GambolMuse

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You say that like I'm going to give you a utility belt full of various tools, Viral. At most you'll need one item, maybe even something similar to a wristwatch in size, that's it. Surely having something like that wouldn't be such a hassle would it?" There were any number of ways to diffuse or redirect the energy used to fight Viral, it was simply a matter of applying them to technology for use. "I could do something even less invasive than that if you'd prefer too. Perhaps some sort of conductor attached to your belt, if you'd prefer. Everything of course is in the pre-development phase now, but I could draft something for you to inspect by tomorrow." With the help of his father too of course, he would have a better understanding of how the energy they were countering worked. There were likely some factors at play here which Vegeta didn't have a full grasp on, such as polarity, fields and potency of energy, he'd certainly need help in those regards. "I've not been single-mindedly devoted to you, sorry to say. I've debated on what I'll be doing for some time, and I've come to the conclusion of engineering several times now." Proposing they eat in a room instead didn't appear to satisfy Viral, meaning they needed to double back and go outside after all. Turning on his heel then the Saiyan grabbed Viral's arm and pulled him along, balancing the plates carefully in his free hand. "Okay, outside it is then. But I'll pick us a spot and we'll sit there, agreed? It'll be plenty isolated, don't you worry."

"Yeah? And people can change, I'm proof of that. If I stuck to my origins I'd be as bad as my father, but I'm not. Maybe it wasn't the easiest thing to do, you know? But now here I am saving people instead of killing them." He'd had to do some nasty things for the King, but since then Takeshi had been relatively okay about how he fought. Sure, there were the Kaesstrian soldiers who had died for attacking them, and there had been one or two soldiers when fighting on Pagonia who had lost their lives, but in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't that bad, was it? With Shu and the others now gone they could get back to training in earnest, and Takeshi wanted no less than Krom's best going into it. "Yeah I'm sure. And I don't care, if I can't handle that then I'm not getting anywhere," he retorted as he took a stance. He knew how strong Krom was before, sure, but not how strong he might be now. He would find out pretty soon though, eyes widening in surprise when the Elite had seemingly teleported across the room and was now stood before him. Trying to react to the first punch he missed the block, groaning as he was clocked right across the face and stumbled back. Takeshi didn't go far though as another fist slammed into his gut, lifting him off of his feet briefly before he fell back down, clutching his stomach and trying to remain upright. Okay, maybe this had been a mistake. Collecting himself and struggling to remain level-headed he threw his own punch in retaliation, not bothering to reel back as he usually would for it.

Just what was it that had Shu so uneasy? Was the notion of discussing his problems really that unsettling? He could understand if someone was depressed or anxious then reliving or retelling events could be uncomfortable, but maybe there was more to it. It was highly possible he had some kind of PTSD too, though only time would tell whether that was the case. "Training and strength are not the only things that matter in this world Shu. And your brother does not stay by you simply because of training, he must enjoy it, don't you agree? It seems to me like he thinks you're anything but boring," Aito responded politely, "And for what it is worth, his methods of training are... Well frankly they're wrong. He seems to miss the point of training altogether, more intent on just pushing himself to exhaustion rather than refine anything. You'll understand if we train together." Working yourself to the bone then recovering was one way to train he supposed, but not a very reliable one. You would see improvements, yes, but minimal when compared to what you'd see with directed, intense training. "If you don't mind answering for me... How strong are you compared to, say... Yumi? Or the rest of your friends?" Aito asked thoughtfully with a smile, "Maybe you aren't as strong as your brother right now, but you're likely as strong, if not stronger, than the others."

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

With everything already prepared for them it was but a matter of getting mounted up and moving now. It was exciting really, having found some traveling companions for the journey ahead; if Ethan had thought he'd be traveling with a Machina, a child and a princess earlier he might have been crazy, but here he was now with such a group. "Uh... Good question, I don't know," the Muran responded, holding up one finger before smirking, "I'll find out!" Setting Amuné in her seat he crouched down and peeked beneath the horse, his face reddening before immediately bolting back up. "It's a guy, DEFINITELY a guy! Feel free to name him!" He could have gone through the day without seeing that, now he was left scarred and feeling somewhat insecure. Climbing up into the saddle himself he made sure Amuné was comfortable, nodding in agreement. So long as they remained friendly he reasoned they would have an easy time of things.

Nymira's troubling start aside and they were finally able to get a move on. Ethan figured he and Amuné ought to be on the lead horse here, made more sense to have all their valuables in the rear to keep them safe. Once in the front of the pack so to speak he slowed their horse back down, smiling down at the Ydran girl and ruffling her hair as he complimented her clothes. Would they really find her parents? Only time would tell, but he'd try to remain optimistic and tell her as much until then. "Rabbit stew huh? I'll be there, you'd better believe I will!" Ethan responded with a laugh, setting his hands back on the reigns and looking back to Nymira and Cecil. "You two are gonna come too right? Amuné's mom makes great food, we should all have a meal together when we're done!" Well Cecil wouldn't eat per say, but he could still come along just for the company.

"If I have time for such things then I'd be happy to come," Nymira answered, more to Amuné than Ethan, "But my duties don't end with this. There's always work to be done." Because of the nature of her people it was natural to be constantly ready for fighting. As such her father, the chieftain and best warrior of the clan, was required to remain home and help protect their people. The result of this meant all of the other duties, meetings, trade agreements, fell to Nymira. Anything that required leaving the clan's territory was her responsibility, and while a difficult mantle to hold it was one she did so with pride. "Still... Sometimes it can be challenging..." she mumbled, more to herself than anything. It required constant travel which was tiring, dealing with difficult people with was CERTAINLY tiring, and occasionally fighting like today just to keep herself out of harm's way. Looking over her shoulder at Cecil, the Dimuran woman frowned and clicked her tongue to get his attention, nodding her head then in the direction of Ethan and Amuné. "How did you meet those two, and where? I would like to know exactly who it is I'm traveling with."

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"You won't be immune, you'd build a resistance. There would be ways to fashion a device to counter what they use, and perhaps that device might even be weaponized to give you an edge over them. Wouldn't that be something? They think they have the edge, but what if that advantage suddenly disappeared?" A lot of what negated Viral was attacking his energy source, but it would be simple to build something to counteract that; a conduit to discharge the attacks, something to absorb it rather than have the Beastman take the brunt, any number of things really. "And yes, I'll be changing careers at some point. I'd prefer to focus on engineering if anything, but that'll come in time. For now I've no problems with treating you, it's good experience and only natural I do it." Viral was family after all, and familial obligations aside he just wanted to help. If not him and his father then who? Some Uuonian doctor perhaps, but just look how difficult a time they were having with the Beastman. If people he was close to couldn't get him to budge, what chance did a complete stranger have? "We can just find a vacant room then and eat, how's that? I'm sure they won't mind us taking up some quarters for our lunch," Vegeta suggested, walking past the exit and instead continuing on towards the barracks.

Takeshi was frustrated, angry, impatient, but determined all the same. He was getting tired of Krom telling him he wasn't working out quickly and just wanted to prove the man wrong. All he had to do for that to happen was calm down, was that it? Tch, easier said than done when you were sparring with someone you might just as soon kill if you had the chance. Managing to take a step back he took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he somehow managed to reel in his angst; Shu was still here, and whether he was watching or not he shouldn't have to worry about them getting into anything. "Perspective or whatever huh...? Say it that way and suddenly there are no 'bad guys', now are there?" Takeshi replied coolly, frowning as he took up a stance again. Whatever, let Krom argue he wasn't the bad guy all he wanted, it would take more than words to change how he was viewed around here. Glancing back over his shoulder when Aito mentioned leaving he nodded slightly, putting on a smile for Shu and giving him a wave. "See you in a bit buddy, okay? Have fun!" Back to the task on hand, he was supposed to fight Krom again wasn't he? Fine then, but he was going to do things a little differently this time around. "You come to me this time. If you want to really test me then don't hold back, see what I can do against that."

Well that was easy, looks like they could get moving without any problems from Takeshi or Krom. Heading for the doors then, Aito glanced back at Shu and smiled reassuringly at his hesitation, shaking his head as he folded his hands at his back. "No, it won't hurt. At least... Physically it won't hurt. The purpose of this sort of thing is to bring to light something you're struggling with, understand? And it could be something minor, or it could be something big, I don't know. But I'll be with you in case anything does happen, so don't worry too much, okay?" he added, closing his eyes with his smile before looking ahead again. "And don't feel bad about how today went. Everyone is at a different stage right now, whether it's health, training or something else entirely. Just because you're at a different place than your brother doesn't make you any worse or him any better. If every person was always the exact same then the world would be a might boring place, don't you agree?"

Uchiha Reborn

Tch, what kind of fighting was that? Shinobi weren't supposed to do that kind of thing, it was something you'd expect in a street brawl. Granted Sasuke himself knew he wasn't quite a proper ninja yet, but surely he fought better than Naruto? After breaking the grasp on his shirt and tearing it in the process he was annoyed, finding that this was far from the enjoyable scuffle he had hoped it to be. The fact Naruto was gloating over a dirty move like that only furthered that irritation, as if doing something like that was something to gloat over.

He'd just have to remind the blond of how people actually fought, not this school yard scuffle stuff. After delivering a sudden knee to Naruto's gut he grabbed the boy's arm and flipped him over onto his back, smirking smugly down at him. Despite being shown up like that though he kept smiling, causing Sasuke's smirk to quickly fade as an eyebrow twitched in irritation. "So you got one hit in, and now you're on your back dobe. How was that worth it?" he spat back annoyed, frowning as he watched Naruto get back to his feet. What was he even getting so bothered about this for anyways? He should have known it would have gone like this, to expect next to nothing from Naruto. Besides, all he'd planned to do was be nice and invite him over for lunch, but now he was being forced into whatever this was.

"Hn, you're kidding right? It's not even a fight between us," Sasuke retorted, narrowing his eyes at Naruto as he tried to egg him on, "You really want to be beaten that badly? Fine." Rushing back in he made a throw to the right to punch Naruto in the shoulder, and whether that landed or not he'd try kicking the blond in the gut next. Whether due to his annoyance or whether it was pent up fury over recent events he didn't know, but he found himself wanting to really hurt Naruto now. After the kick he'd try to kick again, this time aiming to hit Naruto on the back and knock him down into the dirt. "You're not anywhere near me dobe, I'm way above you! Don't act like we're equals!"

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

"She isn't bad. It made sense for her to remain behind, in case someone else showed up," Soren explained simply, "You really shouldn't assume things about people, it's rude." Then again that was a bit hypocritical was it not? Earlier him and Lyra had both assumed Owyn to be a bit... Difficult. While that was proving to be largely true it still didn't excuse their assumptions, albeit the other boy was not privy to them regardless. Leading the pair to the courtyard he gave them a chance to pick their piece, curious about Owyn's assessment on what their choice had been. "It's unimportant what piece we choose really, isn't it? They're just pieces to a game," Soren replied with a shrug. What did it matter what they'd picked? The way Owyn spoke of it he almost sounded disgusted, though for what reason remained unclear.

So Soren had a partner as well then, where was she? Ulyssa wanted to meet their other soon-to-be teammate, and they couldn't do that if she was off hiding somewhere. After calling a few times they were finally graced by Lyra's presence, and what a surprise she turned out to be; she had met plenty of people since coming here, but only one or two Faunus. A bit of a curiosity for her, Ulyssa was eager to greet Lyra and get to know her better. Smiling in the other girl's direction she moved to shake her hand, stopping instead as Lyra walked past her to Owyn, smacking the Pawn from his hand and ordering him to reconsider, no shortage of animosity lacing her tone.

What was that just now? Why was she so against Owyn joining them? Lyra had tried avoiding them before and that might have been chalked up as random, Soren would give her that. But after seeing her intentionally swat away his piece and demand he change it there was no possible way she just happened to avoid him earlier. No, from the sounds of it she knew Owyn, and whatever relationship they might have was not a very good one. Frowning as the Faunus girl began to argue her case he glanced over at the other boy curiously, watching as he went to fetch the piece. Both of their demeanor had changed so drastically compared to what they had been before, with Lyra seeming desperate to avoid Owyn, and Owyn playing it off as though it were nothing. Clearly something more was going on here, yet neither himself nor Ulyssa had any idea what that could be. That was until anyways Owyn said something very curious.

"Sis...? You two are siblings?" Ulyssa asked aloud, voicing both her own and Soren's surprise. But Owyn was a human and Lyra a Faunus, how did that work? If they were blood related then it was terribly confusing, the more likely scenario then being that Lyra was adopted. Okay so they were family, why then was Lyra so against being with him? From the sounds of it Owyn was a dreadful person, yet she'd be hard pressed to call him anything other than perhaps arrogant; if there was bad blood between siblings and it effected their team's cohesion, maybe it was best they didn't work together after all.

"He picked the same piece, you know the rules..." Soren said with a sigh, rubbing at his head as he placed his free hand on his hip, "Sorry Lyra, but that makes the four of us a team. I'd rather not piss off the Headmaster on day one by changing the rules, you know?" Admittedly he hadn't been keen on joining up with Ulyssa or Owyn himself, finding the former unreliable and the latter careless in their first encounter. That might change though, he really should try giving them the benefit of the doubt. Dropping his hand from his head then, Soren turned to face Owyn, frowning as he took a step closer, just barely taller than the other boy. "I don't know what the deal is with you two, but put it behind you, okay? Don't drag the team down with whatever is going on."

Okay then, so Lyra and Owyn weren't exactly on good terms... That complicated things. It was too soon to make any real judgments on how these two would be as teammates, but if they were going to get into fights like this more often than not then their cohesion as a team was at risk. To top that off Soren looked to be getting defensive over the Faunus girl, confronting Owyn about it and more or less demanding it be dropped. No no no, this wouldn't do. How was she ever going to excel if her team was fighting amongst itself? Shaking her head in annoyance Ulyssa stormed forward, putting her hands on both boy's chests and pushing them apart, narrowing her eyes at each of them. "Don't you two even start. We're all here and we have the same pieces, that makes us a team. We'll make it work, we have to," she said firmly, then looked past Soren to Lyra and softened her expression a little, "It will be fine, I'll be here and so will Soren." For whatever that might be worth, they didn't really even know each other yet aside from names.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"No, I suppose if you're going to be stabbed then there's little you can do for it, save for perhaps wearing a titanium-laced carbon fiber body piece..." Vegeta mused aloud, scratching at his cheek thoughtfully before shaking his head, "Not the point. My point is you can't dull the blade, but you can work on ways to prevent being stabbed, to use your analogy. Maybe we can't build you an immunity to your weaknesses, but we can damn sure develop ways to help cope and even overcome them." And they would, there wasn't a single doubt in his mind they could develop such a thing. "Father created you and we both have extensive knowledge of you, weaknesses included. We'll come up with something, just give us a little faith, hm?" Having at last gotten the food they could now make another attempt at eating, though perhaps not quite yet; Viral wanted a change of scenery, which given the drab and plain setting they were in perhaps it was time for one anyways. "Well then, in that case we can head outside, around the back of the building? There's a decent amount of land on this base, we can find a nice spot to settle down and have lunch." Putting everything together then Vegeta took the lead in leaving the room, insistent they get this meal underway to test Viral's ability to eat.

So he'd really not been able to hit Krom at all, even when he'd tried mixing it up. Why was that? What in the hell was he doing wrong? He'd never had a problem before, and any other Elite he'd managed to beat, albeit with some help. They had beaten this jerk before too so what was the difference now? He was stronger for sure, and even if Krom had gotten stronger too the gap shouldn't be all that big between them. Being completely shut out like that was humiliating, and the Prince was beginning to face the facts he might just be outclassed here. All the power in the world meant nothing if you didn't know how to use it, old man Roshi had said that once and now it was making a bit of sense. Shooting the Saiyan an annoyed glance when Shu was insulted, Takeshi reeled back said emotion and closed his eyes as he did his best to settle down. Taking a few deep breaths he waited a moment before nodding to himself, his body relaxing as he adopted a more serious expression. "I won't forgive you that easily, you know... But I'll put it aside for now," he responded finally, shifting his weight on his feet before rubbing at one of his shoulders to ease some tension, "So now what? How do you want to do this?"

After the rather abrupt reawakening of Leto, Aito hoped that he might get back to tending to Shu. Kiton was not in any need of medical assistance just now, and while he was sure the Frost Demon wouldn't mind a more thorough check-up it wasn't his turn. He had agreed to help the young Saiyan before him first, and nothing shy of a medical emergency would sway that decision. Watching as Kiton began walking off, the doctor smiled and gave a small wave, calling after him and adding "Think it over, and feel free to visit my office if you need anything! You know where it is!" He'd been dealt such a poor hand at life hadn't he, and now his whole world was being shaken like a snow globe, it was no wonder he didn't know where to turn. Given some time however and Aito was confident Kiton would find his way, whatever that might end up being. "Anyways... We can go to my office now, yes. And perhaps after some play we can try our hand at training again, hm? I'd be happy to instruct you in that as well," the doctor said, taking a brief moment to address Krom and Takeshi as he looked to them, "I'm taking Shu to my office for a moment, hope you two don't mind! I'll let you know if we go anywhere else!" he explained before placing a hand on Shu's back, easing him towards the doors and out of the room.

Adelon: Steeling the Faith [Open!]

Narrowly avoiding a good thrashing at the hands of Nymira, it looked like the group might finally be on their way. They were an interesting lot, those three, and he figured that the princess was bound to be in good hands. Nodding at Amuné's thanks he smiled in response, giving them another small wave as Ethan and Cecil handled the crate. Certainly not who he'd imagine to handle a foreign dignitary, yet something about them gave him a good feeling. So long as Nymira didn't go making a huge name for herself or draw attention those three ought to be all she needed to get around. Figuring the group as good as gone Norman was a bit surprised when Amuné rushed over and gave him a hug, smiling amused as he glanced down at her and chuckled. "Don't mention it kid, glad to help. Only the right thing to do after all, right?" Be it human or Machina, anyone or anything that was in need of help should get it. In regards of Cecil it was a little more than just right to be though, his own interest had been piqued and he was hoping to learn more. And he'd be learning more provided Cecil kept a log, he rather wished to know just how he worked. "Now get out of here you kids, you've got a long trip ahead of you to the next town, and hanging around won't get you there any sooner!"

"Can do, thanks again Norman!" Ethan added in a cheerful tone, parting with a wave and smile before exiting the shop. What a stroke of luck to have come across a man like that, what were the chances? Sure they'd had to go on a bit of a wild hunt for his help but in the end it hadn't been so bad. With their newly acquired goods they made their way from Norman's shop and off to the stables on the western side, passing through that familiar warehouse district from earlier. No thugs were around this time though, or if there were they knew better than to try anything. Just as they had been promised their horses were awaiting them just on the edge of Galloway, a cart already fastened to the larger of the two and bags of feed provided to get them ready for the journey ahead. Loading their goods into the cart, Ethan took hold of Amuné's hand and lead her over to the saddle, smiling before grabbing her and easing her up into her spot.

"We'll take this one Nymira, you can get the one with Cecil and the cart. Don't want to make the horse work too hard," Ethan explained as he hoisted himself up, making sure Amuné was safe against him before grabbing up the reigns. Carefully leaning forward he ran a hand along the animal's mane a few times, wanting to show it he was its friend before they got moving. "You need to be gentle with horses, they'll work harder for you if you're nice," he added as he glanced down at the little Ydran girl, "Try petting him, like I'm doing, he'll like it."

Nymira didn't particularly have much problem with taking Cecil and the cart, albeit she didn't exactly know how to handle it. Riding horses wasn't a common thing even for nobility where she came from so her experience in the matter was a bit limited; add on a cart full of goods and suddenly her minimal experience meant even less. Still she'd not complain, and so long as they stayed to the roads it shouldn't be too hard. "Whatever needs to be done to get us moving along," she told herself, clambering up into the saddle and fixing herself into a comfortable position. Seeing the others petting their animal she furrowed her brow curiously, not understanding why they were bothering to do such a thing. It wasn't a dog or some other kind of pet, what reason might they have for showing it affection?

"Right, well then... Let's get moving. As Norman said it will be dark soon, I'd prefer not to travel in the dead of night," Nymira declared, grabbing up her reins and giving them a shake to move her horse forward. When the animal did nothing she frowned in disapproval, giving them another shake and not even getting a whinny of protest. "You're supposed to move when I do that! Come now, move!" A third shake did nothing either, serving only to annoy the princess further. Growling testily at the horse's stubbornness she glanced over again and saw Ethan watching her curiously, letting out a sigh before shaking her head. Was that why he was petting it earlier? What a ridiculous thing to do to a beast of labor, but if it helped... "Um... I apologize horse, I should have said hello first," Nymira said with a faint smile, leaning down and stroking the beast's mane, "Hi, my name is Nymira, Princess of the Rumia clan and first daughter of- H-HEY!" In mid-introduction the horse let out a whinny and began moving forward, nearly making the Dimuran woman fall off in the process as she clutched the reins for dear life. The animal settled down once it was free of the stables, but it had still managed to give her a little fright.

Ethan had to stifle laughter behind a hand at that sight, though Amuné probably still heard it. Nymira was definitely new to this no question and she'd be in for one heck of a journey if so. "Poor princess, maybe I should have explained it better," he mused, chuckling before shrugging his shoulders. Then, using the heels of his feet he gave the horse's sides a gentle kick, spurring it into a slow trot out of the stables, following just behind the cart and Cecil. Guiding their animal around then he stopped briefly at the Machina's side, smiling and giving him a small wave, "Enjoy the ride Cecil! And how's about keeping an eye out while you're back here? You know, for spooky monsters or something!" Ethan joked, moving his horse to the front. He seriously doubted they'd run into trouble so soon, as creatures tended to keep a ways back from large settlements. With himself and Amuné now in the lead, Ethan glanced down at his little passenger and freed one hand to ruffle her hair some, smiling endearingly at the Ydran girl. "I'm glad you like your clothes by the way, you look cute! I bet your parents are going to be so surprised when they see you all spruced up!"

A Grimm War [Vena Sera & Scout]

"Oh don't start acting all smug, we've only just started. You'll get killed if you keep up that attitude," Ulyssa warned, frowning as she scolded Owyn, "Or we'll get killed trying to help you. Don't be so stuck on yourself!" He had done well today and there was every right to be proud, but they couldn't be arrogant; arrogance could kill even the best of Huntsmen, and much as they might think otherwise they were still green as could be. "I guess it doesn't matter much right now anyways, all we need to focus on is finishing this. And hey, we found ourselves a third teammate!" she added with a chipper tone, beaming as she reached up and slapped Soren on the back, "Or rather... You found us. All the same, that means we just need one more!" They had a decent team thus far, and had really gotten a powerhouse in their newest addition. Owyn wasn't a pushover either, and with her cards they made a formidable group already. One more able fighter and they could well be the best team around.

"We have a fourth actually, back in the courtyard," Soren responded as he was smacked, hardly budging at all from being hit, "She's waiting for me to come back, so I guess I'll introduce you two." Lyra had seemed reluctant to join with this pair earlier, yet he couldn't see very much issue with it. Sure, Owyn came off as a bit haughty and arrogant, but that was hardly a deal breaker; if he was of higher social status then that was expected, and while annoying it was just who he was. So long as it didn't hurt anyone then he didn't much care. Giving the slain Grimm one final passing glance he began doubling back the way he had come from before, stepping on one of the corpses callously on his way out.

Ulyssa couldn't be more pleased with how today had gone. It had been perhaps an hour and she'd already amassed a team, found their way to the temple and were just about to finally finish their Initiation. Maybe she was getting a bit ahead of herself there, but it was hard to deny the elation that came with forming her team at last. Now how did the teams work again? The groups who picked similar relics ended up together, wasn't that right? Well then, provided she and Owyn got the same piece as the others then it would work out. Strange too that no other groups had made it to the temple yet, was it really that hard to find?

In following Soren's lead they had arrived at the courtyard, and what a curiously beautiful place it was. Even in its ruined state Ulyssa could appreciate the serenity, imagining how it must have appeared before it had devolved into its current state. Shame that this was abandoned now, it must have at one time been a wonderful place to visit. They were scarcely here for sightseeing though, what they had come for was the altar in the center of the space itself; chess pieces, as it would seem, just waiting for the prospective students to come along and snatch them up. From here she could tell only one had been taken, meaning they were plenty able to pair up with Soren and... "Who is your partner anyways? She's here right?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just a second," Soren responded, glancing around curiously to try and find Lyra. "Hey Lyra, we've got company! Where'd you go?" he shouted, scratching at his head in confusion and letting out a sigh, "She's got to be around here somewhere... Lyra?"

"Maybe she's just shy? Could be she doesn't want to see strangers so soon," Ulyssa reasoned with a nod, smiling to herself at her own conclusion, "I suppose then we just need to show we're friends then, correct?" Stepping to Soren's side she pulled him down to her level, ignoring his protests as she placed an arm around his shoulders. This was how friends acted wasn't it? "Lyra? We're here to meet you, we're going to be a team together! Come on out and say hello!" she shouted, scouring the opening for any traces of their teammate, "What does she look like anyways?"

Far From Home [ Scout & Vena Sera ]

He was just trying to be helpful, what'd he have to go and get covered in sand for? Maybe he ought not to have dropped Luna's thing like that, but still! "Jeez... Now my skin feels all gross and dirty," the pugilist whined, leaning over and using the surf to wash himself clean. Once he was properly cleansed he gave himself a shaking off, taking his time crossing the sand as not to kick any up and soil himself all over again. It looked like everyone had finally arrived, save for a certain girl whom he was secretly hoping wouldn't show. It wasn't that he didn't dislike Minerva, quite the opposite in fact, he was certain he couldn't handle himself around her. "Heh... Maybe she'll be busy with some fans," Suto mumbled, smiling sheepishly as he rubbed at his neck. Just as he was reaching the group again Fitch signaled for everyone to go swimming, causing him to stop in mid-step, spin on his heel and begin back towards the water. "Way ahead of you guys! I'm all for it!" he shouted in delight, grinning as he dove headfirst into the water, disappearing beneath the waves.

"It looks nice, you did a good job picking it," Luna said with a smile and nod, feeling a bit odd speaking to Yari like this. It was so strange, she was speaking to someone she knew and yet she wasn't at the same time; they hadn't been terribly close before the incident, and now it felt like that gap had extended tenfold. In some ways though this turnaround was a blessing, it gave her a chance to try being a better friend and support Yari in these troubling times. Suto was Fitch's back up, but Yari couldn't rely on that knucklehead for help all of the time too. She needed someone a bit more level headed and reliable, someone who would be around when needed. "Thank you. It's not exactly what I would normally wear, but the selection at the shop was pitiful at best," Luna replied, frowning as she glanced down and adjusted one of the shoulder straps, "The fact that this cost 400 Col too is absurd, don't you think? The material isn't even that good." It had supposedly been designed by some great NPC weaver, yet if this was the work of a renowned craftsman then she feared for the future of Aincrad's work force.

Realizing she was into her habit of complaining again she dropped the subject, not wanting to come across as someone who always was on about problems. Instead Luna rose to her feet slowly and placed her hands on the small of her back, leaning backwards to pop it before letting out a contented sigh. "We should go swimming, otherwise we got these suits of ours for nothing," Luna spoke with a smile, winking before reaching out and snatching up Yari's hand, "Come on! I'm sure the water's fine!" None of the boys were whining about it being cold, and if nothing else she trusted them to tell her something was wrong. "You too Alphard, and you as well Yuna! We came here to enjoy ourselves didn't we?" Pulling Yari along she hurried down to the water, not even bothering to test it as she barreled in, releasing Yari's hand to dive in and swim out before surfacing a few yards away. Beaming happily she shook her head to get her hair from her eyes, standing up in the chest-deep water and waving the other girls over. "Well come on, what are you waiting for? Get out here!"

Suto was elated to be swimming, to finally be doing something enjoyable and to get their minds off of things after so long. With how much drama had been going on lately this was a much needed reprieve, one that everyone seemed to be enjoying. Well, almost everyone, Fitch was still having trouble really feeling up to it; that smile he put on seemed genuine, but he knew his friend well enough to call the bluff. False happiness wasn't any good, yet he supposed it was nice Fitch was at least making an effort to be content. Swimming over to the aforementioned boy he grinned eagerly, pushing his arms forward and splashing him with a loud laugh. "Nice trunks! Way to copy me!" Suto teased, sticking out his tongue before laying backwards to float on top of the water, "Hehe, thanks for coming though Fitch, seriously. You're gonna have a blast tonight I just know it!"

Others were having a good time as well, if not in the water. Others were for instance content to remain on dry land, lounging in a folding chair surrounded by girls and friends. Doku had considered swimming once or twice, yet every time he went to go in another beauty caught his eye, so here he was. Smirking at the little brunette on his arm he reached over and snatched up another grape from a small bunch, offering it to her and watching as she opened her mouth, playfully hitting her nose before popping it in.

"Doku! Stop it!" the girl giggled, reaching up and slapping the boy's chest lightheartedly.

"Stop what? I didn't do anything!" Doku retorted lamely, laughing as his chest was smacked again. "Alright, alright, I'll quit it. I was just showing you the new fruit-based Sword Art I had been practicing. Fearsome isn't it?" This girl was just too easy, near everything he said either got her to laugh or break into a smile, the simpleton. She was cute though, and she certainly had a nice chest, so he'd abide by her idiocy for the time being. Besides, if he got tired of her there were a handful of others nearby, one of which he was sure wouldn't mind being with him. Enjoyable as it was to surround himself with women however he wasn't here for just that, but rather to look for someone; that boy he had fought the day before, Fitch if he recalled, he wanted to see him. Or more importantly he wanted to extend an offer again, see if the kid might take him up on it. He'd heard in passing their little entourage might come here, and while he'd not seen anyone just yet he'd wait it out a bit longer, just in case.

Dragon Ball: Legacy (Mogtaki and Vena Sera)

"True... Some weaknesses cannot be overcome. But then everyone has a weakness, just as everyone has a strength. If you can learn to fight around said weakness, or use it to your advantage..." Vegeta began with a slight smirk, "Then what chance does the enemy have against you? Yes, the RRA may have developed weaponry to combat you. But... If there was, hypothetically, a way to render most of it useless. Or say we could train you to be resistant to it, what then? Is your weakness truly as debilitating as you think it is?" That was for another time though, but they could develop some way to help Viral handle the RRA. Nothing was impossible, and every technology had a counter to it, you only had to understand how one worked to develop a response to it. Perhaps on their next visit to Earth he could ask the others to borrow some equipment from those soldiers, reverse engineer it and help Viral battle it. The food had finally arrived and with that the time for Viral to eat, something he still did not seem keen on. Taking the tray from the soldiers he met the Beastman halfway, holding up the array for him to see. "It's all small portions and well cooked, plus relatively plain as not to overload your tastes too soon. There are fish filets, a few various steaks and some vegetables, so please, take whatever you'd like. And might I suggest slicing it up into bite-sized bits before eating?"

Seriously, what else could he do here!? There must be something he wasn't getting, Takeshi was trying to mix it up and still getting nowhere. He knew he could beat this guy, he was stronger than he was! So why weren't any of his attacks working? Even after switching it up real quick he only ended up getting blocked, serving to frustrate him further. "Tch... What dumb attitude? What's wrong with being confident, huh?" the Prince shot back, though this time he backed off and scoffed at his own shortcoming, "Not my fault I can't hit you. You've got years and years of training, I got what, one? That's hardly fair you know!" Hell he'd spent more time on missions than he had training when on Kortal, and what little he'd gotten hadn't changed his fighting style all that much. It was humiliating not being able to land a single blow and Krom looked like he was enjoying it the entire time, the jerk. "If you're so good then teach me, huh? You were my old man's right hand man or whatever, you should know what to do. So teach me! Teach Shu!" He'd figured training just meant sparring to get stronger, but clearly that wasn't what they were doing here. So now what?

Well it sounded like the Krom and Takeshi situation was finally beginning to diffuse, good. No doubt it was a blow to the latter's pride, but he'd be better for it later by owning up to his shortcomings. Being able to tell Kiton his health was improving was a welcome change as well, and in no time every single one of his injuries ought to be well and gone. "If you're still lost for direction, why not rest and think it over?" Aito suggested, giving the Frost Demon's shoulder a gentle clasp before standing up, "It seemed like there were plenty of people interested in having you, but ultimately that's your decision to make. You can travel with someone or alone, I suppose those are your options here." However he chose to go would be fine, after all it was up to Kiton and no one else where he went from here. Smiling amused at Shu's rebuttal, the doctor glanced over at the two Saiyans finally coming to a stop, pointing over for Shu to see. "Or until one of their ego's is deflated like a balloon, it seems. And we can go ahead and go to my office now if you'd like to. It's not far from here, and..."

"Kiton! Oh mister Kiton!" Leto suddenly shouted, lifting his head and glancing about the room in a panic. With a still-red face he sprung to his feet, frantically searching for the Frost Demon before spotting him and bounding over. "Apologies my young friend, I seemed to have fallen asleep for a moment! Fret not though, a man such as myself does not need to rest for quite so long!" He should be keeping an eye on the boy for Miss Sasha, and sleeping on the job was not a way to do that. Seeing the doctor giving him a puzzled and exasperated look, the Yulian blinked once before coughing awkwardly, realizing he'd just interrupted something. "Er... Right! I will post myself by the door and wait for you there, Mister Kiton! Please join me when you're through!" he added hastily, dashing over to the door and pressing himself up against the wall.

What a peculiar man he was... But he meant well, that was obvious. Smiling slightly amused and shaking his head Aito turned his focus back on Shu, seeing the boy still a little uneasy about accompanying him. "Play therapy is very simple really, and is exactly how it sounds. I'll give you some toys and maybe ask you a question or two, and you can use the toys to act out how you imagine something might go. For example... I could ask you to act out how you and your brother train, and you could show me with the toys, understand? It's painless and fun even if you let it be."