Guest 01) Thank you. That's rather the sad part here; to an extent, she's Wrong Genre Savvy about some variant of the law of Equivalent Exchange applying even for immortals, which is rather odd considering how it all started. By choosing Davis, she sacrificed any chance of a relationship with TK for the duration. Certainly, a threefold relationship with both would have been, and still is, possible, but that would come at its own price. Oddly, Davis is rather more Genre Savvy about that.
Perhaps it is true what I was told so long ago... I wish... That I could turn back time... Because now the gift is all mine...
The Keeper of Worlds) So that's one Davis/Kari, and a Takuya/Zoe special. Can I interest you in anything else? No? Alright, that'll be 84 Kr, or 15.23 dollops of fairy dust...
Lord Pata) You're welcome... OOC? Perhaps, but I like to think that I have a reason for him being like that. Perhaps that reason will be revealed as we go forward. In a sense, he has matured; had he not, he would've angrily left the house with Patamon for who-knows-where. Patamon/Gatomon? Sounds like fun, I'll look into it.
In a remote corridor of the third floor library, Rika was wandering aimlessly, a bored expression on her face and a red, leatherbound book, titled 'The Singular Timeline of Earth-Zero: from Adventure to Revelation' in her left hand, seemingly lost within her own thoughts.
That the demoness had somehow managed to make each of the seven pairs of library-floors bigger than the entire building, she was quite honestly fine with, unusual though it was. However, she would rather like to know just how the place was illuminated, as there was no visible lighting anywhere in the room-
it couldn't be that the sleek-grayish-white surroundings somehow emitted light, as if so, it should be too bright to see anything, or at least bright in many places, which it wasn't, it just... wasn't pitch-dark in here, like it ought to be. She wasn't complaining about the fact, but she was just curious how it even worked.
Deciding it to be a heap of questions for a later time, Rika turned the book, before noticing in the her eye something more fascinating than this 'Earth-Zero', namely a light-blue covered book with 'Digimon Hyper Colosseum rules' inscribed in deep-black DigiCode, narrowed to fit.
Much to her annoyance, she had with time largely forgotten the rules of the game they used to play infrequently in their first year of traveling the Digital Worlds, and she suspected that they had likewise; after all, what need had they for those rules, when they could access greater power simply by Bio-Merging together, and then Jogressing a step further if necessary?
Nor could she much remember what that Kazu guy, or his sister, Jeri, or Kenta, or something, looked like... Glasses, blonde and a Leomon as a partner, if she remembered correctly. Deciding not to dwell on what might as well be ancient history, she took the purple book, and placed the leatherbound one on the shelf in its place.
Opening the book's cover almost seemed nostalgic to the centennial red-head, as right there on the very first page were the complete rules to that game she had played for the sake of victory so very long ago, the same game that Takato, and whatever their names were, had played for brief amusement. At least, she assumed them to be the complete ruleset.
Apart of the first page containing a summary of the game rules, the book contained almost nothing of interest, as the other page showcased images of four cards, Agumon, Veemon, Guilmon and Monodramon, while the subsequent four-five hundred pages showed more of the same, detailing every Digimon she'd ever seen and more in their card forms, along with countless more cards that she didn't immediately recognize though she surmised them to be relevant in some way.
Her musings on the game were interrupted by the sound of flapping wings from above. When she looked up, she saw a familiar orange guinea-pig, that descended beside her, looking up at her with a bright smile, and a twinkle in his large azure eyes.
"Hey, Patamon," The red-head told him with no real affectation to her tone, surprising him slightly, though it didn't show on his face. Appearance-wise, the red-head reminded him of Sora, only with soft-lavender eyes rather than Sora's reddish-brown orbs, and a darker shade of red hair. Their demeanors, however, were different, to say the least, as Rika seemed strangely restless. "I've been meaning to talk to you, about a few things."
Patamon blinked in surprise. He had little-to-no knowledge of these versions of Rika, Renamon, Takato, Gigimon, Henry and Terriermon, so he had no idea what they could have to talk about, unless... She suspected... "About what?" He innocently asked.
"A few things," Rika answered. "Firstly, how exactly did TK, Davis and Kari become immortal?" At the question, Patamon visibly winced. It wasn't something that they felt comfortable with discussing, even amongst themselves, even if they had understood what exactly took place back then...
"It's... complicated," Patamon said, with a dour grimace. Rika felt a twinge of regret at asking what she should've known to be a personal question. "It's fine for you to know, but please don't tell TK and the others that I told you..."
"Of course," Rika assured him. Patamon took a slow breath, musing that he hadn't made his peace with what happened back then...
"It happened two years after we managed to defeat a Digimon called Armageddemon," Patamon began. Rika nodded. So far, she knew the story, having watched that battle in several worlds and timelines, and learned of it in others. "We were in the Digital World, TK, Cody and Shakkoumon, Tai, Matt and Omnimon, Sora and Garudamon, Mimi and Lillymon, Izzy and MegaKabuterimon, Joe and Zudomon, Davis, Ken and Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, Kari, Yolei and Silphymon, trying to defeat the Demon Lords and their soldiers from destroying both worlds..." He paused, to collect himself.
"I know how that song goes, Patamon," Rika admonished him, as softly as she could. "Just skip to the ending..."
"Alright," Patamon responded, with a glare and a subtle growl. A pained look appeared in his eyes. "We eventually managed to defeat them... But it wasn't worth the price... Apart from the six of us, everyone was injured badly once it was over... And then, the Crests, symbols of their best personality traits, that had given up a few years earlier to release the Harmonious Ones, somehow reactivated within everyone, managing to transfer what little was left of the others into us..." Patamon finished. Rika didn't speak, simply giving an inscrutable look, standing as immobile as before.
"I see," Rika dismissively answered, annoying Patamon somewhat. Frankly, she doubted the story somewhat. He'd admitted the Crests to be gone, yet they had somehow done that? It seemed implausible, but that alone was no reason to blankly deny the possibility. "So you have several DigiCores within you?"
Patamon nodded. "I have Gomamon's, Tentomon's and Palmon's, just as TK has the remains of Joe's, Izzy's and Mimi's energy within him..."
"And from Kari walking around with that jacket, I take it that Kari has Tai's, Matt's and Sora's data, while Gatomon has Agumon's, Gabumon and Biyomon's data?" Rika theorized. Again, Patamon gave an affirmative nod.
"Yeah," Patamon muttered. "That jacket was everything that was left of Tai, once the battle was won, relatively speaking..."
Rika mused that it was understandable that TK had acted like that, considering all that. Though, there were a few things about that story that just bugged her; if Tai had died in that battle, how was his jacket still intact? There weren't any sign of injury or bloodstains to be found on that jacket, leaving only... Rika's train of thought stopped abrubtly at the gory realization.
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Elsewhere in the building, in the bedroom occupied by the demoness and angel, Saial was resting, her wings free and unencumbered in the empty space beside the bed, the demoness draped around her waist, her head nuzzled in the angel's chest. Among the countless questions on her mind, the first one was what in the world she had gotten herself into now... Though she didn't really want to admit, a renewed relationship with the drowsy demoness around her was likely a mistake.
It wasn't that the angel considered love, of any sort, to be a mistake, quite the opposite, but she couldn't help but feel worry and apprehension about how this would affect her duties. How Raya could act so indifferent to those concerns completely eluded the angel.
"...It's true, isn't it, Saial?" The demoness asked, so lowly that the angel almost didn't hear her, surprising her a bit, as she'd believed the demoness to be asleep. "The price for getting what you want, is having what you once wanted..."
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Elsewhere still, within Koji's bedroom on the fourth floor, he lay on the bed to the door's left side, his left hand beside his head which was resting on the pillow, his gaze fixed on the back of his hand, with no trace of joy or humor to be found in his expression, simply eyeing it curiously.
Strangely, from his forehead emanated a bright white light, shining through the fabric of his bandana. On the back of his hand was a marking, in the shape of a pair of circles containing the symbols of the Spirits of Light, that he mused might be mistaken for a tattoo, were it not for the fact that the marking shimmered with a pristine silvery glow.
He knew all too well what the sudden reappearance of the symbol signified, that Zoe and the others were nearby, or at least, within the same part of the Digital World as him. Wherever they were, his peace of mind was gone for the time being, until they had left, and he could make the mark fade once more, as he had no idea for anything to distinguish him; being a human in the Digital World did that enough for his liking.
Still, forcing the figure to subside was as easy as using the powers it gave him; a mere thought, and the outer circle dimmed, revealing his largely unblemished skin. To his annoyance, though not surprise, the inner circle resisted him somewhat, and the symbol vehemently refused to fade, which he knew all too well what meant.
Zoe and the others were coming here, approaching ever so slowly.
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Deep within the left wing library's fifth floor, within a wider space than was , TK stood leaned against a bookshelf, with Patamon on his shoulder. Against the other bookshelf stood Kari, with a skittish expression and her left hand entwined with Davis'. To her left stood Davis himself, and at their sides were their partners.
"So what do you guys think?" TK quietly inquired. Kari knew what he was referring to. Seraphimon had asked them to come here, in order to assess the situation. Frankly, she wasn't sure whether three days, though a long time given the leisurely pace of things here, was enough time to determine that.
"Honestly, I think there's nothing to worry about," Davis grinned. "This place feels like a retirement home for world-weary immortals, more than anything." He laughed. To his surprise, Kari's hand tensed in his.
The girl beside him cringed inwardly, wondering if he realized that his description of the residents could just as easily be be said to describe them as well. Though, while Patamon and Gatomon noted it to arguably be a poor choice of phrasing, it was rather helpful in having the conversation broach their topic.
"Actually, me and Patamon've been meaning to talk to you guys," The feline digimon began, earning her curious looks from the other four, while Veemon seemed largely disinterested, more concerned with how big this floor actually was, as it seemed to go on and on forever. "Simply put, we want to stay here..." She announced with mild apprehension, much to the shock and disbelief of everyone else.
"You what?!" TK incredulously asked to the slightly nervous Patamon. Davis supposed that the idea... Really wasn't all that bad. After all, the Tamers, and Koji... They were immortal themselves, so if anyone would know how to resolve the issue of eternal and recurring boredom, it would be them.
And even if they did stay, the entire Digital World was still open for them to explore whenever they wished. Davis mused that immortality did have its occasional benefits.
"Why?!" TK incredulously demanded. He couldn't pretend that the idea of some peace and quiet here wasn't appealing, but they had responsibilities... His Trailmon of thought ended abrubtly when he realized that they owed no real allegiance to Seraphimon, Ophanimon and Cherubimon; after all, he and his group had offered their services to them, in order to relieve their boredom.
"How long, TK?" Patamon sternly asked. TK winced, knowing what his partner meant. Though, if it had really been so wearying for him, why hadn't he spoken up sooner? "Fifteen years? Twenty? How long have we been traveling through the Digital World?"
"Too long," Davis agreed. "Alright, anyone in favor of asking to stay?" He asked the five, raising his hand, as Patamon did, along with Kari and Gatamon. Veemon supposed that it wasn't a bad deal, while TK simply looked around at them.
"Well, it seems I've been outnumbered," TK noted, annoyance more than evident in his tone. Kari cringed inwardly, as this was the latest major disagreement TK'd had with the group during their few days here, and she couldn't help but worry about how much more he would take.
"Well, Kari, Gatomon, if you'll look upstairs, TK and Patamon can take downstairs, and me and Veemon'll search the other library," Davis suggested, ignoring TK's displeased glares at the group. The group nodded their assent to his suggestion, seeing no real reason to argue.
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About an hour later, Kari and Gatomon were wandering the endless maze, searching for the angel, partly to request being permitted to stay and partly for the girl's own reason.
Suddenly, the two heard the soft voice of the demoness sing quietly to herself, from around a corridor almost ten meters ahead. "Intoxicated eyes, no longer that live that life... You should've learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down... I need some peace of mind, no fear of what's behind. You think you've won this fight, you've only lost your mind..."
Kari and Gatomon froze, while a bit further down the passage-way that the demoness was in, Rika, Terriermon, Takato, Henry, Renamon and Gigimon collectively tensed momentarily in mild discomfort and surprise, the books that the Tamers and the rabbit were reading completely forgotten, as most of the lyrics of whatever song she'd recited could be said to apply to them in some sense, whether metaphorically or concretely.
"No longer live that life..." Henry mused to himself. Though they had readily agreed, he couldn't quite help but wonder whether it was morally right for him to ask them to stay here rather than travel from one fight to the next, when they could do more good out there? Could he really afford to be that selfish when they were still needed?
"You think you've won this fight, you've only lost your mind..." Gatomon pondered. True, TK wasn't exactly the most patient person when it came to Digimon like that LadyDevimon, but the feline liked to think that he wasn't beyond salvation just yet.
"You should've learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down..." Guilmon and Takato cringed inwardly at how darkly fitting that was. A few years ago, they had done that, to another Digital World. The saurian and the Tamer both knew that the other four hadn't quite forgiven them for it, even now, and while they hadn't liked doing it, given the circumstances, it was a decision they could live with and would make again if they had to.
Suddenly, the group heard a series of footsteps, and from behind the right bookshelf appeared Kari and Gatomon. "Raya?" Kari asked as casually as she could. Raya gave a curious look, wondering what was on her mind. "Me and the others have been talking, and, well, we want to know if you would mind us staying here?"
"Well, personally, that would be fine, Kari," Raya smiled, chuckling at the mild oddity, as she distinctly remembered Kari being present a few days ago. Still, she couldn't fault the brunette for not remembering a small detail like that, as it had been a mildly hectic few days for her. "But you'll have to talk to these guys about that, since I bequeathed this house to them." Raya offhandedly said, turning to the Tamers, pointing her index finger at them.
"Bequeathed?" Kari quizzically asked. Raya supposed that she couldn't fault her for not having a world-class vocabulary either; given how long they had been traveling together, Digidestined and partners, Tamers and partner, and Legendary Warrior alike, it was something like an honest-to-Lucemon miracle that they even could form a sentence. At least, that was how it seemed to her.
"You were serious about that?" The other six flatly asked in unison. They knew that the demoness had her occasionally odd moments, but this...
"It means, 'given', Kari," The demoness answered, and the brunette nodded in understanding, still slightly confused and annoyed that the demoness had used a complex word like that when there was a simpler one available. "And yeah, I was. My avarice tend to make these decisions for me."
"Avarice?" Renamon asked quizzically. Kari blinked in confusion, unsure of what exactly that meant, while the others knew the meaning of the word, but couldn't quite correlate greed with either her giving them the building to stay in or creating large libraries like these. "I don't quite follow."
Raya gave a brief look at the kitsune. Renamon wasn't sure whether to interpret it as amusement, exasperation, disappointment, or something else. "Greed is considerably more all-encompassing than you might immediately realize." The demoness spoke, earning her a curious look from the anthropomorphic fox. "Desire for material possessions, desire for physical intimacy, desire to improve your own life, even..." Renamon and the others noted a distinct change in the shade of her red beady eyes, and her stance softened subtly. "Even desire for love, and for companionship, would qualify."
Renamon and the others shared skeptical looks, while Kari eyed her curiously. The kitsune mused that she wasn't entirely incorrect, at least.
Day 21 notes
1) Sorry if the revelation of how they became immortal didn't live up to expectations. Maybe it was built up too far to deliver...