Subject: [r] violin strings 220 views

[isaak]

 

he stares at the brightly-lit night sky above him. the sky is wide, and he can see the stars twinkling in them. he doesn't understand why they can burn for all eternity while man is destined to fizzle out one day, some day. even the game can't save them; die, and they are logged out of the game and back to reality.

he turns away from the sky, but his attention is drawn back almost instantly as a bright flash of color splashes across it. the lights are preceded by a rather loud explosion, and laelaps whimpers in his suit. he shivers, flinches and walks back into the inn.

it is a large room, with a large bed and rather lavishly furnished, for it is a vip room. food lays untouched on the desk. a second explosion echoes and he paws at the sliding door. he eventually manages to get it open and crawls in; by now, he is hyperventilating, sweat dripping down his forehead. his hands are cold and clammy and he hugs his legs to his chest.

once again, he whimpers and buries his head, his hands feeling the grooves and ridges of the tatami mat for comfort.

[airsylph]

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[atrb=style,background-color:#11053F;border-radius: 35px;] Mai & Hyokomon Normal Tamer | Crest of Love “Everything we know is stardust. So, don’t forget, you are stardust!” Mai thought of that quote from Before Sunrise as he gazed at the stars in the sky. This city was known for its fireworks, but he would much prefer to enjoy the stars up in the sky. Was everyone really made of stardust? He looked at his own hands, then back up at the stars; then he remembered. These stars were magical – because they were not real. Somehow, the data that programmed them made them perfectly twinkly, unpolluted by the light that came from the city. He watched the boats bobbing by, swinging his legs at the edge of the pier. Hyokomon tapped his shoulder and whispered, “I think the fireworks will be up soon. Let’s go get a good spot!” Seeing the fireworks explode made him feel a tinge of melancholy. He did not know why. Seeing the light shatter into many different shards, Mai realized he only had Hyokomon here with him. Sometimes he had forgotten that Hyokomon was just a programme; sometimes he felt like Hyokomon was a real friend, but at this point, he remembered and felt like he needed someone real. Was it wrong to feel this way? Why did he feel so guilty? He looked around and there was only one other person, his eyes fixated at the sky, watching the fireworks as well. As Mai’s eyes got used to the night, he realized that the person had whimpered at the soundless lights that lit up the sky. He watched the man stagger away, body shivering, into an inn. Mai looked at Hyokomon who did not notice a thing. The Digimon’s eyes were still fixed on the sky, amazed by how beautiful the fireworks were. “Hyokomon, did you see that man over there?” Mai asked. The chicken shook his head. Mai bit his lip, wondering if he should follow up on him. If he was hurt, something must be done – but if he went to the inn, he should be in good hands… What to do? In the inn, he asked the NPC at the desk about the man, whether if he knew what had happened and if he got help. The NPC, an old man, replied that everything was okay, that he was in good hands; but something felt off. When asking for information of the player, the innkeeper refused, citing the privacy laws that governed Digimon Online – and so Mai was at a loss. Hyokomon said, “Ask if the innkeeper could bring a message to him.” So Mai delivered the message through the innkeeper: “Are you all right?” Mai really hoped he was; he and Hyokomon sat at the bar, waiting for a reply. made by kiwii at btn & ote!

[isaak]

 

he sees the smooth ridges of the many squares that make up the tatami mat, and the fine straws that are neatly woven into the form of a mat. he feels the roughness of the straws as he runs his hand across them, over and over again, over and over again. it's comforting and it doesn't change, unlike the loud sounds and random bursts of color dotting the night sky. he doesn't like how they're so sudden and come without warning; there's no regulation in the way it works, there's no system behind it.

there's a knock on the door but laelaps doesn't answer it. the tailmon carrying the message slides the door just slightly and sets the tea set on the small kaya table, and peers into the room. it notes its presence, letting the organizer know its here with tea and a message. still, laelaps doesn't answer; his eyes are roaming the tiny room he sealed himself into.

his onyx irises shine, shine with tears. he's genuinely scared and without his guardian around, he's at a loss. he's shivering, he's scared, but there's nothing he can think of doing other than wallowing in his situation. his brain churns and turns and and and --

'i'll pass the message.' it's peach; jormungandr's at the door. 'what is it? that someone's concerned for laelaps?' he looks up from the fetal position he's sunk into, but his heavy head falls back against the ground. it is more soothing to choke on tears than it is to do anything else. 'their concern is received and appreciated. he is in good hands.'

the tailmon nods and leaves; it passes on the message with a smile to mai and hyokomon. it reties the apron's ribbon around its waist before hurrying to clean a just-vacated room.

[airsylph]

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[atrb=style,background-color:#11053F;border-radius:35px;] Mai & Hyokomon Normal Tamer | Crest of Love (ooc: muse is a little dead today, pardon me. I hope this is still satisfactory.) The Tailmon passed on the message and left; Mai and Hyokomon both nodded, giving a sigh of relief. The man was all right, it seemed. It would have been nice if he had come out to tell them personally, or at least prove to them that he was okay. There was no need to, however; why would the innkeeper lie? Mai mused for a while, thinking over the coffee he had gotten. Hyokomon snacked on some complimentary peanuts nosily. For a while, things seemed to be fine. “I still don’t get it though, Hyokomon. I really want to know what happened back there,” Mai suddenly said. It wasn’t… It wasn’t every day you would see someone staggering around the city. If they had been attacked by wild Digimon, they would’ve been okay by then. Mai could remember vaguely how erect the man stood at first, looking at the sky. It was the fireworks; it must have been. Hyokomon looked at Mai concernedly; and out of nowhere, he bounced off his seat, telling Mai to give him a moment. Mai frowned and told him to be careful. Hyokomon stumbled around the inn, looking for the messenger. Without further ado, the same Tailmon popped out from a vacant room; and Hyokomon stopped her with a large grin on his face. “Hi Tailmon! I knew you passed the message back to us; did you see the man we handed it to? Was he really all right?” he asked directly. Her voice was gentle – “I’m not obliged to say.” – but her ears twitched, betraying her. Hyokomon simply nodded. “So he’s strange, huh? My partner’s really worried for some reason.” The Tailmon’s eyes gleamed and repeated her words. It was clear that it wasn’t something she could say. Maybe it was in her programming. Hyokomon asked one last question, “If we stayed the night, do you think we might meet him?” The Tailmon repeated her statement again, her tail swinging from side to side. So that’s probably a no. But it was the only idea Hyokomon had. He went back to Mai and told him his idea. They requested for a room; and the Tailmon brought them to it. “Let him know we will be waiting for him in our room if you see him again,” Hyokomon again requested, “Thank you for all your help.” “This isn’t going to work,” Mai began, but he was interrupted by the chicken Digimon. “We have to try. You aren’t going to just forget about it, are you?” Hyokomon said, popping another complimentary snack into his mouth. Mai bit his lip; he could not forget how the man had pulled himself to the inn. No way was he all right now – there was no way. made by kiwii at btn & ote!

[isaak]

 

he's in jormungandr's arms and the ryudamon holds him tightly, its powerful arms around the man. it seems to calm his nerves down; the warmth of the digimon - however artificial - against him feels good on skin. by now, he is sobbing uncontrollably, muttering incoherent words under his breath that catches mid-syllable when tears fall and a lump rises in his throat.

'peach, peach, peach.'

[/color]

he speaks in a soft voice, haunting, perhaps even fearful. there isn't much in the world that he's brave enough to face himself, but there's one place - just that one place in digimon online where he dares to put on his mask and be someone else - that's like a second home to him.

laelaps rocks back and forth on the balls of his heels, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. his bangs stick to his face, obscuring a part of his vision; the cupboard was dark, cool and slightly damp, but jormungandr was warm. he leans into the dragon digimon's chest, crying much less now, but still breathing heavily.

the door slides open hesitantly. jormungandr looks up at the noise, eyes narrowed. 'it's okay, laelaps. it's okay.' it keeps its voice soothing, calm, but as it turns away from the organizer to the tailmon from before, its voice slips into hardness, a tone reminiscent of saw crushing bone.

when the tailmon remains frozen at the door, jormungandr's eyes blazed. it's clearly restraining itself for laelaps' sake. it cannot afford to move just when laelaps seems to have calmed down slightly -- ever so slightly, but it's a step forward.

'they have no right to request his presence.'
'peach. peach, did i kill them?'[/color]

the ryudamon's eyes hardened. no. it thinks. it's heard more than it should. laelaps shivers, a low wail echoing in its throats as he flails his arms.

the feline's bottom lip disappears under pointed teeth.

'leave. now.'

the tailmon shakes where it is, blinking away the beginning of tears. it's scared; never has it seen something like this before. are tamers -- he seems disturbed, it thinks, but before it says anything --

'have i not made myself clear?'
'...... i killed them. i killed them.'
'leave. now.'

the tailmon hurriedly closes the door, and is off with a clatter of footsteps.

laelaps' teeth are firmly locked and set against each other, and a low wail, almost a moan, hums in his throat. 'i did it, peach. i did it.'

'no, laelaps. no. you didn't. you did nothing.'

jormungandr doesn't know what else to do but hold its tamer closer, tighter.[/div][/center]

[airsylph]

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[atrb=style,background-color:#11053F;border-radius:35px;] Mai & Hyokomon Normal Tamer | Crest of Love Her face was spooked. The Tailmon couldn’t stop trembling. Mai helped her sit down in their room, rubbed her back while she shivered. Something had happened to her; and he had an inkling it had to do with the man he saw. Immediately he felt guilty – it was him that pulled her into all of this. Whispering an apology in her ear, he began to pour her a cup of hot tea. Her eyes were still open wide, unblinking – her paws stayed at her sides, stabilizing her trembling body. Hyokomon quietly watched the cat Digimon; could they have done something to her? When they found her running down the corridor, they had decided to quickly help her; she was in no situation to speak. Sweat had poured from her forehead and her eyes were blank and lifeless. When helping her into their room, Mai felt how cold her body was. Something really shocked her. At least now she seemed better. She could sit up on her own without relying on anyhow. It took a while, but finally, she slowly grasped the cup of tea and she sipped at it, her whiskers brushing the sides of the cup. The tea seemed to give her some vitality. Mai sat beside her and quietly, he asked her, “Did he do something to you?” The Tailmon shook her head, hard. Oh, so it wasn’t him? Mai scratched the back of his neck and looked at the door. Maybe she was lying; the only way to find out was to see who this man was. Who else could it be apart from him? The Tailmon then quietly said, “I just got a fright, that’s all.” She rolled the warm cup in between her paws, refusing to say anything more. This time, it was not Hyokomon who left; instead, it was Mai. He stood up and said, “Please stay here, Tailmon, and rest. I’ll be back soon.” Tailmon looked confused, but being tired, she simply nodded and continued sipping at her tea. Hyokomon wanted to come with Mai but he told Hyokomon that taking care of Tailmon at the moment was more important. The chick Digimon reluctantly agreed, but made Mai promise to call out for him if there was any problem. Mai then stalked out into the corridor, walking in the direction where the Tailmon had come from – the male slowly passed into the VIP section. It would have been completely silent, not for the muffled wails that came from a room. He crept slowly to the room, biting down hard on his lips to prevent himself from making any sounds. He stood outside, just trying to listen and discern what exactly was happening on inside. made by kiwii at btn & ote!

[isaak]

'always curious, always prying. people have no regard for privacy. it's not your fault.'
'it is, peach. peach.'

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[airsylph]

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[atrb=style,background-color:#11053F;border-radius:35px;] Mai & Hyokomon Normal Tamer | Crest of Love Mai's heart pounded as he ran through the hallway. "Come on Hyokomon!" The yellow bird bounced away as well. He asked his partner, "What happened?" But Mai had no words; breathlessly they ran out of the inn, into the streets where the wind whistled cold and the sky was lit up by fireworks. "They almost saw me." "Who?" Mai was silent for a moment. "Peach." made by kiwii at btn & ote!