No-Home Boys [Open]

[Basil]

Everyone had always told Basil that the outside world pas The Forest was dangerous. Digimon were the most obvious example that came to mind for the dragon creature. Considering Nanosphere Forest had its own ecosystem and food chain, he was very savvy with that type of thing. The only other thing he didn't get was humans. The ones he'd seen traveling in the forest didn't seem that bad to interact with. But Cherrymon always said the same thing over and over.


"Don't trust humans, yadda yadda. Always mislead them, don't let them discover you," Basil repeated mockingly with air quotes from his stubby digits. He gently flew in the air, his tail swishing behind him, mane gently flowing from the winds of the Savannah. It hadn't been more than few days since his self imposed and forced exile from the Nanosphere Guard. The dragon didn't have much time to get much time to pack away his stuff to take with him. All he had was the stuff on his back and the fruit seeds he took with him as a precaution. At times, he still regretted what he said to Cherrymon, if only for the fact that he had almost limitless amount of food.


Basil let out a loud, exasperated sigh. For real, what was so bad about humans? He was in the middle asking, but the big guy cut him off before he could. 

"Ugh, he really needs to mellow out." 

But still, Basil was faced with a few problems. For starters, the seeds wouldn't give him enough produce long enough to survive. Much as he liked his fruits and veggies, the dragon was fond of the some of the foods that humans left behind when they got lost. There was a meaty kind in a weird looking plastic box that one had before, it was super good. Basil licked his muzzle for a moment before he continued his traveling. Did all humans have that type of food? If so, his stomach was hoping that he ran into one with food, he didn't want to dig into resources before he got to the city. The so-called 'Terabyte City' loomed over the distance of the Savannah, right smack dab in the middle of the place. At the rate he was going, it was going to be a while before he got there. With a grumble, Basil trudged on. He couldn't let Cherrymon's banishment get to him. He wanted to explore, so he got what he wanted. Now he just had to make the best of it. 

[Katsuro Hachi]

WANDERIN' EYE, SMOKIN' GUN

The justice of the Hive was not always an easy path for the Osuzumebachi.

He had assumed the FlyBeemon form for its agility, thrumming through the sky thirty feet above the savannah, occasionally dropping to buzz the canopies of forested pockets for the simple purposes of his own idle amusement. They were quiet, today, the areas of the Domain that spanned their circle around Terabyte City, but quiet did not, as the vigilante knew, always mean safe. There were the ferals, the slave-drivers that worked in their packs, the rampant data-gorging murderers... all of them hidden, tucked down into their burrows, ready to emerge and attack at a moment's notice. Constant, eternal vigilance was a prerequisite if he was to call himself an avatar of justice.

A lone green speck bumbled into view on the horizon as he rose from another forested pocket, having concluded it to be generally devoid of life, if certainly devoid of trouble at present. It was early; the sun was still blooming its infantile white-yellow over the horizon, casting a pale morning gaze down upon the city below, beyond the brown-green of the brushed flatlands which made themselves the city's landing strip. It was one hell of a vista, though, especially from up high, the city in the basin from a perch-like hill of the savannah all the way up and out here.

The green speck turned out to be, as they tended to, a Digimon. Katsuro tucked his wings in and begun to plummet for a nosedive, aiming to intercept the Digimon's path of movement and make himself presently known at once thanks to the increasing volume of the buzzing he was... making, himself, humming in his heroic delusion. The wild creature's appearance became rapidly clearer as he landed. It looked altogether... messy. Untethered, uncivilized, scaled and mossy -- as if it had crawled out from under a tree, gained sentience, and begun walking. Smelt like old grass, near as he could tell.

"Halt, wanderer," Katsuro pulled out of the nosedive, fanning his wings and circling once -- like a shark -- before dropping to the ground a few feet into the Dracenamon's path, cutting his velocity and landing with aplomb. "As a chosen paragon of the Hive and a speaker for these digital laws of ours, I demand to know your business and reason for transit." He didn't need to, of course. The Hive was telling him to. Katsuro was unsure, now, whether or not this was just a sadistic mockery of what he had 'signed up' to do -- but it didn't matter. It was almost autonomous, now.

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 1

deltra of gangnam style

[Basil]

Maybe he'd actually get there before the sun set, Basil thought. Powered by his determination, he set himself at a nice flying speed across the Savannah. While Terabyte City still looked miles away, he was even gathering up a fair bit of dust in his wake, which made him happy. He never really had the ability to move fast whenever he had the foliage of the forest to keep his movements hidden. Now that he had the free space of the Digital World to move in, maybe he could explore his own physical limits. Basil knew for a fact that his body wasn't all that keen towards fire. Humid weather, great sun and things like that were his usual, and he planned on keeping it that way. He recalled mutters of a "cold front" along the Digital World from Digimon that passe by back in the forest. That didn't sound like much fun either.

Either way, if it came up in his travels, he didn't mind it all that much. It was better than staying in the forest for the rest of his life. The grass dragon continued his slow journey, the sun shining bright, almost filling him with the energy to press forward. With a smile on his face, the dragon stared up into the sky, the sun's rays greeting him back. He did a few loops in the air, his tail swishing about and following suit, almost like a serpent about to eat its own tail. Truthfully, the large tail he had could have been used as a sort of hugging material what with how big it was. However, before Basil could do any more tricks, a loud buzzing cut through the air.

It wasn't loud enough to make him cover his ears, but it was definitely annoying enough to make him search for the source. Within seconds, said source arrived in front of him. If Basil had been on the ground, he would have fallen right there. Instead, the sudden gust of wind that carried along with the source of the buzzing pushed him back slightly before he regained composure. The source was a Digimon, but one he'd kind of seen before.

Flymon were the norm around Nanosphere Forest, but this wasn't a Flymon. It looked like one, but it bore bright red armor and a much thinner looking body that towered above him, almost like a guard standing in the way. That, however didn't seem to bother Basil in the slightest. His curiosity started to take over so much that once the bee had finished talking, he started a bombardment of questions.

"Cool...What's the Hive? Some sort of civilization near here? Is it on the way to Terabyte City, I'm on my way there. How the heck do you fly so fast? That buzzing sound is kind of annoying, though, any way to stop that?"

The way the questions trailed from Basil, you would have expected him to be a hyperactive little brat that didn't know when to shut up. While Basil did indeed not know when to shut up, his voice traveled along like that of a casual conversationalist that was just a little bit high. He slowly flew around the bee's vicinity, bright yellow/green eyes taking in every bit of his details on his own speed, unintentionally ignoring the question posed by the being in front of him.

[Katsuro Hachi]

LOCK ME UP & THROW AWAY THE KEY

...the FlyBeemon was not entirely sure how to respond.

"Cool... what's the Hive?"

"I--"

"Some sort of civilization near here?"

"Well, that's--"

"Is it on the way to Terabyte City? I'm on my way there."

"One answer I supp--"

"How the heck do you fly so fast?"

"With wings, how el--"

"That buzzing sound is kind of annoying, though, any way to stop that?"

The Digimon was almost panting, it had asked that many questions. A metaphorical vein was bulging on the FlyBeemon's forehead; but it was starting to dawn on him. Minor transit regulation breaches aside, this was quite clearly a fledgling; sheltered and of the earth, from the way he looked, the way he held himself, the berries that seemed to be... growing from him, and the... smell, all told.

Katsuro took a moment, and exhaled, trying to force the frustration out of his body. This was a child. He was dealing with a child. And, perhaps it was the cold light of the morning shining down, or perhaps it was a kind of sympathy between two... agents -- or products -- of digital nature, as it were, that he felt no overwhelming need to dispense justice towards the Rookie.

"The Hive is not a place, but I live my life in servitude to it," One at a time, seemed like the best way to answer these questions. "I will happily tell you more about my duty if you wish to know, but perhaps later. As for my speed, that is a blessing of the Hive upon me, as is the... buzzing." Well, that was... not entirely true. He made a mental note to maybe tone it down if he was around potential civilians. "Terabyte City, though? You seem not to have been there before. From where do you hail, small... mossy one?"

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 2

deltra of gangnam style

[Basil]

Okay, so it seemed the guy did know his stuff! As the FlyBeemon answered every one of Basil's queries, he gently flew around him, almost like a snake coiling around potential prey. It was just something he did whenever he was generally curious about something and needed an up close look. With each answer that passed, Basil nodded with a focused look on his face. 

Upon learning of The Hive and what it was in the bee's terms, Basil frowned a bit. That idea of the Hive sounded incredibly familiar. It was like The Nanosphere Guard. The image of Cherrymon waving a hand came back to him. His old, craggly, yet demanding voice cast him out from there. He couldn't take that back, nor did he want to. But the idea of someone else being in a group like that didn't sound fun.

"Why do something like that though?" The dragon started with a frown. "Putting your life for a collective doesn't seem like the best idea. What if you hate it later on, not like you can leave or anything." he said bluntly. He'd stopped circling the bee monster and floated a bit away from his face, arms crossed as well. 

"Heck, that type of life is reason I'm out here. I'm from Nanosphere Forest, born, raised and hated it, so I'm out here now." He finished with a shrug of his shoulders. "Never really been out here, so I figured I'd head there. Humans that got lost talked about it, so it seems like a nice place to start."

[Katsuro Hachi]

CRITICISE & SYMPATHISE

The small, mossy-smelling Digimon begun to circle him. The FlyBeemon raised his hackles at once; before almost immediately realising it was an idle movement of curiosity; a fidget or a tell. He allowed himself to relax once more. To provide no real change, the questions continued.

"Why do something like that though? Putting your life for a collective doesn't seem like the best idea. What if you hate it later on, not like you can leave or anything." Hmph. He had many answers, none of which he was sure were the correct ones. Justice? Co-dependency? What the Hive gave him in return was reward enough, surely -- and in return, he was trusted to use his gifts with skill and responsibility, as, he would say, he did. But why didn't he leave, or, if he wanted to, what was stopping him?

"Duty," The answer was as much for the Dracenamon as it was for himself. "It is about more than what I like and dislike, moss child. It is about duty." He concluded, bowing his head slowly and assuredly. "What I want is of no concern, but in exchange for what I have been given by the Hive, I pledged myself to keep it safe and act on its behalf." He did not expect him truly to understand.

"Heck, that type of life is reason I'm out here. I'm from Nanosphere Forest, born, raised and hated it, so I'm out here now." So they did exist. Interesting. For all his routine patrols of the forests, he had heard tell of but never found all these self-sufficient, collectivist communities where individual emphasis was frowned upon, and everything was done "for the collective". It made sense, then, that this child would resent it. Constraining something so young with such an innate desire to explore was always going to end in such a way. "Never really been out here, so I figured I'd head there. Humans that got lost talked about it, so it seems like a nice place to start."

"You're right, mossy one," Katsuro said, musing as he looked over his shoulder, glancing towards the city. It looked... good, from down there, cast in that glistening pale sunbeam. "It's a nice place to start, the Savannah and the City." Katsuro was weighing it up. "But beneath every temple of virtue there skitter and gnaw the rats of sin, sewing discord. I would bid you to be careful." He was weighing it up. Could he, in good faith, leave this child to roam alone, unprotected, out here, considering what he'd encountered? The rampaging Triceramon, that... thing built of sheet metal and rust... the Hive or not, it could not truly have remained safe.

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 3

deltra of gangnam style

[Basil]

Duty this, duty that. Basil's frown morphed into an outright scowl. He was just like Cherrymon. He understood why they acted like that, he just didn't like it. Cherrymon and this guy probably had different reasons, but the idea of giving up one's life for one sake and one goal didn't match up in his head. Maybe that's why he wanted to leave so much. Staying at the forest wasn't going to do him any favors, and many other Digimon would have stepped to be in his position without so much as a second thought. 

"Then what's exactly your 'duty'? If you're out and about here, it certainly sounds better than spending my entire life deterring humans and Digimon alike around the forest. While it's fun, it gets boring when you can't even interact with them." Basil huffed. The dragon's tail flicked about, the fluffy black tail end whiffing about.

"If you're that dedicated, then can you tell me if banishment is worth the possibility of exploration?" Basil stated soon afterwards. Maybe he was looking for a bit of justification in the eyes of this guy. Or maybe he just wanted to hear his reasoning. Duty seemed like such a throw-away excuse whenever you didn't want someone questioning what you did. What if his duty meant something bad? Basil was clearly not going to make any progress on that front, but he got some great info. Terabyte City at least was a place he should check out, but that last bit sounded like a warning.

"Then shouldn't the same go for your Hive? If it's for what you say it is, there should be a few bad berries growing about." Basil offered. The same applied for his prior Guard. Ignoring himself and his denouncement, there were quite a few Digimon who attacked humans from the shadows for the sake of 'fun'. Cherrymon never heard anything related to it since everyone kept their mouths shut, but something in Basil told him that he probably would not have minded that in the slightest as long as they were careful. 

[Katsuro Hachi]

MY DOUBT IS A STAIRCASE

"Then what's exactly your 'duty'? If you're out and about here, it certainly sounds better than spending my entire life deterring humans and Digimon alike around the forest. While it's fun, it gets boring when you can't even interact with them." Hm. The child would not perhaps understand this part. The Code of the Osuzumebachi, also, was best kept silent. Whilst transparency and honesty were certainly virtues indeed, playing his hand all too early, especially whilst he still did not know whether or not the grass-dragon was entirely trustworthy. He would keep his cards to his chest thus far.

"My duty is to follow the Code. As for the Code," Katsuro pondered the proposition for a moment, before shrugging. "Perhaps I will tell you more about it later." That was to be read as 'don't ask any more about it just yet'. Hopefully the small mossy one would interpret that as the FlyBeemon wished him to.

"If you're that dedicated, then can you tell me if banishment is worth the possibility of exploration?" That was... certainly more profound than he had been expecting. Almost philosophical. Was there more to this little creature than met the eye? The FlyBeemon scowled, and scratched the back of his visor instinctively. 
"Then shouldn't the same go for your Hive? If it's for what you say it is, there should be a few bad berries growing about." He almost wanted to snarl in response. How dare the child insult the Hive's integrity! He knew, deep down, however, that it had been unintentional.

"I cannot tell you. To me, banishment would be the ultimate shame, but the Hive graciously permits me to explore. It is not like your situation." That much was indeed true. He had no real profound response. Altogether, it was far easier to avoid that debate of philosophies. "The Hive is not, though, a physical institution, child. I am the only avatar of its will, its paragon and curator. There is no impurity under the watchful eye of the Great Bee, not whilst I am trusted with the Hive's integrity. There is no room for error: I am its sole protector." He felt like the dragon was perhaps... not taking as much stock in his speeches as he was.

"Do you have any other goals than simply reaching the city? Anything you wish to do, see, or experience?"

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 4

deltra of gangnam style

[Basil]

Ugh, why'd he have to dodge talking about that "Code" thing? Basil audibly huffed about it, but let it slide. It didn't sound like he wanted to talk about it judging from the shrug in the first place. But, he was mostly looking for an answer on his other question. Even though it'd only been a few days ago since he started roaming the Digital World, he still wasn't sure if it was the right idea. Convincing himself that he was right and not feeling right were two things that couldn't mesh together and he needed to pick one. While there was clearly one option Basil wanted to pick, he needed a second opinion.

Of course, the bee didn't answer, but he snarled a bit at his last question. Guess the idea of his morals and code not being the right thing got under his skin. He did, however tell him that while banishment was still a bad thing, he had the privilege of exploring because his "Hive" wasn't a physical place.

It was more of a internal thing that he followed, like a spirit or something. Basil didn't exactly get it with that vast description. But talk of the "Great Bee" did lead him to believe that there was some greater power behind all of it. 

"Okay, that I understand so far. That still doesn't tell me if your Bee is above making mistakes. But yeah..." 

The question about his exploring caught him in his tracks for a bit. What was he going to do when he got there? Honestly, he didn't have much of an idea. If he had to answer...

"I guess...check around the world? I can go anywhere, but I think my major thing is seeing what humans were like." Basil answered. He put a hand into his mane and pulled out a small MP3 player with a screen that lit up upon the home button being touched. "Someone dropped it in the forest and I never told anyone about it. I couldn't give it back, but I can tell that humans don't seem stupid, so I'm curious."

[Katsuro Hachi]

FIND ASSURANCE

"Okay, that I understand so far. That still doesn't tell me if your Bee is above making mistakes. But yeah..."

"All you have is my word that he is not, that he is righteous, young mossy one." Katsuro smiled after speaking his mind bluntly. There was no way the Great Bee or the Hive -- either of them -- were wrong, or making mistakes. They commanded and controlled him and, in that, as their servant and proxy, there was no way he was making mistakes. A few moments ago he might have become more angered by this, but he knew now that the Dracenamon was merely inquisitive.

"I guess...check around the world? I can go anywhere, but I think my major thing is seeing what humans were like." Hm. Katsuro smiled for a split-second at that. It was nice to know there was still a little wanderlust in the world; for the human part of him at least. As part of keeping his cards close, and disallowing himself to be manipulated, he was still trying not to reveal to the child his true origin. After all, a so-called self-sufficient protector of the Digital World ousted as being a human? There would be no respect for the Hive after that. "Someone dropped it in the forest and I never told anyone about it. I couldn't give it back, but I can tell that humans don't seem stupid, so I'm curious."

It struck a chord of familiarity with him. A little silvery-black box, a sliver of technology and, to him, an artifact of personal eons past. He stood still for a moment, simply observing it, as the screen lit up like a flashlight, glaring back at him with its capital "WELCOME" text -- and the kanji translation underneath -- as he stared in almost miraculous wonder. Memories flashed before him, as if they had burst free of some kind of obfuscation. Bus. Headphones. Uniform. J-rock recommendations. Him and friends. He was fourteen again, on his way to school from the orphana--

Katsuro tore his head away before he became engulfed by it. He wasn't sure if he was doing it of his own free will or if the Hive was leading him willingly from temptation and return. A part of his mind begun to germinate wondering about what had been, what might have been, and if this gift had changed him. He hoped the Dracenamon had not seen his hesitation. He begun to descend the hill.

"It is a curious object, that much is true," The FlyBeemon shrugged, trying to remain as vague as possible, even if he had noticed. "Perhaps you will happen upon its owner down there." He gestured towards the city. "I will walk with you a while if you do not mind. My vigil includes protection as much as it does enforcing the Code." He paused for a moment, turning back and looking dead-on at the moss-dragon. "What name do you go by, child?"

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 5

deltra of gangnam style

[Basil]

Again with the blind assurance. Maybe it was a good idea to give up on the constant questioning. It didn't seem to be going anywhere, but Basil was at least happy that someone else was content in a position where he absolutely hated it. After he showed off the device and explained his plants, the bee seemed abnormally silent. He couldn't tell what he was looking at or how hard he looked at the MP3 player in his paws, but he kind of locked up for a brief moment, enough that Basil didn't have a lot of time to ask what happened before he commented on it.

But either way, he didn't seem that bad at all, if a bit confident in that his position was a good one. While that was going to get annoying, Basil wasn't exactly mad that he was wasting his time here. At the mention of accompanying him on his trip, Basil  scratched his chin.

"I...don't mind that at all, actually! I could use the company, plus I might need a guide for when I actually get there, if you're fine with that as well. And the name is Basil."

[Katsuro Hachi]

TO LEAVE YOU BEHIND

The Dracenamon had noticed his momentary break in concentration and alertness; he was sure of it, but, even in its youth, it was wise enough to not mention it. That was good. He did not wish to start dealing with more poking questions about his nature and humanity. It instead answered his questions plainly and simply.

"I...don't mind that at all, actually! I could use the company, plus I might need a guide for when I actually get there, if you're fine with that as well. And the name is Basil." The FlyBeemon was... perhaps less enthusiastic about being a guide, but he was sure there was business to be done down in the city, either way. He inclined his head gently. It would, perhaps, be nice to have someone to roam the savannah with for a short -- short -- while.

"We shall see," There was always business to be had in Terabyte, he supposed. "You may call me..." Hmm. The Osuzumebachi moniker was awkward at times, he had to admit. "Osuzumebachi or derivatives thereof will suffice. If not, however," What the hell? It could just be a nickname, as far as the mossy one was concerned. It gave nothing of his origin away. "Katsuro works, too... Basil." Basil. It was laughable, almost. And it was a funny little thing, after all.

"What happened to Sage and Oregano? Where did they go?" The FlyBeemon looked from side to side in a mocking, overexaggerated manner, before chuckling lightly as his own joke. Had the Rookie any sense of humour, he likely would not either. The Osuzumebachi coughed before resuming its stoic and alert pose. Constant vigilance, he had to remember.

"Let us walk."

[ END THREAD ]

ATTACKS USED: N/A
HIVEMIND STACKS: 6

deltra of gangnam style