GambolMuse

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

"Hm... Well the sleep mode makes sense. It's your system shutting down to prevent water damage, as that could short out your circuitry and fry you outright," Norman mused aloud, "Honestly though, I'm surprised how good of condition you're in if you've traveled as long as you claim. Rust, broken components, shattered joints, these are common ailments for Machina, especially ones who operate for extended periods. I suppose that's a testimony to whoever built you though." What kind of material was Cecil comprised of? No way it was market-grade, there were no other Machina that were as durable as he was. There was so much mystery surrounding this one, he'd have to be certain to keep an eye on him. Norman couldn't well travel with the group, but then perhaps he didn't have to. There was an alternative, someone else who could keep an eye on Cecil for him. It would mean getting these kids to do some work for him, but they'd have something to gain as well, even if they didn't know it right away. Delighted that Ethan agreed, he gave them a description of his missing friend and where to start looking, waving them off as they left his shop.

Maybe it was a bit of a mistake to accept Norman's errand so readily, but they did owe him for helping Cecil. Besides, how difficult could it be asking about his friend? Someone in this bustling town was bound to know Nymira, particularly if she was usually with this engineer. Naturally the first place that he thought to inspect was a tavern or inn, places where people often passed through and would have stories with them. He almost considered turning back around and asking Norman about their usual spots in Galloway, but he instead shifted his focus onto Amuné, rather wanting to get her wounds checked and herself washed up and changed. "I've got enough for it, sure! It might be almost all of what I have left, but that's not a problem," he replied, smiling kindly as his eyes closed, "I can work and make some more while we're here, it's simple as that. So don't you worry about money, let me worry about that." She was trying to be helpful and not seem needy, at least Ethan saw it as such, and while appreciated he had no issues with helping her out.

"Well first let's get you cleaned up and bandaged, alright? After that we can focus on finding some clothes and then finally some food. Don't you want to be all clean and fresh?" Come to think of it he could really use a bath himself, it had been close to 2 days since he'd washed up. Well, unless you counted him being soaked by that mage, but that water hadn't exactly been pristine; it had washed his clothes nicely, but Ethan himself still desperately needed a scrubbing. Finding some kind of healer would be their first job, and there were a few places that he knew of they could check. Usually in towns there was some kind of resident medicine man, albeit he was pretty sure that was only in smaller places. The church had healers as well, but that was no doubt crowded and would be a little uncomfortable. The next best thing, he reasoned, would me a small time practitioner. All Amuné had was a superficial cut on her shoulder, anyone with basic knowledge of medicine should be able to help that.

"Oh, uh... Sorry about the oil, Cecil, we probably should have asked for that too," Ethan added, now that they were two blocks from the shop. He'd been thrown off by Norman's request and that had totally slipped his mind, oops. Their Machina friend had been walking along thus far uninhibited however, so while he should get help still maybe it wasn't as pressing as they had thought. Just as well too, because they had finally managed to find themselves just what they needed for Amuné; a doctor, or a healer from the church, designated by his cleric robes, was busy closing up a small roadside shop when Ethan hurried over and introduced the group. He'd wanted to avoid heading to the church, but surely a lone cleric was willing to lend a hand. As it happened the old man was, greeting Amuné in a friendly tone and promptly removing some bandages, a cleaning solution and even a small piece of candy, evidently giving them to children for behaving. It took next to no time to patch her up, as after the wound was cleaned it was promptly covered, a pin put in place to keep it securely wrapped.

Thanking the cleric profusely for his help, and for the man doing so free of charge, Ethan now felt a bit more comfortable with doing some shopping. However small Amuné's wound might be he'd wanted to get it checked, and knowing now that she'd be completely fine took a weight off of his shoulders. There was still the matter of getting clean and new clothing, both of which might be able to be accomplished in one go; they could wash at an inn, and usually there were a lot of stalls near inns, as people came and went constantly which meant business was typically good. "We should find an inn, get settled in and then start our search," Ethan mused aloud, nodding to himself before glancing back at the other two with a smile, "We'll get you changed into some new clothes, Amuné, and washed as well. You too Wyth, if you want. I know I need a bath," he added, pinching his own nose to feign being disgusted before chuckling, "After that we can get to work, sound fair?"

Legend of Zelda: Templar Ascension

Shapeshifting rings, huh? Demoko certainly had no shortage of unique treasures it seemed, it made Caelan a little jealous. If he had managed to find even half of what the man was carrying on him then he'd have unimaginable wealth by now, not to mention the notoriety it would bring. He'd be one of the greatest treasure hunters of all time, and only shy of finding a piece of the Triforce could outdo his haul. The rings seemed to be a sound plan to him, yet Link clearly did not agree. Surprised by his outright panic over the notion, the treasure hunter glanced over at the jewelry confused. Failed, huh? Weird, how could shapeshifting fail like that? It was magic well beyond him but he understood the basics, and to think someone could figure it out so easily was strange. Hearing that they were ambushed, and having been a part of it, told him it was more someone had seen beforehand rather than seeing through their disguises. Maybe he was mistaken there, but this was really their only option.

Caelan's eyebrows raised slightly at the map being produced, impressed by how in-depth it was. Again, something he'd loved to have had before, it would have made spelunking so much easier. Maybe once this nonsense was through he could make use of some of these talents, albeit that meant somehow finding a way to buy the help of these men. For the time being however he couldn't worry about treasure hunting, they had a much more immediate concern in the form of their shortage of supplies. "It's fine, we won't have to fight anyways," Caelan answered in a certain tone, giving a dismissive wave of his hand. He'd find a way to get them around without being seen, seeing as Link was so nervous when it came to the rings. If they doubled down, changed their appearance and kept to the shadows then certainly they would have nothing to worry about.

"What? You think two or three people is a handicap?" the mage asked, smirking as he addressed Link, "In my line of work this is all we ever go with, and sometimes not even that. If everyone who's involved knows what they're doing, you don't need half a dozen people to pull something off." It wasn't like they were raiding a lost temple or anything here either, they were going into town to buy some goods... Or steal them, he wasn't completely opposed to that. Demoko had mentioned sympathizers being in the town above, chances were they could get whatever was needed without much fuss, he hoped. "Have a bit more faith, will you? Jeez, it's like you think every step we take is going to be our last..." Reaching out and grabbing the rings from the table, Caelan handed one to Link before slipping on his own, taking the form again of a brown haired, freckled young man. "Just keep calm and stay close to me, it's not my first time sneaking around and it won't be my last. We'll be fine if you just stick to what I tell you, got me?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"That's true... But then I didn't really have friends to worry about hurting now did I?" Takeshi asked, a faint smile crossing his lips as he shrugged his shoulders, "A small part of me didn't want to hurt everyone whenever I did change though, for what it's worth. I wanted to change and beat who I had to beat, that was it. So I kind of understand, a little." That was as much as he could say, he'd really never been in a situation like Shu was. That aside, even now he really didn't much care quite the same as his brother, even if he tried to. Maybe he wasn't killing indiscriminately anymore, but he found it difficult to worry if people got hurt or not. So what was wrong with Shu? There were guesses, but given his record Takeshi wagered that each of them were wrong. Unless he wanted to upset Shu further then it was probably best he just clam up and not say anything on the subject.

There was good and bad to be gained from this discussion; good news was that Shu was talking, bad news was he was talking to someone who couldn't help. The little guy could have an epiphany here and now, say exactly what it was that was bothering him, and Takeshi would still be useless in helping it. Looking at Shu as he questioned the older boy frantically, Takeshi's eyes shifted downward as he shifted around uncertainly, rubbing at his neck as he tried to come up with some sort of answer. "I mean... It seems like you change whenever you get really mad. It's like when someone gets hurt and I go nuts, except I can't change anymore. So... I don't know, maybe we have to help that, you know?" He didn't even know if that was right, or if that was something he could even help with. Why wait until now? He didn't know until now, and even so Takeshi was pretty sure he still didn't know. After getting attacked a second time though he felt he had to try and help, as next time it might not be just him who was attacked. "Okay, so maybe we gotta work on you being angry and changing. And... We gotta find a way to make you okay around fighting. If we can do those things, then maybe... Maybe you'll feel better."

Vegeta had gotten a bit overzealous in how he was speaking to Viral, probably as a result of all the discussions with Aito as of late. He couldn't let the Beastman demean his own existence though, that was never going to help him recover or feel better in the long run. That line of thinking wasn't really naive, it was just the truth of the matter; Viral was an individual first and foremost, it didn't matter whether he was brought into the world for any particular purpose or not. Saying he was simply an object to be used would be removing the entire fact he was his own person, and that could never be allowed. "The only thing that money gets me is more opportunity to create and work, that's it. Aside from that opportunity I have absolutely no use for money," Vegeta answered simply, giving Viral a slightly rueful smirk. "Money would make life easier for most, but I doubt that's all people desire. If you believe human nature is so simple then we'll perhaps have to revisit it sometime."

Now perhaps they could begin helping this cleanup effort, as goodness knows it was needed. Most of the city by now looked to have been tidied up, but this neighborhood still bore the scars of the fighting that had taken place. Much of the rubble was larger chunks of concrete, likely something that couldn't be moved without machinery. Between himself and Viral though it ought to be an easy enough job. "We'll be quick. Let's see how this building does for you, and we can decide how to go from thereon out," Vegeta responded, pausing and giving his friend a curious look at the latter half. Something he shouldn't see? What did he mean? It was an unusual request, but he'd leave it at that and operate how he felt was best. Giving a simple nod in reply he went over to the crumbled building, beginning to lift up chunks of shattered building and toss it into the bed of the large vehicle. "If this isn't too mundane for you, we can just do this until the plot is completely cleaned. We may well finish before either of us tire," Vegeta said, "Which would be fine, but don't you think we can get this done much faster than they can?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"But you didn't hurt them on purpose buddy, get it? No one is mad at you because you didn't mean it, and you shouldn't feel bad. It'd be one thing if you went and attacked us, you know? But you didn't." Shu really shouldn't be blaming himself when he didn't have control, that was unfair to himself. Though even if Shu had done it on purpose Takeshi doubted he'd let his brother do that even then, it happened so rarely it didn't exactly make him a bad guy. "We're all afraid when we fight too, especially when we fought father," the older boy remarked, smiling slightly as he spoke, "We just fight through it is all. You can do something and still be afraid of it, you know?"

Takeshi was trying his damnedest to help Shu here, but he wasn't getting a full idea of what was going on. So Shu was afraid, was that it? Or maybe he felt he wasn't strong, that could be the problem too. It was likely frustrating for both of them that the full picture wasn't being seen here, albeit they were trying to get to that point. When Shu started getting a bit stressed, the older boy looked over at him and frowned, wondering if he was even capable of helping with something like this. "The only time you ever hurt anyone is when you change... So we need to stop that," he reflected, rubbing at his neck, "Or... At least make you safer when you do it. It's been a long time since I changed, but maybe I can help you." The problem now would be getting him to change without getting Shu overly angry, as that seemed to be the only way he changed so far. Maybe a full moon or some equivalent would do it, wasn't that what supposedly triggered the change? "Hey... It doesn't matter if you beat someone yourself, we haven't all exactly done that. We team up and beat other people, the bad people, you know? And you help with that. So... Maybe you're not beating people by yourself, but you help, and you're a big help."

"I suppose you wouldn't remember, sorry. And no, you are not comparable to a vacuum cleaner. A typical mother tends to the household, but you wouldn't call her an appliance, would you? She's an individual, not a tool, and that's the same for you. Just because you were made to help out doesn't make you a tool, or demeans or lessens your existence to anything less than what you are, and that is Viral." Hmph, he was looking way too into that simple statement wasn't he? Perhaps, but Viral shouldn't be thinking of himself as a simple instrument of war or house cleaning; Viral was a living, breathing being. He had thoughts, feelings, desires even if he wouldn't voice them, simple tools didn't have those. Making a face at the Beastman when he was given a jab at, Vegeta rolled his eyes before waving a hand dismissively. "I was doing what our parents wished of me, plain and simple. I'd have preferred almost anything over pouring over texts incessantly. Now that they're back however, and I've finished my education, I'm free to do as I please. If that includes something like gardening, expert or not, I'll do it."

Only one wall remained to be erected and the Uuonians were far more suited to the task, so Vegeta figured it was best they move on. Their next job would have to be one that'd hopefully tire Viral out more, but not one that'd frustrate him and risk something unwarranted happening. It took but a brief search to find such a thing, and whilst street cleaning wasn't the most illustrious of jobs, none of the ones they had done were really, it was simple enough yet demanding enough to keep Viral busy. Viral offered no complaints about the selection though he didn't try to hide his displeasure at it either, likely finding the task much too mundane or menial for his liking. "I don't expect enthusiasm or any joy for that matter, we're here to work," Vegeta remarked, smiling slightly as he glanced at Viral, "Though... You never know, you may find something enjoyable yet, try to keep an open mind." He hadn't a clue what might be enjoyable about debris removal, but he figured try getting his brother to be a little more open minded on the matter, see if he could find light of it.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

The entire process of changing batteries had taken hardly two minutes, and just like that Cecil was fixed. Or, at least, as fixed as Norman could make him in that brief window. From just a glance over he couldn't see anything inherently wrong with the Machina, albeit something certainly had caught his eye; Why did Cecil have a shard in him? What Machina ever had a shard in their body? It was something he had never seen before, and though he wracked his brain for explanations he couldn't feasibly come up with anything. Seeing Cecil spring right back up was promising though, and it would take but a few more moments to ensure nothing was damaged that might pose problems later on.

"Well... There's plenty of reasons your battery could have been bad," Norman said thoughtfully, squatting down slightly as he began to inspect Cecil's legs, "Faulty battery from the factory, wear and tear from excessive use, a sudden surge may have caused it to short out, or..." That crystal may be having some unknown effect on the battery as well, but how to know that? They still didn't know what in the world it was for, so there was no way of feasibly knowing if that was to blame or not. After inspecting the legs for any notable problems and finding none, Norman went on ahead and grabbed his scanner again, intending to use it simply to ensure that power was flowing adequately to the Machina's entire being.

"That battery should last a good long while, so long as its not damaged or you don't draw unnecessary power from it. Given that... Unless you end up in the far North where there's absolutely nothing, or the Anko-Li Desert, you should be fine. Honestly that model is out of date but it's still brand new, and still definitely an acceptable replacement." If he could get his hands on one of those rechargable batteries then he'd be in business, but those were extremely rare and closely held by some of the top companies, he'd really need to pull strings to get one. Having finished his inspection, Norman gave Cecil a clasp on the shoulder, smiling before focusing his attention down to Amuné. "Hm? Well he wasn't really sick persay... But as I said, he'll be fine so long as he doesn't strain himself. You don't have to worry little one, Cecil is going to be just fine."

Seeing Cecil was going to be fine was great, and hearing he should be fine for a while was even better. Maybe they hadn't gotten the top of the line battery or whatever it was they had needed, yet just getting help in general was nice enough. Smiling as Amuné's fears were quelled, Ethan looked to Norman and smiled as well, extending a hand and shaking the engineer's happily. "Thanks a bunch, honestly. You don't know how much we appreciate this," he said, "We were worried there for a second, when he started slowing down and everything. Can't tell you what a relief this is." It had been quick too, who'd have thought the problem could be solved so easily? With that taken care of now they could see to Amuné, hopefully get her wound patched up and finally get her some new clothes to boot. Moving to step out of the shop, Ethan blinked when his shirt was grabbed and he was stopped, glancing back at Norman curiously. "What is it...?" he asked, pausing before smacking his own forehead, "Oh, we forgot to pay! My mistake, what do we owe you?"

"Nothing, at least nothing in terms of money," Norman answered plainly, putting a hand up as he spoke, "However, I did you a favor, and I expect one in return. It won't be anything crazy I promise, just a little matter I need looking into." They didn't seriously think they would be getting that completely free of charge? He was happy to help, sure, but this was a business and he couldn't well give away product without anything in return. Moving over towards the door, the engineer leaned up against it and folded his arms in a casual manner. "It's simple really: a friend of mine hasn't been seen for a day or two, and I was hoping to find out about her. Only problem is someone's got to tend to the shop, and I get regular enough work that I can't look without losing business. So here's the deal; ask around, see if you can find out where she might have gone, that's all. She's a Dimuran woman, and her name is Nymira."

Hm, that didn't sound all too difficult really. It was easier than paying for the battery itself at any rate as Ethan was positive he didn't have the money for it, so this actually worked out in their favor. Plus that meant what little he did have left could go towards Amuné, which was all the better. "So you want us to look into Nymira? Sure, seems easy enough," Ethan responded with a smile, "We'll see what we can do and get you an answer by the end of the day! But uh... First we need to get Amuné some help, she needs a healer and some new clothes. After that though we'll get right on it!"

"Of course, do whatever you have to do. But don't take too long, goodness knows where she might be right now. Take too long and you may lose your chance at finding her." That would be problematic, he had to make certain that didn't happen. Norman of course realized the potential risks that these kids were taking by going on this job of his, but they were the only ones whom he thought capable of it, and at the very least they seemed to be traveled, so they should be able to handle themselves. "When and if you do find out about her, come back here and let me know. I suppose a description might help as well, incase you have to describe her..."

Ethan nodded his head repeatedly as they were filled in, hanging on to every word that was shared with them. This was an easy job for them, with so many people in Galloway there had to be at least one soul who had noticed something. Waiting for Cecil to get up, the Magi went to the door and paused briefly to thank Norman again, taking to the street once more with the rest of the group. Now that they were away from Norman, Ethan took a second to let out a sigh, rubbing at his neck as he let out a small chuckle. "Welp, I guess we should have seen that coming. At least it's an easy favor though. You're good now though Cecil? I'm glad, we were worried there for a moment," he reflected, looking down to Amuné happily as he squatted down, "But first things first, let's get you patched up, some new clothes and some food. How's that sound?"

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

It was rare to see a Machina so... Lifelike. In all his years of work it was a first for Norman, so naturally he wanted to examine Cecil more closely. The fact that the machine appeared sentient as well, never mind just having a name, and he was extremely keen on delving in. Nothing overly invasive of course, he wouldn't dare overstep boundaries here, not with Ethan and Amuné in tow. With Ethan's blessing to go ahead and work he wasted no time in getting Cecil settled, laying him out on the workbench so many other projects had shared before. First matter of business was obvious, examine his power supply and likely replace it. If he had to guess he'd say Cecil was fitted with the factory made battery, and those were only good for so long until they needed to be replaced; factory made batteries were made to burn out fast in order to force people to buy more, it was one of the many seedy reasons he'd opted to get out of the business.

With everything he needed in place, really just a screwdriver and his hands, Norman was prepared to begin. First thing was to open Cecil's chest and access the power supply, which would allow him to put the Machina in a sleep-like state and enable him to be worked on without risk of shortages or anything. Before he could even get his hands on Cecil however, Amuné had a rather silly if not well intentioned bit of advice for him. Though that rule hardly applied to machines, Norman didn't have it in him to correct the young child. Instead he laughed before smiling apologetically, holding up his hands and giving a nod. "Of course, I almost forgot! Thank you Amuné." Going to the lone sink in the entire shop he methodically washed his hands and forearms clean, a fair amount of dirt and various liquids swirling down the drain in a goopy mess. When he was finally finished he showed off his clean state, returning to the bed to get to work.

"Now then, let's see if we can't help our friend here..." Undoing the buttons and clasps on Cecil's top, the engineer opened it up and was surprised to find a very lifelike body beneath, having expected exposed machinery and whirring cogs. Whoever had created Cecil went to great lengths to make him look like a real boy, what a curious project he was. "Now, you're going to feel like your body is going to go limp, and your sensors are going to all but shut off. Don't worry, that's normal. It'll be nice and quick and I promise you won't feel a thing." Normally he'd not waste his breath on such a thing, but with Cecil apparently being fully aware he couldn't in good conscience treat the Machina like any other machine. In many ways this was like operating on an honest-to-goodness living, breathing being, and that was a little daunting.

Tracing his fingers along Cecil's torso to find the release, Norman pressed down gently on Cecil's right side, the sound of clicking preceding a door swinging open on the Machina's chest, revealing both his power supply and a bulk of his circuitry and inner workings. By simply turning a pair of switches he managed to power down Cecil, notable by the lack of light in his eyes and the obvious lack of motion. Smiling with relief that there was no damage inside, judging by his companions there was potential for that, the engineer could get right to work. To start, Norman undid several screws and loosened a handful of wires, enabling him to reach in and remove Cecil's power supply. Just as he'd expected, a standard issue battery from some unnamed factory, no wonder it was burning out. Setting that off to the side he went across the room and to a large, standing metal cabinet, pulling from it a brand new, higher end battery. "This should keep your friend running for a good long while, even if he outputs energy for whatever reason," Norman said, smiling as he brought it back over.

Before Norman had begun to place the battery back however something unusual caught his eye. A faint sparking within Cecil's chest made him take pause, and at first he thought it might be a severed wire or something. Upon closer inspection however, and by shifting some bits aside, he was astonished to find not a severed wire, but a magic gem. It was held in place by a metal and glass sheath, apparently connected to the system that ran Cecil's entire body. It was the equivalent of a Machina's brain and spinal cord, but why was the crystal there? What purpose did it serve? Furrowing his brow in confusion, Norman looked over at Ethan and Amuné for answers. "Where did you get him again...? This isn't normal..." he mumbled, pointing down to the crystal as Ethan came over, "Did you know he had this in him?"

Ethan had begun to worry when Norman seemed confused, thinking there was something genuinely wrong with their friend. Peeking over Norman's shoulder to take a look, his eyebrows raised in surprise spotting the magic crystal. "No... I had no idea. Then again I don't really know much of anything about Machina. That isn't normal?" he asked, frowning at the shake of the head Norman gave. Weird, so if that wasn't normal then why have it? Then again it didn't seem like Cecil was your typical, run-of-the-mill Machina to begin with, so maybe this was just something new with this line of them. Folding his arms he stepped back, tilting his head curiously as he watched Norman start to replace the battery. "What do you suppose it's for? I mean if it's not normal, and it's not his power supply... Then what is it...?" Maybe it was magic after all, maybe that had been what Cecil used to knock that water mage down earlier. Ethan had just assumed it to be some electricity he'd put out, but what if it was magic? Strange though, he'd never heard of electric magic before.

"I have no bleeding idea honestly, it's stumping me too," Norman admitted, shrugging as he went about popping Cecil's casing back in place, "Could be a back up supply, could be something else entirely. I'll have to ask around and do some research to see, I want to know." It seemed like a high quality gem too, not the kind some regular bloke would have gotten their hands on, meaning someone with money paid for this. Just what was Cecil built for exactly? With everything back in place, Norman took a step back and waited, smiling in satisfaction when Cecil's eyes began to light up again, showing that he was taking to the new power supply. "See, nice and quick! Do you feel better, Cecil? Anything unusual?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

What could he say to Shu to make it better? Even Takeshi didn't think there was one magic word to make the problems go away, but he'd think at least something would have gotten through by now. Laying his arms across his legs again, Takeshi glanced up at the ceiling in though, letting his little brother speak before adding his own two bits. "There's nothing wrong with being different buddy, okay? Viral's different, T'charrl is different, Yumi's different. Hell, no two Saiyans are the same either, I guess except for Kai and Choi. My point is everyone's different, and that doesn't make anyone any worse or better because of it. So just because you might be smaller, or hairier, whatever, it's not a bad thing. And if you want to know how to spell stuff then... Hell, I can teach you that. T'charrl probably wants to learn more too, you know? Maybe once he wakes up the three of us can have some lessons." He couldn't teach quite as much as someone like Vegeta, but basic skills such as reading, spelling, stuff like that he was fine with. Besides they were basically fighters by trade, what did they need all that complicated crap for anyways? It's not like Shu was going to be a businessman someday or anything.

"And if you're worried about not being brave... Well, uh..." Takeshi began, pausing as he itched at his head thoughtfully, "We could always try helping that. What are you afraid of? Getting hurt? Hurting someone? The rest of us getting hurt?" There had to be something specific, he just didn't know what it was. Chances were too whatever was bothering Shu could be taken care of, all they had to do was pin down the issue. Turning slightly to see Shu, the older boy smiled and reached over, poking at one of his little brother's biceps. "We'll train too, make you really strong so you won't have to be afraid of anything. If you're strong enough to beat anyone you face then there's no reason to be afraid, right?"

Vegeta let out a small laugh, shrugging his shoulders before smirking at Viral amused. "They planned to make you too though, albeit through different means. And regardless of your original purpose you were raised every bit as a child as I was, so that's no different. And does it much matter? Could you say with absolute honesty, here and now, you'd prefer to be a weapon as opposed to having been treated as a living being? Would that have been any better?" It was of course rhetorical, no one in their right mind would prefer being a mindless weapon. Viral might say so now simply because it would mean he'd avoid much of the struggles he was facing, but on a good day there wasn't a chance the Beastman would want such a thing. "This kind of work is hardly going to tire me out, sorry to disappoint. And please don't insult me, you're speaking as though this sort of work is below me," Vegeta replied, helping to set down another row of bricks methodically, "I prefer this sort of business over white collar work, you know that. I'd far rather prefer getting down in the dirt and working with my hands, it's more enjoyable that way. Sure, maybe I'm not working with machines, but it's still a nice change."

Only a few moments later and they had completed their wall, albeit several moments behind the other workers. The quality of their work was comparable, obviously not completely perfect but as close as two novices might hope to achieve. There was only one wall remaining and it would be foolish to try helping any further, which meant time for a new job. Whilst there was plenty of work to go around only so much of it suited Viral, so they had to be a little more meticulous in selecting a spot. It needed to be something physically demanding yet not stressful, and nothing that would potentially cause issue for Viral. Finding something that fit the bill proved to be difficult, but after a moderate amount of searching they finally found just the thing; rubble from one of the buildings had yet to be cleared, and what could be more simple than picking up debris and throwing it in a truck for removal? "There, that's our next job, if you're up to it," Vegeta announced, giving Viral a curious glance, "Unless of course it's too menial for your liking?"

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Takeshi hadn't the faintest clue of how he'd help Shu, but he knew he had to. It had been almost two months since they had reunited and yet there hadn't been any work done for the little guy, focus had been all on Viral. Rightly so maybe, Viral was definitely the worse off of the two, yet that didn't mean Shu's problems were any less important. So maybe Vegeta and Aito were preoccupied with the Beastman, that left everyone else, or more exact him and Yumi, to help contend with the little Saiyan. "Well... Maybe we can figure out what it is. In fact I'm sure we can," Takeshi responded, smiling sadly as Shu practically hid under his sheets, "It is going to get fixed, okay? We just have to figure out what those 'other things' are." Moving a bit closer to Shu he rubbed at his own shoulder before giving his brother's hair a light ruffling. "Can you tell me what the other stuff is? Just however you can spell it out, you know? I'll tell the others what you tell me, someone's bound to be able to help you. And if none of us can, hell, we're on a planet, somebody on this world will have the answer." And he'd scour the whole planet if that's what it took to find that answer. Someone in this city would know how to reach the others, and from there he could search until they found a doctor who'd know precisely what Shu needed.

"I would very much doubt that Viral. If there's one thing I do remember about mother, it's that she's transparent. She wouldn't hide how she feels about you, even if you are her son," Vegeta answered, "To be fair I wasn't likely planned either, and I suppose you could say I was brought about by "biological" blueprints. By that reasoning we're no different, are we? And to say you weren't planned, you clearly were, because she was needed as a catalyst for the process, so she knew what was happening and could have declined. Implying she might regret that or not have been in favor of it then is silly." Taking a step back from the wall he spent a moment appraising their work, satisfied to find they had about half of it done, all neat and orderly. On the other side of the building they were nearly done, and more likely than not their wall was just as ideal if not more so than what they had made; work could be done quicker and more efficient, Vegeta chalked it up to inexperience and Viral's exhaustion. "I suppose there is a possibility you'll get a "high" from this... But it won't last," the Saiyan observed, shaking his head as he went about slathering down another layer of mortar, "Realistically your body is going to tire, even if you're made to be more durable. Sooner or later the work will catch up with you and you'll feel utterly exhausted, which is when we go back to rest."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Takeshi honestly didn't expect Shu to understand him, so there was no surprise when the younger boy said as much. It almost seemed to him like everything that had gone wrong up until now had somehow reflected onto him, that it had been his fault it had happened. Realistic or not he couldn't shake that guilt, and seeing everyone as they were now only further cemented that feeling. "Everyone was scared Shu, don't think you were the only one. None of us exactly wanted to do that," Takeshi admitted, shaking his head and continuing along the hall, "Don't feel bad for my screwing up, it's not your problem. I'll apologize or whatever later, alright? Besides I didn't actually hurt anyone, no one has." He wasn't that big of a jerk, he'd not go and hit a nurse because he wasn't wanting to be treated. Hell, even Viral in his state wouldn't do such a thing.

There had to be some way to make things right again, to make up for his mistakes. At the very least, Takeshi figured, he ought to try actually being of use to Shu. His little brother hadn't really gotten any help as of yet and was still suffering, and he'd been too busy doing anything but alleviating that. "You didn't do anything bad Shu. You changed because we haven't helped you like we should... Because I haven't been helping you. You didn't change because you're bad, you changed because you don't know how to deal with it, because no one has helped you..." Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he watched as Shu got under the covers, smiling sadly as he reached over and rubbed the younger boy's back. "We probably wouldn't have won that even if nothing had happened, father's just too strong right now. But we can beat him next time, we just need to train more. But before we even do that we've got to make you happy again, okay?" Takeshi asked, reaching over then and poking Shu in the forehead lightly. "We can work on you getting angry first, since that's what makes you change. Sound alright?"

Vegeta gave a short laugh when Viral spoke, smiling to himself as he went about lining the bricks laid with mortar. "Well naturally, I idolized him for a long time. Realistically however I've got to find my own ideals and interests, I can't just be his shadow," he mused aloud, "And mother is... Well she's interesting. I've only ever see her be nice and kind to us, but then where she came from... I don't know. I wonder sometimes which side of her is the real one." Though they had a long separation and he'd barely known her he loved June unconditionally, and the same went for Aito as well. Maybe he'd not be running to them or calling them "mommy and daddy" any longer, but he still held them highly. Regardless of how their mother truly appeared he didn't care, she'd always be their mother. "I suppose we can go and see her when we get the chance, if you'd like. I don't even know where she is though, I've not spoken to her all day today. Last I had heard though she was at the hospital offering help, so she could still be there." That may need to wait until tomorrow however, particularly if they intended to keep busy working all day.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Norman waited patiently for the young girl to introduce herself, yet she seemed positively terrified of him. Huh, he was harmless as they came and yet she was timid beyond measure, was she really just not a fan of strangers? And what was with her appearance? The child was ragged and had a wound on her shoulder, how was that any way to travel with a child? It really was none of his business, but shouldn't they be helping her out as well? "Well, you know my name little miss, feel free to ask me for anything if you need it," Norman said, smiling kindly as he stood up again, rubbing his dirty hands off on his already soiled shirt. "As for our Machina friend here, how's about we get him to my shop? Judging by his eyes alone it looks like he's barely got the power to keep running, let alone do much else. We can get him fixed up in no time." Plus that meant he had a chance to examine what made Cecil tick, and how he was different to your standard fare of Machina. There was a certain mystery surrounding how human the machine looked, and Norman was determined to uncover just what it was for and why he was created like this.

"We can go... Really? Just like that?" Ethan asked, eyes widening slightly at the news. Wow, not only had the man they were looking for found them, but now he was offering to help them even without pay being discussed. There was no way they could pass this opportunity up, it might be their only chance of getting Cecil the help he needed. The sooner their Machina friend was helped too the sooner Amuné could get what she needed as well. After that it was a simple matter of buying supplies and they could be on their way again. Moving back to the bench, Ethan reached back and eased Cecil onto his back once more, using his arms to support the other boy's legs this time. With everyone set to move again he gave Norman a nod, smiling happily as they began moving. "Thanks for this Norman, seriously. We were looking for a while for some help, you don't know what a godsend this is for us."

Norman waved his hand in a dismissive manner, looking back over his shoulder with a smirk then. "Think nothing of it kid, it's my pleasure. Besides... I'd be lying if I said I was doing this wholly out of the goodness of my heart." He might as well be up front about it, they could always decline his offer to help if they didn't like it. "I've never seen a Machina quite like your friend there, and I've been working with them for years now. The fact you have something I'm unfamiliar with intrigues me, I need to look into him more. It won't be anything invasive of course, I'll just be inspecting what I can see while I work, that's all," he added, looking back and itching at his nose with a chuckle, "Of course... If you're open to me giving him a more thorough looking at then I'll gladly do so. It is probably time for his routine inspection anyway, so I'd be doing him a service."

"If that's what you think is best then I don't see why not. You're the expert here," Ethan replied, smiling as he gave Cecil a hopeful look, "Hear that? He'll take good care of you, so don't you worry about a thing." They would remain nearby for their friend given they were allowed to, but he had a feeling they could trust Norman. He didn't have an uneasy air about him like that man on the bridge had, and he seemed to have honest enough intentions. They weren't being taken to a shady part of town either, as there were still plenty of people around when they approached Norman's shop. It was a tiny place, crunched in between a large clothing store and a meats shop on either side, built of weathered bricks and boasting a simple metal plate roof. With a wide open front one could see the workbench where he likely spent most of his time, with racks upon racks of materials, tools and parts strewn throughout. It wasn't the highest end of places to be sure, but Ethan wasn't going to raise a fuss over that. So long as Cecil got what he needed then they would be fine.

"Heh, sorry it's such a mess kids, it's been a while since I cleaned up," Norman admitted, stopping by the bench and laying one hand on it, leaning slightly against it. "If you want to let Cecil down right on here then I can get to work. Shouldn't take too long, maybe 20 minutes tops." A change of batteries would take but a few minutes itself, with the bulk of this session going to a routine inspection. Given Cecil's outward appearance he could guess that everything was fine, yet not being familiar with his design or model it was best to be extra safe. Waiting for the Machina to be laid down he again wiped his hands off on his shirt, trying to get relatively clean before slipping his goggles onto his face. "Now... My mechanical friend, are you ready to begin? You'll have to be put into sleep mode while I work, but I assure you that I won't do anything unwarranted. Just nod if you're ready to start."