Subject: the feedback cuts through: hua 391 views

[ensenga]

Between the searing light of the sun, the suffocating heat pressing down upon his shoulders, the sandy gusts scratching past bared skin and the endless desert expanse stretching out before him, the rest of his travels in the West Sector seem to blur. There are fights with wild Digimon; most they win, though some they flee to conserve their strength. There are breaks too, sometimes quiet and other times filled with light-hearted conversation.

"Maybe we should continue another time," Kuu says during one of these moments. He glances above, his expression somber. The setting sun has painted the sky a rosy mix of orange and yellow that seems to glow all the warmer against the dimming desert.

"Maybe," Ensenga says. Then after a moment, he adds, "I'll look for maybe another hour and call it a day if I still can't find it. Deal?"

"Alright," the White Lopmon says as he gets up. "Let's get a move on then." Deftly he jumps onto his tamer's shoulder, tugging at the boy's scarf to wrap it around himself. The cold of the desert night is settling in, feeling colder after their day in the sun. Ensenga too wraps his cape around himself before standing and beginning to walk. There's a nagging voice in his mind that tells him to just give it a rest; it's a game, who cares if you don't find it in a single day, what are you even trying to prove? Normally he'd probably have given up already, but... are the words of that other player they met before bothering him? He couldn't have been much stronger, given that he needed help with a random encounter, but there was something about the way he talked, some kind of superior attitude that left Ensenga oddly self-conscious. For a moment the boy had been reminded of who he was and who he wasn't, a thought that stuck and propelled him long after the encounter.

He tries forgetting the matter as he walks, focusing his attention instead on the distance. Almost an hour later, just as the sun's finished setting and cast the desert into purple, they spot an odd structure looming in the horizon.

"Is that—" Kuu starts but doesn't finish; he's too busy clinging to Ensenga as the tamer dashes forward, running faster and faster.

But he freezes when he gets to the tower. In between his panting, Ensenga manages to sputter with wide eyes, "What the heck are you doing here?!"

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] Huhuhuhu. With a big, not-so-innocent grin slapped on his face, he cheerfully greeted Ensenga. "Oh my, Ennie, what a coincidence! Oh, hold on...you mentioned about wanting to come here. It seems like ages ago." Hua paused, cupping his chin and looking up at the sky, muttering to himself, "I don't think I answered your question..." Biyomon cocked her head at her tamer. "Did we miss them earlier? We've been here for hours." "I'm not sure," he answered her thoughtfully. "I did log out for a while. The desert made me quench for a mango shake." He beamed excitedly, turning to Biyomon. "Did I tell you how - " "YES." "Oh, okay. It's sooo goood. Maybe I should buy another," he said wistfully. "Ah yes - " He turned back to Ensenga. "Congratulations on making it to the tower! That's really amazing. How are you feeling?"

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

Ensenga can only gape at Hua as the other boy blabs on and on. At times he opens his mouth but closes it shortly after, as if attempting to process too many thoughts at once. There's the initial elation of finding the tower, the relief that they did it before he logged out for the day, the shock of seeing this kid here first, the confusion of why he's even here, and past that, deeper than that...

"Oh, it's just that Hua guy and the Biyomon from before," Kuu says, still snuggled in his tamer's scarf. Lazily, he raises an ear in greeting. "Yooo, fancy seeing you here. I thought you guys were skipping out on the tower."

"That's what I thought too," Ensenga murmurs, mouth hidden behind his scarf and voice audible only to himself and his partner. It stings, having this kid come out of absolutely nowhere and beat him here, hours earlier apparently, after he's been searching the entire day. He tries to reason with himself of course; this kid already knows a lot about the game, given their earlier battle. "But how?" he thinks. "We're around the same level of strength." Maybe Hua's an experienced player on a new account? It's possible he's playing a smurf account or even just played the beta version of the game before. Or maybe he read a walkthrough somewhere? Well, walkthroughs are for chumps who don't know how to properly have fun anyway, so who cares where this guy gets his information and that he has this information right off the bat anyway? Ensenga's new. Properly new.

"That's right," he tells himself. "Take it easy. It's just a game anyway; there's no need to get worked up over this." Ensenga doesn't want to think of Hua as a guy who goes out of his way to mess with other people, but that grin is telling him otherwise. So heck if he's going to get trolled by this guy! Yeah, it took him a ton of time to get to the tower. So what? He's new to the game and he's going to revel in it.

"Me?" Ensenga says, suddenly huffy. "I'm glad you asked!" He puts his hands on his sides, grinning wide. "'Cause I'm feeling absolutely freakin' amazing! I mean," he continues, walking forward, "Kuu and I, we finally found the place after searching for so long. I was just about to give up and rest for the day, but right when I thought that, we found it!" His mind lapses away from irritation and back to that initial exhilaration of finding the tower—no, the exhilaration of setting a lofty goal and actually reaching it.

"Man, I wonder what's inside?" His eyes are shining and his hands are balled into excited fists; he's forgotten his prior irritation already. "Did you check it out yet? The BBS didn't say anything about the tower 'cept that it existed. Let's go inside already!"


(huhuhu)

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] "Is that so? That's good, good." Hua's head went up and down, good-natured smile acting indifferent to Ensenga's earlier fish-face look. He would laugh at that later though Hua couldn't stop internally giggling about it already. "It goes to show that one should never give up hope." While Ensenga's initial irritation dies forgotten, so did Hua's teasing amusement. He meant his congratulations and was happy for Ensenga. The small prank he pulled merely happened by chance; it wasn't as if Hua knew for sure Ensenga would have reached the Mirage Tower today. Hua toyed with the possibility by staying online but he did it just to kill the time. Hua looked at Ensenga seriously. "I wouldn't dare enter the tower alone," he said quietly. "They say spirits of lost travelers masquerading as real humans are gathered inside to lead players astray and death upon gruesome booby traps. Did you come across a bone in the sand? You might have glanced on one while you were walking here. Considering how tired you must have been, you might not distinctly remember it. Most players who were asked shook their heads immediately but..." Hua didn't finish. He paused and asked, "Are you sure you want to go on?"

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

His face falls at Hua's words, though not in fright. His brow furrowed and his frown tight, Ensenga turns to the other boy with irritation written clear across his face. Again with the jokes? He might've tolerated them before (No, he didn't actually fall for them. Really. Okay, maybe he kind of did), but is this kid really asking him if he wants to go on? After he's searched the whole day for this place? It's not to say he isn't wary of Hua's words, given that he does think to any bones he might've encountered in the desert, but frankly he's not enough of a loser to finally find the tower and suddenly decide "Well I'm done, time to head back." No, he's going to see this journey through the end, spirits and gruesome booby traps be damned.

"Whatever," Ensenga says, dismissively waving a hand. "What's the use of giving up now? I didn't travel that desert for nothing, y'know. And besides," he continues, turning back toward the tower entrance, "I'm not going in alone. I've got Kuu here with me, and you and Biyomon are coming too, right? Why else wait around here?" The quiet darkness of the tower draws him in, makes the glow in his eyes shine all the brighter. "Let's go already." And without waiting for an answer, Ensenga steps in.

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] More wise words from Ensenga but ah, he might not have wisdom itself. Wouldn't the wise know when to listen to the advice of others? Hmm, did Hua not sound convincing? "I'm losing my touch," he mumbled to himself, cupping his chin again in thought as Ensenga and his Digimon move ahead. He tilted his head up, remembering something. "...and who's Kuu?" Hua met Biyomon's curious glance. Upon the question, Biyomon shrugged. "We better follow them," Hua said, about to move until Biyomon spoke up. "Do we have to?" asked Biyomon. "Why did we even wait for them, Hua?" "Felt like it," he answered easily, looking up to the twilight colors falling down the sky. "Maybe I'm trying to make friends." Said jokingly, it felt very easy. He walked in the tower with Biyomon at his tail and he found himself starring pensively at his shoes. In those few steps in brief silence, his last words echoed uncomfortably in his head. Was there any truth in it? Hua's soft footsteps began to echo as well but they came through his ears, taking him back to reality. The desert sunset was gone, replaced by the tower's wide walls circling around them. A look above and the tower went on in a mesmerizing spiral, platforms in different levels separated by different distances with long and short flights of stairs. Random vegetation and vines crawled through the spaces between the dusty bricks. On closer inspection, there were small flowers and buds growing, too. Given the presence of plants, the tower was more nurturing than the desert. But that was it. There was no one - nothing else. No gold, no treasures, no secrets. The tower was nothing but an empty ruin. Hua looked around with a humming smile. Well, nothing too different last time he was here years or minutes ago. He looked at Ensenga instead. How was he taking it? To find out that a long arduous journey had rewarded him with nothing more than an empty ruin. Hua had taken a good look around years ago. Not even wild Digimon existed here. He had thought from that something must be special about the place but the more he had explored, the more he thought that the Mirage Tower might not be more than just a momentary reprieve for weary adventurers.

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz

[ensenga]

"I'm Kuu," says the White Lopmon. His long ears had perked up and out toward Hua and Biyomon at the mention of his name. "Ensenga insisted on giving me a nickname and 'Kuu' was the best compromise I could get. His naming sense is absolutely terrible, but I guess karma just bit him back on that one. Isn't that right, Ennie?" He drawls the tamer's new nickname, snickering to himself with paws over his mouth after, but when the expected retort doesn't come he stops, glancing curiously at the tamer. Ensenga has come to a stop in the center of the ground floor, his head tilted up at the tower expanse. With his eyes he traces the curvature of the stairs, the cracks between olden bricks, the vines trailing over olden beige and all he can feel is a mild disappointment.

For a place heralded by players as a legend, it's far from befitting of its name. He'd envisioned something like a mystical beacon, with walls and floors all a deep purple, as if dyed by the desert night. It'd be dark and light all at once; moonlight would shine through the top and bounce off the crystals embedded in the walls, together glowing like a rainbow array of torches to give a magical and almost otherworldly presence. He hadn't even thought of monsters or bosses or treasure or anything yet, but even without them the Mirage Tower of his visions would be beautiful enough to warrant the effort.

Unfortunately, his visions have no influence on this (digital) reality. The tower is plain. Briefly he wonders if DO staff accepts aesthetic suggestions, because he's got a lot of ideas on how to liven up this place up.

"Hey, Ennie?" Kuu's leaning forward and prodding the boy's cheek. "Hellooo?"

"Stop that," he says, lightly swiping the rabbit's paw away. "What's up?"

"You were totally zoning out there, Ennie." His tone is lax but there's worry in his eyes.

"Nahh, I'm fine. Just surveying the area. Wondering how high of a climb this'll be." Ensenga pauses, as if remembering something. "Wait a tic," he says, his tone angrier in realization, "how long've you been calling me 'Ennie'?!"

Kuu snickers, looking away innocently. "I was wondering when you'd notice."

"Well, don't do that!" Flustered and suddenly aware of Hua and Biyomon behind him, he continues in a louder voice, "Let's get a move on already!"

He starts up the stairs, and though his gaze is set above, his mind wanders. Maybe the tower isn't as fantastical as he'd like, but then again he hasn't even thought of anything beside the looks yet. For one, what's at the top of the tower? Treasure would be awesome but a boss fight would be ten times more exciting. And Hua mentioned something about spirits and booby traps, right? That's pretty exciting too! Okay, maybe more dangerous than exciting, but it's something at least!

"So uh," Ensenga says, breaking his upward gaze to glance at Hua, "when do the spirits and booby traps and stuff start popping up? Just so we know when to watch out for them." He sounds careful but the truth is that maybe he'd want to experience a little bit of both. Like, spirits chasing them into a guillotine trap or something? It's not like he wants his head lopped off or anything, but narrowly sidestepping a gigantic blade honestly sounds pretty awesome. Just like in anime!

[hua]

[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,border-right: 9.5px #000000 solid;] They filled the tower with their voices. Hua was content to listen, to observe and to learn. Everything that he was supposed to say, Kuu was doing it better. Ensenga was as disappointed as Hua thought but he was getting over that quickly than he anticipated and he seemed hopeful that there might be something more than meets the eye. He decided not to say anything and stick with a soft, comfortable smile, watching Ensenga lead the battle. The way Ensenga was acting made him believe there really was an adventure up ahead. Imagination wasn't a bad thing; it was what constructed their reality in this world. "When we least expect," Hua answered, his gaze having merely stray somewhere in the air. He thought what else to add but Hua couldn't come up with anything amusing to say for the conversation. Even a topic wasn't coming to him. Being quiet wasn't bad, right? Hua didn't keep eye contact with Ensenga for more than a split second when he replied to him. This time he was looking at the interior of the tower, suddenly interested in what he had already seen before. Biyomon was walking behind them, slightly lagging behind. Birds weren't meant to travel of talons but Biyomon had grown tired flying. She didn't seem very content being here at all.

[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=width,160] Why can't little boys be made of sugar and spice, too?

[atrb=vAlign,bottom][atrb=width,160] Coded by AMB Tanz