I don't own digimon.

Story 97

Follow the money

Barbamon liked to think he was a decent enough digimon. Yes, he was the demon lord of greed. But that didn't mean he was completely evil. No. It was the job of his position to manage the wealth of the digital world. Mostly taking the form of digi-

Just one, small, itsy-bitsy problem with that.

"You can't hide forever, launderer." the demon lord of greed muttered, looking over his multitude of screens. Did it not concern this figure that the value of a digi/digi-dollar was so low, that all the money traders had simply stopped converting that kind of currency and we're instead encouraging digimon businesses to move over to other currencies. Even if he and his team were to find the source of this hyperinflation, it would still take for the economy to recover. They would need to buy that digi out for everyone's sake and have it destroyed. Or at least, exchanged for equivalent currency when the time came. Yes, he was evil. But not evil enough that he would risk having the economy shattered. No, that was exactly what his predecessor allowed to happen. Said predecessor then claimed there was nothing that they could do and was promptly terminated. "Drats."

Letting out a sigh, that signaled Barbamon's body floating tightly to his staff and poncho, it was clear that the digital world had other plans for his work. Because of course it did.

"Figures you of all entities would put a damper on my plans." Barbamon announced and took a moment to check that he had at least one of his many tablets on him. Just in case there was a chance to get work done on the way to meeting back up with his human. A part of him wanted to imagine the look on her face once she saw him, but that would make treasuring it all the harder. No, only genuine reactions were allowed within his mental vaults. As they should be. Filling it up with stuff not precious to him only got in the way of doing his job and in turn, resulted in sloppy work. Sloppy work that could've been avoided in the first place.

Shoving that thought away as the ceiling of his sanctum came into view, Barbamon hoped that a portal would appear. While he could just phase through as a last-ditch effort, that was bound to create more damage than it was worth. Instead, he would gamble on a portal appearing. While normally not a betting kind of digimon. Something felt different here. Like it didn't matter. Oh well. That wasn't the demon lord of greed's problem right now. Curving this hyperinflation main concern.

Thankfully, the portal did appear right above him. Not that it showed much in the way of anything here. Clearly the time dilation between both worlds was acting up. Or he had been in his sanctum far longer than he initially intended. Either one could be the case here. Not that he could know for certain until his body passed through.

"Let's do this." Barbamon thought as his body passed through the portal. Taking a moment to calm the emotions, he watched the clouds whizz on by. Tinted a shade of gray, a part of him was tempted to reach out and see if he could snag a souvenir.

Reaching forth, his hand passed through without the collection of anything cloud-related.

"Figures. I should've known these clouds are different." Barbamon muttered as he sped up to his terminal velocity. While he was never the sort of digimon for skydiving, he did understand the appeal. Feeling the air rush right on by, getting to see everything at a scale where it looked as if you could just scoop it all up and put it in your pockets. What more could someone want? Quite a lot of things, actually. But the demon lord of greed's point still stood. You could definitely do worse when it came to that.

Shoving those thoughts away for now, Barbamon watched the ground below rapidly come into view. Letting out a sigh, he did his best to scan his landing spot. While a sidewalk was not preferred in this situation, you had to make do with what you got. That, and the surrounding neighborhood appeared to be normal enough that his arrival wouldn't disturb anyone. Of course, that was not factoring any possibility of weird elements and/or surprises he would get upon landing. Considering the nature of the Human World, the chances of something like that occurring were extremely high. Barbamon was willing to work with those elements, but he did have his limits.

Landing far more gracefully than he was expecting, Barbamon took a moment to catch his breath. When had been the last time that he had gotten to see his partner? It had to have been before the whole shake-up of the demon lords. Yeah. That sounded right.

"Uh… I can help you?" a voice called out and Barbamon spun around. Standing before him was that of a plush cow on their hind legs. While the proportions looked androgynous, something about the voice came across as masculine. Not that such facts mattered to him.

"Yes, actually. I'm looking for a woman by the name of Darla. By any chance do you know anyone who goes by that name?"

The cow looked off into the distance, trying their hardest to remember if that name rings any bells. Just in time for a renamon to walk up and force them to look her way.

"Daniel, what the heck are you doing?" the vulpine digimon inquired and got a look from the plush cow. A shrug followed. "That is Lord Barbamon of the Seven Deadly Sins. When he asks you something, you need to give a proper answer, okay?"

Barbamon floated back. Was his reputation really that fearsome? No, he had been charitable as of late. Though, this could also be chalked up to the reports Lilithmon had sent him in regards to Ogudomon's appearance.

"Uh… you don't need to be that formal. I wasn't even planning to show up down here." Barbamon announced, catching the pair by complete surprise. Was that really that surprising? BelleStarmon and Leviamon had already gone ahead and rejoined their humans. Or at least in the former's case, reunited with her partner. "Though, a rundown of any major events that have occurred over the last couple weeks would be nice."

Renamon shot her partner a look. While their experience when it came to the demon lords was nonexistent, this felt like a genuine question here. All the more reason to actually answer it rather than blow Barbamon off.

"Let's see… all the digital world's evils were let forth last week and in turn, Ogudomon was brought forth." Daniel explained and Barbamon nodded. That matched what was on the reports. Yet Lilithmon and/or whoever filed said report failed to mention whether or not Ogudomon/Belphemon had actually been defeated. Or at the very least, pacified in such a way that she couldn't be a problem any more.

"Uh… do you know the outcome of the battle?" Barbamon inquired and watched the pair stare down at the sidewalk. Then it's back over to

"I guess whoever took on Ogudomon won. If they hadn't, there likely wouldn't be a world here." Renamon added and Daniel nodded in agreement. By no means the best explanation here, it did work with the limited information they had to off of. "Beyond that, there's an International manhunt going on for the famed genius Koushiro Izumi."

Barbamon pulled out a notepad and scribbled that information down. Shoving it back into his cloak, his attention returned to the pair.

"Thank you for the information. Now, if you could just answer a question or two of my own." Barabamon remarked and watched his audience shift ever so slightly. Not enough that they looked on edge, just not certain what else he would want to know. Honestly, he probably would've felt the same if he was in their shoes. But the demon lord of greed left that thought to himself. "I'm looking for a woman by the name of Darla. By any chance have you crossed paths with such a person?"

Daniel and Renamon looked at each other. Whispering something between each other, it's just out of reach of my audio equipment. Because of course it is. No matter. It is probably something secretive. Because of course it is.

Thankfully, our pair eventually turned back to Barbamon.

"All we've heard is that a woman by the name of Darla is in the hospital." Daniel explained and Barbamon froze. Muttering something at the ground, it took everything in his power to not curse the world right about now. Of course the moment that he got back into the human world was when their partner was to have a major accident. Oh well. He would just have to roll with the punches and hope for the best.

"In that case, could you point me in the general direction of the hospital and would you like some legitimate digi/digi-dollars?" Barbamon continued, only to be treated to a raised eyebrow from his audience. Figures they would be uneasy about taking money from the demon lord of greed. While a part of his mind wanted to spin this as some kind of test of their morality. "If it helps, I can just exchange your current digi/digi-dollars. Can't guarantee that it'll be worth anything, but I and my team are hard at work trying to curb whatever mess that the economy of the Digital World is going through."

Renamon sighed and reached under one of her armguards. Out came a couple digi-dollars. Handing the currency over to Barbamon, the pair watched the demon lord of greed slip it into his cloak and pull out a couple fresh digi-dollars. Handing them over to Renamon, that was the vulpine's digimon cue to point down the street. By no means the most helpful directions he could've gotten from her, it was a start.

"Best of luck." Daniel announced and waved to Barbamon. In turn, Barbamon waved back and floated forth. He had little time to waste if he wanted to reach the hospital at a reasonable time. Especially with the other duties that might decide that he needed to put time into now that he was in the Human World. Shoving those thoughts back for now, the demon lord of greed turned his attention ahead. So much of the city had changed since he had last been here. Though, the same could probably be said about Darla. She had no doubt grown up and in turn, gotten to spread her wings. At least, he hoped that she got the opportunity to do so. In a world like this one, there were so many things that could go wrong along the way. But that was something that was simply not worth dwelling on here. No, that was just setting Darla up for failure here. Instead, Barbamon let out a deep breath and picked up his pace. While he was technically better off just hailing a cab, there was likely to not be any of the sort around here. While that did leave the option of stealing a vehicle, Barbamon liked to think he was above that kind of behavior. That, and he didn't know how to drive. Nor was there really a need for him to learn how to do so. The only ones really capable among the demon lords were that of Lilithmon and BelleStarmon. Lilithmon on account of the number of businesses she owned and Belle Starmon because driving was part of the demon lord of gluttony's modus operandi. He honestly didn't get it. What exactly about gluttony correlated perfectly to that of a biker. A biker with a demonic bike and a massive gun?

Racking his mind for an explanation, Barbamon found himself at a loss here. Oh well. Not the end of the world here. The hospital was just coming into view, bringing with it the likelihood of seeing Darla. If she was allowed to see visitors, of cou-

"Hello, Barbamon." a voice greeted and Barbamon stopped. Turning his attention to the left, he was met with Lilithmon of all digimon. Dressed in a pinstripe suit, she had chosen to pair it with black spike heel pumps.

"Oh. Miss Lilithmon. How are you?" Barbamon answered as he met Lilithmon's gaze. A smile formed on the head of the demon lord's face, followed by a chuckle.

"Quite well, actually." Lilithmon answered and shot the hospital a look. Then it's back over to her employee. "I'm guessing the digital world decided that you needed to go back to your partner?"

Barbamon nodded.

"You could say that. Still haven't made progress on the inflation issues." Barbamon answered, taking a moment to compose himself. By no means the answer that Lilithmon wanted to hear, that was to be expected. Unless the hospital was for one reason or another a front for the creation of digi/digi-dollars. Which would make for one odd yet convenient coincidence. Not that this explained why Lilithmon was here in the slightest. "Do you have business at the hospital as well?"

Lilithmon nodded.

"Yes." Lilithmon answered and Barbamon shifted his cloak ever so slightly. "I need to check for some medical records on behalf of my lawyer."

Barbamon nodded and headed off. Taking care to remain beside Lilithmon, he had a pretty good idea that his boss was lying right through her teeth. It was no secret among the demon lords that Lilithmon was seeking revenge for her fallen partner. But against who exactly had been the million digi question. Perhaps this would provide the insight here. Barbamon doubted it, though and kept that thought to himself. Better that way. Especially as he caught a glimpse of Mervamon waiting at the entrance. Dressed in a skirt suit, one could clearly make out the greatsword on her back. Wedding rings on full display, they shined in the light.

"Hello Barbamon. Here to audit Lilithmon's many companies?" Mervamon greeted and Barbamon split his gaze between both women.

"Sadly, no." Barbamon answered and made a mental note to check in on that once this mess was done. Yeah. That was a nice workload to add. Not that he minded in the slightest. That was just part of the job. "Here to visit my partner."

Mervamon nodded and looked over to Lilithmon. Getting a confirmation in the form of a nod, her attention returned to looking ahead. The perfect cue to approach the automatic doors.

Compared to the sidewalks traversed to get here, there was something omnibus to the entrance area of the hospital. A squared circle hallway, the middle of which had been reserved for a spiral staircase and elevator. Various signs at doorways denoted the various departments - Radiology, Nutrition, Children Care & Pharmacy.

"Anywhere in particular do you want to start?" Mervamon inquired and Lilithmon sighed. Looking over the signs, her focus shifted to one in particular - Children Care. Turning her attention back to her companions. Getting a nod from both digimon, the trio headed off. By no means a long walk, that didn't make this place any less creepy. If anything, it made it more so. Not that Barbamon could exactly put his finger on what it was that gave him that idea in the first place. Shoving back to not get in the way but close to be recalled, his attention shifted to that of the door. For a place meant specifically for children, what little could be made out felt less than friendly to the young folk. Between a fish tank filled with dead fish, books torn to shreds and a corner labeled the 'R' corner (I think you're smart enough to figure out what the 'R' stands for), this felt more like a place that was used to deal with problem children. The sort I would expect from a certain school, not a place like a hospital. Nonetheless, Lilithmon pulled the door open. Stepping through, Mervamon and Barbamon followed right behind. They had come this far. No real point in stopping now. Especially as they watched their boss approach the one and only human in the room - the receptionist. Very much not paid enough for this shit, her eyes went wide upon seeing the demon lord of lust. Not in a good way, mind you.

"Hello, I'm looking for one Doctor Enoshima." Lilithmon greeted as she sauntered over to the desk. Setting an arm down upon it, her gaze met that of the receptionist. "And no, that isn't a request. I'm here to sue the 'doctor'."

The receptionist sheepishly nodded and reached behind her back. Pulling a handgun out, an attempt was made to shoot Lilithmon. All that accomplished was the gun being pulled out of her hands and then dissolved into nothing.

"I very much know that Miss Enoshima is in." Lilithmon continued and leaned forward. Meeting the receptionist's gaze, that brought with it the sound of a gunshot. Figures. Can't have snitches in your organization, after all. The sound of footsteps followed, piercing through the silence. I would say that I'm surprised, but it doesn't make what's coming any better - a humanoid shaped through plastic rather than flesh. Looking like the most stereotypical bimbo imaginable, she had chosen to pair it with a suit top with a massive amount of cleavage. Doesn't change the fact there's a mix of pink and red coating the fabric. Adding to the look was the skirt that barely fit the definition of the garment, whereas the finishing touch was the pristine set of white platform pumps. Because author fucking forbid that the shoes of all things get dirtied. They probably cost as much as a house. Not a house a regular person can 'afford', but one of those massive super-mansions that rich people have but only use a handful of the rooms. You know, 'those' kind of mansions. But I digress.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my. I didn't think the scared little kitty cat standing before me had the guts to meet my gaze." Julie greeted and Lilithmon rolled her eyes. Just in time for the body of what one could only assume to be a female nurse to be thrown their way. Covered in more makeup than necessary, a variety of bruises poked through the rips and holes of their scrubs. Locks of bubblegum blue hair hung atop the scrubs, drawing one's eyes to the spots to

Looking in Barbamon's direction, it took everything in the demon lord of greed's power to not try and stab this bitch. No, Julie would just kill her.

"Darla, I'm sorry about this." Barbamon whispered and forced his attention back to Julie. So many different questions swirled about his mind, yet there was little use in actually asking any of them. Julie would no doubt blow them off. Even with the prospect of actual money. No, she was 'above' that. In the sense that the only thing that got her to change her mind was theft and/or murder. I wonder if she has a daughter? Probably not. Or if she did, the momma kitty of this universe got her to a better place. At least, I can only hope so.

"Miss Enoshima, I'm suing you for the damages you've caused me, my partners and all those who died under your care." Lilithmon announced and pulled out the legal papers. For that gesture, Julie looked away and began laughing.

"You really think that you of all people can sue me and win?" Julie announced, kicking her 'captive' once for good measure. Then it's back over to Lilithmon and company. "I'll just have the suit thrown out! Simple as th-

Lilithmon rolled her eyes and looked over to Mervamon. Watching the accountant step forward, she set down a massive pile of documents. A mix of warnings, bribes and other questionable behavior on top of multiple attempts to get a hold of Julie Enoshima stared back. Someone has clearly done their research and means business.

"Okay. fine. I'll play along with you little reindeer games." Julie announced and reached into her cleavage. Out popped one of those cartoon-shaped bombs. Throwing it at Lilithmon, she managed to melt it with ease. So much for a convenient exit, amirite? "But know this, you will not win."

Lilithmon chuckled.

"This isn't about winning, dear Enoshima. This is about sending a message." Lilithmon announced and watched Julie storm off. Flipping the group off for good measure, that gesture was ignored. Instead, their focus was on Darla. Barbamon was the first to reach her, taking care to help her up.

"Hi Barbamon. How have you been?" Darla cooed and Barbamon looked away. While today hadn't been 'bad' per say, that didn't change the fact that he hadn't in any way accomplished his objective.

"Better now that you're here." Barbamon answered and watched Lilithmon and Mervamon take a moment to give the duo the necessary space. Understandable and appreciated, even if there were a couple questions that he wished to ask his boss here. Shoving those thoughts away for now, he met Darla's gaze.

"About the same after running into her. That bitch doesn't even work here, yet claimed I needed to help her. When I told her to shove those orders up her ass, we got into a fight."

Barbamon nodded and made a small circle around his partner. Beyond the damage that Julie had attempted to cover up and the kick, she looked alright. Not great, but not horrible either. "Then we headed down here and I may have kicked some machine creating a bunch of weird-looking bills."

Barbamon shifted his cloak ever so slightly. As much as he wanted to believe in coincidences here, this was very much not one. No, Julie was connected to the devaluation of the Digi/Digi-Dollar. For what reasons remained to be seen. Yet, they could deal with that in a moment. Right now, he would enjoy the moment.

Harlequin's Notes:

Good to know that bitch is still kicking.

No, I'm not referring to you, IT doll! Also, fuck you!