GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Like it or not Adrianna was going to need his information, and help from someone else. Lionel might be so inclined to lend a hand if he wasn't busy himself so her best bet then were the kids who had wandered in here the day before. Hardly a group that inspired confidence but better than nothing, right? After Taliya so eloquently dismissed them he followed hot on Adrianna's heels out of the building, stifling a laughter as he could just feel her bristling in annoyance at him. How much was she wanting to maintain this cover of hers? Enough that he could poke and prod without her breaking character? And really she was a healer, what was she going to do to him? Fight him?

As it happened a quick right hook was exactly what Adrianna had in mind. Getting sucker punched Lionel stumbled back and blinked in surprise, his smile returning promptly as he let out a laugh. "I'll not be needing a healer for that, hate to disappoint you. But thanks for the love tap!" Lionel teased, turning his head and spitting out blood before wiping his mouth. So that was definitely a no on his helping her then, her funeral. Snarky comments aside he did have information on Midkemia that was imperative to her getting in, and out, of that place alive. Maybe he'd be nice and leave it with Taliya before he went off again, just as a show of good faith to Adrianna. Didn't want her thinking he was a complete jerk! Watching as she walked off Lionel sighed and headed back into the building to fetch his things before leaving, figuring he'd be gone at least a few days. On his way in he happened by Gage and Kensen who were stood outside of some room for who knows what reason, and flashing them a smile he waved, trying to pass and being halted as Gage reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"The hell happened to your face, pretty boy? Piss off the wrong person again?" Gage questioned as he narrowed his eyes at Lionel, "And where do you think you're going? We have people coming in that need tending to, get your ass to the infirmary and do your job."

"I am doing my job boss, and you're getting in the way of that. Or do you think I'm being allowed to stay here and just slack off all the time?" Lionel smiled innocently as Gage removed his grasp from his shirt, fixing it before chuckling to himself. "I brought back everything they need and restocked all of our herbs, they might be understaffed but they'll manage. Taliya wanted me to pick something else up so I'm leaving Mutebo for a bit. If you have a problem with that take it up with Tali." He didn't always try to intentionally get under people's skin but with Gage it was just too much fun. The best part too was no matter how angry the man got with him he'd never do anything, not unless Gage wanted Taliya coming down on him like a hammer on brick. Smiling then at Kensen he winked, reached out and patted the Dimuran's shoulder before continuing on his way. "Good luck with the training by the way, should be loads of fun! I've got to go hunting for some materials, wish I could be having as much fun as you two!"

----------

"It's not the money that concerns me, its the way you fight," Nymira spoke lowly as she shook her head. Placing one hand on the back of her neck she frowned and looked over at Ethan and Amuné for a moment as she wondered what they were chatting about, dismissing it as nothing as she glanced back at Cecil. "I understand you're a Machina, not flesh, but don't fight so recklessly. Just because you can take the damage doesn't mean you should, understand?" Reckless abandon or so selflessly using oneself as a shield was about as idiotic a thing as anyone could do. Heroics meant nothing if you were dead, it left good fighters in the dirt and those who survived with a heavy, consuming sense of guilt. Nymira's eyes clouded over slightly as she lowered her gaze to the floor and ground her teeth together, closing her eyes before reaching out and grabbing Cecil's shoulder.

"Listen, if you are to act as my retainer then you take orders from me, understood? That means starting today no more of those foolish heroics, no more sacrificing yourself the way you did. If you are injured in battle that's unavoidable, but don't risk yourself like that. Maybe ask Norman about some... Defensive measures, something you can protect with without having to use your body," the Dimuran suggested as she stepped back, "Like warriors and their shields, find some other way to block damage and prevent injury. Do that for me and I'll forgive you." She would not allow someone to die for her sake again if it could be helped, she'd already enough lives on her hands and she had barely begun to gather support for her clan. The entire point of this journey was to prevent further needless death and so there was no way Nymira would allow the path to be littered with bodies, it would defeat the entire purpose. Their enemies were forfeit, they didn't count, but she'd be dragged to the deepest depths of Ralthor's Kiln before she allowed anyone else to sacrifice themselves.

So Cedric had known about creatures like that, what else about his mentor didn't he know? It still seemed impossible that the kindly old man from Kinsgrove had once been a warrior, or that he'd done things bad enough to warrant the Church capturing and executing him. If Taliya had a book like Amuné said though they really should try and get it, such a thing would be invaluable while they traveled. Then again it wasn't like they could pop open a book in the middle of a fight or ask a wild animal for a moment to read about how best to kill it. "Maybe we'll ask her if we can borrow it, might come in handy some time," Ethan suggested hopefully, "Could save us a lot of trouble in the future!"

There was more that needed to be said and Ethan didn't know how to say it besides directly. Days ago during the Vazra attack he'd seen things, things which he couldn't possibly ever have without some kind of magic influencing him. He knew full well he was no Seer and didn't possess Sight or anything of the sort, in fact he only knew of one person to have such an ability: Amuné. When he mentioned the vision to her she looked confused and doubtful even, like it wasn't at all possible for him to have experienced the episode. When a wave of recognition washed over her face and she recalled the event more clearly however that sold it, somehow he'd had a vision that day. It was a complete accident from the looks of things and like Amuné he hadn't the foggiest idea how she'd managed such a trick.

"Angry? Not at all! I'm just glad I know what the heck happened now, I thought maybe I was hallucinating. Bad food or something," Ethan laughed, smiling reassuringly as he reached out and pat Amuné's head, "Now we know that you can do that though we should probably mention it to your teacher when we find one, yeah? I don't know if that's something seers usually do or not." Actually he knew absolutely nothing about Amuné's magic other than it let her have visions from time to time. It was a strange magic too, one which she apparently had no control over. He couldn't imagine having magic like that, it would be insane if his wind magic just went off whenever it felt like it! "We can talk about it more later if you want, okay? Right now there's only thing I really want to do..." Ethan said before smiling sheepishly as his stomach spoke out of turn, placing a hand on it with a chuckle, "My belly wants food, hey Nymira? Can we go get something to eat? I'll buy!"

Nymira glanced over her shoulder at the closed door before shrugging, "If we can get away from them long enough to I wouldn't mind. It's been a while since we last ate," she agreed as her stomach growled as well, making her scowl slightly as she tried to ignore it, "Why don't we have a meal together before we go off our separate ways? That is of course assuming you don't mind joining us," she added in respects to Cecil. He didn't eat but that didn't mean he had to be excluded from their company when they did.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

That was probably enough teasing of T'charrl for one day, they didn't want the poor boy fainting from blushing so much. Tala certainly was interested in him but forcing it wasn't going to help anything and that wasn't why they were here, they were here to help T'charrl train. "We'll start slow with the training and work our way up, you'd be surprised what can change in a month," Yusef reassured as he peeled another fruit, "We will be careful my son, we know there's some risk involved with this. But we're not going to treat you like a monster and cage you up either, you're still T'charrl, understand? Unless something happens we'll treat you no differently." Truth be told Yusef didn't know if they even could restrain his son if anything should happen. He'd seen what had happened with Garesh and knew that was well beyond his own power to handle, a lot of it would depend on how capable Haku was.

"Y-You'll be fine T'charrl, you're really good at not ch-changing on us," Haku chimed in with a meek smile, tapping his fork on the table nervously when Nema gave him an expectant look. The King probably wanted to hear more about his friend to know what he was like, and what to expect if anything should happen. Probably a good idea to leave out their very first meeting unless he wanted T'charrl's dad to be terribly cross with him. "Wh-when T'charrl changes he gets a lot b-bigger and stronger, b-but he seems to uh... W-Well he seems to still k-kind of know what he's doing... Usually." It wasn't a complete blind rage from what Haku recalled, certainly nothing like an untrained Oozaru going on a rampage. It was scary to be on the receiving end of T'charrl's power but he didn't think his friend would randomly lash out at anyone if he changed. Haku's sentiment however appeared to be his and his alone; King Nema looked a bit troubled by the idea and had something quite different to say to the matter.

"Would it make you feel easier if you knew we could restrain you? Would that help?" Most people wanted nothing to do with restraints or being locked up yet for T'charrl that might be the only thing to put him at ease. Nema pushed his plate aside and again placed the large book on the table, grunting as he peeled the pages apart and opened it, flipping through them searching for a particular entry. "Since the spirit is part of the natural world there are ways you can weaken it, which weakens its host in turn. It'd feel a lot like you've exerted too much energy and your whole body would go numb, I'd imagine. And doing it is easy... Aha!" Having to stand on his seat due to his smaller size Nema turned the book around and pointed to an illustration and passage on one of the pages. "There are plants that can be used as a sedative, powerful enough to effect spirits even. In the past it was used for surgery but it would work for us too. And luckily for us they grow here in our kingdom, I could send for some to be gathered now if you'd like. We'd have them for tomorrow for your training."

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"Hm... Well here's something to think about perhaps, Viral: I rejected my original purpose too. I wasn't expected to take up Capsule Corporation from my father, in fact I was far more like grandfather when I was younger. Like you I was given a purpose and yet found another, one I didn't think I would ever have. My point is this: just because you are given a job initially doesn't mean it can't change, you aren't made to hold a single role all your life. Now I'm not saying that you cannot be a warrior, or even that you can't only be a warrior. All I'm saying is if you feel your purpose is lost either reinforce it or explore your options. Which I can help with the latter, if you'd like." As Viral was so apt to put himself he'd only ever been given orders and while he did in fact possess free will he'd never if ever been allowed to express it. Part of that certainly had to do with how Vegeta, and perhaps on a larger scale how the Board of Directors had treated Viral after his passing. Aito had ever intention of allowing Viral to be autonomous but after the incident it seemed like he'd been allowed to be anything but. "Say for the sake of argument yes, you're become broken and obsolete. You're a sword that has lost its cutting edge. But can't a sword be refined and sharpened again? Or once a sword dulls do you throw it away? If you feel like you've fallen out of your prime then we can work on returning you to it, don't you agree? What was once can be again if we attack the matter directly."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Well I certainly wasn't born strong, that's thanks to years of training. And my coat isn't as nice as some others but then that shouldn't matter anyways. Love is a strange thing, T'charrl, you'll love whoever you love, regardless of how they might look. I know it seems complicated now but when you're older you'll understand I'm sure." There were far more important things to be preoccupied with than one's appearance but then for someone of T'charrl's age that was perfectly normal, he'd grow out of it. Perhaps if they had the time Yusef would bring his son home and seek out Tala just to prove a point to him, whether he changed back or not the general was hopeful his son would be shown how she felt. "We do have pictures in the palace if you don't remember, though you probably don't want to see the baby pictures now do you?" he chuckled at the question, stripping skin off of a thick blue fruit before eating it, "Mmm... Things will work out fine so long as you put the effort in, T'charrl. Maybe not immediately but things will work out, just you wait. You'll be back to normal before you leave Kaesstra again, mark my words."

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It was terribly difficult speaking to Viral like this, and even more so to be impartial. This was why you weren't supposed to work with family members in this field, it was nigh impossible to be objective and not be emotionally attached to your patient. He'd of course considered this well before today but there wasn't exactly anyone else around certified to do this kind of work, nor did Aito have the faintest expectation for Viral to speak to anyone else. "I suppose it would be more fair to say you weren't created specifically to be a 'babysitter' as you called it. You needed a way to acclimate to human culture, and technically you were still a child yourself so... Naturally we placed you with the children when they came around. It was more a... Byproduct of training that you needed, and it seemed better than placing you in different locations hoping you'd pick up on norms and behaviors." Which admittedly was more or less what was done with regular children. The difference with Viral was normal children weren't born with an adult body, nor the power to level a 10 story building if they so chose. Saiyans might have the latter but typically were just as small and hapless as any other newborn.

"Auctioned off... That was Vegeta as well I assume? Because I know for a fact we never tried anything of the sorts with you." Aito had sworn he'd heard that before too, if there was some truth to that then Vegeta had quite a lot of answering to do for himself. Viral was not a commodity to be traded and sold on a whim nor was he meant for anyone else to use for their own ends. He had been developed by Capsule Corporation, mostly by Aito and a small team, and done so to help protect the Earth. Everything else, the babysitting, education, that came later when the connection of a parent and child developed. "Viral, let me make something abundantly clear here and now: I'll be assuming my position as head of Capsule Corporation again when we return home. That means, if you wish to have it back, you can resume fighting for Earth. Or you're more than welcome to do whatever it is you see fit for yourself too, it's not as if we'll be having any shortage of fighters by the looks of things. And goodness knows what the state of everything will be with this war going on, those beasts appearing, and whatever in the hell else happens between now and then." Though Viral himself didn't appear at all clear on his purpose or what to do with himself, instead of asking himself what he might do he continually looked to others for orders. A product of being raised that way to be sure and something they desperately needed to change. "Is that all you see yourself as? A weapon to be used by someone for some means? Do you think you're able to decide for yourself?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Have more confidence in yourself T'charrl, even a sweaty old soldier like me found a companion! If I can do it anyone can. And you saw how much that has benefited everyone hadn't you? Yes when it happened it was a problem but now? Now people are better off than ever before because of it! Even your supposed mistakes have worked out for the best, now what reason would people dislike you again? Nothing a bath can't solve I'm sure!" His son deserately needed some more time with the opposite sex if he thought himself so unappealing. T'charrl had never been a bad looking boy and he was royalty, and all that aside he was sweet and had a good heart, surely some woman would like that! In fact that was probably why Tala fancied him to begin with, now if only he'd see that. Nema brought the conversation back to the food on the table and Yusef didn't need to be told twice to begin eating. He was starving as he hadn't eaten all day and, like T'charrl, he had no desire to begin eating until their host had. "You're scary no matter what from the sounds of it! I think you'll be just fine once you change back though," Yusef insisted as he reached across and took a platter of seared fruits, taking some for himself before passing the plate down to Haku, "It can only get better so don't be so worried. Starting tomorrow you'll see."

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It didn't seem like much of anything was a comfortable topic for Viral right now. Perhaps instead of all of the questioning he'd simply focus on calming down his son for the time being, a little meditation or some breathing exercises could do the trick. Then again getting Viral to even relax enough to attempt anything was probably outside the realm of possibility at the moment too, so should they just continue along this line of conversation? The topic of Yumi was brushed aside as quickly as could be and Aito let it stay that way, lest he agitate Viral any further. "I never said you're not a warrior, I only said that you're not limited to that role. Just as I'm defined as more than just a warrior so too can you be. No one is any one single thing, its a conglomerate of identities that make us who we are. Expanding and learning other skills doesn't take away from what we are, it adds to it. And as I said before too, losses don't change who you are. Failure is as important as success you know, even if it isn't as pleasant."

"Listen Viral, I want to make this clear right now so there are no surprises. I think we should include Vegeta in a session, there's a lot that I feel you need to say to him and even more he needs to hear. It may not be the very next session or even the one after that, but I feel like quite a lot of this leads back to him. And... Myself. Let me explain my intentions to you and perhaps that will clear the air a little?" His direction in life was clearly absent and he expected far too much of himself, both of which were directly caused by other people. The perfectionist was either attributed to Vegeta or someone else within Capsule Corporation and the lack of direction was very clearly a failure on his own part. "You were created initially with two goals in mind: To fight and to help with the children. Both of which you have accomplished quite admirably, whether you remember it or not. And perhaps recent events might tell you otherwise but you did a splendid job before and I know you're capable of doing so. So tell me this: If the words from the man who created aren't enough to sway your opinion of yourself what would it take? Does a victory in battle mean that much that it's the only way to convince yourself you're worthy?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yusef let out a cheery laugh at his son's expense, smiling as he watched T'charrl become flustered. "Don't tell me you've never noticed her, T'charrl. You remember Tala don't you? The young girl whose mother is one of your mother's attendants, the girl with the honey hair? She's certainly taken a liking to you!" Both Yusef and Nema had a laugh at that, each man recalling their own love interests and flings of days long since passed. There was nothing wrong with having a little love in your life and T'charrl could certainly use more people in his life to help cheer him up. Unfortunately they hardly had the time for such things this visit and Tala was in another kingdom entirely, they wouldn't send for her either since it would distract from the reason they were here. "There are probably other young girls who would love to know you too, don't forget that," Yusef continued to tease with a wink, "After all you're the hero who stopped Garesh, that's what many people call you. It's no surprise you get attention even after so long."

"If you get the power under control then you'll return to your original state. That's how it has always been for our kind," Nema answered as he placed a claw atop the large book, "There are records of people shifting at will, becoming giant, powerful beings and returning to normal when the battle had ended. Where you are now..." The King had to take a pause as he thought about it, stroking one of his antennae as he studied T'charrl. "I would say you're somewhere in between. You're strong enough to hold back the energy and not change entirely, but not strong enough to hide it completely. Which is good for us! You already have some command over it even if you don't realize that, we may only have to work a little to reach our goal." It wasn't only a matter of helping T'charrl to revert to his original form though, they also needed to help him learn how to shift his power at will. If he was going to keep the spirit as he insisted he would it only made sense to learn to wield it like any other weapon. If he didn't overdo it then it would take care of him in turn too, it was a symbiotic relationship. "I believe that is all we need to discuss on the matter. Now come, there's plenty of food here and we've hardly touched any, let us eat!"

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"No, that is not true. Yes you have the power to battle but you have the capability to do almost anything you wish. A Saiyan is not merely a warrior, are we? Or if that were the case you'd not be here right now. Just as I am not simply a fighter neither are you, we are what we deem ourselves to be. Heh... Sorry," Aito apologized with a smile as he rubbed his neck, "Getting a bit philosophical there. But let's talk about Yumi for a moment, hm? You mentioned that she's said before... What has she said before exactly? Now obviously you only have to tell me as much as you're comfortable with but the more the better." Not that he didn't know, he'd been present at the reservoir and seen exactly what she thought of Viral firsthand. The fact that such a blatant display though was still missed by Viral was curious, why wasn't he aware of that? Was he pushing the idea of being loved away or was he thinking perhaps she was simply saying that to be nice? "Also, and I may just be looking too deeply into this, but in Takeshi's case wouldn't that be a compliment? If he seeks to beat you then that means he's acknowledging you're better than he is, which last I checked he doesn't exactly do openly. Perhaps it's not the most... Direct way of doing so, but its a case of someone acknowledging your ability."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Ki? Ah yes, that strange energy that T'charrl's friends seemed to use. Could T'charrl use it now as well? The things he must be learning off world! Yusef opened his mouth to ask about it and went silent when his son mentioned being burned, looking over at Haku accusingly. What happened now? It had to have been an accident when they were training together, yet watching Haku look away nervously left him curious. Whatever had happened clearly wasn't affecting their friendship any and it wasn't his job to bring up the past... Hopefully Eslaria never heard about it for Haku's sake. Sipping from his glass Yusef peered over the brim when T'charrl said something about his being forgotten, frowning and setting his drink down before placing a claw on his son's shoulder. "People don't forget you, my son. They may not recognize you as you are but no one has forgotten you. There have been many people who have asked after you since you'd left. Your little female friend has been asking for you quite a bit too, she's been terribly worried," the General teased with a small laugh, "Speaking of her you may want to say hello before you leave again, you missed her last time and I think she was upset for it."

"Oh, you h-have a girlfriend, T'charrl?" Haku asked, partly surprised by the news. Not that he didn't think T'charrl could have a girlfriend, more just... Well... What did his people even do? They didn't exactly look built to do the sort of things Saiyans could do so... How did they show affection? Glancing at Yusef and getting onto the unfortunate train of thought of reproduction his stomach did a flip and he hastily looked at the table again, trying to think of anything else other than that. "Y-You're going to do great tomorrow... And I'll have your b-b-back while you practice, so you don't h-have to worry about a thing," Haku reassured, smiling as he looked at T'charrl eagerly, "And when we go h-home everyone's going to s-see the real you again! Because you're g-going to get this!" He still had to repay them somehow for giving him a new life away from the stress and general terribleness that came with being one of Yamate's soldiers. Their initial meeting might have been awful but he'd tried to make up for it since then, and helping T'charrl return to normal would be the best thing he could do for that.

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"I am certainly not trying to frustrate you. I'm just trying to help you think about matters in a different light, that's all." Perhaps it was a bit too soon to be delving into that type of questioning, maybe he should focus more on weeding out the idea of perfectionism that seemed to weigh so heavily on Viral's mind. "I made you to battle, that's true, but I did not expect you to be a perfect, unbeatable warrior. I of course have hopes you are always victorious but I'm not naive, I know there are some battles we just cannot win. And you're right, perfection is not how nature works, or how anything works really. So then why-" Before Aito could finish his sentence Viral dropped a massive hint as to why his mind was the way it was: Vegeta. So his own son, Viral's brother, was the source of this? He'd caught glimpses of them during his time in Otherworld and to be sure Vegeta seemed more distant and too busy to spend time with Viral, but what exactly had he done to cause this? So they had a timeline for whatever triggered this change then, something in between the span of near twenty years to cover. It might be a little easier to sort this out if Aito had actually been present for any of it but clearly that wasn't the case.

"Let's change pace for a second, hm? We can come back to this a little later." That was perhaps the source of the issue entirely yet with how irate and agitated Viral was becoming over the questions pushing him further would be nothing but detrimental. That was fine, there were other matters for them to attend to as well. "If you don't mind could we talk about your relationships with your friends? I'm of course talking about Yumi, Vegeta, Shu and Takeshi, and anyone else who you might be on friendly terms with. How do you view yourself with them? And how do you imagine they see you?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Excellent! We'll begin tomorrow then if you're ready, no reason to wait any longer than we have to," Nema declared excitably as he rubbed his claws together, "And remember, my dear boy, this is not something you are to do alone. In the history of our people those with this power all had to learn to use it, no one was naturally gifted, and countless others have walked the same path as you. So do remember that this is not only your efforts but ours as well! Together we will master this new strength of yours and make it your own." They had but a month's time to do so and depending on how much they had to work on it could be quite a pressed timeline for them. It was perhaps for the best that T'charrl leave at the end of the sessions whether he was successful or not, there would be others who might seek him out for his power. War between kingdoms was fading fast but there would still be some who sought to make his strength into a weapon, as many had done in the past. But saying such a thing would really crush the mood right now and today was not meant to be somber, but to celebrate and prepare!

Did T'charrl trust him enough to help? Haku hadn't exactly shown much strength since he'd joined this group, though it wasn't like he'd had much of a chance when their only real fight were against some freakish monsters on New Namek. He'd been asked to help and he'd do so but it would be nice to think that his friend could trust his ability to do so. "Y-You'll do great. Besides, you have Ki too, d-don't you? So you can use that to help f-fly," Haku suggested hopefully, smiling as he pressed his fingers together uncertainly. "If just using your w-wings is too h-hard you can always use Ki t-too," he continued as he looked down at the table nervously, "You probably w-won't even need my help, I'm sure you'll do fine! B-But I'll be there if you do need it!" Yusef had been excited about having him play a role and said it would be a good thing to have a friend there. He'd learned all about how T'charrl hadn't really had friends growing up and that was exactly the same for Haku, neither had been terribly popular it seemed. Now that they did have friends neither of them really seemed to know what to do about it. Just perfect. Smiling to himself Haku rubbed his thumbs together and leaned forward, closing his eyes as he let out a sigh. "And when we go back you're going to be all better and s-surprise everyone, then they'll all know how a-awesome you are, right?"

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"Is it a soldier's job to fight, or is a soldier's job only to win? If a soldier is meant to protect and they do so, even if it means losing the fight, then have they failed? Or have they succeeded?" It seemed like Viral was far more preoccupied with the notion that he should be utterly infallible, that no matter what the odds he should win. It was a dangerous mindset as no one was invincible, not even the mightiest of fighters like Son Goku or his grandfather had been. One only had to look to the recent past to see how faulty such a mindset was, perhaps that was the first thing they would rectify. "You're right that I'm not a soldier, but that doesn't mean I haven't fought. Look at my predecessors, my own family, none of them were soldiers. Yet would you call them failures?" Would Viral consider him a failure. He seemed to either forget or repress that he had in fact won a battle against a Saiyan before, granted Aito hadn't exactly fought to kill or even harm back then. At best that was semantics and at worst it was only going to further Viral's depression, best not to bring it up then.

"Tell me something Viral... Does everything that is done have to be perfect? Anything less than that is considered failure?" Perfection was impossible, failure was absolute, his years of study and work had shown him that. Not all failures were catastrophic and certainly most were beneficial, it was how one learned and improved over the course of time. Deciding to redirect the questioning slightly Aito folded an arm over the arm of his chair and rested his chin in his palm, studying Viral thoughtfully as he tapped a foot against the padded floor. "Do you believe that everything everyone else does is flawless? Or does everyone make mistakes and have shortcomings? Yes, failure for certain professions have grander consequences than others, a doctor's failure is vastly more detrimental than that of the teenager flipping your hamburger. But the fact remains no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, everyone fails. So if everyone fails no one is perfect, yet failing occasionally does not make a failure, does it?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Of course I'm going to help you find them, I said I would didn't I?" Ethan asked with a smile, "I'm not going to stop until we do, I promise." Meeting Nymira's gaze he frowned when she gave him a stern look and wordlessly they argued with one another before he looked back to Amuné, smiling again. Obviously he knew that there was a chance her parents had been taken into the slave trade, just as those other Ydrans had. There was also the very real chance that, given they were Magi or even associated with any, that the Church had taken them. In either case finding them and saving them was going to be no small ordeal. Ethan gave a nod of appreciation that Amuné understood his struggle with Cedric's passing: honestly it still felt surreal and, initial reaction aside, it hadn't fully set in. Or perhaps it had and he was lying to himself in hopes of not having to face the truth just yet. Cedric had been his whole purpose for traveling and for enduring all they had gone through, to lose that would shatter him. Hell, it had, he was just doing his damnedest to not show it.

It was good that Amuné was willing to help Cecil; not too long ago Amuné seemed to want nothing to do with Cecil for his actions. With perhaps the exception of Nymira the three of them were willing to stay together and help one another with their own goals, even if it meant delaying theres. Ethan still wasn't certain whether the Dimuran would stay if they decided to remain here in Mutebo for a short while longer. "Oh she could? That would be awesome! Since we're all getting trained it would be great if you could too," Ethan said cheerfully as he gave a thumbs up, "I bet that would be fun too, or at least it'd be nice being able to control it," he added with a laugh, "Imagine if my wind magic was out of control! I'd be flying all over the place!" Maybe a little joke could help Amuné relax and smile some more, they were all going to be awfully busy the next couple days and it would only be worse if they weren't in a great mood for it. It was hard for Amuné to be on her own, Ethan knew that, but it was for her sake as much as his own that he learn how to use his magic properly.

"Oh, you saw us fighting it? You had one of your visions?" Ethan thought about that for only a second before his brow knit and he looked down at Amuné carefully, kneeling and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You mentioned a book that Cedric wrote... Where is it? Do you think we can look at it? What was it about?" His friend had written a book? Why would a Rokorm be in it? He had to ask Taliya about that later. "That reminds me... I've wanted to ask you about something. When we were fighting the Vazra before you tried helping me, remember? And just before I passed out I swear I saw things, it was almost like I was having a vision myself. But I know I'm not a Seer, I've never had anything like that before," Ethan recounted with an uncertain smile, placing one hand over his eye as he got a headache just from recalling the event. "Did... Did you do that? Can you give other people visions? Is that even a thing?"

Nymira had hoped they might do something fruitful while together, not sit around and chat idly like the old matrons of her clan did every day. Amuné's ability to foretell events could certainly prove helpful but that was neither here nor there, they were to plan where they would go from Mutebo onward. If these people were truly her retainers then they would defer to her but she knew full well they weren't, and they had their own goals in mind. She'd at least enough decency to let them pursue their own goals without pushing her own so couldn't they give her the courtesy of not wasting her time?

"At least I can trust you're taking this seriously," Nymira muttered to Cecil, sighing as she crossed her arms and shook her head. "I trust you'll take full advantage of your time with Norman, we all need to be at our best if we have any hopes of even traveling in this forsaken kingdom..." How it hadn't just imploded on itself was anyone's guess, had any ruling Dimuran clan struck down and antagonized its own the way the Church did they would have been removed from power long ago. Was the Church so powerful it could just do as it pleased? "If it crosses your mind too, ask him what he would like for helping me. I do not like debts to go unpaid and I still owe him for providing shelter. And I suppose we owe him for helping you as well, so be sure to ask. However much money he wants is his." Onto the matters at hand, namely the matter of what they would be doing once they did leave Mutebo. It sounded as though they planned to travel together and pursue their own goals as best as possible, which so long as they didn't stray too far from major cities Nymira had no problems with. "Is there anything more we need to discuss? I'd like to begin training now if it's all the same."

----------

"Oh really? And how much do you know of Midkemia? Just its name?" A wry smile crossed Lionel's lips as he folded his hands behind his back, walking around Adrianna slowly as he watched her. "Because I know a good deal about it. All the Hunters they have there, and there's a lot, plus the cults like Taliya said. Even with her information you still have to actually get to it, and then there's still nothing to guarantee they'll tell you what you want. It's a real cutthroat place, the only way you're getting anything there is with gold." Or knowing the right people, and having a little muscle to 'persuade' didn't hurt either. Compared to most of the other cities Midkemia might well as be a prison for all of the criminals it housed, the Church and its Hunters the equivalent of the guards. And like any sizable prison it wasn't the law which controlled things, not really, criminals bought those in power and ran things from the shadows. So hearing the Church presence had increased wasn't too alarming, not if they were in the pockets of the criminals. But then again depending on who was there it could be a real problem.

"You're going to need help getting in, and the more the better. You show up with some bad looking fuckers and people will take you seriously," Taliya spoke as he smirked at Lionel. Not him, at first glance Lionel looked little more than a choir boy, his doofy ass hair, boyish face and that idiotic smile he always had on. Definitely not the kind of guy you'd want to bring into a thieve's den to help buy information. Then again... "And no, Lionel won't be going with you. He's got his own work to do, though doesn't look like you're not too upset hearing that. Maybe try the little brats that came in? They're traveling anyways and they're fucking insane, wandering about like headless chickens with the Church on their asses. If anyone's brave enough, or dumb enough to go to Midkemia it'd be them."

Those kids were interesting to be sure, Lionel wondered what in the world they were thinking traveling the way they were. A Dimuran princess of all things, a Ydran child, a bumbling backwoods good-guy and some weird Machina... Sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. Not exactly a crowd you were used to. They all had their own goals according to Taliya and somehow they decided the best way to do that was to travel together. "Going with them might take a while, they're all playing at heroes or something trying to save people," Lionel explained as he stopped before Adrianna. Smiling up at her he leaned in closer and raised an eyebrow, looking her in the face before chuckling and turning around, swinging his foot as he stepped away. "But you might enjoy that, it would be fun at least! Plus I'm sure they'd appreciate having someone to patch them up." And then she could leave again after she got tired of helping people. Just like a good healer.

"Anyway that's it, if you want more information talk to Lionel, got it? I'm done taking visitors for the day." She'd spent all morning arranging the training exercise for the brats, most of the afternoon going over Adrianna's information and now she was dealing with her and Lionel's idiotic self. For someone who was hardly a people person she sure was spending a lot of her day having to talk. Getting off of her impromptu chair Taliya lifted her arms in a stretch and audibly popped her back, groaning as she rubbed at one of her shoulders through the pad. "I'm going into town, my whiskey's run dry again... I think that fucker Gage got into my stash," she grumbled, walking past the pair and throwing open her door, making the boy outside jump. Rolling her eyes at his expressions she barked at him to leave whatever he had on her desk, watching him scramble inside and drop off an envelope before running out again. Rubbing at her forehead she grabbed the doorknob and stepped to the side, smiling at Adrianna and Lionel. "I'm like everyone's fucking mother around here, bunch of little shits... Speaking of which... Would you two be dears and get the fuck out of my room? Mommy's got to go shopping!"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Ah right, they were at King Nema's home weren't they? Yusef smiled and apologized to which Nema graciously dismissed it, going as far to drag his own claw across the tabletop, much to the chagrin of his staff, to prove how little an issue it was. "And because I know you're concerned about training know that we'll have plenty of safety measures in place. The chasm itself isn't too bad, most of the jagged rocks have been removed and the rest smoothed down as much as it can be. But we'll have a net inside to catch you if you should lose your balance and be blown back, and..." the general added with a gesture to Haku, "Your friend has agreed to... Er... What did you call it?"

"Spot you! It's s-something that we did when w-we were exercising back home," Haku explained, shifting in his seat and smiling nervously as he placed his hands on the table, "I'll be f-flying with you wh-while you practice, and if you get knocked a-away or fall I can catch you. I should be able to d-do it, with my Ki and all..." Of course their size difference might make things a touch awkward but he'd been introduced to it earlier this morning, part of Yusef's plan to train his son. Since he had relatively little else to do while here on Kaesstra, and the fact he was basically here for T'charrl it was only natural he help out.

"Splendid! Then we'll begin your lessons soon, after all we've only so much time until you leave again, yes? Do not worry my boy, if all goes to plan you'll be back to your old self before the month is even passed!" It all depended again on how well T'charrl took to the training and just how much work he had to do from where he was now. The boy said he was weak yet he was far stronger than any other of their people already, but it took a certain kind of strength to be able to hold and control a spirit. "But today is not a day for training and we should enjoy ourselves! Just as important as the mind and body is the soul. We must take care of ourselves and be happy, for everything else matters not when you're sad, don't you think?" Nema asked with a smile as he again raised his glass, "A toast, I say, to our health, our happiness and our futures! Today we dine, tomorrow begins the journey for T'charrl's recovery!"

----------

"Ah yes... Krom and his men attacked Earth, you all fought back but you were beaten and taken away. Then, from what I recall, Takeshi and Shu chased after you to try and save you, which resulted in the three of you becoming forcibly... Enlisted. Sound about right?" Highly unlikely that he hadn't been paying attention, while in Otherworld there was little to do other than watch over Viral and the others. How frustrating it had been to watch that battle take place and be utterly incapable of helping the situation; attacking Krom upon their meeting had been a cathartic experience for Aito. "Let me repeat that: Takeshi and Shu chose to go after you. What happened to them, however unfortunate, was a result of their decisions, not yours. As for your loss if I remember right you had been deprived of sunlight, and there were hardly any opponents on Earth which could rival Krom's power at the time. When you consider everything then the outcome was bad, yes, but it could have been worse. And look where you two are now: Krom has been relegated to training while you're a pivotal part of freedom movement for many worlds."

"To bring the discussion back to PTSD though... This treatment is designed to put PTSD in perspective, namely whatever it is that's bothering you. I'd imagine you feel a degree of guilt and worthlessness right now, certainly judging by what you said anyways," Aito explained as he leaned forward and folded his hands over his knees, "We'll work on helping you to look at the events you experienced objectively, and to not put the blame for them upon yourself. I could easily sit here and tell you it was out of your power or you were purely in the wrong place at the wrong time," he continued with a slight smile, "But then that doesn't fix anything. So that will be our first step, helping you to look at this from an outside perspective. Now I would like to ask you something: is a soldier worthless if they fight? Is victory the only thing that quantifies a soldier as being 'good', or does the fact they fight no matter the odds make a good soldier?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"As we said, it's all about balance between the mind and body. That is the only way you can learn to control the spirit inside of you," Nema answered. Using the arms of his chair to push himself forward he leaned atop the table, holding up a fruit to T'charrl to see. "Imagine that this is you, whole and complete. Now..." Using a knife he split it directly down the middle and held each half in opposite hands, smiling as he showed them to T'charrl. "One is your mind, the other the body. Two halves of one whole, each can be powerful in their own respect but together they are greater than the individual pieces. So the whole can break into two parts, but what happens if one part..." Nema took a pause as he grabbed the knife again, slicing off half of one of the halves and setting it aside, "Is larger than the other? You still have two halves but now they are not equal, there is no balance. Now either the body cannot be controlled by the mind, or the mind has no influence over the body. They must be of equal strength at all times to make sure neither piece of the whole grows out of control."

"So we will train both your body and mind, and your father and I will take separate parts in this. Your father will take care of strengthening your body and I your mind. We will perform meditations and exercises to help both bring peace of mind as well as strengthen and steel your focus. With a sharp enough mind you can control any power you may wield, that includes the spirit." Setting the halves of the fruit back on the plate he wiped his hands off, smiling as he gestured to Yusef to pick up where he left off.

"And while you work on that with the King, you and I will train your body as we said," Yusef added. "From what we understand a lot of it isn't just pure strength, a lot of the control you need involves stamina and endurance as well. Your body has to be able to withstand the power that the spirit can give you and be able to use it for prolonged periods of need be. So there will be strength training to be sure, but most of it will be focused on raising your stamina. And I already have plenty of ideas in mind for what we can do." Flight would be an excellent way to build both strength and stamina, and the area was filled with plenty of excellent spots for them to train. Shifting in his chair and folding one leg over the other Yusef used a claw to trace a pattern on the table for T'charrl to see, etching out a narrow passage in the grain. "Nema has shown me a canyon nearby where strong winds pass through, its an excellent place for children and adults alike to improve their flying. We will begin there, you can learn to fly through the strong gusts, and doing so will improve your strength and stamina at the same time. How does that sound to you?"

------------

"It helps to know what it is you're facing, and it puts it into perspective," Aito explained, smiling slightly as he itched at his cheek, "It means that the issue isn't some intangible, unchanging force we can't influence. Putting a name to a problem gives it an identity, and if we know what the problem is then we know what the solution is as well." Viral's answer was interesting, though he did go off on slightly more of a tangent than he'd anticipated. Purpose? Soldier? Did he assume that only those who were in combat could suffer from the disorder? Being 'out of it' sounded more akin to feeling defeated and perhaps depressed, a common trait that came with PTSD. So it appeared that the diagnosis was correct, now to further educate Viral on the matter and help establish some kind of proper treatment.

"Failing as a soldier? So is what happened to you your own fault then?" Without answering Aito could already surmise what Viral was going to answer but gave him a moment to give a response regardless. "Quite often people who go through this blame themselves for the event. Either we deserved it, or we were too weak, or we simply put ourselves into the situation. It is important to remember however that none of that is true, that you were the victim of circumstance and none of it was your fault. Nor does the fact you were subjected to any of that reflect on your competency as a soldier. So tell me something... Prior to the event would you have considered yourself incompetent as a soldier? Did you have victories before, or even since then? Or have you only lost battles?" He of course knew the answer to that as well, Viral had been tasked with settling some battles as far back as when Vegeta and Yumi were children still and he'd always come out of it the victor, his competency wasn't in question. "What has happened that makes you believe it is your fault? And what has happened which would make it not your fault? Can you think of anything?"