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

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi watched Shu battle with the soap for a moment, scarcely believing how much trouble his brother was having. When it popped up and caught him in the chin he stifled a small laugh, putting a hand on his forehead and over his eyes before letting out a sigh. "You're holding it too hard... If you squeeze it it'll slip like that," he explained, a bit embarrassed he'd not said anything sooner. "You don't have to try crushing it, just wrap your fingers around so it doesn't go anywhere and use it like I showed you. Either that... Or I'll wash you myself." Either way Shu was most certainly getting cleaned. A little haphazard behavior wasn't going to get him out of this, he had to wash up. Smiling as he leaned over Takeshi grabbed the bar of soap, handing it back to his brother and wagging a finger at him. "One more try, then I'm cleaning you. Don't squeeze it so hard, okay? You're making it more complicated than it needs to be buddy," he chided gently, trying to get the point across. Hearing T'charrl's remarks the Saiyan's face reddened in embarrassment at the suggestion that others might find out. "Well no one's going to tell the others that I slipped on a bar of soap, right?" Takeshi asked, closing his eyes as an eyebrow twitched irritably. "I know plenty of people would never let that go, and I really don't want to listen to that for the entire ride home."

"Viral... I have no real clue what I'm doing here, honestly. I'm a scientist, a warrior, a doctor... Kind of. I run a business, I'm traveling the galaxy, fighting a war. I have no fricken clue what it is I'm supposed to be doing in life, and right now I'm not that worried about it. We're pretty much the same age, right? And neither of us have any idea what we're supposed to do with ourselves yet, so I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it's normal. Yumi probably doesn't have a clue either I bet." The latter bit of Viral's argument was definitely a little bit of a downer. It made sense in a way, his father had to have had some intent when he'd made the Beastman. Vegeta hadn't thought to ask that when they had spoken, and now he wasn't sure when the two of them might have a chance to talk again. However, this did bring him to a conclusion that may just perhaps lighten his friend's mood a little. "What if my father didn't have a purpose for you other than to live?" the Saiyan suggested, smiling hopefully. "I mean... Raising us wasn't planned until things took a turn, so I doubt that was the intent. He and grandfather could still fight, so I doubt he intended for you to be the sole protector of the planet. One of yes, but not the only. What if he did it just to see that he could? Maybe he only wanted to give you life, not a purpose. Maybe he wanted you to find that on your own?"

Whatever the case was they wouldn't know for certain without confirmation from their father. The best that could be done now was offer words of encouragement and hope that something, anything, stuck with Viral. Ikura was going to have to verify things for them, provided the man was still alive back on Earth. The topic of surgery was then brought into question, and the Beastman while averted didn't particularly say no, leaving it to Vegeta to make the call. They had to do it, otherwise the recovery would be painstakingly long and possibly foul up. "Again... It's like you raising me, there is no way dad could have known these things would have happened. I'd bet he intended on helping you himself if anything ever happened. It just so happens that the situation we're in now has me helping you." Alright, surgery... That meant some anesthesia to knock out Viral. Leaving the table for a moment Vegeta went looking around for such a thing, all the supplies being put in places he wasn't familiar with. "What happened to you was unexpected, and only because of a result of someone else's tampering. You were fine before the Saiyans took you, I never helped you once before then. And don't get the wrong idea, I don't mind helping you. But this is all recent, and it coincides with your kidnapping. Besides this last year I truly do think you are the pinnacle of dad's work, and you're ideally what he wanted to create."

[Mogtaki]

Shu did not appreciate that hit the soap delivered to him, his grip on the soap being anything but elegant. He couldn’t hold onto it compared to when it was dry, at least when he tried to eat it. Letting out a fair good snort in return, he shook his head again and slammed his hands down on it only for it to slide into his leg. It was a little frustrating how slippery it was, he just couldn’t get a grip on it. Frowning, he looked up to Takeshi and tilted his head, “Too hard? Oh…how do I not do too hard…?” he questioned, slowly moving his hand towards the soap. He wanted some sort of independence, he’d only ask Takeshi for help if he knew he couldn’t manage something new like this, “I don’t mean to make it complicated…” Taking hold of his tail, he tried to pick up the soap again just using the tips of his fingers and slowly rubbed it against his fur, “I just want to be clean like you want so I can be nice to hug and play with. I don’t want to be smelly and nasty and dirty! But I have a lot of fur…”

T’charrl wasn’t too sure how he was supposed to get dry with the towels that were available, pulling one out and staring at its tininess. Throwing it over his head and giving it a good rub, he turned back towards Takeshi’s cubicle, smiling a little, “I could always say I accidentally punched you”, he spoke, shaking his wings, “You decided to teach me a few moves before dinner and I accidentally hit too hard, maybe? It’ll sound better than slipping on soap”. While he was willing to help, he still thought it was quite funny that they were having so much trouble with cleaning up. It must have been rare that the kid actually washed, not unless the weather changed probably.

Viral didn’t think Vegeta was getting the point at all, but then again it was difficult to explain just what it was like to be a creation rather than being born into the world. Vegeta had everything set for himself, he had talent and could do anything he put his mind to; however, the point he was trying to prove wasn’t quite getting there. Vegeta had talent, he could be whoever he wanted to be because he was born with free will. Viral had to be doing something he was created for, otherwise he would just feel lost or rebellious, “You’re already doing everything for yourself…you’re independent! Yumi has been independent ever since she left…she’s had the free will to do what she wanted to before you graduated…” he growled lowly, letting out a sigh, “And like I keep track of my age…” Vegeta probably didn’t have the answers he needed, he probably wouldn’t be able to find them by himself either. Feeling a little defeated, he looked to Vegeta, frowning at his conclusion. That was a stupid reason; it wasn’t as if his father or mother were sterile and decided to create his own using science, “Are you saying I was created on a bet…” he muttered, finding that to be an even worse reason over anything, “Just because he wanted to…and give me no purpose?”

No purpose other than to show his father could create artificial life, a particularly pathetic existence. Maybe it was just as well that Vegeta didn’t decided to go into psychology, otherwise he would had just been upset that he failed that compared to everything else he could do. There was so much he needed to know, all because of what happened to him to make him question his existence. He was already close to asking such a thing, but back on Earth he was already in the rebellious stage of his confusion and was soon enough about to destroy anything to get to the rest of the Dragonballs. He didn’t think Vegeta cared enough to remember such a thing, he could had forgotten it all too because it was so minor and hardly a problem for him if he ever had to deal with it. He knew Vegeta was the kind of person to put him down if he ever got too out of control. It wasn’t something he could help, his mind just changed. Watching as Vegeta’s form moved away from him, he turned slightly and let out a sigh as he was left with the shadows once more, “Probably…and yet, I killed him…unwillingly”, he spoke, frowning a little, “Was I fine? I could still transform, if under dire situations…and have some mental control…it was also not one that would force its way out. If this was supposed to happen, then all the Saiyans did was reveal it. I should had asked your father what I was going to become…”

[GambolMuse]

Whoever would have thought that washing oneself was such a challenge? They fought Elites, traveled space, killed giant space sea-monsters and now a god, and Shu's biggest problem out of all of that was a bar of soap. If he wouldn't feel awful for it Takeshi would probably be laughing at how ridiculous that was, such an easy thing to have trouble with. Watching Shu a moment longer he finally decided to help, reaching out and easing the soap out of his sibling's grip. "I'd hug you and play with you whether you're clean or not. But while we're here we may as well get you clean, yeah? Let me help you do it. Just sit down and turn around and I can scrub you down, how's that?" That way they would be done much faster, and the sooner they were through they could have something to eat. Takeshi looked around the stall hopefully for something to help do the scrubbing, a loofah or maybe even a soft bristled brush. Seeing nothing of use however he sighed, figuring he had to do it all by hand. Turning an ear to T'charrl the Saiyan let out a soft chuckle, shrugging and nodding his head in spite of their friend not being able to see them. "I like that idea. If they ask, which I doubt they will. Gods know the twins would never let me live it down if I got hurt by a bar of soap..."

"Nothing is keeping you from being independent but yourself Viral. You only are bound by something if you let yourself be bound by it." Vegeta didn't want to make it sound like it was Viral's fault, but he definitely thought the Beastman needed a new perspective. He was so engrossed in needing a purpose, needing to find a reason for being that the Saiyan was skeptical he actually tried finding one for himself at all. In a way he almost seemed to need other people to give him reason, and when the people willing to do so were bad and those close to him refused no wonder he was so lost. His understanding of the situation may be entirely wrong, but that was his gist of it. "Would things be easier if I gave you orders...? Told you what to do...?" Laying out a syringe with a compound to induce drowsiness Vegeta then grabbed a pair of gloves, sliding them on carefully. "No one wants to tell you what your purpose is or what to do because we want you to find it for yourself. You say you're born to be a fighter? So use that, keep fighting with us. You've got free will too, at least that's what we're trying to impress on you. You do what you want to do, or if you don't know then try things, that's how you find out." Viral was a bit past the whole experimenting as a kid phase, if he ever really was in that phase to begin with. Vegeta never quite understood why their father gave the Beastman a mature body in spite of being technically a child. To him that showed too in a way their father's confidence in Viral being able to keep himself in check.

Vegeta frowned when Viral took his words quite the wrong way. Shaking his head he let out a sigh, placing his hands on the side of the table and looking down at the Beastman sadly. "That's not what I'm saying at all and you know it... Maybe dad made you because he just... Wanted to? And when you were made he wanted to just let you live and experience life? Hell Viral... He and mom both refer to you as a son, which makes me your brother. Maybe they just wanted to... Make a kid?" Thinking on that a bit more Vegeta's face abruptly reddened, and with a faint gasp of realization he shook his head, waving his hands dismissively. "Not make a kid like... Eugh... Never mind. But my point is dad might have created you because he just wanted to. And once it worked he left you to develop on your own, because maybe he wanted you to figure things out on your own, including your own path." A lot of maybe's, that bothered Vegeta. He desperately wanted to give a definite answer, and yet now knowing their father's or anyone else's incentives on the project he couldn't offer any. Grabbing the syringe from the table he went about carefully cleaning Viral's skin, looking for a vein to inject the serum into. "The transformation isn't the problem, it's how it's brought about and your control over it. What the Saiyans and the RRA did was remove your ability to control it, that's nothing wrong with you. Like I said Viral... Dad made you and he made you able enough to handle yourself. Other people are the reason these things have happened, not you."

Shu and Takeshi had, at last, finished their shower. What ought to have been five minutes turned into a near half hour debacle, culminating in Takeshi washing his brother for simplicity's sake. Once everyone was cleaned up they had gotten dressed and gone to their room to relax, waiting for dinner to be prepared. Since both Viral and Yumi were to get medical attention it fell to the rest of the group, namely the twins and their father, to prepare dinner. Vegeta had been rather efficient in dealing with the Beastmen and their injuries. Viral's surgery was simple, and within 20 minutes he was patched up and allowed to remain in bed to rest. Yumi had very few actual injuries, albeit a few bruised ribs and external bruises showed the pressure she had been under. Her mood had improved considerably, no longer grumpy or angry. She was however rather dejected when around Viral, being awfully remorseful towards him for reasons she wouldn't unveil. After an hour had passed everything had been seen to, and the group in its entirety, Viral included, were sitting down readying themselves for a long coming meal.

"Oooooh man, whatever that is it smells delicious!" Takeshi exclaimed, turning to look in the direction of the kitchen from his seat. Smiling broadly he sniffed at the air again, turning back and rubbing at his stomach eagerly. "They must have cooked a load of stuff back there, I can smell all sorts of things!"

Yumi rolled her eyes dramatically at Takeshi's outburst, but a faintly amused smile crept across her lips. "No wonder you're so hungry, you jump around like an idiot at the first smell of food. Must work up a huge appetite." As things have a way of happening not a second after she said that did her own stomach grumble, rather vocally at that. Yumi scowled in Vegeta's direction then as he began to laugh at her.

"You sound ready to eat half of it Yumi, I wouldn't go pointing fingers," Vegeta teased, inciting a childish tongue-sticking from his friend. Looking too in the direction of the kitchen he sniffed the air curiously, surprised by how aromatic the foods were. "Wow... Those do smell really good..."

[Mogtaki]

Shu was definitely a little defeated by the soap, feeling like it had managed to get the better of him because he could barely hold it. It was just so slippery and going all over the place, but he knew he shouldn’t let it get the better of him when it was a simple case of learning how to grab it and hold onto it. Shu found the main problem being he couldn’t figure out how he was supposed to grasp it, everybody else grasped things differently from him. Frowning a little when Takeshi took the soap from him, his frown soon turned into a smile. Giving a nod, he slowly scooted himself around, “Okay! I’m sorry I couldn’t hold the soap”, he squeaked, waving his tail the right way around, “I didn’t mean to drop the soap! It’s hard to hold on to…”

Viral grunted at Vegeta’s words, knowing he really didn’t understand and yet was still trying to if only to make him sound wrong upon thinking such things. He was making him sound like a child who was just complaining because they were too young to understand true independence, “I don’t think you understand how deep that runs…how much I am bound by”, he spoke lowly. He couldn’t understand how strong the bonds were that held him back from such thoughts, it just wasn’t in his nature while going solo meant he would change. For all the time he had been stuck in the Capsule Corp main facility, he had become sour and pretty hateful of society and all the freedoms they held. That time in the building, Vegeta had put his concerns over him to the side and carried on with business, all while various RRA men went over with offers to buy him. Vegeta was probably still in the same thought process; still trying to kick him out and get him to be independent so he didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

Feeling fairly passive and fed up, he sighed at Vegeta’s words, “I don’t care if I was given orders, so long as I still see respect in the one giving them”, he spoke, managing to see the syringe through his terrible vision, “I was never given the chance to gain interest in other things, there is little I know or was given the chance to gain an interest in…and that’s just how it is. I have to wonder though…and try to figure out…do I want to fight with you people if I can never be as good as anybody in this group?” He was definitely confused and it was just bad that he was only finding questions in whether he even wanted to try and fight when there was so many who could do it better. Feeling particularly fed up, he slowly looked towards Vegeta, narrowing his gaze, “…You remember the part where they said I grew up quickly too? If they wanted a ‘kid’, then I wasn’t one for very long, was I…” he spoke, not particularly finding what he was saying to be very informative, “Giving a creature destructive powers and telling them to find their own path would only lead to disaster. Maybe the Saiyans and the RRA had the right idea…”

With everyone being treated, cleaned and resting, it was soon time for dinner and getting everyone together to eat. Shu was absolutely starving at this point and pretty excited for it, his fluff and hair all soft and light after his wash. He carried a distinctive scent now too, one he wasn’t used to and was definitely unable to get rid of for the time being. T’charrl was just as fluffy, but his smell was a more natural flowery smell that must had been a natural odour his people carried after they were washed. It was all pretty unusual for him, but the smell of himself was definitely making him feel pretty hungry for fruit when he now smelled of fruit all over. Feeling pretty happy where he sat, he looked in the same direction as Takeshi, tilting his head to try and see what he was looking to see, “Oooohhhh food food food! Yum yum yum!” he squeaked happily, almost bouncing on his seat. Looking to Yumi quickly, he shuffled back down on his seat, giving her a smile, “Yum yum food? All growly and rubbly…”

Viral didn’t want to go to the food hall, but with both Yumi and Vegeta expecting him there then he was going to have to otherwise he’d end up getting chewed out later on for it. Yumi was already mad with him, so that experience was just going to be all the more awkward. While surgery had gone well, he wasn’t feeling well enough to eat anything at all still which made it all the more worrying what they might think of him. He could be called out as a coward easily, he knew they could easily be thinking it as they stared at his pathetic form. With one arm in a sling and his head not feeling all too great still, he hesitated outside the food hall’s door before taking in a deep breath and slowly entering. The smell of food hit him pretty bad, making him feel nauseous pretty quickly; however, he was going to have to stomach it if he was to show he could be brave. Slowly making his way over to the table, he slowly sat down at the far end, trying to keep his eyes off everyone else all while hiding his face from the others.

The twins had been hard a work with cooking with Choi feeling pretty desperate to see Yumi before he collapsed from exhaustion. He hadn’t had a full and proper sleep yet while Kai had managed to sleep, Choi had been too focused on preparing food for the others and wondering whether Yumi was going to be okay with their quest. He had been working at it pretty hard and prepared a lot of food for everyone with his brother, feeling he should at least do that while they had all been off fighting. With all sorts of meats and everything else needed to make a good meal, it all had been well prepared and now it was finally time to devour everything. Picking up the largest dishes first, Choi let out a sigh before he made his way out of the kitchen, balancing what he could and sliding it across the table all while his brother followed on after him with a little less but easier to balance meals. Choi was definitely tired, but his hunger was great too.

[GambolMuse]

Yumi was certainly more than ready to eat her fill, feeling fairly famished after today. The smell of food approaching promptly made her perk up, and with a smile of anticipation she waited for everything to be set down. Seeing Choi come out of the kitchen however she couldn't help but avert her gaze, her smile waning as she shrank back in her seat slightly. It was going to be difficult being with him, knowing now how greatly it bothered Viral. While she did like the Saiyan she didn't want to upset her friend just as much, if not more. Doing things behind the Beastman's back didn't seem right either, which made their being together seem almost impossible. Giving him only a meek smile and passing glance she quickly looked at the table when Viral entered the room. It was unexpected that he'd be here really despite both her and Vegeta pushing for him to dine with them. Of course his presence didn't guarantee that he'd be eating, but at the very least he was here. Hoping he might sit close to her or Vegeta then she was a bit disappointed when he took the seat at the far end of the table, not at all looking pleased with being here. Well... One step at a time, she supposed. Being around food was a move forward if nothing else.

The twins were perfectly capable of moving food, having been brought up as both cooks and servers. Kabocha on the other hand was about as incompetent as one could be. In the kitchen he was still struggling to balance but two dishes, incapable of laying them across his arm like Kai and Choi had. Eventually giving up on being anywhere near as competent as them he grabbed one in each hand, bringing them out to the table with a small triumphant smirk. Waiting for the twins to place all their dishes it slowly began to dawn on him that his hand felt rather warm. At first it didn't register as to why, and then when his hand turned red from the heat he gasped, bouncing a bit in his spot. Unable to hold it any longer Kabocha placed the dishes on the table, jumping a bit as he shook his hand and blew on his fingers. "Ow ow ow... Crap guys, tell me if a plate's hot!" he complained, blowing on his fingers again before rubbing them on his shirt. Those two could handle delivering food, he wanted to eat. Stepping past the twins he propped himself up in one of the seats, sighing contently as he sniffed at the odors of the meal. "Man you two can cook... I can't wait to dig in!" Reaching out to grab hold of a slice of meat he yelped when a knife was thrown at his hand, pulling it back and looking at Yumi accusingly. "Seriously woman, give me a break!"

"What? I didn't do anything," Yumi replied, smiling sweetly as she reclined in her chair a bit. "You really should wait until everyone else is ready to eat before trying to take some too." She meant Kai and Choi of course, they had worked hard on preparing it after all. She hadn't been referring to Kabocha's parents however who just so happened to grace the group with their presence that precise moment. She made no effort to hide her discontent for their arrival, groaning before laying her head down on the table. As if Kabocha wasn't bad enough to contend with now his family showed up as well. Lifting her head as they sat more or less across from her she sighed, putting her head back down on the table. Now if someone would just grace her with a stupid comment then tonight would be complete.

Once the table was completely set Takeshi found it terribly difficult to keep himself from the food. Only once other people had begun to serve themselves did he get himself a helping of the food, being sure to offer the plates to Shu as well if he wanted any of it. He knew he smelled fish, but glancing around at the platters he couldn't spot it anywhere. When he did find it the tray was placed quite a ways down, close to Viral. The fish looked awfully tasty, it was shining like it was glazed and had something for a side that smelled tasty too. Reaching out for it he stopped when he heard Vegeta clear his throat, looking back confused. Seeing his friend gesture to Viral it took a second but the message was relayed, and Takeshi settled back in his chair, smiling as he began digging into what he already had for food.

[Mogtaki]

The twins were fair set on making everything to perfection, knowing it was a big deal that they were needing to make good impressions above all else. They weren’t like the typical Saiyans and just did things for others to win over others, but rather doing it because everyone has had a long day and they needed something nice after everything. Kai only returned to the kitchen once to retrieve some more of the food, but Choi sat right down, letting out a sigh as he took a seat near Yumi. He was pretty tired, but having a good meal should make everything right. Waiting for his father to settle down as well, he turned slightly to look at Yumi, snickering when Yumi nearly stabbed Kabocha for being rude. Looking to him, he rubbed his hands together, “Firstly, it’s obvious a plate is going to be hot when the food is hot”, he spoke, leaning a little towards him, “And secondly, my brother isn’t here yet!” When Kai finally returned he placed down food where his father and Kabocha’s parents were, settling down beside his dad, pretty ready to dig in.

Shu was pretty patient when all the food came out, but he couldn’t help but shake a little bit when it was all being laid out for them all. He knew he had to wait, he didn’t like starting first and knew he wasn’t entitled to that right. Staring at the others with anticipation, he smiled when Takeshi decided to dig in and immediately started grabbing what he could for now. It all smelled delicious, he couldn’t wait to taste all of it, “Food! Yumi! Yumi eat food and enjoy too, right?” he squeaked happily, looking to T’charrl soon after, “We find much food, much food for everyone”, he nodded, smiling away, “I really think you will like it with us. Even if you don’t want to fight, we still have plenty of food and you’ll like our planet when we get there so you have that to look forward to as well”.

T’charrl was fairly anticipating his food, his hunger barely knowing any bounds ever since he changed. It was almost scary in nature, he could barely control it as he sat pulling at his antennae. The smell of the food was immense and delightful, his eyes going to the others as he waited for them all to settle down. He was courteous too, he had learned it all from his own upbringing and knew to wait before everyone was seated and ready. The moment he saw the others start to pick up their food, T’charrl reached out and grabbed what he could, chomping down on his food before he looked down at Shu. He hadn’t actually thought on where they were going until now, or at least wasn’t conscious of the thought, “…Huh? Your planet…? Oh yeah…the thought of going to yet another planet…it’s so much to take in…”

Viral was already feeling pretty terrible already; he didn’t need the smell of food making him feel even worse and yet, what he had to worry about now was having the food sitting there right in front of him. He could only stare at it, its smell wafting in all directions and his eyes gazing at its well-cooked corpse. Nobody else was taking the fish, it was just sitting there right in front of him and with everyone staring to eat, everyone had purposely left it for him to take. It was so obvious, this was something they had all probably been discussing together in an attempt to get him to eat and put an end to his hunger pains as well as stopping them from feeling so fed up with him. Even though he was annoyed at their meddling with his mind, he did want to stop the pain and finally have his healing ability working again and yet, as he stared at the scales of the carcass he was slowly but surely looking away from it and about ready to push it away just so it was out of his field of vision.

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi covered his mouth when he snickered at Kabocha's expense, not wanting to spit out food. Funny, not a moment later he grabbed himself a bit of food and no one said a word about the matter. Everyone else began to help themselves as well, so he'd just made the threshold. Everything was delicious, the twins and their father really knew how to put a meal together. It was such a nice thing to have them here to make meals, their chef skills were leagues above what any of them could make. Sinking his teeth into a fairly well cooked steak he sighed contentedly, glad to feel food finally beginning to fill his belly. There was an awful lot to go around too, so seconds and even thirds were probably a possibility. As it was he already had a plate full of food and was only just starting, so it'd be a few moments at least until he needed another serving. Happily munching away Takeshi glanced at Shu as he spoke, then looking to T'charrl and nodding in agreement. Hopefully he ended up liking Earth enough, they were going to be there for a little while at least. Even if they only intended on seeing that doctor right now it was a safe bet someone would have another reason to stay for a bit. Takeshi would like to check his own house if they got the chance, not having been there in a year after all. On that note it dawned on him just how unkempt the place was going to be... And all the bugs that were bound to be lingering now. Swallowing his food he paled slightly, frowning as he fidgeted in his seat. Well looks like he was going to be cleaning when he got home.

Yumi was quite happy to be sinking her teeth into some food, her stomach having been grumbling nearly nonstop since arriving back at the ship. What she wasn't so keen on however was having Choi right next to her, finding herself quite conflicted. She should be nice and warm to him, and yet with Viral sitting at the table looking upset as anything doing so would only make things worse for him. Instead she would try to keep to herself for the duration of the meal, that way no one would end up getting their feelings hurt. It was nice having the Beastman there with them for a change, it had been forever since they'd eaten together. Or he'd eaten period, more to the point. Looking down his way Yumi was disheartened to see Viral wasn't eating his food at all, looking awfully off-put by it. Arching her neck a bit to see what the deal was she spotted a full fish, not skinned or anything. Well the head was lopped off, as was the tail, but it was a full filet still. Wanting Viral to eat still she pushed herself up from her seat, going around Choi and to her friend's side.

"Scales aren't very tasty, are they?" Yumi asked, smiling politely at Viral. Leaning across the table in front of him she grabbed a knife, and meticulously skimmed off the skin until a naked filet lay before her friend. There was another smaller plate nearby with a skinned chunk of what looked like fish, and after giving it a careful prodding she moved it closer to the Beastman as well. Her own mouth watered at all the smells but she wanted to try and get some food in Viral before she went back to her meal. "Please try one of them? Just a nibble, if that's all you can do. Maybe even pinch your nose if the smell is off-putting, that could help." She really didn't want to pressure him into eating, but he really needed to. It had been a long while even as far as she was aware since his last meal. Considering all he'd been through Viral desperately needed some nutrition, meaning some actual food rather than that IV nonsense Vegeta had given him. Breaking off a small piece of the skinned filet she popped it in her mouth, blinking in surprise at the flavor and looking down at the food hungrily. "Oh wow... It's buttery and soft... That's really good..." Yumi whispered, fidgeting as she fended the urge to eat the entire thing herself. Instead she looked at her friend, smiling hopefully as she held the plate out for him.

[Mogtaki]

Shu was pretty happy to hear that, knowing it would be good for T’charrl to get to see his planet and actually possibly find he might like it there. Of course the guy wasn’t going to stay there, but having him enjoy his home planet as much as he enjoyed Kaesstria would be just the best for him. Smiling away, he soon dug right in again, eating as many different types of food as he possibly could to get all the flavours and textures. This was definitely a good meal, he was pretty happy having it knowing there was possibly going to be even more in the near future. Pulling back a moment, he looked to Takeshi, tilting his head a little, “Ooh! What’s wrong? I didn’t eat a bug, I swear!” he said quickly, giving a nod as he sat back again, grabbing at some of the red meats, “I swear I’m clean now and all nice for going to Earth…but how long will it take to get there? How far away are we? We must be pretty far, but I never learned about stars and planets when I was growing up! Didn’t know what stars were but lots of shinies in the sky…I do like shinies too…”

Viral felt like he should leave, all he was doing was hogging the fish and he wasn’t even going to eat it. The others should be eating this fish, not him when he couldn’t even lift a finger to touch it. The fish was practically the only one on the table, it wasn’t like he could eat the entire thing either with his tolerance for flesh. Slowly looking off towards the door with the thought of leaving, he gasped when Yumi suddenly spoke up, appearing on the other side of the table. Looking to her before to Choi and back again, he leaned back a little when she took hold of a knife and instead began to cut up the fish. Watching as she moved the fish close to him, he slowly moved away from it before his eyes went back to her, frowning.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to eat it, but rather he couldn’t bring himself to or even look at it. Food was always appealing to him, but there was so much holding him back that made it difficult to even put his paw near it. The smell wasn’t off-putting, or rather specifically the fish smell; it was everything else associated with eating and what it could do to him if he started again. Letting out a groan, he soon looked up when he noticed Yumi was eating some of the fish, seemingly really enjoying it by the looks of her expression. Looking at the others quickly, he flinched slightly when the plate was held out for him again, his paw waving in front of him, “You should have it! You should have it…” he spoke quickly, looking down again, “This is going too fast…I shouldn’t be here. Come now, Yumi, this was useless from the start. The fish has already defeated me…” His stomach just felt sore and aching, quite a sickly feeling in the end. He was worried what might happen if he tried to eat again, whether flesh would trigger something inside of him that would turn him savage, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do it…”

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi was quite appalled by the inevitable mess that would be his home when they returned. That wasn't even to mention all the food that was likely beyond rotten now, he'd probably need a new refrigerator. He was really regretting never taking anyone but Shu to his home now, it would have been handy to have somebody watching over it. Glancing at Shu when he spoke out the older boy smiled meekly, giving a shake of his head. "No... That's not it. I just realized I haven't been home in an entire year now... Longer than that. Oh my house is going to be such a mess..." He'd probably have to throw out most of his things, and buy a ton of food to restock. Freezers and cabinets loaded with food, all going to waste because of this impromptu hiatus. Sighing softly he took a modest chunk of his food and munched on it, wallowing in his small self pity with food. "I guess I know what I'm doing when we get back to Earth. At least it's not like I pay bills or anything, living in the middle of nowhere..." Being in the middle of nowhere too hopefully meant no one had touched the suitcase full of tournament winnings. For the life of him he couldn't even remember where they had stowed it away right now, hopefully it was safe. Otherwise they'd probably end up asking Vegeta to buy them the food they'd need, and it wouldn't exactly be cheap.

Maybe showing how tasty the food was would incite Viral's appetite... Or maybe not. Frowning when he rejected the offer again Yumi set the plate down, putting her hands on her hips. There had to be some way they could make him eat, because sooner or later he was going to end up doing so, and the means of getting food then may not be the best. Vegeta had brought up a valid point during her exam in the infirmary. Their friend was worried that if he grew hungry enough Viral's more primal side would take control again he'd change in order to get some food. In reality it was a theory, but a worrisome one. Seeing how depressed Viral was over attacking someone once she couldn't imagine him being able to bear it a second time. "Don't apologize, and don't give up so easily. I know you can do it Viral, just a single bite is all you need," Yumi urged gently with a smile. "What if you closed your eyes and I fed you? Maybe that would help a little bit?"

Vegeta listened in on the conversation for a moment, disheartened Viral hadn't given in as easily as they might like. Yumi's attempts at making him eat weren't getting them anywhere, they needed a more concrete reason for him to do this. "Viral... You have to eat, it's not a matter of choice really. Or it won't be for long..." Looking across the table at his friend Vegeta pushed his own plate aside, folding his hands on the table. "Your other form is sort of a survival mechanism in someways. It comes out when you most need it or are in danger. If you keep starving yourself like this then you could change, and once your other form is in control do you imagine it's going to pick up a plate for a meal?" Unbeknownst to him both he and Yumi had the same thought, Vegeta was now using it as a means of urging Viral to have dinner. "It's a theory, but it's a very likely possibility too. Like Yumi said, you don't have to eat a lot. One bite is all you need for now, and we'll work up to it. The longer you go without food the worse state you'll be in. If you want your strength back and be able to handle your own power you've got to get your energy back, and that starts with a meal, however light it may be."

[Mogtaki]

Shu was pretty excitable about going home, even if it might only be for a short time and it was just to get their friend some help. It wasn’t a bad thing, it just meant their time might be brief if Viral gets help pretty quickly and everything else is wrapped up pretty well. Shu did wonder whether he’d get anything for his phobias and nightmares that had built up ever since his experiences, but maybe all he needed was to talk to his brother some more about it. He was definitely not completely without bad memories from his time in the laboratory, but it was probably nothing like Viral had to go through since they wanted to keep the King’s son alive and didn’t care much when it came to Viral.

Feeling a little distracted for a moment, he quickly looked back again to Takeshi, shaking his head a little before giving a smile, “Oooohhhh, it’s gonna be smelly, huh?” he spoke, tilting his head a little, “I remember it good! I do…it was nice”. He did remember being first introduced to the house and thinking it was brilliant, even if Takeshi wasn’t too fussed by it in the first place. He did hope the house was still there and not gone, considering that happened a lot with his old home and how they needed to move everytime, “Pay bills? Bills…who’s that and why do you need to pay them…? I miss being able to have bananas! I want bananas when I get back…yum yum yum…”

Viral knew he should had been trying to eat, there was no reason why he wasn’t eating other than his own memories sparking his mind into madness. He needed to eat, there was way too much that could happen to him if he didn’t eat and yet he was just too cowardly to do so. He was ashamed of himself, especially when it was all the meals he enjoyed so much when he was feeling alright. He was not healthy, he couldn’t keep his mind together and along with his hunger, there just wasn’t much keeping him together anymore. Slowly moving to lean his head on his only working hand, he stared at the table as Yumi spoke to him, insisting he’d try going blind and being fed like a child instead. Looking up at her, he frowned a little before slowly sitting back, not exactly sure how he was supposed to take that method.

Feeling a little stuck and somewhat embarrassed by that suggestion, he looked to Vegeta when he decided to butt in himself and give him a few choice words. While Yumi was going for the motherly approach, Vegeta was just straight up giving him facts. Frowning a little, he let out a sigh and looked away again, “…I know. I can’t get away from it”, he spoke, sitting up again, “Have you ever thought of straight up blasting me if that ever happened…or are you still against such a thing?” It was just a complete lose/lose situation with him, his fears taking over him to the point where he may as well had been locked in a room where he couldn’t hurt himself or others. He was just feeling depressed at this point; his anger had practically widdled away into a shameful little corner. Slowly rubbing at his chest, “I’m not a coward…I can’t succumb to hunger. Just…do what you need to do, force it down me for all I care! I just need to be forced…like giving a pet its medicine…”

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi wasn't sure whether to be excited about returning home or reluctant now. Being faced with the arduous process that would be reclaiming his home didn't at all sound appealing. Maybe they would just sort of ignore it for the time being, he'd get to it eventually. Shu on the other hand sounded quite ready to see the house again, by his words he had rather liked the place. It was a tiny little home in the middle of nowhere, yet that was enough to endear the younger Saiyan apparently. "Really...? You thought it was nice?" the older boy chimed, smiling contently. He wasn't exactly living in a mansion and it's decorating was sparse if non-existant at best, He'd always liked it, but no one had ever complimented the place before. Then again until Shu he hadn't had anyone over before either. Part way into taking another bite Takeshi instead stopped, looking over at Shu in disbelief. "Bills...? It's money you pay to keep your house Shu, it's not a person..." he answered, smiling amused. "Well... There is a Bills, but he's not really a person... And he's not someone I'd be paying money to. I doubt that would do a lot..." With his mind wandering away to Gohan's book Takeshi went back to eating, randomly pouring over passages in his mind now.

"We're not going to kill you if you change Viral, we don't care how many times it might happen." Yumi answered quickly, shooting Vegeta a quick glare before looking back at Viral. Her expression softened some as she leaned forward again, placing her hands on the table as she did so. It was hard to seem cheerful when he was so down on himself, he was coming across as utterly dejected and defeated right now. It was lost on her as to how food could make someone feel like that, she didn't get the aversion. Well, she did, she knew where it came from, but it still seemed alien. "I won't force feed you, and you're not a pet. You're a person and our friend and we just want to help you." Tabbing the plate with a finger she smiled again, cocking her head to the side slightly. "I can feed you if you want to close your eyes, then you won't know it's coming. It'll be a small piece, just enough for you to taste it. If you like the taste then maybe you'll eat it? If not... Well, at least we can say you tried!" If he thought the fish was even half as tasty as she had then he was bound to eat some, she was confident of that much.

Vegeta hadn't meant to make Viral feel so bad about things, he figured facts would help put things in perspective. All it had served to do was further upset Viral, and piss off Yumi. Letting the latter speak for a moment he stepped back from his position, inclined to agree with her plan instead. Maybe he would respond to some gentle encouragement better, given his sensitive mental state. "Worst case scenario you don't like it and we don't try again for a while, best case you end up liking it and get some food. There's nothing to lose here by trying," he offered hopefully, smiling. "It just has to be a little bit Viral, that's all."

[Mogtaki]

Shu was fairly content with everything, seeing as how he had now managed to get his fair share of food and was now ready to go to Earth. He needed to see his friends here before he left, it would be unfair to leave them and assume that they were now safe from the terrors that were whatever those monsters were. Munching on some of the food, he smiled and nodded at Takeshi, feeling it would be nice to catch a nap again in Takeshi’s home where he could relax with his brother, “Yeah! I’d never stayed in someone’s home before, someone I didn’t know”, he spoke quickly, looking back to his plate, “Well, I mean…I stayed with the people who taught me how to speak, but I knew them after so long being with them…”

While Takeshi’s words confused him, the little explanations he gave were certainly helping, or at least he thought they might. He wasn’t sure what he would need to pay money for if he hadn’t been home for a very long time, but maybe that was something only independent people would know about and he would just have to learn that the fact existed. Smiling at him, he gave a little nod, looking back to his food, “Poor Bills, everyone should be a person!” he spoke, giving a little smile back, “Even if I don’t know what makes a person ‘a person’, it is still nice to think everyone is even when they don’t look the same. I know some people wouldn’t call me a person because I act and look different…”

Viral felt fairly conflicted, only giving Yumi a frown when she still refused to kill him if he ever got out of control. It would have to happen eventually, if he might end up going crazy and end up killing more people. He could become uncontrollable once they were gone and if there was nobody strong enough to take him down then there was going to be many deaths throughout, maybe if either of them ever had kids then they would have to deal with him instead. There was little to stop that from happening, yet they were willing to let it be. Letting out a sigh, he frowned at Yumi before shaking his head, looking away again, “I know you’re just trying to help…I just…can’t help it”, he spoke, lowering his tone, “It’s not the taste I’m worried about…it’s the memories that come with it”.

He was worried he might end up transforming, but if this was his life then he was going to have to get used to it and learn how to control it; however, he wasn’t sure how he was to accomplish that. It was a natural part of him and it emerging violently like it had been doing was bringing him down by a great deal when it was simply too vicious to control. He wondered where it came from as well, whether it was a side effect to go with his ability to track the Dragonballs to change; then again, the form could easily be seen as a cross between a cat and a shark too. Preferring to keep his mind off it, he quickly rubbed his head sorely before his eyes went to Vegeta, his expression changing a little. He shouldn’t be acting like this, he was afraid of something he hadn’t even tried and the pressure they were laying on him was getting to be a little too much. Letting out a groan, he shut his eyes for a moment before letting out a snort, slowly sitting back again, “…Fine, I’ll do the closing my eyes…I’ll try…”

[GambolMuse]

"Well you stayed in my house... Kind of. We were there for all of one day anyways. I don't really have a second room, but I suppose we could always get another bed and share the bedroom..." Or... An addition to his house. Assuming they had a fair bit of prize money left over it would be very simple to pay somebody to come out and put on another room just for Shu to have. That way he could have it however he wanted, and maybe then dirt and bugs wouldn't be dragged into Takeshi's room. "The people who taught you how to speak huh...? Wonder if they're around still..." he mused, pausing in his meal thoughtfully. "We can always visit them too if you'd want, if you can remember where they were. I bet they'd be very happy to see you again." It hadn't been that long since Shu had left after all, right? One year, two years tops. Unless those people were quite old they would definitely still be around. It would be some time yet still until they could actually pay them a visit most likely, depending on how long they stayed on Earth. Who knows, they could be there for a week, seeing as the rebels were fighting and all. There really wasn't a whole ton of need for them, not immediately anyways.

"Well he is a person... Just not... I don't know, he's different..." Takeshi didn't quite know what to classify Bills as, short of what Gohan's account of the guy was. "According to the book he's a god... Something called the God of Destruction. He's supposed to be insanely powerful, like way more powerful than any of us will ever be. I mean he beat Goku, more than once. He's a person..." he paused, shivering slightly and prodding at a piece of his food before picking it up, "And a scary person. I wouldn't want to fight him." Gods were probably the only thing he'd never want to butt heads with, namely because they were just way too powerful. Even if things seemed slim in their odds he'd fight, but a battle like that was nigh impossible. Fighting people like their father was about the furthest he'd like to go in terms of power gaps, anything more and he'd just sit on the side lines and cheer someone else on.

It was hardly ideal or even by choice, but Viral at last agreed to try and eat. Yumi beamed hearing his words, ecstatic that he'd allow them to help him out finally. "It'll be small, I promise, just barely enough so you can taste it." If he were to eat it then it would have to be something nutritious, they needed to make it count. Since most of the foods were alien she didn't exactly know what was good and what wasn't, so she kept to her original plan with the fish. Cutting off a small sliver she held it between her thumb and forefinger, turning to Viral happily. "Now say 'aaaaah', here comes the choo-choo train!" she chimed, unable to help herself. It was kind of fun, even if it might be a little humiliating for Viral. Carefully she stuck the bit of fish into his mouth, retracting her hand and folding both behind her back, watching the Beastman curiously for a reaction. She wanted to ask how he liked it, but instead held on with baited breath, silently praying that he'd be able to ingest the fish.

[Mogtaki]

Shu didn’t exactly have much of a problem with creating an opinion surrounding only being at a place for a day, he was pretty quick to pick up impressions and he had definitely managed to do such a thing when visiting Takeshi’s house. He didn’t think he would ever be liked by Takeshi enough for him to want to stay with him, if even for a day; he even expected to have to sleep outside rather than being allowed to come into the house, “I don’t mind where I sleep! I don’t want to sleep alone just now…so maybe later, yes? I’m still scared of being by myself”, he spoke, giving his head a quick shake, “I still have bad dreams and they’re scary…” Feeling pretty happy even after that unpleasant thought, he gave a quick nod at Takeshi’s suggestion, bouncing on his seat a little, “Oooh! That would be nice! If I remember where they are…I can maybe remember! I can follow the path I took to get to the stony jungle place…but that will take a while maybe…”

The whole Bills thing had definitely left Shu feeling pretty confused still, especially now that Takeshi was saying he was but also wasn’t what he thought a person was. That didn’t make any sense at all, but the mention that he was a god definitely had him quite confused. They had just killed a god and yet this guy was so powerful that not even his idol Goku could beat him. Tilting his head a little, he stared at him before looking down at his food, “I-If Goku couldn’t beat him, then how did he…you know, not cause destruction?” he asked curiously, feeling as if he was missing something, “I don’t know what would stop someone with destruction in their name only for them to not want to destroy things…”

Viral was fairly worried at this point, seeing as how he was putting everything into the trust of Vegeta and Yumi. He was fairly embarrassed too, seeing as how he was practically surrounded by everyone and needing to be fed like a child. It was all a worrying state of mind to be in, his memories hardly doing a thing to keep themselves at bay either just so he could eat some food. Shutting his eyes, his only working shoulder raised slightly in worry as he heard Yumi deciding to be the one to go ahead with the plan. He didn’t want to think about it, it was just going to be something stuck in his mouth and for him to swallow it because it was going to give him more trouble if he couldn’t do so. Opening his mouth slightly, he soon began to growl when Yumi openly mocked him, “I swear…I will bite your fingers if you eve-!“ Yumi had near enough thrown the fish into his mouth, or at least that’s what it felt like to him. He gasped at first, his paw going to his neck as he inadvertently swallowed it, almost choking on it instead.

[GambolMuse]

Funny how things had changed. When they first met Takeshi had been beyond reluctant to let Shu into his home, thinking the kid was much too odd. Well, he was still odd, but it was in an endearing way now. And frankly when they did get home he'd be rather disappointed if they didn't share the home together. After being with so many people for so long he wasn't too sure how well he'd handle being all by himself again, the idea unsettled him. "You're not going to be alone buddy, not as long as I have anything to say about it," Takeshi said gently, giving a smile as he patted Shu on the back. "And we'll find a way to make the bad dreams go away, I promise." They really should do more about Shu and his problems too. Viral had been the focal point of everyone for some time, and while completely deserved it seemed almost like his brother's issues were trivial by comparison. Gods only knew what went through his head while he was sleeping. Perhaps if they could get on some nice topics before bed his mind would be elsewhere, he could sleep soundly then. Speaking of the couple who taught him to speak that could very well be a good place to start, since he seemed to adore them so much.

"I don't really know how. Gohan said that Bills just kind of left, I don't know why." If the god was so powerful as to trump Goku then he could have very easily done whatever he had wanted. It was a miracle in of itself that their planet was still in one piece. Thankfully there hadn't been any word on the God of Destruction since then, because if he were to turn up now they would be quite literally out of luck. Shaking his head to rid the thought Takeshi went back to his food, mowing through a few good pieces until his plate was picked clean. Belching quietly he grabbed his glass of water, chugging it down and exhaling happily, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh that was really tasty... You guys did a knock out job with the cooking!" he said cheerfully, smiling at Kai and Choi. Looking in their direction he finally noticed what was going on at the far end, not having been paying much attention to the others. Viral had his eyes closed and Yumi was leaning over him, playing with the food on the plate in front of him. Blinking confused Takeshi looked at Shu, cocking his head and gesturing down to their friends baffled.

Yumi was purely ecstatic right now, they were actually getting Viral to eat. Lost in her enthusiasm she hardly paid attention as he began to speak, dropping the slice of fish into the Beastman's open mouth. Hoping it would be chewed up she watched a bit worried instead as it slipped right down and into his throat, nearly making him gag. Paling slightly during the process she relaxed a little when it was swallowed, relieved there hadn't been any choking. With a sheepish smile she stepped back slightly, folding her hands behind her back and looking at Viral with a mix of hope and worry. "Well...? Was it good...?" she asked, shifting her weight nervously. "Did you even get to taste it...? Here... I'll cut you another slice." Now that she was worried Viral hadn't really gotten a good sample she went about cutting another piece, desperate to get him to eat more. If he was willing now then they needed to keep trying, until he was sick if need be. If he started eating again then it would be worth it. "Here's another slice," she added, holding it out for him this time.

[Mogtaki]

Shu gave Takeshi a big smile, feeling fully confident in him and his willingness to look after him. He didn’t want to go in and sleep all alone in a bed, everything else only proving to swirl its bad energy around him and give him nightmares. He wanted to feel safe and even if it was just Takeshi keeping him company, it was still someone and having just one person made him all the more happier, “Thanks…really! I’m scared when I’m alone now, but not anymore with you”. He was pretty happy with that, knowing that Takeshi was going to help him get rid of them once and for all. There was many a bad night where he wouldn’t be able to get sleep because he was afraid of what would come in the morning, his nightmare often being just that. He wished he could handle it better, but he was also glad that he wasn’t at the stage that Viral was with his own mental condition. It was only the first week in captivity that Viral had been brave, but then after that he had changed quite drastically, becoming quiet and shut away.

Hearing about the god was certainly strange, its tale not quite so brilliant when all it did was go away after defeating Goku twice. There wasn’t any reason behind it that he could think of, only that they fought and just went their separate ways right after everything was said and done. Letting out a sigh, he turned back to his food, grabbing some more, “I hope he doesn’t come back or do anything else bad. Maybe he got bored…” Munching on some of his food, he looked up when Takeshi decided to compliment the twins, giving them a smile before something else had grabbed Takeshi’s attention. Looking towards him, he tilted his head before slowly looking over to see what he was seeing, his eyes going to Yumi and Viral who appeared to be in some sort of food ritual. It was definitely strange to see, but Viral didn’t look like he was enjoying it one bit.

Viral could only let out a cough in response to what happened to him, his hand trying to assist in getting it down before he could breathe freely without coughing the fish up. He didn’t know what to make of that, it happened fairly suddenly and his body hadn’t had time to react to the food being in his mouth. Staring down at the table for a moment, he frowned before looking up at Yumi, feeling embarrassed over what had happened rather than horrified. Letting out a groan, his eyes casually shifted towards the others for a second. They were looking at him; the twins, Takeshi, even Shu was staring at him. Looking away rather quickly, he stared downwards before quickly looking up to Yumi, pulling back slightly when she held out the fish for him, “W-What?? No I-…I don’t know, don’t…” he spoke hastily, raising his paw, “I’m fine…I’m fine! Please don’t…I don’t need more…”

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi could take pride in that, knowing he was able to alleviate Shu's worries and fears. In truth he hadn't the faintest idea how he would go about it, but damned if he wasn't going to try. He supposed just being supportive and hearing things out was the best he could do for now, until they saw this doctor back on Earth. Hopefully that guy would be able to more accurately point out the problem and fix it. Shrugging his shoulders over the top of Bills the older boy opened his mouth to reply but stopped hearing the commotion at the end of the table. Curious he leaned forward to see past everyone, watching while Yumi seemed to be hand feeding Viral. So he was finally going to eat, that was good. Of course he didn't look incredibly thrilled by it, and for whatever reason he closed his eyes. Funny, Takeshi didn't think seeing the food was the problem, but what did he know? He kept watching right up to the point where the Beastman choked, and bashfully he looked away from his friend, idly going about prodding at his plate to try and play off his staring.

Yumi pouted for a moment when Viral rejected more food, hoping to have convinced him to eat more. Yet in swallowing just the one piece she had an idea, and a smile spread across her lips as she raised an eyebrow. "Viral? You didn't change, and you ate something. Food didn't trigger a transformation like you worried," she said happily, almost singing it. While it wasn't nice to be ecstatic for his being wrong in this case she had to be delighted, it meant it was safe to eat. Intent on persisting she moved the plate so it sat right in front of the Beastman, crouching down slightly so she could fold her arms on the table, keeping her eyes on Viral. "Plus, didn't it taste good? Unless suddenly your taste buds don't work I'm willing to bet you liked the taste. You don't have to eat the entire fish, but if you can stomach one piece then you can have a few, right?" Looking over at the others she made a motion for them to join in, hoping a group effort would be more convincing.

"If you can do it Viral you really should, eating will only help you," Vegeta offered, smiling kindly at Viral. "It doesn't even have to be a lot like Yumi said too, anything is better than nothing."

"If you don't eat it I will!" Gobo rang out, chuckling as he eyed the fish, then hissing when his wife slapped him.

"Honestly Gobo, you've had more than enough!" Mizuna chided, narrowing her eyes at her husband. Looking at Viral she crossed her arms, not quite willing to be as gentle as everyone else. "What kind of warrior only has a light meal like that? Eat man, eat!"

At this point Kabocha had his head laid on the table, trying to hide the embarrassment he was showing over his parents. Groaning as his mother shouted he lifted his head up, looking at both Saiyans abashed. "Mother... Father... Please shut the hell up..."

[Mogtaki]

While fully appreciative over what was being given to them in terms of thanks, the twins were definitely more concerned with filling themselves up and simply gave Takeshi a little wave of acknowledgement as they continued to chow down, that was until the sound of Viral choking made them look away with confusion. It was pretty odd, but if they were to guess it was Yumi who had given him the fish and oddly enough Viral was rejecting it. Not much attention was given towards the pair at first, but now they were definitely showing some level of concern when it meant everyone was now looking at the pair. Choi simply frowned a little, giving a quick look to Yumi before lowering himself away, knowing Yumi wouldn’t want him to be nosy and curious to what she was doing. It was easy to see that Viral was still struggling with a lot of everyday tasks, but why his aversion to eating over something about a transformation definitely made him a little confused.

Viral was still struggling with the last piece, hoping that nothing would happen when the probability that something might was still there. He shouldn’t be struggling like this, it was unnatural and he was supposed to be a natural born killer at heart; a little meat shouldn’t stand in his way. Holding his chest for a moment, he stared downward before looking up at Yumi, his expression dropping a fair bit, “What? No I-…it’s not that!” he snapped, feeling a little panicked, “I just-…panic attack…” Trying to recover from his momentary panic, he quickly looked up to Yumi again, giving her a frown at the thought of it tasting like anything, “…It…did taste…good…”

Feeling slightly worried still that there was just a break from bad memories before they came at full blast, he looked up to Vegeta before down to the fish in front of him only to snap up quickly when a voice rang out from the side. It was that Saiyan they picked up, the parent of the larger kid. Staring at him, he growled a little before his eyes went to the woman after the slap, curling his lip a little before he growled at her, “You’ve got a problem with me or something? I’ll take my time if I damn well want to and I don’t feel like eating all that fast! Howabout you just watch your husband and I’ll eat when I want to…”

Looking between the pair, Kai immediately looked towards his father, seeing him direct his attention towards the Beastman too. It was certainly unwise, but seeing how his father had pretty much finished like he had. Seeing as how Choi still had food on his plate, he cleared his throat to get his attention, pointing a thumb towards his father. He knew it was a bad idea to be around Kabocha’s parents and the Beastman right now with their father, so it was about high time he got out of there before anything started. Walking on over to his father, he tapped his shoulder, “Father? If you’re finished, we should get cleaning up and activating the cleaners around the place”, he spoke, smiling down at him as his father gave a nod of approval, feeling the need to leave as well since the situation was heating up a little. Leaving the table, they went off to the kitchen and closed the door in an almost retreat away from the heat.

[GambolMuse]

Yumi beamed hearing Viral had enjoyed the taste of the fish. That was just another mark up for getting him to eat a decent meal, now all they had to do was calm him down. "So you didn't change and it tastes good. You should eat more, it can't hurt now can it?" Maybe after he had some fish they'd try something else. While he was a carnivore in a sense he could definitely use all kinds of nutrients, and the twins had graciously prepared plenty of greens. Grabbing a set of utensils Yumi went about slicing up the fish for Viral, making it in bite sized pieces while humming. This was fun, in a way, taking care of him like this. It was not unlike how he used to feed her and Vegeta when they were little, the very thought of Viral being like a child made her beam. Just as things were at last looking up however someone saw fit to ruin the progress they were making. Looking over at Mizuna in disbelief she stopped what she was doing, hoping that Kabocha's meager complaint would make her calm down; it didn't.

"I do have a problem, Commander! You can't even eat a meal properly, you're like a child! It's just fish, eat it already!" Mizuna stood up from her seat, pointing a finger at Viral angrily. "I was made to take orders from you, and to see this... It's just wrong! I had no problems follow directions when you lead us like a proper Commander, and yet this isn't what I'd expect! Why in the world the king ever put you in control of so many troops is beyond me!"

"Now now dear... Let's calm down..." Gobo said gently, standing up and putting his hands on his wife's arms to try and push her off. Instead he got a nice smack on the head, falling down and seeing stars as she continued her shouting contest.

"Everything we as soldiers see day to day and you mean to tell me you somehow lost your appetite? If you're really a warrior then get over it, hurry up and eat!" Mizuna went to move towards Viral, but instead stopped when Yumi moved in her way. Glowering down at the girl she tried to move her and instead froze in surprise as she was slapped across the face. Blinking in confusion for a moment she looked back down, scowling as she cracked her knuckles. "Does the Commander's little nanny want to fight?"

"I'm not his nanny, you psychotic woman, I'm his friend! And no, I don't want to fight you, I want you to piss off!" Yumi wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of Mizuna, pointing at her angrily as she made the Saiyan back off some. "Viral has been through hell and back, and he's just getting better. I doubt someone as closed minded as you can even comprehend what he's been through, or know how to be sympathetic. But if all you're going to do is try to make things worse than go sit in your damn room and rot! If you keep this up so much we'll just send you back to your king, I'm sure he'd love to get you back from us."

Mizuna, for once, wasn't that quick to offer a rebuttal. She knew all too well what would happen to her if she returned home, now being designated a traitor simply by association. Looking at Yumi she could tell the girl was deathly serious about her threat as well, it wasn't just empty words. Looking at her still dazed husband then her son she scoffed, stepping away from the Beastman and sticking her nose up indignantly. "Fine, I'll leave the child alone then, I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings any more anyways." she grumbled, turning away and walking towards the door. "Let's just hope he's not so meek on the battlefield!"

Yumi glared at Mizuna right up until the disappeared from view, hardly noticing the twins or their father leaving. She did spot Kabocha exit as well, dragging his lout of a father along with him. Now it was just the four of them left again, and she was fuming at the moment. Turning to Viral she let out a lengthy sigh, inhaling deeply to settle her nerves. "Sorry about that... But she's wrong. You've had a tough time and there's nothing wrong with having some trouble..." Returning to his side Yumi managed a small smile, taking the now vacant seat beside Viral and gesturing to the plate. "Do you want more? It'll help you feel better if you eat."

Takeshi felt it was probably best not to get in the middle of the cat fight, fair certain both women would hit him if he did anything. He'd been sort of conditioned at this point not to get in Yumi's way, lest he be smacked. He was awfully angry at Mizuna for her outburst though, she had no right to be talking about Viral. She had no idea what any of them had been through, and they'd even saved her life. She was going to repay them then by putting down their friend? Well he wasn't content with that, not in the slightest. Waiting until Yumi returned to Viral he got up out of his chair, and with not a word to Shu or anyone left the room, trying to chase down Mizuna. If she thought she could do that and just walk away then she was sorely mistaken.

[Mogtaki]

Viral was pretty angry at this woman, it wasn’t as if she knew anything that he had been through or what he was going through. She was just an arrogant probably ex-soldier herself, she wouldn’t had needed to see the horrors he had go to through while she was taking orders blindly. Glaring at her with a piercing stare, he was taken aback when he was mocked and called a child, his very reputation being attacked in retaliation. Growling, he looked to her husband who was fairly quickly knocked down, his eyes going back to her instead, “How dare you! What would you know about what my problem is with this…what would you know about anything??”

There was definitely a lot of anger building up and all these smells weren’t helping whatsoever, the smells fuelling his rage against this woman. Clenching his fist in anger, he looked down at the fish Yumi had cut up for him before back the woman, giving her a hard glare. His face was going slightly red, at this point it was hard to tell whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, “You’ve seen nothing like I’ve seen, monkey! It is nothing you’d see on a battlefield!” Watching as she stood up, he got off his seat in return, using his only working paw to lean on the table to match her stance all before Yumi decided to show up first, giving the woman a good slap. Staring at Yumi in mild surprise, he looked between them before to the food, his anger only rising as he decided to sit right back down again, growling lowly as he pulled at his hair.

Viral felt humiliated, just all of them thought of him as a coward and yet none of them knew what was going through his mind everytime he gazed upon food. Just all those horrible memories and the pain that accompanied it were all stopping him along with his worries that he may end up losing his mind. Staring downwards, he flinched a little when she suddenly spoke to him before he slowly looked away again. He remained silent for a brief moment, his hand slightly shaking before he threw his fist down and closed his eyes, “Okay! I’ll do it…I am not a coward…I am not a child!” Making a sudden grab for the fish, his hand shook as he took a hold of a piece. Staring at it as if flashbacks ran through his mind, he closed his eyes for a moment before throwing it into his mouth, grabbing the other pieces and throwing them in as well, soon enough throwing his hand to his mouth and almost coughing it all up again as he covered his mouth, lowering his head a little. He was fair forcing himself, but he was fair angry too and pretty self-conscious because of what everyone thought of him.

Shu wasn’t having a great time understanding any of it, finding the situation Viral was in to be not that big a deal. He would be fine with being treated like that if he was having trouble gaining courage, but Viral was pretty prideful and probably embarrassed. Staring at what was going on, his eyes quickly went up to Takeshi when he left the room as well. He probably should back off a little, casually getting up and moving away. He was full and there was still plenty left, so giving them some distance was probably the best thing. T’charrl was also sitting and staring, looking pretty confused but appeared to have had enough food too. Giving him a casual tug, he tried to take him to the sidelines a little but T’charrl was immediately distracted by Viral’s apparent choking, feeling a little worried at his apparent breakdown.