Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Presage – Chapter 65
Originally Written: Tuesday March 14, 2017 315AM to 743AM
. . . . .
Albedo expertly refrained from doing a jig as he entered the apartment building's small lunch and dining area. He took a quick glance around him.
A Plumber at the doorway looked at him with a scowl. "Where is your assignment?"
"Somewhere back there." He nonchalantly pointed down the short hall. He strolled further inside quickly before the guard could slow him down more.
He looked around the area, looking at various Plumbers, human and alien. He knew that Plumbers greatly outnumbered those actually under some kind of punishment, but seeing just how much in this single room truly threw him for a loop.
He clenched his fists, and swallowed thickly. 'Fridge, Swamps, Hugh. Fridge, Swamps, Hugh.' He repeated in his head. Anything to keep himself from being reminded of Tennyson's lackeys. 'Before Jenrya catches on.' He looked around again. "Screw it."
He walked off in a random direction. Better than standing near the door where Jenrya could see him. He briefly wondered if he had smothered Jenrya this much back when they first met. It's not that he minded Jenrya trailing him everywhere, but he couldn't figure out what he needed to with Jenrya and the extra guards accompanying him brought around.
He kept to the perimeter of the room, forcing himself with great difficulty to not pull at the sleeves of his plain black shirt. Eventually, he settled for just holding his sleeves in his fingertips. Not doing so made him feel as though he should run. The task he had to do was too important for him to run. There was no telling if he'd get another chance to talk to Fridge, Swamps and Hugh without Jenrya trailing him anytime soon.
He stopped next to a table of Plumbers. Most of the eight sitting ignored him, but a few looked at him. He recognized one as a plumber who responded to Rose's call for backup the other day.
'Fridge,' He looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction of the strong, yet soft singing he heard. 'Over there.' He locked his eyes on a small circle of Plumbers, standing around a table. Sitting at the table Swamp munched away at his food, seemingly ignoring Fridge and his singing. Fridge had yet to touch his meal.
He focused on Fridge's voice for a short while longer. His mind translated his Necrofriggian dialect with ease from many years of studying aliens, and months of personally being in Fridge's presence. "Why is he singing about flowers?" He shifted his eyes around, mostly ignoring the few plumbers still looking at him. He noticed that one had started speaking into a communicator, though. "And where is-?"
"A-Albedo?"
The white haired male stumbled backward in pure reflex. He looked at the Vaxasaurian, disguised as a human. Hugh looked at him curiously, glasses just barely hanging onto his nose. Albedo caught his bearings, and glared at the male alien as he clenched his fists. His fingertips securely held on to the ends of his shirt sleeves.
"S-sorry."
A Plumber Juggernaut told him was a Tetramand stood behind Hugh, none too amused.
He held in a sigh. How things were going now, he should be glad that Hugh wasn't actually in his Vaxasaurian form. He'd probably have attacked him then. Rose and a few other plumbers were already wary of continuing to let him run around with what they called "unchecked Anodite powers." Jokes on them. He'd take the risk of Tennyson's lackeys over being forced into Hypnos again.
He shook his head. "It's fine."
"Y-You actually c-came d-down for l-lunch." Hugh smiled warmly and pushed his glasses back up on his face.
He tilted his head, "Are you three here permanently now?"
"Y-yes, f-for now."
"Hm." He looked over to the plumbers at the table. They all seemed to be ignoring him for now, but they were still all guards. Better safe than sorry.
He walked past Hugh, holding his head high. Hugh laughed behind him, snorting and snickering. He didn't have to look back to know the male was following him.
There wasn't much chance of him getting this guard to go, unfortunately. This Tetramand was one that took being a Plumber seriously.
Fridge's song faded to a soft, drawn out note before completely cutting off. "Albedo." The male smiled a small smile.
Swamps looked up, fork hanging from his mouth.
More heads than Albedo would have liked turned. Pairs of eyes looked at him, some of them narrowing probably in confusion, or genuine distrust.
He took a deep, yet silent breath. His eyes quickly shifted from person to person, plumber to plumber. He pressed his lips together, attempting to ignore his suddenly racing heart. He forced himself to focus on Fridge and Swamps, disguised as Frank and Sean. The room suddenly felt way too small for reasons he couldn't discern.
Swamps scowled, "He's not eye candy. Shit." The Methanosian spat as he stood up, slamming his fork onto his plate. A guard standing aloof somewhere behind him pushed himself up from his seat off a table.
His mind tingled. Juggernaut's voice sounded fuzzy in his head. He watched Swamps walk past him. Fridge stood, holding his lunch tray, and another tray with unopened food.
He turned on a heel and followed Swamps. Hugh and Fridge quickly and steadily followed.
Swamps sat down at another table, a bit farther from the crowd. "If I knew they were gonna do that, I woulda shutcha up." He glanced at Fridge.
"You can't blame me for that." He murmured.
"Whatever." As though a switch flipped, he grinned brightly when he looked at Albedo.
If Albedo didn't know so already, he would have thought Swamps had lost his mind. He nodded just enough that it wouldn't be noticeable unless one was watching him.
He took a seat across from Swamps. Hugh sat next to him, and Fridge next to Swamps. Fridge and the Swamp's assigned guard re-distributed trays of food. A tray, courtesy of the guard, settled in front of him.
Swamps looked at his guard with a wary eye. The guard stayed silent in response. Only after a few moments waiting for Albedo didn't know what, did the guard take a few steps back. He sat on another table directly behind Swamps.
"Interesting." Albedo spoke softly, watching Swamps guard for the day absolutely ignore everything.
"Who? Kirito?" Swamps pointed behind him. "He's the only one I don't fight with. These stiffs don't bug me, we don't fight. Nothing to it."
"Hm." Albedo looked off to the side. Then he looked down at the table. He looked at the once circle of Plumbers. A small group, they had scattered quickly. Only two remained talking among themselves.
"Anxiety." Kirito spoke.
He spoke so softly Albedo wasn't sure he heard him right. He glared at the male. "That implies something wrong with my mental state."
The plumber just raised an eyebrow. "Sentient beings, even those with unsophisticated thought processes, experience anxiety whether or not they know it." Then he went back to ignoring him as suddenly as he said anything.
Albedo held in a curse. Of course all the Plumbers would know Dr. Iris entered the premises, especially the ones closest to him by extension of those he knew who were also here. Weren't these Plumbers required to keep their mouths shut about such things?
"What's that in Methanosian?"
Kirito muttered a word, and then two more.
"Oh. Huh." Swamps shrugged and continued eating. "Got that all the time back on Methanos."
Fridge lowered his head.
Hugh wrung his hands together while he looked at his unopened food.
He did his best to ignore them as he opened his tray. 'Maybe I should have stayed upstairs.' He sighed a weak, mostly quiet sigh as he picked up his chopsticks. He mentally shook his head. What would that have achieved in the long run? Things needed to get done, and he needed to be the one to do them.
"Rika says the next time she stops by she wants to see you, Fridge." He spoke after some time of silence.
"Oooh really?" Fridge's eyes lightened up.
"Wha-? When was she here?" Swamps scowled.
"A few days ago."
"She didn't bug you did she?"
"Come off it, Swamps. She's not that bad." Fridge glared at him.
"You're only saying that cause she gave you that music thingy suggestion offer."
Albedo raised an eyebrow. He looked at Hugh.
The male smiled sheepishly at him.
'Not one bit.' He almost smiled. "Music offer? When was this?"
"She heard me singing during the invasion. She asked if I would create a song with her." Fridge lowered his head, blue hair framing his face. "But all this happened... I wasn't sure if she would still be up to it."
"She might not be, ya know." Swamps waved his fork over his tray.
"I doubt that. Rika is quite fond of music in all of its various forms." Albedo drawled. "If anything, it should be a learning experience for you. She has quite a few connections, mainly through her mother, but her wealth, status as a Tamer, and the few good selling music albums she has under her belt are all things that should get you through the door at least." He rolled his eyes. "As annoying as she is, I grudgingly, and privately," He looked at Kirito, "admit, she does have her uses. Now ask if she'll be acceptable to work alongside."
"Heh." Swamps chuckled.
Fridge looked at him, smiling that awkward yet bright smile only an alien without much of a mouth could perform.
One thing taken care of. Now for the next. With Kirito here, he'd need to word his request carefully. "If there is nothing prudent or new occurring in your lives, I would like to note I have reasons to believe that someone is working to set certain events in my favor."
The trio looked at him. The guard paid them no mind.
"W-who d-do y-you think it is?" Hugh started wringing his hands again.
"I was hoping that one of you would have better access to such knowledge than myself. There are a few people I have ruled out, but any input is useful." He turned around and focused his gaze on the doorway for a moment.'Preferably before Jenrya realizes that I did not go to speak to the guard down the hall from the apartment.'
A/N: Albedo knows Necrofriggian, but has never experienced their society deeply, so he wouldn't really know the necrofriggian word for "Anxiety" deeply. They wouldn't have a word like other species do for Anxiety. They're too spread out and cult-like for that.