GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Haku sat in silence with the spirit for a few moments, having to occasionally pet it just to keep it quiet. Assuming T'charrl would be able to work as he had before he looked around when his friend had finished and wasn't exactly amazed by the results. "Uh... I mean... Did you do anything?" It didn't appear as though T'charrl had, everything looked more or less the same. When he crawled over to inspect a patch of grass he swore it did look a little bit longer, maybe, so something had been done. Smiling slightly Haku looked back at T'charrl and shrugged, plopping back onto his rear and letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry I messed you up before, this little guy scared me though..." he muttered abashed, watching as the aforementioned animal came over to his side once more. Giving its head a stroke he smiled thoughtfully and looked at T'charrl once more before suggesting, "Let it sit next to you? It's not going to hurt you, and its helped me calm down already. Maybe it can help you with that too?"

-----

"I have my home boy, among my men! You could have a home too if you tried hard enough!" It didn't seem like the lesson was being put across, Kiton was only growing angrier by the second. The captain couldn't say he hadn't seen such a thing coming, and Korian had warned against provoking him too heavily. But blowing apart the building was just the kind of momentous attack they needed to really test the Frost Demon and so far results weren't promising. Expecting another blast in retaliation he watched in silent awe as Kiton's energy surged, his entire body being engulfed by his energy and glowing as bright as a star. This wasn't good, an attack like that was going to do serious damage. Glancing back at the buildings below the captain braced himself, spiking his own energy and trying to maintain where he was in the air. As the two bodies collided there was a loud explosion, Kiton managing to push him several meters down and nearly into the ground before the captain stopped him. Breathing raggedly from the impact he reached out to grab the Frost Demon and throw him away. "No regard for what else might be here, hm? What if you kill more people?"

-----

"It was a little joke Viral, humor can be a wonderful thing in times of stress," Aito said as he smiled, "I'm sorry if it seems I made light of all that's happened, excuse me if that's the case." Reaching out he gave Viral's hair a slight ruffling, a little surprised he wasn't swatted at for touching his son. Viral must be really fatigued if he wasn't trying to resist that kind of contact. "Well... Maybe being proud of you for streaking isn't quite what I meant. But you've done plenty that I'm proud of, and you will continue to do plenty. And whatever you decide to work on, be it forms or anything else, you'll have all the support you need to accomplish your goals. I imagine Yumi in particular will be happy to help," Aito teased as he took a seat back on the table. "Joking aside, I noticed your vision seems to be unfocused, and you're a bit paler than usual. Sorry, doctors notice things," Aito said with a small smirk, "I'd suggest we go back outside and sit in the sun for a while, that should help a little. And before you worry about your appearance otherwise you've got on what I'd equate to shorts right now, so you are dressed... Technically. I can have Vegeta get you a change of clothes though if you'd like?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Ethan was trying his damnedest to cheer Cecil up but it was equivalent to banging one's head against the wall. He knew nothing of Machina, he'd not even seen his first until just days before meeting his friend. He could stand here and argue all day for Cecil's sake and yet it made him no more of an expert than he was now, which to say was he had no expertise whatsoever. It was a worrisome feeling, knowing that someone leaving or staying may potentially hinge on what you said in the moment. They may or may not be okay without Cecil while traveling but that was hardly the point he was making here: they had traveled together so far and should keep doing so, it was not only safer for everyone but most had grown accustomed to each other.

"I don't remember where I came from either. I mean... I do, but I don't remember being born, no one does. I remember some things about being a kid but not much, and that goes for everyone. So just because you don't remember doesn't make you that different, loads of people don't remember." Though perhaps it wasn't the same thing, again he couldn't be sure. What Ethan was certain of was that he didn't want Cecil to leave them, he was concerned for his friend if he struck off on his own. Watching as Cecil backed away and became defensive Ethan stopped in his tracks, a sad smile on his face as he was accused of ignoring Cecil. "I'm listening loud and clear, I am. I just don't have the answer for you or the right words to say, and I'm sorry I don't. But leaving us isn't going to help anything, I'm just worried about you if you go off alone again."

It didn't appear as though anything he might say would convince Cecil to come back. Ethan was trying everything he could think of, saying anything that he thought might help and it only seemed to make matters worse. What was he missing? He was sure he was listening to Cecil, his friend felt like he didn't belong and he was a threat right? So all he needed to do was convince him otherwise.

"And you're a Machina," Ethan said in agreement, smiling slightly as he pointed to Cecil, "A Machina named Cecil, with thoughts and feelings and things he wants to do, and friends. We saw other Machina, remember? You're nothing like them, you're your own person. It doesn't matter if you were born or made, you're in the world like we are, experiencing it like we are. And I don't know about a lot, I know that. I'm just some idiot kid from a small town and most of this is new for me too. But I do know you can't pretend to be happy, or sad, or to want things or to have dreams. Those are yours Cecil, you're experiencing those, it makes you alive in your own way. We've never thought of you as a drone or a tool, we've only seen you as a friend."

All of that and still Cecil appeared to be too distraught to listen. How could he make the Machina come back at this point, when he argued against everything and still had no success? He couldn't just turn around and leave like Cecil was telling him to, leaving meant they would likely never see each other again. Looking at the roof beneath his feet, utterly beside himself, Ethan was about to plead again until an idea finally occurred to him. 'Your friends...' A knowing smile crossed his face as he looked up at Cecil, putting his hands up and nodding towards the edge.

"How about this... Let's go back down, together, and go see everyone. I can't be the only one that doesn't want you to leave right?" Ethan posed, slowly approaching Cecil as he lowered his hands, "If the others want you to stay too then don't you think you should stay? I think its only fair you hear everyone else out first, if you leave before telling anyone else about this then... I mean they would be upset, right?" That had to work, if more people wanted him here then he'd see it was all in his head, that the others wanted him around too. Now he only had to hope that Nymira wasn't going to be her usual curt self and say something off-putting, or that Amuné could forgive Cecil enough to have him stay.

-----

For the first time since their meeting Nymira couldn't offer rebuttal or argue with what Zander had said, he was right. Telling these kinds of stories to the sort who you couldn't care less for made it easy, you didn't need to concern yourself with judgment or opinions. Funny, that, she was pretty sure it implied she bothered to care about what the others in the group had to say. People she'd known for barely a handful of days at that, what a ridiculous notion. "I've always truly been myself, that doesn't change. I don't waste time putting on masks like people here do," the Dimuran remarked, "Negotiations and agreements should be made on trust, and you can't build trust when someone's playing another part."

Zander's laughter threw her back for a moment, she hadn't expected him to burst out like that. Thinking for a moment he may be laughing at her story she was tempted to hurl a well cooked potato at his smug face, refraining when she figured it was over her threat. An odd thing to laugh about yet she had to commend him she supposed for not cowering. The faintest of smile's played across her lips for a second before she grabbed her cup to conceal it, watching as the healer collected himself from his outburst.

"I'm not looking for pity for what happened. They are merely a reminder to me of what I am trying to accomplish here, I wouldn't say they're my driving force." No, her driving force was the very future of not only the Rumia clan but other Dimuran clans as well. If her kind continued to isolate themselves they would die out eventually, they couldn't let that happen obviously. This idea that they could ignore the rest of the world was idiotic, it was a decision only those who had never been outside could settle on. It was obvious even from her brief time away there was so much her people were missing and ignoring this would be fatal.

Nymira and Zander settled into a comfortable silence for a time as they ate, the former somewhat surprised no one else had come back yet. Had her comments really been that shocking? For a machine it seemed that Cecil had rather thin skin, and Amuné was behaving as a child, not too surprising, that. It would be inconvenient if everyone were to split up now just after they had begun moving, she'd hate to have to find a new group to travel with. That aside she had become accustomed, somewhat, to this group. To Amuné's naivete and simple outlook of the world, of Ethan's idiotic view that there was good everywhere you looked and Cecil's unique company. It was hard to say if she enjoyed Zander's presence yet, or Geoffrey's for that matter, but it was easier to retain what she had now than to start over again.

When a question was posed to her Nymira paused in her eating, glancing up at Zander with an emotionless stare. For a moment she simply looked at him, her eyes drifting once to the paper in his hand before finally casting her gaze back to her food. "I could reduce it to cinders in a heartbeat no doubt. Unless some powerful magic is preserving it," the Dimuran answered simply, taking another bite of her food, "But you're asking me, in the middle of an inn, to perform magic. I know enough of this place to understand the state of magic, and how foolish it would be for me to cast anything right now. I'll have to respectfully ask you to refrain from being such an idiot from now on Zander, can you do that for me?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You can do it, I'll even try to help. Here, I've got an idea." It wasn't much really but Haku would do what he could and make things a little less stressful for T'charrl. Smiling at his newfound pet he clapped his hands to get its attention, waving it over and then giving his friend a thumbs up. "I'll keep him with me and you can do your bit, no problems then. Just uh... Let me know if you feel funny, I don't think anything is going to happen, but... Just be safe, right?" This way there was no worry about being bitten or their powers messing one another up. Once they were a few meters away Haku leaned over and rubbed the spirit's head, smiling and gesturing to a barren patch of dirt not terribly far off. Without speaking a word the spirit seemed to pick up on his request and trotted over, proceeding to glow once again as it started replanting what it could. The buildings and people were gone but with luck they could make the place look nicer anyways. Someone else could move back here once things had calmed down, it was their job to make sure it looked decent.

-----

"So you don't belong anywhere then! Just a criminal, drifting among the stars!" the captain laughed, forming two orbs of Ki in his palms, "No different than those you tried separating yourself from!" By the time the orbs were fully formed and poised to be thrown he was up high in the air, reeling back before throwing each at Kiton simultaneously and directing them towards the boy. As expected he darted away to avoid being hit and tried to retaliate with blasts of his own, eyeing the blasts that were thrown his way. Redirecting his own blasts the captain held firm, the two pairs of orbs smashing into one another and exploding between them. Using the explosion as cover he circled around it, reappearing below Kiton now as he readied two more attacks. With one in each hand he fired them away, directing them to take a wide path before closing in on Kiton from either side, trying to catch him in between. "Come on then, where's that dreaded Frost Demon power? You could kill me any second, let's see it!"

-----

Aito was sure to wait until June was through before letting himself in, not wanting to interrupt anything being shared between those two. Despite years apart it seemed like her doting behavior hadn't waned whatsoever and she was just as careful with Viral and Vegeta as she had been before. It was both heartwarming and amusing, the former mostly because they were all near the same age now. Joining Viral he took a seat on the table, making a little small talk as he tried to actively avoiding bringing up his condition. "She probably does I'm sure. Knowing her she'd like nothing less than to put you in a high chair with a bib and hand feed you. That would be an amusing sight," the doctor chuckled, shaking his head before itching at his cheek, "I suppose you're a bit too old for that, you all are now. It's strange to think there was a time when we did that for you and Vegeta..."

They had tried to avoid bringing up conversation on Viral's condition and yet he was asking about it himself. Aito had answers and he couldn't deny those to his son, he had every right to know what the situation was. "We were concerned because of how long you were out there, and transformed. The fatigue you're doubtless experiencing now is to be expected, anyone would be tired after maintaining a transformation for that long," Aito explained, smiling though as he set his gaze on Viral, "I am happy to say though nothing which happened was unexpected, nor will there be any side effects aside from the initial exhaustion. Your final form came out and while we've got some work to do with it I don't imagine there will be any further surprises, that's everything there is to see concerning your changing."

"But all of that can wait, there's no immediate health problems aside from fatigue and I imagine you've gotten some food while you were out, so there shouldn't be hunger. I'm just glad to see you managed to change back and made it home. Whether you had trouble while transformed or not isn't the focal point here, all that matters is you're back and everyone is better for it. There will be time later to help you through this last form of yours." And there would be time later to look into why Viral had changed when he did, though Aito already had a fairly strong theory as to why it happened. Being knocked off the dam as he had been, colliding with the water, even if no real damage was done the impact would have felt like being struck by a vehicle. Chances were the form came on as a survival instinct and nothing more, now came the matter of mastering it. Getting up from his seat Aito moved over to where Viral was sat, looking at him for a moment before reaching out, giving his hair a gentle ruffle. "I'm proud of you Viral, no matter what you may think otherwise. You've become a splendid young man."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"It's the only one I can see, I don't see any other spirits," Haku pointed out with a shrug, casting a glance about the area to prove a point, "So... Maybe it's nothing you did? Maybe this one is just different?" Had he just a little more knowledge about spirits maybe he could say for certain what was going on here. As things stood T'charrl knew more than he did and even his friend was at a total loss for words. It seemed friendly enough and just wanting for some attention, it was kind of like him in a way. "I don't know, but I want to try. It seems like it wants to come with us doesn't it? And... I'd love to have a pet." A pet that could grow things no less, who would have thought? It seemed to have a power similar to T'charrl's then, or the spirit inside of T'charrl, Haku still wasn't one hundred percent clear on how that worked.

It was amazing really that another creature could grow plants, it made Haku want to keep it even more. Having a pet was one thing but if it had some ability like that it made it even more awesome. Watching as it went over to T'charrl again he blinked in confusion as his friend went into a panic, glancing up skyward. "I think it was just trying to say hi, it's not going to hurt you," Haku explained, smiling as he crouched down and pet the animal. "See? I can touch it and nothing happens, I feel just fine. It only wants to say hi T'charrl." Feeling the grass beneath his boots the Saiyan turned slightly, grazing the tips of the blades with the palm of his hand in wonder. It felt like real grass, no tricks or anything, it was soft and full too. Reaching out he traced the petal of one of the nearby flowers, going as far to lean in and take a sniff at it. "It's really amazing... The two of you could work together and help this place heal. You should come down and work with it!"

-----

Driving his knee down the captain expected to feel bone on bone as he drove Kiton into the dirt. Instead he felt himself stop suddenly, and he was slightly surprised to see himself having been stopped by the Frost Demon. Smiling slightly amused he was pushed back, his eyebrows raising slightly when his opponent vanished before him. By the time he'd even managed to turn his head there was a powerful blow in the middle of his back, being smashed down to the same crater Kiton had been put in. Bouncing on impact he let out an audible groan, taking a moment to roll over and spring out of it to the opposite side to put himself away from his opponent.

"You came with them didn't you? So that makes you one of them. Guilt by association, I'm sure you're familiar with how that works," the captain remarked with a grin. Reaching up to his shoulders he unclasped his armor and let the two pieces fall from his torso, rolling his neck and shoulders once he was freed from it. "Execute? You're assuming you make it out of here alive, a little confident are we?" Now it was his turn, he'd try to push the Frost Demon to the edge, they needed to know how he performed in the face of possible death. Vanishing just as Kiton had done before the captain rose high above where the small alien was, forming two orbs of Ki in his hands and growing them before chucking each down below. So long as he had Kiton in his sights he would direct them towards the Frost Demon, prepared to chase him about with the blasts.

-----

"Oh... That's so sweet Viral, I'm glad I was able to help you," June said as she leaned down, placing a doting kiss on his head before stroking his hair, "Well now you know it's from me, so I hope from now on if you're upset it can help you. Everyone needs a little pick me up from time to time, even the strongest of people." Folding the scarf on itself she held it to her chest, turning and heading to the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen, "I'll be back in a few moments, I just want to get this patched up and put it in the wash." Pulling open the door she shut it behind herself to work in private, glancing down at the scarf with a tearful smile. To think he'd kept it after so long and that it would mean so much to him, it was more touching than she could ever put into words. She owed it to Viral then to take care of it and make it as good as new.

Once June had left the room Aito came in as well, giving Viral a small smile as he entered. "Hey, hope you don't mind if I join you for a moment," he said as he went to the table, sitting against the edge and folding his arms across his chest. "You had us worried there for a while there, I'm glad to see you're holding up. Is there anything I can get for you? Something to drink? A quick meal?" They should of course check Viral's vitals just to be safe, yet adhering to Yumi's strict demands to take it slowly the doctor did his best not to jump to that point. Habits died hard and he was far more used to promptly inspecting someone after a bout like that, but for Viral's sake he'd try to refrain. "Also I should mention Shu and Takeshi share their regards too, they're off playing I believe. I know they wanted to be here to see you but they had something planned it seems."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I mean... I'm scared of plenty of stuff. I was always scared when I was out fighting, or even when I was home, I always figured one of the Elites would kill me or something for messing up. I'm not scared of you though, I maybe was when we first met but I haven't been since then." He'd probably seen the worst T'charrl had to offer with that too so Haku was confident he would be okay. Maybe it was out of desperation to simply have a friend but he wouldn't let anything scare him away, not now. This was the closest he'd ever come to actually come to having a friend and nothing short of dying was going to make him go away. "Well that goes both ways, I don't think you really understand me," Haku pointed out with a small smile, shrugging as he looked at the animal in his arms, "I said I'm your friend and you won't change that, I don't care if there might be risks. I'm here to stay, just like this little guy is."

"I don't know... And I don't really care what they think," Haku said with a shrug, smiling as he watched the animal wander about, sniffing at some of the saplings which had sprouted, "They don't exactly talk to me a lot, I guess they won't even notice I have this. Besides will they be able to even see it?" He had no idea, he hadn't an ounce of the power T'charrl possessed and yet he could see the creature plain as day. Heck he had even touched it which was apparently not supposed to be something which could even happen. "Even if it just wants to stay with me I'd be okay with that, I'll take care of it. I can feed it if it needs food, or take it for walks, whatever it needs. I've got nothing but free time now anyways." Seeing the creature sniffing at a patch of dirt on the ground he tilted his head curiously, trying to guess what it was up to. Far as he could tell there was nothing there, glancing over at T'charrl and pointing towards his pet.

The creature could smell seeds beneath the dirt, they were deep but they were there, probably thrown by the fires. Sniffing at the soil excitably it let out a soft yip before digging at the ground with its paws, tossing aside small clumps as it worked to reveal the seeds below. Once they were exposed it meticulously dragged them closer to the surface with its paws, setting them down and then proceeding to bury them again, this time closer to the surface. With the hole recovered and the seeds on the top level of soil it yipped happily and its body began to glow, shimmering dully at first before illuminating, glowing even in the middle of the day. Seeming to quiver small sparks of energy flew from its body, up into the air before slowly settling down into the ground below. What followed was astonishing as the dirt itself seemed to shift around; seconds later small clumps of grass began to rise from the surface, reaching several centimeters tall and abruptly stopping in their growth. A handful of small flowers sprung up as well, the entire area effected by the creature being nearly 10 meters in diameter. With that patch regrown the creature turned to T'charrl happily, moving over to him and sitting at his feet with a yip.

-----

An amateur fighter if he'd ever seen one, being distracted so easily. The captain didn't even have to try and deceive Kiton at all as he plowed right into the Frost Demon, driving him straight towards the ground. At the last second he eased up his speed just a bit though the impact was still great, a crater forming on the site of the strike as Kiton was left at the bottom. Floating back to the edge of the crater he frowned, figuring that blow was far from enough to kill the boy. "Your comrades are likely dead, as are the hostages you came to save. And you're likely to follow in their footsteps unless you start taking this seriously," he called down, sighing as he dusted himself off casually, "You rebels hold yourselves to such high standards, but I wonder. Are you really one of them? Or are you just masquerading as one? I suppose we'll find out won't we?" Jumping up over Kiton the captain let himself fall, aiming a knee down at the Frost Demon's head, where impact would most certainly mean serious injury if not death.

While all of this was going a few buildings away a door buried beneath a carpet was pushed open, and emerging from said door was a handful of pirates. As the men all climbed out the last one turned and extended a hand out, helping up two residents of the town, then a third, with all seven of the hostages eventually being pulled out of the tunnels. There were still more on the way however as the sound of feet striking wood could be heard below, and at last Sasha's head poked out from the opening.

"That was a bit close for comfort, he was supposed to give us another few seconds," she muttered, sneezing again from the dust she was now coated in. With a sniffle she climbed on out and glanced down at her discolored self, trying to bat her clothing down and get herself a bit cleaner, sneezing again in the process.

"That idiot! He nearly blew up the tunnel!" Ricken shouted as he too emerged, scowling as he climbed out and kicked the door shut, "We went over this half a dozen times and he still screwed it up, unbelievable." Heading over to the windows he peered out just in time to see Kiton go down, blinking before rolling his eyes. "And now the idiot's going to bury Kiton, are we sure he's up for this?"

"Korian's orders, and he won't actually kill Kiton, you know that. But if he holds back too much it'll be obvious something is wrong," Sasha pointed out as she joined her brother, "He needs to figure out what to do here, that's the whole point of this. Just try to sit back and watch." It was hard though, there was no real risk of dying yet Kiton didn't know that, he thought all of this was real. She hated putting people through these tests yet she understood the necessity of them too, just didn't make it any easier.

-----

"I know you're tough Viral, but still, let me do at least this much for you," June said with a smile as she went about her work, picking out scraps of leaves and anything else clung to his body. Once he was properly dried off she folded the towel and set is aside for the time being, noticing the scarf still around his neck. Come to think of it he never took that off did he? Whenever she saw him he had it on, yet he probably didn't even remember where it was from, or why he had it. The piece had certainly seen better days with its color running and some tears in it, a bit of thread poking out here and there. Considering how old it must be by now it was impressive he'd still kept it after so long.

"I won't ruin it, I promise, I just want to make sure its taken care of for you," June replied as she unwound the piece from Viral's neck, "You think I would ruin something I made?" Oh, she probably shouldn't have said something like that, Aito had mentioned Viral's memory was a little foggy from early in his life. She felt like sharing this though might cheer him up a little, and with no one else present there was no reason she couldn't tell him. "When you were maybe... Four years old I made this for you. It was a Christmas present, you needed one so I went and made one. It was a little big back then, but I figured you'd grow into it," June explained with a smile, reminiscing as she trailed her finger along the damp cloth, "I didn't imagine it would ever last this long, or that you'd still be wearing it. Thank you Viral, it means a lot to me, even if you don't realize it."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well... We see your power and its not unknown, right? And I mean it's a little scary, but I could get used to it," Haku muttered meekly, smiling as he shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't as if the spirits had hurt him or anything, just knowing they were there and not seeing them made it a bit freaky. "You know who we're traveling with... Right? All those people we're with?" he asked, holding up his hands as he counted off of his fingers, "There's Shu and Takeshi, two Saiyan Princes, then there's Choi, Kai and Kabocha, all soldiers good enough to fight with them. Then there's Viral, and that Vegeta guy, his dad and mom... There's Yumi, there's Kiton, and then there's all the Beastmen we just got. There's loads of people who can make and destroy things," Haku pointed out, smiling as he folded his arms confidently, "So are they monsters too? If we're all monsters then uh... Well you belong with us. And if we're not monsters then you still belong with us, because that means you aren't a monster either, right?"

Seeing T'charrl having a hard time with the spirit he picked it up for his friend, a little astonished it actually worked. The creature was light and soft, it really did feel like a living creature. If Haku hadn't been confused before he most definitely was now, was this thing alive or was it dead? "Uh... Heh no... You'd know if my skin was melting," the Saiyan laughed weakly, smiling as he tentatively touched the animal's stomach, grinning when it yipped and squirmed in his grasp. It was really a harmless little thing, rather cute too. If it was wanting to come with him and be his friend Haku was more than happy to let it. "No, I meant you and I should name it, T'charrl. Not that we name it T'charrl," he added with a smirk, glancing back at the creature and shrugging in response to the question posed. When it squirmed again in his grasp Haku let it go, watching as it trot around excitably, sniffing at some of the sprouting plants in the area, "We should try, I want to keep him. Er... Her... I don't even know what it is..."

-----

So the Frost Demon had some punch behind his swings, good to know. For a single strike of his tail it had surprisingly knocked him a ways back, from now on he'd be more mindful of that extra limb. Closing the gap between them once again the captain retaliated with a straight punch, following it with a driving elbow strike that was also blocked out. Trying to force his blow through he dashed back to avoid being kicked low, smirking as he raised his fists again. "So that's what you're here for, I figured as much. An admirable goal, but a pointless one." Turning around the captain extended an arm towards the building, Ki pulsing in his palm before a blast was fired off at the building below, colliding and erupting into an explosion larger than anticipated from such a small blast. As dust and smoke was blown everywhere the sound of concrete crumbling and people shouting filled the air, the results of the blast revealing a shattered structure in the wake of the blast. Turning back to Kiton the captain scoffed, dusting off his hands with a clap.

"There, no more distractions. It's the first time I've ever fought a Frost Demon, I want to see if you're truly as powerful as they say," he said, grinning as he gave his knuckles a crack, "Now come on, show me some of your strength." Darting in again the captain used Ki to propel himself at a high speed, attempting to tackle Kiton and use his massive frame to drive him down to the ground, if he got a hold of him. If he outright missed he'd double back and attempt to grab hold of the Frost Demon to throw him down to the ground instead.

-----

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm acting as your mother, Viral," June pointed out with a patient smile, "I know it's a lot to ask of you so soon, we were gone for a while. And I don't think I can just pretend I'm something else, so please bear with me." It was one thing when they were normally around each other, she could restrain herself for the most part and not dote on him as she wished to. Seeing him all downtrodden and tired however propelled her into parenting mode, she wanted to tend to him until he was perfectly fine once again.

Leading Viral into house she smiled slightly after sharing her story of Aito, not getting quite the reaction she had hoped for. "That's not fair and you know it. In Aito's case he was drunk and he made some mistakes, and I don't see him as a drunk or a moron now, even if he was then," June said with a laugh, reaching out and patting Viral's arm, "Just like we don't see you as a monster, or we're not afraid of you because you might change now and again. That wouldn't be fair if we thought of you that way now would it? And maybe comparing the two isn't the same, but... That's how we feel. I certainly know its how I feel." Leaving Viral stood in the kitchen for a moment June went to the bathroom and returned with a towel, pushing a chair over for her son to take a seat in. Once he was down she began to gently dry him off, starting with his hair and moving around to make sure he was all dry, wanting Viral to be a little more comfortable. "Do you want some food Viral? We should probably get you changed too, don't want you to catch a cold."

"Oh, and this probably needs to be washed..." June added, glancing at the scarf still around Viral's neck. Smiling thoughtfully she let her fingers trace around the hem of it, pausing when she found a slight tear in the fabric. She'd made that for him years ago and he still wore it, it gave her a special sort of feeling know he still kept it. "You should let me sew it together, there's a tear here and there on it," she said gently as she tried to unwind it from his neck, "It'll be as good as new when I'm finished with it."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"And why does it matter what you are? I'm a Muran, Nymira is a Dimuran, Amuné is Ydran, we're all different Cecil. Heck Wyth isn't even a person, he's a moorcat! And we all get along well enough, there's no reason you're any different," Ethan argued in turn, refusing to be deterred so easily, "And since when don't I like you? I don't think I ever said that. I don't think I ever said once I don't like anyone here." Even with the recent hiccups he couldn't say he disliked anyone, everyone made mistakes and it wasn't fair to judge someone solely on those. The majority of what he'd seen of Cecil was a good person. Confused maybe, but good, he was proud to be traveling with such a person.

Ethan's smile weakened slightly when Cecil mentioned his purpose, casting his eyes downward for a second before shaking his head. "What if your purpose isn't to kill though? What if it's just to protect people? Like stories of Magi, fighting to save everyone and defeating evil. You had an accident, that's all. I think you were made to protect someone and you've been doing an amazing job at that so far! I mean you've saved us twice so far, and who knows how many people we've saved by fighting those things earlier. You're a hero already Cecil, and the fact you're a Machina doesn't change that."

Despite all of his attempts to cheer Cecil up it appeared that the Machina was still dead set on leaving them. All things considered their time together had been positive and they had a lot of exploring still to do, not to mention answers to find. If Cecil did leave now he may never find what he was after, or even worse he could end up hurt for it. The way that Cecil talked about himself was downright painful to listen to, he didn't value himself at all. Sure he may not know what it was like to be a Machina, to have been built like that, but he was still alive. So what if he didn't breathe? Or eat like they did? Who said all life had to be exactly the same?

"You're wrong Cecil, I'm sorry but you're wrong," Ethan said, smiling as he approached his friend, "I don't know a lot about machines, but I doubt anyone can program emotions. You act like you're alive, and I doubt any machine can ever do that. Maybe you were built a certain way, or made to behave a certain way, but you're more of a person than some of the bandits we've fought, and some of the folks I've met traveling. You're more Muran than some people even in my own town!" He absolutely refused to let Cecil go on thinking this way, it hurt way too much to believe such a thing. "Do you think when we get hurt it doesn't cost money? Because it does, so you're no different from us there. Or food? We have to eat, you don't, so we cost more money than you do already. Besides moneys never a problem, we'll always find a way to get by, that's never going to be a reason to leave you, or anyone."

Ethan had gotten so engrossed in his debate he'd forgotten he was slightly intoxicated, getting a reminder as he tried to approach Cecil and stumbled forward, having to catch himself on his friends shoulder and giving him an apologetic smile. "Heh... And you know what? I doubt you'll forget everything. You seem to remember how you started this whole adventure right? And we'll always be making new memories, and we've got a lot of things to still do and see. I know Amuné's scared right now but we just need to talk to her, she'll remember you're a good person. Then we can go and travel together again, just like we have been. I know you'd rather be with us than alone, and we want you with us too."

Nymira didn't completely know why she had revealed that to Zander of all people. It hadn't exactly been bothering her either, she accepted death as an inevitability of her work, a necessary risk. Yet even as she reminded herself of that she noticed her fingers tighten uncomfortably around the handle of the mug, pulling her mouth into a hard line before taking the final few sips of her ale. That's right, it was expected. People died for her, for the clan, for the future that her people were seeking. Just like some of the people around her now may well die she had to accept that as a fact and a possibility. Becoming sentimental and allowing herself to be trapped in the past would mean she could never move forward. There was no time for mourning, only progress.

"I wouldn't say I'm free from scorn, far from it really. Just because we are one clan does not mean we are of one mind, or one will," Nymira pointed out as she took pause from her meal. Folding her hands together on the table she sighed, glancing at seemingly nothing off to the side before refocusing her gaze on Zander. "My father sees the chance to find allies out here and to grow our clan stronger for it, and I agree with his vision. It's the only way for our people not to fall behind, especially seeing some of the things out here. I've never encountered a Machina before really, and I hear there are all kinds of incredible machines in the larger cities. We'd be fools not to try and befriend some of these people, especially if other clans might try the same thing. We can't afford not to try."

"And yet... There are some within our clan that resent the idea. That we should require help from anyone other than our own kin is foolish and somehow a betrayal of who we are. Ralthor demands honor from us, and some argue that by associating with other people we lose that honor. I believe it's more honorable to be able to seek help though, however reluctant we might be. These... Leaders, clan elders and warriors, they act like children, throwing fits and growing angry over change. If our clan wants to fade into obscurity then we can follow their lead and enjoy our existence coming to an end. Or we can follow my father's ideal and work towards strengthening ourselves."

"I suppose that's two stories from me, but spare me another, I don't care for what you have to say," Nymira added in as she fetched her utensils again, "I don't know why of all people I've shared that part of my life with you, a perverted, lying healer. Consider it a form of trust I suppose, you must know those you travel and with fight in order to succeed. That being said, tell anyone what I've told you and I will leave you bedridden for a week, understand me?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

It seemed like his attempt at cracking a joke was a total failure, no surprise there. Smiling apologetically he shook his head, rubbing at his neck before letting out a small laugh. "N-No... I mean it's right, I think... I don't really know what 'medium' means either, aside from uh... From clothes, so you're asking the wrong person." He hadn't been on Earth THAT long, there were loads of phrases and sayings he had no clue what they meant. Asking him for help on that was like asking Shu to patch you up after a fight, probably not the best idea. "What do you mean its a curse? You can help things move on right? And... If people want to they can talk to the dead, I think that's amazing. It would make people happy, knowing you helped someone move on. I think it's an amazing power." It was something no one else had either, something completely his own. T'charrl should be happy for that too.

Seeing the creature still cozying up to T'charrl, nudging him and yipping at him, it was all Haku could do not to laugh. It seemed like a harmless spirit that just wanted some attention but his friend was treating it like it was something scary. Maybe he ought to be concerned since T'charrl was more aware of spirits yet it seemed nice, he wasn't going to treat it badly. "Okay, I'll try anyways," Haku said with a smile, reaching down once he'd gotten over and trying to pick it up. The most astonishing thing happened then as his hands went around its body, it became a physical thing and he was able to lift it. Gasping in shock Haku stayed bent over for a moment before cautiously lifting it up, looking at the creature amazed before laughing as it licked at his cheek. "H-He's harmless!" he laughed, beaming as he glanced down at it, "I didn't know you could do that, little guy... Oh we should name it T'charrl!"

-----

If Kiton thought he would be able to fly off to be safe he was sorely mistaken, he wasn't fighting some third rate fighter. Using purely the strength of his legs the captain launched himself up after the Frost Demon, pulling back an arm and taking a chop at him; the chop missed its target but the force of the blow created a slight air wave, the pressure blasting past Kiton and the air cracking slightly from the force. Seeing Kiton's tail whipping around he raised an arm to block it, the two limbs smacking together with a loud smack as he was knocked down a few meters, catching himself with his own Ki. The point of impact was red and the skin slightly broken, impressive for a single quick blow. Hardly a life threatening wound though, the captain simply wiped the blood off and the wound was near invisible without the blood.

As easy as it would be to simply blow away the Frost Demon he couldn't be blowing apart the town, he'd have to reserve his strength and keep it largely hand to hand. Rising back up to Kiton's level he smiled slightly, adjusting his shirt before rolling his neck with an audible crack. "Hit my back next, if you wouldn't mind. There's an awful kink there," he joked before leaning forward, propelling himself forward again with speed unfitting a man of his stature. Lowering his frame some he cocked back his right arm and took a simple cut towards Kiton's stomach, ready to try and swing out his left elbow after that if it was blocked and or dodged. He wasn't going to make this easy for the boy, rebel or not.

-----

It was obvious that Viral was not completely comfortable here, all the more reason for June to get him inside to relax. After getting a little laugh over his becoming flustered she gently took hold of his arm, ushering him along with the others following behind them. They were conversing among themselves over something but she couldn't much care about it, her focus being the young man at her side. "Which is why we kept an eye on you Viral, we were just worried. And do you think the small chance of that is going to ever keep me away from you?" June asked with a smile, shaking her head before Viral could even respond. "You don't know how mothers work, I'm not going to abandon you over anything. And you know... It's not the first time I've done something like this."

Taking a brief glance back at Aito she saw him engrossed in conversation with Yumi and Vegeta, taking that as a sign she could tell a quick story. "When Aito and I first started dating we would go out to eat a lot, and he'd always take me to the most wonderful restaurants. One night we had some friends with us and we were celebrating our engagement, that means we were getting ready to be married. Aito had a little too much to drink that night though and... Well he doesn't handle his liquor well," she recounted with a stifled giggle, pausing as she led Viral up the steps and opened the door for him, "I spent all night watching him bumble around, talking to every stranger like he knew them personally and ending up laying in the shrubs outside the building. Now that is a dumb animal honey, not you."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"A medium...? I don't get it..." Haku muttered, glancing at himself as though there should be something on him, a sign that he was. Trying to break up the tension he smiled meekly, "Besides, I-I'm more like a small... Because of... My height." Yeah, the utter silence was just about what he'd expect for a joke of that caliber. Rubbing his arm awkwardly he looked at the creature again, smiling slightly as it yipped happily and looked at him in turn. "I don't get why it would like me though, I mean... Why me? You're the one with the amazing ability, what's it like me for? I don't have anything." Aside from maybe some petting and a smile he couldn't give the spirit whatever it might need. Since it wasn't a living creature it didn't need any food from him, nor did it need any normal pet stuff. So why him?

The creature had gone to T'charrl because he seemed to be in distress, it stayed when it noticed two spirits. Why were there two spirits with this person? That was very unusual, it seemed like they were unbalanced and uneasy because of it. Hoping to try and help settle nerves the spirit yipped playfully, pawing at T'charrl's leg before sitting down before him. Awaiting a gesture of affection in return it happily lifted its head into his hand, nuzzling against it gratefully. If it was able to do its job it would try and soothe his tension, just as it had done with Haku before. Not that the creature understood it had such a talent, it merely liked to be pet. Yipping playfully it began circling around T'charrl's legs, stopping in front of him again and sitting down on its haunches.

-----

The captain didn't much care for the building, it was mighty stuffy and a bit too cramped for a proper brawl. So it was then he decided to air out a little, casually throwing strikes any which way and breaking apart the room to give them far more space to do battle. Once he'd blown apart a wall and the ceiling began to crumble Kiton predictably took off out of the space, leaving the pirate smiling as he walked out after him. "Just doing you a favor, it's much too small in there for a fight," the captain called back, pushing down the wall on his way out, causing the building to collapse in on itself partially, obscuring the fight happening inside. With Kiton in the air the man crouched down slightly and took a hefty leap, rising up to the Frost Demon's level. He'd done so in a near instant propelling himself with his trunk like legs, proceeding then to try and make a cut at Kiton with the side of his hand, fingers extended in a chopping gesture.

What a mess this had turned into. The building was being blown apart by blasters and blows alike and more men were showing up for the brawl. Ricken wasn't sure what was more bothersome, how many people were being thrown at them or the fact the building had been shown no regard. Sometimes these things could be a real headache. Leaning back to avoid a man stabbing with an energized blade he drove a knee upwards into his gut, smashing his back with an elbow and knocking him back to the floor, giving him a kick to move him away for good measure. Another with a blade tried stabbing him while he was busy and he responded by reaching back with his artificial arm, grabbing the blade and smirking at the astonished look on the pirate's face, throwing his arm aside before jumping and spinning his body as he kicked the man in the head, sending him spiraling to the floor unconscious.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were having fun with this Ricken," Sasha commented, seeing her brother's actions before shaking her head.

"Lot of pent up frustrations, gives me a chance to blow off some steam," her brother acknowledged.

Frustration over what who knew, he tended to get frustrated over just about everything. Rolling her eyes Sasha lined up against two more pirates, one with a blaster and another with a bladed weapon. No shortage of toys this time that was for sure. Bouncing back and forth lithely on the balls of her feet she waited for one to make a move, dodging a blaster shot first before dashing in for an attack. When a blade swung at her she nimbly jumped up and flipped over the men, catching herself on her hands and kicking out backwards with her legs, striking one in the back and sending him into the wall. The man with the blade tried getting her while she was down but a swift sweep of the legs knocked him off balance, and turning around she caught him seemingly in mid air, tugging him towards herself before kicking out and sending him into the same wall his partner had gone into.

-----

Poor Viral was doubtless quite overwhelmed by all of this. No doubt he hadn't expected to be greeted by everyone, and they hadn't expected to really greet him so soon either, not until June had gone running out. As they were quick to reveal however it wasn't as though they were completely alone, with Vegeta in particular having spent quite a fair bit of time watching after Viral and Yumi. He'd only just returned home an hour before Yumi had gone out to get him, and he certainly looked haggard enough to suggest he'd been busy recently. "I wasn't spying, I was watching after you," Vegeta pointed out, always with the technicalities, "I made sure to give you room and just made sure you didn't accidentally end up hurting yourself, that's all. We weren't really going to abandon you out there."

"No, we weren't too concerned. The only ones who go there regularly are the crew who maintain the dam and they were told to stay away until we finished out work, so it lined up nicely," Aito explained with a smile, "And if you're asking me, about... Oh the last minute or so, maybe a little longer than that." He'd leave out the fact he'd seen Viral emerge from the lake and Yumi chase after him, or that little moment they had shared. It was a massive invasion of privacy that he'd seen that, though in his defense how was he supposed to know it would happen? Glancing at Yumi she shot him a 'don't you dare' kind of look, making the doctor quickly clam up about what he'd witnessed. "I was distracted for a moment by something though, I only just caught back up. I'm glad you're back and safe Viral."

June was still holding Viral as though he might vanish again the second she let go, not remotely caring she was getting covered in water from doing so. "Oh don't be so angry, we were just worried about you, that's all honey," she said gently, smiling as she looked at her son. Noticing a piece of something similar to kelp on his forehead she plucked it off, showing it to him before laughing and throwing it away. "I'm just glad you're okay, I was up all night worrying about you. We should get you inside and changed, you must be freezing standing here." Placing one arm around his shoulders she eased Viral along, moving at a slow pace as not to hurry him, the poor thing must be beyond exhausted. The others quickly followed along behind them though she paid them little mind as all of her focus was on the young man at her arm. "Sorry I didn't come out to look too, I was asked to stay here in case you made your own way back."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Damn straight boy! >:O