Viral didn’t know why he wasn’t very confident with these things, especially considering he was supposed to be able to adapt to a wide variety of environments; however, social ones were definitely a whole new ballgame for him. For all the confusion and disorientation he was suffering from during this struggle for understanding, he seemed to be overlooking a lot of everything that made this a social event. It was a little upsetting to say the least, knowing he was that bad in basic socialising. Playing with his food for a moment, he looked up to Ikura with an annoyed frown before sighing, “It’s not that I’m thinking about it too much, it’s just…the whole…thought of having to do more about it than anyone else”, he shrugged, finding it hard to explain himself, “It’s not even depression over it, just anger that it has to be a thing with me. Hmph…it might…and might make me feel better about being around what feels like strangers…”

Viral still wasn’t eating his food quite yet, his claws simply rearranging it on his plate in a very OCD method as he went into deep thought. If he could just learn how to be a creature that didn’t only fight then maybe he would feel more adequate and able as everyone else grew in power. To be left in the dust just left him feeling awful and useless. Getting a little frustrated, he let out a groan and shook his head slowly before looking to Ikura, listening to him speak, “An honour? How strange to find honour in something like that”, he spoke calmly, “And I know you won’t be available all the time, and neither will I if things go to plan. I’m supposed to be leaving soon and I doubt me hanging around long enough until I’m working correctly again is an option. I’m unable to wait around and just hope I’ll get better…it doesn’t work like that. Either I get my mind fixed or I’m just going to have to trust myself that I can fight. If these people can help me too, then your job would be a lot easier…”

Takeshi sure was annoyed and it was still pretty amusing, Shu having a good time having the advantage for once. Smiling at him, he let out a sigh and slowly moved his head around, “If it’s not fast, then what? What am I good at…?” he asked up, frowning a little, “Am I good at anything you can do, but better than you?” Not feeling like he was pushing it whatsoever, he turned back to his food and began to finish it all up. Eating it all up happily, he looked to Takeshi again and wriggled a little in his chair, “There’s fruit cake? You’ve got to show me some…” he spoke, staring at him with great interest, “Maybe he’ll wait until everyone’s finished!” Feeling pretty happy, he bounced on his chair a little as he stared down at his plate, smiling away as Takeshi helped himself to more food. Not paying attention much, he quickly looked to Takeshi when he offered him some food, tilting his head a little at the green stuff, “Ooh? Try? It smells funny”, he spoke, feeling curious as he took the piece of beef and sniffed it curiously, frowning a little, “It hurts my nose…is it poison?” he asked up before giving it a little taste. It burned his tongue as well, causing him to frown a little before taking it whole, chewing it quickly and swallowing it even quicker. He was soon coughing, shaking his head quickly before reaching over for one of the rolls and chomped down on it to try and get rid of the taste.

"So... You're angry that you're struggling with it, is that it? Fair point, it's frustrating when we don't get something. But in order to improve you've got to work at it, and it may take a while. So don't be disheartened if you have trouble initially." They would work around that, it would probably be best to take it slowly too. Hm... To remedy this particular issue Ikura figured it may be a good idea to place the Beastman in some innocent, easy social situations. Pair him one on one with a guest perhaps, see how he managed to talk with them. Once they found out how he did they could focus where to improve, and go from there. "Unless you come to know everyone on the planet there will always be strangers. That's part of the fun though, meeting new people. And as you grow to know them they're no longer strangers, they become friends as well. I know I don't have to explain that to you, but bear with me. I think after everyone's eaten we let people have a short reprieve and you can chat with a few people. If you find it uncomfortable then we can address what it is that bothers you directly. That seems the best way to go about it to me."

Ikura didn't seem the least bit surprised Viral didn't agree with his opinion. To meet someone who was as acclaimed for his strength as Viral was an honor to a great many people, warriors and just your common curiosities alike. Plus, a fair many of the people present had been informed as to what his situation was, and while they may not say it directly they were all more than keen to help him. "You staying longer could work, but is that what you'd want? From what I've learned you want to be with your friends, out there, fighting. While more time would certainly speed up your recovery I actually think its better you go out and join them. It will make you happier, rather than being cooped up here. And I'll always be around and ready to help when you do finally return." So long as it could be helped. It was impossible to know how long they would be gone for, and where his own work might take him. "I'll help you whether these people aid you or not. Though I won't lie, if they can help improve your outlook I would gladly welcome it. To that end I think speaking with a few folks might improve your mood."

Shu was being a real stinker right now, and he knew he was getting to his brother. Much as he tried to brush off the teasing Takeshi was becoming visibly annoyed, his tight smirk hardly fooling anyone. He wasn't angry with his brother, not by any stretch, but annoyed certainly. "You're faster than I am... On ground," he said firmly, "That's it. I'm better at Ki and everything else." What a stupid thing to be arguing over, and bad timing too. Sighing softly he tried to go back to eating, hoping to dismiss the thought entirely and focus on food. Unfortunately his mind was now quite abuzz with wonder, childishly worrying if he'd become lesser than Shu once his brother caught up in training. He liked being better at some things, it made him feel important. If Shu surpassed him then he was going to be pretty darn useless. Not to mention he wouldn't exactly be protecting someone stronger, it didn't work like that. There was a way he could get his sibling to hush up, if only for a bit. had the little guy ever had wasabi?

"It's not poison, honest. I wouldn't try to poison you," Takeshi answered, completely sincere in that regard. Shu amazingly went right for it after that, taking a small sample before swallowing the entire piece all at once. The older boy's eyes widened as he watched for what would happen, the little guy had eaten quite a lot in one bite after all. Not a second after Shu began to feel the effects, coughing and hurriedly looking for anything to soothe the burning on his tongue. Laughing triumphantly Takeshi stuck his tongue out, stabbing up another piece of steak for himself. "Hah, spicy isn't it?" he teased, sticking the piece in his mouth. Chewing on it and swallowing he paused, frowning as there was a peculiar taste with that steak. Soon enough his mouth felt like it had been doused in kerosine and lit ablaze, and with a gasp he opened his mouth, fanning at it and exhaling panicked. "Wha... Wha...?" Looking around he spotted a server coming around with drinks, reaching out and snatching up the pitcher of water. Immediately beginning to guzzle it down he could swear he heard Yumi laughing at him, shooting her a glare and seeing the wasabi bottle in her hand.

"If you're doing it to him then I'm doing it to you," Yumi teased, smirking as Takeshi continued to try and soothe himself. He wasn't all grins and triumph now, at the moment he was just attempting to keep a hole from burning through his mouth. Looking past him at Shu she smiled sympathetically, wondering how to help. Gesturing to the waiter and then to Shu the little boy was handed a tall glass of milk. To help further Yumi grabbed a few pieces of bread, applying a bit of butter to each and setting a plate with them all down before the little Saiyan. "Drink your milk and eat that, it'll help."

Viral felt awkward for talking about it, his mind not quite settled on expressing everything the others needed to know about him when it made him feel insecure. For all that it was worth, he was trying to improve himself, he needed something other than what he had currently; however, it was proving difficult to keep and even harder to understand new ways to keep himself occupied. Ikura was trying, but he was still angry that he felt that he couldn’t manage anyway, “If these people truly know me then I don’t want to talk to them only to end up scratching their face off because I felt uncomfortable”, he spoke quickly, shaking his head, “I want to show I am worth more than just as an animal or a brute! Having ‘fun’ meeting new people isn’t something I’d think about…” If Ikura was confident he’d be able to handle random strangers then he had another thing coming, especially when he happened to be composed of the most antisocial creatures on the planet.

Frowning, he slowly pulled his plate closer to himself, slowly reaching down each time to sample his food. He didn’t really want to eat too much, it still made him feel pretty ill to imagine it without his pills but he was still going to try while all these people were around him. His mind still wasn’t settled, but at least he was trying. Frowning slightly as he ate, he glanced up at Ikura before narrowing his gaze, growling lightly. That was definitely a confliction in his life, whether he could get fully treated or whether he could go out there and fight. He would definitely be best fighting, but whether he would be happy doing so was definitely another question, “If I return alive. I don’t know what you’ll do with me if I come back dead”, he spoke calmly, staring down at his food, “Fine…I’ll speak to these people when they’re not occupied with everyone else, okay? Maybe it’ll be a farewell gift for if I don’t return alive”.

Shu didn’t like how his mouth was feeling or how his nose was feeling, finding it pretty difficult to cope with it. He hadn’t had spicy food before so this was a completely new experience and all he could feel right now was pain. He was now doubting whether Takeshi would lie about poisoning him because this certainly felt like poison. Finding it hard to cope with, he did try to get the bread but sure enough Yumi was there to rescue him, the waiter placing a glass of milk in his hands instead. Staring at it for only a second before towards Yumi, he pulled it towards himself and drank it down, sniffling a little after taking a good gulp. He didn’t know how to feel right now whether it was confusion or sadness over Takeshi purposely hurting him with food. Looking to the buttered bread, he pulled the plate towards himself before eating it slowly in little bites, “…That hurt and tasted funny…” he squeaked, staring up at Yumi, “Am I going to die…? Why’d that hurt me to eat?”

"If you continue to tell yourself you're no good with people then that behavior is going to perpetuate itself," Ikura said patiently. "It's not easy opening up, but in doing so you'll be leagues happier. Hence why I suggest we take this slowly, so you have a chance to adapt gradually and find your comfort zone." Obviously having him talk to a group was out of the question, it would all be one on one. For the most part the doctor figured people would be tactful in their discussions, there ought not be anything to worry about. The biggest hurdle wasn't the people Viral might talk to, but Viral himself. Perhaps once he actually got talking he'd be able to maintain it easier, time would tell. Watching as at last Viral began to eat the old man smiled kindly, taking another few bites of his as well. He wasn't that hungry, he'd eaten prior to the party since he didn't assume he'd stay long. After seeing how the Beastman was handling things however he should probably stay for at least an extra hour, if not more. "You will return alive Viral, you've made it this far and you'll keep going. Besides, you've got people all around you to ensure your safety. When you do return, alive and well, we'll continue meetings if you need them. And I'm sure everyone here will be happy that the birthday man is going to speak with them, I'm sure there must be plenty of questions and other things they want to say to you."

Just what in the world had Takeshi been thinking, pulling that little stint on his sibling like that? Shu clearly hadn't known any the wiser, and in his trust of his older brother had gone ahead and eaten it blissfully unaware. "You aren't going to die Shu, it was just spicy food." Yumi explained, reaching past Takeshi and patting the young boy's back. "It hurt because it's very spicy, wasabi shouldn't be eaten like that. Just have some bread and milk, the burning will go away soon." Poor little guy, he didn't seem at all happy now, and he'd been enjoying himself so much before. Sighing softly she looked at Takeshi, folding her arms across her chest angrily. "Are you going to apologize to your brother or just sit there, you dolt. That wasn't very nice you know." He was kind of in the middle of downing an entire pitcher of water, but he certainly seemed to acknowledge her. Sighing again she shook her head, looking across and exchanging an exasperated look with Vegeta. Well, it wouldn't be a part with their group if someone didn't go and do something silly.

Takeshi felt bad about duping Shu like that, but he was still annoyed. He had to have something he was good at after all, and if his little brother stole Ki from him then he'd be pretty out of luck. He was already faster, did he really have to take more too? Feh... And now Shu was getting babied by Yumi as usually while he was being berated, typical. Setting down the now empty pitcher the Saiyan frowned, placing his hands in his lap with a sigh. "Sorry Shu..." he mumbled, probably barely audible. Glancing back at Yumi again he was prompted to repeat himself, looking at his brother this time. "Sorry for tricking you... Are you okay...?"

Viral felt as if he probably shouldn’t bother with such things if he couldn’t manage them, but they definitely did manage to bug him when he couldn’t do it. He wanted to do so much that other people could do, but knowing he couldn’t do it made him feel broken inside. He was certainly jealous, his mind not quite finding a nice settled spot where he might just be content with his life. Munching on some fish with some level of concentration, he stared at Ikura before letting out a sigh, staring down at his food again, “Comfort zones are always such a pain to find”, he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck, “Even if I can’t much care for humans”. Checking his hand as if for blood, he grumbled as he went back to his meal. His view on humans still stood, even if there was a few around him that were good people. His understanding was a majority of them were not, their selfish intentions and money-loving ways driving them to commit evil deeds.

With his head down and trying to eat more than he had been able to manage before, he could only think about everything he was missing out on because of what he was and how he had lived his life. His body and mind were not in harmony so it was pretty difficult to settle down and finally find something he was comfortable with. Just what could he do that wasn’t fighting? He had no idea, he was unable to think of anything at all at this point. It was his calling whether this man and Vegeta’s parents intended it to be. He was certainly confused, especially when nothing else came to mind when he thought about his purpose in life and not what he was made to demonstrate. Pushing his plate away from himself momentarily, he looked to Ikura again before frowning slightly, “I didn’t think I would live many times throughout the last year, yet…here I am, I guess”, he shrugged before slowly rubbing his shoulder, “I don’t think they would have much to ask me other than questions like ‘what have you been up to’ or something. I’m not going to say anything about that to them. You know…when I return, I won’t have anything left. It’s your job to find me something, by the way…considering you helped create me…”

Shu was pretty concerned for a moment that he had taken something that was going to do harm to him, but Yumi’s reassurances certainly helped. Chewing slowly on the bread, he stared at Yumi before smiling when she gave him a reassured pat on the back. It was curious as to why Takeshi had given him something like that and if that was spicy then he wondered how normal people were supposed to handle it. Rubbing his chest slowly, he stared down at his plate before sighing, hoping the tingling would stop soon before the cake would arrive. The bread and milk certainly helped, but he couldn’t help but wonder why Takeshi had given him such a thing if he knew it was going to be painful. Staring at him with a frown, he remained focused on him before smiling when he apologised to his face, “I’m okay now! I don’t want to be tricked, but why do people eat that stuff…? I trusted you with people food and if that was people food, why do they like that? It hurt my mouth and everything a lot…”

"That's why we're going to work on it, so we can find your comfort zone. Once we do I won't try pushing you beyond that. We have to find out just how much you can handle though, it's imperative for your treatment." Ikura hadn't a clue to what extent Viral could speak with people, and putting him under too much stress would only serve to make things worse. For him to be happy they had to hit that veritable sweet spot and stay there. "Humanity as a whole isn't bad, Viral, I assure you. It's the foul few that stand out unfortunately, but your every day person is a good individual. That being said..." the doctor paused, sighing before smiling somberly. "Everyone has their price I'm afraid. There's incentive, whether its money, power, fame, enough of one thing that can make people do something horrible. That's an extreme circumstance though, to label everyone a monster because they are susceptible to greed or bribery isn't fair on their part. Some people accept wrong things for good reasons, it's often not as black and white as we'd like to think it is."

Finding a purpose in life was no small feat, a mountain stood before Viral in that regard. With some help he may be able to find it, so long as he accepted that it could take some time. In a way Ikura thought of him as a young man going into a university. They had their future ahead of them, but with so much at their fingertips it was overwhelming, they didn't know where to turn. Granted the Beastman's situation was a bit more strenuous than that, but in essence they were similar. "You lived, and you will continue to live. The only difference is in due time you'll be happier for it," the doctor said, smiling kindly. "If you don't want to have people ask you questions then you can ask them. Ask about work, what they do for a living, hobbies. It's small talk, but it can get a conversation going. If you think something is too personal to ask about then refrain, only question what you believe to be appropriate. Sometimes it's a hit and miss game, speaking with others, so unfortunately you may have a few conversations not to your liking. But it's all trial and error Viral." Pushing his now empty plate aside Ikura folded his hands in his lap, watching as servers began to gather up all of the empty dishes. "My job to find you something...? Well... I will certainly help you, but I won't tell you what to do." he replied, looking at Viral. "You're your own man, you always have been. No one, including myself or Aito, can tell you what to do. It's your life, you live it as you wish."

Takeshi was pretty annoyed, both with Shu and Yumi. He felt bad too, he hadn't meant to upset Shu even if the little guy had been bothering him. Making a face to face apology the Saiyan smiled slightly, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know, people are weird about what they eat sometimes," he replied, idly pushing around a small piece of steak on his plate. "Some people like spicy stuff, and stuff can be even spicier than that. It's really not bad, honest, if you eat a tiny amount. I... Kind of gave you a lot." For the itsy bitsy piece of steak Shu had he'd probably had several times the amount of wasabi needed, hence his mouth burning. Putting his hands on top of the table and rubbing his thumbs together nervously Takeshi glanced over at his brother, smiling uncertainly. "I'm sorry for tricking you Shu, but... It was kind of funny, you've got to admit. You were really surprised when you tried it."

Vegeta opted to give the servers a hand with their work, gathering up dishes as he could and handing them over. That meal had been rather good, and it certainly looked like everyone had their fill. Still a good amount of food left, he noted, which was fine. Once all the guests left he'd let his friends eat their fill and send them home with some leftovers too most likely. One of the waiters came over and asked about the cake, to which he replied to hold off on for a while. Once Viral said he was ready for it then they'd bring it out, not a moment sooner. Once the table was cleared people began to get up, talking between themselves happily as they moved away to let the workers break down the makeshift dining room. Vegeta joined Viral and Ikura off to the side, smiling at the Beastman. "How was that? Did you enjoy the food?"

Viral wasn’t exactly looking forward to having to talk to lots of people, the thought of it made him feel a little stressed out. Talking to people made him worry that he was going to get angry at them and scare them off, despite the effort they made to come to this party. He knew he had a temper and he knew he wasn’t the best at being sociable, but that didn’t mean he had to feel bad about going off on other people and upsetting them when they made efforts to try and make him happy. He’d hate to think it, but maybe the gifts were going to be the highlight of the day. Feeling as if he had enough food for just now, he sat back in his chair and looked to Ikura, shrugging lightly, “Tch, I’m not going to talk to ‘every day’ people to find out if they’re ‘good’”, he spoke, scratching his side, “Everything I have observed from humans has been corruption and evil. You think I’m going to see any change just because you told me things are better than I think? I’ve lived my entire life without being allowed to go outside this facility because of them!”

Feeling pretty moody, Viral folded his arms and slouched slightly in his chair, watching as people started to turn their attention towards talking amongst each other and finding other things to worry about other than finishing their food on time. With all the food that was left they could all easily take a portion of it hope, but he figured that was because they all wanted cake. He didn’t have sweet things very often, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like them. For a moment where he was allowed to get in a few thoughts, it was soon Ikura who was telling him what he needed to concentrate on instead. He wasn’t really interested in people’s lives to ask them things about work and hobbies. Frowning, he looked away a little as the plates were being seen to. He didn’t think he could find something by himself considering his circumstances regarding society and everything that went along with it so naturally he felt disappointment when he was denied, “Oh really? Is that why I have a natural instinct to obey and feel the need to have a master?” he asked up, narrowing his gaze, “Is that a fine detail you forgot about me? If I didn’t have that built into me I would had never killed Vegeta’s family nor would the Saiyans had been able to tap into that part of me to take control of me! Don’t think I’m not aware of those things, especially when I don’t feel comfortable having nobody in charge of me…”

Shu watched Takeshi play with his food, staring at the steak curiously and wondering if he was going to eat it. Shu had enough food after that, he just wanted to go ahead and have some cake after that heat in his mouth. Staring down as Takeshi spoke, he slowly looked up at him and tilted his head, finding it odd that people liked to feel pain like that, “Ooohhhh, that’s strange”, he sighed, looking back down again, “Please I don’t want too much of that again, no I don’t…” Feeling confused to why he did that, he slowly sat back again and sighed, shifting a little as he looked back to him, “Pain is funny? Oh…that’s strange. Please don’t do that again? I hurt my mouth and I feel like I need to cough and then I might get ill and then I’ll need to find somewhere to die before I spread illness”.

With everyone starting to relax a little more and things beginning to settle down, people started their usual talking amongst each other before they could get cake. They should be happy that they were getting a little bit of time for their food to settle before cake, especially when it was Viral who was making the decision to hold it off a little. Viral did think he should hold off the cake for about ten minutes, trying to let his mind settle before something else would happen that might make him feel uncomfortable. Sitting in a bit of a mood, when Vegeta spoke up he looked to him quickly only to shrug a little, “The same as I remember it being, only deadened by my failed appetite”, he sighed, sitting up a little, “I still think this is…interesting, though. It is good of you to throw this party thing for all these people. I’m sure they can wait ten minutes for the cake…”

To say Viral's outlook on humanity was jaded would be an understatement. Yes, there were some nasty people in the world. One of the worst had been responsible for the deaths of Aito and June, and had a hand in creating the Beastman. Ikura would give Viral this much; the human's he'd encountered thus far in life were the worst the world had to offer. Adding onto that the people he had likely been battling during their time away and it was no wonder he was so cynical of other people. He needed to be shown the good in the world to realize it for what it truly was. "We did keep you in this facility to keep you safe, I'll admit. After Doctor Bahzanov betrayed us there was even more reason to keep you here out of worry what might happen if you got out. I'm sorry for ordering them to keep you contained, I thought it was the best course of action, I realize now it was perhaps selfish of me." Bowing his head apologetically Ikura sighed, giving Viral a sad smile. "But there are a lot of good people, really good people in this world. There's quite a few here today, and I'm more than ready to show that to you."

"The only reason you're uncomfortable is because you've always had someone over you, it's natural to you. I know *precisely* how you're designed. Don't forget, I had a rather large hand in creating you," Ikura said, smiling kindly. "The transition will be difficult, but you can be your own person as anyone else here can. And you'll be happier for it. Be honest with me, you can't be happy feeling like you need someone else to direct your life, can you?" It must make Viral feel powerless, having to rely on someone. It was why now that he was "free" he was so confused, he wasn't used to not being given orders. That was again a fault on their behalf, they had always provided direction assuming he wasn't aware enough of the world to operate alone. A mistake, clearly, one he wished he could retract. There was a pattern Ikura was beginning to notice, and a rather disheartening one at that. It wasn't Viral's fault he was like this, it was everyone else around him. Inadvertently everyone, including himself, had contributed to the state he was in now. Well, now it was time that they fix it.

Takeshi felt pretty bummed now that Shu was upset, and awfully crummy to boot. Damn it, a little joke had turned out to totally backfire and leave Shu upset and him guilty, that wasn't what he had wanted. Sighing softly he nodded his head, agreeing with his brother's request. He'd not do that again, it was mean and probably didn't earn him any favor with his sibling. For a brief moment, for the first time in a while he felt like he had distanced himself, worrying inwardly as he often did about that. "Pain isn't funny... That came out wrong... Your reaction was funny. I don't think it's funny I hurt you," Takeshi corrected himself, setting his fork down as a server took his plate. When Shu mentioned dying the older boy looked at his brother quickly, an earnestly bummed out look on his face. "You're not going to die Shu... I'll make sure of that," he said quickly, shaking his head and patting his brother's back. "I'll keep you safe so you have a long, happy life, I swear it."

"Viral, this party is for you, remember? To be frank I couldn't care if they had shown up or not. I'm glad they did, it's more people to celebrate your birthday. But as I said, this is your birthday, and your party. We'd be having this whether they were in attendance or not." Hm... So even after all they had said he still didn't think of this as his. Well that was a real damper on things. Vegeta sighed sadly, rubbing his forehead as he glanced at the guests. "If you want to wait ten minutes then we'll wait ten minutes, it's your decision when we eat your cake, after all." he added, looking at his friend with a smile. "And the presents too, don't forget those. We can open those whenever you're ready." He was particularly excited about gifts, not that anyone would know why. Well, T'charrl would because he'd discussed it with him, but that was it.

The first of Viral's guests had finally come over to speak with him, courtesy of Ikura. He was a shorter man, a bit portly with a bushy mustache and a loose cropping of hair on his head. He was dressed in a casual suit and bore a bright, white smile on his rosy cheeks as he came over. "Ah, the man of the hour! It's a pleasure to finally meet you sir!" he chimed, bowing his head politely. "I do hope you're enjoying the festivities! We've done everything we could to host the best celebration we could."

"This is Albert Eberhardt. He's in charge of Child's Play, a rather well known charity in this city. When I mentioned your party he was more than keen to come and attend." Ikura said, gesturing to the man in question.

"Oh ho, well I heard that Aito and Ikura's success story was present and I had to come meet you for myself. And I must say, I am very impressed! It's quite a thrill to meet you sir!" Albert chimed, smiling as he clasped his hands together. "And happy birthday as well, might I add. I also understand this is your first party. Such a shame considering your age, it seems you're owed quite a few celebrations. Well, fear not! Should you ever need anything my young friend feel free to ask, I'm more than happy to help a child of Aito's whenever the need arises!"

Viral wasn’t feeling too fussed or upset, just frustrated that there was so much in his life that wasn’t there anymore and all this new stuff that was just throwing itself in his face. He was wanting to try and understand the world and figure out what he was supposed to do, but he couldn’t even think about it correctly. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with his life being surrounded by all these humans who knew exactly how to function because they had the will to do it. It could be called jealousy, but he didn’t think he would fit in with the normal world anyway, “You shouldn’t be sorry; you did the right thing! To mingle with people and know who might be disguised as citizens…even when I freed myself, those men were still after me”. With all the military gumballs trying to buy him from Vegeta at the time, he just wanted to escape; however, knowing the truth that it was the RRA’s fault that he was the way he is made him a lot more cautious about going outside, “You’ve got a lot to show and tell if you’re willing to convince me of anything…”

Feeling a little uncomfortable thinking about the RRA, Viral squirmed in his chair a little before looking back at Ikura when he tried to explain his reasoning behind his instincts. He did feel embarrassed when talking about himself, but probably because the whole subject was often started because of something negative in the first place, “I don’t care if I have someone else giving me orders, so long as they’re not my enemy or some lowly fool”, he spoke quickly, sitting up, “You know, part of the reason I exist. It doesn’t feel natural for me to be existing without a purpose. Even you don’t know what I should do with my life…”

Slowly pulling over his glass of milk, Shu nursing the rest of it as he stared up at Takeshi. The taste was still lingering a little bit, but he was definitely trying to keep it away so he could enjoy his cake when it eventually came. He hoped the cake wouldn’t be long, but for now he was happy enough with being with Takeshi so long as he didn’t try to trick him again, “My reaction? Like body language?” he asked him curiously, tilting his head a little, “Ooh! I should teach you some of my people’s body language”. Feeling a little distracted for a moment, he stared into his glass before hiccupping, looking back to Takeshi and smiled, “Really…? All safe? I’ll keep you safe too! I hope I can, at least…I mean, you said I’m not good at anything but being fast on the ground…ooh! Maybe I can be fast and stop rocks from hitting you! Rocks hurt!”

Viral wasn’t sure what made the party something for him specifically, especially when he wasn’t coming off as being social or looking too happy to have one. It was certainly a surprise having a party, but he didn’t know how to react to it or how he was supposed to act himself. Staring at Vegeta for a moment before looking towards the guests, trying to figure out everything, “I don’t mind that they’re here, I just wonder why they like me…and wonder where they know me from”, he sighed, scratching his head, “Ten minutes for cake and presents…if that didn’t sound selfish enough…” Feeling concerned that he was sounding like a jerk, he frowned as he sat up before noticing someone approaching him, a strange man he hadn’t seen before.

Staring at the man, he tilted his head slightly as if trying to guess who this man was. Watching as he gave a little bow, he looked to Vegeta quickly before back to the man as he was introduced by Ikura. He hadn’t heard of such an organisation before, but then again charities weren’t exactly well known to him, “Child’s Play? Huh…” Slowly standing up to be polite, he was quickly looking down at himself with the thought of being a success to complete strangers being very odd. If there was ever going to be a mention of anybody he needed to know, it was probably this guy, “Oh really? I don’t know what I’d need if I was to be honest…but how do you know about me this much? Did Ikura talk to you a lot about me, or something…”

Ikura didn't particularly want to discuss the RRA, so he let the topic die then and there. Troubles with that unfavorable set of folk had continued to this day, for both Viral and himself. It was in part the reason that he moved about so much, as not to be found by those cretins. The doctor thought it best to keep that detail from the Beastman, lest he only cause Viral even further distress. "Being given orders and having a purpose do not go hand in hand. You can find your purpose on your own, sometimes it just takes a bit of searching." Or a lot of searching, life sometimes took quite a while to settle out. Difficult as it may be Viral had to try if he ever truly wanted to be happy. Giving his chin a thoughtful rub Ikura glanced up at Viral, a knowing smile spreading across his thin lips. "You think fighting is your sole reason for existing, no? Well what if we found a way for you to make a life out of it? When you're not battling there could be other outlets. For example... You know martial arts, do you not? What if you became an instructor? You could be the teacher that brings for the next generation of Earth's heroes for all we know!"

"Your people's body language...? Erm..." The images that came to mind hardly thrilled Takeshi. He imagined a typical monkey scratching itself all over, eating bugs and flinging poo. None of that exactly enticed him, not that Shu's way of life typically did anyways. Smiling slightly he shrugged his shoulders, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. "You know... Maybe I can learn some of that. Later though, we've got other things to focus on right now. Like the party, and your training." The longer he could put off playing monkey the better, he figured. He could even pull some techniques out of his pocket once Shu got Ki down just to keep him preoccupied. Thus far the party was alright, not that Takeshi was the expert at parties. Honestly he was just slightly better versed than Viral most likely, only having the absolute basic ideas of how they worked. His temporary dejection with Shu put a real damper on his mood, and he rather felt like making amends. Just because he had been annoyed didn't mean he should have done that, it wasn't very nice. Cringing slightly the older boy smiled sadly, averting his eyes. "You're good at plenty Shu, I was mean and shouldn't have said that... But thanks," he replied, chuckling a bit, "You'll be my little rock shield from now on."

"This entire day is yours Viral, the time is used as you please. Everyone knows this, no one is going to think you selfish if you choose to wait to do things." Were it a child's party then cake would probably be a bit more of a priority, little kids loved sweets. Seeing as everyone here were adults, well, save for the two Saiyan boys and their alien friend it wasn't quite the case. Ikura assumed most people would be totally fine not even having cake, it was more of a ritualistic thing with birthday parties, not really a requirement though. Spotting an approaching figure the doctor smiled, stepping to the side to let him speak with Viral.

Albert hadn't been quite certain what to expect of Viral, having heard a great many things about him. He knew of course of the slight bout he had a little over a year ago, and to a lesser extent his events prior to that. The man was a friend of Ikura's after all and the Beastman had been a regular topic of discussion, if only for pure curiosity's sake. There was no ulterior motive with the philanthropist, he was simply intrigued. "Ikura and I have discussed you in the past, a few times admittedly. I've been extremely eager to meet you in person, and I must say I am not disappointed in the slightest!" To think this man was an artificial life, he seemed as natural as anything. Sure, some unusual features were he human, but even then he was close enough to pass off as one. "Don't you worry Viral, I certainly don't expect to get a request here and now. I'm merely putting it out there, I'm always around if you should ever need anything," Albert repeated, fishing into his jacket. Pulling out a card with the "Child's Play" logo on it he handed it over, smiling kindly, "Call me whenever you may need something. I'm afraid most of my aid will be in the form of finances or work opportunity, none of which our young Vegeta would have trouble supplying, but nonetheless I'll be here."

Ikura exchanged a brief dialogue with Albert before he went off to fetch a drink, leaving the trio of men standing alone once more. That had gone nicely, it was certainly helpful having sincere individuals like that around. Looking to Viral he folded his hands behind his back with a smile, "So, shall I find another person to speak with for you? Not everyone here may be as forthcoming as he was, but they all do hold you in a certain light. Don't be wary of them, even if they are strangers."

Viral did wonder whether the man was still alive, the one who tried to turn him into a weapon. While he didn’t find being a weapon too much of a downer considering fighting was in his blood, the fact that he was used and made to kill people he knew just angered him. There was no way to execute revenge, killing the man wouldn’t do any good and would only leave him feeling unsettled when the man would not be in pain anymore. He would be a monster for thinking such things anyway, finding pleasure in causing pain. He could kill easily, but causing quick deaths was much more honourable without causing prolonged pain like he had to go through. He didn’t really know why he didn’t find himself too fussed over killing when humans seemed to hate it, at least those who were not in the military and were people like Ikura, Aito and June. Giving a glance at Ikura at the mention of teaching, he growled lowly at the thought of it, “Tch…’Earth’s heroes’…I doubt it, I don’t know Ki, you know. Every kid who wants to be a warrior would want to learn Ki”.

Feeling a little uneasy upon meeting this man, he had trouble trying to understand what he was supposed to be saying or doing around him. If this man really was familiar with him then he should have some clue about what he might be like. He didn’t know what Vegeta was on about, he didn’t know what to do with his day and when it was over that was it. At most he would usually find something to beat up, train or something else regarding his need to function, but he could do that any day. Having one specific day to do what he wanted confused him and left him feeling completely lost. This man was his one distraction for now, but it probably wasn’t going to last very long.

Feeling as if he was probably boring the man by just standing there, he opened his mouth to speak but soon sighed instead, finding it difficult to talk about himself or ask anything beyond what he had already asked. He didn’t know what they had talked about in regards to him and it didn’t sound like he was going to say much to his disappointment, “…Really. Eager? Strange, I didn’t think that would be a reaction concerning me”, he spoke, looking up and down at the man. He didn’t know what appeal he saw in wanting to see him, it was just so strange to hear of such a thing from someone who was a normal human. Watching what the man was doing, he tilted his head ever so slightly to see what the man was doing only to see him pull out a card and hand it over. Taking hold of it, he stared at it for a moment before letting out a low groan, giving a little nod as the man went off again.

He had no idea what that was all about and to him it just appeared as if it was simply a way to advertise his charity. The fact that it was called Child’s Play made him wonder why he had given it to him in the first place other than the fact it sounded as if Vegeta was funding it. Frowning, he slowly placed the card away again and looked to Ikura, giving a little sigh, “Fine…alright. I don’t even know what that was about…” he muttered, shrugging a little, “Should I expect something like that often? What would I need from a charity for children…”

"You need more than Ki to be a successful warrior," Ikura mused, smiling, "There's a reason we trained you in martial arts, and gave you plenty of other skills. Sure, someone else could teach them Ki, but who besides a master would be nearly as knowledgeable as you? You don't put enough value in your own merit Viral, you could teach children to be excellent fighters if the need ever arose. I know you're capable of it, we designed you to be able to defend yourself, and you're more than intelligent enough to share that knowledge with others." Ki had been something they had explored while creating Viral, it had been Aito's idea to imbue the Beastman with it. Unfortunately they found that to do so would take quite a bit of time, time they hadn't had then. Shame, he wondered what the possibility of introducing new DNA to Viral was, maybe they could alter him. Genetic modifications were not exactly easy but they were possible. Of course, that was something for another day, it would take weeks to plan and perhaps even longer to carry out. It was certainly something to consider for later though.

Seeing off Albert cheerfully Ikura looked at Viral, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over the card. Sure, it had hardly been the longest of exchanges, but he should be at least a little pleased someone took interest in him. "The man has the resources to provide you with anything you might need, he was simply extending the offer to you," the doctor explained. Granted Albert's wealth was actually quite minimal, it was the influence he had of others to seek aid for people. Vegeta had the raw power in terms of money, but the charity organizer certainly was more charismatic and had more popular backing. "He has plenty of folk who would be more than willing to do something for him if he asked, so if you ever need anything he'd be the man to ask. When Vegeta is not readily available I suppose." Chuckling softly Ikura gave a shake of his head, looking away as he watched people chatter merrily. He derived a certain kind of joy from seeing others happy, even if he wasn't partaking in anything himself. It was fun, watching people like this. "I don't know how many people here will extend that kind of offer, but maybe you should. And I don't think the charity would really be for you, it's more of what he can offer you outside of the charity. Child's Play is more of what he's known for, but he does plenty of philanthropy work as well."

Viral had another visitor not a moment after, this time a man, woman and their child. They had only just shown up a few moments ago and had actually been a request of Ikura's to show up. Vegeta wasn't even aware of their invitation, giving the doctor a curious look as he smiled knowingly. Waving the three over Ikura smiled happily, "Viral? I'd like you to meet my daughter, her husband and their daughter, my granddaughter."

The man looked at Viral with innate curiosity as they approached, not quite knowing what to make of him. He wore a business suit and had short, cropped hair with sharp facial features and deep brown eyes. He was a little on the thin side, but seemed nice enough. His wife meanwhile was a bit on the healthier side of weight, had long brown hair and soft green eyes. She smiled sweetly at Viral, as did the little girl in her arms. "Hi daddy," she said cheerfully, pausing to give her father a kiss. "Sorry we're late, we sort of got lost on the way here."

"It's no worry Saori, you showed up and that's what matters," Ikura replied, returning a kiss. "It's nice to see you, and you as well Nozomi. I hope the trip here wasn't too bad?"

"No, not at all, it was fine," Nozomi replied, smiling slightly. They had a flight out here from where they lived, paid for by Ikura, as well as a hotel paid for as well. He would be hard pressed to complain considering the accommodations were nice. Since his wife had desperately wanted to come out he couldn't quite have said no anyways.

The conversation between Ikura and Nozomi carried on for a bit, consisting mostly of work related business. Nozomi was a businessman, working for a law firm in another city. He was fairly successful at it and enjoyed his work, by the sounds of it anyways. Saori listened happily to her husband and father talk, not wanting to be rude and remind them they were here for Viral. All the while the young girl in Saori's arms was eyeballing the Beastman curiously, not entirely sure what to make of him. He almost looked like one of her stuffed animals in a way, and he seemed fluffy in some places. Was it a costume? Barely just over two years old the little girl smiled, reaching out in the midst of the conversation and trying to grab at Viral's hair. "Teddy bear! You're a teddy!" she cooed happily, giggling.

Viral grumbled, not believing in the reasoning that was being given to him. If people wanted to learn how to fight they would go and look at the material available about Goku and all the other fighters then learn how to do what they knew; hell, they’d probably seek his old masters instead. He wouldn’t want to be around other humans anyway; it was a silly suggestion, “Your reasons for training me aren’t because you wanted me to become a teacher! I can’t teach humans the things I can do, even then the stuff I was taught came from humans in the first place. People like Takeshi will always want to look to the old masters; even Yumi decided going to some idiot in the city was better than learning from me”. He was a little bitter that Yumi and Vegeta had given up learning from him, but he couldn’t do anything about it now since it was in the past. It was their decision to go on different paths and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Viral was definitely a little confused over the man’s purpose for giving him the card, especially when he had trouble using phones in the first place; the numbers on phones just weren’t built for his large fingers. Not entirely sure to what he could ask from the man, he glanced at Ikura before shrugging, not finding it quite as crystal clear as he was hoping for the explanation, “Great…if I knew what to ask him for”, he sighed, feeling pretty clueless. The name of the charity didn’t give any hints to what he could ask about. It probably shouldn’t matter so much; he certainly didn’t have any idea to what could be asked meaning there probably wasn’t anything. Frowning a little, he raised his eyebrow at Ikura, “Are you calling me needy? Great, he does philanthropy, but shouldn’t everyone who runs a charity? I shouldn’t be needy…shouldn’t need to feel it either…”

Worrying that he was beginning to question his life currently, there was yet another distraction before any other guest could be located. Looking to Ikura before seeing what he was waving at a small group of people. Looking between them all, he frowned slightly before staring at the man of the group as he gave him a staring back. He didn’t know if the man was intimidated or otherwise, but it wasn’t making him feel settled or anything. Narrowing his gaze, he turned his attention to the conversation between Ikura and his daughter. He didn’t know whether he should be so close to this group seeing as how the conversation was more for them and didn’t need him butting in. Folding his arms, he looked elsewhere as he waited for the conversation to pass.

The pair probably had a lot to catch up on and this was all a personal matter, plus with them arriving here it gave them time to talk before the cake was dished out. Sighing, he felt the eyes of another on him this time, the little child staring at him. Frowning slightly, he looked behind himself as if checking to see what the girl was looking at only for him to turn around and the girl grabbing his hair. Gasping a little, he tried to pull his head away but had the girl had a pretty solid grip on his hair, “Agh, that’s not-…I’m not a teddy! C’mon, that hurts…” He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, his hands looking like he was trying to grab the girl’s hand but he couldn’t actually get his fingers close considering he was trying to be too careful with his claws.

Ikura had been pretty patient up until now, but Viral was being absurd with his personal feelings. Sighing softly the doctor rubbed at his forehead, taking a moment to think before smiling kindly at the Beastman. "True... Your friends all received training elsewhere, and there's no changing that fact. But they could have likely learned whatever they had elsewhere from you if they truly wanted to. And so what if your knowledge comes from humans? If they don't know it does it matter if your training came from humans, or Saiyans, or some other race? Your potential students would be none the wiser and would need a strong, knowledgeable sensei to train them, that's where you would come in." It would be an extracurricular activity to keep Viral happy, and perhaps even a job. It would be, in the loosest sense fulfilling his desire to fight while also providing this purpose he was so desperately searching for. "If you feel so strongly about their seeking new instructors, say something to them. Have you ever mentioned how you feel to them since then?"

It was nice that Albert had come by after all, he had a lot to offer Viral. Granted the man really couldn't provide anything that Vegeta couldn't get his hands on as well, but it was the thought that counted. "Just bear in mind he's willing to help. When something arises he'll be more than happy to be of service I'm sure. You don't have to have something in mind just yet." One thing Albert could most certainly help with is setting up a dojo for Viral, should he decide to pursue being a martial arts instructor. Again, nothing Vegeta couldn't accomplish, but perhaps the boy would step to the side and let someone else help the Beastman. Putting his hands up defensively with a small smile Ikura shook his head, disregarding Viral's questions. "Not at all, I'm just pointing out that people are willing to help and it would be a shame to turn it away. To be honest I don't know what actual help most can provide, but in the case of Albert he can most certainly be of use."

Topic changed rather quickly after that, if only because Ikura's family had shown up. He figured his daughter and granddaughter were cheerful enough that they may rub off on the Beastman to a degree, if they were lucky. His step-son Nozomi was a bit more of a reserved man unfortunately, though with a good heart. Giving the Beastman an apologetic look the doctor began speaking with the two adults, not having seen them for a while now. His daughter was curious as to where he had been running around all this time, not having been able to call her own father. If he could tell her that then things might be easier, but he worried about the implications of her knowing and what it might lead to. At some point he'd fill her in, but that wasn't just yet.

While mommy and daddy talked with grandpa the little girl was left to her own devices. Staring rather intently at the big man she eyed him curiously, trying to figure out just what he was. Boy he looked like a teddy bear, and a kitty, he looked really fun to play with. Giggling thoughtfully she reached out carefully, grabbing Viral's hair and giving it a firm tug. When he replied with a gasp she figured he was playing along, giggling and giving it another tug. "Teddy! You're a teddy!" she chimed happily, looking up at Viral with a wide smile. Mercifully for the Beastman Saori pulled her daughter away much to the girl's chagrin, getting an instant lippy pout out of her.

"Now Kimi, you know it's not nice to pull people's hair. Hasn't mommy told you not to do that before?" Saori asked, smiling as she prodded her daughter's belly playfully and incited another giggle. Looking at Viral she smiled apologetically, adjusting her daughter carefully on her shoulder, "Sorry about that, she's a very outgoing child sometimes. Are you alright?"

Kimi wasn't thorough with having fun, she wanted to play more. Fidgeting in her mother's grasp the young child looked back at Viral, smiling as she reached out for him with slightly pudgy little hands. "Mama, I wanna play with the teddy-kitty! I wanna play!" she said loudly, fidgeting excitedly. He looked like a lot of fun, much more fun than her mother was being just talking to grandpa right now.

Saori looked at her daughter a bit surprised, not quite certain what to make of her request. Viral was nice enough, according to her father, but he didn't seem... Particularly child friendly. Giving her father a curious look she was given a nod, smiling shyly as she stepped closer to the Beastman. "Would you mind playing with her...? Just for a moment? I won't be far, so if she becomes a handful I can take her back." Not having seen Ikura in quite some time she was keen to talk with him, and a squirming little girl in her arms slightly complicated that.

Viral didn’t want the kid touching his hair for a number of reasons; she’d probably get caught in it, she’d pull it out, or he hurt her accidentally and that would be the worst thing to happen. Anything was bad at this point and he was happy that the woman pulled the girl out of his hair to which he ended it with a quick shake and backing off a little from the group. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do about that, especially when it was just a child and she was pretty high up already. Pulling would have just made it a lot worse for him and the girl. Frowning a little, he looked to the woman before shaking his head, scratching through his hair, “I’m fine; it’s just hair”, he spoke, looking to his hand, “It’s just hair…”

Feeling a little confused, he looked to the girl as she reached out for him, her hands just out of reach. Good thing she hadn’t been near cake, otherwise she would have made a right mess of his hair. Feeling a little concerned over the possibility that she might try that after having some cake, he looked back to the mother when she soon approached him, giving the kid a quick look again, “You’d trust me with your child?” he questioned her, looking back at her, “People who’ve only just met me don’t do that…but, if you insist”. It was definitely Ikura’s decision to give the kid to him, there was no way this woman would hand him her own child to what was essentially an unnatural creature.

Taking hold of the girl under her arms, he took her away from the mother and placed her down on the ground, squatting down in front of her. He didn’t know what this kid liked and whether it was something he could discover for himself, even if there was probably a few minutes left before cake would be arriving. Holding out his fingers, he poked at the girl with his knuckles, “You know, you should watch that you don’t hurt yourself on my hair”, he spoke, moving his shoulders back a little, “It can’t be tamed. Since when does a teddy bear look like me, anyway? My hands aren’t even furry; they’re pretty rough”.

Kimi seemed rather fond of Viral already, which wasn't terribly surprising. She was a rather outgoing child and awfully friendly, more than eager to make friends. The Beastman was no exception then, and she was looking for a playmate. Since Saori wanted to catch up with her father she wondered if Viral might perhaps watch her daughter for a moment. The reply she got in turn had her a bit puzzled, smiling confused. "Yes I'd trust you with my child. Everything my father has said about you would give me no reason not to trust you," she answered calmly, offering her daughter over. "I appreciate it, really. She's an easy child, just a little active, so you might have to chase her a bit if you put her down." It was nice to have a temporary break, if only because the girl could be quite hard to handle sometimes. Saori loved her daughter of course, but she was eager to see her father too. Nodding appreciatively she, Ikura and Nozomi stepped off to the side to speak.

Giggling happily at being held Kimi squirmed in Viral's grasp, kicking her legs a bit until she was put down. Smiling up at the Beastman cheerfully she watched as he looked her over, gasping playfully as she was poked at. Covering the spots he had poked she giggled again, toddling closer and poking Viral in the stomach. "Poke poke!" She was a little lost as to what he was talking about, she was still more or less a baby after all. She understood hands, holding her own up for him to see proudly before putting two and two together. Looking at the Beastman's hands she prodded one curiously, surprised to find it felt a lot more like the leather in her daddy's car than a teddy bear. It was still nice, but in a different way. Smiling happily she toddled around a bit aimlessly, not going too far from Viral. There were so many people here, and so many colors! Oh, and were those balloons on the ceiling? Yay!

"Eh...! Eh...!" Kimi was reaching eagerly for the balloons above, being extremely too small to even consider reaching them. Pouting at that she looked back at Viral, smiling cutely as she jumped a bit. "Help please?" She wanted one to play with quite badly, particularly the red one just above her. Bouncing again fruitlessly she turned around, toddling right to Viral and smiling as she held up her arms expectantly to be lifted up. "Up please! Balloon!"

Viral wasn’t sure why the woman trusted Ikura’s word beyond what she was seeing right in front of her eyes, the woman probably best making up her own facts before following blindly with somebody else’s. If she was willing to trust him with some child then that was fine, but it was her loss if she became paranoid and angry that he had her child. Dealing with the kid would be easy, he had experience with this kind of thing before, but he knew not to take it lightly. Poking at her, he looked down at her finger when she gave him a poke before he frowned, letting out a sigh. This kid was pretty simple and easily amused, it seemed. Moving her away from him slowly, when she took hold of his hand and gave it a poke he frowned a little, “Your hands aren’t going to be like this when you grow up, so feel thankful”.

Getting up when she made a wander away, he followed her along while keeping an eye on her, his attention going to the balloons. There was certainly a lot of them and definitely well out of her reach, but that shouldn’t stop her when she was around him. Looking down at her, he squinted his expression before taking her under her arms and lifted her up towards the balloons, “If you pop one then you’ll just cry and I’ll get into trouble”, he sighed, keeping her held up so she might enjoy the balloons without bothering other people too much. He was actively looking for the cake at this point, worried that he might be completely out of position for it if he needed to be back at his chair to show he was ready for it.

With the kid up in the air playing around with the balloons, T’charrl immediately spotted her and went over to investigate, seeing as how she was also fascinated with the balloons too. Baby humans were just smaller versions of themselves, nothing like what his kind looked like when they were children. Moving over towards the kid and Viral, he tilted his head a little before taking off his scouter, smiling a little, “Herlo, human”, he spoke, trying his best with speaking to her when her speech also sounded simple, “How are youuu doing today? I am T’charrl, I am Arlien…” If he was going to try speaking to anyone it should at least be someone who wasn’t scared of different things and wasn’t already familiar with them.

Kimi stared up at the balloons above with a great yearning, reaching into the air with her pudgy little hands. She wanted those more than anything right now, they were so much fun to play with! Her tiny little self was more than unable to reach them unfortunately no matter how much she jumped up. Feeling a set of hands on her side the little girl giggled excitedly as she was lifted, managing to snatch one of the strings of the balloon. Taking a purple one in her hand she tugged it down, holding it carefully as she pressed her face against it curiously. Giggling again as it smooshed slightly she bounced it up and down, looking at Viral cheerfully. "Boing boing Mr. Teddy!" she cooed, using her free hand to pat his head playfully. Hehe, now she had a balloon and could do whatever she wanted with it. Humming contently she continued to bounce it around, pulling it down on occasion to hit it and watch it move about. What a wonderful thing this was!

Balloons were awfully fun, she was really glad mommy had let her get one. And Mr. Teddy had been nice enough to give her a hand as well, how nice of him! Smiling blissfully she glanced down as another person approached her, or what she thought might be a person. It... Kind of looked like one, but he had big eyes, and wings! And he had antennae too, oh my gosh! "Butterfly!" she squealed, giggling as she let go and tried to snatch at T'charrl's antennae, missing by a few inches. Squirming around a bit more in Viral's grip she finally relented in her attack on the poor Kaesstrian, huffing and folding her arms across her chest with an adorable little pout. She couldn't keep it up though, and soon a smile crept back onto her lips, looking at T'charrl wide-eyed. "Are you a butterfly mister? Big butterfly! Fly fly!" Kimi giggled as she spoke, waving her arms at her side to simulate flying. Or how she pictured it, the process was a bit more like comical flailing than anything else. Just behind T'charrl the little girl caught sight of something that made her eyes widen and shine, squealing as she squirmed in Viral's grasp. "Caaaaake! Cake cake cake!"

Viral was about ready to go and give the child back about now, feeling uneasy when he was pretty close to the next event. Even if it was just cake, he didn’t want to go without being there to see what it was like to get it and what might happen. He did hope nothing embarrassing would happen, but considering the situation right now it seemed highly possible that it was just going to be the worst that would happen and everyone was going to sit and stare at him for no reason. These birthday things sure were hard; he had no idea how the staff had managed to do it all before. Sighing a little, he looked up at the girl before seeing T’charrl checking her out, seemingly practicing his speech on her. He didn’t much care about that, especially when it was keeping her distracted for the time being.

T’charrl was definitely pretty curious over the little human, he did wonder whether she was understanding him too. He wasn’t fully confident over talking to the adults without his scouter, they would probably go on and chatter away thinking he was an expert. Watching the girl curiously to see if she would react, he instead had to lean back when she nearly managed to grab one of his antennae. That would had been pretty painful. Giving his head a quick shake, he stared back at her as he tried to understand what she was saying, his eyes going to his wings when she flapped her arms around, “Urrrmm…butterrrfly…” he spoke, trying to think on what it could mean. Maybe that was the name of the animals they had here that were like him, but finding out was probably not going to happen anytime soon.

Viral watched Kimi and T’charrl interact with each other, lowering her down a little before he let out a sigh. If T’charrl could amuse her for long enough then he would had given him the child, but then again he couldn’t understand what she was saying and he did have sharp claws that were larger than his own fingers so that probably wasn’t a good idea. Looking down at her, he soon became distracted when she suddenly started to wiggle around, his eyes quickly going in the direction of the announced cake, “Huh? Oh great….” He sighed, moving back over to the mother and held the child out for her, “You want to take your child about now? Apparently the cake is here”.

Mr. Teddy and the big butterfly were awfully entertaining, it was nice they were willing to play with her. After unsuccessfully trying to yank T'charrl's antennae Kimi resolved to simply hanging there in Viral's grasp, smiling cheerfully as she kicked her legs a bit and bounced. This was fun, swinging around like this. Shame she couldn't fly despite flapping her arms like a bird, she wanted to chase the butterfly! Exciting as her new playmates were when cake was spotted her whole focus shifted to that and that alone, expressing her jubilant excitement with a near squeal. Bouncing happily once more she smiled as she was brought back to Saori, reaching out and being taken happily back. With a quick hug she turned and looked back at Viral and T'charrl, waving to both. "Thank you for playing!" she said, giggling.

Cake had been... Interesting. Shu, T'charrl and Viral had never had it before so it was curious to see how each of them liked it. Kimi, being the two year old she was, more or less wore her slice and had to be taken to the bathroom to be washed. Takeshi didn't really even finish his own slice, kind of too busy watching the others eat to see if they enjoyed it or not. And both Vegeta and Yumi had been caught up either talking with Viral or Ikura, usually both, just trying to keep conversation going. It was a tasty cake, chocolate and vanilla marble cake with white icing on top. Once everyone had their own slice, or in some cases two it was at last time for presents. Viral had been eased over to a seat beside the small stack of wrapped boxes and they began to hand them out one by one. For the most part it wasn't anything especially spectacular in the way of gifts, but at least nearly everyone had gotten him something. Among those probably worth mention were a set of custom boxing gloves, a set of training clothes to use, and curiously a little camping kit, which was kind of obsolete but neat nonetheless.

Yumi had been waiting almost impatiently for the others to hand over their boxes, her own gift waiting in her grasp. Once that elderly couple delivered a box of sweets she walked up to her friend, beaming happily. "Here, here's your gift from me!" she declared, holding it out for him. She hoped he liked it, she had gone through a lot of trouble to get it made and sorted out as quickly as she had needed. If he were to open the box now he'd find inside a set of clothing near similar to his typical attire. Since most of his was old and worn she had thought it helpful to make him something he could definitely use, and clothes seemed a safe bet. Stepping closer she leaned down, wrapping her arms around Viral's shoulders and sighing contentedly. "Happy Birthday, Viral. Hope you're having fun." It wouldn't be the biggest gift today most likely, she didn't near have the money to spend as Vegeta did, or even Ikura for that matter. But it was the thought that counted, right?