Holograms and digimon and humans, oh my

[disasterduo]

Now that the famous Lumen City Expo was in full swing and people from all over gathered around to marvel at the advancements of technology or just to have a good time, you'd think the sea of people would be enough to drown out all the marvelous stuff that was out for the masses to enjoy. That might have been true elsewhere, but saying that would be doing a disservice to the sheer amount of space to cover and things to see that the Gran Lumen Megaplex had to offer for the crowds. Hell, the place was so freaking massive you could have almost stuffed half of the city's population inside and there would still be some wiggle room left.

And that was without counting all the holograms going out and about, most of them perfectly tangible for the visitors thanks to the advancements in hardlight technology that were being showcased today for all to see.

...yet this all meant little or nothing to the duo of digimons sitting idly around the food court's edge, nibbling away at a half empty popcorn bag they had snatched away from some poor sap that left it unattended for a minute too long. The impmon looked at the crowd around in quiet disdain, eyes prepped for the next idiot that chose to get too close for comfort. For whatever reason, a lot of the crowd gathered here had seemingly decided the best way to entertain themselves was to try and engage with the duo in all manner of physical contact. Poking, prodding, headpatting...the one saving grace was the fact most of them were wearing the same weird kind of techie looking gloves. Might as well, the last thing Dio wanted was their grubby, probably food filled hands to dance all over his proverbial skull.

They weren't sure what caused the people inside here in particular to be this curious about them suddenly, but the way most of the passerby seemed to be interacting with many other "normal" holograms probably had something to do with it. Sure their opinion on humans had improved a bit thanks to that one incident with the Gashmon a couple days ago, but that didn't give them the right to get all close and personal. Luckily for the twins at least the food here was easy to come by and fairly good, so there was at least one silver lining to staying around. That and the personal space invasion aside, the humans didn't seem to mind for their presence much.

"Hey, bro?" Gio asked in between bites, his mouth still stuffed with popcorn.

"Hm?"

"Why are the humans celebrating?"

"Hell if I know." The imp replied with a shrug, before shooting the lizard a curious look, "How can you tell they're celebrating?"

Now it was time for Gio to shrug, unsure. "Iunno...they look happier somehow, I guess."

Dio didn't reply, instead just taking another handfull from what little was left on the bag. Maybe his brother was right, but he personally couldn't completely vouch for it. The subtleties of humans escaped him even now, and Gio had always been more perceptive that he let on, so there was probably some truth to his train of thought.

[photog and protag]

There are many benefits to having a press pass at a convention or expo. Access to people and things and places others normally didn't get, in-depth discussions and behind the scene looks at the technology making everything possible. They were great perks! And all for the low-low price of this being work and not a pleasure trip. That didn't mean David couldn't have any fun of course, he just, had to make it relevant.

The man himself currently leaned against the railing of second story of the Megaplex with camera in hand. He currently had what a few of his colleagues dubbed his 'big scary' lens and was using the extra zoom to scan the ground floor's vast offering of booths and displays. The skylight far overhead let in enough natural light that it made the photography side of his job easier but the sheer size of the Gran Lumen Megaplex meant that he had to walk forever to get from one side of the main space to the other. And that didn't even take into account all the rooms off to the side!

Thus his idea to go high and get a view of everything (or as much as he could) and plan his path through the convention floor. He had spent much of the morning talking to the people representing their companies and learning what he could about the new technology from him. Once he had gotten to talk to an engineer who was surprisingly good at dumbing the concepts down for someone of his job description, David had come to understand there were at least two main types of hard-light projections in the complex today. Smaller, less powerful mobile hardlight projectors that required special wear to interact with, the fancy gloves that had been handed out to just about everyone, and the immobile more powerful projectors that didn't require any fancy tech to interact with.

And on the topic of the first type, David had just spotted a couple of interesting examples by the food court.

After a trip down the stairs and a brief jog David found he was in luck and the dinosaur and imp-creature were still where he had seen them, eating popcorn. He had swapped out his camera's lens to the less intimidating default one on the way over and now he held the camera casually in one hand, slightly off to the side as he watched the imp 'eat' another handful of popcorn.

"Huh, you sure seem to be enjoying that popcorn." He remarked with a raise of his eyebrow above his sunglasses. Was this an advertisement for the popcorn place or one of the hall's roaming holograms 'on break'? He leaned back on his heels as he thought about it, then realized while he had spent all day getting a bunch of technical takes on what the possibilities of the technology were he hadn't really gotten the layperson's take on what it would mean. Or the lay-AI's take int his case. "Actually, how are you two enjoying the exhibit and directly interacting with people?"

[taiyou]

"Boy," a deep voice called out to a teen that's dressed rather... casually for this sort of event. "Why do you bring me here? To this incredibly... noisy place?" Said voice strangely speaking in Japanese, to whcih the addressed one also replied in one.

"Sorry, I really didn't think that it would be this crowded... I really just want to know more about some circumstances regarding uh... you... Digimon was it? Appearances and whatnot. It can't be a coincidence, can it?"

The red haired boy walked through the expo while handholding with a strange, purplish black dragon. With no eyes visible on it, said dragon just pretty much being guided around. Sometimes, there are people who approached them, but Taiyou quickly stopped them by telling them that he's not part of exhibition, but definitely something that he have purchased in different expo.

"Mmm, I do not see how this would be productive. Paint the scenario with your word, boy"

"Well, it's a technology expo... let's just say, we're in a place, alright? There's a lot of humans, lot of objects that causes a lot of sound, but that was good because humans are actually... into these kind of thing. You can say it's our point of interest when coming here. People can try a lot of different gadgets, and different stuff too, like solid holograms. It's actually kind of advanced here in human world."

"'Gadgets', another word that I do not understand."

"Let's say something like the Digivice or my shoe."

"Ah," Gashmon curtly voiced his understanding.

"But there are nothing that advanced over here you can say."

"...in that case would it not be for naught, boy?"

"If there is aught to learn, I'd like to learn. Speaking of which, hard holograms are--"

"Holograms that you can touch, which apparently similar to Digimons. You have told me this, yes."

"Can you see them though?"

"...Nay," Gashmon answered bluntly. "There is no difference to me between human and all these 'holograms'. There are difference though..."

He looked at two familiar figure. They're munching on something that he can't see, but he guess those are food. Food. The aroma tickled his nose, and he liked it. Taiyou promised some food when he brings him here. He have noticed that he gained quite the appetite for human world food. They tastes... different, verily so when he used to eat poisonous things just to stay alive, or even the bark of tree and if he was lucky, mushrooms. He coffed subtly, pointing at the food court.

"Digimons, one that we know."

"Oh..."

"And food. I had enough of walking for the meantime. Fulfill your end of the deal, boy."

"...Right," Taiyou smiled wryly. "I'll go get us something, just... greet them then. I'll be around."

Gashmon nodded, and started walking slowly toward the two.

"...Mmm, salutations, acquaintances. I believe you two are well?"

...Oh, wait this one human was shining, but he did not see the "thread" that connected them... in the way the thread connected Taiyou and him. "...Mmm, I see why the boy wanted to go here. Perhaps there are more shining humans around," he mused outloud.

[disasterduo]

Once more, just when the eyepatch wearing imp thought they'd be free to enjoy their third lunch in peace they'd be accosted by yet another human.
"Yup." Gio replied to the sunglasses wearing man with a nod. His brother didn't even bother to look back up so he could meet the man's gaze, idly munching on another handful of popcorn while saying very matter of factly, "Sure am."

His lack of response didn't seem to be enough to deter the human from prodding further, asking quite a valid question, even if Dio couldn't help but shoot him a glare as if he had just asked if breathing was important. It took a moment for the imp's glare to soften ever so slightly, as he finally remembered what most people assumed the twins to be.

"We're glitches in virtual reality. Rogue IP stealing software viruses or something. Now scram." He spat in annoyance, loosely trying to string seemingly random terms and technobabble he had been hearing spoken by many an attendee since the moment they stepped foot into the giant stadium. Only the word "Virus" held any meaning to him, but it had become clear it meant something fairly different in the human world than in the digital one, something with far more negative connotations. Surely if this man heard it it would be enough to spook him away, right?

Well, even if it was, Dio's master plan would probably come crashing down soon as his taller brother finally took his attention away from their food and gave the imp a puzzled look.
"I thought we were digimon..." He said, head tilting to the side. The annoyed and angered glare his brother gave him soon after was enough of an answer though. He knew he had messed up so he hurriedly turned his attention back to the popcorn, rapidly munching on it as if hoping he could free up enough space in the bag to hide himself inside.

A reprimand (or at the very least, a very angry retort) would have usually followed, were it not for the sudden appearance of a familiar face...

"Oh, it's you." The imp calmly stated, greeting the gashmon with a nod of his head, no specific emotion in his tone other than a somewhat warmness only saved for individuals he either tolerated or didn't hate, which was a pretty big deal coming from someone as anti social as he was, all things considered. "I'll be honest, didn't think I'd see you here of all places. Figured you'd rather avoid noisy crowds."

"Hi gashmon!" The blackened guilmon x waved happily, as if completely forgetting about his earlier misshap. "How are you and your human?"

His gaze trailed to the side for a moment as if remembering something...and sure enough, he did: the man they had been talking to and whom his brother clearly wanted to avoid for whatever skittish reason...so of course the best course of action was to give him whatever he wanted so he would leave, right? At least that's what made sense in his head at the moment as he spoke to the blind lizard again.

"Oh and uh...we might need your help to explain digi-" He didn't get far as he suddenly found his mouth being held shut, the two small gloved hands of his brother firmly keeping it closed, lest he muttered another word.

"Would. You. Stop. Saying. That. Word?"

[photog and protag]

David's smile visibly widened as Dio rattled off technobabble in an obviously annoyed tone. He was absolutely delighted with the very obvious brush-off, and even though he didn't know what all of those words meant he knew enough to smell something like a con when he heard it. To think! Hardlight AI that didn't appear to be tied to any emitter or source or whatever that he could, and that were this hostile? Someone out there was playing a risky game in the PR department but he couldn't help but admire the guts. Although perhaps the dinosaur was meant to be a calming influence on the other? His actions so far pointed to a friendlier demeanor.

And the dinosaur seemed pretty open about talking about something the purple one thought he shouldn't? David's sunglasses caught the light as he shifted his weight and fought to keep his smile from sliding into 'predatory' territory. He knew how to deal with recalictrant interview subjects, and he had a feeling these two might be easier to bribe than others. He opened his mouth to speak then shut it again as another dinosaur joined them and spoke, this one even pointier than the last. He had so many questions, and even more when the newcomer spoke and the other two answered him. What was a 'shining' human? Was it a sort of randomized compliment to make people feel special? He could see it, it'd be a nifty marketing trick.

And where had he heard that word before?

"If you don't have a human with you today I'm willing to play your food-atm and buy you snacks if you answer some of my questions and let me hang around some. Feel free to tell me to back off if the questions are too invasive or I'm digging into proprietary information territory." He offered to the three the moment he spotted an opening in the conversation. He was trying very hard not to bounce his leg in excitement but he was trying to play it cool. Had the two been left to just wander around ont heir own without supervision? And he didn't see a human currently with Gashmon which was interesting! Also he just really wanted to find out what happened to real food 'consumed' by a hardlight construct. The answer was probably just drop in pile on the floor at the end of the night, but good scientists tested their hypothesis right? "It's also a pleasure to meet you Gashmon!"

[taiyou]

"The boy wished to know more about us in this place, he said," Gashmon answered. "I did not see the merit of it. If there are something aught to learn, this was not the place-- or so I thought. However, he promised me a proper delicacy, and I hope he meant it, a delicacy, that is. As annoying as these noises are and how they blocked my distance sensory, at the very least... it makes presence of our ilk much more obvious. Have you noticed?"

He "glanced" at two oddly different looking Digimons. One looked like a Black Guilmon, only much taller, and the other one looked like a Commandramon, yet with much more arsenal. They're hanging around, a bit mechanically. They definitely blended much better than they do. Speaking of which, they're just handing out something. Something that Gashmon did not really know. However, for a split second, the big black guilmon noticed him. Gashmon quickly looked away.

"...That one might be much more experienced than anyone here, might. I suggest you to not approach them carelessly."

Now, at the mention of food, Gashmon looked at the shining human. He stayed silent for a bit before opening his mouth. "... I would rather not. You smelled like Kosomon with human skin. Your ilk is like a burrowing snake trying to strike when the time is right. While I can understand your interest in information you do not know, I feel ill at ease with your kind. If you give me information instead, then I might humor you."

"That was a long queue! I'm back!" a voice called out in japanese. "Sorry for the wait! I got you some snacks. No full meal for the meantime, we're still going to walk around right?"

"Perfect timing, boy. I am indeed famished," Gashmon answered in Japanese, grabbing at the offered hotdog. As if a little child, the purple, blind dragon sat on the floor, on his butt, munching at the food. His tail swishing now and then. "Oh, would you like some churros, you two?" he offered some to Dio and Gio.. but then froze when he looked at at David.

"YOU!"

[disasterduo]

Truth be told, the more David's smile grew, the more Dio's scowl followed suit. He couldn't quite parse why but the energy this human gave off didn't sit right with him. It wasn't malice, but there was certainly some personal interest behind his actions. He seemed a bit too friendly, too eager to talk with them. It was obvious he wanted something from them, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly what. Before he could confront him about it however, he still had to adress Gashmon's presence.

"Well, he's the human here. If there's anyone that might find something worth while in this gathering, it's probably him." The imp shrugged to the Gashmon in response. "I can believe the delicacy part at least, from what little we could scrunge up here these meatbags seem to have a delectable treat or two." There was a small hint of something very similar to envy in his tone, as if he himself almost wished to have a human of his own to get food from. He didn't dwell on it much however, as the blind digimon pointed out something he had suspected for a bit but was only just now being confirmed: the twins looked into the sea of people, taking note of the other two digimon hidden among the crowd, one that looked like a considerably taller Gio, and a commandramon packing a lot more heat than anyone should be comfortable with in the middle of a crowd.

Dio clicked his tongue, unnimpressed and annoyed. The novelty of seeing more digimon in this brand new, untarnished world had worn off a while ago, with each new sighting only making him feel more and more uneasy. Wasn't this supposed to be a new start for them? How could they try again with a clean slate if this place was soon to be crawling with as many digimon as the Digital World? He stopped glaring at the two and turned his attention back to Gashmon, rolling his eyes even though he knew the creature wouldn't be able to see it.

"Why, you're worried about my safety? That my frail core might die of fright if I so much as poke them?" He sarcastically quipped back. "Don't worry, you should know that we come from similar places, you and us. We know better than to start fights we can't guarantee to win." While this was only mostly true and there were plenty (and I mean plenty) of examples of them doing the opposite, Dio was still certain it was pointless to try and approach the other mons for whatever reason, at least for now. What would be the point anyways? As long as they weren't bothering him, he'd do the same, despite Gio's clearly eager look as he eyed the other black guilmon that looked considerably...better built than he was. The real question though was if he was stronger. He'd sure love to find out, but Dio probably wouldn't appreciate that from him, so he did his best to excert some restraint, even if that meant shifting around a bit to sit over his own tail to keep it from wagging around like that of an eager puppy.

Luckily soon came something else to distract him from that in the form of the human's offer of food. Free food at that! And all he wanted was to have questions answered? Well that was an easy deal there, it wasn't the first time they had exchanged info for a meal, and it clearly wouldn't be the last as long as there were more generous humans like these around.

"Oh, oh! Yes! We don't mind asnwering stuff, mister!" The lizard replied eagerly, practically jumping out of his seat in the process. His brother loudly cleared his throat to get Gio's attention back, giving him a shake of his head and an annoyed glare once he got it. The lizard nodded once and winked, before turning back to David. "Sorry, I meant to say I don't mind answering."

While the sound of Dio's palm being slammed against his own forehead was loud enough to be heard above the crowd, what really made Gio reconsider was Gashmon's retort to the offer.

"That's...bad, right?" He asked the group for confirmation, unsure if being compared to a Kosomon was something to be flattered by or not. Sure, they tended to be pretty ugly and gossipy...but a human wasn't a digimon! Surely being compared to a digital creature couldn't be all that bad, right? Right?

"I find it greatly insulting that you insinuate you can buy us with mere treats." Dio was quick add, glaring daggers at the man so hard you'd believe there was an eye glaring at him from behind the imp's eyepatch...which there was, but that's neither here nor there! However he'd soon relent a bit with a defeated sigh.
"That said it does seem like the best way for us to get said food without risking further problems here, so we'll accept the trade, but know I still feel offended by your gall, weakling."

He would have gladly taken these so called churros Taiyou offered them once he eventually returned but it seemed like he knew this tall human as well...not that this stopped the guilmon from trying to sneakily snatch them away from the boy's hands. He was willing to share after all.

[photog and protag]

"..Like a snake? What exactly is your programmer's issue with the press?" David asked and arched an eyebrow even while his mind turned over the -name? title?- in his head. Same ending as Gashmon, but was it a match for the other two? Was it a template-name or a name-name? He grinned, pleased to have something to mentally chew on. He hadn't had a good puzzle in a while. Still, that wasn't a reason to let the slight got unanswered. "My article will be a great resource for future students moodily writing essays on the start of the Holo-Age."

Nobody called it the Holo-Age, yet. He was willing to spread it though. He could have said more to Gashmon, but luckily for the pointy one the two he had made his offer to had been willing to take him up on it. A genuine smile appeared on his face as Gio agreed to help and then grew as Dio accepted. The purple one was trying really hard to look tough while the dinosaur managed it without trying. It was quite the contrast.

"I appreciate the assistance! My name is David Li, he-him pronouns, currently reporting for the Lumen Gazette about this part of the expo. If I may, what's been the most difficult part of the exhibit for you so far? What have you looked forward to the most?" He had wh ipped out his notepad at some point and had his stub of a pencil hovering over the paper, his camera temporarily capped and hanging dormant from his neck. "And what do you want first? Pretzals, popcorn, maybe an elephant ear?"

He looked ready to continue on when someone else joined the group with yell that wasn't unfamiliar to the reporter. His smile turned slightly pained for a moment before he realized that this was an excellent opportunity to mess with the child.

"It is me! And you are-" He agreed enthusiastically, his smile stretched to the point he knew would make it read as untrustworthy. He looked the student up and down, nodded thoughtfully and continued teasing. The student lookedl ike they were fully recovered from the brawl in the alleyway and David felt a tinge of jealousy. His back was still a mess. "- not getting beat up by a cosplayer in an alleyway! Way to go honor student!"

[taiyou]

"If you truly came from the sameself, wretched place that I came from, then you must have known that compared to that place, this place's delicacy would be heavensent in comparison," Gashmon commented. "I particularly enjoy the meaty cuisines they offered. Very... succulent, they are, with proper saltiness and seasoning. It was unthinkable to me that they added bland, soft thing called 'bread', with almost no flavor but the queer, yet strangely complimenting sweet hint... yet the two of them worked. Meat on the center, bread wrapping it, vegetables... human world food are very unorthodox, yet the possibility are endless. I question daily why human strives to do more than bare minimum in their survival, yet... At the same time I can comprehend, to certain extent. To some human, doing the bare minimum would be inexcusable. Food seem to be part of it. I began to think that I mayhaps... aught to learn more from their example."

Worried about his safety? "...Less concerned on your safety compared to how I am concerned of how little your conscious effort of self preserverence at times,' he answered bluntly. He means "you're too reckless, something is wrong with your head". "But it gladdens me that you understood that I mean well."

He "looked" at David next. A small smirk appeared on the reptile's face. "My programming have naught to do with this, human," he would answer. "Is it not natural to be on guard against someone who presents themselves as harmless, yet within those unassuming bushes lies snake in waiting, trying to strike the moment we spoke of a point of interest? I simply does not trust such people... but at the same time, I understand their passion for information. That is why, equal exchange, human. I will humor you should you humor me back."

When the Black Guilmon tries to sneakily grab the churros, Gashmon lightly smacked the back of his hand as a warning. "Do not be sneaky. Take, but do not take all," he reminded. "It would be impolite of you to sneakily take something after it was offered openly to you."

Taking one of the long treat, he handed it to Gio, along with a chocolate dip. "Mmm, it apparently would taste better should you dip that long food to the liquid inside this container."

Taiyou just... shuddered at that smile. It feels like he's facing against a snake oil salesman.

"You seem to have a history with the other human, boy," Gashmon mused.

"Let's just say we got stuck in a brawl," Taiyou commented. "Not against him, that is..."

"...What is this 'cosplayer', then?"

"...Misconception," Taiyou answered. "There was... a human looking Digimon you see."

"Ah," was all Gashmon have to say about that. So he thought that they're fighting against human, but actually, it's a Digimon. Which Digimon...? perhaps the one that showed up in the battlefield that day? "What is it with humans and chosing to trust whatever their mind made up about strange occurences? Can they not take some stuff at face value?"

"...Ain't the irony is lost on you?" Taiyou retorted under his breath.

[disasterduo]

"Well if you do learn from them, do let me know. Anything is better than having to dig through the human's garbage in hopes of finding a decent meal. That and stealing loses it's luster quickly, it feels degrading." Dio said to the Gashmon with a nod, somewhat doubtful but intrigued at the idea of the blind digimon learning something as complex as cooking. The most the twins knew was how to light a fire and that stuff cooked over it usually tasted better, but anything more advanced than that was beyond them, the culinary pursuit was never a priority for the average denizen of the Dark Area after all. Perhaps Gashy here was taking to this world a lot faster if he was so willing to try out new things like that.

"Hmph, perhaps, but I do wish to keep my pride intact." The impmon added with a scoff, annoyed that someone could imply they were reckless despite the fact they were still very much alive. To be fair the gashmon was absolutely right about everything, but that didn't make it any less annoying to hear! "Then again, there are few things as disgraceful as dying because of your ego. Even I know that much." He finally conceded, knowing deep down that's what had helped them stay alive this long. At any rate, it was hard to find enough animosity to stay angry at the Gashmon, blunt as he was he was good intentioned at the very least.

After that he'd turn back to David, nodding briefly as he introduced himself before proceeding to do the same.

"Dio, future lord of...something or other, still up in the air what. He's Gio." He pointed at the guilmon with his head, the lizard giving a friendly wave with his hand at the human in response. The imp then stopped and rubbed his chin for a moment, as if in deep thought, mulling 's questions for a moment.
"Well, for one every other analog here just seems adamant about poking and prodding us with their grubby huands, or just gawking for a bit too long. Trust me, I know we're extremely dashing and imposing but I'm not used to this kind of attention." He replied with annoyance, squinting at the crowds surrounding them.

"The food's good though! There's a lot to choose from too." Gio chirped in, tail happily wagging back and forth as he did. Did this count as part of the exhibit? Even if it didn't it was probably safe to assume it was the one thing the twins cared for the most. "I don't think eating ears is a good idea, but anything else is good."
With that being said he'd start his sneaky attempt at procuring some of those churros, before finding himself caught and stopped by the Gashmon's hand.

"S-sorry." He'd quietly say back, rubbing his hand with a sad pout, less so at any kind of pain and more likely the shame of being caught red handed...though it quickly went away as soon as the gashmon shared some of the food with him. "Is it really rude to take it if it was offered, though?" He was quick to question the other lizard, somewhat confused.

"You sure like picking fights with digimons." Dio chuckled, giving Taiyou and amused glance. "Good thing you seem to know a thing or two about brawling at least, figured you'd be a stain in the floor by now if ya didn't." Had he not seen him fight with his own eyes, he'd assume the kid was just talking big, the idea of digimon and humans fighting on even ground would be simply too absurd to accept otherwise.
"Uhm, do you remember how that digimon looked?" Gio asked the humans, just then remembering that man Toki mentioning a similar situation happening to him.