Subject: Eggheads Delight [mewt] 258 views

[harp]

This was not an attempt at becoming stronger for her or anyone else's benefit though someone did in fact benefit from their presence here. That someone was the spiked clam stalling at the water's edge. Luckbell knew that it would ask her to come swim with it and that she would politely refuse. True to its name there were plenty of shells some even she could of sworn had faces. Pretend not to notice and avoid possibly meeting more sugar coated mollusks, good plan.

It would be a real chore getting the sand out of her boot with all the buckles she would have to undo just to get them off, sometimes this game was too realistic. Hands folded neatly in her lap and legs bent beneath her she didn't fit in with with setting. Perhaps if she were alone and it was night the obviousness of her not belonging would change. While most soaked in the sun the moody girl seemed to repel it by just idly sitting there. One player with the appearance of a small child even shrieked when she had blinked, some droll about her being doll-like.

Stimulating as this all was it was nothing she couldn't get on the outside save for the monsters which thus far had the worth of pets in her eyes. She had heard of battling, how it was one of the most real things here, but having not yet experienced it she was not going to trust the words of strangers or those trying to sell the game. Of course no one would admit to being ripped off or that what they were selling was inadequate. The cogs in her mind spun as she pictured a future where the real world was the product, its selling point fresh air, as her Digimon finally splashed into the waiting waves.

[mewt]

First there was Cyanide, who he couldn't seem to figure out at all. That encounter was... something. Mewt still flushed a little when he thought about her face and the way he had completely embarrassed himself in front of her more than once. Maybe next time they talked it would be a little less embarrassing for him- that would be rather nice.

Then there was Lucent Lee, or just Lee for short, who Mewt took an instant liking to. It was that meeting that gave the young man the strength he needed to continue going with this ridiculous speech problem. Quite possibly with time and effort he could get over his stuttering and general speaking weakness, but it was pleasant to know there was at least one person out there who would accept him and enjoy speaking with him even if that never happened.

Digimon Online had given him two very pleasant encounters and now he could hopefully have another. Or at least he could if he didn't keep losing his Digimon every time he looked away for two seconds!

"Where are you g-going this time?" Mewt asked as he chased the little dog Digimon. No matter how much he tried to talk to Ritz about not randomly running about she didn't seem to be getting the message. "S-slow down or you'll r-run into someone!" the young man yelped.

The Salamon however couldn't seem to care less about what Mewt had to say as she pranced through the sands, splashed in the water, and generally tore up and down the beach. "BEEP BEEP COMING THROUGH," Ritz shouted as she bounded over the clam Digimon, happy as could be.

By this point Mewt was more or less mortified and all he could seem to do was shuffle over towards who he assumed was the Tamer of the clam. "I-I'm sorry ab-bout my Digimon. She's... a h-handful for some reason," the young man sputtered when he was close enough, coming to a respectful bow for the disturbances.

[harp]

[green]"Oi darling poochie I'm coming t' get ya"[/green] It was a declaration of play not war as the clam skied on the water's surface after the Salamon. If Luckbell wasn't going to join her in the surf she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and pass up some fun with the adorable puppy. A young man was keeping its tamer preoccupied anyway.

Said young man had impressed and insulted Anora all in one fell sweep. It was remarkable that he could pick her out of a crowd as syakomon x's partner yet very alarming that she would be associated with such a free spirit. Her eyes hadn't been particularly trained on the clam for long so how... she supposed that if she had been watching she might have caught it staring at her instead. His apology though accepted was a bit hard to respond to given his stuttering and her untrained ear to the language. Still she caught enough of it to understand what words she should exchange with him. "It's quite alright. Please, sit". She didn't warmly pat the sand next to her but she was pretty sure it was clear that he should sit near her.

She had been taught to never dismiss someone immediately after a greeting. Likewise though if he desired to go she would scarcely show concern and politely allow him to take his leave of her.

[mewt]

She could not possibly complain with her new-found play mate, that was for certain. Ritz happily splashed and crashed through the water with fervor, only growing all the more excited as soon as the other Digimon said anything to her. She replied, "You can try but you won't catch meeee!" And surely enough she was jumping away swiftly in the blink of an eye.

Whilst the little pup was playing the day away though, Mewt was trying to process a couple all too familiar feelings. A pinch of confusion for the girl before him whom he couldn't exactly read. A little embarrassment still despite that other Digimon actually wanting to play with Ritz. Maybe even a little shame that he couldn't keep a handle on Ritz yet, not that he ever thought he could with how headstrong she proved to be. Having realized then that he dawdled in answering the young woman's invitation to sit, Mewt quickly uttered, "O-Oh yes, thank you."

The young man showed only a single moment of hesitation, but it wasn't him not wishing to sit with this girl so much as him not wanting to make some kind of mistake. Intelligent though he may be, Mewt was not particularly versed in formal manners for every situation and from what he could tell, this young woman was. Honestly he was almost envious for a moment. As he shuffled a little closer (not too close though, of course) so he could sit next to the girl he decided it would be wise to actually introduce himself. Trying to smile a little he managed, "My n-name is Mewt."

There may have been a better way to go about introducing himself, he imagined. "I-I'm curious about something," Mewt started, dearly hoping he wasn't going to come across rude, "Your native tongue isn't J-Japanese, correct?" It very easily could have been rather impolite of him, perhaps by someone thinking it was him insulting their ability to speak the language, but he hoped she would understand his intense curiosity without that kind of outcome.

[harp]

Syakomon x admired the pup's obvious pluck, it probably made for an amusing if not tiring partner. There was no contest between them, least not in her eyes, so she didn't bother using her advantage in the water as leverage to catch up. She remained lagged behind but only such that the game would not be ruined. Which was a wonderful pastime in itself because it gave her the time to admire the scenery. Those unable to breath underwater she couldn't help but feel sorry for. She barely lost the few seconds to staring out on the horizon and back towards the shimmering sands anyway.

"You may call me Luckbell, if it pleases you." She nodded to his later words slightly ashamed that it was still noticeable that she was in fact not Japanese. She supposed he did deserve further clarification, though. "I am English, that is to say I am from England". If she frightened the boy she did so hope he would speak up and tell her so. His stuttering made her feel nervous, like she was sort of eight-headed monster he thought would soon gobble him whole. She didn't dare smile, that would only serve to unnerve more because it in her opinion was very put-on as some would put it.

[mewt]

Deciding to up the game a little, Ritz came to a very abrupt stop and stomped down really hard on the water to create a splash. A diversion tactic, she had though, until just as suddenly as she did it was shouting, "It's in my eyes! Timeout! Timeout!" As the Salamon thrashed about in her terrible 'pain' at the water in her eyes, her Tamer sent her a skeptical look and tried not to be too embarrassed. "Sorry boss, I'm good, I'm good," Ritz mumbled when she caught Mewt's glance.

"A-Alright if you s-say so..." he mumbled softly as he turned his attention back to... Luckbell, as she had introduced herself. Mewt did catch her nod to his question and for a moment he wasn't sure if she would elaborate at all. When she mentioned that she was English, from England, he lit up a little. Lee had also been English, though she was from America if he recalled correctly, and he was utterly fascinated with the English language. "That's s-so exciting to me. Bef-fore Digimon I had never t-talked with anyone from anywhere b-but Japan. I-I've always b-been so c-curious," through his excitement his stuttering got a little worse.

"S-Sorry for my speech. It get's so m-much worse when I rush my w-words," Mewt apologized. The barrier of his impediment was still a little frustrating to him, but it was a small price to pay when, for the first time, he could converse with just about anyone he liked. "Sometimes it's s-so subtle it's like I've never had the p-problem before."

[harp]

That was understandable since it was more common to speak with those from your homeland. She had IM friends who claimed to be from overseas but she had no proof that they were actually telling the truth. "Curious why? Although relief flooded her deep subconscious she did not care to comment on that last tidbit of his. Apparent relief though did find its way to her, at least apparent enough for her to recognize if no one else could. Her decision not to go into the water was made just because she wasn't experiencing what the small hound was. All was right with the world.

This one anyway for even the clam was happy as, well, a clam. This one not being Just DO but the personal world shared between girl and mollusk. Their own little word as the saying goes. She did feel inclined to giggle but she wasn't enjoying the Salamon's pain in a cruel sense. More like how old friends good laugh at each others strife back and forth. A distraction might help the poor thing. So with that in mind she took a generous gulp of salty water and sprayed. Sprayed at that adorable puppy butt! Hey it wasn't its face and she considered the time out void when it told its tamer that it was alright. "you left yourself open suga' "

[mewt]

Mewt was utterly unsure what he thought of Luckbell. How little she spoke to him made him a little nervous, like he was doing or saying something incorrectly. It was a constant battle to erase his self-doubt, but at least he was still genuinely interested in where she had come from originally. His knowledge of England was very sparse and his desires to expand his pool of knowledge were very intense. With a slight flush to his cheeks he began to answer her question, "W-Well... I guess I'm a b-bit of a bookworm. S-since I was young I was fascin-nated with what the world had to offer in t-terms of intelligence."

He paused a moment to further collect his thoughts. It might have been incorrect to leave her assuming he wanted to obtain all the information in the world, because he knew that was an impractical desire, but he did want to learn voraciously. "I've always f-felt like if I just learn what Japan h-has to offer I won't have a wide enough i-information pool to draw from. A-and for some reason I've always f-found other cultures a point of i-interest. People from said cultures a-as well. I've so much t-to learn," Mewt smiled faintly as he spoke.

Ritz was still rather enjoying herself. Even with the dreaded water getting into her eyes and the funny stare from Mewt. Then the enemy attacked and she yelped and dove into the water as if that would help her escape the threat of getting hit with more water. No one could say her plans were all that intelligent, but Ritz didn't much care. She slowly peeked back out from under the water, first with her eyes barely breaking the surface and then just high enough so she could do some breathing. After a moment Ritz made a few glubbing noises which were surely some attempt to say something underwater.

[harp]

Like most her culture was richest in its past and of that she knew little. What was kept as vital knowledge to prevent repeated mistakes was all any civilization needed to prosper. If only that were true. It was like life was one big gimmick where everything had to have something to dazzle the masses with. Even the universe seemed to run off this principal with stars born long before man could gaze upon them. "I'm not licensed to teach but I will do my best to sate this curiosity of yours... in time Almost bitter but not enough so to reflect her usual inner monologue or to be interpreted by those who did not know her well as such. The in time bit was gracious from a shrewd or saint though, because surely this man had a life to get to that prevented from simply sitting with her for days was she conveyed what she knew and in turn likely answered an onslaught of inquiries.

She was really beginning to give herself a headache, again. While it's tamer cursed her own mind the mollusk had to wash, not literally though able to, the panic from her face. Before the Salamon broke the surface she feared the worse, it would have been a pretty sorry excuse for a first defeat of another Digimon if it was both hostile and subject to a complete and utter fail of an accident. "Oh no! Are alright suga' pie?" Clearly this was the case but she would ask just to be on the safe side. Could be minor as the taste of the salty water and she'd cart the white dog to shore in her guilt.

[mewt]

A frown of uncertainty and eyes flicking down towards his thumbs that he had idly begun to twiddle together. Mewt was beginning to grow extremely uncomfortable with himself and this peculiar little meeting. There was a very serious attempt on his part to ignite a conversation and yet... he felt very much as if it would not happen by this point. "O-Oh yes, I see," he responded to her with something of a lie. He did not see. He did not understand. What did she even mean when she said that to him and what could he possibly say now that he had nearly exhausted himself trying?

Determinedly popping up out of the water, Ritz shouted, "Peachy keen!" in response to the other Digimon. Despite not having the affinity for water like many other digital creatures, the Salamon quite enjoyed it and didn't much care if she made a fool of herself in the process of enjoying it. Still quite contented she looked over to her Tamer for approval or something of that nature when she caught his expression and sobered up a little. "Hey boss!" Ritz shouted.

After a moment the Salamon looked apologetically towards the other Digimon for having to end their game so soon and quickly bounded out of the water. Trotting up to Mewt, still dripping wet, Ritz made some peculiar sounds that weren't quite whimpers.

Mewt still felt rather uncertain, but he summoned a smile for his partner and patted her on the head.