[IC] Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

[Mogtaki]

Viral wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be thinking about, it wasn’t as if it was all bugging him at this moment and even then it would be hard to think about something else when there was a primary memory running through his mind. Most of it went over in his mind when he wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, sometimes it would spring up pretty badly when he was fighting and he was completely blinded by them on the frozen planet. Sliding down the tree a little, he let out an aching sigh when reality of his defeat had been made reality when it was obvious that he was to blame for harbouring so many terrible memories. He really wanted to get over his problems as soon as possible, they had plagued him for the longest time and now everyone was just overly concerned that they were getting to him to the point that they were all going to lose because of him. Barely giving Kabocha a glance as he wandered off, he gave a side glance to Yumi before looking away again, “You know it’s a lot harder than it sounds, right?”

Viral stared at her, his eyes going to her hand before he let out a sigh, sitting down beside her with a solemn expression. He was willing to listen to her, but he didn’t know how it was supposed to help when the memories often came back in full force while he was still aching a bit from the day before. He could remember back to those days, it was hard to remember specific years but memories like that weren’t too far gone. Looking to her, he nodded a little before he slowly looked away, just reminiscing that particular day. He just did what he thought might be fun for them and they did enjoy it, “It was you who wanted me to join in. My mind was still young”, he spoke, giving his head a shake, “I don’t think I could think of such a thing during battle, though. Neither of you would ever want to do that now too, even if it is a pleasant memory. It would probably become warped during my sleep into something hideous like everything else, so that wouldn’t be a particularly good thing. I doubt it’s going to be that easy to forget”.

Shu bounced a little, feeling pretty happy and teasing Takeshi over his losing; he didn’t want to be tickled for losing, anyway. Opening up the door and pushing it a little so it’d stay open for Takeshi, he walked on into the kitchen happily but got a little fright when he saw everyone sitting down at the table besides Yumi and Viral. He figured Viral wasn’t joining them for this, but he didn’t know where Yumi was. Scratching his stomach before he climbed on up the chair, he bounced a little on his seat as he looked to Takeshi, nodding happily, “Yeah! Food time, food time!””

Shu was pretty happy right now, barely noticing Kabocha muttering to Kai and Choi about something concerning his brother as his attention was turned to Takeshi. Choi didn’t exactly understand what Kabocha was muttering about, he hadn’t heard what had been said between him and Kai so he was pretty oblivious; however, Kai did give Takeshi a suspicious look before looking away again. Shu stared at the roast with lustful eyes, his mouth watering at the sight of it before he hiccupped, looking to Vegeta before to Takeshi who quickly took a helping. He’d probably wait for Yumi to come back before he ate, he didn’t want to make her upset if absolutely everyone had started eating without her. Looking to Takeshi, he smiled away as he ate, tilting his head slightly, “I wonder if Miss Yumi will be long. Is she with Mister Viral somewhere?”

[GambolMuse]

"Maybe you don't have to think of it when you're fighting? Maybe if you focus on just fighting then your thoughts won't have a chance of getting away from you?" These were well intentioned suggestions, but as stated before Yumi knew she had no experience with PTSD. To her though it made sense, replace the bad thoughts with better ones. If Viral wouldn't be open about them every time he got down then it'd be up to him to stave off the stress that was brought on. Giving the Beastman a look she giggled again, leaning over and dropping her head on his shoulder briefly. "Who said I wouldn't want to go sledding again? I sure didn't. But maybe when you're like this, sitting out here by yourself, try thinking about something else other than what may be wrong with you?" Lifting her head Yumi pulled up her knees, wrapping her arms around them. "We had a lot of fun times growing up, the three of us. And we can again, I know that. Maybe not the same way, but there's ton of fun things we can do together. Maybe look forward to that? Instead of being caught in the past think ahead, to training with us and growing strong again. Because you're healing Viral, and you're getting stronger. Soon enough you'll be back to your old self. Isn't that something worth being cheerful about?"

Vegeta had scarcely finished cutting into the beef before Takeshi helped himself, inciting an annoyed sigh out of him. It didn't take Kabocha much longer to begin serving himself, and soon enough the only one without food on their plates at the table were Vegeta and Shu. Giving the younger boy a curious look he began to help himself, pausing as he overheard a question about Yumi. "They're just busy right now Shu, they'll join us later." he stated plainly, taking a seat in his chair. "If you want to eat then do it now, there'll be some for her when she's done, don't worry." She would possibly even forgo the meal altogether if she felt it would benefit the Beastman in some way. With a name for Viral's hidden enemy now there was real hope they might make a breakthrough, though the lack of anyone having training with it was a bit disconcerting. Regardless it was closer than they had been since it all began, that was a fact that couldn't be overlooked. "So you two..." Vegeta mumbled through a mouthful, swallowing and wiping his mouth clean. "Everything is all set? We can go ahead and be done with this?"

Takeshi had been in the middle of eating himself when Vegeta addressed him and Shu. Glancing up from his food wordlessly he blinked a few times before hastily chewing and swallowing what he had. "Ah... Uh, yeah. Everything's taken care of I think. Turns out it was the general the entire time, who knew?" He still pinned the guy as far too dim to run something of this magnitude, but he'd been wrong before. Resting an elbow on the table Takeshi plopped his head onto his hand, skewering a slice of roast and waving it idly. "We're going to go stop by the prince's place after this and let them know what's going on, then we should be all set to go. Good thing too..." he paused again, popping the roast into his mouth, "All that snooping around was getting way too stressful."

[Mogtaki]

Viral gave her an odd look, finding it a little bit difficult to understand what she was telling him. His entire future relied on his ability to fight, he didn’t have anything else going on in his life and probably never will considering he was made to fight. Scratching his cheek slowly as he kept his eyes off her, he tried to work it all out in his mind how things might end up rolling if he kept a clear mind like usual. It had always been his way of fighting, he never allowed thoughts to invade his mind; however, recently with these invasive thoughts it’s been problematic that they keep popping into his mind randomly with the worst ending with him losing control of his abilities. It was all highly discouraging, he couldn’t let it happen again but it was most likely going to, even with his cells seemingly improving themselves before they got too damaged.

Staring down at her when she leaned her head on his shoulder, he found it a little hard to tell whether she was just saying that because he was suffering with a strange mental problem. She was trying to be encouraging, but he wouldn’t buy it until it actually happened and it likely wouldn’t until everything had finished. All that was managing to do was make him think about the distant future, the future where he would be left alone because everyone would be dead and gone. He was sitting around wasting his time with them because he was afraid of a couple of ghosts in the past, but what if he ended up dying instead and in the fair near future. If he was to fail then that was it for him, he would be gone and there would be nothing but darkness and true despair. If he truly was just a functioning body without a soul, then there would be no afterlife for him either. Slowly reaching up to his head he gave it a slow rub, his cat-like pupils shaking as the thoughts ran through his head, his breathing shallow and quick, “…Forward…? No…the future, it’s not something to look forward to…”

Shu just sat quite happily on his chair as everyone but him and Vegeta ate, even though he was hungry himself. He didn’t want to be rude and didn’t want to keep Yumi out of it, especially if she was coming pretty soon. Looking down to his plate momentarily before to Vegeta, he tilted his head upon seeing him shift some of the meat onto his own plate, “Huh? Oh…okay!” he nodded, pulling over some for himself and giving it a sniff before picking it up, tearing it apart before eating it in chunks. It was certainly tasty, he didn’t know what had been done to it but it was definitely a lot different than just meat they’d pick up from somewhere and cook it.

Enjoying it pretty well, Shu looked between Takeshi and Vegeta as they spoke together, giving them a smile as they each took a turn to talk. Takeshi knew what he was talking about but Vegeta seemed ready to get going off the planet as soon as possible which seemed a little sad. They didn’t even know where they were going yet, nevermind leaving immediately. Looking down to his plate, he let out a sigh, giving his fingers a quick lick before looking back up again, “We still need to ask my friend about contacting Mister Goku! And we got to show Mister Katas the ship; they all really want to go into space too soon”, he nodded, picking up a chunk of meat, “I like it here. How do you travel around space really fast like Mister Goku? I wouldn’t mind coming back here someday again…I-I mean, if it was even possible…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi looked to Viral sadly, a pained expression playing out on her features as he spoke. It was hard even to get him to think of happy thoughts, she knew they were there. He looked to be getting panicked, the exact opposite of what she'd hope to come of this conversation. Feeling partly responsible she lowered her gaze for a moment, twisting her fingers together before sighing sadly. "But... You can only get better? You're already improving, we all see it. And... You'll get back to yourself soon enough, you have to..." There was posed a serious question though... What if he didn't improve? Something terrible could come of this if he continued to deteriorate, and soon he may be beyond their help entirely. Feeling herself now becoming a little panicked Yumi leaned over against Viral, wrapping her arms around him and hiding her face in his shoulder. "The future can always be better... It will be. We'll help you Viral, I promise. We're going to do everything we can to get you better." she mumbled, lifting her head and smiling meekly. "And don't think of yourself as a burden, because you're not holding us back or anything. We're doing this because we want to and can, not because it's an obligation. So please don't feel guilty."

"Wait... We're showing off our ship now?" Vegeta asked, feeling a little possessive. Technology was his thing, and that ship still had mysteries for him to learn. Someone else taking peeks and prodding at it didn't sit well with him, not in the slightest. If the boys had made the promise though, and they wanted to stay in good graces he'd have to bite back his complaints. "If they want to go into space then they'll have to wait. We've barely got room for everyone now as it is, especially if everyone else comes with us too," he pointed out, refering to the squad and their families. The latter part of Shu's question had Vegeta stumped, embarrasingly enough. He had never looked into it personally and only vaguely knew of some of Goku's abilities. Pulling his brow together he tried to come up with an answer, surprised to hear Takeshi speak up instead.

"Instant transmission Shu. He can move from place to place really fast by basically teleporting everywhere." Takeshi explained, smiling proudly.

"How the heck do you know that and he doesn't?" Kabocha asked, gesturing to Vegeta. "I mean... No offense, but he seems like the smart one here. Where's a guy like you figure something like that out?"

Takeshi's smile wavered at Kabocha's question, turning his head to address the other Saiyan. "I'm going to pretend that didn't sound like an insult. And I know because I read about it," he stated, narrowing his eyes at a surprised look. "Yes, I DO read Kabocha, just not that often. Seriously... It's like you think I'm a moron or something..." Sighing softly he placed a chunk of seared fruit in his mouth, letting it sit and melt for a second before beginning to chew it up. He knew a fair bit thanks to Gohan's writing, it was just never brought up. "We might even be able to learn it Shu, if it's not too difficult. Then you could visit here whenever you wanted."

[Mogtaki]

Viral couldn’t take it, everything was just collapsing on him and it was becoming unbearable. Knowing that there was nothing he could do about it was the worst part, he had been trying to tell Vegeta to do something about it with his expertise but it was obvious that he just couldn’t do it when it wasn’t a defect in his genealogy. He just wanted to be left alone right now, he couldn’t understand just why absolutely nothing was going his way. Slowly shaking his head at her words, he kept his eyes off her as he let out a sigh, “I don’t understand how you can be so optimistic…” He wanted to see his recovery as a possibility, but with everything that was happening he was possibly going to get worse before he could recover. He would probably end up going into battle and getting destroyed because of some flashback, knowing his luck.

Viral wasn’t beyond thinking this was his lowest point and that there was no way to pull him up from this, especially if his brain was beyond repair. Vegeta already said he couldn’t repair his mind and wouldn’t wipe it, he would have to either try and get over it or just accept that he was damaged. Feeling lost and somewhat distraught, he gasped slightly when Yumi held him in a hug, his gaze going down to her before he let out a sigh. Looking off again, he held a heavy frown on his face, “We’ll have to wait until we enter battle before that judgement is made”, he muttered, “You can’t tell now…and it was my fault everyone had to leave the rebels. They all see me as a monster, so there is definitely fault to be made on my part for losing my mind. I’d wish you wouldn’t sugarcoat things when it’s the truth”.

Shu gave a little nod, wondering what the big deal was about showing the ship to someone. He thought it would be pretty nice to let him see it, seeing as how things had progressed pretty well thanks to Katas, “They want to make their own spaceships! Not want to take ours; that’d be silly, you’re silly”, he smiled, taking some of the fruit for himself, “I wonder if Humans would ever want to go out into space like this…but why don’t they…?” Feeling concerned over what Humans actually thought, he shifted his attention to Takeshi as he explained what it was that Goku could do. Tilting his head slightly, he looked to Kabocha when he spoke up before Takeshi gave his rebuttal. Smiling, he picked up some fruit off his plate, “I don’t know how to read!” he spoke as if it was something to be proud about, looking back to Takeshi, “Is it really…? I’d like to learn! I would! I like learning about new things…like Kamehameha! Where do you learn how to do that Mister Goku thing…?”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi let out a sad little sigh, reluctantly releasing Viral as he seemed to be in discomfort being held. "They were afraid of you, sure, but you're acting like it's a bad thing we left the rebels," she answered, smiling slightly. "Anyone that is willing to do something that bad to their own person isn't worth following. All you did was make us realize that sooner. And besides, it didn't look like Sayomi hated you, and some of the other rebels still didn't seem to. They weren't all there during the trial, so you still have some people who favor you." It was a little surprising that Viral was even bothered by what the rebels saw him as. She didn't know them all too well, but it was rare that he took to anyone else's opinions of himself. "And I'm not sugarcoating it... Am I...?" Yumi looked to Viral uncertainly, biting her lip. "I'm being positive because... Well... I feel like it's easier than being miserable." Shifting uneasily in her spot she folded her hands together, twisting her fingers nervously. "I wasn't there that long... So I really don't have any room to talk... But it was still rough. And it does bother me what happened, and it makes me uneasy. I figure that I'm alive though, and I've got people around me... So it's not so bad."

"Says the spastic little chimp..." Kabocha mused, gritting his teeth as Takeshi reached across and kicked him in the shin. Grumbling beneath his breath the Saiyan looked over at Shu, raising an eyebrow. "These people don't have spaceships? Yet they can build things like those pillars? Isn't that a bit odd?"

"Towers are easier to build than spacecraft," Vegeta pointed out, "Besides, you've seen this world. Curiosity aside there is no reason for them to travel. They have plenty of resources and land and everything they could possibly need. Maybe there's just never been cause for it until now. It seems like they get visitors on occasion," he continued, pausing only to take a bite of his meal. "Which is probably getting them eager to try traveling for themselves."

Takeshi continued to eat merrily as the others talked amongst themselves. His plate was already nearly empty in spite of taking a good bit of food, and sadly he wasn't going to get seconds if Yumi was going to be eating too. With a few bites left he slowed the pace a bit, savouring it all more than he had been. Shifting his gaze over to Shu the older boy set down his fork, smacking his own forehead. "We need to teach you to read..." he mumbled, as if forgetting that he'd wanted to do it before. "And if you're talking about Instant Transmission, I have no idea how to learn it. Gohan wrote it's about focusing on energy and... Well really the rest of it I didn't understand." Too complex for him, at least the words that Gohan had used. There was a tiny bit here and there, but it didn't seem like much. "Something about just feeling someone's Ki and... Figuring out where they are from there. That was supposed to do it, I don't get how though."

[Mogtaki]

Viral didn’t know what else he could say to her that didn’t just make her sad, it wasn’t as if he could just start talking about something random and not be seen as crazy for it. It would be lying if he said he was content just so she’d go inside and eat like she was supposed to, but here she was just putting up with his complaints without actually having any real need to do it. Sighing, he looked away from her, looking fair annoyed when she spoke, “You don’t get it. I lost my mind so easily, I even lost control of something I’ve always been able to do”, he spoke quickly, sounding a little rushed for an explanation before he let out a sigh, “I always could do it, just not so…drastically. To be called a monster makes me wonder what my true purpose was and why I could do it, whether I’ve always been designed to be a monster. I’ve always been proud over my existence as a warrior, but to be widely known as a monster…I don’t know, it doesn’t sit right at all. It was drilled into my head for over a year now, I’m barely worth being brought back alive”.

Yumi had it easy, she didn’t have to suffer through it that long and they were instructed to keep her alive; however, everything that had been done to him had been keeping him alive out of pure luck. They just wanted his genes and how he was made, they didn’t care about his mind and could had easily made something else out of his parts. It was beyond degrading to not be seen as a warrior, but instead as an item that could be used to create better warriors. With his mind slowly drifting away again, he soon looked back to Yumi in a quick glance, “They knew what they were doing to you and were wanting to keep you alive, that’s why you are”, he spoke, shaking his head, “Not even the Red Ribbon Army wanted me alive”.

Shu felt pretty confused over what Kabocha said about him, probably because he didn’t know what the word ‘spastic’ meant or what a ‘chimp’ was either. He thought it was something fairly trivial, choosing not to take much notice of it. Smiling as he went back to his food, he let Vegeta speak to Kabocha instead as his attention went to Takeshi, stuffing some fruit in his mouth with a smile on his face, “Is reading important? I’ve been able to get on fine without needing to”, he spoke, wiping his face. If he had Takeshi around or Yumi, then he wouldn’t need to know how to read. Tilting his head as Takeshi spoke about the Instant Transmission, he looked back to his plate before bouncing a little on his chair, “We could ask him?? He might be willing to tell us! Maybe…I mean, there must be others out there who know how to do it and it sounds really good and fun! I like learning fun things…”

[GambolMuse]

"So you're a monster because of what other people have said...?" Yumi asked, looking at Viral and frowning disapprovingly. With a shake of her head she sighed, looking down at the dirt as she dragged a finger through the soil idly. "They only saw a little part of you, that's nothing to judge someone off of. People have bad sides to them, that goes for everyone. It just happens that some have seen only your bad side, but I know there's more to you than that." Offering a tentative smile she kept quiet for a moment, trying not to get overly worked up and inadvertantly upset Viral in the process. "Vegeta and I don't think you're a monster, and we've known you all our lives practically. Neither of the boys see you as a monster, and soon enough neither will Kai, Choi or Kabocha. They'll all realize that you're far more than that form you have, and that it doesn't define you. What you're worried about is a very vocal minority, I think... People whose opinions really shouldn't matter."

While nice to get a little insight into Viral's thoughts it was also fairly unsettling. There was a lot going on in his mind, a lot of things that she wasn't thrilled to know. It helped their cause, sure, but some of the things he pondered definitely weren't healthy. "There's just as many people that want you alive, you know... Even more I'm sure. You're only looking at the bad, but if you took just a second to see the rest then you'd be happier..." Yumi rubbed at her forehead and shut her eyes, feeling a spell of minor depression coming on from this talk. It was draining, really to go on like this. If she felt this poorly from such a brief conversation she couldn't even guess at how the Beastman was feeling. "What about Shu? Or Takeshi? Or even someone like Goku or... Heck even me." Yumi looked at Viral carefully, turning her entire body to face him before looking down at her hands in her lap. "They all have the Oozaru... And I'm a Beastman now too... How do we know that I don't have a form like yours?" she asked, looking up at him. "If you're a monster for that then we're all monsters too! And... And that means you're not alone!"

Takeshi couldn't help but grin, enjoying his brother's excitement. His enthusiasm was fun to watch, even if he was fairly uninformed on the matter at hand. Showing that much interest in something though was definitely good, it meant he'd be willing to work towards it. "If we can get a hold of Goku I'm sure he'd be willing to teach us," the older boy remarked. Reaching out he put a hand on Shu's head gently, trying to keep him from bouncing around in his seat too much, giving his hair a good ruffle. "When we go see T'charrl we'll ask about seeing Goku, and then if that works maybe we'll get a lesson. It won't be easy learning it though, so you sure you want to try? I mean we still need to try teach you how to fly, and basic Ki control." Come to think of it there was quite a fair bit that Shu needed to learn before they could really move along, basic things really. Taking his hand back Takeshi snatched up the last bit of his food, munching on it cheerfully as he leaned back in his seat. "Ah... That was good!"

[Mogtaki]

Viral stared at her, feeling almost annoyed when she didn’t fully understand just what exactly he was trying to say. She could annoy him by doing that, it made him feel as if he was stupid for even thinking that. That’s probably all that it was; a bunch of stupid thoughts that were being completely over exaggerated. He felt stupid, looking away slightly from her as he let out a sigh, “Vegeta already called me out when he was angry. It doesn’t matter that ‘he only said that because he was upset’ either”, he spoke, feeling annoyed and showing it in his gaze away from her, “You have to stop hiding the fact that you’re annoyed over what I’m saying too. If you’re angry at me, then just be it. It’s just what it feels like to me”.

While he knew Yumi was trying to help, what she was saying was probably going in the opposite direction to what she wanted it to be. There was definitely not that many people who wanted him alive, especially when every single one of his opponents wanted him dead apart from when they went to collect him and the others. He didn’t have any family, he’d never have any family or know what it’s like to have one so he couldn’t imagine that either. Feeling worse than he did when he retreated into the forest, he let out a groan before giving Yumi a side glance when she spoke again, this time talking about the others. Staring at her as she slowly moved herself around, he kept a still expression as he looked up and down her before it changed slightly at the thought. He had a part in her becoming a Beastman too, but what was worse was she questioned the possibility that she could change into a creature of destruction like he could. It was all his fault; if she did change too then it was even worse that he had been captured in the first place. Pressing his hand against the tree, he slowly tried to push himself back up to his feet, his expression looking fairly distressed, “Don’t say that…” he muttered, shaking his head, “What they do is natural…but-…you should go and eat your food before it gets cold…”

Shu did wonder if it was something that he could be taught, the very thought of instantly teleporting around just pleased him beyond anything he could imagine. He would be able to go anywhere he knew about, he just needed to know the trick to doing such a thing. Feeling overly excited with food still on his plate, he stopped bouncing when Takeshi placed a hand on his head, his eyes looking up at him as he smiled happily, “Yeah! I hope it’s okay if we ask”, he spoke, giving a little nod, “I’ll learn those things too easily…maybe easily. I learned before, right? I just need to learn a little bit more…right?” It was certainly a lot to think about, but he’d definitely give it all a chance and see how things go. Eating the rest of his food, he licked at his fingers once he was all done, feeling fairly satisfied, “Yum yum! It was good…so yummy…”

[GambolMuse]

"No... Viral... I'm not annoyed with you, or angry," Yumi pouted, "I'm upset, yes. But it's because I'm worried about you. I'm not blaming you for anything and how I'm feeling isn't your fault either. I just... I just want you to feel better is all." If he had been like this since being freed then it may be impossible to undo the damage by now. That was a terrifying prospect, one she desperately hoped did not come to fruition. Things just didn't work like that, and maybe it was a little naive of her to think of it that way. They'd all reuinted after a year of separation and hardship though, if that could happen then Viral could certainly be happy again. Looking at him tentatively as he rose she did the same, biting her lip and averting her gaze for a moment. "Natural by whose standards...?" she whispered, not content with simply walking off to eat. Giving Viral a hopeful look she remained as she was, twisting her fingers nervously. "To humans it's unnatural, and there are plenty of other transformations that seem weird to one person, but it's normal to another... My point is that it is natural, to you. It's rare, that's all. Everything about you is natural, it just happens to be different. How can anything about you be unnatural when everything comes from nature? All the animals, the people, all of it makes up you."

Takeshi couldn't see a reason why T'charrl wouldn't contact Goku, if it was possible. Especially if it were to help his friends, that fact alone seemed like all the incentive the lonely prince might need to carry through with the request. Taking a pause to settle Shu down the Saiyan smiled amused, relaxing in his own seat now that he was finished. "You used to know all of it," Takeshi confirmed, giving a nod of his head. "And you'll learn it all again no problem. Know why? Because you're my little brother, and if you get anything from me it's my skill to learn techniques."

"Because he definitely doesn't have your ego."

Takeshi flushed a soft red at the comment, eyes narrowing as he looked over at Kabocha expectantly. Instead his squadmate had a smirk on his face, gesturing over to Vegeta who was looking mighty proud of himself. He'd been called out and what's worse had no real rebuttal besides a soft, "Shut up..." Wrinkling his nose as the others chuckled he focused on Shu, smiling a bit as he stacked their plates together to be cleaned. "It was yummy, yeah. And we can practice all of that as soon as everything is taken care of. I'm guessing we probably won't be leaving here today."

"Depends on the fallout of what you've done," Vegeta said, standing up from his seat. Grabbing all of the empty plates he carried them to the sink, setting them along the rim and turning on the water to begin washing them off. "Even given that everything you two did goes smoothly there'll be a lot of activity in the city, and elsewhere on the planet for that matter. If it gets too bad and we can't even relax then we're just as well to leave before things get bothersome." Gods only know what may happen when this war came to an end. It seemed strange to even call it a war, now that he thought it over. Since their arrival there'd been no conflict, at least none they'd seen. Strange that these people could be on the precipice and yet there hadn't been a single strike made on either group.

[Mogtaki]

Viral was stressing out too much, he wanted to go elsewhere and just find company by himself, but Yumi was fair persistent. She wasn’t going to go anywhere unless he threatened to kill her, but even then it would be a struggle to get her away from him. He didn’t think anything was going to go his way this time round, he was doing just fine in his own world, “It should hardly be of importance right now. I’m not going to feel better this quickly, so don’t stress yourself over trying to help me”. It was probably about this time that everything was beginning to collapse on him, especially when there was nothing he could possibly do to make himself feel better. He could go off and try and find a random battle, but to do that he’d need a spaceship. That would definitely keep his mind off the bad things, even if it won’t completely solve his problem and simply provide him with a distraction.

Looking back at Yumi, she could only confuse him by what she was saying. She should had known better than that, it was completely odd that she was even talking like that. She knew he was created, she knew the stuff he could do was something no natural creature could do so hearing her call it natural was just strange and crazy. Frowning a little he let out a groan, shaking his head, “Rare? Natural? Nothing about me is natural except for the fact that I eat and sleep and even then those are difficult to accomplish right now”, he spoke, rubbing his forehead, “I didn’t come from nature; I came from science and the belief that anyone could play God. You know fine well that I am not natural. Just because parts of me came from nature doesn’t mean it’s natural for them all to be stuck together in a crude spiral…probably not even a spiral! It wouldn’t be possible for them to be like that…none would match…”

Shu nodded in acceptance, seeing that he was fairly confident and could possibly learn everything as quickly as before, just possibly with a little less pain involved. It wouldn’t be good to try and find a place where they could practice using Ki energy again, it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it on this planet so they would need to go searching. Looking to the twins as he wondered why they weren’t talking as much as the rest, he was distracted from his initial thought pattern when Kabocha made a quick comment that had Takeshi looking awfully embarrassed. Smiling a little, he tilted his head as his attention was taken to Vegeta who promptly began to clean up. It was a curiosity, he didn’t know how the planet would turn out just because the Queen knew who to blame. They didn’t know what was going to happen after the conflict or whether there would be peace in the end. Letting out a sigh, he leaned his head on his hand, “I hope everything will be okay…” he mumbled, staring at the table, “It would be a big thing…a bit change. Scary change. Things have already changed a lot since we’ve been here…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi gave Viral a rather disheartened look, her ears folding down in submission. She knew what he was saying was true, they'd not solve things this quickly. She hoped to plant a few seeds of change though and start him on the right track, but that seemed to be averting her grasp yet again. "I know it won't instantly fix everything... I just wanted to try though..." she mumbled. If this was how they were going to go about his issues then it was a waste of time, as much as she hated to admit it. Something would make him better, there had to be a solution. Whatever it may be though was well out of their grasp, beyond even Vegeta's expertise. The fact they now knew what bothered their friend hadn't made things better at all. When her attempts at reassuring him were shot down Yumi finally rose to her feet, rubbing one of her arms uncomfortably. "So you're different... It's... It doesn't make you bad... You're better than a lot of other people, Saiyans, humans or whatever else... Should it matter so much what you are as it does who you are?" Lowering her gaze she shifted her weight uncomfortably, not liking how this conversation had gone. "There is no one else, past or present that I'd rather have had as my teacher and a second parent. And even now you're still one of my closest friends. It doesn't matter to me what you are, it's only you that's bothered to it..." That was likely not helping at all, nor was her current behavior. It couldn't be helped, she was genuinely distraught and had no means of helping it. "I guess I'll go eat now... I'll save you some food if you want a little." Giving Viral one final look she walked off, heading back into the house.

Takeshi smiled sympathetically as he rose from his seat, hearing out Shu's concerns. "It'll all work out, you don't have to worry so much, I promise." he reassured. Vegeta's explanation on the matter was less than helpful. Though the honesty was welcome it would hardly help Shu's already frazzled nerves. Besides, things had been going fairly well thus far, why should they believe it may be any different? "How about we go ahead and go see the Prince now? I bet they're waiting to hear how things went, and they'll want to be here when the general is taken down I'm sure." Though he wondered if bringing Eslaria to the city was the best course of action. Even with the general gone there were still going to be soldiers loyal to him, soldiers who may attack the Queen on sight. Unless they could ensure her safety, and that of T'charrl for that matter then it was a little risky. The sound of a door's hinges squeaking brought Takeshi's attention towards the back door, surprised to see a rather crestfallen Yumi finally coming in to join them. Smiling uncertainly he watched as she sat at the end, grabbing a plate and some food for herself wordlessly. "Hey Yumi. What's up?"

Yumi's stomach ought to have been growling now that she had a plateful of food before her. However when she looked down at her meal she felt uneasy, only settling to prod at it with her fork. It just didn't seem fair to her, why did Viral have to suffer so much while they were all fine? Given she and Shu both had some skeletons as well, but nothing as debilitating as what Viral had. At being addressed she glanced up at Takeshi, giving him an indifferent glance. "Huh...? Oh... Not much," she replied simply, going back to looking at her food. A good part of her wanted to go back out and try again, even if she was certain it was a moot effort by now. Skewering a slice of meat with her fork she began to nibble on her meal, hoping she'd just be left alone now. If the boys were back, she reasoned, then their mission was over and they could leave this planet. Just as well, she was growing tired of it anyways. Having come here with the hope of helping Viral only to be right as they were was a huge letdown. Maybe what they needed was out on the next world, just waiting for them to find it. If that was the case then it was best they depart as soon as possible. With time still passing Viral could potentially get worse, and she shuddered to think what could happen then.

It didn't take a genius to realize that something was eating at Yumi. Takeshi frowned at her half-hearted reply though decided not to push any more, picking up she was upset. It certainly wasn't amongst his skills to cheer her up, and after exchanging a knowing look with Vegeta he decided it'd be her friend to help. Instead he turned his attention back onto Shu, gesturing towards the back door. "How about we get going? It's about that time." They were needed elsewhere, and what was happening here didn't need their help. Under the assumption his brother was following suit Takeshi made his way over to the back door, pausing there for a moment to wait just in case. It was a fool's errand, he was sure, but he intended to pay Viral a brief visit before leaving as well. If that was where Yumi had been then he must have done something to upset her, intentionally or otherwise. There was a definite urge to chastise the Beastman for upsetting her, but that would only make things worse. At the very least though Takeshi intended to check up on him and see just what was going on with their friend.

[Mogtaki]

Viral stared at Yumi, his mood dropping quickly when she gave him a look that spelled her defeat. He didn’t want her to get upset, it’s why he wanted her to leave him before she ended up losing heart. His eyes looking elsewhere for a moment before back to her, he stared at her without looking ready to make a rebuttal incase he upset her more with his way of thinking; he knew she was sensitive about things, but he didn’t think she was that passionate about the subject. Scratching his cheek slowly with a single claw, he kept his eyes off her as if looking at her would only end up bothering her more. He didn’t see himself as better, she really shouldn’t had said something like that as if it was an attempt to raise his ego.

He was just feeling awkward now, his mind not quite finding its place anymore as he was suddenly conflicted. Looking to her as she began to make her way back, he opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the right words to say as she walked off, leaving him alone just like he wanted all along. Watching her walk on back into the house, he turned away and just stared into the forest, feeling oddly lost despite knowing where everyone was. Staring at his claws, he bore a neutral expression as thoughts just rushed through his mind, clenching them with a shaky hand before he threw his claws at the tree, tearing the bark apart in a sudden and quick fit of rage.

Shu smiled hopefully, feeling that he could trust Takeshi’s word. It was all strange and definitely a curious thing to where the future would take him, but it was also a scary and rather disturbing place. Hoping that the best was yet to come, he let out a sigh and nodded, smiling a little, “Okay. I hope he’s okay too. I mean…he was really weak before. I don’t know how fast these aliens recover”, he sighed, scratching his head for a moment before Yumi suddenly came into the house. Looking in the same direction Takeshi looked to, he smiled a little upon seeing Yumi but felt confused to why she was acting strange.

Watching her play with her food, Shu slowly moved closer to her as if silently observing her behaviour. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, maybe she was a little tired or just not very hungry. He smiled either way, he didn’t want her to feel bad because he wasn’t smiling. Watching her curiously for a moment, he looked to Takeshi as he called out to him, giving a little nod before he reached into his pocket, pulling out a sweet and placing it on the table next to Yumi, “We won’t be long”, he smiled before wandering off and away after Takeshi.

Kai and Choi watched pretty silently as everything happened before them, Choi looking a little confused at first but a quick look from Kai made him somewhat understand what was going on. They were probably best staying out of it all, it was their business and definitely something they probably wouldn’t understand. Letting out a sigh as Takeshi and Shu made their leave, Kai picked up the empty plates left and brought them over to be washed, seeing as how he didn’t have a hand at making the food, “…So, things not going quite as planned?” Kai spoke up, keeping his tone low, “Could be worse; he could be actively missing being tortured and enslaved”.

[GambolMuse]

Were she in a better mood Yumi may have cared to ask where the boys were heading off to now. At the moment however all she felt like doing was having her meager meal before hiding in her room. It was by no fault on his part, but the conversation with Viral had left her rather crestfallen and upset. Namely because she liked to think perhaps boldly that she above the others could get him to open up, it had nearly happened once before. Being unable to get him to express himself was either a fault in her methods, or she herself, she wasn't sure. Lifting her head enough to watch Takeshi move off she went about starting to eat only to pause as Shu came over. Giving him a curious look the Beastman eyed the candy he put down, frowning and keeping her eyes on it as he too walked off. A sad smile crossed her lips and Yumi turned around in her seat, just in time to wave off the brothers. "Hurry back you two, and be safe!" she called, turning back as the door closed. They were still going strong by the looks of it, and even Kai was lending a hand now too, albeit in a much simpler way. As downtrodden as she may feel, Yumi mused, she couldn't let herself mope, not for her sake or anyone else's. Perking up just slightly as Kai spoke she looked over at the Saiyan, managing a meek smile. "No... I guess it's going a bit worse than I'd hoped..." she answered, sighing.

Vegeta carefully took the plates from Kai and began to clean them, passing a glance over his shoulder at Yumi. She still looked to be trying to help Viral even if they'd all accepted there was nothing they could do. It wasn't that they didn't care, he told himself, but he was just beyond their help. "He will feel better Yumi, just maybe not right now," Vegeta added, going back to the task at hand. "Even if none of us can do anything I'm sure we can find someone who can. For something like PTSD there has to be treatments, whether it's medicine or therapy. And even if we need to leave Kaesstra to find it we will find it, that's a promise." The big question raised then was just where did they go to look? They'd not asked any of the Kaesstrians about it, though with their unusual medical practices that he'd seen already Vegeta was scarcely holding out hope. Their best bet it seemed was to be done with this world and move on, try to get to somewhere they knew for a fact would have a solution. There had been one thing that he'd considered already, though it was hardly ideal. Seeing as the Saiyans knew so much about the ailment it made sense to go to them for a solution, which meant actively seeking out a ship or outpost with a doctor. That in of itself was far from perfect, it meant they had to risk fighting, but for Viral's sake it was a risk they'd take.

Having a full stomach and the end of their mission in sight was leaving Takeshi in a rather good mood. While Viral may still be sulking and Yumi upset thereof he had no reason not to feel as good as he did. The fact that Shu's mood had improved as well help keep him in high spirits. Once certain his brother was in tow the two brothers started their journey off towards the Queen's city, though with one stop in mind before that. Viral had to be around here somewhere, and for reasons of his own the older boy hoped to bring the Beastman along with them. Maybe, he reasoned, doing something for a change would help bring about his mood getting better. It couldn't make things worse, that much was certain. In order to talk to their friend they had to find him first though, and not being readily visible from the get-go they'd have to do a little searching to find him. Sighing Takeshi pushed a bit of brush out of the way, stepping over a low shrub as he and Shu began their way into the forest. "Hey Viral, where are you?" he called out, making no secret of who he was looking for. "Come here for a sec, will you? I've got something I want to ask!"

[Mogtaki]

Kai didn’t really know what to suggest, nor did Choi know what he was supposed to say. Choi didn’t know much about things like that and just kept his problems to himself while Kai just wasn’t qualified to try and suggest anything that could be done. Neither of the twins had education, they had learned everything just from picking it up. Kai letting out a sigh, he turned around once Vegeta had taken the plates, looking between Yumi and Vegeta before he shrugged a little, “Hmm yeah, just think of it this way; there’s something out there that’s beyond mental manipulation and just trying to talk it out of him”, he spoke, “It was probably not a good idea telling him about it, anyway. Would you like to be told you have a mental issue that was a hindrance? You could always drug him up? Maybe he just needs a break?”

Choi looked between the group, feeling a little lost but now caught up that the others had caught onto the fact that Viral had PTSD. It should had been fairly obvious, but then again they probably hadn’t had the time to observe him compared to all the other reports of Viral being out in the field. He was often sadistic and cruel, causing more destruction than what was needed and stressing out when things didn’t go his way; now that Viral was down, however, that sociopath had disappeared and was now depressed that he couldn’t find that strength anymore with flashbacks haunting him without using violence as a mask to hide it. Scratching his head slowly, he frowned a little before sitting up properly, “If we could find a doctor from the Empire, then we could possibly find a cure for him?” he asked before slouching again, scratching his head, “But that’d mean infiltration and what not too…and where? The ship we came from is heavily armed and large and then there’s the nearest planet which is a hell of a lot farther away…heh, maybe Kabocha knows better”.

Viral’s little burst of anger had hardly brought him any comfort, his mind still buzzing and everything feeling like a giant weight on his shoulders and pushing him down very quickly. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, he really needed to go elsewhere than have to feel guilty over Yumi. He didn’t mean to upset her, he didn’t even know what he did but now she was going to be unhappy for the rest of the day despite being quite happy before he was called down. Letting out a groan as he slowly rubbed his head, a voice not too far away distracted him completely as he turned around. It was Takeshi, probably just coming back from his little mission and feasted on whatever Yumi had made inside. He couldn’t be bothered with this, but maybe it was just going to be a simple question instead of something that was only going to demean him further. Grumbling, he moved away from his spot, going towards Takeshi’s voice, “What do you want, Takeshi…”

[GambolMuse]

"I was really hoping to do this without drugs..." Vegeta mumbled, frowning as he set the last of the dishes aside. With a cloth in hand he began to wipe his hands and arms down, leaning up against the counter he looked over at Yumi sympathetically. She was trying to cheer Viral up and clearly it hadn't worked out. There was no ill will towards Viral for upsetting Yumi, it wasn't his fault. It wasn't as easy as giving Viral just a break either, if it were then they'd have done it long ago. From Kai's suggestion came something from Choi, certainly a better idea. Or it would have been until the idea of finding a doctor from the Saiyan Empire was brought up. "Look at how many of us there are, you expect us to be capable of attacking anything on our own? Your ship would be the easier of the two to ransack, but we don't even know what kind of manpower there is on that thing. What if we walked into a trap?" The worst possible thing came out of that conversation, the idea that Kabocha would have some clue what to do. Blinking in disbelief Vegeta turned to the boy in question, sneering slightly as he crossed his arms. "Oh really? So you'd know what to do to find us a doctor then? I'd love to hear this."

Kabocha had been pacing himself with his meal, not even done by the time that he was dragged into the conversation. Holding up a finger he hastily scarfed down the last of his meal, cheeks bulging to the brim as he tried to get the rest of it down. "Ah... That was tasty... And yeah, I might have a plan in mind." Rising from his seat he took his plate to the sink, meaning to drop it in and leave it but instead watching as Vegeta snatched it to clean it. Shrugging his shoulders he looked to the twins, smiling knowingly. "Most of the people on there with us were soldiers, probably not much stronger than these bugs here. I think there was a commanding officer on board, but he's still weaker than us." Tapping at his chin thoughtfully he went through the personnel list in his mind, trying to take into account everyone on board. "The big question is what do we do with everyone onboard if we take it? I'd imagine that with everyone of us fighting hijacking the thing should be a cakewalk. There's a lot of people onboard though, and since no one here is too keen on murder we'd have to find somewhere to drop them all." Therein was the real problem, emptying the ship. There were a few escape vessels available, he supposed worse case scenario they could force everyone into those. "Kai, Choi? What do you think about cramming them into escape pods? It'd mean we won't have any, but that might just clear it for us."

"Viral? Come out will you?" Takeshi called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Sheesh... Where the heck did he go?" he wondered, taking a look around them. The area wasn't that dense with vegetation, it ought to be simple to spot him. Finally a reply came though, and Takeshi turned to see Viral coming out of where he had been sitting. "I wanted to ask you something, if it's okay? I was wondering if you'd like to come with us to see the Queen." It was a touch of an odd request seeing as Viral hadn't been there before. Then again Takeshi hadn't been the first time either, and getting in hadn't been too difficult. With the news they had too chances were that the guards wouldn't care who showed up at their door at this point. Before Viral could reply the Saiyan figured he'd argue his point a bit more, as his idea wasn't terribly convincing. "I just figured you might want to do something besides sitting around, you know? Taking a walk through the forest might be a nice change of pace." Smiling he folded his hands behind his head, giving a soft chuckle. "Plus if we're coming back here to get the guy responsible there'll probably be some fighting. Want to bash some skulls?"

[Mogtaki]

Kai and Choi just remained in silence as Vegeta and Kabocha spoke, not seeing any reason to interject at all. They were on a good path with this, but from the sounds of it Kabocha was planning on getting rid of all the soldiers from the ship. It was a large ship, near enough an entire base encased in tough armour and weapons with speed higher than their pods; if they spotted suspicions with their pods, then the ship would likely leave very quickly. It all sounded fairly risky, they’d only get one chance at such a thing and even then where exactly were they going to send so many soldiers. Kai scratched as his head as Choi looked off towards his brother, giving him a fairly curious look before Kai eventually spoke up again, “There’s an awful lot of them, but it might be possible. Where would you want them sent, though?” he asked Kabocha, walking on back to the table and sitting down, “The ship has everything that’s needed, sure, but how do we pull off something like that…? Are any of you tacticians? You’ve got to think before you simply decide to commandeer a ship like that”.

Viral didn’t really have any clue what Takeshi was going to ask him, it could be related to Yumi being upset or someone had spoken about his problem. He didn’t want either to had happened, he was already angry that he had succumbed to something so simple and extremely pissed off that he had upset Yumi to such a degree. Emerging from his place, he gave Takeshi a hard staring at, spotting Shu around behind him as Takeshi spoke, sounding as if he was oblivious to what all the problems were. Giving him a good staring at before looking away with a quick glance, giving a very brief thought over the proposal, “…Fine. I’ll go. It was getting boring here, anyway”, he spoke, looking elsewhere completely, “I am not sure if I’ll fight. I highly doubt I am allowed to ‘bash some skulls’ without supervision…”

[GambolMuse]

"How the heck should I know?" Kabocha asked, shrugging his shoulders. It was a hefty order, getting rid of a few dozen bodies. Ideally the only person they'd need to keep on the ship would be the doctor, the rest were expendable. A big downside of not killing them too was the chance of one running off to send word to the king of the hijacked ship. Though finding out was probably inevitable they were better off the longer they could fly under the radar. "And no, I'm really not a tactician. I'd say just bust into the hangar and fight our way in, we can probably overpower everyone inside easily enough. I don't see there really being anything on there as an obstacle, we were the strongest there after all." Hell, a single one of them might be able to take it on their own, though it'd certainly take quite some time. Not only that, but doors and corridors could be sealed off, the only solution without hacking being to blast them. Causing damage to the ship was bad for obvious reasons, as breaching the hull by accident could make it completely useless. "What if we have Takeshi and Viral come up with a strategy?" Kabocha mused, looking at the rest of the group. "I mean come on guys, he wasn't that bad of a leader when we had him, he knew his stuff. Between him and the Beastman we ought to be able to get something going."

Viral didn't seem terribly enthusiastic about having visitors, not even Shu. Happy about it or not he heard out what had to be said, even offering an agreeable reply in exchange. "Wait... Really?" Takeshi asked dumbfounded, for a second not believing he'd been given a yes by the Beastman. Once it set in he grinned, clasping his hands together and giving a nod of his head. "It won't get boring there, I promise. Nothing can be worse than just sitting here." Well plenty could be worse, the Saiyan mused. Looking back at Shu he flashed his brother a smile before walking over in Viral's direction to lead him off. "Supervision? What the hell would you need that for? If there's someone to fight you fight them, its as simple as that." Were Yumi and Vegeta keeping this guy on a leash or something? Seriously, having ask permission to fight was just absurd, he wondered where Viral got that idea. Fighting may even be good for the guy, Takeshi hoped so anyways. It'd restore some of his confidence in himself if he knocked a few heads together. "Ready to get moving then?"

[Mogtaki]

Kai didn’t expect anything less from Kabocha with that statement, the guy always showing he preferred to use his brawn over his brains. It was probably not that difficult to think it through, there was little they needed to do but they just needed to get onto the ship to do it and complete it without destroying anything. If there was a fool proof way to do all of this it would be not letting Kabocha decide what they were going to do and rather coming up with a plan themselves, seeing as how all he wanted to do was fire his way through and cause a complete mess of everything. Letting out a sigh, he scratched his head as his eyes moved to look at Kabocha, “Maybe, if the Beastman doesn’t go crazy and Takeshi can actually use his head for once. It really shouldn’t be too difficult”.

Choi was sitting thinking it through, trying to come up with something that would give him an actual clue to what he should really do to help with coming up with a plan. It was all so bothersome, it didn’t need to be this difficult. If they could just get to the control room then they’d have control of the ship, but first they needed somebody who knew how to take control of the ship. Scratching through his hair slowly, he looked between them all, “If we could just sneak in…I mean, we’re already authorised to come aboard, we just need to get a hacker. Wasn’t Commander Viral good with mechanics? Whatabout one of you lot?”

Viral kept focused on Takeshi, not all that surprised that the kid was taken a little bit by surprise over his agreement to follow along. It wasn’t that he wanted to go or cared much about going, but anything was better than sitting around doing nothing while Yumi was upset and Vegeta probably mad at him for causing it. Grumbling, he looked away for a moment to shake off the annoyance Takeshi was causing before glancing back at him, giving him an angry glare, “And what’s it to you? Think it’s worse than me tearing people apart?” he spoke before he sighed, turning in the direction Takeshi was hoping to lead him in, “I’m fine to go. Just what are you planning on doing? And why are you so happy about it…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi had to agree with Kai in his assessment. Takeshi and Viral may have their moments, but with the former's brashness an the Beastman's uneasy mental standing neither were hardly in a position to make a plan. The thought of taking a Saiyan ship was daunting, even if the others were playing it off as really a trivial matter. It was easy for them, being Saiyans to not worry about opponents, they were the strongest race alive. Someone like her though who was essentially human may have a tougher time, especially with still getting used to her new anatomy. Attacking head on as Kabocha suggested wouldn't work well, they knew that much. It was too risky, and damaging the ship or even accidentally killing the medical staff aboard would render their whole plan moot. With a sigh she pushed away her nearly empty plate, crossing her arms and trying to think on the matter as well. Not knowing the layout of the ship it was hard to draw any plans, though as stated before perhaps the biggest obstacle was getting the rest of the crew and soldiers off the ship in one piece.

"Oh! Vegeta could do that!" Yumi suddenly exclaimed, smiling hopefully. She'd come from her own musings into the conversation, and figured she had a really good case. "Vegeta could easily hack into the ship. I mean, it might take a few minutes, but we could buy him time while he does it." After all he was the most tech savvy of all of them, by far as far as she knew. Having anyone else do it, even Viral in his prime, would likely take a good deal longer. Eying the Saiyan in question she rose out of her seat, clasping her hands together. "Think about it. You've already been looking through the ship we got from Sayomi, and I bet you've figured out how some of that works. If you can turn an alien ship inside out that quickly then it only makes sense you do it!"

Yumi had some truth to her words, but Vegeta wasn't so sure how fond of the plan he was. Having to be protected and make everyone else fight for his sake didn't sit well, it made him feel like a burden almost. Conversely he probably was the most skilled with electronics, meaning that he was the prime candidate to tackle this job. With Yumi bearing down on him with a hopeful smile it was difficult to give a solid 'no' as an answer. "If you've really got that much faith in my skills then I can at least give it a shot," he replied, smiling warily. "I'll only do it so long as you all promise to be careful when fighting. We don't know for sure what's on that ship, and if one of you gets hurt while I'm playing with wires I'll feel terrible. So do me the favor and be careful, yeah?"

"Wha...? I'm saying I'm confident you won't do that. It's a compliment," Takeshi said in turn, frowning a bit. Viral had really done in some people, sure, but that had been in that strange form of his. He wasn't like that now, and presumably he had more control over his actions as a result. Hopefully the others would put two and two together and figure out Viral had gone with them, he didn't want anyone thinking the Beastman had ran off somewhere. "I'm planning on just delivering the news to the Queen and letting them handle it from there. But... If we have to fight then like I said, we fight." It was fairly straightforward to him. See their mission through to the end, and only attack if attacked first. Now moving along as a group it didn't take but a second longer for Viral to ask about the older boy's oddly cheerful behavior. "I'm excited I could actually get you to do something with us for a change," he answered simply, smiling and hefting his shoulders in a shrug. "I mean... We've never seen eye to eye, so I was surprised when you agreed to come along!" Allowing himself a self-satisfied chuckle he slipped his hands into his pockets, continuing along their way. "Almost makes me wonder if after all this time you can finally stomach to be around me!"

Truth be told, Takeshi wasn't entirely certain why he was in such a mood himself. After speaking he looked right ahead, quickly finding his gaze lowering to the forest floor below. He was glad that Viral was willing to do something, that much was true, but as eccentric as he was making it seem? Doubtful, which made him question his own behavior. Focusing on solely himself for a brief moment he tried to pick up on anything that felt out of place, managing to stumble upon a little tick. He was feeling stressed and anxious, though he couldn't place why precisely. Passing a sidelong glance in Shu's direction he frowned a bit, wondering if it was his brother somehow doing that. It didn't seem right that Shu would make him feel this way, so he brushed that notion off. Nor did it seem that Viral was the cause of it either, not to say he didn't worry to some degree about the Beastman. What in the hell was eating at him then? And why did he have an innate need to act carefree and try to hide any signs of it?