GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

I think it's me next, which means... I don't know, today or tomorrow. Work all day Friday so won't be then.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"It won't just go away though buddy... If it was that easy it'd be fixed by now. That's what I was hoping for, that it'd just fix itself. But it didn't." He'd hoped like hell it would just go away on its on like some rash or something, that maybe a week would make it just fade away. Not only had that not happened but it had gotten worse, and Takeshi knew he was solely responsible for that. Hearing Shu bring up the others he bit his lip before shaking his head, groaning as he ran a hand back through his hair. "It's not their fault Shu, it's not. It's mine, all mine. Aito wanted me to try helping you, Vegeta did too, and I told them I would," the older boy admitted, "But I didn't know what to do so I just... Waited, you know? I wanted to try and just let it work itself out and that never happened. It's my fault, not theirs and not yours. That's why this time I'm gonna do everything I can to help make it better. As soon as we get back that's what we're doing, okay? We'll get right to work and fix this thing you've got, then everything will be okay." He had to help Shu by now, he was selfish and lazy and as a result his brother was in worse shape than before: he owed this much to Shu.

Returning to Earth seemed rather nice after all they had been through, it felt like years since they had been home. If they were to go back too she'd love to partake in the next tournament to have a little fun, and why not? They'd earned a bit of time to themselves and while this war might be going on it wasn't their responsibility to see it finished. "We wouldn't use Ki then, that solves that," Yumi answered with a smile, folding her hands together as she leaned towards Viral, "No one else there can probably use it either so using it would be cheating, and we won't cheat. It'll be fair and square, just regular martial arts like it should be! Though..." she paused, frowning as she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "If two people with Ki were to fight then I guess they could use it, since that would be fair... But other than that, no Ki! And we don't need the money or attention either, it'd just be for fun! We could test ourselves a little, maybe see who else on Earth is a good fighter while we're at it too. If I entered would you enter too?" She hoped so, it would be a shame for any of them to sit by and watch while they enjoyed themselves in the tournament.

"I m-mean... If someone knows anything about your power, it's g-got to be one of your people, right...? So we'll go there..." There had to be at least one person on Kaesstra that knew about what T'charrl was going through, someone that had answers for him and a way to master his abilities. Maybe it was rare but it couldn't be unheard of right? Plus being back home, getting to see his parents, that would make his friend happier too wouldn't it? Frowning when T'charrl mentioned getting permission Haku rose to his feet, standing before his friend and shaking his head angrily. "They don't own you! If you want to go then you go, that's all there is to it!" he said defiantly, his brief outrage quickly fading as he realized he'd shouted, lowering his voice again as he continued. "B-Besides, this war is technically on hold, so it's not l-like we'll be asked to go fight, and even if we were we can say no. You need to t-take care of yourself first, and they sh-should let you." It would be selfish to not let T'charrl go and get the help he needed especially after all he'd done today to help. Plus he missed his parents probably, and while not a sentiment Haku could share with his own he understood his friend would like to see them again.

---

T'charrl's return to Kaesstra hadn't gone unnoticed, and if they didn't know better one might thing their arrival had been announced beforehand. Since the last visit the city had seen a few great changes, the biggest of which was a newly constructed landing strip for ships to come and go. Upon setting down in their small vessel lent by a Uuonian Haku and T'charrl were greeted by a crowd of residents, both from above ground and down below, with the Queen and her husband at the forefront of the homecoming. It had doubtless been a rather sweet experience for the forlorn Prince who hadn't a chance to spend quality time with his family, and after landing they spent a handful of hours simply relaxing and recounting everything that had gone on as of late. Eslaria seemed very pleased if a little worried for her son's ventures: amusingly it was her husband, General Yusef that looked to fret more. Haku's first meeting with the royal family went off relatively well compared to the others' initial meeting, getting a warm welcome and even a gift upon arriving at the castle. The two opted to keep the exact details of how they met to themselves though, fearing if it got out then Eslaria was bound to have Haku's head as punishment.

The reason for their visit couldn't be avoided forever and T'charrl's parents had a right to know why they had come, if not just to see them. The response to their reason was a surprising one, promising even: the problem had been looked into. Word of their visit to another king last time had gotten back to Eslaria and, after some discussion, they had come up with a means of helping their son. It would be a little different than how those of days past got by but in essence things would work out the same: train oneself so that you had control of the spirit, not the other way around. The king had found that initially people like T'charrl underwent rigorous meditations and trials to help hone themselves, and while the nature of these were well recorded they were time consuming, far too time consuming for their likes. So training would have to suffice, they would do all they could and see if that was enough. Duties would be handled by Yusef largely and Katas, if the man could find enough time away from the many projects the city was undergoing. If need be Eslaria herself would step in and train her son, but her husband would be the primary trainer.

-----

Things on the war front should by all rights have calmed down by now. A ceasefire had effectively been called by both sides to combat the threat of the monsters appearing, neither side wanting to have to fight a battle on two fronts. Or so they had thought. Not long after returning to Uuonoe had news reached command of an attack by Saiyan troops on a nearby world. Krom had been immediately questioned and knew nothing of the attack, having nothing to offer nor no knowledge of who was carrying out the attacks. A second report revealed the one leading attacks to be a powerful Saiyan, evidently the replacement for Krom with the vacuum that his departure had caused. Clearly Yamate didn't respect the truce that had been called, either that or this was an action from a rogue group of Saiyans acting on their own. Either way it had to be handled, if they were allowed to run freely it would cause untold problems for everyone, Saiyans and Rebels alike. As quickly as they could muster a group was sent out to handle the problem, consisting of familiar faces as well as some new ones; 6 rebel soldiers, including Leto were dispatched along with Viral, Kai, Choi, Kabocha and Yumi, nearly a dozen troops in all to handle the attacks. Some would evacuate citizens while others focused on fighting, everyone had a part to play.

"I'm getting so tired of the Saiyans always ruining things," Yumi grumbled, laying her head back into her seat of the shuttle, "They just can't leave anything alone can they? I hate them." Remembering their mixed company she looked over at the twins and Kabocha with a small smile, "No offense to you three," she added.

"Hey we hate them too. Just because we're the same doesn't mean we get along," Kabocha pointed out with a shrug, scowling as he thought about his kin, "A lot of good being nobility has done me in all this, they were quick to cast out me and my family. I've heard even some of our closest friends back on Kortal would sell us out now, no loyalty. It's disgusting..."

"Do not lose heart, dear Kabocha! There are still good men among your people! The Commander and Sayomi show us as much!" Leto interjected, flexing as he flashed a thumbs up to the group, "Maybe your OLD friends have forsaken you, but I'm positive there are many who applaud your efforts! When you finally return home you'll be celebrated as a hero, not a villain! Just you wait!"

Yumi laughed awkwardly at Leto's enthusiasm, looking at Viral after a moment and rolling her eyes. Optimism was good but he was laying it on a bit thick, or much too thick actually. No one thought that things would go over smoothly even once this whole mess was over with, not at this point. After the war ended there was probably going to be more fighting, people who refused to accept the change and wanted to stick to how things were. And even if they dealt with that there was always going to be something, the universe was plenty big enough to brew some kind of trouble as they had learned. "Maybe he'll figure out how to not yell every time he talks too," Yumi whispered to Viral with a small smirk.

-----

Awkward was a decent way to describe the situation right now. Ricken had never made it a secret as to how he felt about Saiyans, his despise of their general species as a whole for what they had done to him, Sasha and to their people. With rare exceptions he loathed the Saiyans and everything they stood for, their need for senseless bloodshed, their violent tendencies, everything about them. Aside from Korian and Sayomi he was still terribly hard pressed to like anyone from the warrior race and that still held true for Shu and Takeshi. And yet... Here he was, in a room with Aito, a Saiyan, Shu and Takeshi, his sister and a Uuonian doctor. All for the sake of helping the youngest one here with his issues, issues that stemmed from the very people he loathed. If nothing else he agreed to help because he knew what it was like to live with PTSD, to experience things so horrifying and traumatic that it haunted you for days on end, denying you peace of mind as long as you struggled. Even after being helped he still had rare moments of weakness but his life was better for it, and now it was time for him to repay the kindness done for him. That didn't mean he was happy to do it though.

"So you will have private therapy sessions with me Shu, then group sessions with Ricken and Sasha. I'll speak with Takeshi about everything that goes on so he is able to help you if you need it, and we'll meet once a week to see how things are going." This was the plan that Aito had laid out for the young boy and everything seemed reasonable, the sessions would be infrequent, yet frequent enough to make some difference. Nothing would be forced, Shu would be able to carry on as though little was changing and his brother would play a larger part in his recovery, or one would hope. "I'm not going to lie and tell you that this will be quick, because it won't be. In fact I can't tell you how long this will take at all. It could be a month, it could be two, it could be a year. But I can guarantee that as we move along it will get better, slowly at first, but it will get better."

Things would get better, that was all Takeshi needed to hear. Of course knowing it would take time probably hurt for Shu, someone who doubtless wanted to be better sooner than that. But at least they were finally getting down to the problem and having it taken care of. His brother would be back to his happy-go-lucky self again before long, he'd be able to sleep through the night, not be so afraid when it came to fighting, everything would be better. Even with his playing a part in the recovery it was a massive load off of his shoulders knowing he wasn't left to handle everything on his own now. Aito would handle therapy, as he should, and Ricken and Sasha could talk to Shu in ways he couldn't, they would be support for him when he was having a hard time. And he'd be there too for help, he would be in charge of making sure his brother didn't get bogged down by everything, he'd keep Shu going and make their days busy and fun, that much he could manage.

"Just remember that you're not alone through all of this. We'll be here to help you." Sasha knew how lonely and isolating everything felt when you went through these kinds of things. No one knew your pain, no one understood you, no one could without being there beside you. She'd been lucky to have Ricken there to empathize, though they still needed outside help to recover. Now it was their turn to be supportive of someone else in need, and unlike her brother she was more than happy to do it. "Since we're not starting today how about we do something fun, if you want to. I hear there's a little festival going on in the city, we could go and look at that," she added, looking to Takeshi as if asking permission. She didn't want to be overstepping her bounds but she knew it was important for Shu not to always focus on his problems too.

"Uh... Yeah, it could be fun buddy, we should go check it out!" Takeshi agreed with a grin, reaching out and ruffling Shu's hair playfully, "They've probably got all sorts of yummy food, you know? And games, probably loads of games! And maybe when we're done there we can go play a bit, how's that sound?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Oh you're right x_x I think I need bed.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

No worries! I'm pretty slammed this week with work and family stuff, so I won't be super quick either.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

There wasn't any magic word for Takeshi to say that would make everything better, no simple gesture or promise that would make Shu's problems go away. Of course he'd known that all along, he wasn't that daft, but he'd been reluctant to admit it. He couldn't fix Shu, he couldn't even help him a little so why should he try? Was it so wrong to hope something else might do the trick along the way? Sighing to himself the older boy hung his head a bit, eyes downcast as he lifted his shoulders slightly in a defeated shrug. "I kind of hoped... It'd just go away, you know? That if you had a little time you'd get better. I figured all I had to do was be around, help you have some fun, and that would be enough. I didn't ever really think I had an answer to it, I know I still don't... I'm sorry buddy." If he tried anything it would probably only make it worse, he didn't know how to take care of someone else still. Not like this. He could feed and clothe Shu, give him a roof, play with him, but clearly it took more than that. "Someone's gotta have the answer though, you know? Either Vegeta or Aito, or Sayomi, hell maybe even one of the doctors. Someone can help you where I couldn't and we'll find them back on Uuonoe. You... Just gotta tough it out for a little longer, okay bud? I promise first thing we do when we get back will be to find someone, then all your problems will go away."

"Oh not a lot of them are looking, don't fuss about it," Yumi teased with a wink, settling back into her place, "And I'd suggest trying to enjoy it, maybe? They're celebrating having each other, and they're also celebrating us, and you. This whole party is for us so you should... I don't know, sit back and have a little fun?" Which was like asking the sky not to be blue when it came to Viral... A saying that rather quickly lost its meaning with all of these alien worlds. Throwing her arms up in a stretch Yumi let out a drawn out yawn before folding her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky with a smile. "This trip of ours has been hard, but I've had fun too. That said I can't wait to get back to earth..." she reminisced with a dreamy sigh, "Smoothies, a nice day on the beach, the World Tournament. I want to take part in the next one, if we get back in time. Would you sign up if I did?" That would be fun, she'd love to sign up with her friends and see who went the furthest. It would be fun, some honest to goodness martial arts with no real consequences hanging over their heads, good way to unwind from all of this craziness.

Reassuring T'charrl didn't seem to be doing what he'd hoped, maybe it was better if he just let it go for now. Haku watched the flames dance in the fire for a moment before glancing back to his friend, smiling slightly and shrugging his shoulders before looking back at the flames. "Well... We could go back to your world too, couldn't we? Maybe after this..." he suggested with a slight hint of excitement, "I want to see your world, and... M-Meet your parents and try foods and... And just e-enjoy a world for a change." So far Uuonoe had been the only world he'd ever really gotten to visit and not worry about fighting, it was a first and an experience he'd love to have again. He'd heard Uuonoe had sprawling forests, trees as big as buildings, and all kinds of colorful places to visit, he had to see it for himself. He wished he could take T'charrl to his own world sometime but for obvious reasons that was never going to happen, not while Yamate was still there.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Go ahead Shy :P

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well I ain't gonna lie to you, I don't know what's wrong. That's why I haven't been helping," Takeshi admitted lamely as he cast his eyes downward, smiling ruefully and shaking his head, "Nah, I didn't know how so I didn't try, you know? I kinda hoped if we just kept doing our thing, played a bit, that it'd go away, you know? But it didn't." He couldn't keep putting it off, not if Shu wasn't getting any better. They needed help though, they needed Aito. No more avoiding the issue then, he'd take Shu to see the doctor as soon as they got back and try and figure out what they could do. He owed Shu at least that much. Ruffling Shu's hair he smiled at his brother and gave a little nod, looking at the crowd beginning to gather near Viral. "He'll see us buddy, or we can see Sayomi about it, or Vegeta. Hell even Korian might be able to help even if I don't wanna talk to that jerk. We'll find somebody to help."

Yumi wasn't sure if someone had overheard their conversation but she was glad for this, glad that Viral was getting some attention now that was very much deserved. It wasn't just some small gesture either that they were giving, music stopped and near everyone present turned to cheer for Viral's efforts, several of the children coming forward with similar gifts given to the others, presenting them to him with smiles aplenty. If she didn't know any better she saw Viral's face turning red and she had to bite her tongue to stifle a laugh, finding it adorable he was trying not to seem so bashful. "Hey, you're being celebrated now, you should smile and wave," Yumi teased as she moved in closer, pausing briefly to smile at some children and wave to them as they rushed over to say hello. The village certainly was a lot more lively since their rescue mission, it was obvious people were much more relaxed now that those things had been dealt with. As the music picked up once again and people returned to their celebrations she leaned over across the log and smiled cheekily, giving Viral a quick kiss on his cheek and patting his back. "They're all having a good time and happy, and it's because of you."

"W-Well... If you can open the portal then you can close it, r-right? So if some monsters did c-come through you just have to close it again," Haku said, shrugging as he tried to make sense of T'charrl's unique ability still, "And you'll figure it out if t-there's a way, it was your first time. No one expects you t-to be perfect the first time." That of course implied that there would be a next time, something he was not terribly fond of looking forward to. When it did happen T'charrl would have another chance to try and master his powers and Haku could try and help, even if right now he had no idea of what that help might entail. "Uh... W-When we get back do you want to try w-working on it? I don't know how we can, but... M-maybe we should try?" Or go to someone for help, even if he didn't know who. There had to be plenty of smart people who could help T'charrl figure out what was going on with his energy, people way smarter than Haku himself. Would they even want to help T'charrl? Could they?

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Let's save Amuné! \o/

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

As nauseating as everything was they couldn't stop, not until Amuné was safe. Even as Ethan felt his heart in his throat and his ears muffled by his thundering pulse he stumbled along, not daring to turn his head and look at any of the dead men laid around the building. It was atrocious, unnecessary, and yet wasn't this what they needed? To save Amuné at any costs? Even so he couldn't accept that so many casualties were needed for it, all of their lives snuffed out for the sake of her. He held the girl dearly but wouldn't want someone to die in her place, certainly not near a dozen men or so. Almost running on auto-pilot as he walked along his head swiveled slightly hearing a growl and noticed Wyth's large frame slinking out of a door, Cecil hot on heels. That had to be the way to Amuné, she was somewhere in that direction. They were coming, she was going to be safe soon. She only had to hang on a little longer.

Blast that mountain of a man struck hard, and with only one kick too Nymira's arms already felt numb. Gritting her teeth as she picked herself up out of the crate she'd shattered she spun her dagger in her hand and watched the man approach her, anticipating his movement by watching how his torso turned slightly to the right and his his right arm cocked back slightly, ducking and preemptively avoiding a massive cleave that sliced into the wall at her back. Kicking out on her own she struck him in the leg to try and bring him down yet found no such luck, having to duck away again to avoid being grabbed by the throat. She managed to get a small cut on his side as she darted away to make room and took the moment to try and gather her thoughts on just how she was going to defeat this man. Powerful and large, he seemed well versed in combat too, not an easy foe for one her size. Magic wasn't an option, she couldn't use it on someone without a Saints blessing, which meant this would come down to an old fashioned brawl.

Keeping her eyes firmly on the man she watched every move he made, doing her utmost to sort the feints from the actual strikes and reacting accordingly. Duck, step to the side, knock away his arm, for a man of his size he was surprisingly quick and precise with his strikes, nothing being wasted in his movements. Narrowly avoiding having her head taken off she swung out at his arm and sliced along the forearm enough to make him drop his sword, albeit temporarily. Nymira only just managed to raise one arm to defend herself when she was kicked in the side, dropping her dagger as she was thrown across the room and into the wall. The impact was a painful one and her arm burned in pain immediately, her head swimming from the landing. With a muted groan she pushed herself up and stumbled to her feet, noting the blood seeping from her reopened leg wound and from a fresh cut on her head. Trying to retrieve her second dagger she gasped as the man was upon her, a hand around her throat as she was lifted off of her feet and pushed into the wall.

"Fuck... Fuck... They're dying out there! We've gotta move 'em!" a slaver shouted, looking at Amuné and the other prisoners frantically.

"Where we gonna move them, eh? Only two doors outta here and they're through that mess!" another snapped back, shaking his head and looking at the locked door, "They've gotta be comin' in here, aye? Let 'em come, we'll ambush whoever gets through and kill 'em nice and quick! Problem solved."

"Right, and what about that fucking growling we're hearing, huh?" a third shot back with a gesture to the door, "They've got some big mutt or something! And there's more than one of them too! We're gonna try and fight them all in this little room huh?"

"Unless you've got a better idea yeah, that's what we're doing! Now shut your traps and get ready!" No sooner had he said that did something slam against the wall outside of the room, a faint groan following as a warning that the guard had been taken down somehow. The three men exchanged worried glances before fetching their weapons about the room, the foremost grabbing his dagger and inching towards the door. Pressing himself up against the wall he put a finger to his lips and waited, not moving an inch until the door was kicked open and nearly off of its hinges. With a wild grin he stepped out and thrust his dagger into the first person at the door, expecting to see a trail of blood flowing from the wound he made. Only there was no blood, and the dagger barely made it an inch into the boy's skin before it stopped, unable to penetrate any further. Staring down at his weapon utterly dumbstruck the slaver glanced up at Cecil, not understanding whatsoever what had just happened. "Huh...?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well you're wrong Shu... You are stupid if you think I won't help you with that," Takeshi retorted, frowning as he looked at his brother, "We'll figure out a way for you to control it. I have a monster too. When I get angry I do bad things, you know? I don't change but I may as well be, I do things I really shouldn't do. So we'll work on it together, alright buddy?" They had to even if he had no clue what they were going to do for it. Vegeta and Aito both expected him to help out Shu and yet here they were weeks later and no progress had been made. Would asking again be bad? Even if it was Takeshi would check in with Aito once they returned, he needed help with this. Reaching over to Shu he smiled and placed a hand on his brother's head, giving his hair a gentle, affectionate ruffle. "I know I kept saying I'd help buddy, but we'll work on it this time. As soon as we get back we're gonna go see Aito and he'll help us, okay? Then you won't have to worry about monsters anymore."

"Your ability is a unique trait, one that very few beings have. So yes, naturally those who do not know you have some curiosity about it, that's to be expected," Vegeta stated plainly, frowning as he met Viral's eyes, "But that does not justify what was done to you, and nothing I say now will make what you endured disappear. Take some solace in knowing we've all but upended their Beastman project and the work they strove so hard to achieve is all but gone. Those who were effected by those experiments are safe now and you're on the road to recovery, take heart in that much." It was about as perfect a revenge as Viral could get on the Saiyans, being responsible for tearing down the program that, through him, they had worked so hard to achieve. Even with their supposed truce Vegeta was certain that the King wouldn't take this lying down and was bound to strike out, then again he may be too preoccupied with other matters as well.

Yumi just wanted Viral to enjoy himself for once, to be able to take pride in what he had done. He had played a huge role in saving all of these people and preventing future disasters, how could he not be happy with himself? She hated how he downplayed his significance, his part had been a major one. "You beat two of those giant monsters, Viral, and a lot of the smaller ones too. There was no way we could have done that on our own, and only because you did that we were able to save everyone," Yumi spoke, smiling as she placed a hand on Viral's paw, "There's nothing small about that. None of this would be happening without you." Even with that she felt like he still didn't feel appreciated, that he was just another face, a part of the crowd that had worked towards their salvation. Up until now T'charrl had gotten most of the recognition and while well deserved there were others who had played a part in all of this. Biting her lip she cast her glance out towards the bonfire in the center, spotting the leader approaching them, several of the guards in tow. Curious about what was going on she got to her feet unsteadily, putting on a smile as they approached. "Hello there! Um... Is everything okay?" Yumi asked, her eyes drifting to the men boasting spears.

"They're decorative, before you worry," the chieftain said with a laugh, his men clacking in laughter behind him, "And yes, better than okay! Villagers were saved, our village is saved, the Dark Ones are no more! You did us a great favor, we owe you more than we can ever repay. This celebration is small but it is the very least we can offer." Looking down to Viral then he tilted his head slightly and went silent, almost looking like he was observing the Beastman before placing a hand on his chest and lowering his head. "You must be the one they call 'Viral', yes? I hear you killed many of the Dark Ones, some as big as the hills! Such bravery, such power... Were it not for you many would be dead, many more may have died, but no more." Turning then towards everyone gathered the chieftain raised his arms, the six guards smacking their spears against the ground to silence the music briefly. "Everyone! Please, let us show our thanks for Viral, the slayer of the Dark Ones!" he shouted out, drawing applause before he'd even finished, "Enjoy yourselves and be sure to thank the man responsible for your salvation!"

T'charrl had already received some gifts and now it appeared that it was Viral's turn. Many small natives approached Viral after the chieftain gave his word, all bearing some fashion of gift, be it a small morsel of food or an item of value to them. One by one they came forward and placed it in a neat pile before him, each sharing a few words of gratitude before skittering back to their parents. Some had been saved from an early death because of his actions, others had family returned to them that had been taken, regardless of their story all were indebted to Viral and the others.

T'charrl jumped slightly at the applause, not expecting it to be as loud as it was. Though it had been directed towards Viral he noticed others still giving him and T'charrl smiles, and the rest of their group as well. Being so openly acknowledged and thanked made his face heat up in embarrassment as he tried to hide it, lowering his gaze and wringing his hands together nervously. It was... Nice, he was just terribly unused to it. "W-Well... When we get back I'm sure there's a way we can work on it..." he uttered once the noise died down, looking to his friend with a small smile. "You didn't think you could d-do the portal without having problems, b-but you did... I think you can do anything if you really want to..." He might offer to help, offer to train with T'charrl or to work with him on whatever he needed if he thought he could be of any use. The strength gap between them was too great, asking him to train was about as good as sparring with a punching bag. He didn't know enough about energy either, Ki being his own and never mind whatever they called T'charrl's. He'd love to help but he had no idea how to. Still... "If I can h-help any way just ask," Haku offered, "I don't know w-what I can do, but I'll try."