themainframe | [3rd Transformation // Anon Text // Optional Action with Bumblebee]

[When Bumblebee first emerges from the damaged apartment of 010 in his robot form, 16 feet of towering metal and living machine, Vanguard is filled with immeasurable awe an wonder.

In an hour, when he finds himself sitting in the car form of his partner, playing session after session of video game inside his cabin, that wonder becomes joy. In three hours, when Vanguard goes to tell off some insolent digimon on Bee's behalf but Bumblebee speaks up on his own first, gently resolving the situation with his own voicebox. All he feels is confusion. Six hours later, when Vanguard has to step outside and get his feet on steady ground after one of Bumblebee's races, it's irritation. The final straw happens when Vanguard finds himself held in the giant, protective metal hand of his robot partner, narrowly injured from a reckless Chosen. Saved. Protected. Lovingly guarded.

Then... it's just anger and resentment.

He leaves Bumblebee to talk with companions just beyond the hole in their apartment (hastily covered by the staff with a sheet of plastic). Bee doesn't need Vanguard to help translate his feelings to the friends he encounters outside. He laughs, and dances and transforms just fine on his own.

So the digimon retreats to their room just a few paces away. It takes ten minutes for it all to boil over. In the back of his mind, he knows he's going to calm down and regret this later but... he's not thinking about that at the time. He angrily jabs an anonymous message into the D-terminal.]

+ [Anonymous Text] +

All you Chosen. You think you're so impressive.

You could hardly take care of yourselves when you got here. You couldn't figure out how to eat, sleep or walk. Some of you couldn't even speak. We chased off digimon three times our size to keep you alive. We kept you safe on the journey down to HospiTown.

We did everything we were supposed to. We're your digimon. We were made to meet you and fix this world together.

So much for partners.

You can take your real forms and just

Just go home. We didn't need you either.

[The moment he presses send, he experiences a moment of hesitation. Of something beyond anger. Regret? He crosses his arms and tries not to think about it.]

[ooc: Vanguard (Coronamon) will respond to text anonymously while Bumblebee will react to action outside the hospital.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So it's always rosy for you and your Chosen. Isn't that peachy.

[The sarcasm hides a bit of disappointment, mostly because he'd hoped someone had already solved the problem he was going through. The last question, however, gives him pause. He could easily say 'Yes. That's why I help my partner.' But it's a little sappy for his taste, so instead, he'll give a long winded spiel about how inconvenient but necessary it is.]

Well, if I don't keep an eye out for him, no one will. Without me, he'd starve to death because he forgot to eat, or get eaten by a Tyrannomon because he was reckless enough to go on some dumb adventure on his own.

[Happy. Comfortable. Safe.]

Or it used to be that way, anyway.

So far, anyway. But we've only been together a few weeks, so as I said, there hasn't really been time for much to happen. I'm not naive enough to think we'll always agree on everything, though, so perhaps it's only a matter of time until I have to deal with a similar conflict.

[Aburn was genuinely curious as to other Digimon's opinions on their Chosen, so the opinion of this one was interesting. Especially the wording; an agreement with what he said, but in a roundabout way.]

I see. And you're upset just because he can take care of himself since he's back in his original body? Or has he actively done something to reject or disregard you?

[If the latter was the case, then the other Digimon's anger might well be warranted. But if it wasn't...]

[He wavers between making something up and being truthful. In the end, he narrowly chooses the latter.]

Well no. He hasn't been a jerk or anything...

And it's not that I don't want him to be how he really is.

Everything is just WEIRD now.

Then, if you don't mind my asking, what do you want?

It's not as if any of the Chosen altered by this glitch had any choice in the matter, after all, so getting angry with them is somewhat pointless. I don't think anyone can really know how long this will last, but I don't think we should begrudge them enjoying their natural forms, any more than they would hold it against us for enjoying being in a more powerful digivolved form.

I understand how it could be strange, though, and I'd still recommend explaining your concerns to your Chosen. Chosen are many things, but mind-readers isn't one of them, and he won't know what's bothering you unless you tell him. If he knows it's bothering you, maybe together you could come up with a way of making things less weird for the duration?

Though... I wouldn't put it *quite* like you did in your original text.

[A sigh as he rubs his face]

Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice. Half the digital world jumped on me about that text. Believe me, I know I could've put a few things better.

But okay. Even if I did say anything, I wouldn't know where to start. Let alone what I even want the big lug to do.

[But he'll ponder the question, anyway.]

I want him to think I'm important or useful. To feel like I'm depended on. Or I dunno.

[He stops typing when he can't figure out the right word. Wanted? No. Closer, but not quite there...]

[There's a brief pause before the reply comes in, as Aburn thinks over what he wants to say.

You want to feel needed. Like you have a purpose. Like... you still belong with him, even if things aren't like they were.

[The long pause will mean that Aburn's shot has hit it's mark. And to greater effect than he realizes. Vanguard's tired of arguing. And maybe he's starting to really take in what Aburn is saying.]

Then, how do you do it?

How do you take care of your Chosen the right way?

[There's a longer pause this time. Aburn's reply clearly required some thought.]

I don't know that there is just one right way to do it. All Chosen and all Digimon are different, after all.

But as for me and mine, it's less me and her other Digimon taking care of her, and more us all taking care of each other. When we train, we train to fight together as a team. She's not just there to help us Digivolve, and we're not just there to protect her. We're partners. We all help and protect each other whenever we need it because that's what partners do.

And that's a true in everyday life as it is in a fight. You seem like you're used to helping your Chosen with things he can't do; let him do it for you for awhile. Maybe this will last and maybe it won't: I don't know. But I know that once the two of you find the right balance of give and take, you'll both be stronger for it.

[3rd Transformation // Anon Text // Optional Action with Bumblebee]

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