thefolder | It's a Small World After All

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It's a Small World After All - or a small town, rather

Who: Riku Replica and YOU!
What: Having finally reached Hospitown, the Replica decides to wander about with his oddball Digimon. Eventually he grows bored and decides to explore the general area on the continent.
Where: HospiTown
When: January 13h

[Having rested off the fatigue from his travels, the Replica's decided it's time to see what this town's all about. He gets up at the crack of dawn, slipping out of his room with Kotemon and attempts to sneak out without Gabumon noticing.

It backfires, and by the time he's out the door, he's trailed by two bickering Digimon, most of the bickering on Gabumon's end, though he tries keeping it at a whisper.]

Hrrrgh! Don't think I didn't see you before! I know you're made of tougher stuff, Kotemoron.

Okay, look, Gabumon. I really don't want to have to do this, but if you don't pipe down, I might start having second thoughts about snagging that pelt.

[The threat silences the grouchy Digimon for the time being, and Kotemon mutters quiet thanks. What some may see as cruelty, she sees as relief-- after all, while Gabumon's eased up a little, he still makes routine jabs at her verbally.

Throughout the day, Rep and co. make stops at the General Store, where they scoop up some extra clothes and a few of those weird chips for the D-Stream. In the after noon, they can be found seated at the café, where the Replica prods at his food with a fork with a rather disgruntled look on his face. At least it's better than the hospital food.]

[Eventually, however, he grows tired of the limited space, and by the end of the day, he can be found outside the entrance to the residential area, leaning against the building's outer wall.]

You know, if this is all we've got here, I'm almost tempted to book it back to San Francisco or at least that Star City place.

[Kotemon sighs, and though her face hides behind her mask, she's got a sad look in her eyes.]

But we just got here! Don't you think it'd be nice to spend a bit more time relaxing? And Miss Sophia will get worried if we disappear...

Right...

[Should anyone pass him by as they converse, he might call over to them with a "hey, you!" After all, if he can garner enough interest for an expedition, that'd make it a bit better, right?]

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[As the moment of protest comes and goes with no actual protest, there's a ghost of a smile from Terra. The replica had a good head at least, and didn't seem stuck to the idea of convenience alone. That was good.

It might be a little cold to be constantly weighing him against what he hoped would happen with the boy he chose, but he knew Riku would be a sharp kid with a strong heart. Two for the price of one would be nothing short of amazing.

He can hope can't he?]

That's the spirit. How long were you flying for? Nobody's really mentioned how long the trip was to even get here. What was it like?

[It isn't quite conversation for the sake of conversation. Dorumon's quick to step around Terra and take point ... more or less. That he keeps darting off after some smell or sound means he's as often NOT in front as he is, but he's certainly covering a lot of ground.]

Oh, about a week, give or take a few days.

[He snorts, shooting a quick glance at the sky.]

Sora wanted to see everything, so that slowed us down. I'm just glad we didn't stick around Shadow Isle that long; that place is a disaster just waiting to happen.

[Partially because it's so dark, and while he's fine with a little darkness, they had a little kid to take care of, not to mention Sora's tendency to wander off and straight into trouble.]

That's not too bad.

[Not the best either; it looks like travel time is going to be a serious issue in this world.]

I want to see everything too, I hope it's not going to be too much trouble. Part of the reason I'm out here, after all.. ...What sort if place is Shadow Isle? Beyond 'a disaster waiting to happen'. Something that should be flagged for not going back, or..?

[It might just be a safety in numbers thing.]

Well, unless you stick close to the train tracks, you'll wind up wandering around in pitch blackness. Even flashlights don't help.

[It's kind of illogical, but that's the Digital World for ya. Rep's gotten to a point where he won't even question it.]

That could be interesting, if you're prepared for it. There's not a lot of opportunities to practice your other senses without wearing a blindfold.

[Terra's definitely going to visit there now. Just not for a little bit yet.]

Are the digimon affected too? The ones that presumably live there, or your own.

Huh, good point. I hadn't really thought of it that way...

[Still, the Replica's not one to turn down a challenge, even if it does mean potentially stumbling into everything. He's gotta get stronger somehow!]

I'd say the local Digimon probably get by just fine. As far as Kotemon goes...

[He snorts.]

She thought a bush was me. I think that says a lot.

[Terra often thinks that way.

It's a good mask for a genuine desire to just go poke around and see things.]

...Maybe the mask interferes with her sense of smell. Dorumon's is pretty good, worse comes to worse we can use that.

['We'? Seems like Terra's already planning on dragging the replica back to that place. Just to see what it's like, surely.]

Hm, maybe to a digimon you smell like a bush.

[At the merest SUGGESTION that he smells like a bush, the replica's personal space is immediately invaded by a sniffing Dorumon.]

Hey!

[He lightly swats at Dorumon's nose, which prompts a giggle out of Kotemon. Even Gabumon's snickering... but then, he's too easily entertained for his own good. Dumb fuzzball.]

Look, the only way I'd smell like a bush is if I rolled around in leaves and didn't shower for weeks.

[And he knows better than to subject people to that kind of earthy smell.]

[There's a sharp snort from Dorumon when he's swatted, but he does give the replica his personal space back, apparently satisfied with his brief examination.]

It's true, he mostly smells like adolescent human male. And dinner.

[Dorumons have good noses. After a moment Terra holds his hands up in defeat.]

Alright, so you don't smell like a bush. I guess there's no excuse for poor Kotemon then.

Dinner?

[His eyes narrow at the word, and he bristles.]

Don't even think about it, fuzzball. I'm not about to become some fox-dragon's snack.

I don't mean you smell like food.

[Small claws immediately come up, defensive.]

Well, you do smell like food but it's more what you ate last than any interest I'd have in eating you. You wouldn't be a snack, besides! Something your size would take days to get through, if I could stomach eating something that can think!

[If Terra is saying nothing, it's because he's afraid if he tries, he might laugh. He'll just keep his features carefully neutral.]

Oh, good. So I don't have to sleep with one eye open.

[Pfft. He'd start to worry if the Digimon started turning people into snacks, anyway, even if the local food is laughable at best. Stupid hospital food with no flavor and stupid café snacks; they barely keep him full at all!]

If I was going to eat a human, I'd go with the easier target. I don't know where you sleep.

[It's such a sober reply that one might think Dorumon is serious.

Terra just waves it off.]

If you couldn't get through him in a meal you would have an even harder time with me. Though speaking of food, Aiden, if you get to Netsurf Village or Star City without the weird interference, don't suppose you'd be willing to see if they have a better menu than HospiTown's limited resources?

[They weren't - he didn't think - headed in that direction currently.]

Actually, that might be a better idea. Sure beats backtracking just to find some meat, anyway.

[Hmm, so he'll stop, placing a hand over his forehead while he tries to recall Netsurf's general direction... It's tougher from the ground.]

Couldn't tell you how long it'd take to reach them on foot, but I'd say this is for the greater good, anyway.

[Getting one's bearings on the ground when seeing things from the air is an annoyingly difficult task and one he didn't envy. Terra much preferred ground travel for reconnaissance, but there was something to be said for flying too...]

I wonder where they get it from. The meat they already have. Digimon don't leave corpses.. I've seen some fish, but not all of the meat is fishy..

It grows on bushes.

[The glance Terra shoots Dorumon is infinitely skeptical.]

Either way, it'll be good to check out. A coastal village at the least might have better access to aquatic resources.. I'm getting tired of bagels.

[And donuts, and other things that made his skin crawl with the sugar content.]

Maybe it just... exists. Or someone programmed it in. This place is digital, so who knows?

[In his head, it's like one big, virtual reality video game he's been dropped into. That, or like the memory floors in Castle Oblivion, just under different circumstances.

The bagel comment makes him snort, though.]

Yeah, I could use something more substantial than bread. The general store's got snack foods, but those things go in and out of your system in a heartbeat.

[Besides, he knows he needs to eat healthy snacks if he wants to stay fit. That's just how it is.]

Maybe. It's still hard to think of all this as being digital. Some kind of program. Who made it? And how is it self-sustaining?

[Terra isn't really one for indepth philosophy but this was more worldbuilding than wondering about God. He knew next to nothing about video games but had a fairly good idea that digital = machines.

He liked some machines. Others were regarded with deep suspicion. Anything with LED lights fell into the first category until he knew what it was for.]

.... Well that's one thing we can fix at least. I think not far from here is the river, and I bet we can get some fish there. It won't be really long-lasting or anything but it sure beats a donut or finger sandwich.

[Terra pauses a moment, attempting to get his bearings, before suddenly changing directions. Not by terribly much, but it's enough.]

I'll show you how to make some easy fish traps in case you ever need them.

[He showed Ven how, once. It's a useful thing to know.]

Hmm... Good thing Real Thing grew up on an island.

[He tips his chin up and grins, memories of fishing contests with Sora popping into focus.]

Bet I could catch fish barehanded if I had to. You think we'll need some kind of raft, though?

Shoreline fishing is usually a bit different from river fishing. Did he know the difference?

[There's no scorn or mocking or anything, Terra's simply curious. It's good to have a baseline.. and the idea of even the replica catching fish barehanded draws a chuckle. That's something Aiden won't find out is very hard to do until he actually tries it.]

Not unless the water is unexpectedly freezing, no. A little chill won't hurt any. But keep an eye out for a grasshopper or a cricket, we'll need one or two.

[Bait for the trap!]

On some level, sure, but he lived on an island. Almost all the fishing's done either from the shore or out at sea.

[And the fishing industry's the livelihood of many of the residents, if he recalls correctly. Keeps food on the table, encourages commerce... Plus, there's nothing like fresh caught salmon or lobster after a long day of sparring.

...At least, he assumes so, having never tasted it himself.]

So, wait, if we're using bait, won't we need to pick up some fishing poles, too?

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It's a Small World After All - or a small town, rather

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