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

[Mogtaki]

Now Krom was really starting to get annoyed with Aito, his attempts at dominating him with insults getting to be very irritating. “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth just because I’m the one in chains or I’ll stop answering your questions! I don’t have to tell you anything, I would be quite happy to go into a cell right now and keep quiet about all this of you would just knock it off with the insults!” Letting out a sigh he soon spoke up again, hardly looking too happy with having to talk to the man like this. “Defecting is pointless when the stronger side, the side that knows what they’re doing, is the Kingdom! I want to survive and to be strong, I want to be able to fight for my people who are all probably being judged because of the King’s actions and orders. So long as my people are with the King, I’m with my people”.

Krom was probably not in the best of moods now but he was soon not caring greatly for this man until he might just start insulting him again. If the man was going to do that some more then he wasn’t going to talk about what he knew anymore and it was going to be as simple as that. There was no reason to insult him like a child when they were both adults. “Hmph, neither of us were going to injure them gravely or attack back unless they failed the test! They proved to be weak and completely unprepared, just how you might test someone in an exam”, he sighed and sat back, shifting his arms, “Yeah it would be getting recorded, but I still want to eventually and I want it to be more private than this. The worst he’ll do is put me on trial and decide I should be executed after getting all this information out of me, seeing me as having no further use because I told you everything. Wouldn’t be very good for me. I don’t really want to die so young in such a stupid fashion”.

Shu wasn’t sure whether he wanted to leave or to try and rest up a little more, finding the worry he was feeling over everyone else too difficult to handle in his weakened state. He wanted to get better and go find Takeshi, but he was having a hard time walking and thinking straight. Sniffling a little when she explained what happened to the others he ended with a squeak, looking to the floor again. “Really…? I-I hope they really are okay…” He was very worried, especially when he recalled what happened. Looking back to the woman she explained where his brother went off to, a frown appearing on his face almost immediately. “Left…? But…he always waited for me! He always…” Maybe he just went out for food and would be back shortly, that sounded like something he would do. He was confused, especially when Takeshi was always there, but now all he could think of was if he did bad again. Feeling a little depressed he kept his head lowered, slowly raising a shaky hand to it. “All over, I guess…but my head hurts worse…” he muttered, sighing, “But I would like to go soon. When can I go? I can’t sleep in here, not very well…”

Viral didn’t know what happened on Earth after he left, only knowing Takeshi and Shu had decided to go after him in a rather hasty fashion after the battle. It felt like so long ago but it still meant a lot to him that he had sacrificed himself for what felt like nothing in the end. “And yet look where I am now: barely functioning, my mind collapsing. Some end to the story, don’t you think?” His head was really starting to hurt again and he was about ready to bash his skull against something just to deaden the pain. It was a continuous cycle, especially when his mind was not behaving and was instead sending him into despair constantly. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be when it first started acting up, he wasn’t seeing Vegeta as something else horrific quite yet. Lowering his paws again he turned to Vegeta, frowning as he tried to give him a plan to what he should be trying to focus on next to try and fix all of this. “How do you plan on doing that…? You’ve got to have some plan running through your mind by now, but then again you and Aito keep leaving me alone with my thoughts way too much…”

[GambolMuse]

Aito was hoping to hear something more crucial from Krom, rather than mostly information he was already aware of or could draw from looking at the facts he had. So far this "interrogation" had been little but a back and forth, frankly a waste of time. There was a little bit at the end though that struck him as intriguing, revealing a fair bit about the Elite in such few words. "So it sounds like your loyalty is not to the King, but to your people. You only abide by Yamate's rulings to preserve yourself and them as well. Interesting..." So Krom fancied himself a man of the people then did he? What might happen then if he was given the unthinkable, such as to carry out an attack against their own people? Aito couldn't see the King being so foolish as to demand such an order, but it would be curious to see how Krom took that.

"I still stand by what I said... You can't expect a group of children to adequately train themselves for battle, certainly not against actual warriors. And I've never known an exam to potentially kill someone, though I suppose therein lies the difference in our expectations and experience." At any rate he was growing tired of this chatter, it was clear that Krom wasn't going to really speak with him over anything, meaning it would be up to Korian to get the information. "Reap what you sow, that's all I can say. I won't condemn you before the rebels and further any notion they have of executing you, but you played the villain and may pay the price for it. I'm certain no one in this war was looking to die, but then they didn't have much choice, did they?" On that note he turned and left the room, not saying a word to the rebels stationed outside as he went.

All of Shu's friends had made quite the recovery given how beaten they were coming in, even his alien friend was showing signs of improvement. It may be another day or two until people could be discharged, but it was nice to see no one had lost their life here. "Maybe a little later we can go pay them a visit if you'd like. We just want to keep people here to make certain nothing else is wrong," the nurse explained, giving the little Saiyan a sad look when he heard about his brother, "I'm sorry Shu, but I'm sure he'll come back if he's always around for you. He seemed like he had something bothering him, so maybe he left to check into it? I'm not sure, but he'll come back." Given everyone's injuries, Takeshi was the least injured of the bunch so it wasn't overly surprising he was up and about already. That being said, he was supposed to spend a day in the hospital just to be safe, and it had barely been a few hours before he'd gone and left. "You hurt all over? Well... I do have some painkillers I can offer you, that will ease it. You didn't really sustain any injuries, and I'm not sure what caused your soreness, but..."

"Shu? Shu are you in here?" The door was opened up in the middle of their conversation and Yumi stepped in, looking rather distraught as she glanced around the room. Her head was partially bandaged up and she had several wraps on her body covering wounds, otherwise however she seemed okay. Spotting the little boy she let out a sigh of relief, hurrying over only to be stopped by the nurse.

"Please Yumi, you should be resting!" the nurse said nervously, holding up her hands, "You were hit in the head and should be taking it easy right now."

"I'm fine, really. A little sore but fine," Yumi responded with a smile, "I just want to see Shu, that's all. Please? I only need 5 minutes." The nurse seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing between the aforementioned Saiyan and her before ultimately nodding her head with a sigh. "Great, thank you! I'll be quick, I promise!" Stepping past the nurse she stood before Shu, looking at him dotingly as she leaned over and wrapped both arms around him, pulling him close in a hug. She'd been so worried about her youngest friend ever since she had seen him on the shuttle, out cold and beaten. She'd feared he'd taken the worst of the hits, but seeing him now he looked relatively unharmed, if shaken. Easing back from the hug, Yumi took a seat beside Shu, keeping an arm around his shoulders as she could just feel the anxiety pouring off of him. "I'm glad you're okay now Shu, you had everyone really worried earlier. Are they being nice to you in here? Want me to go get you some food or something?"

"It's not the end of the story, don't be absurd. It's a bump in the road, I won't argue that, but it's hardly the conclusion to your tale," Vegeta answered, smiling slightly as he shook his head, "It's like those stories that mother and father used to read to us. The hero always faces some kind of trial or difficulty, something they have to overcome, but they always win in the end. As it stands, you're the hero in this story, and now you just need to overcome this tribulation, with some help of course." After learning of the sacrifice he'd made no one was truly more deserving of the term "hero" than Viral, not a single person who knew the truth would argue that much. Once the others learned of it he could only imagine the support they would be giving him, not that they were exactly denying him support now either, it just wasn't all that active. "Well it's simple really. We just find what you enjoy, and we start doing more of.. Whatever it might be," Vegeta said simply, "Or... We can try another route and go for doing some work to simply keep you occupied and get your mind off of things. If we take the latter, I'm sure you've noticed all of the construction going on? I figured perhaps you and I can go get our hands dirty and help around, do a little honest work for the day and try helping around, with whatever they might need. How's that sound?"

[Mogtaki]

Krom was not really in a good mood anymore and even if he was the one who was getting all angry about everything, he wasn’t the one who was calling Aito a coward. He could easily call this man a coward for not confronting him like you should confront someone like him, using words that were only serving to anger him because Aito knew he was cornered and any wrong move would send him out for execution. Narrowing his gaze at Aito he soon huffed, shifting himself on his seat. “I do my job right and that’s all that should matter. It shouldn’t matter that it’s not the side you prefer, what matters is the Saiyans are alive and not facing extinction once again”.

“They are old enough to be fighting wars and destroying their enemies by now. The King has high hopes that they can become great warriors if they really try, but lately they’ve been more concerned with hanging around and being lazy. They’ll show their greatness if they decide to train with me”. He didn’t see what the big deal was, it was just a harder exam than what other Saiyan warriors got when they were training to be warriors. It’s not like they were going out to destroy innocent people. Those aliens on the other planet had done great wrongs so it wasn’t the same. “Hmm, I’m not the villain…only to them I’m the villain”, he spoke, leaning back, “I heard the Beastman was treated the same way too, he was even tortured and nearly killed by Korian. And for what? Killing the King’s own soldiers? But you’re right; not everyone in the war has a choice. Being born into the war gives you very little choice”.

Shu felt rather sad and lonely, rather hoping he could see Takeshi after all of this trauma. He had done terrible things he couldn’t control and didn’t know how to fix it without Takeshi around to help him through it. He couldn’t tell the nurse why he was feeling all anxious, she wouldn’t know what he was talking about and if she ended up knowing she may end up getting scared of what he was talking about. Looking back to her when she tried to explain the situation he sighed lightly, slowly shifting back on his bed. “Maybe…Takeshi will come back…yeah…” Feeling a little depressed over that thought he stared at the woman when she offered him some painkillers, feeling a little curious about it and yet not particularly desiring them either. “I…umm…I don’t want to say what it is…”

Feeling confused and a little depressed he gasped when he heard the door open up, looking to it quickly only to see Yumi there. She looked pretty bandaged up with his immediate thought being if he hurt her. Squeaking lightly, he stared at her for a moment before looking between her and the nurse, wondering what Yumi was wanting to see him for. He felt a little scared as if he was in trouble, even if she wouldn’t shout at him for doing something bad. Lowering his head when the nurse agreed he slowly rubbed his hands together, feeling how weak he was by how little pressure he could apply in his anxiety. When she gave him a hug he leaned into her, feeling a great desire for comfort when he felt terribly alone right now. “I-I don’t know if I’m okay…Miss is being very nice to me”, he spoke, lowering his head, “I feel too bad to eat. I-I just-…I just want-…I did really bad. I’m scared. I did really bad…”

Viral stared blankly at Vegeta, feeling rather uninspired by his memory even though he probably shouldn’t be. If only he could remember such things and as it stood he couldn’t remember much at all, even what Aito had been trying to restore to him. “I was never good at listening to stories…or reading them. If you remember the stories then that’s fine, you take that job and keep those in mind”. Unlike Vegeta he didn’t really see him being celebrated as a hero for doing what he did, probably because he had failed miserably in helping them and probably made things worse. Maybe if the others didn’t end up getting hurt and dragged into this war he would feel better, but after everything and hiding it for so long he couldn’t help but wonder how much mistrust he had built up with the others. They might wonder why he waited so long before revealing the truth, as if he didn’t trust them to not hate him. What a stupid trail of thought he was going through right now, but he was struggling to get past that. Rubbing his head thoughtfully he turned to look at Vegeta, finding it awfully hard to take in what he was suggesting. “You want me to…do manual labour? And you’re sure about that, especially with all that noise and tools”, he spoke, looking away, “You seem fairly alright with giving me a way to be useful for a change to society, even if it means using me and what little strength I have left…”

[GambolMuse]

Aito wasn't playing for the rebels, but he sure was trying to back Krom into a corner with how he was speaking. It wasn't to paint the man in a bad light however, as he was more seeking to agitate the man and get information out through a slip-up of frustration. Sadly it didn't appear as though the Elite was going to lose his cool, a notable feat for a normally hotblooded peoples. "No, I suppose the Saiyans aren't facing extinction. But then again, if this threat comes to and we've not the forces to combat it..." He let that thought sit, not feeling the need to finish it. If the people of the universe couldn't come together and cooperate then everything that had been done by either side may be for naught, and everyone would be worse for it. It was a fine mess these two parties had made, and now he had a feeling it might fall to them to clean it up. "They are children, not warriors. I understand we're all Saiyan by heritage, but the culture in which they were raised promotes a different idea. May it some day come down to them for the sake of the universe? Maybe, who can say? But we should not be robbing them of living life as they please just so we may secure our own lives and futures. If they choose to train then they do so of their own volition, that must be made clear. Children forced into doing things often do so halfheartedly, and given how much weight you're putting into them, I should think we'd only want their utmost effort." Ah yes, Aito had most certainly heard of Korian's treatment of his son, a fact that was going to need to be discussed when he finally did meet the man. He was done with Krom at this point anyways, leaving the man to go and check in on everyone who had fought with him and the King.

"Your brother will come back, or at least he'd better. He still has a few checkups he has to go through, and he really should apologize to the nurse he threatened..." the woman mumbled, looking at Shu sadly when he sounded a bit dismissive about how he'd ended up in such state. It was probably traumatic whatever it was, so she couldn't exactly make him share it. Hoping to try and give the little Saiyan something to ease his pains, the nurse was confused when Yumi came into the room, expecting her to be resting as well. These children... Did anyone actually rest and try to recover like they were told?

It was painful seeing Shu so upset like this, particularly knowing that it was mostly due to his own actions too. Yumi couldn't help but feel the smallest twinge of disdain towards Takeshi right now for having run off earlier, having seen him pass by her room prior to her coming over herself. For a brother who claimed to care an awful lot he was missing at an important time, kind of flew in the face of everything he said he stood for. Taking a seat at Shu's side she placed an arm around him, holding the child to her side as she gently stroked his hair with her other hand. "You didn't do anything bad, your father and Krom did. Everyone's okay now anyways, you didn't really hurt anybody," Yumi said gently, smiling as she playfully tried to boop Shu on the nose with a finger, "Come on now, where's my usually peppy little friend? All of our friends are healthy and going to recover, there's nothing to be upset about. And besides... If you don't cheer up," she added, attempting to tickle at Shu's stomach, "I'll tickle you until you do!"

Seemed like Viral was missing the point with that story, how people often experienced troubles and then rose above them. Maybe in his current state of mind it was hard to see things that way or appreciate it as such, that he could get, he just wished his brother was a bit more receptive to positivity. Reminiscing probably wasn't going to help him any, best to try another approach then; what if they could keep Viral busy enough to distract him from his problems? Ideally if they could help him keep his mind off of things long enough then his mood may improve, or at the very least they could develop proper treatment until then. It couldn't be anything too strenuous, maybe just something akin to volunteering then. "Yes, I think a little bit of light labor would be good for you. Something to keep you busy and your mind off things, and you can get out of this place for a while and get some sun," Vegeta responded, smiling as he crossed his arms, "I'll help you with whatever they ask of you, since I'm sure there's plenty of work that needs to be done still. We won't undertake any really intensive tasks until you're feeling well again, but in the meantime I'm positive we can get something. So what do you say, are you in?"

[Mogtaki]

Krom wasn’t falling for anything at this rate and was trying to play it cool, even if the man was getting on his nerves a lot. He stood by his decision to remain on the King’s side even with all of his power and his potential ability to change things. He didn’t see how he could make even more of a difference than what he already was doing, at least not anything that would be positive. His people counted on him and he wasn’t about to let them down. “That is nothing to do with me or the King. If the rebels want to start removing more of our own and dividing them up like this then we’re all going to be weak on all fronts”. He saw no reason to take any of the blame when he wasn’t the one who was defecting on all sides and making the bond weaker by removing links. Sitting back as Aito decided to give him a rant about clashing cultures, sighing lightly instead. “They’re in a war, they even came to us willingly and wanted to fight us. They wanted to kill their father and you’re saying they didn’t deserve to be tested? Look, if they did that to a real opponent, they would be dead! We didn’t force them to come to us or fight us…”

Shu really did hope so, he didn’t want to have ruined the bond he had with his brother. Takeshi was his only family left that cared about him and if he made him upset or angry at him then he didn’t know who he was going to have left. He had his friends, but he wanted his family. Sighing as he moved back a little he didn’t feel what Yumi was saying was helping him much, but he still leaned into Yumi as he tried to find some support after everything that happened. “B-But…I changed…and…” Gasping when she poked his nose he raised a hand to his face, hiding behind it momentarily before looking up at Yumi. He didn’t know how to feel happy, even if Yumi was trying to help him through it. Looking to her briefly he gasped when she reached over to tickle him, his hands flailing at first before his tail came around to try and grab her. “Please no…I-I don’t deserve fun! It hurts…”

Viral didn’t know how he’d do when it meant going out and doing what was going to be practically slave labour just so he’d forget he was hearing things, but he didn’t know what else to do. If he went anywhere else to work he’d probably end up creating some weapon or something or find himself too frustrated to continue trying to work if it was too quiet. He didn’t know how he’d react in a builder’s environment or how they might do things on this planet since it probably wouldn’t be very good if he had to use machinery. There was probably better options out there that he could do instead of all of this but he didn’t know what that was yet, if anything would be good at all. “That’s if I get well again. Remember it’s my genes that are being slowly destroyed, not just my mental health”, he spoke, glancing to Vegeta before away again, “I’ll be fine with it so long as I don’t end up killing someone because they looked at me. I nearly chopped Takeshi’s head off because he decided to look at me a little too personally and that was nothing to do with my mental state. I don’t know how long I have left to get everything else I need fixed…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi knew she probably couldn't bring the same level of comfort that Takeshi usually did, but she'd try at the very least. If she weren't currently so out of it from both exhaustion and painkillers she might try comforting Shu with her ability, yet focusing on much of anything right now was hard enough. Trying to do everything in her power to be of help she held Shu to her side, maybe thinking it was just a little affection he needed to perk up. "You did change, but no one is blaming you for it. And we're going to help you with that soon enough, it's not going to be a problem forever," she said gently, smiling as she playfully tapped the tip of Shu's nose, "It's not going to be something you'll have to worry about for much longer." This didn't look to be helping out the little Saiyan very much, maybe she could try something else? How about tickling him? Figuring she might as well go for it she reached out and started trying, quickly shut down however as Shu grabbed her hands with his tail to stop her. Giving him a sympathetic look she smiled slightly and nodded, taking her hands back and placing them in her lap. "You deserve fun, Shu, but if it hurts then I won't tickle you. Would you like to go for a walk with me maybe? We can go see the others and check in on how they are. That is, if it's okay?" Yumi added, glancing back and getting a hesitant nod from the nurse.

"Believe me I know that, and father and I are working on something to fix your genes as we speak, but it'll take time. If we can get you working however it may not only help rebuild some physical strength, but getting out there and helping with something could improve your overall mood as well." Aside from just distracting Viral, which this would very much do, there was a chance that working towards something positive may in turn make him feel better for himself, something that had been lacking sorely as of late. "I'll be right with you, there's no risk of anyone being hurt so long as I keep an eye on you and we avoid any undue stress. And honestly... There are some days I wouldn't mind lopping off his head. Doesn't seem like he uses it anyways," Vegeta remarked with a laugh, "Seriously though, you'll be fine. I saw everything and I'm offering this to you, so I don't think there's particularly high risk. As for your time left, you've far more than you think. Yes you've deteriorated, but in the grand scheme of things its marginal to be frank, you've got quite a long ways to go until you become invalid, and you'll be helped far before that ever comes to pass." They could sit around and continue discussing this all day, or they could get moving and get some work done, it was Viral's call.

[Mogtaki]

Shu was scared that he was going to be left alone and tickling wasn’t making him shake off that fear, even if he was usually quite happy to play around with her. He was still unhappy over what happened before and felt he couldn’t quite recover from that over one little attempt at playing. Shu didn’t know how long this was going to be a problem for them, he didn’t know how it was supposed to be prevented nevermind trying to fix it. “But how long…? Why does it happen to me? Nobody ever talks to me about it…” He felt alone with it any with nobody to talk to about it, he was trapped with worrying over it forever. Nothing could possibly fix it if it had been happening since Earth. Holding onto Yumi’s hands with his tail he frowned when she took her hands back, placing them down as she tried to reassure him over this whole mess. He was scared after his dream, but he did want to do something other than possibly go back to sleep and end up having a scary dream again. “…I would like that…” he muttered, looking to the nurse briefly before down at the floor, “I am still all hurting, though…but…I-I still want to see…”

Viral didn’t know the status of his treatment for what he considered to be the most important part and every time he asked about it all he was getting was a very vague answer. He wasn’t seeing what they were doing to try and fix it, he would’ve thought they would need to be with him a lot to try and fix it up and yet here they were not even touching him to see what might help ease his damaged body. “If I suddenly start deteriorating fast, it’ll be on both of you”. He didn’t know what might happen to him further, but he wasn’t really willing to find out. To have nothing happen to him other than the injector made him feel very uncomfortable, especially when he had to rely on that and his senses to be able to prevent an attack. Staring at Vegeta and his poor attempt at a joke he let out a sigh, shaking his head. “I don’t understand why you think me sprouting all sorts of features is supposed to be considered ‘tame’ to you. Me being unable to fight without something happening is hardly what I would consider ‘tame’ either. Your optimism certain manages to get annoying at the best of times…” he spoke before he sighed, rubbing his head, “But…fine. I’ll do it if it gets you to shut up. If anything happens to me or to someone else because of me, it’s your fault. You got that?”

[GambolMuse]

"I... I don't know how long, but I know they're working on it. I don't know why it happens to you either, I'm sorry. But I'm more than happy to talk to you if you want to talk," Yumi responded, smiling as she looked at Shu, "You know you can always talk to me, about anything. That's what friends are for, right?" Poor little Shu, all distraught and upset over earlier, it was really sad to see a normally excited and bubbly boy be crestfallen. There might not be much that they could do just in his hospital room alone, but she might have some idea as how to fix that. If he was so worried about the others, she reasoned, then why not go pay them all a visit? It would have to be okay with the hospital staff, and it looked like the nurse in attendance had given them the okay to move. "Well don't you worry, I can help you get around, that much I can fix!" Yumi said proudly, smiling as she moved so she was before Shu. Reaching around she managed to find his legs and got her arms under them, trying to ease him onto her back despite being sore herself. Once he was securely on she gave his leg a little pat, smiling back at him happily. "There we go! Who do we want to go see first? We're all in the same ward, so it's not that far to the others."

There was risk with bringing Viral out into the city, Vegeta knew this full well, but so what of it? If they kept Viral locked up like this then his mood would only continue to deteriorate, and the potential benefits that this adventure of theirs could bring far outweighed the risks. He would be around to stop his brother should anything unexpected happen, and their father was not all that far away either. "I have to be optimistic here, and I want to be. It's not usually my cup of tea to be so... Incorrigibly positive, but I was told that positivity can go a long way with someone in your position," Vegeta admitted, smiling slightly as he shrugged, "So I'll do it. And I fully understand what will happen if anything goes awry, and I am prepared to take the punishment for whatever may or may not go wrong out there. But let's not reflect on potential hazards, hm? Let's just get out there, get to work and blow off some stress." Clasping Viral on the shoulder again he slid off the bed, waiting for his brother to accompany him. There was loads to be done around the city, that much was clear just by walking around each morning, so they would find no shortage of work to do.

And there was definitely no shortage of tasks to be taken care of. They had only just left the atrium when a small vehicle carrying several lengths of timber passed by, probably going off to work on one of the dozens of buildings still in disrepair after the attacks. Even just outside there was work being done, with roads being repaired, fixtures such as lighting being put back in and some buildings just being finished up. "I've dragged you out this far, how's about you tell me what it is you're up to doing?" Vegeta asked, folding his hands at his back as he glanced over at Viral, "You know far better than I do what you'll be able to handle comfortably, so it's best you make the decision." Could be something as simple as helping plant new trees or flowers, or carrying heavy equipment and materials to rebuild structures, whatever Viral wanted was fine.

[Mogtaki]

Shu pressed his fingers together in some hope that Yumi might know what was wrong with him, but apparently she had no idea. He didn’t know who might know what was wrong with him other than his father, but he didn’t want to try and contact him. Maybe his mother might know something, but he had no idea if she was alive or dead and even then he didn’t think he had a deep enough connection to care for that too. He wasn’t like his brother, he didn’t desire a mother because he didn’t grow up around other humans to feel that sense of family. To him, the one who raised him was someone looking out for him and teaching him how to survive in the jungle, they were never related to him since finding out what he really was. “I-I know…but how do I talk when you don’t know how to make it better?” he asked, lowering his head, “Nobody knows. I am a mystery…” Feeling a little down he wasn’t about to give up the chance to go and see the others and how they might be doing. He vaguely remembered accidentally blasting T’charrl, but he didn’t know the circumstances of that or how it happened when he knew things were often much worse in his dreams. Squeaking as he moved to take hold of Yumi he clasped on as tight as he could, his tail wrapping around her for extra support. “Ooh, maybe…maybe Friend T’charrl? Is he okay…? I think I hurt him badly! I was bad…”

Viral had doubts that this whole trip to the outdoors would be beneficial but he was willing to give it a try, seeing how Vegeta probably wouldn’t leave him alone until he tried. He didn’t like being around other people, especially civilians. He’d never been outdoors in an environment like that willingly and it was highly possible the stress of the trip might make him worse, but maybe he would have a positive effect instead and he’d be able to blow off some steam. “Hmph well, I’ll be sure not to do anything on purpose just incase I make you look bad”. He was fair reluctant to get off the bed, not really wanting to immediately get underway with this. He wanted to wait for Aito to return and hear what he thought, but Vegeta wasn’t going to leave him alone until he got up. Growling lowly, he packed his injector and clipped it onto his belt, slowly pushing himself off the bed. He still felt weak with this stupid ‘medicine’ he was having to inject into himself, but maybe he would do just fine with something that didn’t sap all of his strength.

Viral didn’t much desire going outside after all he had been through, even if the sun would probably do him good. It was a horrible place to be stuck in when all he had worked for in his life was to be free and to fight, but it was the only place he could go now where he might have a chance to recover. He still felt he wasn’t getting to have a chance to recover, all he had felt was stress since arriving, but then again he wasn’t allowed to fight and was in a state of breaking down at a genetic level fairly rapidly. He just wanted to live his life for once. “What? I don’t know where to begin or how much strength I still have! I might be able to lift or I might be as weak as a child, I wouldn’t know. I don’t want to do anything I’ll just get frustrated with and to hell am I going to be safe around machinery. Why don’t you make the suggestion yourself? You’re the one who should know what would be safe for a madman like me…”

[GambolMuse]

Yumi sure did wish she could give Shu all the answers, yet what was bothering him was way beyond her. At best she could try offering some emotional support, the actual treatment was going to fall to those with far more expertise than she had. Until someone else more properly equipped came along to sort out her young friend's problems she'd keep him company, especially in the absence of Takeshi. "Hey... Maybe I can't fix it, but I can still listen," she answered, smiling kindly at Shu, "Sometimes just talking and getting it out helps take some of the pain away, so if you ever have something to say don't hesitate, okay? I'm sure someone's bound to find out what it is that's bothering you, and knowing Vegeta and his dad it'll be soon. Don't give up hope just yet, there's plenty of time." The best she could do for Shu right this instant was get him out and let him relax, or maybe soothe his worries by visiting their friends. Giving him the chance to decide where to head first she smiled when T'charrl immediately came up, giving a small nod of her head as she made for the door. "Of course, we'll go see T'charrl. And I haven't had a chance to stop by yet, but there wasn't a bit panic or anything near his room, so guessing he's not seriously hurt. I bet he'll be happy to see you." Maybe once Shu had a chance to see everyone was alive and well then he'd stop thinking he was so bad, maybe even crack a smile like he was more inclined to. Yumi hoped so anyways, there was nothing like being down on yourself to make recovery even harder.

Vegeta smirked slightly and gave a dismissive wave of his hand, signaling he didn't much mind how he looked. "Public appearances are often false anyways, I couldn't give a damn how they think of me to be utterly honest," he replied, shrugging as he looked up through the glass ceiling, "Well... Most of the time. I guess right now we should try keeping our friendly face and all, so we'll shoot for that." Things would be fine though, Viral showed no signs of potentially going on a rampage, even resisting the urge to attack Takeshi quite well earlier. That in of itself was indicative that the Beastman was in control of his own actions, and so long as nothing unduly provoked him it would remain that way. On their way out of the building he posed the question of what they might do, whether Viral had something in mind or just wanted to look around. "Hm... I give you the choice and you want me to make it? I see..." Vegeta mumbled, letting out a sigh as he rubbed at his head, "Okay then, well you're not wrong in knowing what you'll be capable of. Theoretically anyways. You can likely handle some heavy work, but if we rush into that then you'll tire and we won't get much done. So... I think the best course is to ease our way into things, starting with..."

Hm, what was a simple task? Just across the way there were those people replanting some trees, and it seemed up and down the street there were others doing similar things. Okay, so gardening wasn't exactly a task that typically befit a warrior, but baby steps. Waving Viral along, Vegeta led him a bit further down the road where a palette of plants and saplings had just been unloaded. A handful of Uuonians and other peoples were preparing to work with them, several of whom looked to be up there in age. Seemed like an ideal spot for them to step in, helping out the elderly and all that good stuff. "Excuse me? Do you need a hand with this?" Vegeta asked, putting on a polite smile as he gestured to the plants.

A clearly older Uuonian, going by their wrinkled purple skin and poor posture, looked up at Vegeta and Viral through thick spectacles before smiling. "Ah, you're two of those boys with the rebels, aren't you! I recognize you two!" the alien remarked, in a decidedly female voice, "We couldn't possibly ask the two of you to do something as simple as this. I'm afraid it would be a waste of your time..."

"No no, not at all. In fact we're happy to help," Vegeta replied, putting up his hands with a smile still on his face, "Please, allow us. We'll do the work, just show us where to set these, okay?" Glancing back at Viral he then went to the palette, grabbing a sapling in each hand and following after one of the workers to a small grassy plot just along the road. In the meantime a younger Uuonian came over to Viral with several small flowers in pots, smiling up at him excitably.

"Mister, can you help me? I need to get these and some trees planted for grammy!" the young boy said, pointing further down the road at a vacant lot, turned brown and littered with debris from the fighting, "We're gonna make this street real pretty again! We'll make them all look nice!"

[Mogtaki]

Shu didn’t think he’d ever manage to find his answers when he was so foreign to everyone, nobody having any clue to what he was supposed to be. He wasn’t brave enough to be a Saiyan and he didn’t fit into Human society, making him feel stuck between two worlds. He felt rather alone for the most part and with Takeshi not around he was really starting to feel properly alone, even with Yumi. She wasn’t a Saiyan like him, she was closer to Viral if anything. Sighing lightly he rubbed his head against Yumi, feeling like he was going through an identity crisis. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I mean…I-I just don’t know how to! Bad things happen and what say? I don’t know what say about bad…”, he squeaked before groaning, “I’m a bad little monkey…” Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to visit T’charrl, seeing how he was the one who put him in this place. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, but he’d still feel guilty for what happened and of course he had no solution. “Friend T’charrl not badly hurt? That a good thing…but really hope not that bad too. Would be bad…”

T’charrl had it pretty rough but he was going to survive, even if a building did fall on him. He had transformed at the time so his power and durability had prevented the building from crushing him, but that didn’t mean it didn’t damage him that much. He had been burned by Shu’s attack, but the building did the most damage which resulted in a lot of breaks and bruising. His breaks weren’t severe, they were fair artificial as he was healing fair quickly compared to how he might without his powers. He was asleep for now with a jar of what looked like honey beside his bed, his head and body wrapped up in bandages.

Viral didn’t know how this might work but he was still trying to see what may be his only chance to feel normal for a change, seeing how he hadn’t been given a chance in so long. Vegeta may be onto something, but if Aito disagreed then there may be some need to find a new solution to his problem. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do out on the field and was more than content to let Vegeta choose for him, seeing how he probably would end up choosing the worst option for his health. “Don’t give me that…I know nothing of community service…” he mumbled, looking away. To start on the easier stuff was something Vegeta was going to have to decide for him.

Walking with him he half looked back, still not feeling entirely sure with what he was doing. This whole trip could be a wasted effort, but then again they were coming right up to a bunch of natives trying to plant some trees and what not. This was something that Vegeta mentioned doing and all of a sudden he wasn’t feeling entirely enthusiastic about it. Frowning, he stared at the Uuonians before watching as Vegeta decided to pick them as the first practice group for him. He didn’t really appreciate that all that much, somewhat seeing it as too sudden a pick without seeing the other options. Sighing in annoyance he looked away, folding his arms he watched what the other Uuonians were doing, finding it fairly uninteresting. There didn’t seem to be any point to all of this, it wasn’t like they were making a new ecosystem or anything.

Watching Vegeta for a moment he grumbled, looking elsewhere for a moment before to some kid who appeared to be addressing him. Turning slightly he stared at the kid, looking to the flowers before down the street. It didn’t see the point in planting trees or flowers when there was so much more they could be concentrating on over it. “What? What’s the point in that, anyway?” he grumbled, taking a pair of trees like Vegeta and started walking down the street, “They’re just going to get destroyed or die eventually…”

[GambolMuse]

"Shu, it's okay, really. No one here is blaming you for what had happened, you're not bad because of it," Yumi repeated, smiling sadly as she looked back at him, "Just you showing up and checking in on your friends is enough, if you're worried about making things better. The people here know how to take care of someone who's hurt, so everyone's just going to be fine. All that means is people have to rest for a bit, and that includes you." Her too probably, but she was finding that her body wasn't near as beaten up as she'd expect. That aside, shy of some lightheadedness and soreness she couldn't even tell she'd just been tossed about like a ragdoll, not to mention her arms were totally fine from taking a blow from the King of Saiyans. Coming up upon T'charrl's room now the pair stopped just outside, making sure there were no doctors at work before knocking and heading in. Their friend was still laid out in bed and fast asleep, bandaged up fair heavily albeit not in a full-body cast. "It looks worse than it is, I'm sure," Yumi said softly, not wanting to wake T'charrl, "Do you want to see if he's awake? Or should we just let him rest?"

"Hey, just trying to keep your options open. Figured I'd give you the chance," Vegeta responded, casually shrugging before leaving the atrium. Ah well, he was sure there was ample choice as far as work was concerned out here anyways, especially given the sheer degree of buildings and structures that still needed repair. Figuring to take the easiest and closest task on hand he opted to bring Viral to a group handling the replanting of trees and flowers; if Viral didn't want to do something so mundane then he'd quickly say so and they could move on, but he'd try for now. His brother could do something else if he really wanted to, but in hopes to set an example Vegeta went ahead and grabbed some saplings, helping an older Uuonian with her work as he followed her to a small plot. This kind of work was something he didn't normally do, yet compared to sitting at a desk and filing papers it was like a visit to a theme park for him. Following the directions given to him closely he dug two identical holes along the side of the walkway, placing a sapling in each and beginning to cover them up meticulously, careful to keep it even.

The young Uuonian was excited to have someone helping him, especially one of the warriors who had been helping the rebels. It might not be the most exciting work like his grandmother had said, yet the fact they were helping out anyways was really cool to him. "We need to make everything pretty again, that's the point! The city needs to look nice," the boy replied, smiling happily as he hurried along the sidewalk, stopping at a small stretch along the road. Kneeling down he started to take the flowers from their pots as he'd been shown, easing each one down into holes already dug. Hearing Viral speak again he glanced up, tilting his head a bit curiously at how the man was talking. "I guess they might, yeah..." he mumbled, looking at the flower in his hands before smiling again, "But then we just plant another! Grandma says that if we do this then everyone feels better! That it's important not to feel sad after bad things, because then you can't go on. So I'm going to plant all the flowers we have and make the city pretty again, then everyone will be happy!"

[Mogtaki]

“But…I can’t rest! I can’t rest, bad things will happen…” He really didn’t want to go back to sleep and go through the same series of dreams all over again. He was terrified of sleeping and having nobody around made it even harder. He could only hope Takeshi would come back to him, but he was scared that he ruined their friendship somehow by him transforming. He was completely terrified and didn’t know what to do other than hope everything was going to be okay for him and everything will return to normal. Right now, he was recognising he was dangerous and without the support he needed he was not going to be able to shake this fear off. Everyone around him was in danger because of him. Holding onto Yumi he pressed himself against her and peered over to see his friend, frowning at how beaten up he looked. It could’ve been a whole lot worse but luckily it wasn’t; shame his friend was awfully tired too. “Ooh…I don’t know. He looks really tired…” he muttered, looking to Yumi, “Not seen Friend sleepy before like this…”

Viral didn’t understand the point in any of this when there was more important things to do over plant some trees and flowers. They could be building homes instead of doing this when the rest of the city wasn’t exactly in the greatest condition. There was no real reason to do this other than the kid saying to ‘make the area look nice’. He hadn’t done any of this gardening stuff before, but it really felt like there was no point. “Sounds like a waste of time to me. Not everyone’s going to care about a place looking ‘nice’…” Walking over with the kid he stared at the place where they must be planted, finding this whole ritual to be most strange. Shifting the trees he waited with them for a place he might be able to plant them in, not seeing quite where he was supposed to plant them as he looked over to Vegeta. The area he was planting them in hadn’t already been dug up like this one so all it managed to do was confuse him. “How do plants make you happy when not all of you have your own homes yet? It’s just colours and leaves and…strange scents. There’s still going to be homeless people and those who know no peace…”

[GambolMuse]

"You were resting earlier and nothing bad happened though... And you're nice and safe here in the hospital, you'll be fine if you decide to sleep." The poor little boy probably needed it too, as she understood he'd not been resting terribly well as of late. Even with Takeshi around it seemed like sleep was ill afforded to Shu, so he really should try to get it where he could. Was it all because of his nerves? All the more reason then to show him their friends, just to reassure him that everyone was okay. Starting out with T'charrl however, as it turned out, might not have been the best idea; thankfully though Shu took it simply as T'charrl being tired, which he likely was as well. "Well he did change too, so he's probably feeling sleepy after that. And he hadn't been sleeping much either had he?" she asked, smiling as she eased the door closed once more, "I'm sure he'll wake up soon and be happy to see you, but he should rest for now. Since he's asleep, how's about we go see..." Hm, who was closest? Hard to say, and while she tried to even pick out who's who by scent she couldn't get much, this place being far too clean and sanitary to carry any odors. Well whatever, they'd just go room to room and see people in whatever order they arrived. Smiling while starting back down the hall again, Yumi slowed slightly when a door was thrown open, stopping completely to see Kabocha storm out of it.

"I'm not eating that slop! I deserve better than that!" Kabocha shouted indignantly, frowning at the nurse that followed him out, "If you're going to feed me then give me something decent at least! I'm not incapable of chewing, I didn't break my jaw." Honestly, he knew this wasn't a damned five-star restaurant, but was he honestly supposed to eat... That? Some mashed up concoction that was purportedly good for him? The combination of being angry over losing to the King and just overall being sore and tired made him quite agitated, and he was only too willing to take it out on the staff. "And another thing, quit looming over me! I've a broken arm and some bruised ribs, I'm not about to die! Honestly!" Rolling his eyes he turned away and stormed down the hallway, right into Yumi and Shu almost as he came to an abrupt halt. Focusing his eyes to see who it was he blinked in surprise, not expecting them to be out and about. "Oh, you two. Can you believe this place? The food they offer is ghastly..." he remarked, shaking his head as he placed his hand on his hip, "How am I supposed to recover when I can't even get- OW!"

Yumi didn't much care that Kabocha was injured, he was being a spoiled little turd and should be swatted for it. "They're trying to help us! Be grateful for that!" she snapped, putting her hand back under Shu as she scolded Kabocha, "It's not meant to be high end dining, it's food to make you heal you nitwit!" Who was mean to the hospital staff? Really? Well Kabocha and Takeshi it seemed, but then those two were self-proclaimed idiots most of the time. Letting out a soft sigh she gave a shake of her head, looking at Kabocha unfazed as he nursed his already sore head. "Since you're up you're coming to see the others with us. Now I feel like I've got to baby sit you. Honestly, you boys are such a handful..." she mumbled, glancing back at Shu and smiling, "Except you, you're fine. I wish your brother and friends were better behaved like you. And before you say anything, yes, you're well behaved." Earlier had nothing to do with that, it was out of their hands and Shu couldn't keep blaming himself for it. Now then, who else was around here? Far as she remembered they had this hall to themselves, meaning the rooms with the red markers up were the ones occupied. "Let's see... Who's next?"

Planting flowers might not be the most exciting thing in the world, but the young boy was more than happy to do it. Everyone should do their part, he'd been told, and for him this was the most he could offer. Besides, all of the plants looked really nice, and once they grew they'd be even nicer! "Maybe not, but some will! And that's good enough for me!" he responded cheerfully, smiling away as he placed flowers in their respective holes. Glancing back at Viral to see him looking confused he tugged on the Beastman's pant leg, pointing to two larger holes about a meter apart, further in from the road than the flowers were. "Well... We don't have homes, but everyone's alive still, and that's more important isn't it mister?" the boy asked, smiling as he placed his final flower. Standing back upright he dusted his hands off on his pants, looking up to Viral cheerfully. "Mommy and daddy are okay, and so is sister, and grandma, everyone's alive. Mommy says that's more important because we can replace a house." He didn't completely understand that bit, but he knew at least how special family was. "And plants make me happy because they're pretty! Don't you think they look nice?"

[Mogtaki]

Shu sighed lightly, snuggling against Yumi. “Bad things happen when I sleep, though…” He really didn’t like going to sleep and Yumi’s ease over the subject didn’t bring him comfort. It was when he slept where the worst often happened with only the utmost worst thing being when he transformed. He was terribly confused and unable to understand why everything was so hard for him, making him terribly unhappy. T’charrl not being up and about was certainly a little sad, but he didn’t want to interrupt him when he had to recover a lot. Frowning as they decided to abandon the quest he looked down the halls, none too sure to who was in what room before someone certainly decided to make his entrance. Getting a fright when he suddenly appeared he hid his face at first before peering over Yumi’s shoulder, staring at Kabocha after realising it was him.

He didn’t understand what he was making a fuss about, all food was good in his eyes. Watching as Kabocha continued to make a fuss over nothing he tilted his head, staring at him as he spoked to him and Yumi before gasping as he was instead slapped for his words. He didn’t know if that was deserved, but he didn’t like how he was talking either. Lowering his head slightly he stared at Kabocha, looking to Yumi real quick as she looked back before lowering his head again. He was being a bit of a handful, he was even taking up her time and energy to carry around like this. Sighing a little he looked to Yumi, frowning. “Umm, H-Haku, I guess…and Takeshi’s friends who look the same”, he mumbled, not feeling too sure about either of them, “I bit one of them last time, so they don’t like me either. I make everybody scared…”

Both Kai and Choi were bandaged up with both being slightly drowsy after brief surgery to correct their injuries. They were barely a typical case for the surgeons when their injuries progressed if the other had been injured too as if because of their Ki. Despite being drowsy they were both eating what had been brought to them, both only able to use one of their arms as they practically moved at the same time.

Viral didn’t really see a point, only thinking it was a waste of time over anything. He was sure there was some other job that could be getting done over this, seeing this was probably a job that could be done after everyone had a home again. Groaning at the kid’s response he looked away for a moment before peering back, sighing heavily when the kid decided where the trees should go. Moving around he placed one of the trees in one of the holes, sitting the other half-in the other hole as he went to work with the standing one. Staring at the kid as he spoke he found it hard to process, groaning in response. “Having a den would still be nice…” Fairly quickly managing to bury the roots of the tree he stood up and stamped on the soil around it, half in frustration and half just wanting to be done with it. Moving to the other tree he got started on that fairly quickly, his eyes only glancing to the child in confusion. “Plants don’t replace a house and you could be getting one instead of doing this…whatever it is. Nobody is benefiting from this and if a storm comes this way, your family are screwed and these plants are gone”.

[GambolMuse]

"What bad things...? You were asleep earlier, I didn't notice any bad things," Yumi responded, furrowing her brow, "Unless you mean the nightmares? Maybe we can find something to help with that..." Shu was in a lot of ways still a little kid, so what about a stuffed animal? She doubted they'd find one here, but that might help him. If not that then maybe a night light, or some kind of soothing music when he went to sleep. That was assuming it was nightmares and not something else entirely. She was about to ask what it might be until Kabocha's outbursts took her attention away, and surprise surprise it was over something as trivial as food. Annoyed by his pettiness she gave him a smack upside the head, rolling her eyes when he got all defensive. There were way more important things in life than whether food was of a certain quality or not, he needed to realize that and get the hell over it. "So Haku, then Kai and Choi?" Yumi asked, smiling again as she looked back at Shu, "Okay then. Oh... I'm sure they're fine about that now Shu..."

"I don't know, they haven't said anything about it really," Kabocha remarked, frowning as he continued rubbing at where he'd been smacked. What was with this kid anyways? He was usually so energetic and happy it was annoying, now he was competing with the Beastman for most sulky member of their group. Whatever had the Prince all bummed out was making him feel uncomfortable now too, like his sadness was contagious or something. Sighing to himself he lowered his hand, glancing down the hall behind them. "I think those two were just down the hall from me... A room or two. I'm coming too though, no way am I going back and eating that..." Feeling a glare coming his way he looked back at the others and cringed at seeing Yumi being angry again, smiling nervously as he stepped back, "Uh... I meant to say I'm not hungry right now, so no reason to go back! Come on, let's go see Haku, then the twins!" Chuckling uneasily he went back to where his room had been, going down one from it and across the hall to another occupied one, waiting for the others before opening it up, "Yo, Haku! Coming in!"

Haku was actually enjoying his meal, even if it was a touch bland for his tastes. Some salt would help it tremendously, though some voice in the back of his head, one of the twins' funnily enough, was screaming that salt wouldn't help. He really should get back to learning how to cook shouldn't he? Maybe after everyone had gotten better he could, he'd really like to. Smiling thoughtfully he glanced out the window at the city below, watching everyone going about their daily routine of rebuilding. There was something oddly nice about this planet, even despite the fact this city was kind of in shambles right now. Eating up another scoop of mashed greens he jumped slightly when someone abruptly came into the room, nearly dropping the plate in the process. "WHA! What?!" he shouted, turning his chair and flushing in embarrassment seeing Kabocha, Yumi and Shu. Letting out a relieved sigh he eased back into his chair, smiling sheepishly as he settled his tray in his lap again. "H-Hey guys, what's up?" he asked, looking over and tilting his head slightly seeing Shu getting a piggyback, "You feeling okay Shu? You uh... You look tired."

"A den? Do you mean a house...?" the boy asked, confused by how Viral spoke, "It would be nice, sure, but we'll get one! For now we just need to keep busy and stay happy! And I am happy, because I get to see everyone I know!" Sure, having a real bed over a cot would be nice, as would getting his own room, but those would come in time right? He still got to play with the other children, there was food for them and they did have shelter, even if it was in some put-together building, so things weren't all that bad. Finishing up the last of the flowers, the boy dusted his hands off of his pants cheerfully, glancing over at Viral when he spoke up again. "W-Well... I think people will think it looks nice. Grandma says that it can help make people happy," the boy responded, not sounding totally sure now that another adult was correcting him, "Uh... Well if they are gone we can just plant more, right mister?" The plants were making people happy, he knew they were, he'd seen the smiles of others coming by. But what would happen if a storm ruined them?

"Viral, we're done here. Wasn't much work as it turns out," Vegeta called, approaching the pair with a slight smile. His sleeves were rolled up and his knees and hands were quite dirty, as well as the rest of his shirt for that matter. "Sorry, but my friend and I need to go help others now. Keep doing what you're doing, it's making a difference," he added, kneeling down and placing a hand on the boy's head before giving him a small pat on the back to get him back to his family. The boy seemed slightly off when he left, yet as soon as he got back over to the rest of the Uuonians he was all smiles again, even giving them a wave as everyone gave their thanks. Chuckling faintly, Vegeta clapped his hands together to get some dirt off, wiping his face then with the back of his hand. "Alright... That ought to do for here, seems like they were just doing this small bit. How's about we find something that feels a bit more like work, hm?" Maybe they could tackle construction, if Viral was up for it. He may not be moving massive timbers or chunks of concrete, but at the very least he could play some role, something that would hopefully perk him up a bit.

Vegeta and Viral weren't the only ones out about and helping rebuild the city; Takeshi had found himself working as well, albeit reluctantly. Having seen a pair of aliens struggling to carry a large sheet of rock he'd felt compelled to help, if only because watching them was embarrassing. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he lifted the slab for them he carried it down the street to the building in question, easing it into the frame of wood being used to support it. While they were pouring concrete around the base to help hold it in place he took a glance around, surprised by the sheer number of residents out here working on various projects. How often did they have to do this anyways? He didn't know what kind of history Uuonoe had, but given its siding with the rebels he imagined they might get attacked pretty often. Were they used to this then? The thought of them being regularly attacked annoyed him, enough so that he nearly wanted to punch the stone he'd so carefully transported out of anger. Reeling back that agitation however he let out a sigh, managing a slight smile and nodding as a few workers thanked him for his help, walking off again to try and find yet something else to keep him busy. He couldn't go back to the hospital just now, so might as well make use of his time.

[Mogtaki]

Shu groaned lightly, rubbing his cheek against Yumi. “Yeah…b-but I don’t need help! It’s okay. I’ll be okay…” Shu knew he had tried many things already and knew it was probably his cowardice that was holding him back and allowing all of this to happen, seeing how cowardly he had been during that fight against his father. He’ll be okay eventually and recover from that bad dream, probably. Pressing his head against Yumi he stared at Kabocha, wondering how he was with him as well. He didn’t know what he thought about him but it was very possible he didn’t like him because he was a little monster. Maybe that was okay, Kabocha didn’t really know him all that much anyway him probably thought very little of him was maybe alright. Not everybody had to like him, or something like that.

Staring over Yumi’s shoulder at Kabocha he squeaked when he decided he would come with them, wondering why he would turn down food like that. He wasn’t feeling all that hungry still but to give up food was still strange to him. When Kabocha decided to make up an entirely different excuse he sighed lightly, staring down the hallway to see where the others were. Everyone seemed happy so far except for him, but he didn’t know what Takeshi was feeling right now and that was his biggest concern. He wanted to see him like he always did after changing like that and to have him gone after such a bad dream was making him nervous and rather sad.

Coming up to Haku’s room Shu stared over Yumi’s shoulder, watching as the door was opened and squeaking when Haku nearly flipped out. He didn’t understand why he did that but it made him nervous, staring at him in alert before he appeared to calm down. He seemed okay so that was something, but when Haku asked him a question he let out a gasp, shaking his head before quickly changing it to a nod. “I-I just-I’m just-…I-I just…I just woke up a-and my feet hurt and I-I just can’t walk very well is all…” He didn’t know what the right way to answer a question like that was, sending him off into a confused state as he tried to figure out whether he truly was okay or just tired and feeling the aches and pains of tiredness. He really wanted a clear answer but felt he wasn’t going to get one, seeing how his mind was all over the place. “D-Did you see Takeshi…?”

Viral stared at the boy before letting out a groan, going back to getting the tree in the soil. “Must be easy staying happy if you know this is the worst it’s going to get”. The kid had nothing else to worry about as far as he was concerned, knowing the troubles all associated with the current situation could be easily sorted once they got their homes up again. Finishing with the tree he stood up, dusting off his hands as he looked to the kid again. “Hmm, it can take only a second for something to be destroyed and recovery could take a long time. It’s sometimes not easy to understand that”, he spoke, looking away, “Trees take years to recover and grow. A tree cannot easily be replaced. You should get support for these trees if you don’t want them collapsing on their own foundation”.

Noticing Vegeta appear once more he frowned at his decision to move on, glancing back to the kid momentarily before away again. If that was it then it was hardly a problem, but it didn’t wear him out at all. Glancing to Vegeta he let out a grumble, shaking his head. “That was hardly anything there, you know…” Planting a couple of trees could’ve been a lot better if they had planted more rather than just come along, do them and then leave again. They had more they needed to do and if that was all then there really was no other point to that than having a little chat. “You know how much I can handle so why not make a decision? All that did was make me want a shower…”

[GambolMuse]

"But it's been going on for a while. We have to try something, maybe there's something we missed?" Shu had been having this issue since he'd come back to them hadn't he? It wasn't just a matter then of it simply going away, they had to figure out how to help him. If Takeshi was only here they could ask him what he'd been doing, since Shu must have been sleeping when his brother was around. Did he really need his brother that much? Ignoring Kabocha's ridiculous complaints and slightly loathing the fact he was tagging along, Yumi carried Shu off to the room where Haku was resting, giving their friend an annoyed look when he barged right in on the young Saiyan. No surprise they spooked him, anyone would jump a bit if someone just suddenly barged into a quiet room like that. Rolling her eyes exasperatedly she followed Kabocha inside, giving Haku a friendly smile as she entered. It was nice to see him showing concern for Shu so easily... Either that or he was just stating the obvious, but she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Oh... Your feet just hurt? Well that's good, I was worried you might be more hurt," Haku responded, smiling thoughtfully as he looked down at his meal, "I heard that you changed... And you fought the King, so... I kind of figured the worst had happened..." It was a relief to see Shu hadn't been killed, or any of them for that matter. They had fought not only Krom but Yamate as well and lived, who else could say that? Shame that everyone was so banged up for it, but at least they were alive and could fight another day... Or not fight, he'd be okay with that too. Glancing up again at the question, Haku had to think for a second, his mind a little fuzzy with the pain medications they had given him. "Takeshi... OH! Yeah, I saw him earlier, he was leaving this morning," he replied, giving a small nod as he glanced back at the window, "He went right out the front, and nurses and a doctor followed him but he just took off. I don't know why though, he seemed like he was in a hurry." Maybe something had come up from the rebels and he wanted to see it, that was the only thing that crossed Haku's mind. Other than that he couldn't imagine a reason for anyone to leave, not given the state they were all in. "Not sure where he went, but he's bound to come back. Why? Were you wanting to talk to him?"

Vegeta hadn't meant to cut their time here so short, but overhearing some of what was being said he knew he couldn't let Viral stay around the kid. No use in bringing someone else's mood down, certainly not a child trying to remain positive in the face of adversity. As it happened none of the work this group was doing was exactly taxing, so they should get on just fine without a helping hand. Smiling politely and waving as the child ran off, the Saiyan folded his hands away in his pockets and started down the road again, making sure Viral was coming along. "It was a start at the very least, better than nothing. If you're feeling more like actual work then we can do something more physically demanding, goodness knows there's plenty of that to go around. And if you want to shower after a little gardening then you really have been away from work for too long," he teased, smiling slightly as he glanced over, "I'll find us something better, don't you worry." The entire purpose of this adventure of theirs was to work Viral to a point where he needed rest, and hopefully sleep would follow. If they were really fortunate, though Vegeta wouldn't hold his breath, the Beastman may even eat if he could work up a good enough appetite.

Putting in one slab of stone was an easy job, but Takeshi hadn't realized just how many these people had needed. After setting the first one down in place he noticed at least four more were needed, and naturally the citizens asked if he'd be kind enough to help with the rest. A big part of him wanted to say no, but he couldn't see them being capable of it and he hadn't anywhere else to be, so reluctantly he agreed. Carrying something so bulky and heavy with an injured arm was far from pleasant, and more than once he had to stop and set it down to relieve some pressure. After maybe 20 minutes of work however he'd managed to get every single slab over, even helping set up the frames and then leaving the setting of them to the residents. By the time he was through his shoulder throbbed painfully and he was sure his wound was pretty close to opening again, yet he'd finished with that now. Waving off their thanks he quickly tried to leave the site in hopes of no one else bothering him, looking around and noticing several other groups giving him glances, like they were expecting him to help. Letting out a sigh he rubbed his head with his good hand, wondering if maybe he ought to just head back to the hospital. Give these people an inch and they take a mile, he mused, shaking his head before looking around for a means of getting away. Much to his chagrin not only could he not find any way around the work zones, but he spotted a pair of familiar faces among the civilians; Viral and Vegeta.

"This neighborhood seems to be plenty busy, I'm certain we can find work here." It was a more commercial area judging by the buildings, and just the kind of work that ought to wear Viral out in no time. They could take their pick of jobs here as well, as Vegeta was sure not a single group around would mind having some help. Scanning the lots for something he felt would suit his brother, his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise spotting Takeshi on the other side of the road a ways down, looking like he'd just been working as well. Shouldn't he be in the hospital resting? Giving Viral a confused look he hurried across the road, clearing his throat loudly when it looked like Takeshi was ready to turn and run out of here. "You stay right there. What are you doing out here exactly?" Vegeta asked, frowning as he stopped and crossed his arms, "You're supposed to be recovering from your battle, you know that. Unless you mean to tell me they gave you a clear bill of health and those bandages are just for show?"

Takeshi smiled innocently and shrugged his one good shoulder at Vegeta's remark, scowling after the other Saiyan gave him a disapproving look. "Fine, I snuck out of there and decided to come into the city," he replied, looking away and feeling the guy's glare still boring him into him. "Or... Maybe I stormed out, but whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm not that injured and these people need help, so I'm out here helping." It was hardly the truth, but given what he was doing a second ago it wasn't like Vegeta could prove him wrong now could he? Turning back to his friend, the Prince felt his throat catch when Viral came over as well, immediately averting his eyes down to the ground as a heavy sense of shame washed over him again. Damn it, being out here was his hope to avoid this sort of thing, now he'd run into them again. If Viral was out and about in the city there was no way he could face the guy, not after his idiotic outburst earlier. "I'm actually on my way back to the hospital... I'll let everyone know you said hi, uh... Bye." Promptly turning around he started back for the hospital, his face burning in embarrassment. He couldn't even look at Viral now, he'd really screwed up.

[Mogtaki]

Shu shook his head, more unsure about whether it was a good idea to suggest it. “I just-…I just think I’m being silly, maybe…” he spoke, feeling doubt that he’d be able to get over it himself but still trying to make out he would be fine, “If I-I just forget bad things…I no get bad dreams, right?” He really didn’t know a thing and definitely had no clue to how he might, but he was really letting everyone down by being the weak, cowardly one. He didn’t want to be seen as a coward, but he didn’t know if that was just him seeing himself as one and not thinking clearly when he could possibly be just pitying himself. Keeping a tight grasp of Yumi as he stared at Haku he felt pretty embarrassed that he took immediate notice to the fact he couldn’t walk by himself, or at least didn’t feel comfortable enough to walk.

“Uhh, I did…but I don’t think he hurt me much. But brother Takeshi…I did-…uhh, the worst?” Shu felt rather confused already, but that managed to confuse him even more. He didn’t know if that meant his changing would cause the worst to happen or if something happened to him. Maybe it was his guilt that was driving him to that conclusion, but it certainly did manage to make him very nervous either way. Staring at Haku as he peered over Yumi’s shoulder he looked to the window, curious as to whether his assumptions were the best to follow. If Takeshi was in a rush to help someone then that was okay. “Maybe…Maybe Takeshi will return to see me, then. Maybe…maybe? Ooh…I hope so. Maybe he go to get stuff too”, he mumbled, looking away for a moment before back to Haku, “I-I just think I hurt Takeshi! My dream a-and the fight and me changing…I just want to know if he okay, is all…”

Viral didn’t see a reason to be taken away from that job, seeing how it was simple enough and those little aliens probably could barely move the trees on their own to get them in place. It would’ve been better if they did all that then moved on instead of leaving in a strange moment. Looking back at the child he grumbled as he looked forward again, heading down the road as he looked to Vegeta who gave some sort of explanation for them moving on. “What’s wrong with not liking dirt?? I don’t like being dirty, I don’t like getting dirty!” He could handle getting tossed around and dirty that way but he was not a fan of getting hurt when he wasn’t battling.

Not finding a great deal of pleasure talking about that particular subject he was more surprised by the sight up ahead, just where Vegeta absentmindedly referred to. That was rather annoying, especially the nonsense he caused earlier. Maybe this was part of his guilt for causing so much trouble earlier, but either way he was being stupid by being out after a battle. Making their way over he stared at Takeshi, watching Vegeta make a quick run over to him before he could escape. He didn’t see a reason for him being out here when he was supposed to be in the hospital, especially doing something like this. He probably was trying to find an excuse to act tough, but Vegeta was fair taking that down a couple of notches. Finally making his way over he gave Takeshi a harsh glare, not amused with seeing him out here before Takeshi decided to make a retreat once more to where he should’ve been in the first place. Letting out a groan he looked to Vegeta, frowning. “Now I don’t know if I should be concerned over that or annoyed that he’d even be so stupid. There was no reason for him to be out here doing that…”

[GambolMuse]

"I... Well, that might work. But how do we make you forget them?" Yumi asked uncertainly, "It's not as easy as just saying 'forget it'. I think we need someone's help for that." Or maybe they just needed something or someone to be with Shu while he slept. That might fix his problems with sleeping at any rate, but what of when he was awake and active? She didn't have an answer for that, other than trying to somehow make him okay with what had happened. Maybe she could talk to Vegeta about that later, but right now they were neither here nor there; their friends were all laid up in the hospital, best to visit them before doing anything else. With Kabocha tagging along their first stop was Haku's room, and only Haku could be spooked by the sudden appearance of visitors. Smiling apologetically as they entered, she kept quiet as the others already began speaking, simply here for the moment to help Shu get around.

What had Shu said? Haku couldn't make head or tails of it, the way he spoke was kind of weird. Was he saying that Takeshi had hurt him, or that he hurt Takeshi? Or had one of them been hurt the most in the battle? Trying to make sense of the rambling and be polite he just nodded slightly, furrowing his brow as he didn't fully understand. Strange that Shu was so worried about his older brother too, particularly when he himself was in a fairly bad spot. "I mean... He has to return doesn't he? He's still banged up," Haku responded, smiling slightly as he gave a little shrug. That smile quickly changed when the young Saiyan brought up hurting his brother, confirming the sinking feeling that had been bothering Haku since this conversation started. He was pretty sure Takeshi was okay, he was up and moving at any rate so how bad could it be? "W-Well... You can ask him yourself? I mean he should be back soon... Wherever he went..."

"Relatively speaking though... How dirty are you? A little on your hands? I can sympathize not enjoying being dirty, but we've barely got a dusting on us at this point." They were probably going to end up covered in all sorts of dirt and other materials by the time they were done today, so Viral ought to settle in and prepare for the long haul. The sheer bulk of work being done out in the city likely could keep them preoccupied for a week at least, but today was a trial day and he didn't want to overwork the Beastman on the first day out. In their search to find another suitable job they were met with a surprise, seeing Takeshi of all people wandering about. Vegeta promptly took exception to this, both because the other boy should be resting, and because of his tendency to just make things more difficult. Upon approaching him, Takeshi, as expected, tried to defend his idiotic venture. They were having none of it however, and within just a minute they had the Prince turned around and heading back where he belonged. Simply unbelievable, only Takeshi would wander out of the hospital after a fight, and for what? If he wasn't a Saiyan and didn't grow stronger for it each time he'd probably be dead by now, the fool.

"I think both is perfectly acceptable with him," Vegeta answered plainly, frowning as he saw Takeshi disappear around the corner, "Knowing him he was out here trying to prove something, but he's heading back now. Let's not focus on him, lest we end up with migraines." Focusing on work and getting Viral a bit tired was their priority out here, not to play keeper to some wandering Prince who was too stubborn for his own good. Promptly getting back to scanning the area for some work, there was a promising bit to be done nearby with a single story, wide building that looked to be in the middle of being repaired. Some stone blocks were being laid out for the walls and mortar used to hold them in place, that was something they could easily participate in. Gesturing to the building, Vegeta smiled and headed over that way, exchanging a few words of greeting with the men working and making the offer for them to help, which they promptly accepted without hesitation. "Great, we'll get right to work for you then," he said, looking back to Viral and nodding, "We can lay out the bricks for them, they don't seem to be too heavy but there's a lot of them. How's about we stay here for a bit, see what we can do?"

Takeshi really wasn't thrilled to be heading back to the hospital, and neither was he thrilled to be seeing Viral after this morning. He could just go somewhere else and relax, albeit that'd be hard with his wounds aching and feeling as hungry as he was. Maybe going back was the best thing then, even if he didn't feel ready to face Shu or anyone else just yet. Sighing to himself he rubbed at his bandaged shoulder, wondering if there was a chance he might get a room elsewhere, then he'd not have to risk running into them. Between feeling like crap for berating Viral and then shirking his own brother he was certain he'd offended everyone in one day, and now that he had he hadn't a clue how to make it right. He'd seen how Viral had looked at him, and while not unfounded it hurt to have the guy you wanted to fight with and learn from look down on you so harshly; he'd done the same to the Beastman with his rant, so he did deserve that he supposed. Up ahead he could see the hospital coming back into view, and no doubt the soldiers at the front were going to throw a fit over his coming back, as he'd made a pretty big scene storming out of the place. Great, another thing he had to worry about.