unsuspicious Way. Nothing at all is happening here, surely!
In the shadows between buildings, a blond man lay in the ground, blood-speckled fingers neatly folded across his belly, eyes closed. The blood's either his or on something he's wearing, the coat rather fancy to quick glance but awfully ragged about the shoulders, full of tears and punctures, and he himself not moving. Definitely breathing, and there's a twitch now and again as Gabumon once more seizes the shoulder of his jacket in sharp teeth and begins hauling him backwards along the ground bit by bit by bit. He must be rather heavy, by the way the small digimon has to dig in all four sets of claws to get enough purchase to move his considerable bulk.
That digimon has been at it for quite a long time now by the trail. Persistence pays off, surely, sooner or later!!
The Stale Cold Smell Of Morning
With sunrise and some Adventures at night, Gabumon has ventured out presumably on his own! What's one more Gabumon, really? Sure, he's got black fur instead of white, but that's not that uncommon!
What might be more uncommon is the way he's weighing the morning crowds, looking, listening, searching for -- Aha!
What he needs is humans. Or what looks enough like humans; any will do, and as soon as he spots one that doesn't look particularly dangerous, he approaches with all apparent boldness. A tap on an elbow, or tug on a hem - anything he needs to do to get some attention will do!
"Excuse me! You're a human, right?" It's never wise to assume! There's some awfully human looking digimon.
no subject
Well... "Or one very similar to mine - just... hang on a moment." He sets the focus down on the hilt of the rapier, channeling aether into a Vercure and aiming the soft green energy into Zenos. It can only do so much - and he's not going to waste his entire aether pool on Zenos - but it feels wrong to leave him in this state.
That done he looks down at the Gabumon, sighing. His tail curls around his leg in an attempt to keep from twitching nervously. "There's a few of us here from worlds that are... extremely close. And if he hasn't already responded to the sound of my voice then he's not from the same version as me. I saw you open your eyes, Zenos."
What to do, what to do... "I can... help you carry him, if you want. If things played out in his version of events like they did in mine, I'm honestly surprised he's alive."
no subject
"Oh."The human world. Ergo, Zenos is definitely a human, which he already figured on, and so was Nara'a, who ... looks a bit tailmon-ish, if he were perfectly honest, so apparently humans also came in different appearances, just like digimon. That's both reassuring and troublesome, he was hoping they'd be easy to identify at a glance. "...Well I'm keeping him anyway, even if you're from the same place." They were already partners, Zenos just didn't know it yet! Or at least acknowledge it, and Gabumon was perfectly happy to take some initiative and work on it himself.
He's not really sure Nara is actually a human though, that looked like something a wizardmon might do a minute ago. He'll have to be careful; he didn't know if a digimon COULD steal someone else's tamer but he's not interested in finding out. "No, I can do it, I got this far already, he's just really heavy. It's like trying to drag around a big rock in a coat."
"It would take more than you can fathom to hope to kill me." That's definitely Zenos' voice, but he doesn't sound injured, just tired. One hand unfolds from where he has them neatly laced on his stomach, giving a brief, small, dismissive gesture.
Gabumon looks pleased, meanwhile. A strong tamer surely meant he'd get stronger too! "Besides, if I can't even get my new human to somewhere proper to sleep on my own, then I'm not really good for a partner. You have to be reliable, you know?" He pats the nearest bit of Zenos (an arm) in a way that's almost proprietary. "Besides, I think he could get up if he really wanted to, so maybe it's a test."
Whether he could or not, the Garlean isn't saying.
no subject
"Look. As long as you don't hurt any of the Digimon here without prior provocation, we won't have any problems. If I do catch you hunting them just for 'sport' we're going to have issues." He's well aware Zenos is unlikely to listen to him, especially since this one isn't the one he knows. He's also not going to let on that there's another Warrior of Light here - Taiki doesn't need this nonsense in his life right now. He'll have to go talk to the other Warrior later, though.
Nara'a stands up and shakes his head. "Look... if you're going to keep dragging him, just... mm. He shouldn't be bleeding anymore, at least. You were kind of leaving a trail." Not like the smell of blood is totally gone, but at least if there were any open wounds they should be closed. "I know you were being careful, but you might want to just take the straight route there and not worry about being seen."
ramble. ramble. introspection.
Does Gabumon have ANY IDEA WHATSOEVER exactly what sort of human he's decided is his? Nope. But he sounds as fierce and determined as anyone could ever hope for, even though he's certainly not a match for a Warrior of Light. But neither Gabumon's defense or Nara'a's threats seem to disturb the Garlean any, who doesn't bother to even open his eyes again. If Nara's unrecognized, then he's just yet another Eorzean who thinks they're tougher than they really are ... utterly irrelevant. Unworthy of further response than the single comment he's offered. And he hadn't even bothered to get up to make things easier on his own new 'partner'.
More would take effort, and he is tired, exactly as tired as one might be if one chose to fly to the end of the universe and then get into a bloody fight there just for the fun of it, and thoroughly entrenched now in his own thoughts. A new world did indeed offer new prey, but ... was there a point? Would it even offer what he had sought before? Or now? Whim had told him to pick 'yes' when asked if he wanted to save the world, but he's no hero.
"..And anyway he's too big for me to lift, so it's the only way to do it." Gabumon glances further down the path between buildings, frowning. It's still a ways to go, but he has time! "I was wondering what the leak was but he wouldn't say anything about it." Bleeding, not 'leak'. "There's all kinds of digimon who'll try to take advantage, you know. Straight there might seem faster, but then some Devimon comes along.."
no subject
He's doing his best to keep his temper under control - he's not a wrathful person. He doesn't hate the Garleans themselves, just the ones who have attacked without remorse or pity. And even then he has to keep in mind people like Julles - too young to know how to rebel or too pressed in a position to be able to do so. Not everyone can stand up, and from their perspective... if he couldn't manipulate aether at all he supposes he'd be terrified of people who could, too.
But Zenos has no such excuses, and he still remembers the sight of the flames and the sound of the screams at Rhalgr's Reach and in Yanxia. He'd like to think that the man has grown, but he's not so stupid - not when he teamed up with Fandaniel. He'd just wanted to watch the world burn - or at least didn't want to do anything to stop it. Getting angry at him isn't going to change things, though - and his adrenaline has started to drain, leaving him just... weary.
"I can go on ahead and make sure there's no one around, if it'll make you feel better." Not that the Gabumon is like to trust him - but he might as well make the offer.
no subject
That's ... inaccurate, but not from his perspective!
Which means maybe Nara really is a tamer, which would make the wooden-sword weilding digimon his partner? But if he's a tamer, then he's not likely to try to steal Zenos, they're already paired up. That's ... a little soothing. There's some hesitance when Nara offers to look around, burnt orange eyes sweeping the area briefly as if fully expecting some Virus to appear and attack, but nothing of the sort happens. "...Okay."
Tug. It's slow going, he's going to have to use his teeth again. "We should fight, later. Not ... trying to erase your data level, or anything like that, but we do get stronger that way." He LEAAAANS with all his weight, and Zenos moves another inch. This is going to take all night. "And I could really use it, this is tough. I wonder if it goes faster if I fought both of you? Then he'd be easier to move." That is NOT how it works, not even a little.
There's a soft huff from Zenos. Not a laugh, even a muffled one.
no subject
Oh, he heard that. He chooses to ignore it. Zenos has decided not to be a part of this conversation, so he won't be. "Botamon digivolved when he and I had a sort of... connection. I think you have to do something like that. At least, from my experience." He's not all that experienced, though, so he could be wrong.
no subject
Downside: it interrupts talking, and a couple feet of dragging later he pauses and straightens back up. "Maybe it's because you're in a new place, so everything got left behind somehow. And if your attacks aren't as strong then I have a better chance of winning!" Especially against two of them, though nothing in Gabumon's voice or bearing suggests he's interested in a serious fight. Most people would call it 'sparring', probably.
And then he buckles back down to hauling a good two hundred and fifty pounds of deliberately dead weight. There probably are easier ways to do it, and probably it would be much faster if he just accepted help, but then that'd just prove he couldn't do it! But Botamon is being eyed speculatively as he works, carefully still trying to keep Zenos out of the pools of light. A fresh evolution? "What.. ..what does a connection feel like? Is it different from how it feels to just know you found your human? Or, uh, your digimon?"
no subject
"In my world we'd say that your aether connects, but in this world it would be... data? I believe, at least. Emotions are powerful and can influence a lot of things. Determination, friendship, love, protectiveness... these are all feelings that you can share with someone else and that can be used to connect with them." There doesn't seem to be anything coming, so he drops back and keeps his ears up. As much as he's not fond of the act of hunting, he still has a hunter's instincts and senses.
"I think it's a similar feeling, just with different emotions."
no subject
Maybe the Garlean is enjoying seeing something so small struggle so pointlessly.
"I think fighting might be easier,"the black and white digimon concludes morosely, eventually. "We only just met, I don't think a lot of that applies yet." Clearly, Nara and Kotemon have been working together for a long time for that sort of thing to develop!"I don't know how long we have before ALIAS gets us all in trouble. We might not have long enough, like you two did."
"There is always time." Zenos' addition is quiet, as dry as ever, and without inflection. "So long as there is a goal worth pursuing."
"Saving the world is a goal worth pursuing," Gabumon says confidently.
"Is it."
He pauses, glancing down. "Of course it is. You agreed to help, didn't you?"
no subject
"It is. And as I recall, this wasn't the only world you volunteered to help - even if you only did so for a chance to fight."
He isn't above pushing a few buttons if he has to. "We all agreed to help. Even if you didn't mean to, you've agreed to it."
no subject
Some things truly never change.
Gabumon's expression turns troubled for a few moments, one hand reaching up to pull absently on a long false ear as if the action was somehow soothing. "Well, I'm going to do what I can. And I have to be stronger to do that." And surely Zenos was, if nothing else, good at being strong ... and thus surely could show him how to be!
Or he just needs to get into enough fights. "We're partners. ...Will you help me with being stronger, if nothing else?" Anyone might be moved by the plaintive, unhappy note in the digimon's voice, who might, might be coming to the realization that his destined partner isn't quite what he'd hoped. The addition is even quieter. "Either of you?" It's shameful, shameful to even suggest some OTHER tamer might be able to help when his will not--
Zenos opens his eyes again to regard the darkened sky, silent for a time. Then: "We will see if you prove worthy of such an investment." No, that's not fair, and not accurate. Zenos has, indeed, already made his choice, betrayed by simply allowing himself to be dragged like so much meat through back alleys and hells-knew-what by a little alien animal.
no subject
Kotemon toddles forward, handing his weapon to Nara'a and reaching out towards Zenos. He doesn't approach too close, not yet, but looks over at Gabumon. "I can help carry him, if you want. I'm a lot stronger now than I used to be." The miqo'te winces slightly, tail twitching and ears flicking back. He's pretty sure Gabumon doesn't want help with that, but he'll let the other Digimon speak for himself.
"... We're all going to have to help each other. Whether you participate or not, you're one of us Tamers now."
no subject
Be it getting help or fighting each other, or alongside each other or ... any other way. What mattered was saving every world, the Digital and every one attached to it.
He does reach a paw up to try to grasp Nara's arm though, and pull him down to head-height. Not with claws, and not hard enough where should Nara resist it would be difficult to do, escape would be easy. His small voice is very, very quiet, as if he doesn't think ANYONE will overhear them, even with Zenos and Kotemon RIGHT THERE. "I don't think saying things like that makes anyone cooperate. We'll figure it out, don't worry."
It's certain EVERYONE heard that.
Allowing Kotemon to help would just prove he's not worth the time and effort, wouldn't it? But then they'd be somewhere safer faster, and he could make up for it later. It's a real struggle for him to come to any kind of a conclusion, shifting from foot to foot and wringing his paws together in an all too human gesture of uncertainty. "...I think if we can lever him up a little I can get underneath and carry him that way," he concludes eventually. "Then I can stop eating his coat."
It seems right about then that Zenos' patience has expired, for he places one hand on the ground and shoves himself into a seated position in one sudden movement. The earlier vercure has stemmed some of whatever had ailed him, but he doesn't move with ease or swiftness. Probably for the best.
no subject
"... Good to see you up." Is it? He's not sure. He'd like to think that even Zenos can change, but he's not sure of that, either. "Are you going to be okay?" His tone is carefully neutral, trying to keep his emotions out of it. It won't do to get mad right now. Zenos doesn't care about him, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a lot of emotions connected to Zenos.
"... Your partner was worried about you." Not that Zenos probably can't tell. Whether he cares or not is another matter.
no subject
Is it still on the same scale of proving himself worthy if Zenos is already moving on his own? Gabumon's willing to take a chance, they're halfway to up.
The scent of blood is still there. It's sharpened now that he's shifted position, but there's no telltale runnels of crimson onto the ground to betray where, if any, such wound might be. Given it's Zenos, it might be a minor annoyance at best. The glance Nara is cast at the first two comments is the only response there is. Would it be comforting that Nara is very clearly not the focus of terrible obsession anymore? Or would it be somehow worse, knowing his focus must therefore be on someone else?
"I wasn't that worried," Gabumon says defensively, somewhat muffled by a curtain of blond hair getting in his way as he works on finding a better way to grab on and try to lift. "I mean, he breathed and made noises sometimes."
Zenos' gaze shifts away, as he weighs whether or not he should entertain the little black furred creature's efforts to get him to rise, or simply stay where he is again. "Why do you not seek to take advantage of a foe's supposed weakness? Surely there is some courage to be found among Eorzea's rabble."
There's no heat to it, no fire that suggests it's more than idle musing. "Well it's a good thing they're not, because I want my fight to be in a better spot than this alley. And maybe when it's daytime!"
The one thing he could appreciate.. "The battlefield matters less than the opponent."
no subject
... Maybe. At least he hopes they are. But then again, Kotemon wants to make friends with most people. It's a little silly of him, and he knows it... but friends can't be a bad thing, right? Right.
The goad - even if it was unintentional - has Nara'a clenching his fists hard enough for his claws to leave indents on his palms. He can't say that he 'owes' Zenos - despite his world's Zenos definitely helping to save the world it still doesn't add up. There's nothing that can excuse the slaughter he's seen. It's past a 'score' of any measure, and he can't truly say that he believes Zenos can change. He's not sure the former prince is capable of change.
His feelings are complex and hard to name at the moment. A sense of curiosity mixed with anger mixed with shame mixed with... a score and more of feelings. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, ignoring the Look of concern Kotemon is giving his partner. "It's not for lack of courage that I'm refusing to fight you. It's because you chose to come here, whim or not. There's things you can do here - and besides, I prefer to fight fair."
It's tempting to switch to Warrior, to let his inner beast shine through and channel it in the way that he knows how, but he resists. He resists despite his hand moving to his pocket, resting just above the opening. He wants to take advantage of the situation, but he... can't. Not in this place. If he's pushed, he will... but right now Zenos isn't doing anything. There'd be no way to justify it to any of the Tamers or Digimon besides Taiki. "If I'm going to fight you, I want it to be when you're not half-dead. There's no challenge against a weakened opponent."
As much as he tries to deny it, Zenos was right about a few things. He does seek to push himself harder and harder, dancing on the edge and hoping one will finally prove worthy. He's a hero, but his curiosity still has the better of him - and he can't help but wonder where his limit is. And he does seek out thrills for their own sake - going after a wounded opponent isn't a thrill - it's just a slaughter.
no subject
There was, on some other star, some other time, a different Eorzean, one that would have garnered very different reactions. Different words, different confrontations, a person he had called friend and meant it even through the course of intending to kill them -- That person is not Nara'a. A thousand variations of the Warrior of Light, but ever only one type of Zenos, reflecting the same troubles and suffering and trail of destruction over and over and over. Instigating the same fights, pursuing the same hunts.
With two of them now pushing on the Garlean, it seems the giant of a man is actually going to allow himself to be hauled upright; even Gabumon is small next to the full height of Zenos, but he keeps steadying paws on the man regardless, as if doing so might somehow, impossibly, actually keep him there. Surely between him and Kotemon this can be achieved! They got this far! "Besides which," the dark-furred digi says brightly, completely unphased by the darker undertones that are as clear as blood in the water, "I'd have to fight too, and then so would Kotemon, we're all partners now and we DON'T leave our own to fight alone. I don't know about any of you three, but I think it would be the most fun for everyone if we're all nice and rested and healed up, and then find a fun looking spot to fight at. Like a beach! Then we can have a swim and a snack after."
Zenos sways in place a little, hair a blond curtain over his eyes. What a strange little creature. It seemed to enjoy the idea of fighting but was treating it like it was a game.
But wasn't fighting a game, in the end? Just for the thrill of it and naught more?
"Combat is about winning, not about having a swim and a snack. If your foe can rise again, then you did not defeat them." This advice is just a touch weary.
Gabumon considers it, studying Kotemon for a moment, then Nara. "Yeah, but that's only for the ones you need to stop forever. The ones you don't need to stop forever, if you fight them and they can't get back up, then you can't ever fight them again later. And that's just sad. Not every fight needs to be a very serious fight, they can be fun fights too. Who's going to be left, if everyone's defeated and gone?"
Silence, at that. Someone had made a vaguely similar argument before.
The little digimon pats one leg lightly. "But first you have to get better. Kotemon and his partner won't mind waiting. Right?"
no subject
'Fun'. Right. "... Right. I don't mind waiting." He'll take Zenos on at any time if he feels the need to - but right now he owes the Garlean at least one shot at proving he's not going to cause mass chaos. There's plenty here to help stop him if need be, and at least their abilities seem to be weakened so there's less of a worry.
Of course a sword or a scythe can still cut, no matter how strong the force behind it... but he can't think about that now. Think of the positives... maybe this place will be good for othe ex-prince. There's a possibility, at least - and he has to hold on to hope wherever he can. He watches as Kotemon helps push Gabumon's partner upright, stepping back to give Zenos some measure of space.
"... There's housing not too far from here. If you get up you can rest there - there's places of all different sizes so I'm sure there's one that will fit you." No sense in giving him a tiny bed, as funny as it would be to watch him try to squeeze into one.
I feel like I should be apologizing for Zenos' ... zenosness.
Gabumon at least seems to be exactly what's expected of a digimon partner. Obstinately loyal and determined to help ... and paired with a mass murderer who's only ability to feel seems tied to more murder. What a fate.
For a moment, the gaze Zenos turns on Nara'a is distinctly measuring, certainly weighing him against a certain absent Friend. A shining beacon of ferocity and determination ... and ... a stranger who can only be found wanting in the comparison. He doesn't have his grandfather's eye for souls. If he did... this would be a very different situation altogether, wouldn't it? "I did not abandon the ends of reality alongside my friend to waste my time with mediocre prey." The comment is not a whisper, but it's meant mostly for Gabumon as his gaze shifts away, towards the direction Gabumon had been so carefully working on getting him to go. "Test yourself as you please against them."
This is, as far as Gabumon seems to be concerned, implicit agreement by the way he perks up and gives Kotemon what looks awfully like a quick thumbs-up. There's gonna be fun! They just have to wait! "Thank you for your help." Both of them! "I don't know how long it takes a tamer to heal up, but give us a couple days, and then we can work on getting stronger!" He can tell Nara is less than pleased by all of this but surely once they actually had time to practice and stretch their claws and have some fun, that would change. Carefully he tugs on Zenos' hem, encouraging the Garlean to move - and with slow deliberation, he actually does so.
No rush. But Zenos never did rush about.