GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Watching Shu was always heartwarming, he was enthusiastic and innocent. A lot like a child, even if said child was only a few years her junior. In lieu of everything that had happened as of late, his disposition was beyond refreshing. "You want to fight something? Well... I'm sure we could find something out here that would want to eat us." If the forests were anything like those back home, there would be predators galore. Beating up wildlife was hardly training for either of them, but then it wasn't really training, just a chance to stretch their legs a bit.

"Hey, just between the two of us? You're my favorite of the group," Yumi laughed, playfully nudging Shu with her elbow, "I missed seeing you happy and smiling, it's really nice. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you smiling today!" She'd already managed that by virtue of playing, but there were still plenty of hours left, and many more ideas still to try. Cleaning the skewer, Yumi flicked it to the forest floor and hopped to her feet, lithely balancing on the branch. "So, a hike it is! No idea where we're going, or what's even going to be out there," she mused, flashing Shu a grin, "But then that's the exciting part, right? No way to know without going to look ourselves!" Yumi collected her things and dropped down from the tree, shielding her eyes from the sun as she craned her neck skyward. "If you're ready, let's get going! Time to see what this planet's got for us!"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Therapy always seemed so counter-intuitive. Bring a sad person into a room and make them talk about being said. How exactly was that supposed to make someone feel better? Doing things like this, being outdoors and having fun, always worked better. That Shu appeared genuinely happy right now only reinforced the idea Aito might just not have a clue what he was doing. "Then we won't talk about therapy! It's boring, and we're to have fun, right?" Yumi giggled. She shifted her weight and leaned back, looking up to the canopy of the trees. Out here they were removed from everything, or that's how it felt, anyway. No fighting monsters, no war, no problems. Just them, some food, and a beautiful day to enjoy.

Shu's proposal made Yumi raise an eyebrow. Do what she wanted? That was a refreshing take, considering usually she just marched to someone else's drum. "Who said I'm not into trees? I'm just learning, that's all." She smiled and prodded Shu's side with her finger. "But if we want to do what I want to do, then... Let's go for that hike! We can explore, see what's out here. It'll be fun!" It wasn't like they would get lost, either. The city sat in the center of the crater, and all they would need to do is fly up to get their bearings. Polishing off the remainder of her meal, Yumi stowed her empty container back in their bag, pulling out a sealed container. "June got us dessert from in town too, want to see what it is?" Rhetorical question, she was already prying open the box. Inside were kebabs, only instead of vegetables and meats, it was fruits. Candied at that, with the pieces cut into various shapes. Yumi smiled, eager to try, and handed Shu his before biting down. The chocolate made a shell and crunched, giving way to the tender, juicy fruit inside. "Delicious!"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith (High-Casual)

Had Ethan known the state of this town he'd just as soon kept on walking. Luxury of choice was taken away given the dire nature of their situation. Picking up children along the way hadn't helped either. Having stepped inside the town's walls and seeing the state of things, he wasn't even sure these people could help. Buildings in disrepair, guards wearing the bear minimum of what could be considered armor, and everyone just felt on edge. Should the people here even want to help, Ethan wasn't so certain they could.

At long last someone had come to speak to them. The foreman it was not, however, not unless the head of the mill was a young 20-something woman. Ethan looked up and smiled awkwardly as she began to question the odd-looking boy. While not overtly so, the woman did come across as a touch hostile. Rising to his feet he stood between Cecil and Freya, hands raised and sporting a nervous smile.

"If you mean Amuné, we just sort of found her. Or she found us." The particulars didn't matter, the girl was here now. "You know her? That's great! I figured we'd keep her safe until we found her parents, but it sounds like you might be able to help." Maybe the girl was from Euford and had simply gotten lost? Ethan glanced back over his shoulder and smiled reassuringly; Amuné would be safe now. "Just uh... I'm gonna have to ask you prove you know her. And not in like... A bad way, if that makes sense."

Freya likely could provide proof, though it would have to wait. A man broad as he was tall approached the group tailed by a pair of guards. "Freya, I'm surprised to see you here! Seems you've brought company this time."

"Oh, uh, we're not with her." Ethan smiled awkwardly as the foreman narrowed his eyes. Should he have said they were? Maybe it would have made this easier on them. "You must be the foreman, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir! I'm Ethan Campbell, and this is, uh..." Adrian was still gone off to the tavern, and he assumed the foreman knew Amuné, which left... "Cecil, his name's Cecil." Thank goodness he'd actually remembered the boy's name. "Oh, and this is Amuné, and her cat... Uh..."

The foreman raised a brow at the moorcat, folding his arms across his broad chest. "Might bold bringin' that thing in when tigers 'ave been giving us a headache. No wonder the guards were so hesitant. Anyroad, I'm told you need help with some shipwreck? Bunch of folks stranded or something?"

Ethan nodded. "Injured too. I don't mean to impose, but they're going to be in a bad way if we don't get some supplies. We'll take anything we can get. Medicine, bandages, some food. We'll pay, of course!"

"No." No? They had offered to pay and had been turned down? "Look around you, boy. Town's on her last legs because of those damn tigers. We barely have what we need, never mind enough to hand out. It ain't a matter of money, we just don't have enough to spare. I've gotta worry about my own."

Incredulous, Ethan took a step forward, smiling uneasily. "There's got to be something you can sell us! Even if it's just cloth, we can fashion our own bandages. And... There's got to be some plants nearby we can use for medicine. I'm sure someone can mix something."

"If you want to deal with the tigers, then by all means, get your medicines. You'll have nothing from us though. Were we able to help we would, but we have to worry about ourselves. Sorry, kid." The foreman glanced at Freya and frowned. "You know anything about this wreck of theirs? Seen anything?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Something else to do...? Hm... I haven't given it much though to be honest." For the longest time she had simply gone with the flow, traveling wherever the group went and fighting alongside her friends. "I don't know, maybe we can... Go for a hike up the mountain. We haven't really explored this world much, though I'd love to see more of it. If they don't want you around for therapy today maybe you and I can sneak off?" In the crater there wasn't anything to keep them from venturing out, not really. Viral and the brothers had gotten a hold of a massive fish in the lake, but Yumi doubted anything like that lived up around the city.

Then again, she wouldn't be disappointed if they did find something. It would be exciting. Tentative, Yumi mixed some of the paste with the fish and sampled that. To her delight and surprise the two flavors evened one another out, making the food far more palatable. The vegetables had been cooked in some light oil as well, and the flavor wasn't dissimilar to garlic from Earth. Once she figured out how the food was meant to be eaten the meal became much tastier.

"I think Viral was with Vegeta today. They wanted to give him a new position, so they were doing a trial run, I guess." She didn't know how much she loved that idea. Why did they insist on distracting Viral instead of treating the problem? They had to know how to help him, right? "Takeshi went with Kiton last I checked, and... Well, it's anyone's guess what they're up to." If the city wasn't exploding then that meant they were getting along, or at the very least, not trying to fight. Yumi smiled and slid closer towards Shu, reaching out and gently ruffling his hair. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind playing with you, but people get busy sometimes! And hey, that just means we get to have more fun together, right?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

No puns with Shu. Bummer. Still, Yumi found herself enjoying this even if she was still struggling. It was different, and if nothing else, Shu was smiling and having fun at long last. That was more than worth a few blisters. Now was a good a time as any for a break and Shu was quick to jump on the idea of food. "I won't actually die, don't worry." She tried hard not to roll her eyes. "And sure! We've got food... Somewhere out here." They had packed a lunch and left it under a tree. The only question now was which one? Their practice had taken them a ways from the start, and Yumi couldn't tell the trees apart too well: it all looked the same.

Eventually they found their way back, and by the time Yumi sat down beside the cooler she had begun to feel the aches of the day's events. Shaking and blowing on her hands to soothe the dull throb, she fished through the cooler for their meals. "Maybe after this we can... I don't know, try something else? Not that we have to be done swinging!" She was quick to add that, giving Shu a small smile. "I'm just not sure how much more my hands can take today. I'm willing to suffer a blister or two, but getting them rubbed raw?" She shook her head and removed two containers, peeling the covers off and handing one over to Shu. June had prepared them meals for afternoon, and while made with alien food, the presentation reminded Yumi of Earth cuisine.

A grainy, coarse paste served as a side - and tasted much better than it looked, served with some raw vegetables and several thin, seared slices of some type of fish. They had dessert too, and Yumi suspected Shu might be thrilled, but she'd keep it hidden for now. She took the fish and held it up to the light, inspecting it and furrowing her brow. Very thin, she could see through it almost. Taking a taste her face wrinkled at the curious flavor, unable to decide if she loved or hated it. "Ah... Well, it was certainly nice of June to make food for us." Opting out of the fish for now, she scooped up some of the paste and ate that straight, gagging at how powerful the taste was. Hopefully Shu was having a better time with his meal.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith (High-Casual)

1) Town has a name, just hadn't been spoken.
2) Rain will be coming, yes.
3) It's a lumber mill. The town is largely comprised of hunters and people who work the mill. And the only travelers the town generally gets are merchants. So their group is definitely irregular.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith (High-Casual)

"Hey... It's only the right thing to do! Don't even mention it." As if anyone in good conscience could ignore a child on the side of a road. She did have her moorcat with her - Wyth was his name - but Ethan didn't feel comfortable leaving her be. Moving out, he fell in line alongside Amuné and Wyth. He seriously doubted anyone, or anything, would try to cause them harm with a group this size, but precautions never hurt. Silence felt awkward and Ethan was compelled to speak with the child. When he looked down and caught her fending back tears he turned away, rubbing uncomfortably at his neck. "Um... Once we get to town, maybe you can get some clothes...?" Was he addressing the problem? No. Heck, aside from what he could see he hadn't a clue what might be bothering the child. "Oh! I might still have gold on me, we can get you some more food too, if you'd like! For you and for Wyth!"

---

The sky had turned a gentle shade of red when the group arrived at the town's gates. Large doors blocked their entry, and two men stood on either side, pikes in hand. It struck Ethan as odd that the small town was sealed up tight. They were stopped shy of the gates and one of the guards met them in the road. Unlike those in the city who wore polished armor and sported fine weaponry, these men clearly had settled for what they could get. Simple quilted vests, heavy leather gauntlets, padded trousers and boots made up their "uniform"; their weapons looked to be fashioned from farming tools.

It wasn't a wealthy town then. Strange considering Ethan was certain he saw a mill on their way up the road.

"Halt. State your purpose, travelers."

He would like to think that their purpose was fairly clear. A few sailors, a child, filthy and unkempt, a ragtag group if there ever was one. "We're here to get help. A ship capsized in the sea, and there are survivors back towards the shore." The guard looked at Ethan, appraising him. None of them were exactly much to look at, either too young to be of any significance, or too nondescript. Which was precisely why the guard was being wary.

"A ship? The coast is miles from here, boy. You mean to tell me you all walked here?" It was a bit difficult to believe admittedly. They had just survived a shipwreck only to walk for half a day to find aid. Ethan nodded and the guard glanced back at his partner. "How many survivors?"

Ethan cursed mentally, not having had the wherewithal to take count. "Not many... A dozen, maybe two?" The estimate was high for sure and served to color the guard's face in doubt. Ethan stepped forward and smiled uncertainly. "Maybe more like... A dozen and a half. Look, the point is we need supplies. Some of them are okay, but others probably won't last long. Anything you can spare would be a huge help."

The guards shared words in private before one called for the gates to open. Rather than let everyone inside however, one of them disappeared into the walls, and the other joined him. "We're going to speak with the foreman. Wait here." Foreman? Did they mean the one in charge of the mill? That made sense; the town was too small to have a mayor, which likely meant whoever headed the town's main source of income would be in charge.

Ethan watched as the doors sealed shut before them, sighing. "Well... They didn't say no!" He laughed, and he was the only one to do so. Awkwardly settling down, he looked back at the gates, wondering if he should have shown his insignia. These people couldn't possibly turn them down if they knew he was with the Church. He adjusted his cloak, still damp and stiff from being soaked, peering at the faded patch. Maybe he could use it as a negotiating tool later if he needed to.

A few short minutes later the doors were opened, this time granting them access inside. "Foreman's busy at the mill, but he's agreed to hear you out. Come on in." The town itself was small, with little more than a dozen buildings inside the walls. A small group of children stopped in the middle of town when they entered. Ethan smiled and waved to them politely only to watch as they bolted off in between two homes. Why did children hate him?

"Inn's over there if you're wanting a drink. We don't have much left, but we'd appreciate the business." One of the guards motioned towards a two story building. It hardly looked welcoming, with peeling paint, dirty windows and vines growing up the walls. The guards left them be and the doors were sealed once more, leaving the group standing at the entrance by themselves.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith (High-Casual)

Just as a heads up for people who have yet to post: I'll be posting tomorrow, just to get things moving along again. So if you owe a post and want to get one in, there ya go, deadline's set!

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Hurt was an understatement. Was it possible to break your butt? Yumi pulled herself onto the branch and crouched rather than sat, tentative of her aching backside. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks Shu!" Less stony? Less power? So was she being too rigid? That was fair, she was unsure of herself and probably tensed up while swinging about. Shu tended to grab with whatever limb was nearest to the branch; Yumi knew she didn't have that luxury but she could still try.

"I get it! I think... Be more loose, stop trying to force it, right?" She couldn't help but laugh at Shu's question. Her palms ached sure - her backside definitely was sore - but she could keep going. "I'll have some blisters when we're done but that's no big deal. Let's keep going!" Whether she was getting it down perfect or not didn't matter. She was having fun, Shu was having fun, and that was the whole point of the day really. If she managed a new skill then that was just icing on the cake.

Yumi got back onto her feet and tested her balance. Still good. She looked for the nearest branch to swing and lowered herself back into a squat, inhaling and focusing her eyes solely on the branch. With one big leap she jumped the gap, reaching out and grabbing the branch, holding on and swinging back and forth, building momentum. When she let go she made it to the next branch with ease, and after kicking her legs a few times, the next as well. She managed to make it through three trees before her fingers slipped around a branch and she fell. Barely catching herself on a lower branch she hung there for a moment, giggling and pulling herself up onto it. "See? I've only almost died twice!" She joked, sitting down and waving up to Shu. "I think I'm getting the hang of it! Get it? Because we're... Swinging..."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith (High-Casual)

That being said, if people feel stuck where we're at, let me know and I can move things along.