Subject: [o] live to die 199 views

[aesop]

shattered dreams, broken hopes.

he could still hear the horrible voice.

a reaper, o-ho.

he could still hear the laughter. just two syllables, but taunting all the same.

he tried to sink deeper into the seat. he figured that the discomfort would make himself think about something else, something other than the cynical voice in his head telling him about his own life. he didn't like hearing the way it put things, maybe because it stung.

or maybe because it was true.

he cursed under his breath, rolled his eyes, and tried to focus on the lady manning the lab equipment.

[rene1]

x

He sincerely hadn’t expected to come here so early in the morning. Why would he? The night before had been long and the morning had been short, and he’d need to catch a plane sometime in the afternoon… Oh yes, that was right, because his alarm clock went off too early and he was convinced that it was twelve when it’d only been eight. He sighed, stretched, and decided he might want to log onto that game he’d been playing as of recent. It wasn’t so bad so far, was it?

This time around, he landed in the cold. Far from the heated real world, this place had snow whirling around his shins, and what he could only guess was a damn fortress just before him. His Renamon loaded beside him, her fur enough to keep her warm. Might as well go in; everything was explore-able on DO, apparently.

Inside, he wasn’t expecting the warmth, or the fact that it was a city, of all things. How curious… was there anybody there, though? It seemed awfully lonely.

“Hello?” He called out to the empty space, half expecting a reply of only his echoes. Of course, that’s what he got at first; an echo of his own voice. Yep, definitely lonely up here.

[aesop]

the lady was busy at the controls. she tapped the buttons with precision and confidence, knowing exactly what she was doing in that perfectly-coiffed hair and uniform of hers.

he watched her in silence; he knew just what laid behind the streams of green data that she was modifying.

fawkes.

poor innocent fawkes. (where was the justice? where was the divine intervention?) he exhaled, leaning back in his seat. he hadn't logged out since then -- there wasn't anything to go back to in the real world. he couldn't, didn't want to see himself facing a world where he was pushed down as soon as he stood up.

women were a form of oppression, he realized. no wonder chivalry was dead -- they thought they were being oppressed simply because they offered to do things for them, or be nice for once.

he could see his face in the opposite mirror. his mouth slowly twisted into a small smile as he stood up from the seat. his anger bubbled within him, but aesop ignored it as he walked towards the platform and banisters at the top of the stairs, and glanced down.

'hello. is there a storm out there?' his voice was a practiced, level voice. 'i ... it's just a guess, but good day.' his smile widened, and it looked sincere.

[rene1]

x

The place was so lonely. Terpsichore glanced around, but there seemed to be little. Cold steel and metals, even if the place felt warm. He was tempted to just get back out in the snow and hike his way down the mountain to somewhere more… friendly. Terpsichore was used to places that were warm and inviting, even if the temperature dropped below zero. This was different.

He was startled when he did hear a voice coming above him, and he looked up to a platform he didn’t notice before. Oh, perhaps there were people up there. He smiled, small and a little tired, but otherwise his regular self. “No storm outside… but it’s cold.” He called up to the man.

Another brief glance around, but he wasn’t expecting it to change. “I’m sorry, is this your place? I’ll go, if you’d like.”

[aesop]

'ah, that's good news, then.' the smile was still dancing on his face as he looked at the other man. (it might have been a calm before a storm, but he would take his chances.) 'hm? no, i'm just here for the lab.' quiet laughter, just as practised as his smile. 'do stay. it's just me here, after all.'

sort of. it wasn't just him. fawkes was around, too.

[rene1]

x

Even if the man stood above him, the whole place felt empty. When he said it was only him in here, no doubt Terpsichore believed him. It felt as empty as it looked, and with the echoing walls and steel floors, it didn’t matter how warm it actually was; it felt vacant.

His Renamon perked her ears, eyes almost seeming to search the place for other life. To Terpsichore, there was none, and he accepted that… But his digimon questioned at all times. Opposites, in a sense, and among so many other things.

“It seems really lonely here.” Just a comment, not meant to insult or anything. “Do you mind if I come up there with you?”