turn your kindness into strength
"God," Ronin curses, stomping his feet hard on the rock, solid dirt as he and his Digimon made their way through the swamp. "Not another one! What is it with people going to places they're sure to get lost in?"
Strabimon follows him with less force on his feet. The wooden plank bridge shuddered and gave a loud groan as Ronin marched through it. "I'm not sure, Ronin," Strabimon says. "You've phrased your question in a way that somehow confuses me. Something about it doesn't make sense so I'm not sure how to answer."
Ronin slapped his palm at his forehead, sighing heavily. "Because it's rhetorical. I wasn't really
asking you."
"What is it that you wanted me to say then?" he asks curiously. Ronin groans. "Ronin?"
"Let's just get this over with," he says with all his might and every bit of little patience he had left, checking for any players wandering about. He thought a job where he didn't have to move a muscle would be stress-free but Ronin found out dealing with people is just as (if not more) exhausting.
"Where do you believe the player called Atron is?" Strabimon asks, surveying the distant empty patches of arid land and mud. Scattered about the brown water are woody protrusions sticking out like spikes on the surface. Herbaceous plants floated around like lily pads and giant metallic pipes can be sighted on the water here and there.
"The place is pretty huge but it's not like it's a forest. It's a vast clearing; we can spot a person a mile away." Ronin leads the way toward the inn where most players would gather in. He approaches an incoming group who looked like they had did some training in the swamp. Ronin asks them about the lost player called Atron and refers to the shout she made in the chat log.
"Not sure," one of the players answers. "Does sound familiar though."
Not interested to entertain the topic further, the party moves on without a second glance but Ronin can hear them talking to themselves.
"I think that's the newbie from earlier," the redhead says.
"Oh, really? I didn't really catch her name."
And the discussions dies in favor of talking about the scandalous commercial that aired last night.
Ronin pockets his hands and turns, walking back to the swamp. If they want to find her, they'll have to keep on walking.
"Do you know where the player is now?" Strabimon asks, running to catch up with his tamer. He thought Ronin would have asked them more questions. It seems they knew her.
"No," Ronin says, noticeably more placid. All the ire about the lost player has evaporated. And with what sounds like renewed conviction, he says, "But we'll find her."
He stops, closes his eyes and thinks of the player's name.
Atron. When the Whisper link is established, he opens his eyes again and speaks with volume only he and Atron can hear though his mouth moves no differently when he talks normally.
I heard your Shout. I'm looking for you but it would be easier if I have you in my buddy list so I can see you in my map. I'm sending the invite now, okay?
He gives her a few seconds before he does so. Hopefully, she doesn't accidentally ignore him instead or it can make things really difficult.
