Subject: Mountain Wolves [open] 750 views

[ronin47]

Crossroads

Ronin strapped on the gloves and wrapped the beau blue, lavender, zebra-stripped scarf around his neck. He'd bought boots, leg warmers and a coat as well, which cost quite a lot for items that were a mere necessity for comfort. He had to sit through a small lecture from Strabimon about saving cash. Ronin was used to it and explained once more how video game cash had little value to him. But Strabimon had raised a good point when he said it was technically Strabimon's money he was spending.

Ronin had laughed.

It was a fair point - a really good one. He must have found it funny because of the implications and irony. Ronin wasn't so cruel to establish himself as the master and Strabimon the servant but it was quite humorous to look at it at the other way around.

"Fine, fine, I'll be more careful with my - your wallet but don't get me wrong, I don't spend for nothing."

Strabimon hadn't really been upset about Ronin's monetary attitude. The Digimon simply voiced out his advice and was reasonable most of the time.

"That scarf was very expensive though," Strabimon said.

Ronin fingered the scarf. It had adjusted to his avatar but the style of the cloth was made so it hovered above the ground for a couple of inches. He wasn't going to trip. Ronin had to make sure of that.

"It is. There was only two of it on stock. It belongs to a Digimon called Wulfmon...I kind of like it."

Strabimon nodded in agreement. "It looks nice."

"Anyway, training on a different terrain is the point why we're here today." Ronin strolled across the snowy path lined by icicle trees. On the other side, there were several players engaged in a snowball fight against their partner Digimon. Ronin spared them a passing glance while Strabimon looked more intently, interested.

"Are they doing special training?"

"No - !" Ronin's leg sunk a foot into the snow. " - Fuck - Strabimon -"

Strabimon heaved Ronin up. He gave his Digimon a quick thanks, dusting himself off some powders of snow.

"They're playing. Come on, get up in the tree and get an aerial view. Check for cliffs then try comparing the height of the trees."

"Height?"

"Yeah, so you can tell how deep the snow is. The shorter they look, the deeper the snow is. We're training here so it would be like having invisible landmines. You have to be cautious of your environment and be quick-witted."

Strabimon nodded and jumped off like a spring to do what he was instructed. Left alone, Ronin leaned back against a tree, sweeping the gray sky above from left to right. He returned his gaze back on ground level and ended up watching the snowballing players across them in another hill.

By AMB Tanz

we're in a journey that never ends

[scovil]

Scovil knelt in the snow, methodically molding the white powder around him into small balls and stacking them neatly in a pile beside him. This was his first time in the North Sector, so he had dressed appropriately - a black winter coat with fur trim at the wrists and collar, thick pants and leather gloves. Sure, the gloves really wouldn't help much if he was actually in freezing conditions, but he liked the look of them, so they had been bought as well. Nothing overly fancy, since he didn't have too much money yet, but nice enough to make him look rather cool.

"You nearly done?" Shamanmon called from his position farther away, and the young man looked up to see that his partner already had a good-sized pile of snowballs made.

"Just a minute!" While he was sure anyone passing by would assume they were playing, he considered it training for the both of them. Training in terms of being able to hit a target accurately from a fair distance away. Deciding that he had enough snowballs for now, the Tamer picked one up and rose. "You throw it like this, see?" he called, picking out a nearby tree and drawing his arm back. After a moment of calculation, he threw the snowball, smirking at it hit the tree trunk. "Don't worry about using all of your strength - accuracy is more important than raw power. Ready? Let's begin then."

Scovil bent to scoop up another snowball, then sighed as Shamanmon's first snowball sailed past on his far right. The next three throws all missed, the closest one hitting the ground a foot in front of him. He hadn't expected his partner's aim to be perfect, but this was ridiculous. Tossing the snowball he held a few times yet another packed ball of snow failed it hit him, Scovil shook his head and threw the one he held. Shamanmon let out a yelp as the snowball hit him square in the forehead, making him stumble back a few steps and drop the snowball he had just picked up.

"H-Hey, Sco-chan, no fair! I wasn't paying attention!"

"Then let that be a lesson for you to always pay attention to your opponent, no matter who they are. Just be thankful that was a snowball and not an actual attack," Scovil said bluntly, and the ogre frowned at him.

"Take this, then!" Shamanmon yelled, scooping up his dropped snowball and hurling it at the teen. The Tamer quickly ducked as the projectile whizzed towards him, but he needed have bothered - it was too high of a throw, and so Scovil turned to watch where it landed. It was when he noticed another player standing in the area where the snowball was headed. Crap.

"Yo man, incoming!" he shouted, hoping that the other player would have enough time to react to the snowy threat.

[ronin47]

Crossroads

Both his eyes were locked on to the scene. But even as he stared at it, he paid no attention to their unfamiliar faces and blurred movements, their spirited screams and yells muting to his ears. He was looking but he didn't watch. He was watching something else, a time long ago...

Reminisce.

Contrary to what many online might have assumed, Ronin wasn't really ten. In real life, he was sixteen. He went to high school, had part-time jobs (having one right now) and competed in tournaments. He also has a social life but they were with people he had a common interest with, not an obligation to spend time together. He didn't really have friends he would consider to be close to him. Romantic life? No, he got over that already. It was just a waste of time...

And like anyone else, he also has a home and a family. He had one, anyway. One more year and then he can find the excuse to get out of his shackles and roam freely somewhere in another city, in his own apartment and in his own breathable life. No more forced family bonding, no more mother-and-son pretending, no more playing house. It isn't going to be as easy as it sounds. It never is.

He turned his eyes down at the blanket of snow in his ankles and shaved the top layer with his shoe, as if he were doodling in the middle of a class. He never played snowball fights because his dad was worried he could get hurt. Ironically, he'd take him ice-skating instead. Apparently, they used to always do that together back with his biological mother. He had been too young to string together the words to describe it, but Ronin recalled his dad's distant, silent smile that told Ronin he must have loved her.

He had tried to picture those moments with his deceased mother. He had attempted to create in his memories moments with her and his dad. The imagination of a child and the love yearning for his mother had made it quite easy to do...But something felt wrong about it...Something was missing. There was always another face that looked like his or his mother's that would badger him in his dreams.

He cleared off enough snow for a small hole. He could see the raw dirt at the bottom. Strabimon was taking too long -

Yo, man?

No, Ronin didn't have the time to react. If he had stayed as an observer in a safe distance, he would have said otherwise. But the snowball came from a completely different direction and it hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water for a rude morning wake-up.

His dad was right. Snowballs really hurt.

Ronin was fortunate that his first instinct wasn't to scream like a total girl. He took in the ice flat on his face like a man that he was, and he was going to make sure whoever did it was going to have a taste of it.

"What the hell was that for?" Ronin growled, clearing the snow from his face. It crossed his mind that it must have been an accident but that didn't placate him. "If you wanted to play, go take your game somewhere else more spacious without any innocent bystanders around. It's not like you can't find a spot in this big, fake world!"

He hadn't turned his satellite blue and he was glad for that. The red satellite that signified his staff membership was his most effective weapon to appear threatening. His current, ten-year-old avatar didn't deliver authority most of the time.

"What's going on?" Strabimon's voice came from behind. Either he actually finished what he was supposed to do or he resurfaced when he heard the commotion. Strabimon saw the stack of snowballs beside Scovil. "Oh, are you two playing a game?"

Notes I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE MY OWN THREAD. I WOULD HAVE POSTED SOONER.
By AMB Tanz

we're in a journey that never ends

[scovil]

Scovil groaned and closed his eyes as the snowball hit the other player square in the side of the head. This was not how he wanted to introduce himself to other people; to give the impression that he was a carefree and/or irresponsible person. Well, there was no way he was going to run away, so he opened his eyes and sighed. Better go see how the other Tamer was doing.

The younger player spoke harshly as he jogged over the short space between them, Shamanmon not too far behind. Scovil took a moment to examine him before answering, his dismay growing as he spotted the red satellite hovering by the boys' head. Great, he had just pissed off an admin. "You idiot!" the teen hissed to his partner, shooting him an angry glare before facing the admin and bowing deeply. "I sincerely apologize for hitting you, sir," he said as respectfully as he could. He hated groveling, but it wouldn't do to piss the admin off any further. "If I had known my Digimon had such terrible aim, I would have certainly chosen a different spot."

"I-I'm sorry, too. It was an accident, but I'll a-accept any punishment you wish to give me or Sco-chan," Shamanmon stammered, and Scovil saw that he was bowing as well. Well, this was just great. Did this kid have enough power to put them in jail, or even ban him? He hoped not, since there wasn't much he could do from a jail cell.

Straightening up at the question from the admin's partner, the young man shook his head. "I was trying to train Shamanmon here on long-distance projectile attacks, but clearly his programming isn't suited to them..." The ogre remained silent at that, knowing he had failed his Tamer and wondering what would happen next.

[ronin47]

Crossroads

Ronin's shoulders relaxed but he insisted on keeping his disapproving frown. It wouldn't do good to forgive too easily but the snowball warranted nothing more than the apology, which he received sufficiently. When Strabimon came out and pinched in at the right time, he was grateful once more for his amicable intervention. Ronin wouldn't have known what to say without sounding too friendly or too angry. He silently settled to glaring at the trees.

"Long-distance projectile attacks?" Strabimon repeated, cocking his head to the side, then turning to Ronin."Didn't you say that activity is 'playing'?"

"Yeah," Ronin grunted. He could see what was coming next.

"You were wrong, then," Strabimon said plainly.

"What's your point?" he growled between his teeth.

Strabimon continued normally. "It can be used as training as what they've demonstrated." Strabimon bent over to roll a snowball between his palms. "I think it's an effective and practical method. Accuracy and control are exercised in a positive, team-building condition. More importantly, it allows familiarity in footing and feeling, assuming the training they - " He gestured to Scovil and his partner, "- conduct go over by the same rules and instructions the players I have seen earlier play."

"All right, all right!" Ronin raised his arms up in surrender. "I get it. Are you done now?"

"Right at my last word, yes." Strabimon said in the same neutral tone, patting his snowball. "You appear vexed, Ronin. Do you not enjoy snow?"

"I won't vouch for computer expertise," Ronin said to Scovil, pretending not to have heard Strabimon. "But while your Digimon here might have been programmed to be pretty bad at aiming, they're still AI, artificial intelligence. They'll learn with practice. I don't know how the works in nerd language but that's what I gather anyway."

He didn't really give training advice often especially when he was out of duty. It was a small token of friendship, a move that meant he was trying to be friendlier. The thing with the snowball was long gone and out of Ronin's head but there was no way he was going to be chummy. He would like to be neutral at most. Ronin's advice was so he could earn back the points he lost for getting angry.

But Strabimon was pushing it. That Digimon had the knack to make things better and sometimes troublesome.

"Don't you think it best if I undergo Shamanmon's training with him?"

Ronin paused. He really had no reason to say no except the introverted side of him wanting to just get out and move somewhere else completely isolated this time around. It was a waste of time in his opinion.

Ronin was about to make his decision when he saw how Strabimon was still busy with the snow in his hands. He probably never had a snowball fight before, just like Ronin.

"I don't care," he said, crossing his arms. "If you want my permission, you don't need it. Ask them."

Strabimon turned to Scovil and Shamanmon. They heard his tamer. Whether he gets to "train" with them was up to them.

By AMB Tanz

we're in a journey that never ends

[scovil]

Scovil breathed a inner sigh of relief when it became apparent that the admin wasn't going to punish them in any way. That was good. Perhaps the admins weren't as strict as he thought, or maybe this kid was just letting them off easy. Either way, the teen made a mental note to make sure there was no one around the next time they did this. Because yes, there definitely was going to be a next time - snowballs were free and easy to make, and it was clear that Shamanmon needed the practice. And, deep down inside, Scovil himself rather enjoyed behaving like a child again.

Absently adjusting the collar of his jacket while the pair before him discussed playing versus training. Others would probably call a snowball fight playing, but he considered it training for the reason he had already stated. Blinking at the admin's attention returned to him, Scovil nodded. "Thanks, that's good to know. Depending on what he evolves to, he'll have to learn how to use long-range attacks. As to how his programming will expand to accommodate with that..." he shrugged. "I have no idea. Haven't been able to find anything out aside that it will just adjust on its own, or something to that effect." Really, it was frustrating that he been unable to dig into the code of the game, but it was ridiculously well protected, as it should be.

Scovil cocked his head to the side as the admin's Digimon asked to join them, then focused on it more intently, memorizing the name. Strabimon. He hadn't encountered any Digimon of that species before, but it made sense that an admin would have a uncommon partner. "I'm fine with that. What do you think?" he asked, looking down at his partner for confirmation.

"That would be awesome! I've love to train with you!" Shamanmon beamed at Strabimon, clearly enthusiastic about the idea.

Looking back at Strabimon, the Tamer asked, "Do you want to train with Shamanmon one-on-one, or shall one of us team up with you against the other?"

[ronin47]

Strabimon looked at Shamanmon then at Scovil, thoughtful.

"I consider it best if you two team up against me."

Ronin coughed, looking away, hiding the smile that broke the neutrality of his face. It wasn't arrogance; just Strabimon's bluntness. To be fair, the green Digimon seemed to be having a really tough time with aiming. Strabimon might not have a need for his innate speed. Neither him nor Ronin have ever played this recreational game but how hard could it, really? He'd seen children as young as six do it right.

This might be the reasoning behind Strabimon's conclusion. It was the fair thing to do for him. He didn't mean it to be belittling and his passive expression wasn't helpful in convincing otherwise.

"Are there conditions I should be aware of?" Strabimon asked, his hands still playing with the snowball as if it were clay.

[scovil]

So Strabimon was game for a two-against-one match, huh? Scovil smiled inwardly at that, pleased at the choice. Hopefully the admin's partner had better aim than his own did, which, given Shamanmon's abilities so far, was quite likely. "Excellent. Follow me." Leading the small group away from the other Tamer, the young man return to the pile of snowballs he had made before hand and directed Strabimon to go to Shamanmon's old pile.

"No, there are no particular rules you need to follow...but I would suggest not throwing anything in the direction of your Tamer," Scovil said with a smile, taking a quick glance back at the admin. With Shamanmon now facing away from him, the other player would only be in danger of stray snowballs coming from his partner. "This time, watch what I do and copy it," he murmured to the small ogre beside him as he bent to pick up a snowball.

"Gotcha, Sco-chan," Shamanmon whispered back, looking both excited and nervous a what was to come.

Focusing on the other Digimon, Scovil drew back his arm and hurled the ball of snow as hard as he could. Strabimon looked tough enough to take a hard hit, and there was no point in going easy on someone who wanted to learn.

[ronin47]

Strabimon failed to experience the same thrill or nervousness Scovil and his partner were having. This was a special method of training. He was going to take it seriously and make sure to learn from it. But first he had to learn from Shamanmon's tamer, who was more knowledgeable of this specific activity. He took note of his stance and compared it to Shamanmon's. The difference would make the details easier to sink in. Whatever Shamanmon was doing that Scovil wasn't must be incorrect.

Strabimon nodded at Scovil's advise. Yes, he wouldn't want to hit Ronin. It didn't strike Strabimon that the placement was supposed to put him at a disadvantage. Ronin was watching but Strabimon was already too focused to notice. Good thing too because Scovil made the first move.

Ronin had seen this game before. He'd seen children exchanging fire, white orbs shooting in the air and breaking into mounds upon contact. He had stood from afar, watching, as he was watching right now. Alone and distant.

But this particular play was proving itself to be different than the ones he'd seen in real life. The innate understanding of humans in the fun of a snowball war wasn't universal.

In an anti-climactic moment, instead of dodging the snowball, Strabimon caught it with his hand. The ice promptly disintegrated from the force. Strabimon stared at the crumbs of snow rolling down his arm, wondering if that was what it was supposed to do.

Deciding he should make his move too, he threw his snowball from his other hand. He decided to aim at the other Digimon, thinking it was best to attack the weaker one of the two.

[scovil]

Scovil stared in disbelief as Strabimon nonchalantly reached out and caught the snowball. That...wasn't what he had been expecting at all, but whatever, to each their own. If Strabimon had the guts to do that, well, who was he to stop him? Crouching to grab another snowball, he watched with interest as the other Digimon threw the one he held, aiming for Shamanmon. The ogre let out a yelp and tried to duck, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the snowball fully as it slammed into the side of his head. Certain that his partner would be fine, Scovil shifted into a kneeling position and threw another snowball, this time putting more force behind the throw.

Not to be outdone, Shamanmon scrambled back to his place beside his Tamer and let loose a snowball as well. He had to prove to Scovil that he was a worthy partner, ready and able to learn from new situations and gain new skills. Besides, he couldn't have an admin's partner showing him up, now could he? No, this was training, so he had to take it seriously and improve himself. Scovil needed him to be strong, after all.

[ronin47]

The second snowball was faster. Strabimon hadn't taken a battle position so moving to dodge hadn't been a priority. From his first contact with the snowball, it wasn't anything harmful. Not enough recoil was received from impact to disrupt his activity. He stood quite still and let the snowball had its way, hitting him at his stomach. It wasn't anything more painful...It was stronger but not more painful or painful at all.

He watched Shamanmon take his turn and let the snowball hit him again. Strabimon grew more puzzled. That was somewhat stronger too but what was the difference? He had thought that the snowballs would hurt. Why else had the players he had seen earlier were dodging them?

"Hmm," Strabimon pondered. "Sco-chan, I have a suggestion. Wouldn't the training be more appropriate to our level if we use solid objects such as rocks instead? The west sector is compromised of badlands. We will have sufficient tools there."

Ronin didn't quite hear Strabimon from where he stood but he arched his eyebrow, wondering why they had suddenly stopped.

[scovil]

Stabimon's suggestion came as Scovil was preparing to threw yet another snowball, and so stopped with his arm drawn back. Seriously? This guy wanted to throw rocks?! Tossing the snowball up and down as he mulled over the idea, he glanced down at Shamanmon. "Think you can handle some rocks?"

"I can handle some rocks, no problem! Bring 'em on!" the ogre boasted, puffing out his chest with pride. He would take all the bruises in the world if it meant he would get stronger.

"Good," Scovil nodded in approval, then turned to the admin and called, "Your partner suggested we try rocks instead of snowballs to train - are you good with moving locations to do so?" It didn't really matter to him what they did, so long as Shamanmon got some experience out if it.

((Sorry for vanishing like that without warning, and for making you worry. I'll be more active from now on, I promise.))

[ronin47]

What.

"...what?" He briefly heard the mention of rocks in their exchange and couldn't believe what he heard. He pushed himself from the tree and walked closer to the group. "I'm not going all the way to West Sector so you three can throw rocks at each other." He made the stupidity of the idea quite clear in the lucidity of his tone. "If you're tired of playing with snowballs, we can disperse."

"But Ronin, the snowballs aren't very effective. See, they do not hurt so much." To illustrate this, Strabimon packed a snowball on his hands and threw it close-up at Ronin. Startled, Ronin threw himself on the side and fell on his rear.

"Strabimon!"

Strabimon was laughing. "Ronin, it doesn't hurt. Why do you dodge?"

"Do YOU want me to throw a snowball at your face?"

"I don't mind."

Ronin didn't reply.

OOC: Glad to see you back (and healthy, I hope!). Can't lie and say that I didn't miss you, lol. Anyway, this post is pretty short and uneventful but I didn't want to push it with just the two of them talking. Maybe they'll come up with something to do.

[scovil]

Apparently the admin wasn't good with going to the West Sector. His partner, however, seemed rather insistent on it. Smirking at the exchange of words (and an ill-timed snowball), Scovil glanced down at his own partner. "Try anything like that on me and you'll regret it," he said softly, but the warning was clear despite his smile.

"I'd never do that to ya, Sco-chan. We need each other," Shamanmon replied in a low tone, slightly shaken by the Tamer's words. He knew the young man could be moody sometimes, but he senses he would follow through on the threat if need be.

"I suppose we do..." the young man muttered, turning back to the admin and Strabimon. "We can continued training here if you wish, or we can depart for the day," he said, then focused on the child avatar as he added, "I do not wish to keep you from anything you have to do. I did enjoy this meeting though. Perhaps we can do something else in the future?" It was probably dangerous, making friends with an admin when he was planning on bending the rules of the game, but they seemed intelligent enough to warrant another conversation.

((Yeah, I'm pretty much over the cold now. We can either continue this thread or start another one, I'm fine with either choice.))

[ronin47]

He still didn't see how any of this was training but Ronin didn't make any further comments. It was a childish idea but...Ronin was going to be nice. He stood up, clearing some snow from his jacket.

"Yeah." He tried to give him the slightest of a smile. At least it wasn't very forced. He managed to get a friendly one out. Something different from snowball fighting. I don't think he's getting any of this." He jerked his thumb at Strabimon. "I've added you in my buddy list...which reminds me, we never introduced ourselves, did we? The name's Ronin and my Digimon's called Strabimon." He offered his hand out to Scovil. "And in case you were wondering, I'm just a guide in the game. I'm no expert but...I've been playing a while. If you need anything, drop me a message."

OOC: I guess we're ending. Kouji would want to go back to what they were there for. I am intrigued by what Scovil meant by breaking the rules now xD