[A/N]: This is a (very) small part of a (much) larger series.
That's Ana as in Analog, not Animal or Anime or Anatomy. Hope you
have as much fun reading this as I did writing it.
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Wish I did.
Anamon - Sketch 0: Nothing and Nowhere
Four smallish figures quietly edged toward a sqat, low-key
structure through the breezeless desert evening. A trucker passed
them on the road, not really noticing, as he hummed along to the
tunes of his radio, the tune of his rumbling engine cutting through
the haze of Tai's consciousness. The interruption brought him
back to alertness. He glanced around, checking on his friends.
Mimi to his left, Cody on his right, contemplatively watching the
truck's dust cloud trailing along behind it. Yolei's and Izzy were
quiet; their earlier conversation, about computer things Tai wasn't
terribly interested in, seemed to have ended. Mimi's silence was
particularly unusual, but understandable.
"Everyone doing okay?" Tai asked, breaking the silence. The four
younger kids nodded, but were obviously as tired as he was. "Good,
we're almost there," he added, pointing out the obvious.
The diner's exterior was nondescript. It was a gray concrete
building surrounded by a gray concrete parking lot with a gray sign
that had the letters D I N E R etched in concrete, illuminated by
grey light that was so constant and harsh that it might as well
have been concrete too. The kids entered single-file, youngest
first.
The interior was more colorful than the exterior, and nicely cooled
by spinning ceiling fans. Truckers, drifters and vagabonds were
scattered around the room, a few in groups, mostly alone. Glances
found their way to the digi-destined, but none stuck. They passed
an aging CD jukebox where a tall, thin young man with long, pale
yellow hair and black leather from collarbone to ankles was making
a song selection. He glanced over his shoulder at Mimi, smiled and
winked.
Mimi looked away shyly. Izzy noticed the exchange and thought
back to the parking lot. Mostly trucks, and a few cars. They were
all a little too conservative for Mr. Leather Pants, though. Much
more likely was that he had come in one of the two motorcycles. It
was new, but even if Mimi could charm the guy, a motorcycle would
be much too small for the five of them.
Cody led the group to a booth. It was cozy, but selected to give
them a good view of the room, and of the parking lot. When they
sat down, he was the first to speak, and brought up what was on
everyone's mind. "Wherever we're going, we need a ride."
"Well I'm hungry," Mimi grinned, changing the subject. "And we
need to eat, too. First things first."
"Yeah, we do, but are we sure it's safe for us to stick around
here?" Tai asked, his voice low.
"It doesn't matter. I don't think I could walk another step, let
alone run from an enemy," Yolei whimpered. Tai nodded and joined
Mimi in scanning the menu. Underneath the table, Yolei pulled off
her shoes a bit carelessly and flopped her head down onto the
table. Izzy noticed the shape of her shoulders beneath her hair,
the tension in them, her vulnerability in that moment. It had
been a long day, for her especially. He squeezed her shoulder
gently, a friendly gesture. She opened an eye to look up at him
and his nervous little smile, closed it again, and moved away
from the table, ducking under Izzy's arm as she settled neatly
against his side, head resting on his shoulder.
He blinked and glanced toward the others, surprised at finding the
young girl suddenly so affectionate, but they didn't seem to take
notice. It was late, they were alone, tired, hungry, and didn't
have the protection of their digimon. A little comfort was in
order. He placed his arm around her supportively and warmly, and
she relaxed, smiling inwardly.
Eventually a waitress came and took orders. Everyone got
omelettes. While they were waiting for their food to arrive, Mimi
noticed a bus sitting in the parking lot.
"Tai, do you know what Mesh of Flesh is?"
"Mesh of Flesh? No, I don't, Mimi."
"They're a band," Cody said flatly. "Sort of. An industrial
group."
"That's right," Mimi said. "Now I remember. I guess they're on
tour. Hey, do you think that's them, over there?" She pointed
toward the table where the guy from the jukebox was sitting,
along with other men of varying ages but similar outfits. Tai
and Cody looked.
"Probably," Tai answered tentatively. "I don't know who else
in here it could be."
Mimi got out of the booth and walked over to the table where the
guys with the bus were sitting. After a few miniutes of chatting
and laughing, she came back.
"What did they say?" Tai asked, hiding his anxiety.
"They'll give us a ride all the way to Berkeley, but we have to
do something for them."
"Uh oh. What is it?"
"We have to play Truth or Dare with them."
"What? With THEM? No way, what if they dare us to do something
crazy?"
"Oh, we don't have to worry about that. They seem like nice
guys. And besides, if you don't want to risk having to do
something you'd regret, you can just take a truth."
"It's better than being stuck here," Cody pointed out.
The omelettes, when they came, were nice and filling.
That's Ana as in Analog, not Animal or Anime or Anatomy. Hope you
have as much fun reading this as I did writing it.
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Wish I did.
Anamon - Sketch 0: Nothing and Nowhere
Four smallish figures quietly edged toward a sqat, low-key
structure through the breezeless desert evening. A trucker passed
them on the road, not really noticing, as he hummed along to the
tunes of his radio, the tune of his rumbling engine cutting through
the haze of Tai's consciousness. The interruption brought him
back to alertness. He glanced around, checking on his friends.
Mimi to his left, Cody on his right, contemplatively watching the
truck's dust cloud trailing along behind it. Yolei's and Izzy were
quiet; their earlier conversation, about computer things Tai wasn't
terribly interested in, seemed to have ended. Mimi's silence was
particularly unusual, but understandable.
"Everyone doing okay?" Tai asked, breaking the silence. The four
younger kids nodded, but were obviously as tired as he was. "Good,
we're almost there," he added, pointing out the obvious.
The diner's exterior was nondescript. It was a gray concrete
building surrounded by a gray concrete parking lot with a gray sign
that had the letters D I N E R etched in concrete, illuminated by
grey light that was so constant and harsh that it might as well
have been concrete too. The kids entered single-file, youngest
first.
The interior was more colorful than the exterior, and nicely cooled
by spinning ceiling fans. Truckers, drifters and vagabonds were
scattered around the room, a few in groups, mostly alone. Glances
found their way to the digi-destined, but none stuck. They passed
an aging CD jukebox where a tall, thin young man with long, pale
yellow hair and black leather from collarbone to ankles was making
a song selection. He glanced over his shoulder at Mimi, smiled and
winked.
Mimi looked away shyly. Izzy noticed the exchange and thought
back to the parking lot. Mostly trucks, and a few cars. They were
all a little too conservative for Mr. Leather Pants, though. Much
more likely was that he had come in one of the two motorcycles. It
was new, but even if Mimi could charm the guy, a motorcycle would
be much too small for the five of them.
Cody led the group to a booth. It was cozy, but selected to give
them a good view of the room, and of the parking lot. When they
sat down, he was the first to speak, and brought up what was on
everyone's mind. "Wherever we're going, we need a ride."
"Well I'm hungry," Mimi grinned, changing the subject. "And we
need to eat, too. First things first."
"Yeah, we do, but are we sure it's safe for us to stick around
here?" Tai asked, his voice low.
"It doesn't matter. I don't think I could walk another step, let
alone run from an enemy," Yolei whimpered. Tai nodded and joined
Mimi in scanning the menu. Underneath the table, Yolei pulled off
her shoes a bit carelessly and flopped her head down onto the
table. Izzy noticed the shape of her shoulders beneath her hair,
the tension in them, her vulnerability in that moment. It had
been a long day, for her especially. He squeezed her shoulder
gently, a friendly gesture. She opened an eye to look up at him
and his nervous little smile, closed it again, and moved away
from the table, ducking under Izzy's arm as she settled neatly
against his side, head resting on his shoulder.
He blinked and glanced toward the others, surprised at finding the
young girl suddenly so affectionate, but they didn't seem to take
notice. It was late, they were alone, tired, hungry, and didn't
have the protection of their digimon. A little comfort was in
order. He placed his arm around her supportively and warmly, and
she relaxed, smiling inwardly.
Eventually a waitress came and took orders. Everyone got
omelettes. While they were waiting for their food to arrive, Mimi
noticed a bus sitting in the parking lot.
"Tai, do you know what Mesh of Flesh is?"
"Mesh of Flesh? No, I don't, Mimi."
"They're a band," Cody said flatly. "Sort of. An industrial
group."
"That's right," Mimi said. "Now I remember. I guess they're on
tour. Hey, do you think that's them, over there?" She pointed
toward the table where the guy from the jukebox was sitting,
along with other men of varying ages but similar outfits. Tai
and Cody looked.
"Probably," Tai answered tentatively. "I don't know who else
in here it could be."
Mimi got out of the booth and walked over to the table where the
guys with the bus were sitting. After a few miniutes of chatting
and laughing, she came back.
"What did they say?" Tai asked, hiding his anxiety.
"They'll give us a ride all the way to Berkeley, but we have to
do something for them."
"Uh oh. What is it?"
"We have to play Truth or Dare with them."
"What? With THEM? No way, what if they dare us to do something
crazy?"
"Oh, we don't have to worry about that. They seem like nice
guys. And besides, if you don't want to risk having to do
something you'd regret, you can just take a truth."
"It's better than being stuck here," Cody pointed out.
The omelettes, when they came, were nice and filling.