-and I say we should go! Come on, now, we have to formally celebrate somehow. You've been so happy with the way things are going and yet you haven't done anything about it!

Well, what do you expect us to do? We have enough money to get by, so you can't expect me to condone frivolity.

Which is why I'm saying we could always drop into the prom~

Yes, we've been hearing about that for the past few days. But what's a prom supposed to be?

Hee, preoccupied as ever~ It's a dance, dear.

...

Hmm?

A dance. Like a ball.

You're telling me to go to a dance.

Mm-hm~

...Don't be ridiculous, Candmon.

What's so ridiculous, now...?

It's... it's a dance. For starters... I don't have anyone to go with.

It'll be happening at the Hyperion~ Which is where we've been staying since the day we met. It's not like anyone can throw us out if we happen to be there.

Candmon... I like my space. A fact you know. A dance is a social gathering. Who do you expect me to want to mingle with?

You never know who'll be there~ Perhaps you could introduce yourself more properly to fellow D.A.T.S. members? It pays to know the people you're working with~

You just listen...

Let us both have some fun~

...

*sigh* I'll think about it. It's not as if we have anything else to do that night.

I suppose that'll do...

...Hold on.

*shuffling noise*

...Drat, how does this thing keep getting switched on...?

I'm not about to stop you nor am I about to tease you, you know that by now. Too badly, anyway~

I'm not a singer, Candmon, nor have I ever attempted to be. I'm a pianist.

My silly dear, it's a fairly widespread virus. It has happened in the past, now -

How would you know how "widespread" it is?

You're the only one in this relationship who hasn't touched the D-Comm, you realize~ It isn't a bad thing to know what other Tamers are doing...

There is absolutely no reason to bring this up, Candmon. None at all.

So it's something you've never even told me about, after spending two whole seasons together?

It's not something I haven't referenced in the past. You should know by now, I dislike you when you do this. Intensely, in fact.

Autor, I mean it - I will hear.

...

Before you hurt yourself~ Only I'm listening, anyway.

...*sigh* Have it your way.

For once in months, too~!


Replaceable - The Killers

*pause*

Ah ha ha...

There's nothing remotely funny about it.

Certainly not! To be plain and simple, I never would have thought!

Are you insinuating something? It wasn't exactly like that, anyway.

I've never even heard that song before in my life.

...This is Autor of the D.A.T.S. Investigation Branch reporting in to my new comrades and to... Well, honestly, to anyone out there who it may concern.

To the former group, I thank you, and I look forward to working alongside you.

To the latter... As you can see, I was accepted. And for the time being, I hope to use my abilities the best I can to aid this world and those in it in what way I can for now.

Estampes: Jardins sous la pluie - Jean-Yves Thibaudet

...

Well, Candmon? Happy now, or were you still expecting something else?

Autor... You. Are. Unbelievable. In a good way.

I was from the Academy's music division. I've been playing piano ever since I started school and you could say I had a bit of a knack for it. It's been a while since I last played, but it looks like I haven't lost my touch...

...Do that more often. Forget forcing you to sing - I'm still going to want you to treat me to a bit of music now and then~

Quite understandably.

Oh, and... I turned the D-Comm on again. Hope ya don't mind~

I knew you would.

You seem happier than usual, you know.

Again, I knew you would whether or not I told you to as soon as I started playing. Why bother talking you out of it or complaining? Besides, why should an artist hide his work?

You still seem happier than usuallll~

Autor... Are you listening?

...

Can you even hear me? Is that book there making some kind of horrible racket at a frequency only humans can hear?

...

You might notice something... Do you mind that the D-Comm is on for posterity?

...

Didn't think so~

Autor...

*gasp and a slamming noise*

Oh - Candmon. Who else.

Particularly distracted lately, are we?

Candmon... We've signed up for DATS.

We sure have.

Well, why wouldn't it be on my mind? We have to prepare in the event that we're actually accepted. We won't know what they'll have in store for us until we recieve an assignment, and who knows when that'll happen -

This is the most outright enthusiastic to actually do something you've been since your arrival...

I think I like it~

I have reason to. Candmon... I want to make a difference. Consider it out of pride, desire for power or higher knowledge, a want for appreciation, whatever you will, but the point is that... well, I've always wanted to matter. Back home... I'm from a very prestigious bloodline. It's a fact that was kept hidden from me all my life, and I'd invested and invested in it ever since I uncovered it for myself, hoping to inherit a certain birthright power that could bring me everything I wanted - and that could be used easily for the greater good, before you get the wrong idea.

But then it just had to turn out that my cousin F-

Ohh, let's get this over with and talk about that in privacy, shall we, 'cause I'm certainly interested~

What do you -

Seeing as you've finally pushed to make us known in this world, there's nothing stopping us now from going even further~! As for how long it's taken you... Do you know what date it is?

...It's...

It's the last day of April, isn't it?

Ohh, god, I've been here for over a month...

And we shall share many more together from here on out with certainty~! One month has brought us into DATS and we shall only continue to rise!

I'm sure the entire Digital World congratulates us~

That's -

That was on the entire time?!

What does it look like?

Candmon, you - you should've warned me! All that I said...

I did warn you! Or did you not hear me over your sustained silent reading?

Candmon!

Haa~!

*click off*

One more time. Flip through them, please - none of the pages are sticking, are they?

*sound of rapidly flipping pages with the occasional "thump" of a book cover*

Ah, no no no, nothing to fear. We did a rather decent job - oh, dear.

*sigh* What now, Candmon...?

The pages in this one - these two pages, they're stuck.

Wh-what?! Which one?

The Demon Kings book. The better one.

*another sigh* Of course...

*RIP*

NO! What did you just do?!

I seperated the pages! Good as new!

You just - I hear a - you can't -

My dear Autor, trust me, I lived and worked at a library and I think a completely non-noticeable patch ripped off the corner of a page will bug whoever touches this book next far less than two pages being stuck together and not accessable at all.

...You just don't damage a book - a library book...

AUTOR.

...Fine. Your point is taken.

Goo-oo-ood~

And come on, now, with the crinkliness of the pages and that little wave to the edges, it'll be obvious anyway that these books have been through something. In fact, their return date should even hint that it was the fault of the Soulmon.

We've had to spend days we could've spend studying on drying them. Maybe we'll have to renew them...

They would've dried even faster if you'd done as I suggested - sticking them near my head and flipping the pages!

Candmon.

What?

Your. Head. Is. A. Flame. I'd rather have to return wet books than their ashes!

Tch...

Can't we go somewhere besides the library today? We got that job at the bookstore and we have to spend every bit of our free time around books as well?

I was delighted when I saw the library on the city map. Hearing you talk, you'd think you hated libraries.

I spent my whole life in one until I met you. I don't know - perhaps it's a desire for a change of scene? A desire to try new things?

Well, you admitted this is your first time in the Neon City.

Hey, Autor...

*hastily* So it's a custom to harrass people on the first of April in other worlds, this one included?

Not harrass them per se... But mess with them... Yeah.

...It's official. I hate April Fool's Day. So much.

We can always start dreaming up our revenge upon the world for next year...

 Mr. Lorne, are you seeing this?

Candmon and I have arrived at the inn, so I suppose we should discuss a room?

...And payment, for that matter. My partner and I are kind of short on funding...

Greetings, Digital World! My name is Candmon! And this is my tamer... *stage-whispered* Come on over here, now, you'll like this setting. Nothing complicated, just talk.

But Candmon...

Introduce yourself. Talk.

I-

*hissing* TALK.

A-all right! *a flustered sigh* I am Autor, Candmon's... erm, tamer... I'm from Goldcrown Town and I must say I'm... I'm fascinated. I've never heard of a world like this before. I met my, er, Digimon.

Correct.

And he told me some... kind of unsettling things.

Well, it's true, my dear - we are one, belonging together! That's why you ended up in the library!

And I'm still a little shaken up. But I'm... coming to terms with it. And I'm interested in it. Such a strange world. From what it sounds like, this place can serve as a crossroad of dimensions. There must be so much to learn here...

*giggles* There is, there is!

So much to do and find... Maybe I can even... find a place here?

Heh heh, your place is with me! You'll see, the things we'll both do...

But first, I'm going to have to get my bearings, won't I? Come on, Candmon... Maybe you can show me around, or start to explain all of this a little better.

Ohh, of course. I'm gonna have to get you used to your D-Comm, first of all, since as a tamer, you'll find yourself needing that a lot - you don't even know how to work a D-Comm? I'll tell you everything, everything I know about this world, which is a lot, trust me, but I'd love to know what kind of world you come from. Maybe we can exchange knowledge, Autor...?

So... Goodbye for now.

*click off*