GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"We must continue until you're able to withstand the winds, its perhaps the only way to ensure your body is strong enough," Yusef explained, casting a gaze into the dark chasm as the faint howls of the wind died down. "There's other ways if you want to try something else, but they're... Harder, and in some cases far more dangerous. At least this method isn't going to kill you." Just because it was the safest, simplest option didn't necessarily mean it was going to be easy. But if T'charrl hoped to control his power and some day the spirit he needed to be powerful - both of mind and body. A handful of attempts was hardly going to be enough but the General saw no reason to keep pushing his son and risk injury, they could take small breaks every so often and let him rest.

"It's not as simple as it seems, hm? And flight is even harder still," Yusef went on as he approached a container, freeing the lid before stealing a fruit from inside. "But I promise that if you can manage this then you can manage anything. It's always been in our nature to take shelter against strong winds, or travel on the ground to avoid being thrown about. Only recently have we started learning to fly against gales, and its making us stronger for it." Cracking open the fruit he handed half to each T'charrl and Haku, sitting his large frame onto a fallen log with a sigh. "Listen, T'charrl... I'll be honest. What King Nema and I discussed and what we read suggested that we would need to take the most extreme measures to manage your situation given the time we have, and what we're ultimately going with wouldn't be enough. But I'm confident that you'll prove that worry wrong, because I know you're going to give it your all every single day. If I know anything about my own child it's this: he gets his mother's persistence," Yusef said before laughing heartily, "And I believe you got my appetite! It's a dangerous combination, you might keep this training up later just to stay slim!"

----------

"Whatever, just shut your damn mouth about our mother, you got me? You don't know anything so don't pretend like you do." Admittedly he knew just as much but it wasn't Krom's place to speak about her. The only one who could say anything would be Yamate, for as much as he hated that man he had fathered Takeshi - and presumably Shu too - and one would imagine then knew where their mother might be. Leaving Shu to his own devices was a little worrisome but he should be alright provided nothing spooked him while they were gone. On their way to a training room they caught a brief glimpse of Vegeta on his way elsewhere and the sight of his friend made Takeshi's face go red. "Why the fuck's Vegeta wearing my stuff? Did he break into my room?!" Not that he tended to lock his and Shu's bedroom but still, who went and stole someone's clothing? And just where the heck was the guy off to dressed like that? Whatever, he'd ask Vegeta about it later and demand his clothes back provided he even remembered to. Following Krom into the training room Takeshi walked to the far end and began to stretch himself out, keen to get things underway and with luck beat the snot out of the guy if given the chance. "Alright, so what's the plan? Going to make me do a thousand push ups? Run 200 laps? Whatever it is give it to me, I can handle whatever you have in mind." He was taking on his and Shu's load and it was probably going to kill him - not literally hopefully - but whatever it was he planned on taking it in stride. No way in hell was he giving Krom the satisfaction of being unable to do the training exercises.

----------

"I do care, it's just I tend to be preoccupied with work," Vegeta said defensively, sighing as he shook his head, "Nor did I ever propose-" Oh they were starting! Hastily leaning back and avoiding taking a punch square to the face Vegeta stepped back and leaned to avoid another punch, pushing Viral's paw back and swinging at the air in retaliation. He was technically meant to be here as almost a punching bag but it wasn't quite in his nature not to fight back; standing there not fighting would provoke Viral and make things worse, it wasn't even an option to simply stand still and take it. Why precisely had he agreed that this was a good idea? Wouldn't sitting down and talking be easier? Then again sharing everything with Viral - the real reasons behind what he'd done what he had - this was likely going to happen anyways. Brushing aside another fist Vegeta quickly had to raise his arms and block another blow, being forced back as his feet dug into the floor and he slid, lowering his arms and wincing as he shook them to regain feeling. Hell of a strike, he could almost feel the frustration in that one. He was going to be mighty sore by the end of this wasn't he?

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I know you're trying my boy, I don't doubt you are. I just don't want you to be discouraged," Yusef reassured as he got T'charrl to his feet. Haku would serve as an excellent aide for this exercise, and with his friend present perhaps the Prince would be a little more confident in himself as well. "Things take time, cities are not built in one day and warriors only become warriors after years of practice. It took me almost 5 moons to become proficient with the sword and twice as long to reach the rank of captain, so I speak from experience when I say: be patient. And do not rush, our time may be limited but its more than enough for what we're doing. Just allow yourself to fail and learn from each failure, that's how you improve." They were much like the mud bricks with which buildings were built upon - or the stones which created the castle beneath the surface - it took many of them, layer over layer, until the final successful product was completed. But perhaps he'd save the analogies for another time, he didn't want T'charrl's head to be spinning while he was trying to focus. "Now then, give it your best effort!"

"Y-You've got this T'charrl! And I'm r-r-right here to help if you n-need it!" Haku placed himself behind his friend and smiled nervously, holding his hands out in front of him just in case. Come to think of it wouldn't this be much easier if Yusef were to do this? T'charrl's father was nearly twice as tall as him and just as wide, catching the Prince would be child's play for him. "Uh... Mister Y-Yusef... Shouldn't we..." he began, promptly going silent and gasping as the howling of the wind drowned him out. Closing his eyes and keeping his hands outstretched Haku stood firm, shirking his shoulders as the wind whistled around him and slammed against T'charrl. The gusts only lasted for a few seconds but the sound made it seem to drag forever, and when the winds finally subsided Haku opened his eyes and looked up, beaming in delight seeing T'charrl still upright and without any help from him whatsoever. "You did it! You really did it!" Haku exclaimed as he jumped up in the air, hurrying over and putting a hand up for a high five before awkwardly lowering it when he realized T'charrl didn't know what to do. "S-See? Told you you can do it! You'll g-get this in no time!"

----------

"Tch, I'm just not going to waste any of it on you," Takeshi muttered dismissively as he sneered at Krom, "And it's so nice that you're concerned about me, maybe I had the wrong idea about you. Maybe you're really a good guy after all and not a total ass." As if, everyone knew the only reason Krom was doing any of this was because it had been ordered. He'd probably just as soon try to kidnap one of them again if it meant getting on their shitty old man's good side. So where they going to get to training or was this going to be all they did the whole time? Ready to get moving along with things already Takeshi clenched his jaw tightly when Krom made a jab about their mother, folding his arms to refrain from lashing out, his nails digging into his bicep as he smiled. "Don't bring her up you bastard or I'll kill you, got it? I don't care what Aito or anyone else says." Krom was over it and was quick to tell him to get a move on, and Takeshi would have shot back again if Shu hadn't echoed the guy's sentiment. Blinking in surprise and watching as Shu left the room he scoffed in annoyance, more towards Krom than anything else. Shu was probably in a shitty mood because they couldn't train together and because his older brother was in a bad mood, and he was only in a bad mood because of the jerk training him. They were supposed to be relaxing and having fun and instead his little brother was angry with him. "Whatever, let's get this over with already, don't waste my time alright?"

----------

Was this really the best course of action? They needed to make peace with each other but Vegeta had difficulty believing that a sparring session was the way to go. While certainly a way to vent some frustrations and release stress the likelihood of having any meaningful discussion - or any discussion really - was seriously stunted with the addition of flying fists to the face. "And yet father insists its our best option... Or rather, my best option," Vegeta corrected as he glanced down at himself, fixing the belt around his waist. Lacking in any meaningful clothing for such an occasion he'd been forced to borrow a set of Takeshi's clothes of all things and they were comically too small for him. The top he could get away with even if it did barely reach past his waist, but the pants were barely down past his shins, looking much more like shorts. Coupled with his business shoes - he lacked any decent training shoes - it was clearly a mashup of an outfit. Rolling his eyes and running his hand back through his hair he looked up to the doors leading to the training room and paused outside, waiting when he heard Aito speaking.

"I really can't win with you. I'm in the wrong whether I'm helping or ignoring you," Aito lamented with a sigh, shaking his head with his hands raised in defeat, "But I think you could use this, and I know there's plenty that Vegeta needs to answer for. Myself as well, but he agreed that today the two of you could have a talk. And I'm merely here as a moderator if you will." And to oversee the inevitable fight that was coming between the two, they had to be sure not to ruin the room after all. "Speaking of Vegeta... You're welcome to come into the room whenever you'd like! We're waiting on you after all," he shouted, watching the doors part and stifling a laugh spotting his son. He'd suggested finding some clothing and suggested Takeshi's but he hadn't realized just how much taller Vegeta was than the other boy. It was like he'd tried to wash his clothing and it had shrunk in the dryer. Snickering and clearing his throat as Vegeta entered the room he took a deep breath and let out a childish giggle, smiling innocently as he was given a dirty look. "Well we're all here! I guess now we can have that little chat of ours!"

"Dad, please... You're insulting Viral and my intelligence by calling it a 'chat'. I didn't dress like this so we could talk," Vegeta grumbled in annoyance, folding his arms and looking at Viral, "Though he's not wrong... We do need to talk. But he's also told me you've been keen to spar with someone and I've been meaning to get back to it myself, looks like we could both use a partner. You can thank our father for this scheme by the way, he dragged me into it. If you're going to be angry then direct it at him."

"You're the one that suggested we let him blow off steam, and in my defense you left that up to my interpretation," Aito answered back with a laugh.

"Right... I suppose I should be glad you didn't try anything more outlandish," Vegeta noted as he closed his eyes and exhaled, lowering his arms and starting to stretch himself out. "Well Viral, if you're not opposed to it then I suppose we can get started? Unless you'd rather sit down and simply talk, I'm open to either really. Though idle chatter isn't going to keep me from falling out of practice."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Well has a wee bit of a post, and the next will probably be similar x_x

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Yes... Once you get past all of his unpleasantness he's an upstanding man, I'm sure," Nymira muttered with a roll of her eyes, "Forgive me if I have difficulty liking the man still." But then their purpose here wasn't to make friends now was it? Though she could still argue as to why she required any training it was clear that Ethan required some formalities, and any help Cecil could get would do them a great deal of help. She would go into this business with very little expectations and, should anything useful come of it, she would admit as much; pride was natural when one was to be the heir to the throne of a powerful clan like the Rumia line, but humility and willingness was equally so. And she liked to think she was getting along rather well in those domains - an opinion others may argue with - and it was just a matter of 'growing into the throne' as her father often put it.

Ethan's face lit up excitably at the promise of meads and he very well would have asked to visit the pub had Nymira not shot him down before he could even ask. If the Dimuran knew anything about him it was his lack of navigational skills, and how much of a lightweight he was. It still flummoxed him how she'd managed to empty so many glasses before without any notable side effects. Was there some special kind of drunk magic she had? Someone little like her should have been passed out after half that many! The roasted meats and vegetables sounded good and maybe would be pretty inexpensive, and then Adrianna went right back to discussing meads. Ethan's mouth watered excitably but he remembered himself when Nymira looked back at him accusingly, a sheepish smile crossing his face as he rubbed at his neck. Just food for tonight, besides it would be difficult to train if he couldn't even stand up straight!

Any fervor over their potential dining stop faded when Ethan brought up the matter of the Church and for an uncomfortable moment he and Adrianna went silent. Of course he knew that their newest member hadn't personally killed his friend but still... They were part of it, they had to know things like that went on. But then that was probably why Adrianna was here now, right? Because they knew and couldn't take it any longer? There was bitterness towards the Church but Ethan realized how terribly misplaced it was with the healer and set it aside, smiling again as they reached Kensen's chosen eatery. "I'd say sure but I bet Kensen's got a place all picked out for us already! Maybe we can use it on our own time though!" Their choice of food would be seared meats it seemed, and long before they'd even reached the stalls themselves he could smell the delicious odors on the wind. Before them lay a large bed of coals with a long fire spit hung above the flames, several slabs of various meats hanging from the pole. Before the flames themselves was a long table with various raw pieces on display ripe for the taking, it seemed you selected your own slab and they cooked it to order. Rubbing his hands excitably as he walked up he began trying to pick over what might be the best, giving Adrianna a hopeful glance. "Er... You've eaten here before, right? What's good? I can't decide!"

"A simple meal over a fire... How nice." It was reminiscent of home and the countless dinners spent gathered in the village center, warriors and others all gathered together, sharing a toast and singing while enjoying a hard earned meal. And yet the fire spit was about as far as the familiarity went and Nymira found herself more annoyed by it all. Smaller towns weren't as guilty of this, but it seemed like the cities of the kingdom - and larger towns as well - were no strangers to having an excess of food. How nice it must be to wander about haplessly and be able to take whatever you wish to eat without to work for it. "Most of these people wouldn't last a moon in our lands," the Dimuran muttered as she pointed to a thin steak, lamb apparently, and dismissively told the owner of the stall to cook it however he saw fit. "Does it not bother you? Just how lazy these people are...?" Nymira questioned, frowning as she watched Ethan continue to fret over his selection, "No wonder this Church is so easily able to control everything, most of the people in this kingdom are useless... I'm astonished most can dress themselves."

----------

"Guess what? I've been on the other side of the law near all my life, I'm no stranger to being hunted, but you ain't hearing me bitching about it now are ya? And I don't care, but I also don't want to listen to you bellyachin' all fucking day either. It's like I said: accept who you are and what your lot in life is, or change it. Complaining ain't going to change anything and it'll just piss off everyone around you." Children complained, children whined and moaned and expected things to change because of it. If you wanted something to happen though, if you wanted real results, you had to take action and take matters into your own hands. He could argue with Cecil all day about the idea of having a "purpose" but Gage had better things to waste his time with. Besides they were at the gearheads place now and with luck he could be done with them for at least a little while. Hopes of that however faded rather quickly when the first words out of the Ydran brats mouth were "Mr. Norman, Cecil's a person, right?" Growling lowly he folded his arms and stood at the door, scowling as Norman gave him a perplexed look. "Don't look at me, your problem now."

Well... He hadn't expected Gage to be sent along with them. He was familiar with the man's less than amiable personality and so it was of little surprise to find both Amuné and Cecil bothered by the man. The girl came to him with questions perhaps far too philosophical for a child and for a good moment Norman hadn't the words to offer one way or another. Deciding it was best to just not even get into that mess he smiled and squat down before Amuné, taking off a dirtied glove and patting her head with a laugh. "Cecil is fortunate to have someone who cares about him enough to argue with Gage, you're a brave little girl, Amuné." Or a little foolish, though even Gage wasn't the sort to strike a child for speaking against him. Slipping his glove back on Norman pulled his goggles up to his forehead and smiled at Cecil, stepping aside and gesturing to the shop, "Taliya told me all about our plans and I've got everything set up for us, come in and make yourself comfortable."

"And Amuné? I know you'll be doing your own training with Gage and I'm sure he's got plans for you to practice elsewhere, but you might be happy to know we've prepared a range nearby for you to practice at, if you'd like." There was of course an ulterior motive to his suggestion and Norman's wide smile should indicate as much. Calling for one of the shop's assistance to fetch "the weapon" he seemed to grow more eager as a box was brought out to them, almost as long as Amuné was tall. Taking it and placing it down before the girl Norman unlatched the locks and smiled as he pulled the lid off, revealing inside a repeating crossbow. "It's a bit crude honestly and its still in its prototype stages but I think it's a perfect weapon, if you have to have one," Norman explained before looking up at Gage curiously, "Er... You're absolutely certain she needs to be trained? I'm still against the idea of giving a child a weapon at all."

"Tali's orders, don't matter what I think about them," Gage answered gruffly as he stepped forward, leaning over Amuné and snatching the weapon up in one hand. Examining it closely he took a closer look at it, interested in the design. "Looks like a regular ol' shooter, except for this here..." he muttered as he tapped a conical cartridge affixed horizontally beneath the weapon's barrel.

"Each shot moves the cartridge forward, automatically lining up the second arrow for firing," Norman explained eagerly, standing beside Gage as he pointed to various mechanisms, "The string has to be drawn back manually still since we couldn't decide on a suitable automation for that, but reloading the weapon itself is, pardon the phrasing Amuné, child's play. It can hold 8 bolts simultaneously and the weapon itself is highly accurate and light thanks to an ash composite for the body and a carbonized steel plating for the- Er... What are you doing?" Seeing Gage taking aim at one of the walls Norman gasped and tried to stand in front of it to prevent him from firing, ducking when Gage pulled the trigger and turning to see the bolt having pierced through the shop wall, albeit a very thin sheet of wood wall, and ending up goodness knows where out back.

"Not bad, good stopping power for such a small toy," Gage noted as he turned it over and dumped the remaining bolts into his hand, dropping the emptied weapon then into Amuné's lap. "Try that out kid, if you can manage to fire it without falling on your rear maybe it'll be yours yet."

---

In the city of Balkova, Eastern Adelon - One day ago

What was the reason to call him all the way back here? Hadn't he done everything that had been asked of him? There was the Magi in Terranova that was causing a problem and they had been dealt with, so had the woman in that small village by Geromaine's Gorge, a tiny little place at the base of the Boehm Highlands to the north. Not that Bernadette had sounded terribly cross but there was a slightest hint of urgency to her voice and that rarely bode well. Unlike when he'd been teleported to his locations there was no such convenience for his return, he'd be on his own. Remus had to charter two ships to journey down the rivers and even then had only managed half the trip by boat, the rest had been done on horseback and changing three times over before finally reaching Balkova. His body ached from the culmination of battle and the weariness of the ride but he carried on down the busy streets, his head high and eyes forward as he walked through the crowds. Further east was where most of the heaviest population centers were and, in turn, where the Church's presence was most felt. Indeed banners denoting the Church hung from many high places and their priests were on almost every street, handing out fliers for events and gathering donations for just one of the numerous local churches in the city. Was it right of them, a group who essentially owned the city already, to be asking for donations? It wasn't his place to say.

A boisterous crowd outside the bar was parted by two members of the Church as Remus approached it and the proprietor, a portly older gentleman whose sweat stained his white wool coat jacket greeted him at the door. In her usual fashion his handler seemed to spare no expense in creating as much inconvenience for others as she could while setting up a meeting. Thanking the man at the door he ducked beneath the low bearing frame and into the bar. None seemed to pay him any terrible mind as he entered save the few drunkards who, probably if spoken to, would find enough reason to foolishly get into a fight with him. He was not here to take part in any drunken spats however nor did he have any desire to, his destination was through the door behind the bar. Greeting the young woman behind the counter he made a mental note that she was likely the owner's daughter judging by their resemblance - an uncanny and often annoying habit Remus found himself doing - thanking her for her work before disappearing inside. He'd barely shut the door at his back when a knife found itself at his throat, stopping promptly and glancing to his side at a smiling Ydran.

"Oh, its just you gramps. Hehe, sorry, don't want anyone unexpected popping in," the Ydran laughed as he lowered his blade, spinning it on his finger before dropping it into a sheath at his hip, "Took you long enough to arrive, what kept you? Run into some women on the way here?"

Remus didn't bother with an answer and instead looked to the woman behind the desk: Bernadette. Though a false name as he well knew, it was simply yet another moniker that she'd taken on during her work. Her actual name alluded him and she'd never made any mention of it in their brief discussions, nor did he ever care to ask. "You called for me? I assume there is more work to be done?" There was no immediate response and for several seconds she simply looked at him, her smile never leaving her face. Feeling like he was being silently picked apart Remus shifted his weight and opened his mouth to speak again, being cut off instead by Bernadette.

"So I understand you and Sero had a little fight again, hm? You two should really learn to play along..." she cooed, resting her head on her hand as she traced the table grains with a fingertip, "That's twice you've fought now, and twice someone's gotten away because of it. I know you don't see eye to eye but please, be a dear and get along, won't you? I'd hate to have to punish you for disobeying us again..." Remus visibly tensed at her veiled threat and there was a very distinct look of anger in his eye but he remained silent, her smile widening as she set both feet on the floor and leaned forward. "That's a good dog, you know your place. Now... I know he's not your favorite fish in the world and you've asked not to work with him, but... I have a job for you that you might like." Looking at the Ydran she waved for him to speak, settling back into her chair and folding her leg over the other again. "Elluine can tell you the details."

The Ydran was rather pleased with himself though he was little more than a messenger: anything to get under this stoic old fossil's skin, tormenting him was always such a joy. "Sero's got a problem of causing scenes during his jobs, it's becoming a real headache to clean up his messes. After all, we're not supposed to be causing scenes while we work, it'd be very unflattering for the Church," Elluine began as he broke into a grin, reaching into his tunic and pulling out a parchment, rolled with a red string and stamped with a familiar seal. "This one comes from above, they want you to make sure he doesn't go too crazy with his next job. If he causes a problem then clean it up and bring him back, we'll handle disciplining him ourselves. Oh, and Remus...?" The Ydran grabbed the man's hand as he was putting away the paper and he snatched it back, waving it in the Muran's face with a wink. "This here's an order for you to deal with whoever else shows up there. If its another Magi you can kill them on sight, we'll argue it was self defense and that's that. That said please don't go laying waste to everyone, it'll look bad."

"Besides, the game's no fun if you wipe out all the pawns immediately," Bernadette interjected with an airy chuckle, "Keep Sero on a leash and make sure he does his job, after that bring him back, drag him if you must, I really don't care. And don't mess this up, my patience with you two is thin as it is and I'd hate to have to report that two of my men ended up dead."

Legend of Zelda: Templar Ascension

We await your return eagerly! \o/

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Give it your all T'charrl, I can ask nothing more of you," Yusef reassured as he ushered his son back to the chasm. As any good leader should he had done the act himself before pushing it onto his "subordinates", now it was up to them to repeat his feat. Airing on the side of optimism there was some hope that T'charrl would be able to advance to flying against the winds today and yet that simply wasn't realistic. The Prince did all he could to stand against the winds and for a time he did manage, but as expected the gusts grew stronger and the inevitable collapse was not terribly far behind. With the winds still pushing Yusef flew into the chasm himself and stood before T'charrl to block the gusts, his fur rustling wildly in the wind as he acted as a shield. "If you managed on only your second attempt you'd surprise everyone, me included, don't lose heart my son," he said as he turned his head and waited for the winds to finally subside. Kneeling before T'charrl and helping him to sit he dusted off dirt and plucked a twig from his hairs, smiling as he helped T'charrl to his feet. "It is not normal for our people to try and stand against the wind, you know this, our strength is in our wings. That said... The gusts here are not like a storm, spread out and diluted, but powerful, directed. It takes a very special way of flying to be able to stand against these winds, and you'll learn it in time, just as you'll learn to place yourself as a tree first."

"Though... Perhaps asking you to try this on your own is a bit much to begin, you've never done an exercise like this before. Perhaps then..." Looking for Haku the General called for him to come and join them, smiling as he placed a claw on his back and eased him towards the chasm. "I've an idea! Haku, you shall help T'charrl and act as a support, for the time we will simply work on the proper stance to maintain, standing on his own can come after," Yusef explained, "T'charrl? You did well for your first attempt, but let me suggest something. The smaller you are the less the wind has to strike, and the easier it becomes to make yourself steady. Perhaps instead of standing upright..." To illustrate the point the General lowered his large frame and put a shoulder forward as though preparing to tackle something, "You try a stance like this. When you fly you make yourself as narrow as possible so the wind passes over you, but standing upright that becomes harder. So perhaps try lowering yourself? And fear not, Haku will be behind you to catch you should you slip."

----------

"Nah, I sit in my room thinking of all the reasons I'm so excited to see you, teacher," Takeshi sneered as he looked away from Krom in annoyance, "The only sad thing is you getting stuck training us, so much for being a high and mighty Elite. You were so lousy our shitty old man just dumped you with us." So what was this jerk going to have them doing today? Carrying huge rocks up a hill? Running laps around the city? It came as relief to hear that Krom was actually being somewhat conscientious about Shu's injuries and not having him work too much. And then the bastard turned it around on him and had Takeshi doing double the work as though he was doing his brother's share for the day. This jerk was doing that just to spite him wasn't he? "That's fine, give me everything Shu was going to do, I can handle it," Takeshi said as he smirked, not wanting to give Krom any satisfaction in thinking he might be getting annoyed, "And I'm not worried about Shu hurting me, but he'd probably kick your ass if he could. So you should be glad we're not sparring today."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

It was easy to falter and give up when you were attempting something new, becoming discouraged was to be expected. What separated the greats from the average individuals though was perseverance and the willingness to push on even if you failed. T'charrl had done markedly well for his first attempt but it didn't seem to be enough for him, he wanted to be in the air as his father had done. Not content to leave his son doubting himself Yusef shared with him a small revelation: it was T'charrl's determination that would bring him victory, not his strength. "I've trained hundreds of soldiers in my time and you know what? It's rarely the strongest on the onset that make the best soldiers," Yusef explained as he got back to his feet and looked to the canyon, "No... It's the ones that keep on trying despite whatever weakness they have that become the best. You'll gain strength through persistence, over time you'll be unstoppable, you'll have the resolve few have and the strength to match. That is what I know you are capable of, my son. For now however... Continue to do what you have, it's as I said before - and will say again - until you understand the basic ideas we cannot have you fly yet. You must learn to brace your body against the winds, and not only that but not to falter no matter how powerful the gales might be. It takes more than just pure strength to make someone exceptional, you know this as well. So come then," Yusef said with a smile, gesturing to the chasm, "Show me, my child, the soldier that I know you can be."

----------

"I... Uh... What?" Shu was making absolutely zero sense and Takeshi found himself utterly at a loss as to what his brother was even trying to say. Something about... Being strong? Something about getting hit a lot? Giving his younger brother a quizzical look he sighed and shook his head, shrugging his shoulders as he looked away. "Look... You wanna learn to control your power right? So you don't go all monkey on us or whatever. Well once teach gets here we can start doing that, because Aito's little chats aren't gonna be enough to help, you know? And maybe you can take out some of that anger on me. Or take it out on Krom, I wouldn't mind seeing ya knock him around a bit." The bastard deserved to have his butt handed to him by Shu when he changed but that would kinda defeat the whole purpose of their training. At the opening of the doors Takeshi slid off of his seat and waited for Krom to enter the room, looking at the man with a smug grin as he crossed his arms. "I was wondering when you were going to show up, afraid you're going to get your ass kicked?" Takeshi taunted, raising an eyebrow as he raised his hands behind his head, "So what's the plan today huh? Sparring? Ki control? Or are we going to learn how to kidnap people?" the older boy pressed with a sneer, "You know, since you're pretty good at that."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

The pace admittedly was quick before, that's on me. I tend to think of what we did before as almost a prologue of sorts, just trying to establish everything. So the pace is gonna be much more reasonable from here on out :)

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Be confident my son, I know you are capable of this! Steel yourself and be the mighty tree against the gales!" It was nothing that was outside of T'charrl's power and if his confidence would just remain he'd be as powerful as anyone else on this planet. The moment his son entered the chasm was tense for everyone involved and Yusef, for all his enthusiasm, felt himself grow somewhat uncertain as T'charll prepared. They had tried to boil the exercise down to its simplest parts for his sake and start from the ground up, quite literally in this case. Would it be enough? The wind came and the Prince managed to remain planted in his spot if only just so, wavering until the wind ceased and he staggered forward. Two of King Nema's attendants helped him out of the chasm and Yusef met T'charrl at the mouth of it, smiling sympathetically as his son asked him about their training. "Until you've managed to fly against it, which we have yet to even attempt," the General answered, taking a knee before his son and placing a hand atop his head, "T'charrl, you are powerful my son even if you do not know it. Before you changed you were too, don't you see that? Even if you lacked strength you never backed down from a fight, you gave it all you had every time no matter the odds, you fought every time. Has that changed now? Or do you plan on giving it your all?"

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Shu was crazy if he thought old man Roshi would be able to even keep up with them now, never mind train them. They were leagues above the pervert and training with him at all would be a colossal waste of time for them now. Today was going to be one hell of a headache wasn't it? Takeshi himself was pissed they were training with Krom, Shu was pissed at him for throwing their match at the tournament, and Krom was probably angry he was having to deal with both of them yet again. Nobody was happy with this lousy arrangement of theirs! "Come on buddy, I'm not even angry for that long, it's been like... A whole day already, you know? You gotta learn to get over it..." What was this stuff about believing in Shu? What did that have to do with anything? Oh yeah, this was probably thanks to that crap with Aito wasn't it? How everyone doubting and treating Shu like a risk had made him this way, or something like that. Stupid doctor filling Shu's head with crazy ideas. Why couldn't he just have his doofy, go-lucky brother back? He wasn't used to Shu being grumpy, not for this long, and he definitely wasn't used to Shu being mad at HIM for that long. "Well if you're gonna be angry then I guess you can take it out on Krom? That's good right?" Takeshi asked with a grin, "Or... Er... Me, if you wanted to. Blow off some steam, you know?"

Avatar: The Price of Freedom

"My game? I have no idea what you're talking about, officer. I'm just a paying patron and a friend come to cheer up Siku after her devastating loss," Katsu offered with a smile, "After all that's what friends are for right? I'm just being a good friend Hiresh." With both Sesi and this Asha present there was a very good chance Hiresh wouldn't try anything with him, not so long as he behaved. He could poke and prod until the sun set and there wouldn't be a single thing that stupid officer, or even Siku, could do to stop him. Grinning tauntingly at the clearly annoyed Hiresh he folded his hands behind his head and started walking with the group, winking at the water bender to his left playfully. He was going to enjoy this, and as far as Sesi knew they really were friends. Which they were... Sort of. Did the occasional run-ins and exchange of "pleasantries" constitute as a friendship?

Most people would feel completely comfortable in a crowd on a busy street, and why wouldn't they? No normal person was going to try anything in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses and certainly not with so many officers around for the event. Katsu's only concern was the officers themselves, though it wasn't as if any of them had proof to take him in for anything: if the police had proof then Hiresh would be cuffing him and dragging him away right now. Flashing Siku a grin as he asked about visiting her at home later he turned to Sesi to see what her little sister thought, catching himself as he caught a flash of white out of the corner of his eye. No... He'd been seeing things, there was no way they were here right? Slowing his step and turning part way round his eyes widened spotting a man clad in a dark blue robe and cowl with an insignia on the front, and a patterned mantle around his shoulders. Scanning the crowd he spotted a second, and a third, there was no doubt it now.

"H-Hey, how about we go to Siku's house now, huh? Let's get some food and go have fun!" Katsu said suddenly as he placed a hand on Siku and Hiresh's backs, trying to push them along faster as he laughed nervously, "My treat even! Whatever you guys want, its on me! I'll even feed Sesi and your friend here!" The path to Siku's home was a diversion from the main roads which meant unfortunately losing the cover of the crowd. Taking his hands off of his friends backs Katsu hurried ahead of them and spun on his heel, walking backwards and waving them on to move quicker. As expected two men clad in the outfits broke from the crowd and were following behind, just entering the street they had turned onto themselves. "Uh.... Hey, I know a shortcut! Follow me!" Shit, why were they here? When the hell did they see him? He'd been so careful and had been damn sure not to let anyone know where he was. Turning down an alleyway he again waved for the others to pick up the pace, a slight bounce in his step as he resisted breaking into a run. He didn't want them knowing something was wrong because then they'd look and what would they think? The White Lotus only really had one purpose and, assuming they knew it, things were going to become awkward very quickly.

Couldn't they take a hint? He hadn't ran away from home because he wanted them around and he sure as hell wasn't running away now because he wanted to see them either. Taking a sharp turn down another alleyway he had probably lost the others by now but he couldn't be bothered to care, not with the White Lotus snooping around. Glancing back over his shoulder and finding no one behind him he smirked, stepping out to the streets confidently. Without seeing where he was going he bumped into someone and turned to apologize and instead stepped back, ducking under a reaching hand and creating a flash of fire in his hand, driving the White Lotus member back.

"Katsu wait! We're been searching for you, we're here to help!"

"I don't want your help, that's why I left you idiot! Tell your boss to leave me the hell alone!" Katsu shouted, turning and running back down the alleyway again towards his friends. Halfway through a second White Lotus member joined them and cut him off, their hands up as a show of non-aggression. That was just fine by him because he wasn't going with these clowns and he'd gladly fight to avoid it. Igniting his fist with flame he threw a strike and forced the White Lotus member to jump up to a low hanging stairwell, giving Katsu plenty of time to run under him and back out to the road... And into another two members. Cursing aloud he turned to run again and was once more cut off, now surrounded by six members of the White Lotus. Looking between each and every one of them he grit his teeth, forcing a smile as he ignited both hands with flames. "Piss off before you make me mad, I'm not going to hesitate to attack you."

"We're only trying to help you Katsu, please understand. We've been searching everywhere for you, the Grand Lotus is very worried, as is your family. Come back with us, we will not harm you."

Hearing footfalls approaching one of the members turned and saw Siku and company fast approaching, holding out a hand to signal for them to stop. "Please leave, we're here on official business. This isn't something that civilians need to be involved in."

"Oh guys, there you are! How's about helping me kick these guy's butts? They're trying to kidnap me!" Katsu lied, rolling his eyes as one of the men contradicted him. It was probably a waste of breath anyways, everyone who knew anything was familiar with the White Lotus enough to at least understand they weren't bad people. So trying to sick the others on them probably wasn't going to work. Groaning and rubbing at his head he spun on his heel and picked out the senior member, pointing a finger at the man with a sneer. "I'm NOT going with you, got it? So you guys just pack your bags and go back wherever you came from, I'm done!"