Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. I also am not certain all Irish people sound funny while speaking Japanese. I only know from experience with a friend, however, that does not reflect on everyone with an Irish accent.
Hearing the satisfying crunch of autumn leaves beneath her feet, she gives a small smile as she imagines it to be a Digidestined's bones. She was almost glad she was forced into this mid-October weather to get away from Mummymon's constant showering of affection and woo-pitching.
…Mummymon…
Her smile soon faded and her body tensed in anger. Arukenimon had been walking for almost an hour trying to quell her headache, but the mere thought of the over bandaged knucklehead was slowly slipping her out of her relaxed state and her head would begin to pound anew. Clenching her teeth and breathing deeply, she decided to walk deeper into the park, rubbing her temples lightly.
The gentle breeze caressed her face and brushed through her long white hair, dulling the pain somewhat, allowing her tense shoulders to droop once more. Exploring the park was a pleasant and peaceful experience. The soft chirping of the birds and the clicking and chattering of near by insects created a serene atmosphere that was perfect to lull her back into a sense of tranquility and focus. Who knew these pathetic creatures would be of at least some use to her at some point? Unfortunately, the pleasant sounds of nature were soon interrupted by a sudden growling from her abdomen.
'Great,' she thought sourly, 'Just my luck…'
Arukenimon had spent most of that very morning rejecting Mummymon's repeated invitation for a picnic in this very park, and now here she was alone and hungry, and there was no way she was going to crawl back to him now, not ever. The thought of his smug expression when she tells him that she had changed her mind made her headache return full force. There was no way she'd give him the satisfaction of tending to her needs, she was a grown woman/digiwomon, and she could take care of herself just fine. Although a vending machine bought lunch was nothing compared to Mummymon's homemade cuisine, it would have to do, if only to keep her pride intact.
After what seemed like forever, she managed to find a vending machine next to a park bench. Relieved, Arukenimon was about to approach the machine, when she noticed a human occupying the bench. She had to double take, the human looked so familiar to her. The human was female, with bright blonde hair, pale skin, and was wearing a blue smock and a shoulder bag that had been left open. When the young woman lifted her blonde head after taking a bite from her sandwich and it all came together for Arukenimon. It was the foreign cashier from the supermarket that Oikawa insisted they buy their groceries from. The one… Mummymon… liked to talk to at great length as she rang up their items while Arukenimon herself would wait for him in the car. From what she could remember from Mummymon's insipid babbling, the woman was from Ireland, had moved here for her husband, and was a delight to talk to, yadda yadda yadda… The last thing the arachnid digimon needed was to run into another chatterbox. Perhaps she could walk right past her with out her noticing and find another vending machine elsewhere. But like a deer hearing the sharp sound of a snapping twig, as soon as Arukenimon took a single step, a pair of brown eyes looked her way. The young woman stared at the red and purple clothed digimon for a moment before a large grin spread across her face.
"Hello, Miss Aru!" the young woman called, waving a hand high in the air cheerfully.
Arukenimon came to a halt and tensed her shoulders. She had only walked seven steps when she heard that woman's horrid accent ruining the Japanese language and that awful shortening of her name. Caught, Arukenimon turned around slowly and put on the fakest, not to mention tense, smile she could possibly manage.
"Hello," she replied through clenched teeth.
"You remember me, don't you?" the blonde asked, "I'm Aileen, a cashier from the grocery store, down the street. You remember?"
"Yes… I do…" What she wouldn't give to just delete that woman and be on her way, if it would not incur the wrath of her boss for blowing their cover.
"Have you come to the park to have lunch too?" Aileen asked, but before Arukenimon could answer she continued, "You can keep me company, here, I'll give you some room," she offered as she scooted over leaving enough space for the spider woman to sit next to her.
"Actually, I have more important things to," she began but Aileen quickly interrupted her with three words that stopped her cold.
"Where's your boyfriend?"
Arukenimon clenched and unclenched her fists and started grinding her teeth. Boyfriend!? What could this slip of a woman possibly mean? Surely she wasn't referring to Mummymon, especially if she wanted to return to her place of work unharmed.
"I…" she began shakily with rage, "…don't know… what you're talking about."
The blonde didn't seem to realize the danger she was in, "You know, Mr. M, isn't he your boyfriend?"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Arukenimon answered a little too quickly.
The cashier widened her eyes in surprise and confusion. "Are you sure? I was almost certain, you know, with the way he talks about you and all…"
"Well he's not!" Her headache was beginning to rear its ugly head once more.
Aileen tilted her head to the side and frowned, "Well, why not?"
Why not? WHY NOT?! Either this woman was deaf and blind, or just plain stupid. There were many reasons 'why not'.
"Not that it's any of your business, but he is in no way my type." She told her while pinching the bridge of her nose. All she wanted to do was relax and find something to eat, not chatter on about the person who drove her out of the house in the first place.
"Oh, I see," was all the blonde replied with a smile returned along with a knowing look in her eyes.
Arukenimon glared, "What do you mean, 'I see'? And quit smiling at me like that!" It was really getting on her nerves.
Aileen started packing up the remains of her lunch and continued to smile, "Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking." Once everything was packed away into her shoulder bag she leaned back on the bench and met Arukenimon's gaze.
"Good. Now if you don't mind, I will be on my way." Flipping her hair back, Arukenimon turned on her heels and proceeded to walk away.
"You know, you're very lucky to have a guy like him around." Aileen called after her.
Arukenimon stopped in her tracks, "Excuse me?" She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at the woman over her shoulder.
"I said, you are lucky to have a guy like him around." Aileen repeated calmly. "I hope you treat him nicely, after all it's not everyday a guy worships the ground you walk on." Aileen said with a shrug, shifting her position to cross her legs.
"Well it is for me, and it's annoying!" Arukenimon hissed as she turned around fully to meet the human's gaze. It took everything she had not to tear this nosy woman asunder. What transpires between her and her partner was none of this human's business!
"How can that be annoying? You should hear how he goes on about you while you wait outside in the car," the blonde giggled as she continued, "How wonderful you are, your beauty compared to no other, your eyes shining like stars, your silky hair, your grace, and how smart you are. Heck, I'm lucky if my husband noticed I have had my hair cut."
"You don't understand," Arukenimon snapped, "He never leaves me in peace! He's always staring at me in an odd manner, sighing, and whining for my affection. If I give him an inch of attention, he thinks he can get away with grabbing at my hand, or stealing a nauseating kiss! He is persistent in embarrassing me! There is no word to describe his idiocy! Not to mention he's not focused on our work. All his compliments and touching are disgusting and distracting! It… it…"
"Makes you uncomfortable?" Aileen suggested.
"Yes!" she shouted.
For a long moment the two of them just stared at each other as Arukenimon tried to catch her breath. This whole discussion just got her all worked up again. Her face was hot and red in the cheeks, her throat felt like it was tightening, and her heart felt as if it would skip a few beats with how fast it was pounding. It was the same feeling she would get when Mummymon would try to pull something to embarrass her. It was a feeling she couldn't control, and she hated to admit it, but that scared her more than anything. Curse him! She was certain his life's purpose was to get a rise out of her.
The thick silence was soon cut short by the blonde cashier's sudden burst into a fit of giggles. It happened so suddenly it caught Arukenimon off guard. The human surely had lost her mind. Catching the look from the white haired woman standing across from her, Aileen immediately wiped her eyes and tried to halt her peels laughter.
"I'm sorry, but you were just so passionate and insistent of how much he bothers you… If I was not a smart woman, I would definitely peg you for someone who was into Misandry." Aileen suppressed another giggle and went on, "In fact, I'm quite sure you feel something for him, too."
"Yes and that feeling is called 'Spite'." Arukenimon shot back.
Aileen merely smiled as she stood up from the bench, "Well whatever it is I just hope you realize it before the chance is gone."
Arukenimon managed to hide her look of confusion and slipped into a mask of indifference. 'This woman has no idea what she was talking about', Arukenimon told herself.
"Well, my lunch break is over, so I better be off." Aileen announced as she adjusted her shoulder bag. "You'll at least think about what I said, hmm?"
Arukenimon responded by folding her arms, continuing her act of indifference. Shaking her head, Aileen said her farewell with a gentle wave and was on her way. Arukenimon watched her go, still convinced the woman was mad and her opinion was hardly creditable. What did she know anyway, she only saw and talked to him for five minutes each time they visited the grocery store, while Arukenimon herself had to spend almost every waking moment with the mummified moron. This train of thought, however, was soon interrupted by a roar of hunger coming from her stomach. In the heat of the moment she had forgotten her goal: food! Her eyes slid to the vending machine with distaste. Somehow a cheap snack chalked full of preservatives didn't seem appealing anymore. If fact a home cooked meal didn't seem so bad right now. With that thought in mind, she set a course back to the apartment. She decided to allow Mummymon the pleasure of cooking for her, if only to shut him up of course, as well as satisfy her appetite.