GambolMuse

Uchiha Reborn

This food was nice, certainly better than what he'd had lately. The villagers had tried to be helpful by bringing him food lately, but it was either sweet, which he hated, or far too seasoned. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate their efforts, it just wasn't something that appealed to him. This sushi though, it was plain yet tasty, just how he liked his food. The young Uchiha had to try fair hard not to take to the meal as enthusiastically as he might otherwise, not wanting to seem like he had poor table manners. Trustworthy or not, he had been taught to always be polite during a meal, and he wasn't going to offend Yura by eating sloppily.

"F-Favorite food...?" Sasuke repeated, pausing at the question. Did he have a favorite food? There were a lot of things he liked, but picking a hard one might be a difficult question. His mother often made all kinds of meals, and he just really liked her cooking, nothing in particular. He had to think it over for a few moments, but finally he was able to choose something out. "Well... I really like o-musubi," he answered, his cheeks flushing slightly as he spoke. It felt rude to expect Yura to make something for him, and he was confused that she even cared to ask. Was she a friend or foe? He had no clue, it was impossible to tell still yet it was beginning to seem like she might be genuine.

Throughout the meal Sasuke remained too meek to make much conversation or eye contact, preferring to look down at his food or in his glass. Eventually though he'd finished off the last of his meal, and with the final sip of his tea he had no means of averting his attention. Lifting his eyes reluctantly he met Yura's gaze, curious to find her watching him with a smile. Why was she so interested in him? Okay, so she was an Uchiha, but why did she just appear now? Why hadn't she helped during the attacks? It seemed strange before and now that, after all had happened, she had just appeared randomly. Maybe she wasn't working with Itachi, say that was a given, then how do you explain that? These were thoughts that a young child should never had, yet Sasuke couldn't help but be cynical of everything going on right now. Lowering his gaze to his lap he placed his hands across it, scrunching up the legs of his pants in his little fists.

"Yura... Why weren't you here...?" Sasuke whispered, feeling himself becoming emotional again. He didn't want to cry, he'd done enough of that lately, but the tears felt like they were rushing to the surface. With bottom lip trembling he tried desperately to control himself, sighing shakily before rubbing at his eyes with his forearm. "When mother and father died... And everyone else... Itachi hurt them all..." he continued, unable to stem the flow of tears now. Letting out one choked sob he lifted his head, starting down the woman through blurry eyes as tears began coming down his cheeks, "Why didn't you save anyone?! Why did you wait until now? Why only me?! Why?!" He didn't want to be rude, he didn't want to cry and he didn't want to hurt, but Sasuke couldn't contain it any longer. None of this made sense, and while he'd tried to go along with it he just couldn't any more.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Even with having something relative to a schedule now, Viral was still hard pressed to be optimistic. One couldn't fault him for that, it had been ages since he'd been healthy, and the concept of recovery seemed foreign even now. It was the hope of Aito then that once recognizable changes were made, and his condition did improve, that the Beastman would perk up somewhat. It would be a week's time before there was any sharp or great strides, but he should still expect gradual improvements over the coming days. "Look at it this way though: you have exponential growth potential, you can strengthen yourself perhaps faster than even a Saiyan, when given the proper training. So yes, the first few days of training will be dedicated to restoring previous strength, that cannot be avoided," the doctor began, smiling as he leaned over and gave Viral a small pat on the back, "After that however, the sky is literally the limit. We can hasten your training given your physical well-being, and we can have you as a high class warrior in no time. Don't be so disheartened, what you may think of as a long period of recovery really is miraculously quick, and restoring your strength? Just as fast, perhaps even quicker given the resources we have here. Given the chance to collaborate with the Uuonians, we've been able to hasten this process quite a lot, and there may yet still be more we can do." Aito was quite excited at this entire process, if the enthusiasm didn't come through in his tone already. Viral would recover, that was no longer an uncertainty, they had the means and methods to do so, all in place. Even the time needed was beginning to dwindle, and within days they may have it down to a science. If nothing disrupted them, Viral would be well again before he knew it.

"Oh? Well that was very nice of them. They did a very good job too, since it seems like you weren't there for long," June replied, "Really, just you understanding the language means a lot. If you didn't know the language, even the basics, then how could you ever learn to read or write? The way I see it, you're already prepared to learn, you just need the chance to." She hoped to build Shu up a little by telling him this, and it was more or less the truth. It was somewhat similar to when Vegeta was growing up, how he learned to speak on basic terms before anything else. Even the most intelligent had to get a grasp of the language before moving on to other ideas, and Shu looked to have that down. Folding her hands at her back, June looked ahead as they walked side by side, looking forward to sitting in on the lesson. "I don't know either of you that well, but you know what? The way I see it, everything has a reason for happening. You left early to meet your brother, even if you didn't know it. And now? Everyone's together again, and everyone's going to become stronger for it. Maybe the road here wasn't as smooth as we wanted it to be, but things will only get better from here on out. Funny how the world works sometimes, isn't it?" The good and the bad, things happened for some reason or another, that's how life seemed to unfold. June had been assigned to Volkov to meet Aito, she had borne Vegeta to have him watch over Capsule Corporation after Aito and her deaths, and they met now once again to help them along. Was it always easy? Not at all, but things had gone well even after all the negatives.

Takeshi had never put much stock into that, the whole 'everything happens for a reason' business. Far as he was concerned things happened because of what they did, or didn't do. He'd done plenty of bad things, and he'd not done a ton of things he should have done, it seemed pretty obvious for him. June was probably into that whole 'fate' stuff too, which just seemed like a bunch of crazy business. "Hm... Meant to happen? If you say so," the Prince murmured, smirking amused as he glanced sidelong at June, "Whoever's running that then deserves a kick in the ass, because they've been dealing us a really lousy hand lately." So was she saying that things were meant to be bad, then get better? Okay, he'd buy into that a bit, it was nice to think that things would improve after they got lousy. Only problem for their group? Things had gotten bad, then worse, and worse, and it was still hard to see it getting better this very moment. It was just another lull in the fighting, everyone was back in the hospital and the war was still going on, nothing really had changed. Letting out a sigh, Takeshi shook his head and glanced back at Shu, smiling slightly as he did so. "All I know is we both chose to go to the tournament that day, and we met each other because of that. Then this little guy followed me around until I accepted him as a little brother, and now I'd do anything for him. Sounds more like choice to me, but whatever, maybe it was meant to happen too."

Sasha wasn't wholly sure how to fight Kiton just yet, barely having witnessed him in combat and never having fought a Frost Demon before. He was likely stronger than her, that was a given, even while he was injured. That tail of his too would be problematic, she had to be quick and mindful of every movement to avoid getting hit or grabbed by that. So long as she kept light on her feet then she should be fine, maybe she could wrestle him down into submission without having to strike him at all. "I'll take you to eat either way, don't you worry about that," she replied, smiling as she took a stance as well, "I'll just get to brag how I beat a Frost Demon along the way." Making the first move she hurried in for a straight and simple jab, just trying to size up her opponent. No surprise that he sidestepped it easily, and then came in at her side with a chop aimed just below her ribs. Smirking, Sasha leaned back and ended up leaning over completely, her hands falling flat on the floor as she ducked under the chop, her body bent in an 'n' shape. Kicking up with her legs then she tried to land a kick on Kiton on the way up, flipping over and landing back on her feet, coming back in with a chop of her own aimed at his side, mimicking his own attack.

Korian couldn't really offer any suggestions for weaponry, he barely knew how the concept of electromagnetism worked. He was more a fighter, not a scientist, he'd leave the development of such things to people who were made to do just that. Trying to even come up with something plausible only left him flustered and embarrassed, looking like a total buffoon in front of Sayomi. "I'm sure someone can be capable of developing what we need, don't you think? Look at all the great minds we have, it's only sensible that at least one person will have a breakthrough," the rebel leader mused aloud, "Or at the very least, everyone thinking together will come up with something. I'll accept that, at current, Viral is the only one of us who can actually kill these beasts for good. I refuse to believe however that we're incapable of developing something to help that." There had to be some way, the only limit was their own ingenuity, and Uuonians had that in droves. Pausing briefly as a secured point in the facility was opened up for them, Korian stepped through and into the public domain, stopping a short ways in and letting out a long winded sigh. "Even so... This changes everything. Calling back the troops, explaining it all, it's not going to be easy or fun. I don't suppose we've anyone in charge of public relations, do we? I think we're going to need them..."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"I suppose that's a blunt way of phrasing it, yes. Reliance on drugs may solve the problem but what if you come off them? Then we have withdrawals, the symptoms return, and they may even do so to a greater extent. Maybe with that in mind you can see why we want to use them in tandem with other treatments, rather than as a primary method." There wasn't an awful lot of need for all those pills anyways, not when they were making steady progress in regards to Viral's condition. Roughly another week until his genes were repaired, some unspecified amount of time after that for his body to fully recuperate, and then perhaps within a month his depression and anxiety could be stemmed. This was all of course provided nothing interfered with their work, which at this point Aito was determined beyond anything to ensure that did not happen. "You won't be a weak bony mass though, because you're going to be training," the doctor remarked, smiling as he tried to rebuke all of the Beastman's worries, "A week will come and go, and you'll begin to see notable improvements in your well-being, perhaps even by tomorrow. You should appreciate that you're recovering as quickly as you are, as in days past this sort of work would take months to do. I know you've suffered a long time, but just think: only a week until your body is stable, and then from there it all depends on how long until you're mentally settled. So remind me, what is so grim about this?"

Shy of telling Shu to quit being such a worrywart, Takeshi didn't know how else to calm his brother down. Sure getting mauled again was a little freaky, and he'd been a bit nervous to be near his brother, but seeing how harmless the little guy was now made him feel awfully silly in retrospect. Things like that happened rarely, and if they could ever actually get around to working on it then it'd never happen again. Granted doing so meant that he'd have to have some idea of what to even do, and right now he was completely clueless. June seemed to have some things in mind, but right now she was just following them along, not saying much. "Yeah, we can read and learn other stuff, it'll be fun... I guess," Takeshi said, smiling despite his own uncertainty. He'd never exactly classified learning as an enjoyable thing, more forcing himself to do so as not to be totally clueless. If that's what Shu wanted to do though then he'd give it another shot, earnest or otherwise. Wondering what June was thinking about all this, he glanced back at the lady curiously and found her staring at the two of them, like she was studying them or something. "Er... Do I have something on my back?" Takeshi asked, trying to figure out what she was looking at.

"Yes, your brother," June replied casually, smiling at the annoyed expression that appeared on Takeshi's face. No, she wasn't looking to see if there was something stuck on him, she was more watching how they interacted. Even someone with no training such as herself could pick out a few idiosyncrasies, like how they spoke to one another. Shu seemed desperate to live up to some standard and earn his brother's praise, and then Takeshi looked to want to help, but not know how. What they were doing had the best of intentions, but they were both a little... Clueless. "Shu? I was wondering... You don't know how to read or write, is that correct? Where'd you learn to speak then?" It was odd, he seemed to have some grasp on the spoken language, but not much else; even his knowledge of spoken language was iffy at best, he clearly needed more of an education.

Sasha didn't much care what they did, though when Kiton almost dismissed training with her she'd jumped for that. She hadn't had a real chance to fight during their last battle with that monster, and while she knew she'd not have killed it maybe she'd be able to show off her ability then. Dragging Kiton forcibly along to the gymnasium, she near threw him in ahead of her and closed the door promptly, making it clear what they were here for. Smiling as he talked a little smack she gave a shrug of her shoulders, raising her fists to get into a stance. "If you beat me, remember that. Don't assume this is going to be so easy," Sasha retorted, starting to slowly edge her way towards Kiton. Once there was barely two meters between them she paused for a moment, sizing up her opponent as she wondered how best to start. He had that tail of his to use too, which meant getting somewhere that he couldn't make use of the extra limb would be a good idea. But what was it's reach? Best to start careful, she didn't want to be caught off guard. Heading right on in then she closed the gap with a charge, reeling back one arm and throwing a straight, hard jab to just gauge how strong he might be at stopping her strikes.

"I did try, you can't fault me for not being as versed in this as you are," Korian said defensively, sighing as he placed his hands on his hips, "You're right though, I won't be outdone by Krom. I still don't trust him in the least, and while what he says supports some of our theories, I can't help but think there's still more to this than he's letting on. Its obvious we've got to prepare for whatever is coming, which means we have a lot to do." Recalling troops, bolstering defenses, running routine scouting missions to ensure no monsters were appearing. Given that Viral was the only individual who could truly kill these beasts, that meant they had to find an alternative. Weapons might not be feasible, which left them with a high need for solar power and not very many options. "If you're asking me those questions then you know you're going to come up short. I can't even begin to propose a weapon for that," Korian remarked reluctantly, glancing back at Sayomi briefly, "I have to wonder though... This 'gamma ray' business... Can we replicate that? Maybe we don't need something like a blaster, maybe we just have to figure out how to create rays like that. Is there something we can do? Fission? I bet if we ask the Uuonians they can help."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You say that, but I'm sure you do care. We could give you so many drugs that you'd be in a dreamlike state, but it would fix you. The issue there however is glaringly obvious, you'd be barely conscious or control of yourself, it'd be no better than where we are now. At least now you're aware of things," Aito explained, "Then there is also the potential of medicine making you sick, something we've deliberated on and avoided several times for running the risk. We might solve one problem with a pill, but it could create another, hence our hesitation." If they were going to fix things for Viral then they had to be as close to absolutely certain it wouldn't have any serious side effects, otherwise they were trading one problem for another. There was no shortage of desire to help him either, it was just pills and serums didn't seem like the way to go, or the only way as it were. "As for curing you? Well... After running some exams on your genetic coding, it seems that it has begun repairing itself. The serum we provided you wasn't just to stabilize, admittedly, but it contained a few proteins we hoped might help. While it hasn't fixed every single gene, we've gotten, I'd say... 45% of them currently under repair. I know it's hardly what you'd like to hear, but it's significant progress. If we can synthesize a few more, add them to the serum... I'd say by the week's end, 70% of your genes could be repaired, and within 10 days only roughly a quarter would remain in need of fixing." Smiling, Aito crouched down and folded his arms across his knees, looking at Viral with a thoughtful smirk, "And you thought we weren't doing anything."

Takeshi had, obviously, been kidding when he'd said he'd give Shu a wedgie. So when his younger brother started freaking out a little over it he looked at the kid abashed, letting out a sigh before smiling exasperatedly. "You aren't going to be alone buddy, and I won't actually hurt you, relax. It was a joke, get it? Maybe not a very good one... But I was kidding." Was everything he said going to be taken literally? Maybe for now he ought to just talk straight, otherwise Shu was going to panic every time he opened his mouth. "T'charrl is going to be happy to see you buddy, I bet he misses you. They'll be taking really good care of him right about now, and Vegeta's helping him learn, so I bet he's in a good mood too!" the older boy said, trying to perk his sibling up again. Looking back with a smile he gave Shu's leg a reassuring pat, bouncing him up slightly as well and ignoring the pain that shot through his wounds as he did so. "Maybe we can teach you how to read, would that be fun? Then we can check out all the books they have here!" There wasn't a terribly large amount of enthusiasm in that plan, as Takeshi was never exactly an avid reader himself. Vegeta seemed to like books though, and some of the crew on the ship read a lot, so there had to be something to it.

Sasha wasn't keen on just standing by idly and watching Kiton sit around, she'd rather do something if it could be helped. Going into town had been a stretch, admittedly, though she figured she'd try making the offer just to see if he'd like it. He was fine for food too, which was just as well as she'd had a meal not long ago herself. So what did that leave them then? "Hm? You think I can't train with you?" she asked curiously, glancing down at Kiton where he sat. A small smile crept to her lips at that remark, and without another word she reached down and grabbed him by his arm, pulling the Frost Demon to his feet. Well then, they were going to have to see, weren't they? It may be true that she didn't have the raw capacity for power like Kiton did, but there was more than just outright brute strength that went into a battle. At any rate they would be sparring, not fighting, so it came down more to just technique than anything. Pulling him along, Sasha dragged him right out of the recreational room, past a good many soldiers and staff on their way to the gym. The room in question was a spacious, high ceiling space with matted floors, various machines along the walls, and ample room for all sorts of activity in the center. Being the middle of the day most people were busy with their duties, so upon entering there was but a handful of people inside. "Normally I wouldn't fight someone who's been injured, but you seem sure that you can still beat me," she spoke playfully, pushing him ahead of herself before holding out a fist to him, "And I might not be one of the strongest rebels, but I know my way around a fight. If you think you're up to it, I'll gladly train with you."

Korian honestly knew very little about Viral's innerworkings, only having the basis for what he was really. Information had been provided here and there on the Beastman, but most was too technical to stick, and the rest seemed unsubstantial and irrelevant. His understanding then of solar-based energy was, at best, minimal; he knew Ki to be life energy, energy that was equivalent to plasma, he was perfectly aware of that. So the former bit of Sayomi's explanation sat fine with him, even if it was a bit too word-heavy for his liking. Viral's energy on the other hand proved to be a bit more puzzling, and her technical way of explaining it had him somewhat lost. "So... One is essentially a superheated gas, and the other is radiation... Okay, I can see the difference then. Sort of," Korian mumbled through his confusion, trying to make absolute sense of it. That still didn't quite explain why Ki couldn't destroy the creatures but Viral's power could, and Sayomi didn't even sound wholly certain of it herself. "I see... I can't understand why we're unable to make weapons for this either. I'd think that electromagnetic... Er, radiation, could be produced with the right tools, we should be able to develop weapons around it. We can make plasma-based blasters and blades, so I fail to see why the other is out of the question." They might be able to enlist Vegeta's help in this matter, but then he was busy with Viral as of late. If not the boy then surely one of the Uuonians could create it, they were far more technically advanced than most.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Ethan was rather excited to get some food, particularly food he didn't have to work for. The meals came with their stay at the inn, so he didn't have to worry about costs, and the staff here prepared it all for them. Considering their last meal had been interrupted by that water Magi, it had been a bit too long for his liking since they'd eaten. Cecil, however, perhaps due to his lack of an appetite, didn't quite share that sentiment. Trying to reconcile his need to go and search for Nymira, the wind-Magi cringed slightly when Amuné suggested going back to where the Machina had come from. That was probably not a very good idea, in fact it was probably the one thing that was out of the question. After Amuné's comment, Cecil made one as well asking about the cost of life. "W-Well... I... Uh..." Ethan stammered, trying to come up with some kind of response. You couldn't put a cost on any sort of life, every life was important in its own way. Between Amuné suggesting the impossible though, and Cecil asking the unthinkable, he was at his wits end.

"We won't get thrown out! I mean... Not so long as we don't ask the wrong person," Ethan replied hastily, glad to be having a change of topic. Smiling sheepishly he gave a small chuckle, hoping his words hadn't instilled the wrong idea in Amuné. "We should probably avoid shady looking people, they might be part of her disappearing, and things could go bad if they find out we're looking. We'll stick to the every day guy or girl, got it?" he explained, nodding with certainty to himself, "That way we're not running the risk of tipping anyone off. Then, we can use whatever leads we get to find Nymira, and everything will be fine!" That was his hope anyways, they would have to be a little cautious going in from here not to anger the wrong crowd. Naive as he may be about the ways of the world, Ethan knew even from Kinsgrove that there were plenty of nasty folks who'd come for you if you crossed them. There was a wealthy man who owned the town's forestry company, for instance, who'd had a worker beaten up for taking a few days off for his child's birth. Really not a bad thing, but he'd been punished, unjustly so, for doing it. The townsfolk had been very quick to... Reprimand the owner, though that didn't fix anything. Basically Ethan took away from the whole experience to step on the toes of those in power, unless you were ready to deal with the consequences.

There was an awful lot to be done still, there was no doubt of that, but they had to take everything one at a time. At present they had to find Nymira, and after that they could head on, look more into Amuné's parents as well as Cecil's origin. There was also the matter of Ethan's friend, though from what he understood it was more likely he'd find information closer to the major cities than all the way out here. The men who had taken Cedric didn't appear to be from anywhere nearby, as their attire suggested they were from a much wealthier district or province of Adelon. Galloway was nice and certainly a commercial center, but it didn't have nearly the outstanding wealth that the people who'd taken his friend seemed to have. Chances were greater than not that all of their journeys were going to continue after this, and it may be a while yet until they had any solid leads in regards to any of them. It was a lot to do, yet Ethan was optimistic they would all get what they wanted in the end of it.

But right now, something far more pressing and immediate demanded their attention. Something that was so monumental, so incredibly influential of how the rest of the day might play out, that they couldn't afford to miss it. "Yes! Food's here!" Ethan beamed, watching as plates and plates of food were laid out before them. Strips of beef cooked in some kind of sauce, plenty of vegetables, noodles, fish, some kind of stew, they were not the largest of portions but Saints be praised there was a lot of it! Practically salivating at the sight of it all, the Magi shifted about in his seat, resisting the urge to simply dig in and get eating. Instead, Ethan patiently filled up a plate for Amuné first, setting aside a small steak of fish for Wyth as well, before finally serving himself. "Oh boy, this looks so tasty," he said, rubbing his hands together before grabbing his fork, beginning to chow down eagerly. Sure, there was something nice about catching your own food and cooking it yourself, it made you feel proud and capable; there was next to no flavor in food cooked over a fire in the wilderness though, whereas this was a burst of flavors. It had been far too long since he'd gotten a meal this tasty, he couldn't pass it up!

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

Aito smiled slightly as Viral complained about the selection of medicine, wondering if he perhaps ought to have grabbed that medicine like he'd considered. They hadn't given it to the Beastman regularly enough to know what it did, and he'd been hesitant to provide said medicine out here in the middle of nowhere. If it worked though then it may have been worth potential side effects; Viral's comfort came first, but they also should not put him at risk. "Perhaps you would have medicine promptly, but that might be all you'd get too," the doctor replied, placing his hands in his pockets as he stood up, glancing out into the forest as well, "I don't doubt a nurse would help you, certainly not the ones here. But their expertise and ability to help only goes so far, and at best they'll simply be drowning you in pills. We're trying to avoid such a thing, are we not?" Both he and Vegeta were opposed to using medicines for remedying illnesses like this, though Aito slightly less so. It seemed more a temporary fix than an actual one and was cause for relapse, which was something no one wanted. Sighing to himself he rubbed at his neck, eyes half-lidded as he wondered if perhaps coming out here had been a miscalculation. "Let's see how those pills help you, and if they get you to rest or not. If it fails then we can try something else, sound fair?"

"T'charrl's fine buddy, and you didn't hurt him on purpose, so don't beat yourself up over it," Takeshi responded with a smile, already heading off towards the hospital. With June following suit they left the park and got back onto the main roads, having a few blocks to travel before they were at their stop. Glancing back at Shu as he brought up play, the older boy shook his head and laughed slightly at the comments. "I won't? So I stopped playing with you the first time? Or after this last time?" he asked, glancing back again and grinning, "Come on, you should know better. I don't care what happens, I'm not leaving you buddy. Maybe I get a little shaken time to time, but I always come back don't I? And I always will." He was family, and if you didn't even have family then what did you have? Aside from just being family too, Shu was essentially his first and best friend, so there was an awful lot going for the little guy. "Look, nothing you do is going to make me leave, short of you telling me to leave. I can take a few hits here and there, it's nothing I can't handle. Though next time you do it, I'm going to give you one hell of a wedgie afterwards!"

Well, Kiton had learned about his status, but had it been worth it? He seemed uneasy now, and it was hard to say whether he'd been better off before or after the fact. Sasha supposed the latter, that way his mind wasn't making up all kinds of awful, and wrong, ideas. "We know that now, even if Korian doesn't. Believe me, we get it, things happen in the heat of a battle and sometimes it's not what you want to happen. Sooner or later Korian will cool off and you'll be fine, just you watch," she replied confidently, "And we don't really have authority over them as much as we're outside of their jurisdiction. Think of it like... Two separate ruling families, to put it that way... It's kind of similar to that. Both make laws and enforce them, but they can't force those laws on each other, or on each other's people. They're respectful of other laws and try not to cause problems, but they don't always apply. That's sort of how we work with one another." He was from a royal family, wasn't he? So that should make sense to him, she hoped. Otherwise Sasha hadn't really any idea how to explain it to T'charrl. "I guess... I don't know, it's your time to spend like you want. If you want food we can get food, you can go train in the training hall, or..." she mumbled, glancing towards the door briefly before smiling, "I could try pulling a few strings... Let you go outside in the city. With me as a guard, of course." Truthfully she didn't much care to be stuck in the building, and she was more than capable of performing her duties outside, so why not?

"Just a fair warning, since I suppose sending you to your death would be cruel of us. Yes, Shu's transformation is that of an Oozaru, but it's a unique version of it. Your knowledge may not apply, which is why we've not been attempting to train him ourselves," Korian said, sharing a little information. Frowning at the mention of Takeshi's skittishness, he wondered why no one had mentioned that prior to now. For Shu to attack his own brother, all the more reason they get that unruly child under control. Even with that information shared, vague as it may be, Krom was still going into a potentially dangerous situation, and the rebel drew something akin to satisfaction from that. It was highly unlikely he'd be killed in the event of an attack, but it certainly would not be enjoyable. Feeling slightly better with that thought, Korian stepped out of the room with Sayomi, making it some ways down the corridor before letting out a long winded sigh, glancing back at his companion confused. "Okay, what's the difference between Ki and solar energy? I thought they were similar!" he whined, sounding rather perplexed and almost childish from before, "That snake seemed to understand it better than I do, and that infuriates me. I can only hope he has one hell of a go of it with the Princes later..."

Uchiha Reborn

Glad he had come? Why? They didn't know each other, and she had nothing to gain from this, not that he could see. Sasuke didn't understand why she was trying to be so nice to him, it seemed so strange after what had happened for someone to show this kind of consideration, he couldn't see it as genuine. Still though... What did he have to lose if this proved to be nothing? There should be someone nearby to protect him if Yura proved to be an enemy, and then he'd just go back to how he had been. On that somber note he decided to go to the restroom and wash up, realizing they were getting ready to eat. Was it that time already? He didn't even know, he'd not glanced at a clock since leaving school earlier in the evening.

Shambling into the restroom he flicked on the light switch, having to search for just a second to find the sink. After fiddling with the handle to get the water running he began scrubbing them beneath the water, shaking them dry once he was satisfied they were clean enough. Everything just felt so mechanical, from waking up to eating, going to school and especially things as mundane as washing one's hands. Sighing to himself he made his way back to the dining room then, pausing at the door when he noticed the sushi on the table, just by the smell alone. He'd had cold leftovers and a lot of noodles as of late, so something like sushi was a refreshing change. Not his favorite of foods, but he'd gladly accept it.

Sasuke pulled himself back up to his chair and moved aside his book, grabbing his chopsticks and placing them between his forefinger and thumb. Closing his eyes then he said thanks for the meal, beginning to dig in silently. Normally dinner would be filled with chatter and recounting a day's events, sharing what one had done and enjoying the company of one another. There was every opportunity to do so now, but he didn't particularly care to try. He didn't have much to say, nor did he have much eh cared to share with Yura. It was none of her business what he had done today, nor was it any of hers what she'd been up to. Sure, he was curious about why she was doing this, or why she was so keen on helping him out, but again he wasn't so sure if he should ask. Still... He should try and show some gratitude, otherwise he was being terribly rude.

"T-This sushi... Is nice..." Sasuke mumbled, not lifting his eyes from his plate as he slipped some more food between his lips. It wasn't overly flavorful and cooked just right, exactly how he liked his sushi in fact. There was a fair lot of it too, he'd certainly not be going to bed hungry tonight. That fact nearly made him smile, though only the corner of his mouth twitched faintly before resuming it's straight line shape. It was far from his usual dinners, but he would be a liar if he said he was upset at having another person around. He'd make the most of this, however fleeting it might be, as there was really nothing to lose from trying.

Uchiha Reborn

Sasuke wasn't sure about all of this, it seemed to be empty despite the lights being on. Frowning as he began to turn to leave, the young Uchiha jumped slightly at the sound of a bottle falling over, freezing in the doorway and looking back over his shoulder uncertainly. He did have the right house... Didn't he? There couldn't be anyone else here, it had to be that Yura woman. Waiting for a moment in an awkward silence he listened for any more noises, and was slightly startled yet again when he was called for. Okay, so it was her then, that was of little relief however. Still skeptical yet determined to see this through now, Sasuke took a deep breath and headed for the kitchen, trying his best to be brave.

What had hit him first? Was it the sound of the faint music, or the stench of sake? The latter made him even less enthusiastic about coming here, getting the idea that Yura might be a heavy drinker. She had seemed pleasant enough earlier today, yet he'd seen too what alcohol could do to some people, he wanted no part of that. It was almost bad enough to make him turn away, but instead he wrinkled his nose at the smell and stepped into the room. Compared to her appearance before, Yura was far less imposing than before. Those seals on her arms were curious, particularly now that he was able to completely see them, but he didn't know much of anything concerning seals and so hadn't the faintest idea what they might be for. Other than that, the woman was markedly... Plain. Pretty though, even a boy as young as him was able to appreciate that much. She seemed very simple and earnest like this, and her smile gave an air of pleasantry about her. Even still, Sasuke couldn't smile back, only looking up to her with his dark, almost lifeless eyes.

"Sorry I'm late, I was busy," he explained, shuffling past Yura and going to the table. Setting down his school bag on the table he clambered up onto the chair, finding it to be slightly too high for him and having to work for it somewhat. Once he was up and settled he unsealed his bag, pulling out his book and flipping to the last page he had been working on. The book itself was meant for children 3 or so years ahead of him, yet he'd been taught well enough to be able to understand the material, at least in some capacity. It was nowhere near the level of his brother, but then he no longer truly cared. Emulating Itachi was the furthest thing from his mind, he was his own person now, even if said person was terribly broken and sad most of the time. He was done chasing Itachi's shadow, the only reason he ever would do so would be to take revenge on the man. That was what his older brother had told him to do, wasn't it? Seek him out and kill him some day?

For anyone else, killing the man responsible for your clan's demise might well be easy, but Sasuke struggled with the very idea. Just who was his brother anyways? Was it the kind, caring young man he'd looked up so fondly to, or was it the cold, calculating killer that had massacred their entire clan? He still didn't have an answer to that, and maybe that was why he couldn't commit one way or another. Duty said to avenge those who had died, but personal feelings held him from that, it was a little too much for a young child like him. It was no wonder then he'd become so cold and detached as of late, it was all he could do from completely collapsing in on himself.

"Oh... Right... Dinner..." Sasuke mumbled, closing his book mechanically and setting it aside. He shouldn't be so rude, his mother would never forgive him if he had just wandered into someone's home and made himself comfortable like this. Putting his hands on the edge of his seat he slid off of the chair, his socked feet dragging along the floor as he went to the restroom to wash up for the meal.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

It had cost him almost all his remaining money, but Ethan had been more than happy to pay for Amuné's clothing. She needed those more than he did anything else, and he'd not dream of spending it on anything less. Hopefully what they got was enough, he knew he'd not given the maid much and had worried about the quality of what they might get. After accepting the package from the maid, he presented it to his young companion cheerfully with a smile, hoping she'd accept it. "Yeah, I did! I figured you needed some, so-" he began, stopping when Amuné hugged him. Glancing down at the young Ydran girl warmly he nodded his head, giving her a small, one armed hug before watching her race off to get changed. Good, she should be in much higher spirits from now on, that would be nice. In the grand scheme of things too it had only cost him pocket change, well worth the purchase.

While Amuné changed, it seemed like Cecil needed some help at well. The poor Machina was stressing over trying to find Nymira, making it out like she might die if they took half an hour too long. She very well could, that wasn't a thought that hadn't crossed Ethan's mind yet, but he knew they had to be ready to start too. A rescuer was no good if they couldn't save themselves as well, he'd had a guard tell him that before, back in Kinsgrove. If you went into a rescue weak or unprepared then it might just mean two casualties, instead of one person saved. Not knowing what kind of position Nymira might be in it was best they be ready for anything, and to do that they had to be fed and fired up. "We'll find her, don't you worry. And if we do have to pay then I'll handle it," Ethan replied, waving his hand dismissively with a smile, "You needed that, you shouldn't have to pay for it, that's not right. I can just pick up a few quick jobs around Galloway, and pay it off in a day or two. So don't even worry about that, it's taken care of!"

At last the doors to the changing room swung open, and Ethan looked over with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, hoping Amuné liked her new gift. Judging by the beaming smile on her face one would think so, nearly skipping as she raced out to them. "Awesome! I'm so glad they fit you!" he laughed, watching as the Ydran girl twirled about. That should make traveling for her a little more pleasant, though maybe they should have gotten new shoes as well? One way or another he'd probably have to pick up some money here, they could always buy her a fresh pair before they left. With Amuné taken care of for the moment, Cecil's needs crept back into the forefront of Ethan's mind. They hadn't gotten their Machina friend everything he needed still, and he didn't want their friend thinking he was being neglected. When asked about it, Cecil had asked about a fairly heavy and deep question; essentially, Cecil wanted to find out why he was here. It was a hard one to answer for anybody, though Machina, unlike humans seemed to be generally built for one purpose and one purpose alone, so maybe it wouldn't be that difficult.

"We can ask Norman when we see him later, after we get Nymira," Ethan declared confidently, smirking as he spoke, "Maybe he can't give us the answer, but he can point us in the right direction, at the very least. And from there, uh... Well we go wherever he tells us!" Hopefully that somehow aligned with where he wanted to go, and where Amuné was looking to go. They had an awful lot of traveling to do between the three of them, and they could well end up traveling all over Adelon before they were done. It was a bit more than he had planned to do on the onset of this journey, but if they were willing to stick with him for his journey then he'd do the same for them. Now that they were all cleaned up and dressed, there was only one thing left to do before they got to work: have lunch!

"Oh boy, I can't wait to get something to eat...!" Ethan declared excitably, rubbing his hands together at the table. The barkeeper had come by already and looked into what they wanted, not that there was a huge selection. Some steaks of various cuts of meats, soups, plenty of baked goods, essentially everything that Galloway might be able to provide for itself. Given that this was partially a farming and commercial center, unlike their last town, he was optimistic they wouldn't get tasteless or stale food this time around. His stomach grumbled excitably at that thought, his mouth salivating as he pictured a heaping bowl of fresh, delicious stew before him. "Hehe... So, think we should start asking around now? Or... After we eat?" he asked curiously, glancing between Cecil and Amuné before flashing a small smile, "Because... Er... I really don't want to get thrown out before we eat."

Uchiha Reborn

Sasuke couldn't find it in him to care anymore, it just didn't matter. This woman could do whatever she wanted, she'd only end up being killed or leaving anyways, so why did it mean anything? If she wanted to try and take care of him he would let her, but he'd never be like he was before, he couldn't. No one could come back from what he'd experienced, and no stranger was going to change that.

Right, if he needed her. He wasn't going to avoid the woman, he knew he needed food and shelter. Just because he was going to her however didn't mean he was accepting her, it was a matter of survival. Keeping his eyes down on the pier as she spoke he only offered a small nod in affirmation, not having much else to say. Uchiha Yura... Never heard of her, strange that he knew absolutely nothing about one of his own. Would he go to her right from here? Or would he return to his own cold, desolate home? While the answer seemed obvious he really didn't know, it was almost like he wasn't ready to have someone again. The pain of loss, while numb, was still fresh, and having someone come into his life now felt almost wrong.

Finally lifting his head as she shouted back at him, Sasuke nodded his head slightly at the order given to him. Fine, he'd come over and eat, he was pretty sure he didn't have any food left at home anyways. He had no real idea how to keep food from spoiling, and as a result a lot of what the villagers brought by never lasted, leaving him with plenty of inedible food. He wasn't starving in any sense, yet he was far from getting his fill like he used to. The notion of maybe having a full stomach made him salivate shamefully, even making him get to his feet and almost race after Yura. He still needed to get home first though, and he had homework he had to go for class. Maybe later he'd go by, if she was being serious, and see what she had to offer. Worst case scenario it was a joke and she'd have nothing, he'd just return to his life after that, that's all there was to it.

The moon was high up in the sky by the time Sasuke was leaving for Yura's home. It was oddly reminiscent of that night, and though he knew there was nothing here to harm him, his skin still crawled uncomfortably. Walking a little faster than usual he kept his eyes cast down on the ground before him, holding his coat tightly around him as he moved along. It was getting cold, meaning it was later in the year. How was he going to make it through the winter? The home had heating yet he barely knew how it worked, and while someone would surely be by to help he could hardly make it on his own. If Yura was truly here to help, maybe she'd keep him warm...

No, he couldn't think that. The closer he got to this dinner arrangement, the more skeptical he was becoming. There was just no way that an Uchiha had survived Itachi's slaughter, that she somehow escaped him and was just now turning up. It made absolutely no sense, but then nothing in these last few days had. His beloved brother had killed everyone they ever knew, he was living on his own and now a member of his clan appeared, as if by miracle, and offered to care for him. As if things weren't confusing enough, now Yura's appearance was truly making a mess of Sasuke's mind.

Finding Yura's home wasn't terribly difficult, it was the only one aside from his own that would have lights on. The building she was now living in even prior to the slaughter had been out of use, so he was a little surprised to find her occupying it now. Stopping a few feet from the door he stared at the shut door for a few silent moments, deliberating on if he really wanted to do this or not. It could either be the best thing to happen to him as of recent, or an absolute letdown, and he wasn't sure if it was worth the risk of finding out. Still, what was his alternative? Go back home, alone, and eat cold leftovers again? It wasn't an appealing alternative, though if this proved to be a bust he'd be doing that anyways.

"Uh... Excuse me...?" Sasuke called meekly, shuffling up to the door and glancing up at it uncertainly. Should he just go inside? She had invited him over, but it seemed rude to just walk in. Biting his lip he reached up for the doorknob with both hands, managing to pull it open before stepping inside, blinking at the bright light as he passed through the frame. Even just standing here felt so much warmer, and it reminded him rather uncomfortably of coming back to his own home late at night, and he almost expected his mother to come around the corner and greet him any second. Sighing shakily, he knew that wasn't going to happen, Sasuke glanced back at the darkness beyond the door, wondering again if maybe he was making the wrong choice.