[IC] Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

[GambolMuse]

Takeshi felt a bit like messing with Shu, if only to entertain himself. The little guy might have had fun with that but he sure didn't, this trip was just one big pain after another. They had been successful in their mission though, he took some sort of satisfaction in that. Not getting to fight and being burned in such a bothersome manner had made it less fulfilling than he'd have liked, albeit after the fact complaining was fair useless. "I don't know if everything is fun. There's loads of things I can think of that aren't fun," he pointed out, smirking as he began to meticulously undo Shu's extra clothes. After this a nice meal and a nap were in order, he felt. Soon as they woke up they could play or whatever it was Shu was wanting to do, Takeshi didn't mind too much. So long as they got training in at some point in the day he was content, the rest of their time could be filled to his sibling's pleasure. With both of them undressed to just the minimum, Takeshi placed it all in a haphazard pile on the floor, using the back of his hand to rub at his nose, sniffling as it was becoming a bit runny. "Huh? Yeah, I miss Earth. It's not nearly as cold as this place was," he answered, "And I don't really miss the calm. It's nice, but it gets boring, you know? I'd rather be doing stuff like this, without freezing anyways."

Pagonia was over and done with surprisingly quick, meaning they could move on to their next venture. Far as Takeshi could recall they were supposed to stop by Kaesstra next and try enlisting some of T'charrl's people. All fine and good, if their friend had changed back. A promise had been made to help T'charrl get his power under control by the time he went home and thus far they hadn't fulfilled that. Some friends they would be if they couldn't keep that, so putting off Kaesstra for a while was their best bet. There was always Namek too, wherever that was. Wishing back Vegeta's parents or something along those lines, if he remembered right. The only issue there was no one knew where the planet was, not even Vegeta. But... There might be just a way yet to figure it out. Viral could detect Dragonballs, couldn't he? What about Namekian ones? "I was thinking about why we're going there, for the wish and all," Takeshi explained, "And... I figured you can detect Dragonballs on Earth, so maybe you can detect theirs too, yeah? That might be our ticket for finding that planet." If that didn't pan out then they would have to dig around a bit and ask, someone was bound to know.

Wherever they were heading next mattered little to Vegeta right now. His primary focus was getting Viral into the care ward and trying to figure out the issue with him. They had made so much headway in his transformations already, he'd mastered the feline form of his. Now the three forms were rampant and he was stuck in mid-change, what a bothersome turn of events. Settling down the shuttle in the hangar upon arrival he made certain it was properly shut down, sighing as he got up out of his seat. Another couple of near-sleepless days laid ahead of him no doubt, and probably at least a week or two of research to solve Viral's latest ailment. Stepping into the hold of the shuttle he glanced over at Viral, reaching down and patting his arm. "Hey, you're coming with me, alright? We're getting right to work, I want to get you back on your feet as soon as possible." No doubt he was tired, but that was of little significance right now. He could always sleep while laid up in the medical ward anyways, though those beds were scarcely as comfortable as the ones in a bedroom. "I've got him for now, Yumi. Mind going to the bridge and telling the crew we're good to take off?" he added, leaning down to help Viral to his feet.

[Mogtaki]

Shu certainly had a lot to miss compared to this kind of planet when it came to Earth, particularly the different climates it had. When they were travelling for the first time there was so much that was different from everything else, but a lot of these planets had very little differences between them. Maybe it was because they didn’t go to other places on the planet that much and not to mention even Shaharia had something different to desert, but they really hadn’t found a planet with such a variable climate as Earth. He would like to explore a lot more, but he didn’t know a faster way to get from planet to planet other than through that technique Takeshi talked about a while ago. Letting Takeshi undo his extra clothing, he watched him curiously, “I like a lot of things, though…so most things are fun!” Giving a shake once he was released of all those clothes, he smiled as he stared up at Takeshi, swaying a little, “Earth makes me feel warm and fuzzy, even when it’s cold. I don’t know about boring…I mean…Earth has so much I’ve still not seen! I miss that, even if there’s not many aliens around…”

Viral didn’t like the thought of being used, but quite frankly he didn’t know if he could sense the Dragonballs on Namek, especially when he didn’t know what they felt like. He had been around a Dragonball back at the Capsule Corp for all his life so figuring out he could sense where they were was a simple task; however, he knew the ones on Namek would be completely different. It made him feel a little useless, but even lying here was making him feel really useless anyway. Letting out a groan he tried to sit up but failed miserably as he could barely lift his head, “Our ticket…hmph, well, I can’t…never tried. Sorry to burst your bubble…but I’m not a walking space radar…” He didn’t think finding Namek would be high on the list of what he wanted right now, especially when he could barely think beyond a few words at a time with his body feeling like this. Vegeta’s parents could wait until he had actually mastered something without disappointing his creators.

Gasping when Vegeta touched his arm, he grumbled at the pain he was feeling from just that before his gaze moved to Vegeta. Somehow he didn’t think this was going to be very good for him, even if it was to try and reverse whatever had happened to him. He needed energy first to move by himself and get used to this change, but then again he didn’t know what might happen if he got too much. He was essentially stuck in multiple forms that all changed his personality in some way and if one became greater than the other then it would either hurt a lot or cause him to lash out. He wondered if Vegeta would trust him in the end, but that was for him to decide. Reaching around to grab hold of Vegeta, he sighed as he also tried to help himself up, “Ugh…great, I suppose we get this…over with…”

[GambolMuse]

"Finding Namek can wait, we've got to see to you first, Viral," Vegeta interjected, "And I don't imagine you're attuned to the Namekian Dragonballs, so chances are that won't work. We can try for what it's worth, but I'll be astonished if you can locate them." The only reason the Beastman could find Earth's Dragonballs was because his energy was in sync with it. That was, his own power was similar enough to that of the Dragonballs that he could locate them, much as Ki users located one another. It had begged the question before if Viral's power could possibly be that of a Namekian, but his and Dende's were entirely different. Something in between perhaps, who knew. That was one mystery Vegeta didn't think he'd figure out until his father was around to answer. "At any rate, let's focus on getting you seen to. I don't want to wait and possibly let this fester." There was no way of knowing if things could progress to a worse state or not, it was better to be safe than sorry. That meant getting directly to the ward where Viral could be put in a controlled environment, and perhaps slowly given some of his energy back. Either that or they could use some stored UV energy and let him bask in it like an artificial sun, that might work. Safer than releasing the power stored in the device, most likely. "In the meantime, Yumi? Can you go ahead and tell the bridge we're set to go? They know what to do, I just need someone to fill them in and help sort our next destination."

"Yeah, sure thing. Just be sure to take care of Viral, okay?" She was all worried over her friend right now, there was quite a lot troubling him. With him it was never just a physical issue, but also a mental and emotional one as well. What they saw on the surface was a fraction of what was truly going on and she shuddered to think what might be happening inside. Though, she did have a knack for picking up on when people were tense and at the moment Viral wasn't strung up. Tired yes, you didn't need to be empathetic to pick that much up. Wary too, or exhausted, in more way than one. Vegeta and Viral took their leave then, with the former having to support the Beastman as they slowly walked out the shuttle, and then out of the hangar. They would be okay, they just needed time to sort this out. Smiling to herself she nodded her head, turning then to the two brothers. "You two should go get washed up, take a break, you earned it." Yumi glanced down at Takeshi's red hands, pursing her lips as she wondered what to do about those. "And maybe go say hi to T'charrl while you're at it. Goodness knows he's lonely, and your hands need some attention," she added, smiling as she started out of the shuttle as well, "Be good you two! I'll see you for dinner!"

Now it was just him and Shu in the hangar, standing there in their snow gear, or what was left of it. Now that they were inside of a heated ship this was certainly too much clothing for anyone to have on, it was like a sauna. "Alright then, looks like we're going to see T'charrl for a bit!" Takeshi chimed, smiling as he went to their pile of clothing, scooping it up in his arms. "You can tell him all about what went on while he heals my hands, then the three of us can get a bite to eat, how's that for a plan?" A nice steaming some pork and noodles sounded delicious right about now. Maybe some barbeque sauce, some vegetables, that would hit the spot. A far cry from Shu's beloved fruit but he was sure the little guy would enjoy it nonetheless. Taking a step out of the shuttle he lifted his arms up, stretching them over his head tiredly. "Man... What a trip this has been. First a desert, then some snowy, icy place. Kaesstra is going to be a paradise after all this, you know? I can't wait for some warm, normal weather for a change. Maybe some nice rain even."

[Mogtaki]

Viral was a bit annoyed, but it was easy to be when he had to be the subject to torturous testing even though the claims were that it was ‘good for him’. He really didn’t want to be that guy and call out that Vegeta was still an amateur when it came to genetic mapping and experimentation, but he couldn’t be more worried about what might happen to him if Vegeta truly didn’t know what was wrong with him. Grumbling at his interjection over the Namekian Dragonballs, Viral was left with no real choice but to accept defeat with that one when he had doubts about it himself. Doing something spectacular was something he was never really good at and even if he did managed to do something, there would be someone out there who would consider it freakish and worrying. Feeling pretty defeated, Viral simply sighed at Vegeta’s words, shaking his head a little, “You make it sound as if I’m diseased…” he muttered, “I hope you’re planning on giving me some energy…I hate being dragged around like dead weight all the time…”

Watching Viral and Vegeta for a moment, Shu soon turned his attention to Yumi when she decided to address them. Tilting his head a little, Shu soon smiled and immediately turned towards Takeshi, bouncing on his feet, “Yeah! Friend T’charrl! He’ll like that!” he squeaked, running on out of the shuttle all excited. He hadn’t seen his friend for a wee bit now and he knew he would be hanging around by himself so it would be easy to find him. It was a little sad that he would be, especially when Vegeta had to leave him to come and get Viral. Turning back to Takeshi, Shu did feel a little curious to what Takeshi meant by mentioning their possible next destination, “Kaesstra next? We’re going there? But we haven’t helped Friend T’charrl yet”, he spoke, scratching his head, “I don’t think his mother is going to like what he looks like too much, especially when you’re scared of him…”

[GambolMuse]

Carrying Viral like this had to be demeaning for him, taking a big hit to his pride to be dragged about. Vegeta didn't want to give him his energy back, not just yet. Once the medical ward was secured and there was no chance of the Beastman hurting anyone then he'd give some of it back, not all. And that was provided he could get the release to work properly on his device. "Diseased, no. I'm just trying to be urgent about this. We don't know exactly what is wrong or what's happening, and letting it sit and progress could be bad. I'd rather nip this in the bud now than let it linger and potentially cause more problems later on for you." It would be an awful lot of work, trying to uncover precisely what was wrong with Viral. Numerous tests would need to be run, examinations carried out and results would be poured over meticulously to find any hints. For all Vegeta knew this could be a new development entirely, seeing as the mixed-transformation was an entirely new anomaly. Then again it didn't make much sense that it would just occur out of nowhere. More reasonable then was it had built up, gradually getting to this point. "You'll get energy back, don't worry. Not all, but certainly enough to be mobile. Once I can confirm that it won't cause you to change again I'll give the rest back."

Takeshi was fair sick of being told what to do for the day, but being asked to see T'charrl was hardly an order. He was their friend after all, they didn't need an order to stop by and pay a visit. Getting his hands healed was just an excuse to go there, it could be done just as easily by the doctor, or even himself if need be. Waving Yumi off he exited the shuttle, stretching as he made his way to the doors. They would be making their next stop in their recruitment run, wherever that was. Kaesstra was technically their third place to go but he didn't see them doing it just yet, and neither did Shu. "I know we haven't, and that's the problem. We made a promise to his mother we'd help him control his power, right? So we'll do that next. Besides, she's really scary when she's mad..." The Queen was just another of those women who for whatever reason saw fit to hit him every time he was around. Takeshi swore up and down he didn't do anything wrong at least 90% of the time, but that didn't stop them. "I-I am NOT scared of him!" the older boy said hastily, blushing as he narrowed his eyes at Shu. "Surprised, maybe, but I'm not s-scared! He's just T'charrl, the same old Kaesstrian we met back on his planet. Little... Not big, buggy T'charrl..." With the frothing mouth, long, whipping tongue, bulgy eyes. Takeshi couldn't help himself from shuddering, frowning at the image of their friend back on Earth. Speaking of that instance... "Hey... Figure we should go find that Haku kid too? I wonder what he's been doing."

[Mogtaki]

Viral felt that he deserved better, maybe even trying to walk along by himself for maybe just a little bit just incase he was good to go; however, he probably knew himself that was a load of rubbish and he would never be able to walk with this little energy. He was feeling it pretty hard and in a way he wished he didn’t have to feel, not if he was normal at least. It was probably the harsh reality that he would never have a regular input and output of energy that didn’t leave him feeling so weak and brittle. Feeling a little disheartened, he looked to Vegeta before letting out a groan, shaking his head a little, “You don’t even know how to start…” he muttered, looking elsewhere, “I can’t see you getting anything done right now…and this is me being optimistic…” It was difficult to believe in such a thing and it actually working, but this was something that never happened so he felt he had a good reason not to have faith. He didn’t even know what was wrong with him nevermind how to treat it, “You know how to give it back, right…? This…’prototype’ of yours…just how reliable is it…”

Shu was pretty excited to go and see T’charrl, especially when his friend was practicing speaking with Vegeta when they went out to do the job. It would be nice to hear him speak without having to use the scouter definitely, but it wasn’t as if he saw it as a nuisance in the first place anyway. He was hoping his friend would be able to speak without it and it would certainly be nice for him not to have to struggle with understanding others all the time when he was left without a scouter. It was a shame T’charrl was at high risk of losing his ability to understand others when he changed, especially when changing was something he wasn’t able to control yet. He certainly wondered what his kind was like when they could do something like that at will; it must had been a scary experience. Scratching his chest, his eyes quickly went up to Takeshi again, “Ooh! I wonder how we’ll do it, though…I mean, I don’t think he likes it”, he spoke, scratching his head, “I don’t even think he likes looking like he does right now. All walking like a monkey! Ooh ooh!” Bouncing a little, he giggled at Takeshi as he got pretty defensive about T’charrl again, smiling up at him, “It’s okay to be scared, Friend T’charrl knows anyway”, he squeaked, bouncing forward a few steps, “That Haku too? Maybe, but he’s not very nice…especially to Friend T’charrl…”

[GambolMuse]

"That's not true, I know how to start. I know several ways how to begin working," Vegeta retorted, smiling slightly, "I just don't know what the correct approach is yet. I could end up going through several iterations of tests before I figure out exactly what we're looking for." There were multiple different fields that needed to be explored, and variables which had to be accounted for. Needless to say it was going to be a lot of data crunching, all the while Viral would have to sit tight and endure it. "Of course I know how to return your energy... In theory. This is the trail run for my invention, but it should work how I designed it to. Have a little faith in my work won't you? I sort of invent things for a living after all. To give you something tangible though... My calculations before coming out to use it was roughly 85% chance of success. So there is a minute chance I won't be able to return your energy, but even if that's the case we can easily replenish it other ways." Not that Viral would need terribly much in the way of power while laying down on a hospital bed. He was just as well off with what he had now, albeit a bit more might make him feel better in general. "The ward is just up ahead. When I get you laid down we'll try undoing the device and transferring some power back, okay? Not all, some."

Hopefully T'charrl wasn't going to bent out of shape at being left behind. There was legitimately no way he could have come along, but that wouldn't save him from feeling left out. If anything it may have made things worse, knowing he had to remain in the ship. With any luck he'd made use of that time though, perhaps training his language skills with Vegeta, or working on controlling his power a bit better. On top of Viral struggling with his own strength the Kaesstrian had the same issues, and neither had a clear solution. Takeshi felt pretty bad for Vegeta in that regard, it was basically down to him to figure out what was wrong with them, the was the only one really with the brains to do so. Giving Shu a smile he shrugged his shoulders, moving to put his hands in his pockets but again stopping, letting his arms hang at his sides instead. "We'll figure it out. There's a whole lot of us working on it, yeah? With all of our brains chipping away it's only a matter of time until someone has a breakthrough. It can't be all that hard, we're just missing something." There Shu went again, being all dopy and making monkey noises. When teased again about being frightened by their friend he only stuck out his tongue, huffing as he turned his head away. He was only uneasy when T'charrl was big and really misshapen, how he was now didn't cause any problems.

"Yeah... He's not that nice. Kind of a pain in the ass really," Takeshi agreed, referring to Haku. "But we should give him a chance and all. It's not really fair to treat him like a prisoner, even after what he did to us. He's just a kid, like you and me." In fact he wasn't even sure how old the other boy was, they had never asked. Probably Shu's age, if not a bit younger. It was a far cry from the usual adult Elites they had to contend with, those guys were real jerks. "I don't know... I guess he kinda reminds me of myself in a way. He doesn't get along with anyone, no one wants him around, people seem to hate him. I mean he got kicked off of Kortal by our father basically, he can't go home now. That's got to suck, you know? And the way I see it, I was a real jerk before I met you, then I warmed up a bit. Maybe if we give him a chance he'll come around too." When he and Shu were supposed to be these great warriors, carrying on the legacy of Goku and the likes in protecting people, they couldn't well ostracize someone. Even if Takeshi was begrudgingly giving this idea he felt in part it was the right thing to do. "Hey... Don't be telling anyone about this. I don't want them thinking I'm going all soft and want to stick up for the new guy," Takeshi said, reaching over and carefully pinching Shu's nose between his fingers, "Or I'll give you a wedgie."

[Mogtaki]

Viral really didn’t like the sound of Vegeta’s reasoning over this little experiment of his, especially when there were so many variables and many things that could go wrong. Not knowing the correct approach meant there was no solid way to start these tests and most of them would probably end in failure before bringing any sort of success if any at all. He didn’t even know where to begin with this other than trying to get rid of them himself by withdrawing his power; then again, if it was genetic then it could easily be a damaged gene and with Vegeta only being an amateur at this stuff there was no true way to repair it in a short period of time. All of Vegeta’s talk on theories and no answers really made him worry, but there was little he could do to help that and was just going to end up having to suffer through it as usual, “Only that…? Hmph…bet you’ll just use my energy to power the ship…” There was no point on arguing with Vegeta; besides, he would probably be forced under anaesthetic most of the time or drugged up so that he wouldn’t act out, knowing how these sorts of events usually played out. He was just going to be treated the same way he often was before they decided he was worth putting out in the field again. Grumbling at the thought that the ward was nearby, he looked up a little bit to see where it was, “Yeah, yeah…I know. I get it…you don’t want me blowing up or whatever. Maybe figure out if you can first…”

Shu was glad that he had a lot to do and try to work out rather than just sit around and wait for something to happen, even when he could be doing training instead. There was so much that was strange to him and he figured out there were different levels of power and abilities out there but trying to figure out the most complicated ones fascinated him. Their friend really needed the help and he was willing to give it, so long as he wanted the help in the first place. Staring up at Takeshi Shu giggled, feeling pretty enthusiastic, “Helping everyone! I wonder when I’ll get help too”, he nodded quickly, giving his head a quick scratch, “I don’t even know what my problem is except all angry stuff, but I don’t get like that often!”

Shu really didn’t want to be going near Haku, especially with every other time ending in a not too pleasant confrontation just because nerves were high at that time. There were plenty of other people around he could make friends with if he wanted to so Shu didn’t need to take much heed in him just so he would leave him alone. He didn’t know how to feel about Takeshi finding similar interests when it came down to it, finding it to be a little worrying in a way, “Umm…I guess…but he’s a jerk anyway and thinks I’m funny looking”, he mumbled, pressing his fingers together, “I just don’t like being stared at and stuff”. Not all that sure to why Takeshi was getting all defensive, Shu tilted his head before squeaking when his nose was pinched, bouncing back and rubbing his nose, “Ooh! Oww! I don’t know why I would say things!”

[GambolMuse]

Vegeta did wish he could offer a concrete answer to Viral, but anything he said otherwise would be a lie. The technology he was using for his invention was new, it had never been tested until now. As with any new work there were bound to be initial kinks and unexpected variables, that was a given. The fact that it had drained Viral's energy even was a success, regardless of the fact it had taken a bit too much. Some adjustments here and there should solve that dilemma, albeit he hoped they would never need it again after this. "With all due respect, Viral, the engines we have output more power than you ever could," he replied, "Just not the same kind. It would be a moot point, stealing your energy for such a purpose. And before you get offended, none of us could remotely power it, even together. The technology running this ship of ours is really something else. Sub-atomic fusion creating nuclear reactions... Fission, cold fusion, whatever you want to think of it as. A compact, highly dense battery of sorts making near limitless, steady power. It's really something of a wonder." Ah, but there he was rambling on about technology, again. He really ought to learn to put a clamp on himself. Admonishing Viral with a glance, Vegeta broke into a small smirk, stopping them as they got to the medical bay. "You won't blow up, I'm more concerned with something else blowing up, that's all."

Vegeta led Viral inside of the medical ward and directly to the nearest bed. Gingerly getting his friend onto the bed, he used his foot to undo the latches on the wheels, moving the platform freely. "Listen, whatever notion you've got of me using you as a lab rat, get rid of it now," he said, starting to wheel Viral towards the desk in the room. "I don't enjoy using something untested, let alone on a friend like you. And I certainly don't revel in seeing you in such a state. Believe me when I say I do this out of necessity, not desire. I would gain nothing from doing this for myself, this is all to help you, understand?" Everything he had been doing for quite a while now was for Viral's sake. His own guilt at being unable to help coupled with the pressure from his parents had Vegeta working around the clock trying to get the Beastman back to his old self. If Viral were to take a good look now he might just see how exhausted the Saiyan was, from the bags and rings under his eyes to his slightly paler complexion. Nonetheless he smiled as he stopped the bed, setting it just beside the desk before sitting down on top, running a hand through his hair. "Anyways... Enough of my preaching. Before we get into this, do you need anything? Water? Food? Because we could be at it a while, best to get you some kind of nutrition now."

Takeshi was fair determined to help T'charrl, even if he didn't know how. Both he and Shu shared that sentiment, and damn it all they were going to solve this thing. There was that weird ghost that had spoken to them before, T'charrl's ancestor or something like that. It had mentioned their friend having to become stronger for him to get back to normal, which seemed straightforward enough. Yet the Kaesstrian had certainly improved and still wasn't back to his regular self. Just how much more work was he going to need to put in? T'charrl and Viral weren't the only ones that needed a helping hand; Shu's anger problems were a real pressing matter. "Yumi's already helping you, yeah? And I'm going to try helping as well, whatever I can do. Hell, even if it means I gotta be at your side all the time to stop you then that's what I'll do."

With everyone else getting help Takeshi couldn't help but feel like they were leaving someone out. Haku was still being neglected and essentially shunned, treated like any other Saiyan enemy. The only issue with that was he wasn't the same as an Elite, or even a regular soldier. He was just some kid, following orders and being cast out for being deemed a failure. In some ways, Takeshi realized, they were alike. It had been through others that he eventually changed and had become nice... Or less of a jerk, anyways. If it worked for him then it could well work for Haku as well. "Hey, I thought you were pretty funny looking at first too, you know," Takeshi said, smiling amused, "Don't remember the things I used to say? I teased you all the time, like he does. But look at us now, yeah?" He could change, anyone could with enough effort. Since the other boy was with them now it made more sense to make him an ally than keep him at arm's length as an enemy too, that was just a waste of manpower. Preaching and being all soft was never quite his thing, and par for the course he got a bit worried someone would hear, unreasonably concerned. Pinching Shu's nose he threatened his brother in the lightest way possible, smiling when he agreed not to tell. "Good. We'll try with Haku, alright? If he won't come around then fine, we'll leave him alone. But I think we should at least try."

[Mogtaki]

The moment Vegeta began to talk again Viral couldn’t help but let out an audible groan and look away. The kid sure was too technically minded, he’d even give the original an aneurism with how technical he was with absolutely everything that was said. It was annoying to say the least, making him look stupid, “You thought I was being serious…or have you actually thought about using my energy for that…” he muttered, not all that impressed, “Or maybe…you will use it for something and was exploring the different options…” The fact that Vegeta had to explain why he couldn’t use the energy for something like that showed he had considered it only to find it was impossible and was simply narrating his conclusion in the matter. Feeling as if he had been violated in some way, Viral frowned as he looked to Vegeta, not all that happy with his sense of humour, “Yeah…and that happens to be attached to me…”

Despite disliking being dragged around, getting on the bed certainly felt like a better option than being carried everywhere he had to go. He was a little startled by it suddenly moving once he was finally on it but did settle down eventually when he realised he wasn’t going to slide off. Moving his claws away from the edges of the bed, Viral frowned before letting out a dismissive sigh, “Yeah whatever makes you happy…” He knew that much, but whether either of them was going to accept that this was a massive test run then progress was not going to be made. He was stressed to the bone with this stuff himself, trying his best to master his powers and training hard when it had all been for nought because he somehow managed to screw that up. Looking back to Vegeta tiredly as he spoke, he let out a groan and looked away, “You know how food affects my transformations…” he muttered, his tail flicking a little, “Shouldn’t you think of the variables that might make it worse…? But…doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get something…”

Shu didn’t really know what he was supposed to do in regards to himself, at least not in the sense that he had when everyone simply ignored his problem. He did wonder whether everyone should go back to ignoring it when it was so rare that it happened anyway; it’s not like it was a common occurrence that he got angry, after all. Everyone else had their own problems to care about and his were trivial, the time being spent to sort his problems could be spent elsewhere, “Yeah…but maybe help after everything else! Yeah? What happens doesn’t happen much…umm, well except on Shaharia…and I think on Earth? But not much! We’ve not been able to do much about it and there’s still time, right?”

Shu didn’t think Haku needed much, seeing as how he could find a place to live and be fine with it if he so wanted to. The difference between him and everyone else was he didn’t want to be friends with them all and had been alright living on Earth until they popped up again. Shu didn’t like being around someone who made him angry, especially when he was trying to defend the fact that his anger problem could be put on hold if everyone else was too busy. Rubbing his nose, Shu stared up at Takeshi and let out a sigh, wiping himself down, “He’s not teasing, he’s making fun of me”, he mumbled, shaking his head, “He’s never been nice to me and bought me food either. You got me food after the fight!” Unless Haku was nice to him he wouldn’t trust him. He didn’t know if it was worth the effort but if Takeshi wanted to try then he was going to follow along, “And if we don’t find him, we’ll go find Friend T’charrl? I’d like that more…”

[GambolMuse]

"Of course I haven't considered using your energy, I was simply explaining that it wasn't even remotely viable. Don't be absurd, I'd never use your energy, certainly not for something like that." Vegeta had looked into Viral's energy as an energy source, but merely out of curiosity, a whim really. He had never once truly considered it, that would be absurd. The Beastman was a living thing, not some battery. When a battery ran out of energy you could recharge it, or simply discard it and get a new one. When a being used every ounce of their energy they had this peculiar tendency to fall over dead. Not something he was keen on making Viral do. His work was striving for quite the opposite, doing something like that would be contrary to his efforts. Leading his friend to one of the beds, Vegeta carefully got Viral settled onto one, positioning him as comfortably as could be on the slightly too small platform. "Half the things I've thought of concerning you would probably make you sick. I'd never do any of it, but the mind has a tendency to consider all sorts of possibilities, good and bad. You can't say you've never thought of doing something that was so obviously wrong, yet it came to mind anyways."

To try and quell some of Viral's concerns, Vegeta opened up a little. Sharing how he was doing all of this work for Viral's sake, and how he only wanted to help, he hoped it might put some tensions to rest. Instead his words were pretty much disregarded in their entirety, leaving him looking like a fool. Sighing under his breath he wheeled the bed close to the desk where his work was still sitting, leaving it just at the side. Though they were supposed to be getting to work he couldn't help but bring up food, feeling a bit hungry himself. It was a bit of a rude suggestion to make however considering Viral's state, and how food effected him in the past. "You're right, I apologize. That was my stomach talking, not me," Vegeta joked lightly, moving around to his chair. "And no, I can wait a bit longer to eat. As I said, my priority is helping you. If in doing so I put off a meal by an extra hour then so be it, I can certainly handle at least that much." Now, the first approach to their testing, what should it be? Not particularly fond of anything involving surgery, and not having the drive for genetic mapping just yet, Vegeta figured they'd begin with a therapeutic approach. Settling in his seat he leaned back in his chair a little, folding his arms over his chest casually. "I know you said it was hazy before, but I need you to try and recall what happened when you changed. Does anything at all come to mind?"

"Eh... It doesn't matter how often it happens. When it does happen it's bad. All the more reason to figure it out and help you get better sooner, right?" Takeshi asked, smiling, "Besides, you worry about it a ton, don't you? I've heard you talk in your sleep before, apologizing for hurting people and being afraid of something. I'd be willing to bet you worry about turning into that Oozaru of yours, even in your dreams." Shu was just too nice a person to hurt someone, or potentially kill them. That had to be what really scared him above all else, the fact he had it in him to do that kind of damage. For his older brother it wasn't as big an issue, though he did try to avoid killing people now. Slinging an arm around Shu's shoulder, minding his injured hand, Takeshi grinned down at his sibling. "Tell you what. I'll ask for advice from Yumi and Vegeta, and I'll even find some books. Since they're busy I'll be the one to help you. Yumi can still help when she's got time, but we're always together. Might as well do something helpful, you know?" And really, who knew Shu better than him? They spent more time with one another than anyone else, they could nearly do what Kai and Choi did, that telepathy business, without even thinking or speaking. They just knew one another, so it was fitting that he be the one to help the little guy out.

Shu wasn't the only person that Takeshi felt like lending a hand. He had this peculiar desire to aid Haku as well, help the kid find his place in their group too. By his logic he and the new boy were similar, both had or were having a tough time getting along with people. Neither wanted anything to do with others and felt that those around them reciprocated those feelings. If he was wrong then he'd eat his boot, but Takeshi was pretty damn certain he wasn't off the mark. "How's he going to buy you food? And where? We're on a ship in the middle of space silly," Takeshi said, rolling his eyes. "And back then, I bought the food because I was curious about you. I wanted to know how some little squirt had managed to beat me. I do it now because I like to, but back then I didn't really care about you honestly. And I'm kind of thinking that Haku will be the same way if we give him a chance." It was the least they could do, they dragged him here. "Yeah, we'll go to T'charrl after if we don't find him. Though I'm going to guess Haku is in his room where he always is. Call it a hunch."

[Mogtaki]

Viral probably wanted to know if his energy was actually possible to use and twist into something that could be considered useful for others, seeing as how his energy was as useful as creating spontaneous fires. It didn’t help when his energy was so different to others and was often considered unstable, but if he had to go about fixing that instability problem then he would need to not use it altogether. If there was some way to find use in it and not just have it being as destructive as it is then at least when there was something holding onto his energy there would be some use for it. Vegeta sounded as if he had tried to use his energy for something at some point, but his quickness to snap showed he was anything but willing to reveal what he actually tried in the past. Looking to Vegeta when he spoke up again, Viral frowned upon the knowledge that he had thought about some pretty nasty experiments involving him. The worst aspect was probably knowing if Vegeta ever decided to change his mind because he was furious at him he might just decide to do some of these things, “Comforting…really. Nice to know there’s always the possibility if you ever wanted to be evil…”

Viral was certainly finding it difficult to express beyond his concerns of what might happen to what was actually going to happen to him. He didn’t know what kind of tests or experiments will be conducted to get him back to normal, but what he did know was it was pretty painful to have present. He wasn’t going to say how sore it actually was considering how much Vegeta and Yumi were reacting to what has happened to him. It would be stupid to go and say something like that when they were already overly concerned with his current condition without him saying how sore his head was or how uncomfortable it was to lay down on his back. Letting out a groan, he slowly moved his head, “You won’t eat in an hour and you know it…you’ll just keep working and forget…” he grumbled with a sigh, “I swear, if you don’t in an hour…I’m leaving…” Unsure to how he might just do such a thing, he kept quiet until Vegeta decided to ask him a pretty difficult question to answer, a frown appearing pretty quickly, “When I changed…is a pretty difficult question”, he frowned, scratching his side with a single claw quite pathetically as if that was all he could muster, “I was fighting first…then I don’t know. I got charged somehow and the impact triggered something with my energy…then I tried using my feline form to stabilise it and then nothing; I can’t remember beyond that…just your stupid face and Yumi hanging over me…”

Shu was a little embarrassed to hear he had been talking in his sleeping, still feeling that his nightmares and unsettled nights shouldn’t be talked about. He didn’t want to talk about it since everything else remained normal when he didn’t say what was bothering him at night, especially when it was pretty normal for him now. Pressing his fingers together with his head held low, squeaking when Takeshi slung his arm around him. Looking up to Takeshi, Shu stared at him with a frown before giving a little nod, smiling again, “That sounds…nice. If it’s okay”, he spoke, his tail wiggling around, “I don’t want to be in the way of other things too though, okay? I don’t want to get in the way of things that are really important like time is counting down to them! I don’t have a short time to try and learn…so maybe I shouldn’t be getting in the way of everything…”

Shu certainly wasn’t sure of himself when it came to being around others that he generally felt uncomfortable being around, especially when that person nearly caused him to change last time. He was afraid of a number of things because of that and didn’t like being near those who caused it in the first place. Shaking his fists a little in protest, Shu squeaked, “You know what I mean! You did it and it was nice! I trusted you!” he spoke up, giving Takeshi a poke in the arm, “You still bought me food and that was a nice thing, even if you didn’t like me. I liked you!” Getting all worked up for all the wrong reasons, Shu bounced on his feet a bit before shaking his head, giving his hair a quick scratching through, “I don’t think he’ll like me anyway even if I try, but if he’ll like you then that’s fine. Everybody will probably be in their rooms unless they’re hungry like me! I’m hungry…I hope Friend T’charrl is hungry too…”

[GambolMuse]

Plenty of things had gone through Vegeta's mind over the years, and not all of them good. He had considered using Viral to find and slay those responsible for his parents, a silly notion now that he knew technically it had been the Beastman. There was killing Viral too and trying to recreate what his father had done, purely out of pride and a desire to match up and surpass Aito. When he learned the truth of his parent's demise he'd contemplated killing Viral too, purely out of spite and anger. However, the Beastman still was here today, in poor shape but not by Vegeta's hand. In fact, he was trying to save Viral. That, if anything, should be a testament to his true desires. "Me? Evil? Come on now... Being evil is bad business sense," he retorted, smirking as he used some of Aito's own words. "I would have nothing to gain out of manipulating or destroying you. Hell, you're a much more fearsome force on your own, with me around just to patch you up now and again." Letting out a light chuckle he sat forward in his chair, folding his arms on top of the desk. "In all seriousness though, my only intention is to maintain my father's legacy, and to protect someone who is close to me. Think of it what you will, but I'm doing this solely because I wish to help you, nothing more."

That prattling aside they really ought to be getting to work. There was no telling what extended durations of being twisted like Viral was might do to someone. With his lack of energy to spare he ought not be able to do much, but they couldn't be too sure just yet. Vegeta's stomach was grumbling now and again as he sat there, drowning it out best he could to focus on the task at hand. On an off chance he suggested they get something to eat, forgetting just for a moment what feeding the Beastman could do to him. He tried then to back out of eating altogether, but Viral wasn't having any of that either. Smirking in amusement he sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head a bit. "Come on now, aren't I your master or something? Shouldn't you listen to me?" he asked teasingly, looking back at Viral. "I'll eat when an hour passes, I promise. I won't be of much use if I can't focus anyways. Now can you tell me what I need to know? What happened when you changed?" It was as Vegeta expected, though he was still reluctant to hear Viral had no recollection. Going rampant often did that to Viral, and evidently to Shu and Yumi as well. Takeshi had his moments but he always seemed to recall, perhaps because he didn't change. What troublesome things these transformations were turning out to be. "I see... I figured you'd say that. Well, then I can't exactly discern anything from that. Meaning we'll move on to the next test." Ignoring the quip about his face, Vegeta moved from his chair, walking back around towards Viral. "I suppose the next step is to run some tests on your body, see if anything comes up noticeable. Before that though..." Standing at the bedside he reached down, placing a hand over the device. "How about we give you some power back?"

Having Yumi help Shu was fine and all, but she couldn't do it all. And maybe Takeshi hadn't known his brother for that much longer than her either, but they sure spent more time together. Near every moment since meeting, being captured aside, just like they were now. Nobody knew the little guy better than his older brother, so it had to be him to help. "Hey, making sure you're happy and not going all ape on us is more important, alright? We can teach you how to do other things later. Doesn't do us any good if you learn to count, then go bananas and forget again does it?" Smiling he lifted his hand and used the back of his knuckles to itch his nose, sniffling as a bit of mucus threatened to drip. Dang it, had he gotten a cold even with all those clothes on? What a pain in the butt. "You getting better doesn't get in the way of anything. If there are other things to do then they can wait, I'm helping you first. And no one is telling me otherwise."

Takeshi really wished Shu would hear what he was trying to get at, he was never all that good with words. Haku and him were similar, they were both angry and lonely, and blamed everyone else for their misfortune. Or that was how he used to be, and how he was pretty sure the other boy felt. If someone actually tried being friendly and opening up then maybe he'd change, just as Takeshi had. "Whatever, we're going to try helping him. It's bugging me that we're leaving him alone, alright? I feel bad about it and I don't like that feeling..." he said, frowning as he gave a shake of his head. "If he is hungry then he can come eat with us too. IF he's not going to be a pain in the ass and mope instead. I'm going to try being nice, but I'm not dragging him anywhere. Either he comes because he wants to or not." He was hungry too, so all the more reason to go gather T'charrl. Haku's room was within sight now, just up ahead in the corridor. "If he comes with us, just try being nice, you know? If I can do it then you sure as hell can," Takeshi added, smiling at Shu, "If it works, you got yourself another friend. Isn't that a good thing?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral hadn’t put it out in the open before but all of this talk about what could had been always made him twitchy and find difficulty in accepting help from others. He knew how easy it was for others to want to get their hands on an artificial being and see how they work and how much they could suffer through compared to other beings, the typical experimentation that even humans did with animals. It made him particularly nervous around others and hateful of people with backgrounds in science or the military. Vegeta had been not all that different once he had grown up and learned all the Capsule Corp’s tricks, sending Viral into his desire to leave through any means later on. Believing Vegeta could develop evil intentions wasn’t beyond him, seeing how he was a relative of Prince Vegeta; however, it mostly sprung from the reasoning that businesses were evil in general and would do anything for profit whether they were aware of it or not. Not finding Vegeta’s teasing very encouraging, he frowned and looked away, “Don’t try and flatter me, especially when I’m like this…” he groaned, looking back to him, “And if it turned out your father moves onto something new when he returns…will you move on with him?”

Viral just wanted this over and done with. He knew it was going to be a long process because none of them knew what was wrong with him; however, his desire to not feel anything beyond a few aches and pains was just too great right now and wanting it over quickly was a high priority. He didn’t like having to draw this much attention, he needed a break from others once in a while but all he seemed to do lately was have everyone surrounding him all the time and making him feel like a child. Hearing Vegeta refer to himself as his Master made him pretty annoyed, especially after what he said before, “You disowned me…” he mumbled, pretty annoyed that he wasn’t in the right state to be able to slap him. Telling him that the fact he lacked the memory capacity to recall what happened during the battle was pointless knowing made him a little annoyed to say the least, the progress being made being near zero from that so there really was no reason for him to ask about it. He didn’t forget what happened during an erratic transformation completely, he could recall a lot of it just through fuzzy memories, but this he had completely forgotten. He didn’t see that as something that should be ignored. Watching Vegeta closely as he came towards him, Viral narrowed his gaze before looking down at his hand, “Great…if you think it’s worth it”, he muttered, resting his head back again, “So long as nothing bad happens…like the prototype blowing up…”

Shu was pretty scared of himself and did wish that everyone ignored it so that maybe he could ignore it, but everyone was so set on reminding him that it existed and that made him constantly worry over it. He certainly didn’t like knowing he was capable of hurting someone innocent, but knowing everyone else was worried that he might do exactly that made him a little sad. Pulling at his fingers nervously, he looked up to Takeshi quickly and tilted his head, “Bananas? I want a banana”, he spoke, looking back down again, “I’m just scared incase it’s something Father did that’s made it worse…I-I mean, I barely changed until he caught me”. He didn’t see it as any sort of illness he had, just that he was getting out of control and his thought pattern behind it was he might not change if he didn’t worry about it so much. Maybe Takeshi would soon forget about it if he got busy with something or the others, maybe Vegeta and Yumi would get too busy with Viral and forget too. Maybe if Takeshi got friendly with Haku then he would spend time with him and forget; either way was okay with him and this whole thing could be forgotten about.

Shu just didn’t know about Haku at all and it was probably because he spent so much time worrying over the way he looked to strangers, maybe even intimidating towards others because he wasn’t like other Saiyans. Looking up at Takeshi Shu frowned, not entirely sure he knew what he was saying, “Haku come to eat with us too…? Ooh, I’d be too nervous to eat”, he spoke, not entirely sure what to make of that decision. He didn’t want to be selfish, but he was worried he might just be making enemies if he hanged around the guy and something went wrong. Feeling a bit nervous he let out a sigh, shaking his head, “I’m always nice! I’m not a meanie!” he squeaked, looking up to Takeshi, “He was the meanie! I’m just little and not able to stand up for myself…I’m not an alpha and strong and brave!”

[GambolMuse]

Vegeta was trying to have a little fun with the situation if only to help lighten the mood. It didn't work per usual and Viral just seemed to get even grumpier, not appreciating it whatsoever. Letting out a soft sigh he glanced at his friend, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry, I'll quit poking fun at you," he replied, "I was only kidding, you know. Disregard who my predecessors might have been, there's not an evil bone in my body." He could certainly get angry, but that was something he attributed to being part Saiyan, certainly not from being evil. He never thought he'd done anything to give cause to worry, perhaps he had if Viral was voicing the idea. If that were the case then he'd reexamine himself at some point and change, simple as that. It probably had something to do with Capsule Corporation. If it weren't for that place being his family's legacy then he'd have been done with it long ago. "What? You think I'll just abandon you for the next big thing?" Vegeta asked, frowning as he crossed his arms, "Viral, as far as I'm concerned you are the pinnacle of my father's achievement. But you are also someone, something that I don't want to recreate. For that reason rather than moving on, or mirroring my father's work, I want to stay with you and help you get as close to perfection as I possibly can. That all aside, you're my friend and a comrade. I'd never abandon you simply for another project, I wouldn't do that."

"I was joking about the master quip, by the way," Vegeta said, smiling slightly, "You know I loathe being referred to as that." Being called 'boss' or 'sir' at work was one thing, they were formalities that came with his position. But those didn't necessarily imply indentured service like being called 'master' did. To him it felt like being called that word symbolized taking away someone's free will and the ability to make their own decisions, and that was wrong on so many levels. It was why the collar program the King had developed was so appalling, he was turning people into mindless drones, made to obey a master they had no business being with. Probably a bit of bias there considering his friends had been effected, but still he hated it. Since Viral's memory was shot they needed to move onto the next step, biological testing. Firstly however, Vegeta wanted to get Viral some energy back. There would be no better time than now in the trial run to see if his invention worked as it should, and with luck it would be a quick replenishment of energy. "If anything the energy will just escape outward, rather than channel back into you," Vegeta remarked, "Blowing up isn't a factor, I made doubly sure that wouldn't happen. It's one of the few certainties of this device." Placing his hand on the top of the small machine he grabbed hold of it, giving it a twist. With a sharp "whoosh" sound the cords retracted, sliding back into the central piece quickly. It then began to glow, and as it did it eased energy out gradually through nodes on the bottom, the same way it had extracted energy. "Can you feel anything? Anything at all?"

Poor Shu, all worked up over his changes. He wasn't in a position like Takeshi where he could just lose his tail either, that would be the quickest if not most crude way to solve things. They could get along just fine without having the Oozaru as a fallback, but eliminating it entirely just wasn't an option for the younger boy. "It's a figure of speech, I don't have any bananas for you," he said, sounding exasperated at having to explain. He hadn't considered this being their father's doing, sort of how they made Viral's transformations happen more frequently as well. But they couldn't do the same thing to Shu, could they? "If father did do this to you, then we can always beat the answer out of him or his men," Takeshi said, grinning as he knocked a fist into his palm, wincing immediately after and giving his hands a shake. Dammit, he had to remember he was hurt. "Ah, shoot! Heh... Well whether it was father or not we're going to fix this. It's obviously worrying you, and I don't want to see you worry, and neither do the others. Just hang in there a little longer buddy, we'll help you just like they're helping Viral."

Convincing Shu that Haku was able to change wasn't going to be easy, he could see that. Couldn't well blame the little guy either, the kid had been a pretty big jerk their first meeting. Since then he had been reclusive, not giving a whole lot of reason for anyone to like him. If there was a chance to get Haku to be friendly then Takeshi would go for it, goodness knows they could use another ally in the fighting. Having a meal with him might help, get some light talk going to ease the tension. Or maybe not, "Well... Maybe he can sit somewhere else, but near us, yeah? So you don't have to be close to him?" Oh, how was he supposed to balance Shu's nerves and Haku being a jerk? It already wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world, everything in Takeshi told him to hate the kid because he was mean to his little brother, but he couldn't. The other boy's room was nearby, but he stopped in his tracks when Shu began to voice his nerves again, not sounding at all confident. Looking down and smiling sadly, Takeshi leaned over, putting one hand behind his brother's head and touching their foreheads together. "Listen... You are strong, and you are brave. I've seen you fight and do all sorts of brave things, you don't give yourself enough credit. And size has nothing to do with if you can stand up for yourself or not." Letting go of Shu he stood upright again, giving his brother's chest a light poke. "You've got heart, you can stand up for yourself if you think you can. Have some confidence buddy, you're one of the strongest people I know, whether you realize it or not."

[Mogtaki]

Viral wasn’t having any of it; sure, it was easy for Vegeta to make all these silly jokes, but when he was lying around like this in pain and unable to move it wasn’t going to be funny to him. He didn’t like feeling like this and that was all there was to it, his hope to be feeling normal fading with each second he was like this. His biggest fear was he may never be able to return to his normal form and he would be stuck as a freak forever; not that he already wasn’t a freak to many, of course. He probably looked like a disaster right now and he couldn’t help but feel terrible about it. If Vegeta was to ever become the type of person to experiment then this was definitely going to be full of experiments whether painful and necessary or if he was going to be unconscious for the majority of the time. To abandon a failed experiment wasn’t uncommon, especially when there were other things to be concerned about and trying to improve what was already broken. To hear Vegeta deny he’d abandon him made him feel concerned that he was holding Vegeta back, the very knowing he was not able to function correctly himself because he was so broken made him feel pretty guilty, “And you better not put anything off either because of me…”, he spoke lowly, “If you dare I’ll just walk out…whether I have the energy or not! I’m not having you become unhealthy because of me…”

While he was annoyed at Vegeta he still wanted this over and done with and Vegeta was the only one who could help him with this. He wasn’t sure whether he could stay angry at him at this point, but he sure was getting fed up with his jokes. Growling lowly at his reasoning he let out a huff, looking elsewhere when everything was just causing him to feel fed up, “Hmph yeah…and yet you never cared to say anything…”Finding it all to be one disappoint after the other, he sighed when Vegeta finally decided to give the device a try and see if it would do as it was told and actually not blow up. Despite Vegeta’s reassurances there was a little bit of worry still when Vegeta approached the device, gasping when the cords finally decided to release him and give him some sort of relief. Bracing for possible pain from the process of energy transfer, the process soon started and the feeling of his energy moving from the device into him was rather uncomfortable, a feeling he was sure he had felt before. Not finding it to his liking he slowly managed to reach his claws up towards it but did manage to stop himself from yanking it right off, “I-It feels like sticking a big needle in my chest…”

While Shu did want to find some way to make it all better there was still the problem that he didn’t want to get in anybody’s way and having somebody’s time taken up like this was not what he wanted. Feeling pretty sad that he didn’t have bananas still Shu let out a sigh, lowering his head a little and swaying as he walked, “I just thought that maybe…okay…” Letting out a sigh, Shu continued onward just thinking of bananas and the future, feeling as if he might end up getting that confused between the two if he thought too much about it, “I’ll get to do that? Oooh, I might feel sad for doing that. I don’t like forcing people to say things”. He still couldn’t help but feel guilty that he had allowed his own worries to get in the way of everything else, especially when it was not a big deal in the first place when compared to everything else they had to worry about. If he didn’t fight then he had no reason to get mad, but if he didn’t fight then he would be wasting everyone’s time by being there, “I can hang in there! I have a tail for hanging in there! I can wait, I swear!”

If it wasn’t his transformation that was worrying him it was everything else that came closer to making him angry that worried him. He didn’t know if Haku would be nice to him or look at him strangely too much, but either way he was going to be nervous and be unable to concentrate on anything else. Keeping his head low he nodded a little, trying to find comfort in his reassurances, “I can sit a little away instead! I-I don’t mind…” He was just being a pain at this point and he knew it, there was no point trying to hide it. Finding it uncomfortable to be thinking about this stuff, Shu scratched his chest before Takeshi decided to stop him in his tracks and press his head against his own. Frowning as he was forced to stare at Takeshi’s eyes, he listened to him closely before backing off when he did, his hand going to his chest when he was poked. Giving his chest a scratch he looked back up at Takeshi, giving a little nod, “I-I’ll try! I’ll try”, he squeaked, looking away a little, “I don’t mean to be a coward, I’m just…not used to fighting such dangerous people, I guess. I always fought for fun, but now I’m fighting for my life a-and it’s just hard, I guess. You’re used to it, though. Even when Father had me I don’t remember fighting…”

[GambolMuse]

Vegeta was never good at this lighthearted joking and he knew it. He just didn't have that in him, that je ne sais quois, whatever he needed to make light of situations. That was more Yumi's bit, he was just better at telling the situation for what it was, good or bad and he knew it. Sighing to himself he ran a hand through his hair, looking at Viral apologetically, "Too late for that my friend, I've put off meals several times already for your sake. It's no big worry though, I eat more than enough when I do to make up for it. And with all due respect, until I give you energy I very much doubt you're crawling anywhere, let alone walking." The Beastman was just in a sapped state at the moment, and rightfully so. His invention had more than done its job, and as a result Viral's body was near limp. Being immobile wasn't intended, but at least the device working was proof of concept. Some tweaks here and there and it would be more than practical the next time this happened, if there was a next time. With luck this series of tests would finally give them the solution they had been striving for so long.

"Let's see about giving you some energy back, hm? This will be easier if you're not completely immobile." If Viral could walk then they wouldn't have to wheel the bed back and forth, he could move himself and save both of them the trouble. Eying the device for a moment, Vegeta placed a hand on the rim of it, and with a twist it retracted the cords holding itself to Viral. Once that was done he pressed down, reopening the nodes in the back and letting the energy slowly seep out. At least that was what it should be doing, in theory. "How does it feel? Notice anything at all?" he asked, looking at Viral's face for any sort of indication. Pain wasn't part of the plan, it should be seamless and easy. Wincing inwardly at the obvious flaw he nonetheless let the device continue its job for a few moments longer, wanting to get a decent amount of energy back into Viral. At last he released the pressure on the device, and in an instant the flow of power stopped, sealing off the nodes and the remaining energy inside, if there was any. Taking it off of the Beastman he gave it a glance over before setting it on a nearby table. "Chest pain aside, did it work? Do you feel better, energy wise."

Takeshi wasn't going to let Shu's problem just go away, even if Shu himself wanted to. Problems like that wouldn't vanish if you ignored them, they needed to be dealt with. With everyone they had around them plus the help of those on Earth, and the rebels too, they could definitely get the little guy the help he needed. Using the phrase 'hang in there' ended up as yet another reminder that Shu was clueless when it came to things like that. The older boy smile exasperatedly when his brother took it literally, rolling his eyes, "I didn't mean it lit- Good, just hang in there," he replied, letting it be. Explaining things to Shu usually only led to more confusion, no sense in stumping the kid now. Confusion aside Shu was getting upset now too at the notion of Haku joining them for a meal. It was unusual, Takeshi would give it that much, but he felt they should try it. Somehow they went from involving the new kid to Shu getting all stressed and berating himself. Being as gentle as he could the older boy tried reassuring him, poking him playfully afterwards. "Hey, I get scared too buddy. I'm not invincible you know," Takeshi said, smirking, "But you know what helps? I remember who I'm fighting for and that keeps me strong. It's kind of lame, but it helps. And knowing you and everyone else is there to help makes things easier too. Just remember you're not alone when you're fighting, and you'll do fine."

Yumi figured she would be in and out of the bridge, just dropping off some quick orders. What was supposed to be an impromptu stop turned into something else entirely when an emergency call came through. It was a secure line that the rebels and their group shared, used normally only for important matters. Since no one else really was there she ended up taking it, and she was surprised to find an uncertain looking Korian on the other line. She didn't know what had him looking flustered, but behind him she could make out people running to and fro, it looked hectic in his ship. The news he did have to share came out quick and hasty, the rebel taking breaks now and again to yell orders. By the time everything had been relayed the atmosphere in their own ship was grim, the room felt stuffy and Yumi swore she could hear everyone collectively holding their breath. The others had to know about this, things just got really bad for everyone. Demanding that Vegeta be found she waited impatiently for the crew to locate their captain, opening the communications with the medical ward promptly. "Vegeta! Are you there? We need to talk, now!"

So the device had been a marginal success, but there were some bugs still. It shouldn't cause pain for the one wearing it, and there was no clear indication of the level of energy stored. A hindsight on his part, the latter, and an easy fix. Vegeta was fairly pleased with it all the same, it would work as a last resort if Viral were to change again. "Anyways, enough of my using you as a trial run. Sorry if that caused you discomfort, by the way, like I said it's not perfect yet." Now they could focus more on his treatment, starting with some careful physical tests. To know how to help this they first needed to know what the state of Viral's body was. Where the real issues were and what should be addressed first. He had all sorts of new appendages, but those didn't appear to be dire. First they would check for the stability of his internal systems, and once all of that was confirmed to be fine they could move on. Before they would get anything done however there was a call to the medical ward, coming from the bridge. Finding the console over by the desk he brought up the display, Yumi's visage coming up on the wall. The tone of her voice immediately told him something was wrong, putting him on edge.
"What is it? You sound worried, what's happened?"

Thank goodness, Vegeta picked up. Yumi wasn't going to waste any time relaying what Korian had told her, though it wouldn't exactly be word for word. "There's trouble out at the front-lines. Some of the rebels were attacked earlier and they thought it might be the Saiyans. But then Saiyans were attacked too, and the rebels hadn't issued any orders. Both sides haven't done anything yet but each have had a ship or two ransacked, and no one knows why. The attacks kept going too, and so far they said six ships have either been destroyed or damaged, and they still can't figure out what's happening." She had said that in near all one breath, and had to take a second to breathe and calm herself down a little. It was a lot of information to relay, and she'd already left out tons of detail, trying to just be concise.

"We have to get out there then! If someone's attacking the rebels we should be there to help. If they lose-" Vegeta began, but was quickly cut off by Yumi.

"No, we can't. Korian told us to stay away, since they don't know what's going on. He's worried it might be a trap by the King to lure us back, so he asked us to let them handle it. He told us to stay away from Kortal and wait to hear back from him, then we'll know it's fine to go back."

[Mogtaki]

Viral didn’t know the exact cause of pain whether it was the device or his own energy, but he really didn’t like it and could only hope it would actually end when the device was done with whatever it was doing. Maybe it was his energy, especially after what happened earlier when his abilities went out of control. He wanted it off him either way and as his hand reached out to try and take it he stopped himself, the foreseeable future not looking too bright if he tried. Placing his hand down again he looked away, waiting for it to be finished before finally looking back to Vegeta. He could certainly feel his energy once more, but there was definitely some discomfort left over and his head not quite feeling all there. Slowly trying to sit up he managed to get up at least, but as he did he had to hold his head, a groan sounding from him as he tried to think through the dizziness to answer Vegeta’s question. Finding it difficult to focus he soon looked to Vegeta as he lowered his claws, “I…guess. I just…need a moment…”

Shu did hope he was going to be able to withstand this little meal of theirs, at least long enough so that he wouldn’t be considered rude or insensitive. Finding it difficult to get on with somebody wasn’t something he was normally concerned with but this was a completely different circumstance. For Takeshi he was going to try and be brave, but he was still going to have some form of nervousness towards Haku. Rubbing his chest he looked down for a moment, his eyes soon going up again to Takeshi as he tilted his head, “Ooh? I guess…” he spoke, scratching himself quickly, “I guess I’m afraid of looking stupid or failing…maybe. I wish I was a lot braver sometimes, but…umm, I-I’ll try here. I really want to eat and sleep soon…” They had a lot to do and he knew that, but he didn’t want Takeshi to get distracted because of him and forget everything. His problems were trivial and something he could fix later, but now wasn’t the time. Who knew who was listening into their conversation, just managing to make him feel paranoid that it all might be used against him later like Haku actually managing to hear their conversation.

Finding it difficult to concentrate, Viral tried to bring his mind together as his energy spread around his body, his muscles becoming energised once more as he regained control over them. It was a pretty nasty feeling to gain that much energy over a short period of time, at least when it was artificially given to him. Keeping his head low as he tried to recover, slowly he looked up when Yumi’s voiced suddenly sounded out. Feeling confused he looked towards her image, not exactly sure what she was talking about as his mind tried to recover. Something about the Saiyans and rebels being attacked didn’t quite register with him at first but when he realised what she was saying as the energy’s poor processing made him a little slow, “What…? The fool. Why not attack when they’re distracted??”

[GambolMuse]

Admittedly the device hadn't work exactly as planned, but at least it had work. A few adjustments here and there and perhaps it would do exactly what Vegeta wanted it to. Tinkering would have to come after they had an examination, goodness knows Viral was being patient enough with him for that. Now that he had energy in his system would he be able to move? Understandably he needed a moment, it must be an alien sensation having energy poured into you. The Beastman did rise, which was a good sign, so his weakness was only a result of having his energy sapped. For a moment there Vegeta was concerned there might be something more to this. Viral was able to move under his own power, and with any luck now they could get to running a few tests. Prior to that happening however a call came through from the bridge, a distressed Yumi on the other line. Fearing something perhaps happened on the ship, or even to the Narbu, Vegeta wasn't expecting what they were told. Something attacking both the rebels and the Saiyans? Korian must be mistaken if he thought no rebels were fighting, there was no one else who would attack the Saiyans. "Are you certain Yumi? That's what Korian told you?"

Yumi had a tough time registering everything herself, and yet now she had to relay what she'd been told. The rebels had seemed earnestly enough tense, so something was definitely going on. Like Vegeta though it didn't make any sense, there were two parties in this war and supposedly neither was instigating this fight. Shaking her head unknowingly she let out a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest, "That's just what I was told. I have no reason to think they'd lie to us, do you? Considering all they went through to get our help why would they push us away unless something bad is going on?" Bad enough that they were told not to come, that was worrisome most of all. They were setting out to fight the King of Saiyans here, Korian was fine with that. So why was this new development different? Looking at Viral just beyond Vegeta she smiled, leaning forward slightly, "I'm glad to see you're up, Viral. Feeling better?" she asked, her eyes shifting to Vegeta when he cleared his throat. "Right, uh... I don't know, I didn't ask. Maybe because they're worried they'll be left open? You're the tactician her, not me, I haven't got a clue."

None of this really made any sense. Vegeta was a second away from getting in touch with Korian himself just to verify things, but if what Yumi was saying was true then he'd likely not respond. So something had come out of nowhere and was disrupting the war, enough to the point to put both the rebels and Saiyans on edge. Something that strong or dangerous he would think they'd have warning about. "That would make sense... Attacking now with an unknown enemy present could lead to a fight on two fronts. They're better off holding back and waiting to see what's happening." Vegeta mumbled, frowning as he rubbed at his chin. Okay, so they weren't going to join the rebels just yet, but they should still get a move on. And he had an idea of where to go next. "Yumi, tell the crew we're leaving. Let them know that we're making way to Kaesstra, there's something we need to check." The feed was cut after that, and Vegeta turned back to Viral, frowning as began pacing in place a bit. "What could be doing this, do you wonder? Is there someone else in this war we don't know about?"

"I know it's not easy buddy, but you'll do fine. T'charrl and I are going to be there too, you know. It's not like it's just you and Haku." That would come much later, if they did ever manage to befriend the Saiyan. Takeshi wanted this to work but had his doubts, the kid didn't give him a lot of reason to think this would work out. It would take a miracle and then some he figured, they were going to have to somehow convince Haku they actually wanted him around. "We'll fill up on food then get a nap in, how's that sound? And for that we're not going to include Haku," he added, smirking teasingly. Standing outside the room was just a waste of time, and he figured that the other boy probably heard most of their conversation by now. Sure enough, Takeshi turned around and didn't even hit the door once when it slid open slightly, the boy in question peering at them through the crack. "Hey Haku! Uh... What's up?"

Oh great, so they really were trying to be his friends. Or were they just trying to trick him and get rid of him? Being around Saiyans like that all his life he learned he could never be too careful. Just because these two left the King didn't mean they were any different. "What's up...?" Haku mirrored, frowning at the question. "Uh... Sitting in my room? What else would I be doing?" This was probably going to be awkward as hell, maybe he ought to just cut his losses now. Trying to close the door he found that it stopped, glancing down to see Takeshi's foot in the way. Rolling his eyes he glanced back up, sniffing unamused. "What do you want? I'm busy."

Busy doing what? Moping? Takeshi very nearly spoke his thoughts aloud but thought better of it. Not the best way to make friends, insulting people like that. "Shu and I are going to grab something to eat, and we were wondering if you wanted to come along. I'll cook, whatever you guys want. We're real hungry after our mission and are probably going to make a huge meal." All Saiyans loved food, surely he'd go for that. Free food no less, and he didn't even have to cook anything. What could be any better than that?

"No thanks. Not hungry." Again Haku tried to shut the door, this time Takeshi's hand grabbed it and pushed it open, exposing Haku now that it was wide open. Persistent much? And annoying, why would he want to eat with them? What was with that idiotic face Takeshi was wearing? Sighing under his breath he stepped back a bit, looking for something in his room to give him an excuse. Feeling a set of eyes staring at him he glanced back, coming eye to eye with Shu. Wrinkling his nose slightly he folded his arms on his chest, trying to seem imposing despite being about the same size as the young Prince. "What are you looking at?"

[Mogtaki]

Viral couldn’t really think of who might want to attack both the Saiyans and the rebels, nevermind being able to overwhelm them and destroy some of their ships. There wasn’t anyone that he knew of who was against both the Saiyans and the rebel’s ideology, but maybe there was somebody out there and they were simply waiting for their squads to get in close together. He couldn’t think to who it might be right now; his head was sore and he needed to gain some sense of his surroundings before he could even try to think of suitable battle tactics. To rush in after the King seemed like a pretty good idea right now and one he could think of even when he was in pain, but he was definitely able to see that as a suitable method of attack.

Looking to Yumi when she asked him about his condition, frowning Viral looked down at himself as if trying to suss out the situation himself. He looked like a mess, his body unable to decide between forms which was causing considerable pain at the odd times. He didn’t know how to answer her question and eventually she was cut off by Vegeta. Sighing a little, he looked away a moment before his eyes moved back to Vegeta, a frown appearing on his face, “I don’t know why you’re asking me. I can’t remember the fool’s face right now”, he spoke, rubbing his head slowly before feeling out his horns, not too happy about them either, “Probably because my brain’s melted to form these…” He didn’t know what he was supposed to do if they were heading to Kaesstra running with the risk that he wasn’t going to get cured of his strange ailment before then, knowing he would look more monstrous to the citizens there than before, “Why are we going to that world so soon, anyway…”

Shu did try to keep confident and did hope Takeshi was right, at least for the sake of his ability to socialise. He wasn’t able to think through his fear very well so he was relying on Takeshi to keep things cool, watching as he went up to the door only for it to open before he managed to touch it. Squeaking a little, he backed off slightly and watched Takeshi and Haku talk together, frowning when Haku turned down his offer pretty quickly. That was awfully rude of him, especially when they spent so long worrying and wondering if everything was going to be okay. Frowning, he watched Haku try to skip out on the meal with Takeshi stopping the door and forcing it open again. Watching him, Shu squeaked a little when Haku instead tried to look like the bigger man. Looking at him up and down, Shu quickly let out a huff and raised his arms into the air, holding them above his head, “I’m not afraid of you! Takeshi making food and you’re being rude! Shu is never rude to brother or anyone being nice!”