stressed out . [ open ]

❧

the young woman would stare at the awkwardly proportioned individual before her, their strange yellow eyes having drawn her focus. the stranger's smallish form had collided with her own, causing the woman to release a small and pained grunt in response. thankfully, the human female had not lost her balance despite her wavering a bit in reaction. 

"what?" 

the word was uttered without much thought, a bewildered look soon twisting at her facial features. she wasn't sure what to make of the figure before her. but it was all-too clear that it wasn't human despite its ability to vocalize itself in fluent japanese. strangely enough, its attire made for an efficient disguise due to the current setting. it was quite dark, after all, and very few people were present to take note of the oddly-proportioned form. 

"berry," she said. 

the digimon would flutter to her side, landing upon her shoulder to peer down at the disguised creature. after a brief pause, it would shift its gaze elsewhere, a nervous gleam entering its eye. 

"mmm," it hummed, quivering. 

the digimon's strange reaction was all the confirmation she needed before boldly moving to take hold of its ugly hat. 

"take that off," she said. 

her tone was rather plain and could be considered monotonous as she reached for the stranger. her expression remained neutral, though her actions reflected her curiosity. 

"now." 

● Chousen ●

❧

she eyed the curious-looking creature, head tilting to the side as her gaze swept across its form. it was unfamiliar - but, then again, most digimon were. she didn't bother with producing her digivice, instead listening to its words and noting its strange manner of wording. it spoke as a knight of the medieval era would and the young woman couldn't help but theorize that its personality was likely to align with such a noble figure of the past. as it disrobed, she would crouch, her dull gaze fixed upon its form. 

'it's...' 

inwardly, she sought to figure out what her first impression of the digital creature was. her concentration would flit from its lengthy sleeves, to its rounded eyes and then to its laughably small horns. a small giggle would slip past her now trembling lips once the shinai was produced, amusement written all over her features as she released small and slightly strangled noises that held a passing resemblance to laughter. 

"c-cute," she said. 

the moment of joy would be interrupted by a small coughing fit. she was still a bit sick, but improving gradually with the medicine she consumed on a daily basis. once it calmed, she continued to express her delight, leaning closer. 

"so cute," she crooned. "maybe more-so than berry, hm? what's your name?" 

her digimon observed her behavior with obvious worry, hoping that the human's newly developed fixation was a temporary thing. 

● Chousen ●

❧

"chousen," she parroted. 

the name slid from her tongue smoothly, and she would be left to inevitably compare it to the english word 'chosen'. what an adorable name for an adorable digimon. she would only press closer, clearly apathetic toward its futile attempts at maintaining some semblance of personal space. she did not fear it potentially taking advantage of their closeness and lashing out - no, it appeared far too civil and even gentlemanly to preform such a violent act. 

"i'm rosaline," she answered. 

the young woman would pull away for a moment as she released a quiet rasp, her throat bothering her slightly. the chilled air managed to sooth the irritation as she breathed deeply and filled her lungs with it. 

'as soon as i get home, i'm taking my medicine and going to bed.' 

"it's nice to meet you. isn't it, berry?" she said, eyes shifting to settle upon her perching companion. 

"it is nice to meet you," berry responded, dipping its head in a gesture of respect. "do you - do you have a human?" 

that was an interesting question - and one that rosaline hadn't taken note of until now. 

"that's a good question," rosaline murmured. "do you?" 

● Chousen ●

❧

rosaline couldn't say she was overwhelmingly surprised by this knowledge. digimon whom lacked human companionship existed - it's just that their numbers were quite low in comparison. this world was quite brutal and typically rewarded those whom could survive within its vast confines. solo digimon often fell prey to others due to their ignorance and inability to adjust, often consumed by those whom craved an easy source of data. her own digimon could potentially suffer from such a fate if she did not remain careful. this simple truth had caused her to ally herself with nightmare - a morally ambiguous lot whom indulged in nefarious behaviors - when she was still in the midst of understanding her potential as a tamer.

had she not she feared both she and tsukaimon would have been forced to wallow in ignorance as they struggled to understand their newfound position for an extended period of time.

"you're alone," berry said, its ears twitching. "i could not - i could not... do that. i cannot be alone."

it trembled, imagining itself arriving in this strange place without a hand to guide it along. a newfound respect for its fellow digimon would develop at that moment.

"brave. that's very brave," it commented.

"it is," rosaline remarked.

she would preen in a subtle manner as the digimon referred to her as 'milady', pleased by its eloquent wordplay.

"you must be strong," she continued, neatly groomed brows raising in unison. "are you...?"

rosaline's eyes widened slightly as she allowed for an uncomfortable silence to settle - awaiting a response. 

● Chousen ●

❧

she would stare blankly at the digimon before uttering a single word - 

"security." 

the woman would then blink owlishly, as though she was surprised by her own willingness to answer. after a brief pause she would continue, allowing for her walls to crumble for only a moment. 

"i want to be safe." 

there was a distant look upon her face as she processed the digital beast's words. he spoke of a desire to gain power and acquire 'enlightenment' of some kind. it made her realize that this digimon truly possessed depth - a personality - and a multitude of wants and needs. he was willing to slaughter his fellows so to devour what made them whole - so that he may achieve a superior form and make his dream a reality.

"digimon can fixate on gaining power - they don't have much to concern themselves with, do they," rosaline continued, the barest hint of envy present. "they don't have to worry about  paying for utilities, acquiring an education, receiving a decent income..." 

she released another raspy little breath. "i take what i can nowadays so that i'm allowed access to a comfortable life. of course, i've just decided to go about doing it a - heh - different way."

"safety is nice," berry agreed. "one day - one day we won't have to fight as much. we won't have to take as much."  

"how many have you killed," she asked, suddenly - unabashedly. "and will you ever stop, chousen?" 

● Chousen ●

❧

"i like you, chousen," she said. 

her smile was bright - her demeanor changing only slightly as she allowed for herself to relax fully within the digimon's presence. it had been a considerable while since she was granted the opportunity to speak so freely and plainly with another. it was true that she had berry - whom listened to her and offered decent conversation - but it was all she had. this unexpected encounter was refreshing in quality, and she would appreciate it while it lasted. 

"you're honest," she continued, offering her reasons. "and you're open - if you had offered up excuses for your actions i would have tried my best to pick them apart; but i can't, because you haven't given me anything to deconstruct." 

her face would reveal that she had not expected such a thing to occur. 

"i'll die, someday," she said, licking at her chapped lips. "either by sickness - by age - or something far more gruesome. and that's alright. i've accepted that because i was born a sick little human. i'll never be as strong as someone like you, chousen. and that's... well - that's okay." 

she blinked lazily, a little yawn soon taking leave of her mouth before she continued. 

"i actually don't bother with remembering anyone that berry has used for their data. there's not much of a point - they don't matter. just like you or i or berry won't matter if we disappear completely. in the grand scheme of things we're nothing - at least, for now we are."

the woman would stand, taking a moment to contemplate her words before offering up a little smile.

"would you like to be friends, chousen? i think it could be beneficial for the both of us at the end of the day."  

● Chousen ●