Lights, Sounds, Food! [Aahz]

[Fila]

So, the human world.

Fila didn't know what to expect, to be honest. The rumors she had picked up before in the Digital World had been so varied—everything from humans were monster to everything was better than the Digital World...basically, anything goes. Which is pretty great! Ever since she woke up and was greeted by bright sunlight and loud honking things with wheels, Fila was rather thrilled. This was it! This was the new, shiny world!

Except—

Fila swiped a paw through the glass display. The food inside—brown, glittering, and so out of reach—seemed to mock her. She couldn't even smell it! Fila was sure it smelled amazing, because it looked amazing, and she wasn't like, exactly hungry but could you blame her for wanting to try? A small whine escaped her as another of those humans left the store, a bag of those delicious looking brown thing in their hands. A smaller human was even happily eating it away, looking blissful. Fila was so jealous.

She didn't get it. Why couldn't she touch things? Not being able to touch things had first made her shocked, and now it was just annoyance. Was this some kind of willpower test?

Fila sighed. Well, no point hanging around this place for now. She eyed the store a bit longer and hoped that she could recognize it on sight when she came back next time, preferably with the ability to grab said food.

...is that more food?

Tail wagging, she immediately beeline towards another store. Outside their signboard lit up with various humans in weird fashion that she haven't seen before—with staffs like Wizardmon, with swords by Leomon, they all look very cool and strong—and seemingly holding...food? They are offering food!?

There was a duplicate of the same human in the signboard by the cafe entrance, a hologram. Holograms were weird. They felt familiar to her yet alien, as though as she was in the presence of a mindless Digimon. This hologram though—he was holding a menu and what looked like the hologram version of a dish and it look fantastic! Would it taste amazing if....Fila nabbed it?

Before she could execute said plan, another presence caught her eye. Small, unassuming by the human hologram...oh, is that another Digimon? One way to find out!

"Hello?" Fila bounced her way forward, smiling widely. "Are you a Digimon?"

Oh please be a Digimon though! Not only she had been figuratively starved, she was also rather starved by the lack of her fellow monsters. It really went from Digimon everywhere to barely a peep of her kind anywhere...or maybe she had been too distracted. Oops.

Notes
First shop is a bread shop, one of those nice bakeries selling warm breads, and the second one is a cosplay cafe! I saw David's first thread and got inspired by it, so just think of a cliche RPG game with a cafe collab and here we are! I figured it would be Riley's kinda spot?

[photog and protag]

This world was big and busy, so so busy. The Ropuremon didn't know if he had always been around movement and life but he delighted in it! So many people going around living their lives, so many people moving with purpose, wi th somewhere to be. Sure there were the occasional oness wh o loitered around the shops without working or buying anything but at the end of the day they too went somewhere.

Riley didn't have anywhere he needed to be. He had spent his first few days wandering around aimlessly, watching everything and everyone, trying to understand. None of the humans, as he had learned they were called, had seen them. A few of the Digimon (who varied in such shape and size that the only shared trait he could pin down was 'not human') had been friendly, helpful.

Some had not.

And then there were those who could appear as Digimon, as he himself did. Translucent, see-through, not always human in shape although sometimes they were. But the humans could see them, would even interact with them sometimes. But they didn't seem to see him and only sometimes could he get them to interact with him. It was different from interacting with a human or Digimon. It was... weird. He had stopped paying them attention until he had come across the one that looked like him, that had a sword and a cape and friends and was human yes, but had a shield and the sword and the cape!

And oh, how the humans loved to see that one. How the young ones pointed and dragged the clothes of their parents, how some of the older ones regarded the figure fondly. Riley had stayed to watch and learn, to listen to what the humans thought made him so cool. And that had led him to meet the man with the camera. The man who wrote and took pictures and talked to people about what they liked about the 'series'. That had been neat and there had been something... but the man worked and spent a lot of time in an office and Riley hadn't wanted to intrude.

So he wandered. He walked through the places with the flashing lights and many people until he found a place that had the hero, but it wasn't the hero with his sword it was the hero with a pan and food! And it looked so tasty and so many humans were coming to the shop so they must think it looked good too! If he learned to cook would the humans like him more, when they were able to see him? Would that help him-

"Are you a digimon?"

Riley turned, cloak flaring behind him with the speed as he turned to come face to muzzle with a purple furred dragon. Riley knew this one was a dragon because they had wings and a tail and claws and a gem! Everyone knew dragons liked gems!

But oh, they had asked a question and they sounded curious and lost like Riley had been at first so Riley nodded his head, and then flung his arms wide with fingers outstretched and sword safely stowed at his belt. Welcome to the world! he wanted to say. Welcome to the city of lights and life and people.

[Fila]

Ah, so she was right! Fila's smile widened, and her eyes even twinkled. Another Digimon, just like her! Oh my goodness, it had been awhile!

"So you are one!" She leaned in, eager to take a whiff of scent, before remembering that some Digimon might not like that, which was fair enough so she stepped back, still beaming. Her tail couldn't stop wagging in excitement though because look, friend! "I'm so glad to have met you, are you staying here?"

Fila gave a quick glance to the human hologram holding the food, the food itself keep flickering and changing form to promote the multiple items in the shop's menu. Well, it has a cape, and....she looked at the Digimon in front of her. He has a cape too! Sounds about right, he looked like he fits right in!

"I'm new here, you can call me Fila," Fila explained. That was always a quick-fire way to get any locals telling her the best spots or try to swindle her. Whichever it as she would figure it out later. "And that looks tasty. Do you know how to make it? Are these your friends?" She tilted her head. "What about you, what's your name?"

Notes
A little short here but let's goooooo! Ah this is already so adorable! Also, a very Happy New Year! <3

[photog and protag]

Yes, he was staying here! Riley nodded enthusiastically to her question then paused as his head tilted with thought. Had she meant here-here, like right-this-spot-here or in this city in general? Oh well, hopefully she got his meaning.

A name! Fila. It was such a pretty name and he smiled at it, his hands coming up to press against his chest like he was storing the name there. Or wait, maybe if he pressed it against his head that'd help him remember better? But when people talked about really meaning things they seemed to refer to the heart so he would stick with that! Plus the hero guy said he would follow his heart and look how popular he was!

Oh! Questions for him, questions he needed to answer! He had to shake his head to the first two questions, then realized abruptly he had no way to answer the last. He flailed his arms for a moment then spun on his heel and darted over to an electronic mini-billboard set to the side of the line. At first it showed pricing information but then Riley stuck one of the cords under his back into it with his face scrunched up in concentration. All at once the characters on the board began to shift and change rapidly from numbers to characters and back again. This continued for a bit while Riley shifted the cable around and then with a short breath that was almost an 'aha!' the board abruptly went blank. Words began to form on it in a much more orderly fashion this time.

'My name is Riley! The food looks real good, are you hungry? I can show you places to eat if you want!'



Predictably the odd behavior of the menu drew attention from people walking on the street, although not much of it. Most of the foot traffic on the sidewalk seemed content to sigh, shake their heads, and keep walking so far.

[Fila]

It was his territory! Fila's eyes brightened up happily at the other Digimon's nods. And he looked so sweet too, holding his hand against his heart like that. She was already feeling quite optimistic about this encounter.

Makes sense for the first two; yeah Fila wasn't too sure how being friends with these holograms would work. They really don't quite seem alive but she was still discovering them, so she was willing to throw that out for a guess. But most importantly—Fila blinked—was what Riley did to introduce himself. Her eyes widened. Oh, he couldn't speak?

The solution came to her easy enough though, she would just have to ask questions that would be easy to answer right? And he was already proving to be beyond nice, asking if she wanted to eat because yes, she was real hungry. Her stomach was protesting now that the possibility of actually getting food have opened up to her. "Riley, that's a cool name. Yes, please! I haven't actually eaten anything since I woke up here."

She tilted her head to the side, noting the humans walking by. They didn't look too perturbed by the sign changing. Huh, was that normal? "Humans are so fascinating," Fila noted. "Everything is so strange. Well, to me at least, haven't been here for long." She smiled at him. "I'm sure you've seen more than me. How long have you been here?" And remembering that that was a rather open-ended question, Fila tacked in, "A week? Longer? Months? Or has it been too long to count?"

She stepped around him, bumping her head against his affectionately. "I'll follow your lead for now, it's so nice to see a friendly face."

[photog and protag]

It had worked! Riley didn't pump his fist into the air but it was pretty clear that he was pleased with himself, and his chest puffed up even more when Fila complimented his name. He was pretty proud of it! He had picked it out himself and this was the first time he'd gotten to tell it to someone and they liked it!

Success!

His face swiftly changed to a shocked expression when Fila mentioned she hadn't eaten anything since she had woken up here and then to one of concern. That was a long time to go without food! Or maybe it wasn't? He didn't know when she had woken up after all. With a little huff of effort the sign changed again, the characters flickered to a simple question and statement.

'When did you wake up? I'll get you food!'

After the change was made Riley's own stomach grumbled noisily and he sweatdropped. It was pretty close to the time when he normally ate and interacting with electronics like this drained his energy so fast. It wasn't fair! He had seen others do it for a much longer time wiht no problem! Maybe that was because they were champions? He tugged his plug out of the machine and turned back to Fila in time to get a friendly headbutt. He smiled widely his eyes going wide and shiny before he ducked his head and bounced forward to return the gestured.

He bounced away just as quickly to stand further down the sidewalk and gestured for Fila to follow. As they walked he would try to answer her previous question by marking out three lengths of increasing size, repeating the middle size then holding up three fingers. It was rougher than the sign had been but it wasn't like he could just pull it off the wall! He knew from experience those sorts of devices wouldnt' work after that.


Behind them one of the customers of the shop took notice of the sign and turned to the others at a table with a fox-like grin. "So, which part of the game was this in? You've both finished it already right?"

The other two would immediately begin listing times and places in the game where it could be, squabbling over some of the suggestions put forth by the other.

[Fila]

"Not too long, didn't really count the days but I'm about sure the sun hadn't risen for more than 3 or 4 times," she cheerfully replied. Not exactly reliable, since day and night can be wonky even in the Digital World and not to mention, everything was so bright around here! Sometimes she was hard pressed to realize it was night when everything was as bright as daylight, it was quite an experience.

Noticing Riley's shock though, Fila let out a laugh. "Don't worry about me, I've gone hungry a few times before." It was as such the life of a wanderer as herself. A bit of scavenging, a bit of hunting here and there, no biggie. What was big though was the fact that Riley sounded hungry too! Well, a meal was best shared with a companion, so Fila followed eagerly.

Three?

"Three days," Fila guessed out loud. Didn't seem right though, not when Riley seemed so familiar with this place. Three measurements of time, the middle one. A nearby sudden burst of noise distracted her for a bit, snapping her out of her thoughts. Huh, those humans were strange, she wondered why they suddenly started arguing so passionately. "Three weeks?" Three weeks sounds about right. Maybe. Possibly.

[photog and protag]

Riley nodded emphantically at the guess of three weeks, a wide grin on his face. Maybe, maybe it wouldn't be so bad without the sign or without his own voice. He was so glad Lila was willing to try to understand him, it certainly made things easier! Although that she was use to going hungry was pretty sad.

But he could help fix that!

He led the way around the side of the building, waving at Fila to follow behind him as he turned down the alleyway. After some walking the two emerged on another side street off the Plaza itself. Riley lead Fila to the start of a crosswalk and point up at the red LED 'don't walk' sign, then at an adult holding hands with an excited child and then the Ropuremon would hold out his hand to the purple dragon. It could be scary crossing the street, and Fila was new here. So he would make sure Fila knew everything she needed to know, just like how he had been taught!

The human world could be scary, and friendly faces could be far apart, so digimon should help each other where they could!

When the LEDs flashed green with a cheery beep Riley lead the way across the street, a mere foot or so behind the parent and child. Everything was a little less polished than the Plaza proper but that was why buildings like the one Riley was following the parent and child toward. He would lag behind the humans to gesture to a round topped building that was brighter and more colorful than many of the buildings around them, the animated sign proclaiming 'Lumen City Fun and Arcade Fun Complex'. Simplistic, non-interactive holograms on a ledge above the door showed bowling balls, stylized kids smiling, and various food items. All of it changed except for a small sunflower in the bottom right corner.

Riley turned to Fila with an excited grin as he gestured between the two of them then to the automatic doors that were opening for the parent and child. He was eager but nervous, it was a pretty flashy place with all the lights and holograms and bright colors on the outside and the inside was only a bit better! What if it was too much for Fila? He had a couple of back up plans but...

[Fila]

She actually got it right! Three weeks, wow! Riley does have a heck more experience than Fila that was for sure.

It really showed in the way he navigated around these turns and corners; Fila had to concentrate to keep up and not get distracted by the various sights. There was a shop with flickering lights, the words flashing in various rainbow colors that kinda quite hurt her eyes, and there are other shops selling...actually Fila doesn't know what they are selling, and she had to catch up with Riley so she couldn't quite stay to figure it out. All in all it was a lot, and it was another kind of wonder when it opened up to a street.

"Oh, we have to have a lead," Fila looked at the sign Riley pointed to with wide eyes. 'What a strange system' was her first thought, but it was quickly erased when a car zoomed by. Suddenly it made more sense, of course you would need a lead to cross such a treacherous path. She slid her paw on Riley's hand, eyes still wide, squeezing it gently. That was shocking.

"Thank you, that was scary! This is where we're getting food?" 'Lumen City Fun and Arcade Complex'. Interesting! Fila eyes the signboard that seemed innocent enough. If Riley recommended it, she doesn't quite see why not. The building was very, very big though, far bigger than the shop she just met Riley at. Did the whole building have food in it?

"Is it all food in there?" She asked out loud, blinking. "That's...a lot of food isn't it?" How were they going to finish it? She turned to him. Riley was smiling, so that made her feel safe. "Do you eat here a lot? You are really familiar with this place, and all the roads back then too, that's cool!" She turned to look at the automatic doors again when it slid open for another few humans. That was so convenient and amazing. "Let's go for it! I'm curious to see what you usually eat!"

[photog and protag]

Compared to the previous question Riley answer he hadn't managed to convey the crosswalk and the walk light but that was okay! Having a lead was an option, and chances were good that if Fila followed a human across it wouldn't be a bad time for her to cross either! It also made him feel better that he wasn't the only one that found the cars scary. Honestly, holding hands had been for his benefit just as much as hers.

He smiled at her question and nodded, pointing at the holographic display above them then giving another thumbs up. It was a great place to get food as long as one stuck to stealing food left forgotten when the kids were off playing the games and the parents were distracted by watching them. And the various VR-based games and challenges meant one could even feed off their emotional responses too! Well, in theory anyways. Riley usually just jumped into the sword-fighting ones when it looked like the player was getting overwhelmed. It made him feel good when they thanked him, but it hadn't triggered any materialization yet.

Now if he acted like the 'mons that liked to scare the kids that sometimes hung out here... well, that just wasn't an option for Riley!

He wiggled his free hand when Fila asked if everything was food because, kinda? But also no, mostly games and some food on tables and people! He could give a much more straight forward her question about eating here a lot, that was an easy yes! When certain other digimon around. Oh no, how was he going to explain this to her?

He nodded at her urging and suit action to words to follow closely behind the humans.

Inside was a lobby with a counter with a cashier, a holographic map of the building, and a staircase. There was a map of the building, flashing lights, and a holographic parrot that greeted the kids while their parents played. Behind a beaded curtain seperating this section of the building from the rest was the sound of excited children shrieking in joy, adults occasionally yelling in admonishment or encouragement, and a strong smell of pizza in that direction.

There was also the feeling of other digimon in the area and Riley hunched his shoulders at it.