[tri OOM] Barry, Cisco, and File Island

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato brings Barry and Cisco out through the same hilltop telephone booth he used to bring Autor through a few weeks back, out onto a cliff with a pretty good view of the island.

The island's central point is a mountain that looks more like a sheer spike of rock, and radiating outwards from it are a lot of very different places: Closest to the mountain, there's a pastel-coloured village of some kind that looks like it might be made of cushions; a tropical jungle with a ruined temple of black and brown stone jutting out of it; and a desert with gear markings carved into the ground and a single, leafy mountain in the centre.

Spreading out further than that, there are forests; some kind of icy tundra; a large town with a glittering white castle; a small village covered by a dark cloud; some kind of factory belching smoke into the air; and a plain covered in railroad tracks and ruined trains. Just down from the cliff, there's a lake with a camp set up next to it.

"All right, File Island," Yamato says, shutting the door. "Oldest part of the Digital World."

Comments

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Discounts, though," Jyou says, reasonably. "And he does make good ramen."

Silver linings to every cloud.

"Ohhh, I'm Cisco, and maybe one day my voice will break," Yamato replies, pitching his voice a little higher and a little whinier.

Sora peers at Yamato and Cisco, then lifts her shoulder in a slight shrug. "On a good day and when they're not arguing, this is basically what Yamato and Taichi are like," she says, with a quick smile. "Lately, they spend more time awkwardly avoiding each other, but that -- won't last forever, I'm sure."

The blue dinosaur, meanwhile, obligingly breathes out a stream of fire onto the spot Cisco indicated.

[run_barry]

"You would hope so," Barry says about the awkward avoidance, joking because he's sure it won't last, either.

Probably.

[makes_the_toys]

"I'm Yamato and I'm going to sit on a rock being all stoic and broody," Cisco says as he starts to record data and capture information from the fire stream.

"Daaaaaaaaamn, these guys blow one hell of a barbecue," he notes, looking at the readings.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I'm not too worried. They always figure things out eventually," Sora says, smiling. "They're just very stubborn."

"I don't brood," Yamato says to Cisco. "You brood."

Okay, Yamato's never seen Cisco brood ever, but that is besides the point probably.

He makes an irritable noise, padding over to Cisco and setting a hand on his shoulder, peering at the readings.

"Yeah, even at Adult-level, Digimon can do a lot of damage very easily, and they get exponentially more powerful and durable with each level," he says. "But luckily for us, Perfect-levels are rare -- Monzaemon's the only one on this entire island -- and there probably aren't any Ultimate-levels around anymore. So it's mostly Adults like these we need to worry about."

[makes_the_toys]

"You're a dye job and some makeup away from being full emo," Cisco replies.

When Yamato comes close Cisco glances over, grinning while sharing the screen.

"I can see why you'd want defense out there. You'd be a toasted marshmallow for sure."

[run_barry]

Barry's impressed by the display, watching as the blue dinosaur spouts fire.

"That's good. You guys all probably need each other out there when you leave the island to find the others." And Barry is confident that whatever comes up, Yamato and Taichi will put away any differences to help out the group.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"It's not going to be easy, that's for sure," Sora says. "But at least we know more or less what we'll be up against."

"I am not," Yamato grumbles. "Jyou's closer to being emo than I am."

Jyou looks mildly offended by this, adjusting his glasses with a quick scowl.

"You're right about us getting toasted, though," Yamato says. "We're the weakest things in this world right now, or thereabouts."

"Yeah, and I can't die on this trip," Jyou says, shaking his head rapidly. "I told my girlfriend I was going to a study camp. If I die, she'll know I lied to her."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco glances over at Jyou, giving him a quick once over.

"Jyou seems reasonable and well-adjusted to me," Cisco says, matter of factly.

Looking over the data he's collected Cisco nods to himself and then raises an arm.

"Okay, that's cool, got it!" he shouts out to the dinosaur.

[run_barry]

"Having an idea and a plan is good," Barry nods.

To Jyou he gives a chuckle. "Yeah, they get pretty upset about that."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Screw you," Yamato grumbles to Cisco. "I am so well-adjusted."

Jyou sighs deeply. "She is definitely going to kill me anyway when I get back. I don't know how long she'll believe that I'm at a study camp with no phones allowed," he says. "I was going to tell her! But then instead of telling her, I accidentally paid Koushiro to falsify an entire website for a non-existent study camp."

"Could happen to anyone," Yamato says, mildly.

"I'm -- sure it'll be fine," Sora adds. "She'll probably understand."

The blue dinosaur stops breathing fire, giving Cisco a thumbs up and an enthusiastically toothy grin.

[run_barry]

"I feel you, man," Barry says, patting Jyou's shoulder. "It's not easy keeping a secret like that."

[makes_the_toys]

"I am if you are," he returns, willing to agree only if it means he can ride the lie, too.

"Thanks, bro!" Cisco calls up, returning that thumbs up.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato considers this for a moment.

"... I can accept those terms," he says, eventually. They can both be the very models of well-adjusted emotional health.

The blue dinosaur, meanwhile, responds to Cisco's thumbs up by looking very much like he wants to cry with joy. "Your hands are so tiny, bro."

Jyou nods at Barry, very somberly. "You too, huh?"

[run_barry]

Barry rubs the back of his neck.

"Sort of. I don't have a girlfriend, but it's still hard keeping things from certain people."

Dropping his hand, he gives an expansive shrug and tries to reassure Jyou. "But really, I'm sure it'll be fine. You're not gonna die out here, and even if she does find out I'm sure she'll understand."

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco holds his hand up for a fistbump to seal those terms.

He has no problem being called tiny by a giant fire-breathing dinosaur, so he just smiles.

"Thanks. I guess. You guys are cool."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I hope so. Maybe if I bring something back as a souvenir," Jyou says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"It'll be fine, Jyou," Yamato says, absently fist-bumping Cisco. "Probably. And you can finally introduce us to her, and we'll all talk enthusiastically about how often you've saved us."

"You guys are cool, too!" The blue dinosaur says, raising his arms. "Is there anything else we can do for you, broski? Oh, oh, do you want some beer?"

He stomps into the undergrowth, returning with a bottle labeled 'BEER?' tentatively held between his claws.

[run_barry]

"That does sound like a pretty solid plan," Barry says, pointing at Yamato to indicate the idea tossed out.

Jyou having his friends talk him up could maybe help.

[makes_the_toys]

Cisco is leery of any more questionable beverages, but when a Dibro offers you a brewski you obviously accept.

"I think we're good, but a beer would be awesome."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"It's refreshing," the blue dinosaur says, removing the bottlecap with one claw and passing it down to Cisco very carefully.

(The beer actually does taste like beer, in what may be a surprising turn. Not good beer, but recognisably beer-y.)

"Thanks for the help," Yamato says. "And the beer."

He gives Sora a quick nod, then gestures to the others, heading south out of the clearing. It doesn't seem, if the glimpses of sand through the trees are anything go by, like the Gear Desert is very far away at all.

[makes_the_toys]

Hesitantly, Cisco takes a drink, then draws back the bottle to give it a surprised nod.

"That's... not terrible," he says, then takes another drink. "Thanks, bro."

[run_barry]

Barry throws Yamato a smile, nodding in approval at the appreciation Yamato gives to the dinosaurs.

It's good to be nice.

Giving the dinosaurs a wave, Barry walks with the group.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato gives Barry a slightly wry look in response, as if to go 'there, I was diplomatic, happy now, you oversized Jiminy Cricket knock-off?' Which is, in fairness, a lot of information to try to convey in a single look.

"I was kinda hoping that would taste like beef too," Jyou admits, eyeing the beer? bottle. "... Yamato's going to want to stock it on the raft now."

"Beer doesn't go rancid as quickly as water," Yamato mutters.

"None of us are over the drinking age, Ishida!"

A few more steps, and they emerge out of the rainforest, and into a landscape that could very easily pass as post-apocalyptic. It's a desert, swelteringly hot, with yellowish-brown sands -- save for numerous large, gear-shaped markings of glittering black sand. Perhaps stranger is that there are thousands upon thousands of telephone poles embedded in the sand, charred black and bent at angles, with cables dangling loosely.

Not too far off, though, is Mount Panorama, a structure of three concentric donut shapes stacked on top of each other and covered with trees and greenery. From here, it doesn't look that large, despite the fact that when viewed from the cliffs earlier in the trip, it must have been four or five times bigger.

[run_barry]

Barry is happy about the display of manners, and continues to smile about it unapologetic.

"Did you know that's actually why pirates and sailors stocked rum and alcohol on board their ships? It's shelf-life made it the safest thing they could drink on long voyages," he pipes in behind Yamato. "In fact, beer can actually be given credit for saving lives in places where there were cholera epidemics, because the brewing process killed off bacteria in the water that was spreading the disease."

A beat, and then he adds, "Of course, if you guys aren't old enough to drink you really probably shouldn't."

[makes_the_toys]

"Only you would have a nerd spiel about booze," Cisco notes, grinning while he drinks his beer.

When they get to the treeline and Cisco sees the desert he immediately stops.

"Okay, so what is this now? Mad Max?"

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"See? Barry agrees with me," Yamato says.

"Barry does not agree with you," Jyou replies.

"Barry thinks that as team medic, you should support us not getting cholera and dying painfully at sea," Yamato says, firmly, putting a hand on Barry's shoulder. "Right, Barry?"

"You don't even need my support, supplies falls under your authority anyway," Jyou mutters.

"I know. I still want to make you agree to it, though."

Sora stops to glance back at Cisco, then at the desert.

"-- Just a desert," she says, mildly, giving Cisco a quick smile. "With telephone poles. The heat eases up as soon as you reach the Pyokomon village and Mount Panorama, too."

Beat.

"Don't worry," she adds, "the telephone poles were always like this."