Viral had absolutely no idea how to even function at a party, he didn’t know how to function around so many people or know what he was supposed to do. He didn’t want to be rude and leave his own party just because he didn’t know how to handle it, knowing a lot of people put in a lot of effort for whatever reason. Staring at his gift, he looked to Yumi and frowned, “I don’t know how I feel about people taking photos of me”, he spoke, shaking his head, “Pictures from when I was young don’t exist in this building, you know…for a certain reason”. A lot of what he was before his memory wipe had gone missing, probably because the man who altered him into killing his creators had stolen them. It made him feel a little depressed, even with all this supposed happiness surrounding him. Shaking his head a little, he looked around at others, “Who knows whether they came here for me or the free food”.

He wasn’t feeling terribly convinced that these people wanted to be around him, but that was for them to convince him that they weren’t just there for their own benefit. If they got insulted then it meant they were there for the food and was caught out, but if they didn’t then they could also just be pretending to joke about it and actually did come for the food. He was pretty confused, still having a fair bit of doubt that this was even all for him. Looking to Yumi, he stared at her as he tried to find answers from her only to get punched back. Growling at her momentarily, he frowned a little before shaking his head, “It’s easy to have doubt when this has never happened before and with so many. It just makes me feel concerned”.

Placing down the present carefully, he was soon grabbed and forced away from it all, growling at her as he raised his hand once she let go. He could have moved by himself, seeing as how he had feet and knew how to use them. Watching her, he sighed and scratched his wrist, “Right…well I don’t know what to do at parties, so yes, if you could show me”, he spoke, hoping he wouldn’t be made a fool of, “Maybe once I’m in the mood more, I’ll open them. Does food come first or later? What would these people want to talk to me about? You’ve got to give me a line here…”

Shu was learning all the time, it seemed. If that was the case then maybe he would be able to have a party like this sometime too or maybe just with his brother; he didn’t mind. He wondered how old T’charrl might be if that was the case, but the days on his planet definitely felt a lot longer than they did here so maybe he had a different concept of time and age. That was a complicated thought; planets having different days and how many numbers there were in a year. Scratching his head quickly, he looked back up to Takeshi when he gave him an age, “Sixteen! That sounds like a lot of numbers…or is it not many? I can’t count”. This was pretty exciting, learning about the world he never knew. Tilting his head a little, he moved closer to Takeshi, staring up at him, “Oooohhhh…cake! Yellow cake! Fruit cake! Yum yum yum…pies? Ooohhhh…cake and pies? I want please! Marble marble…ooh! Will I be allowed to eat all the kinds sometime maybe? I won’t eat a lot, I promise…”

"Well all the more reason to make new pictures, right? You'll want to remember this I'm sure!" If they didn't commemorate his "first" birthday then Yumi didn't feel they were doing it right. Kind of odd to think of this as Viral's first celebration, he was older than she was. "I suppose you're right, I can't know for certain if they're here for food or not. But hey, there's at least two dozen people here. Even if only two showed up really to see you, plus all of us, that means there's seven people that really want to celebrate with you. Actually..." she paused, looking around the room, "It should be nine, but I don't know where the others are. They should be here pretty soon though." Wonder what might be holding Ikura up, the man should be here by now. He had said something about picking up a gift on the way, so that probably had him caught up. Goodness knows what had Master Roshi preoccupied, she didn't think she wanted to know.

Holding off on presents was probably a good idea, it made sense to do them after the food anyways. In that case they should really try to find something else to preoccupy themselves, which wasn't easy. Viral wasn't exactly what one would call social, so talking to people was likely out of the question. They were a little old for games, so that wouldn't work either. "So you want me to tell you what to do? I can do that, I suppose. And presents really should come after food, usually. Like I said though, it's your birthday, so you can decide what it is you want to do first." Viral didn't seem too enthusiastic about being left to his own devices however, he definitely wanted some direction. "Hm... It's too early to sing, and we don't have games to play, let's see..." Cupping her chin in her hand Yumi glanced up when two people approached them, an elderly man and woman. She recognized them vaguely, they were an older couple who were friends of the family if she remembered right. Nice enough, though she hadn't spent very much time around them.

"Ooooh, look at how big you've grown, my word..." the woman remarked, smiling kindly as she glanced up at Viral. "Why... Last time we saw you, you were barely up to my hip. Now you tower over me!" That had been quite a while ago, they had been pretty well away since the unfortunate accident here. They were fully aware of the circumstances around it, or at least knew enough who had supposedly killed Aito and June. Yet there wasn't an ounce of resentment or discontent in their faces, only cheer and joy. Pulling one of her hands out of her sleeve the lady reached up, pinching one of Viral's cheeks with a happy laugh. "You're quite the big boy now! My my, time sure does fly!"

The old man smiled happily alongside his wife, nodding his head in agreement. "We've been away much too long, it's a pleasure to see you again Viral." Looking up at the Beastman he finally remembered himself, bowing his head politely as he took of his hat. "My name is Masao, and this darling flower is my wife Shiori. It's quite alright if you don't remember us, we haven't been by in quite some time after all!" Looking at his wife he chuckled softly, grabbing her arm to pull her hand away with a meek smile. "Now now dear, you're going to tear the boy's poor face off."

"Oh hush you, I was just being nice," Shiori replied, smiling as she playfully swatted at her husbands hand. Looking back at Viral she took a turn to bow slightly, "I'm sure you're a busy man, so we'll let you get on with your day. Happy birthday again my dear!"

Trying to explain the concept of time and years to Shu was not a feat Takeshi was willing or ready to undertake. Even if he started at the beginning of this week he was skeptical he'd make it clear enough for Shu before they had to leave again. "Sixteen isn't that much I guess, you're pretty young still," he answered, pausing and giving Shu a funny look. "You... Can't count...? Uh..." Well now that was a little worrying. There had been times where Shu had been given money to get things and returned with them in hand, and now Takeshi wondered just how much his brother had overpaid. Heh, probably not letting the little guy go grocery shopping anytime soon. Time to add how to count to the ever expanding list of things Shu had to learn. With a topic change to desserts the young boy was once again all springy with excitement, clearly wanting a sweet to sink his teeth into. Smiling exasperatedly Takeshi waved his hands, "Woah, relax Shu, we haven't even had the meal yet. Food first, then cake okay?" Filling Shu with loads of sugar and icing, was that really such a good idea? Oh boy, they could have a super hyperactive monkey child on their hands soon. "We'll see what they have tonight, alright? And then maybe if I remember it we'll pick up a fruit pie at some point before we leave, sound good?"

Viral groaned, hardly looking forward to having pictures taken of him. He didn’t like it; to say he was camera shy was an understatement. He felt embarrassed over such things, probably because it was so easy to make an awkward expression during the camera flash. He didn’t have a clue to what could possibly happen at a party and was hoping Yumi would guide him through it, but she wasn’t really giving him any real clues to what he should be doing quite yet. He was certainly naturally curious over what the presents could be, but it would probably be rude to open them without people noticing. Looking around, he frowned a little upon seeing the people properly, “There’s more coming? At least I won’t get a heart attack again…”

He was certainly feeling more than a little bit uneasy, but that was normal when he barely knew how to handle a situation. He didn’t know how to handle a party or what to do in it so he felt incredibly uneasy as a result. Letting out a groan, he nodded a little after giving Yumi a quick glance, “After food…hmph, at least I am right about that…” he mumbled, but he didn’t look too enthusiastic about what was mentioned next, “Singing is included?? You can forget it; I’m not doing that! You can do that…for the entertainment of the others. Do these games involve battling of some kind?”

While trying to suss out what kind of games were involved in a party, Viral barely noticed the old couple come in and walk straight up to them. This must had been the other two Yumi mentioned, but Viral didn’t exactly recognise them on the account that he was missing part of his memory. Staring at them as if trying to remember who they were, his eyes were guided down towards the woman’s hip before he was suddenly snatched in her with a vice-like grip on his cheek, his arms flailing behind himself momentarily, “W-Wha?? You…two…remember me?” He had no idea what to say, but when she finally released him he pulled back again, rubbing his cheek quickly. He didn’t think outsiders had seen him when he was younger, a fact that made him very curious, “I-I don’t remember you; my mind was-…hmm, uhh…i-it’s nice to meet you two”. Giving a bow, he tried to recall any memory that might have been leftover from them but everything came up dry, his mind just unable to recall events from before the wipe.

Shu was always very excited, finding knowledge was equal to power in a lot of cases. He really wanted to learn all he could about normal life and Takeshi was definitely helping. He knew his age now, that was a plus; if only it was that simple to learn about the world around you, “Sixteen is young! I do feel young…but I don’t know what feeling old is like either”, he spoke, looking down at himself for a second, “Yeah! I can’t! Why? Do I need it?” There were so many questions he could ask but he knew Takeshi probably wasn’t going to be patient all day and had to pay attention to everything else that was happening around him. Feeling all sorts of bouncy, he jumped around Takeshi in anticipation for food even though he had a little bit earlier today, “Okay! Food then cake! And pies! Do you know how to make any of these? Cake and pies? I don’t know how to make anything fancy…but I sure do know how to hunt!”

All in all this was a mighty good turn out for a birthday party. Especially on such short notice, they had only a day to prepare all of this after all. It was the reason the food wasn't quite ready yet, from what Yumi gathered Vegeta had doled out an awful lot of money to get the catering company to show up as they had. Guests, gifts and decorations combined she wouldn't help but wonder what this cost, not that she particularly cared. "You don't sing, we all sing for you," she said, smiling at Viral cheerfully. Hm, he really didn't understand anything about birthdays, probably best to enlighten him as quickly as she could. "First, everyone shows up and wishes you a happy birthday. Then once it's ready we're going to eat our food, and after that we can either open presents or have cake, and do the other after. Then there's some things we have planned for later too, but that's once everyone else leaves. And Vegeta's got a surprise for you later too, I don't know what it is though." Not that she'd tell him. Vegeta was being very sneaky about his present, she had almost believed he'd gotten nothing as there wasn't anything to show. Rest assured, she'd been told, he had something in mind.

This old couple wasn't quite the guests Yumi had in mind, but she wouldn't complain. Hardly recognizing them herself she couldn't well say who they were, but they were certainly familiar with her and Viral. Awfully nice, they were quick to give the birthday boy pleasantries and good wishes, with an affectionate pinch cheek probably long overdue. Despite her changed appearance she was recognized quickly and giving some well wishes as well before the pair went of to chat with other guests, leaving a smile on Yumi's face. "Look at that, you've got people really happy to see you. They're probably only the first that will do that, so get ready for tons of meet and greets!" Hopefully more people came over to talk with Viral, he could certainly use some of the positive attention. Looking quickly back to Viral with wide eyes Yumi shook her head, giving him a surprised stare. "No there won't be any battling! Do you think any of these people could fight you?" she asked, gesturing around the room. Well, okay, maybe some of them if they included their usual little group. "If you really want to battle you and I can fight later, how's that? Or better yet, since you're the birthday boy you pick who you fight."

"Eh... You don't really need to learn to count, I guess. But it's helpful! Especially if you're ever going to go buy food or something," Takeshi said, referring to his brother's one time little incident. "I'll teach you to count later, right now there's way too much to teach you as it is. Can't go adding another thing onto that list." Most of his instructing would probably have to be done while they were back out in space, there wasn't any way they could finish training here and still have time for anything else. At least that stuff could be taught anywhere, and Vegeta would be around to help. Chuckling as Shu bounced yet again the older boy watched him amused, wondering how in the world anyone could be so energetic like that. "I kind of know how to make them, yeah." Emphasis on kind of. He could cook fairly well, baking... Not so much. He'd made a chocolate cake one time just because he'd wanted one and it had turned out to be more of a bubbling, fudgy monstrosity. Shu didn't need to know that though. "If you want to learn to bake you're better off asking someone else. I don't really like to do it."

Viral felt so out of it when it came to normal everyday things; hell, there were probably thousands of birthday parties being thrown for others all over the planet. Having guests come over and wish him happiness for such an event was so foreign to him and it was only lucky he was never made to run one of these things considering how much he knew nothing about them. Slowly rubbing his cheek, he let out a sigh and looked to Yumi a little, feeling a little better that he was not the one going to be singing. Hearing about others singing to him was just weird to him, especially when he had no idea what he was supposed to think or feel when it came to people doing such things with him. Feeling just the tiniest bit concerned, he frowned at the thought of another possible surprise, one that was probably going to leave him startled again, “I won’t have to worry about my heart for this surprise, do I?”

For a party, Viral was certainly the only one left standing around doing nearly nothing at all like a lost puppy, or kitten for that matter. The old couple that apparently knew him were the first to say anything personal to him, or touch him for that matter without showing fear towards him. It was certainly the most confusing aspect of the day, his mind not quite sure how it should take this feeling of being lost. Looking to the old couple as they went to talk to others, he slowly looked to Yumi and nodded a little, “I’ll try to be ready…whether I really will be, I don’t know”, he spoke calmly, feeling unsure to whether he could handle someone else touching him like that, “I’m not sure whether I should be scared or very concerned”. Hearing that nobody would be battling was very strange, probably because nearly everything he did ended with a fight of some sort. Staring at her for a moment, he soon scratched his neck and shrugged casually, “I don’t care, whatever. If I don’t have to fight then I won’t! Why are you being so cryptic with what I do in these parties? I probably wouldn’t know what to do during other people’s parties nevermind my own, so…what now?”

Shu probably could count on his own if he knew the words and had enough to count with, but other than that he had no idea how to or where to start with it. He was certainly behind with a lot of things and that was one of the most included problems he had with the world, “Ooh! Is everything I need to learn really a lot…?” he questioned him, tilting his head a little, “It makes me curious to what I missed out…” If anything, knowing he missed out on so many things made him feel so behind and still new even if he had been given training and taught how to speak. While he wasn’t sad about it, he still wondered how much he missed and whether he should regret it. Watching Takeshi curiously, he slowly inched towards his legs some more, staring at him, “Oooh! Making food! Why you not like to bake? Bake sounds fun…it’s a fun word! Do you think Yumi knows bake? Maybe Vegeta…ooh, can Mister Viral make things too? Never seen him make other than put food in fire and it cooks…”

"Nope, no more surprises like that for today, I promise. We don't want to give you a heart attack on your birthday!" It would be pretty fun to do it again though, except for the fact Viral probably wouldn't enjoy himself very much. And since today was all about him they couldn't have that, they wanted to do whatever made him happy. So far not so good, they had to do more to have him be happy. "If you don't want people touching you then say so. No one is going to be mad at you if you tell them not to, so don't hesitate, okay?" Yumi chimed, smiling. "Hah... And I'm being cryptic because it's fun! If I was straightforward and told you what to do then it'd be boring, don't you think? You're not supposed to be told what to do at your birthday party, you decide that for yourself." Letting out a small laugh she smiled up at Viral, shrugging her shoulders as she looked off elsewhere innocently. "Well... Food's about ready, I can smell it. So we'll eat first, then we do presents or cake, whatever you want to do, and theeeeen..." she paused, looking up at him and winking, "We're going to fight!"

Eh, there was no simple way for Takeshi to spin his response, unfortunately. He didn't want to make Shu feel inadequate, but there was an awful lot that he didn't know. "I guess what you actually need isn't that much, and it's not too hard to teach. We'll get to it, don't worry, you'll learn it all eventually." Hm... Counting, numbers in general, maybe directions, and goodness knows what else, those were only what came to mind that second. Itching at his nose as Shu continued the older boy smirked, "Baking is kind of lame... I'm not really a huge fan of sweets anyways... Plus I kind of stink at it..." he admitted, shrugging his shoulders and glancing back at Shu. "I don't know if either of them can bake... I've never asked either. If you want then you can ask them yourself though." There were more important matters right now, chief amongst those the smell of freshly cooked foods entering the room. Sniffing at the air Takeshi shifted about excitedly, grinning as he watched a good many carts be wheeled out, each bearing two or three platters of goodies. As they were laid out and the covers removed he saw all sorts of things, from meats and fish to fruits, appetizers, little desserts and snacks. And boy did it all smell really tasty! "Food's ready Shu!" he declared, marching over excitedly.

Yumi had perked up pretty quickly too smelling the food, her own stomach grumbling eagerly. Watching intently as each dish was set out she smiled, refraining from hurrying over like Takeshi and some other guests in favor of waiting for Viral. "Oooooh, that all smells really yummy, don't you think? My mouth is watering just smelling all of it!"

Vegeta couldn't well wait any longer, his guests probably wanted food. Sushi hadn't arrived yet and the dumplings weren't finished, but he sent out the rest anyways. How bothersome, and he'd paid top dollar to get all this on time. Sighing as the last cart went out the door he followed en suite, smiling seeing a crowd beginning to steadily converge on the tables. At least people were hungry, he'd hope so with how much food they had. Joining Viral and Yumi just off to the side he looked up at the Beastman, giving him a small pat on the back. "Hungry? I've got a couple of your favorites over there, take whatever you want," he said, "Sushi hasn't shown up yet unfortunately, so there's none of that. Or dumplings, so... Sorry Yumi." She gave a pout at that, obviously disappointed. Smiling apologetically Vegeta folded his hands behind his back, looking to Viral again. "Enjoying yourself yet?"

Viral didn’t sound so sure, his trust in Yumi kind of dwindling and getting a little difficult to keep up any sort of trust he might otherwise have. She could easily say one thing and actually end up trying to surprise him. Feeling just that little bit worried that she would end up trying to scare him again, he rubbed his arms defensively, letting out a low groan as she spoke, “You find everything fun, like watching someone struggle with simple tasks from a distance”, he spoke quickly, shaking his head, “And how am I supposed to decide what to do during this when I don’t generally do things with people?? I am not going to know what to do, plain and simple…” He was pretty annoyed by that fact and wouldn’t mind some guidance for once, especially when he wasn’t one for asking for guidance. Frowning a little, he looked off again at the sound of food being ready, “Great, hopefully I can eat while not under the influence of a drug”, he spoke, sighing a little, “Fighting also depends on whether I’m up for it after if I don’t turn this into an utter disaster…”

Shu was definitely concerned, but he was pretty happy to try and understand what he was missing and if he really needed to know everything Takeshi knew. The things Takeshi must know would definitely make him a wiseman among his clan, probably something that Takeshi might like the sound of being called if he ever felt dumb, “Ooh, okay! I wish to learn everything you want me to learn about, so long as you want to teach me”, he smiled at Takeshi, slowly tilting his head to the side, “Do you think Miss Yumi can bake…? Ooh! Maybe your friends! Do Saiyans eat sweet things or is it only me…?” Feeling concerned for a moment, he let out a little sigh before suddenly getting really excited when food suddenly began to get carted out, “Ooh! Food! Yummy food!” he bounced around, watching it all excitedly, “I’m going to eat as much as I’m allowed to!”

Viral didn’t know what to make of the food, but with his appetite getting a little better he was certainly going to have to try and eat, especially if he didn’t want to turn into a giant cat in front of everyone. It all was a little concerning; he didn’t want to freak out in front of everyone and that was highly likely that he would do that too, especially without his medicine. He did hate his medicine, but when it meant he wasn’t going to act like a pain around everyone and making people upset with his attitude then he would take it. Looking to Yumi, he sighed and walked towards the tables, his eyes on the food before noticing Vegeta. There was certainly a lot of food available, but it seemed Yumi was the one a little disappointed that there wasn’t a certain food item selection. Scratching at his side as the pat made his back tingle a little, he looked to Vegeta before shrugging, “I don’t know, I’ve not done anything”, he spoke, shaking his head, “I met this older couple though…people who knew me when I was still small…”

"You make me sound sadistic when you put it that way," Yumi said with a pout, "I don't enjoy watching people struggle. I do enjoy seeing people be happy though, and that's what I want to see from you! I just don't want to tell you what to do, I don't feel like you'll enjoy yourself as much." Eh, she'd give it until after the meal, and if he was still lost then she would go ahead and run him through it. Much as Viral asked for help she couldn't bring herself to do it, not immediately. Perhaps foolishly she was waiting to see if he would take the incentive to be more outgoing himself, much as a stretch that may be. Cringing faintly at the drug remark Yumi smiled hopefully, patting the Beastman on the arm. "I'm sure you'll be able to! A lot of it is going to be your favorite foods, and you can eat as much or as little as you want!"

Oh boy, he really had to learn to keep his own mouth shut. It was nice and all that Shu wanted to learn, but how much did he want to learn exactly? Takeshi knew probably the equivalent of your average high school student... As a freshman. He wasn't a teacher, if anyone ought to do it then it ought to be Vegeta, or maybe Sayomi or a rebel. His brother wanted him to teach however, that was the impression he got anyways. "I'll try teaching you whatever you want to know," the Saiyan remarked, smirking at his brother, "Not baking though. I don't know if Yumi knows, or the others either. Saiyans do eat sweets, though... Their sweets are different from ours." Not the same foods or anything, it made cooking tricky. That was part of the reason Takeshi couldn't be bothered with cooking, he didn't want to have to learn the different food stuffs on every single planet. It was easier to shove a stick into something's hind and roast it over the fire, not a whole lot of expertise required there. Wafts of all sorts of tasty treats began to fill Takeshi's nose, and he was quick to point out the food carts that were only now being brought out. Shu was rather excited about it too, springing about yet again. "Allowed to? Eat all you want! I'm sure they've got more where this came from!"

At last the food was ready. Vegeta wasn't thrilled with how late it had all come out, he'd been hoping to at least have appetizers prepared before anyone even showed up. Ah well, better late than never he supposed. Making certain everything was ready, and finding a few missing he disparagingly let the cooks bring the carts out, seeing no need to wait any longer. Following out behind the final chef he paused when he came across Viral and Yumi, the latter going off to the table to help set it. So far things seemed to be going okay, even if Viral had removed himself from the party. Grabbing his attention and asking how he was enjoying himself the response was, unfortunately, less than stellar. "Talking to those two, hm?" Vegeta remarked, gesturing to Masao and Shiori. He wouldn't reveal how he'd come across those two, only that he had. "Kind of troublesome to track down, but I figured they'd make good additions to the party. And they were more than happy to come see you again, so it worked out." Hopefully once everyone had some food the party could begin in earnest, then mayhaps Viral would enjoy himself a little more. "Go on, take your seat and grab something to eat," he urged, smiling kindly as he gave the Beastman a small push. "You're at the head of the table with myself and Yumi, take whatever one of the seats you want and someone will bring you your food."

Viral had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, his instincts did not exist in this kind of environment. He wasn’t used to being around so many people or anything for that manner that had the slightest bit of colour. It was like getting lost in a crowd, even if this was a pretty small crowd. It probably wasn’t doing all that much for his mentality at the moment except for feeling surprised, but the uncertainty he was feeling and feeling lost had him wondering this was a good idea and whether he should just leave everyone be. If Yumi wasn’t actually going to help him then he was going to have to go to someone else and hope they might be able to help, possibly Vegeta or something. Feeling lost at your own event was probably the worst feeling you could have and it was one he didn’t want to have to experience for long.

While Shu was definitely willing to learn all he could, the sound of food right now was the best thing he could hope for. He was definitely starving and hearing about cakes and other goodies made him all the more excited to try these things. Knowing that Yumi might bake for him was thrilling, but his curiosity lay with the thought of Saiyans eating sweets and what kind they were, “Oooohhh…would I ever be able to try out Saiyan sweets?” he asked up quickly, staring at Takeshi, “I want to know what they’re like! Not from their planet, though…I mean, from somewhere else…” Definitely a little curious now, he almost forgot that the food was out and he would be able to eat what he wanted. Bouncing around happily, he reached out and tried to pull at Takeshi, “Eat now? Yes? What do we do after eating? Cake eating? If I ever have something like this, I would be happy having just my friends with me”.

Viral had a problem with understanding what he was supposed to do and knowing he was supposed to lead definitely made him feel uncomfortable. Vegeta was just questioning what he was doing rather than giving him answers, but it wasn’t anything too uncomfortable to answer quite yet. Letting out a sigh, he stared at Vegeta as he spoke before shrugging, “Now my only concern is how many people know I exist and who I can’t remember from where I know them from”. Having the knowledge of people knowing you as opposed to you knowing who they might be had him concerned on a number of levels, but he probably shouldn’t be so concerned when they didn’t appear too suspicious. Looking to the table, he nodded a little and slowly made his way to the table, “Hopefully this lasts long because I have no idea what I’m supposed to do at this…party…” Walking up to the table, he calmly slipped into one of the chairs and stared at all the other guests, feeling a little confused and slightly embarrassed. He didn’t much know how to handle being the centre of attention, his claws slowly lifting his scarf up a tiny bit over his face. Even the giant bug-alien wasn’t getting as much attention as he was and that was still a lot.

Sweets, conversation aside, were the furthest thing from Takeshi's mind right now. What he really wanted was some seared fish, and it looked like there was a nice big helping of swordfish just waiting for him to take. Rubbing his hands together as he smiled eagerly the older boy started towards the table, pausing as his brother asked him yet another question. "If we can find some you can certainly try them, sure." he answered, looking back at the food. Oh that all smelled so tasty, shame they were going to have to watch how much they ate. He didn't have to start moving for the food again, Shu was right there bringing him along, grabbing his arm and yanking him almost off his feet. Making a faint noise in surprise Takeshi stumbled along, stopping as they reached a pair of seats by the head of the table. Those seats had been reserved for the main group of friends, the rest of the guests were scattered around the other spots. Taking his spot on the end so Shu and T'charrl could sit side by side the Saiyan grabbed his plate, looking at the trays curiously. Looks like everyone was going to be served, that was annoying. "What we do is up to Viral, it's his party." Takeshi looked over to Shu, smiling as he reached up and ruffled his sibling's hair. "When we get back again let's throw you a party, yeah? Just us and our friends."

"We'll work on remembering them later, don't worry so much about that now. What matters is they showed up, and they remember you." Positively as well, they wouldn't have come otherwise. It was a trivial matter far as Vegeta was concerned, albeit he couldn't say that aloud, it clearly bothered Viral. Food was set and people were moving to their seats, so with small hints of urgency he moved Viral to his spot down at the head of the table. Putting him on the spot like this couldn't be thrilling, though it was all part of the party, he had to understand that. "You're supposed to enjoy yourself. Let everyone be happy for you and do whatever you please, more or less. It's your day, you decide." He hadn't meant to be as dismissive as Yumi was, but that was the truth of it. Birthdays were meant to be spent as the person who was celebrating wanted, no one else could tell them what to do. Waiting until everyone was sat down in their seats Vegeta stood behind his chair, holding up a hand to get the waiters to hold off for a moment. Picking up his glass he smiled, looking right to Viral as he spoke. "I just want to thank everyone who showed up today, and I'm sure Viral wants to as well. Before we eat I just want to wish him a happy birthday again, and if you'd all join me..."

"Happy birthday Viral!"

Another round of shouts and the clinging of glasses, coupled with a short burst of applause sounded off. Once that was done Vegeta took his seat and the servers finally began to pass around the trays. For the most part people were taking relatively little food, no one had that much of an appetite. That could be in part the amount of goodies that the Saiyans and their friends were all grabbing for themselves. Goodness knows the other guests were going to be sick just watching them eat all of that. Attention had perhaps graciously shifted off of Viral at this point as groups broke into their own little private conversations, everyone looked to be having a rather good time. Takeshi was happily munching away at a nearly whole piece of swordfish, and Yumi was chewing away at a bunch of seared scallops and scallions. A little unexpected too was a bit of music that began to play, just some calming classic songs to keep the atmosphere relaxed and carefree.

Takeshi stuffed his mouth near to the point to bursting with food, chewing happily before swallowing it all in one big gulp. Sighing contentedly he gave his stomach a pat, looking across at Viral cheerfully. "Hey, happy birthday Viral!" he said, grabbing another piece and popping it in his mouth like candy. "Mmm... Yummy birthday food! We have to do this more often!"

"I'm sure you're probably tired of hearing it by now, but happy birthday," Yumi added, sending a smile Viral's way as well. "Hope you're having an okay time at least. Have some of the food, it's really yummy, like the scallops!" If he didn't take any then that was just fine too, she could gladly eat them all.

Viral was definitely pretty anxious, staring at all of the people at the table with everybody else calmly approaching it with food on their minds. Lowering his gaze a little, he noticed Vegeta and Yumi come over to the table as well only to be told he had to choose what he was supposed to do today, “What?? Yumi!” he snapped, giving her a glare before looking back to Vegeta, lowering his voice, “Just so you know…I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here, nevermind what I’m supposed to do!” Maybe he should go into hiding after this dinner and whatever happened after; he didn’t have anything he often did other than fight, eat and sleep and even then two out of three of those things were very difficult sometimes. Feeling pretty lost, he gasped a little when everyone suddenly shouted out a happy birthday at him, his eyes quickly looking around at everyone. Frowning a little in embarrassment, he was soon greeted with food being served and everybody promptly digging into their meals.

He didn’t know what to feel or say if anything at all, simply watching as people chatted away with each other and ate an assortment of food. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in his name for some reason, but their attention towards him was very limited. He probably should be glad that he didn’t have any problems regarding the number of people around him, but he also felt pretty left out considering his anti-social behaviour. Maybe it was the effect of being in a crowd of people, he wouldn’t know. Hearing the music in the background of chatter, he stared at the food as it was gobbled up before his eyes slowly moved away from it all when Takeshi suddenly spoke up. He was being disgusting with his food, as usual. Sighing, Yumi decided to make a quick comment as well as she offered him the food. He didn’t know if he should or not despite all the food looking delicious, he just felt alienated and so did his appetite, “Hmm whatever; you eat it”, he spoke, waving his hand in her direction, “It’s some of your favourite, so just take it. It will all be gone soon, so you should move fast…”

Shu was definitely happy to be sitting with everyone with all this food, feeling as if it was more than just a ‘birthday’ or whatever. It felt like a nice little get-together with all these people he’d never met before, even if some were looking at him strangely. T’charrl was certainly getting a lot of gazes, but probably due to the fact that he was tall, colourful and had been playing with balloons. Shu couldn’t reach the balloons to figure out what they were, but he was happy being with Takeshi. Eating what he could grab, he bounced happily before looking to Takeshi, staring at him happily, “Oooh! Party with colours and food and friends sounds nice…” he spoke quickly before gasping, “Ooh! I would like to learn how to fly by then! Fly all around and happy…”

Yumi was eating her meal with a little more manners than Takeshi, but not much. She did use utensils, but she shoveled the food in about as swiftly as the Saiyans did. It was ages since they had any of these foods it felt like, she was in absolute culinary heaven right now. Sighing euphorically she wiped at her mouth with a napkin, looking around the table to see what everyone was doing. People were getting on well, all eating and chatting away merrily. There wasn't an awful lot of attention directed towards Viral, maybe they could fix that. Before she could even spring her idea she tried to get the Beastman to eat some food first. "It's your birthday food, you should have some!" Yumi said adamantly, smiling as she offered one over on her fork for Viral, dropping it on his plate. "If you don't have some now there might not be any left, you should really try a little bit!" If Viral meant to eat then he was going to have to wait a moment, because another of their guests had finally arrived at the party. Hearing the door open behind them Yumi turned in her seat, smiling happily seeing Doctor Ikura being checked in. Giving the older man a wave over she looked back at Viral, pointing to the doctor. "Another guest, and I know he's got something for you!"

Ikura hoped he wasn't too late, albeit it did look like the festivities had begun. Only looked to be the meal thankfully, all of the presents were still sitting in one neat pile and the cake was nowhere to be seen. Looking at the gathering of faces he spotted out the man of the hour, smiling brightly as he gave a wave, making his way over to the table. "Ah, Viral! Sorry I'm late!" Still carrying his present in both arms the doctor paused as he got to the table, glancing around before placing it carefully on a small table. Coming over to where the Beastman sat he leaned over, abruptly giving Viral a hug with a happy laugh. "Happy 25th birthday young man! Hard to believe it's been that long already!" To think he and Aito had done that half a lifetime ago, it didn't seem like that was the case. Standing upright and fixing his glasses he glanced around for a spot to sit, smiling gratefully as Vegeta had a chair brought over and placed on the other side of the Beastman. Taking the seat Ikura looked back at Viral fondly, feeling quite like a father at that instant as he reached out and without word ruffled the Beastman's hair ala Takeshi and Shu. "How are you enjoying your day so far?"

"Hm... Yeah... Colors and food..." Takeshi replied, half-minded as he continued to stuff his face. The sudden gasp out of Shu made him take pause, looking over curiously as he swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "You'll know how to fly by tomorrow if you keep it up. You've been doing really well so far," he paused, looking over at T'charrl, who was still prodding at a balloon. "You too! And I wouldn't do that, it might pop." Eh, or he could do it and find out the hard way. Not seeing the old man come in Takeshi looked fair confused when he saw Ikura greeting Viral, not having yet met the man himself. Whoever he was, he was awfully friendly with Viral. Really friendly, as pretty soon the guy was ruffling the Beastman's hair, something he didn't think he'd ever see anyone do. Hiding a snicker behind his hand the Saiyan hastily grabbed his drink, sipping from it and looking away, hoping he hadn't been heard.

Viral certainly didn’t want to chomp down food like Takeshi was, or Yumi for that matter. Everyone else was having a pretty nice time all chatting and talking with other guests and at least they weren’t putting him off too much compared to the bunch of Saiyans on this side. Feeling a little put off from joining in, he frowned a tad when Yumi suggested he should eat and dropped a scallop on his plate. Staring at it for a few seconds, he looked back to Yumi and sighed, “You know there probably won’t be enough food for me at this end of the table in half a minute, so why are you bothering?” It was like being on the ship all over again, but before any more of a struggle could be made to try and eat some food there was a sudden noise from elsewhere. Turning his head quickly, he spotted Doctor Ikura entering the party, a sigh escaping his mouth when the man decided to come over with a present.

He didn’t know how he felt about Ikura arriving, the man knew a lot about him so sharing of stories was highly likely without him wanting it to happen. Frowning slightly, he watched carefully as the man approached the table and without warning after placing the present down he suddenly grabbed Viral in a hug. Stiffening up, he stared at Ikura with concern before he quickly rubbed his arms, “Hmph! Sure…not like I knew that”, he huffed, lowering his arms, “I’m still confused as to why this is called a ‘birthday’ for me!” Feeling a little uncomfortable and embarrassed, the man only furthered that embarrassment when he suddenly reached out and ruffled up his hair, raising his hands in protest as he lowered his head, “Hey! I don’t know! I don’t even know how I am supposed to enjoy it! They expect me to know what to do!”

Shu was definitely all excited about flying, especially when it was something he felt like he was missing out on. Unlike Viral, it was obvious he could fly after the many times he had done so before with only one ending in pain, “Wow! Really? I can’t wait!” Feeling all giddy, he quickly looked to T’charrl when Takeshi pointed him out, seeing him still play with the balloon up until he was told off for it, letting it fly into the air again; oddly enough, he had it tied to his wrist on string as if someone had done that for him. Tilting his head a little, his eyes were soon taken towards Viral and Ikura, staring at them curiously before giving a smile, “Ooohhh, that man seems nice. Do you know him? You seem to be happy when you saw him”, he asked Takeshi curiously, seeing his reaction, “He touched Mister Viral…”

Ikura was, quite obviously, happy to be there. He'd been elated at the idea of throwing a celebration for Viral, that was a sure way to cheer him up. He didn't exactly come off as enthusiastic right now but that could very easily change, they only had to put in a little more effort. Greeting the Beastman with a hug the doctor took his spot beside Viral, getting a very light plate of food for himself. "It's a birthday the same reason it is for everyone. Each year you celebrate the day a person was born on, it's all about celebrating life. That's how a birthday works, so we're celebrating you today." the old man explained, smiling kindly. In a spur of the moment action, or perhaps just wanting to show a little affection he reached out, ruffling Viral's hair playfully in a fatherly show. When the Beastman promptly reacted and covered his head Ikura couldn't help but laugh, enjoying his reaction. "Ah... They haven't explained anything? Well that won't do, not at all. Let's see here..." Ikura cupped his chin throughtfully, folding his other arm across his chest as he leaned back in his seat. "First thing is you greet all the guests, though you don't have to do that. After you socialize a bit you have a meal, we're doing that now. After that you usually have the cake, and presents lastly. Any clearer for you?"

Takeshi smiled in amusement at T'charrl, not quite sure how anyone could be so fascinated with a balloon. Expecting it to go back up to the ceiling but instead hovering there. Spotting the knot on his wrist the Saiyan rolled his eyes, though still smiling as he went back to his food. Not for long, as another guest had joined the party, and they seemed rather friendly with Viral. Watching curiously the older boy shook his head, "No, I don't know who he is. And I was laughing because of what he did to Viral." The hug, anyways. When he saw the man ruffle Viral's hair Takeshi nearly lost it, having to cover his mouth to bite back a laugh. Snickering behind his hand he reached over, covering Shu's mouth briefly for worry his brother might give him away. "Shhh... I know that. What do you think? I'll give the guy... 5 minutes before he's running for it." You normally couldn't even give the guy a high five without him coming down on you with his cleaver, let alone hug him or, heaven forbid, ruffle his hair. Either this guy had a death wish or really knew what he was doing. "Hah... This could get really bad..." he mumbled, returning to his meal innocently.

Viral couldn’t exactly feel too happy when things seemed to come to a halt for him because he didn’t have a clue to how things worked, his mind unable to understand the basics of a party. It greatly frustrated him that he had no idea what he was supposed to do other than sit there and watch everyone else have a good time. Ikura arriving didn’t help much except maybe he’ll finally tell him whether what he was doing was going to screw up or not with just sitting there doing nothing. Frowning a little, he stared at the man as he slowly shifted his hair back into place, disliking the thought of showing too much of his face if his hair was uneven, “Seems kind of…strange, almost as if saying ‘congratulations, you didn’t die this year’”, he sighed, shaking his head a little, “I doubt it’s as simple as wishing for a happy day…”

Feeling completely lost in the dark, Viral faced the table again, watching as everyone continued to socialise and eat away their troubles. He had to be honest with himself that today was definitely feeling as if it was for everyone else to come together. Sure, there were gifts for him, but then he’d look greedy if that was all there was to it. Rubbing his head slowly, he looked to Ikura as he too went into deep thought over what might be done at a birthday party. Frowning a little, he looked away and down the table, sighing a little before looking back at Ikura, “So people are here for a meet up, a meal and to give presents to me?” he repeated, looking a little confused, “So I don’t have to do anything else? Then of course…I don’t know anything else. Incase your ‘deep analysis’ into my psyche hasn’t given you any clue about me, I don’t do much else other than fight!”

Shu was very curious now, his eyes on the strange man as if expecting him to go running anytime soon. He did hope he wouldn’t, that would be pretty mean of Viral and even meaner of Takeshi for expecting it. Giving Takeshi a little shove, he smiled at him before going back to watching and trying to see what would happen. It didn’t appear as if anything else was going to happen; sure, Viral looked a little annoyed and embarrassed, but other than that there was nothing at all that was happening. Smiling a little, he poked Takeshi’s arm and smiled at him, “Is that the doctor Mister Viral was going to see, maybe? He must had been very nice to him”, he spoke, moving his chair a little close to Takeshi with a few bounces, “I don’t think you should try that, though! Mister Viral would hit you so hard you would fly before I get to!”

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it, though hardly the best..." Birthdays were all about happiness and celebration after all, that was a morbid if perhaps true assessment of them. Taking a small bite of his food to sample it the doctor looked back up at Viral, smiling kindly as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin. "Well that's the very bare-bone version of it I suppose. Though it's more than that. Everyone wants to see you enjoy yourself and be happy, and that's the reason they're here. It's hoped that having all these people here, coming together for a single purpose, that's you, will make you happier. Presents aside the company of everyone here is solely because they wish to be with you on your birthday. Even if you don't recognize or remember some of them they all know you, and were willing to put aside their own daily plans to pay you a visit. Doesn't that seem special at all?" Ikura didn't know that coming was optional, though he certainly assumed that was the case. No one looked like they were unhappy to be here, and occasionally a smile would be sent Viral's way, whether the Beastman saw it or not. Plenty of people were happy for him, he just had to realize it.

Again taking a small bite of his food Ikura heard out Viral, upset at how bothered the Beastman still was. "I have learned plenty about you, and I know that fighting isn't all you do. At least, it's not all you want." he explained, setting his fork down and again turning to face Viral. "You're alone, or you feel that way. You feel like your world is collapsing in around you and you're doubting yourself and who you are. Those traumatic events, they continue to haunt you and deny your enjoying anything, even when happiness is right before you, as it is now. You want more in your life and don't know how to grasp it, and I think to a degree you're afraid of trying, lest it fail and you fall because of it." That was all in part conjecture and part what he had learned from their brief meetings. It felt right, though Ikura wished he wasn't correct in this case. Smiling sympathetically the doctor reached up, placing a hand on Viral's back and patting it lightly. "Listen... Viral. We could get every single person here to express their happiness to you. I swear they are glad to be here with you, and if their saying it will help convince you of that then it can be done. Every single soul in this room, strangers and friends alike, just want your happiness. We all care about you, and we've come together in hopes of sparking a light in your life. Maybe with that thought you can enjoy this a little more?"

Vegeta was quite happy with how things were coming together, certainly now that Ikura was here to reassure Viral. Overhearing most of what was being said he silently nodded his head in agreement, completely following everything the doctor had to share. "You shouldn't feel like anyone here is obligated to bring you something, or to be here. And you won't be thought of as greedy, or selfish, or anything for accepting gifts. These were chosen to be given to you, as people chose to be here, it's all choice. They did it because they wanted to, and they all want you to be happy too." They must sound like absolute broken records at this point, they said the same thing almost daily it seemed. This was the first party they threw Viral, the first real effort as far as Vegeta was concerned to cheer him up. If this didn't even make a dent then he was utterly beside himself.

"I know! We can have each person bring their gift up when it's time for presents!" Yumi chimed in, beaming across the table at Viral. "Even if they don't say anything having them personally hand it over would be nice, don't you think? And only people who want to, so that way it's not like we're forcing them." Shame there weren't any kids around, everyone loved kids and having some play with Viral or deliver his presents would be a sure fire way to make him smile. Looking around at everyone seated Yumi grabbed her glass, smiling as she cleared her throat and tapped her fork against it to get everyone's attention. "Hey, I want to make a toast to Viral everyone! Here's to hoping he has the best birthday ever!" Raising her glass she was followed en suit by everyone else, and a unified sound of approval came from around the room. Setting her glass back down she looked to Viral again, folding her arms on top of the table. "See all of them, how they were smiling at you? Everyone's happy for you Viral!"

Takeshi swayed slightly in his seat while pushed, a bit preoccupied watching everyone basically doting on Viral to react. They all sure seemed vested in his happiness, it was a kind of funny warming thing to see. Not to say that he, Shu and T'charrl didn't want their friend happy, none of them probably had a clue how to go about it was all. Looking at Shu as he bounced his way over the older boy smiled, shrugging and looking back at Viral and Ikura. "Must be... I can't think of anyone else. He does seem like a nice guy, really confident he's not going to get bit or anything," he joked, referring to earlier when Viral had munched on his shoulder. Rubbing at the very spot in thought he shot Shu a look, smiling a bit nervously as he shook his head. "Viral wouldn't hit me... Not that hard anyways..." Probably not, hopefully not. "Besides, I can already fly before you, so that wouldn't change anything," he added, sticking his tongue out at Shu playfully.

Viral felt so confused, finding it all hard whether he could live up to everyone’s expectations and be happy during this day. Whether it really was his birthday or just a day to try and make him feel good about himself, he found it very hard to find anything to feel proud of or happy about. He wasn’t used to being around this many people, especially a bunch of people who apparently knew him. They were either retired employees or previous ones, possibly some people from the outside that decided because they knew him they should give him birthday wishes. At least they were all enjoying themselves, happily eating the food prepared for this special occasion. Everyone except him was having a good time with little reason as to why he wasn’t feeling anything at all. He was probably being selfish, stuck in a place where he only cared about himself; however, the biggest difference was he didn’t care about himself at all, “I know they did that, but that doesn’t exactly help how I feel right now”.

Frowning, he slowly leaned on his hand and stared down at his near empty plate, the scallop Yumi had given him still present. Looking up again to Ikura, he narrowed his eyes a little at what was being said before sighing, slowly looking away again. It was hard to deny anything the man was saying with the knowledge that it would only further imply that he was in self-denial. Everything he was telling him made him feel weak and insecure, everything he could do without. Ikura was kidding if he thought he had anything more to him than fighting; even when he was raising Vegeta he was teaching him how to fight. Lowering his head a little, he slowly looked up at Ikura as he gave him a pat on the back, trying to give him some reassurance, “It’s pretty heavy trying to carry such words and believe in them”, he spoke calmly, looking up at the people again, “Everything about me doesn’t make sense, not even the fact that this is for me. I am trying to make sense of it, but…”

Feeling pretty lost for words, he let out a sigh and shook his head, looking away from everyone. It was so much rubbish and he couldn’t believe it, the thought of him being able to do more than fighting and these people wanting to know him for that was just nonsense. No one else was going through his problem, making him most definitely alone in this. Slowly rubbing his forehead, he looked to Vegeta with a frown, groaning as he stared back down the table. If he didn’t like something the person was probably going to get offended, but what was worse was that was always going to be inevitable when humans seemed to have a knack for understanding body language so well. There was probably that worry, but whether they got one as an entry fee he probably wouldn’t be able to tell.

Nodding slightly, his attention soon went to Yumi as she immediately spoke up, sounding oddly perky about all of this. She was certainly in a good mood, probably from being fed so much. Staring at her curiously, he watched as she picked up her glass again, feeling confused when she tried to make another announcement, “Vegeta already did this…” he groaned, feeling a little embarrassed again. Staring at her, he gasped a little when everyone decided to add their own voice to it, his eyes quickly looking between them all. He didn’t think there would be much response to that now that everyone had been fed. Hunching slightly in embarrassment, he gave a little nod to Yumi’s question before sighing, scratching at his neck, “Great, now I’ve just got to find this happiness. I don’t want to make people disappointed that I couldn’t get passed all my hurdles…”

Shu definitely didn’t worry about the man at this point, seeing how he was acting like Takeshi does to him. It was quite nice seeing that, but Viral still seemed to be down in the dumps. It was almost easy to imagine Viral just sitting there staring as the world passed by him, something that was pretty sad to imagine. Scratching through his hair, he squeaked when everyone reacted to Yumi’s little speech, his eyes quickly looking around at everyone before he looked back to Takeshi, smiling, “Good thing he won’t bite him, but maybe he shouldn’t get too close before he does what he did to you”, he spoke, bouncing a bit, “But I could still fly faster than you! Otherwise I wouldn’t had gone face first into the ground before you!”

"You need to stop being so hard on yourself, Viral. No one here is going to be mad or disappointed at you, honest. They just want you to try and enjoy yourself, that's all." It was a shame he couldn't though, they were trying pretty hard to prove they were all happy for him. Popping a scallop into her mouth Yumi folded her hands in her lap, smiling across at the Beastman cheerfully. "Just think of all the presents you're going to get. I bet it's a lot of things you could use or want, isn't that nice? And there's all this food too, you can eat whatever you want, however much you want. That's got to feel nice, right?" All this being peppy and positive was proving to be a real headache, it was hard to be so utterly positive. Maybe some of their positivity would rub off on their friend, she'd take any chance to make him happy at this point. "Hm... We'll find a way to give you happiness. Unfortunately that's not something we can really gift wrap though..."

Perhaps he ought not to have spoken aloud of Viral's problems. Ikura knew perfectly well what was wrong with the Beastman, and he was drafting a solution to it all. Hearing one's own issues wasn't ever a pleasant thing, and admittedly he'd dropped the ball in speaking aloud of Viral's. After apologizing and the group attempt to cheer him up the old man sighed softly. He really wasn't receptive to positivity at all, he was much too focused on the bad to be. "What about it doesn't make sense, Viral...? Perhaps I can shed some light on it." Giving a smile of support the doctor took a sip from his glass, looking at everyone around them as he spoke. "People have come together for one purpose, to help you feel happy. Don't feel obligated by that, you don't have to be happy because of that. But if you need it to make sense then think of it this way, every single person in this room wants to see you enjoy yourself. And they've come here to help that. They're not vested in you, they owe nothing, they're doing this because they want to help. You've so many people in your corner trying to support you, and they'd all gladly speak to you if it meant helping."

People were sure trying hard to cheer Viral up, it was a shame it wasn't doing any good. Really what more could they do than this already? The guy had a huge party thrown for him and plenty of people acting nice towards him, that ought to make anyone happy. Beside himself Takeshi joined in to another toast for the Beastman, quieting down immediately after as the doctor and Yumi continued talking to their friend. Hm... When should he try asking about sword training he wondered. "I doubt Viral will bite me again... Now hitting me on the other hand..." That was probably fair game. The guy had been all loopy before when he'd gone and bit Takeshi, that had to have something to do with it. Looking at Shu again the older boy sighed, smiling slightly as he prodded his sibling's forehead. "You couldn't fly faster than me. You might be faster on land but my Ki control is better, you won't be able to fly faster," he responded, feeling a bit defensive, silly as it may be. "Besides, you only went face first before me because I wasn't trying to do that. If, for whatever ridiculous reason I was I would have won." Realizing he was getting a bit too into this Takeshi smiled apologetically, giving Shu's hair a ruffle. "Let's not bother with that stuff now, yeah? How about we just enjoy the party?"

Viral was trying really hard to be positive as well but it was definitely hurting him a lot to try that and only end up going the completely opposite way, his mind not finding it easy to settle itself in that zone. Maybe it was the feeling of being selfish that was bothering him despite all this reassurance that he wasn’t being selfish, he just had to see the positivity in this party; everyone else was happy, just he seemed to be having a harder time feeling it. Staring at Yumi before slowly looking to Ikura, he soon lowered his head and sighed, “It’s got to feel nice”, he spoke, picking up the scallop with the tips of his claws, “You’re both right about everything. I am not trying hard enough…or trying too hard to pick everything apart. It’s hard finding a balance…”

Maybe he should had tried to find that happiness a little harder as he was the one who was feeling miserable over everything. This was all just the start of his battle and what a sad battle it was, like being surrounded by happiness and here he was under a little raincloud. Glancing to Ikura, he frowned a little as he slowly reached out and tried grabbing up some food, or what was left of it anyway. He was trying to sort himself out by doing so, hoping he would fit in a little more instead of sitting at the end of everything looking like he didn’t want to be here. It was so strange having everyone there for that purpose if Ikura was right, but then again these engagements were always something he could never understand. Frowning slightly, he stared down at his now moderately filled plate, “I suppose…I should talk to these people eventually, see if they mean well for myself”, he spoke calmly, shaking his head a little, “I want to keep away from those pills for as long as possible during this. I’m surprised you made room in your busy schedule to come here rather than wait until I had to visit you again”.

Shu smiled a little, finding it amusing that Takeshi was getting so bothered by his claims. It was something that Takeshi often found pride in, knowing he had great control compared to him but there was no denying Shu was definitely faster. The guy needed something to be proud of and seeing his reaction made him feel pretty amused, putting on a frown as he spoke up, “Oooohhh, it’s not like that was what I was hoping to do”, he moaned, staring up at Takeshi before giggling as his hair was ruffled up, giving his head a quick shake after, “I’m going to bother if you bother a lot with it. I’m good at something too”, he spoke quickly, smiling, “Enjoy the party…just by eating? I want to eat cake! Cake sounds good…”

"Viral... It's nothing against you that you're finding this difficult. It's your first party, it's normal to be confused or uneasy." Ikura didn't want the Beastman getting the wrong idea, or feel guilty that he might now be showing proper appreciation. It was understood the man didn't quite know how to show gratitude as most people might, at least among his inner circle. Hopefully the other attendees picked up on that and didn't label him as ungrateful. "How about try taking things at face value? Everyone around you is happy, they're all doing this to enjoy themselves. Rather than question every piece just dive right in and worry about the details later. If you don't think on it so much perhaps you can enjoy yourself more." Easier said than done of course, you couldn't simply switch off negative thoughts, it didn't work like that. Smiling thoughtfully Ikura moved a little food around his plate, looking at Viral out of the corner of his eye, a mischievous twinkle in his stare. "If I asked each individual guest to speak to you... Would that dispel any doubts that they're here simply because it's a nicety? And make you more at ease?"

Ah, he was taking food now, that was a good change of pace. Not exactly what Ikura had wanted but it was a start to recovery. Having some food in him would improve his mood a little, and maybe once he was eating he'd become more open to conversation. Using the pause to take a few bites of his own meal the doctor wondered just how he'd help Viral after he left. Leaving Earth wasn't in the books for him, there were people on this planet who needed his help, he couldn't leave them for an arguably selfish purpose as this, much as he might like. "Talk to them at your own pace Viral, there's no rush. My suggestion was only a jest," Ikura said, wiping at his mouth, "But I certainly agree, you should. I feel you'll find that quite a few of these visitors are just as worried about you as the rest of us, even if they don't truly understand your situation. As we said, those who are here, from the guests to the servants, everyone has agreed to come here to see you happy. So I'm sure being able to talk to you, and having the chance to be that one who cheers you up, why... It would be an honor for most." Shaking his head dismissively the old man smiled, "I always have room to visit you. I may be busy, but there are others every bit as capable as myself. I do like to be around in person for things, but I have priorities. And my priority so long as you're here, is you."

Takeshi's eyebrow gave a little twitch of annoyance, getting teased like that by Shu. He was enjoying this, little smarty-pants. "You are good at something, but it's not flying fast," the older boy pressed, stabbing a fork of food and stuffing it in his mouth. Hmph, he'd teach Shu how to fly just to prove to him he wasn't quicker, then he'd drop it. Stuffing away another bite and chasing it down with a drink the Saiyan sighed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Ah... Yeah, eating. Enjoy the food, talk to someone." he added, "We'll have cake when Viral says it's time for cake. I don't even know what kind of cake it is, probably not fruit though." Chuckling Takeshi reached across the table, stabbing up another piece of steak and dropping it onto his plate, pouring on a fair bit of a wasabi mix for flavor. It had been a long, long while since he'd had hot food. He wondered how it would taste. Hm... Or, he wondered how Shu would like it. Suppressing a mischievous grin Takeshi cut off a small slice of the beef, offering it over to Shu innocently. "Want to try a little? I didn't see you have any earlier."