A/N: Written for the Advent Calendar Challenge, Day 14 – Write about someone comforting another person.

Coffee with Ophanimon

Chief Glare's house was…modest. But a tad uncomfortable.

Sayo was sure it was only because she longed for her own home. Her own city. Her friends. Her comrades. Her chief.

Maybe it was also because it was the house of a man, but Koh had a point in that the homes for Tamers were far too small for guests…especially when said guest was bringing three mega digimon along. And, honestly, staying with a boy her age would have been even worse. Assuming they didn't kill each other by a third fight between them, they'd probably die of embarrassment.

And Chief Glare had made sure she wouldn't lack any comforts. He'd given her a futon and shown her the locks in the guest room and the bathroom attached. Ophanimon could help her with anything she needed. And he was always willing to talk if she needed to. And Chief Julia often spoke quite highly of him. There was no reason to distrust. Just tiredness from fighting. And running. And escaping.

She thanked him politely and withdrew to her room and locked the locks. She was tired and nervous in a new house, in a new city, surrounded by people she wasn't sure she could trust. But her digimon were there, standing vigil, and she could trust them. She slept.

And she woke the next morning without anything having gone foul. She tentatively undid the locks and entered the main house. Ophanimon entered through another door at the same time and smiled. 'Hungry?' she asked.

Shyly, Sayo nodded.

'Join me in the kitchen?'

Dianamon was following Sayo closely, and, if need be, Sayo knew Dainamon could best Ophanimon in a fight. They'd fought before, after all. When the virus was still active.

She shivered. Ophanimon watched her. But she went. Ophanimon gave her a cup of coffee. Sayo sniffed it. Dianamon sniffed it as well. Then Sayo took a sip.

'It's…tasty.' Though a little strong.

'I'll add more milk and sugar,' Ophanimon said with a smile.

Sayo gratefully handed the cup back. Ophanimon put a spoon of each, and two each in to her own cup too. 'Glare likes his coffee bitter. Not me.'

Sayo hummed her agreement.

'Would your digimon like coffee too?'

Sayo paused a moment to ask silently, then shook her head.

'Did you sleep well?'

Sayo nodded. She had, relatively. Unfamiliar places were always hard to get used to, and SUNshine was brighter than DARKmoon so there was that as well. The locks had made her feel safe though. And her digimon. And the tiredness that clung to her bones from when she'd fled from her own city.

'Things will be okay.'

Sayo looked up sharply.

'DARKmoon,' Ophanimon clarified. 'The Tamers here will do whatever they can to help.'

'Why?' Sayo couldn't help but ask. 'DARKmoon has nothing to do with you. Except the Tournaments…'

'The Tournaments are formality,' Ophanimon explained. 'Nothing but a little bet going on between Glare and Julia.' She noted the surprised look on Sayo's face. 'I take it you don't know their history?'

Sayo shook her head.

'They're good friends.' Ophanimon shrugged. 'I've known Julia since she was about your age…or younger, perhaps. And I've been with Glare for even longer. They got up to quite a bit together. And eventually the two of them became Platinum Trainers and, when the intake of trainers grew overwhelming for one Tamer's Union, they had the idea of splitting it amongst the different cities and creating well-meaning rivalries out of the ordeal.'

'Something like that…' Sayo sipped at her coffee. 'But why was Chief Julia suspicious?'

'She had reason to be,' Ophanimon said. 'That virus…even I wasn't strong enough to protect my friend. And it's thanks to you that I can protect him now.'

Sayo fidgeted. She hadn't been expecting something like this waking up.

'I'm sorry,' Ophanimon apologised again. 'You probably don't want to be reminded of that. But it's the truth.'

'Yeah.' The liquid sloshed gently as Sayo moved the cup. 'And the virus, and whatever caused it, is still at large.'

'We'll find it.' And Ophanimon sounded confident in that. 'Thanks to you and Koh, SUNshine's computers have all been cleared of the virus and our Tamers' partners are being slowly returned to normal. Within a few days, our fighting strength will be completely restored. And then we'll go and save DARKmoon.'

'Finding the source of the virus is more important,' Sayo said, though she smiled at the sentiment. It sounded almost…naïve to her. But well meaning. And comforting that they didn't mean to abandon her.

'Saving everybody we can is more important,' Ophanimon corrected. 'Glare is not the only one with friends in DARKmoon he doesn't want to lose.'

Sayo considered that. Honestly, she'd never thought the people of Light Fang would care so much. To give her shelter was more than she'd expected from distant rivals – but they were only distant to her.

Who knew. If she and Koh had met for longer, in better circumstances, maybe they'd be good friends too.

'Thinking about Koh?' Ophanimon teased.

'No,' Sayo said, too quickly to be believed, as she finished her coffee.

A door opened somewhere in the house then, and Ophanimon got up to pour a third cup of coffee. Sayo wondered if they were able to communicate telepathically like she and Dianamon could.

That was a stupid question, she told herself after a moment. Those two had been partners for way longer than she and her digimon. Of course they could.

And Ophanimon seemed to realise she'd been thinking that too. 'It doesn't do to walk in on two girls having a chat,' she said, a smile playing on her lips.

'No,' Sayo agreed, smiling herself. 'Thank you. And thank you, Chief Glare.'

She caught her just as he walked through to the kitchen – like she'd expected to. She'd heard his footsteps after all. And Ophanimon was holding the cup and waiting. She wouldn't want to hold a hot cup forever.

'You're welcome,' Glare said, accepting the cup with a smile to his partner and a look of kind confusion to his guest. 'But whatever for?'

'For giving me a safe place during this.'