Not just a little squeak | Pucker up and Blow

[givesalittlewhistle]

Who: Hikari Yagami & Open!
When: Mid-July (OOC) || Beginning to Mid-August (IC)
Where: Around Cerealia
What: A day in the life of a Chosen Nightlight
Rating/Warning: (None)

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SHOPPING DISTRICT

[Taking a small break from her shopping adventures, Hikari and Tailmon decided to stop by the Food Shop. The smells alone were enough to cause their mouths to water. Tailmon, in particular, looked slightly mesmerized at the sight of all that food. Until she remembered herself, of course, and let out a small couch as she averted her gaze. Putting on her usual I-Am-The-Adult-Digimon aura as she patiently waited for Hikari to order.]

What do you think, Tailmon? What should we get today?



ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT

[The Game Shop. She'd been before, but this time, she had plenty of time to try out some of the games. There was Ski Ball. There was pool. There were...those dance machines, like the ones they had back home!]

[There was also a whack-a-mole, only instead of moles there were all sorts of little Cybuddy-like creatures popping out of the holes. Normally, Hikari would have been against doing anything to hard the creatures...but the mallet was extra sort, and some of them gave a little 'squeak' whenever they were struck. So she didn't mind so much. Tailmon even occasionally joined in, attempting to pounce every time one of them popped up. Playing the role of feline predator a little too well. It was great practice for her reflexes. Also, she was winning.]



RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

[Sometimes, she practiced in the Gardens.]

[That particular day, however, Hikari went to the Ceres Gym to get in a bit of her physical training. Tailmon remained at home, taking a small catnap on Hikari's bed, her own personal CereVice laying nearby just in case. Which left the young girl by herself as she wandered around before finding the open weapons area. She'd brought the large stick she practiced with, and today was trying a variety of strikes against a punching bag.]

[Anyone who had seen her practice before would notice her blows landing more solidly. Her stance was greatly improved, and her speed had increased. There was also a notable sternness to her eyes that one might not normally expect from such an outwardly sweet child.]

Comments

Shopping district

[hopetype]

[Somewhere nearby, Takeru and Patamon also happened to be wandering around the food shop. After a long day of trying to find the perfect bow to use, all they wanted was just something to eat. As the both of them happened to stare down at the food before them, they simply had no idea what to get!

But when he heard a familiar voice, he couldn't help but speak up]

Hikari-chan? Tailmon? I didn't know you were here!

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Hikari turned, and despite the lingering awkwardness between them from their last conversation...she offered her best friend a warm smile.]'

Takeru-kun! Patamon! [Not forgetting the little orange digimon at his side.] We just got here. I was getting hungry, and the food here is really, really good.

[hopetype]

[In the back of his mind, he really hoped this conversation would turn out a lot better than the last time they met. But as he gave a quick smile, he walked up to them.]

If all four of us are hungry, then we should get something from them! I wouldn't mind trying what they have here!

[So far so good!]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[At this point, there was a 50-50 shot. And he was off to the nicer 50 with a suggestion like that.]

That sounds like fun. We could all have lunch together. Just like before.

[hopetype]

[He just hopes it'll stay that way!!]

Then what are waiting for? I think we should go right now!

[givesalittlewhistle]

Alright.

What were you thinking of having?

[Because that would save her the trouble of having to decide. She would just try whatever he chose.]

Residential

[tuishou]

[So maybe he had caught glimpses of her practicing now and then- there were always a lot of people out and about in this city, weren't there? It wouldn't be the strangest thing. So yes, the better strikes catch Neji's attention more readily than does the fact that it's a young girl dealing them.

That poor punching bag.

The thought makes him huff out a breath in amusement, and Neji looks on a short while more before he speaks up.] You're doing well. [--look at him, already learning that not every child was destined to grow up to become a ninja. This gentle one in particular, but of course that just spurred him on, and she can blame her own outofplace sternness for it.]

Would you mind terribly if I offered my help?

[givesalittlewhistle]

[The punching bag had it coming. Probably.]

[Hikari took a moment to catch her breath. Placing the tip of the stick down on the floor, she reached up and wiped at the sweat on her brow before turning back to Neji. A bright smile appeared. Happy not just to see him again, but that he would offer to help.]

Not at all.

[Ego was not a thing with her. As long as he didn't openly insult her or her former teacher, she would listen to whatever he had to say.]

entertainment district!

[onethousen]

[ She's on her way home from her part time work with the alien pig tackling, hair still mussed in spite of how often she's finger combed it into submission and pulled it back into a ponytail. Stray hairs in bright colours are still on her, no matter how many she picks off herself.

She's brushing another brilliant blue hair off her shoulder when she catches sight of a familiar face in the crowd of the Game Shop. She weaves her way closer, double checking once she sees Hikari more clearly — noticing she's with a friend. Should she interrupt?

Eventually, she decides she can always wave and excuse herself if she appears to be interrupting. ]

Hey, Hikari-chan.

[ Cue a small smile and an equally small wave. She also nods her head to Hikari's friend, Tailmon. ]

Hello.

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Hikari looked up, and--]

[Oh! It was her. The girl from the ViViD game.]

Chihiro-sa...I mean -chan!

[Because that's right, she'd asked to be called -chan, even though she was older.]

[Seeing Chihiro again, just as with everyone else in the city, was a bittersweet moment with Hikari. Filled with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, she was happy they had a chance to meet again. Chihiro had been very kind to her. A great partner in that chaotic mystery the game had thrown them into. But on the other hand, Hikari remembered the story she'd told her about what awaited her back home. The part about her parents. She still had things to do, and people waiting for her.]

[Her head turned, and she realized Tailmon was looking up at them both with mild curiosity. Her tail and ears were down. Unthreatened. She simply wanted to know who this person was who already knew Hikari.]

Ah...this is Tailmon. She's my digimon partner.

[onethousen]

[ Her smile grew a little wider, glad for the mutual recognition. With Tailmon's introduction, Chihiro gave a little bow, recognising the digimon concept from what Takeru-kun had said before. She had no idea what it really meant, but a partner of a friend was a friend. ]

It's nice to meet you, Tailmon-san.

[ ... Granted, that leaves her uncertain of proper address, but defaulting polite should be okay. ]

Am I interrupting your game?

[ She glanced to the machine, not entirely sure what kind of arcade game it was. Then again, she hadn't gone to a great many arcades on her own or with friends in the past. It really wasn't all that odd she didn't recognise it at first. ]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Tailmon gave a small nod before returning to her ongoing battle of cat and...er...mole.]

[Hikari, meanwhile, turned around with the mallet still in hand, to greet her new friend fully.]

Not at all! Did you want to play? It's so much fun!

[onethousen]

Sure! How do you play?

[ Tailmon is currently giving the biggest clue in, but asking is polite, and more to a point... it allows Chihiro to be sure! ]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[She held out the mallet for Chihiro to take.]

With this.

Every time one of the little moles pops up, you have to whack it on the head before it disappears again.

Residential district

[notsogreedy]

[Ankh had run into Hikari plenty of times, but never while she was focused on beating up a punching bag. He likely wouldn't have bothered stopping had he noticed her elsewhere, but this was an interesting enough sight to catch his attention. He would call it surprising, but somehow, to him, that sternness seemed almost fitting. He couldn't help watching for a moment.

But he didn't plan on staying long, or drawing any particular attention to his presence. He'd move on in a moment, provided she didn't decide to acknowledge him before he could.]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[Interesting enough, the only reason she finally noticed him was because she messed up.]

[One of her strikes was a little too hard, at too awkward of an angle. It caused the staff to fly from her hands, flipping over backwards and rolling away on the floor. She wasn't hurt, but it certainly caught her off-guard enough that, rather than chase after it, she watched it roll...and roll...and roll.]

[Until it came to a stop at Ankh's feet. And she looked up and saw him standing there.]

Oh. Hello.

[notsogreedy]

[He lifted his foot slightly to catch the rolling stick under his toe and stop it. Any hope he'd had of leaving without being noticed was gone now, but he didn't seem especially bothered.]

Heh. I started thinking you might be pretty good at this before you went and threw the stick.

[Was that a compliment or an insult? Either way, he bent down to pick it up and easily tossed it back over to her. It should be easy to catch.]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[It was. For the most part. She needed both hands, but once the staff was back in them once more, she was able to slowly spin it up and around in order to properly set its end on the floor. Her motions smoother than even a few weeks' prior.]

I didn't throw it. [Point of clarification.] It slipped out of my hands.

[notsogreedy]

[So picky about words. He made some vague dismissive sound back to that but nothing else.]

[givesalittlewhistle]

[That seemed...about what she had come to expect from him. In terms of audible responses to matter-of-fact statements.]

Do you know how to fight with a bo staff?

residential district

[anarchos]

[Bellamy doesn't like to spend much time at home lately, which means he takes to wandering more areas of Cerealia than he had before. He's been across three different worlds at this point, all of them different, all of them good and bad, and he still finds new things in every one of them.]

[He's in the gardens when he spots Hikari, and he hesitates. It's been a while since he last saw her, and he doesn't know if he should say anything, but she's training again, and it looks like she's gotten better.]

[So he waits a little, till she gives herself a pause, before deciding to just clap his hands slowly in approval, no more than five or six times.] You look like you've been practicing.

[givesalittlewhistle]

[She was breathing heavy by the time she shook a break. Leaning against the stick, but not overly exhausted. Her recovery time was pretty quick as well, as she brushed some of the hair from her eyes and looked up to find Bellamy clapping.]

Thank you, I have.

Patamon was teaching me for a while.

[anarchos]

[He notices that too, that even though she's clearly pushed herself, she's not in danger of collapsing - and honestly knowing your own limits are just as important as knowing how to fight.]

Your aim's a lot better. Is Patamon another, uh, digimon? Like your cat?

[givesalittlewhistle]

[She nodded.]

When he evolves into Angemon, he uses a staff kind of like this one. So he offered to teach me after I told them I wanted to learn.

[anarchos]

[There's a beat, one in which his face does not actually betray him. It's not hard to figure out what she means from context, but it's curious enough to warrant confirmation.]

They can change forms too? Evolution's usually one way, but that doesn't sound like what you're talking about.