Subject: down the dead-end street [gourmetballs] 235 views

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES It was night. In the subway station, Garuda sat with her partner next to her. She fumbled with her map, but it didn't make sense to her. Maybe when you didn't have a place to go, there was no reason for a map. She cursed silently and looked upwards at the sky. As usual, it was perfection. The stars littered the velvety night sky, the moon round and plump. That was why she knew it was a texture. Just a texture, expertly painted by an artist and wall-papered up there by a programmer. So far, the search had come up empty. People wouldn't respect her because she was a normal tamer -- no one bothered. Garuda knew that somehow, to find him, she had to become stronger. He must have played this for a long while. Maybe he had gone to places where she hadn't had access too. Her eyes turned on her partner who was nibbling on its finger-tips aimlessly. She sighed and scratched her head. It had always wanted to try battling, but she didn't know what kind of techniques it could learn that would deal some damage instead of stalling the opponent. She couldn't bear to make the food Digimon battle for her. It had been a few days since she started playing, but one thing remained clear to her: people came here to forget, streaming into impossibly wonderful place, battling with wild Digimon with their partner. They lose, they die then they reappear at another perfect place. Garuda didn't want that. She came here to remember what was real. She came here to remember him. She rubbed her partner's head gently, knowing inside her chest that what she was touching was just lines of code and it hurt because when Purawna cared, it seemed to really care. It was the subway station, a place they had been to before, in the real world. She stood up and walked to the edge of the empty platform. Sucking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes. It was like he was just in front of her; she could almost walk forward and see him. Almost. Her foot was lifted -- and the little partner Digimon tapped her on the calf: "What are you doing, Garuda?" She opened her eyes to look at the darkness at the end of the platform. Were there tracks? She couldn't tell. She couldn't tell how deep it was. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

The best part of the game, Gourmet learned, was the exploration.

Previously, cities were all he'd ever known; sure, they'd sometimes taken field trips or vacations out of LA when he was a kid, but that never allowed for much unsupervised adventure. Wandering off would have been a death sentence--if not from the unforgiving wilderness, then by his parents once he was found again.

But here, like most video games, mistakes of that caliber only led to some lost time and forced backtracking. He hadn't been that careless yet, but it'd been comforting to keep in mind when he'd logged in this evening with plenty free time and zero goals at hand. With nothing to guide them, they'd wandered into East Sector, and from there they'd set off on what Gourmet assumed had been the longest hike in his life. From Wire Forest to Tyrano Valley, he thought they must have gotten a small glimpse of nearly every zone in the area.

Now, simulation or not, both boy and Digimon were swaying from exhaustion as they descended the steps into the station. The furred dragon clung to its tamer's pant leg like a child, forcing Gourmet to take extra care not to trip down the stairs when it failed to keep pace with his longer stride. The task held his concentration until reaching the platform, so it was no shocker that he didn't notice the girl right away; it wasn't until he'd helped the DORUmon down the last few steps that he found a chance to glance around, but when he did, his face lit right up.

"Excuse me!" While openly wearing the fatigue he felt, Gourmet was rarely too tired to fish up some friendly enthusiasm for strangers. He closed the distance with a few quick steps after disengaging DORUmon's claws from his jeans and nodded toward the long, empty tube stretching past them. "Didn't the train come?"

Hmm. Not exactly what he meant to ask, but the woman could probably figure it out.

Behind him, his Digimon sniffed the recently vacated bench, then climbed atop it and curled up where the other human had been sitting moments before. Warm spots were not to be wasted.

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES As they stood there, waiting for a train that would never come, Purawna looked up at her tamer and asked, "Still thinking about him?" Garuda's mouth stretched into a thin line. Dryly, she said, "Yes." The burger Digimon sighed and looked down, burying her face with her hands. Garuda let the tips of the finger caress the hat-like object on her partner's head, feeling the little bumps of sesame on it. She wondered what she was waiting for. Something had to happen, she was sure of it. "Excuse me!" She whirled around, to face a panting boy pushing his partner away to meet her. He sounded tired, as if taking a long trek here -- she wondered how long it took to come here directly from Asuka for her. Time seemed fluid here; sometimes she remembered things that never happened and forgot things that did. "Didn't the train come?" The stranger had Japanese that didn't sound right. American? She knew a little English but it would better if she didn't disclose that now. It's never good to show all your cards at once. In response to his question, Garuda shook her head deliberately and slowly said, "It'll never come." Scratching at the back of the neck, she continued, "Did you come from far?" She eyed his partner already curling up at the bench they sat at earlier, and gave the Digimon a subtle point. DORUmon; and already, Purawna had walked up to the sleeping dinosaur and started observing. They had spoken about this before -- knowing about the other person could mean winning or losing a battle. That is, if this boy was looking for one. "You look tired. Why don't you take a seat?" She gestured at the edge of the bench DORUmon was sleeping on. There was nearly no more space left. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

Gourmet's smile flickered at the woman's cryptic words. He glanced down the empty tube again, then back at her with a quizzical tilt of his head. No questions, though, and when she indicated the bench he nodded and took the seat with a thankful sigh.

Beside him, his partner stirred and raised its snout toward the approaching Digimon.

"You smell yummy."

«Don't say that, dummy.» The teen pressed his palm against his DORUmon's head until it whined in complaint and buried its face in its tail. Once the dragon had resumed dozing, he glanced back at the pair and offered an apologetic look. "Sorry. He's hungry. Yes, me and Cheddar are tired. We had a walk."

He followed this string of statements with a short pause. There was the sense he had difficulty translating his thoughts; he spoke carefully and with strange emphasis on certain words.

"You said... The train didn't come? I don't understand. It is a...mistake?" His gaze danced between them, eyebrows drawn together.

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES Purawna glared at the DORUmon; it knew it was yummy but it would fight till the end. Its aroma could stop Digimon in their tracks; but it held its attack back -- it wasn't good to be too reckless. If time came, it would show its skills. Garuda would let her fight, could ask her to fight. Purawna would fight for her; it thought her goal was noble -- even though she never explained to it why she had to find him. Seeing the little Digimon feeling a little uncomfortable, Garuda rubbed it on the shoulders; she whispered, "Don't worry about it. I'm here." At least the boy seemed polite enough. He definitely wasn't Kei, from how he was speaking. Kei knew no English; she caught his strange words -- dummy, being the most prominent. Did he say something about her? The look in his eyes were kind though, as he apologized for his partner's behavior. She smirked and said, "I often heard Tamers and their partners were complementary. It's good that you keep him in line." She stood right back up and stretched hard, fingers interlocked and pushing out as far as possible. It had been a while since they had been here and she was getting a bit tired. As she listened to the boy's words, she tried to understand what he was trying to get at. She raised an eyebrow, shrugged and said, "Well, the train only stops for some. If you're strong enough." She yawned and continued, "By the looks of it, neither of us are." Suddenly catching her was his handle. She stared at it; it was right above his head, so he might have found her actions strange -- but she started to chuckle, both hands covering her mouth. Even Purawna started to giggle a tiny bit. Taking a breath, she grinned and said, "Thanks. Your name's lovely. Gourmet Balls, is that it? My name's Garuda." She didn't mean it sarcastically. It had been ages since she had a laugh like that. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

The teen scratched away behind his Digimon's ears while he listened to the woman's answer. His face pinched in concern at what he heard, but his spoken response -- «but...» -- was cut short by her laughter. For a moment, all he could manage was a baffled stare; then, with a grin, he joined right in with her.

"Everyone doesn't understand my name," he said, again stumbling over his wording. "I'm glad you like it. Nice to meet you, Garuda."

His free land lifted from his side, then halted awkwardly mid-air. Wait, they didn't normally do handshakes here, right? Or...he wasn't supposed to be the one to start the handshake. Something like that. Uncertainty flickered across his face. A second later his hand fell lamely back by his side. Well, whatever.

"We came for the train. We were going to South Sector. There's a house there."

"No," Cheddar said. It flicked its ears back at the mistake. Now it cracked one eye open to fix its tamer with a yellow stare. "There's an inn."

"Inn," Gourmet repeated. He didn't seem perturbed by the correction. It was as Garuda had said: tamers and their partners were complementary. "The Inn. But the train won't come... Why are you here?"

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES She watched curiously as he lifted up his hand. A handshake? Garuda was prepared to reciprocate but he let his hand dangle by itself, then he put it down. She looked at her own hand discreetly; were her palms sweating too much? No. Garuda just shrugged to herself, and listened to the boy as he explained their plan. Her eyes widened, as if understanding. "Sorry, I'm not sure when that train would come. You see, I'm not waiting for the train," she paused before continuing, "I'm waiting for the train Digimon that could take me to wherever I want." She had heard about Trailmon, who would appear to only certain people, only those with certain power. She flexed her hand again, thinking about her abilities. Purawna could be strong; they had practiced their attacks and believed that maybe their strategy would work. She was just afraid that people would judge them for how they fought. Garuda looked at the boy. "Have you battled yet?" She was curious. His dinosaur Digimon looked strong; at least, stronger than what Purawna looked like. These were the tamers who were more battle-oriented. They would've picked the most ferocious looking ones. And even though they might think they had the advantage, Garuda was confident she and her partner definitely had a chance to win. You had to take them by surprise, let them judge you based on your appearance. Kei once told her that. It was after he had said she looked like a rose and she had said thank you very much. You are stronger than you look, which is always a good thing. She would never forget his words. "And sorry, if you don't mind me asking, why the South Sector?" Garuda suddenly asked. She hadn't been there yet; maybe she should go with Balls and see what it was like. A smile came over her face again -- Balls. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

"The train did come? The train did...er, is coming?" Ah, conflicting information. And what was that about a train Digimon? His face went blank. If Gourmet were the self-conscious type, he might feel concerned about the impression he was giving to the girl, which was mainly that he didn't know a damn thing about anything.

Her questions were much easier for him to respond to, so he honed in on those. "South Sector? We walked all day. Seiryu City is far away."

"We're gonna ride the train because we're tired," Cheddar cut in. It lifted its head to get a better view of the two as it spoke. "And because we think there's a city near the station. It's faster'n walking back to the stuff in this sector. Ummm...I think."

"«Yeah.» Thanks, Cheddar." He smiled sincerely at his Digimon. The DORUmon grinned toothily back before settling its head back onto its tail.

«So, uh, the other thing you said...» He took off his hat and scratched at his head, stalling for time as he hunted for words. This may have been one of the longest conversations he'd engaged in in weeks--the longest one in a language other than English, at least. "No. We didn't battle. We're new. Cheddar will battle, but I don't want it. I don't know about the game, and, uh...the «mechanics»? I want to understand. Then Cheddar can battle.

"Do you battle?"

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES Purawna listened and chirped, "Well, I hope the train will be coming soon. It's kind of late so I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't." It bounced away to sit on the bench next to theirs. Garuda followed. So they were travellers as well, just moving about for the sake of moving about. Another pair of aimless partners. The game's questing function wasn't fully developed; but it wasn't even that. She was here for a real reason and it pissed her off sometimes that people were stronger than her when they didn't have to be. She hated their smarmy confidence; and to be honest, she was jealous of how strong they were. Not that she was disappointed by Purawna, oh no. It was her. She wasn't confident enough -- she had seen Purawna in action, its techniques were practiced well, but her mind was limited. She could not foresee what could happen during fights. She rubbed her hands together to keep away the cold, and looked again at Balls. She hoped he didn't mind her looking; some people didn't like it. What was strange to her was how much she liked him. Maybe it was because he could barely understand her. "So you're just going to the South Sector because it's more convenient?" Garuda reiterated. When he started explaining that he too were new and that they didn't battle, she gave a sour smile. She said, "We're new too and we don't battle. It's me... I just am not sure about how I'm supposed to help." Purawna leaned against her, its little paw stroking her back in support and comfort. Garuda continued, her facing down, "They say Digimon with partners are stronger, that they have something special. But I've seen Wild Digimon fight perfectly well. Do they even need us?" When she asked the question, something inside her cringed because the obvious answer was that they did. Without them, without the players, none of the Digimon partners around here would exist -- and yet because of the presence of these partners, she could not bring this fact up. She could not speak of this to other players. It was frustrating. She lifted up her head, turned to Balls and asked, "What do you think? Do you think you can fight side by side with your dinosaur partner? He seems pretty capable; but have you ever thought you would be the weak link?" It was blunt; but it was something she had to get off her chest. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

Gourmet raised his eyebrows when the shrimpy Digimon spoke up, and after parsing its comment he shrugged. They'd see. It wasn't like they needed humans to run it, right? Transportation could run throughout the day...if it was programmed in, anyway.

He looked back to his own partner while the other pair settled down on the next bench. Cheddar had resumed dozing, but the DORUmon wasn't completely under--its ears swiveled constantly, alert to the slightest noises. Gourmet scratched behind them again, oblivious to Garuda's stare. It was peaceful here, and if it weren't for the other player's company, he might have fallen asleep himself.

The questions that came a few moments later were complicated enough without the language barrier. The teen returned his cap to his head and remained quiet through her spiel, frowning in concentration.

"I don't know," he said. He was silent several seconds more, then continued, "This is a game. Everyone is weak first, but everyone is playing and learning. Learning makes you not weak. I play games--I play many games. Losing, uh... Losing means playing more. It's like soccer. It's like everything. You lose and get better. I don't worry."

Gourmet stopped and looked at her. His expression was merely curious; if he had any suspicion of her doubts, he didn't appear to judge her for them. "Did I answer right? My Japanese is bad."

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES She watched him as he scrunched his nose up, thinking of how to put what he wanted to say into words. So far he seemed like a nice guy; maybe she should tell him that she knew quite a bit of English; enough to converse at least, simply. Then he spoke haltingly, words sparse and awkward. She listened. Losing means playing more. Garuda leaned forwards, her lips pressed onto her clasped thumbs as she thought of what the boy had said. Everyone's playing and learning. She looked at the back of her hand, then looked at her partner. The little Digimon cocked her head and stared right back at her. Garuda sighed and then looked back at the empty track. What should she do? When the train came, should she go on or stay off? Turning to Gourmet, she quietly said, "Your Japanese is bad. But your words are true." He didn't think too much. Sometimes Garuda was afraid of being a burden; she felt like she was dragging her family and her friends down. They acted like it sometimes. They told her to give it up and to stop pretending that Kei was alive. It hurt his family, it made his mother cry. But she knew it deep down in her head -- she had seen him and why should she lie about it? She suddenly stood up and stretched back, raising her left arm to the fullest. Winking at the boy, she said, "When the train comes, would it be okay if I join you?" He was interesting; what he said made sense even though he could not express it well or maybe express it even better. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

Her response was faint enough that he may not have known she'd said anything if he hadn't been watching her; as it was, he looked uncertain whether to reply to it at all. After a brief moment of silence, he offered her a small, doubtful smile and said, "Is that so? ...Thanks."

Gourmet looked back at his Digimon, fingers now scritching away at the parted fur around its analog display. It was obvious by this point that something troubled the woman. He wore an interested look, but even at his age he knew better: this was still a stranger, and one shouldn't go prying into a stranger's business--not unless they ventured it first. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. Chances were she didn't have any desire to tell a kid her problems, but hey, that's how things were, right?

Ah, but that bothered him.

The teen bit his tongue on the matter. There were other things to be concerned about--like the fact she'd gotten up and begun asking him questions again.

"Eh?" He caught the wink and responded with a befuddled wrinkling of his forehead. What did that mean? "Er--yeah. Yes. It's the train, right? You'll ride."

And speaking of that train, a faint rumbling had begun to echo down the long tube that led from the station. Beside its partner, the DORUmon snorted and drowsily lifted its head. "Gourmet?"

Gourmet had already hopped from his seat. Now he ruffled his Digimon's head fur as he nodded toward the tunnel. "Yeah, Cheddar. This is it! «C'mon, get up. I'm not gonna carry your butt onboard.»"

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES He looked like he was struggling with himself; like there were questions he wanted to ask but out of politeness, he didn't. Garuda bit her lip. She didn't mean to be so telling, to be so obvious in her thoughts. Shaking her head and feeling the perfect brown hair she had in this world caressing her shoulders, she tried to shake off the shadow of unhappiness that cloaked her. Instead, she put on a bright smile and pointed at the track. "Look, Gourmet! The train is here!" The noisy rumbling of the train filled the air, along with smoke. Garuda pushed the back of her wrist into her face as she tried not to breathe it in; then she remembered it was just a game and the smoke smell seemed to go away. Purawna however clamped its paws into its face firmly, not wanting anything to do with it. Garuda just grinned -- this was real to them, wasn't it? She sucked in another breath of air. The train came to a stop, the doors opened and Garuda took a tentative step forwards. She wasn't sure why she was scared, but it seemed like there weren't any passengers onboard. Empty trains were the worst ones -- you never knew why they were empty. Garuda clenched her jaw and walked in, but secretly looked backwards to see if Gourmet had followed along. Purawna paced itself beside the girl, prepared to use its techniques if anything dangerous came along -- though truth be told, it wasn't sure if its techniques would help with anything. MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤

[xzs2]

[atrb=border,0,false][atrb=style,float:left,true]

normal tamer

He roused Cheddar from the bench just as the brakes screeched to life, and by the time the train had halted the both of them were lined up patiently behind Garuda and her Digimon, each unmindful of the smoke. Whatever qualms the woman had about boarding, Gourmet didn't appear to share them; he was leaning over to peer past her when she glanced back, his eager face bright with interest. They followed her without a word.

Unless one harbored a crippling phobia of public transportation, the only thing to fear inside the car appeared to be its emptiness of life. This issue didn't bother the teen. He examined the room only a moment before collapsing in one of the seats nearest the entrance. His DORUmon hauled itself into the window seat beside him and pressed its snout against the glass, but there wasn't terribly much to see out there--they were still in the station, and that particular window faced a wall. Sighing, it dropped its head, pulled its paws onto the seat, and attempted--somewhat awkwardly--to curl up and sleep.

"Nice," Gourmet commented, glancing around. It wasn't lavish, but it was clean, and that was a lot more than could be said for trains in the real world.

For a moment, that appeared to be all he had to say. He stared down at his hands, eyes half-lidded. Then he shook himself, scratched at his cheek, and nodded toward Garuda and her EbiBurgermon.

"So... What Digimon is that? It's neat."

[garuda]

[atrb=valign,top] A FALLING STAR FELL FROM YOUR HEART AND LANDED IN MY EYES They were inside -- and it was almost silent apart from their breathing. Garuda became painfully aware of how still the air was inside; was it truly okay for her to be here? The two of them shared looks. The Ebiburgermon seemed to feel the same way: they did not know where they were leaving to. Garuda cleared a throat, and a little panic escaped her voice when she asked Gourmet, "Where -- where does this train go to?" The boy already got a seat with his partner staring out the window like a puppy dog. Would he be able to answer her? Maybe she should really speak English to him: it wasn't strong, but better than his Japanese. "Nice." The boy had said. She nodded and sighed, not sitting down just yet. There was still time; they could leave the train if they wanted to. When Garuda turned to look at her partner, she realized that the burger Digimon already decided to sit down right next to the DORUmon. You decided? Garuda shot Purawna a questioning look. The digimon gave one serious nod before turning around to look out the window, like the dinosaur. She plopped down beside Purawna and again twiddled her fingers. She didn't know why but she felt like something was wrong. "So... What Digimon is that? It's neat." He said sleepily. Garuda grinned and replied, "You can sleep, y'know? You don't have to bother with me. If you're really tired," she paused for a moment before continuing, "you could always log out and take a break." She didn't fancy being the train alone though. She turned to look at the ends of the train again -- no one still. "Well, I picked her because she looked different from the rest I had to choose from. She can't battle well; even her techniques seem to be jokes," Garuda continued chattering away. Purawna just sighed; the glass in front of her fogged up due to her breath. It smelled like prawns. Garuda then continued, "Maybe it's my crest. Your partner looks interesting too; I don't think I've seen a Digimon that looked like that so far." MADE BY CYANIDE CANDY ✖

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign, top][atrb=style, width:300px, btable] ❝ tagged ❞ ❝ 000 words ❞ ◤