Night-falling [OPEN]

[Quinn Blythe]

Only a low growl and a quiet flapping of wings could be heard for a while after the thud and alarming yelp of the youth.

"Well, that wasn’t really graceful..." the Patamon flying above said as he circled around the boy laying on the ground, watching him carefully but with a great deal of amusement.

"Oh, shut it." Quinn said without any edge in his voice. With one arm over his eyes, he was laying on the cold floor of the forest, grass knots and roots poking into his back uncomfortably. The setting sun was painting the forest in a pale orange hue as the light passed through the leaves. The night was approaching and the cold wind was picking up.

Quinn got to the forest early in the afternoon for some light training, and was actually getting quite good at dodging the Boom Bubbles Keenan sent his way throughout the training session. They spent ours out among the trees where no one could bother them except the guardian spirits that were rumored to roam the area. This was one of the believed sacred grounds where it was easy to communicate with the gods, and the unseen paths were ridded with blessed trees, holy ropes included and all. Quinn was away from them though, as the last thing he wanted to do was to damage these trees in the heat of a mocked battle.

He was getting tired, but it was a pleasant feeling, one that came with satisfaction after a good workout. His black coat was thrown on a tree branch, and he only had his sleeveless shirt on, but even like that, he knew he smelled from sweat.

As nice as his dodges improved, it was the irony of his life to trip on a lone root and fell hard on his back just as he was getting ready to leave the forest and catch a train to go back home. ‘With the grace of a drunk elephant,’ he mocked himself as he decided it was better for his pride to just stay there laying on the ground, with his eyes shaded, and ignore the mocking tone of his partner. His sword was laying beside him, near his arm as he had released his hold on it as he fell like some unprofessional beginner. Life is great, but man, that damned twig poking his lower back is getting a little annoying.

"...You like it down there?"

"...Sure." And he would appreciate if those stars he was seeing behind his eyelids could go away soon.

notes: Feel free to do whatever, really~
tags: Open~

[Deleted]

❀

"Milady, why are we--" but the ebony digimon was merely waved off by the brunette, a grin on her expression. "Relax, will ye? Where’s yer sense ay adventure?" To which, Miles remained silent but still had that disapproving air about him, which he seemed to just always have these days. Well, mainly ever since she was threatened by Baalmon – "When ur ye gonnae lit ‘at go?!", to which Miles merely responded, just as heated as Gwen, "When Milady’s life is no longer endangered!" – but it was getting a bit old. So, instead of hanging around the city after classes, Gwen decided she’d go out for a little bit. Miles, as predicted, hadn’t been very happy nor supportive of the idea. However, as this was his lady Gwen, he followed her dutifully, like any good partner should. And when he asked, once more, why they were wandering around the Tadasu no Mori Forest, the dual eyed brunette merely responded with, "It’s jist a change in scenery, is aw." Not exactly the most comforting reason for the protective digimon. The journey through the forest wasn’t a smooth one, for there were plenty of roots and vines that Gwen had ended up tripping over, thus the reason Miles was practically glued to her side in case she tripped over anoth—right, at least this time she had managed to balance herself using Miles as a something to hold onto to stop her fall. Straightening herself up, Gwen huffed, "nae a wuid," she all but growled, to which Miles nodded. "Of course, Milady," was all he said as this really wasn’t the first time she’s said such to him. It wasn’t his fault his lady Gwen wasn’t the most graceful of humans, being as clumsy as she was. What she hadn’t realized was there was someone else up ahead, who had managed to trip over a root and before Miles could warn her of the digimon he sensed ahead – digimon could easily sense other digimon, after all. It was in their data – Gwen moved forward, pausing in her steps as she saw the Patamon before them. Miles, moving beside her as he always did, didn’t think the smaller digimon to be too much of a threat. "Er, hello." she greeted, following the Patamon’s gaze to the male on the ground. Her dual colored eyes focused on him, an amused smile quirking her lips upwards before she could even think on it. "Ye havin’ fun down thaur?" she asked, an amused lilt in her voice. Miles, merely regarded the duo curiously, wondering why they were wandering around the forest – surely they weren’t as ‘adventurous’ as the lady Gwen?

KITTY OF GS

TAG: Quinn Blythe
NOTES: i actually really thought of Gwen tripping over him...

[Quinn Blythe]

Keenan looked up as he felt a familiar rift in the dataspace surrounding even the real world. That rift always alerted him when another of his kind was approaching – that was how digimon could feel each other. Data was present everywhere even before the worlds had started to merge. The only thing he, or other digimons couldn’t usually figure was whether the other was hostile or not – but Keenan always tried to assume the best case scenario, so he was pretty sure they weren’t about to fight a monster this time.

Quinn didn’t notice the sudden silence of the Patamon, as his eyes were still closed and shaded. If anything, he was thankful for the digimon to stay quiet because he was afraid loud noises would just make his ears ring more. Damn, that fall was worse than I thought.

It was an unfamiliar voice and a strange accent that made him look up, searching for the source and finding it rather quickly. A girl – as he guessed, unfamiliar – was standing nearby above him, seemingly rather amused and curious. He didn’t think there would be anyone in the forest around this time of the day, but then again, he himself was here, so others could wander the area as they please too. If he was lucky, it was a friendly acquaintance.

Quinn had to remind himself that he was asked a question. He slowly raised himself up on his elbows, leaning on them for support and fighting off the little dizziness that followed. Automatically, he reached for his sword and pulled it closer to his body, just to have it near, and not as a show of will to fight. "As much fun as I can have with these sticks poking something no one should really poke." He growled, though yet again, the edge was not present in his voice, it just made him sound deeper. "And it is cold enough, so nice and soothing, you know?" He said that one with an amused smirk, matching the girl’s smile, obviously continuing with the joke and making fun of himself and his fall. His clothes were already a little dirty from the training, and he had a feeling his hair had at least one leaf decorating it now, but appearance was among the least of worries, even if a pretty girl was standing in front of him and observing.

"Quinn, you know that doesn’t make you sound cool?" Keenan chirped, floating close to his tamer’s head.

"I’m not cool, but the ground is." He retorted, without any inclination to get up.

notes: Well, that could have worked too~ Just a question, but is she talking in English, or Japanese? I know her Scottish still shines through either way. Because if she is talking in Japanese, Quinn might offer to talk in English if that is easier for her.
tags: @guinevere

[Deleted]

❀

Independent and headstrong as she was, Gwen didn’t cower, nor flinch, when the silver – she thought it seemed more silver than grey, but that was just her opinion – haired tamer brought the nearby sword closer, within reach. Instead, she watched the action with veiled weariness. Miles, protective as he was, however stepped between them, not bothering to hide his own weariness and suspicion – he still hadn’t gotten over the whole Baalmon incident and wasn’t keen on having another. The ebony digimon held his spear at the ready, but not yet openly threatening the other tamer, or digimon; they didn’t come here to fight, after all. When she noted he had no intention to attack them, at the moment at least, Gwen couldn’t help but grin, laughing lightly at his words. "Well, layin’ oan th’ ground in a forest will dae ‘at tae ye," she stated, teasing lilt in her voice because this was Gwen and she wasn’t exactly shy. As he poked fun at himself, Gwen outright laughed; the silver haired stranger wasn’t so bad, not at all. She was beginning to think that he’d be pretty fun to talk to, or at least interesting. The brunette wasn’t the type to just shy away from conversation anyways; outgoing could be one word, confident would be another. "Aye," she grinned, as she noticed the root right there. Had she not seen the Patamon, Gwen thought that maybe she would have tripped over the same root. "Cannae say Aam unfamiliar wi’ th’ feelin’" she laughed a bit at herself. There was truth to the statement, considering how many times she nearly fell and how many times she actually did fall. Instead of just standing there, Gwen stepped off to the side a bit, as she sat on the uprooted root of a trunk nearby. Watching the Patamon and tamer interact caused her to smile – it reminded her a bit of how she and Miles got along. The ebony digimon, once Quinn made no move to get up, relaxed his stance, but he still didn’t want to get caught off guard should anything actually happen. He wandered, quite like a young child, towards his tamer, and unlike a young child, merely remained next to Gwen like the loyal digimon he is. Throughout the interaction between his lady and the male tamer, Miles had yet to say a word, instead choosing to keep quiet as he always did. "Ye make it look loch th’ groond’s mighty comfortable thoo," she laughed, an eyebrow raised at the fact that he had sticks poking him but still refusing to move, apparently. "What brings ye haur, anyways?" she asked, dual colored eyes on the two partners, "An’ dornt teel me it’s jist tae enjoy th’ cool ground." it wasn’t meant to be mean, but rather playful in the teasing nature because unless she was angry, Gwen wasn’t the type to look for fights.

KITTY OF GS

TAG: Quinn Blythe
NOTES: She would have started out in English, with the 'hello' part, but would have switched to Japanese for everything else. And hope this is okay.

[Quinn Blythe]

Waiting for the stars to fade away while talking and listening to the girl’s answers, Quinn was observing the pair in front of him. The digimon with the girl was unique, he hadn’t seen anything like that before. It reminded him of a knight. No, maybe not yet a knight, but the strength it held itself talked about a dutiful and noble soul. And he could see it was protective of the girl. It didn’t talk, but that was nothing new – not all digimon started chatting with strangers like his Keenan usually did. Speaking of which, the Patamon was unusually quiet to his standards.

"Keenan, could you bring me the scabbard and the wrapping cloth?" He turned to the digimon still hovering around him. Keenan was watching him and the new pair, eyes scanning the other digimon but not finding anything that would show an open threat. Among the two of them, Quinn was the more observant and suspicious one, but the knight-like digimon’s movements showed caution, and not malignancy.

As asked, the Patamon flew to the nearby tree to gather the goods he was asked for. Quinn let himself smile as the girl laughed. Talking to lighter hearted people was always a nice change after the bored and scared citizens. Life was still going on even if the people around liked to talk loudly about how hurt they were. The city was wearing a mask, Quinn knew, and he didn’t like it.

Quinn was debating getting into a sitting position at least while they were talking with the girl. Laying half-down on the ground was a little rude, even if the world was spinning too fast. He didn’t try getting on his feet yet though, so Keenan had to be the one to gather their things around. He raised himself on his hands, leaning on them for support. He picked up and laid his sword in his lap, holding its blade near the hilt, as done when one wasn’t about to swing the weapon around in another’s company.

"You know," Quinn started, now switching from Japanese to English "you don’t have to keep talking in Japanese. If English is better, you can use that, if you want." He was talking American English though, but that wouldn’t be a problem even for someone who originated from Britain or Australia. If she wanted to switch languages, he will know from her answer, and use the language she chose.

"Well, I’ve been caught, it’s not too comfortable." He answered, looking at the fallen leaves beside him. "But it’s as comfortable as anything in this forest can be, maybe aside the shrine steps, but those are made of hard wood too, so not much of an improvement." There was a tiny shrine in the forest somewhere he knew of. It was made for the guardian god of the area a long time ago, and the people living around the forest made sure to keep it clean. And even though he answered the girl, he didn’t tell her exactly why he stayed on the ground.

Keenan returned with the scabbard and the cloth, though struggling with them a little, and gently placed them beside the young man. Quinn patted the digimon’s head and gently murmured a ‘thank you’ before wiping off the blade of the sword. He looked up when she asked them what they were doing around here, but Keenan was faster with his reply. "We were training!"

"To be more precise, I asked him" he pointed at Keenan, "for a little help in my training. The forest is quiet and calm, so no one would bother us here." He grabbed the scabbard and sheathed the sword slowly. "It’s not like I get so far into the forest just to lazy around on the cool ground." He grinned. "Well, not always, anyway. And you? Taking a walk, or decided to get to know some ancient spirit that still reside in the woods?"

notes: Naaw, I like her~
tags: @guinevere

[Deleted]

❀

Gwen blinked, surprise evident in her expression. She was so used to speaking English first that she automatically did so, even after just about four years in Japan – when she caught herself, she usually switched. While she knew not everyone spoke English or Japanese, it was still nice to have been asked. "Ah, weel, English is mah first language, sae…" she trailed off, ending her statement with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. He sounded fluent in English, though it was distinctly American rather than British, but there weren’t many differences anyways, so Gwen just chose to ignore that part. "If ye dornt min’ ‘at is…" she added hastily, as soon as she realized it might have been a bit stuck up of her to just assume he wouldn’t mind. Nevermind the fact that he was the one who asked first, but Gwen was just so used to building up her independent, tough girl personality that she didn’t want him to just suddenly see her as a princess who always gets what she wants type of girl. If there was one thing Gwen hated, it was being that type of girl – not that she thought there was anything wrong with them, but it just wasn’t her. "A dornt min’ ‘spikin either one, anyways. Ye kin’ ay gie used tae it efter a few years." the brunette added. Really, even if she just automatically spoke English, especially when surprised or frightened, Gwen was used to reminding herself to speak Japanese, which she thought was a bit strange, seeing as she’s lived in Japan the past few years, but eh. Even she knew she could be stubborn sometimes. Watching the Patamon gather his tamer’s belongings brought a fond smile to her expression. It reminded her of Miles, though the ebony digimon hardly ever needed to be asked – he just did it. While she may get annoyed with him, Gwen did adore her little partner. "Shrine?" she asked, head tilted in that curious expression. They didn’t venture out into the forest too often, so she couldn’t be surprised to hear of something she hadn’t known was there. Not as if they could suddenly explore the entire forest on their own. Miles nodded as the Patamon – Keenan, from what the silver haired tamer called him – exclaimed they had been training. Now there was a thought, training – if only his lady wasn’t so stubborn, not that he’d ever say that aloud…well, not in those exact words. "These are good soldiers, Milady. Perhaps we should do the same," the ebony digimon finally contributed to the conversation, though it was more to his tamer than the stranger and his digimon. Still, it was the first thing he said in their presence and Gwen supposed that counted for something – once, the PawnChessmon hadn’t said a word or even made a sound, like a moving statue. The dual eyed brunette knew where Miles was going with that though, and couldn’t help the huff that left her lips. Really, it only happened once and she got away relatively unscathed, hadn’t she? "Alrecht, but nar mair complainin’ abit thaur bein’ danger ur me needin’ protection. Agreed?" It was hesitant and obviously begrudgingly, but Miles nodded to the agreement – at least then, she’d be better protected, even if by herself. She grinned along with him, as he mentioned before giving another shrug. What were they doing out there, anyways? Oh, right. Miles had been increasingly protective and paranoid in the city – especially as that was where Baalmon had attacked them…in the morning…in the middle of Yokohama. Seriously, how anyone went about as if life was normal was beyond her. Then there was also the fact that the city just sometimes got a bit crowded and stuffy. Gwen, independent girl that she was, did like some fresh air every once in a while; besides, being in the walls felt like being trapped sometimes and she was not a princess. "Jist wanted a change in scenery, A suppose." It really wasn’t an answer, but then again, she didn’t really have a reason to be out there aside from wanting to get out of the walls for a bit. Away from the city and all the suffocating tendencies of her little ebony partner…not that he got any better once they reached the forest, but better out here than in there, right? "Needed a bit ay fresh air, ye know? But A wooldnae min’ getting’ tae know an ancient forest spirit. Soonds pretty neat, if ye ask me." She added, with a grin. And it’s only then that she realizes they are still strangers and don’t know each other’s name yet. So, with a smile, the brunette introduces herself, "Aam Gwen, if ye waur wonderin’." "And I am called Miles." the digimon stated with a bow, as per usual. Gwen still doesn’t understand just where he picked that up, but decided that it was just how her partner was. "How often do you train with your partner, comrade?" It is directed towards Keenan, but the digimon wouldn’t mind if the tamer answered – as if he were training, then surely he would be a good enough soldier…or knight.

KITTY OF GS

TAG: Quinn Blythe
NOTES: i sort of maybe rambled a bit. sorry. ^^

[Quinn Blythe]

Quinn smiled at the honest reply following his offer to have the conversation in English instead.

"Of course I don’t mind, that’s why I offered." He added, continuing on in the chosen language. "It’s... half of my first language, you could say. So if you are more comfortable with it, we should use it." He was also fine either way, really. He grew up learning both, so it was really up to the partner he was having the conversation with. "Up to you." He said at the end when she told him she would be fine.

Quinn absently stroked the scabbard and the hilt of his sword, tracing the light, silverfish markings on the dark surface. His head was buzzing a little, but it wasn’t anything serious. Even the white dust that covered the area, that gathered around the girl and her partner evaporated after he blinked twice. Unconsciously he wondered, if that black digimon’s spear was as sharp as his own sword...

He was about to answer her inquiry about the shrine, when her digimon spoke. He started to assume it – he – was mute. Their interaction, though, was interesting to watch. It made Quinn wonder what might have happened before with these two for the digimon to be so overprotective, and the tamer to be so annoyed with it.

"Well, you don’t seem like someone who needs protection, but being careful never hurts." He added to the conversation. "Generally, training is healthy, if nothing else."

While they talked, Keenan was kind enough to bring his backpack close as well. And as a reward for his own kindness, he dug into the pack and fished out a single cookie for himself to eat. Quinn made a habit of carrying a stack of the chocolate chip kind when he realized that was Keenan’s favorite snack.

"Change of scenery, huh?" That wasn’t a real reason to be out here, but he supposed it was as good as any for her. He could partially understood it. On the other hand, he wouldn’t come to the forest just to walk around. "Forest spirits are awesome, believe me."

He was so used to people, strangers talking to him he didn’t even realize they skipped the introductions altogether until she mentioned it. "Nice to meet you two. The name’s Quinn."

"And I’m Keenan, it’s a pleasure!" The digimon chirped, and soon after, he turned to Miles, when addressed. "Well, we train every once in a while, whenever Quinn is in the mood. He says he had been doing it even before we met."

"But it’s easier with you around, Keenan." Quinn threw in before the digimon could rant about unnecessary details. "I really appreciate it." Keenan, embarrassed, could only chuckle at the praise, and flapped his wings a little faster, which raised him in the air. It was a habit when he was excited or embarrassed.

Quinn glanced up at the girl, and suddenly had an idea. Slowly he got to his feet, holding his sword in one hand and swinging his backpack on his other shoulder. It was getting late, but the evening sun’s rays were still shining through the leaves.

"I’m done with training for today, but say, you wanna see a forest spirit?"

notes: It's okay, sometimes I do too.
tags: @guinevere

[Deleted]

❀

She grinned sheepishly at his first comment, right – maybe she was just rambling earlier. Oops. An eyebrow rose, though, as he mentioned English being half of his first language. "Half? Ye learned two languages at th’ sam time, ‘en?" Gwen asked, curiously and maybe a bit nosily, but she couldn’t help it. He seemed interesting. "Thanks." she thanked, with a slight shrug and a sheepish grin, continuing to speak in English. As the silver haired tamer stroked the scabbard and hilt of his sword, it couldn’t help but draw Gwen’s attention. Her mother had a theory that Gwen was drawn to dangerous things – though she’d argue, sometimes she couldn’t help but think it was true. While she was no sweetheart, she wasn’t exactly a delinquent either…well, not really. "Yoo’ve bin usin’ th’ sword fur lang?" she asked, dual eyes flickering back to the other tamer, her attention switching from the sword to the male. Miles seemed to be interested in the answer, too. Though Gwen knew the ebony digimon was maybe a bit too interested – always interested in that training sort of stuff. Still, she beamed when he mentioned she didn’t seem like someone who needed protection – that was exactly what she was going for! Apparently, the tamer knew exactly what to say, as Miles couldn’t refute the fact that being careful never hurt. Absentmindedly, Gwen nodded – she’d been keeping with her running and swimming for that reason, and that was close enough to training for a meet. And at that moment, Keenan did truly remind Gwen of how Miles usually acted, without the current overprotectiveness. It made her smile unconsciously, at the action. As he repeated her weak excuse of being out in the forest, Gwen couldn’t help but laugh and give a guilty smile. Now that she heard it, she realized it didn’t exactly sound like the best excuse in the world – it sounded much better in her head. "A dornt loch bein’ confined fur lang periods ay time," she admitted with a shrug and another grin. With an amused shake of her head, in agreement, Gwen couldn’t help but add, "Aam holdin’ ye tae yer wuid," with a playful spark in her dual colored eyes. Pleasantries were exchanged, Gwen adding in "Nice tae meet ye, too." and a "The pleasure is mine," from the often silent Miles. Gwen was beginning to think that was just how he was in socializing – silent unless he had something to say. "Hoo lang hae ye bin trainin’, ‘en?" she asked before she could think, before promptly flushing lightly and covering her mouth with her hands at her nosy question. "Er, sorry. Kin’ ay just slipped ou’. Ye dornt hae tae answer ‘at." Watching the interaction between Keenan and Quinn really did remind her of her own relationship with Miles, you know, when he isn’t so annoyingly overprotective. She wondered if all tamers had such close relationships with their partners. "Yeah, sure! Soonds loch it’ll be fin," she grinned, "Is it at th’ shine ye waur talkin’ abit earlier?" "Is it safe for Milady?" Miles asked almost immediately after, in response to which Gwen rolled her eyes…again.

KITTY OF GS

TAG: Quinn Blythe
NOTES: not too much rambling, I hope.

[Quinn Blythe]

Quinn gave a teeth-y grin at the question she asked. "I’m half American and half Japanese. I grew up learning both languages from my parents." He gave the reply, and that was as far as he will venture into explaining his past to her. It did answer her question, so that was enough.

His eyes were drawn to the sword he was holding at the mention from the girl. Had he been using it for long? Quinn had to think about it. Even when he didn’t have a sword, way back when he was little, he was already playing with imaginary weapons. And since his imagination, his mind was the way it was... he actually did see his weapon in his hand even when he wasn’t actually holding it. "Hm, I’m not sure..." he said, eyes wandering to the leaves and root past the view of the scabbard. "I had it for a few years. But I use other weapons too." He knew his answer might seem weird for her, but he really couldn’t tell the exact year he started using the sword – or any other of his chosen weapons, really. He was training his body for more years though, that was for sure.

Her words about being confined made him think. True enough, some of the people felt like the walls were suffocating even though they were there for the safety of the citizens. But the majority just felt the peace and some calm behind the giant walls, and Quinn supposed that was part of what made him see masks in the city all the time. False peace and serenity. He knew the walls were holding up well, and the guards were doing a good job. However, freedom was still out of reach.

"How long, you ask." He fell silent for a short moment before answering. "Oh, don’t fret over it; I don't mind being asked a question like that. If you mean today, I’ve been here for about four hours."

"Five and a half, you mean." Keenan added in, correcting his partner after swallowing the last bits of his chocolate chip cookie. Quinn scratched the back of his head. "Oh, that long? Sorry about that. Should have known from the amount of sweat I worked up" He poked the Patamon’s head playfully, which earned him a small giggle from the digimon.

Already standing and holding the scabbard by his side, Quinn used his sword to point toward a certain direction. "It’s not far from here, and yes, it’s near the shrine. We can check that out too, if you want, it’s not a lot more walk from there." Keenan flew further up in the air, and hovered above Quinn’s head, ready to start their journey through the forest. "You don’t have to worry... Miles, was it? It’s as safe as any other place in the world. I can’t promise a digimon won’t show up around here, but I can at least promise to fight to the best of my abilities if it comes to it. And so will you, won’t you?" Though he didn’t admit it, Quinn had a certain amount of smooth talk in him, which also made it easier to see through people in certain situations. However, he was honest even while smooth-talking.

"Come on, then." He turned to lead the way, making sure to wait for Gwen and Miles to follow. He would be careful not to fall a second time though. His head already throbbed from the first slip, and he didn’t want to make it worse. "While we walk, do you mind telling me how long you two have known each other?"

notes: Not at all, you are fine. =3
tags: @guinevere