Partyin', Partyin' YEAH

[guilmon]

Who: Everyone and anyone who wants to attend.
What: Training Party!
When: December 13th
Where: Public Training area... or what's left of it post-repairs. Characters do not have to know Takato and Guilmon to attend; they will have placed posters throughout the city over the past few weeks.

[It'd been several weeks in the making. Several weeks spent baking oodles of bread, getting in touch with other Chosen and Digimon, and of course helping with the repair efforts throughout this week. With dangers such as Titamon on the horizon, it seemed only right to set up a gathering for Chosen new and old to band together and practice their fighting skills.

In addition to the network announcements, Takato and Guilmon made sure to spread posters informing the populace of the event. Those who arrive on-site will find a table decked out with a wide variety of breads, with room for other snacks for those who wish to pitch in.

Arrivals will of course be greeted by an enthusiastic Guilmon and his Tamer, and while the primary focus is training, there's plenty of time to mingle, ask questions, and chow down!]

Optional Sub-Threads:

Questions and Planning | Vs. Growlmon | Vs. WarGrowlmon

[ooc: This is an open log. Characters do not have to train with Guilmon and Takato-- they're welcome to face each other as well as mingle, eat food, share stories, and party hard. I have a few optional sub-threads linked, but these are not a requirement by any means.]

Comments

YAY

[thebiggestdreamer]

I've been doing good! Helping Guilmon with the city repairs is tough work, but I think he enjoys smashing rocks a lot. Can't get him away even when we're done for the day!

(He laughs softly, rubbing the back of his head while his smile softens a little.)

Anyway...I-I wanted to tell you something, and I thought I could wait until Christmas but why take that chance?

[lionhearted_destiny]

[A small smile lights her lips, and Juri thinks if anything, she's glad she can finally enjoy seeing Takato and Guilmon together again, with Guilmon back to normal and herself well...better.

But there is a small pit, a very small one, in her stomach at the mention of Christmas.] Chance...? Sounds like it's something really important. What is it?

[thebiggestdreamer]

It is...actually, I thought I'd said this to you already but it took a while before I realized that wasn't you when I...

(He takes a breath and looks intently at Juri, blushing a bit before finishing.) ...when I told you how I felt the day we got back from the Digital World.

[lionhearted_destiny]

[At first, Juri is confused.] When we...

[That was all such a blur for her, that time. Because she was just stuck there, in the Digital World, and even though the others have told her what's happened, she has to place what time he's talking about.

But realization dawns on her, as the more important part of what Takato's saying sets in.] ...h-how you felt...?

[Uh oh.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

I-I know...we didn't actually return with you, but I meant what I said then.

(He takes Juri's hand in his own and squeezes it gently, nodding to her question.)

I care about you...a lot, ever since before we met the Digimon...you always stood by me, always supported me...even though I changed Guilmon, you didn't leave when everything finally ended and we saved you...

(Deep breath in, make sure to give her your attention...) Katou-san...Juri-chan...I love you.

[lionhearted_destiny]

[Takato's never said it before, back home. Only implied, through glances and small phrases. She's only ever said it to him in the same, so how stunningly direct he is...it takes her by surprise. Juri's face goes a little red. Okay, a lot red.

Her. Loves her. Her first name and everything, but--

But Ruki. Juri can't remove her hand and can't think of what to say. She breathes, she remembers to breathe, and she tries not to bite down on her lip.]

Takato-kun... I... I, really like you, too. [This is hard. This is the worst. This is awful.] But, I...

[How she wishes Mr. Fox could help her now.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Takato's smile is genuine, despite his flushed expression at seeing Juri go very red. That was good, right? Not waiting until Christmas was much better in the long run!

And she even likes him back! But why is she hesitant? Maybe she wants to take things slow...that's okay with him! He's never gone out with her one-on-one that didn't involve the others -actually, Guilmon- but he could work with that!)

...It's okay, Juri-chan. We can take things slow; I'm okay with that! Haha, if he shows up telling Jen might be a shocker if Terriermon's nearby.

[lionhearted_destiny]

[No, she can't let this go on any further. It'll just hurt him.]

Takato-kun.

[She's quick and firm and a bit sad.]

I'm sorry. I... I can't. I'm already...

[This isn't how she wanted to tell him.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

...Juri-chan? What's wrong?

(Takato's smile has faded, an uncertain expression in it's place. What could she be sorry for? Unless...was she with someone else?! It couldn't be!)

[lionhearted_destiny]

[What to do? Just...rip the band-aid off.]

I'm already with someone else.

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Takato's expression said it all. More shock than disbelief, at least for now.)

...W-with someone else? Who? Do I know them?!

[lionhearted_destiny]

Um... Y-yes... It's Ruki-chan.

[Juri can't help but blush as she says it; she's never had a girlfriend, after all. ...Or a boyfriend. She's never dated, ever, this is new.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Takato's blush wasn't because he was hopeful anymore, it was because he had come to the sudden realization that he was too late. A ton of thoughts were running through his mind at the moment, but one in particular stuck out the most:)

Sora! What are you doing?

Taichi...!

(Takato closed his eyes tightly for a few brief seconds, the memories of the Digimon TV series coming to him in that amount of time.)

Is that for Yamato?

Well, yeah...

What is it? Something homemade...?

Did she...did the two of you...?

Hurry up and give it to him! They're about to start.

Y...yeah...

(Takato was doing his best not to cry, not in front of her. But it was painfully obvious his heart was breaking.)

[lionhearted_destiny]

[This is the last thing she wanted to do. Juri feels something like her heart clenching painfully, and she looks down rather than at Takato. Whether it's to spare him the audience or because she can't take it herself, she's not sure.]

Y-yes. [She says it again; she can't say much else.] I'm very sorry.

[thebiggestdreamer]

(She kissed her. Ruki kissed Juri...they'd given each other their first kiss, as Takato wsa really sure neither girl had kissed anyone else before. His heart sank at the realization that out of all the battles he had, he'd lost the one for love, and he looked down for a few moments himself...)

Hurry up!

...Okay. I'll just be a second.

...Does she make you happy...?

Good luck, Sora.

[lionhearted_destiny]

[Juri does not look up. She cannot look up. But she nods, in case he sees that.]

She does. Very, very happy.

[thebiggestdreamer]

(By that point, Takato had pulled his head back up, opened his eyes and saw her nod. Instantly, he knew what he had to do. He squeezes her hand once more before letting it fall, moving both hands up to press against her shoulders.

Takato had a gentle smile on his face, despite the not-quite-so-hidden pain in his eyes.)

I wouldn't be proving how I feel if I stood in the way of your happiness, Juri-chan...

[lionhearted_destiny]

[A lump in her throat, Juri now looks at him, her face flushed.]

I really am sorry, Takato-kun.

[She takes the hand he was holding in her other one, a comforting gesture.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Takato stares at her silently, his face just as flushed.)

It's okay, Juri-chan...I'm sorry for not acting sooner...

(He accepts her gesture without question, not even trying what he had hoped to do if she had said yes; Juri made her decision, and he had to live with it.)

[lionhearted_destiny]

[...And that's that. She steps back, unable to find something else to say to break the tension so obviously there.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Takato might be upset with himself, but he doesn't want it to end like this...what happens if something serious takes place down the line? He was the one who knew her the longest, even if she hadn't chose him!)

...If you ever wanted to just talk or get things off your chest...I'm here for you!

[lionhearted_destiny]

[He is one of her very dear and very old friends, that's for sure. And Juri wants to make it through this with that the same!]

Of course. Thank you, I hope this doesn't...make everything weird.

[She tries to punctuate it with a tiny lighthearted smile.]

[thebiggestdreamer]

(He gave her a soft, reassuring smile while rubbing the back of his head.)

I'll need time on my own to...to accept it, but it won't make anything weird between us! I promise.

(He honestly couldn't see how it could get any weirder between him and Ruki; they hardly ever hung out aside from Tamers business, so he was certain the same might ring true here unless Juri tried changing that.)

[lionhearted_destiny]

[A promise is good. A promise from Takato she's pretty sure will be kept.

She tries to smile brighter, for his sake and her own.]

Then...uhm... Leomon and Growlmon were training. How about you show me a thing or two, as another Tamer?

[thebiggestdreamer]

(Holding up his deck of cards, Takato's smile gets just a little wider for her sake as well as his own; ssking a certain question would be disrespectful to Juri, and he had a lot of respect for her.)

...Sure! As another Tamer I'll give you my all! Hehe, I remember hearing about Orochimon and you saving the day with LadyDevimon.

(The card obviously, not the Digimon.)