The amount of glowing red lights on the map in his hand are overwhelming. Drake swallows hard, unsure if he can even do this. To go from being released, to maybe having a second chance in the Cruiserweight title tournament, to now being leader of a pack of Digidestined... it's ridiculous, he's not sure how any of this is supposed to work. IF he absolutely gets released by the end of this tournament, and he can't make it to the digiworld any longer, then what? He lets more people down, he feels like even more of a failure, and... and...
There's a warm pressure against his neck and then something shifts in his mind, a soothing sort of sensation. "Breathe," the silky voice of Velveteen Dream washes over him. "No point in starting everything off with a panic attack."
"Right," Drake mumbles, staring up at him. He's not sure about this man yet, never quite getting a good read on him. He's mysterious, smooth in ways that are overwhelming to the bundle of nerves Drake is. Sometimes, Drake thinks Dream might be a more confident leader than he himself would ever be, but Luke had made his decision, and who is Drake to question that?
"What's going on?" Dakota asks, bounding up to them with an energy that Drake envies. After injuries and betrayals and so many other things, she's still as full of life as ever, despite how evil and calculating she may seem on TV. He still sees the old her deep within, who fought back through so many problems to make it back here.
"We, uh," Drake hesitates. "We need to go to Luke's compound, he should have your partners." He hopes, anyway. By what he's been told by Shinsuke and Seth, that's how it worked for them, back when things began for their groups, but something had fallen apart when Morrison had become a digidestined and his partner had been by himself in another area of the digiworld and John had had to find him on his own. Won't know until we check, though, Drake thinks and squares his shoulders. "Let's go."
They're not far, the digiport set just outside of the cave Luke lives in, so Drake tries to keep his anxiety from his face as he begins to walk, the others falling in line behind him. He hears a few mutters behind him but chooses to ignore them, focusing on the path before him or on Gabumon's warmth against his leg whenever they brush against each other.
Luke is waiting patiently for them, a small smile on his face. "Hello!" he calls out and Drake exhales in relief, walking a little faster to join him. "Drake, how are things?"
"Hanging in there, sir," he says awkwardly, never quite having the opportunity to have a conversation with the man. "I... I heard there was a problem with John Morrison's partner, I hope... things are alright right now?"
Luke claps him on the shoulder. "Yes, things are fine," he says with a wider smile. "All partners are here, and accounted for."
"Oh thank god," Drake sighs, feeling like a great burden's been let off of his shoulders as he turns to look at the others. "Everyone ready to meet your partners?"
"Yes!" Dakota exclaims, clapping her hands together hopefully. The others aren't quite as enthused as she is, but they all murmur in affirmation or intrigue, and Drake decides to take what he can get.
"Great." Luke turns and puts his hand to his mouth to make a sharp whistling noise, digimon slowly starting to walk out to join them.
Drake and Gabumon step back to watch, Drake holding his breath as he waits to see how the group will react to their digimon partners. Dakota immediately falls in love with hers, that's obvious by how she grabs Salamon and holds her close, cooing over the puppy type digimon. "Adorable!" she cries out, petting and tickling the creature.
Salamon freezes for a few seconds, eyes wide and confused, before she relaxes into Dakota's grip and snuggles against the girl. "Hi!"
A few feet away, Velveteen Dream stands with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing his partner- Impmon, who is staring up at him as impassively. "Well, aren't you an odd looking creature," he says after a moment.
"Same could be said for you," Impmon says, examining Dream's bright clothing and sunglasses, his hair. Everything so jarring and ridiculous but somehow just working on the young man.
Dream's lips quirk slightly as he kneels down to sprawl his hand over Impmon's head. "Nice to meet you."
Impmon smirks. "Same."
A good distance away, Damien Priest stands, taking in his new partner. "Arkadimon Child, huh?" he asks, his deep voice booming and attracting attention from those nearest to him, though they're careful not to look too closely. His partner is short, with a bright pink body, scythes jutting out of his arms, and spikes covering his body and protuding out of the back of his feet. "I'm guessing you don't speak." It suits him just fine, and his grin is almost manic as he stares down at the creature. "You and I are gonna get along quite well, I can tell already."
Tommaso Ciampa exhales slowly, bright blue eyes meeting yellow as he walks up to the dinosaur type creature that is his partner. "Guilmon X-Antibody, huh?" he asks, thinking there's something almost sinister about the young digimon staring back at him, despite how youthful he seems. Maybe it's the claws, he thinks wryly. "I suppose we're going to be working together for a long time."
"Yes," Guilmon says, blinking a few times. "That's usually how it happens with Digidestined and their partners."
Ciampa reaches out gingerly and grazes his knuckles over Guilmon's forehead, surprised by the warmth that greets him, spreads through his fingers down to his wrist. "Wow," he mutters. "You have fire abilities?"
"Yes," Guilmon says, a glimmer of curiosity in his gaze.
"I could tell," Ciampa says with a smirk. "I can feel it, you're warm to the touch."
"Just wait until you see me in battle."
Ciampa's curiosity grows as he envisions it, fists clenching as he finds himself eager to get started.
A few feet away, Rhea Ripley stands by her partner, taking him in with a sharp gaze. "Well, would you look at you," she murmurs, enthralled by the creature with a relatively normal body... until it fades away into smoke where his hindlegs should be. Bright blue eyes gaze up at her and she leans down, resting a hand over the silver plate that stops just short of the tusks on either side of his nose. "What are you?"
"Tapirmon," he says, voice low and clear as he stares up at her, almost as curious about her as she obviously is about him. "Nice to meet you."
She chuckles a little bit and ran her hand over her face, exhaling slowly. "Man, what has my life become?" She stops short when she sees the hurt crossing her new partner's face. "Hey, no, that wasn't meant to be an insult, it's just there's been a lot going on the last few months. It's nice to meet you too," she says, an awkward lilt to her voice as she rushes through the niceties. She strokes Tapirmon's fur, surprised by how soft it is against her palm.
Some of the angst eases out of his eyes and he smiles slowly, walking closer to her. She adjusts her hand and continues to run her fingers over his fur, watching him. "I think we're going to make really good partners, and help the digiworld a lot," he tells her.
She nods slowly, unsure how to feel about that, but hoping that he knows something she doesn't. "I hope so," she whispers and his smile grows. When she stands, she hoists him up and holds him close, surprised by how warm and snuggly he is. Like an actual animal with such a gentle soul and urge to please.
I think I can grow to like this, she thinks before walking forward to join the others.
Most of the tension leaves Drake's shoulders as the initial meeting between digidestined and their partners go well. He sighs and smiles down at Gabumon. Hopefully it lasts, he thinks, twisting his fingers together anxiously as he joins the others, who are already listening to Luke's explanation about various things vital to their missions around the digiworld.
