GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"I know Edos is a Saint and all, but still... How do you heal something that's made of metal?" No matter how you sliced it Ethan couldn't fathom a way for it to be possible. Machines were made by people, so to that end he figured it would take a person to fix Cecil, not some deity. If they could find a way to speak with Edos or ask for his aid then hey, they may as well try, but he had a hard time imagining that it would work. Besides, with their getting closer to the city they were bound to find someone familiar with Machina anyways, so they probably didn't have to go to such extreme lengths. When they arrived at the riverbanks, Ethan eased Amuné down off of his shoulders and gave himself a stretch, feeling a bit cramped after having carried her for so long. They'd come a decent ways this morning, and with a river right before them now it was probably a good time as any to take a break, and get something to eat!

Having to try and explain why healing may not work to Cecil was a bit tricky, but at least now he seemed to be getting why it may not be possible. Not that Ethan took any pleasure in saying an idea of theirs wouldn't pan out, he just didn't think it possible and didn't want to set them up for disappointment. Things were looking up by the time they had reached the bridge, what with no one having given them trouble on the way down. The fact they were at a river too was even more exciting, as a river often meant plenty of fish to eat. Granted there was the slight issue of the rapids, but it was nothing Ethan hadn't tackled before. Walking towards the banks he peered down at the sandy shore below, wondering just how deep it got out in the middle. "We can definitely catch one, we'll just have to get a little creative is all," the white-haired boy said, grinning as he started to take off his shirt, "Since we don't have a fishing rod or bait we'll have to do it the old fashioned way: catch fish by hand!" He'd done it before, during the first week of his trip in fact. It wasn't the easiest or even most practical thing in the world, but between fish and some wild berries he'd much prefer the fish for lunch.

Setting his shirt aside, Ethan removed his pouch and dropped it there as well, settling down onto his rear to get off his shoes to boot. Now that all he had left on were his pants he grinned and hurried down to the waterfront, looking around to see if there was a calm patch to wade into. "Uh... Good question Cecil! An hour? Maybe less? Maybe more?" Ethan shouted back to his friend, smiling as he started to slowly wade into the currents, pleasantly surprised they weren't as strong as he thought, "While I do this how's about you two get some firewood? We can set up down here so we're off the road, just to be safe." Then again a fire meant smoke, and smoke was bound to grab someone's attention, so should they even bother? Couldn't hurt he supposed, and if they were out of sight then they could keep hidden if someone did spot the smoke signal, maybe even slip away while they were checking it out.

"Let's see... There's gotta be some little fish floating around here..." Ethan mumbled, leaning forward slightly as he peered through the water. Lots of rocks, some plants and the occasional fallen branch, but as he waded around he wasn't really spotting any fish. Probably scaring them away while moving through the water, if there were in fact any around here. Smiling to himself he decided then to stand perfectly still, watching the immediate area for any signs of movement. Surely something was bound to come out if he kept like this, right? It looked like his patience paid off pretty quick as he saw a hint of movement off to the right, right by a log that was partially submerged by the water. At first it looked like a fish, but as the creature came out it was longer and thinner than any fish he'd seen. In fact it wasn't a fish at all, if the bright yellow rings around its long body wasn't indicative enough. "Oh crap! Crap crap crap!" Ethan shouted, turning and running out of the water, practically on the surface as he got back to shore, glancing back to see a several meter long, venomous ringed cobra swim by, heading downstream and evidently not even paying him any mind. Heh, so that might be why there were no fish.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Yumi knew she probably couldn't bring the same level of comfort that Takeshi usually did, but she'd try at the very least. If she weren't currently so out of it from both exhaustion and painkillers she might try comforting Shu with her ability, yet focusing on much of anything right now was hard enough. Trying to do everything in her power to be of help she held Shu to her side, maybe thinking it was just a little affection he needed to perk up. "You did change, but no one is blaming you for it. And we're going to help you with that soon enough, it's not going to be a problem forever," she said gently, smiling as she playfully tapped the tip of Shu's nose, "It's not going to be something you'll have to worry about for much longer." This didn't look to be helping out the little Saiyan very much, maybe she could try something else? How about tickling him? Figuring she might as well go for it she reached out and started trying, quickly shut down however as Shu grabbed her hands with his tail to stop her. Giving him a sympathetic look she smiled slightly and nodded, taking her hands back and placing them in her lap. "You deserve fun, Shu, but if it hurts then I won't tickle you. Would you like to go for a walk with me maybe? We can go see the others and check in on how they are. That is, if it's okay?" Yumi added, glancing back and getting a hesitant nod from the nurse.

"Believe me I know that, and father and I are working on something to fix your genes as we speak, but it'll take time. If we can get you working however it may not only help rebuild some physical strength, but getting out there and helping with something could improve your overall mood as well." Aside from just distracting Viral, which this would very much do, there was a chance that working towards something positive may in turn make him feel better for himself, something that had been lacking sorely as of late. "I'll be right with you, there's no risk of anyone being hurt so long as I keep an eye on you and we avoid any undue stress. And honestly... There are some days I wouldn't mind lopping off his head. Doesn't seem like he uses it anyways," Vegeta remarked with a laugh, "Seriously though, you'll be fine. I saw everything and I'm offering this to you, so I don't think there's particularly high risk. As for your time left, you've far more than you think. Yes you've deteriorated, but in the grand scheme of things its marginal to be frank, you've got quite a long ways to go until you become invalid, and you'll be helped far before that ever comes to pass." They could sit around and continue discussing this all day, or they could get moving and get some work done, it was Viral's call.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Ethan really hoped Wyth wouldn't bite him for this, he was only trying to help Amuné. Goodness know where the girl's father might be at this point in time, but if they could find his friend then they certainly could find her father as well. There was no way of knowing if he was even alive still, yet for at least the little girl's sake he'd try to remain optimistic about the whole matter. It only took a few minutes once on the road for Amuné to settle down, and while she was undoubtedly still sad it was nice that she'd managed to stop crying for the time being. "You think he has amnesia? Huh... Can a Machina get amnesia though? Wouldn't that mean having a brain?" Ethan mused aloud, furrowing his brow as he thought about it. Did Cecil have a brain in there? Or was he just all parts and cogs? Just thinking about it made his head hurt...

"Wait wait wait... You're only 8 months old? Really?" Ethan asked, eyes widening in amazement as he glanced at Cecil. Maybe that wasn't so outlandish, did Machina age? Cecil probably didn't follow an awful lot of rules that came with growing up as a Mura, or Ydran, or any other race for that instance; if he was truly all machine then he was probably immortal, and he never had to worry about sickness or anything of the likes. But then he had emotion... Did machines have emotions? All of this back and forth was making his head spin, and thankfully more conversation alleviated him from all of that thinking. "Well... Saint Edos is one of the Nine Saints, and generally the one that's associated with healing," the boy explained, smiling as he could speak confidently about something for a change, "My town had an altar to him and the elders prayed to him pretty often, so I know a bit about him. I just don't know how much help that's going to be to you is all, that's the thing. Edos heals Murans, or Ydrans, you know... People who are made of flesh. Can he even heal a Machina?" He didn't mean to get Cecil down or anything, but it was a real possibility that he was beyond help, at least in that regard.

Still... Amensia would explain what Cecil was going through, but again Ethan figured that was reserved to living beings. Could there be something else wrong with him then? Maybe a part was broken, that seemed far more reasonable for a machine. They would need to talk to someone with intimate knowledge of how Machina worked to get an answer, which was just another reason to head to the city. "I'm willing to bet my last coppers that whoever put you together will have the answers we need, it's just gonna be a matter of finding them," Ethan said, trying to keep optimistic on the matter, "We've got a lot of people to find now, but I'm sure we can pull it off! Just hope you two don't mind a little walking." Unless they could get a hold of one of those vehicles he'd heard so much about, then their trip would be so much faster. Of course, the chances of accomplishing such a task were slim to none; not only were there really no vehicles this far out west, but who among them would know how to operate one? Cecil, maybe, and if not then they'd be totally helpless with the thing.

By the time the sun was high in the sky and noon had come around the group had walked a fair distance. It wasn't too far to the river now, something they could all see from where they stood upon a hill. Luckily for them too there were no signs of patrols or anyone who might give them trouble; the entire way out they'd only passed trade caravans, civilians traveling between towns and the occasional farmer or some other tradesman bringing their product about. Weird, Ethan would have thought that they'd see some patrols between the last settlement and now, but maybe their focus was just elsewhere today. "Wow... Would you look at that river!" the white-haired boy mumbled, beaming as he glanced across the two-dozen meter wide body of water. With rushing currents and pristine water it was really something to behold, particularly when what you were used to consisted of ponds and streams. No wonder they had to build this big bridge to get over it, he couldn't fathom any other way to make it across.

"Right, let's take a quick break before we cross! I don't know about the rest of you, but my shoulders are killing me!" Ethan smiled up at Amuné before lifting her up and easing her onto her feet on the cool grass below. Having had her on his shoulders for so long he felt light as a feather once getting her down, able to give both of his shoulders a roll with a satisfying pop in each. "Ah... That feels nice..." Now might not be a half bad time to go and get a bite to eat either considering they'd last had a meal earlier this morning. Plopping down onto his rear, Ethan grabbed his bag off his side and shuffled through it, frowning when he could find no other food stored away. Darn, that meant they were going to really have to hunt didn't it? Not that he minded terribly, it was just convenient to have some food on you was all. "Looks like we need to find something to munch on. Hm... Maybe we can go fishing here..."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito wasn't playing for the rebels, but he sure was trying to back Krom into a corner with how he was speaking. It wasn't to paint the man in a bad light however, as he was more seeking to agitate the man and get information out through a slip-up of frustration. Sadly it didn't appear as though the Elite was going to lose his cool, a notable feat for a normally hotblooded peoples. "No, I suppose the Saiyans aren't facing extinction. But then again, if this threat comes to and we've not the forces to combat it..." He let that thought sit, not feeling the need to finish it. If the people of the universe couldn't come together and cooperate then everything that had been done by either side may be for naught, and everyone would be worse for it. It was a fine mess these two parties had made, and now he had a feeling it might fall to them to clean it up. "They are children, not warriors. I understand we're all Saiyan by heritage, but the culture in which they were raised promotes a different idea. May it some day come down to them for the sake of the universe? Maybe, who can say? But we should not be robbing them of living life as they please just so we may secure our own lives and futures. If they choose to train then they do so of their own volition, that must be made clear. Children forced into doing things often do so halfheartedly, and given how much weight you're putting into them, I should think we'd only want their utmost effort." Ah yes, Aito had most certainly heard of Korian's treatment of his son, a fact that was going to need to be discussed when he finally did meet the man. He was done with Krom at this point anyways, leaving the man to go and check in on everyone who had fought with him and the King.

"Your brother will come back, or at least he'd better. He still has a few checkups he has to go through, and he really should apologize to the nurse he threatened..." the woman mumbled, looking at Shu sadly when he sounded a bit dismissive about how he'd ended up in such state. It was probably traumatic whatever it was, so she couldn't exactly make him share it. Hoping to try and give the little Saiyan something to ease his pains, the nurse was confused when Yumi came into the room, expecting her to be resting as well. These children... Did anyone actually rest and try to recover like they were told?

It was painful seeing Shu so upset like this, particularly knowing that it was mostly due to his own actions too. Yumi couldn't help but feel the smallest twinge of disdain towards Takeshi right now for having run off earlier, having seen him pass by her room prior to her coming over herself. For a brother who claimed to care an awful lot he was missing at an important time, kind of flew in the face of everything he said he stood for. Taking a seat at Shu's side she placed an arm around him, holding the child to her side as she gently stroked his hair with her other hand. "You didn't do anything bad, your father and Krom did. Everyone's okay now anyways, you didn't really hurt anybody," Yumi said gently, smiling as she playfully tried to boop Shu on the nose with a finger, "Come on now, where's my usually peppy little friend? All of our friends are healthy and going to recover, there's nothing to be upset about. And besides... If you don't cheer up," she added, attempting to tickle at Shu's stomach, "I'll tickle you until you do!"

Seemed like Viral was missing the point with that story, how people often experienced troubles and then rose above them. Maybe in his current state of mind it was hard to see things that way or appreciate it as such, that he could get, he just wished his brother was a bit more receptive to positivity. Reminiscing probably wasn't going to help him any, best to try another approach then; what if they could keep Viral busy enough to distract him from his problems? Ideally if they could help him keep his mind off of things long enough then his mood may improve, or at the very least they could develop proper treatment until then. It couldn't be anything too strenuous, maybe just something akin to volunteering then. "Yes, I think a little bit of light labor would be good for you. Something to keep you busy and your mind off things, and you can get out of this place for a while and get some sun," Vegeta responded, smiling as he crossed his arms, "I'll help you with whatever they ask of you, since I'm sure there's plenty of work that needs to be done still. We won't undertake any really intensive tasks until you're feeling well again, but in the meantime I'm positive we can get something. So what do you say, are you in?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito was hoping to hear something more crucial from Krom, rather than mostly information he was already aware of or could draw from looking at the facts he had. So far this "interrogation" had been little but a back and forth, frankly a waste of time. There was a little bit at the end though that struck him as intriguing, revealing a fair bit about the Elite in such few words. "So it sounds like your loyalty is not to the King, but to your people. You only abide by Yamate's rulings to preserve yourself and them as well. Interesting..." So Krom fancied himself a man of the people then did he? What might happen then if he was given the unthinkable, such as to carry out an attack against their own people? Aito couldn't see the King being so foolish as to demand such an order, but it would be curious to see how Krom took that.

"I still stand by what I said... You can't expect a group of children to adequately train themselves for battle, certainly not against actual warriors. And I've never known an exam to potentially kill someone, though I suppose therein lies the difference in our expectations and experience." At any rate he was growing tired of this chatter, it was clear that Krom wasn't going to really speak with him over anything, meaning it would be up to Korian to get the information. "Reap what you sow, that's all I can say. I won't condemn you before the rebels and further any notion they have of executing you, but you played the villain and may pay the price for it. I'm certain no one in this war was looking to die, but then they didn't have much choice, did they?" On that note he turned and left the room, not saying a word to the rebels stationed outside as he went.

All of Shu's friends had made quite the recovery given how beaten they were coming in, even his alien friend was showing signs of improvement. It may be another day or two until people could be discharged, but it was nice to see no one had lost their life here. "Maybe a little later we can go pay them a visit if you'd like. We just want to keep people here to make certain nothing else is wrong," the nurse explained, giving the little Saiyan a sad look when he heard about his brother, "I'm sorry Shu, but I'm sure he'll come back if he's always around for you. He seemed like he had something bothering him, so maybe he left to check into it? I'm not sure, but he'll come back." Given everyone's injuries, Takeshi was the least injured of the bunch so it wasn't overly surprising he was up and about already. That being said, he was supposed to spend a day in the hospital just to be safe, and it had barely been a few hours before he'd gone and left. "You hurt all over? Well... I do have some painkillers I can offer you, that will ease it. You didn't really sustain any injuries, and I'm not sure what caused your soreness, but..."

"Shu? Shu are you in here?" The door was opened up in the middle of their conversation and Yumi stepped in, looking rather distraught as she glanced around the room. Her head was partially bandaged up and she had several wraps on her body covering wounds, otherwise however she seemed okay. Spotting the little boy she let out a sigh of relief, hurrying over only to be stopped by the nurse.

"Please Yumi, you should be resting!" the nurse said nervously, holding up her hands, "You were hit in the head and should be taking it easy right now."

"I'm fine, really. A little sore but fine," Yumi responded with a smile, "I just want to see Shu, that's all. Please? I only need 5 minutes." The nurse seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing between the aforementioned Saiyan and her before ultimately nodding her head with a sigh. "Great, thank you! I'll be quick, I promise!" Stepping past the nurse she stood before Shu, looking at him dotingly as she leaned over and wrapped both arms around him, pulling him close in a hug. She'd been so worried about her youngest friend ever since she had seen him on the shuttle, out cold and beaten. She'd feared he'd taken the worst of the hits, but seeing him now he looked relatively unharmed, if shaken. Easing back from the hug, Yumi took a seat beside Shu, keeping an arm around his shoulders as she could just feel the anxiety pouring off of him. "I'm glad you're okay now Shu, you had everyone really worried earlier. Are they being nice to you in here? Want me to go get you some food or something?"

"It's not the end of the story, don't be absurd. It's a bump in the road, I won't argue that, but it's hardly the conclusion to your tale," Vegeta answered, smiling slightly as he shook his head, "It's like those stories that mother and father used to read to us. The hero always faces some kind of trial or difficulty, something they have to overcome, but they always win in the end. As it stands, you're the hero in this story, and now you just need to overcome this tribulation, with some help of course." After learning of the sacrifice he'd made no one was truly more deserving of the term "hero" than Viral, not a single person who knew the truth would argue that much. Once the others learned of it he could only imagine the support they would be giving him, not that they were exactly denying him support now either, it just wasn't all that active. "Well it's simple really. We just find what you enjoy, and we start doing more of.. Whatever it might be," Vegeta said simply, "Or... We can try another route and go for doing some work to simply keep you occupied and get your mind off of things. If we take the latter, I'm sure you've noticed all of the construction going on? I figured perhaps you and I can go get our hands dirty and help around, do a little honest work for the day and try helping around, with whatever they might need. How's that sound?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

How was he supposed to help when he didn't know what was the matter? Ethan felt like he'd done something wrong, maybe step over some invisible line or said something he shouldn't have, who knows. It didn't take long for Amuné to spill the beans, and while now he knew the reason for the crying it didn't exactly make things any easier. Not only was she homesick it seemed, but something nasty must have happened to her father. How in the world was he supposed to make that any better? Letting the little Ydran girl take his hand he gave her a heartbroken glance, trying to think of anything, anything at all he might say to comfort her.

Not wanting to overstep any boundaries, Ethan simply kept his hand on Amuné's head and offered her a gentle smile, moving a bit closer in hopes maybe the proximity would help soothe her. "Hey now... I'm sure wherever your dad is, he's fine. And we can even go try and find him later, okay? I'm not sure where he is, but when we're in the city we can ask around! With how many people are supposed to be inside of these places someone there is bound to know something." If he could find information on his friend there then surely they could find information about Amuné's father. Asking about a missing Magi was risky, and bringing a human-like Machina into a bustling city was as well; Ethan couldn't think of a single reason why asking about some young girl's father would be risky whatsoever.

"I know you miss your dad right now, and I know how much it hurts to be away from someone, believe me. But we'll see him again, I swear my life on that." Knowing the pain of loss and separation he could really sympathize with the girl, and that made him all the more determined to help her out. Much as he wanted to keep trying to console Amuné, they really should get moving here soon. There was no way of knowing where those men from before might be, and given they had spent the night out here it was possible the gap between them was minimal at best. Figuring a way to help her a little he reached out and eased her off of her feet, smiling kindly as he lifted her and placed her on his shoulders. "There! Now you can have a break from walking for a bit, and you get to see things from way up there! It's a win-win!" he said cheerfully, trying to tickle at the little girl's sole to pep her up a little.

Wyth was no doubt snarling at him by now, but Ethan wanted to focus on getting them away from potential danger and closer to the city. There was an awful lot riding on this adventure, even more now that Amuné's father was thrown into the mix. The longer they took to find either man the more danger they could face, so time was of the essence here. "Right! To the next town for some oil, then on to the city!" he announced, grinning as he gave Amuné a playful little bounce before stepping out to the road and starting down it, "Oh, and we've gotta get Amuné a new dress too, can't forget that!" Which likely meant he'd be picking up some work while they were there, be it chopping wood, moving crates or whatever the locals might ask of him. Ethan was no stranger to doing menial labor for change, and if it meant providing for his new companions then he was all too happy to do so. "By the way, Cecil? Where did you come from anyways? I mean were you in a city and then wandered out here?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Yeah, there's bound to be a ton of machines out there! We'll get to see all kinds, at least that's what I was told," Ethan said eagerly, his own enthusiasm for exploration bouncing off of Cecil's. There had been plenty of stories of the big cities that dotted Adelon's landscape, of the numerous buildings that stretched into the sky, and all sorts of Machina that ran the everyday routine of the sprawling metropolis. It was certainly going to be a new experience, one that Ethan was going to savor every moment they were there. His excitement for new experiences was curbed slightly by Cecil's proposal to kill anyone who attacked them, an idea that did not sit well with him whatsoever. Knocking them out should suffice plenty, yet even that the Machina found issue with. Opening his mouth to explain the reasoning behind it he clammed up when Cecil reached his own conclusion, smiling and giving a nod of his head. "Exactly! If we knock them out and run then we'll be long gone before they come to. No one really has to get hurt, and we're safe without taking a life. It's a win-win situation!"

They should get moving before long, especially if those men in suits might be on their trail. With their arrangements made at last Ethan tried to get them moving again, this time being held back by the sound of crying. Looking back in surprise he saw Amuné had broken down crying, for Saints knew what reason. It was awfully loud too, whatever had happened it really got to her. Trying to approach the young Ydran girl to comfort her he gasped when Wyth bristled up and snarled at him, holding his hands up defensively. Wait, had he done something wrong? Why was the moorcat angry with him? Oh man, this was turning into a bit of a mess really quick, they had to calm her down before they could get moving. Glancing at Cecil as he complained he frowned in concern, realizing the Machina was probably a little out of touch with how people worked, being a machine and all.

"No! No no no no, it's not a leak!" Ethan said hastily, holding his hands up to Cecil as he placed himself before Wyth and Amuné, "J-Just let me handle this, I've got it!" Sheesh, was he going to try searing her eyes shut or something? Chuckling uneasily he turned around and squatted down again, smiling apologetically as he looked at Wyth. "Easy boy, I didn't mean to hurt her... If I hurt her, I still don't know. I'll make it better though, please let me?" Hopefully he could comfort the girl without getting bit, he'd rather avoid that if at all possible. Slowly reaching out towards Amuné he tried to wipe away the tears on her cheek with his thumb. "Easy now... You're okay, you're safe with us and nothing's going to happen to you. Please don't cry Amuné, everything's going to be alright."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"Now you're probably right, I don't know if I could kill the man. Before however? No doubt in my mind, the only question is whether it would have killed me in the process," Aito said bluntly, giving a shrug before rubbing at his head, "So you're a coward, in other words? Complacent in your actions despite knowing they're wrong to save your own life? You could have defected, try spreading the truth about what was going on, but instead you chose the easy route and remained at your post." He wasn't here to befriend this man, even if he was fully aware of the reasons behind his actions; there was this nagging feeling that Krom might know a bit more than he was giving, and the doctor was hoping to agitate him into letting that slip. If this Elite was Yamate's right-hand man then surely he knew far more than he'd shared, he had to.

The only thing that Aito had scheduled for today was working with Viral, and he'd only just left there to come here. Vegeta could handle his sibling for the time being, as right now the doctor was more determined to get everything they may need from Krom. "How strange... A bunch of children struggled against seasoned warriors with at least their lifetime of experience under their belts. Who would have thought?" he asked in a biting remark, frowning as he looked down at Krom, "I don't know where Korian is, though I would assume that he'll be called and arrive shortly now. Given that this room has audio recording," Aito mumbled, glancing around casually before shrugging his shoulders, "Our entire conversation has more likely than not all been overheard. So chances are they'll simply play him this, given they have anything, rather than Korian speak to you directly." There was no concern over what the rebels may think of his critique, he was simply put outside of their influence and was hardly going to censor himself for their sake.

"All of your friends are fine, Shu. They were beaten up when they came in, but everyone's resting now and expected to make a full recovery. Please try not to worry." She'd been told this young one might be a bit nervous, but he looked borderline panic attack right now. Poor thing, just what had they gone through out there? Now that she was here to tend to him it wasn't so much about the rest as it was him. Whatever he wanted, be it food or something to entertain himself, she'd dutifully bring him it. Shame then that he didn't know what he wanted, that complicated things just a touch. "Your brother...? Oh dear... I'm sorry, but he left the hospital earlier. We're trying to find where he went right now, but he's okay too if you're worried. I'll have someone bring him right down here once we find him though." He'd left in a bit of a fit as she'd heard, even threatening the nurse watching him before just up and going. "You hurt everywhere...? We have medicine to numb the pain, if you'd like it. Or just tell me what hurts the most and I can try and help you sweetie."

"As I recall we only defeated the lesser two fighters, Krom managed to avoid defeat however by taking you hostage. All I remember is my friend being used as a shield by some cowardly Saiyan to get away, and then Takeshi and Shu attempting to save him. Now that I know the truth of it too, that you went along to try and spare us, I can't help but think highly of the man who risked everything even when he was down and out to try saving those around him." Words like these were likely falling on deaf ears, but it was still worth saying them if even just the idea of it got through to Viral. Watching as the Beastman seemed to fuss over being praised, Vegeta frowned when he seemed to misconstrue what was being said to him. "I had no doubts, you're reading into it wrong. I wanted to help you before, but with this revelation that desire's increased many fold. I've been working nonstop since we arrived to help you, I don't think my commitment can be any more solid than that now can it? As for helping that... After talking with father, we think the best thing to do is find something to draw your attention away from that. Something to keep you busy and keep your mind off of it, suppress it even. We can't make the memories go away, but we sure can drown them out."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I am not on the good side, nor am I on the bad side. I am the mediator here, trying to make certain that two men with larger-than-life egos don't bring about the end of the universe," Aito retorted sharply, frowning at Krom as he spoke, "Yamate is guilty of creating dissidence and loathing throughout, and Korian is weakening the overall efforts to protect the worlds, both are at fault. You may not be a leader but you're complacent in your King's orders, which gives you part of the blame. Then again I could have killed Yamate and prevented all of this as well, so I'm no better." Now there was no way of knowing if he was the King's equal or not, whether he could even back something like that up. When they had first met years and years ago he was positive he could have done it, even if it might have cost his own life, but now he wasn't so sure. "Convincing people through reason or even coercion is better than force, I'm sure even you and your King must understand that. Troop number means nothing when there's no cohesion among the ranks, as soon as something happens I would wager everyone's going to break off and it'll be a disaster..."

It was an abysmal way to look at the situation, but that was Aito's greatest concern now; without being informed everyone was fighting for a cause they didn't believe in. If they were told it was to protect their worlds from a threat then there'd likely be far more likely to side with the Saiyans. In fact, if everyone knew the truth then people would be lining up to join, there would be no need for invasions or conscripts. "That mech is a last ditch safety measure built into him. It was meant to be used in worst case scenarios, as its very taxing and can be hard to control at times. The fact that you made it easier to access concerns me, I've still yet to figure out exactly what potential risks it has." The men could agree there at least; creating artificial life so callously was hardly an ethical thing to do. Aito had done it, but he'd done so with the full intent of providing his creation a full, meaningful life, not to use them solely as a military weapon. "Maybe that's the truth, maybe it's not, I can't say. But if anything is going to be done then the two sides need to have some kind of discussion, before things get worse."

It was very strange to see a Saiyan like this, people who were normally so vicious and intimidating; Shu was nothing more than a little boy who happened to be a Saiyan by heritage, he didn't look like he'd hurt a fly. Feeling terribly sympathetic for the child, the nurse walked over and tried to help him to his feet, eyes widening a bit in surprise when he hastily cuddled into her. "There there... Your friends are all here too, and they're okay. No one was seriously injured in the battle, that includes your brother," the nurse said gently, smiling as she put her arm around Shu and stroked his hair, "Please, don't worry so much, they're being taken care of and will make a full recovery." Hoping to take care of this boy now she eased him into a sitting position back on his bed, smiling kindly as she did so. "I just need to check a few things dear, so please sit still for me?" Reaching into the pocket of her white coat she pulled out a small scanner, turning it on and slowly moving the device over Shu's front. "It's an x-ray machine, it let's me see if anything's broken on the inside, but you seem to be perfectly fine! Can I get you anything? Something to eat? A drink?"

"The only person who currently thinks you're guilty Viral, is you. Even prior to overhearing that exchange I never believed you were guilty, only that you'd been taken by force and made to do things against your will. The Saiyans were at fault before, and the Saiyans are at fault now, not you. I'm positive the others share my sentiments." Vegeta wasn't going to blame Viral regardless of what was said, he simply couldn't. He could still remember Krom having taken his brother almost like a hostage, using it as his way off of Earth. That had nothing to do with the Beastman, it was all Krom's doing. Even if Viral had agreed to go along to spare them trouble he'd still been taken by the Elite, again making the blame fall onto the Saiyans. "You were an immense part in finding the Dragonballs, and you were integral in defending Earth, even if you were taken for it. And it most certainly is heroic, you were going to sacrifice your own well-being, possibly even your life to save your friends and even the planet. There is nothing more heroic than that. In all honesty I kind of hold you up on a pedestal now, knowing that. It's not something many people could do, and it was an incredibly courageous and selfless act. Truly you're a better man than most of us here, of that there's no question. And it's only further cemented my desire to help you, to get you healthy again and back to your prime, like you deserve. You helped us, now it's our turn to help you."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I won't argue that their actions are hurting things, but then so are yours. Both sides are at fault here; the rebels want to separate everyone and thus weaken everything as a whole, and the Saiyans are trying to gather everyone, by force, for strength in numbers. All of this stems from your King's inability to be straightforward. And you're right, you're not the Planet Trade Organization, for which I suppose we should be grateful. Nonetheless, what you've been doing isn't much better." He did realize he was playing devil's advocate and critiquing the empire more, but then that was the point of this; what did someone in the ranks think of their activity? Not to be unexpected the Elite was quick to bash the rebels for their activities, and he was certain if this were Korian or someone else in the chair they'd do the same. "See... In my eyes the collars are nothing more than something to bend the will of those around you, not strengthen it or align them to your cause. I can perfectly understand the viewpoint, to gather the strongest army possible to confront the enemy, but I cannot condone how it was approached, as I've said many times now. If you return to your King, be certain he understands the ramifications his actions will have, even if the efforts are successful. People will not forgive this easily."

There may be a plentiful amount of side-effects that turning someone into a Beastman could bring about, no one knew for certain. The reason Viral never showed any signs of degradation prior was because he was 'naturally' like that, meaning nothing new was introduced into his body. One only had to look as far as Yumi to see if it had any clear adverse effects, and this far luckily it didn't seem so. That being said however it didn't absolve her of risk, it may be some time until they could say with absolute certainty. "It just seems like Viral should be paired with a powerful Ki user, albeit that doesn't solve everything. That pair couldn't be everywhere at once, which means more solar energy users are needed. That... Or we develop the proper weaponry for it..." Aito mumbled, frowning as he looked over at Krom, "The rebels would not be getting in your way if they knew the truth, don't you think? Or perhaps they would, but at the very least then they could be helping to prepare for whatever is on its way. I'm not siding with them, I'm just saying you cannot blame them, since at face value all most see is the Saiyans being aggressive and trying to overtake worlds. Hardly inspires camaraderie and trust, now does it?"

A nurse was making her rounds about the hospital, checking up on the latest patients coming back from their last mission. Rumor had it they had fought the Saiyan King and lived, a very impressive feat. Obviously they hadn't killed the man as otherwise Uuonoe would be erupting into fanfare, but the fact they'd made it back was still good nonetheless. Having just left Haku's room she stopped just outside of Shu's getting her chart together before entering. With everything in order she went ahead and knocked before entering, blinking in confusion seeing the young Saiyan's bed empty. "Shu...? Hello...?" she called, walking in slowly while looking about. Spotting a nest of hair just on the other side of the bed she hurried over, looking at the little boy worriedly as he was quite visibly shaken and panicked. Placing her clipboard on the bed she hurried over and knelt down, reaching out to try and help him up to his feet. "Shh... You're okay little one, you're at the hospital on Uuonoe. You were brought here after the fight ended, you're safe now. Just take a few deep breaths and relax, nothing's going to hurt you here."

"Okay, perhaps afraid wasn't the right word for that, but why wouldn't we tell them the truth? It would absolve you of this guilt you're feeling, wouldn't it? Right now you think everyone blames you or holds a grudge, but I can guarantee that isn't the case." No one had shown any signs at all of questioning Viral before now, Takeshi was the first to say anything on the matter and he'd quickly changed his mind once he knew. The others were far less opinionated and prone to outburst than that knucklehead was, he was positive that Viral had nothing to be concerned about. "You joined willingly, but it's not as if you joined for power, nor did you join because you hated everyone. You said so yourself, you joined because you were told it was going to spare us any trouble. What you did was the greatest sacrifice short of giving your life for us, and there's not a single one among us who will think poorly of that. Viral... You say you failed in protecting Earth, but I beg to differ. You protected Earth just fine, it's we that failed you. As things stand everyone believes you were kidnapped, no one knows you joined willingly. If you can please tell me how people will possibly view knowing you tried sparing everyone any trouble as a bad thing then please, tell me."