[Closed] breathe deep of the dawn before the storm;

[aetherweaver]

Who: Nara'a, Taiki, and their Digimon.
What: Zenos has arrived. This is a Problem.
Where: Taiki's home.
When: The morning after Zenos arrives.
Warnings: Likely swearing. Spoilers up through Endwalker. Probably reference to terrible war things. Will update as needed.


He hadn't slept. How could he sleep, knowing that only doors away there was someone who had done... so many terrible things and enabled so many more? It took him until dawn to even start to settle down, reduced to brushing his tail to try to soothe himself.

A few hours after dawn he's up and out, knocking on Taiki's door. Hopefully the other's still there... "Taiki? Taiki, this is important. Please open the door." If he's not then he's going to have to brave using the Digivice to try to contact him, and he's still not sure how that thing works.

Comments

[aetherweaver]

"Yeah!" How does Kotemon eat through the mask? Digimon are full of mysteries.

"Ah... sure. I didn't... really sleep last night, as you might imagine." He had a big shock, so it's not like his mind could really rest.

[lightingway]

"Well, I've been teaching Gazimon a little bit, so I hope you like a proper La Noscean toast!" Taiki beamed as his partner stared determinedly at the floor.

"It's just. Putting bread in eggs, 's not like it's a huge deal or anything."

"Nonsense, it was your first time! And it looks delightful. You did wonderfully." Certainly, there had to be a little improvisation given the two additional guests, but the spread before them was, hopefully, more than enough. Nara'a and Kotemon would be treated to a Bismarck classic! La Noscean Toast- with strawberries, maple syrup since he couldn't find any birch, and a small plate of bacon and sausage for the table to fight over share. "Congratulations on your evolution, by the way, er... I'm sorry, is it still Botamon, or how does that work, exactly?"

[aetherweaver]

"Oh, wonderful! It looks great, Gazimon." Nara'a beams at the other Digimon, even clapping a little before he sets his hands down. He doesn't want to totally embarrass the poor guy, after all.

The spread is greatly appreciated, as Kotemon begins chowing down as soon as the food is presented to him. The question makes him look up though, shaking his head. Clearly there were more things these tamers had to learn! "It's Kotemon now. We change names as we evolve - Gazimon wasn't always Gazimon either."

Nara'a reaches over and gives his Digimon a scritch, and Kotemon leans into it for a moment before resuming eating. "That's what he told me before, too. It seems that they have a lot of branching 'trees' their evolutions can go down - it's rather fascinating, really. At least to me, but I was always the nerd of the clan."

[lightingway]

Taiki beamed, one hand reaching down absently to give Gazimon a squeeze- and retreated when the digimon froze. "Kotemon. I'll do my best to remember it. What was life with your clan like, Nara'a? Pleasant, I hope."

[aetherweaver]

Aw, Gazimon. It's okay, Kotemon's just very affectionate despite now carrying a weapon. "Ah..." He thumbs the scar over his nose and chuckles a bit. "It was... difficult at times. It's not that they didn't care about me, but it was always expected I would go off on my own - especially when it became clear just how hopeless I am at hunting. The Wellwick Wood is no place for non-hunters, they'd tell me. We sold to other people in Thanalan and the Shroud - my clan was a bit unusual in that we stuck closer to Thanalan than Gridania. Most Moon Keepers tend to disappear into the thicker underbrush."

Hm. "I never really questioned why we stuck to scrublands - I think it was just 'less competition'. So I grew up more used to the heat, and we had a bit of a reputation for 'not being poachers'. It's... an unfortunate stereotype with Moon Keepers that they tend to ignore local laws about what they can or can't hunt, but we had less of a problem with that since the laws were different in Thanalan." He shrugs at that - it's not like he's always the best at keeping to laws anyway. "I write to my mother and sisters sometimes... I don't get much of a response, but I want them to know I'm all right. I know they probably tease me for being sentimental."

[lightingway]

"I can't blame you for sentimentality, Nara'a, not without spontaneously- combusting out of sheer hypocrisy, at any rate." He laughed, a little, taking a drink. "It's good you keep in touch with them, at least. I'm sure they're proud of you, truly. Life with Estinien, at least, has taught me that... just because someone isn't the best at communicating love, doesn't mean it isn't there."

Gazimon frowned. "I... kinda get the stereotypin' thing. Not so much the way other digimon treat us, but... you look at most of the old stories and Virus-types're all bad guys. Maybe there's one or two who turned out alright, but even then they usually got somethin' wrong with 'em. And you almost friggin' never hear about anything like me. Gazimon don't tend to show up as anything other than faceless goons in the background... I used to think they'd gotten it wrong. That any day somebody was gonna show up all... 'Oh, sorry, Mister Gazimon, there's been a terrible mistake, got your paperwork mixed up with this Patamon's, you're free to go'. I know that's dumb, but there it is. Just 'cos people tell you 'oh hey, no worries, you ain't like that... don't mean it don't hurt they think that about other people like you."

[aetherweaver]

He snorts at Taiki's assessment. Proud of him? Maybe. He's not sure. His relationship with his family is complicated and bound up in tradition and role expectations. He's right about the Estinien thing though... maybe they are proud of him.

He listens patiently to Gazimon, looking down and thinking. "Virus digimon are treated like that? Kotemon, what type are you?"

"Data. But type doesn't really matter much to me..."

Nara'a nods and looks back at Gazimon. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve to be treated like that. And rest assured that I don't think of you like that, and neither does Kotemon. If anyone gives you trouble about who or what you are, you come to me or Taiki or Kotemon. We'll set them right."