Post by CLAIRE LYON on May 16, 2016 16:19:28 GMT -5
► oh it eats us alive  Yes there's a scream inside That we all try to hide We hold on so tight But I don't wanna die |
crest hunt "... reckless." Panting, Claire turned to Walter, who was in the process of absorbing the data of their attackers- a Hyogamon and its Goburimon companion. His head lifted to the light of the moon, breathing in the cool North air, blowing puffs of steam out of his muzzle despite it being the middle of June back home. A cold wind whipped through the air suddenly, causing Claire to hold onto her hat as blonde hair lashed at her face, stinging just the slightest amount. She hadn't caught what he'd said, and had a feeling she wouldn't care to. Without asking for clarification, the woman gave a small scoff as she sheathed her shining new sword, stashing its golden brilliance away for the moment. "Did you..." Walter paused- she had already begun to walk away, her slow footsteps just a gentle crunch against the thin layer of snow under her boots. He was being too quiet. He was always too quiet, too meek, not assertive enough to get her attention. His warnings all too often fell on deaf ears, and now was no exception. She wouldn't listen. But it hadn't always been this way- at least for the first little while after losing his memory, things had been different. Things had changed, and unlike what the Magnadramon had hoped for, his relationship with her had not improved with time. Claire's icy attitude toward her partner only worsened, until she all but ignored him outside of battle. Shaking his head and freeing his long tresses of hair from ice- a remnant of the frozen ogre's attack- he padded after her, easily catching up in a few steps with long strides. "... You're injured, aren't you?"Still, she didn't look at him, but Claire's eyes narrowed, staring at nothing in particular ahead of them. He was... insufferable. With his constant worrying, pining, downright nagging- as if she were a child. Like he didn't understand that she'd been doing this for years, that she knew what she was doing and knew the risks of living like this. Like she was the insecure, inexperienced girl she used to be. He didn't understand. The old Walter knew: this was her relaxation time. Here, her head was clear. She had no relationship to anyone, and the Digital World was hers to explore as she wished, with no schedule or responsibilities or anyone to impress but herself. There had never been any complaints about this before- she remembered with fondness, her rabbit companion as her partner in crime. Perhaps he hadn't always approved of every action she took and there was always the odd complaint, but never before had she heard such incessant whining. Recently, it seemed that every word that came out of Walter's mouth was a complaint or criticism. "It was nothing. I can handle a strike from a little goblin." Ignoring that her shoulder was still stinging with pain and probably badly bruised- she was lucky, with the force the Digimon had put into it, that it hadn't cracked the bone. Hopefully. "Show me," he requested, nudging her hand with his muzzle. Good intentions, perhaps, but quite overdoing it in Claire's opinion. "Seriously?" The word was spat, breaking her usual character- it was difficult for most people to draw this kind of reaction from her, but the build up of Walter's persistence was... she hated to say it, getting to her. "I've been hurt worse than a bruise before." The dragon huffed, bristling. The glare she gave him nearly made him close his mouth, but he gathered himself and pressed- he'd already come this far. Now was a good a time as any to voice his concerns, as it didn't look like her mood would improve. "I know. But maybe next time it won't be a bruise." He could only hope she would see his good intentions. "Maybe not," she growled, tilting her chin up and looking down on Walter, despite the height he had on her. "But don't patronize me. You act as if you think I don't know the risks." She did, perfectly well in fact, and that's what made her adventures adventures. What was the point, otherwise? Tamer and Digimon stared at each other for a moment, both on edge. Though they stood on solid ground, nearby ice shifted, blocks colliding with each other. At her side, her Digivice lit up and beeped, with rhythm. For Walter, somehow, her being fully aware of the risks she took made it so much worse. He had to wonder, just how little did she care for herself? Nearly any Digimon at Champion level or above could easily kill a human- if she were caught off guard, it could be over in seconds. "You're going to get yourself killed." Claire felt heat rise angrily in her chest, but only shook her head. "No, I'm not. Do you take me for a fledgling?" For five years, she had lived like this, and had no intention of changing- it was appalling, that Walter was doubting her capabilities now. What did he know, exactly? His own memory only went back a short while- she probably knew more about the Digital World than he did. "Anyway- I don't want to hear it, Walter." The aggravation she felt was made very apparent in her voice that she meant, not ever again. Her ears stung with cold. With no verbal response from her Digimon, aside from a frustrated sigh- exactly what she wanted to hear- the woman turned, walking the glacier edge with no discernible expression. It was then she finally took a look at her chirping Digivice, only to find that the screen was glitching, showing only flickering patterns of static. 'Odd...' It had never behaved this way before. As far as she knew, it had nothing to do with the area, either- the Glacier was a place she'd been before without any issue like this. With a gloved hand, she fiddled with the buttons in an attempt to get it to respond, with no luck. Until finally, some words could be made out, still flickering in and out of legibility. ;TM5U,%nt s~ |alY/r-O9 reckless courage leads to destructive discord "What?" The screen suddenly cleared, displays returning to normal. What was the meaning of this? Never before had Claire seen anything like this, and she'd seen many a strange thing in her time. Before she could ponder it further, the screen changed again: CREST DETECTED ↑ After a moment's hesitation, she began to walk, pace by pace, searching the ground, following the arrow. As confused as she felt, the woman made an effort not to show it to Walter, instead walking as if she knew exactly what she was looking for. There. Sword was drawn, then dug into the ground, where she could faintly see a little dark symbol, hidden under snow and thin ice. It didn't take much to break it out, and when she did, she held it up to the night sky wordlessly. The symbol was... strange. Walter was frozen behind her, staring at the little shard of glass with visible fear in his expression. This was... he didn't know, exactly. But it was wrong. It felt wrong, and when they both looked down at her Digivice again, it read a strange word, for an item that appeared to be a crest. DISCORD "Discord," Claire read out loud, more of a musing to herself. Disagreement. Conflict. Dissonance. Disharmony. This... was her crest? Not what she was expecting- not at all. But she found herself smiling, nonetheless. Though she could only wonder about the details for now- a wordless glance back was given to Walter- it was an absolutely intriguing turn of events. "Fancy that..." Her voice was soft, eyes glinting with curiosity. Now, this was something to write about. Walter felt sick to his very core. "Claire speech." "Walter speech." |
